Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Done and done

I actually stayed up last night to watch the end of game 3 of the World Series.

The White Sox took an unexpected and commanding 3-0 series lead with a come-from-behind, 7-5 extra innings victory over the bad luck Houston Astros.

The longest game in World Series history was won on a pinch-hit, two-out solo homer by Geoff Blum in his first ever World Series at bat.

I only watched the last 5-6 innings of the ballgame and I truly tried to get into the game and get excited about this matchup but it's just not there for me. I don't know that Houston will be able to stop the White Sox's date with destiny tonight. They'll need an all-world performance from Brandon Backe in order for that to happen.

Unfortunately for the Astros, things just go from bad to worse for them as they have to beat Freddy Garcia who's been lights out in the post season thus far.

I think the worst part for Houston though, and what will probably be talked about for a while, is the way Manager Phil Garner reacted in his post-game press conference last night.

SI's Tom Verducci writes a stinging critique of Garner on Sports Illustrated's website and, once again, I find myself agreeing with everything Verducci says.

I haven't watched much of this year's finale but from what I've watched and from what I've seen in the highlights, the Astro's team has fought hard in every game. They do not look to me to be a team that quits. However, they also are not a deeply talented team and so I think it was bound to happen that eventually they would come back down to earth and play to a level that's a little more realistic of this, in all honesty, very mediocre team.

Garner's post game comments last night though was one of the worst display's of leadership I have ever seen. Verducci suggested that Garner jumped ship on his team. I'd go a step further and say he stabbed every single player in a Houston Astros uniform right square in the back.

Garner sold out his players and placed the blame for losing squarely on their shoulders. He made no mention of himself. He made no attempts to include himself with the team or to shoulder any of the blame himself. He actually tried to place blame entirely on the shoulders of the players who have far exceeded expectations all year long. It blew my mind when I heard the things he had to say after the game.

The fact of the matter is, a big reason Houston is down 3-0 isn't because they've been outplayed but rather because they've been outmanaged. Losing doesn't start at the bottom, it starts at the top. If you're the leader of the team and your team isn't getting it done, the blame is yours, not theirs. It's your job as the leader to pass the praise and absorb the criticism. Garner did the exact opposite last night. I think it shows Garner to be a real coward and the exact opposite of what you want from a leader.

If I was an Astros player and heard those comments last night I'd be telling Garner to not bother coming to the ballpark tonight. If losing is all about the players then so too should winning, and if that's the case then he's not needed if he has nothing to do with the outcome- good or bad.

The fact of the matter is that Houston had the game won in the bottom of the ninth. They had a perfect squeeze play situation with a speed guy on third with less than two outs and your two best bunters coming up. Neither Biggio (who walked) nor Tavares (who ended up striking out) even attempted a bunt and, as a result, the Astros were unable to get the winning run home from third with less than two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Sure some of the blame should fall on the hitters for not getting the clutch hit, but everyone knows that the Astros achilles heel is their offense, so playing small ball and manufacturing a run should have been a foregone conclusion at that instant.

The mistakes that Garner has made throughout the first 3 games of the series are well documented. After last nights display of selfish stupidity it's perhaps becoming clearer that, as much as the Astros have been hindered by their offense, perhaps their biggest weakness comes from the fact that they're being led by a self-centered man-child who has no idea what true leadership in the face of adversity looks like.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

World Series Preview

Despite Albert Pujols' late game heroics on Monday night, St. Louis couldn't keep the magic coming as they sucumbed to the Houston Astros tonight in yet another anti-climactic 5-1 Astros victory.

As boring a team as I find Houston to watch I will give props to this team. I was one of many people who believed that losing Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent would put this team in the bottom of the Central Division. I never would have chosen them as NL champs this year.

Roy Oswalt was masterful again tonight and a very deserving winner of the NLCS MVP. This guy can throw closer-type stuff for 9 innings which is pretty incredible.

Well, if you like a National League style of baseball then this World Series should be a dream come true for you. I personally prefer an NL style game but, again, I really just don't care for either of the teams playing in the final.

I guess there is some intrigue with Houston making their first ever Fall Classic appearance and the White Sox making their first appearance in something like 275 years.

Obviously pitching will once again be the deciding factors and both teams have their pitching staffs going at their best clip right now. Chicago will once again send Buerhle, Garland, Contreras and Garcia to the hill while Houston will respond with Clemens, Pettitte, Oswalt and Backe. Tough to give an edge to either team here although a lot of attention will be given to "the hammy"- that being the supposedly injured hamstring of Rocket Roger Clemens. Oooh, the suspense is killing me. Anyways, I'm going to call the starting pitching even.

On offence neither line-up really strikes fear into opposing teams which will again shine the lights on the pitchers. There are no Big Pappi's, no Man-Ram's, no A-Rod's, No Pujols'. . .

There's your Berkman's, Konerko's and Ensberg's as far as power goes but, like I said, this series will not be won with the long ball. It will be won on the basepaths. The team that can take the extra base on base hits, the team that can hit and run, the team that can lay down the sacrifice bunt or the suicide squeeze. We're going to see two teams working hard to manufacture runs. I do think that that will provide for some exciting baseball. Speed wise I'll give the edge to the White Sox as this has been their bread and butter all season long. If the Sox win the series it will be because their pitchers continue to throw the way they did against Anaheim and because Scott Podsednik's OBA will be up near. 500.

Defensively I give the edge to Houston. Getting rid of Jeff Kent and moving Biggio back to 2B was a great move for Houston defensively. Biggio is still a solid second-bagger and is surrounded by lots of other great defensive players, both in the Astros infield and in the outfield.

Houston gets the edge in the bullpen battle as well. Despite the mammoth moon shot given up to Pujols the other night, Brad Lidge is the best closer this side of Mariano Rivera. The rest of the Astros bullpen has been lights out this entire post season.

Overall, I see the Houston Astros winning the World Series in their first ever visit to the big dance. They'll continue the mystique of being the wild card winner and further cement Bud Selig's genius for instituting the once hated extra spot in the playoffs.

The Killer B's- Biggio and Bagwell- will get their just desserts and be able to retire on top. I think that is a deserving prize for a couple guys who are old school ballplayers and have always played the game the way it should be played.

Am I excited about this World Series? Not really. Will I watch the games? Probably every one of them. Do I have better things to do with my time? Probably. but it's the world series so you never know what you're going to get.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

To kick or not to kick. . .

The NHL recently handed down a 5 game suspension to Ottawa Senator forward Martin Havlat for kicking Boston Bruins d-man Hal Gil during Saturday nights Sens/Bruins game.

When I saw this on the highlights I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's not like Havlat was being viciously attacked or anything like that. Gil was doing what most defencemen are supposed to do when they have a pesky winger around their net- he was keeping him from getting to the spot he wanted to go. From what I saw in no way, shape or form was he doing that in a way that was any more violent then what any other d-man would do on a nightly basis.

And then you see Havlat, out of total frustration, stick out his skate and, blade out, kick Gil right in the goodies. Truly unbelievable if you ask me.

Unfortunately I've found that my dumbfoundedness has only increased over the past couple days as this story unfolds.

Yesterday the NHL hands down a decision to suspend Havlat for 5 games for the incident. A somewhat stiff penalty considering it will cost the Van Damme wannabe a tidy $60,000 in salary. I'm not sure though that the punishment fits the crime.

Was it not attempted assault with a potentially deadly weapon? Is a sharpened skate blade directed at another person's mid-section not a potentially dangerous act that could have caused serious damage to Gil's extra attacker? Should this not be looked at with a great deal more severity?

Many will say that it was unintentional or that it was a natural reaction of frustration by someone who was being pushed and shoved. In fact, I just read a quote from Havlat where he himself says that it was a natural reaction and that he was falling down and didn't want to hurt the guy. I think it's a bunch of balogne.

The fact is, Havlat's a repeat offender who seems to think that he's wearing skate guards all the time and his right foot apparently is magnetized to opposing players crotches whenever he's getting roughed up.

It's only a matter of time before this guy really loses it in the heat of battle and kicks hard enough to do some damage.

So suspend him for 5 games but maybe be a little more creative- make him play the next game without a cup and paint a big red target on the front of his pants and bring Al MacInnis out of retirement for one game. Better yet, make him play the next game with no skates and bare feet.

I think it's a gutless move by an immature player who does nothing to help promote the great game of hockey with cowardly acts like this.

If I'm Bryan Murray and John Muckler I'm on the phones finding the first agreeable trade for Havlat because I don't want pansy's like him on my hockey team. Ottawa's a potentially great team but I've got to agree with Hasek when he says that this team has to mature first before they're really able to contend.

Having players throwing tantrums like 5 year olds is not the mark of a winning team- despite an undefeated record. There's no place for clowns like Havlat who have no respect for their fellow players.

Monday, October 17, 2005

A healthy serving of major league crow . . .

Well, crow certainly has a funny taste.

This morning I wrote a blog about what I thought was a sure-to-happen World Series finale between the Chicago White Sox (a sure thing to appear) and the Houston Astros (whom I thought would end the incredibly emotionless NLCS tonight with a win at home). I wrote how a final match-up such as that one does nothing to make me feel any kind of excitement about the 2005 edition of the Fall Classic.

I think I also wrote about how painfully boring this year's playoffs have been with no underdog to cheer and no compelling moments to send you running to the water cooler the next morning.

Where oh where are the open legs of Bill Buckner? Where oh where is the gimpy homerun trot of Kirk Gibson? Where oh where is the leaping lunacy of Joe Carter? Playoff images that are forever etched in my mind.

Well, I missed tonight's game and from all accounts, it appears as though tonight was another one of those magical baseball moments that, if the story continues the way it ended tonight, could have people remembering this as another post-season to remember.

So, hours after I roast the NLCS, one Albert Pujols has to go and hit, from what I hear, an absolute MOON SHOT off the games (arguably) best closer, Brad Lidge, to put the Cardinals ahead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, in a must-win situation.

And I shake my head . . . and I take another bite of crow. Man it's a good thing I don't do this for a living and that nobody actually reads my stuff because boy would I feel like an idiot right now.

So not only do Houston and St.Louis lock horns for one for the ages, but I miss it. I guess that's my just desserts for going Ebert (or was Siskel the overly critical one all the time?) on the two teams earlier today.

Anyways, I thought I should probably admit my mistake, publicly in writing, knowing now that I should listen to the good ol' adage that tells me that if I have nothing good to say, I shouldn't put it in writing where it can come back to bite me in the Fall Classic (minus the C-L-I-C, refer to my last post).

The Fall Classic

The thought of a Chicago White Sox versus Houston Astros World Series matchup has me as excited as Monitone Mary who does the in-game promotions at Warriors games. I know none of you in blog-land will have a clue who I'm talking about but trust me, she's as horrid as they come.

If Houston finishes off the Cardinals tonight- and all signs point to them doing just that- then I think MLB officials will need to remove the C-L-I-C from the word Classic and have themselves a more fitting title for what this World Series will resemble better. Let's just say it will be tough to "crack" a smile during what will be a painfully boring World Series.

Maybe I'm alone in this but I just have a hard time getting excited about watching two vanilla teams like Houston and the White Sox. Sure it's been like a thousand years since the Sox last went to a World Series and didn't lose on purpose. And sure it would be the Astro's first ever trip to the big dance, but that doesn't really do anything to get me pumped for a true "Fall Classic".

Years from now we'll look back on this World Series and remember the greatness of a 30-year-old "rookie" second baseman named Tadahito Iguchi. Or we'll remember the majestic swings of one-year wonder Morgin Ensberg. Or perhaps we'll be filled with intrigue and wonder about whether Roger Clemens' 90-year-old hamstring is going to stay together long enough to allow him to pitch one more over-puffed game? Last year we go from Schilling's bloody sock to the Rocket's tight hammy? Are we so in need of a story line that now every aching body part becomes a source of drama? Hey, I gotta pimple that's about to explode like Mt.St. Helen's, come and put me on Fox!

I'm thankful the hockey lockout happened last year and not this year. Last year we had a playoff run that was truly exciting. The right teams were winning and the games were exciting to watch. I have yet to watch a full game of this postseason and I consider myself to be a die-hard fan. Albeit I did take in about 15 of the 18 painful innings in the Braves/Astros game 4.

I have yet to find a team to root for; an underdog to attach myself to; or a character that has given me any reason to tune into this "drama" on a nightly basis. Craig Biggio? No thanks. I'd rather watch Conan. Paul Konerko? I'll take 3 hours of Max & Ruby on Treehouse then watch a one-dimensional player like that get voted ALCS MVP- how does Joe Crede not get that BTW?

Andy Pettitte? Been there done that. Looked better in Yankee pinstripes if you ask me. AJ Pierzynski? I don't think it's just other Major Leaguers that think this guys a showboat and a windbag.

Perhaps the best reason to tune into the 2005 version of the "Fall Classic" is to see how badly the umpires can screw up on a nightly basis. Rest assured poor Mike Scioscia and company will have a good 4-months of sleepless nights going over how many times the umps screwed them out of a World Series birth.

I know baseball is striving for parity without being able to instill a salary cap system and I'm all for that. I just hope that before too long we can start seeing the teams that people really care about battling it out for baseball's top prize. At this pace, next year's Series will see us with a Tampa Bay Devil Rays versus Arizona Diamondbacks matchup.

I'd rather cheer for Rafael Palmeiro in a steroid eating contest against Jose Canseco than watch many more "classics" like the one we're about to witness.

Bring on the hockey!

A weekend to forget. . .

It's funny how on weekends when you have plans you're really looking forward to something always happens that takes those plans, throws them violently to the ground, and squashes them like a bug with a big boot of disappointment.

This past weekend was one of those experiences in the Benallick household.

After a long week of work I was really looking forward to some fun time. We had a Warrior game to go to on Friday night and some friends of ours were going to be joining us. We then had plans for Saturday evening to hang out with the same friends- spending the night having supper and then taking our kids out bowling and watching the Leafs/Montreal game on HNIC. I know it's not a fancy-shmancy night out but hey, it's Moose Jaw, let's be realistic here.

Unfortunately we didn't get to do 3/4's of the fun stuff we had planned. You see our house, and pretty much everyone around us, has been battling a flu bug for the past couple weeks. First my wife had strep throat. Then our son had a couple days of some Stand By Me-like vomitting. A couple people in the office have been sick as well. Basically it was down to me and my daughter, Jenna, as the only two not to be sick within the past month.

Well, my turn came Friday. I think my first mistake was the cheeseburger I ate at the Warriors game. I hadn't had any supper yet and my stomach was feeling "funny"- something I took to mean hungry, not "on the verge of yacking" kind of funny.

So I ate my cheeseburger and by half-way through the second period I found myself heading for my car and making my way home, for fear that if I stayed any longer that horrid cheeseburger would be reappearing all over the nice leather coat of our season-ticket-holder friend who sits in front of us:). Not since the 3rd grade have I thrown up on anybody so I wasn't about to relive that embarrassment.

3 years ago while visiting my family at home in Ontario for Christmas I was rocked by the dreaded Norwalk virus. Friday night I had flashbacks from that time and I was not the least bit impressed to be that sick again.

I knew I was in trouble when two gravol's and a Tylenol Cold nighttime were not enough to knock me out and dull the aches and pains I was experiencing. Sure I'll probably have an irregular heartbeat now for the rest of my life because of over-medicating myself, but darnit, I really wanted to sleep this thing off.

No such luck. I was up most of the night and experienced some slight relief when that dreaded cheeseburger finally showed it's ugly (albeit somewhat chewed up) face in the middle of the night. I'm not proud of the sounds I made during that tossing- I can honestly say I've never heard sounds like that come out of my body before- but man was I glad to get that stuff out.

Anyways, by 6AM Saturday morning I was finally able to drift off to a state of unconsciousness which I stayed in until about 3pm Saturday afternoon. Aside from feeling the effects of a long night of yackin' and the effects of over-medicating myself, I knew the worst was behind me.

Unfortunately for our youngest, Jenna, she was next on this nasty virus' hit list. She succumbed to the beast on Sunday night, just before her bedtime. After enjoying a nice pre-bedtime bottle of milk she proceeded to redistribute that milk, along with the days earlier meals of rice (supper), kraft dinner (lunch) and portions of a blueberry muffin (breakfast) all over her bedroom carpet along with various items such as books and toys.

I can deal with being sick myself but it breaks your heart to a see your little 18-month old baby girl come down with such a violent stomach bug.

The one good thing about Jenna getting sick last night? It made her uncharacteristically cuddly. Jenna is not a cuddler. She's never fallen asleep on my chest or snuggled in underneath my chin. Last night she switched between laying on my chest to laying on Karlene's chest and tried to soak up as much of us as she could.

Anyways, it appears that the worst is behind her now too (thankfully). We've pumped her full of Pedialite (and she's managed to keep the last couple doses down) and she'll be able to rest well today.

Hopefully this will be our families one and only bout with the flu during this fall/winter season.

I just know I'm staying away from Civic Centre cheeseburgers for a long, LONG time.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

It's baaack!

Well, the NHL is back in a big way after last night's opening night reintroduced fans to the game we've missed for some 16 months.

I know for myself and for some of my co-workers we had been counting down the days until the NHL's regular season kick-off for quite some time now.

I'm happy to see that after taking in last night's double header I was not left disappointed. I have heard a smattering of complaints about the supposed boredom of the Leafs/Sens game that TSN broadcast last night but I didn't find it to be boring at all. Sure there were spots that didn't take your breath away but, for the most part, the game served as a perfect appetizer to warm hockey fans up for the smorgasbord of what will be a healthy dose of NHL hockey for the next 8 months.

I was thrilled to see the continued enforcement of the new rules by NHL referees. There was more room for the offensively gifted players to work their magic. Guys were actually using their sticks to shoot instead of just wrapping it around an opposing players waste and holding on for dear life.

And contrary to what people such as Philadelphia's coach Ken Hitchcock have said, the game most certainly did not lack passion. There were a ton of good, CLEAN hits- just ask Eric Lindros as he was on both the receiving and donating ends of big hits all night- and both teams went hard for 65 minutes plus the shootout.

I for one would much rather watch a player like Jason Spezza or Jason Allison be able to create scoring chances out there than to watch a big plug like Derian Hatcher clutch and grab players to death. I think Ken Hitchcock is upset because he knows he's got a blueline of big, slow defencemen who, without being able to hook on or grab on to opposing players, are going to be relatively useless in the new-look NHL.

I think the NHL is on the right track. People want to see goals. People want to see skilled players making skilled plays. People also still want to see the physical component but done so in a way that enhances the speed and intensity of the game, not slow it down and rob the game of any flow. The game I saw last night between Toronto and Ottawa did just that. It had all the components (except for maybe a few more goals but that was more a testimony of some good goaltending then a lack of scoring opportunities) of an exciting, entertaining hockey game.

The bottom line is that when the final buzzer sounds the NHL wants its fans to leave the building talking about how great a game that was, without giving consideration to how much they just spent and how little they received in return.

The new rules and the new look NHL will provide its fans with a much better return on investment and when you're in business, isn't that what it's all about?

I applaud the NHL for taking the risk and making some much-needed changes in order to make a great game even greater. This hockey fan has put the past 16-months behind him and I more than happy to once again support the NHL and watch as it works its way back into the fold as one of the "big 4".

At least we know that in Canada, the NHL will always be #1 and perhaps now in this new era that will be enough to keep the league going for a long, long time.