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| Despite the loss, I'd start Cam on Monday
Welcome everyone to another blog here on the new DOINOW.com. I would like to thank everyone for making my last blog, my analysis on Henrik Lundqvist, being the most read blog thus far here on the site. This DOINOW.com project is something I love doing for no money. Writing has always been a hobby of mine and this is a good place for me to vent. I thank the people who take the time out to check this site out. Make sure to check out the archives on the right hand of the site for other columns. I'm especially proud of my article on Frank Boucher, Strahan vs Tiki, #FU13 AROID & my latest Henrik piece. A big thank you to the Ranger fan sites and blogs that have shared this site with their readers as well.
Enough with the pleasantries, as this will be a longer blog than usual, as there are a lot of topics to address. For those who asked, I like to do one long blog, instead of breaking them down into 5-6 updates. I'm not in this for the web hits. Take your time reading this, come back to the column, or whatever. I'm never going to short you production. I just feel it's cheap to write 5 paragraphs and call it a day.
If you read me or know me, you know I'm a diehard blueshirt fan. The Rangers got hammered on Monday night, after another Henrik Lundqvist shit-show performance. The NHL schedule makers didn't have the Rangers playing until today, Saturday, 12/6/14. The 5 day wait was brutal. I couldn't wait for today's game to get here and was hoping the Rangers could turn it around. Unfortunately, despite a 2-0 lead, the Rangers lost 3-2 to the Detroit Redwings in regulation, allowing the Washington Capitals to take the third playoff seed in the Metropolitan division.
I was beyond disgusted and furious with this game. You all know I'm a huge Cam Talbot supporter. Talbot went 155 minutes of consecutive shut-out hockey, the best performance by a Rangers goalie all season. With the Rangers up 2-0 in the second, the MSG Network flashed a stat saying that if Cam shut-out Detroit, he would be the third goalie in the Rangers 88 year history to accomplish such a feat. Being a fanatical sports fan, of course I'm superstitious and immediately knocked on wood. It would be to no avail. Nice jinx, MSG!
Here's what went wrong. With Kevin Klein having the best season of his career & Rick Nash finding the net again, the Rangers played a fantastic first period. From there, it was all downhill. The biggest problem of the night was the anemic and pathetic powerplay. I feel like instead of "TOYS FOR TOTS" there should be a donation to the Rangers powerplay. The Rangers had 14 FUCKING MINUTES OF POWERPLAY TIME, yet yielded no goals! That is inexcusable. Granted, on the second of their 5 vs 3 powerplay, they hit iron twice, but in that situation, only hitting twine will suffice.
Chris Kreider, who played superbly last year, is having an off-season thus far. He is not scoring goals. He's been taking bad penalties and not playing defense. His brain fart in the second period led to an easy Detroit goal. Later on, the Redwings would have a freaking 4 on 1, leading to the tying goal. I know his grandfather just died. Maybe it is affecting his play. I really don't know. I give Kreids the benefit of the doubt, but this was another game where he was a space cadet.
The Rangers lacked energy in the third period and seemed to be playing for the tie. They weren't really aggressive and when they were, they couldn't score on either of their two man advantage powerplay. They played the umbrella well, but could not find the net. The biggest problem to me is not having Nash and MSL on the same line during the PP. MSL just feeds Nash so well. It's a detriment not to play them together at all times.
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| Yours truly with John Giannone
I've attended about 14 Ranger games already this year. If you read the archives, I mentioned one of my good friends is a season ticket holder and hooks my abrasive ass up. I don't watch many home telecasts, as I usually am at the game. I love the work John Giannone does "between the glass." However, I really missed Sam Rosen on Saturday night. Giannone has improved as a commentator, but it's just not the same. I'm sure Giannone would agree!
My grandfather and father raised me on the Rangers. However, it was Rosen and JD that kept me as a fan. You will not find a better commentating team in all of hockey yesterday, today or tomorrow. I really loved Phil Rizzutto doing Yankee games on channel 11 WPIX as well, but for me, nothing beats Sam & JD. While JD is gone, Rosen is a NY broadcasting icon in my eyes. I just felt cheated by not having Sam calling the game tonight!
By the way, cheap plug for WEBLEEDBLUE.com who is actually selling a Sam Rosen t-shirt. And yes, I bought it the first day it came out!
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| I can't be the only one who feels this way
Everyone knows I'm all about Cam Talbot, so I should address his play here. He played another great game. I don't blame him for the first two goals. The third goal was a shootout type of goal. You make the save or you don't. He had an impressive 31 saves. I've seen every game this season and I wouldn't doubt this game would be 6-2 if Hank was in net tonight. Talbot is getting paid $8 million less a year than the Swedish Slug and has a better GAA and SVPCTG. I blame the Rangers for giving away this game tonight, considering the 14 minutes of scoreless PP minutes and turnovers.
As of this writing, I'm still pissed off. This should've been another two points. Last year, the Rangers started 3-6, but all on the road. The Rangers have played more home games than any other team in the league. They've also given up more leads, as tonight marked the 8th lead the Rangers gave up. (Hank giving up 7 of those leads.) According to the MSG network, these blown leads equated to 13 lost points in the standings.
I'm really more mad than any other time in recent memory just because I expect this team to do well. In the lockout season, I figured they would make the playoffs. Last year, I figured they would lose to Boston or Pittsburgh. This year, I really expect them to make it to the cup. It's just infuriating. Perhaps because I'm a diehard Yankee & Giant fan as well, and have seen those teams succeed multiple times, I expect it for the Rangers. Making matters worse are all these god damn Islander fans, who you haven't heard from in years. It's amazing how many people all of a sudden "always liked the Islanders." In fairness, the Rangers had that same disease last May-June.
Ugh, I'm still pissed!
In positive news about the Rangers, I gotta make some quick shots here:
- Kevin Klein- he may be the best Rangers defenseman in 2014. He's scoring goals, clearing the puck, playing his man and has been healthy. I would've took a WNBA player for Michael Del Zaster. Instead, we got a bonafide contributer to this squad.
- Rick Nash - Nash is having his best season as a Ranger yet. It's amazing what happens when you 100% heal from a concussion.
- Marty St. Louis - the best passer in the game, bar none.
- Cam Talbot - If Sather was Billy Beane, Hank would be on the trading block already.
- Kevin Hayes - he's having a great rookie campaign.
- Matt Hunwick - the former Bruin/Avalanche came into this season as a question mark, but has been stellar all year.
My biggest causes for concern are:
-Anthony Duclair- is he gonna play or not?
- Mats Zuccarello- What happened?
- Chris Kreider- we need a repeat of last year, not a guy who seems timid of Torts.
- Ryan McDonagh - he's off an injury, but he needs to be a bigger presence.
I still think Cam should be the starter for now, just to see what the Rangers have with him. I know that's a pipe dream right now, but I feel more comfortable with Talbot in net. I feel like I'm always cringing and clenching my asshole whenever the puck is sent in Hank's direction.
I want to forget tonight's game and move on. With the Islanders being the best team in NY, I desperately want to see the Rangers figure their mess out. It's all I got right now, as every other team I like right now sucks!
LET'S GO RANGERS!
Also, check out, Rangers.lohudblog.com for detailed game reports. Rick Carpiniello always does a great job.
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| Tank, baby, tank! LOL #KNICKSRAPED #MELOL!
What else is there to say about the Knicks? LOL! I fucking hate Carmelo Anthony. Check out the archives for my SHUT UP MELO article. It comes out this week that he did a documentary saying he wanted to play for the Bulls. That would've been the best thing for the Knicks. They never will win a title with this egomaniac here. The worst part about all this, is that the Knicks won't even get the 1 pick with the 76ers around. It's a shame the NBA embraces tanking. As I said in a previous article, the bottom 4 teams in the league should be exempt from the lottery and the worst team should refund their season ticket holders. However, for the Knicks, they should just air their feeble efforts on Comedy Central.
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| Myself at our Giants tailgate when the Giants were still relevant 3 months ago
If I said it once, I said it a 1000 times here on this blog, it's disappointing that the Giants season was over by Halloween. I saw two championships in my formative years, and two championships in my adult years. Not many fans can say that. Stay the course. Injuries, a bad defense and a tough schedule killed the Giants this year. Bring Tom & Eli back. This is a lost year. I'm rooting for the Titans tomorrow. Whatever it takes to get to the top of the draft!
It really is sad that both Giants & Jets fans need their teams to lose since November. I feel like this has been a "BYE" season for NY football fans. More amazing is the NFL, despite murderers, dog killers, rapists, wife beaters, kid beaters, drunk drivers & sodomites, the NFL remains the most popular and profitable sports league in all of America today. As Americans, we can't get enough. We'll never take a stand against the NFL, no matter how corrupt it is.
Is anyone willing to bet that Jameis Winston & Ray Rice aren't on the Jets next year?
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| I'm a mongo, but Mike needs to give us some NHL talk!
I have a confession to make. I am a Mike Francesa MONGO. I love the ORDIO clips, I love following the mongos on twitter (ORDIOMONGO, BIZARROZAUN, WFANTRADES, SPAWTSMONGO, MCCLUTHERNESS, FRANCESACON, MARKMONGO, etc.) I can't get enough of it. I love doing the Francesa voice, "OK, uuuuuuhhhhhh DAT WAS ENAWMOUS!" However, I got a bone to pick with the "Sports Pope".
Check this list out:
Mets - suck
Yankees - suck
Jets - suck
Giants - suck
Knicks - suck
Nets - suck.
Rangers & Islanders? One is coming off a Cup run and the other is the best team in their conference. It's about time Mikey boy embraces his Long Beach roots and talks hockey. Bring back Pierre, Joe, Eddie O., or whoever. Ira does a great job with his NBA segments. It's about time Mike does a hockey segment. There is nothing else positive in the NY sports scene.
I'll give Mike some credit, he allowed some Islanders mongo to gloat the other day. Mike dictates the sports talk in NY. If he talked hockey, people would catch on. I saw Mike at the Rangers game last Saturday against the Flyers. I know he's got a million interests, but even if he just let the "EGGSPERTS" talk, at least it would be positive news & opinions about the NY teams. With the NFL, MLB and NBA seasons NY fans have had, NOO YAWKAHS could use it.
Back aftuh dis.
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| A man who knows how to get attention
If you haven't checked out the archives or read it yet, check out a few blogs back for my article on CM Punk. In short, I never was a fan of Punk's WWE work, but I respect the guy & the interviews he recently did on the Colt Cabana/Brutus Beefcake (Credit: Sean Wiggins) podcast.
Punk announced tonight he would be going to the UFC. The internet is in an uproar. WWE fans are furious that he won't return. People say Punk is a crybaby. People say Punk will get killed.
What do I take out of it? I admire Punk for his decision. This is a smart move. For starters, it's something he can scratch off his bucket list. Sure, he's 36, has tons of miles on him and has no experience in cage fighting. Who cares? It's his personal goal. Listen, I'm 32, 5'11, 255 pounds, possess a questionable liver & haven't skated since I was 19, but if the Rangers called me today, I'd line up next to MSL and Rick Nash tomorrow. Punk is living his dream. Can't hate on the guy for that.
I would bet that Punk will boost UFC PPV numbers to Lesnar levels. You will have the UFC fans buying it. The WWE fans who loved him buying it. And most importantly, the WWE fans who hated him & want to see him get killed, buying it. It's a win-win. UFC will profit & Punk lives his dream. I'm sure UFC will give him 2-3 tomato cans to start with. It's good for the sport.
I'm semi-regular UFC viewer. They over-exposed themselves and watered down the product with a million shows a year. Who can afford all their PPVs or watch 10 shows a week? It's too much. I do go out of my way to follow the results and will buy/view the big shows. I know I will be watching Punk's first fight, and I'm sure all other WWE fans will too.
It's even a win-win on another level for UFC, because if he loses, they can say he was green and will do better next time. If he wins, they have a new PPV mover.
You can call Punk a bitch, a whiner, a "QUIETER" or whatever, but I respect the guy for living out his dream. Better off doing it now instead of when the window is slammed down for good in a few years. However, if he lines up for an NHL team, like his Blackhawks, then I would be jealous!
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| One of the biggest tragedy stories I've ever known personally
From my blog on 11/19/14:
In closing, a serious topic. Some of you reading may not know this, but for nearly 10 years, I was involved in independent professional wrestling. During the majority of the time, I either covered or did business with ACE Pro Wrestling, an independent wrestling company based out of Union City, NJ.
I have been removed from professional wrestling for over two years now. I haven't given it a second thought. It is something I have done. It was a great time in my life, but I like my life now. I wouldn't trade the relationships and experiences I had in wrestling, but it just isn't for me anymore.
During my time in indy wrestling, I really enjoyed working with ACE Pro Wrestling, especially with owner Mike Viruet, who goes by the wrestling moniker of Mike Morgan. Due to my life decision of leaving pro wrestling, I haven't seen Mike in the last two years. However, I still hear and read things, and nothing has changed, Mike Morgan is one of the nicest and passionate family man you'll ever meet. Mike Morgan lives for his family more than he does for the wrestling business. While many people will thank Mike for breaking and nurturing them through the world of pro wrestling, Mike also has raised and always been there for his kids. You wouldn't go to an ACE Pro Wrestling show, back in the days at 725 Sips Street, without seeing Mike's family at the show as well. During the latter stages of my wrestling career, I ran WSU wrestling. I needed people to help me produce DVDs. I hired William Colon (Will Wyeth) to help, who in turn, had Mike's son, Mike Viruet Jr. (Mike Morgan Jr.) help out. Mike Morgan Jr. filmed about three years of shows for me. We had many fun and great talks in his father's office in that great building on Sips street. The Morgan family were always great people to me and I probably relied on our friendship too much, from drinking too much at shows to being a wiseass, but no matter what, Mike Morgan and his family were always there when I needed them. It was a bond I lost when I left wrestling. However, I will always consider Mike Morgan and his family friends to me and would do anything if Mike Morgan called me up. Then I read this: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/11/15/brothers-11-and-20-critically-injured-in-north-bergen-hit-and-run/ This story has gone national. If the link doesn't work for you, the short of it is that some crazy asshole, driving a red Nissan Rogue, hit and ran two of Mike's children, Mike Jr., 20 years old, and Adrian, 11 years old. Thankfully, both kids will survive, but not without a price. Mike Jr. had a leg amputated. Adrian may have severe brain damage. These are great people. They do not deserve this. No one does. I wouldn't ask for money if it wasn't for a legit concern. To donate to the family during this time, you can Paypal money directly to: Acewrestlingnj@yahoo.com You can also donate to a GOFUNDME account at: http://www.gofundme.com/Michaelandadrian Two innocent lives and a family were affected by a coward's actions. All sports and silly shit talking aside, if you can help these people out, please do. Even if it's only a couple of bucks, anything will do. I have already donated and I urge anyone, even if it's only a dollar, to give to a loving family during their time of need. Let's show the Morgan's/Viruet's that there are still good people in this world. The current GOFUNDME is already up to $11,000. I hope that figure has an extra zero on it soon. Get home soon Mike and Adrian. For myself, and countless others, we are all pulling for you Mike Morgan, and for your family.
Sadly, Mike Viruet Jr. aka Mike Morgan Jr., passed away Thursday at 7:45 PM. He was only 20 years old. Fortunately, his killer, was apprehended and caught in Maryland, 20 minutes before his passing. It won't bring Mike back and a family is crushed. This is just the worst news ever for a family. The Morgan/Viruet family is a close knit and loving family and I can't imagine what they are going through. If you can, please donate to the family at the links above.
Revenge and beating his killer up is a natural first thought, but it won't bring Mike back. Instead of focusing on the cocksucker who killed him, I hope people can remember Mike in whatever way they can. For me, he was always Mike's son and a guy who helped me at all my shows. While he was younger than me, you were always able to bullshit with him and have a few laughs. The wrestling part of my life is over, but I won't forget the Viruet/Morgan family. My deepest condolences to them during this horrible time.
RIP MICHAEL VIRUET JR.
Sean McCaffrey BULLSMC@aol.com @NYCTHEMIC on the twitter |
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