Thanks you Tuna!
Currently, my only job is running Victoria Enterprises, which I'm able to do from home. This means a lot of time split between ESPN and the Weather Channel. Most bloggers would be out cultivating sources, but that's not how I roll. In any case, TWC has been plugging their stupid show "It Could Happen Tomorrow" a show in which almost everything could not happen tomorrow. I was getting pretty sick of it. My biggest fear, of course, was that I couldn't turn away from the Weather Channel to ESPN, because I would be inundated by Super Bowl hype. The game is great, but seriously, we can pick out the storylines ourselves, and we don't need them reiterated 154 times a day. The good news, of course, was that Bill Parcells was also not interested in the hype, so he retired, giving us at least two days of Tuna talk. Thank you Bill Parcells! (So, is anyone else intrigued that Jim Halpert and Bill Parcells have developed the same nickname?) Let's review some not football topics, ok?
Saturday, I was all excited because I was going to have a chance to check out both of my favorite college basketball teams, Purdue and Minnesota back to back. Well, Purdue came out strong but remembered they can't win on the road, no matter how feeble the opponent (even though this years Michigan squad is by no means feeble) and choked in the second half. The Boilers would be a legitimate Tournament team if they could work this out. It's the most crisp I have seen a Purdue squad in some time. But you have to win on the road. But, speaking of feeble opponents, Minnesota lost to this kid. They were bad with Spencer Tollackson in the lineup, and they are downright Sun Belt without him.
So, of my teams, the Boilermakers adopted the Wild's problem of being unable to win on the road. Now, we just need to do something about Minnesota's inability to win at Xcel. The four days off will certainly help. When all the major components were working for a brief sunlit moment early this year, the Wild looked unstoppable. Now, if we can keep Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik in the lineup for any length of time, the Wild should be able to lock up a playoff spot. And while we're speaking in hypotheticals, let's pretend everyone is healthy all the time. Why not put the three Czechs/Slovaks on the same line, then put a couple other excellent skaters (Brian Rolston and Mikko Koivu) on another line with one of the stay in front of the net types (I'm thinking Mark Parrish, since he's pretty good with a stick, too), then let Wes Walz, Derek Boogaard and Pascal Dupuis muck up the checking line, leaving the last three forwards, (Todd White, Pierre Marc Bouchard, Miscellaneous other) play together and mix and match in. White and Bouchard are two of the most versatile players on the team, and can really play with anyone, so why not each other? Just my two cents.
Last Wednesday, something kind of fun happened. There was a trade in every league except the NFL, which, of course, is in the midst of the playoff season (in case you hadn't heard). In the NBA, which, as you know, I don't particularly care for, the Indiana Pacers traded away Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington in a bid to get considerably whiter - I mean, shake up the team. Major League Baseball's trade of Adam Laroche from the Braves to the Pirates for Mike Gonzalez was rumored to be in the works for sometime. This was interesting, because it's rare that we actually see rumors come to fruition. In the NHL, Yan Stastny, who was being tortured by the Bruins was dealt to St. Louis for a draft pick. In the past year, he has been traded twice, once in the Sergei Samsonov trade with Edmonton, and now to St. Louis. This season, however, he was called up and sent down a total of seven times, twice within a 2 day window. He knew the drive from Providence to Boston by heart. But it's nice to know that Boston doesn't know the meaning of "healthy scratch".
Lastly this week, I will be unable to get to Kansas City for the Valparaiso-UMKC game, so I will instead be watching the webcast of the game. It's like I'm there! Except not. So you still get a chance to catch my reaction to this game, while I still get to watch it. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Until next week, - Ryan
Saturday, I was all excited because I was going to have a chance to check out both of my favorite college basketball teams, Purdue and Minnesota back to back. Well, Purdue came out strong but remembered they can't win on the road, no matter how feeble the opponent (even though this years Michigan squad is by no means feeble) and choked in the second half. The Boilers would be a legitimate Tournament team if they could work this out. It's the most crisp I have seen a Purdue squad in some time. But you have to win on the road. But, speaking of feeble opponents, Minnesota lost to this kid. They were bad with Spencer Tollackson in the lineup, and they are downright Sun Belt without him.
So, of my teams, the Boilermakers adopted the Wild's problem of being unable to win on the road. Now, we just need to do something about Minnesota's inability to win at Xcel. The four days off will certainly help. When all the major components were working for a brief sunlit moment early this year, the Wild looked unstoppable. Now, if we can keep Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik in the lineup for any length of time, the Wild should be able to lock up a playoff spot. And while we're speaking in hypotheticals, let's pretend everyone is healthy all the time. Why not put the three Czechs/Slovaks on the same line, then put a couple other excellent skaters (Brian Rolston and Mikko Koivu) on another line with one of the stay in front of the net types (I'm thinking Mark Parrish, since he's pretty good with a stick, too), then let Wes Walz, Derek Boogaard and Pascal Dupuis muck up the checking line, leaving the last three forwards, (Todd White, Pierre Marc Bouchard, Miscellaneous other) play together and mix and match in. White and Bouchard are two of the most versatile players on the team, and can really play with anyone, so why not each other? Just my two cents.
Last Wednesday, something kind of fun happened. There was a trade in every league except the NFL, which, of course, is in the midst of the playoff season (in case you hadn't heard). In the NBA, which, as you know, I don't particularly care for, the Indiana Pacers traded away Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington in a bid to get considerably whiter - I mean, shake up the team. Major League Baseball's trade of Adam Laroche from the Braves to the Pirates for Mike Gonzalez was rumored to be in the works for sometime. This was interesting, because it's rare that we actually see rumors come to fruition. In the NHL, Yan Stastny, who was being tortured by the Bruins was dealt to St. Louis for a draft pick. In the past year, he has been traded twice, once in the Sergei Samsonov trade with Edmonton, and now to St. Louis. This season, however, he was called up and sent down a total of seven times, twice within a 2 day window. He knew the drive from Providence to Boston by heart. But it's nice to know that Boston doesn't know the meaning of "healthy scratch".
Lastly this week, I will be unable to get to Kansas City for the Valparaiso-UMKC game, so I will instead be watching the webcast of the game. It's like I'm there! Except not. So you still get a chance to catch my reaction to this game, while I still get to watch it. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Until next week, - Ryan
posted by Ryan | 2:06 PM
2 Comments:
I would like to see Gabby/Demitra/Mikko Koivu all on one line. For personal reasons.
Mikko is patient with the puck, while Rolston seems a little more impulsive. I'm tryign to decide if that would be a good combination, or a bad combination.
I think it's more a matter of Koivu being a finesse, deke player rather than Rolston, who is more of a power slapshot type player. I think they would complement each other nicely, especially on the Koivu to Rolston one-timers. It's always good to have two guys work the one timer when they are of equal skating ability. And when the puck is pinned in the zone, put Parrish in front of the net. You can't be breaking out all the time.
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