NHL 08 Review

Every now and then a game comes along that redefines the way we look at what a video game, and in this case a sports game, can be. NHL 08 on the XBox 360 is one of those games. As this game got closer and closer to release the positive hype continued to build. I generally pay no attention to previews since they are usually more or less written by the publishers themselves, but these were "hands-on" accounts and they were all glowing. That, along with my pressing need to have a good hockey game to play, convinced me to bite the bullet and upgrade to an XBox 360 in time to grab NHL 08 the day it hit store shelves. Was it worth the investment?

Brian Rolston about to be humiliated

From the moment I first "took to the ice" in NHL 08 I knew that I was in for something special. EA Canada's new skating engine is easily the best and most realistic representation of hockey skating ever produced. The skating in this game feels 100% real and natural and that makes it a joy to just cruise around the practice rink, let alone lace up the virtual skates to play an actual game. The game also looks gorgeous. The player models look great, but more importantly the animation set for the players (especially the goalies) really brings the game to life. Having real looking players doesn't get you very far if they move like robots. Thankfully that is not the case here. The enhanced controls mapped to the right analog stick also help to give players unprecedented puck control during play. The control scheme in NHL 08 will take a little getting used to for anyone who didn't play 07, but once you get the hang of it the game feels completely natural.

Eric Staal contemplating how bad he can make Ray Emery look

Where NHL 08 really shines though is in the AI department. A lot of the hype around the game went into the adaptive AI system and how it learns and adapts to your playing habits. This has seemed a bit superficial to me so far, but I've never been one to run the same play over and over so I may just be beating the system without trying. Aside from that though, the AI in this game is what takes it to another level from any game of hockey that has come before it. Put simply, the CPU controlled players just play great hockey. Player positioning and decision making is awesome and it really helps the game play like a real game of hockey. This also helps produce the first truly challenging sports game I have played in ages. This isn't a hockey game that tries to provide a challenge by pitting you against superhuman goalies (like in some incarnations of the NHL2k series), you are going up against teams that just play smart and take advantage of your mistakes. Leave an opposing forward alone in the slot and you're going to pay. Get caught pinching on D and prepare to get burned by a streaking winger. I can't stress this enough, for the first time ever you feel like you are participating in a real game of hockey. Frankly, some of the teams in NHL 08 play smarter than their real life counterparts.

As I'm sure you've caught on by now, I'm pretty much in love with this game. Hockey fans no longer have to hearken back to the glory days of the Sega Genesis to recall NHL video games at their peak. EA has gone back to the drawing board and produced the best hockey video game and one of the best sports video games ever made. Yes... EVER. If you are a hockey fan you have to buy this game. If you are a fan of sports games in general you have to buy this game. If you hate hockey and sports games but own a 360, you still owe it to yourself to give this game a try. I can sum up my thoughts on NHL 08 quite easily in two words: best ever.

It's Fantasy Hockey Time!

We've got a Yahoo Fantasy Hockey league all set up and there are a few spots left for whoever wants them. It's roto-style with an autodraft (by request). If you are interested please join up and we can get this show on the road!

To join:

• League ID#: 27685
• Password: keepurheadup

Come one, come all! Once we hit the team limit (10 teams) we'll draft and be on our way. Good luck to all!

***UPDATE***
League is full and ready to roll. Good luck to everyone involved!

The NFL's Not-So-Secret Shame

On Sunday, September 9, 2007, Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett suffered a "catastrophic" cervical spine (neck) injury when he ducked his head while driving in to tackle the Denver Broncos' Domenik Hixon. The original prognosis was very grim: It was said that paralysis was probable, with some doctors wondering aloud whether or not Everett would even survive the injury. But by Friday, September 14, Everett was showing "stunning" improvements following surgery on his C-3 and C-4 vertebrae. He is able to feel touch on his arms and his legs, and he was able to move his fingers.

Despite the improvements, it is highly unlikely Everett will escape without lasting neurological effects, and it is almost a given that he will never return to the gridiron. He will likely end up needing some kind of advanced medical treatment for the rest of his life. Considering he is a mere 25 years old, that kind of care will be extremely costly. If he is left unable to work and unable to earn money, who will pay for that care? If you think that the NFL's pension plan will cover these expenses and provide Everett with money to pay for food, clothing, and housing, THINK AGAIN...

There are several accounts of ex-NFL players sidelined by injuries who are now living in poverty, having gone through their earnings paying for medical care. For an example, let's discuss 35-year-old Brian Demarco. He was in the NFL for 5 years, playing for both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals. Over his short career, he suffered the following injuries:

His back is fractured in 17 places, his elbows were both shattered, and he has significant nerve damage. Often times his hands do not work and he loses all feeling from them. Due to the severe back injuries, Brian can barely walk. He also suffered a minimum of 12 concussions and now suffers from headaches and tremors. All of Brian’s injuries are a direct result of his NFL career. Over the years he has exhausted all of his savings on medical care. NFL players lose their health insurance just a few years after football and can not obtain health insurance for their pre-existing football injuries.

Demarco is married with two small children. He and his wife have gone without food so their children can eat, and the family has been homeless 3 times in the past two years. The family is in such dire straits because Demarco cannot work and, due to his injuries, he is virtually crippled and requires round-the-clock care. This next fact may shock you, as it did me:

The families dire situation is due to the fact that Brian does not currently receive any disability support from the NFLPA. He has been trying to get disability from the NFLPA for four years. He has phoned the NFLPA over 100 times in the last several months.

This man literally gave his body to the money-making machine that is the NFL, yet they can't (more likely won't) support him and his family now that he is no longer able to suit up and sell tickets and merchandise to fans. It is not an NFL pension that has been helping the Demarco family, as one might assume. NFL pensions don't kick in until the former player is 55 years old, which, incidentally, is around the time the average former pro-football player dies.

There is an organization called Gridiron Greats. From the website: "Mike Ditka, Willie Davis, Harry Carson, Gale Sayers, Joe DeLamielleure, Tom Nowatzke and others form The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance and coordination of social services to retired NFL players in dire need." The Gridiron Greats foundation has been supporting Demarco and his family as well as a number of other ex-NFLers like him who also need financial help. Gridiron Greats gets this money from donations at the same time the chief of the NFLPA, Gene Upshaw, enjoys a whopping $6.7 million salary while claiming that there is no money left to help former players like Demarco and Everett.

These men wage a weekly war on a field for our entertainment. When they are no longer able to take part in battle, they are cast aside and forgotten. Without the bodily sacrifices of these men, the NFL would not exist. Whether disabled for life by injuries or mentally diminished from repeated concussions, one thing is certain: these men and their families deserve more than the NFL is giving them. The NFL has taken a step in the right direction with the "88" plan, but there are many more players like Brian Demarco that don't qualify for the "88" plan because they don't suffer from dementia. These men need an "88" plan too.

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SOURCES:
Gridiron Greats
SI.com
MiamiHerald.com
Fox News
Sotoroff, Paul. "The Forgotten Casualties of the NFL" The Week Sept. 14, 2007: 40-41.

RBK EDGE Jerseys - The Winners and Losers

Now that all of the new NHL RBK EDGE jerseys have been released (compliments of a leaked code for NHL 08 by EA) I thought it would be a good time to look at the biggest winners and losers of the new jersey era. Let's look at the winners first, since that is a shorter list:

Winners:

The Phoenix Coyotes:
Probably the only thing to be excited about if you are a Coyotes fan, the 'Yotes had nice jerseys coming in and manage to escape RBK's wrath with a simplified version. These jerseys have a nice, classic feel to them. If only the team looked half as good.


The Chicago Blackhawks:
The Original Six all got by with minor changes if any to their uniforms. The Blackhawks are here just because they have better jerseys than the other five. Too bad the product on the ice hasn't been as attractive lately.


The Minnesota Wild:
The Wild pretty much left their away jersey alone and took on their third jersey to be their new permanent home jersey. This is a good move since the maroon jersey is one of the best in the business hands down.


The Montreal Canadiens:
Like the Blackhawks, Montreal bought into the "don't mess with a classic" theory. I'm not a big Habs guy, but these jerseys are still timeless.


The Ottawa Senators:
Sure pink sequined jerseys would be more fitting for this team, but I have to admit their new jerseys are pretty sharp. They'll look even better skating off the ice after the Pens knock them out of the playoffs this year.

Losers:

The Colorado Avalanche:
For my money the Avalanche were the biggest losers in the switch to new jerseys of any team. They had an awesome, unique, original jersey coming in and now have arguably the worst looking jerseys in the league. The stripes on the sleeves are a joke. To make matters worse, at the unveiling they put the new jersey right next to the old one so you could see just how big of a disaster it is.


The Columbus Blue Jackets:
I'll be honest, these jerseys could have been a lot worse, but that new logo they've taken on just rubs me the wrong way. Why even call yourself the Blue Jackets with that logo?

The Edmonton Oilers:
The Oilers had very solid jerseys before, and now will look like about half the NHL with these cookie cutter EDGE monstrosities. The sleeves and vertical piping are a mess.

The Florida Panthers:
see Edmonton Oilers


The Nashville Predators:
Predators fans this season (all six of them) can look forward to a team that will look almost as bad as it will play. Nashville's offseason game plan:
- Gut roster
- Ruin jerseys
- Raise ticket prices
Gotta love that new NHL!


The New York Islanders:
The other team with a legitimate claim to worst jerseys in the league, these new ones are a mess. And they look even worse in action. Good times ahead on the Island.

All in all I'm not too happy with the new jerseys, but I'm sure they'll grow on me. There are only a handful of teams that should really be excited about the EDGE jerseys, and those are mostly teams that made no changes. Minnesota and Ottawa are really the only teams to make actual improvements to their look. Oh, and the real good news... these new jerseys are more expensive too! The NHL... it's FANtastic!

Why Football > Football

As the American masses prepare for the renewal of NFL football, I thought this would be a good time to look at why real football (soccer for the sake of this discussion) is better than American football.

• Soccer players play 90 minutes in well under two hours, it takes twice that long for football players to get in 60 minutes. Maybe if football players didn't need a 40 second break after each 6 second play...
• Soccer doesn't start each play with one player putting his hands on another player's ass.
• You actually need to be somewhat athletic to play soccer. Try to imagine this guy running up and down the pitch for 90 minutes.
• Helmets? Soccer players don't need no stinking helmets! Well, generally speaking...
• Michael Vick, Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and the Cincinnati Bengals do NOT play soccer.
• Soccer players are committed enough to play more than once a week.
• You can watch a soccer game without having to sit through 9,000 Peyton Manning commercials.
• This!

Don't get me wrong here, football is okay. It just isn't as great as the American media machine wants us all to think it is. I couldn't even begin to guess that last time I sat through an entire football game (with the exception of the Texas/USC Rose Bowl) in recent years. As far as I am concerned the NFL is just a really elaborate way of generating fantasy football stats every week. And let's be honest here, fantasy football and Madden are the two best things the NFL has going for it. So while American sports media outlets bombard us with season previews and predictions this week, let's all take a second to remember that for most of the world real football season started a few weeks ago.

Top 5 Injuries in Penguins History

The title pretty much says it all. So here we go with the list that will make any Pens fan squirm:

1) Mario Lemieux's back (1989 - forever) - Mario went through more physical challenges than any athlete should have to over the course of his career, but it was almost always his bad back that stepped in to sideline his march to greatness. Thanks to Mario's wonky back hockey fans are left with a laundry list of questions instead of a resume of records. How many of Gretzky's records could Mario have broken? How long could Mario's point streak during the '89-'90 season have lasted before his back took him out of a Valentine's Day game against the Rangers, ending the second longest points streak in NHL history at 46 games? How many more Cups could he have led the Pens to? How many 200 point seasons could he have had? We'll never know. All we can do is wonder what could have been if the greatest offensive talent the NHL has ever seen had not been cut down in his prime by a bad back.

2) Ron Francis' broken left foot (1996 Playoffs) - Blocking a shot that in the grand scheme of things was meaningless sabotaged the Penguins last real shot at claiming a third Stanley Cup. After battling by the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, the Penguins obliterated the New York Rangers in the second round. Unfortunately, in the second period of the series clinching game 5 against the Rangers, Ron Francis broke his left foot and had to miss the Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. The loss of Francis cost the Penguins the center of their top line and arguably the best line ever assembled. Francis, Jagr, and Lemieux combined for 158 goals and 429 points during the regular season as the trio claimed 3 of the top 4 spots on the NHL's scoring list that season, but without Francis for the Panthers series the Penguins lineup was in disarray. The seven game series against Florida was so close that there is no logical argument to be made that the Pens don't get past Florida with Francis, setting up what could have been one of the best Stanley Cup Finals ever. Seeing the high powered Pens take on the Sakic/Forsberg/Roy led Colorado Avalanche would have been hockey heaven. Unfortunately the NHL's fans were left with a lackluster 4 game Avalanche sweep. All thanks to one broken foot.

3) Kevin Stevens' broken face (1993 Playoffs) - Game 7 against the New York Islanders in 1993 is painful for Penguins fans for a lot of reasons. The Islanders put an abrupt and premature end to the Pens dynasty that night in the Igloo. It's hard to argue that the most painful part of that game was watching Kevin Stevens splatter his face all over the ice after a big hit on Rich Pilon. The hit was and still is hard to watch and Stevens was never the same afterwards. He managed to put up a strong year during the '93-'94 season, but he was traded during the offseason and never came close to regaining the level of play his showed before the injury. The injury essentially transformed Kevin Stevens from the best power forward in hockey to a guy smoking crack with hookers in a cheap motel. The downward spiral that was Kevin Stevens' life for quite a few years all started with that hit on Pilon in Game 7.

4) Rick Tocchet's broken jaw ('91-'92 season) - Finally a positive addition to the list. Shortly after being acquired by the Penguins, Rick Tocchet got his face in the way of a Mario Lemieux slapshot during the first period of a game in Chicago and broke his jaw. It wasn't pretty, but Rick Tocchet was never about pretty. In a move that you would never see in today's NHL, Tocchet returned to the game and scored a pair of goals, including the game winner, against a promising Blackhawks goalie named Dominik Hasek. Tocchet later downplayed the achievement by saying ,"We were .500 at the time, you want to play and you want to try to win. It's amazing when you have adrenaline. The next day I was obviously in pain, but during the game you just don't think about it." Long before Tocchet was scoring clutch Game 7 goals against the Islanders and getting busted for gambling, he was showing Penguins fans what it really meant to be a hockey player.

5) Sidney Crosby's broken left foot ('06-'07 season) - During a March 16th home game against Montreal Sidney Crosby, in true Penguins fashion, broke a bone in his left foot blocking a shot. The break was not serious to keep Crosby out of the Penguin lineup as they were pushing for the playoffs and a possible division title so Sid the Kid played on. In fact, the injury was not even made public until after the Pens had been eliminated from the playoffs about six weeks later. While playing on a broken foot, all Crosby managed to do was lead the Penguins to the playoffs for the first time in years and become the youngest scoring champion in NHL history (he was in fact the youngest scoring champion ever for any major North American sports league). Crosby didn't let his injury slow him down in the playoffs either as he was probably the Penguins best player in their series against Ottawa not named Marc-Andre Fleury. After the Pens were ousted by the Senators the Crosby disclosed his broken foot and effectively shut up all the people trying to call him soft. It's hard to criticize a guy when he has a broken foot and is still the best player in the NHL.

Honorable Mentions:

• Mario Lemieux's broken hand (1992 Playoffs) - This is why no Pens fan will ever forgive or forget Adam Graves. But Ronnie and Jaromir put the team on their backs while Mario was out and the Pens still won the Cup. So in hindsight the broken hand wasn't that big of a deal.
• Mario Lemieux's Hodgkin's disease ('92-'93 season) - Not really an injury, but Mario's battle with cancer derailed his assault on the single-season scoring record and essentially ruined the '93-'94 season for the big guy. Still, it raised awareness about Hodgkin's and led to the formation of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, so there is a bright side to the story.
• Tom Barrasso' chicken pox ('92-'93 season) - Once again, not really an injury, but it cost Tommy 10 games that year. Considering how good the Penguins were that year, it's not out of the question to think that Tommy starts 9 of those games and wins at least 7 of them, making him the first and only 50 game winner in NHL history.
• Evgeni Malkin's dislocated shoulder ('06-'07 season) - This one has to be on here somewhere. Not only did this injury delay the inevitable Malkin-mania, but it was also surely a factor in the Pens ridding themselves of the services of one John LeClair, and for that alone this injury was totally worth it!
  

LFC Refuses Toulouse

Liverpool have advanced to the group stage of the Champions League on the strength of today's 4-0 thrashing of French side Toulouse at Anfield. The win put Liverpool into the group stage thanks to the 5-0 aggregate score over the two legs. The Reds dominated on their home pitch today and got goals from Peter Crouch and Sami Hyypia to go along with a late brace from Dirk Kuyt. Little-used Yossi Benayoun also had a strong match for the Reds.

The lasting memory of this match will not be the score on the field, but the touching tribute Liverpool gave to Rhys Jones, the 11 year-old Everton fan who was murdered last week on his way home from practice. The Everton anthem (and Rhys Jones favorite) Z-Cars was played as the Reds took the pitch and the Liverpool players all wore black armbands in respect for the boy and his family, who were in attendance. It was an extremely touching gesture that was not lost on the Jones family and will not soon be forgotten by all on Merseyside as the search for Rhys' killer continues. Once again, there is class and then there is class. Rest in peace Rhys Jones, you'll never walk alone.

2007 NHL Salary Cap Challenge

Anyone out there who spends any time on the web knows that us sports bloggers all think we would make great GMs and generally believe that we could do a better job running our favorite teams than the people who actually get paid to do so. Now while this may be true for Islanders and Knicks fans, I decided it was time for some of us to put our imaginary money where our mouths are. Thus, the TOFTT NHL Salary Cap Challenge was born! I have assembled some of the hockey blogosphere's best and brightest (and the guys from thepensblog) to assemble the best team possible given the following rules:

• We will be assembling a team of 20 players, 4 centers, 4 right wings, 4 left wings, 6 defensemen, and 2 goalies.
• The salary cap for this exercise was $45 million. This is lower than the actual NHL salary cap for two reasons; 1) because we only have 20 players on our rosters, and 2) to add a little more challenge to the proceedings. NOTE: Due to a clerical error on my part some people were operating with a $42 million dollar cap, that is why a couple people have a lot of cap room left. At least they'd have room to pull a big mid-season trade right?
  
• For the player salaries, we used the 07/08 player salaries (not their actual cap hit) from here.
• To keep things simple, we used the same source for player positions. Some of their listings were a little inaccurate but like I said, I wanted to keep things simple.

So under those constraints, here is what us self-proclaimed hockey knowledgeable people came up with (player salaries are in parenthesis):

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The Tyrone Snoops
GM: snoopyjode

Tomas Holmstrom (2.25) - Sidney Crosby (0.85) - Ryan Getzlaf (0.623)
Martin Erat (1.75) - Joe Thornton (6.67) - Michel Ouellet (1.2)
Brad Isbister (0.525) - Evgeni Malkin (0.984) - Mike Knuble (2.8)
Alex Ovechkin (0.984) - Jordan Staal (0.85) - Maxim Afinogenov (3.5)
Ryan Whitey (2.5) - Sergei Gonchar (5.5)
Mark Eaton (1.6) - Chris Phillips (3.5)
Joe Corvo (2.5) - Joe DiPenta (0.7)
Ryan Miller (2.5)
Marc-Andre Fleury (1.6)

Total Cap Space Spent = $43.386
Cap Space Remaining = $1.614

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On the Cheap
GM: "Dear Lord Stanley" a.k.a. Joe

Alex Ovechkin (0.984) - Sidney Crosby (0.85) - Dany Heatley (5.5)
Daniel Sedin (3.575) - Paul Stastny (0.685) - Maxim Afinogenov (3.5)
Andrew Brunette (1.6) - Sami Pahlsson (1.4) - Jason Pominville (0.925)
Alexander Semin (1.2) - Ryan Getzlaf (0.623) - Patrick Kane (0.875)
Dan Boyle (3.625) - Lubomir Visnovsky (2.052)
Dion Phaneuf (0.942) - John-Michael Liles (1.4)
Matt Carle (0.942) - Brian Campbell (1.75)
Roberto Luongo (6.5)
Peter Budaj (0.7)

Total Cap Space Spent = $39.628
Cap Space Remaining = $5.372

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The Love Rockets
GM: Jes Golbez

Marian Gaborik (6.5) - Sidney Crosby (0.85) - Pavol Demitra (4.5)
Cory Stillman (1.75) - Evgeni Malkin (0.984) - Justin Williams (3.5)
Jere Lehtinen (3.9) - Jordan Staal (0.85) - Corey Perry (0.494)
Jay Pandolfo (0.836) - Sami Pahlsson (1.4) - Branko Radivojevic (0.68)
Kevin Bieksa (0.55) - Francois Beauchemin (1.65)
Dion Phaneuf (0.942) - Lubomir Visnovsky (2.052)
Jaroslav Modry (1.2) - Mike Commodore (1.3)
Roberto Luongo (6.75)
Chris Mason (1.25)

Total Cap Space Spent = $41.938
Cap Space Remaining = $3.062

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The Jobbers
GM: The Pensblog staff

Alex Ovechkin (0.984) - Evgeni Malkin (0.984) - Jonathan Cheechoo (2.5)
Alexander Semin (1.2) - Sidney Crosby (0.85) - Bobby Ryan (0.85)
Martin Havlat (6.0) - Vincent Lacavalier (7.167) - Guillaume Latendresse (0.85)
Rick Nash (5.5) - Marc Savard (5.0) - Petr Sykora (2.5)
Dion Phaneuf (0.942) - Matt Carle (0.942)
Brent Seabrook (0.942) - Kris Letang (0.56)
Jay Bouwmeester (2.25) - Mark Eaton (1.6)
Marc-Andre Fleury (1.6)
Pascal Leclaire (1.4)

Total Cap Space Spent = $44.621
Cap Space Remaining = $0.379

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Mike's Affordable Young Men
GM: Mike Chen

Alex Ovechkin (0.984) - Sidney Crosby (0.85) - Jonathan Cheechoo (2.5)
Alexander Semin (1.2) - Eric Staal (4.5) - Milan Michalek (0.942)
Rick Nash (5.5) - Evgeni Malkin (0.984) - Corey Perry (0.494)
Henrik Zetterberg (2.7) - Paul Stastny (0.685) - Maxim Afinogenov (3.5)
Dan Boyle (3.625) - Jay Bouwmeester (2.25)
Matt Carle (1.367) - John-Michael Liles (1.4)
Chris Pronger (6.25) - Dion Phaneuf (0.942)
Ryan Miller (2.5)
Marc-Andre Fleury (1.6)

Total Cap Space Spent = $44.773
Cap Space Remaining = $0.227

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The Loser's Losers
GM: Loser Chris

Martin Havlat (6.0) - Sidney Crosby (0.85) - Ales Hemsky (3.6)
Alex Ovechkin (0.984) - Evgeni Malkin (0.984) - Alexander Radulov (0.689)
Henrik Zetterberg (2.7) - Eric Staal (4.5) - Jonathan Cheechoo (2.5)
Kristian Huselius (1.4) - Jordan Staal (0.85) - Colby Armstrong (1.2)
Dion Phaneuf (0.942) - Jay Bouwmeester (2.25)
Ryan Whitney (2.5) - Brian Campbell (1.75)
Marc-Andre Bergeron (1.045) - John-Michale Liles (1.4)
Mikka Kiprusoff (3.6)
Marc-Andre Fleury (1.6)

Total Cap Space Spent = $41.344
Cap Space Remaining = $3.656

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Analysis

• Most purchased player: No surprise here, Sidney Crosby was on everyone's team. It's a no-brainer when you have the best player in the league still in his rookie contract. Malkin, Ovechkin, and Phaneuf were right on Sid's heels.
• Most expensive purchase: Team Pensblog invested the most on a single player with Vincent Lecavalier and his accompanying $7.167 million price tag.
• Biggest shock: No Gary Roberts on Team Pensblog?!? What is the world coming to?
• Best bargain buy: It's hard to beat Corey Perry costing less than half a million.
• Guy I'd never heard of: Bobby Ryan? Are we sure that's a real guy?
  

The lesson learned here seems to be simple, load up on young talent (those rookie contracts are the best!) It will be real interesting to see how this exercise plays out in a couple of years when guys like Sid, Ovechkin, Malkin and Phaneuf get into their second contracts.

It was fun to put on the imaginary GM hat and play GM for a day. I just wish there was a way to really see these teams take each other on. That would be a hockey fan's dream come true. Hopefully everyone had as much fun doing this as I did. Now I have to go scout incoming rookies for next year's roster!

There is Class, and Then There is Class

A bit of Liverpool news to attend to, and I promise none of it has to do with Sunday's Chelsea match (I'm over it).

First, Luis Garcia has reached out to all involved with the LFC with a touching letter to the club and (more importantly?) the supporters. As a fan it is always the hope that cheering/singing/etc. will inspire your club/team to a better performance and ultimately victory, but it is still nice to have that effort graciously appreciated by a player who most Liverpool fans will always have a place in their hearts for. Luis will always be our little piece of football heaven.

In other emotional news, word is that the Liverpool brass are considering leaving 96 empty seats in the new Anfield in honor of the Hillsborough disaster. Before actually reading the article I had the same idea of having the seats be in the shape of a 96. I also thought maybe in the shape of YNWA or even JUSTICE would be nice. I also wouldn't mind having the empty seats smack in the center of the new Kop, but that's just me. It's just nice to see the club stay committed to the cause.

Now I just need the Peter Crouch to Man U rumors to go away and I'll be all set.

Keep Your Head Up Wayne!

Among the other things googling "gretzky hate" will get you:

Of Bright Sides, Silver Linings, and Glasses Half Full

Much has been made about the travesty that was Sunday's Liverpool- Chelsea match pretty much since the second Frank Lampard's spot kick hit the back of the net. And now the news comes out that referee Rob Styles and The Special One are BFFs and Styles is on Abramovich's payroll to boot. Well I'm not going to dwell on the negative here, there are many positives to be taken away from this (much like the two points that were taken away from the Reds on Sunday) and we should focus on them:

• Referee Rob Styles has apologized for his mistaken penalty call. See? Everything's all better now.
• The EPL has removed Styles from officiating this weekend and hopefully beyond. If they want to let him ref again that is fine, but Styles should never be near a Liverpool or Chelsea match ever again.
• Fernando Torres is on the board! El Niño scored a world class goal that should have won the game. Nevertheless is was a spectacular goal against a top side and another good indication that bringing him to Merseyside this summer was money well spent.
• The fact that this Liverpool squad can walk away from a draw with Chelsea knowing they were the better side could be just what they needed to carry them through the EPL this year. The Reds a legit contenders and the title race looks to be tight this year. As long as Liverpool don't miss out on the silverware (or heaven forbid Champions League qualification) by two points this game can still be seen as something of a positive. Now the boys just have to take care of the teams they are supposed to beat.

On a completely unrelated note, possibly the greatest thing since I started this blog happened yesterday. Some wonderful person out there got directed to this blog by googling "Gretzky hate". Things like that are why Al Gore invented the internet.

It's Red vs. Blue All Over Again!

Big match tomorrow when Liverpool take on Chelsea at Anfield. It's way too early in the season to consider this a must win game for the Reds, but picking up the three points here would go a long way towards showing they can make a serious push for the title this season. With Man U looking less than impressive out of the gates the winner of this game will rightfully be considered the early front-runner this season.

As for the Liverpool lineup... I'm no Rafa and I know it, so rarely will you see me throw out my Starting XI, but I'm going to take a stab at it here. I preface this by saying that although Rafa has made it clear that Steven Gerrard will be available for tomorrow's tilt I am hoping that he will start on the bench and that he will not have to play at all due to the Reds having the game firmly in hand. Anyhow, here's my XI:

Reina
Finnan Carragher Agger Riise
Pennant Alonso Mascherano Benayoun
Kuyt Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Hyypia
Gerrard
Babel
Voronin

Like I said already, I don't see the need to start Gerrard and I hope we won't need him off the bench. There's no doubt in my mind that Kuyt and El Niño will be starting up front and as much as I love Peter Crouch, I think Voronin has earned the spot on the bench ahead of him. If anything I would maybe have Crouch on the bench in place of Babel, but that would be a very limiting set up.

As for a prediction, I think Liverpool will win 2-0 thanks to goals from Riise and Kuyt. I would love to see Torres open his account against Chelsea, but my gut tells me it will be Dirk instead. That's not to say Fernando won't have an impact, just no goals to show for it. Then again, hopefully I'm wrong and Liverpool win by 10 and Fernando, Kuyt, and Pennant all have hat tricks.

Roids? Barry? You Must Be Crazy!

So I had every intention of completely steering clear of the whole Barry Bonds freakshow, and then I saw this on Yahoo this morning:

Those really are pictures of the same guy. No, I'm not joking.

Seriously, anyone who can look at that picture and not think Bonds is 'roided through and through is out of their mind. And honestly, it would not be that big of a deal if the guy wasn't such a despicable person. It's not like he's the only MLBer who juiced up. He's just the only one with the nerve to do it blatantly and then get pissed at the world when he got caught. You're a fine piece of work Barry, enjoy your asterisk!

The Burden of Being Barry Bonds

Let me start by saying that I haven't been a fan of baseball since the Pirates actually won more than 5 games a season. My favorite player was Bobby Bonilla, and I was as devastated as if he had left me personally when he went to the Mets in 1992. I wasn't the only one: during the first game he played in Pittsburgh as a member of the NY Mets, he was struck on the head with a golf ball (it hit his batting helmet) and booed mercilessly. But after the strike of '94, I never quite felt the same way about any of the MLB players, and I was never a fan of baseball again.

Barry Bonds was never a player that I felt strongly about one way or the other. I knew he was a talented guy, but when he went to the Giants, it was no big deal to me. But ever since then, Bonds has not been well liked in my state. As mentioned earlier, loyal Pittsburgh Pirate fans hated both Bonilla and Bonds for leaving. And in recent years, it appears that a good portion of the rest of the country has joined us in that feeling - at least regarding Barry Bonds.

Bonds, who at the time of this posting has just tied Hank Aaron's home run record, is a polarizing figure that evokes strong feelings in people well beyond just the MLB and its fans. The Barry Bonds story has become less about the records he breaks and more about the means by which he was able to break those records. It has been all but confirmed that Bonds has taken some kind of "performance enhancing drug" (PED) during his career. His fans and even some members of the media claim that Bonds has a unique ability to hit home runs because he knows "how to hit the ball" no matter what his strength. His detractors claim that Bonds only achieved this goal because of the PEDs.

Is he a cheater?

This got me wondering: would so-called PEDs actually help someone hit more home runs or does the ability to hit a home run come more from the physics of how the ball is hit? In order to answer this question, we need to look at three things.

What are performance enhancing drugs and how do they work?

What is the science of how a player hits a home run?

Would these PEDs actually "enhance" the player's ability to hit a home run?

What are performance enhancing drugs and how do they work?
Creatine is a supplement popular among athletes (even my husband uses it). Creatine occurs naturally in the muscles - it gets its name from the Greek word for flesh, kreas. It increases muscle mass by increasing the creatine levels in muscles and speeding up the metabolism of skeletal muscle. Taken in large quantities, however, it may cause kidney, liver, or heart problems.

Ephedra was formerly widely available as a dietary supplement and was touted to improve athletic performance. The FDA banned all sales of the supplement following reports that linked its use to 40 deaths and more than 800 side effects. In fact, ephedra is believed to have played a role in the heat stroke death of Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer during training camp in 2001. Studies have suggested that ephedra does not effect strength, endurance, reaction time, anaerobic capacity, or recovery time after prolonged exercise.


Some synthetic hormones can be used as PEDs. Human growth hormone does exactly what you expect it would do: it stimulates growth and cell regeneration. It, like creatine, is produced naturally in the body. It is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. Athletes use human growth hormone to increase muscle mass. Synthetic testosterone was at the center of the Tour de France / Floyd Landis scandal.

Steroid precursors are substances that are converted to anabolic steroids within the body. Androstenedione is a steroid precursor that you may know as "andro" due to the publicity it received when it was revealed that Mark McGwire was taking the supplement during his record breaking home run streak.

Anabolic steroids are the most widely known PEDs. They are hormones that are related to testosterone that are used to increase muscle mass and strength.

Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein hormone that promotes the production of red blood cells in the marrow. It is primarily used as a PED in endurance sports such as bicycling, marathon, and triathlon racing.

What is the science of how a player hits a home run?
For our discussion, we don't need to know all the details about each element, such as bat weight, ball speed and angle, etc. We only need to know about the human element of the event of hitting a home run as this is the element that can be changed by PEDs. In other words, would a stronger, faster hit alone make a difference and produce more home run hits? For the answer, I looked to David Coburn, writing for Popular Mechanics:

Boosting two factors — the mass of the bat and the speed of the swing — can raise batted ball speed (BBS), which adds distance to a hit. But swing speed can affect BBS more dramatically.

Research has shown that doubling the weight of a 20-ounce wood bat can raise a BBS of 68.5 mph to 80.4 mph — a 17.3 percent increase. But Daniel Russell, a professor at Kettering University in Michigan, found that doubling the swing speed of a 30-ounce bat can raise a BBS of 62 mph to 83.8 mph — a 35.1 percent increase.

In terms of turning a hit into a homer: Against a 94 mph fastball, every 1 mph increase in swing speed extends distance about 8 ft.

Would these PEDs actually "enhance" the player's ability to hit a home run?
Given that we have learned that PEDs increase muscle mass and strength, it's pretty safe to say that the answer to this question is a resounding yes. These substances aren't banned by almost all major sporting leagues for nothing! Based on the physics of a hit, if no other element of a hit is changed other than the speed of the swing of the bat, the ball will go farther. Therefore only logical conclusion that can be made is that PEDs can and do change the frequency of the occurrence of home run hits.

Now that Bonds has tied and will ultimately break Hank Aaron's record, it will be interesting to see how his "achievements" are looked at 20 years from now...

The people have spoken.

I'll Keep the Flower, You Take the Thorns

One of the unfortunate byproducts of the Penguins newfound hoard of young talent has been the debate among fans of which players are most vital to the team and which ones should be moved if they can't all stay due to the salary cap. Welcome to the new NHL. While ideally this topic would not have sprung up so quickly I won't deny my part in the conversation. I will also not deny my outrage at how many people think goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is the most expendable of the Pens' young studs. Nevermind that goalie is the most important position in the sport, Fleury had a breakout season at the tender age of 22 and at times carried the team to victory almost singlehandedly.

Your '06-'07 Penguins MVP?

In just his second full season in the NHL Fleury became only the second goalie in Penguins history to win 40 games in a season and backstopped the Pens to their first playoff appearance since 2000. He set personal bests in all statistical categories and did it all playing behind a suspect Penguins defensive unit. When I traveled to Dallas to watch the Penguins take on the Stars I walked away very disappointed in the Pens defensive play. I said right then that if the Penguins were going to make the playoffs it would be thanks to MAF. Well Fleury got the Pens to the postseason and was arguably their best player in the disappointing series loss to Ottawa. Yet this is the guy many Penguins fans see as expendable, despite excelling at one of the toughest positions in all of sport at such a rapid pace.

Most knowledgeable hockey people will tell you that it takes goalies longer to develop than skaters. Some of the NHL's best netminders have been traded multiple times by GMs that lacked the patience to let them come into their own at the NHL level. Current franchise goalies Roberto Luongo and Jean-Sebastien Giguere are both now with their third teams in their relatively short careers. Fans and media members are still in disbelief that Mike Keenan traded Luongo away in a move that likely played a large role in his dismissal from the Panthers. Let's compare the numbers for each of these goalies in their first three seasons:


The first thing that jumped out to me when comparing these numbers was how long it took Giguere to even secure a regular gig in the NHL. He really didn't have any success until landing in Anaheim. It wasn't like there were a lot of top-tier goalies ahead of him on the depth chart during his time in Hartford and Calgary either. Luongo put up good numbers in his third (second full) season, but only managed 16 wins. That was mostly due to the team playing in front of him, but I still would have expected at least 20 wins from a goalie of his ability. And then there is MAF... his goals against and save percentage are almost identical to Giguere's while appearing in far more games. On the surface Luongo's numbers look better... until you look at the win column. Fleury is the only one of the three to even reach the 20 win mark, let alone 40. Granted Luongo and Giguere did not have the luxury of playing behind the likes of Crosby, Staal, and Malkin, but they also broke into the NHL (slightly) later in their careers and never faced the kind of pressure in their first three years that Fleury was under this past season. They never had to feel the heat of a playoff push or challenging for a division title in their early years.

Marc-Andre Fluery may never quite get to the level that Roberto Luongo is at, but he has proven to be an outstanding goalie at a young age and has all the potential and ability to be a top 5 goalie in the NHL for the next ten years if not longer. He has also shown the knack to make the big save at the key point in the game, something that is vital to winning games and playoff success. MAF's present is in Pittsburgh and I am confident that his future is as well. I would love to see him sign a long-term deal this season and remain a Penguin for the long haul. Sid is great, Malkin is a star, and Staal is tremendous, but MAF is the key to the Cup for the Penguins.

The Man Who Killed the NHL

It has become something of a hobby for the mainstream sports media to take shots at the NHL. This charge has undoubtedly been led by ESPN in their effort to show Gary Bettman what a fool he was for moving the NHL to the Versus network. As a hockey fan myself, I am not about to pile on the NHL during these dark times, but I can't deny that the league isn't what it used to be. Despite many attempts to open up the game, the NHL is still not the wide open, creative, up tempo kind of hockey that was around in the 80's and early 90's. The NHL has been constantly adjusting the rules for years in an effort to "open up" the game and increase offense, but that is not going to solve the problem. Clutching and grabbing is not the NHL's problem. Neither is the dreaded neutral zone trap (which was around long before the Devils won the Cup in '95). The lack of offense in the NHL is attributable to the increase in elite level goaltenders in the NHL, and there is a single person to blame for this... Patrick Roy.

If you were a French-Canadian kid in the late 80's to early 90's you worshiped this guy.

When Patrick Roy won the Stanley Cup in 1986 in his first full season with the Canadiens he set into motion a change in the hockey landscape as the world knew it. As Roy began to dominate the NHL he made it cool to be a goalie. Young Canadian kids (French-Canadians in particular) who used to grow up wanting to be the next Orr or Lemieux now had a new idol. Patrick Roy brought a new level of athleticism to the goalie position while at the same time showing that a goalie could dominate the game like no other position in any sport. Youth hockey was no longer just about sticking the slow, fat kid in net. All of a sudden the best athletes wanted to play in net, and the result turned the NHL upside down.

When Roy won his second Cup in '93 he solidified his place as one of the game's brightest stars. But his real impact on the sport was also starting to take shape as the first wave of top French-Canadian goaltending prospects were starting to arrive in the league. Goalies like Felix Potvin, Stephane Fiset, and Dominic Roussel were already starting to appear in the NHL and in some cases, like Potvin with the Maple Leafs, have a huge impact on their teams. The '95-'96 season saw Roy leave his hometown team and move on the the Colorado Avalanche where he would lead the Avalanche to Stanley Cup glory in the team's first season since leaving Quebec. He would later win a second Cup with the Avalanche and become the first and still only player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP three times. These seasons also saw the emergence of even more dominant French-Canadian goaltenders in the NHL. The likes of Martin Brodeur, Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore, Roberto Luongo, Patrick Lalime, and J.S. Giguere have all followed in Roy's footsteps to NHL stardom. Many of them by imitating the butterfly style of goaltending that Roy himself perfected.

The definition of a winner.

Patrick Roy retired as the most successful goalie in NHL history in both the regular season and playoffs, but his true legacy lives on every time a French-Canadian goalie takes the ice in the NHL. Like I said before, Roy made it cool to be a goalie. That single change in attitude led to a league-wide increase in the quality level of goaltending in the NHL that has not subsided. Despite all the rule changes, equipment advances, and overall improvement of player quality in the NHL scoring is still down from 10-15 years ago. The reason in my opinion is largely due to the quantity of outstanding goalies currently minding NHL creases. And the man to thank/blame for that, is Patrick Roy.

MLS has a new Beane counter

Some news stories are so great you can't help but smile after reading them. This story would have to fall into that category. Moneyball subject and soccer devotee Billy Beane is going to play a significant role in running the newly reformed San Jose Earthquakes. Since Beane is a self-proclaimed soccer nut and the owner of the A's is also the owner of Earthquakes Ver. 2.0 it makes perfect sense for Billy to be involved.

Beane is also perfectly qualified to run a team where the players all make next to nothing, since that is just what he does with the A's. It is going to be interesting to see how Beane's roll with the Quakes evolves and what kind of eye for talent he has in the soccer world. Soccer isn't nearly as statistically oriented as baseball so it stands to reason that Billy won't be able to put a soccer twist on his tried and true baseball philosophies.

A's/Quakes owner Lew Wolff has made it clear that Beane's duties with the A's will not be altered or diminished in any way to compensate for his involvement with the Quakes, but I know enough about Billy to have confidence in his ability to keep the A's on track and help the Quakes flourish. As a fan it is nice to know that my favorite teams are being run by some of the best executives in their respective businesses. Watching Shero, Rafa, and Billy run my teams so well is sheer bliss. And now I get a double dose of Beane-ball. This could actually make me want to pay slightly more attention to MLS. At least until the Premiership starts back up.

Michael Vick Is (allegedly) The Devil

DISCLAIMER: This is a sports blog, and sometimes sports stars are involved in stories that are noteworthy for reasons other than performances in games. This post covers the indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. He is charged in a federal court with running a dog fighting ring and committing some truly horrifying acts on his dogs, in addition to the cruelty of the dog fighting itself. Some of the details of the indictment are included in this post. This material may be disturbing to sensitive readers, particularly animal lovers. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

I'll say it again. Michael Vick is the Devil. He has to be. A normal human being could not do the things he is "accused" of doing.

Before I go on, I should clarify something. Let's face it: the words "accused" and "allegedly" are being used to cover my ass in the unlikely event Vick's lawyers find themselves with enough time in between court dates to read my rantings, but I'm pretty sure these things (some of which I'll discuss in a minute) don't happen on your property without your knowledge. And besides, it is abundantly clear that Vick's lawyers have their hands full right now: Keeping client out of federal penitentiary > Suing blogger from Smalltown, PA




Back to my original point, Vick and all other purveyors of dog fighting are evil. The things Vick is charged with doing are gruesome and unfathomable. The things I will be detailing have been taken directly from the 18-page grand jury indictment. Reading it has been tough for me. I have 4 dogs: a rescued Chocolate Lab, a Golden Retriever, and 2 rescued Greyhounds. They are like my children. There aren't words in the English language that could accurately describe my outrage at the Vick situation. John Stewart of The Daily Show said it best when he said he wanted to cover Vick in liver treats and let the fighting dogs have at him.

Basically, the indictment alleges that Vick and some of his sleaziest pals bought a property in Smithfield, Virginia, where they held dog fights. (It is important to mention that it is also alleged that Vick's "Bad Newz Kennels" is only one in a much larger dog fighting syndicate.) They are charged with taking their dogs across state lines (hence the federal indictment) to compete, in addition to hosting competitions in the buildings on this property. Reports on CNN indicated that authorities said the walls of the buildings on the property were covered in dog blood.

They are charged with executing the losing dogs in horrific ways, such as drowning, shooting, hanging, and "slamming at least one dog's body to the ground." The most horrific execution was done by dousing the dog with water and electrocuting her. The Feds seized some disturbing equipment from the property, as well, including "break sticks" that are used to pry apart the jaws of dogs in battle and "rape stands" that are used to breed females that are too aggressive to submit to males. More than 50 dogs were seized, most of which had injuries or scars from injuries consistent with injuries sustained in dog fights.

Stand up guy, isn't he? Amidst all of this, there is a separate but related controversy brewing in the NFL. Michael Vick did not receive a suspension. The brass at the NFL issued a statement saying they will graciously allow the due process of the American justice system to come to a conclusion before the NFL will take action on Vick, after all - he IS innocent until proven guilty, no?

HERE'S MY PROBLEM WITH THAT: In April 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended for an entire season for his not-so-exemplary conduct off the field. Pacman, you see, was involved in no less than 10 incidents where he was questioned by police. The justification for this suspension was that Jones violated the NFL's personal conduct policy. That's fine, but Michael Vick has committed more than one act that would fall under this policy's broad spectrum, as well. Doesn't anyone remember the water bottle incident? Or how about the herpes lawsuit? If the NFL policy requires only accusations and questionings but doesn't need a conviction as grounds to suspend a player for an entire season, then Michael Vick has earned a lifetime ban.

The Time Has Come For Action!

I have essentially been a Pittsburgh Penguins fan for my entire life. Ever since I saw them play an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum as a little kid (thanks Dad!) I knew they were my team. Having said that, it was not easy being a Penguins fan in the late '80s since they more or less sucked. But then the '90s came and things turned in a hurry. Back to back Stanley Cup championships completely changed the culture of the team and help usher in a decade of dominance. Notwithstanding the magnificence of one Mario Lemieux, that success never happens without one Ronald Francis.

Arriving in a late season trade in 1991, Ron Francis became one of the most crucial and arguably the most dependable piece of the Penguins. Ron Francis made significant contributions to the first Pens Cup, but really came into his own as a Penguin during the '92 playoffs. With Mario out of the second round with his broken hand Francis put the Penguins on his back in Game 4 to even the series with the Rangers and ultimately eliminate them in 6 games, despite being heavy underdogs. Francis continued his inspired play for the remainder of the playoff run and even scored the Cup clinching goal in Game 4 against the Blackhawks. From that point on Ron Francis was almost as dominant in the NHL as he was unheralded. Being in the shadow of stars like Lemieux and Jagr prevented Francis from receiving the recognition he deserved.

Now it is deja vu all over again as he is still being denied one last bit of recognition that he has clearly earned. Earlier this year Ron was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. That has brought to light the one thing his profile is still missing... the Penguins NEED to retire Ron Francis' number 10 jersey!

This belongs in the rafters!

The Penguins need to step up an start to recognize the players who made this team great. I am not saying that Ronnie is the only ex-Pen deserving of this honor (Coffey, Murphy, Barrasso, Mullen?), but he is a great place to start. Let's look at some of his accomplishments as a Penguin:

• Two-time Stanley Cup champion.
• 164 goals and 449 assists for 613 points in 533 regular season games. That's good for 4th all-time in franchise history.
• 100 points in 97 playoff games.
• Twice led the NHL in assists ('95 and '95-'96).
• Led the NHL in plus/minus in '95.
• Twice won the Lady Byng trophy ('95 and '97-'98).
• Won the Selke trophy in '95.

Along with all of those achievements, Ron Francis was the heartbeat of one of the NHL's top clubs throughout his stay in Pittsburgh. It is time for the Penguins to follow the lead of Francis' other team(s) and retire his number for good. The Pens need to start the process of honoring and embracing their stars of the past. This team was a lot more than just that guy Mario.

Sign the petition to retire Ron Francis' Penguins #10!

A Recipe for Hate

So there I was minding my own business a day or two ago, just looking for some decent soccer news on the internet when I stumble across this:

Club America 1 - 2 Chelsea - SSN
Uploaded by FootballHeaven

My reaction was two-fold. First, I'm setting the over/under for number of games it takes Drogba and Malouda to celebrate a goal by making out at 10. Second, I hate Chelsea. Let me try that again... I really hate Chelsea.

I took some time to internalize that and came to the realization that hate is part of what makes sports so great. Sure it's great to have a team to root for and follow, but it is often just as satisfying to root against a team you hate, especially if the team you like is struggling at the time. How many self-proclaimed baseball fans cheer harder against the Yankees than for the team they like? I have realized that hatred makes up a large portion of my sports persona. The list of teams I like/support is nowhere near the size of the list of teams I hate, and I am totally good with that.

One thing you have to realize when examining this topic is that there are different levels of hatred. For example, there are players you hate until they join your team and then you love them (i.e. Darius Kasparaitis), and then there are players you hate so much that even when they are on your team you still hate them (i.e. Marty McSorley). There are also times when two teams you hate are playing each other and you have to decide who you would rather see win. So even though I hate the Dallas Cowboys, I have no choice to cheer them on to victory when they are playing the 49ers. It can get confusing at times, but the important thing to remember is that part of supporting your team is hating several others. If you don't get that then you aren't a real sports fan.

Now that we have established that hatred is a natural part of following sports, let's take a look at how I spread the hate. Keep in mind that this is more of a greatest hits than an anthology. If I were to write about all the teams and players I hate I would need to take a week off of work. So here goes:

• The Detroit Red Wings: I just had to start the list here. If there was one sports franchise I could go back in time and erase from existence it would be this one. There are only four good things to have ever been associated with the Red Wings; Gordie Howe, Bob Probert, Bob Errey, and Larry Murphy. Anything else that ever touched that franchise I hate. I even hate Little Caesars!
• The New York Islanders: You can not be a Penguins fan over the age of 20 and not hate the Islanders with the fury of a thousand suns. Glenn Healy, Steve Thomas, Ray Ferraro, and David Volek ruined the '90s. That team could sign me and all three of my kids to play for them and I would still hate them.
• Chelsea: Back to the beginning! How can you not hate Chelsea? Jose Mourinho alone is enough to drive you insane. Throw in the attitude and the insane spending and you have possibly the easiest team on the planet to hate. Unless you are directly related to a Chelsea player or you are named Chelsea you have no business supporting this club.
• Kirk Gibson: The bane of every A's fan is watching Gibby hobble around the bases pumping his fists in the '88 World Series. I had the misfortune of having a roommate in college who was not only a lifelong Dodger fan, but also in attendance at that very game. If I never see that highlight again it will be too soon.
• Wayne Gretzky: This could be a whole post on its own. "The Great One" represents everything I can't stand in a hockey player. Spend a thousand years looking and you will never find a softer hockey player. Numbers or not, I could name fifty players off the top of my head who I would rate as "better" than Gretzky. I don't think I could name five who I hate more than him though.
• The San Francisco Giants: This one should be a no-brainer. If you are an A's fan then you hate the Giants, and vice versa. I never could understand the losers who would walk around in those half A's/half Giants hats. That's like wearing a bandanna that's half Crips and half Bloods. You just can't do it! I have to say though, along with the Penguins' two Cups, the A's beating the Giants in '89 is probably the fondest sports memory of my youth.
• Peyton Manning: Seriously, does that guy need to be in every commercial that airs on every channel during football season? Somebody tell Peyton it's okay to say "No" to things every now and then.
• The Ottawa Senators: I never had a problem with the Sens before this year. Funny what a difference one playoff series can make. I now officially hate the Senators. They haven't reached Islander status yet, but I won't be running out to buy a Chris Neil jersey anytime soon either.
  

I could go on forever here. The important thing to remember is that it is okay to hate when it comes to sports. You just have to keep it in perspective is all. I don't wish any actual misfortune on any player. It's not that kind of hate. I just want to see them fail miserably, that's all. That said, if Pavel Datsyuk blows out his knee he probably shouldn't hold his breath waiting for a Get Well Soon card from me.