NHL Mock Draft Part 1 PIcks 1-10

1. Edmonton Oilers- Ryan Nugent Hopkins
   
2. Colorado Avalanche- Johnathan Huberdeau
   
3. Florida Panthers- Gabriel Landeskog
   
4. New Jersey Devils-Adam Larrson
   
5. New York Islanders- Dougie Hamilton
   
6. Ottawa Senators- Sean Couturier
   
7. Winnipeg- Ryan Strome
   
8. Columbus Blue Jackets- Mika Zibanejad
   
9. Boston Bruins (from Toronto)- Ryan Murphy
   
10. Minnesota Wild- Nathan Beaulieu
    

We are back

After a brief hiatus we are back in action, so stay tuned for a full dose of blog action

This Day in Sports History

1958 - Racing jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000, as he rode the winner at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.

1971 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the quickest NHL player to reach 50 goals in a season.

1974 - Gordie Howe came out of retirement to play for the Houston Aeros with his two sons.

1993 - The New York Islanders retired Billy Smith's #31.

1993 - The Florida Marlins opened their first spring training camp.

1997 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) signed a contract worth $22.9 million over 2 years.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

Dale Earnhardt Remembering a Legend

Before I delve into this post, let me preface it by saying that in no way shape or form do I follow NASCAR, nor do I watch it, however I believe that somebody of this magnitude needs to be written about and remembered. It was 10 years ago at the Daytona International Speedway, on the final lap of NASCAR's super bowl the unthinkable happened. Earnhardt was sitting in third place behind good friend Michael Waltrip who was in the lead, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt was blocking other drivers so Waltrip and Jr could finish first and second respectively. As they entered turn 4 Earnhardt's car was bumped and he went careening into the wall in excess of 100 MPH. When the first responders reached Earnhardt's car to rescue him, things looked bleak and their worst fears were confirmed. Earnhardt suffered at fractured skull, eight broken ribs, a broken ankle, and a fractured sternum. Two hours after the accident NASCAR president Mike Helton told the world what they did not want to hear, "Undoubtedly this is one of the toughest announcements I've ever personally had to make. After the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt." Dale Earnhardt did more for NASCAR than I will ever know. What a tribute it would be for Dale Sr if Dale Jr can somehow pull of the victory of NASCAR's hallmark race.

This Day in Sports History

1983 - The Indiana Pacers began a 28 game road losing streak.

1984 - Bill Bradley had his New York Knickerbocker number 24 retired at Madison Square Garden.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the first player to register 10,000 assists.

1996 - Frankie Fredericks of Namibia became the first man to run 200 meters under 20 seconds indoors. He set the record at 19.92 seconds.

2001 - NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed in a crash during the Daytona 500 race.

This information was taken from http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

Spring Has Finally Arrived....Well Sort Of

As we who live in the Northeast are experiencing a nice tease of the spring weather this week, Mets pitchers and catchers report for their first official workout at Digital Domain Park in Port St. Lucie Florida. While many pitchers and position players alike have already been training at the Mets complex for about a week, yesterday marked the first official day of spring training. Spring training is a great time for baseball fans, because it allows them to dream of what will come in the upcoming season. As a Met fan this time is especially crucial to me, because this is the one time of year when somebody cannot come up to me and tell me Oliver Perez pitched 2 and 2/3 innings while walking 8 and giving up 7 earned runs. My point is this, this time of year the possibilities are endless in what we fans can hope to see in the upcoming season. Spring training also allows the fans to interact with the players while they work out, and it also provides fans with a great chance to see the prospects which are the future. The boys of summer are back and hopefully the Mets will shock the baseball world and make the playoffs.

This Day in Sports History

1997 - Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500.

1999 - O.J. Simpson's 1968 Heisman Trophy was sold for $230,000. A court judgment ordered the trophy to be sold to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgment against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.

2004 - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig approved the swap of Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) and Alfonso Soriano (New York Yankees). The Rangers would also get a minor league player in the deal.

2005 - The NHL announced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to a labor dispute. It was the first time a major sports league in North America lost an entire season to a labor dispute.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

Albert Pujols to The Mets....Not as Far Fetched as You Might Think

As of noon today Albert Pujols broke off contract negotiations with the St. Louis Cardinals, and effectively let the other 29 Major League Baseball clubs that he will test the free agent waters come the end of this season. Pujols who is arguably the best baseball player on the planet right now will be 31 years old as he enters free agency. He has also been the definition of consistency averaging 42 home runs and 128 RBI's since making his major league debut in 2001. If the reports are true, Pujols wants a 1o year deal that would not only make him the highest paid player in baseball but also give him the highest average salary per year in baseball. Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez is currently the highest paid player in baseball with a 10 year $275 million dollar contract which averages $27.5 million dollars per year. The numbers that have been thrown about in the media have Pujols asking for a 10 year $300 million dollar contract. There are very few teams that could afford to sign Pujols to a contract of that magnitude. The teams that will most likely be in the mix for Pujols could include: the Mets, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Red Sox(not likely considering they have Adrian Gonzalez at first), and Yankees( Also not likely because of Teixeira at first). This brings me back to the Mets. They have about $60 million dollars coming off the books and will most likely have a new owner. So for the new owner why not make a gigantic splash by signing Pujols. Yes, the Mets have Ike Davis at first, but in a recent interview with Joe and Evan on WFAN, Ike said he would gladly change positions if it meant Pujols coming to town. Ike said off air to WFAN's Evan Roberts, "I'd be a (expletive) middle reliever to get Albert" Only time will tell where Albert goes, but I sure hope it ends with Pujols meeting the New York media inside the Caesers Club at Citi Field prior to the start of next season.

This Day in Sports History

1968 - Vince Lombardi resigned as the coach of the Green Bay Packers.

1970 - Terry Sawchuck got the last shutout of his career and set the career record at 103.

1992 - Barry Bonds signed the highest single season contract. It was for $4.7 million.

1992 - Dennis Potvin's #5 became the first number to be retired by the New York Islanders.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the NBA's career assist leader when he scored his 9,922nd assist to move past Magic Johnson.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

For the Mets It's Cuban or Bust

Over the past few days, reports have begun to surface that the Wilpon Family, the majority owners of the New York Mets are looking to sell upwards of 25 percent of the team. The Mets are probably one of the few teams that is almost entirely owned by one family or person. To my best guess, I would say it is safe to assume that the Wilpons own somewhere in the neighborhood of 99 percent of the team. So even if the Wilpons sell 25 percent, they will still be by far and away the majority owner. To Mets fans like myself, this should come as a big surprise. The Wilpons for years have been adamant that they would not sell any portion of the team. Now a few years later with a rumored one billion dollar lawsuit being levied against them due to the Madoff ponzi scheme, the Wilpons need to raise money by selling off some of the Mets. The Wilpons are persistent in saying that they will remain the majority owners, but Matt Cerrone of Metsblog.com raises an interesting question, "What happens if one person or a large group decide to blow the Wilpons out of the water with an offer they can't refuse, especially in this economy and knowing the family is being sued? Then What?"(Metsblog.com) In my opinion, this is where Mark Cuban enters the room. Cuban who is a wild and crazy sports fans owns the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, but has wanted a baseball team for a long time. When the Cubs were up for sale in 2008 Cuban put in a very strong bid for the team, and again last year when the Texas Rangers were on the market, Cuban put together a 355 million dollar cash bid for the team that was ultimately rejected. A year or so later Cuban has a glorious opportunity to make the big splash he seems to desire. If Cuban can somehow become the majority owner of the Mets, he would control one of the most popular teams in all of sport, and more importantly he would own them in the largest media market in the world. As a Met fan I would be ecstatic if Cuban buys the team. Cuban has a ton of money and is not afraid to spend it, that and his desire to win, win now and win often would make many Mets fans extremely happy. If Mark Cuban becomes the new owner of the team could we see the "New Boss" but this time with the Mets?

This Day in Sports History

1947 - NFL owners voted to allow a sudden-death overtime in playoff games. The rule wasn't used until 1958.

1962 - Jackie Robinson became the first black player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was also the first black player in major league history.

1964 - CBS-TV acquired the rights to televise the National Football League’s 1964-1965 regular season. The move cost CBS $14.1 million a year. The NFL stayed on CBS for 30 years.

1982 - The San Francisco 49ers won their first Super Bowl. Joe Montana won the first of his three MVP awards.

1995 - The prosecution gave its opening statement at the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

2006 - Mario Lemieux retired from playing in the NHL for the last time. He had previously retired and came back from cancer, a heart problem, agonizing back pain, a rare bone infection, a self-imposed one-season layoff and, five years earlier, from the boredom of retirement.

This information was taken from: http://www.on-this-day.com/cgi-bin/otd/sportsotd/sportsotd.pl

With High Expectations Comes Disappointment

As the final seconds ticked off the clock of yesterday's AFC championship game, I was filled with emotion. As a Jet fan, I was tired of hearing the phrase "same old Jets" and I thought the Jets were finally going to shed that "MO". Apparently I was wrong. Jets fans around the country finally bought into Rex Ryan and his swagger, bravado, and cockiness. Even before the season started, Rex pulled a Mark Messier and guaranteed that the Jets would win the Super Bowl this year. When the playoffs started it looked like Rex had molded this team into a well oiled machine who had one goal: Super Bowl or bust. Was it too much to ask of this team to beat Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger on the road on en route to Dallas? Sure. After the devastating loss last night Rex looked like a man who was on the verge of tears. Now nearly 12 hours after the abrupt end to the season I sit reflecting on what just happened, which led me to think about the phrase, "there's always next year." However, they said that after the Devils playoff exit in 2004, the Mets heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals in the 2006 NLCS, and once again after the Jets loss last night, however, I've been waiting for that "next year" since 2003.

11 Bold Predictions for 2011

Sorry for the hiatus I took over the holidays, so without further or do here are my 11 bold predictions for 2011

11-The New York Mets will shock the baseball world and go 90-72 and make the playoffs as a wild card

10. The next NHL winter classic will take place in Philadelphia between the Flyers and the Rangers

9. Both the NFL and NBA will go on strike and in terms of days the NFL strike will end first

8. The Philadelphia Phillies and their 4 aces will not make the playoffs

7. The Vancouver Canucks will win the Stanley Cup and break the streak of a 17 year championship drought for Canadian teams

6. Bud Selig will step down as commissioner as Major League Baseball

5. The New York Jets will win the Super Bowl

4. Joe Paterno will finally retire after the 2011 college football season

3. ESPN and the NHL will agree to a television contract

2. TCU will win the national championship in college football

1. The Glazer family will sell Manchester United