Despicable Athletes of Father's Day Weekend 2012

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

It’s hard to remember a sports weekend in which so many despicable athletes were front and center. Father’s Day Weekend is a time to celebrate great men in each of our lives. With so many bad characters making a case as most atrocious human being of the weekend, an examination is needed to determine who should have the most hate directed their way. Lets review the candidates:

Tiger Woods

Infidelity, scandal, porn stars, entitlement, advertising based on the death of his father. Unless you have lived under a rock the past 3 years, you know all about Tiger Woods and his fall from grace. For the first time since his scandal, Tiger enters the weekend in contention with a very realistic chance of winning his first major since the 2008 U.S. Open. Do we want to hear Tiger redemption stories already? For a man who believed that he was so entitled, continues to curse and throw tantrums on the course, has never shown any kind of class or grace when dealing with the media, and in my personal opinion, has shown little signs of remorsefulness, I am not sure that this is the story I want to have to listen to on Sunday, if ever.

LeBron James

"All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point."

How people still root for this guy after he made that comment is beyond me. In terms of entitlement, he may be on the same level if not worse than Woods. All of a sudden after a few decent games in the playoffs, LeBron is clutch, he is a winner, and he is one of the best players of all time. Isn’t that what the best player in the league is supposed to do? People seem to be expecting the Heat to win the NBA Finals and give “King” James his first title. I would much rather look forward to hearing the Whore of Akron make another outrageous and idiotic quote as he did after losing in the Finals last season than the possibility of him actually winning something.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is arrogant, a diver, a pansy, a complainer, and everything that is wrong with soccer. After being booed during a Champions League game, he explained the reasoning: “It is because I am handsome, rich and a great player, because I am envied. I have no other explanation” If they made a compilation of the top 10 worst dives of all time, Ronaldo would probably have 9 of them. If you don’t know much about Ronaldo, Google him diving and you will understand why he is so disliked. I have nothing against Portugal other than the fact that he plays for and represents the country. A feather falls from a tree in Africa and if Ronaldo is playing in Europe, he falls down. What a little bitch. Nothing could be worse than having to watch Ronaldo win the Euro Cup.

Rick Reilly

Seriously. He is the absolute worst. When he comes on TV, I immediately change the channel. No other human being has that effect on me. Nothing brings out more Rick Reilly segments than a major golf tournament. Awful.

After all of the facts, it is hard for me to make a decision. I will just have to cheer for anyone other than Tiger to win the U.S. Open, the Thunder, Netherlands, and Rick Reilly to immediately depart ESPN. Happy Father's Day!

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Pick of the Day - June 16th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 45-28-2
Week: 3-1-1
Month: 11-3-1

Cincinnati Reds (AWAY) (BAILEY) (EVEN) OVER New York Mets (HOME) (NIESE)

The Reds enter the game winning 4 straight. Jason Bay is expected to go on the DL today for a Mets team that has lost 6 of 10. In addition, Niese is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in three career starts against Cincinnati. Homer Bailey is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA over his last three road starts away from the hitter friendly Great American Ball Park. Take the Reds.

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Evaluating Potential The Houston Astros Trade Assets

By: Justin Millar

It's a pretty rough time to be a Houston Astros fan right now. The Astros are coming off a 106 loss season, which was 7 more losses than any other team in baseball. The 2012 team has looked a little better, but they are still way below .500 and a high 2013 draft pick is a near guarantee. In fact, if it weren't for some unexpected starts by several of the team's players, then this team may have been challenging the Cubs, Twins, and Padres for the worst record in baseball right now.

Despite all this, there is some hope for the fledgling franchise that has yet to win a world series in its 50 years of existence. For starters, a management upheaval has brought some brilliant new minds to a franchise that was practically plunged for its assets by the Phillies thanks to former GM, Ed Wade. New GM, Jeff Luhnow, brings a philosophy that strongly relies on building from within, and the Astros are determined to do that. They had one of the worst farm systems in baseball a couple of years ago, but an influx of talent from trades and the draft has pushed the system to more middle of the pack. The Astros actually have 3 prospects that made my top 100 prospect list earlier this spring in Jonathan Singleton, George Springer, and Jarred Cosart, as well as one who just missed the cut in Jonathan Villar. The Astros also held the top pick in last week's draft, and they added several marquee prospects, such as Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers jr, that could one day start on the next Astros playoff team, assuming the franchise doesn't fall into Pittsburgh Pirates like stretch.

Altuve could win a batting title in the near future.

The franchise also has hope in a young group of big leaguers, that have showed signs of potential thus far in 2012. Former Braves top prospect, Jordan Schafer, has emerged as a valuable big league asset at the age of 25. He is on pace to steal over 40 bases, and a decent walk rate along with average defense in centerfield, could allow the Astros to trade him for something of value. 24-year-old left fielder, JD Martinez, has shown that he may be worth keeping for the Astros. He will likely never hit for a solid average, but he should be a 20 home run type hitter that draws a ton of walks. He's on pace for 72 walks on the season. Infielder Jose Altuve is also showing he could belong in the Astros long-term plan. 

Standing at just 5-5, Altuve is an offensive threat in the middle of the diamond. Altuve is strong on the base paths, and he has doubles power and speed which allows him to rack up the doubles and triples. Aside from that, he can just flat-out hit. He is likely a perennial 200 hit second basemen, that should compete for the batting title year in and year out. He is probably the lone all-star caliber talent the Astros have at the big league level right now. On the pitching side, Bud Norris and Jordan Lyles could be in the fold for Houston long term. Lyles was rushed to the big leagues, but is still just 21 and could be a number 2 starter. Norris has been a pleasant surprise for the Astros over the past couple seasons. He has been striking out over 9 batters per 9 innings the past 2 years, and the Astros could be forced to make a decision on him soon. He is just 27, so they could choose to keep him to add a veteran presence when some of their younger pitchers start coming up, or they could deal him while his value is high.

 The Astros have quite a few guys with decent trade value, that likely won't be around the next time they contend. The 2012 trade deadline may be the time to sell on some of these guys. Another influx of talent could really help this system, much as it helped the Padres restock last year. Here are a few possible trade candidates the Astros should look at dealing this summer:

Carlos Lee, 1B/DH

Lee is a free agent after the season, and the Astros are almost certainly going to let him sign elsewhere. At 35, Lee could still add some value to a contending team down the stretch, likely in a DH role. His hefty salary may be tough to move, but Houston could get a grade B type prospect in return if the Astros pick up some of his salary. Lee has been worth roughly 3.5 wins since the start of the 2011 season, and ZIPS projects Lee to be worth about 1 win over the rest of the 2012 season. Lee could fit well with an AL team in need of a DH or power bat off the bench. Also look for the Dodgers to possibly be interested if they are looking to replace the unreliable James Loney.

Jordan Schafer, CF

Schafer has already matched his 2011 production, despite playing in only half as many games so far this season. Schafer won't provide much with the bat, especially power wise, but he does take walks which should allow him to keep his OBP in the .320-.330 range. Schafer's biggest contribution is on the base paths. He currently ranks 4th in the NL in stolen bases, and projects to steal more than 40 on the year. At just 25, Schafer plays a premium position in center field, and his defense isn't likely to harm his team. The age and position factors make Schafer a potential asset to teams looking for a viable centerfielder. He is cheap too, essentially making the big league minimum. The Astros will probably hold on to Schafer because he is just 25, but I don't think his trade value will get much higher. This might be the right time to deal him and get the most for his value.

Jed Lowrie, SS

Lowrie is having a career season, and at 28, he likely wont be around the next time Houston is playing winning baseball. I don't think he will get moved, but it could be an interesting opportunity to explore. A SS who can hit for power and average can command a premium on the trade market. Look for Houston to keep Lowrie, but if I were Jeff Luhnow, I would be at least taking offers.

Chris Johnson, 3B

Johnson is 27 and has 3 years of team control remaining. This is another case of possibly selling off while his value is at his highest. He is currently hitting .294/.342/.444 and that is likely his ceiling. A contending team looking for a third baseman, or a utility corner infielder should be considering Johnson as a candidate.

Brandon Lyon, RP

A team looking for a veteran bullpen arm could use Lyon should he become available. Lyon has performed quite well so far this season for Houston. His k/9 ratio is at 8.86, the highest of his career. That will likely regress somewhat, but he still should be reliable to pitch 50+ innings and be worth roughly 1 win. There are a number of teams looking for bullpen help and Lyon could wind up with any one of them.

Brett Myers, RP/SP

Myers has pitched entirely out of the bullpen in 2012, but he started 66 games combined from 2010 and 2011. He was worth 5.5 wins over those 2 seasons as a starter, and I could see him slotting back into the rotation and possibly providing value from the 4th or 5th starter spot for a playoff caliber team. As a reliever, he still is valuable, being projected to put up 41 saves this season. Saves are basically irrelevant, but Myers is looking solid in other categories. His strikeout rate has improved, and his walk rate has dropped significantly. Myers will likely have many suitors this July, and whether it be as a starter or reliever, the front office will likely be shipping Myers out of Houston.

Wandy Rodriguez, SP

Rodriguez has actually been one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the bigs since the start of the 2007 season. Wandy is signed for the next 1-2 years (depending on his vesting contract for 2014) at a relatively fair price. Rodriguez has pitched at least 190 innings in each if his last 3 seasons, and is on pace to do so again in 2012. In 12 starts so far this season, Rodriguez has a 3.14 ERA to go along with a relatively low walk rate. Teams looking for a starting pitcher this summer will likely consider Rodriguez as one of their primary candidates. He is probably the most valuable of all the Astros trade candidates, and could potentially fetch 2 grade B prospects.

You can follow Justin Millar on twitter at @justinmillar1, or email him atJustinmillar1@gmail.com. Comment below to join the discussion.

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Pick of the Day - June 15th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 44-28-2
Week: 2-1-1
Month: 10-3-1

New York Yankees (AWAY) (HUGHES) (+115) OVER Washington Nationals (HOME) (GONZALEZ)

After starting the season with a 6.67 ERA in his first 6 starts, Phil Hughes has allowed 2 ER or fewer in 5 of his 6 last starts. Gio Gonzalez is having a great first season with the Nationals. However, dating back to his days with Oakland, he has struggled against New York. He has a 1-4 record with a 7.27 ERA in five career matchups against the Yankees. Both teams come in winners of 6 straight, but I expect Hughes to have a better performance tonight than Gonzalez. Take the Yankees.

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NHL Southeast Division Offseason Checklist

By: Lauren Burg

The draft and free agent signing period is almost here and we here at Daily Shootout have decided to prepare a 3-4 point offseason plan for each team, organized by division. Today we look at the Southeast division:

Carolina Hurricanes:

1) Draft or Trade for a defenseman: The Canes are looking at possibly losing both Bryan Allen and Jaroslav Spacek in free agency. While the loss of Allen might be easier to compensate for filling the shoes of Spacek, both offensively and defensively, it could prove to be more difficult. 

2) Trade for a top-notch forward to play alongside Eric Staal: OK. We know Staal has a boatload of talent and can produce when needed. Unfortunately, he spent the past season trying to do too much offensively, thus the defensive part of his game suffered to the tune of a minus-20. Staal needs a forward that can help take the offensive pressure off of him. The Canes do have 2011 Rookie of the Year, Jeff Skinner, but he missed time during the 2011-2012 season with concussion issues. Past that, there's Jussi Jokinen but he's getting up there in age and has been battling injuries also. Staal needs someone to play with for much of the season, therefore creating some chemistry with them. 

3) Give Kirk Muller a full training camp with the team: The Canes fired Paul Maurice around midseason of the 2011-2012 campaign. Shortly thereafter Muller was named the Canes' head coach. Muller didn't have much time to turn things around as the Canes were floundering at the bottom of the Eastern Conference but he did what he could, at least making the team competitive again. He would benefit from an entire training camp with his players though, just to get to know them a bit better.

Florida Panthers:

1) Re-sign Kris Versteeg: Versteeg, though a restricted free agent, was key to the Panthers making it to the postseason for the first time in many years. He also, along with linemate Stephen Weiss, came close to helping the Panthers knock off the eventual Eastern Conference champs, the New Jersey Devils, in the first round. His regular season numbers (23 goals, 54 points, plus-4 rating in 71 games played) are very good. He also has gotten comfortable playing alongside Weiss. Versteeg also had some decent postseason numbers (3 goals, 5 points, plus-2 rating) in the Panthers' seven first round games. 

2) Re-sign Jason Garrison: For a defenseman Garrison is pretty darn good. He led the Panthers in plus/minus rating, with a plus-6, during the 2011-2012 regular season. The Panthers have been looking for a shutdown defenseman, such as Garrison, for years. Honestly, I wouldn't let him hit the market if I were the Panthers because, unlike Versteeg, he's an unrestricted free agent. If he gets to the open market he could be snatched up quickly.

3) Trade/ Let go of Scott Clemmensen and bring up Jacob Markstrom: I know what some Panthers fans are thinking here. "Why bring up a guy that has struggled in his few previous starts with us?" While it's true that Clemmensen's record is better, his goals-against average (GAA) is similar and save percentage is actually less than Markstrom's. Let's compare. Last season, in 25 starts, Clemmensen posted a record of 14-6-6 with a GAA of 2.57 and a .913 save percentage. Markstrom, in only six starts, had a record of 2-4-1 with a 2.66 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Also, Clemmensen seemed to struggle when asked to play on back-to-back nights. If they were to trade Clemmensen, the Panthers could be reaping those benefits for years to come. Heck, it could free up enough cap space for them to re-sign one, or both, of Garrison and Versteeg.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

1) Find a starting goaltender! : This should go without saying as the Lightning's goaltending woes are well-documented. The Lightning, after their extended postseason run in 2011, took a gamble and signed Dwayne Roloson to a one year contract. That gamble, though easy to see coming at that time, didn't work out the way the Lightning hoped. The 42 year old Roloson struggled mightily and was even overtaken by Mathieu Garon for the starting job. He did do a bit better as the season wound to a close, something that could possibly help him get a job somewhere in the NHL next season, but it won't be with the Lightning. With Dustin Tokarski with the AHL's Norfolk Admirals, along with rumors of him being brought up to the big leagues swirling, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman has stated that he would rather trade for, or draft, a starting goaltender. Some options are the Kings' Jonathan Bernier and the Canucks' Roberto Luongo, to name a few.

2) Trade for a top-notch defenseman: The Lightning struggled mightily on defense last season. Victor Hedman missed time with concussion issues and Mattias Ohlund missed the entire season with two different knee surgeries. Given that fact, no one knows if Ohlund will be able to play the way he used to, if at all, next season, and the Lightning must prepare for that possibility. I think the Lightning should try to make a deal to acquire Nashville's Ryan Suter if at all possible. 

3) Sign Alexandre Picard, Trevor Smith and Mike Angelidis: When your AHL team wins the Calder Cup, as Lightning affiliate Norfolk did this season, you want to sign every player. Obviously, that's not possible so I chose a few that I think could help the Lightning in the long run. Both Angelidis and Smith spent parts of this past season with the Lightning, thanks to numerous injuries, and fit in quite well. Picard won the Jack A. Butterworth trophy as MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs, helping the Admirals immensely during their postseason run. I believe all three could help the Lightning out, with Picard possibly being a second-line guy.

Washington Capitals:

1) FIND A HEAD COACH! : Dale Hunter has left Washington and, yet again, the Caps are left without a coach. Also, this just in: They STILL haven't won a Stanley Cup or, for that matter, made it past the second round of the playoffs. The Caps also barely squeaked into the playoffs in 2011-2012, needing wins in their final two games just to make it. That's a far cry from recent years, when they've had almost no trouble winning the Southeast Division and, in certain seasons, the Presidents’ Trophy as well. If they want to continue making the playoffs they need to find a coach, something I suggest they do sooner rather than later so they're not scrambling at the last minute. A bad, or rushed, hire could spell doom in DC.

2) Find a replacement for Alexander Semin: Semin is an unrestricted free agent this summer and, from what he's said, he plans to explore the open market. From that statement it can be figured that Semin likely won't be back in DC. In that case, the Caps need to replace him with another player that can play alongside Alex Ovechkin. Maybe Zach Parise, if not re-signed by New Jersey? Hey, anything's possible!

3) Upgrade the power play: With Dennis Wideman, the Caps' power play specialist, as an unrestricted free agent they need a new specialist. I'd say a player already with the team could fill that role but, as it is, the Caps could lose Mike Knuble, Semin and Jeff Halpern to free agency. That's half of their offense as it is. The Caps, from the look of things, will need to either draft or, better yet, trade for a power play specialist to fill Wideman's role. 

Winnipeg Jets:

1) Find a backup goaltender: The Jets have Ondrej Pavelec but, honestly, they can't completely rely on him. Current backup, Chris Mason, is an unrestricted free agent and could end up elsewhere. If he does end up with another team, a slim possibility given the fact the Jets have more cap space than any other NHL team, the Jets will be forced to look for a capable backup. I could see Roloson as a backup or they could choose to bring up Peter Manning from their AHL affiliate, the St. John’s IceCaps.

2) Re-sign Tim Stapleton: The Jets have plenty of cap space and Stapleton shouldn't cost much as it is. In 67 games he recorded 11 goals and 27 points. That was middle of the pack on a team that struggled a bit offensively.

3) Upgrade the defense: The Jets could end up losing as many as three defenseman, with Mark Flood, Randy Jones and Derek Meech set to become unrestricted free agents. They all struggled, though Jones might be worth re-signing as he was a plus-4 in the 39 games he played in. The knock on him would be that he's injury-prone, something that really can't be argued given the fact he played in less than half of the Jets' games this past season. The Jets could look at Brett Clark, a shot-blocking machine and one of Jones' former teammates, to help improve the defense and save Dustin Byfuglien from getting injured as much. 

**A list of free agents, by team, can be found at http://www.capgeek.com/

**Winnipeg Jets statistics can be found here: http://jets.nhl.com/club/stats.htm

**Florida Panthers statistics can be found here: http://panthers.nhl.com/club/stats.htm?gameType=2&season=20112012

*You can follow me, Lauren, on Twitter @TBLightning491.*

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Pick of the Day - June 14th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 44-27-2
Week: 2-0-1
Month: 10-2-1

Minnesota Twins (HOME) (DIAMOND) (-140) OVER Philadelphia Phillies (AWAY) (BLANTON)

Scott Diamond is quietly 5-1 with a 1.61 ERA. On the other hand, Joe Blanton has been horrible this season going 5-6 with a 5.40 ERA. Hard to believe that Blanton has managed to win 5 games while Cliff Lee still remains winless for the Phillies. Twins have won 7 of 10, Phillies have lost 8 of 10. Two teams going in different directions at the moment. Take the Twins to win.

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Fantasy Baseball: Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

Ryan Cook-RP-Athletics- Brian Fuentes who has been closing for Oakland this season has begun a massive implosion and, according to Manager Bob Melvin, the team will operate with a ‘closer by committee’ going forward. Fuentes has just blown his third save of the season and over his last four has un-closer-like numbers (5.24 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). If you have the room on your roster for a speculative sleeper, then pick up Ryan Cook; the next probable closer for the A’s. He has only given up 2 runs in his last 26 innings pitched and has a microscopic ERA of 0.69. His WHIP which stands at 0.85 ain’t so bad either. To us it’s not a matter of if Cook will get the closer nod, it’s when. He’s been going fast off of waivers but is still available in 75% of leagues.

#48 RP Ryan Cook appears poised to become the A’s next closer. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

2. Jason Kubel-OF-Diamondbacks- Injuries kept this former Twin out of the lineup for over 50 games last season but in the three years prior Kubel averaged 23 HR’s and 91 RBI’s. Over his last four games he is 9-for-18 with 2 HR’s and 12 RBI’s. Hard to believe that as of Sunday he has as many RBI’s as Andrew McClutchen, Nelson Cruz, Mark Teixiera, and Alber Pujols; all of which are owned in 98%+ in most leagues. Kubel is much more available as he is owned in just 45% of leagues. He is on pace to hit around 20 HR’s and knock in 108 runs. His .299 BA is a huge plus as well for those in standard 5×5 leagues. Makes for a nifty pickup in 12+ leagues.

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Pick of the Day - June 13th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 43-27-2
Week: 1-0-1
Month: 9-2-1

Washington Nationals (AWAY) (STRASBURG) (-140) OVER Toronto Blue Jays (HOME) (DRABEK)

The Nationals are 5-0 on their current road trip as they go for a sweep of Toronto. Strasburg has been exceptional recently. He is 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA since losing to the Padres May 15th. On the other hand, Drabek is 0-2 with a 8.59 ERA over his last three starts. Most importantly, it's my birthday and I can't pick a loser today. Take the Nationals.

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Nothing Like The Cup

By: Chad Smith

In my short life time I have been to 2 NBA playoff games, 4 NBA Final games, 1 NFL Division playoff game, an AFC Championship game, and 3 NHL playoff games. I am from Massachusetts and every single one of those playoff games included a Boston sports team. In recent years Boston has become the center of the sports world winning more titles than any other city. It has been a pretty special time to be a Boston sports fan. I have a great memory from each one one of those games. Some of those memories include Marc Savard scoring an overtime goal in his first game back from a serious concussion, Paul Pierce being carried off the court in a wheel chair then returning a few minutes later to lead the Celtics to victory (we can talk later about how that may have been embellished but right now that’s not the point of this article), the Shrek and Donkey game, and my favorite so far Nathan Horton scoring in double OT to take a 3-2 series lead over Montreal, aka Canada’s dive team. But none of those compare to what I witnessed last night at game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in Los Angeles. Never in a million years did I think my best sports memory would happen in Los Angeles a city that is located 2595 miles away from Boston when I have reasons to root for both teams to win.

It is a night that I will always remember and talk about for years to come. The feeling walking into the Staples Center last night was surreal and I knew something special was going to take place. As the stadium filled up, you could feel the energy building throughout the building. When the puck finally dropped you could tell the Kings were on a mission and no one was going to stand in their way. When the Kings got their first goal on a 5 minute power play the Staples Center erupted. The Kings then got two more quick goals and you knew at that point the cup would be in the Kings’ hands at the end of the night. When the game finally ended I had a simultaneous feeling of joy, excitement, and disbelief because I was going to get to see Lord Stanley’s Cup in person. And seeing the Stanley Cup live is a rush I cannot explain.

If you have never been to a NHL playoff game I strongly suggest you go, and if you ever have the chance to go to a NHL Finals Cup game, GO! Nothing in sports compares to seeing players jump over the boards and toss equipment everywhere, the great tradition of the handshake line, and ultimately the greatest trophy in sports being carried around the ice and kissed by each member of the winning team. I was lucky enough to witness all 3 of those things last night. You don’t get those three things in any other sport. Nothing in sports compares to being at a close out game of the Stanley Cup Finals and I have been to my fair share of major sporting events. The video below is the best I could do to try and replicate the feeling I had all of yesterday.

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Pick of the Day - June 12th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 42-27-2
Week: 0-0-1
Month: 8-2-1

Oklahoma City Thunder (HOME) (-5) OVER Miami Heat (AWAY)

The Thunder have not lost a playoff game at home yet this postseason. The Thunder dominated Miami when they played in Oklahoma City on March 25th, beating the Heat by 16 points. LeBron James averages 9.9 points per game less in the NBA Finals than in all other rounds of the postseason. Miami should have handled an aging Boston team much easier than in 7 games. Don't be fooled by their performance the other night. The Thunder on the other hand dominated the best team in the league in San Antonio for four straight games to close out the Western Conference Finals. Take the Thunder.

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NHL Central Division Off-Season Plans

By: Jeff Lingard

The draft and free agent signing period is almost here and we here at the Daily Shootout have decided to prepare a 4 point offseason plan for each team, organized by division. Today we look at the Central division:

Chicago Blackhawks:

chitownsports.com

1. Upgrade their goaltending situation - It doesn't look like a Corey Crawford and Ray Emery platoon is going to get the Blackhawks back into the upper echelon of Western Conference teams. This can be done by bringing in someone like Josh Harding or making a trade of either Patrick Kane or Brent Seabrook.

2. Decide what to do with Patrick Kane - speaking of Kane, he is an unrestricted free agent next summer and had only 66 points last year despite a career high in ice time. He has also had photos posted of his partying antics online more than once. Kane would be a heck of a trade chip that could provide 2 or more pieces to help Chicago's depth.

3. Integrate a couple of prospects into the lineup - The Blackhawks have two or three forward prospects (Saad, McNeill and Pirri) that could bolster the bottom 6 and maybe take some pressure of Toews, Kane, Hossa etc.

4. Continue to develop depth - The Blackhawks have an excellent core but need to develop some depth so that Toews, Kane, Keith and Seabrook will have some gas left in the tank come playoff time.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

1. Trade Rick Nash - There are rumours that John Davidson is meeting with Columbus officials and might become the new president of the team since he has a window to leave St. Louis and St. Louis is under new ownership. The media is speculating that if Davidson stays he might convince Nash to stay as well. I think the best move for the organization is to move on and trade Nash for the best package of prospects they can get.

2. Find a goaltender - This might be more important than trading or keeping Nash. Whether it is through a Nash trade, a trade of another veteran or through free agency, the Blue Jackets need a bona fide starting goaltender if they ever hope to improve.

3. Look for younger UFA's - The Blue Jackets do have a number of holes to fill in their lineup but should not be looking to sign players over the age of 30 this summer. Under the radar signings like Joey Crabb could provide good production and give minutes to a younger player for a reasonable price.

4. Trade down from the #2 pick in the draft - The draft has a top tier of one player, Nail Yakupov and then has a large 2nd tier of 8 or 9 players. The Blue Jackets should try to trade down to between 5th and 8th and try to pick up another 2nd round pick so that they can continue to stock their system with young players.

Detroit Red Wings:

1. Replace Niklas Lidstrom - Okay, you can't replace Niklas Lidstrom since he can make a reasonable argument that he is a top 5 all time defenceman (or higher). The Red Wings will have to replace Lidstrom's minutes with a top defenceman. Ryan Suter is the obvious free agent that could fit in plus the Red Wings have Brendan Smith, their top prospect to add to the mix.

2. Find one more top 6 forward - The Red Wings still have the Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Franzen trio to head up their forwards but could use one more elite forward to bridge the distance between these three players and some of the prospects who aren't quite ready for Detroit yet. Zach Parise would be a great fit in Detroit and if the Wings sign him and Suter then Detroit will be considered to be a Cup favourite this year.

3. Find a backup goaltender - Jimmy Howard is more than adequate as a starter but faded closer to the end of the season. Joey MacDonald and Ty Conklin provide depth but Detroit could use a Tomas Vokoun type of backup goaltender that can step in and be a starter in case of injury and can take the pressure and some of the workload off of Howard.

4. Find one more depth defenceman - It's never a bad idea to have enough depth and the Wings could use one more #6 or 7 defenceman that can step in and play 10-12 minutes of hockey should the need arise.

Nashville Predators:

1. Re-sign Ryan Suter - The 2 major strengths of the Predators is their goaltending and the Suter-Weber defensive pair. If Suter leaves for nothing then it leaves a gaping hole on the top pair that will not be replaced by existing options on the blueline. If Suter is not going to re-sign then the Predators need to trade his rights before July 1 to receive a draft pick. The potential salt in the wound of Suter leaving would be if he signed in Detroit.

2. Try to extend Shea Weber - Weber is a restricted free agent who received a huge arbitration contract this past season. The Preds cannot afford to lose both Suter and Weber for nothing. If Weber wants to test the free agent market then it might be in Nashville's best interest to trade him.

3. Re-build or in it to win it? - The Predators have to determine if they are all in with re-signing the large number of free agents or if they are going to trade some of their more expensive players like Mike Fisher or even Pekka Rinne and start over. Other free agents that need to be re-signed include Paul Gaustad and Hal Gill.

4. Trade Alexander Radulov - Radulov is a restricted free agent and his return to Nashville from the KHL later in the season did not work out like the Predators hoped including a suspension in the playoffs for missing curfew. Radulov is the reigning MVP of the KHL and given a training camp and early season games to adjust to the faster pace of the NHL game could be a top line player. I think he has burned his bridge with Nashville and needs a fresh start. Nashville needs to realize a return on this asset.

St. Louis Blues:

1. Decide what to do with Barret Jackman - Jackman is a longtime Blue and has strong ties with the fanbase but did not have a strong playoff run. The Blues need to determine if he is worth the cost of keeping him or if there are better options internally or on the free agent market.

2. Replace or re-sign Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott - These two veterans were solid for the Blues but will probably have to accept lesser roles as the Blues' younger players develop. One player that will fit in is Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blues 2010 1st round pick who has played very well in Russia.

3. Improve the power play - Tarasenko will help with this but the Blues need to have a power play that is better than 19th in the NHL. A defenceman like Dennis Wideman would be a good fit for the Blues.

4. Acquire one or two more defencemen - The Blues have a solid defence but could use more depth and one more 2nd pair D. The defence also is young and could use a veteran or two in case of injury. Targets would include Wideman, Matt Carle, Bryan Allen and Shane O'Brien.

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Pick of the Day - June 11th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 42-27-1
Last Week: 5-2
Month: 8-2

France (+140) OVER England

In addition to France being unbeaten in 21 matches, they have won 4 of 5 against England. Cahill, Lampard, Barry, and Ruddy are all out for England. While England did go unbeaten through qualifying, they have looked shaky at best in their recent victories. New coach Roy Hodgson likes to play tight, and England should try to play a mostly defensive game. Unlike the World Cup two years ago, France will not implode quite yet and should be able to score on England. Take France to win.

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Pick of the Day - June 10th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 41-27-1
Week: 4-2
Month: 7-2

Toronto Blue Jays (AWAY) (ROMERO) (-120) OVER Atlanta Braves (HOME) (TEHERAN)

Julio Teheran will make a spot start for the Braves today in place of an injured Tim Hudson. He will immediately be sent back down to Triple-A after the game. He was called up last season and went 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA including three starts. Ricky Romero on the other hand is 7-1 with a 4.02 ERA. While he hasn't had his best stuff this year, he has gotten great run support. In addition, he's 5-2 with a 1.84 ERA in 10 career interleague starts. Blue Jays bats are somewhat slumping at the moment, and I think Teheran will make them come alive. Take the Blue Jays.

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