Silver, But Not Disappointed

Quite possibly the Game of the Decade lived up to its high anticipation on Sunday. An overtime goal appropriately scored by Canada's "Chosen Son," Sidney Crosby, struck Gold for the Canadians in Vancouver.
To get that game to overtime, the United States had a series of heart-clenching goals scored late by Vancouver Canuck, Ryan Kesler, and another by New Jersey Devil, Zach Parise with 24 seconds remaining in regulation that can only be described by an American fan as a feeling of euphoria. Had the Americans won the game, that goal would have gone down as one of the greatest plays in American Olympic history. Right next to Mike Eruzione's goal in 1980.
The game had all of the above. It was emotional, nerve-racking, competitive. The players who would be teammates on Monday were not teammates on Sunday, and that was never more evident from the drop of the puck. This was a game between two countries that hate each other. And although the players from both teams will go back to being friends in the NHL, they were enemies for this one game.
But the U.S. should not be disappointed with the loss. Coming into the tournament, most would guess they were the 5th or 6th best team in the Olympics. They were undermanned talent-wise and it was obvious. But for them to show heart and determination despite the undermanned talent shows what the sport of hockey is all about. The U.S. team got out of Vancouver with a medal, which is more than any hockey analyst previously gave them credit for.
But the real winner of these Olympics was the sport of hockey. For one week, the world was a hockey fan, anticipating every shot taken and feeling every emotion possible. Casual fans were able to see the true appeal of the sport of hockey, speed, quickness, and skill. And now names like Ryan Miller and Zach Parise are household names. And although NHL team owners will complain about not obtaining any revenue during this Olympic break, which occured in the middle of the NHL season, hockey acquired a million new fans during this week. This Gold Medal game was just what the sport needed.

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Stephen Curry... Rookie of the Year?

I do not agree with Charles Barkley often, but he made a pretty good point the other night during the TNT post game show of the Nuggets/Warriors game. Barkley said that Stephen Curry may seem like a good player with the way his stat lines are soaring in his rookie season, especially in the last month or so, but the fact that he is playing on a bad team who scores a lot of points and has a run-n-gun style of play is the reason why his stats perceive him as a Rookie of the Year candidate. Barkley described Curry's game as "someone on that team has to score the points."
The way Barkley described it was not the best for a Warriors fan like myself to hear, but it made a lot of sense. Night in and night out, we see different Warriors' players scoring in high figures, whether it is CJ Watson goin for 40 points or Anthony Tolliver scoring 29. It is just the way the Warriors' offense is run: score a lot of points, and play no defense; the quicker the other team scores, the faster the Warriors can get the ball back and score again. The Warriors lead the league in possessions per game, those possesions usually end with Mnta Ellis or Curry shootng the ball.
So what i am trying to say is don't over think Stephen Curry. Sure, he is a good player and will be one for years to come, but it seems like he found the right team with the right style to show off his skill sets. His stat lines are huge, but that doesn't mean his game is...yet.
I see him as a good #2 option in the future. Of course, since the Warriors do not have a true #1 option, it becomes #1-option-by-committee for that team, and Curry happens to be able to make plays that can put the ball in the hoop.
In the long-run, Curry is the basis for the future Warriors team (if that exists). Just don't over think him. He is a good player with great skills, but he would just be some other rookie putting up average rookie numbers on any other team.

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U.S. Hockey Does It Again

And so it continues. The United States Mens Hockey Team defeated the Swiss team this afternoon on 2 goals by New Jersey Devil, Zach Parise, and yet another outstanding clinic in goal by Buffalo Saber, Ryan Miller.
Miller was terrific between the pipes recording a shut-out, and having only one legitimate scare when a puck got past him in the 3rd period hitting the inside of the far post, yet not breaking the crease to the goal. It seemed extremely lucky at the time as the U.S. was only up 1-0 at that point, but arent those the breaks that every team of destiny has?
Honestly, i had a feeling that the U.S. was going to lose this game, as most people thought deep in the backs of their minds. San Jose Sharks fans know all too well how good Jonas Hiller can be, as did Canada when he forced them to a shoot-out earlier in these Olympics. Hiller has played unbelievable in goal and it seemed for a while that this game was going to be no different. But a goal early in the 3rd and an empty-netter at the end by Zach Parise was hard for the Swiss offense to overcome, as has been the story the entire Olympics for them. They simply could not score enough for Hiller.
But the U.S. are rolling. Theyre not blowing out teams as everyone wants to see from the tournament's #1 seed, but they are getting by comfortably. The U.S. may have the best combination of hot goalie, pesky defense, and timely goals. And that may be the type of recipe needed to take them to the gold medal game.
But above all, this team works. These arent the sexy names we hear playing for Canada. These are the working class, the second-tier NHL players. The guys like Brian Rafalski and Ryan Suter who work hard in the trenches and dont end up on the statline. This is a team full of workhorses and guys who will surprise you by checking that extra man into the boards or laying-out to block that shot.
The U.S. will have another tough game coming up against either the Czech Republic or Finland. If the U.S. prevail against either of them, they will have to face either Canada or surprising Slovakia, as Canada made a mockery of power-house Russia this afternoon.
I expect a ratings bananza of Canada vs. U.S. in the gold medal game. That would be the real test for American hockey. If you want to be on the national map, you will have to take down the best...when they're angry.
Meanwhile, do not overlook the Fin's as they are both hungry and ready to turn the carriage that is the United States into the proverbial pumpkin.
Hopefully the clock doesnt strike midnight on this team that seems hell-bent for the Gold.

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D-Bruce Leaving Sportsphone

Damon Bruce of Bay Area sports talk radio announced that he will be leaving KNBR 680AM's Sportsphone after just over 4 years of coming across over 50,000 Watts every night.
For those who dont know who he is, Bruce is the host of Sportsphone on KNBR 680AM from 7-10pm on weeknights, where he preaches hard-edged reality to the Bay Area listeners who turn in every night to here him logically shatter their thoughts of their favorite Bay Area sports team.
Bruce IS sports talk radio. For the last 4 years, he has graced the Bay Area listeners with the truth even though no one wants to say it, but are thinking it. It's hard not to like the guy. Most listeners tend to disagree with him at first glance on most issues because he seems to bash Bay Area sports on a consistent level. But it is hard not to agree with the man when he backs up everything he claims with facts, not opinion. He was given a gift, and it's hard to find that in any sports radio host these days because it is more about entertainment (Uncle Gary) rather than hard-core facts and knowledgable opinion.
With punch lines like "No sound effect for Dave Feldhouse" and "Pound It, Pound It, Pound It" cleverly intertwined within a serious sports talk show, it's hard not to like the type of show he puts out over 50,000 Watts.
He will be missed from Sportsphone, but he is not going too far. He is airing on 1050AM from 12-4pm on weekdays and will take with him his dedicated listeners from his late night show on 680AM.
It is about time someone took note of this guy, and i felt a little spoiled listening to him everynight because i knew he was good, too good for local radio. There is no one more deserving to receive the promotion to bigger radio, and i wish him the best of luck. And remember "Sports dont build character, they reveal it."

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Miracle on Ice? Not Quite...

The U.S. hockey team defeated the Canadian Ultra-squad tonight in a thrilling, back-and-forth game in Vancouver, Canada.
But is this anything to compare to the 'Miracle on Ice' in 1980? Kind of. The U.S. didnt send out a bunch of reject college players on the ice, these were professional hockey players from the NHL. But compared to Canada's team, this U.S. roster would seem like a bunch of college scrubs. The U.S. team is a gathering of the NHL's second-tier players with big names like Patrick Kane and Ryan Miller. While Canada's team is the NHL's elite, and possibly the greatest group of hockey players ever assembled with big names like...ummm...'Sid the Kid' Crosby and 'Jumbo' Joe Thornton. In fact, if Canada had won every game on their way to a gold medal in these Olympics, it wouldnt have surprised a single person. After all, hockey is Canada's game. And yet, they lost to the United States whose fans back home might not have been aware they were playing tonight.
Does this put U.S. hockey on the national map? Sure it does, to a certain extent. David has slayed Goliath, and who doesnt love a good underdog story? Canada can still win the gold medal, and woudnt be surprised id they did, but the fact that the U.S. got them one time is all they need to take back home with them.
After this game and the performance that they put on, it wouldnt surprise me to see the U.S. win gold in these Olympics. Of course, the Big Three still remain: Russia, Canada, and Sweden. But maybe add the underdog United States team in there as well. After all, they beat Canada at their own game.

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Update: SJ Sharks in Vancouver

So ive been trying to keep in touch with hockey at the Olympics in Vancouver, but i must just miss the games everytime they are on TV. Fortunately, they replay the games on channels like MSNBC, so ive caught a couple of those and i do not miss Team Canada. They are absolutely stacked.
One reason why they are stacked is the "Sharks line" of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau. They are undoubtedly the best line in all of the NHL, and are making a strong case for "best line in the world." They have chemistry because they play on the same regular season team, but goal-wise they are carrying Team Canada in the Olympics. The line has a combined 4 goals and 3 assists, and Heatly leads the entire tournament with 3 goals. Not to mention, defenseman Dan Boyle has 2 assists of his own. Missing from this equation is Joe Thornton who is a key part in the "Sharks line's" chemistry, but not in the stat-line. He has registered 0 goals and 0 assists these Olympics.
Elsewhere, Evgeni Nabokov was supposed the be the make-or-break for Team Russia. Absolutely stacked in the offensive category (Ovechkin, Malkin, Datsyuk, and Kovalchuk), Russia is lack-luster in the defensive. But Nabokov was red-hot coming into the Olympics, until their last game against Slovakia where he only surrendered 1goal in regulation, but lost in the shootout. Russia is 1-1.
As for Joe Pavelski, Thomas Greiss, and Douglas Murray, not much has been said about them. Pavelski has made key contributions to the U.S. team and it will be good to see him go up against his regular season teammates and Team Canada this Sunday. Griess has struggled in net so far for Germany, giving them a record of 0-2, and Murray's Swedish team looks very strong at 2-0 and he seems to be meshing quite well on defense.
The San Jose Sharks' team has been very hyped coming into these Olympics. So far, they havent disappointed.

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