The Ditch part deux

it's things like this that make me proud to be a part of a living democracy.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZi4JxbTwPo&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

But the fantasy geeks know they're hot (at least) and that's a huge step up from hearing fans talk about the why the 91 N. Stars made it to the finals.

I agree my point is I'm happy they at least have a basis for a bad opinion instead of just making crap up because of a soundbite (ask me about Bollig's wrist shot for example) or because of what they saw after drinking for 4 hours. I don't like hearing how Byfuglien is good because of his point total but I really hate hearing about how great he is because he hit Pronger really hard once.

I don't think that's a stat thing, I think that is a home-club-centric perspective. Like the EC bias in the hockey media. Vancouver did have holes but they did have the best offensive weapons too, so I would say I'm happy there was a statistical basis for a bad idea instead of just making crap up becuase they didn't know anything about the other team.

Very true, just like the player that can't articulate what players are doing and why and can't find the balance between talent and effort and intangibles. I find both equally disturbing.

Very true. I would also point to the non-stat geek arguments about why Prust was (as I've heard and read in dozens of examples) "the best pickup of the offseason". Even the EA playing 12 year old knows Prust isn't that Awsum but there are 3 clowns at TSN and 2 at the NHL network that can't get their head around that concept which is easily argued by referencing ice time.

And here's the next part, the same stat based argument bashing the Kessel trade was used to bash the Kovalchuk trade. It works there. The stat-tool (can we call them that, I will even though I'm defending them) will look 2 years later and see in simple numbers that the trade is better for the Bruins looking at the same limited stats in a limited context. Most people learn from mistakes after somewhere between 1 to 764 times making them. The baseless eye test that bashed or praised the Kessel trade won't be able to say why it worked out beyond "they won the cup" without pulling something huge out of their rear end. Kessel is still the best player in the deal (WE know it won't stay that way).

If your example could really just watch a game and appreciate play in all 3 zones they wouldn't be using stats as a reference, they would make the "meatball" comments I was talking about. They would see him skate fast and make one really good shot and they would be "awsum" even though they sucked away from the puck. No stat-centric fan is going to make that mistake about Brandon Bollig but thousands of Blackhawks fans think that because of one comment from Edzo and another from Troy Murray. That's my point. STAT-CENTRIC (new term alert) consumption of sports isn't good for conversation, it's just less crappy given what we had before in my opinion. Saying Semin is good because of stats is foolish but at least it's something tangible to base it on as opposed to how that same fan would talk about him seeing him play in a game. One game he would be the worst player EVAR and the next he would be the BEST AWSUMIST EVAR.

I don't know where the "high priest" thing came from, I couldn't think how to describe the nutty fans in Bear costumes, Indian headdresses (I've done that before, but it was on the road a long time ago), face painting (guilty again, a while ago), body suits, and other props.

That concludes my ridiculously long post.

 

That moved something. Might have been the bowels though.

 

Did I mention Tallon sucks? He's gone from overrated in my book to bad.

3 years into a rebuild and they're going to finish dead last. Most of the major injuries had to be at least partially anticipated. The Weiss drama and throwing away a completely serviceable NHL depth dman is not an excuse to finish dead last in a terrible division. Bad money for 2 more years, extension issues lingering, losing a top 2 center for nothing (after 3 years), etc. Yeah, I can sing it on the mountain top but the apologists still have an argument because of injuries.

They won't be able to defend him or his plan in 2 more years. Of course I'll be the only person to care that I was right, but that's good enough to keep the voices quiet.

WOOF WOOF WOOF. Maybe I should change avatars.

 

whos Patrick Eaves?

 

Bob if you change avatars I will have the 'staff' remove you from this site

 

I'm flagging your post as offensive

 

Well Minnesota just made things interesting. Way to lay an egg at home to the lowly Oilers with a playoff spot on the line. If the Wings win tomorrow they're in 7th no matter what. Wild own the tiebreaker with the Wings so a win is imperative. Columbus still needs a lot of help. If I had it my way the Wild would fall apart completely and lose in regulation tomorrow, and Columbus and Detroit both win to take 7th and 8th.

 

hell yeah, now I can post more than just tennis crap - much better

 

Yep tennis sucks this is better cutter.

 

man, i would hate to be a wild fan right now. they did the same thing last year, but that was a couple hundred million dollars ago. in retrospect, i'd have liked to have watched the game last night, but i was only listening on the radio, so i don't know if the wild played a solid game and both goalies **** the bed, or if the stats were deceiving and the whole team sucked.

either way, the crowd was getting ugly, and it's real hard to blame them.

and as the oil's radio color guy said, in reference to the fact that backstrom had beaten them 17 straight at the X:

Nobody beats edmonton 18 straight times.

 

ps: MOAR ASS

 

man are those nice, eff tennis its all beach volleyball

 

do I see a +1 under that post. is there a plus minus on here? I gotta think 2 nice asses like that deserve more than a +1

 

Great job Cutter. A true eye for talent.

 

Bob the Hawks are obvious favorites to win the Cup, who do you think will give them the most trouble. Hawks are so solid top to bottom(including Carcillo) but every good/great team has their weaknesses. I say its on the backend if anything. kind of a slow moving group but hard to play against. Im nit picking though, whats your take. Give me your prediction and ultimate fate for your beloved Craphawks


.....kinda funny at the start of our half season I said a Flyers n Hawks final, atleast part of that equation has a good chance

 

4 things the Hawks have to do or else anybody can beat them (except Min and SJ in a series).

Crawford can't suck
They have to be willing to take a hit to complete a pass or move the puck out of the defensive or neutral zones
Stay healthy.
The pp can't suck or they will get run.

Any of those 4 go bad and the Hawks are very vulnerable. If they're solid or a little better than average in all 4 areas, look out. Same could be said for about 10 teams.

Their defense is very good and the big guys haven't logged minutes like they used to so they won't be as worn as most teams' defensive groups.

Forward depth is excellent outside of the center and defensive depth is very good. Overall, the team's skating ability is excellent compared to the conference and they can win along the boards and win loose pucks as well as anybody (if they feel like it). They can take 2 injuries to wings and still be an excellent team and they can lose a dman and be nearly as dangerous. Not sure Emery can handle more work this year so I would say Toews and Crawford would be the 2 targets for other teams to knock out.

I don't bet playoffs, too random and a garbage can on skates can turn into a beast for a series or a goalie can shrink the net (Quick, Smith, etc.).

I think this Hawks' team is much better in the neutral zone and they're own end than the 2010 team but not as good below the goal line and between the circles to the net.

As soon as I think I know something about where a team plays well or plays poorly they seem to throw me for a loop.

 

I thought the Hawks and Kings were the teams in the West to beat (but I admittedly kept that kind of quiet) before the year started and I thought the Caps were going to be scary going into the season (but I eventually picked them to miss the playoffs over a month ago). I thought the Flyers would be the 1 seed in the East and I think I had Boston at 2. Boston and Pit were my top 2 EC teams and LA and Chi were my top WC teams. PHI and STL or Van were my picks for the 1 seed in each conference, but I didn't expect PHI or STL to win more than one playoff round. Was and Vancouver would be my 3rd choices in each conference.

Right now, I don't know what to make of anything in the East. I though Shero would improve the blueline but hasn't. NYR is better than their record indicates, Washington is a wildcard, Ott is sneaky-dangerous, and Boston will be a nasty team if they score first in the postseason since they're so well equipped to take advantage of overaggressive play. I wouldn't touch the East with anybody else's money.

In the West, we'll have to wait until today is over.

The first round is always tough because teams don't have to rely on their depth as much because the fatigue isn't there as badly. Teams like NYR and SJ and Det are more dangerous than they look on paper in my opinion.

 

we have a tradition of good scouting here in detroit

 

Well played sir.agree with much of what you said bob and i cant believe i forgot to memtion the pp. thats definitely something they need to get better at. Im still baffled at jow poor the were this year with all that firepower. Not every team can have a ian white manning the point on the pp