Monday, May 31, 2010
Curve 5-30-2010
Hector Jimenez gave the Curve the lead in the 5th with a shot to right, and Alex Presley followed with a shot to nearly the same spot, just not as deep.
Tony Watson came in and his his first save pitching very well, although two of the longest outs of the day were against him. Speaking of long out, Chase d'Arnaud had a very long out and also a nice double, and Rudy Owens really got into a pitch that died near the warning track in Center.
Outside of two innings there wasn't a ton going on as Owens kept the Phillies in check. You would be amazed at how many bad hitters the Phillies trotted out there yesterday.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Pens Add a Few Prospects
The Pens have made a few minor signings in the last week, acquiring a few young prospects. The first prospect they acquired was right winger Nicholas Petersen, a 6 foot 3 power forward. Petersen, drafted by the Pens in the 4th round 2009, had been playing with St John of the QMJHL and totalled 79 points in 59 games. Petersen was signed for three years at entry-level money. The Pens also traded a 6th round pick in the upcoming draft to the Ducks for goaltender Mattias Modig. Modig, 23, was a 4th round pick by the Ducks in the 2007 draft. Modig is a very technical butterfly goaltender that posted a 2.35 GAA and .913 SV% in his last 2 seasons playing in Sweden. Modig was also signed to an entry level contract, but for only 2 years. The addition of Petersen is a solid depth move at the winger position, but the Modig trade surprises me. The Pens already have a "log-jam" of goaltenders in the system with the potential of Pechurskiy, Killeen, and now Modig joining Curry and Theissen. Theissen is likely a "no-brainer" for the AHL starter position, and nothing yet official has been signed with either Pechurskiy or Killeen, but it still presents an interesting situation when training camp rolls around in the fall.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Why the Hawks have this locked up.
Come on it's blatantly obvious why the BlackHawks will win the Stanley Cup this year...... the Winter Classic.
Every year since it's inception the Winter Classic has sent one of it's participating teams to the Stanley Cup finals, where they all proceeded to lose. Take out that second mortgage people!
Now the real question, are we ready to lose the Stanley Cup next year?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
5 Reasons Not to Hate Marian Hossa
Marian Hossa, it is a name that has become just about as infamous to Pens fans as the person who wears it. He is the guy everyone loves to hate, and receives a nice shower of boos not only in Mellon Arena but Joe Louis Arena, Bridgestone Arena (not sure why but Preds fans seem to despise him as well), Phillips Arena, and maybe even more. But why is he despised so much? The popular answer is the way he left for money, contract, etc, but it is time to look at the facts that he was no different then your average trade deadline rental player. Here are 5 good reasons to (at least for now) put aside your hate for Marian Hossa...
1. He gave us Pascal Dupuis- Ok, well maybe he didn't personally get us Dupuis, but we would not have Dupuis had it not been for the Hossa trade. Dupuis is not only a strong locker room personality, but has really picked up his scoring input recently. I would say he was the value of that entire deal.
2. Pens didn't lose that much- I will say that I have both an Armstrong and a Christensen jersey in my closet and they were always two of my favorites, but the truth is that they just havn't been producing like they used to. Armstrong has taken on the grinder role with Atlanta, and while he is effective at that, he hasn't been the impact forward the Thrashers had originally hoped for. Christensen is currently on his third team since the trade (ATL to ANA now with NYR) and has taken a similar role as a shootout specialist with all of them. Prospect Angelo Esposito, drafted in the 1st round in 2007 by the Pens, also hasn't panned out all that well, at least not yet. He has struggled with injuries and managed little success in professional hockey.
3. Saved a lot of money- As much as Pens fans wanted Hossa to stay, the truth was that they just couldn't afford him anyway. In order to give Hossa the years and money he wanted, they would have had to use essentially the rest of the already tight stretched salary cap.
4. Won the Pens a cup in 2009- Ok, maybe he didn't mean to, but his lackadaisical play in the 2009 finals took a vital presence away from the Red Wings, and meant one less threat against the Pens. I know it is a pretty weak reason, but at least it isn't a reason to dislike him any more.
and number 5 and probably the most important...
5. He's gotta beat the Flyers! Hossa along with teammates Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will lead the Blackhawks into the 2010 finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. So, at least for the next few weeks, all of my previous grievances against Hossa will be put on the back burner as he will be vital in order to take out the Flyers and preserve the sanity of the rest of the NHL. Go Hawks.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Was Walker right last season?
Even worse than that is the fact that with Andy LaRoche hurt we are starting Delwyn Young at third. His defense was on full display in last nights embarrassment. Not content to ruin third base he played a role in our "breakout" first baseman's injury. I understand that they aren't going to cut Aki. This FO is loyal to a fault. But what about Young? He plays all the positions that Walker can play (except Walker plays them much better).
So why isn't he up? Failure to run out an pop-up with the "infield fly rule" in effect. What does that mean? That Walker didn't run out a ball that was a unequivocal sure out. If the ball had been dropped, dribbled like a soccer ball to the outfield, and traded for the phone number of a girl in the stands (not even a hot one, maybe like a 6), Walker would still have been out.
His maturity has been questioned quite a bit, including by Stark. I don't know what we're missing but save the incidents I have mentioned I can't recall anything else. He was a model player in Spring Training, and has been moved from his natural position at Catcher (because he was going to be blocked by Paulino, hahahaha), to third base, then to outfield, now to second base. The guy has worked extremely hard to become the most versatile player in our minor league system.
He deserves his shot more than anyone else in AAA up to this point, and that includes Pedro Alvarez.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Deryk Engelland Re-Signed
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Pens Free Agents
Pics From Last Night's Shitshow
GFJ
Blurry Charlie
The Ridiculous Shift
"I'll take who is a future HOFer, the next Pirates manager and a shitty catcher for $100, Alex"
Pirate Killer
Keep walking. Indy is that way
It wasn't all bad. We got to sit in this for 9 innings
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Go Habs Go!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Yinz Luv 'Da Guins!, PIT vs. MON (Game 7)
Now I can't get that rap song out of my head. Thanks, Jim!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Where Did It All Go Wrong?
-GOALTENDING- Everyone thought that after 6 hard fought games and a tough 7 games beforehand, there was no way Jaroslav Halak could continue to play at the level he was. He proved all of those people quite wrong, however, by playing even better than he was. Halak made some incredible "point-blank" saves on the Pens that stopped their comeback in its tracks. As for Fleury, he was nearly golden all series long, but picked a very bad day for his first really bad game.
-STRIKE EARLY AND OFTEN- The Pens' momentum was killed nearly right off the bat when Sidney Crosby was put in the penalty box for a "boarding" (or so it was called on the ice) call 10 seconds into the game. This, combined with another delayed penalty on Pittsburgh, gave the Canadiens a quick goal 30 seconds into the game. They would never look back after that.
-CONDITIONING- The Canadiens flat-out outworked the Pens in Games 6 and 7. The Pens looked like a wounded animal, and though they still got a large number of shots on goal, they were constantly getting beat to the smaller battles to the puck. They also had trouble finishing their checks consistently. This, by itself, seems rather insignificant, but after 2 games of getting outworked like that it does take a toll on the team.
-WHERE'S CROSBY? MALKIN?- The Canadiens were excellent in shutting down the dynamic duo from the Pens, constantly "smothering" them and keeping them out of the action. This was especially true for Crosby, who was unable to free himself from Hal Gill assigned to stay on him constantly.
Well, that officially closes the book for the Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-2010 season. It was a season of ups and downs, emotional goodbyes and fresh young faces. It was a season of high Stanley Cup repeat hopes, and sadly a bitter ending. Nonetheless, the Pens again made the playoffs in a top 5 seed for the fourth year in a row. Sidney Crosby tied for the Rocket Richard Trophy, and is currently nominated for the Hart. Jordan Staal received a Selke Trophy nomination and showed why he may be the toughest man in the NHL. So, Congratulations Pens on giving your fans another exciting year and lots to cheer about. And one final goodbye to the Pens old home Mellon Arena. So long old pal, we'll never forget the many memories you gave us. Lets take one final glimpse at the 2009-2010 Pens because its moving forward from here.
Lets Go Pens
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Heartbreak
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
See You Wednesday Folks
Dodging two bullets, by accident
Lets handle Freddy first. The offer for Sanchez was 2 year $10 million dollars. The catch was that he had to give up a vesting option of $8.4 million contingent on him getting 600 PA last season. If he were to give up that option and reach 600 PA it was like he was making $1.6 million in two seasons, a terrible deal given his track record. Even though he was having some injury problems, and really always was kind of fragile, most assumed he would get the plate appearance just out of hand. We all know how that ended though, he didn't even come close to 600 PA. Freddy Sanchez was then re-signed by the Giants at two years $12 million. A bit higher than the Pirates offered but very much within the ballpark.
That's a great deal for Sanchez no doubt, but what has he given the Giants since the trade? 29 hits. That is all. He hasn't played at all this season due to injuries and missed 51 games last season. That type of cash into an oft-injured, powerless second baseman with little defensive range is just ludicrous looking back. There is a chance he is out of the league before his contract is up with his injury problems.
Now onto Jack Wilson, who has also missed a lot of time. Jack Wilson was offered $8 million over two season, he had a club option for 2010 of $8.4 million which the Pirates were never intending to use. Wilson also has an injury history too, he hasn't played in 150+ games since 2005 and his stick has been very unimpressive. He is the definition of an all glove no stick SS. He also has 6 errors in this young season, his previous career high was 18 in 2006. The latest bad news for Wilson? Another injury, actually 2. A hamstring and a knee have both knocked Wilson out of the lineup recently. Could you imagine paying $4 million a season to Wilson part time the next two years? Almost seems like something David Littlefield would do. The Mariners thought it would be prudent to do just that and more, they signed him to a 2 year $10 million deal.
Even if we get little in return for these guys, it was the right move. Hell just moving Snell's salary with Wilson was worth it. Ronny Cedeno does about what Wilson does and is much much cheaper. These aren't keystone guys regardless. Even Aki, who has been bad is contributing more than Sanchez. It was said that tying up over $16 million on a middle infield of Sanchez and Wilson wasn't a good allocation of funds, and that is 100% dead on obvious.
The problem is that Huntington did try to extend these guys, and he had the benefit of really knowing their full injury problems and the like. I'm not sure if Huntington ever wanted them to sign for this reason but tried to please the fans, or build up their value, but if he seriously wanted these guys back, I'm sure glad he failed.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Clutch Performance!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
5 Minute Break
Talor Battle Back at Penn State
In news that shouldn't be shocking to anyone, Talor Battle is returning to Penn State for his Senior season. Battle put his name in the NBA Draft but there was no way he was going to miss a chance to play with his half brother Taran Buie next season.
Battle's decision comes after scouts projected him to be a late 2nd round or more likely an undrafted pick.
Last year Battle averaged 18.5 points a game shooting 42% on the season. He was the only reason to watch Penn State basketball.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Update on Jordan Staal
The morning after Jordan Staal injured a tendon on his toe during Game 1 Friday night, a media frenzy ensued. Some reporters at TSN initially broke the story that he was out for the rest of the playoffs, and panic struck across the Pens fanbase. Later that morning, however, some of TSNs more educated reporters including Bob McKenzie said that this may not have been the case and encouraged everyone to wait for the statement of Dan Bylsma. Bylsma gave the official injury as a torn tendon, and put Staal on the Day to Day list. Since then, Staal has undergone successful surgery to repair the tendon and has began skating again. He participated in a brief skate Tuesday morning and Wednesday he participated in a full equipment optional practice at the Bell Centre. This clearly shows improvement, and he said that it was not getting any worse while skating. Bylsma has yet to release a time for his return, but I imagine that it will be sometime in the next few games (probably 5 or 6). This was an amazing recovery, but it was about normal for Staal. Staal is not only one of the toughest players on his team but in the entire NHL. I wish Staal the quickest and most effective recovery, and cannot wait until he is back on the ice for the black and gold.
Also, as for the Pens' other major injury, hardly any information has been released on the condition of Billy Guerin. Bylsma did say, however, that there is a chance he may participate in Thursday's morning practice. Guerin was scratched as part of a game time decision in which he came out for warmups but never saw action during the actual game.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Flower Power!
Jeffy boy the pipes, the pipes are calling
What? By looking at last years MLB numbers? Well..Um sure last season was his worst MLB season, but still his line of .206/.296/.370 with 4 homers is much better than Clements this season.
Jeff Clement has destroyed AAA pitching. Steve Pearce has hit AAA pitching well too. Clement has three season with an OPS of .850 or more at AA, Pearce has three with an OPS of .850 or more as well.
What we have is basically the same player, from opposite sides of the plate. Their AAA stats are unbelievably similar. In 359 games at AAA Clement is .279/.368/.492 with 59 homers (1 every 6.08 games), the majority of which was played at Catcher. In 237 games at AAA Pearce is .281/.354/.482 with 33 homers (1 every 7.18 games), most of which was at 1B.
Pirates fans are clamoring for Pearce because of a very small sample at AAA this season, a level he has shown success at for years. If there was ever a situation that literally screamed for a platoon it is this one. Just remember people wanted Pearce run out of town after his abysmal season last year.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Link Dump
No Pirates game or Pens game tonight. Because you have nothing to do, click on these links.
Flyers vs Bruins game two preview. [Broad Street Bully]
Get a FREE Gillette razor. [Mondesi's House]
Dodger fan catches McCutchen's homer. [Rum Bunter]
Sunday, May 2, 2010
What Happened?
Duke of Hurl
I don't know in what league Duke is playing in, but last night he showed he has little heart. He is not some kind of leader on this team. Zach Duke looks out for Zach Duke. He is whiner, he is a baby, and he has all but assured everyone he will not be back once his contract runs out. The fact that he just let guys be hit without retaliation, and then allowed someone to throw at the best player on this team, the face of the franchise is disgusting. He had the perfect opportunity to take it to the reliever who threw at Cutch's head, instead he did nothing.
That doesn't even include the scoffs he gives from the dugout if a reliever has the audacity to blow a win for him, or the look of disgust at any fielding error. Since he apparently can't finish a game anymore I guess it's only fitting that it took Jack Taschner to do what he couldn't do and throw at Andre Ethier.
Lets not forget about Zach Duke's performance this season either, he isn't exactly lighting the world on fire, and looks more like the pitcher from the second half of last season than the guy who put on the All Star team by Charlie Manual. His WHIP is disgusting, and he is walking too many guys. Couple his lackluster start with an unwillingness to stick up for his teammates, and I won't be too sad to see him go.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Jordan Staal Out For Season??
According to TSN's Brent Wallace, Staal is "done for the playoffs." Ouch.
**UPDATE** The Wallace report may have been a bit premature. Several other hockey talking heads are now saying Staal will be back "next round if not sooner" so who knows at this point.
Whatever it is ... Pens in 4