The Automatic Man

A Great Reason to Buy Wine

2011-06-18T01:48:00.004-05:00

Everyone has a list of websites they hit every day, included in mine is Woot! and its various Woot-like entities.

The four Woot! sites have one-day deals and some are very hard to pass up, so I buy the sale items if we need it. Everyone can use another t-shirt like this or something for the kid or wine.

Today, I was going through the gauntlet of sites and came across a superb offer on Deals.Woot with an even better description. Click the photo below to seethe details.

Inconsistency is Our Consistency

2011-06-14T12:56:00.003-05:00

The United States' 2-1 loss to Panama on Saturday brought about major uproar by fans and media wondering how a letdown like this could happen to the Americans in a meaningful tournament like the Gold Cup. One media member in particular grabbed my attention; Jen Chang, SI.com's Soccer Editor.

I don't know Jen at all, but I am quite familiar with his work dating back to his stint as Editor at ESPN Soccernet. Jen's work and observations are quality, and he brought up an interesting take that I wanted to explore. He tweeted:

JenChang88 Jen Chang

U.S. loses to Panama. Said last summer, U.S. is capable of beating anyone but also capable of losing to anyone. No other team quite like it.

That's an interesting observation, but not entirely accurate. The U.S. is capable of letdowns, but it's not the only team in the world susceptible to this. I responded to Jen's tweet with "Greece?" and he acknowledged that I was correct. I decided to look into this further and I found something pretty obvious, and might be a tip of the hat to the FIFA rankings.

The top nine of the rankings are clearly the best teams in the world in some order. Rarely, do we see teams like Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany or the Netherlands upset. Those teams may turn in sluggish performances, but out-and-out upsets tend to be few and far between.

Now, once we get into double-digits on the list, it starts to become revealing. The United States is No. 22, and when you look at 10-40 you see it littered with teams holding major potential (Turkey, Japan) or failing to live up to expectations (France, Nigeria, Egypt). The Greeks check in at No. 13.

This is the group that can either turn in a major upset of a team in the top tier of the rankings or a letdown against a rival with seemingly lower stature, and the U.S. is a part of that. This is how sports works; the teams in the middle are good, but not great. Teams like the U.S., Belgium, Australia, Mexico and Chile have the potential to crack the top 10, but consistency is an issue.

Let's take No. 10 Croatia as our example. This year, Croatia has tied France away and beaten the Czech Republic 4-2 at home. Mixed in there is a 1-0 loss at Georgia; clearly a letdown.

In December, Turkey fell 1-0 at Azerbaijan, currently ranked 108th.

Less than two weeks ago, Switzerland held a two-goal, first-half lead on England at Wembley Stadium, and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. That same team played Malta to a scoreless tie in February. That's right; MALTA! The Maltese are ranked 161, one ahead of Bermuda and one back of Chinese Taipei.

Understandably, people were upset with the U.S. performance against Panama, but keeping perspective is important. We're capable of being beaten, but we're also capable of beating the best. Just like other teams occupying the same tier in world soccer.

This isn't likely to change any time soon, but the U.S. is making strides in scheduling games against the likes of Spain, Brazil and Argentina. That experience -- even in friendlies -- may prove valuable later on.

Let's face it; the U.S. wouldn't be in the situation it is now if it wasn't for facing Mexico on a regular basis. If the Americans didn't have that the neighbor to the south, it would be Australia circa 2000.

The bottom line is; any team can lose on any day. However, some have been accustomed to letdowns more than others, and the teams that are in the second tier are prime candidates. When they win, it's expected and if they beat a team in the top 10 then it's a minor upset and confirms the perceived potential. When those teams lose; it's a letdown and sometimes in major proportions since many of fans and media from that nation are expecting continued and infinite progress forward.

The U.S. should be fine facing Guadeloupe tonight in Kansas City, making advancement to the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup a certainty. A letdown is highly unlikely, and the defeat to Panama may serve as the wake-up call to get things moving forward again.

Revised: No Chance

2011-04-21T00:32:00.001-05:00

After doing a bunch of research for my previous post, I've come to the conclusion that Inter is done in Serie A this season.

Maybe a Coppa Italia title is possible? I have my doubts if Inter will have to face Milan in the final.

This team may look different next season, and a key change could be coming on the bench. The question would then be; who could possibly replace Leonardo if Massimo Moratti chooses to fire him?

Is There a Chance?

2011-04-14T19:30:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to stay positive with Inter. I really am. However, it's a rough task and it's become tougher after watching them crash out of Champions League with a dreadful 7-3 aggregate defeat to Schalke. Yes, Schalke ... again ... after this fiasco in 1997.

Anyway, now that the dream of defending the European title is over, Inter can now focus on applying more pressure on Milan in the Scudetto race.

Since I'm laboring to be positive, I've decided to take a look at how Inter can overtake Napoli and then Milan to win a sixth consecutive Scudetto with six games to play.

Entering this weekend, Inter is third in Serie A, two points behind second-place Napoli and five back of Milan in first.

Inter's remaining schedule becomes daunting down the stretch. The club visits Parma this weekend before facing Lazio (H), Cesena (A), Fiorentina (H), Napoli (A) and Catania (H) in that order.

There are just three games that should result in wins -- Parma, Cesena and Catania (nine points). The others are up for grabs. Although, Inter is 12-3-1 (W-L-D) at home with a plus-23 goal differential. That should bode well against Lazio and Fiorentina, which are combined 7-11-13 on the road. A win and a draw from those games would be 13 points combined with the victories, and 76 on the season.

Now, that leaves the Week 37 visit to Napoli, which is 11-3-2 as host compared to Inter's 7-3-6 mark on the road. This result could change everything.

Before we decide on what Inter needs at San Paolo, let's look at Milan and Napoli's schedules.

Milan hosts Sampdoria this weekend and that should be three points. Then, the Diavolo visits Brescia before facing Bologna (H), Roma (A), Cagliari (H) and Udinese (A). I'll guess this to be as many as 14 points (4-2-0) with the potential to get 12 (4-0-2).

Ouch.

Napoli's remaining six have it pitted against Udinese (H), Palermo (A), Genoa (H), Lecce (A), Inter (H) and Juventus (A). WOW!

Just looking at that stretch makes me think Inter can overtake Napoli for second without much trouble, while the Partenopei will find pushing Milan very rough.

Now, that we have Napoli out of the race, that could mean the Inter-Napoli matchup in Week 37 goes from a tie to a victory for the visitors. That's 16 points from the final six games for Inter, thus the top two of Serie A would look like this:

Milan 82
Inter 79

If Milan slips up and goes 4-0-2 down the stretch, it becomes:

Milan 80
Inter 79

Both scenarios have Inter coming just short, making the loss in the derby two weeks ago that much more valuable to the race.

The bottom line is simple; Milan needs to slip up a lot more than two draws and two losses over the last six, while Inter is nearly flawless. That may be just a bit too much to ask, so maybe there's another way for Inter to lift another trophy to go with the World title?

Of course there is; this is soccer afterall.

Inter is also still alive in Coppa Italia with a two-legged semifinal matchup against Roma starting Tuesday with the winner facing either Milan or Palermo.

There's that damn rival again. Maybe we can at least stop them from getting a double.

We better ... Someone better.

Up All Night

2011-04-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't been here in a long time, as I'm sure you can see. I'm here tonight because this fiasco, which included three rain delays in San Diego. Yes, apparently it rains in San Diego. I'm just as stunned as you are.

Anyway, the last time I checked in I was filling you - who am I kidding? no one reads this. I was filling in ... empty space on the internet about my new friends on Twitter who follow Serie A.

I've had a lot of fun in my little Twitter bubble, which really keeps me from posting. I can type up 140 character messages to get my ideas and thoughts out there to the 320-something people that follow me. Yes, I'm just as stunned as you are that so many people would want to know what I have to say.

It's crossed my mind to come back here and expound on some thoughts, but it depends on my free time. Maybe soon, I'll come back on a semi-regular basis and throw-up thoughts on Inter, the Mets, Rangers, etc. Yes, I used "throw-up" on purpose there.

For now, let's just hope this baseball game doesn't go extra innings. I really don't need that on top of the rest of this disaster. I mean, it's already 3:00 a.m.

Finding Friends

2010-10-16T07:41:00.008-05:00

While I was out doing other things besides posting here, I found myself digging around for friends on Twitter and other places who shared some of my interests.

Over the past year, I've found groups of Mets, Rangers and Jets fans to follow for their commentary. That was fairly simple due to the loud and angry noises those groups tend to make.

A much more difficult task was finding Serie A fans and writers who spoke English. Fortunately, I found them and then I discovered a great Serie A fantasy game at Serie A Live.

I was able to meet with Vince, who runs Serie A Live and we had a great dinner and keep in contact to discuss all things calcio. This, of course, spares my brothers from my ramblings all the time, and gives me a new person to listen to my blather.

Anyway, Vince is a great guy and does a fantastic job with the fantasy game. You can also follow him on twitter here.

Another discovery was the Pink Shirt Wise Guys, who have a blog and podcast. I always make sure I listen to the weekly show to keep myself in the loop with Serie A talk. It also helps on the middle-of-the-night car rides home from work.

Some other great Serie A reading on Twitter and in no particular order:

James Horncastle
Giancarlo Rinaldi
Adam Digby
Tom Williams
Matthew Barker
Paolo Mancini
ghostgoal
Ben Shave
Juventus Offside
Derek Salvador
Sports Opinionated
Rocco
Justin
Sunny Sandhu
Niels de Jonge
Palermo Offside
Footy Italiano

After writing that long list, I can't wait to see more Serie A action this weekend and my Inter visits Cagliari on Sunday.

Coming Back ... Again?

2010-10-15T23:35:00.012-05:00

In case you haven't noticed -- and I would wager that you haven't -- I've been a bit busy to update this blog in a long time. It's been over a year now since I felt there was time to dedicate to TAM, and contrary to popular belief, I wasn't with these guys or here either.

I'm hoping I can get around to doing this again, but it may not be on a consistent basis. Hey, at least I'll update it more than once a year and for that, I should be given a prize.

Anyway, in case you were wondering what I've been up to, here's a list:

1. Jenny got pregnant.

2. We bought a new house.
3. 1 and 2 kept me so busy that they deserve to be repeated.
4. The baby -- Gabriella (aka Gabi, aka GVD) -- was born in late May.
5. The busy thing again, but now with 2 and 4 and a lot less sleep.
6. I'm just too damn busy, so get off my case. Did I mention there was a duck in the basement? Yes, it's been a lot more than typical busy.
7. Work.
8. Learning how to be a father.
9. Playing Football Manager.

OK, now that we got that out of the way. Yes, I'm attempting a comeback, but don't expect it to be like this or even this.

Let's just see how long this lasts. Especially when you consider that this post was originally written Aug. 1 and I've finally gotten around to completing it.

Champions League: Matchday 2 Day 2

2009-09-30T08:03:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's slate of matches brought us a number of surprises, from Fiorentina's tremendous performance over Liverpool at home to Inter's shocking draw to Ruben Kazan in Russia. Sevilla reminded us why they have won 2 of the last 4 UEFA Cups by dominating Rangers at Ibrox 4-1, while Unirea Urziceni made history by earning their first ever Champions League point with a draw at home against Stuttgart.

Today's Champions League matches should offer some excellent entertainment. The premiere matchups of Groups A and B take place today, as Juventus is in Germany to face Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg is in England to face Manchester United. Will Diego be successful in his frist trip back to Germany? Does Wolfsburg's attack of Grafite and Džeko have enough firepower to overcome Old Trafford? Will today offer us similar surprises as Tuesday's matches?

Thus far in the Champions League Prediction Competiton, Nick still owns a 2 point lead over Joe with a score of 14-12. Can Joe close the gap, or will Nick widen the margin? Today's predictions are listed below. As always, 1 means home team, 2 means away team, and X means a draw.

Nick
Home - Away (Prediction)
CSKA Moskva - Beşiktaş (1)
APOEL - Chelsea (2)
Bayern Munich - Juventus (X)
Bordeaux - Maccabi Haifa (1)
Manchester United - Wolfsburg (1)
Milan - Zürich (1)
Porto - Atlético Madrid (X)
Real Madrid - Marseille (1)

Joe
Home - Away (Prediction)
CSKA Moskva - Beşiktaş (1)
APOEL - Chelsea (2)
Bayern Munich - Juventus (X)
Bordeaux - Maccabi Haifa (1)
Manchester United - Wolfsburg (X)
Milan - Zürich (1)
Porto - Atlético Madrid (X)
Real Madrid - Marseille (1)

ENJOY TODAY'S MATCHES!!!

Champions League: Fiorentina-Liverpool and a bunch of crap!

2009-09-29T07:46:00.006-05:00

The Champions League Group Stage continues today and tomorrow. Matchday 1 saw very few surprises as the majority of the favorites walked away with maximum points. However, 3 of the 4 Italian teams have gotten off to a slow start, and will look to improve in this week's matches.

There are some interesting matchups lined up in Matchday 2, but only one of those is scheduled for today (Fiorentina-Liverpool). Unfortunately, Fiorentina's star striker Alberto Gilardino is suspended for today's match against Liverpool due to a questionable red card against Lyon during Matchday 1. So the Fioretina-Liverpool matchup could end up being an easy result for Liverpool. Although, you never know what will happen in Champions League. Hell, Atlético Madrid drew at home to APOEL last time!

So far in the Champions League Prediction Competition, Nick leads Joe by a score of 10-8. Based on today's predictions, that score differential should not change much.

As always, 1 means home team, 2 means away team, and X means a draw.

Nick
Home - Away (Prediction)
Rubin Kazan - Inter (2)
Arsenal - Olympiacos (1)
AZ Alkmaar - Standard Liege (X)
Barcelona - Dynamo Kyiv (1)
Debrecen - Lyon (2)
Fiorentina - Liverpool (2)
Rangers - Sevilla (X)
Unirea Urziceni - Stuttgart (2)

Joe
Home - Away (Prediction)
Rubin Kazan - Inter (2)
Arsenal - Olympiacos (1)
AZ Alkmaar - Standard Liege (2)
Barcelona - Dynamo Kyiv (1)
Debrecen - Lyon (2)
Fiorentina - Liverpool (2)
Rangers - Sevilla (2)
Unirea Urziceni - Stuttgart (2)

ENJOY TODAY'S MATCHES!!!

Week 6 ... Already

2009-09-26T10:03:00.002-05:00

I don't have the latest update, but it's safe to say that I'm still leading Joe.

Anyway, we're on to week 6 already. Where is the season going? Jenny and I went to our first Blackhawks game last night and it hit me that summer is over ... not that it ever got to Chicago.

Well, here's our week 6 picks with more commentary to come later.

Nick

Catania - Roma	2
Chievo - Atalanta	1
Juventus - Bologna	1
Lazio - Palermo	X
Livorno - Fiorentina	2*
Milan - Bari	1*
Napoli - Siena	1
Parma - Cagliari	X
Sampdoria - Inter	2
Udinese - Genoa	X

Joe

Catania - Roma	2
Chievo - Atalanta	1*
Juventus - Bologna	1*
Lazio - Palermo	X
Livorno - Fiorentina	2
Milan - Bari	1
Napoli - Siena	X
Parma - Cagliari	1
Sampdoria - Inter	X
Udinese - Genoa	X

Mid-Week Mayhem

2009-09-23T10:17:00.004-05:00

It's week 5 in Serie A, but it comes in the middle of the week, so it's not really it's own separate week like some of the other weeks. I know ... weak attempt at humor.

Anyway, I've mentioned before that I'm swamped, so I can't make funny comments all the time ... or at least actual funny comments. I'm just here to post the predictions.

As far as an update to the competition; I'm kicking the crap out of Joe. I've selected the correct result in 23 games so far, while he's guessed 19 correct. I'm also 6-0 in my locks thanks to Milan beating Bologna and Sampdoria routing Siena on Sunday. Joe took another loss to his locks with Chievo upsetting Genoa at home last weekend and is now 4-2.

Out picks for today's game vary, so Joe can gain some ground or I can pull away. We'll see.

Here's some book keeping before moving on the to the predictions for today's games. 1 means home team, 2 means away team and X means tie.

Nick
Home	Away	Prediction
Atalanta	Catania	X
Bari	Cagliari	1
Bologna	Livorno	X*
Fiorentina	Sampdoria	2
Genoa	Juventus	2
Inter	Napoli	1*
Lazio	Parma	X
Palermo	Roma	X
Siena	Chievo	X
Udinese	Milan	2

Joe
Home	Away	Prediction
Atalanta	Catania	X*
Bari	Cagliari	X
Bologna	Livorno	1
Fiorentina	Sampdoria	2
Genoa	Juventus	X
Inter	Napoli	1*
Lazio	Parma	X
Palermo	Roma	2
Siena	Chievo	2
Udinese	Milan	1

...And somma real ugly kid.

2009-09-19T10:19:00.005-05:00

Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been way too busy to post anything lately. There have been so many things going on, plus we've been so swamped at work that I haven't had the energy to post anything here.

Unbelievably, I've been able to squeak in some time to post the weekly Serie A prediction contest between my brother Joe and me. Trust me, I'm as stunned as you are that I've found any time to do this and haven't lost interest.

Anyway, you may have noticed the Champions League prediction thing, too. That's Joe posting and trying to see who knows what about Champions League. Of course, I don't know why he's pretending to be me, so I'll have to get him to stop pretending he's me. He does that a lot. What can I say? He worships me in every way.

Ok, enough with being a jerk...

Well, when looking at the overall standings in the Serie A game, I'm leading Joe 17-14 and I've gone 4-0 on locks to his 3-1. Needless to say, I'm winning and he's losing. That should surprise him since that's been the theme whenever we compete at anything. I'm sure he'll claim to have beaten me in some video game, but this actually takes some skill.

Was I being a jerk again? Eh, who cares? It's just Joe.

On to Week 4 in Serie A. Remember, 1 means home team, 2 means away team and X means tie.

Nick
Home	Away	Prediction
Bari	Atalanta	1
Cagliari	Inter	2
Catania	Lazio	X
Chievo	Genoa	2
Juventus	Livorno	1
Milan	Bologna	1*
Napoli	Udinese	1
Parma	Palermo	X
Roma	Fiorentina	X
Sampdoria	Siena	1*

Joe
Home	Away	Prediction
Bari	Atalanta	X
Cagliari	Inter	2
Catania	Lazio	2
Chievo	Genoa	2*
Juventus	Livorno	1*
Milan	Bologna	1
Napoli	Udinese	X
Parma	Palermo	X
Roma	Fiorentina	X
Sampdoria	Siena	1

Champions League Group Stage Matchday 1 (Day 2) Predictions

2009-09-16T12:00:00.008-05:00

So Day 1 of Matchday 1 matches did not offer many surprises, but they did offer some definite entertainment. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Wolfsburg cruised to easy victories, while Chelsea and Man. United met with some struggles but ultimately came out on top. Milan came away with a much needed win at Marseille, while Atletico Madrid was held to a shock draw by Cypriot powerhouse APOEL. However, the match of the day was the tightly contested draw between Juventus and Bordeaux at Stadio Olimpico in Torino. Who knows what Day 2 will bring us?

After Matchday 1 Day 1, I am leading my brother Joe in the Champions League predictions with a 4 to 3 score. Let's see how we do on Day 2 with our predictions.

Nick
Home-Away (Prediction)
Dynamo Kiev-Rubin Kazan (X)
Inter-Barcelona (X)
Liverpool-Debrecen (1)
Lyon-Fiorentina (1)
Olympiacos-AZ Alkmaar (1)
Sevilla-Unirea Urziceni (1)
Standard Liege-Arsenal (2)
Stuttgart-Rangers (1)

Joe
Home-Away (Prediction)
Dynamo Kiev-Rubin Kazan (X)
Inter-Barcelona (X)
Liverpool-Debrecen (1)
Lyon-Fiorentina (X)
Olympiacos-AZ Alkmaar (1)
Sevilla-Unirea Urziceni (1)
Standard Liege-Arsenal (2)
Stuttgart-Rangers (1)

ENJOY TODAY'S MATCHES!!!

Champions League Group Stage Matchday 1 (Day 1) Predictions

2009-09-15T13:09:00.004-05:00

Well, we are only 30 minutes away from the start of Champions League Group Stage play. So why don't we start things off by extending our Serie A Prediction Competition to include Champions League as well!!!

Remember, 1 means home team, 2 means away team and X means tie.

Nick
Home-Away (Prediction)
Atlético Madrid-APOEL (1)
Beşiktaş-Man. United (2)
Juventus-Bordeaux (1)
Maccabi Haifa-Bayern (2)
Marseille-Milan (X)
Wolfsburg-CSKA Moskva (1)
Zürich-Real Madrid (2)

Joe
Home-Away (Prediction)
Atlético Madrid-APOEL (1)
Beşiktaş-Man. United (2)
Juventus-Bordeaux (1)
Maccabi Haifa-Bayern (2)
Marseille-Milan (X)
Wolfsburg-CSKA Moskva (X)
Zürich-Real Madrid (2)

ENJOY TODAY'S MATCHES!!!!

Back in the swing of things

2009-09-12T10:35:00.004-05:00

Serie A is returning to action later today after a week off due to World Cup qualifying, so Joe and I have renewed our little prediction competition.

So far, I lead him 11-9 in correct guesses over the first two weeks of the season. He won't be able to catch me this week since we have every game the same except for one; Udinese hosting Catania. I see Udinese winning at home, while he has the game ending in a draw. We'll see how this shapes up.

Both of us went 2-0 on our locks during week 2. This week, we both took Inter over Parma as a lock. I have Fiorentina beating Cagliari at home as my other lock, while he's picking Milan to go on the road and beat Livorno.

The action starts later today with Juventus visiting Lazio at 1:30 p.m. CT on FSC/RAI.

Remember, 1 means home team, 2 means away team and X means tie. The Lock of the Week is designated by the *.

Nick
Home	Away	Prediction
Atalanta	Sampdoria	2
Bologna	Chievo	X
Fiorentina	Cagliari	1*
Genoa	Napoli	X
Inter	Parma	1*
Lazio	Juventus	2
Livorno	Milan	2
Palermo	Bari	1
Siena	Roma	2
Udinese	Catania	1

Joe
Home	Away	Prediction
Atalanta	Sampdoria	2
Bologna	Chievo	X
Fiorentina	Cagliari	1
Genoa	Napoli	X
Inter	Parma	1*
Lazio	Juventus	2
Livorno	Milan	2*
Palermo	Bari	1
Siena	Roma	2
Udinese	Catania	X

An Interactive Mess

2009-09-06T01:22:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm back from a crazy few days in New Jersey. I'll try to post something about that soon, but for now, let's try to have a little fun.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a wonderful new interactive game from the WSJ; MetsSloppily.

This fully documents the insanity that's been the New York Mets' 2009 season, which started with so much promise only to come crashing down like nearly every other season. I feel there's more than meets the eye to the Mets' problems, and we're not going to understand the full blow of the Madoff mess for a year or two.

Anyway, since I was back in NJ this week, I was able to get Jenny to humor me and allow me to visit the local Sports Authority to see what was on sale.

Much to my non-surprise, there were a number of Mets items on clearance for 50 percent off. I walked out with a black Mets zipped hoodie and a black dri-fit training shirt.

This team may be a mess, but it's still MY team and MY mess. Through thick and thin, right? Even though there's a lot more thin and most likely more to come? Ugh!

Well, the Jets and Rangers are about to start their seasons soon. Maybe they'll help make the long Chicago winter a bit more bearable. Probably not. Seriously, am I ever going to see a title again?

Sometimes sad things happen

2009-09-02T16:03:00.002-05:00

I had to take an emergency trip to NJ yesterday. Here's why.

When is home not a home?

2009-08-30T00:53:00.003-05:00

People in the U.S. are struggling to keep their homes in this global recession. There are foreclosures all around, so maybe it's not too far of a stretch to compare that to the Chicago Fire's struggles at home this season? Right? Not too far of a stretch?

See what I did there? That's called "making a leap."

Anyway, the Fire lost at Toyota Park again Saturday night, falling 1-0 to Eastern Conference-rival D.C. United.

The Fire may be second in the East, but they're an incredibly average 4-4-4 at home while getting outscored 13-11. This has become a big problem among the fan base of the team, and understandably so. Fortunately, the Fire has the best road record in MLS at 6-2-4, further proving people from around the country are struggling with home.

Too much of a leap there?

Well, prior to Saturday's loss, my good friend Coz decided to do a bit more investigating into this Fire struggling at home bit.

You see, Coz is a nerd. He loves numbers and he loves to make numbers mean something, so he broke down the Fire's history at home and gave us a very interesting analysis. He also has his own thoughts on the matter, but overall ... he's still a nerd.

Yes, I fully expect him to read this and make some kind of snarky remark. I mean, he's from New Jersey, so should I expect anything less?

Lock of the Week

2009-08-29T01:15:00.004-05:00

I've been a little busy and I haven't been able to update the blog lately. Is that not to your liking? No? Well, deal with it!

Anyway, last week I started doing Serie A predictions for the new season. After I posted my selections, I got a list from my brother Joe, so we decided to do a little competition.

I ended up edging Joe out in the opening week 5-4, but now we've added a new wrinkle to the competition; the "Lock of the Week" (pictured).

Let's see who knows more about Italian soccer this season.

On to the predictions for Week 2, which features the big derby between Inter and Milan on Saturday. Remember, 1 means home team, 2 means away team and X means tie. The Lock of the Week is designated by the *.

Nick

Home	Away	Prediction
Atalanta	Genoa	2
Bari	Bologna	X
Cagliari	Siena	1
Chievo	Lazio	X
Fiorentina	Palermo	1
Milan	Inter	2
Napoli	Livorno	1*
Parma	Catania	1*
Roma	Juventus	X
Sampdoria	Udinese	X

Joe

Home	Away	Prediction
Atalanta	Genoa	2*
Bari	Bologna	X
Cagliari	Siena	X
Chievo	Lazio	2
Fiorentina	Palermo	X
Milan	Inter	1
Napoli	Livorno	1*
Parma	Catania	1
Roma	Juventus	X
Sampdoria	Udinese	X

Another Year, Another Title?

2009-08-22T02:29:00.004-05:00

We're just hours away from the start of the 2009-10 Serie A season, and the favorite to win it all for a fifth consecutive season is my team -- Inter. However, this season might be the club's stiffest test with a number of clubs bringing in significant reinforcements to challenge the reigning champ.

I wish I had the time to go through every team position by position, but I don't. Plus, you'd probably get bored to tears. In light of that, I've decided to give you my predictions for the season and the upcoming week. I also enlisted by brother Joe to give his predictions on the season. We'll see who comes closest come mid-May. Just look at who we picked to win the title to see which club we support. Funny how that happens, huh? A new season breeds optimism.

Joe's Picks Nick's picks
Top 8 Top 8
1. Juventus 1. Inter
2. Inter 2. Juventus
3. Genoa 3. Fiorentina
4. Napoli 4. Milan
5. Milan 5. Napoli
6. Palermo 6. Genoa
7. Fiorentina 7. Roma
8. Roma 8. Palermo

Relegation Relegation
18. Livorno 18. Catania
19. Bari 19. Siena
20. Siena 20. Bari

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia
Roma Genoa

Capocanniere Capocanniere (top scorer)
Gilardino (Fiorentina) Eto'o (Inter)

Ok, now that's over with, at least until Joe reminds me how he's closer to being right than I am come Christmas.

Anyway, here's my weekly picks (home team is listed first and a 1 means home, 2 means away and x means tie). This is going to be brutal.

Week 1
Bologna - Fiorentina 2
Catania - Sampdoria X
Genoa - Roma 1
Inter - Bari 1
Juventus - Chievo 1
Lazio - Atalanta 1
Livorno - Cagliari X
Palermo - Napoli X
Siena - Milan 2
Udinese - Parma 1

When is a goal not a goal?

2009-08-17T23:36:00.002-05:00

This is a serious question any soccer fans would have. Hell, it might make some people's heads explode. However, this rhetorical question of "when is a goal not a goal?" actually came to life last weekend.

Don't believe me? Watch the video below as Crystal Palace had a clear goal denied by the ref before falling 1-0 to Bristol City on a last-minute score. Thanks to Ives for writing about it, and he has more of the reaction about the stupidity of the ref along with where the blame falls. Here's a hint, English officials aren't blaming the ref. Idiots.

Enjoy!

Great Moments in Spelling

2009-08-15T21:06:00.003-05:00

Coming off a stellar job with the Toronto FC-Real Madrid scarves for their exhibition game last week courtest of Kenn's site, I was sent a the photo below taken at a health care protest in Raleigh, N.C.

At least she didn't have the "there/they're/their" dilemma to deal with.

Does the season ever really end?

2009-08-15T00:15:00.007-05:00

I swear it was just a few weeks ago when we were watching Barcelona lift the Champions League title. Right?

Well, according to my research the Champions League final between Barca and Manchester United took place on May 27. So, 2 1/2 months later and after a crazy and bizarre transfer season, the EPL kicks off today. Yes, TODAY!

Even ESPN is on board! At the 11th hour, too!

Next week Italy's Serie A and La Liga of Spain kick off. Meanwhile, Germany's Bundesliga and the French Ligue 1 STARTED LAST WEEK!!! What offseason? There's no offseason any more.

Anyway, let's talk about the hype-fest that is the EPL. This is the league many people call the "best in the world."

I'm not going to discredit that, since it would take hours and so much babble that you'd probably stop reading once your eyes gloss over after a paragraph.

Anyway, let's guess who will finish where. This is usually a futile attempt, but the EPL is very predictable ... well, at least the top four teams are.

We know that the top four finishers will be some order of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Why do I say that? Why am I so negative on the EPL? Because those teams have finished in the top four (note: top four teams qualify for Champions League) FIVE OF THE LAST SIX YEARS!

The only season that didn't happen was in 2004-05 when Everton finished fourth and Liverpool was fifth. However, the Liverpuglians had won Champions League, thus automatically re-entering the competition for the next season. As for Everton, it failed to qualify for the tournament proper, falling to Spain's Villarreal in a two-leg qualifier series.

Everton was a sexy pick to crack the top four last year, but came in fifth, nine points (three wins) back of Arsenal. Even Aston Villa put on a nice show and held a spot in the top four before falling apart and finishing sixth, one point back of the Toffees.

This year, a lot of experts are picking Manchester City as the sexy pick to crack the top 4, I just don't see it. I see that team struggling early and never quite recovering. Man City has a very impressive lineup with Carlos Tevez, Robinho, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, but you can't win by just scoring. You have to stop your opponent, too. Maybe Gareth Barry can do that ... eh ... probably not.

So here we go:

Champion: Chelsea
2nd: Liverpool
3rd: Arsenal
4th: Manchester United - lost Ronaldo and gained Michael Owen ... oops.
5th: Everton
6th: Manchester City
7th: Aston Villa

Relegated: Wolves, Portsmouth, Burnley

Top scorer: Fernando Torres (going out on a limb)

UPDATE: I see Coz has other ideas than me. There's a shocker. Besides, his intro graph explains that he "knows jack about the EPL."

The Best of the Worst

2009-08-14T23:57:00.003-05:00

Last night's Daily Show with Jon Stewart was another great show. Stewart and the writers continue to put together top-notch shows, despite the summer recess in Washington.

Anyway, Stewart decided to take a certain popular TV "pundit" to task on his hypocrisy about the health care system in the U.S.

Enjoy!

Taking One in the Nuts

2009-08-13T19:03:00.004-05:00

Seattle Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre landed on the disabled list today with a bleeding testicle. Yes, a bleeding testicle. How did that happen? Well, he doesn't wear a cup!!!

So, Beltre takes a hard grounder in the nuts in last night's 1-0, 1,000-inning win over the White Sox, and he's STILL not going to wear a cup because it's uncomfortable. Seriously, I know you're a Gold Glove-winning 3B, but put a stupid cup on.

Green Beer

2009-08-13T01:31:00.002-05:00

The Huffington Post had an article the other day that flew under the radar, since ... you know ... there are more important things going on. Anyway, the article I wanted to bring to light listed the top eight green breweries in the U.S.

Now, this isn't a list for this, but instead a list of breweries that are run using green business practices.

Please visit the article above, but here's the list with corresponding cities and links.

1. New Belgium Brewery - Fort Collins, Colorado
2. The Fish Brewing Company - Olympia, Washington
3. The Alaskan Brewing Company - Juneau, Alaska
4. Full Sail Brewing Co. - Hood River, Oregon
5. Brooklyn Brewery - Brooklyn, New York (Where did you think?)
6. Great Lakes Brewing Co. - Cleveland, Ohio
7. Sierra Nevada Brewery - Chico, California
8. Lakefront Brewery - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I've had some of these, but now I have a list of new beers to try. Can't wait.

ESPN Hates Twitter

2009-08-04T18:17:00.003-05:00

There's been a buzz all over the interweb tonight about the ESPN honchos cracking down on employees using Twitter to transmit news because it's not like other media types are doing that or anything. ESPN even issued guidelines. It would have been great if ESPN announced it via Twitter.

Anyway, I can understand what they're trying to go here in limiting news leaks they can't control, but it might be a bit short-sighted. There's a way to get around a lot of this stuff. There's certain info that more appropriate for Twitter, and not for an article or column.

If a reporter is at a game, he could tweet some behind-the-scenes info or a detail of an injury or something along those lines. Twitter is a very useful tool for a media outlet, as long as you can create fan loyalty, while also linking to your articles to drive traffic.

Hell, I do that with my previews. Here's an example of one of my tweets for the tweeps:

Will the #Twins continue pounding on the struggling #Indians? If you're curious, then read this http://bit.ly/mHr4e #MLB

Anyway, in case I haven't mentioned this already, you can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/nicolino11. I currently have 65 followers, although there are a bunch of spammers.

So follow me ... or ... you know ... wrath.

I forgot to mention that it's great to see ESPN hate something other than soccer. They still hate soccer, right?

Nailed It ... Again!

2009-08-04T01:42:00.002-05:00

I find Keith Olbermann hitting the nail on the head about the recent "discussion" regarding health care. This may explain why it takes so long to get anything done.

Enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

World Classless

2009-07-20T10:25:00.007-05:00

I'm sure you've heard of a certain Englishman's return to the U.S., and all the hub-bub surrounding it, mostly due to the release of "The Beckham Experiment" by Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl.

The book generated a lot of attention and controversy for David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy. It's not surprising that Beckham's return from a six-month loan spell at Milan would be big time news.

His first game with the Galaxy could be called a resounding success -- at least on the field -- as they beat league-worst New York 3-1 at Giants Stadium on Thursday. While Becks didn't figure in the scoring, Los Angeles was impressive getting three very sweet goals, which you can see here.

Becks wasn't exactly greeted well by the 23,000 fans in New Jersey, but no one could have expected what was to come three days later at The Home Depot Center for an exhibition against Milan. Not only was Beckham booed throughout the 2-all tie, but he even confronted a fan in a very disgusting display, which you can see here.

On top of it, Idiot Spice has the audacity to claim that he expected such a reaction from the fans. Sorry, Becks, but if you expected to be treated that way by YOUR OWN FANS, then you should have NOT GOTTEN YOUR PANTIES IN A BUNCH!!!

We're always told how Becks is a model professional and a great person, yet he has thin skin. This isn't the first time he's had a run-in with a fan.

Anyway, the fan is now speaking out and telling his side of the story.

This Beckham soap opera is going to continue for awhile. This might be the best thing that happens to the Galaxy because now, he's going to have to prove he cares about the team and play well.

Breaking, Tweeting, Resurfacing

2009-07-17T00:22:00.008-05:00

There have been a few things keeping me from posting lately, some have been due to some special projects at work and others were based on a much-needed break from blogging as Jenny was on vacation.

There's also some truth to the rumor that I wanted to take advantage of the MLB All-Star break, too. Plus, I was shuttling back and forth from the office, Chicago and my in-laws' place in Bristol, Wisc. where Jenny was spending time with her visiting Aunt Nancy. Lots of time in a car means less time in front of a computer.

Now that I'm back, I am happy to let everyone know that you can follow me on the Twitter. You'll notice that you can also follow the Twitter feed right on my blog, but why not get everything sent to you directly? Technology is a wonderful thing.

Anyway, since I've been out there are a number of things that have happened.

First, Jenny ran a triathlon on Sunday, and you can find my play-by-play on my Twitter feed. I'm not posting the entire thing here because I made about 25 entries, so go see and enjoy. I'm very proud of her for this major accomplishment. It's a grueling test and something she appears to want to do on a somewhat regular basis.

There are also a number of sports things that have happened, and I am looking forward to spending some time to comment on them very soon. Look for me to discuss David Beckham's return to the Los Angeles Galaxy, Grant Wahl's new book "The Beckham Experiment," the Minnesota Timberwolves calamitous courtship of first-round pick Ricky Rubio and more frustrations with my Mets. Ugh!

In the meantime -- for those of you in Chicago and just general baseball fans -- please read my preview of Friday's Chicago White Sox-Baltimore Orioles matchup. The second half of the baseball season is just getting started and it should prove to be exciting down to the wire. Are the tight divisional races caused by parity or improved play?

Sometimes I'm more of a pessimist, so guess what I think.

As for my new-found appreciation for Twitter, just watch this informational video.

Story Time

2009-07-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

We're all coming off stuffing our faces during the Fourth of July weekend. It was time to reflect on our nation's birth, and celebrate in some ways that tends to make Kenn angry.

I've mentioned before that I agree with Kenn's view. I also was thinking a lot about some of our older folks over the weekend. I decided to finally strike up a conversation with Jenny's Uncle Ed, who just turned 80 and is a military veteran. Here's a man who has lived an interesting life, and has stories to tell. Yet, I don't hear many people asking him about the stories.

I find that odd.

Since I'm naturally inquisitive -- and a history junkie -- I decided to ask him when no one else was around. I've found that some old timers don't like to talk about military adventures, so I didn't want to put him on the spot in front of others. Well, he was more than happy to tell me what it was like to be in West Germany during the post-World War II occupation.

I also saw that look that he was happy that someone ... anyone ... was asking him about it. He mentioned that he has a scrapbook of photos that was put together by his friends in the army. I told him that I wanted to see it the next time we met, and he was very happy with that.

Anyway, I got a little more brave to ask Ed about his experience after reading a New York Times article about a man nicknamed "Short Al." An avid Mets fan, and a resident New Yorker with loads of baseball and sports experience, Al is a huge sports fan and someone I would love to have lunch with. To say this guy has stories is an understatement.

No matter what the experiences are, these elders are happy to tell you the stories if you want to listen ... and I want to listen. I think you should, too.

Sometimes, I fear that the digital age won't preserve these stories the way we're used to and some of them will be lost ... forever.

So ask your grandpa, gramdma, uncle, aunt, mom, dad or whomever about growing up or some experience they might have had. You might actually learn something.

In the meantime, here's a video about our man Short Al.

Puck Heads UNTIE! ... I mean ... UNITE!!! Part 3

2009-07-01T09:56:00.005-05:00

Following up on the success of Part 1 and 2 of Puck Heads Unite, here's the final chapter ... the Return of the Jedi or Slap Shot 3: The Junior League (oh, it's real) ... if you will, of our lovely series.

I must remind all of you that today at noon the NHL free agency period begins, and it should prove to be rather eventful following yesterday's big trade between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. Maybe that will make Joe a bit happier ... probably not.

Anyway, say "hello" to our charismatic dais for the final time, but not for the final time ever...

Passman - coworker, Chicago Blackhawks (committed to the Indian)
Marc - coworker, Chicago Blackhawks (also a fan of Indians)
Palmieri - coworker, New York Islanders (in denial)
Joe - my brother, New York Rangers (winning the Cup in 1994 made him slightly less angry)
Chris - coworker, Ottawa Senators (resident bald dude)

11. Where do you see Marian Gaborik landing? What other free agents are you planning to keep an eye on during the offseason? Can any of them make a team a contender instantly?

Passman: Not sure about Gaborik, but Ilya Kovalchuk really wants out of Atlanta, and if someone can swing a deal for him somehow ...

Marc: Bouwmeester (now with Calgary) and Gaborik are the two most interesting UFAs to me. If I had to guess, I say Gaborik gets a lot of money from L.A., which would be a great move for the Kings. Gaborik is a difference maker, but who knows if he can stay healthy?

Palmieri: I expect the Wild to make a big pitch to keep Gaborik now that Lemaire and his defensive style should be a thing of the past. The Wild don't have much flash and Gaborik is by far their best and most creative player. I think they would have a tough time replacing him even with all his injury problems throughout his career. I also expect Marian Hossa to resign with Detroit. The Red Wings always seem to find a way to keep their best players and I can't see Hossa leaving after experiencing so much success in one season with the Wings. One free agent that may fly under the radar is Mike Cammmalleri and I think he would be a brilliant fit with a team like the Rangers or Chicago.

Joe: Gaborik should end up on the Rangers because they need him. But he won't go there, because he's not 35 and washed up.

Chris: Gaborik strikes me as someone who can thrive either in Calgary or Vancouver. He needs to stay in the Western Conference. He could be the piece that makes the Sedin twins 100-point scorers. He could be the piece that finally takes some of the pressure off Iginla, and then Kiprusoff doesn't have to win EVERY game 2-1. Of course, he also has to not trip over the carpet in the locker room and miss 50 games. Or he could go the Hossa route and stun everyone by taking less to latch onto the Red Wings. Other unrestricted free agents who I think are intriguing: Brian Ginota and John Madden (NJ); Jere Lehtinen (DAL); Maxim Afinogenov (BUF); Rob Blake (SJ); Erik Cole (CAR); Mike Knuble (PHI); Nik Antropov (NYR) and the original enigmatic Russian Alexei Kovalev (MTL). Restricted free agents: Jiri Hudler (DET); Travis Zajac (NJ); Tomas Plekanec (MTL).

12. Which teams should give up playing hockey and turn to curling? Los Angeles? Nashville?

Passman: Teams can turn it around by stockpiling draft picks and drafting well. If you want to succeed, invest in European scouting. Not Russia anymore ... not with the KHL and mafia types with their hands out. But the Czech Republic, Sweden, etc.

Marc: I'm not a proponent of the contraction argument, but some teams are in serious trouble. Phoenix is the most obvious choice, but I'm also going to throw Atlanta out as an option. It's a lousy sports town that doesn't support any of its teams, and Don Waddell is a bad GM. That entire situation is in disarray ... I have no clue why they got a team in the first place.

Palmieri: Hockey like any sport runs in cycles. The Predators made the playoffs five straight years before failing to do so in 2008-09 but they could easily be in the postseason again next season. It's been a long climb back for the Kings but I think they could break through in a year or two with all their young talent as long as they finally get a legitimate No. 1 goaltender to lead the way.

Joe: Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Phoenix, Carolina, Florida, and Tampa Bay to name a few. Places where nobody cares. (Editor's note: New Jersey?)

Chris: Despite missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year, the Kings appear to have a semblance of a plan in place under Terry Murray. Now if Quick and/or Ersberg can improve steadily, maybe they contend for a playoff spot next season and fade late. I think the Panthers and Thrashers have to go. Florida peaked with its Stanley Cup final appearance, and the apathy of both the ownership and fan base in Atlanta (which was LONG before the Thrashers arrived) create a toxic environment that no amount of success can overcome. And the Coyotes franchise has to leave Phoenix.

13. Not all of us are Blackhawks fans, so what would you want to see your favorite team do this offseason?

Passman: Still room on the Blackhawks bandwagon. Just climb aboard and leave your other team behind.

Marc: See Chris Pronger-induced drool from a trade to the Hawks. (Editor's note: I'm sure there will be even more drool if the Hawks can get Jay Bouwmeester instead.

Palmieri: I like the course the Islanders have charted - stockpile draft picks and build with young players. Because no big-name free agents even consider the Islanders, GM Garth Snow has no choice but to be patient. His signing of Mark Streit last offseason looks like a stroke of genius now so I have good reason to believe he knows what he is doing. I would like to see him go hard after a scoring forward and a reliable 1A goaltender (Craig Anderson) because I am not sold that DiPietro will ever be 100 percent healthy again.

Joe: Well, Naslund retiring helped free up some money, but I can see Sather f*cking that up and wasting it on crap....as usual.

Chris: What do I want the Senators to do this offseason? Well, a new younger general manager would be nice (maybe coax Chiarelli back from Boston?). Bryan Murray's time has come and gone. Thank you for your service, and getting us to a Cup final, now take your bowie knife and GTFO. The following players should not return: Shean Donovan, Mike Comrie, Jason Smith, Alex Auld, Chris Neil and Pascal Leclaire. I know this throws a huge monkey wrench into the possible girl-girl action between Mike Fisher's squeeze Carrie Underwood and Comrie fuck-doll Hillary Duff on the Scotiabank jumbotron, but we'll make do with Underwood. Those in the newsroom heard me whine for Brian Elliott to be starting from Day 1 last season, bringing in Leclaire is not going to make this team a Cup contender or even a playoff contender with the overhaul the current roster needs to get to that place. In fact, I am willing to bet there would be a range of six points difference in the standings in what having Elliott as the No. 1 goaltender would give Ottawa as opposed to LeClaire, whose salary is equal to that of Martin Gerber, who showed less mental fortitude than coked-out compatriot Martina Hingis. If, and this is a very big if, someone would be willing to take on Spezza's enormous $7M salary and provide a 55 to 60-point defenseman and a first-round pick, I think that deal has to be explored. It's not a knock on Spezza, but he's simply not going to be marginally better at any point in his career than he is right now and at age 26, there is no higher trade value than right now. On a top-heavy team like this, Alfredsson can't be dealt as the face of the franchise and Heatley can score if there's a corpse on his line since he's a goal-scorer. That leaves Spezza as the only legitimate trade value since Fisher probably has the voice of the locker room second only to Alfredsson. This team finally needs to re-load through the draft like it did last decade and get better over time. I'm willing to bite the bullet on another non-playoff year if they find talent in the draft like they did building in the late 90s.

14. What’s wrong and what can be done to fix the New York Islanders?

Passman: They’re in a market with no interest in them, competing against one of the flagship franchises and doing it in arguably the worst arena in the league. How can you fix them? Contract them.

Marc: NEW ARENA!!! That team sucks and they need to completely rebuild. It remains to be seen how they will screw up the opportunity to get John Tavares, but it should be an enjoyable train wreck to watch. Nothing long-term will help the Islanders until they get a new arena. I was there for a KROQ concert about six years ago, and the only thing worse than Kelly Osbourne was the arena itself. YUCK!!!
Palmieri: I've spoken way too long about my team already to answer this question again. I will say
that a new arena is needed for this franchise to stay viable over the long haul. As much charm as the Nassau Coliseum has (Editor's note: WTF?!?!), it pales in comparison to every other arena in the league and is a huge negative when the Islanders try to attract free agents. Once that problem is solved, the Islanders will get back in the game again.

Joe: The Islanders are run by idiots, play in a shit hole, and live in the shadow of the Rangers and now the Devils.

Chris: The Islanders. Let's start by getting the owners to sell the team. Let's fire general manager Garth Snow while we're there. Seriously, how the hell did he become an evaluator of player talent? The guy's claim to fame was wearing more padding than an NFL lineman as a goaltender. Moving to Hartford should be seriously explored because that morgue of an arena is a joke. As strong as clamor is to draft Tavares, take Hedman instead. You can talk all you want about Bossy and Trottier during the glory years, but Smith and Potvin also contributed just as much if not more. While DiPietro is still an injury waiting to happen, taking Hedman to pair with Streit at least gives you the potential building blocks of a defensive nucleus. Yes, Tavares will put asses in the seats... for the first month of the season before the losing ways resume... and Hedman can always opt to skate around with Modo and some fine Swedish talent for another year, but since Tavares will not make everyone else a better scorer, Hedman will provide more in terms of stopping other teams from scoring.

And that's it for the round table. Please join us next time when I ask these guys what else they care about. Actually, I think a season preview will be the next big project. Hopefully, I've learned from the technical glitches.

Any chance Joe will be happier? Slightly? No.

Puck Heads UNTIE! ... I mean ... UNITE!!! Part 2

2009-06-30T15:28:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, I posted Part 1 of Puck Heads Unite, a round table of five friends and coworkers with strong hockey knowledge to discuss some various issues surrounding the game. Here's a quick refresher on who is taking part in this discussion, which is now in Part 2 of 3.

Passman - coworker, Chicago Blackhawks (pom-pom carrier)
Marc - coworker, Chicago Blackhawks (see Passman)
Palmieri - coworker, New York Islanders (Kyle Okpso's biggest fan ... if not more)
Joe - my brother, New York Rangers (resident angry Jersey guy)
Chris - coworker, Ottawa Senators (apparently, a book writer)

6. If you were NHL commissioner Gary Bettman what rule changes would you implement to help improve the league on and off the ice? I will not accept “I resign” as an answer.

Passman: They’re a niche sport whose chance at growth is in the past. I’ll address this a few more times, but if you contract, you get rid of some of the dead weight and the rosters instantly get better with more talent on each team. I would have no problem with five or six teams disappearing. Off the ice, I’m an advocate of the minor league marketing, even if it appears minor league. When Sidney Crosby comes to town, anyone named Sidney can buy tickets for half-price at the door. Have Chicago fans take whacks at an octopus piñata. Burn copies of Vogue in the parking lot when Sean Avery comes to town. Do silly things that cost little but get publicity in the paper or in the blogosphere.

Marc: More consistency from the refs. I'm sick and tired of seeing Detroit get away with interference just because they're Detroit. The biggest thing to me is getting teams in better financial health and getting a better TV deal for the league. The game seems to be in good shape, but no new people see it.

Palmieri: As I mentioned earlier, I would get the NHL back on ESPN, I think that would do wonders for the game. As far as rule changes, I would like to see the restrictions placed on goaltenders from playing the puck lifted because I'm not sure that has helped create more offense. I would also award the Islanders several first-round draft picks because it's only fair after they and their fans had to endure the Milbury era.

Joe: Regulation wins should be worth 3 points. I would bring back ties, but if the little bitch wants shootouts so badly, then I would have the points system as follows: Regulation Win = 3, OT Win = 2, SO Win = 1, everything else is ZERO! Oh, and i would stop favoring Pittsburgh, Baby Crosby, and the rest of the small market garbage teams in the middle of nowhere America where nobody gives a f*ck!

Chris: I think the salary floor has to be raised closer to the ceiling, and I think the league needs to institute a rule that says once every three years you need to be closer to the cap than the floor or you forfeit a draft pick. Three points for a victory, one for an OT/shootout loss and none for a regulation loss. I understand the need to have 25 or 26 of the teams in "playoff contention" until the final two weeks of the season, but you're not rewarding the winning team enough. Average sports fans are more inclined to follow elite teams when they know who they are, and that's the market that helps the sport grow. Twenty-three teams had more than one point per game played (i.e., 82 or more points), you don't lose interest when you show who the best teams are. The power play doesn't end with a goal, it ends when the penalty expires. And at the expense of making every owner scream bloody murder ruing the lost revenue of taking out 300 seats around the ice, it's time to expand the rink to the international Olympic dimensions. There's a place for physical play in hockey, but the premiums are now placed on speed and finesse with the consistent (key word) obstruction calls. With more open ice, you will get a game with far more flow.

7. What would you do to help get the NHL back in the minds of the mainstream?

Passman: The league is what it is. I don’t buy the Versus issue because the league’s ratings on ESPN weren’t exactly M*A*S*H level either. Accept what you are and try to incrementally improve as much as you can, but the halcyon days of the 1980’s … those weren’t as NHL-centric days as people think. It was Gretzky fever, and that was it. Back then, hockey fans watched hockey and non-hockey fans didn’t …just like today.

Marc: See above with TV. ESPN is terrible, but they're not going to get their irritating hype machine going on hockey until the NHL goes back to them in some capacity. Bring back NHL2Night!!

Palmieri: I've already touched on this question previously.

Joe: Go back to ESPN, and stop favoring the small market bullshit teams!

Chris: Being absent from ESPN, contrary to what many tin-foil hat-wearing people think, isn't the worst thing in the world. Does it suck the sport doesn't make an "A" segment until the conference finals? Sure. But people know where to go to find highlights, and the league actually does a halfway decent job with its Web site (when not browbeating the Rangers into joining them). Perhaps one of the things they could/should do is syndicate their NHL Network round-up show to the Fox Sports affiliates on a national basis until the NHL Network itself is viable enough to be carried by enough cable outlets on the basic tier. Another idea would be to let the Fox Sports people occasionally simulcast HNIC when one of the American teams are playing at the Canadian arena.

8. Which franchises concern you? What do you make of the Phoenix Coyotes’ situation? Would adding more teams in Canada help the league?

Passman: One word: Contraction. There's an entire division whose existence I can't justify. You can talk about Hamilton, Kansas City, and Las Vegas as much as you want, but the fact is you're gambling on expatriates in Vegas (pun intended) and that hasn't worked that well in Tampa and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. Kansas City has a brand new arena and no corporate sponsorship money. Does that sound familiar? Oh wait, it's called Nashville. Hamilton could work, if you can get people to disavow the Leafs, especially if tickets are more accessible, but again, how much corporate money is in Hamilton? These are short-term fixes that have no long term future. I would have no problem axing Nashville, the Islanders, the Panthers, and the Thrashers. I think the Blue Jackets are in worse shape than people realize. And Carolina's is on a medium leash, but are being saved by their performance. Honestly though, I think Phoenix can work ... even in Glendale... but the lease they signed is an atrocity. They need the arena to play ball ... er ... puck.
Marc: Expansion is not the answer, nor do I think moving teams to Canada. It's an easy answer for now, but I don't think it provides a legitimate prospect for growth. Teams need corporate dollars and a legitimate arena if they want to prosper. Sorry to all our Labatt-drinking friends up north, but get more major cities and then we'll be somewhere. There's a reason why the NHL left Winnipeg, and it ain't because they don't like Canada.

Palmieri: I am not in favor of franchises moving as much as I would like to see another team in Canada. Maybe I am a little sensitive about this subject because I've had to deal with rumors about the Islanders moving somewhere else for years. I hated to see the fan bases in Hartford, Winnipeg and Quebec lose their teams and I don't want to see the fans in Phoenix or Nashville have to see their teams leave either. I'm sure the Coyotes can become a stable and viable franchise as soon as they start winning and get good ownership in place. If the NHL can work in Dallas, Los Angeles and Carolina, there is no reason it can't succeed in the desert.

Joe: The NY Rangers concern me because Glen Sather is a moron, and the league needs the NY team to be good, not so-so. I don't care about the Coyotes, they should have never left Winnipeg. Instead of adding more teams to Canada, move the teams playing in the middle of bumblefuck America to Canada! The last thing the NHL needs is more teams to dilute the talent pool further.

Chris: Anything south of the Mason-Dixon line, save the Dallas Stars, is a concern. The Sun Belt is very close to being a lost cause due to inept ownership. There's dysfunction in Atlanta, ineptitude in Tampa, apathy in Florida and a clusterfuck in Phoenix. And of course, there's the Islanders, who will be addressed at the end of this. The Coyotes situation concerns me because the league is essentially trying slam David Moyes (Editor's note: Chris meant Jerry Moyes, David is the manager of Everton FC ... big difference) for 10 cents on the dollar by bringing in Jerry Reinsdorf, a noted hard-line owner regardless of sport ownership, to try and save the day. Reinsdorf and Jerry Jacobs probably could give each other hard-ons on how to save the most money by screwing up the on-ice product that only now is being rectified in Boston after a complete front-office overhaul from soup to nuts. This is the biggest problem with Gary "Keebler Elf" Bettman, his inability to concede a lost cause after doing everything possible. He brought hockey's biggest beacon, Jesus Christ Gretzky, to the desert and not even having him as coach, general manager AND owner was enough to make the product profitable. Let it go already. Just because you have what would be hockey's version of Mark Cuban in Jim Balsille waiting in the wings does not make him a bad person. He's already proven to have more financial acumen than three or four ownership groups who have faced fraud and embezzlement charges before counting the fact that Moyes simply got sucked into a money pit to deep for him to overcome. This team should be relocated to Ontario if the arena can be renovated to Balsille's liking, though he should have to put up more than $30 million of his own money. There is never a LACK of hockey coverage in Canada, but that does not mean the country should instantly go from six to 10 teams in a 30-team league. If the ownership groups where hockey is foundering find viable markets in Canada, then go, but don't go just because Canadians continue to claim the high moral ground as the cradle of the sport.

9. The revival of the Chicago Blackhawks was a big story this season. Can the team sustain that type of popularity? If you were the GM of the Blackhawks, what positions would you address? How can the Hawks get above the bar that the Detroit Red Wings have set? The Hawks are a good young team, but having the Red Wings in the division means a No. 4 seed – at best -- in the West playoffs. What would you do with Havlat and Khabibulin?

Passman: Trade Byfuglien while his value is at its highest. Try and find a taker for Huet, though you won't. Sign Havlat and pray to whatever god you pray to that he holds up in future non-contract years. Goodbye Walker and Eager, match the offer sheet for Bolland and Versteeg. Sell Sopel to the KHL or Eis Bundesliga. Take the money saved and get one more forward who can score and one more stay at home defenseman.

Marc: As long as they win, they will sustain it. Fans were beaten down for so long, all they want is a reason to enjoy themselves and follow the team, and this team has it. If they go back to missing the playoffs and being uninteresting in two years, it might change; if they keep winning, it won't go away. I think it's a waiting game for the Hawks to overtake the Wings. Detroit has too much experience and the Hawks have too little, so it will take time. I expect the Hawks to overtake the Wings by the time Jonathan Toews can grow a real beard. Khabibulin should be gone ... he spent four years in Chicago getting hurt and allowing bad goals at really inopportune time. It seems like Havlat will sign at a reduced rate for long term, but who knows? My immediate fantasy is the Hawks pulling a deal involving picks and prospects for Chris Pronger (Editor's note: Pronger was dealt to Philly) for this season. [Insert Homer drooling sound]. The following season is when there will be a major cap crunch with Toews, Kane, and Keith all due big raises. Someone who makes money -- Byfuglien? Sharp? -- probably will have to go.

Palmieri: I don't think there is any doubt that the Blackhawks can sustain the type of popularity they experienced this season. The fan base in Chicago just needed a reason to reconnect with the team. The marketing scheme the franchise put in place combined with the team becoming a real contender should have the Blackhawks enjoying sellouts for the next few years at least.It will, however, be very difficult for the Blackhawks to overtake the Red Wings in the Central but that doesn't mean they can't be beat when it matters most - the playoffs. Chicago has painted itself into a corner with Khabibulin by signing Huet to such a big deal and it stands to reason that both won't be back in 2009-10. There is still a big need for a second-line center to alleviate some of the pressure on Toews. A superstar isn't needed but a Rod Brind'Amour or Mike Riberio type player would be a huge help.

Joe: I am not answering this!!! The Blackhawks are in better shape than the NY Rangers! They have young, quick, talented forwards. Cry me a river, Chicago! Spoiled brats!

Chris: The Hawks will retain that popularity simply because they will be on TV, much to the chagrin of the still-dead William W. Wirtz, and the result is that the other media (i.e., MVP 1000, what's left of the Tribune and Sun-Times) now MUST cover it because of that popularity growth. It also helps they have a good enough nucleus in place that they have a window of opportunity almost equal to what the Senators had in the early part of this decade. If you want to keep Havlat and Khabibulin, they have to come back at a discount. They cost almost $13 million this year, Tallon has to keep their combined salaries under $10M or you let them walk. Huet is still young enough that you can make him be "the man", draft a goaltender and give him 1-2 years to develop.

10. Do you see any other clubs in position to see vast improvement for next season and become a playoff team or even a serious contender? Who will we be talking about next year at this time? The Islanders?

Passman: Dallas had a lot of injuries and too much Sean Avery early. They have a new front office now. St. Louis battled injuries too and could be a team to watch. And aren’t the Leafs due?
Marc: Ha, the Islanders ... good one! That team needs a complete overhaul (Editor's note: ANOTHER overhaul?). Lots of people expected Edmonton to be good this season, but that probably was Canadian hype for a strong finish to the previous season. Much depends on summer changes, but I think Florida could be good next year if they're able to insert a bit more scoring into their lineup. Count L.A. as another team that can vastly improve. You gotta love talking about Florida and L.A. when it comes to the NHL!

Palmieri: The team I expect to become a Stanley Cup contender quickly would be St. Louis. I love the young talent on this team with Berglund, Oshie, Boyes, Erik Johnson, Perron and Backes. There biggest problem is finding the goaltender to grow with those young players. I'm not completely sold that Chris Mason is the answer, but I still expect the Blues to make huge strides in the next few years. I wouldn't expect more than minimal improvement from the Islanders even if Tavares becomes a 30-goal scorer upon entering the league. DiPietro's health is still a huge question mark and there is still a great need for skill up front after Okposo and Bailey.

Joe: No, because they don't have Crosby, so the refs won't help them.

Chris: Depending on who comes back for Anaheim (read as: Niedermayer, Scott and/or Selanne, Teemu), the Ducks may be the one team who could vault back into "elite" status and play punch-out with the Sharks all season before bloodying them senseless in the playoffs. That said, for a team with a Norris Trophy winner as a coach, I've never seen a squad so undisciplined and take so many stupid penalty for stretches of games at a time. I think the Flyers could be improved, but whether they can get over the Penguins hump is another matter. Philly needs a standout stay-at-home defenseman in the worst way to complement Timonen's quarterbacking skills on the PP.

Thanks for joining us for Part 2. I am expecting to post the final part of this three-part series tomorrow. Come back and enjoy the fun.

The circus is about to be back in town

2009-06-30T12:07:00.005-05:00

David Beckham is expected to rejoin the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 11, just in time for Grant Wahl's soom-to-be-released book entitled "The Beckham Experiment."

The Beckham saga has been a very bumpy ride for MLS and the Galaxy with many people chiming in on whether the move has been successful or an epic failure. It's probably somewhere in between, as most things are, but then that wouldn't fill column inches, now would it?

Anyway, Sports Illustrated has printed an excerpt from Wahl's book that shines a very bright light on the entire situation; a light that doesn't make Becks look like the glowing soccer icon that his people want him to be.

Here's a key quote from Galaxy forward Landon Donovan in the excerpt ... an excerpt of the excerpt, if you will:

"Let's say he does stay here three more years," Donovan said. "I'm not going to spend the next three years of my life doing it this way. This is f------ miserable. I don't want to have soccer be this way."