What Is Wrong With The Motor City Kitties?

By: Chuck Hilston


It was January 24, 2012. On this fateful day, there was a signing that sent shockwaves across
Major League Baseball. In a mega deal, the Detroit Tigers reached into their deep pockets and got the
second biggest price of the free agent season. Of course, upon signing one of the best hitters in the
league in Prince Fielder, the next logical step seemed obvious. Roll through the American League
Central, and have everyone home on their couches watching them celebrate in October. But, it hasn’t
quite happened that way. In one of the more bizarre storylines of this baseball season, the team that
many called unbeatable at the beginning of the year has looked entirely mortal, tripping out of the gate
at a mediocre 28-32, and they should consider themselves fortunate to be in the Central, where they are
only 6 games back of the Indians and White Sox. But what happened?

Well, for one thing, this isn’t the Tigers lineup that was available last year. As much as people
want to point to how well Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera are hitting, that still isn’t really comparing
to what they had last year, especially down the stretch with Cabrera nearly achieving a triple crown,
Jhonny Peralta having an All-Star season and Victor Martinez providing a lethal .330 batting average in
the number 9 spot.


Also, you have to look at the fact that there is no way that Justin Verlander and Jose Valverde
could have seasons quite like the ones they had last year. They were bound to cool off a little. However,
while both of them have faltered a little bit, the Tigers set-up guys and the expected 2 nd and 3rd starters
in their rotation in Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer have ERAs over 5.00.


I think the biggest factor affecting the Tigers last year was the fact that when things went right,
they really went RIGHT. The Tigers run differential for last season was nothing mind-blowing, at only
+76, which was 6th in the AL. However, the Tigers were able to pull out games when it mattered.
Overall, even with Verlander, Valverde, Cabrera, and Victor doing their thing, they were only expected
to win 89 games, and they ended up winning 95, good for the largest win differential over expected wins
of anyone in the league.


In layman’s terms, what this means is that they overachieved, and essentially caught lucky
breaks at certain times when they were needed. The numbers back that up too, as their 29-17 record in


one run games was the best in baseball. This year, they’ve had sort of the opposite effect. Not only have
they posted an overall losing record in one-run games, but they just have had inopportune things
happen throughout the first few months of the season (blown leads, leaving bases loaded, etc.)


I don’t think there should be any cause for panic though. While they appear to be somewhat
like “Paper Tigers” (see what I did there?) compared to the team they were last year, they certainly
aren’t as bad as their record and performance have displayed thus far. You have to remember, this
team is only six games out of first right now. While I don’t see them achieving last year’s level of
success, it’s likely that they will improve and be in the thick of a division race that sees three teams
headed for a win total in the 80s (Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago). Who will actually win the pennant will
depend on timely hitting, a reliable bullpen, and getting those lucky bounces.

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Pick of the Day - June 23rd

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 47-33-2
Week: 1-4
Month: 13-8-1

Spain (-130) OVER France

France looked bad in a blowout loss to Sweden, a game that France needed to win to ensure advancing and was pointless to Sweden. France was fortunate to advance anyway but is certainly not coming in with much momentum. In addition, it looks like I spoke too soon about France avoiding implosion on the world stage again. Once again, France has had to answer rumors of in-fighting following the Sweden loss. World Cup 2010 did not turn out too well after France imploded. I haven't even mentioned yet how good Spain looked during group play. This has all the makings of a possible blowout. Take Spain.

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Pick of the Day - June 22nd

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 47-32-2
Week: 1-3
Month: 13-7-1

Detroit Tigers (AWAY) (Fister) (-130) OVER Pittsburgh Pirates (HOME) (Burnett)

Playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates is kind of like playing for the Florida Panthers. If no one cares and no one shows up to watch you play, does it actually count? A.J. Burnett has adapted nicely to what I like to refer to as the Florida Panthers effect. After playing in pressure filled New York the past few seasons, he is 6-0 with a 2.19 ERA in his last 8 starts with the Pirates. However, over his past 10 starts against Detroit, he has a 5.47 ERA. Fister pitched 6 scoreless innings in his return from the DL. The Tigers have won 7 of 10 and I look for them to continue their momentum. Since it's a Friday night I am guessing it should be a decent sized crowd in Pittsburgh which is bad news for Burnett. Take the Tigers.

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Fantasy Baseball: Pick up these 2 players & you’ll get 2 “A’s”

By Fantasy Furnace

Two ‘A’s as in Oakland Athlethics that is…Making our ‘Must Add’ list this week  are two players with completely different credentials; One with power and one with speed. Our spotlight will be on Brandon Moss  and the guy with the best name in cereal, Coco Crisp!

Brandon Moss- 1B/OF-Athletics- This little owned multi-positional 28 year old is enjoying his best season in the major leagues. Since being called up earlier this month on June 6th, he has already been named the American League Player of the week for last week, belting 7 home runs and collecting 12 RBI. In the past 14 days, Moss has been ranked 7th among all batters in Yahoo! Leagues. His bating average over the past two weeks sits at a respectable .300 and he’s also score 11 runs on a team that is offensively challenged.

#37 1B/OF Brandon Moss is one of the Must Adds of the week and last weeks American League ‘Player of the Week”. Photo: By Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

We’re suggesting that while he remains on this hot streak and has manager Bob Melvin completely in his corner, you pick him up in most leagues. He is currently...

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NHL Mock Draft... Are You Ready?

NHL Mock Draft

By: Lauren Burg and Jeff Lingard

The NHL Draft, one of the few highlights of the offseason, will be held Friday June 22nd and Saturday June 23rd at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To get all you NHL fans ready for the draft my fellow correspondent, Jeff Lingard, and I have compiled a mock draft just for your viewing pleasure. Keep in mind, these picks are not set in stone as we can't tell the future. They are instead just our opinion, based on statistics and/or teams needs. Regardless, sit back and enjoy!

1) Edmonton Oilers: RW Nail Yakupov (Sarnia, OHL)

Yakupov is widely thought of as the Number 1 prospect in all of hockey. Easy to see given the fact he broke Steven Stamkos' rookie records in Sarnia. Only knock is that he was injury-prone this past year, suffering from a concussion. The Edmonton Oilers do have three former first round picks, two of them going first overall and all forwards, already in the NHL. However, we honestly can't see Yakupov slipping to any other teams unless Edmonton decides to trade this pick.

2) Columbus Blue Jackets: RW Filip Forsberg (Leksand, Swe)

Forsberg is, based on the final rankings, the top European skater in this year's draft. Many scouts also compare him to the Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry in the fact they think he can become a two-way player that scores tons of goals. Also, there are many rumors that Blue Jackets right winger, Rick Nash, will head elsewhere, as he's a free agent beginning July 1st. That seemingly could open the door for Forsberg.

3) Montreal Canadiens: C Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec, QMJHL)

Grigorenko is, by  and large, Quebec's best player in this year's draft. A few scouts say he has everything; not a surprise considering he challenged Yakupov for the Number 1 prospect status for much of last season. The only knock on him, as with many other players in this year's draft, is that he was injury-prone last season, spraining his ankle at the World Junior Championships and missing weeks. He also missed the final month of the season with mononucleosis. Despite all that, Montreal needs an offensive center as last season they struggled to score goals.

4) New York Islanders: D Ryan Murray (Everett, WHL)

Murray, though unknown how good he will be, is thought by some to be the top defenseman in a draft filled with top-notch defenseman. He is thought to become a two-way defenseman, something that could benefit the Islanders who, judging by their stats and record, need defense pretty badly. 

5) Toronto Maple Leafs: LW/C Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia, OHL)

The Leafs are hard to figure out. We think they will take Galchenyuk, given the fact that the few games he played for Sarnia he formed a great 1-2 punch with the consensus #1 prospect Yakupov. Also, Leafs blogger Mike Ulmer  believes the Leafs should take him at #5, saying that if he'd been healthy he could have easily been the consensus #1 prospect. As it was, Galchenyuk was limited to only two regular season and six playoff games after tearing his ACL/MCL in exhibition play. Regardless, we highly doubt the Leafs will pass him up, especially not when they find out he's been compared to Tampa Bay Lightning, and former Sarnia Sting, star sniper Stamkos who the Leafs were hoping to get their hands on during the 2011 free agency period.

6) Anaheim Ducks: D Jacob Trouba (U.S. NTDP, USHL)

Trouba is thought to be one of the best defenseman in this year's draft. He has great skating ability but can be very inconsistent at times. THN has him projected to be a defensive defenseman, something Anaheim needs more than a two-way defenseman given the reports that Teemu Selanne is expected to return to Anaheim for the 2012-2013 season. 

7) Minnesota Wild: LW Teuvo Teravainen (Jokerit, FIN)

The Wild need scoring so we see them picking Teravainen. One scout even said he's very skilled, creative and can score when needed most. The only possible question mark with him is his size but his talent, and ability to score when needed, seem to outweigh that. 

8) Carolina Hurricanes: D Matt Dumba (Red Deer, WHL)

Dumba, projected to be an offensive defenseman, would really help the Hurricanes. He's not afraid to play the body and also is lethal on the power play. The Canes could benefit from that, given that they only converted on 16.7 percent of their power play opportunities this past season. Also, a top pairing of Justin Faulk and Dumba could signal a bright future for the Canes. 

9) Winnipeg Jets: D Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton, WHL)

Reinhart, son of former NHL player Paul Reinhart and projected to be a two-way defenseman, could really fit in well with the Jets. His offensive instincts are really good and he can easily help the Jets transition from defense to offense easily with a great pass to spring his forwards. Only knock on him is that he's not very physical and is only OK one-on-one in front of his own net. 

10) Tampa Bay Lightning: D Cody Ceci (Ottawa, OHL)

Ceci, projected to become an offensive defenseman, could fit in well with the Lightning. He's strong and, more than that, has a great shot from the blue line. He could also fit in well alongside 2009 second overall pick, Victor Hedman, creating a two-headed monster of offensive defenseman. Only knock is that his defensive coverage is only OK. However, the idea of him and Hedman together, creating offense from the blue line at times, is too much to pass up.

11) Washington Capitals (from Colorado): D Derrick Pouliot (Portland, WHL)

Pouliot, projected to become an offensive defenseman, would fit in well with guys like Mike Green and Karl Alzner in Washington. Scouts say that he's better than what his statistics indicate and that he would probably benefit from playing alongside other top players. Green's one of the best defenseman in the game and Alzner would also serve as a great mentor to Pouliot. 

12) Buffalo Sabres: D Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw, WHL)

Rielly, projected to become an offensive defenseman, is exactly what Buffalo needs. He skates, passes the puck extremely well and doesn't get rattled very easily when under pressure, something that could help the Sabres get back to the postseason as they weren't that far away last season.

13) Dallas Stars: C Brendan Gaunce (Belleville, OHL)

Gaunce is everything the Stars want in their system, with a big body and the ability to handle/protect the puck and finish plays. Scouts, however, see him as a center many teams would want, something that could prevent Dallas from 

landing him.

14) Calgary Flames: D Olli Maatta (London, OHL)

Maatta is not the best defenseman in this year's draft but he is quite versatile, seeing as he can play as a shut-down type of guy if need be. Calgary, with so much money tied up in players like Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff, need someone less expensive that can get the job done, something that Maatta can do.

15) Ottawa Senators: RW Sebastian Collberg (Frolunda, SWE)

Collberg has a great release and should fit in well with Ottawa's young forward core. He also was one of the top scorers, and youngest players, on Sweden's gold medal winning World Junior team. He could easily become a replacement for Daniel Alfredsson once Alfredsson decides to retire.

16) Washington Capitals: C Radek Faksa (Kitchener, OHL)

Faksa is one of the better forwards available in this year's draft. Given the fact the Capitals could possibly lose Alexander Semin, Jeff Halpern and a couple of others to free agency they could benefit from drafting a player with great size and a good reach.

17) San Jose Sharks: LW Nicolas Kerdiles (U.S. NTDP)

Kerdiles is a goal-scorer that already plays a pro-style game, something that should help San Jose Head Coach Todd McClellan out as he tries to win the Sharks a Stanley Cup. He also would fit in well alongside Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Logan Couture to name a few.

18) Chicago Blackhawks: RW Thomas Wilson (Plymouth, OHL)

Wilson doesn't have great numbers but isn't afraid to use his big body to help create scoring chances. Given the fact that Marion Hossa, the Hawks current right winger, is injury prone and getting up there in age Wilson seems like a guy that could help set up Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with prime scoring opportunities.

19) Tampa Bay Lightning (from Detroit): D Matthew Finn (Guelph, OHL)

The Lightning really need defenseman and Finn seems to be a guy that could fit in well with them. He can score all different ways, whether it be on the power play, at even strength or even shorthanded. He also is good at breaking up passes in the defensive zone, something that could help the Lightning immensely.

20) Philadelphia Flyers: D Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough, OHL)

Koekkoek  has great numbers, good size and could easily help out the Flyers. His knock is that he was injured, missing a decent amount of time, last season and could also use a little more time to develop. The Flyers can do that, given the depth within their organization. 

21) Buffalo Sabres (from Nashville): LW Pontus Aberg (Djurgarden, SWE)

Aberg came close to being eligible for the 2011 draft, being that he was born eight days after the cut-off date. This season, he wasn't really able to improve his stock much so he's kind of a wild card type of player in that you don't know what you'll get. The good thing is that the Sabres can allow him to develop as they already have Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and other top-notch guys on offense.

22) Pittsburgh Penguins: D Hampus Lindholm (Rogle, SWE)

Lindholm is an offensive defenseman, something that would only help the Penguins down the road. With young superstars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the team now, along with last season's first round pick Joe Morrow on his way up the ranks, the Penguins can afford to let Lindholm develop if needed.

23) Florida Panthers: C Zemgus Girgensons (Dubuque, USHL)

Girgensons would ideally be a bottom two lines type of player that can kill off penalties and also win face-offs. He also could help a team after only a year in juniors if needed. Given the fact that Kris Versteeg is a restricted free agent this season and Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc and others are also only signed to short-term deals at this point that could end up helping the Panthers.

24) Boston Bruins: G Oscar Dansk (Brynas, SWE Jr.)

Given the news that Tim Thomas is taking this next season off and Tuukka Rask will be the Bruins starter they will need a backup. They could bring up someone from their AHL affiliate but then they'd need someone to go to one of their minor league teams. Dansk is big (6 foot 3 to be exact) and plays well in big games which could certainly help the Bruins in the future, if not this season.

25) St. Louis Blues: LW Stefan Matteau (U.S. NTDP)

Matteau needs a little time to develop but once he becomes more consistent he should fit into Ken Hitchcock's system in St. Louis quite well. 

26) Vancouver Canucks: C Scott Laughton (Oshawa, OHL)

Laughton is projected to become a shutdown forward, even doing a decent job shutting down Yakupov, 2012's top prospect, during the NHL's Research and Development camp. With the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and others still with plenty of playing time left in them the Canucks can afford to let Laughton spend another year or two in juniors.

27) Phoenix Coyotes: C Mike Winther (Prince Albert, WHL)

Winther is very skilled and smart, though a bit on the small side. He's also a bit streaky and inconsistent. However, the Coyotes have Oliver Ekman-Larsson and some other young forwards so they can afford to give Winther some time to improve his consistency.

28) New York Rangers: D Jake McCabe (Wisconsin, WCHA)

McCabe is very solid defensively but doesn't have near as much offensive ability. The good thing is that the Rangers are loaded with offensive firepower and, at this point, their defenseman also chip in some on the offensive end of the ice. Given that fact, the Rangers can let McCabe develop his offensive game as much as needed.

29) New Jersey Devils: G Malcolm Subban (Belleville, OHL)

Subban, the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, is thought to be one of the three best goaltenders in this year's draft. With Martin Brodeur's career status up in the air, and the inevitable fact that he'll probably retire in a few years as it is, the Devils would benefit from adding a goaltender to their organization now so that they will be ready in a few more years.

30) Los Angeles Kings: LW Daniil Zharkov (Belleville, OHL)

Assuming that Columbus doesn't decide to use this pick from the Jeff Carter trade we believe the Kings will take Zharkov. He's very skilled and protects the puck quite well. He has had some injury problems, most notably a broken collarbone at the beginning of last season, and is a bit inconsistent but the Kings have the depth to give him time to develop which could prove to be very beneficial.

***Some prospects statistics, etc were found in "The Hockey News" 2012 Draft Preview Issue.***

**Toronto Maple Leafs Mike Ulmer's thoughts can be found here: http://blog.mapleleafs.com/alex-galchenyuk-could-be-a-cadillac-among-hybrids/ **

**Carolina Hurricanes power play statistics can be found here: http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?season=20112012&gameType=2&viewName=summary#?navid=nav-sts-teams. **

*You can contact Lauren @TBLightning491 and Daily Shootout @DailyShootout on Twitter. *

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Offseason Checklist NHL Atlantic Division

By Matthew Solomon

With the NHL Entry Draft and NHL free agency not too far away, we here at Daily Shootout have set up an offseason checklist for each team, organized by division. Today we look at the Atlantic Division.

New York Rangers

1) Sign a backup goalie: Martin Biron, who is the current backup on Broadway, is a free agent on July 1^st and the hole needs to be filled. Granted, Biron is 34 years old, which in hockey terms is slightly getting up there in age, he was still able to get 12-6-2 in 21 games last season with the Rangers as Henrik Lundqvist backup. There are a number of goalies available in free agency this summer, with the big names being the likes of Dwayne Roloson, Martin Brodeur, Cristobal Huet, and so on. If the Rangers really want to get the best bang for their buck for a reliable backup, they can either re-sign Biron or try looking into somebody like an Alex Auld, Johan Hedberg or Scott Clemenson. Bottom line is they need a backup for King Henrik and they have about $21 million in cap space to work with.

2) Get rid of Sean Avery: Avery has been nothing but a thorn in the sides of everybody in the NHL from team management all the way down to his own teammates. Nobody in the Rangers organization, it seems, really wants anything to do with this guy who, last season, played in only 15 games. With Avery let go they cut over $3 million off the payroll.

3) Re-sign the role players: Rangers already have locked in their major players like Lundqvist, Richards, Gaborik and so on. Three of their top four defensemen are signed through next season. Michael Del Zotto is the lone top D-Man who needs to be re-signed on Broadway as he is hitting restricted free agency. Once they lock him in everybody else should fall in. I would also consider watching the Rangers make a strong run at picking up Zach Parise, when he hits the market July 1. It won’t surprise me none, as the Rangers have done stuff like this in the past.

New York Islanders

1) Re-sign PA Parenteau: That has got to be the first thing the Isles take care of this summer. PA was 3^rd on the team in scoring last season with 67 points behind only Matt Moulson and John Tavares. Last year he made $1.25 million for the one season, and with the contracts GM Garth Snow handed out last summer to Tavares Moulson and Neilsen, I don’t really think it should be a problem locking in PA for a few more seasons here on Long Island. Parenteau has been the perfect complement to JT and Moulson on the top line and they need a solid winger to fill that line out, and PA is perfect.

2) Backup Goalie, THEY NEED ONE: Al Montoya was the backup to Evgeni Nabokov last season and put up OK numbers. Let’s face facts here, since Rick DiPietro signed that 15 year contract a few years back (which was completely retarded if you ask me) he hasn’t lived up to the contract, save for the first two seasons out of it, due to injury problems. This deal now leaves the Islanders with egg on their face. Picking up Nabokov was great but with Montoya supposedly on his way out the door, a good solid #2 goalie is needed on Long Island if they want any chance of competing in a very tough Atlantic division.

 

3) Spend money in Free Agency/Bring up younger Talent: There is plenty of room to work with here on Long Island for GM Garth Snow. Four of his D-Men, Staios, Jurcina, Reese, and Eaton, are free agents on July 1^st. One thought would be to possibly see out of camp if Calvin De Hann is ready to make a full time jump to the NHL and become a regular on the Islanders blue line. Also, there are some good free agent D-Men on the market this summer, such as former Islander Adrian Aucoin, Sami Salo, and Filip Kuba, just to name a few. I don’t think going after free agents with money is going to be a problem; I think the problem is going to be getting the talent to play on Long Island. Look at what happened with Christian Erhoff last summer before he signed with Buffalo. So Garth Snow has his work cut out for him over the summer months.

 

4) Fill out secondary scoring: The Islanders seemed to have trouble getting secondary scoring last season. It was the top line of Tavares Moulson and Parenteau who carried the bulk of the scoring load. Michael Grabner had a down year after scoring 34 in his rookie year, only burying 20 this season. Same thing with Kyle Okposo, who had 20 as well this year, setting a new career high. Along with those five guys, two other guys hit double digits in goals, Josh Bailey (13) and Frans Neilsen (17). Garth Snow really needs to go out and get a more balanced scoring attack on the ice for his coaching staff, as the Islanders were one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL last year. I don’t care how he does it, whether it comes from the minors, the draft, or free agency, just get the scoring punch on Long Island.

 

 

 

New Jersey Devils

1) Re-sign Zach Parise: The Devils have a lot of big name free agents this summer, the biggest one being Captain Zach Parise. Zach has the 3^rd highest cap hit of free agents this summer at $6 million. The only two guys who have higher cap hits than him are Alex Semin and Ryan Smyth, at just over $6 million each. The Devils should be able to afford Zach as they have just over $28 million to work with in available cap space, so I don’t really think that will be an issue. If the Devils really do anything this summer, re-signing the captain has got to be the top priority for GM Lou Lamirillo.

 

2) Secure a goaltender: Both Johan Hedberg and Marty Brodeur are free agents this summer. Brodeur has gone on record as saying he wants to come back and play another season in the NHL, which right now Marty is 40 years old and looks like he still might be able to play at a high level. The question is, what is Lou going to do about finding Marty a backup, because there is no guarantee that Hedberg will return to Jersey. If for some reason Hedberg doesn’t come back, I would try looking into bringing back an old favorite in Jersey in Scott Clemenson, who will be a free agent after playing last season in Florida, and it’s not that big of a cap hit to the Devils either.

 

3) Fill in the role players: The Devils still have some holes to fill through possible free agency this summer. Right now Bryce Salavador, Alexi Ponikarovski, and grinders like Stephen Gionta and Cam Jansen are up for free agency. I would try and retain a few of these players at least, if the Devils want to really have a chance of staying in the hunt again in the Eastern Conference.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins

1) Sign/re-sign role players: The Penguins don’t have much cap space to really work with, as they sit at about just over $8.7 million. But the good thing about the Penguins is they have their key players locked in through next season and beyond so that isn’t an issue. They will, however, need to bring back some role players, and two guys I thought did an OK job of that were Richard Park and Aaron Asham, who are both free agents this summer, and both come with a cheap price tag. So I don’t think filling out their small role players should be a problem in the Steel City.

 

2) Signing of Thomas Vokoun: Getting him was a huge pickup for the Penguins. They needed a solid steady backup goalie for Marc-Andre Fleury. Vokoun can play goal as teams have seen in the past and will be a great asset to the Pens going into another possible run at the division title.

 

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are one of the few teams in the league that don’t have much cap space to really work with here, as their room for spending money is at about a shade over $9 million. The team that is currently assembled in Philly is pretty set on paper but there are a few things they need to take care of.

 

1) Re-sign Kubina and Carle: Pavel Kubina and Matt Carle are two of the Flyers’ better defenseman and are set to be free agents come July. Combined, the cap hit for the two of them would be a shade over $7.2 million so that doesn’t really leave the Flyers with that much room to work with. Also, what may possibly help the situation is that Jaromir Jagr is going to be testing the free agency market to see if he can get a bit from somebody else outside of the Flyers. If he can’t then with the cap limitations the Flyers currently have at the moment it is going to be hard to keep all three.

 

2) Try to upgrade goaltending: As most of us already know the Flyers goaltending is known for being real choke artists especially come playoff time. They spent all this money getting Ilya Bryzgalov, and there is still one more year on the contract for Sergi Bobrovsky, so I’m not sure the Flyers will look into goalies this summer, but they might want to start thinking about getting goalies over next summer. Just something to think about for the future in Philly.

 

*Free Agents, Cap Space, and all Financial Numbers provided by capgeek.com*

 

**Team and Player statistics provided by nhl.com**

*Follow me on twitter @msolly16!*

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Pick of the Day - June 21st

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 46-32-2
Week: 0-3
Month: 12-7-1

Miami Heat (HOME) (-3) OVER Oklahoma City Thunder (AWAY)

You have no idea how much this pains me. Dating back to both previous Finals series against Dallas, Miami is now 7-1 at home in the NBA Finals. 3 points is a comfortable number because I can almost guarantee the Heat will not win by 1 or 2 points since that would likely require LeBron to hit a pressure shot. The Thunder look overwhelmed. Their youth and inexperience appears to have finally caught up to them. One day, people will ask where you were when Kennedy got shot, where you were on 9/11, and where you were on 6/21, the worst day in sports history - the day the worst human being and athlete of all time LeBron James actually won something. Take the Heat.

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Pick of the Day - June 20th

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Overall: 46-31-2
Week: 0-2
Month: 12-6-1

Cincinnati Reds (AWAY) (Arroyo) (+110) OVER Cleveland Indians (HOME) (Masterson)

Masterson is 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA against the Reds. Bronson Arroyo is 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA at Progressive Field in Cleveland. In addition, the Reds have not been swept in a series so far this season. After two heart breaking losses, I don't think they will drop another one tonight. Take the Reds.

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Pick of the Day - Euro Cup Quarterfinal Predictions

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Czech Republic vs. Portugal (June 21^st, Warsaw)

Ronaldo is still a little bitch but it looks like the princess was able to gather up enough fairy dust to get his scoring touch back. Czech Republic has had a nice tournament thus far and surprised everyone by winning Group A. After getting blown out in the opening game against Russia, Czech still actually has a negative goals against differential which is remarkable for a group winner. With Ronaldo out of his slump, as long as a feather doesn’t fall from the sky and injure him, expect this game to be more like the Russia blow out than the two Czech victories.

Prediction: Portugal 2 Czech Republic 0

Spain vs. France (June 23^rd, Donetsk)

Credit to France for not imploding on a national stage this time around like they did in South Africa. Unfortunately, they are going in the wrong direction at the wrong time after getting thoroughly outplayed by a Swedish team that had nothing to play for. France is lucky to have advanced. Spain on the other hand just continues to roll as they go for their second straight Euro Cup championship. The only chance the French might have in this game is if they manage to make it a defensive struggle and force it to penalty kicks. Spain is the superior team and it looks like the French have run out of steam.

Prediction: Spain 1 France 0

Germany vs. Greece (June 22^nd, Gdansk)

For those who haven’t followed the tournament thus far, I can equate Greece to a Qualifier at Wimbledon, a #16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, or the Florida Panthers. It's a nice story and it's nice that they will show up to play but they don't have a chance. They are extremely fortunate to have advanced after shocking Russia in the final game of group play. While it would be nice to see their Cinderella run continue like it did in 2004 when they won in Portugal, I don’t think anyone is picking Greece in this game. Germany has lived up to the hype thus far and I expect them to win this game easily and advance.

Prediction: Germany 2 Greece: 0

England vs. Italy (June 24^th, Kiev)

Perhaps England has played decent thus far because this is first tournament in recent history where they did not have expectations of going far. With all of the injuries and the suspension to Rooney, not many people picked England to advance, let alone win Group D. With Rooney back the English add another piece to a team that is playing well and clicking at the moment. The Italians needed a late goal by Spain against Croatia to advance to the knockout round. The Italians did what they normally do in these tournaments which is find a way to advance by scrapping together enough points and then pushing knockout games to penalty kicks. However if I was to bet on the game, as we know the Italian team will be doing, I would put my money on England.

Prediction: England 1 Italy 1 (England Advances - Penalty Kicks)

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Fantasy Baseball: Week #12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Written by Fantasy Furnace

Taking The Mound: This week we have listed four starters and one reliever for you to consider as the pitchers that have been headed for the DL continues to grow each week. Here’s just a short list of recent casualties:

SP: Josh Beckett-shoulder, Drew Smyly-finger, Bud Norris-knee, Brandon Beachy-elbow, Jaime Garcia-shoulder, Bartolo Colon-abdomen, and Roy Halladay-shoulder.

RP: Sandy Rosario-quads, Octavio Dotel-elbow, Henry Rodriquez-finger, and Alexi Ogando-groin.

Clayton Richard-SP-Padres- We’re recommending Richard only as a stop-gap or streaming tool especially while he’s on a pretty good streak of late; three quality starts out of four in June. In those three games he’s given up a total of 2 earned runs and went 2-1 with 1 ND. We like him in his next start vs the weak Mariners at home. He’s available in almost every league.

Justin Masterson-SP-Indians- The former 2nd round pick of the Boston Red Sox never lived up to the high expectations the Sox had for him. He was rocked earlier in the season but since has settled down by throwing 3 straight quality starts in June. His last one, a 9 strikeout performance vs the Pirates last Friday was one of his best this season. Over his last 14 innings, Masterson has 15 K’s and...

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Is It Time For David Stern To Move On?

By: Dan Hauser

I’m sure by now all of you have either heard or heard about the altercation between the commissioner of the NBA David Stern and national syndicated radio host Jim Rome. For those of you still in the dark I will quickly recap it. Stern came on Rome’s radio show and was asked what seems like they yearly question, “Was the draft lottery fixed?” Stern responded by asking Rome if “he still beats his wife” and said he has made a career out of “cheap thrills”. Below is the entire radio conversation.

            I’m sure most of you are thinking, “Was this the commissioner of a major sport in this country or just some idiot caller?” And to answer your question, no, that was not some hack trying to get his 15 seconds of fame. That was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association asking a member of the media if he still “beats his wife”. Yes, it was Stern using a loaded question to try and show that Rome had asked him a loaded question; however, that does not make it any more appropriate for him to act that way. Not to mention the fact that a lot of people thought he was seriously asking the question.

            Stern has become that “grumpy old man” that we see portrayed in television and movies. Except in this case it is happening before all of our eyes and last week was just another example. He has done an amazing job over his career turning the NBA into a global entity and bringing excellent talent from all over the world to this country to play. He orchestrated the first, and arguably only “Dream Team,” and the league has been incredibly successful and profitable in large part because of him, but I think it is finally time for him to step down. Stern says that he has a few good years left in him but I think he needs to trust that he did a great job in training deputy commissioner Adam Silver and let him take over. No owner has come out and called for Stern to step down or question his actions as of late publicly, but you have to believe that there are some rumblings in the private sector of the front offices throughout the league.

            Hopefully this whole situation with Jim Rome will not be a black eye for what has been a great career for the commissioner, but if he continues this “angry old man” act this might not even be the worst thing to happen before he steps down. I can only hope that he leaves on his own terms and doesn’t get forced out but things like this will not help. 

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