Bleacher Report - Articles by Jonathan Williams

Edmonton Oilers Go Camping with New Coach, New System

Jonathan Williams — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:21:15 -0400

Warm summer weather in Edmonton is one to enjoy outdoors, especially with the deep winter not that far away. Yet in a city where hockey is king, about a few hundred diehards showed up Monday to watch the Oilers open practice.

The third day of Oilers training camp saw the team playing their first real scrimmage. After a summer of a lot of nothing going on, fans were happy to see them on the ice instead of in the media.

The team itself appeared to be coming to grips with a new coach and a new system. Watching the practice, what was immediately apparent is that the Oilers bubble boys are the ones doing most of the hitting.

With the younger guys throwing out the hits, the veterans, meanwhile, were bringing their speed to work.

During the a team scrimmage, the Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, and Patrick O'Sullivan line looked pretty good against the ECHL goalies. They potted a couple of goals against the white team.

One of the niftier goals had the fans actually cheering and asking for a replay, as it was scored after some quick passing off the draw in the white end.

Coach Pat Quinn was standing on the white bench close by to advice the weaker side, though he was only rarely giving advice and spent most of the time observing the proceedings.

Team B took to the ice later in the morning.

Early on, the B practice was focused, as it has been in the rookie camp, on the breakout play from the defensive zone.

The coaching staff has been trying to pound into the team the idea of getting passes down and moving quickly. Almost like a press offense, I would guess they are seeking to catch the opposition flat-footed.

However, it was pretty clear that the practice was going less than stellar by the coaches' estimation. Quinn called Team B together and gave them a verbal battering, loud enough that the crowd quieted down to listen in.

Quinn questioned their commitment and stressed the need for teamwork in their play. At the same time, he told them not to be "robots" and that playing like they were they would not win games.

This seemed to motivate the B team as they seemed much better after the break.

Each of the various teams seems to feature top three lines and then the various spare parts on offense. One Edmonton media person guessed that the Oilers will pair down players after they play five exhibition games in the first six days.

Should be interesting to see if the bubble boys like Jordan Eberle, Rob Schremp, Benoit Pouliot, et al can make an impression on the coaching staff going further into camp.

Jonathan Williams is a freelance writer. His blog can be found here.

NHL: Oilers Open the Season with the Flames

Jonathan Williams — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:49:57 -0400

The 2009-2010 NHL schedule was released today and the Edmonton Oilers will open their season at home against the Calgary Flames on October 3.

The second half of the sure to be CBC Hockey Night in Canada double header will be the first chance for Pat Quinn and Tom Renney to set their stamp on the team.

At a glance, one of the first things noticed is that the longest road stretch starts on November 28 going for six games. Those games go to December 11.

The Oilers once again play a number of back-to-back games as they play five road back to backs. As well as three home-and-home back-to-back games. While these games are not the killers they might seem, down the stretch they seemed to wear out Dwayne Roloson who played a number of them.

As well the Oilers close the season playing six of the last eight on the road. With the final game of the season coming April 11 in Anaheim.

Possible Big Games on the Schedule:

In October, a couple of early tests come on the road as the Oilers will play Chicago and Boston on the road. It will be, along with the game at home against Detroit, a good measuring stick as to how well the Oilers can play against some of the big teams from last season.

If Dany Heatley ever does become an Oiler, then November 10 will be a big date as the Oilers play their only game in Ottawa. Otherwise it is just a blip on the schedule.

The Oilers also play Washington and Pittsburgh at home this season so both Alexander Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby will be visiting Rexall Place this season.

The final home game of the season has the Colorado Avalanche in town on April 7.

While the schedule does not have a lot of big pit falls this season, like the road trip from hell last season, it does seem to have two important markers.

First is the six game road trip in early December, at the point where the Oilers typically start to tail off. Second, the four game road trip to end the season against non divisional opponents.

Bizarre Scheduling Facts:

The Oilers will finish their season series with the Calgary Flames on January 13 in Calgary. The Flames in fact do not visit Rexall Place at all in 2010.

Since the lock-out, the Oilers have played the Flames in April every season until this year.

The Oilers have not had their last scheduled game at home since 2005-2006.

Edmonton Oilers Free Agent Kotalik Signs With The New York Rangers

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:04:53 -0400

Earlier this afternoon Ales Kotalik, the trade deadline signing of the Edmonton Oilers, was signed by the New York Rangers for three years at $3 million per season.

This loss while not a devastating one does bring to mind the loss of gritty fourth line winger Curtis Glencross. He left the Oilers last season for the Calgary Flames. For some fans the loss of Glencross was a big mistake that took away something the team sorely needed.

On this occasion Kotalik seemed to be meshing well in the second line with Sam Gagner and Patrick O'Sullivan. Whether that success was going to continue is debatable of course, but there is no mistaking that his exit leaves the team short on goal scoring once again.

The Oilers major reason for taking the risk at signing Dany Heatley seems to be predicated simply on the need for someone to put the puck in the net. The team has no snipers except a defensemen in Sheldon Souray.

The loss of Kotalik sees the Oilers down three every day players from last season with only one player, Nikolai Khabibulin, in return.

It definitely leaves one to wonder what exactly the Oilers planned for this off season. So far one thing it has not done is bring the toughness into the team, which is what the Oilers said they wanted.

Minor Moves

While of less fanfare, the Oilers also made a trade tonight sending minor leaguer Tim Sestito to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for some to be announced conditional draft picks.

This trade appears to strictly be about the numbers of contracts the team has. T hey are looking at changing the dynamic of the team in Springfield, which was a complete disaster last season.

Edmonton Oilers: Dead End Road Will Lead To a New Day

Jonathan Williams — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:55:35 -0400

General Manager Steve Tambellini stood outside the Edmonton Oilers offices in north Edmonton on Friday, with the wind blowing his hair around in one of the worst locations for a press conference.

One is left to wonder what he did to deserve it.

All Tambellini did was seek to make his team better. In the end, as so often happens with the Edmonton Oilers, he ended up in a soap opera atmosphere.

One thing is clear, if nothing else is. It is time for the Oilers to stop the illusion of being the weak ones in this situation.

As Robin Brownlee, Edmonton sportswriter, put it the other day: It is time to get up off your knees.

The Oilers know what their problems are—They lack a top draw player, something they have not had since Chris Pronger left town in three years ago.

Without that player, the team has to win in order to draw players. So much is made about Edmonton not being a sexy location. I would wager that most of this is due to the perception of team being a loser place to play.

Does anyone really think that Calgary is such a sexy place—that it can out draw free agents better than the Oilers?

If you do, you may need to reconsider. I think most of the reason for Calgary drawing some free agents comes down to te record. Right now, Pittsburgh and Detroit are popular locations—even if their cities are not.

Those that go to those teams want to win. Those that go to Phoenix or Los Angeles seem to be more about sun then sweat.

If the Oilers had the marquee players and a record as a winner that Detroit—and now Pittsburgh—has gained, then they would draw free agents, too.

In fact, that was the way it was for the team in the 1980's.

In the dynasty days, the Oilers were able to always mix and match players as needed. Kent Nilsson, Ken Linesman, Reijo Ruotsalainen, and players like them were brought on to the team at key times to help the Oilers win cups.

The current team has more in common with the Florida Panthers than with those old teams. Free agents are usually willing to wait around for players to blossom.

So while it make sense for Dany Heatley not to be enthralled with coming to the Oilers, it also shows that the team has some work to do.

Rather than seeing the Heatley follies as a discouraging slight, maybe the fans need to step back.

After three years out of the playoffs, the team is not going to suddenly compete for the Stanley Cup—It will need to work just to make the playoffs. So with that in mind, fan expectations should be low.

The time has come for everyone to have patience. If Heatley has some sort of conversion to the Oilers, then fine. If not, then the Oilers will just have to continue to build the team from the inside.

It is clear that the best teams usually build from within. Even the mighty Yankees were best when they had good home grown talent.

A dead road at the end of the day can build into a major highway some day. It just needs some careful planning and construction.

Dany Heatley Soap Opera Continues

Jonathan Williams — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:35:40 -0400

In the movie Star Wars Ben Kenobi is called an old fool.

He retorts, "Who's more foolish the fool or the fool that follows him?"

At this point this question maybe asked about the various parties involved with this Dany Heatley gong show. Where is Jamie Farr when you need him to hit that gong.

Heatley and his people needed to really see this for what it is. A chance to escape what they see as a bad situation.

If they just want to stick to the Senators they are playing with career ending fire. You do not generally try and get one back in sports. It burns you.

It burned Lowe with Comrie, it burned MacTavish with Penner, and it burned Alexi Yashin. With the amount of power given to players with no movement or trade deals they are expected to act responsibly.

Seems that Heatley and agents thought they would get a chance to go to one of the big boy teams, instead only a desperate team was going to pay Murray's price. So Edmonton comes in, offers a big package, and you know professional people would say ok lets make the best of it.

Sometimes you get paid some times you do the paying. This is one of those times when Heatley should have paid the price and moved on.

Now he is vilified in Ottawa and is slowly gathering a great deal of dislike in Edmonton. Most of the other teams' dance cards have been filled. Sitting out the season seems to be a real possibility.

At some point should you not just come back from the brink?

Guess not if you are a star player who thinks that Ottawa needs to pay or that Edmonton was not what you wanted. You will find life difficult from here on out is my guess.

As far as the Oilers go it would be a good time to reject the deal outright now. Let Murray know that you are going another way. Because now you know this player has never been sold on you.

So even if you do get him you are bringing in a time-bomb for another movement request. I doubt anyone in Edmonton would want that.

I would suggest backing away very slowly. The Oilers should no longer be the fool following a big fool.

Heatley and The Oilers Going To The Wire

Jonathan Williams — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:33:18 -0400

The Oilers are taking this to the wire. According to Mark Spector on Team 1260 this evening the Oilers brain trust is meeting with Dany Heatley in Kelowna.

Apparently the Oilers are pulling out all the stops, including having Heatley talk to his Canadian teammate Shawn Horcoff. So the hard sell is on.

It appears that the Heatley camp was hoping for choices of teams who might have a better chance of winning. However, because of what happened with the trade request and his current remaining contract (four years, $7.5 million), he may be just too difficult to justify.

This is the amount that Ottawa Senators GM Brian Murray wants for him.

Meanwhile, the Rangers picked up Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa from Chicago. Also, the Minnesota Wild appear to have a verbal agreement with Martin Havlat. These three close off most avenues that Heatley could have gone.

So now it is all in the Heatley court. If he takes the Oilers offer, there is a possibly he could sit for a very long time, which would have an influence on his chances of going to the Olympics.

The clock is ticking.

NHL Free Agency Follies: Is Heatley an Oiler or Not?

Jonathan Williams — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:15:36 -0400

It begins late in the afternoon, rumors cross various websites saying that the Oilers have offered Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid for Dany Heatley. Then it grows and suddenly a deal is done pending Heatley.

The deal would be Heatley to Edmonton for Andrew Cogliano, Penner, and Smid. Cogliano was a first-round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers in 2005.

Cogliano is a decent scorer who has some dynamite wheels and if put on the wing, he might get into the mid-twenties in goals.

Penner was the offer sheet player who costs $4.2 million for a relatively lazy, out-of-shape player. Smid has been a middling tough defenseman who has a possibly good upside.

All that everyone was waiting for was confirmation that the deal was done.

Only it never got done.

Heatley, or at least his camp, have decided to sleep on it. Possibly waiting for the New York Rangers to up their bid.

It was speculated by Darren Millard of Rogers Sportsnet that Heatley's camp has the Rangers as its No. 1 preference and may want to give them a chance to get the deal done.

Combined with all this confusion is the $4 million bonus Heatley is due on July 1. It apparently has a deadline of midnight Wednesday instead of Tuesday as everyone assumed.

Some suspect the agents held that one up to try and wiggle a deal from the Rangers, or possibly a third team which has seen an offer and may think they can beat the Oilers.

For Oilers fans it is a killer night. After the 2006 Pronger trade request, few Oilers fans have the patience to wait out player foibles. There is too long of a list of burned fingers.

This means that fans are fairly upset.

Especially if the last message they got was coming from Bob McKenzie of TSN, that the deal was off because Heatley did not waive his no-trade clause.

Others might have gone to bed thinking the deal was done, as reported by other organizations.

Others still, like myself, are going to bed with nothing but confusion.

No matter what happens it is important that the Edmonton Oilers not get too locked in on this deal, as they did with Marian Hossa last year, and lose sight on the things they need to do tomorrow.

Therefore, if I'd set a 10 a.m. deadline for a Heatley deal.If he cannot decide, well it is time to move on to better things for the good of the team.

Either way the Oilers remain a team of interest on July 1st once again.

Slammiversary Surprise: Samoa Joe is Now a Member of Main Event Mafia

Jonathan Williams — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:12:51 -0400

TNA's Sammiversary pay per view did not disappoint with a surprise ending to its main event. The King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Championship was filled with numerous bumps, jumps and jaw dropping moments.

The biggest swerve of the night happened at the end of the match. With Samoa Joe on the verge of placing the belt on the hook to win the match he handed the title to Kurt Angle allowing him to win back the title.

The match began with Joe getting in trouble for attacking Angle before the match began allowing Angle to become the first man eligible for the belt.

Meanwhile Mick Foley, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles went through a series of big bumps allowing each to gain a moment in the spotlight. Foley through AJ off the penalty box before doing an elbow smash on Kurt Angle would certainly be a highlight.

Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle spent most of the the match focused on each other or getting beaten up by the other three. Eventually Foley and Jarrett were knocked out as AJ tried to go for the belt.

Joe and AJ exchanged blows at the top of the ladder eventually allowing Joe to regain his perch on the ladder. Then Angle ascended at the last moment and regained the championship.

King of the Mountain Match for the X Division Championship Title

TNA starts off with a bang as they start with the X division King of the Mountain Match. It was a good choice to grab fans as the five combatants put on a great show.

After several spots which were well planned the end comes when Suicide knocked after the ladder after walking across a ladder put on the penalty box.

Interestingly, TNA decided to keep the belt on Suicide rather than allowing one of the local boys win. There was no doubt that the Motor City Machine Guns were way over with the crowd.

Daniels vs Douglas in the second chance match

Most of the match was Chris Danieles with Shane Douglas taking the beating. In the end Daniels put an end to Douglas with the Best Moonsault Ever finishing move.

Angelina Love (c) vs Tara for the Knockout Championship Title

Angelina starts off hot, thanks to timely interference by the other members of the Beautiful People. Then Tara gets some back on both sides, until some hair spray hits Tara getting the obvious interference pin as Angelina still holds the title.

Monster's Ball Match Daffney and Raven vs Abyss and Taylor Wilde

The match is a train wreck from the beginning. As most Abyss matches are filled with bumps.

Most of the early going in the match Wilde beats on Daffney while Raven beats on Abyss. Wilde splashes Daffney from a high spot off a stage on to a table.

Abyss is the first to be cut open by Stevie Richards hitting him with a chair.

However Daffney is the first to hit the thumbtacks thanks to Wilde. then Raven gets the same treatment from Abyss, who wins the match.

A good hardcore match with a twist with the girls really putting themselves on the line. Certainly the match had some great spots.

Matt Morgan vs Sting for a Main Event Mafia spot.

Sting gets the second biggest applause of the night after the Motor City Machine Guns to this point in the show.

Morgan starts off with beating on Sting but after two Scorpion Death drops Morgan loses. Sting retains his spot.

Beer Money, Inc. vs Team 3D (c) TNA Tag Championship Title match

This match up is a typical tag team type match.

Robert Roode spent the early part as the partner in peril. Then Devon played the role later in the match.

As the end winds down the British Invasion comes down, with announcer Don West the worst accent ever.

As soon as they show up the two teams in the ring go through a huge number of moves. Each of these near finishers leads to interference from the British Invasion which allows Roode and Storm to get the win.

New Champions Beer Money, Inc.

Dwayne Roloson: The Stats and Age Do Not Add up

Jonathan Williams — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:14:15 -0400

"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure." - Abraham Lincoln

In the Edmonton papers today there is a lot of discussion about what the Edmonton Oilers are going to do with Dwayne Roloson, their starting goaltender.

Let's be clear, Roloson has been hot and cold as the starter over the last three years. He was smoking hot during the 2006 playoffs and may have led the team to the championship, save for a terribly ill-timed injury.

Since then, he has been so-so for most of his tenure for the Oilers. In the 2007-08 season, he lost his starting job to Mathieu Garon. Roloson, for most of the season, was unable to win games.

Then in the latter half of this past season he was on fire once again, defying age and odds to almost lead the team back to the playoffs.

Yet, in that stretch it also became painfully obvious that he was overworked, tired, and broken down exactly at the wrong time. This year there was no miracle left in his body.

As Brett Favre proved last season, 39-year-olds are not really able to carry a team on their back all season. They do not have the stamina to do it.

So now there are discussions of a new contract for Roloson.

The Oilers want a year, Roloson appears to want something at least two years long. He has also been quoted saying he could play another four years.

His argument is that he does not have the same wear on his body as other goalies as he was a backup for much of his career.

Even given that this might be correct, he is going to be 40 this year. He may feel good now but really as a starter he would be expected to play for 50-plus games. I cannot see any way he can do that more than one or two years.

Then there is the amount of money he wants. In all likelihood he wants something higher than the $3.66 million he made over the last contract. I think it would be an epic mistake to give him even a dime more.

Keep in mind that Roloson played in 62 games last year. Most of those games came in the last half of the season but even with that he is only on the upper tier of goalies games played.

If you look at his goals against and save percentage he is in the lower half of the league in both categories. In 2007-08 he was even worse finishing with 43 games played and with a goals against and save percentage that launched him to the bottom of both lists.

If one looks at the first season under contract for the Oilers 2006-07 Roloson played 68 games and finished ranked in the 20s in both categories.

In other words, Dwayne Roloson is an average goalie who occasionally gets hot. At no time has he earned a raise, other than the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It is time that Tambellini cut the strings. It was a nice run but they have to move on for the good of the team.

Otherwise a mid-level goaltender who could easily still be a backup on a different team will continue to hold the team's cap money up for no good reason.

The time has come to be rational and do not be content with another season of failure because players have been loyal or nice or once had a good season.

Success in sports is built around business rationality.

Edmonton Oilers Need Time, Talent ,and Luck

Jonathan Williams — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:13:51 -0400

Dany Heatly is proposed to be on the market.

Dwayne Roloson and the Oilers are not really talking.

Jay Bowmeester is proposed to be a target for the Oilers in the offseason.

These three items do not have a lot in common, but for this team at this time, all of them could have huge consequences for the 2009-2010 edition of the Edmonton Oilers.

Pat Quinn did not come to the Oilers to suffer another year of sitting around just missing the playoffs. Men at his age are not really excited by long-term projects.

The last edition of the Oilers was a huge project.

The two biggest items for the team are simple: Who will score, and who can show the grit need to get the job done? These two questions are critical to any chance the team has to progress.

Forty-year-old goaltenders are not usually playoff success stories. Most often they fall flat as they blow a tire getting there. See Dominic Hasek for the last example.

If the Oilers want to progress, Roloson comes back for one year and no more. If they want him to be useful, his back up has to start more than once a year.

After last season, when owner Daryl Katz pushed hard for Marion Hossa and Jarmir Jagr, there has been a lot of talk of the team once again pushing for a premier free agent.

This year that would be the shape of Jay Boumeester, an Edmonton native, who just might want to play in Edmonton. The question is: Where is the space for him?

With Sheldon Souray, Lubimir Vishnovski, and Tom Gilbert, there are already considerable dollars tied up with offensive defensemen. To be frank, this is not a need that should be filled.

Unless one of the three players is a jewel in a trade for Dany Heatley.

There is an awful lot of noise coming from the Edmonton media saying that the Oilers are preparing a serious offer.

Certainly the Senators need help at the back end, and Gilbert might just fill that need. Though the player looked out of his depth a lot on the back end he still seems to have a credit in the league.

Of course it would be a multi-player deal, one that would have to see an equal sharing of salary. For the Oilers to even contemplate that move, they would need to be sure they could get him.

Heatley would be the first potential 40-plus-goal scorer on the team since Peter Klima in 1991. He would represent exactly the kind of one-shot scorer needed to mesh with the talented and mercurial Ales Hemsky.

But if you sign Heatley, does that mean the Oilers cannot then afford their other big purchase?

I would think they would be fine with that. Then they could go for other more humble but needed targets.

If, however, they felt they wanted Boumeester, he would almost have to take a home-town discount to really make it on the roster. With a possibly failing salary cap within the next year, the team could not afford all their expensive purchases.

No. What has happened for the team is that luck (Heatly), talent (Souray, Vishnovski, Hemsky), and time (Gagner) could grant them an opportunity to fit the right slots.

In the 2006 Stanley Cup run, it was one star and lots of slot fillers. Any chance to repeat in the near future could depend on a simliar roster, which has seen the gap between the stars and fillers widen the past three seasons.

As often has been the case since the return of the NHL after the lockout, there is optimism in E-town in the offseason.

TNA Knockouts: One Reason Why Watching TNA Is So Much Easier

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:09:57 -0400

In the WWE, the Divas have long been used as eye candy rather than real wrestlers. Often the Women's division wrestlers find better success as managers or "girlfriends" rather than actual wrestlers.

While there have been good solid wrestlers in the division, more often it is littered with women who look a certain way and can speak on the microphone.

This has always been a problem in the WWE, even with the men's division. Often wrestlers are rewarded for looks over ability. Much in the same way music groups are manufactured by record companies over solid performers.

So in a way, it is not a surprise. Yet in doing this, the WWE has lost out on a unique contribution these women give.

Consider TNA Impact this week. Daphne and Taylor Wilde had a match. Neither held back, as one particularly brutal bump saw Daphne get picked up and thrown into the steps.

It was one of those moves that had me going, "ouch".

Watching these matches over the last few months, I have come to a conclusion. TNA has found something that the WWE lost.

In the same way that Lucha Libre and Japanese wrestlers made the WCW watchable in the 1990s, even when the nWo was old and worn out. The cruiserweights were exciting and credible.

The WWE did reasonably well with their women at times. In the early to mid 1980s, the women's division had some credibility. This is when Wendi Richter, Fabulous Moolah, "Sensational" Sherri Martel, and Leilani Kai were in their Rock 'n' Wrestling best.

Since that time, there has been maybe one or two, at most four, women who were actually able to work a match productively.

Most the time when the women have been involved it has been what can only loosely be defined as "matches:" arm wrestling, dance competitions, playmate matches, bikini competitions, pillow fights, not much other than eye candy.

TNA Wrestling was not intially all that different full of eye candy type shock matches. Thankfully, that all changed with the arrival of the organization to Spike TV.

One fine example of this difference in attitude is the person of Awesome Kong.

The former TNA Knockout Champion is considered a serious wrestler. She in some ways is similar to Chyna, who was considered almost good enough to compete in the men's division.

Kong has been impressive in her ability. But yet she would be mocked for her weight and appearance if she was on a WWE show.

She is not a typical "diva" which means she would most likely never see the light of day on Raw or Smackdown as anything other than a joke.

After watching "puppies" and "playmates" it is a relief to watch a real war amongst the women of a wrestling organization. It is also interesting to see former WWE divas like Christie Hemme trying to train so that she can compete in these matches.

It shows just how much better quality these matches are compared to what is going on in the WWE.

Like the cruiserweights of old, it is something that has set the TNA apart.

The Rams Would Not Be a Fit in Los Angeles

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:23:23 -0400

It has been nearly 15 years since the Rams moved from Los Angeles, well really Anaheim, to St. Louis. In that time the team has won a Super Bowl, appeared in another and was a power house team from 1999 to 2002.

While many years have passed, like so many teams there is still a desire among older Rams fans to see the team in LA. It may not be a strong desire but their is no doubt it remains.

This issue would probably be lessened if there was another team in Los Angeles but since 1995 no team has moved or expanded to the City of Angels.

In fact much of the problem is that the Angelinos them selves have had little desire to make it happen. They lost out to Houston in the last expansion in 2002. The city as a whole has no desire for team.

Unlike New York or Chicago where their is more and more desire for teams. In Southern California there is only a weak faint trace. Most teams, not named the Lakers, have struggled to attract fans consistently.

Even the Dodgers have their ups and downs with attendance and interest.

So it is no surprise that little has been made for the NFL to get a team back their even if they would love it.

St. Louis on the other hand has a solid following. Except for the NHL St. Louis Blues the teams have been well supported in rough times as well as good.

For some the anger at the loss of the Football Cardinals to Arizona is still a bitter pill.

In other words St. Louis is a sports town. It cares and it lives and dies by its teams. The Rams took a bit to get used to but they are now firmly entrenched with many.

So while the team goes up for sale it is most likely a lock to stay in St. Louis. The arguments for any move to Los Angeles are simply pipe dreams.

If teams stayed put in their communities, living and dieing in that community that would be one reason for the Rams to return. But while it happened in 1946 lets not forget that this used to be the Cleveland Rams.

So as nice as it might be for some to imagine a return to the West Coast, time has passed that on.

No, no matter what the Cleveland Expansion Browns and the Oakland/LA/Oakland Raiders say, you cannot go home again.

It would be foolish for any owner to give the team back to LA without a willingness on all parties in the government, community, and industry to support the team.

So far at least two parts of that equation has been missing. Until that is solved their will be no team in the near future for the city.

TNA Sacrifice: Sting Wins the Leadership of the Mafia

Jonathan Williams — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:11:44 -0400

Total Nonstop Action's has a reputation for entertaining matches with some what unsatisfactory conclusions. The Main Event at Sacrifice was not one of those.

The four way match between Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, and Mick Foley was filled with interesting slug-fests, spots where chairs, tables, rails and a guitar could be used to good effect.

But it was the conclusion of the match which saw each opponent have an opportunity to win the match fell to the final moment with Sting pinning Kurt Angle.

With the victory Sting gains possession of the leadership of the Main Event Mafia faction over Kurt. However, what it did not do was see Mick Foley lose the belt.

So after the first pay per view defense, Foley retains. This will surprise some but it has become obvious that the storyline will see Jeff Jarrett and Foley continue to feud.

If Foley does not have the title, then the feud is over but without a proper resolution for each.

Interestingly, this is the first time since leaving ECW that he was able to retain a world championship.

It is apparent that Foley will continue to battle Jarrett at least until the Slammiversary pay-per-view in June.

Meanwhile Sting and Angle appear to be coming to blows again soon, as Angle has been consistantly written as jealous of his power.

Experience or Potential: Do NFL Teams Get What They Pay For?

Jonathan Williams — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:30:51 -0400

Matthew Stafford, first-round selection of the Detroit Lions, hit the biggest payday of his life when he agreed to $25 million of guaranteed money to possibly be the team's next starter.

Such a contract only added fuel to the fire of the debate raging among owners, managers, players, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: Why are the rookies making that kind of money?

Of course, at the base of this issue are the agents and general managers that have convinced each other that the first few picks of the draft will always be Peyton Mannings rather than Ki Jana Carters.

These massive deals give talk radio, ESPN, and others the fodder to argue that players in their prime are short-changed, like the teams that pick in the first five picks because they have to cripple themselves to pay these rates.

What the NFL (and to some degree, the Player's Association, via tacit agreement) would like to do is set a rookie salary cap which would pin back the salaries, hopefully making all sides rethink the role of the so-called "can't-miss" player.

The NHL already has something similar in place. Since the first real collective bargaining agreement in 1994, a rookie salary cap was put in place which limits how much a player gets on his first contract, usually three years, to around $1 million. This rule has allowed the teams to spend on the older players, so average salaries for various players at various ages have gone up.

As it ends up, the biggest salaries outside those of the one percent of players who are so good they defy age grouping, go to the older players. Most often the players getting paid around the maximum are almost aways older, established, and even aged players around the age of 30 and up.

This has led many in the NHL circles to question why players who are effectively past their prime are getting big wages just for what they used to be. Often these big pay-outs to the elder statesmen have been as big of busts as the ones given to the younger guys.

So the question remains which option is better: the experience or the potential?

Ideally, your players in their primes should be making the most. but often this is not the case in either league. Often what matters is not what is now, but what is future or past glory.

So while one could and should argue that their should be a rookie wage scale in the NFL, would it come at the cost of having old relatively useless veterans who clog up cap space instead? Or is it the truth in all sports that bad management can wreck a team, be the roster old or young?

Let the debate continue.

Round One Goes to the Red Sox

Jonathan Williams — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:00:58 -0400

Tim Wakefield and the Boston Red Sox proved they are not going to just roll over for the new kids on the block, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Boston Red Sox took game one of the three game series 2-1.

The Blue Jays entered the game with a three and half game lead on the Red Sox and were hoping to extend it in Boston tonight.

Wakefield pitched a steady game giving the Blue Jays fits at the plate. He kept the Jays to a total of five hits; only Kevin Millar's home run over the green monster in the fifth inning blemished a stellar outing.

Brian Tallet also had a good game allowing two runs over six innings while only allowing four hits. B.J. Ryan came on to keep the game close.

The Red Sox scored two runs in the second inning. Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew scored for the Red Sox.

Wakefield then worked through the Blue Jays until the eighth inning where he turned the ball over to Jonathan Papelbon as he held on for the save.

This game is the first meeting between the two clubs. They split the season series last year.

Tomorrow night, left hand pitcher Bret Cecil will be on the mound for the Blue Jays against right hand pitcher Brad Penny.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox: the Second Big Series

Jonathan Williams — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:17:46 -0400

Alex Rios' triple against Chicago won the sweep for the Blue Jays tonight. But Blue Jays fans have eyes for one series this week.

For the second time in a week, the Toronto Blue Jays begin a big series with consequences for the American League East division.

The first meeting of the season between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays will determine one thing: if the Blue Jays can continue to hang with the big guys in the division.

One thing it will not do is determine who is in first.

The win tonight put the Blue Jays out in front by three and a half games ahead of the idle, Red Sox.

The Blue Jays are going to be starting left-handers Brian Tallet and Brett Cecil, and right-handed Robert Ray for the three games. They will face, in order, right-handers Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny, and left-hander Jon Lester.

With Kevin Youkilis and Russ Ortis possibly scheduled to return for this series, it will be an interesting match up.

The Blue Jays and Red Sox shared wins last season, as they split as each won nine games over the course of 2008.

Scott Richmond was the last starting pitcher for the Blue Jays against the Red Sox. Daisuke Matsuzaka, who started, won that game 3-0 for the Red Sox.

This series could put Toronto firmly in the drivers seat going forward toward June, if they can win the series. A win would help the Blue Jays gain a firm grasp at the top and allow them some breathing space.

If the Sox can sweep, they will be a half game back and be poised to retake the division lead.

Either way, it will be exciting.

Null But Not Void: St. Louis Rams' Newest Quarterback

Jonathan Williams — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:08:05 -0400

When you are a sixth round draft pick, the expectation are not high. For the West Texas A&M starter, playing a back up role is not a surprise either.

After spending two seasons as a understudy, Null became the starter of the Buffaloes. If you have never heard of West Texas A&M, this would most likely be because they play in the Division II NCAA Lonestar Conference.

Null, in two years, threw for over 9,000 yards and 89 touchdowns, an impressive total for most players.

However, as we have seen in the past, good players come from all over the NCAA. Even walk-ons can make impact.

Null will want to focus on one thing coming into training camp this summer. Survival.

Right now Null is the fourth place quarterback on the depth chart behind Brock Berlin. He knows he will not pass Kyle Boller for the back up position, so he must pass Berlin if he wants to force his way onto the squad.

This is not new ground for Null. He spent his first two post-red-shirt years as a back up to Dalton Bell who is now a quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

After playing the role of understudy, Null was asked in his junior year to lead the team. The Buffaloes play a spread offense similar to Texas Tech, so he put the ball in the air a great deal.

Facing low level defenses in the Lonestar Conference it is hard to gauge just how much he will be able to adjust to the more complex NFL game.

Apparently Null did not have an opportunity to play in the top college leagues, so he will have his work cut out for him.

I would not be surprised that if he fails to make the Rams he will consider going to Canada. The CFL offers a lower level competition but a better opportunity to play immediately, which may have some appeal.

With no NFL Europe, the CFL is the only league to hone skills with a high quality of competition.

For now, the first target for Null is to prove that his numbers in college were not a mistake, and that he can be a fixture in the Rams locker room.

At this point, the Lompasas Texas native will enter training camp with an opportunity to prove that Null does not mean void of talent.

Reborn NFC West a Challenge the St. Louis Rams Need to Overcome

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:39:15 -0400

Evaluating a team based on its rivals in the preseason can be a difficult process even for the best prognosticator.

However, when one looks at the NFC West division, there is little doubt that the division has improved in the offseason. The question left is by how much.

The Arizona Cardinals must of course head the group. The defending Super Bowl finalists have not lost any key cog to their team so far.

Probably the smartest moves they have made so far is to re-sign Kurt Warner and to not trade away Anquan Boldin.

Boldin is a key for Larry Fitzgerald to remain the top receiver in the league. With his tough yards play, Boldin is the bulldozer to Fitzgerald's scalpel.

The Cardinals also have put a nice draft pick up by adding Chris Beanie Wells to the running back corp. Wells will probably back up starter Tim Hightower after the team drops Edgerrin James.

Meanwhile in the Bay Area, the San Fransisco 49ers have done the least of the Rams' rivals to improve. The Niners selected Michael Crabtree in the first round, which in time should help their wide receivers.

After flirting briefly with Kurt Warner, the team did little else to improve. Mostly, Coach Mike Singletary is going through with an in-house group.

The most improved team in the West is probably the Seattle Seahawks.

The end of the Mike Holmgren era in Seattle was not a good one. Injuries and bad play meant that the team spent the season as a cellar dweller.

So it was important for them to get better. In one respect, they did so just by getting healthy.

The additions of wide receiver Nate Burleson and quarter back Matt Hasselbeck will help.

The most important additions came through free agency and the draft. To the surprise of a few, the Seahawks landed wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

The next major surprise was that Seattle were able to draft possibly the best player in the draft in linebacker Aaron Curry.

These two additions will certainly help on both sides of the ball in an immediate way.

For the Rams, it means they will to work hard to keep up with the two better teams in the division. However, their first goal is to make sure they beat the 49ers at least twice this season.

The Rams have not finished a season at .500 since 2004, when they last swept the 49ers. So it is an important step in the team's progression to show they can take care of their rival.

If the Rams are to make any progress this season, they will have to be able to win at least one game from the Cardinals and Seahawks.

Winning the home games would certainly help if the Rams are to challenge for the title of the division or at least a playoff spot.

This difficult road is not made easier by the additions on the two teams. But that is something the team will just have to adjust to and deal with.

The West Coast Offense Comes to St. Louis Under Coordinator Shurmur

Jonathan Williams — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:51:06 -0400

If he is anything like his uncle Fritz, former defensive coordinator on the Los Angeles Rams, Pat Shurmur will be an innovative offensive coordinator.

Fritz was the man behind the Rams' "eagle" defense from the late 1980s. He also won a Superbowl as defensive coordinator under Mike Holmgren at Green Bay.

Pat also comes from that Green Bay Holmgren era by way of Andy Reid...who he coached under in Philadelphia.

So why is the Green Bay link so important?

The Packers' offense was based around the West Coast offense. The offense which was used to great success by the San Francisco 49ers during their championship days under Bill Walsh.

The West Coast offense consists of using a series of small passes to progress the team up the field instead of sending wide receivers on long routes. The focus of the offense from a receiver stand point is yards after the catch.

Reid, when he came to Philadelphia as a former quarterback coach, used this same style to build the team.

Shurmur was installed as quarterback coach by Reid. The Eagles, with Shurmur and quarterback Donovan McNabb, have been very successful implementing the offense even without great receivers.

If Shurmur believes in that style, as it appears he does by some of his comments, then the role of quarterback Mark Bulger changes dramatically.

Bulger is now positioned to throw more short passes, which have to be accurate.

These kind of passes are much more his style as Bulger has proven to have a difficult time hitting receivers on long routes.

Shurmur's offense may also have a changing role for running back Stephen Jackson if it is successful. If they can push the ball through the air, it will take some of the expected load off of him.

If Jackson is called on less to carry the play for the Rams, he may last longer as he has a tendency to breakdown under the workload.

This changing of the Rams' offense with Shurmur at the helm will depend greatly on the ability of the Rams' receivers to make the tough catches.

If they can do this then the Rams may be able to play a possession game that moves the ball methodically up the field. It would slow down the opposition and take pressure off of the defense.

Another key to this offense is the role of the offensive line in protecting for those key seconds while Bulger gets rid of the ball.

Obviously.

One can argue that Shurmur is probably under as much pressure as head coach Steve Spagnuolo to get this system off the ground. If the west coast offense can come to St. Louis and be successful, then both the quarterback and the defense will absolutely appreciate it.

St. Louis Rams Most Glaring Need: Wide Receiver

Jonathan Williams — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:42:07 -0400

It has been a long time since the St. Louis Rams have been this thin at wide receiver. One would probably need go back to the 1991-93 era when Henry Ellard and Flipper Willie Anderson were the rather unimpressive combination.

Ellard and Anderson, for example, combined for a total of four touchdowns in the 1991 season.

Torry Holt, whose three touchdowns put him one short of the 1991 receivers, did not have his contract renewed this season. So the Rams wide receiver core looks to be in an equally troubled position.

Donny Avery will most likely have to bear the load for the team. It was hoped in some corners that the team would address this deficiency in the draft, but they didn't.

Fifth round selection Brooks Foster from North Carolina may turn out to be a good choice in later years. Right now he is a work in progress.

Of the Rams current receivers only one has played more than two seasons, Laurent Robinson. Most of the players were not regulars and were hardly counted on for consistent play.

With no veteran presence it could make for a difficult time.

I would expect the Rams know all of this. They have concentrated on the basics, at offensive line and defense so far in free agency and the draft so this is still a work in progress.

I would suspect that the coaching staff are looking long term and so bringing in an instant fix makes no sense at this point.

But do not be surprised that Avery and whomever becomes his partner on the other side will not be a focal point for the offence.

In my judgement the Rams felt they had bigger problems.

They are probably right.

Yet with such a glaring weakness it is apparent that the team will struggle on offense.

If teams can focus on stuffing the run they will force the Rams to pass the ball. With no threats outside of Avery it will be very predictable.

Certainly walk on players and late rounders can have success. The names of Tony Romo, Willie Parker, and Wes Welker are recent late round or undrafted players who later found success.

But in the immediate future the team will once again struggle. It could be a very long season for the team and the fans.

So prepare for the new era. The first in a number of years where the Rams will be forced to depend often on the three yards and a cloud of dust method of moving the ball.

It will have to work if the Rams are to avoid having another abysmal season like last year.

The only question is will the fans be patient enough to watch this team once again fall back against strengthened opposition?

Long term plans may be realistic, but after a number of years out of the playoffs the fans may not be happy to wait.

Heaven Can Wait: How Warren Beatty Made Me a St. Louis Rams Fan

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:43:33 -0400

In 1978 I was nine years old. I had been a fan of football for a number of years but did not really have a team in the NFL.

Then my Mother took me to see Heaven Can Wait, a romantic comedy remake with Warren Beatty playing the main character.

This movie made me a fan of the Los Angeles Rams.

In looking back on it now the LA Rams were at the time a good team, not great but good. They were not a team a neophyte would generally cling to however.

In this respect I have to blame my fascination with underdogs and LA teams in general. I had started liking teams from Los Angeles after visiting there as a young child and when the LA Dodgers set up their short season A league team in my home town.

While that love lasted only a few seasons it was an important time in Rams history. In 1979 the LA Rams reached their first Superbowl losing a close game to the all world Pittsburgh Steelers.

Watching that underdog fight against the steel curtain. With Jack Youngblood limping through the playoffs with a broken leg.

I mean how can you not love them?

Then the team entered the years of Eric Dickerson, my favorite player of that period, as you can see by my picture from 1987. The man was money for the team.

So many of the names of that era still flash through my mind today. During a period when the Rams fell short against the San Francisco 49ers time and time again.

Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were the burden of the NFC West and they beat the Rams too often to mention. While the the Rams were having troubles finding a quarterback.

Then when the Rams migrated in the mid 1990s to St. Louis I followed their progress. I watched as they traded Jerome Bettis, gained Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce.

Then in one shining moment the team I had followed for 20 years, the sad sacks facing the big boys became the big boys.

Rams fans everywhere remember fondly the greatest show on turf and the 1999 season.

That victory justified now thirty years of following the team. Even now as they strive to repair their damaged team I continue to think back and wonder.

Why on earth did Warren Beatty have to quarterback the Los Angeles Rams in that movie?

Edmonton Media: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Jonathan Williams — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:54:03 -0400

Often when a coach or player are on the hot seat, we rarely see those grilling them. In fact, if you did a Google search, you might never see a picture, unless they are willing to put them by their byline.

Edmonton media, like so many others is generally made up of two kinds. The print media and the visual media. There are no real web based media given any real access by any of the major teams in the city.

If you were to choose from the group and offer a review, as this article will attempt to do, you can fit people in numerous categories.

Often media people fall in the vanilla flavor. They are neither grating nor particularly insightful.

The group I am going to review would not be considered vanilla.

The Good

The best media people are both writers. Both have been around a while and both have worked for print media on the local and national stage.

The first is Mark Spector. He has a reputation as a no-prisoner type. He has worked on radio, in print, and on the web. His latest role is as a national contributor to the Sportsnet website.

Spector has some great sense of where the fans, the players and the coaches are at. He reveals a few sources often and will go against the Oilers public relations department to get his story out.

He is an A+.

Robin Brownlee is probably the second best writer. He has written for the Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, the Metro and currently writes for Canadian Press. His writing style is much more earthy and blunt.

This makes him much more in your face, he also works for sports radio as a commentator. This give him a higher profile than other scribes. Rarely do I find myself disagreeing with him.

Combined with all this he has become a blogger working for Oilers Nation. Offering slightly edger rumors and gut reactions which allow him to step from behind the journalist cap.

For that alone he gets an A in my book.

Honorable mentions

Rod Phillips the dean of Oilers radio play-by-play has covered every Oilers game ever played. One of the few who can make the phrase "doo-doo" sound dignified.

Bob Stauffer when he was host of the Team 1260's afternoon drive show was a host you had to hear. Even when he went off the rails he often was the voice of fan discontent.

The Bad

Any employee of Ched or Sportsnet West, as the radio rights holders for the Oilers face an up hill climb. They are not bad people but they are not great reporters. At least from a fan's perspective.

The two that are readily coming to mind are Gene Principe, host of the Oilers local broadcasts, and Dan Tencer, in a similar role for 630 Ched.

Both of these guys are forced into a specific role but Principe has become king of the stupid questions. "You guys just lost, how does that feel?"

Tencer hosts a radio call in show which has at times been defensive of the Oilers to a point that makes him look bad. That has improved some what with the addition of Bob Stauffer to the broadcast.

Dishonorable mention

Terry Jones Edmonton Sun - Terry has been around for a while. Unfortunately it has also been a while since he wrote something even remotely interesting.

The Ugly

Bryan Hall has been the voice of the Canadian Football League Edmonton Eskimos for years. Unfortunately he is also the afternoon drive host for 630 Ched.

Hall seeks to offer his view points from a brash and blunt style. Meanwhile, he shuts down any that disagree in ways that make Rush Limbaugh proud.

The Bryan Hall show has become unlistenable. He is a parody of himself these days and it reminds one of the old days of wrestling announcers. When loud was a point of view.

Toronto Blue Jays Finally Have a Good Team, But No One Is Watching

Jonathan Williams — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:16:34 -0400

The American League leaders are an exciting team.

With the roll back leadership of Cito Gaston, the Toronto Blue Jays are leading the way.

This year, in the light of a revival for the boys in double blue, there is one aspect that still needs reviving.

In the 1980s and early 90s when the team was competitive, the people of Toronto showed up—often competing with the LA Dodgers for the amount of fans passing through the turnstiles.

Now, the Jays have become a victim of years of bad baseball, even when the team would have good players and CY Young winners, it did not change the facts.

In a division of heavy weight spenders, the Blue Jays were seen as the weak sister.

Yet now the team, not unlike the Tampa Bay Rays from last year, are going against the grain. Having lost only one series so far this season, the team is on a roll.

With all the early success, there are more empty seats than full ones.

Fans are not back to cheer on their team; they are still staying away either out of disinterest or out of fear that the team will dash their hopes.

So far, the Blue Jays have just kept winning.

Even with struggles at the gate, the team is still going forward.

As their pitching depth fell to skim milk levels, they still kept going.

This is a team that can hit and pitch—something they have not done since the heady days of Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, and Dave Steib.

The fans will hopefully catch back on with the team once they face stiffer competition in the Yankees and Red Sox this month.

If the Jays can win those games, they will go a long way to proving to the doubters.

As we get closer to that moment, I hope more than 20,000 people will start showing up to these games.

They are missing a great team.

The Battle For The Soul of The NHL Continues

Jonathan Williams — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:21:26 -0400

It has been five years, one lockout, a suspension, a criminal and civil trial since Todd Bertuzzi, then of the Vancouver Canucks, clubbed Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche from behind.

As has been well publicized, Moore crashed to the ice with Bertuzzi on top of him and then combined with a dog pile of Avalanche players trying to protect him. In the process, Moore, at some point, sustained career-ending injuries.

As horrific as it was at the time, it still seems to dog the sport of hockey to this day.

To this point, Moore has received little-to-no compensation from the Canucks or from Bertuzzi over the incident. He is apparently back at court again.

Honestly, I am a fan of neither team or the players involved, so I have little stake in the situation.

However, it is obvious that many of Moore's teammates think he has stepped over a line. Why else would they seemingly abandon support for his fight?

Much has been made, by the same folks who would love fighting banned, that the Moore incident was a horrid black-eye for the league. They see his case as exhibit A in what is wrong.

Many of these people will point out that fighting and other violence in hockey is what makes it unpalatable for the general American audience.

I would argue that Americans, in general, do not grow up with hockey, making it much more difficult to interest casual fans.

Incidents like the Bertuzzi one is a rarity, not the norm. The number of serious incidents is blown out of proportion.

At the same time, a cheap shot to the head or a blind-side shot which sends someone head first into the boards are just as dangerous—in some cases more so because their frequency is much higher.

Violence in hockey is not new. In the '70s, for example, the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins ruled the early part of the decade with thugs and cheap-shot artists.

In the '80s, the rival teams played each other eight times during the regular season and more if they met in the playoffs. This bred a lot of animosity and, at times, developed into bench-clearing brawls.

Since then, there have been a number of rules put into place to stop fighting. For the most part, the fighting has eased off been replaced by tactical defense which slowed the game down, similar to the effect of the dead-ball era on baseball.

Since the 1999 season, several famous incidents have occurred to bring fighting and hockey violence into disrepute. Many argue that the game needs to evolve from the past and put away its more violent nature.

The problem with that is violence is the very nature of contact sport. With that contact leads to altercations, cheap shots, dirty play. In rugby, in the NFL, and other sports, violence is contained, but not eliminated.

When Joe Theisman had his leg broken on national television, calls were made to protect the quarterback. When Tom Brady had a similar horrific injury, calls were made to protect the quarterback.

In each case, rules were modified but all realize that you cannot remove risk. Quarterbacks, by their very nature, assume great risk of injury. They are some of the biggest names injured each year.

In that same way, hockey violence, fighting and the like, may be managed but should never, can never be eliminated. Otherwise the sport is not the same.

Hockey's soul is built on the ability to use violence in an effective manner; when it goes off the rails, much is said about it.

Still, you cannot take the soul away from the sport. We can encourage better play, smarter decisions which lead to less dangerous situations, but we cannot eliminate risk.

If we did that, we'd rip away the soul of the sport.

The Edmonton Oilers Have Asked to Speak to Tom Renney

Jonathan Williams — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:48:21 -0400

The Edmonton Journal is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers have asked permission of the New York Rangers to speak to their former head coach Tom Renney.

Renney was the Rangers head coach since 2004 when he took over for Glen Sather at the end of the season.

The Rangers under his tenure made the playoffs each of the three years since the lock out season. He was fired at the beginning of 2009 because the Rangers were mired in a bad losing streak and the team was in danger of missing the playoffs.

Renney has been rumored to be in the mix thanks to a relationship he has with Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini.

Internet forums are also buzzing about Renney because of his links to Jarmir Jagr who has been a target of the Oilers at least twice this past year.

Renney, who has been a relatively successful coach, is considered just one of a few candidates the Oilers plan on reviewing on their way through the process.

Tambellini in his press conference earlier in the month stressed that the team will not be rushed in its search and that it was waiting for some coaches to become available as the playoffs continued.

Names to this point rumored or have expressed interest in the position are, Mike Crawford, Pat Quinn, Scott Arniel, Geoff Ward, and Brent Sutter, though there are others likely to come out as the process continues.

NFL Draft: St. Louis Rams Take OT Jason Smith

Jonathan Williams — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:09:48 -0400

The St. Louis Rams, with the second selection overall, gave quarterback Marc Bulger help by drafting left tackle Jason Smith from Baylor.

Smith has long been held as the pick the Rams would go after if Andre Smith fell apart at the NFL combine. There was a lot of rumors late in the week that the Rams were considering USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

All of that seemed to be simply a smoke screen to draw some interest from a few other teams seeking a trade.

Smith is a starter this season. Something that appears to have been important to the team.

It will be interesting to see where the team goes with their high second round pick.

Mick Foley Your New TNA World Champion

Jonathan Williams — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:24:03 -0400

It was February 2000, Mick Foley was planted through the steel cage at the World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) No Way Out pay per view. He called that match the last of his full time career.

Since that time Mick has had an eventful life. Writing books, doing blogs, and having some good wrestling matches along the way during his "retirement."

Fast forward now to April 19, 2009. Foley in the WWE was used mostly to get younger wrestlers "over" with the fans.

But now Foley was in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling Sting for the championship. Foley had not held a belt since 1999, he was a legendary wrestler who did not need the belt to win fans over.

But it all changed.

Foley started to challenge Sting after the last pay per view. Most concluded it would be another match where Foley would bleed, have some planned weapon backfire and Sting would retain the belt.

Along the way TNA through a curve.

In a bout which saw Foley and Sting try and use a barbwire bat to good use. As usual both were bloodied.

This time however, Foley got the better of his opponent as each man crawled over the cage Foley landed first winning the TNA Championship for the first time.

It will be interesting to see where they will go with this. The TNA does not maintain the same schedule as the WWE.

For example, they have TNA Impact Broadcasts once a week in the same location, they also do less touring.

So Foley could be champion for at least one more pay per view. Or he could drop it Thursday. It will be interesting to see where they plan to book this one.

No Excuses: Coach Craig MacTavish Must Go

Jonathan Williams — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:17:01 -0400

Often when a CEO or a manager of a unit gets only three successful years in eight, he is gone about as fast as his severance package will carry him. There are little excuses for a person in charge who fails over and over to get results.

Craig MacTavish, head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, has had the benefit of the doubt from management and in some respect from the fans over the years.

This year is different. The over-optimistic public relations at the beginning of the season poisoned the well for the fan base.

When MacTavish challenged his team by saying they would play for the division championship this year, he made a tactical error; it set the bar high.

Since November, he has, from time to time, accused his players of bad play, calling some out by name.

However, in eight years, only three players remain the same. Even from the Stanley Cup final, only a few players remain from that team.

If it is not the players, it has to be the coaching. Or it could be the type of team wanted by management did not match the style of the coach.

MacTavish would, it seems, love a team who are muckers, who play a very physical style and the trap to perfection. In other words, he wanted to be Jacque Lemaire, the former head coach of the Minnesota Wild.

That is not Oilers hockey. The team President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe put together is much more fast and loose, which focuses on attacking and speed, not grabbing a one goal lead and sitting on it.

So if the coach and the management are at odds, then one or the other has to go.

This is the time to clean house.

At his year end press conference, MacTavish sounded even more convinced of his defensive style. He seemed to suggest that the players were more at fault for not sticking to his system.

The problem is, his system did not work. It angered at least two players. Ales Hemsky, the Oilers' leading scorer, went so far as to accuse the coach of turning him into a checker.

No one is happy when a team loses, especially when they seem to have gone out without heart, most nights.

The Oilers combined that with a horrid home record, which did nothing to convince the faithful fans in the seats. Many nights, the Oilers were booed as much as cheered.

In a logical world, heads will role before this week is old. No stone, from coaching to scouting to player personnel, should be left unturned.

It is now time to take the team and do a complete overhaul, not simply another dodgy tune up which leaves the chaise rattling on the edge of collapse.

For the good of the team, the city, and for MacTavish himself, he has to go, and go now.

Edmonton Oilers' Best Coaching Choices

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:57:03 -0400

With predictions in the Edmonton media that Craig MacTavish will step down effective Sunday it is time to look ahead to who could be his replacement behind the bench. So with that in mind I will rank five possible choices for the Oilers to consider or that they are rumoured to have an interest in. I will rank them in reverse order with the last choice being my pick.

Begin Slideshow

Have Edmonton Oilers Fans Become Enablers?

Jonathan Williams — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:18:59 -0400

Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio said something to the effect a few days ago:

If you support a team, buy their tickets, watch their games and buy their stuff when they are ineptly run, you are a bad fan and a dupe.

When I heard this it seemed to be a suspect thing said to enrage and engage fans. However, after considering this for a while, I think one would say that Oilers fans have become enabling bad management.

Oilers fans in general have wanted their team to return to the glory years when Stanley Cups dripped like rain.

Generally, when you have a team that was once successful, you long for that era. It is natural to judge the present team by those achievements.

However, Oilers fans have, generally, been fairly happy just to get to the playoffs most years. There was a number of fans who believed that still having the team was good enough.

Because of this fans have typically side with management over the past few years. We defend there decisions because they are our team.

But since the lockout ended most fans have been enablers. Through an overwhelming blind loyalty, brought on because of the near loss of the team.

The dictionary defines an enabler as: One who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (such as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by helping that individual avoid the consequences of such behavior

Think of the number of sell outs these last three years. Think of how many fans follow and purchase items from the team. Oilers merchandise is a hot commodity in all of Alberta not just Edmonton.

It is bad management that has led the Oilers where they are and the best thing fans can do is stop enabling it. Fans have an urge is to cheer on their Oilers through thick and thin.

There is nothing wrong with that.

But year after year of knee-jerk reactions and excuses do not make a good team. A well managed team does not need to forget about Curtis Glencross when trying to sign Marian Hossa, because they would have taken care of him before July 1st.

Recently questions are being asked of the coach and management in general. These questions have led some to argue it is time to part ways.

This questioning has not sat well with the Owner Daryl Katz who in a text message before Thursday's game to the radio broadcast team. In the message he said, "(MacTavish) is not going anywhere."

President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe later that night explained that Katz was frustrated that the radio show and media in general were talking of firing MacTavish before the team was mathematically eliminated from the playoff race.

No one questions the loyalty of the various members of the management team and ownership to the Edmonton Oilers franchise. But that is not good enough.

The Oilers sense of entitlement in the city goes as far as trying to say that the fans were almost to blame for the predicament that the team was in. Almost as if the fans were the cause of the teams abysmal record at home.

As so often gets pointed out, in Edmonton, the players change but the leadership remains the same.

In some cities teams are given a pass every year.

The Dallas Cowboys will still have fans filling the place no matter how strange they get. The Toronto Maple Leafs in the eighties were terrible more often then not and they sold out every night.

This loyalty while admirable in some respects it does allow those teams to remain bad.

In the world of the salary cap good management wins championships while bad ones cannot spend their way out of trouble.

To date, the Oilers are the latter not the former.

I do not believe that fans should expect perfection and championships every year. I do believe that the team has a commitment to the fans.

To date the last time the Oilers won a division was in 1987. The last time they hosted a playoff series was 1988.

Losing teams use excuses for why they are losers. They accept the fact that they are never going to get better and it pervades the team. Many of these teams after a few years of losing become unable to change the culture.

I think the Oilers at this moment have a culture of losing. The players and management say the same things year after year. The fact they can spend to the cap allows them to believe their own hype in September.

Knee jerk moves in the off seasons since 2005 have left the team a weird mix of younger players facing older established players with no middle ground.

The team cannot decide whether it should be full of veterans or rebuilding with young talent.

The time has come to bring in a whole new look to the team. New management, new coaches, new scouts. And hope a new direction can stop the slide.

Fans must vote with their feet if they want this to sink in with the team. Another lost season will leave the team in dire straights.

As Albert Einstein once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Right now Oilers management and fans are doing exactly that.