It seems like Taylor Hall can’t buy a goal. One of the many reasons the Devils sit dead last in the Metro Division (with the Blue Jackets and Rangers). What we have is a group of talented forwards and offensive-minded, puck-moving defensemen who can’t seem to find the net. The offense in New Jersey is as cold as the temperature outside (28th in the league).
Now 20 games through the season, the Devils have won just three times on home ice. They do have a current 2 game win streak, and perhaps that's a sign of things to come. Regardless, the fans have been loudly booing…most of it directed at Hynes. Can’t say I blame them. Mackenzie Blackwood has been the only somewhat bright light for the Devils. So, what can the Devils do? Well, it’s highly unlikely they'll replace Hynes. And even if they did, an entirely new system isn’t going to be implemented overnight. With so much roster turnover, the learning curve was steep enough already. Trying to get a team to start from square one would set them back even further. At some point, it becomes about the talent, not the system. And right now, the Devils are severely lacking in blue line talent, especially with Sami Vatanen and Connor Carrick both injured. If the Devils really do have the talent they believe they do, all they have to do is play better. But until they can put together a sustained winning streak and protect a lead on home ice, the boos and the chants will continue. They'll keep getting what they deserve.
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The Giants Stink! There I said it.
This coming Sunday will be a stress free one as I don’t have to watch the Giants embarrass themselves again . It’s a bye week. In fact, maybe I’ll just ask my wife if there’s something she would like to do come Sunday. I can just imagine the shock on her face. I mean it is Sunday afternoon! The Giant’s 2-9 GM Dave Gettleman told us that you can win while you build, and he and Pat Shurmur are 7-19 in this nightmare rebuild. He must have had a plan. But it wasn’t obvious after last Sunday’s Blooper Bowl, or any previous Sundays. Gettleman’s plan is in disarray, but he isn’t on notice if only because firing GMs after two years is not what ownership usually does (McAdoo the exception) … and because Daniel Jones has a chance to silence critics who preferred Sam Darnold over Saquon Barkley. The offensive line was supposedly upgraded, but it is clear now that it hasn’t yet been fixed, and until it is, banged-up, beaten-down Saquon Barkley is being devalued and diminished and finding too many potholes on his Road to Canton. Barkley’s hard-to-fathom performance — 13 rushing attempts, 1 yard gained — was aided and abetted by the above mentioned “upgraded” line. Our so called Defense is the worst I’ve seen in years. I won’t ignore the fact there are no fewer than nine players on that side of the ball in their first or second seasons. And there weren’t any trade deadline buyers for Janoris Jenkins? Gettleman brought these players to the Meadowlands, to replace the ones we already had, which by the way, as bad as they were, were better. Those pups are mostly running around like chickens with their heads cut off and are disgracing the uniform Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan once wore. Aldrick Rosas has gone from the Pro Bowl to putting the Giants in a hole. Rosas missed a PAT for the third straight game, and a botched snapper-holder exchange prevented the kicker from even attempting another as the Giants wound up point-chasing in their embarrassing loss to the Jets. There have been few positives, like Daniel Jones who hasn’t yet shown he’s a rookie sensation, but who might just develop into the signal caller we all hope he will be. With all the shortcomings the Giants have on both sides of the ball, Shumer and Gettleman need to turn things around in a hurry, and to be honest, I don’t see that happening any time soon. It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about baseball and specifically the Yankees. Perhaps I have been in mourning over the way the Yankee season ended.
We all worried about our starting pitching going into the playoffs. Ironically, while it wasn’t great, they did pitch well enough to keep us in games 2-6. The culprit of course was the lack of timely hitting with runners in scoring position. Many of those at bats ended in strike outs. Funny thing is the Bombers, led the league in RISP during the 2019 season. Since the subject matter is the baseball playoffs… games take far too long. People say that true die-hard baseball fans love this, and why would I want something I truly love to be shorter? As if a great two-hour movie couldn't get worse if they added another 30 minutes. Sometimes less is more. Game 1 of the World Series started at 8:08 p.m. ET and lasted three hours and 43 minutes. That gets us an end time of 9 minutes till midnight. Imagine a hypothetical casual fan lives in the Eastern time zone and has to wake up at 5:30 a.m. Are we reeling that fan in? I've even talked to die-hards who say they simply can't stay up that late on a weeknight. I know I struggled to stay awake, but since the Yankees weren’t playing, I chose to bail out before the end of some of those games. Nats fans had it rough. I personally love pitchers' duels, but if a game is going to last four hours, please give me a slugfest (like 2017 World Series Game 5, which seemed like it lasted all night but was one of the best games ever). Game 3 was a lot closer to a snoozefest. I can handle great pitching and defense in a close game, but not when it takes almost 4 hours. Part of the problem is the strike zone and how it’s called. You never see a pitch over the belt called a strike, yet in the rule book, it’s strike. Check it out. Then there is the umpires and their inability to consistently call balls and strikes which of course causes arguments and raises pitch counts. I hate the idea of a computer calling pitches, but after what I’ve seen over the last few seasons, bring it on! I was happy for a limit on mound visits, which has worked and no one even notices any more. The next step after computer called balls and strikes, is the pitch clock. I've been to minor-league games and they flow a lot better. You really don't even notice it. Baseball has changed dramatically over the last 5 years (and not always in a good way) . Some of the changes were needed, many put into place to gain back younger viewers who seem to struggle with focusing on a game, that’s not fast paced with plenty of home runs and high scores. Baseball desperately wants their attention and money. I hate to change such a traditional game, but it’s time, not just for the millennials, but for us old school die-hards. You knew sooner or later it was going to happen…As the Cleveland Browns stumbled to a 2-6 start in a loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday, CBS sideline reporter Jay Feely reported on air that Odell Beckham Jr. complained about not getting the ball. Surprised?
“I don’t recall saying that,” Beckham said when asked. Of course not. After the Browns failed to convert a fourth down late in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, many people noted that quarterback Baker Mayfield threw incomplete to Jarvis Landry despite Odell Beckham looking open down the sideline. Maybe he’s right, or is it another “look at me” comment from Odell. He does have a Brand to protect. Maybe Beckham isn’t Mayfield’s “go to guy” anymore. Mayfield said he thought he and Beckham “made a step in the right direction” on Sunday as the wideout posted five catches for 87 yards. Beckham has eclipsed 100 yards just twice since joining the Browns, with Sunday’s performance marking his third-highest yardage total on the season. In Cleveland’s other five games, Beckham has tallied between 27 and 71 yards as he’s averaged 71.9 yards per game on the season. He’s also regularly held out of the end zone, with his lone touchdown of the season arriving via an 89-yard catch-and-run in Week 2 against the New York Jets. One thing we do know for sure, the Browns season is on the brink of total collapse at the halfway point of the season. Now all that remains is to wait and see when the diva starts playing the victim and makes sure everyone knows. |
WhatWhatever strikes you as interesting, absurd, ridiculous, funny or serious about all sports, then this is the place to hear my slant on it. My focus will be mainly on the New York area, but anything going on in sports anywhere is fair game. If you are interested in sausage race results, basket weaving, or politics, you may wish to click elsewhere. Your comments are always welcomed and encouraged. Archives
December 2019
RankingsBlues
NHL 12/5/19 1 Bruins 2 Capitals 3 Islanders 4 Blues 5 Oilers 6 Flyers 7 Hurricanes 8 Avalanche 9 Jets 10 Coyotes NFL 12/5/19 1 Ravens 2 49ers 3 Seahawks 4 Patriots 5 Saints 6 Cheifs 7 Vikings 8 Packers 9 Bills 10 Texans |