PEE WEE HOCKEY: What a World!

Let me start off by saying I am a huge hockey fan. I have been watching the playoffs semi religiously this year, probably less this year then others, and cannot wait to see who wins the Stanley Cup this year. Though I am a little upset and having a hard time writing this because my favorite team the Washington Capitols were knocked out by the Montreal Canadians last night. (At least I still have the Bruins to root for)

With that all said, this past weekend I had the chance to go to Marlboro, Mass. to see my kid brother and his hockey team from Auburn play in a tournament. I wish I had had a camera there that day, the rink-or should I say rinks- were huge. I could easily call this complex heaven. There was a hockey store that rivaled any I have seen other then Philbrook Sports in Dover, NH. On top of that this 2 floor hockey paradise had a full service restaurant and snack bar. How many rinks do you hear of with that. Oh yeah, did I mention there were 5 ice rinks. Not 1, not 1, but 5! I was told about the place before I got there but thought it was too good to be true. With the lack of sleep from the night before and the 3 hour drive at 5AM that it took to get there I really had thought I died and was in a state of ecstasy. Really though I was at the New England Sports Center.

To the games...


My brother, Kurtis, is only 8 years old so he plays at the Mites level. His team is fairly good, I have only seem them loose once. (I don't get to go that often) They played a game the night before I got there and won pretty easily I was told. The same was said about the game that finished just as I arrived to my new sanctuary. This meant I was only going to be able to see his third and final game- against Lewiston. For those that don't know Lewiston and Auburn do not get along well. They are to youth and high school hockey what the Red Sox and Yankees are to baseball. I even found Kurt and his buddies running their mouths back and forth with players from Lewiston that happened to be staying in the same hotel.

The game was exciting right away. Though my kid brother and his team came out a little flat, the crowd was behind them the whole way. At one point I was seeing stars I was yelling so loud and hard. Especially when my brother was sent to the penalty box. I did not contest the call too much, but instead cheered my brother on for playing hard. My family asked why I would cheer that to which I replied, "the box is a good place to reflect- besides he is a hockey player, all the greats take penalties."

After a while Lewiston took the advantage by two goals. My personal philosophy on hockey is that a two goal lead is always the hardest to hold. The team with two goals gets cocky, plays sloppy because they are up. Then after the lead is cut, they still rely on that one goal lead, before you know it the game is tied. And this game was no different.

At 2-2 with very little time left it seemed everyone was happy with a tie. The coach changed his lines and looked like he was going to settle with a tie too. I guess no one told the players, they had found a gear that they had not reached at all during the game and scored again to go ahead with less then a minute. Though my brother was not the hero I still could not have been more proud of him. Mostly because he was for once not the first one in line to shake hands with the other team, but instead on top of the pile of kids that mugged the goalie. They looked like what I expected my Capitols to look like at the end of this year. WINNERS!

The next day they lost in the championship game, but like I said I could not have been more proud of my brother!





pictures from Auburn Youth Hockey Elite Mites Facebook page
also pictures are from a tournament earlier in the season that noted above...but still at same venue

NASCAR: I NEED MORE

In all my blogs I have discussed the major sports, baseball, hockey, football, and basketball. For some that list may not include the one they watch religiously. I am talking about NASCAR, or racing for those who don’t know what NASCAR is. The reason I have yet to discuss NASCAR is because, well, I don’t watch it.

That however, does not mean I do not view it as a sport. I DO! What those 43 cars do each Sunday is quite the feet. The way they race around a track in an extremely modified car at speeds in excess of 170 MPH dodging other cars, and constantly pushing both the car and themselves to the limit is amazing.
I have longed for a long time to be able to do that, and my driving record shows proof of that. At this moment I could not tell you who is leading the points, who has won the most races, or anything about the current race season; which started in February. But what I can tell you is, I recently bought a racing video game for less than $2 and have been addicted to it; it is a surprise I have put it down long enough to write this. Granted it is a game, for me it scratches my NASCAR itch and at this moment fills my need for speed.

There have been times where I would go to local races and see people I know race. For those who follow Maine racing, especially at Oxford Plains Speedway, the name Travis Adams rings a bell. Adams has won his respective division 4 times. I knew him personally and was on a couple occasions able to see and even touch the car that once raced alongside NASCAR great Terry Labonte. It blew my mind to see the car I had touched with my hands racing next to the guy I watched Sunday’s with my dad.
There have also been times where I have gone kart racing, and when I say that I don’t mean the kind at FUNTOWN that have generals on them regulating the speed. I mean Maine Indoor Karting in Scarborough, the kind where you wear the fire suit, neck brace, and helmet and have to watch a safety and instructional video.

I guess I have just given a few too many reasons I should follow NASCAR. I play the games, I go to local tracks, and I even try my hand at it on a smaller scale. But, they have games for everything like war, and I am not going to sign up for that. And for the local tracks and indoor karting, those are expensive. The other sports I enjoy are not nearly as much money, and maybe that’s why I enjoy them. I can get a basketball or football game going with friends at the drop of a hat. Maybe if NASCAR and racing in general was more practical I and many others would care more. I will be the first to admit it is intriguing, but there is nothing that pulls me in the way other sports do. If NASCAR could make the relation to me, I would watch. And if I watched, I would blog.

(top photo from Sports Illustrated)

NFL DRAFT

The National Football League is having it's draft this week starting on Thursday. The event that is normally held on the weekend, is instead being held on Thursday during TV's "prime time" slot. In a previous blog I wrote about some of the shake ups the NFL has seen this off season, McNabb to Washington, Tomlinson to the Jets, and Julius Peppers to the Bears; as well as many more. Now that the draft is less then 48 hours away it got me thinking about what I would do if I were to be in the draft room this week. Here is my first round top ten choices:



1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford- QB Oklahoma
The Rams obviously had a rough year but on the bright side they did earn the top pick. The focal point to any teams success is defense, however there is always a lot of focus on the quarter back position. The Rams in my opinion need a QB, and with the draft being held during prime time Bradford will be picked up. I think he will be more like Mathew Stafford was for the Lions last year than Matt Sanchez was for the Jets.


2. Detroit Lions- CJ Spiller- RB Clemson
The Lions made a good choice last year by taking Stafford number 1 overall, though they were not even playoff contenders they did win a couple games. Looking at their roster the list of running backs is a list of nobody's; not one recognizable name. Face it Lions fans, you haven't had anything to cheer about since Barry Sanders, and personally I think the undersized Spiller could possibly fill the void in the Lions backfield.(I will admit this is a long shot pick)


3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Jimmy Clauson- QB Notre Dame
With all the hype around Clauson it is hard for me to say that the Bucs will pass him by. To be completely honest I think he is slightly overrated. If he was playing in a pro system under Charlie Wiess at Notre Dame how come he was unable to really accomplish anything there? He was seen taking notes from former Bucs coach Jon Gruden on NFL Live, I believe the coach that won the team a Super Bowl still has some slight pull in the team politics. Gruden did seem friendly and fond of the young QB. I am sure he will have a lasting NFL career, along with fellow Irish alum Brady Quinn.


4. Washington Redskins- Dez Bryant- WR Oklahoma State
There was talk on the teams website of Eric Berry being the possible choice, but I have to say the team is okay at the safety position. On top of the Berry talk it was reported that McNabb, the teams new QB, wants Terrell Owens brought on board. Owens, who according to ESPN's Skip Bayliss has lost a few steps, could easily be passed over for Bryant. I see a lot of Owens in Bryant with one advantage, his youth.


5. Kansas City Chiefs- Ndamukong Suh- DE Nebraska
After what Suh did to Texas quarterback Colt McCoy in the Big XII championship game it would be impossible for the Chiefs to pass him up. Suh is not ranked as high in the pre-draft rankings as Oklahoma Sooners DT Gerald McCoy, but after what I saw in that Big XII championship game I have to say he goes number 5 to KC. Alongside Chiefs former first round pick from a couple years ago, Glen Dorsey, the Chiefs are slowly building up a young powerful team. Their days of early round draft pick could be over soon.


6. Seattle Seahawks- Golden Tate- WR Notre Dame
The Seahawks have a new coach in Pete Carroll. Carroll made a big name for himself over the past years at USC, while their his Trojans had high powered offenses. I look for Carroll to want to have the same type of team with the Seahawks. I am sure that during his time at USC he was able to see in full what arch rival Notre Dame's Tate is able to do. Look for Seattle to possibly take Clauson if he is available however.


7. Cleveland Browns- Aaron Hernandez- TE Florida
Hernandez was one of Tim Tebow's favorite targets during his days playing for Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators. The Browns have also made some picks that have turned to nothing over the years. Hernandez may be a bust, but doubtful. I think he would make a great target for who ever the Browns decide to put under center this fall.


8. Oakland Raiders- Gerald McCoy- DT Oklahoma
Speaking of bad picks over the years, Oakland has had their fair share. The Raiders have been a laughing stock over the years, luckily for them the lines are starting to take over that role. McCoy is a real big man, hopefully in Oakland he will be able to fill the holes their team cannot, on and off the field. If the Raiders don't take McCoy, they may take the other McCoy in the draft, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Colt will by far become a better NFL QB then JeMarcus Russell ever will.


9. Buffalo Bills- Taylor Mays- S Southern California
The Bills looked like they were going to be team the Jets became early last year. One spot they were lacking was in their defense. Mays may not become as great for Buffalo as defensive lineman Bruce Smith did in the 90's, but Mays could quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the Bills defensive backfield. Besides, how can you go wrong with a guy emulates USC alum Troy Polamalu.


10. Jacksonville Jaguars- Brandon Spikes- LB Florida
Finally rounding of the top 10 will be the Jaguars with their pick of Brandon Spikes. Spikes is a mean scary linebacker who reminds me a lot of the Raven's Pro-Bowler Ray Lewis. With picking Spikes, who played his college ball less then 2 hours south, the Jags may not have to worry too much about the adjustment period.


That's my top ten for this year's NFL Draft. A lot of my picks may not go with the norm of such people like Mel Kiper Jr. and the rest of the ESPN staff, but I think the fact that the draft is going to be on prime time is really going to change the way the draft pans out. And who knows, just because my March Madness picks weren't right doesn't mean my Draft picks will be wrong too. If you think you can make better picks then me, go for it.


top photo from Google Images all team logos and player pictures from NFL.com

TUESDAY's WITH NATANO

By now follower's of my blog should realize I really enjoy ranting about sports. I enjoy doing so especially when having conversations with friends. One of my very close friends, who we will call Natano D., and I love to discuss sports. He is living in Florida currently but we talk at least once a week, mostly about life and the Red Sox. Today our conversation was mostly the Red Sox- and how they are doing terrible this year. Our conversation went something like this...

Natano: "What are they thinking putting Ellsbury in left field, that's not his position, he was brought up as a center fielder-KEEP HIM THERE!"

ME: "I know right, our outfield sucks, they went out and got all these names like Bill Hall and (Adrian) Beltre, they haven't been doing sh*t." It took Hall a month of Sunday's to get his first hit. And like you were saying with Ellsbury in left, he and Beltre collided, there is no chemistry."

ND: "Yeah, and Ortiz..."

ME:(after cutting him off)"I want Ortiz gone...get him out of Boston!"

ND: " Yeah, if he doesn't get his bat hot by the All-Star break, see ya later Papi. It is pretty said that the best player on the team is the second baseman. I love PeeDee (Dustin Pedroia, the former league MVP) but they need more then just him. They aren't scoring and batters are teeing off on our picthers like Lefty." (Lefty referring to PGA Master's Champion Phil Mickelson.)

ME: "Speaking of Pedroia have you seen what he has been saying, he may be more pissed then us."

ND: "Naww, but Tito (Terry Francona pictured at top) needs to get these guys in line. It's crazy how bad they are playing."

The conversation carried on for almost twenty minutes, both of us putting our two cents in to try and solve the reason for our beloved Red Sox miserable play. Whether or not anything we came up with is worth anything is irrelevant. We both agreed the Sox need to play better, and they need to score runs, it is way to early to let the Evil Empire run away with the American League East.

DEAR MIKE JORDAN,

(My man Mike sitting with Nelly and Bob Johnson courtside-image from google images)

Congratulations on become the new majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Now a couple years ago I would have said sorry, hope you kept your receipt. Before your adventure as owner really takes off, please if you don't mind, listen to my advice.

I would love to see you act more like Mark Cuban than the previous owner of the Nets. To me it seemed as if he was never there, especially as the team fell apart around him. Cuban is up and about at those games.How many more times then you has he been fined? From the seats he has about as much energy and pride in his team as you did in your playing days. I think you will be good though Mike, you are by some considered to be the best basketball player in history. How does it feel to know that LeBron and Kobe are nipping at your heals with that? On second though, don't worry so much about LeBron, he may score more then you, but he will never win as many-if any-rings than you.

Back to what I was saying though, so far you seem a little laid back. I noticed on SportCenter the other day you were okay with your Coach wanting to leave to coach in Philly again. What is up with that? It is okay if he wants to leave, but you can't let him say that before your team starts the play-offs. Further reports had said he denies it, but still man, keep the ship in the right direction. You were a dedicated player, as an owner you have to be the same strong person you were on the court.

If there are any other owners I would recommend you emulate, that would be Jerry Jones! In case you haven't had the chance to see Sportcenter today, or read up on some headlines. He went out on the town and had a few drinks you could say and was posed a couple questions by fans regarding Bill Parcells and Tim Tebow. I won't ruin what he says for you, but it was some funny and true stuff, you have to see it. Jones has never really been one to be modest, or timid. He spoke his mind freely.

That's my advice Mike, if you chose not to take it, oh well, but good luck. And hey, who knows maybe you can sign LeBron this year when his contract in Cleveland is done and he can win you some more rings.
Sincerely,
Andrew W. Heywood

P.S. Forgot to ask...if we all want to be like MIKE...who does MIKE want to be like?

CONGRATS-and WHY

Congrats are due for Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski- pronounced Cha-Chef-ski)and his Duke University Blue Devils. The three time Coach of the Year could arguably be considered the BEST EVER. I could argue that point, but maybe another day. Duke's landslide win over Butler was exactly what everyone expected it to be- NOT.
Duke was the favorite for sure to win the NCAA Tournament final held Monday in Indianapolis, 8 miles from Butler University's home gym. One online poll saw Duke favored 66% out of the nearly 300 that voted. The spread of the game was Duke by 6.5. Why were so many people amazed at what Butler had accomplished, and why were they so amazed at the fact they were even in the game? Going into the game they had the longest active streak in NCAA Men's Basketball. They had not lost since December 22nd- for those that don't know that's before CHRISTMAS. Think back how long ago Christmas felt!
Was I, and the community of Butler, the only one that was not sleeping on Butler. I just want to say that I wish they had gotten more praise, and people would respect what they have done. At the same time...

CONGRATULATIONS DUKE. You really do deserve it. Of the 347 teams in Division I basketball-they WON. Of the 64 teams in the March Madness Tournament-they WON. So again Congratulations to DUKE. And to BUTLER as well, because of the 347 teams in Division I and the field of 64 in the tournament...at the end they were still there.
(please notice I said they won, and not that they are the best)

This year's tournament was a very good one, full of surprises, and for those who missed the one shining moment montage at the end. Like years and years before the video was shown after the game recapping the entire tournament. The video itself was done very well, but came with a surprise. CBS replaced Luther Vandross with Jennifer Hudson. Not to take anything away from her, though she took a lot away from the moment and tradition, why mess with something that doesn't need to be messed with. I am sure like many other, are pissed off! Thanks CBS, see you next March.