2019 NFL Season Preview and Predictions

FOOTBALL IS BACK!

The temperature outside is cooler, the leaves are starting to change color, and pumpkin spice is flowing through the air. Fall is around the corner and the best time of the year has finally arrived.

Each fan base begins the year with high expectations, even though the optimistic thoughts are typically a fairy tale for fans outside of New England, but that doesn’t stop them from tweeting out, “THIS IS OUR YEAR!”

I’m a huge hockey guy and love everything about the NHL (well mostly everything!), but there is just something about football that hypes me up for the season opener more than any other sport. Maybe it has to do with the memories of playing backyard football with my friends growing up, or watching my best buddies play under the lights on Friday night’s in high school. Hell, betting on football is a huge adrenaline rush and makes the sport that much more entertaining. But I can’t quite give a straight answer as to why football is in a class of its own, but it is and every weekend either college or NFL games will dominate the TV screen in my shoe-box sized NYC apartment.

The 2019 NFL season kicked off Thursday night in Chicago and what we learned was that preseason reps do in fact matter. It was a sloppy, defensive battle and the Packers and Bears totaled just 13 points combined. Maybe both defenses are elite or maybe they just dominated in a game where both offenses were clearly not in game mode just yet.

Whatever the case may be, football has begun, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. There are so many questions entering Week 1, but the answers might not be answered for a while. Where will Antonio Brown land after being released from the Raiders this morning? Will the Rams continue their dominance, or will they be hungover from the Super Bowl? Has Le’Veon Bell lost a step after sitting out a full season? Are the Browns contenders or pretenders? Can Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury turn things around in the dessert? Will Kirk Cousins prove his worth in Year 2? Are the Steelers better without their Killer B’s and will this be the final year of the Patriots dynasty?

The list goes on and on, but one thing remains – FOOTBALL IS BACK!

The heavy SB favorites entering Week 1 are the Chiefs, Pats, Rams and Saints, but as we all know…the Pats are typically the only team to live up to any type of expectation. I’m not going to count them out just yet, but if there was a year to do it then 2019 might be the time. No more Rob Gronkowski, no David Andrews, inexperienced wide receivers, no more Brain Flores calling defensive plays, all while Robert Kraft’s offseason allegations have overshadowed a lot of the gaps in this roster.

But then again, the Pats do have Tom Brady. Do they really need anyone else?

Kansas City has enough weapons on offense to dethrone the champs, and they have the leagues most gifted quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. Although this is technically his 3rd season, I would consider it his second because he played in just 1 game in 2017. The reigning MVP likely won’t throw for 50 TD again, but I am more interested in seeing how he follows that performance up. Will he take a step back and have a “(redshirt) sophomore slump” or will he maintain his level of excellence in 2019?

The Chiefs are for real and they could ultimately be the team that ends the Pats dynasty.

Pittsburgh’s addition by subtraction will be real after parting ways with Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster is ready to be a No. 1 option after breaking out a season ago, and LB Devin Bush could be the ultimate replacement for Ryan Shazier in the middle of the field. The Steelers tied for the league lead in sacks in 2018, but injuries and distractions hindered their playoff chances down the stretch. Ben Roethlisberger is excited for the season and so is Steeler nation. Look for Pittsburgh to bounce back in 2019 without any type of distraction hindering the franchise.

In the NFC there are far more teams capable of representing the conference down in Miami. Every division will have a battle (can’ say the same about the AFC), and I simply cannot sit here and say that “this team will for sure win the division” or “no chance this team does.”

The NFC North is arguably the best division in all of football, while the NFC South is a close second. Out East, the Cowboys and Eagles will clash for the division crown, while the Rams and Seahawks will compete for the West.

Roughly 10 teams, maybe 11, will have a shot at a playoff spot, but as we know throughout history, turnover in the playoffs from year to year is high. Minnesota, Atlanta, and Green Bay missed out last season, but they could easily all make it in 2019. Carolina was 6-2 before Cam Newton hurt his shoulder, causing the team to finish 7-9 and miss the postseason. All four of these franchises won’t likely make it to January, but I will argue that three of them will.

As a Vikings fan, I am still not sold on Cousins. He doesn’t have the big game clutch gene, but he also didn’t have a running game or a strong offensive line to work with in Year 1. This offseason the Vikes took notice and improved the O-line, while also bringing in Gary Kubiak to possibly establish a running attack and alleviate some pressure off Kirk. They still have the best WR tandem in the NFL and the defense is still elite. Their playoff hopes will live and die on the defensive side of the ball, but Cousins will have no excuses this fall. Could it finally be Minnesota’s year?

New Orleans lost a heart breaker once again in the playoffs and the league was robbed of a Brees-Brady Super Bowl. The Saints are absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball and I don’t see a better roster from top to bottom in the NFC. Brees has already entered his forties and 2019 could be his last shot at winning a second title. Look for the Saints to potentially run the table in what could be 9’s last season under center.

Philly, Chicago, Green Bay and Dallas all have the potential to make noise in the postseason, but each team has a weakness.

Green Bay has zero weapons outside of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, and they have a first-time head coach in Matt LaFleur. I believe that they will win the North with their revamped defense and because they have Rodgers…but their postseason run will be cut short…again.

Chicago will go as far as Mitchell Trubisky will take them. They have arguably the best defense in the entire league, but if you can’t score you can’t win. So far, the Bears could be in for an early offseason and could also be left to reconsider the QB position altogether.

I like Dallas, but I don’t like Jason Garrett. Coaching tactics could be what prevents America’s team from competing for a ring. Ezekiel Elliott got paid and is back, but Dak Prescott has not. Could the lack of money and job security be what eventually holds the Cowboys back?

Philly on the other hand is talented everywhere. The Birds no longer have the Nick FolesCarson Wentz debate, and they have the number one rated offensive line (PFF) in the league. They were an interception away from beating the Saints and advancing to the NFC Championship last season, and they are just 2 seasons removed from winning the franchise’s first Lombardi. Doug Pederson said that he is going to be “more aggressive” in 2019, while the roster on both sides of the ball has the potential to make a deep run in January. The only weakness, however, is the health of Wentz. Given his recent track record, it’s just something that he will have to prove throughout the season for me to take the Eagles seriously.

Sleeper

The biggest sleeper in 2019 will be the New York Jets. Although they won’t likely win the AFC East, they are in a weaker conference and could easily slip into a Wild Card slot. Sam Darnold has a full season under his belt, and they added a generational talent in Bell. The offensive line still has its issues, but Darnold will have an extra pass option out of the backfield for the first time. However, outside of Bell they do not have any legitimate threats (no Robbie Anderson is not a threat). New York’s new head coach Adam Gase has stressed that he intends to pound the rock and chew up the game clock, which is a sound game plan for this roster. It would not surprise me if the Jets sneak into the playoffs in the final week of the season.

Predictions

AFC

1 Chiefs

2 Steelers

3 Patriots

4 Texans

WC1 Browns

WC2 Jets

NFC

1 Saints

2 Packers

3 Eagles

4 Seahawks

WC1 Rams

WC2 Vikings

 

Super Bowl – Saints over Chiefs

 

Notable League Awards

MVP: Ben Roethlisberger

Offensive ROY: Kyler Murray

Defensive ROY: Josh Allen

Coach of the Year: Andy Reid

Comeback Player of the YearJimmy Garoppolo

 

Kansas City gets its revenge over the Pats in the AFC Championship game but fall just short to Drew Brees and the Saints in the Super Bowl.

Brees claims his second Lombardi Trophy and rides off into the sunset on top of the football world!

Staples Center: The new Mecca of the NBA?

After a week of constantly checking social media pages for Kawhi Leonard rumors, the 2019 Finals MVP finally came to a decision at the eleventh hour signing with the LA Clippers.

Leonard’s decision could have ultimately been the cause of the massive earthquake that hit LA late last night, but he took just the right amount of time to handicap the Lakers from acquiring another big name free agent in July and ultimately did the same to Toronto.

Now, I spoke with one of my good friends yesterday on the phone and we both thought that the Claw had another trick up his sleeve. I’m not saying that we knew it was the Clippers, but with the way the last three NBA summers have gone, you couldn’t really assume anything. Leonard put an end to two super teams and his personality just wouldn’t let him join an already assembled team. His heart definitely wanted to be back in LA, and for his childhood team the Lakers, but with LeBron James and Anthony Davis there, it made his decision a lot more challenging. He wanted to play at home, but only if he could lure another big name with him to help compete for multiple titles.

Insert Paul George here.

Leonard to the Clips didn’t necessarily shock the league, but it was the fashion in which the inferior LA franchise acquired him. After snubbing the Lakers in back to back summer’s, PG quietly demanded a trade from the Thunder to the Clippers within the last few days. It was the one rumor that was never leaked and that nobody saw coming. The same George that got his own holiday in Oklahoma City after re-signed in 2018 (July 8), just slapped Russell Westbrook and the entire state in the face in one night. THIS move was what sent shock waves across LA and Twitter.

I can’t really blame PG for the demand, but it was just so out of the blue. Well, to a degree. I believe that if Kawhi was somehow traded to the Lakers last July, then George would have teamed up with him and LeBron and signed in LA, not in OKC. But when the Spurs took weeks to move their all-star forward, PG decided he would just re-sign and run it back in 2018-19.

All in all, Leonard’s decision was hanging in the balance of acquiring another play maker, one of who he wanted to join forces with in 2018, and it just took a week to get it done. In the process, and maybe unintentionally, he put his former team and new cross-town rival in a tough spot after both franchises waited for Leonard to decide.

I wrote about this earlier this summer, but I figured one superstar was going to sign with the Clippers. I just thought it should have been Kevin Durant (pre-Achilles injury). However, after his injury I felt that the Knicks should have been his main focus, not Brooklyn. That’s neither here nor there now, but my thought process was for the red, white and blue to acquire Durant and then another notable free-agent. It would have been two of the best players in the game (LBJ and KD) competing for the LA throne, as well as bragging rights for best player in the game today. Now that would have been must-see TV and ratings would have been through the roof.

Fast forward to this morning and the same type of scenario has somewhat played out. Over the past month we saw KD surging towards dethroning James as the best NBA player in today’s game, but then an Achilles injury put a halt to that argument for at least another year. Now, we very well could have the same type of debate that virtually came out of nowhere. Well, not nowhere, but…yeah, kind of nowhere.

Kawhi missed nearly the entire 2017-18 season with a thigh injury and his return was unknown. Would he be the same player he was in 2016? Was he purposely sitting out? Is he refusing to play so that he gets dealt to the Lakers? The list went on and on, but these were all questions swirling around the two-time Finals MVP.

Within one season up north, the former San Diego State alum put every negative rumor to bed en route to one of the best postseason runs in the past several decades. Leonard’s run in Toronto and his championship level play elevated him into the newly discovered debate – who actually is the best player on the planet? And the list now focuses around the Claw and the King, pushing KD out until he returns.

Forming a super team doesn’t always mean consistent titles (look at Heat 2010-14 & Warriors 2016-18) as injuries and poor play can derail any organization, but Leonard to the Lakers would have assembled the strongest Big 3 of all time. Now, would they have won this year? We will never know, but the 2019 Raptors proved that you can take down a dynasty by committee and depth at the bench position, which is something the purple and gold would have lacked.

The West in the span of one week has gotten even stronger with all of the offseason moves, but it was the city of LA that really lucked out. Although it isn’t the ideal scenario with Durant and LeBron competing for the city, the AD/Lebron versus PG/Kawhi duel will be extremely entertaining this fall.

Kawhi choosing the Clippers came down to three things. Landing a long-term maximum contract in his hometown, becoming the main guy on his OWN team, and luring another superstar along with him that plays both ends of the floor. In the process, the move makes even more sense because he will be playing under an elite coach in Doc Rivers.

Every team that Kawhi has played on has had unbelievable coaching, which can sometimes be an overlooked position in today’s game. Greg Popovich, arguably a top-5 coach of all time, developed Leonard’s game and made him play both ends of the court. Nick Nurse became Nick Nurse without anybody other than the Raptors knowing his game managing skills, and helped further Leonard’s career after a brutal injury via the load management tactic. And now, Kawhi gets Rivers at the helm to help push his career to the Hall of Fame level in just his ninth season in the league.

Leonard signing with the Clippers further creates parity across the entire NBA and for the first time in five years nobody knows who will represent the West in the Finals next June. A dozen teams have at least two 1st Team through 3rd Team All-Star caliber players, along with role players that can compete for the next few seasons.

I truly believe that both George and Kawhi did not want to play with James due to all of the drama and backlash that comes with playing alongside the King. The Clippers in the span of a week gave the two all-star talents an alley to return home to LA, without being overshadowed by LeBron, and to compete for what every NBA player wants in today’s game – the Larry O’ Brien.

With the Knicks missing out on the biggest free-agent class yet again, Madison Square Garden is no longer the Mecca of the NBA universe . LA’s Staples Center has hijacked the nickname altogether and the league now runs through Southern California. The hottest ticket in the game will shift out West as both the Clippers and Lakers have the greatest title odds in 2019-20.

Even though everybody complains about how the NBA is run by the players, it is truly the most fascinating sport in the world today. Super teams or not, the ratings will continue to rise and the game will continue to grow. But for now, the city of Los Angeles is on top of the basketball world.

Do the New York Knicks make sense for KD?

An early season slump followed by a mid-game feud with teammates back in November allowed for rumors to swirl about the future of Kevin Durant.

Was this the beginning of the end of a three-year era for KD in Oakland or was it just white noise for analysts to discuss over coffee in the morning? For many, it appeared to be a legitimate debate, but for some it was just a small hurdle for the two-time reigning Finals MVP to get over.

The way I saw it (and see it currently) was a team in the middle of a slump trying to figure out what the hell was going on. How could the W’s currently be taking L’s to teams far inferior than them, and by double digits for that matter?

It all stems from the original roster from pre-KD. The team that won an NBA record 73 games in 2016 and fell one win shy of claiming back-to-back titles after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team that had Stephen Curry become the first unanimous MVP, and the team that won the Bay its first championship in over 40 years.

Here is where things get dicey when it comes to the 2019 state of the team.

Draymond Green was pivotal in both runs leading to the Finals and was somewhat of the mastermind behind convincing KD to sign with Golden State. His phone call in the parking lot after the Game 7 loss in which he begged OKC’s soon-to-be free-agent to join the historic Warriors was just the beginning. It was the trip to the Hampton’s where the other starters lured Durant to the team and shocked the NBA world for the next three seasons.

With or without Durant on the Warriors, Green has always been scrutinized for his behavior on the court. Accumulating technical after technical, and flirting with suspensions throughout the playoffs and the regular season has overshadowed just how important he is to this team. Before 2017, nobody other than Steve Kerr attempted to mitigate his anger issues. Now, well let’s just say Durant wasn’t shy about stepping out of his own lane.

When a ship is on the straight and narrow out at sea nobody tends to panic. But when a strong wind rips through the mainsail, then everybody aboard must help man the sail. For the first two seasons with Durant the Warriors were smooth sailing, dominating the league and resting stars via the new “load management” tactic. When things got tough (which was rare) they stayed afloat and found ways to win. But in 2018-19, the team started slow and Green began calling out KD and vice-versa. That’s when the losses started to pile up, arguments in the huddle started, and also when Kerr let the players come up with their own plays. Things just weren’t the same.

Golden State had injuries to both Curry and Durant in the regular season, but it seemed like this year was different than the two prior. The deep June runs had finally caught up to this unit and a “calf” injury to KD in the second round kept him sidelined for what SHOULD have been the remainder of the playoffs.

With that being said, what happened after KD didn’t suit up and what always seemed to happen after he didn’t dress, was Warriors success. The same core 4 from the pre-KD era swept the Blazers in the conference Finals after beating the Rockets the series prior. Analysts started chiming in saying that the dubs never needed Durant and he was just the icing on the cake to secure repeated championships.

Whether that was accurate or not, the Warriors limped into the Finals and saw both KD (torn achilles) and Klay Thompson (ACL tear) suffer brutal injuries that could sideline them for the 2019-20 season.

Today, we are just four days from free-agency and thousands of reports and rumors have been plaguing Twitter. Is he gone for good? Will there be a new super team out East? Are the Knicks out of the running? The list goes on and on, but these are legitimate questions across the league.

As many expected he would do, Durant declined his $31.5 million player option, thus opening the door for him to pursue a new franchise.  Just think about that for a second. A 30-year-old, 6 ft 9 in forward, coming off a torn achilles has just turned down $31.5 million. That tells you just how dominate this star is and also tells you that he either has a new massive deal awaiting by the Warriors (doubtful) or he will be taking his talents elsewhere.

I will take the latter rather than the former, although neither decision would shock me (nothing in the NBA really shocks me anymore).

Brooklyn appears to have a leg up on the competition as far as max contract situations go, while the Kyrie Irving to the Nets rumors are at an all time high. Since January, these two have been linked together for next fall. The public has already painted this picture that the two will team up, but where that is remains to be seen.

Personally, I think it makes no sense for Irving to sign in Brooklyn. He had arguably a similar situation in Boston with younger talent and proved that he cannot win on his own, yet he has expressed that he has matured and does in fact want to win again.  The Durant injury forces me to say that the Nets are most certainly not a good fit for the former number one overall draft pick.

If the thought process is to win in two years then that’s fine. Nobody should knock you for that based on how KD’s achilles blew up a week ago. But that is IF, and only IF, Durant agrees to join you, wherever that might be. If you are going to take that risk, then why not do it with the Knicks where the lights are the brightest and where MSG is always sold out?

I will admit that I did think Durant would leave, but I thought he would sign south of the Bay in LA. For the Clippers that is, not for the Lakers. He could stay in California and compete with LeBron James for the keys to the city, but this time he could do it by his personally formed team and on his terms. He wouldn’t need a super team or a team loaded with all-stars, and he would have a Larry O’Brien winning head coach in Doc Rivers along with another max contract slot for assurance.  To me that sounds like an unbelievable opportunity to elevate himself among all-time greats.

Now, all bets are off. The achilles injury could and might possibly alter the free-agent pool before it even gets going. When he returns healthy he will be 31 and coming off a major injury that is difficult to come back from. Are players likely to join him and wait a year or will the top free-agents change plans for their own future endeavors?

The play that now makes the most sense would be for KD to sign in New York. Sign with the championship deprived Knicks who will take you in with open arms and where you will have the highest selling jersey in a year that you don’t even play in. We all know how he has “ties” to Manhattan and owns an apartment somewhere in TriBeca. We all know that he LOVES social media and would do anything for the snake nickname to be erased. And we all know that he wants to be the main guy. New York is his best bet at doing just that.

Durant is already in the conversation with LeBron for the best NBA player in the world today, but his injury will force him out of that debate…for now. The only way for him to actually attempt to leapfrog the King would be to take another franchise to the Finals, just as James is attempting to do in LA.

If the former Texas Longhorn can take the Knicks to the Finals, and win for that matter, then he will quiet every hater who once continuously called him out and force everybody to forget that he even signed with a 73-win franchise in 2016.

KD has the opportunity to free himself from Steph’s shadow and become his own superhero with New York, and by doing so he can denounce his status as the league’s biggest villain altogether.

The Knicks have both the cap space and the environment to lure multiple stars. The question now becomes–will it be enough?

Is LA the new Bay?

Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors on dethroning the injury-ridden Warriors en route to Canada’s first NBA championship, all while halting the first 3-peat bid since the Lakers in the early 2000’s.

Sorry Leafs fans – but that has to sting!

Kawhi Leonard‘s play throughout the postseason quickly silenced the haters and made everyone that called him”soft” look like a complete fool (@Michelle Beadle and @Skip Bayless). The 2019 Finals MVP came through in the clutch time and time again, but it was the veteran Raptor, Kyle Lowry, that dominated the early portion of Game 6. Lowry scored the Six’s first 11 points of the game and came out firing on all cylinders, setting the tone for the entire team and for the game itself.

Who knows what would have happened if it weren’t for the Kevin Durant achilles injury or the Klay Thompson ACL injury, but Toronto definitely pushed the pace all series and developed a game plan to limit Stephen Curry just enough to come away with the Larry O’Brien.

Injuries are apart of the game (ask the Warriors in 2015 and 2018), that’s just the way it is. That is simply sports in a nut shell. Can you stay healthy long enough, and if not, are the severity of the injuries minimal?

For the Bay, they could not stay off the mend, and the Raptors could. The toll of reaching five straight NBA Finals’ has finally caught up to the Warriors and quite possibly ended the dynasty altogether.

Or has it?

Well, after Anthony Davis hijacked Toronto’s championship parade over the weekend via his trade to the LA Lakers, the state of California might now have a southern shift in dominance across the Western Conference.

The Brow expressed his trade request in the midst of the 2018-19 season that virtually and publicly tore the Lakers franchise apart. Without even being traded he divided LeBron James and the entire Lakers locker room and derailed the purple and gold’s campaign for good.

Fast forward to this past Saturday and the divide in the Lakers organization is no more. Davis was dealt from the Pelicans to LA for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the 2019 1st round pick (4th overall), and three additional first-rounders. This blockbuster trade sent shock waves across the league and will potentially impact where other free agent all-stars sign this July.

The Lakers have room for one more max contract (if AD chooses to not pickup his $4.1 million trade bonus) and the addition of Davis will easily help lure one of the bigger free agent stars this summer.

As for Golden State’s dynasty, the KD injury doesn’t effect them much as he was most likely on his way out the door anyways. However, it impacts how other big markets such as the Knicks, Nets and Clippers perform in free agency.

The Nets are reportedly the front runners to sign Kyrie Irving, although I think that is completely wrong. He went to Boston with younger players and minimal stars and proved that he couldn’t win on his own, so now he wants to try and do the same in Brooklyn? Yeah, good one.

Irving, I believe, is either signing with the Knicks or he is going to team up again with LeBron in Southern Cal. The KD injury has a huge impact on this move as he and Irving were reportedly going to team up at MSG, but now we might not ever know.

Leonard on the other hand will have a MASSIVE decision to make as well. Does he stay in the North Country and dominate the East another year? Does he wait to see where other stars sign and make a move from there? Does he simply want to play at home in California, and if so, does he want to be the main star with the Clips or the sidekick of Batman on the Lakers?

If his family could choose, they would pick the Lakers (Insta photoshop job from his sister), but if the Claw is choosing for himself, then I really have no idea.

If the Lakers fail to land either star, then Kemba Walker becomes a real option. He would fill the void at PG throughout the season, giving James a major break other than load management. Like Irving, Kemba is a sensational playmaker and can work well with LeBron and AD. The pick and roll will be virtually unstoppable and this “Big 3” can dominate any lineup with or without depth.

Whoever LA gets, and they will be getting one of them, they are the clear cut favorites heading into 2019-20. With Klay sidelined until next February (after he re-signs with the Dubs) and KD out for next year, the Warriors dynasty appears to be on its death bed.

I’m not saying that The Bay won’t be in the playoffs next year or even the Western Finals for that matter, because I’m not. They still have the original “Big 3” with Green and Curry that won over 70 games, but with Klay missing significant time and the KD era coming to a close, the door has been kicked wide open in a deep conference that has a number of stars.

The Thunder have proven time and time again that they cannot win with Russell Westbrook and there appears to be major turmoil in Houston with Chris Paul and James Harden. Portland to me seems like a one-year-wonder and the Nuggets just don’t have that “IT” factor to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Rob Pelinka finally pulled the trigger on the AD trade and the torch has officially been passed to LeBron and the Lakers even without the assurance of a third star.

I don’t know how long this mini dynasty in LA will last, but LeBron is still the best player in the world today heading into year 17 and the addition of a top-5 NBA star to his roster has all but locked up a Finals bid in 2020.

 

 

 

 

2019 Lakeville Ryder Cup Preview

The 2nd Annual Lakeville Ryder Cup takes flight this weekend in northern Minnesota as the biggest rivalry in the state is renewed yet again.

Lakeville, MN is nestled just 23 miles south of the Twin Cities and consists of two high-schools – North and South. The city split into two high-schools in 2006 after the population began to rapidly increase, with County Road 50 becoming the decisive marker as to who would end up at what school.

Now why is this so important that I am blogging about a random highway in the middle of a rural city in Minnesota? Well, the group of friends that I grew up with was divided by this road and it altered our lives altogether. Half of us ended up on the North end, while the other half ended up on the South side.

After 13 years of heated rivalries consisting of hockey, golf, basketball, football, tenny-ball, softball and pretty much any type of physical activity that you can imagine, we gather together for one weekend during the summer to renew the rivalry yet again!

Although we don’t all live in the same city anymore, one might argue that this is quite possibly a bigger tilt than some of our high-school sports battles in the early 2010’s.

IT’S THE MN RYDER CUP! IT’S FOR BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR! NOBODY WANTS TO LOSE – NOBODY”

This Memorial Day weekend the boys will be heading up to Biwabik, MN to play the Wilderness at Fortunes Bay as well as the Quarry at Giants Ridge. It’s a two day event consisting of High-Low on Saturday evening, followed by eight singles head-to-head matchups Sunday morning and a 2-man best ball Sunday afternoon.

So let’s go ahead and meet the rosters!

Team Lakeville North

1- Joel Oxton – 6ft 1, 162lbs

North’s number 1 is coming of a torn achilles  suffered during a pick-up basketball game at LifeTime Fitness dating back to late February.  What many thought was going to be a 2019 Ryder-ending tear, actually turned out to be a small hiccup into something much larger. Joel fired a 75 in his walking boot last month and has been skipping lunch to work on his game during the work days. This kid bleeds red and black and has a short game like Jordan Spieth. Look for North’s horse to take control up in the Iron Range and help propel this team to the top.

Shoots – right

PGA Comparable – Jordan Spieth

Drink of choice – Bud Light

2 – Trey Heid – 6ft 1/2, 188lbs

Heid is making his first career start at the Ryder Cup, missing 2018 due to major reconstructive shoulder surgery on his throwing arm (right). He graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls two years ago, but he has been committed to making his team better on the green. Trey ranks number 1 on North in average putts per round (25), but is hindered on the tee box. He has been compared by some to a young Rickie Fowler on the putting surface, but a Billy Horschel off the tee.

“My shoulder keeps popping out. I hope my parents have their receipts for this awful surgery!” Well, let’s hope so too, Trey.

Shoots – right

PGA Comparable – Rickie Fowler

Drink of choice – Vodka

3 – Matt Ostdiek –  5ft 9, 199lbs

Osty just recently moved back home to Lakeville after a stint in Austin, TX. He treats this event like a Game 7 in the NHL and he lives, breathes, eats, sleeps and thinks about the Lakeville Ryder all day long. If you show me somebody more committed then I’ll either show you Joe Freemark from South or a liar. Matt has been known to skull a few drives, as well as point his toes towards the cup when he putts, but he is a valuable asset in the fairways (if he can hit them). His range finder will be dialed, there is no doubt about that, but if drinking comes into play then he is going to have to weather an absurd storm from the South chirping gallery. The former Texas resident has put in his time this offseason and he feels that his game is coming along nicely, just like that of the up-and-coming Kang Sung-hoon.

Shoots – left

PGA Comparable – Kang Sung-hoon

Drink of choice – Water

4 – Evan Peterson – 6ft, 183lbs

Petie is also making his inaugural debut up north after being a “healthy scratch” in the minutes leading up to 2018. His game peaked last September before moving to NYC, breaking 80 twice and only cursing 20 times per round, 76 less times than his 2017 average. Peterson’s game is literally unknown and he is the second biggest wild card on this roster. He has played 9 holes in the past 7 months due to living in a city that makes the sport virtually impossible. There is no doubt that he will be chirping with the best of them, but if one thing is going to stop this talent from performing it will be his flat stick along with a lack of depth perception from 150+ yards out (Joel, he’s going to neeeeed you). He has been preparing his game mentally by watching tutorial videos on how to chip around the green on YouTube, but his game is anywhere but where it needs to be…yet. Tommy “Petie” Fleetwood will have his work cut out for him, but will he live up to the test?

Shoots – left

PGA Comparable – Tommy Fleetwood

Drink of choice – Twisted Tea

5 – Chuck Lindgren – 6ft 2, 178lbs

Lindy could be the most improved player on Team North. He entered last years Ryder with brand new irons and without any rounds under his belt, and it showed. It took a miraculous back 9 for him to complete the biggest comeback in Ryder history, dethroning South’s Ben Freemark after coming back from down 6 with 7 to play to outright winning the match. Insanity! The Laval Rocket netminder has already peaked in May 2019 and jumped from the 8 seed to the likely 5/6 on his squad. He is legitimately buck wild off the tee, spraying drives everywhere, however his irons/hybrid game is sneaky good. If this kid can make some putts and not have the yips at Giants Ridge, then you  expect him to take care of business on the weekend.

Shoots – right

PGA Comparable – Matt Kuchar (cheap)

Drink of choice – vodak-water with a lime

6 – Charlie Hayes – 5ft 9, 175lbs

The Purple Ninja is easily North’s most utilized weapon. Although he sits in the 6 slot, he is one of the longest players off the box. No chance this kid has his hat forward all weekend, which could effect the eyes a bit if the sun is out. Hayes will not only drink his opposition under the table but he will beat them in the process. He has been putting in work this spring to make sure he is at his best heading into the long weekend, and his consistency is what will drive the depth of North. Don’t let this skid get into your kitchen because there is no way he is leaving without your lunch money.

Shoots – right

PGA Comparable – John Daly

Drink of choice – Michelob – Golden Light

7 – Ryan Lindgren – 6ft, 201lbs

Ryan is a returning veteran at the Ryder Cup, but his performance from last year makes his status for this weekend unknown. The former U of M Golden Gopher has been known to attend college frat parties rather than work on his game. “My game is where it needs to be on and OFF the course.” Rumor has it that he has been throwing darts from 130 yards and in and might not be a true 7, however, that is just white noise coming from the peanut gallery of South. Lindy Jr will be ready to rock off the course and I sure hope he is as good as they say on it.

Shoots – left

PGA Comparable – Jason Dufner

Drink of choice – Hennessy

8 – Nate Arentz – 5ft 11, 185lbs

Rounding out North’s roster is the Pewaukee, Wisconsin born lefty, little Arentzy. Nate left his job in New Mexico with the hopes of returning to prominent golf form in 2019. He purchased a brand new set of Srixon irons and has also played a mere 9 holes this spring. When healthy, this depth player can BOMB the golf ball, but only 1 in 10 are accurate enough to play without taking a drop. He has a tough time reading the slope of the green but will laugh at just about anything anybody says! He is the ultimate team player for North and will do anything for the boys. Arentzy is “just happy to be here,” and will look to help this roster in any way he can to achieve glory.

Shoots – left

PGA Comparable – Y.E. Yang

Drink of choice – Twisted Tea-Strawberry

Injured Reserve – Brady Skjei and Blake Winiecki

Team Lakeville South 

1 – Mack Farley – 6ft 1, 170lbs

South’s ringer is good, long off the tee.

2 – AJ Michaelson – 6ft, 192lbs

Talented in all aspects of golf, could fold under pressure.

3 – Joe Freemark – 5ft 9, 173lbs

Not a true 3 according to him, but will make you putt out everything under the sun.

4 – Andrew Commers – 5ft 10, 180lbs

Making his Ryder debut. No tape on this player at all. Could be good, but could also be really bad. Back pocket always has a hockey puck in it.

5 – Jake Ocken – 6ft 2, 199lbs

Game peaked in 2018. He has struggled so far this spring, but has high upside if  his game is on. Known for throwing wedges into the fescue or tall grass.

6 – Matt Heller – 5ft 11, 172lbs

Also got fitted for brand new clubs this spring. He sprays his driver more than anybody in this tournament and plays any ball he can get his hands on.

7 – Alex Harvey – 5ft 10, 180lbs

Hurricane Harvey needs to limit the amount of club tosses this weekend if he is going to help Team South out on the weekend.

8 – Ben Freemark – 5ft 8, 160lbs

Biggest collapse in Ryder Cup history in 2018. Looking for revenge in 2019.

Injured Reserve – Justin Kloos, Jake Bischoff

The Matchups 

Day 1 High-Low

-Trey Heid/Matt Ostdiek vs Mack Farley/Andrew Commers

-Ben Freemark/Joe Freemark vs. Chuck Lindgren/Ryan Lindgren

-Evan Peterson/Joel Oxton vs Jake Ocken/AJ Michaelson

-Charlie Hayes/Nate Arentz vs Matt Heller/Alex Harvey

Day 2 Singles (*TBD*)

1 – Joel Oxton vs 1 – Mack Farley

2 – Trey Heid vs 2 – AJ Michaelson

3 – Matt Ostdiek vs 3 – Joe Freemark

4 – Evan Peterson vs 4 – Andrew Commers

5 – Chuck Lindgren vs 5 – Jake Ocken

6 – Charlie Hayes vs 6 – Matt Heller

7 – Ryan Lindgren vs 7 – Alex Harvey

8 – Nate Arentz vs 8 – Ben Freemark

Day 2 Best Ball (*TBD*)

Captains will select who they want paired up in the final event.

 

Team North and South will be without a few key players this time around as Brady, Blake (North), Jake and Justin (South) are all playing pro hockey instead of competing up north.

The field is set for both team’s and so are the majority of the matchups. This weekend will come down to pure grit and determination, and if North wants to steal the trophy away from South they will have to put together a full three rounds from start to finish!

Although we won’t be getting the highly anticipated singles rematch between Ben Freemark and Chuck Lindgren, the people will be getting a brothers High-Low duel on Day 1 that could be just as, if not better then last years epic battle.

South may be the defending champs, but North is seeking redemption in 2019.

Tee it up boys and let the best team win!

Cheers!

 

 

 

Has the use of replay hurt major sporting events?

Less than two weeks removed from one of the most controversial calls in the history of both the Kentucky Derby and major championship sports in general, an NHL playoff game between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks last night saw one of the most disgusting finishes in recent memory.

Timo Meier got tripped up in the offensive zone on the attack, fell to his knees and batted the puck out of mid air (a clear as day hand pass) to Gustav Nyquist. The former Detroit Red Wing one-touched it over to Erik Karlsson for the game winning goal at the side of the net in OT, and the entire place went chaotic. All four referees seemed to have missed the blatant hand pass, which led to the unfortunate ending to Game 3.

Since the call on the ice was a goal, the game is over as the play is non-reviewable. The Blues were robbed of the possibility to take a series lead of their own, while the Sharks left with a pivotal win on the road.

Now let’s flip the switch to Lexington, Kentucky, where quite possibly the most interesting decision was made due to a jockey challenge. What seemed like a dominating win for Maximum Security at the Derby, turned into an absolute debacle in the matter of 22 minutes.

Upon further review, the judges came to the conclusion that Maximum Security drifted outside of his own lane (which is super vague by the way) and caused a flurry of jockeys to ease up on their horses to prevent a catastrophic accident. They decided to essentially DQ the winning horse and name the runner-up, Country House, the 2019 Kentucky Derby champion.

As a basic fan who knows the bare minimum of horse racing, I would argue that the call was total bulls**t. Sure, he drifted a touch to his right after his horse got spooked from the crowd noise, but is that really how we want to decide one of the greatest sporting events in history? A 22 minute replay  delay in which the majority of the country was thinking… “just what in the hell are we even looking at?”

I get it, you want to get it right on the biggest stage in one of the biggest purse events in the world, but 22 bloody minutes? If it is legitimately going to take that long to make a call, and if the obstruction by the jockey was so minimal that it needed to take that long, then by all means please stick with the horse who crossed the finish line first.

Let’s get back to the NHL Playoffs. I understand that the call is non-reviewable, however, if something like this occurs in a playoff game that leads to an OT goal, then it must be reviewed. Yes, people in 2019 are so damn impatient that they hate if replay takes more than a minute, but in this instance it would have taken less than 10 seconds. The review would have saved the league the embarrassment that was brought forth this morning, and could have altered the outcome of the game for the better.

Replay in general is so judgmental and the rules that allow for it be be utilized play a major role in these heated debates. Last night was the fourth time in this calendar season alone that three different sports have been impacted by, with, or against replay.

What’s up New Orleans? Still salty? I would imagine very much so. Who Dat Nation’s non-PI call in the NFC Championship game back in January has already led to a change in rules for the upcoming season, which I can only imagine will bring added controversy and more angry fans. This was the first replay related argument of 2019 and history proved that it was not going to be the last.

San Jose fans will likely hate what I am going to say next, but it’s the truth. I don’t know what is going on, but it appears to be December 25 in every big game for the Sharks this postseason. The amount of gifts that have been handed to this franchise in the past four weeks is pure insanity. The 5-minute major power play in the third period of Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round, the offside call against the Colorado Avalanche on a game-tying goal in Game 7 of the second round, and now the Joe Montana shovel pass last night. Replay saved the fins’ bacon in round 2, but the rules also helped them escape some major calls while coming out on the positive end.

The NFL, NHL and Professional Horse Racing have been enormously impacted by the use of replay or the non-use of replay both for and against the sport. Some for the better, some for the worst, and simply some for a greater argument to be had.

Replay has been argued to slow every sport down, especially the MLB, which is already long enough as is. Was he out at first base? Did the ball actually leave the park? Was the batter nicked by a lace on the baseball? The list goes on and on, but one thing still remains – the majority of fans tend to hate the amount of replays used in regular season games.

The NFL has far fewer games than any other sport, which is why replay is extremely beneficial in football. The rules however, cause the greatest amount of pain for the fans when it comes down to the final 2 minutes of a half. Then challenges are determined by the refs, but only for specific rules like a first down, catch or touchdown. Not for pass interference calls that can change a game in a second.

I am still undecided on this entire topic of replay and challenges, but I do no that this debate will go on for as long as technology continues to advance. The slow-mo feature, the six angles, the hawk eye view, whatever…it has literally taken the refs out of the game in key moments and allowed for robots to decide an organizations fate.

Once again, I am not saying that I do not like replay, because I actually love it from the seat of the common fan, rather I am stating that the rules in which a referee can go about the use of viewing multiple camera angles outside of the game clock are so challenging in itself.

The Derby used a jockey challenge in order to review the race, while the NHL was restricted from challenging due to a tactical rule of a hand pass and a penalty that was determined on the ice by the entire crew because they could not take an extra look at what happened.

So is replay ruining major sports? Well, that will continue to be debated for many years to come. We could broaden the use of replay by allowing the refs to take an extra look on game-altering plays or penalties in the final minutes of games, but that would likely lead to more grey area arguments.

Replay hasn’t ruined sports at all, but the way it has or hasn’t been utilized has caused a flurry of pain across all sports at some of the most inopportune times.

Will the real number 1 seeds please stand up?

The first round of the 2019 NHL Playoffs has come and gone and it most certainly did not disappoint. The league witnessed a flurry of drama, heartbreak, questionable calls and a number of upsets that saw household names hitting the golf courses much earlier than expected.

For the first time in the expansion era the top seeds in each conference were eliminated in the first round. Tampa Bay and Calgary were ousted in just one week of play and their fan bases were left in utter disbelief. What made this feat even more bizarre is that they won a combined total of just one game between the two clubs.

The biggest storyline heading into the postseason had to be whether or not this was Tampa’s year. It was a record-breaking season for the Lightning who tied the 1996 Red Wings for most wins all-time (62), and their superstar forward Nikita Kucherov tallied the most points in this century with 128. Seriously, who was actually going to beat this team?

They scored three goals in the first period of Game 1 and it looked like it was going to be a foregone conclusion before the night ended that Tampa was winning the series in 4. Just like we expected, Columbus came back and won in regulation 4-3, all while winning the next three games to sweep the series and ended the Lightning’s bid at the Stanley Cup.

Now, I can’t say that I’m shocked that the Blue Jackets won, BUT I most certainly can say that I am stunned they were swept. If it went 6 or 7 games and they fell, then it would have been more realistic, but 4 games? Incredible.

This series win by Columbus was by no means a fluke, although. If a team was going to pull this off it was the Jackets. Strictly because the franchise was all-in at the trade deadline for the exact reason of making a deep playoff run. They have an exceptional Cup-winning head coach in John Tortorella, along with a solid d-core to go along with three really deep offensive lines. Oh, and a Vezina-winning goalie shutting the door in Sergei Bobrovsky. Not only did Columbus show up every single night, but they developed the perfect game plan to get Tampa out of sorts and it worked all series long.

So for what seemed like the twentieth season in a row, the organization that won the President’s Trophy failed to hoist the Stanley Cup. Some say that a team can peak to early, but others have claimed that to be false. However you want to dissect this historic defeat, just know that Lord Stanley is extremely difficult to win.

Calgary, much like Tampa’s first period in Game 1, completely dominated their first tilt with Colorado, winning 4-0 behind a strong performance by Mike Smith between the pipes. They dropped a pair of OT games in Game 2 and 4, and were run out of the building by Nathan MacKinnon and the Av’s in Game 3. In Game 5 they were simply outplayed for the majority of the match and  couldn’t seem to find an answer for Colorado’s top line.

Heading into the series the biggest question mark for Calgary was goaltending, but if you watched any, if all of the entire first-round matchup, then that simply was not the case. Scoring was what eliminated the Flames, including Johnny Gaudreau recording just 1 assist in 5 games played.

Like the old saying goes – defense wins championships –however, if you can’t score then you can’t win. Now both Tampa and Calgary get to watch the rest of the playoffs from the comfort of their own homes.

The other 1 seeds from both the West (Nashville) and East (Washington) were also eliminated by the Wild-Card team’s, making it the first time that all four of the top seeds were ousted since the new playoff format of division seeds began in 2013.

Carolina ended Washington’s hopes of a repeat in a thrilling Game 7, double overtime victory in DC, while the Stars wrestled the Preds to the ground in six games.

It’s disappointing that we don’t get the Caps-Pens, Alex OvechkinSidney Crosby reunion this year, but what I am most hurt about is that the NHL was a goal away from getting Barry Trotz versus his old Capitals in the second round. Now that would have been something!

Nevertheless, the show must go on, and with that we get a new group of franchises competing for a championship.

What frustrates me the most is how people are acting like like the 2019 NHL Playoffs have been the biggest upset-filled year of all-time. Sure, that might be true based on the seeding aspect of the playoffs, but in today’s game along with the structure of how the NHL seeds the postseason, it really is anybody’s trophy.

The amount of parity across the entire league in 2019 is actually incredible. In the Central Division the Predators claimed the top seed by just one point with 100 points overall, while the Jets and Blues tied for second with 99 points each. Washington won the Metropolitan by just one point (104) over the Islanders, and the Penguins finished just three points behind New York with 100. The two East Wild-Cards, Carolina and Columbus, finished with 99 and 98 points respectively and nearly claimed a top-3 seed of their own.

Yes, the Lightning finished light years ahead of every other organization, but the entirety of the remaining playoff teams are separated by just a few wins. So if you want to call some of the first round victories “upsets,” then by all means go for it. However,  in my eyes it just shows the overall strength of how the game of hockey has grown to the point where every team is on an even playing field.

Every team can compete with one another on a nightly basis, and in a seven game series anything can happen. The league is far too skilled nowadays and their truly isn’t a clear-cut 1 seed that you can honestly pick as a shoe-in to claim the title.

For that reason alone, the NHL has to be the hardest trophy to win among the four major sports.

 

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Preview and Prediction

The 2019 NHL Playoffs are finally here in what could be considered the greatest sports week of the year.

March Madness concluded in an epic finish Monday night in Minneapolis that crowned Virginia National Champions in an overtime thriller over Texas Tech. Tuesday marked the beginning of the quarterfinals in the Champions League overseas, while the NBA wraps up their regular season Wednesday night with many playoff spots still up for grabs in the East. Obviously the NHL playoffs take flight tomorrow evening with five games on the slate, and the greatest golf tournament of the season is back Thursday morning down in Augusta, Georgia.

Show me a better week in professional sports and I will show you a liar!

Whether Tiger pulls through on Sunday at The Masters or not, we all have the Stanley Cup Playoffs to look forward to for the next two months and the first-round match-ups couldn’t be more exciting.

Calgary vs Colorado 

Calgary’s offseason acquisitions of Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm helped propel this team to the top seed in the West, while Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan had their best seasons as pros in 2019. The Flames are deep offensively and had the second best goals-per-game average 5-on-5 (3.52) in the league. They have the talent to make a deep run, but their goaltending is the biggest question mark in the Pacific region. Calgary has yet to name a starter ahead of Game 1, which could play mind games for both Mike Smith and David Rittich by not knowing who will own the cage.

Colorado claimed a wild-card spot a season ago, but this time they are back to prove they belong. They have a top-5 player in the league in Nathan MacKinnon and have a top-line that can compete with any team. I give the slight edge to Colorado in the goaltending department just because Philipp Grubauer has been named the starter, while Colorado has a more efficient power play which is critical in the postseason.

The Flames own the slight edge over the Av’s in penalty kill percentage and goals-against average per game, but I just think they even strength play will be too much for Colorado in this one.

Flames in 5 

San Jose vs Vegas

The Sharks limped to the finish line, losing eight of nine games to end the month of March and crawled to the second seed. They will likely have Erik Karlsson back at some point in round one which is a positive, but I just don’t know if Martin Jones can steal a few games like he did in 2016. They have the leagues sixth best PP (23.6%), but rank 15th on the PK (80.8%). The one area that hurts them, much like Calgary, is in net. The Sharks gave up the 11th most goals in 2019, which is why many will not be taking them to make a deep run.

Vegas started the year slow, picked up steam around the All-Star Break, and then cooled off in the final four weeks of the season. They were nowhere near their miraculous 2018 run that fell short of the Cup, but they are back in the playoffs and have virtually the same roster. Marc-Andre Fleury tends to turn it on in April, but if their PP doesn’t show up then this could be a quick series down south.

The Knights and the Sharks have identical experiences in the playoffs, but I just feel that Vegas has the better overall roster from top to bottom. The Golden Knights magic lives on for another round in 2019.

Golden Knights in 7

Nashville vs Dallas 

Nashville struggled after the All-Star Break but found a way to steal the top seed in the Central away from the Jets. Trade deadline acquisitions of Wayne Simmonds and Mikael Granlund add depth, skill and grit to an already physical roster while the 2018 Vezina Trophy netminder will look to bounce back from his brutal second round series a season ago. The Preds have the worst PP in the league (12.9%), but make up for their lack of scoring on the PK, as they rank inside the top-6 (82.1%). A healthy back-end will cause problems for Dallas and could be the difference if this series goes deep.

The Stars had one hell of a second half in 2019, especially after their own president called out stars Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn in November for a poor start. Dallas has the leagues 11th best PP to go along with the fifth best PK, and Ben Bishop leads the NHL in save-percentage at .934% and ranks second in GAA (1.98). The one downfall to this team is that even though they prevent goals from going in their own net, they do not generate any offense outside of their top line.

This entire series smells like an upset and has all of the intangibles to provide the fans with one, but I just think that home-ice advantage is critical in the playoffs and Nashville will sneak out a hard nosed series in the end.

Predators in 6 

Winnipeg vs St. Louis

This is hands down my favorite matchup of the first round. Many love the Leafs-Bruins series, but this pairing will absolutely be one for the ages.

Winnipeg was a heavy preseason favorite by many, including myself, and own one of the top PP’s in the league that is running at 24.8%. If the Blues take a lot of penalties against the Jets they will pay the price. The addition of Kevin Hayes at the deadline gave Winnipeg a legitimate second line, while Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler took a major step forward after lighting up the 2018 playoffs. Connor Hellebuyck will need to elevate his play from an average regular season if the Jets will look to make another run, but the x-factor in this series will be Dustin Byfuglien and whether or not he can shut down the Blues top-line while also chipping in offensively.

Is there any hotter team entering the playoffs than the Blues? Seriously though. Is there? Maybe Tampa Bay or Boston, but the turnaround that this franchise had after sitting in last place in the NHL in mid-December is remarkable. They were 1 point shy of taking the top seed in the Central in large part to Petey’s Sports Zone’s Athlete of the Month, Jordan Binnington.

Binnington stole the net from Jake Allen and in the process positioned this roster into the playoffs. As a starter he has a 24-5-1 record and he ranks 4th in SV% (.927) and 1st in GAA (1.89). Pure insanity.

If Winnipeg is going to have any chance of hoisting the Cup then they better match the physicality of the Blues. I somewhat see this like the Hamburglar story in Ottawa a few years back, which is why the Jets will out duel the Blues and take this series at home.

Jets in 7 

Now, let’s shift gears on over to the East.

Tampa Bay vs Columbus

The Bolts tied the 1996 Red Wings with the most wins in NHL history with 62, which is why I really don’t see them losing more than five games this postseason. I mean where do I even begin? Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov tallied 128 points, the most in a season since 196-97, while Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point both sit inside the top-12 in point scoring.

The Lightning have arguably the deepest blue line in the East, and have the soon-to-be 2019 Vezina Trophy winner as their last line of defense. Andrei Vasilevskiy leads the NHL in wins (39), ranks sixth in SV% (.925) and ninth in GAA (2.40). Not to mention, Tampa leads the league in scoring (3.89 G/GM), PP% (28.2%), and is tied for first in penalty kill percentage (85.0%).

The Jackets likely didn’t choose to keep the farm at the trade deadline with the hopes of meeting up with Tampa in round 1, but they could cause some problems against the NHL’s best.

Columbus is tied with Tampa for the best PK in the league, but they rank 28th in PP% (15.4%). They have depth both offensively and defensively, but not nearly as much as their opposition. Sergei Bobrovsky will have to turn a new leaf and erase his past playoff failures in this series before he departs for greener pastures this summer if Columbus is going to stand any chance. If they limit the amount of penalties they take, which won’t be easy trying to slow down Kuch and Stammer, then they could be competitive, but I just do not see it.

Tampa is out to prove everyone wrong this season and will wipe the floor with the Jackets in a clean sweep.

Tampa in 4

Boston vs Toronto

Much like St. Louis, the Bruins caught fire after the All-Star break and locked up the second seed with roughly a few weeks left in the season. Brad Marchand elevated his play in 2019 by notching his first ever 100 point campaign, while the addition of David Pastrnak coming off a hand injury is pivotal for a playoff push and for their power play.

The Brew Crew have the third best PP in the league (25.9%), but are vulnerable on the defensive side. The Bruins need to find a way to match the speed of the Leafs in this series as it has plagued them all year long against skilled, quick rosters.

Goalie decisions seem to be the story of the first round and the Bruins will be one of those teams trying to figure out who will get the nod. Tuuka Rask and Jaroslav Halak split time, but both have had their playoff failures throughout the years. If Boston comes out of this series alive it will be in large part due to their offense.

Toronto has been the most inconsistent team in the past three months and enter the playoffs with a three-game losing streak. Much like the Bruins, they have unbelievable talent up front but cannot defend to save their lives. They have one one of the best coaches in the league with Mike Babcock, but if they don’t win a playoff run this year it will be a complete failure.

Toronto will have to rely heavily on their “Big 3” (Tavares, Marner, Matthews) throughout this series and, once again, home ice will likely be the deciding factor at the end of the day. The Bruins are too hot and will out muscle Toronto for most of this series.

Bruins in 6

Washington vs Carolina

The Capitals earned the top seed in the Metropolitan for the second consecutive season and will attempt to keep the Stanley Cup in the nations capital.

Alex Ovechkin earned his eighth Rocket Richard title, tallying 51 goals on the year and the Birds are peaking at the right time. The Caps had a down year on the PP, running at just 20.8%, but have been one of the most efficient teams 5-on-5, tallying the fifth most goals-per-game (3.34). Braden Holtby had a similar regular season as he did in 2018, but has proven that he thrives in the postseason. If the Saskatchewan native plays like he did a year ago, then Tampa might not have the type of walk that everyone is expecting them to have.

Carolina ended a 10-year playoff drought by claiming the first wild-card slot in the East, but it wasn’t before they became known as “a bunch of jerks” for their absurd post game celebrations. Justin Williams announced that they will no longer be doing the mini dances and fun games after wins at home in the playoffs, which is completely fine by me!

Carolina is one of the league’s most puck possessive teams and lead the league in shots per game (34.4). They own the eighth best PK in the NHL (81.6%), but have not been able to score with the man advantage on the PP. Much like Calgary, the ‘Canes new offseason additions have helped leap frog this team back into the playoffs, while the signing of Petr Mrazek has been instrumental to their goaltending situation down the stretch.

The Hurricanes have been a great feel-good story in 2019, but the Capitals will put an end to their short parade as they seek another championship banner.

Capitals in 5

New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh

No John Tavares, no problem. New York’s 2018 summer makeover went from what looked like a rebuild to a second seed in the postseason. Management brought in the 2018 Stanley Cup coach Barry Trotz, along with hockey genius Lou Lamoriello to be the GM and they have had tremendous success without their former franchise captain.

The Isles have the league’s best statistical tandem in net with Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, and the Island leads the league in goals-against per game (2.33). They are well balanced offensively, but they pride their play on the defensive side of the puck. The one thing that will hurt this team from beating the Penguins is their lack of scoring both 5-on-5 and with the man advantage. They rank towards the basement in scoring and rely too heavily on the defensive aspect of the game.

Pittsburgh on the other hand prides their game on offense. They have the fifth best PP in the NHL (24.6%) and rank sixth in goals per game (3.30). The Pens also have elite goal-scoring forwards that compliment one of the world’s best players in Sidney Crosby, who reached the 100 point plateau in the final game of the season.

Pittsburgh’s defense is what could kill them in 2019 as well as the inconsistent play of Matt Murray. At times he has played unbelievable, but other times he has not. The Pens need a huge series out of the two-time Cup winner if they want to avoid being eliminated in April.

The x-factor in this series for both teams will be goaltending. Who will step up and steal a few games and who will let the moment be too big? I’ll take the experience in net and the fire power up front over the defensive juggernaut in this one.

Penguins in 6

Every single one of these series has the potential to go seven, but experience and depth is what will eventually prevail. Special teams play and goaltending is what wins championships, which is why team’s that are new to the playoff picture will not be playing in late May.

My preseason prediction and trade deadline prediction was Boston over Winnipeg, but I am taking a quick audible in the Eastern Conference. The Tampa Bay Lighting check every single box in my postseason check list and are on a whole different level.  The Bolts will get over the hump and win their first title since 2004.

Stanley Cup: Lighting over Jets in 6

Conn Smythe: Steven Stamkos

2019 March Madness: Cutting Down the Nets

MARCH MADNESS IS BACK, BABY!

The most highly anticipated sporting event is less than 24 hours away and filling out a bracket could quite possibly be the hardest thing that you had to do today!

It is the one time of the year at the office where it is actually okay to scream with joy or to yell in anger between the hours of 11AM and 6PM. Work will still get done, but not nearly in the timely fashion as your boss would like (even though he hasn’t left his office and the door has been closed all afternoon). Bragging rights at the office are at stake, while bookies across the country are licking their chops for that one degenerate to bet the house on Virginia…again!

Nevertheless, the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament is here and it isn’t slowing down! From buzzer beaters to Cinderellas to mid-major upsets…March most certainly will not disappoint. Who will be this year’s Loyola-Chicago and take the world by storm and who will be cutting the nets down in April?

The 1 Seeds

Duke is the biggest pre-tournament favorite to win the dance since the Kentucky Wildcats in 2015, but are they worth picking in your bracket?

The simple answer is probably, but the strategic answer is maybe not. If you’re in a huge office pool then you would have to assume that over fifty-percent of your co-workers are picking the Blue Devils (which is fine).  So not only does Duke have to win, but your Final Four and Elite Eight must hit as well. The tie-breaker comes down to the rounds leading up to the championship game, so you better select your runner-up and elite eight teams wisely, while also picking a few upsets in the first two rounds

Duke is easily the most talented team in the tournament and Zion Williamson is without a doubt the best college player in the past decade. RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish are potential top-5 picks in the 2019 NBA Draft this summer and they are led by Coach K. The Devils lack depth, but when you have three of the top five pre-season recruits, along with the best college coach of all-time, does it even matter?

North Carolina had a tremendous second half of the year and defeated Duke handily twice. Although Zion was out for both games, UNC looked dominate at both ends of the floor. They even could have beaten Duke in the ACC semi-finals, losing in the final minute.

This UNC roster is deep and they are led by star guard Coby White, sharp shooter Cameron Johnson and senior Luke Maye. Maye has been here before and has lost on a buzzer-beater in the finals while claiming a ring of his own in 2016-17.

The Heels had a disappointing loss a season ago and could easily be a Final Four squad in a few weeks. Their path is tough and they will have to go through a Kansas team in the sweet 16 in Kansas City, a Kentucky team peaking at the right time possibly in the Elite Eight, and then who knows after they attempt to come out of the hardest regional in 2019.

Virginia has been the best regular season team for what seems like the past six years! The Hooves snagged a 1-seed (again), but have yet to reach a final four in 35 years. So what makes 2019 special for them? Well, as you know from my intro…not much. Do not pick UVA to cut the nets down as history shows they will not!

Finally, the Zags! Gonzaga has consistently been a top team in the nation for a decade, but have just one runner-up banner to show for it (more than UVA!). They protect the rim well and have a elite talents in Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura. They defeated Duke early in the season in Hawaii (however, don’t read too much into neutral site games in the middle of the ocean) and will be getting slept on because they play out West.

This is a legit Final Four team and they could have one of the weirdest second round tilts against Syracuse and the zone if the Orange can get past Baylor. The path is not easy, but whose really is in March?

Other notable seeds with a chance

Just solely looking at the bracket and the seeding, I would have to say that Michigan has somewhat of a favorable route as the 2 seed in the west. I am not big on Texas Tech, however, I do think Nevada in round two can stir the pot and give the Wolverines a scare. My dark horse in the region is Buffalo. At times they have looked like a legit contender, but getting slapped with the play-in game winner is never fun.

Nevada, like Michigan, is a team I really like. I think the winner of that game could play for a chance to make the Final Four and they had a deep run in 2018. The Martin brothers are explosive enough to shake up the bracket and the Wolfpack will take down the Florida Gators in round one–setting up a great matchup in round two with the 2018 runner-up.

I am completely sold on the Ja Morant hype, but not enough to pick the historic 12-5 upset that occurs every year over Marquette. The Golden Eagles struggled down the stretch, but they are still one of the best 15 teams in the country. Markus Howard is one of the best college players and will be a nightmare matchup for Murray State. Sorry, but the Racers are not this year’s George Mason!

Aside from other top-5 seeds, Villanova getting a 6-seed is wild. The defending National Champions are nowhere near 2018 form, but they still won the Big East and have one of the top coaches in the game in Jay Wright. The WIldcats have had recent success in March, as well as April, which is why they could be right back in the Elite Eight or further in two weeks time. Don’t be scared by seedings…its 2019, upsets are going to happen. However this time, I wouldn’t really call the Wildcats title-defending bid an upset.

Sticking with the Wildcat theme, Kentucky and John Calipari will obviously be in the mix. Coach Cal has been widely criticized for underachieving in March, claiming just one ring and finishing second just once. He guided the 2014 ‘Cats to an undefeated mark before losing in the Final Four to Wisconsin and failed to take advantage of Virginia and Tennessee losing in the first two rounds last year by losing to Kansas State in the Sweet 16.

Call it what you want, but winning a title every year or going to the Final Four every year is near impossible in this day and age. Hell, Coach K hasn’t even done any of that and Duke has just two titles in the past 9 years. If anything, Cal might have a better resume all while taking an 8-seed to the National title game in 2014.

Seton Hall is my Midwest dark horse and if they get past a stingy Wofford team (not sold on them), then Myles Powell awaits. The Pirates defeated the Wildcats already and could possibly make it two times in one season if they meet up again in the round of 32.

Last, but most certainly not least, Kansas. Being a 4 seed is warranted, but Bill Self has done a pretty outstanding job keeping this team afloat amidst injuries and player issues. The Jayhawks have struggled on the road this year and failed to claim a share of the Big 12 for the first time since 2003, but if they can advance to the sweet 16, then it will be a homecoming in Kansas City as the Tar Heels will head into a hostile environment that could turn into a nightmare.

Villanova,  Michigan, Seton Hall, Nevada, Kentucky and Kansas could make a deep run, but if you take the Tennessee Volunteers then I simply cannot help you!

Biggest Upset

Every article that I have read or every co-worker that I have talked to thinks that Oregon is going to upset the Wisconsin Badgers in round one. Well, they are wrong first of all. Second of all, Wisconsin is a tough match-up and have tournament success in their past. Third, the Ducks might be hot right now and they might be one of the most efficient teams on defense, but Ethan Happ is going to silence these doubters quickly.

The upset of the first round is going to be New Mexico State over Auburn. The Tigers live and die by the three-pointer, which can be horrific if a cold night hits. Just refer to last year in the second round when Clemson throttled them.

Auburn is coming off an absolute high from winning the SEC Tournament which is why they will be sleeping on the Aggies!

Runner-up: Old Dominion over Purdue (14-3 matchup).

Cinderella

Air Jean failed to reach the tournament in 2019 and we will miss her dearly. However, the door is now wide open for a new candidate this time around.

My first instinct tells me that last year was basically a fluke and a flurry of upsets along with the Old Testament helped guide the Ramblers to the Final Four. But I refuse to believe that in full!

A Cinderella, in my eyes, qualifies as a double digit seed from a small school that advances beyond the Sweet 16. This weekend we will have a new slipper looking for a foot, but just who will it be?

My heart wants it to be the Colgate Raiders so badly, but it is hard to picture a 15 seed going deep! I’ll be painting my face and bleeding maroon on Friday afternoon, praying for the upset, but my alma mater will need to play out of their minds if they are going to burn brackets.

The real Cinderella is going to be Belmont. Being one of the final teams to get into the dance and also winning a play-in game will only boost their confidence. The Bruins lost to Murray State in the Atlantic Sun Championship game and they will be hungry to prove the doubters wrong. They play a Maryland team that has failed to make a run in a long time and I smell an upset in the round of 64!

Picks

I previously advised you to stay away from Duke if you don’t think you can nail the other seven final eight teams and I’m sticking to that. My favorite team has been Duke since the JJ Redick days, and Zion has shown the country just how valuable he really is, so yes, I am confident in this roster, and for the tenth straight March I am picking Coach K.

Chapter IV of the Blue Devils and Tar Heels will determine who owns the 2019 college basketball season and it will be the highest rated National Championship game in history.

Final 4: Duke, Gonzaga, Villanova, North Carolina

Did Kyler Murray choose the right career path?

Being able to play professionally at the highest level in any sport is something that not all athletes can do. The everyday grind of a being a pro athlete takes a certain amount of tolerance both mentally and physically, while the attempt of separating yourself away from the rest of the field can be exhausting.

Oklahoma Sooner standout Kyler Murray not only took the entire college football world by storm this past fall on the gridiron, but he altered the entire direction of his future in the span of just four months.

The former backup quarterback to Baker Mayfield in 2017 took over the reins in August and never looked back. In 14 games as the starter he threw for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He became just the second player to record at least 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season, joining Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (2015). His ability to extend plays with his legs makes him one of the trickiest players to defend, but it is his pin-point accuracy that picks opposing defenses apart. He finished with a 199.2 pass efficiency rating, better than Baker Mayfield’s NCAA-record of 198.9 last year and the Sooners made the playoff for the second straight year while Murray claimed the Heisman Trophy for his on-field performances.

The crazy thing surrounding the quarterback prospect actually has nothing to do with football, or so many thought. Murray was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s and signed a $4.6 million signing bonus last June. Knowing that he was a star two-sport athlete at Oklahoma, the Athletics let him continue his football career for the Sooners this past season.

What the Bay Area and many people outside of Norman, Oklahoma didn’t know was how this decision was going to play out. I mean seriously, who the hell saw this coming? A player drafted in the first round in the MLB was going to be the best college football player as well? Give me a break!

Not only did Oakland do their biggest prospect a favor, but they shot their own franchise in the foot without even knowing it. Murray declared for the NFL Draft and took part in the 2019 NFL Combine this past week. He is officially set on taking snaps under center this fall, but the question that increasingly looms on the horizon is: did he make the right decision?

By choosing to play football over baseball Murray is passing up a lot of money in both the short-term and long-term. He has to forfeit his $4.6 million baseball signing bonus and his rookie contract in the NFL will be a lot smaller than that of a top-tier baseball prospect.

Although there is far more guaranteed money in baseball (please see Bryce Harper Phillies contract), as well as no salary cap per say, one thing that Murray does have on his side is his position. Not only has the NFL made the QB position one of the safest by implementing new rules to protect them, but the game has changed so much in the past decade that organizations will do everything in their power to secure a high-caliber starter.

Sure, the presumption is that baseball is safer and you can have a longer career, but the reality is that quarterbacks are having longer shelf lives than ever before. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are both playing at elite levels well into their 40’s, and owners are throwing money at the position like crazy.

Would you rather be an outfielder for a small market franchise in the MLB or would you rather be the starting quarterback for an NFL team right out of college?

For Murray, he chose the NFL and it was a no-brainer. Did he really want to ride the bus in Topeka, Kansas playing A or AAA baseball for a year or did he want to become the star in America’s most popular sport?

The NFL Draft is over a month away and there is already more buzz surrounding this year’s Heisman Trophy winner than ever before. Arizona has the number one pick, but after drafting Josh Rosen a season ago, along with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury as head coach this offseason, it is still a huge question mark as to where Murray will end up. Rumors of him going first-overall are high, but he will be a shoe-in top-10 pick at worst.

Wherever the Texas native lands next month, just know that he chose the correct career path. Murray is an absolute gamer and will cash in on numerous endorsement deals to compensate for his losses in baseball.

Passion and happiness outweighs money and regret every time. I’m all in on Kyler Murray!