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  • What is Darrelle Revis Worth to the Jets?

    Revis Island can be a lonely place for receivers.  At the moment it’s also a lonely place for a Darrelle Revis.  The man who was hands-down the best defensive player in the league last year is not practicing or spending time with his teammates, and it HAS to be a frustrating way to follow up [...]

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  • Ponikarovsky Signing Gives LA a Line of Corsi Kings

    For those of us that believe outshooting the opponent is the most surefire way to victory in the NHL, the LA Kings signing of Alexei Ponikarovsky should set off fireworks. 

    In his book, Moneyball, Michael Lewis referred to Kevin Youkilis’ as “The Greek God of Walks”.  For NHL GMs, Ponikarovsky could be Ukrainian for “Net-peppering Ninja”. 

    I [...]

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  • Sports Opinionated is 1 Year Old!!!

    Exactly one year ago, I decided to start the Sports Opinionated blog over on Blogger.com.  The goal was to give myself a creative outlet to express my many views on sports, whether misguided or fact-based. 

    My goal when I started was to write 2-3 posts per week on anything that I was passionate about and to [...]

    • Share/Bookmark
  • The NHL’s Most Intriguing Free Agents

    Let’s put it this way.  I don’t give a flying puck where LeBron is going on July 1st.  I care about celebrating Canada Day and seeing where NHL free agents end up.  As a fan, there are always players that are more fun to track than others, since they could have a big impact on [...]

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  • Published on Puck Prospectus: The Tomas Plekanec Contract

    Here is the latest analysis I wrote for the great team at Puck Prospectus.  Feel free to read it over there with this link or continue reading below. 

    The reason I wanted to explore the contract value was the initial reaction so many people had to the dollar figure.  I personally felt it was WAY too much [...]

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Review of Last Year's NFL Predictions

Last year, I kicked off the NFL season in the infancy of Sports Opinionated with a 4 part preview that outlined my thoughts on predictions for the upcoming season. 

If you want to look back at some of my insane thoughts, here are Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV

In the true spirit of S-O, I’ve decided to take an analytical, critical and incredibly sarcastic look at my predictions from last year. 

Rather than look at every single prediction, let’s just break them down into a few categories. 

The Albert Haynesworth “Conditioning Test” Prediction 

Much like Big Al avoiding anything but the buffet line in the offseason, there were a few points I made that in retrospect reeked of “lack of research”. 

I pinned a lot on the move of Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos to the Chicago Bears.  The loss of Cutler by the Broncos eventually resulted in their late-season collapse but they did pretty well without him early on.  

The Bears, however, didn’t get better with Cutler.  They finished the season with the 28th ranked offense in the league by DVOA.  In this case, there were two incredibly important factors that were left out.  The Mike Shanahan factor and the Lovie Smith factor.  Both of these coaches have very different impacts on quarterbacks.  While Shanahan has a history of making very efficient passers out of natural gunslingers (ex. Elway, Plummer, Cutler), Lovie’s offenses tend to expose his QB’s weaknesses.  Just look at the INTs thrown by Rex Grossman and Cutler or the lack of creativity to use Kyle Orton’s short throw accuracy. 

The Ben Roethlisberger “Lost Touch with Reality” Prediction 

Much like Big Ben’s dirtbag haircut and questionable offseason conduct, I made one prediction last year that I should be extremely ashamed of.  I picked the Seattle Seahawks as a team that could improve dramatically with a reduction in injuries.  I even picked them to win the division. 

I have no defense for this pick.  The Seahawks lacked talent, their defense took a step back and the offense looked devoid of any threat outside of Justin Forsett, who the coaching staff wouldn’t play enough.  I have no defense, just take it easy on me. 

The Darrelle Revis “You Owe Me Money” Predictions 

I was fantasy gold last year.  It doesn’t happen very often, so just let me gloat. 

Yes, I recommended Matt Forte and LT, and I will force myself to watch the Rams play two or three games this year as punishment. 

That said, I steered the readers clear of Michael Turner and Brian Westbrook.  But most importantly, in the sleeper section, I recommended LeSean McCoy, Miles Austin, Cedric Benson, and Shonn Greene.  

Predictions coming

With only 1 more week until the NFL starts, look out for a few preseason predictions from me.  Hopefully I’m not quite as delirious as last year.

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Cristobal Huet’s Exile – Talent or Money?

PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 13: Goaltender Cristobal Huet #39 of the Chicago Blackhawks pauses during warmups prior to his game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center on March 13, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

With news that Cristobal Huet is headed to Switzerland to play for HC Fribourg-Gotteron, the Huet Haters are becoming more vocal than Don Cherry and Pierre McGuire combined. 

While it’s easy to say that he didn’t live up to expectations in Chicago the past two seasons, the question remains as to how good Huet really is and whether there is a spot for him in the NHL.  The Blackhawks obviously couldn’t move him, so was it his talent, or just his $5.6m cap hit?  Continue reading Cristobal Huet’s Exile – Talent or Money?

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Change of Focus on S-O, New Serie A site launched!

May 11, 2010 - Tzaneen, South Africa - epa02153775 Two members of the Vakhegula Vakhegula grannies soccer team walk with their kit bags on their heads as they walk to play a game of soccer on the dusty rural field in Nkowankowa near Tzaneen, South Africa, 11 May 2010. The grannies play soccer twice a week and have to dodge cow dung and long grass under a scorching sun. The oldest member of the team is 85 years old and they say they are looking forward to watching and learning from international players during the South Africa FIFA 2010 World Cup. Vakhegula Vakhegula translates as grannies from the local language Xitshonga. Cancer survivor Beka Ntsanwisi set the team up in 2006. Doctors told her that although she was receiving treatment for lung cancer she still needed to keep fit. Courageously she invited other elderly women in the community to join her in playing soccer in a bid to stay healthy and supple. Initial skepticism was overwhelmed by huge interest and now there is even a league called the Top Eight.

As much as I love soccer, especially Serie A and the EPL, Sports Opinionated has been a confusing read for our fans.

Typically, the fans of North American-based sports are not the same fans of soccer, although that is changing somewhat.  That said, Sports Opinionated will narrow our focus to just hockey and football (the North American kind).  The goal will be to provide a statistically-relevant and in-depth analytical look at both sports, with the usual bad jokes sprinkled in as well.

This doesn’t mean I’ll be ignoring my love of The Beautiful Game.  Pete and I have launched the Pink Shirt Wise Guys site dedicated to Italy’s Serie A , with podcasts, formation analysis, stats and features like our goal of the week.

So, over the next few weeks, you’ll see the soccer articles disappear from here and start popping up on the PSWG site.  If you’re a soccer fan, please come by for a visit!

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Flames Potential Forward Line Combinations: posted on M&G

UNIONDALE, NY - MARCH 25: Forward Rene Bourque #17 of the Calgary Flames skates against the New York Islanders during an NHL game at the Nassau Coliseum on March 25, 2010 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

an article I posted at Matchsticks & Gasoline this week

Last week I proposed a few trades the Flames could potentially make in order to get both under the cap and to add a prospect.

All trades aside, I am ridiculously curious to see what the line combinations will be for the Flames this year.

There are a variety of questions that need to be answered.  Who plays with Iginla?  Does Backlund get meaningful icetime?  How will Conroy be used?  Which forwards should be matched up against the opposition’s best?  Will anyone from Abbottsford get a regular call-up?

With that in mind, I started bouncing line combinations around in that empty space I call a head, just to see what came out. Continue reading Flames Potential Forward Line Combinations: posted on M&G

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What is Darrelle Revis Worth to the Jets?

New York Jets corner back Darrelle Revis (24) celebrates after making an interception in the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at the 2010 AFC divisional playoff game at Qualcomm Stadium on January 17, 2010. UPI/Robert Benson

Revis Island can be a lonely place for receivers.  At the moment it’s also a lonely place for a Darrelle Revis.  The man who was hands-down the best defensive player in the league last year is not practicing or spending time with his teammates, and it HAS to be a frustrating way to follow up such a great season.

As a fan, I always seem to pick a side when there are holdouts or contract disputes.  Last year I thought that Michael Crabtree was making a stupid mistake holding out, and I still think that.  In Revis’ case, it’s not so black and white.

Revis is playing on the rookie deal he signed that pays him $30M over 6 years.  That’s not gutter money.  While Revis’ base salary is only $550,000 this season, he got $5M in bonuses in 2007 and another $6.9M in bonuses between 2008 and 2009 (according to NYJetsCap.com).  The big issue is his final two years, which are voidable, but the Jets could buy them back for $15-20M depending on certain incentives.  The guy has made, and will make some sick money, it’s just that he wants to be paid like Nnamdi Asomugha.    

As Bill Simmons’ put in his latest column, the only advantage owners have now is when a player outperforms his contract.  That’s definitely the upside for the team.  The downside comes when they sign a player to a big contract and he never lives up to it, but it’s easy to cut players in the NFL and only the signing bonus money is lost along with a cap hit.

So the argument really boils down to one question.  Did Revis’ outperform his rookie contract badly enough that he deserves a re-negotiation? Continue reading What is Darrelle Revis Worth to the Jets?

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Calgary Flames: Managing the Cap and Re-Stocking the Cupboard

This article was posted originally on Matchsticks & Gasoline.  I have signed on as an author at this fantastic Flames’ blog, so come on by and check it out.

WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Robyn Regehr #28 of the Calgary Flames skates down the ice against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center on March 28, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

I’m obsessed with the behavior of GMs and how they handle the salary cap.  It’s amazing how many teams are run by men who can only see the “now” and rarely plan for the future.  Unfortunately for the Flames and all of their fans, it appears that Darryl Sutter is one of these executives.  

My assertion is that he doesn’t do it on purpose, but because he has a poor track record with the draft.  Entry-level contracts are inherently great for cap management and as Gabe Desjardins has frequently stated, RFA’s come at a 40% discount to UFA’s.  

Obviously if a GM has a poor draft, it also hurts the team’s cap situation for the life of two relatively cheap contracts.  In Darryl’s case, he’s had nothing to brag about from his drafts other than Phaneuf.

My Plan

Given the Flames current cap situation of being overspent by $2.35M (according to CapGeek.com), they obviously have some work to do now just to stay away from NHL sanctions.  That said, the front office braintrust could at least use this opportunity to re-stock the barren shelves.

We all know that no one wants Staios or Kotalik at their currently disgusting contracts.  And as Kent Wilson pointed out so well, there just aren’t that many teams that actually need a high salary to reach the cap floor.

Obviously then, a pure “salary dump” is highly unlikely, even if the Flames sweetened the pot, which they have few assets to do anyway.  If the owners will let Darryl bury these two cap anchors in the minors, that’s great, but it doesn’t make the team any better now or in the future.  Also, there seems to be some insane belief that Staios adds something to the team, which makes me want to lick a belt sander. Continue reading Calgary Flames: Managing the Cap and Re-Stocking the Cupboard

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Terell Owens Impact on the Bengals

Aug. 01, 2010 - Georgetown, Kentucky, United States of America - 01 August 2010: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Terrell Owens.

It’s as if the Bengals were trying to make a last ditch effort to steal Hard Knocks from the Jets.  With the media-addicted Chad Ochocinco already on the roster, Cincy has opened the door to both Pacman Jones and now Terrell Owens.

While the addition of Owens may make a few people shake their heads for his dirtbag locker room antics, he could be a gem on the field.

The Bengals at one time had an incredibly explosive offense with Ochocinco, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Carson Palmer and Rudi Johnson.  They also used a combination of Kelley Washington and Chris Henry as deep threats.

The point is that Carson Palmer has been a top QB when he’s been surrounded by a variety of weapons.  He’s not the signal caller to make something out of nothing, but he knows how to use the weapons he has.

The addition of Owens, completes the set of weapons at his disposal.

The Bengals offense was ranked 15th in Passing (DVOA on Football Outsiders) and 14th in Rushing last year, but was one of the most inconsistent in the league.  Part of the problem was their lack of weapons.  If a team stacked the box against Cedric Benson and double-covered Ochocinco, they were capable of shutting down the offense. Continue reading Terrell Owens Impact on the Bengals

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Ponikarovsky Signing Gives LA a Line of Corsi Kings

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 28: Alexei Ponikarovsky #23 of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes a shot on goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Mellon Arena on March 28, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Leafs 5-4 in a shootout. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

For those of us that believe outshooting the opponent is the most surefire way to victory in the NHL, the LA Kings signing of Alexei Ponikarovsky should set off fireworks. 

In his book, Moneyball, Michael Lewis referred to Kevin Youkilis’ as “The Greek God of Walks”.  For NHL GMs, Ponikarovsky could be Ukrainian for “Net-peppering Ninja”. 

I mentioned Ponikarovsky in an article about the NHL’s Most Intriguing Free Agents purely because he’s a phenomenal Corsi player and 5-on-5 scorer.  In terms of 5v5 play, he averaged 2.27 points per 60 minutes and outshot his opposition by 18.99 attempts per 60 minutes.  He’s also scored over 20 goals in 4 of the last 5 seasons despite playing for the abysmal Maple Leafs.  Continue reading Ponikarovsky Signing Gives LA a Line of Corsi Kings

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Sports Opinionated is 1 Year Old!!!

LAS VEGAS - JULY 17: Actress AnnaLynne McCord (L) and her sister Angel McCord appear with a cake at the Wet Republic pool at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino as AnnaLynne McCord celebrates her birthday July 17, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She turned 23 on July 16. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Wet Republic)

Exactly one year ago, I decided to start the Sports Opinionated blog over on Blogger.com.  The goal was to give myself a creative outlet to express my many views on sports, whether misguided or fact-based. 

My goal when I started was to write 2-3 posts per week on anything that I was passionate about and to keep it up for at least a year.  That way, I could find my writing niche and ensure I still liked writing after committing to it for that long.  Obviously I wanted to pick up some readers and contacts with other writers along the way, which has turned out better than I had hoped for.

We didn’t exactly celebrate with cake and champagne here at S-O headquarters (aka my house) but we did hit up a beer and barbeque some sausage, which is much more appropriate anyway.

At this point, I can honestly say that writing about sports is something that feels natural to me.  Maybe it’s because I’m just a loud-mouthed former jock who needs to feel like a couch-GM or possibly I’m such a sports-obsessed fan that it further fuels my biggest hobby.  It’s probably both.

Regardless, I can say at this point that writing about hockey, football and soccer are all in my wheelhouse and I’ll definitely keep it up.  That said, there may be a few changes coming here at S-O to help the readers find only the genre of sports they like most, since I realize that it’s a bit of a scattered approach right now.

At the end of this post, I’ve listed my favorite articles from each month the blog has been running.  Hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I liked writing them.

I also wanted to thank a couple people that have really helped me out in the last year. Continue reading Sports Opinionated is 1 Year Old!!!

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Kovalchuk’s Contract: Published on Puck Prospectus

NEWARK, NJ - JULY 20: Ilya Kovalchuk of the New Jersey Devils poses for photographs following the media opportunity announcing his contract renewal at the Prudential Center on July 20, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

A review of Kovalchuk’s contract that I wrote for Puck Prospectus on Wednesday.  I was away for a few days so didn’t have time to share it here until now.

Front Office Focus – Is the NHL doing the Devils a Favor with the Kovalchuk contract?

All H-E-double-hockey-sticks has broken loose with the NHL rejecting Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract with the New Jersey Devils.  Kovalchuk has been free agency’s poster boy for the “superstar” looking for a mega-deal.  He got it, and then some.

The Devils signed Kovalchuk to a 17-year contract worth $102M.  The problem is that the last six years have such a deflated salary that it set alarm bells off in the NHL offices as a way to circumvent the cap. 

The first 11 years of the contract total $98.5M, which would be a cap hit of $8.95M per year.  With the final six years tagged on, the cap hit is only $6M per.  Those “sham years” effectively saved the Devils almost $3M in cap space despite the fact that it’s highly unlikely Kovalchuk will play until he’s 44.

While there are other contracts that have used similar shrinking salaries over the final years of the deal, none were this blatant.  The NHL picked this deal to draw the line and say enough is enough.

The real question, however, is whether this was a good deal for the Devils in the first place.   Continue reading Kovalchuk’s Contract: Published on Puck Prospectus

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Mikko Koivu’s New Contract: Seems Inflated

VANCOUVER, CANADA - APRIL 4: Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild carries the puck up ice during the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks on April 04, 2010 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

Yesterday over at Behind the Net, Gabe made a post about Mikko Koivu’s contract extension with the Wild.  In the comments, there was some great debate about how the contract compared to those signed by Tomas Plekanec and Nicklas Backstrom.  Given that I’d written up reviews of both contracts here and here, I figured it was worth comparing Koivu’s deal to these two.

First off, we need to compare Koivu’s extension to the top 25 forwards by cap hit.  I’ve used GVT as the measure of value here since Goals Versus Threshold should be fairly universal, given that it combines both offense and defense.

Put simply, does Koivu have the same production for every dollar the Wild spent when compared to the other top-paid forwards in the league?  Overpaying for a player that isn’t truly top-tier can be the easiest way to sink a team’s cap space, just ask the New York Knicks. Continue reading Mikko Koivu’s New Contract: Seems Inflated

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Departing ‘Dinho?

Mar. 07, 2010 - 05588787 date 06 03 2010 Copyright imago Sesa Ronaldinho Milan Roma 06 03 2010 Stadio Olimpico Series A Campionato 2009 2010 Roma Milan Photo Massimo Oliva Inside photo PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxITAxFRA oliva massimo Football men ITA Series A 2009 2010 Rome Single Vdig 2010 vertical premiumd.

It’s only been a few short seasons since Ronaldinho’s over-hyped arrival at Milan.  He arrived with a lot of fanfare at a club that needed to sell tickets and jerseys. He was brought in as much for his fame as his talent, which had been dwindling at Barcelona.

For 21 million Euros, he brought two seasons of his huge grin and fancy footwork, along with vision and passing.  In his first season, he was largely ineffective playing with Kaka, and in his second he led the offense, although only at his pace.

When we examined his attacking impact at the end of the season, it actually surprised me how effective he was.  After all, I was the same guy who skewered him after only a couple games last season.  The difference was that he became more of a playmaker spraying passes to Pato on the far side and crosses to anyone he could find in the box.

Ronaldinho is an entertaining player who genuinely seems happy to be playing and definitely gives everything he has, as long as it’s in the offensive end.  That said, he’s not a good fit for the new Allegri-run Diavolo, and that’s why Milan is considering letting him leave to Flamengo. Continue reading Departing ‘Dinho?

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Published on Puck Prospectus: The Flames Big FA Moves

CALGARY, AB - APRIL 22:  Olli Jokinen #21 of the Calgary Flames celebrates his second goal of the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks  during Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 22, 2009 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Mike Ridewood/Getty Images)

Here is the story as published on Puck Prospectus today.

Front Office Focus – The Flames Free Agent Moves

Free agency frequently brings a variety of deals that range from astute to downright absurd.  This year’s free agency period was no different.

While there are a variety of teams that have appeared to alter their talent level significantly for better or worse, the Calgary Flames easily had some of the most head-scratching moves.

Flames GM Darryl Sutter navigated the opening day of free agency by securing contracts for Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen. This obviously surprised many in the media and fans alike, since Sutter had previously set both players adrift via trade.

Another curious move that has been overshadowed by the two high profile signings was the buyout of Nigel Dawes.  Dawes had a solid season for the Flames last year with a 4.8 GVT and a cap hit of $850,000 next season, before becoming a restricted free agent the following summer. Continue reading Published on Puck Prospectus: The Flames Big FA Moves

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NHL Free Agency - A Look at Value

We’re almost a week into Free Agency at this point and there is no way to declare who has won or lost, just like we should never declare the winner of the NHL draft two days after it’s happened. 

That said, we can definitely evaluate the dollars spent at various positions and the deals that seem more or less efficient based on past performance as an indicator of future performance.

Methodology

In order to keep it clean and simple, I used GVT as my sole measure of the value for each player.  However, I did use each player’s average GVT over the past three seasons to smooth out the effects of a career year or possibly a truly ugly season. 

For those that are still new to the advanced stats used to measure NHL players, check out the explanations here.

I only included players that had an average GVT greater than 4.0, indicating a 3rd line forward, 3rd pairing defenseman or at least a serviceable backup goaltender.  I’ve only included players signed since July 1st, as that’s when the free-for-all began.

Each player’s average GVT was then compared to the cap hit of his new contract, minus the league minimum, since we’re comparing to a replacement-level player.  Obviously teams who get more value for their money (in terms of goals) will win more over the long term. Continue reading NHL Free Agency – A Look at Value

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World Cup Semi-Finals : Get Prepped

There were 4 great games on the weekend that provided us with some fantastic action.  Now we’re down to only four teams and two games over the next two days.

We just published another Pink Shirt Wise Guys podcast, so you’ll be able to get a recap of the key points from the past matches and some insight into the upcoming match-ups of the Netherlands vs Uruguay on Tuesday and Germany vs Spain on Wednesday.

Listen here on the player, on Podbean or subscribe on iTunes.

If you want something to read that will explain, how the last matches turned out, check out these game recaps from Zonal Marking

Holland-Brazil

Uruguay-Ghana

Germany-Argentina

Spain-Paraguay

Enjoy the games!

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Dear FIFA, Give Your Heads a Shake

Uruguay's Luis Suarez (R) saves the ball with his hands during a 2010 World Cup quarter-final soccer match against Ghana at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg July 2, 2010. Suarez received a red card for handling the ball. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: SPORT SOCCER WORLD CUP)

After watching a thrilling comeback by the Netherlands yesterday to knock Brazil out of the World Cup, most fans were treated to yet another riveting finish to a game.

Unfortunately, the overtime match between Uruguay and Ghana ended in some controversy.  With the score level and a mere 30 seconds or so left on the clock, Ghana assaulted the Uruguay goal.  Uruguay striker, Luis Suarez used his hands to knock the ball off the goal line.  The ref called the play correctly, giving Suarez a red card and awarding a penalty shot to Ghana.  Controversay followed anyway.

Continue reading Dear FIFA, Give Your Heads a Shake

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The NHL's Most Intriguing Free Agents

NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 18: Anton Volchenkov #24 of the Ottawa Senators skates against Vladimir Zharkov #28 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on December 18, 2009 in Newark, New Jersey.  (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Let’s put it this way.  I don’t give a flying puck where LeBron is going on July 1st.  I care about celebrating Canada Day and seeing where NHL free agents end up.  As a fan, there are always players that are more fun to track than others, since they could have a big impact on your team’s fortunes.

In my mind, here are the 4 most intriguing free agents in this year’s crop.

Continue reading The NHL’s Most Intriguing Free Agents

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Published on Puck Prospectus: The Tomas Plekanec Contract

Here is the latest analysis I wrote for the great team at Puck Prospectus.  Feel free to read it over there with this link or continue reading below. 

The reason I wanted to explore the contract value was the initial reaction so many people had to the dollar figure.  I personally felt it was WAY too much at first, but have come around to believing it was a Kesler-level deal, which is decent, but not over the top either.  Enjoy.

Continue reading Published on Puck Prospectus: The Tomas Plekanec Contract

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The Most In-Form Forwards Left in the World Cup

Jun 27, 2010 - Bloemfontein, South Africa - THOMAS MUELLER (GER) celebrates Germany's 4:1 victory over England and reaching the final eight during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 in Mangaung / Bloemfontein. Germany won 4-1.

We’re into the knockout rounds now and today the goalkeepers saw more balls than a neuter clinic (yes, that could have been dirtier, this is a reputable website…sort of). 

Given that offensive display, it’s time we took at look at which forwards are in the best vein of form so far in South Africa.  I put together the SOAR stats for the games so far, and have only included players that are left in the tournament.

Since we’re talking about a sample size of only 3 or 4 games, this by no means represents the talent of the players below, just how well they’re playing right now.  That said, if you’re interested in who to watch, this list should help you out.

Continue reading The Most In-Form Forwards Left in the World Cup

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Italy Out of the World Cup: Live Blog

Here is the live blog I did on the Italy-Slovakia match for Bleacher Report this morning.  Crazy final 30 minutes but ultimately the defending world champs are out.

Ciao, I’m Ryan and I’ll be your live blogger for the Italy-Slovakia match. Hopefully I can provide some insight for you throughout the game, especially for those that aren’t getting a chance to watch it live.

Both Italy and Slovakia have the chance to move on from the group stage with a win, although Slovakia would also need New Zealand to tie or lose. However, with Italy being pre-tournament favourites for the group, the pressure is all on them.

The Azzurri defense has only given up two shots on goal in two games, but unfortunately for them, both have resulted in goals. On the other end of the field, the Italians have struggled mightily to create goals. While severely outplaying New Zealand, they still could only muster a goal from the penalty spot. The most notable change to Italy’s lineup will be the insertion of Rino Gattuso in the midfield, which should bring back fond memories for Italy fans, but also raise a few eyebrows.

The live blog is below, with the most recent posts at the top. Enjoy the match.

_____________________________________________________________________

 

  Continue reading Italy Out of the World Cup: Live Blog

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