2012年10月10日水曜日
Remembering Budd Lynch
Mr. Lynch wasn’t just a great PA announcer, with his big, booming voice and old-school vibe. He was a genuine war hero, fighting for our freedom on the shores of Normandy on D-Day – June 6, 1944.
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Visits to The Joe won't be the same w/out longtime Red Wings PA announcer Budd Lynch.Legend in the hockey world passed away at 95.RIP.
— Todd Sharrock (@ToddSharrock) October 9, 2012
@detnews Budd Lynch was one of my heroes in the game of hockey. His kind demeanor will be missed as much as his distinctive voice. RIP Budd.
— Dave Strader (@TheVoiceDS) October 9, 2012
Sad to hear of the death of longtime Wings' PA announcer Budd Lynch, a war hero and true hockey icon, at age 95.
— John Kreiser (@jkreiser77nhl) October 9, 2012
Source: http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/remembering-budd-lynch
Francisco Cervelli Chad Moeller Jorge Posada Lance Berkman Reegie Corona Juan Miranda
NFL Power Rankings: The Good, Bad and Ugly Following Week 5
Every week, B/R NFL Lead draft writer Matt Miller graces us with his power rankings, and this week is no different. So, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 5.
The Good
St. Louis Rams
Whatever Jeff Fisher is preaching out in St. Louis, his players are buying in. The 3-2 Rams are for real, and they're a force to be reckoned with in an NFC West division that's been much better than advertised.
The Rams now sit eighth in Miller's Power Rankings after beating the once-undefeated Cardinals at home. They're up six spots from No. 14 last week.
I'm not sure I'd put the Rams as a top-10 team just yet because I don't think they have the offense to be a playoff team. Quarterback Sam Bradford completed just a third of his passes against Arizona, and they've struggled to find good rhythm this year.
Regardless of the offense, the Rams are still a tough out for any team, especially in St. Louis. They might not be a Playoff team yet, but they're on the cusp.
Chicago Bears
Another week and another good win for the Chicago Bears. More importantly, the Bears are now 2-1 on the road, and we all know how hard it has been for teams to win on the road this year.
The 4-1 bears now sit in the sixth position in the Power Rankings, up five positions from last weeks poll and it's well deserved.
After heading into halftime in Jacksonville tied at three, the Bears exploded to score 38 second-half points and hold the Jags to none.
The Bears defense is reeling, and for the first time in a long time, they have an offense that can keep pace. With the way Chicago's defense is creating turnovers and big plays and the way their offense is playing, it's not out of the question to call them contenders right now.
The Bad
Green Bay Packers
It has not been a pretty start for the Packers in 2012.
After leading the Colts 21-3 at halftime, Green Bay's offense was shut down in the second half and were outscored 27-6, leading to an Indianapolis victory.
The Packers are now 0-2 on the road, and their offense doesn't quite look like the one we've become accustomed to seeing. Defensively, they look a little better in 2012 but still not anything to write home about.
If Green Bay doesn't turn it around soon, they could end up in big trouble. Their last-second loss in Indy dropped them only five spots to No. 10, but more trouble could be on the way.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had a great chance on Sunday to walk away with a home win and head into the rival Cleveland game with a 4-1 record. But a poor game plan and defensive play turned that right around and they lost at home to the Miami Dolphins.
Cincinnati fell six spots to No. 14 this week and for good reason. I'm not really sure why the Bengals didn't challenge Miami deep with a receiver like A.J. Green and Andy Dalton's decision-making has been questionable, at times, this year.
If the Bengals want to make it back to the playoffs, they're going to have to win home games like this and not give them away. Coming off two straight road wins, Cincy looked to be in good position, but now, they're a middle-of-the-road team once again.
The Ugly
Buffalo Bills
Has there been a worse team in the last six quarters than the Buffalo Bills?
No. Simply, no.
Since leading the Patriots 14-7 at halftime of Week 4, the Bills have been outscored by the Pats and 49ers a whopping 90-17. That's unheard of.
Defensively, the Bills haven't lived up to all the preseason hype. Their front four who were supposed to be the elite pass-rushing group featuring Mario Williams has been nothing but a bust.
Buffalo needs to right the ship quick, or they could find themselves way out of the division race. I still think this is a very talented team, but you can only do so much if everybody isn't giving their all.
Kansas City Chiefs
A lot of things have gone wrong in 2012 for a Chiefs team that was supposed to compete for a division title. Sunday was no different.
After the defense and run game kept the team in competition with a very good Baltimore Ravens team, it became apparent that the Chiefs passing game isn't going to cut it. And the fans let quarterback Matt Cassel know.
After Cassel went down with an apparent head injury, disgruntled fans cheered the much-maligned quarterback while he was on the field. This obviously didn't sit well with Chiefs players or the media.
The fact that Chiefs fans would cheer to bring a guy like Brady Quinn in is something distressful in itself, but this team is heading down the wrong road and quick. Considering they play in the AFC West, they're not out of it yet, but they're quickly moving out of the picture.
Follow on Twitter: @dsnyder34
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1365493-nfl-power-rankings-the-good-bad-and-ugly-following-week-5
Mike Fontenot Brett Pill Pat Burrell Jhan Marinez Anibal Sanchez John Baker
Bill Daly Talks Upcoming CBA Meetings
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly joined hosts Gord Stellick and Craig Simpson on Sirius Channel 207 to address a range of issues. Daly also confirmed more scheduled talks between the two sides are set for this week – on Wednesday and Thursday in New York.
continue reading for a recap of the interview or listen to the inteview below (autoplay is on)...
Source: http://kuklaskorner.com/hockey/comments/bill-daly-talks-upcoming-cba-meetings
Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals Washington Nationals
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Purdue Boilermakers: Complete Game Preview
The Wisconsin Badgers face the Purdue Boilermakers who are looking to take a commanding lead in the race for the Big Ten Championship game. With Montee Ball and the offense clicking, the Badgers look to win their seventh straight against Purdue.
Here is the complete game preview for this key matchup.
Cincinnati Reds Colorado Rockies Florida Marlins Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers
Arsenal Transfer Rumors: 5 Players to Make Them Premier League Contenders
Arsenal are undoubtedly a very strong side with a lot of potential.
However, seven points behind league leaders Chelsea and in seventh place, Arsene Wenger would obviously like to be in a stronger position as we head deeper into October.
Wenger certainly has a strong squad, but it is not without its weaknesses. Few would argue the Gunners' squad is not without defects and there is certainly more than one area that can be reinforced during the next transfer window.
Here are a few players who could help take Arsenal to the next level, even if they probably won't arrive in January.
columbus blue jackets detroit red wings nashville predators St Louis Blues Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche
SPORTS CHART OF THE DAY: NFL Revenue Is Nearly 25% More Than MLB
Revenue in the NFL reached an estimated $9.5 billion in 2011-12. That is up $500 million (5.6%) from the year before, and $1.8 billion (23.4%) more than Major League Baseball ($7.7 billion).
Baseball's estimated revenues for the 2012 did grow at a faster clip than the NFL, up $700 million (10.0%) from the year before. NBA revenue rose 13.2% during their last full season (2010-11).
Meanwhile, the NHL is currently in a lockout, fighting over $3.2 billion in revenue, an 18.5% increase over the year before. But as they say, an increase of $18.5% over not-very-much, is still not very much...
Data via Plunkett Research and SportsBusinessDaily.com
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Bruno Gervais Dustin Kohn Andrew McDonald Matt Martin Frans Nielsen Dwayne Roloson
Minnesota Vikings Rise to Eighth in ESPN Power Rankings
Anybody who saw this coming should go to Vegas.
Now.
The Vikings, coming off a 3-13 campaign in 2011, have silenced critics by leaping to a 4-1 start and are tied for first place with the Chicago Bears in the NFC North.
The Vikings have risen from being ranked 30th before Week 1 to being ranked 8th in the latest ESPN NFL Power Rankings, jumping up six spots from the previous week.
The Vikings are very old school. The only true 'black-and-blue' team left in the Black and Blue division, the Vikings prefer to run the ball down defense's throats rather than line up five wide and air it out like their three divisional opponents.
But if you had arguably the best running back tandem in the NFL with Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, you'd likely do the same. The Vikings are averaging 133 yards per game on the ground, which is ninth in the NFL.
The Vikings have a relatively balanced offensive attack (31.1 pass attempts/31.6 rushing attempts per game compared to 40.8 opponent passing attempts/24.6 opponent rushing attempts per game), and a huge reason they are 4-1 is the improved play of Christian Ponder. In his first five starts of 2011, Ponder completed 83 of 152 pass attempts (54.6%) for 1,042 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions for a QB rating of 72.9 and an overall record of 1-4.
In his first five starts of 2012, Ponder is 109 of 158 (69%) for 1,082 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions and a QB rating of 95.5 with an overall record of 4-1. Ponder didn't throw a pick his first 146 pass attempts of the season before he was picked off by Tennessee Titans safety Robert Johnson at the end of the second quarter in the Vikings 30-7 win.
Something that Vikings fans have envied about the Green Bay Packers is how deep they've been able to draft and how good those players have been for them. Now, with a full-time general manager in Rick Spielman, the Vikings have put together a couple of good drafts.
Starting last season, the Vikings selected Christian Ponder 12th overall as their franchise QB. Their second-round pick, TE Kyle Rudolph, has become Ponder's favorite target and has four touchdown receptions this year.
Sixth-round pick Mistral Raymond began the season as the starting safety before injuring his ankle in the win against the San Francisco 49ers. Brandon Fusco, also a sixth-round pick, is the starting right guard for the Vikings.
The Vikings' rookie class of 2012 has looked incredible, too. Kicker Blair Walsh has hit 12 of 13 field goals this season, including a 55-yarder to send the season opener against Jacksonville to overtime, where he also hit the game-winner. Left tackle Matt Kalil is already a top-five tackle in the NFL, and DBs Harrison Smith and Josh Robinson have drastically improved a Vikings defensive backfield that gave up 28 points per game and only intercepted seven passes.
In correlation with the great play from the defensive backs, the defensive core as a whole has upped their game, giving up only 15 points per game so far in 2012.
The Vikings still have a long way to go to be respected in the NFL. While the surprising return to relevance is welcomed by Vikings fans, they still have a tough schedule ahead that will show how far they really have progressed.
They face Robert Griffin III, pending his concussion test results, this Sunday. They also have the Chicago-Green Bay-Chicago portion of their schedule coming up at beginning of December, as well as the 5-0 Houston Texans on December 23.
Regardless, it is exciting to see how drastically the Vikings have improved from last season, already surpassing their win total from 2011.
With the increased experience of Christian Ponder, the development of young players and the coming-out party for the defense, look for the Minnesota Vikings to continue to improve as they make a run at the playoffs.
Edmonton Oilers Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks Anaheim Ducks Dallas Los Angeles Kings
Rasheed Wallace Would Only Hurt New York
After two years of retirement, Rasheed Wallace is stepping back onto the court as a backup power forward for the New York Knicks.
Wallace will be the backup for Amar’e Stoudemire, but he is not ready to play quite yet.
According to the New York Post, Wallace is not practicing yet because the Knicks medical staff does not want to risk any chance of injury since Wallace has been out for two years.
What is he doing instead in order to get into shape? Boxing.
According to The Post, “In the past couple of years, the medical staff, spearheaded by cutting-edge medical director Dr. Lisa Callahan, has deemed sparring with gloves as a great tool to getting into basketball shape.”
Wallace was seen boxing on the sidelines during the Knicks' Monday night scrimmage. It seems like an ironic way for Wallace to get into shape, since he is known for his technical fouls.
Will Wallace benefit the Knicks or hurt them?
He has not played in the NBA for two years, and he has been on the sidelines during all of the team's practices. Head coach Mike Woodson has not yet said when Wallace will be able to practice on the court.
Plus, Wallace is getting older—he is 38—and it is going to take longer for him to get back in shape. And once that happens, what is he going to do to help the team, besides rack up the technical fouls?
At this point, the Knicks could suffer from their addition of Wallace. They need someone who can go into the game, give Stoudemire a break and keep his momentum going, not hurt it. Wallace will not be able to keep up with the speed and agility that Stoudemire exerts on the court.
Wallace has such a high chance of getting injured, along with the other three players on the team that are 38 or older, and the Knicks are already witnessing the trend of older players getting easily hurt. Last week, Marcus Camby strained his left calf and is out for seven to 10 days.
The Knicks should not have to deal with Wallace’s aggression, either. Maybe the boxing will help him lose that anger before he hits the court, but fans have to be skeptical.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1364638-knicks-rumors-rasheed-wallace-would-only-hurt-new-york
Eli Whiteside Mike Fontenot Brett Pill Pat Burrell Jhan Marinez Anibal Sanchez
2012年10月9日火曜日
Bryce Harper Got Snippy With A Reporter After Striking Out Four Times Against The Cardinals
Sometimes it is easy to forget that Bryce Harper is still a teenager and won't turn 20 for another week.
But then there are days like yesterday's game two of the NLDS in which Harper acts very much like his age, both during the game and after the game, when he got snippy with a reporter.
Harper first raised eyebrows when he started the game with half his face covered in eyeblack, much like The Ultimate Warrior of professional wrestling fame or John Randle of the NFL. It is a look Harper had used before being drafted, but something the Nationals promised he wouldn't do as a pro.
Well, it didn't help, as Harper struck out in his first two at bats. He then ditched the eye black completely for his third at bat. He would ultimately take the Golden Sombrero in the game, striking out four times.
Then after the game, Rick Hummel, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who is also a member of baseball's Hall of Fame, asked Harper if he was being "over-anxious" at the plate. Harper responded by asking if Hummel thought so. When Hummel responded in the affirmative, Harper sarcastically responded, "Maybe you should be a hitting coach," and then looked away.
Here's the video (via Dan Hellie of NBC4)...
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NBC Sports Carolyn Manno: photos and bio
Source: http://www.thesportsbank.net/nfl/nbc-sports-carolyn-manno-photos-and-bio/
Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs Atlanta Trashers Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning
To be lucky or to be good, that is the question
Source: http://kuklaskorner.com/atg/comments/to-be-lucky-or-to-be-good-that-is-the-question
Lance Berkman Reegie Corona Juan Miranda Colin Curtis Kevin Russo Curtis Granderson
Jim Nill Finishes The Chicago Marathon
Paul,
Thank you for your donation! You have touched a young child's heart and helped to change their life forever. Your donation helped us acheive our goal of over $500,000 which will provide a community of 10,000 people in Zambia with fresh, clean, healthy water for the rest of their lives.
The Marathon was a great day and event, with 1.6 million people lining the streets of Chicago, cheering on the 45,000 runners from all over the world. The run itself was a great experience. My first 18 miles went very well, I found a great pace and stuck with it. The last 5-6 miles was grind as expected. My time for the 26.2 miles was: 4 hours 45 minutes.
It has been a inspirational to witness the change in people as we trained over the last 4 months for this great cause. Our "Northridge Ridge Runners" consisted of 275 people from all walks of live and to see their transformation and committment to this journey was wonderful to watch.
Thank you again for your support!
Take care!
Bekki & Jim Nill
Source: http://kuklaskorner.com/hockey/comments/jim-nill-finishes-the-chicago-marathon
New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals
WWE: 5 Reasons Team Hell No Is the Best Thing in WWE Today
Team Hell No is the best thing going on in WWE today. By combining Daniel Bryan and Kane, the WWE has finally figured out the best combination for the tag team champions. It has also created one of the most unique and interesting storylines in the entire organization for years.
Because of this, Daniel Bryan and Kane as Team Hell No will go down as a Degeneration X level storyline that people will remember for years to come.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1363879-wwe-5-reasons-team-hell-no-is-the-best-thing-in-wwe-today
Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Dodgers Minnesota Twins New York Yankees Oakland Athletics
Robert Griffin III Knocked Out Of Game After Nasty Hit To Head
Robert Griffin III was knocked out of today's game after taking a hard hit to the side of the head. RG3 was scrambling near the sideline when he lost his footing before being hit in the side of the head with a shoulder. He walked off under how own power and told coach Mike Shanahan that he was OK. However, he needed stitches to his chin and was later taken to the locker room for a concussion test.
[UPDATE] Griffin III suffered a "mild concussion." And according to Jim Corbett of USA Today, RG3 did not know the score what quarter the game was in after the hit.
Here's the hit. You can see the entire play below...
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Marcel Goc Jamie Lundmark Nick Spaling Pikka Rinne Mathieu Carle Lars Eller