Bleacher Report - Articles by Nick Healey

Toronto Blue Jays: Pitching Preview 2009

Nick Healey — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:32:48 -0400

Last year, the Blue Jays had some of the best pitching in the Majors. For 2009 though, they could be poised for a fall from grace.

In the offseason, the Jays lost bodies from their pitching staff to injury (Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan) and free agency (A.J. Burnett), and while the bullpen should perform well the starting rotation is riddled with question marks.

As mentioned in the hitting preview, the Jays organization is using 2009 as more of a bridge to 2010. By bringing along some of the younger talent, the Jays hope to be a force two years from now, and the pitching will be a key area to see growth in.
Here’s how it breaks down.

Starting Rotation

Roy Halladay is the obvious ace of the staff and barring injury should be in the hunt for an A.L. Cy Young once again. He had a 20-11 record and a league-leading nine complete games to go with his remarkable 2.78 ERA. Beyond Halladay though, the pitching picture begins to become more questionable.

Jesse Litsch is slated as the No. 2 pitcher, but he will pitch out of the three hole in order to alternate between left and right handed pitchers. This will be Litsch’s third season with the Jays after being called up from double-A in 2007.

Although he bounced between triple-A and Toronto a bit, Litsch still went 13-9 last year with a 3.58 ERA so if he continues to improve he could wind up with 15+ win season.

David Purcey will start the season pitching second after Roy Halladay. Last year Purcey’s efforts were fairly sub-par when he posted a 3-6 record over 12 starts and a 5.58 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.

However, his strong spring (1.54 ERA over 23 innings) has convinced the Jays’ brass of his place in the rotation. Also heading north to round out the final two spots will be Ricky Romero and Scott Richmond.

Romero is an interesting choice for the fourth spot because some had been calling the 2005 first round pick (sixth overall) a bust. After winning the College World Series with Cal-State in 2004, Romero laboured in the Jays’ farm system and struggled with injuries.

However, this spring pitching coach Brad Arnsberg has taken the young talent under his wing and improved his mechanics to the point where Toronto wants to see more.

He can struggle with his control, and his spring ERA was up around 4.50, but his last two starts were excellent and his 20 K’s over 18 innings seems to have impressed manager Cito Gaston enough to punch his big league ticket.

Finally, Scott Richmond will round out the fifth spot of the rotation. Richmond missed a bit of time in spring training because he was on the Canadian national squad that went to the World Baseball Classic, unfortunately he never got into a game.

It didn’t matter though, because the Jays had seen what he could do before. He spent a bit of time with the team in 2008, but has yet to prove himself as a bona fide starter.
Bullpen:

In 2008, the Blue Jays had the best bullpen in baseball. They had a league best 2.94 ERA and their .226 Batting Average Against was second only to Tampa Bay (.220 BAA).

Because of this, Toronto has decided to stick the same seven relievers from last year: B.J. Ryan (closer), Scott Downs, Jesse Carlson, Brandon League, Jason Frasor, Brian Tallet and Shawn Camp. Jeremy Accardo is the only notable absentee from the bullpen.

In 2007, he filled-in as the team’s closer while Ryan underwent Tommy-John surgery but spent last year sidelined with forearm problems. He has been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to start the year.

While the bullpen should be solid, there are still some points of concern. The first is the loss of quality pitching from the starting rotation. Last year, the Jays’ bullpen pitched a league low 425 innings, which contributed to their success, so if starters like Romero, and Purcey struggle in the Majors the bullpen could very well become overworked and begin to struggle.

The other concern is with closer B.J. Ryan’s apparent loss of velocity. Ryan, whose fastball used to be around 86-90 mph, is now reportedly down around 84-87 mph. This, combined with the fact that Ryan has been pounded by opposing batters all spring, has led Gaston to consider using Scott Downs in the closer role if Ryan continues to falter.

Toronto Blue Jays Still Have Hitting Questions: A 2009 Season Preview, Part One

Nick Healey — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:36:10 -0400

The 2009 Toronto Blue Jays are going to be bad.

Well, maybe not Seattle Mariners bad, but Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston has already labeled this year’s edition of the team a transitional one and cautioned fans that it might be another one of those “wait till next year” kind of seasons.

The idea is that this year the Jays will try and bring along some of their younger talent to make themselves that much better for the 2010 season. One of the areas the Jays are really hoping to see growth in is the hitting department.

So, without further ado, let's see what the Jays hitting is all about.

Last year, the Jays didn’t fare all that well at the plate for two reasons. The first was that John Gibbons and hitting instructor Gary Denbo were fairly inept in giving hitting advice. The second, which always seems to be the case, was that the Jays were simply not healthy and as a result were inconsistent at the plate.

Only one full-time player finished with a batting average in the .300s, and that was Vernon Wells. But weak batting averages just scratched the surface of the Jays’ impotent offense.

Not a single Jay managed to slug over .500 last year, and as a team they ranked 23rd in the league with a .399 slugging percentage and 22nd in OPS. Also, Toronto ranked 24th in the league with 126 home runs, and Wells was the only Jay to finish with 20.

This is not a good sign, but it’s even more concerning when you consider the Jays have to face the likes of C.C. Sabathia, et al., in the ultra competitive AL East.

It’s not all bad news for the Jays, though.

The good news is that the Jays can expect their home run total to rise and should see their slugging numbers improve in 2009—assuming everyone stays healthy, of course.

Lyle Overbay claims to be fully recovered from the hand injury he battled throughout ‘08, and Scott Rolen has been revamping his swing to cut down on his shoulder problems. Also, second baseman Aaron Hill will be back from his year-long concussion problem, and his spring performance has shown he’s ready to add to the total. Also, youngsters Travis Snider, Adam Lind, and Alex Rios should benefit from a full year of Gaston’s hitting advice that stresses a simple approach at the plate.

In fact, possibly the most intriguing story to follow in 2009 will be Snider's development. Snider is ranked No. 6 on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects List, and last season he tore his way through all three levels of the Toronto farm system, even finishing with the big club for 24 games in September.

What may be the most interesting part of Snider’s game, though, was that he posted his best batting averages with Triple-A Syracuse and the Jays, and his slugging percentage stayed consistent even as he rose through the ranks. At just 20 years old, it seems like his upside knows no limits, and if he continues to mature this year, the Jays may just find themselves with a bona fide slugger on their hands.

So, basically, if the Jays can avoid the injury bug, their young players progress as expected, and veterans like Overbay hit like they’re supposed to, then the Jays could actually be a bit of an offensive threat.

The only problem is the number of “what ifs” in that equation. If all goes according to plan, that’s great, but there’s just far too many variables to call the Jays offense a sure thing.

Projected Opening Day Lineup and 2008 Batting Averages

1) Marco Scutaro, SS, .267
2) Aaron Hill, 2B, .263
3) Alex Rios, RF, .291
4) Vernon Wells, CF, .300
5) Scott Rolen, 3B, .262
6) Adam Lind, DH/LF, .282
7) Lyle Overbay, 1B, .270
8) Rod Barajas, C, .249
9) Travis Snider, LF/DH, .301

Bench: Kevin Millar, Jose Bautista, and John McDonald

Toronto Maple Leafs: To Rebuild or Not to Rebuild?

Nick Healey — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:24:47 -0400

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a bad decision by firing Paul Maurice.

Maurice had been a pretty good coach for the Maple Leafs, as evidenced by the 76-65-22 record he posted during his tenure. Not amazing, but not terrible by any means.

However, the decision to fire Maurice wasn’t bad because he compiled just a decent coaching record—it was a bad call because the Leafs have no idea what direction their hockey club is going.

The problem is that the club is caught in a state of limbo. A desire to rebuild the team exists among some fans and management types alike. But in reality, the team has a lack of good prospects and too many players locked into long-term deals with no-trade clauses, meaning they are built for more of a “win now” philosophy.

Based on last year, the latter of the two approaches seems highly unlikely to be successful. So what’s next?

Does the team either plod along with band-aid solutions such as Jason Blake, trying to “win now” with a team of underachievers, or do they bite the bullet and rebuild, even with their lack of prospects?

Neither seems like a task worth undertaking, yet one course must be chosen. Thus, whatever the answer to the previous question is defines who should be the next coach for the team.

If the team opts to go with a youth movement, which would be the smarter of the two, then a good teaching coach like St. Louis’ Andy Murray would be a good fit. Unfortunately for Leaf fans, he won’t be going anywhere. Even a return of Pat Burns would be good for this scenario since he has been praised for his teaching abilities.

There is the second option though, which could end up hinging on whether or not Mats Sundin makes a return next year. If Sundin decides to continue on in Toronto after what was truly his most emotionally grueling year in the hockey Mecca, then the team has to go with a win-now approach.

If this were the case, a coach who is more tactical by nature would be the obvious choice. A Marc Crawford type coach who can read the game in front of him and make adjustments on the fly would be needed, although given that Toronto seems devoid of talent on their current roster it would take a true magician get this squad anywhere.

Paul Maurice was actually quite good at this role, although with him out of the picture, someone like Joel Quenneville could be the best of the free-agent coaches out there. Ron Wilson too could be a coach that would fit this mould, although his lack of direction in the locker room that led to his firing may not be the most ideal trait in a media hotbed such as Toronto.

The Leafs could also go completely off the board with their next coach. Peter De Boer and Craig Hartsburg are both coaches in the Ontario Hockey League who have been rumoured to make the jump to the big show, and if a youth movement were to take place their experience with younger players would be beneficial.

All of this is just conjecture though, and really there is no sense speculating on the next coach of the Maple Leafs until the Maple Leafs themselves stop speculating about their own future.

To rebuild or not to rebuild, that is the question. Until this gets answered, talk of the Leafs' next coach is about as important as playoff scheduling at the Air Canada Centre.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Brian Burke Jr. To The Rescue?

Nick Healey — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:41:39 -0400

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who are in the midst of an exhaustive General Manager search, recently had their hopes dashed when they learned Brian Burke was staying put in Anaheim for another season.

Burke, who had been speculated to come to Toronto for a variety of reasons, told the media he would fulfill the remainder of his contract.

This crushed the hopes of Leaf fans, most of whom believed he could be the saviour and bring a Cup back to Toronto after 41 long years.

Having just assembled the powerhouse Ducks team that cruised to a Stanley Cup over the Ottawa Senators, Burke certainly would have been a prime candidate.

Now that he is out of the running, there is another candidate that Richard Peddie and Co. should turn their attention to.

Dave Nonis.

Nonis was let go in a somewhat surprising move by the Vancouver Canucks after they failed to make the playoffs this year.

However, Nonis is interesting because in some senses he is a Brian Burke Jr. He was brought up as an assistant GM while Burke was with the Canucks.

Given the mentoring he has received, Nonis has inevitably turned into a GM worth considering in the Leafs' search.

Nonis took over from Brian Burke in 2004, and while he did fail to make the playoffs for two out of the three years he was in charge, he nevertheless has some assets that could help the Leafs.

The first of these is his ability to manage the salary cap. Toronto is suffering badly from a surplus of overpriced contracts and a lack of cap room.

Nonis transitioned the Canucks from the non-cap era to the post-lockout, salary-cap world.

The second skill Nonis has that could aid the Leafs is ability to trade for star players, as evidenced by his acquisition of All-Star goalie Roberto Luongo from Florida.

This is crucial because Toronto is entering a transitional phase, where they may find themselves without the services of Mats Sundin.

Devoid of their longtime captain and future Hall of Famer, the Leafs will have nobody who can really carry the team on their back offensively.

Toskala is an emerging star in goal, and Kaberle is solid point producer from the blue line, but Matt Stajan and Alex Steen cannot be relied upon to carry the load up front.

With a crucial draft coming up and the need to clean house, Peddie needs to act quickly if he is to get this team turned around.

There are lots of GMs capable of doing this job, such as Doug Armstrong or John Muckler. However, time has become an issue.

July’s free agency period, plus the fact that the Leafs have the seventh overall draft pick in June, makes the search for a new GM increasingly urgent.

Dave Nonis is available and has the tools to be an effective GM, so the Leafs should seriously consider him for the job.

Regardless of whom they pick, these are trying times in Leaf Nation, so the incumbent may feel like he is being thrown into the deep end…hopefully they can find a way to float.

MLB: Rays of Hope in Tampa Bay?

Nick Healey — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:40:51 -0400

The rebuilding Marlins and Orioles lead their respective divisions, C.C. Sabathia’s ERA is 10.13 and the Phillies have confidence for once.

Needless to say, there have been some surprises this year in the MLB.

Another surprise is the Tampa Bay Rays, who are making some noise in the Majors with their 13-11 record. They could complete a sweep of the Boston Red Sox, which would put them on a six-game winning streak.

Maybe it’s their classy looking new uniforms, which make them look like a real baseball team.

Maybe it’s because they know they’ll actually have some talent on their team in the foreseeable future. (See Evan Longoria’s new six-year, $17 million deal, plus options - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3353025)

Whatever it is though, the Rays look like they’re going to make an already competitive AL East even more of a dogfight.

Of course, it’s far too early to make any solid statements, but last year at this time, the Rays were 10-13. They went on to post a 66-96 record, which firmly cemented them in the basement of the league. So at least they’ve improved on their April numbers.

But this team’s been improving in more categories than just their April record. B.J. Upton is showing maturity at the plate by cruising along with a .398 on-base percentage.

The young Evan Longoria is showing early poise as well, with a .382 OBP and a solid nine walks in only 54 plate appearances.

Even Eric Hinske is surprising all his doubters by crushing a team-leading five home runs so far. He may finally be living up to his expectations after his 2002 Rookie of the Year award.

Their pitching still remains a bit shaky, especially while ace Scott Kazmir is on the shelf with an elbow injury. Although, with the offense rolling and Troy Percival closing games nicely, the Rays are going to give other teams trouble.

The Rays might still be a few years away from being serious contenders, but nevertheless, the Red Sox and Yankees should start looking in the rearview mirror once in a while. The Rays are getting ready to make waves in the AL.

Toronto Blue Jays: Big Problems for the Big Hurt

Nick Healey — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:53:00 -0400

Frank Thomas is no longer the Blue Jays' starting designated hitter, having been replaced on an interim basis by Matt Stairs.

To date, Thomas is hitting at only a .167 clip, although he has managed to slug three home runs and get walked 11 times through the first 16 games of the year.

Having carefully followed the Blue Jays last year, I can tell you two things about this decision. One, Thomas will rebound from and two, this is a classless move by the Blue Jays organization.

The decision itself to bench Thomas is not that unreasonable. If a player is struggling, then it makes sense to maybe give him some time off, find his swing again and let him get refocused.

That being said, JP Riccardi, the Blue Jays' GM, is very clearly pulling the strings on this one and trying to weasel his way out a poorly structured contract that he probably shouldn't have given Thomas in the first place.

The reason Thomas' contract is so poorly structured is because of the the "vesting option" that was included when Riccardi signed the Big Hurt.

The option stipulated that Thomas could tack on additional year worth $10 million if he was able to get over 1000 at-bats through the first two years of his deal. This is money Riccardi will certainly need if he wants to go after a high profile pitching talent this offseason, especially if AJ Burnett opts out of his contract.

Having appeared at the plate 624 times last year, Thomas is essentially guaranteed to get those 1000 plate appearances, unless of course he's riding the pine all year.

Considering Ricciardi's track record as GM we can assume that this move is based more around the contract than the slow start which Thomas endured last year.

While Riccardi claims that money is not behind the Thomas benching, it's hard to take anything he says at face value, especially after last year, when he lied about BJ Ryan's arm injuries.

He initially stated Ryan was having back problems, then later told the media with his infamous quote that "it's not lying if we know the truth." Ryan subsequently underwent Tommy-John surgery and the Jays were left without their all-star closer for a year.

In the case of Thomas though, there remain other options than benching him. David Ortiz is only hitting .134 while other DH's like Jose Vidro in Seattle are not faring much better at .224, yet they both remain in the lineups of their ball clubs.

One option is for Jays manager John Gibbons to slide Thomas down in the order while he waits to find his swing, especially considering Thomas has an OBP of .306 which is by no means great, but not as tragic as it could be.

Whatever the solution is, benching Thomas is certainly not it. Thomas finished last year with a .277 average and a .377 OBP, while slugging 26 homers. Furthermore, he was increasingly effective down the stretch, which if the Blue Jays were in contention for a playoff spot his bat would be crucial to have in the lineup.

Thomas has long been a model of class in the sport, he even spoke with Senator Mitchell about steroid use in the MLB and was the only player to do that, so treating Thomas like this is very unfair.

Thomas may be upset about this recent benching, but hopefully his classy behaviour will trump Riccardi's sleaziness and Gibbon's incompetence and he will be able to get back on track and be the effective player of old.

The 2008 Blue Jays: A Change in Mentality

Nick Healey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:23:52 -0400

It was the seventh inning of the final game in the Toronto-Texas series. There were two runners on first and second, and that’s when it happened.

Aaron Hill, one of the team's best hitters to date, sacrificed down the third baseline. This moved David Eckstein over to third, where he would later score on a sac-fly by Alex Rios to tie the game.

After seeing that, fans, media, and other teams could all conclude one thing for certain: the Jays’ new game plan is here to stay.

It’s just over half way through April and more and more the Toronto Blue Jays are looking like they belong in the National League, instead of the vaunted American League East Division. So far this year, the Jays have been playing a little more small-ball by dropping sac bunts, double steals, and pinch running like there’s no tomorrow.

Normally this wouldn’t really be a big deal. But the Blue Jays play in the AL—and more specifically the AL East. Here, playing without power in your lineup is about as safe as wearing a Derek Jeter jersey into Fenway.

Now realistically, the Jays’ still have a pretty solid offense and enough power hitters to stay competitive with the big bats in the AL. Frank Thomas and Vernon Wells each have three home runs, while driving in 10 and 13 RBI respectively.

Nevertheless, watching the Jays so far this season has been nothing short of surprising. Many fans expected the same old conservative game plan from John Gibbons—which saw little action on the basepaths and rare sacrifices.

So far this year, the Blue Jays have stolen 13 bases, fifth in the Majors. Compared to their 57 steals last season, the 2008 Jays appear to have a new clubhouse mentality.

Why is this change happening though?

Well, so far there’s no real solid explanation from any of the Jays’ staff. Manager John Gibbons has simply stated that he’s always loved this style of game.

Brian Butterfield was moved from third base coach to bench coach. It was his call to set up Hill’s straight steal of home last year against the Yankees, so maybe his mentality has rubbed off on Gibbons (who played far more conservative baseball last year).

Whatever sparked the change, though, it certainly seems to be helping the Jays’ cause. Their record as of now is 7-6, which includes sweeps of Boston and Texas.

It's still far too early to really know anything for certain, especially after watching the same Jays team swept by the perpetually rebuilding Oakland A’s.

However, if the Jays keep playing this aggressive hybrid of AL and NL styles, made popular by Mike Scioscia’s Angels team, then who knows? Maybe they’ll follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned Angels and bring the World Series trophy back to Toronto.

Toronto Blue Jays: Playing with a Chip on Their Shoulder

Nick Healey — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:51:37 -0400

For the past 15 years frustrated Jays have been waiting patiently for a group of players to come along and repeat the glory years of ’92 and ’93 while the Yankees and the Red Sox dominate the AL East with their bats – and their payrolls. Although, if this past week is any indication of things to come, then there may be hope in Toronto after all.

Okay, realistically it’s too early to make any accurate predictions about any team, let alone the Blue Jays. The Tigers were widely considered to have one of the best teams in the league, but are 0-6 so far, while perennial losers, like the Royals and the Pirates actually own decent records and have looked pretty good. Since predictions at this stage of the season are a dangerous game to play, without getting overly excited, lets take a look at how the Blue Jays’ season has unfolded so far.

While baseball fans everywhere were busy getting caught up in the drama of the last opening weekend at Yankee stadium, there was actually some pretty good baseball going on there.

The Blue Jays lost their opening series with the Yankees 3-2, nevertheless, the team looked good and had Melky Cabrera not been hell-bent on making Opening Day a win for the Yankees, the Jays could have easily stolen that one away from them. A late run by the Yankees put the game away, but the Blue Jays offense showed flashes of potential, although the timeliness wasn’t there since four times the Jays stranded runners in scoring position with two outs.

The second game at Yankee Stadium brought a 5-2 win for the Jays with AJ Burnett putting on a solid performance on the mound. Burnett tossed a five-hitter through six innings, while Jays fans everywhere let out a sigh of relief after watching Vernon Wells uncork his first home run of the year after a dismal showing last year.

The rubber match ended with the Yankees taking the series, but much like the first game there was optimism oozing from their performance. Dustin McGowan scattered four hits and four strikeouts across six solid innings of work, while the Jays showed some nice work in the field with three double plays. Again though, as in the first game too many times there were runners stranded with two outs.

Upon returning home to face the Red Sox though, there was a great deal of excitement surrounding the team. The home opener started off right with the team retiring future Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar’s #12 to the “Level of Excellence”, along with former President of the club, Paul Beeston. Plus, as they will on every Friday night at home, the Jays were looking good in their retro powder blue uniforms.

As for the game itself, fourth starter Shawn Marcum picked up where he left off last year, and cruised through seven innings of work while striking out eight. JD Drew’s three run blast was the only blemish on his otherwise stellar outing. The offense looked good too, with Canadian Matt Stairs crushing a ball over the wall in right to the excitement of the fans, while surprisingly the Jays continued to be aggressive on the base paths after Alex Rios and Marco Scutaro each stole their third bag of the year.

The next two games, the Jays seemed to have their way with the defending World Series champions by winning 10-2, and 7-4 on the shoulders of solid outings by youngster Jesse Litsch and staff ace Roy Halladay. David Eckstein also seemed to be finding his groove as the Jays' new leadoff man, after racking up some timely hits in the 10-2 victory, while Rios and second baseman Aaron Hill continued their torrid pace at the plate by maintaining .368 and .348 averages respectively. Frank Thomas also seems to shaking the “slow start” demons from his past by launching a crucial grand slam in the final game of the series.

Again, it is way too early to know just how good or bad the Blue Jays, or any team for that matter, are going to be. There are just six of the 162 games out of the way so far, and to this point, the Jays have lost a series to the Yankees and beaten up an exhausted Red Sox team who’ve been hoping around the globe non-stop for the past two weeks. What will be important though is how the Jays play against teams like Tampa Bay, who they traditionally seem to take a holiday against. If they display the same kind of killer instinct against the division's weaker teams that they did with the Red Sox though, there might be some success to be had.

Regardless of past performances though, it seems as though this year's edition of the Blue Jays has been clicking nicely. Their offense has looked strong and their entire rotation turned in quality starts through the first tour of duty. Plus, with six-time gold glover Scott Rolen and all-star closer BJ Ryan itching to get back from the DL, an already strong Blue Jays team has some more reinforcements on the way.

The AL East may be one of the hardest divisions in all of sport, let alone baseball in general, but keep in mind that the Blue Jays and their fans are tired of being the team just better than the Orioles, but not as good as the “Sawks”. The Jays seem to be playing with a purpose this year, so while success to this point may not be that important, rest assured more is probably on the way.

Russia and Canada in the NHL: The New Cold War

Nick Healey — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:54:55 -0400

Russia and Canada have had a long history of animosity. From the Summit Series, to the World Juniors, it seems that any hockey played on the international stage begs for a Russia-Canada matchup. Although, for a long time Russians, who have been quite successful internationally, have had a difficult time transitioning to the North American style game in the NHL.

Generally speaking, this is the result of different styles of play and different skill sets that Canada and Russia pride themselves on. Russia loves the finesse game, where as Canadian players take pride in playing “hard”, and not being afraid to get dirty to win games—and maybe even lose a few teeth in the process.

However, looking around the “New NHL” this season, it would seem the agonizing rule changes put in place after the 2005 lockout may be turning the tide in the favor of the Russians.

Now this isn’t to say there haven’t been quality Russian players in the NHL before. There have been plenty, like Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny, and of course “The Russian Rocket,” Pavel Bure. Although a new crop of young guns seem to be taking their place atop the ranks of the NHL’s elite while pushing their Canadian rivals aside at the same time.

Three of the top five point leaders, and goal scorers in the NHL to date are Russian-born players, where as Canadian players fill out the other two spots in each category. Alex Ovechkin is the premier name leading the way in both categories with 107 points and 61 goals to date. He is a lock to win the Rocket Richard trophy for most goals, and a top candidate for both the Art Ross, for total points, and the Hart Trophy for league MVP.

Some will argue that due to Sidney Crosby’s absence from an ankle injury, Ovechkin may be leading the points race without having been challenged by the league’s other best player, although Ovechkin’s dynamic play combined with his team’s late season push for the playoffs would make him a solid Hart candidate regardless.

Hot on Ovechkin’s heels though is Crosby’s Pittsburgh teammate, Evgeni Malkin. Ovechkin’s countryman has been right behind him in the points race most of the year and emerged as a huge leader for the Penguins in the wake of Crosby’s absence. He currently sits second in league scoring with 101 points.

Furthermore, Ilya Kovalchuk, despite falling off towards the end of the year still remains in second in the goals category with 50, while Pavel Datsyuk ranks fourth in the points race with 91. Even Evgeni Nabokov leads the NHL with 43 wins as the goalie for the San Jose Sharks.

While it may be a little early to say the Russians are taking over the NHL, there certainly have been some major strides made. Even the young Kostitsyn brothers, Sergei and Andrei in Montreal have been making waves and helping lead a surprising Canadiens team to the top of the Eastern Conference, with 29 and 55 points respectively.

Canadian hockey talent still exists, highlighted by the fact that both Jerome Iginla and Vinny Lecavalier sit at third and fifth in the points and goals categories. Although, judging by the year Russia has been having, Canada had better start looking over its shoulder, because the competition is catching up.

Toronto Blue Jays Pitching Preview

Nick Healey — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:12:38 -0400

Last year the Blue Jays' pitching corps was not really slated to be a huge strong point. However, by year’s end it was the pitching, especially the emergence of the young guns, that helped keep the injury-plagued team competitive.

Unfortunately, the injury monster that seems to haunt the Blue Jays is rearing its ugly head once again. The club found out in mid-March that they would be without 2007’s right-handed setup man Casey Janssen, who will be lost for the season due to a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Although losing Janssen certainly hurts the Jays, it’s not the end of the world. The Jays still have a strong rotation and depth in the bullpen despite the loss of Janssen’s quality ERA. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come though.

Starting Rotation

The Jays’ starting rotation looks to be fairly solid, with the same group returning from last year. The only major flaws are youth and the absence of left-handers, which might be cause for concern against teams with good left-side power at the plate. Nevertheless, the same rotation had one of the best ERAs in the league after the All-Star break last year, so there is reason to be optimistic.

Roy Halladay is the obvious choice for staff ace again this year. He struggled in the middle portion of last season after having an appendectomy, but regardless of his periodic struggles he was an important leader for the young group.

AJ Burnett will be the number two starter. His $11 million/year salary is incredibly steep for someone who’s only ever had a .500 record and spent half his career on the disabled list. However, his curveball and fastball can give hitters nightmares when they work and he pitched better down the stretch after Jays' GM JP Ricciardi called him out in the media for basically being a pussy.

The three and four slots in the rotation will be filled by two 26 year olds, Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum, who are polar opposites on the mound.

McGowan is one of the premier pitching prospects in baseball who has a fastball that can touch 98 mph, a power curve, and a solid changeup with movement. Marcum, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same kind of power, but uses a very good changeup and solid control to be effective, which was evidenced by his 12-6 record and 4.13 ERA in 2007.

Marcum also lost a number of quality starts due to the team’s sputtering offense. McGowan’s 12 wins and 10 losses were a record that was indicative of a young power pitcher, so the story this year will be if McGowan can turn a corner and emerge as a legitimate ace for the team.

At this point, the fifth spot in the rotation seems like it is Jesse Litsch’s to lose. Last year, Litsch was called up from AA as a replacement when Halladay went down. He struggled at times, but pitched well at others. His 3.81 ERA over 20 starts was pretty impressive for the 22 year old.

The club still has options though, and could bolster the fifth spot via free agency or possibly a trade. Litsch should take nothing for granted at this point, especially with southpaw Gustavo Chacin waiting in the ranks at AAA Syracuse.

Bullpen

Last year the Jays’ bullpen was a force to be reckoned with. Long reliever Scott Downs, set-up man Casey Janssen, and fill-in closer Jeremy Accardo each sported sparkling ERAs, all of which were 2.35 or under.

Brian Wolfe and Brian Tallet also put up solid numbers, posting ERAs of only 2.98 and 3.47 respectively. Wolfe also had a WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) just under 1.00, which left another quality arm in the mix for a job during Spring Training this year.

While Janssen has been lost for the season, the Jays' relief core has been receiving some promising news in the form of All-Star closer BJ Ryan getting set to return from Tommy-John surgery. Jays’ fans started getting comfortable with a lead after seeing Ryan’s massive frame sprinting from the bullpen during the 2006 season, and given his performance so far in the Grapefruit League he looks like he’s returning to form nicely.

However, he still remains a month or two away from being game ready, so Accardo, who emerged as a solid closer in Ryan’s absence, will see spot duty at that role to bridge the gap before Ryan’s return. Once Ryan is back he will likely find a slot as the new set-up man, especially with Janssen out.

Downs is basically a lock to return to the roster this year as long relief, while Wolfe and Tallet have a leg up on everyone else based on last year’s efforts. Brandon League is another name to watch for since he has been having a solid spring and unfortunately spent all of last year recovering from a training injury that decimated his once blistering fastball. However, if League continues to pitch like he has then the Jays’ Brass would be hard pressed to send him back down to the minors.

Randy Wells, who was picked up from the Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft will likely be in the bullpen while Ryan is out, but probably get sent back to Syracuse once he returns. Chacin, who’s probably known more for his signature "Chacin" fragrance than his pitching, is also an option if anyone in the bullpen gets injured.

Projected Rotation: Roy Halladay, AJ Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum, Jesse Litsch

Projected Bullpen:
Closer: BJ Ryan, Set-Up Man: Jeremy Accardo, Relievers: Scott Downs, Brian Wolfe, Brain Tallet, Brandon League, Jason Frasor, Randy Wells

Blue Jays Season Preview: Fielding

Nick Healey — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:45:21 -0500

Like with any other aspect of the Blue Jays going into 2008, the quality of fielding and defensive play will depend largely on whether or not the team can stay healthy.

Last season saw the Jays’ lineup depleted by injuries and struggling to maintain any sort of consistency in fielding, hitting, or even pitching for the first half of the year.

This being said though, the current lineup provides much more depth defensively than last year’s model, and assuming everyone can stay healthy, defense will not be an issue for this Jays team.

Here’s a breakdown of the positions...

Outfield

If Reed Johnson can come back healthy and consistent in the left field spot this year then the outfield looks to be very solid coming into 2008. His hustle is outstanding and his willingness to lay-out for fly balls makes him a huge defensive asset. In fact, in his first game back from back surgery last year he made a diving catch to save the game in the ninth inning; that kind of heart will surely prove beneficial over a long season.

Matt Stairs proved last year that his left-handed bat is too valuable to leave out the batting order completely, so expect to see him and Johnson in a platoon role, with Johnson likely seeing more time late in close games when defense is at a premium.

Vernon Wells will be a lock at center field, and defense certainly won’t be a problem for him and his three gold gloves, while Alex Rios will see full-time duty in Right Field.

Rios’ fielding isn’t overly impressive, but what he lacks in highlight reel catches, he makes up for with a cannon of an arm that keeps opposing base-runners honest, and more importantly off the scoreboard.

Also, Adam Lind and Buck Coats are solid prospects on the AAA team at Syracuse who can fill in nicely if injuries become a problem.

Corner Infield

The trade that brought third baseman Scott Rolen over from St. Louis for Troy Glaus represented a huge upgrade defensively. Rolen has won six gold gloves over his career, and will play a stellar third base barring injuries.

There is a little concern about his health, however, as he just had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this off-season. Rolen claims that he feels healthier now than he has in several years, so hopefully he can recapture his gold glove form with the club this year.

At first base, Lyle Overbay is coming off a season where he had his hand broken in three places by an errant pitch. It turned out to affect his batting the most, as he still posted a .996 fielding percentage in limited action, which was the second highest total of his career.

Middle Infield

The middle infield saw some of the most notable changes after the club brought in free-agent David Eckstein at shortstop and traded with Oakland for utility man Marco Scutaro.

Returning to the line-up are second baseman Aaron Hill and short-stop/utility man John McDonald, who was relegated to a bench role with the addition of Eckstein.

The biggest change here from last season is that the depth of the infield has been dramatically improved. This will play a crucial role if Toronto gets bit by the injury bug like they did last year.

For most Blue Jays fans the move to sign David Eckstein was bittersweet since “Johnny Mac” had emerged as such a fan favorite given his incredible defensive play last year. However, they can take solace in the fact that with the addition of Scutaro, both he and McDonald will form one of the best defensive benches in the league.

This improved depth will not only cover for injuries, but also give all the other infielders much needed rest to keep them healthy and productive down the stretch.

Also, Eckstein, who was criticized for his poor defensive play last year, has by his own admission, said he needs to be better. Last year he set a career low at shortstop with a .960 fielding percentage, and a high of 20 errors. However, hopefully infield guru Brian Butterfield, who is credited with improving Aaron Hill’s game, can help improve Eckstein’s defense.

Furthermore, when ground-ball pitchers like Roy Halladay or Shaun Marcum are on the mound, John McDonald will see more time. Defensive play at shortstop shouldn’t be too much of a concern for the Jays in 2008.

Catcher

Gregg Zaun will start most games behind the plate with Rod Barajas serving as his back up. The aging Sal Fasano was also invited to spring training, so he is in the catching mix as well.

Barajas, with whom Toronto had a nasty contractual falling out with last year, had a forgettable season with the Phillies and will look to rebound with the Jays this year.

One advantage that will give Barajas an edge over Zaun entering the season is that he is much better at throwing out base-runners.Last year Barajas posted a .368 CS%, where as Zaun only had a .151 CS%.

Look for the Jays to go with Barajas against the fleet-footed teams of the NL during inter-league play, or late in games with quick runners on.

Projected Starters

LF – Reed Johnson/Matt Stairs (platoon)

CF – Vernon Wells

RF – Alex Rios

3B – Scott Rolen

SS – David Eckstein

2B Aaron Hill

1B – Lyle Overbay

C – Gregg Zaun

Off the Bench – John McDonald, Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas

Blue Jays Season Preview: Offense

Nick Healey — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:15:12 -0500

The main thing that went wrong with the Blue Jays offense last year was injuries.

Nobody ever likes to use that as an excuse, but with the Jays ’07 team it was getting to the point where it was hard not to feel sympathetic.

Vernon Wells struggled with a shoulder problem all year, Troy Glaus had ankle issues that were constantly re-aggravated, Lyle Overbay broke his hand, and leadoff man Reed Johnson missed the first half of the season after back surgery.

Assuming everyone is coming back healthy this year, the Jays batting order looks to be a pretty formidable threat, even in the ridiculously stacked American League East.

After GM J.P. Riccardi said the Jays wouldn’t be overly active in the off-season he went ahead and made two moves that significantly helped solidify the batting order.

First was the free agent signing of short-stop David Eckstein. Now, most Jays fans were heartbroken when they saw this signing because they knew it meant that the lovable John McDonald would be reduced to a back-up role once again.

While McDonald is a magician on defense and still should see regular time late in games, his batting prowess leaves much to be desired as he hit .251 with a mere .279 on-base percentage. Eckstein, on the other hand, hit a solid .309 last year with a .356 on-base percentage and will square off with Reed Johnson in training camp to see who establishes themselves as the team’s lead-off man.

The next move the Jays made was a straight up trade of third baseman Troy Glaus for fellow hot-corner counterpart Scott Rolen.

This trade would seem to work in the Jays’ favour as it takes Glaus’ inconsistent power bat out of the lineup and substitutes Rolen’s much higher .283 career batting average and better base-running into a lineup that already has power in Wells, Alex Rios, and Frank Thomas. However like Glaus, Rolen struggled through injuries last year and had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this off-season, so only time will tell if he can be as effective at the plate as hoped.

Otherwise the Jays’ lineup is fairly similar and fans can probably expect the same sort of output, if not better, from the guys they’re used to seeing like Rios, Aaron Hill, Gregg Zaun and Matt Stairs.

One area that also shouldn’t be overlooked is the coaching changes on the Jays roster.

Gary Denbo was brought over from the Yankees’ organization to replace Mickey Brantley as hitting coach, and has already started looking over tapes and working with a number of players. Since Derek Jeter praises this guy, he’s probably an all right pick-up and hopefully will help bring some consistency to this Jays team, if nothing else.

Also, Brian Butterfield is taking over the Bench Coach role from Ernie Whitt. For those who don’t know, Butterfield was also poached from the Yankees’ organization and orchestrated Aaron Hill’s beautiful straight-steal of home last year against his former employers. He is very knowledgeable of the game and should be able to keep the painful John Gibbons/Ernie Whitt tactical errors from last year, such as players batting out of order (twice), to a minimum.

One of the trouble spots the Jays should show some concern for is the fact that they have very few quality left-handed bats in the lineup. Out of the players who will see regular time, Overbay and Stairs are the only true lefties, while catcher Gregg Zaun can switch hit.

This lack of left side power could cause problems against some of the more dominant right-handed pitchers the team faces, especially the likes of the Red Sox’s Josh Beckett or the dominant young righties of the Yankees.

Also, while the Jays’ lineup seemed to feast on bullpen pitching and made numerous late game comebacks last year, there was a tendency to struggle against starting pitching.

While this may not be a problem against teams like Tampa Bay who have embarrassingly little talent in their bullpens, teams like Boston, LA or Seattle with strong starters and lights-out closers could leave the Blue Jays struggling with a few poor plate performances now and then.

Nick’s Projected Opening Day Batting Order

David Eckstien, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, Frank Thomas, Lyle Overbay, Scott Rolen, Aaron Hill, Gregg Zaun, Reed Johnson.

Big Names MIA: Rethinking the NHL All-Star Game

Nick Healey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:14:20 -0500

Hockey fans know the NHL All-Star weekend has always been fun to watch and from what most can see on TV, it looks like it’s a pretty fun time for the players too.

This year’s All-Star weekend is set to kick off at Philips Arena in Atlanta on Jan. 26. The only problem is that a number of the All-Stars aren’t going to be in attendance.

This year, in what seems to be becoming a trend, many players who were elected to the All-Star team are unable to take part in the weekend’s festivities.

Sidney Crosby, Henrik Zetterberg, Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur, Paul Stastny, and Sergei Zubov will not take part in the skills competition or the game itself for a whole slew of reasons. Furthermore, Mats Sundin contacted the NHL after he was informed he would be an All-Star to let them know he wanted to take the time off rather than compete.

Why are so many players deciding to do this? Well, the reasons are varied, with some being more understandable than others. Crosby and Stastny are injured and would otherwise most certainly be there. Luongo’s wife is giving birth to their first child. Brodeur has a family engagement, while Zetterberg and Zubov are nursing minor injuries that they would otherwise play with.

Their replacements will be Evgeni Malkin, Corey Perry, Scott Niedermayer, Mike Ribeiro, and Tim Thomas. They are all formidable replacements playing solid hockey this year, however they were never intended to be there in the first place.

Does this lack of should-be All-Stars mean there’s something wrong with the All-Star Game itself? Well, it sure looks that way...and what this seems to indicate is that there isn’t enough of an incentive for the players to show up.

How does the NHL fix this? Let's look to some of the other professional sports leagues.

Take the end-of-year style game the NFL uses, being of course the Pro Bowl, at a fixed location in Hawaii. A hockey style Pro Bowl could be interesting. A fixed location would probably go against the NHL’s policy of growing the game in nontraditional hockey markets. On the other hand though, a postseason event could make most players more available and certainly keep the atmosphere light to showcase players' real skills.

What about the MLB version of the All-Star Game where they are playing for a purpose—the ever-so-important home field advantage in the World Series. The NHL All-Star Game could certainly benefit from this, as it would keep players like Zetterberg and Zubov interested, especially considering their teams have a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup this spring.

There are also other possibilities out there that could become unique to hockey. Many have thought that an outdoor game could be a lot of fun for the players involved and it would draw bigger crowds and TV coverage like the regular-season Winter Classic we saw earlier this year.

These are just possible solutions to something that needs fixing, given the number of no-shows. Until something is done to add an impact to the All-Star Game, it is never going to reach its full potential as the spectacle it should be.

The Waiting Game: "Retired" NHLers Return to Chase Stanley Cup

Nick Healey — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:00:42 -0500

A bizarre new trend seems to be sweeping across the NHL.

More and more players seem to be taking an extended offseason and rejoining the NHL ranks at their own pace, rather than joining their team like average players do in the fall training camps.

So far this year some notable examples of players pulling a “Roger Clemens” are Scott Niedermayer and Curtis Joseph.

Niedermayer rejoined the Anaheim Ducks; a team he helped led to their first the Stanley Cup Championship last spring. CuJo re-signed with the Calgary Flames.

The rumor mills are abuzz with whether Teemu Selanne is considering a return to the Ducks and free agent Peter Forsberg considering a return to the NHL.

Sure there are some pretty valid reasons for these players taking time off—Selanne and his wife just had their first child.

Forsberg has had debilitating ankle problems for a while. Most notably, he is not even under contract with a team, making him just your average free agent who “retired” with health problems.

But what about Niedermayer or Joseph? What were their excuses?

Niedermayer, as much of a talented and gracious athlete that he is, seemingly has had no good reason for taking half the season off and returning to the Ducks lineup at his leisure—long after GM Brian Burke had calculated him out of salary cap equation.

Joseph too seems to be taking the easy route to his long desired Stanley Cup ring by sitting out the start of the season, only to return to a contender with half the season out of the way.

Maybe this isn’t really a big deal, but it ultimately leads one to question whether or not this kind of behavior is good for the team, and more importantly, good for the NHL.

Niedermayer, widely regarded as one of the premier defenseman in the league, normally, would be a welcome addition any team, but in the case of the Ducks, they were right up against the salary cap.

Anahiem needed another top defenseman after Niedermayer was non-committal about returning this season. So, Burke goes out and signs Mathieu Schneider to take his place.

Niedermayer then decides to make his return though, forcing Burke to make room under the cap, which was manifested in the Ducks trading away All-Star caliber centre Andy McDonald.

Joseph is a bit different example. He was retired for all intensive purposes, but then makes a comeback bid with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup. Calgary then decides to sign him after his stellar performance to back-up their struggling net-minder Miikka Kiprusoff.

Keep in mind that Joseph has never won a Stanley Cup, which is something that typically justifies any great player’s career. Should his role with the Flames lead him to his first ring, one will ultimately question just how valid it really is since he missed out on the first half of the season.

The last thing the NHL needs is more players, who are supposedly out of the picture, jumping back into the game and riding the fastest horse to victory.

Imagine Eric Lindros coming out of retirement to try and win a cup with the Red Wings right now.

In the end, the player coming back has to be pretty good otherwise the team will just say no; so, that should at least rule the Lindros type hopefuls out.

Still though, NHL GM’s need to be a bit wary of the precedents they are setting. Allowing Niedermayer back into the fold gives star players the indication that they can come and go as they please regardless of contractual obligations.

The signing of Joseph gives all the recently washed up players with lingering Cup dreams the idea that they can come back in the NHL and make a difference, neither of which are things the NHL needs.

Toronto Trade Winds: Troy Glaus, Scott Rolen on the Move?

Nick Healey — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 08:10:29 -0500

As per foxsports.com and mlbtraderumors.com Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Blue Jays Third Baseman Troy Glaus could be on his way out of Toronto for fellow hot corner counterpart Scott Rolen. The move of Rolen has been expected for some time now, since he has been feuding with Cardinals Manger Tony La Russa since last season.

If the move is in fact completed it would see the Blue Jays virtually stealing the left-side infield from the 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, including the MVP David Eckstein who they signed earlier this offseason. This would appear to be something that would bode well for Jays fans, however there are still questions to be answered.

The deal is reportedly still hinging on the fact that both Glaus, and Rolen, who waived their no-trade clauses, need to undergo physicals which, considering at the end of the season they both had foot and shoulder surgery respectively, may still be somewhat of an obstacle for the two teams to clear.

Assuming this deal does go through, it is obvious that both players would likely benefit from a change of scenery. Rolen, because of his quarrels with La Russa, and Glaus because of his injury prone nature on the turf at Rogers Centre.

Again, while the trade is just speculated at this point, if completed, Blue Jays fans should be excited to have Rolen in the lineup. Considering he can hit for around a .300 average when healthy, Rolen will give the Jays’ power laden batting order more balance, but also Rolen has won seven gold gloves over his career, which puts him at third on the all-time list at third base. Given that Toronto also has defensive specialist John McDonald coming off the bench at shortstop, and Aaron Hill played solid defense at second base all last year, the Blue Jays could potentially make their infield airtight when groundball pitchers like Roy Halladay or Shaun Marcum are on the mound.

Will Change Come to Toronto? Maple Leafs' Disappointing First Half Calls for Desperate Measures

Nick Healey — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:51:52 -0500

Being a Maple Leafs Fan is difficult.

The team has been bad for year and has become hard to defend against its critics.

Getting a seat at the Air Canada Centre is about as easy as a sobriety test on New Year’s.

And since Pat Quinn’s most recent attempt at the Stanley Cup, draft picks have been traded away at a furious rate.

However, like the start of every year, this one was supposed to be different. There were changes in the offseason that seemed to be pretty good for once. Forty-goal scorer Jason Blake was brought in to add some firepower, and the talented Vesa Toskala was acquired from San Jose to relieve the much maligned Andrew Raycroft from the net.

Since Blake was a free agent, and Toskala was traded for draft picks—again—the core of the team remained pretty much the same, leading the fans to believe that a Cup was due anytime now.

But so far, this season has not played out as many had envisioned, and the hopeful exuberance surrounding this Leafs team has rapidly diminished into cries of discontent.

The season started like most, with a modest win-to-loss ratio, but the one feature of this season that remains most alarming is overtime points. This Toronto team seems disturbingly prone to picking up points from overtime and shootout losses.

So far this season, the Leafs have picked up eight points from overtime losses, which is the only thing keeping them in any type of playoff contention in the tightly-packed Eastern Conference.

More importantly, it seems that the Leafs are prone to going to overtime so much because they are unable to hold a lead in the third period. Countless times, this team has gone into the final frame with the advantage on the scoreboard, only to watch it vanish before ultimately losing the game in overtime or the shootout.

It’s hard to actually pinpoint what the exact problem is. It might be that John Ferguson Jr. hasn’t been able to put together a formidable lineup, or it might be that Paul Maurice is not able coach this team into contention.

Even worse, it might just be that beloved captain Mats Sundin is worn out.

His 20 goals, 28 assists and +11 at the midpoint might not indicate that his talent is declining, but dealing with the Toronto media and the constant scrutiny this team has endured may be taking its toll after 13 long years.

Maybe, just maybe, its possible that Sundin can’t effectively lead this team anymore despite playing some very good hockey now and being an amazing captain over the years.

Again though, it’s hard to know exactly what the problem is. It might be one of these factors, a combination thereof, or maybe something completely different—nobody really knows for sure.

What we do know is this—so far this year, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not a Stanley Cup contender. What should be done is not easy for many to swallow—especially the General Manager, whose job hinges on making the playoffs‚ but it is still clear. This team needs to rebuild.

Sundin can be traded at the deadline this year for a premium, much like we saw Forsberg, and Smyth last year. Draft picks can be re-acquired, and prospects can be restocked.

Over the past few years, teams like Pittsburgh, Chicago, Phoenix, and St. Louis have shown the benefits of what intelligent rebuilding can do. Pittsburgh and Chicago made their turnarounds in only a year—and while they aren’t Cup contenders just yet, they are still very competitive and exciting to watch.

Until some kind of change happens in Toronto, though, the Maple Leafs will continue to be trapped within a quagmire of mediocrity, just waiting and hoping throughout another painful spring.

Blue Jays Re-Sign OF Reed Johnson to One-Year Deal

Nick Healey — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:15:07 -0500

The Toronto Blue Jays announced Wednesday they had re-signed OF Reed Johnson to a one-year, $3.275 million deal, in what should be regarded by Jays' fans as a huge positive for the club.

Johnson struggled through nagging back problems in 2007 after he was forced to undergo surgery on a herniated disc in his back shortly after spring training. He hit a mere .231 with only 14 RBI in just 79 games.

Why should Jays’ fans be excited about re-signing a player who had such trouble last year though?

Well, because Johnson has the intangible characteristic of heart. Anyone who follows the Blue Jays will be able to tell you that Johnson is spark plug for a sometimes uninspired team, and will do anything to get himself on base. In fact, in Johnson’s first game back from injury last year, he made a huge diving catch to preserve a slim lead and save the game—I guess his back was fine after all.

After Johnson signed the extension, he was quoted on the Blue Jays website as saying, "I'm the type of player that, when something like this happens to me, it fuels me… I'm going to make sure it doesn't have an effect on the rest of my career. I'm going to come out next year, and I'm going to show everybody that I can still play at an elite level."

Besides, its not like Johnson has never been good before. In 2006, Johnson set career highs with 12 home runs and a .319 batting average, as well as leading all AL leadoff men with a .390 on-base percentage. Also, maybe his most impressive statistic that further defines his “do-anything-to-help-us-win” mentality was that he moved into second all-time on the Jays hit by a pitch list. Not bad for a guy who has spent most of his time in the big leagues either in a platoon role, or on the disabled list.

It still remains to be seen whether or not Johnson’s role on the team will be a major one this year. After all, Matt Stairs will most likely split some time with him in left field, and the addition of David Eckstien may see Johnson’s role as a leadoff hitter reduced. Nevertheless, Johnson is quality player who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Jays’ fans and players alike should be excited to have him back in the fold.

Winter Classic 2008: Penguins Win

Nick Healey — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:54:25 -0500

In a snow-filled game in Buffalo the goalies were expected to have their work cut out for them, but due to past experience they both shined.

The 2008 Winter Classic took place in front of 71,217 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium today, where the host Sabres fell 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins after a shootout in a game that was as predictable as, well, the weather.

The outdoor game forced both teams to adapt to the weather conditions that seemed to change with the period. Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller Penguins' goalie Ty Conklin seemed to be the two most comfortable players, having both played outdoor in the Cold War, and the Heritage Classic respectively.

Things started out with a bang when Colby Armstrong sent home a rebound off a Sidney Crosby rush just 21 seconds in. Shortly after though, play was slowed drastically by the elements. Snow started to pile up on the ice forcing a dry scrape halfway through the first period and a hole in the ice took about 10 minutes to repair, which kept the pace of the first period from ever really reaching its full potential.

The second period saw the game speed up drastically after the snow fall became lighter and the Sabres seemed to find their comfort zone, playing the quick paced kind of game they normally do.

Brian Campbell sparked their turnaround early when he snapped home a wrist shot from the high slot over the shoulder of Conklin just 1:25 into the period. The Sabres dominated the rest of second frame outshooting the Penguins 14-2, but they were unable to capitalize any further due to the strong play of Conklin.

Keeping with the unpredictable nature of Buffalo weather, the third period saw the wind and snowfall pick up again and the Penguins improved on their efforts from the second.

Another few ice repairs and flooding at the midpoint slowed down the period much like the first, but the players didn’t seem to mind as the Penguins, particularly young guns Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, and Crosby, created lots of chances in the Sabres' end. Miller was strong in nets though and shut the door on the Penguins offense, forcing the game into overtime.

The Penguins started overtime down a man after Armstrong took a hooking penalty as time expired, but Conklin turned aside all seven shots he faced in the extra frame to force a shootout that ended the Winter Classic in the most fitting of ways.

Ales Kotalik opened the scoring for the Sabres, but Kris Letang countered and the stage was set for Crosby to shoot. He pushed the puck through the snow, and then went five-hole on Miller with the game winner.

World Juniors: Canada Drops Thriller in Pardubice

Nick Healey — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:51:49 -0500

Maybe now Canadian hockey fans will come back down to Earth.

Team Canada had its 20-game winning streak at the World Junior tournament snapped on Saturday in a 4-3 loss against Sweden. The defeat was Canada's first since the 2004 Gold Medal Game.

The Swedish team started Jhonas Enroth in net, while Canada went back to Jonathan Bernier after giving him a day off on the heels of his record-breaking 44-save shutout against the host Czech Republic.

The upstart Swedish team came out hitting and matched the Canadian team in the physical game—but the score stayed 1-0 Canada until the third period. The final frame would see a wild offensive explosion, which proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the sloppy Canadians.

Brad Marchand opened the scoring for Canada with less than a minute left in the first, powering his way past the Swedish defense and finishing with a nice deke on Enroth.

Shawn Matthias scored again at the start of the third to put Canada up 2-0, but the Swedish team countered with a power-play goal off a point shot from Erik Moe less than two minutes later.

Tony Lagerstrom and Oscar Moeller followed with two goals in the next three minutes to the put the Swedish team ahead 3-2.

Canada caught a lucky break when Sweden got into penalty trouble, putting itself at a two-man disadvantage and allowing Claude Giroux to bang home a rebound to tie the game.

Sweden, though, seemed destined to win after Mikael Backlund capitalized on a turnover by Brad Marchand near the neutral zone, streaking up the ice and making a beautiful cross-rink pass to Tobias Forsberg (no relation to the former Avalanche star) in front of the net.

Forsberg put a shot high on the glove side to beat Bernier, who stood no chance of making the save.

Canada will have a day off before their next start against Denmark on Friday at 12:00 PM EST. Sweden clinched a bye to the semifinal round of the tournament with their third straight win.