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The MILTON Tiger Cats? Oskee-wee-wee!

August 12th, 2010
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Hamilton Tiger Cats owner Bob Young is threatening to move the CFL club out of Hamilton. Ward 6 candidate Mike Cluett believes Milton could be a viable alternative.

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After months of debate, Hamilton City Councillors finally decided earlier this week on a location for the proposed stadium for the upcoming Toronto Pan Am Games – a stadium that will be funded by all three levels of government. Much to the dismay of current Tiger Cats owner Bob Young, it wasn’t the location he preferred, which has put the club’s long term future in Hamilton in some serious peril.

The City of Hamilton has decided on the West Harbour location, which seems to make sense as the city looks to revitalize the downtrodden core of this once thriving industrial hub. Young, who was prepared to cough up roughly $15 million of his own dough, was pushing for a location on the East Mountain, close to highways and the more affluent outlying, newer areas of the city.

A day before the official decision was made however, Young fired off an angry letter to Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger and City Council pulling out of his involvement with the stadium, stating his regret that the Tiger Cats would be without a home after next season’s lease runs out at 80-year old Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Immediately sports prognosticators everywhere began to wonder just what will become of the historic franchise. Would next door neighbour Burlington build a stadium to house the team? Would Young look to move the club to the growing football hotbed of Quebec City or to the Maritimes in either Moncton or Halifax?

Well, Ward 6 candidate Mike Cluett thinks that Milton could be an option. Yes, Milton.

According to his Twitter account, Cluett met with Milton Mayor Gord Krantz about the possibility yesterday morning, and Krantz has apparently directed the appropriate Town staff to put together a proposal.

From Mike’s blog:

I talked directly with Milton Mayor Gord Krantz early this morning, he will be directing town staff and the economic development department to work on getting a preliminary proposal prepared for review and possibly present to the Pan Am officials and the Tiger Cats franchise.  The Town of Milton is no stranger to the Pan Am committee as just recently they were involved with other municipalities to look at Milton being an option to have locations for the Pan Am games in 2015.

He also explained how the idea of moving the CFL franchise to Milton might not be as far-fetched as you think.

The Town of Milton has the available land to house such a facility available for Pan Am officials and the Tiger Cats to consider. There are many benefits for all parties involved to consider Milton as a viable location for the Pan Am games AND becoming the new home for the Tiger Cats Franchise. The potential location would be on the west side of the 401 Industrial Park in Milton.

By having it there the games and the franchise have easy highway access to Toronto (45 minutes) downtown Kitchener / Waterloo / Cambridge (30 minutes) and residents of Hamilton as well (30 minutes)

Here’s how it can work.

Why Milton as a Pan Am Games partner?

  • Willing host
  • Proposed site could be easily rezoned for stadium purpose
  • Located 20 to 40 minutes from all other Pan Am Games venues
  • Located on west side of Greater Toronto Area
  • Located 20 minutes from Pearson International Airport
  • Proposed stadium site is located on with easy access to Highway 401, North America’s busiest superhighway
  • Proposed site alongside Highway 401 would make it highest visibility Pan Am venue in Canada
  • Located 20 minutes from Q.E.W. and 10 minutes from Highway 407
  • Located in an area with more than six million Ontarians
  • Well supported by local hotels, restaurants, general goods merchants and service industry; high-quality municipal services, well-trained workforce
  • Easy media access

Why Milton as a Hamilton Tiger-Cats partner?

  • Willing host
  • Most Milton CFL fans are Hamilton Tiger-Cat supporters
  • Proposed site could be easily rezoned for stadium purpose
  • Proposed site still reasonably close for many current seasons’ ticket holders to commute to
  • Proposed site alongside Highway 401 would make it highest visibility CFL stadium in Canada
  • Located 20 minutes from Pearson International Airport
  • Located on and easy access to Highway 401, North America’s busiest superhighway
  • Located 20 minutes from Q.E.W. and 10 minutes from Highway 407
  • Located in an area with more than six million Ontarians
  • Well supported by local hotels, restaurants, general goods merchants and service industry; high-quality municipal services, well-trained workforce
  • Easy media access

Why west side of 401 Industrial Park?

  • Proposed site could be easily rezoned for stadium purpose
  • Located 20 minutes from Pearson International Airport
  • Located on and easy access to Highway 401, North America’s busiest superhighway
  • Located 20 minutes from Q.E.W. and 10 minutes from Highway 407
  • Located in an area with more than six million Ontarians
  • Well supported by local hotels, restaurants, general goods merchants and service industry; high-quality municipal services, well-trained workforce

So what do you think? If the Tiger Cats were to leave Hamilton, would Milton be a viable option?

From my point of view, it may be worthwhile looking into — although a professional sports franchise situated in a city of 80,000 seems to be a bit of a stretch, even considering Milton’s current and future growth. The team and the Town of Milton would need to look at a few not-so-insignificant issues.

Where would the ‘new’ Tiger Cat fan base would come from and how they would get to Milton? Sure, there is land for a stadium and ample parking (revenues from which Mr. Young would like to pocket) which is a must given Milton’s location in terms of highway access. However, public transit targeted towards fans outside of the current Town is non-existent and the team would badly need to draw from Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton as well as Kitchener-Waterloo to make the franchise viable.

And by drawing fans from places like Oakville and Mississauga, is that starting to chip away at the existing Toronto Argonaut fan base, which is hardly consistent?

What about taxes? Milton residents have become accustomed to one of the lowest Municipal tax rates in the GTA (lower than only the City of Toronto we believe). What if taxes at the Municipal level were increased to fund the construction and ongoing maintenance of a brand new stadium which would essentially sit empty for the majority of the calendar year? It’s hard to think Milton’s relatively small tax base could take on such a burden without adjusting property taxes substantially upward, which is why I’m not sure operating a pro sports franchise in a small city is a wise thing. There is a reason only cities in the hundreds of thousands in population at minimum are considered as viable destinations for professional sports, other than simply stadium attendance.

Again, these are important things to consider and I assume no stone would be left unturned by the league, Bob Young and our faithful Town Councillors. However, that is the problem: this is the Town of Milton and the Canadian Football League we’re talking about here, which strangely makes me a little less confident in all of this.

One thing I want to make clear: I absolutely do not want to rain on Mr. Cluett’s parade — his enthusiasm for the Town of Milton, the Ti-Cats, the CFL and his efforts so far into investigating the possibilities here should be commended and applauded. I know Mike personally and he has no shortage of common sense. However, I think we all know how this one will play out.

This is pro sports — you know the formula: Rich owner needs a new stadium which will generate the increased revenues needed to make his franchise viable in the marketplace; rich owner solicits all levels of government to pay for said stadium and based on the outcome, decides how much (or how little) he/she will need to invest; if any hiccups are experienced, rich owner holds the current city/market hostage, threatens to move the franchise to a new, more viable city/market; said ultimatum tugs at the heart strings of residents/politicians; the city/market caves to appease rich owner and voila, everyone ends up happy as the [insert storied franchise here] stays in town to play in their brand new publically-funded stadium and rich owner lives happily ever after.

Essentially what worries me is that Milton residents will get all excited about the possibility of actually having their very own CFL franchise and spend a lot of time and money in figuring out how to make it work, only to realize down the road that acquiring the Tiger Cats was never realistic and that Milton was nothing more than a bargaining chip for the league and Mr. Young.

In the meantime, we will watch with much interest to see what the Town will come up with and where the City of Hamilton goes from here — could they possibly bow down to Mr. Young and reverse their decision and opt to build the new stadium out on the East Mountain after all?

My message to Mr. Young would be this: If you pay for the stadium, guess what? You get to decide where to build it. Stop holding Hamilton, Milton (and whomever else wants to get involved) hostage.

Stay tuned. And pass the popcorn.

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Posted in GTA, Mike Cluett, Milton Development, Politics, Sports

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Stanley Cup Snorefest

June 2nd, 2008

Wayne Gretzky v Bryan Trottier

The Red Wings are on the verge of yet another Stanley Cup win while the Penguins seem to be doing their best impression of the 1983 Oilers

What should have been a fast-paced, exciting and competitive Stanley Cup Final, reminds the Milton Sports Guy of how the 1982-83 Season wrapped up

A week ago, it looked like we were on the verge of a Stanley Cup final for the ages. Now, it appears like it will be one of the more forgettable finals with the Red Wings on the verge of a tidy, efficient 5-game victory. What happened?

First of all, let’s look at the Red Wings who are often overlooked and underestimated – I predicted back in my original Stanley Cup preview column that they wouldn’t be around to see the semi-finals. I don’t know why (probably the heavy Euro-influence on the makeup of their roster), but although they seem to ease through the regular-season year-after-year, they’re rarely the pick to win it all. For me, it’s the ‘playoff toughness’ intangible – after being dispatched by the tougher, younger and more fiesty Flames, Oilers and Ducks in recent years I just thought they’d be too old and slow to advance to a 4th round.

Well, the MSG was fooled. Instead of being soft and old, the Wings have proven to be calm, cool, collected, experienced and opportunistic – much in the character their captain, Niklas Lidstrom. The tougher but more inconsistent Flames gave them a bit of a challenge in round one; the Avs were outclassed and embarrassed by Detroit in round two, and the toughest test they’ve had in the postseason thus far came when the Stars beat them twice in a row – after the Wings had won the first three games of the series, mind you.

They had effortlessly sliced through the Western Conference like a hot knife through butter and were prepared to take on the new kids on the block, the Penguins.

The Penguins – the NHL’s newest marquee club with 2 of the league’s youngest stars and a boatload of other young up-and-coming studs coming from a raft of high draft picks after several trying seasons. A club reborn after years of financial troubles with an exciting young nucleus reminiscent of the Oilers from the early 80’s. Instead of Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson, Lowe and Fuhr, this year’s edition of the Penguins boasts the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot, Letang, Dupuis and Fleury.

Like Detroit, they too coasted through three rounds, ousting the dysfunctional Senators without barely breaking a sweat and dismantling the Rangers and Flyers. All in 5 games. The young Penguins had appeared to have come of age and were advancing to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup final since the glory days of Lemieux and Jagr.

So here we were. A marquee final. The young, talented, sexy Penguins versus the experienced Red Wings from hockeytown going for their 4th cup in 10 years. A can’t miss final for TV ratings as well: the star power of Crosby and Malkin, and two U.S.-based teams from northern, hockey-friendly cities.

What has happened since the opening faceoff at Joe Louis Arena last Saturday? From my point of view it reminds me an awful lot of the 1983 Stanley Cup final between the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers. Yes, the Penguins roster not only reminds me of that young Oiler team, but so does their level of play so far – and that’s not a good thing.

I thought the Pens could really give the Red Wings a run in this series and it wouldn’t have surprised me if they actually won. But after 4 games, I’ve come to realize what the Oilers figured out in 1983 – experience counts and sometimes in sports, you have to lose on the big stage in order to learn how to win on the big stage.

In 1983, the Islanders came in with the experience. They had already established their dynasty coming off of three consecutive Stanley Cups with a deep, talented team. It looked to be coming to an end though, as the high-flying Oilers had breezed their way through the playoffs. They were an offensive juggernaut and it looked to be their time. The wiley Isles had finally met their match.

Four games later, the Cup was being hoisted by the guys from Long Island.

Now, a year later it should be noted, the same two clubs met again to play for the big, silver mug. As we know, the Oilers prevailed 4-1 in a series that wasn’t close. The Islander dynasty came crashing to a halt and Gretzky & co. were beginning a dynasty of their own – 4 championships in 5 years (5 in 7 years counting the 1990 Messier-led, Gretzky-less Oiler team).

No one really talks about that 4th Islander championship. You remember they won 4, then you remember the Oilers winning their cups. Everyone forgets the drubbing the Oilers suffered that year in their first Stanley Cup final appearance. Let’s look locally to another sport: baseball. Remember the Jays’ tough postseason defeats in ‘85, ‘89 and ‘91 before going the distance in 1992 and ‘93? I’m a firm believer that most of the time, teams need to get close and taste defeat to really know what it takes to win it all.

Cut to the 2008 Penguins. As the Red Wings sit on the edge of another championship, did we really think the Penguins could go all the way? Like those young Oilers, they sure looked good through three rounds but you can’t help thinking that before they win it all, they need to learn a lesson like the one the Wings are giving to them now.

The series has been far from entertaining, with the Wings efficiently keeping the high-flying Pens at bay while capitalizing on every mistake or chance they get. It’s been a low-scoring series and outside of a two-goal Crosby outburst in game three, the Penguins’ young stars have been invisible. Marc-Andre Fleury has been steady in goal for the Penguins, but has been outdueled by Chris Osgood every step of the way (yes, THE Chris Osgood that led Detroit to the championship ten years ago and who still wears one of those oh-so-retro mask/helmet combos).

You have to think Detroit wraps this thing up Monday night back at the Joe.

Now, here’s the question: what happens to the Penguins?

Will it be difficult to keep their nucleus of young talent together in this salary-cap era of the NHL? If so, will they be back to the final next year or will they take a step back?

Or, like that young Edmonton team, is this just the beginning. The tough loss that inspires them to rise to the level of greatness?

Will we look back years from now and forget about this series, instead talking about the Penguins’ dynasty led by Sid the Kid & co.

As I said earlier, their play in this series reminds me of the 1983 Oilers who also suffered a Stanley Cup finals beatdown. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Milton Sports Guy is a regular contributor to MiltonSearch.com who had not been born yet when the Toronto Maple Leafs were last Stanley Cup Champions.

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Posted in Sports

Balsillie not giving up

May 28th, 2008

Jim Balsillie RIM

With the U.S. economy tanking, things are looking up for Balsillie’s dream of owning NHL team

Like a bad penny, he just keeps turning up.

At least that’s the way Gary Bettman must see it, though for most Canadians, billionaire businessman Jim Balsillie remains a bit of a hero, despite the best attempts by the NHL brass to paint him as some kind of reckless kook.

His real-world success would suggest rather strongly that he’s not that, and his great side project – to bring NHL hockey to people who actually like it – seems a whole lot more cool and rational than the league’s own expansion strategy over the past 40-odd years.

But trapped between the Toronto Maple Leafs’ territorial veto, as enshrined in the NHL constitution, and the knowledge that said veto might well be illegal, opening the league up to a nasty anti-trust suit, Bettman has precious little choice but to try to counter each Balsillie move with a countermove as the Research in Motion co-founder attempts to buy a franchise and move it to Hamilton.

Bettman leaped into the breach in Pittsburgh to keep Balsillie from purchasing the Penguins, then executed what may well have been the greatest masterstroke of his commissionership, persuading Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold to take a $40-million (U.S.) haircut on the sale of his team and then arranging a nice soft landing for him as the new proprietor of the Minnesota Wild.

Give Bettman full style points for that one. But Balsillie wasn’t about to quit, and now larger forces are working in his favour.

That would be the American economy, arguably already in recession, and the fact that not a few NHL owners are finding it a bit of a tight squeeze right now because of the growing credit crisis.

The lockout may have helped create a system that’s been a boon to some franchises (mostly the rich, high-revenue ones, which certainly wasn’t the stated intent).

But for those teams carrying large debts, looking at empty seats and minuscule local broadcast revenue and having trouble spending up to a salary cap driven higher by the strong Canadian dollar, there’s not a whole lot of light at the end of the tunnel.

When Balsillie started poking around looking for a team that he could buy and move into the Copps Coliseum, there were three or four obvious targets, including the Pens, who had fallen into bankruptcy and were struggling to secure a new arena deal, and the Preds, whose owner had already triggered the exit clause in his lease, having given up on making NHL hockey work in that market.

Because Balsillie was more than willing to overpay, it took every bit of Bettman’s guile to keep those deals from closing. Both were killed before ever coming before the league’s board of governors for approval.

But what if the number of teams now quietly on the block has multiplied to six or eight or 10?

What if there is a whole bunch of owners who need to cash out, right now? That’s a whole lot of fires to put out all at once.

And if Balsillie does find another willing vendor, and manages to conclude a sale before Bettman can find a way to kill it, the barriers to his grand plan become a whole lot less certain.

In theory, the board could reject him as a potential owner, though the grounds for doing that in the league’s bylaws are only two: lack of financial wherewithal and lack of “character.”

By any measure of NHL precedent, Balsillie would pass both tests with flying colours – and so if a sale was blocked by the board, the aggrieved seller might well be moved to sue his fellow owners for de facto breach of contract.

If Balsillie did get a team, there would seem to be no legal way for the league to block him moving it (see the Al Davis v. NFL decision), provided he was free of a lease and met the criteria for relocation, which have to do with whether the new market is suitable for NHL hockey.

(Remember how quickly Hamilton resident jumped at the chance to put down deposits for season tickets when it looked as if the Predators might be coming to town?)

Which brings matters back to the territorial veto and to the league’s precarious legal position.

Obviously, Bettman is going to do everything in his power to prevent being stuck between a wealthy franchise determined to protect what it believes is its right and a wealthy potential owner more than happy to put up a fight.

In the commissioner’s dreams, after the last round, after the failure and the character assassination,

Balsillie would have slunk back to Waterloo, Ont., and found another hobby.

If it wasn’t clear then, it’s clear now:

He’s not that kind of guy.

– by Stephen Brunt of the Globe & Mail

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Posted in GTA, Sports

Milton Sports Guy: Raptors Playoff Preview 2008

April 20th, 2008

Raptors play the Magic

Series previews and predictions including a breakdown on Toronto’s first-round matchup

THE STARS

Toronto Chris Bosh 22.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Orlando Dwight Howard 20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg

Two diametrically opposed players: Bosh is finesse and quickness, Howard is power and strength. They won’t guard each other very often – neither team wants to subject its player to foul trouble – and how they handle what defences are thrown at them could determine the outcome. Bosh has seen every imaginable double-team and must be decisive with his moves. The Raptors might want to guard Howard straight up with Rasho Nesterovic and stay home on Orlando’s shooters.

THE ROLE PLAYERS

Toronto T.J. Ford, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Rasho Nesterovic
Orlando Jameer Nelson, Maurice Evans, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis

This is the group that could be the deciding factor in the series. Lots of similarities among them. They both have good shooters who can get red-hot or go stone-cold on a moment’s notice and they generally operate off what the big men give them. There really isn’t a lock-down defender in the bunch, so open shots should abound.

THE BENCHES

Toronto Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Carlos Delfino, Jason Kapono
Orlando Keyon Dooling, Keith Bogans, Adonal Foyle, Pat Garrity

Magic will be without Brian Cook, who can stretch defences with his shooting, which gives Toronto another edge. Dooling and Bogans are just the kind of guys who can get hot and score in a hurry. The inconsistent Bargnani has to be good for Toronto to really have a chance, but Calderon should be able to put Orlando in pick-and-roll hell.

THE X-FACTOR

The Raptors are a wretched 10-26 heading into the post-season and while they talk a good game about being able to turn things around in a hurry there’s been no evidence that they’re capable of it. But if shots fall and they decide to defend, who knows? Magic’s breakout season really never hit a lull. They have been third-best in the East all season and go in brimming with confidence.

THE COACHES

Toronto Sam Mitchell
Orlando Stan Van Gundy

The playoffs are all about adjustments in the coaching ranks. Little wrinkles for Game 1 have to be dealt with in Game 2 and everyone’s going to be trying to come up with something new every night. Van Gundy’s been through the wars with Pat Riley for more than a decade and has 17-11 playoff record. Mitchell’s in his second post-season series; he went 2-4 against New Jersey last year.

SEASON SERIES

Orlando won two of three from the Raptors. In Toronto’s lone win, Bosh went off for 40 points. Howard dominated both Orlando wins, as to be expected.

PREDICTION

The stars could very well cancel each other out and it’s going to come down to which team gets – and makes – more open shots. Toronto’s defensive deficiencies might be too much to overcome. Magic in seven.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston vs. Atlanta
Hawks’ first post-season since 1999, young squad might find itself overwhelmed. . . Even if Hawks aren’t overwhelmed, Boston’s new incarnation of the Big Three will make it nearly impossible for Atlanta to win a game, let alone the series. . . . Rookie Al Horford gets to guard Boston’s Kevin Garnett? Good luck with that. … Celtics sent message by hammering Hawks in final week of regular season to complete three-game season sweep.
Celtics in 4

Detroit vs. Philadelphia
Pistons are weird; they coast for periods and then turn it on in a second. That’s a dangerous way to approach the playoffs. . . . Sixers love to run and press and play with youthful exuberance, which is not something that the Pistons really enjoy. . . . Philly has been second-hottest team in East for a month, wonder how much they have left in the tank. . . . Philly split the four-game season series.
Pistons in 6

Cleveland vs. Washington
Repeat of last year’s first-round series, won in seven by Cavs when Gilbert Arenas blew huge free throws. . . . Trash-talking Wizards (“We want Cavs”) may want to tone down rhetoric, a riled-up LeBron James can be dominating. . . . Cavs so-so since big February trade and are without injured Sasha Pavlovic. . . . Agent 0 Arenas seems a big “team-first” guy, but he’ll always take last shot.
Wiz in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

L.A. Lakers vs. Denver
It’s hard to imagine a team less concerned with stopping people than the Nuggets and defence wins in the post-season. . . . Kobe Bryant seems on a mission to deliver another title and Denver really doesn’t have anyone to guard him. . . . Marcus Camby makes it difficult for opponents to get to the rim, but Pau Gasol should be able to draw him out from the basket. . . . Lakers do everything a wee bit better than the Nuggets.
Lakers in 5

New Orleans vs. Dallas
Surprising Hornets were second overall in the West behind Chris Paul, who is younger and perhaps better right now than his opponent, Jason Kidd. . . . Peja Stojakovic has never shot better than the 44.1 per cent he shot from the field this season. . . . Dallas was 5-3 in April after a rocky start to the Kidd era. . . . They split the season series with New Orleans winning in Dallas in Kidd’s Mavericks debut.
Hornets in 7

San Antonio vs. Phoenix
This would be a marquee matchup for a conference final; it’s a shame it has to come in the first round. . . . Shaquille O’Neal’s presence in Phoenix took some getting used to, but he seems pretty acclimated now and so do his teammates. Tim Duncan against Amare Stoudemire might be the most intriguing matchup of any in the entire first round. . . . Championship window closing on each franchise.
Suns in 6

Utah vs. Houston
Rockets took off without Yao Ming, but after that 22-game winning streak they were just so-so. Get home court despite worse record. . . . Tracy McGrady, for all the good he’s done, has never won a playoff series. . . . It’s a rematch of last year, when Utah rallied from down 3-2 and won Game 7 at Houston. . . . Rockets’ Shane Battier might be best defender in the league.
Jazz in 6

Now Milton, what do you think?

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Posted in Guy Stuff, Sports

The Milton Sports Guy: 2008 NHL Playoffs, Round One Preview

April 8th, 2008

Alexander Ovechkin

Can the Southeast Division Champion Washington Capitals continue their torrid pace led by the dynamic Alexander Ovechkin?

Well, here it is: Wednesday is opening night of the Stanley Cup playoffs 2008 edition, featuring some juicy matchups in what is arguably the best round of playoffs in any sport.

And what a wrap-up to the season we just witnessed, with many of the playoff races going right down to the wire. Alexander Ovechkin led the Capitals’ unreal 2nd half surge to the Southeast Division title, leapfrogging a bunch of “better” clubs into the #3 seed (in a related note, how has Carolina missed the playoffs now for two straight seasons after copping the cup in ‘05? Strange.)

On the other hand, the Senators dropped like a stone from the #1 seed in the East most of the year to barely scraping into the postseason.

The Sharks are the hottest team going into the playoffs, but many questions surround the club yet again – do they have what it takes to finally reach their potential and win the West led by Joe Thornton?

The Wings are the President’s Trophy winners yet again, but do they have the toughness to grind it out with Nashville first, then teams like the Ducks, Sharks or Flames?

Get set for the best two weeks if you’re a hockey fan, so ladies, find a good reality TV show like The Bachelor or America’s Next Top Model and leave us guys alone. You can find us surgically attached to our favourite couch/armchair with adult beverage in hand for the next few weeks…. Until our favourite team/playoff hockey pool loses out anyway….

Now onto the predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Montreal vs. (8) Boston
These two teams always seem to find each other during the final days of playoff positioning, don’t they? Kinda like the Leafs/Sens a few years ago. This should be a barn-burner, although you have to think the Habs should handle the Bruins handily. They simply have more offensive weapons to counteract the Bruins’ trapping system and Carey Price is playing out of his mind right now after Gainey’s shrude move at the deadline, trading away Huet to the Capitals. Um, oh yeah, did anyone notice Montreal is 8-0 vs. the Bruins this year?
Canadiens over Bruins 4-1

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Ottawa
I have a weird hunch that Ottawa is going to put up a better fight than most think. I know, I know, a few of their better players are out, the team has been horrible down the stretch and there’s internal strife and a goaltending controversy….. But, they’ve been there before – they’re playoff tested. Pittsburgh is still very inexperienced despite their solid season and promise for the future. That said, I can’t see Ottawa winning this one, but I see a competitive six-game series with some OT thrown into the equation.
Penguins over Senators 4-2

(3) Capitals vs. (6) Flyers
This old Patrick Division battle should be a goodie. The Caps’ new/old logo and red/blue colour scheme harkens back to the series’ these two played in the late 80’s – you know: Pete Peeters/Dale Hunter v Ron Hextall/Tim Kerr et cetera…. This is a tough one to call. The Flyers struggled a bit in the 2nd half, dropping from near the top of the East to barely scraping into the postseason, while the Capitals’ run to the finish has been well-documented. Here’s the thing though: how much does Washington have left in the tank? Teams on these crazy streaks always seem to run out of gas – they’re guaranteed 4 games now – they don’t HAVE to win every one. They’re also short on playoff experience. The Flyers have some experienced guys, plus you have to like young guys like Richards and Carter who play a smarter playoff-brand of hockey. I think they’ll grind down the Capitals who may just be happy to have made a playoff appearance this year. Also, I think the Flyers’ strategy is pretty simple: shut down one guy, #8.
Flyers over Capitals 4-2

(4) New Jersey vs. (5) New York Rangers
Another Patrick Division clash which brings back memories of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final. This should be a tight, nasty series. A year or two ago, and I would give the Rangers no chance with a roster full of fancy, schmancy Czech players. Shanahan and Avery give this team a little bit of grit and experience which should serve them well against the Devils, but hey, New Jersey is New Jersey. Lou Lamoriello has been able to re-shape this club while barely missing a beat. How? It all starts in net. You can’t go against Martin Brodeur. Yet.
Devils over Rangers 4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Nashville
As I mentioned earlier, the big question is: can Detroit handle the grittier, tougher teams in the playoffs? They’ve been ousted by tough, hard-skating teams in the last three seasons in Calgary, Edmonton and Anaheim. Can Nashville knock them off? The short answer is: no. I don’t see this Red Wing club going all the way – they’re old at a few key positions and I don’t think Datsyuk and Zetterberg, despite great regular season numbers, have what it takes to lead them to the promised land. They should beat Nashville rather easily however, before they are really tested.
Red Wings over Predators 4-2

(2) San Jose vs. (7) Calgary
Here we go again. Everyone’s perennial Stanley Cup dark horse is the Sharks again this year, and they’re also everyone’s biggest question mark again this year…. Will they finally live up to their potential? I think the answer is yes – this is the team and this is the year they could emerge from the West. One little problem: the Flames are a reeeeeally bad matchup for them, especially in round one. Calgary plays San Jose tough, winning the season series 3-1. If Kiprusoff can get hot, and the team can quickly come together and reach its potential behind the leadership of Iginla on the ice and Keenan off it, then look for an upset here. Actually, I think I just talked myself into picking the Flames, but I have to go back and pick the team I think will win the West this year…. This series will be worth the late start times, though and promises to be a long, hard battle. If San Jose does hope to advance past the 2nd round, they need to stay injury-free which may be hard to do for the winner of this grudge match.
Sharks over Flames 4-3

(3) Minnesota vs. (6) Colorado
I honestly don’t see or know too much about these clubs. I think this should be a very even series however, going to seven games with the Wild coming out on top thanks to a little more toughness, attention to detail defensively, goaltending and just enough scoring punch. Can the Avs seriously go with Theodore in net and hope to win a series??
Wild over Avalanche 4-3

(4) Anaheim vs. (5) Dallas
Calgary/San Jose: worth staying up late; Anaheim/Dallas: catch the highlights and get some sleep. If you like 1-0, 2-1 games with shot totals at 15-12 and the like, this is the series for you…. Granted, there should be some tough physical play, but this one has multiple OT’s written all over it. The Stars inexplicably have had a nice season, but it comes to an end here – the Ducks are the defending champs and don’t let their #4 seed fool you. I fully expect they will be playing in the Conference Final yet again.
Ducks over Stars 4-2

Okay, there you have it. Take these picks to the bank and here’s to a magnificent, channel-surfer’s dream round one of the NHL playoffs (remember to avoid carpal tunnel by stretching during commercial breaks).

Now, what do you think, Milton?

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Posted in Guy Stuff, Sports

Milton Sports Guy: Jays forecast for 2008

April 8th, 2008

Roy Halliday of the Toronto Blue Jays

The Milton Sports Guy breaks down the Jays’ chances in 2008 after a 4-2 start, fresh off series’ vs. the Yankees and Red Sox

After sweeping the defending champs this weekend, Jays’ fans have high hopes for 2008. Do the Jays actually have a chance to make the postseason for the first time in 15 years, or will it be yet another third place finish in the AL East?

J.P. Ricciardi’s offseason moves landed the Blue Jays some serious depth even if some of them were questionable, which bodes well if the injury bug hits the team hard again this season. Don’t kid yourselves though, this team will need to stay healthy to have any kind of chance to clinch a postseason berth.

I liked the Glaus for Rolen swap of two oft-injured third basement. They lose Glaus’ power, but his range at third base was rapidly declining and it was getting increasingly painful to watch him lumber around the bases. Rolen shores up the defence at the hot corner and hits for a better average. If Thomas and Wells can rebound after poor offensive seasons last year, then Glaus’ home run total won’t be missed. The key for Rolen: stay healthy. How’s he doing with that so far? He currently has a pin in his broken finger, so I’d say not good.

I also liked the signing of the scrappy David Eckstein, although they had just finished signing John McDonald supposedly as their everyday shortstop. You gotta love Johnny Mack, arguably one of the best defensive shortstops in the AL, but if you want to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox, you have to hit. Eckstein gives them the fiesty, leadoff slap/contact hitter they need to set the table at the top of the order, even if he doesn’t have the defensive prowess of McDonald. And he’s a winner, celebrating World Series championships for Anaheim and St. Louis in 2002 and 2006 respectively, a trait you can’t underestimate.

The infield depth comes in the form of backup SS McDonald, and utility man Marco Scutaro, currently playing third base in Rolen’s absence. Both players are capable Major League starters which bodes well for the Jays if the infield starts to get banged up.

The outfield looks good too, even if I still don’t get the release of Reed Johnson. Ricciardi brings in Shannon Stewart to fight for the left field job, then Johnson, by all accounts outplays and outhits him in Spring Training looking to rebound after back injuries sidelined him for most of 2007 – and then gets cut by the club??

The only saving grace is that the Jays have Buck Coats, Adam Lind and Travis Snider coming up in the system, which maybe left Johnson expendable – I’m thinking his back problems may have been more serious than we know. Anyhoo, for now it’s Stewart (who can “fall outta bed and hit” according to J.P.) and Matt Stairs sharing the duties in LF, with Stairs able to fill in for the Big Hurt at DH if necessary and one of the aforementioned youngsters ready to step in if injuries require them to do so.

Centre field and right field are set for years to come with Vernon Wells and the newly signed Alex Rios, as long as Wells can rebound and hit like he did in 2006 and Rios can continue his progression into one of the game’s top young stars.

Another interesting move by Riccardi was the signing of catcher Rod Barajas who shunned the Jays last year, agreeing to a contract in principle, then bolting and signing with the Phillies. Barajas had an impressive 2006 with Texas, followed by a terrible 2007 campaign. Now he’s here in Toronto as Gregg Zaun’s backup – how long is debatable. Zaun struggled at the plate last year, leading me to believe that you could see Barajas if Zaun doesn’t step it up both offensively and, um, memo to Mr. Zaun: you might want to throw out a baserunner once in awhile, ok?

Then there’s the pitching staff, one area where most experts agree the Jays can compete with the Red Sox and probably have an advantage over the Yanks.

Roy Halladay promises to be in Cy Young contention as usual, and after him in the rotation, there is a lot of promise, but a lot of questions as well….

Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan had breakout seasons last year and it certainly seems as if each is ready to get over the hump of mediocrity and take their games to the next level. A.J. Burnett has pitched like, well, um… like A.J. Burnett during his tenure in Toronto, struggling with injuries and inconsistency. He dominated the Yankees last week, but as is always the case with Burnett, who knows how he’ll perform the next time he takes the mound. He’s a key to the Jays’ chances – he needs to have a breakout season. Then there’s the #5 spot which is currently held by Jesse Litsch, who just has to basically not suck.

The bullpen looks solid with the likes of Downs, Tallet, League and last year’s closer, Jeremy Accardo. The bullpen would look much better of course with the injured Casey Janssen and B.J. Ryan back, but Accardo has racked up 3 saves so things look ok until Ryan can come back from elbow surgery.

On paper, things look good for the Jays – if they can a) stay healthy; b) have everything go right for them (ie. all of the players who need to have big years do indeed have big years); c) benefit from the Yankees and/or Red Sox struggling and d) stay healthy. That’s a lot to ask. You thought so too, right?

Looking at the rest of the divison, I’d say you have to favour the Red Sox again. They have both the offence and pitching, and a great combination of vets and fiesty young players like outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and pitcher Clay Buchholz. Baltimore looks to be absolutely horrible, despite their hot start, and Tampa looks like they could surprise everyone, although I think it’s more likely they’ll either get off to a fast start then fade over the last half of the season, or get off to a brutal start and finish red hot in September once the games don’t matter anymore.

That leaves the Yankees as the wild card. Again this year, they look like the team the Jays could beat out. They’ve struggled out of the gate the last two years, but have managed to turn it on in June/July/August behind their unstoppable lineup. The question again for New York will be pitching. Chein Ming Wang is solid, and Phil Hughes is a great prospect, but it’s time for Mike Mussina to be put out to pasture. Pettite is on the downside of his career and now has the whole Clemens/steriod thing following him around this year. Joba Chamberlain looks to be lights out in the ‘pen, and Rivera could go either way. He’s still a dominant closer but he’s not getting any younger so who knows when he’ll just go “Trevor Hoffman” and just lose it as all closers eventually do?

The Yankees could possibly be beat, but again, the stars will need to align for the Jays to do just that. The chances of the Yankees not being able to figure things out and the Jays staying healthy and playing flawless ball: not great. Look for Toronto to be nicely sandwiched in third in the AL East come September with Tampa closing in.

If I’m correct on this, it will be time for ownership to look a little more closely at J.P. Ricciardi. He’s in his 7th season leading the Blue Jays with nary a playoff berth to show for his efforts. Yep, it’s an important year in Toronto, and the good news for Jays’ fans is that so far, it does look like the team is playing with a bit more of a sense of urgency.

All we have to do now is sit back and wait to see how the next, oh 156 games or so to play out…

Here’s how I see the standings this year:

AL East
x-Boston
y-New York
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

AL Central
x-Cleveland
Detroit
Chicago
Minnesota
Kansas City

AL West
x-Los Angeles
Seattle
Texas
Oakland

NL East
x-New York
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Florida
Washington

NL Central
x-Chicago
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Houston
Pittsburgh

NL West
x-Arizona
y-Los Angeles
San Diego
Colorado
San Francisco

(x-division winner; y-wild card)

Now Milton, what do you think?

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Posted in Guy Stuff, Sports, Toronto

Super Bowl XLII: Journey to the Edge of Perfection

February 2nd, 2008

Tom Brady and the Patriots are one win away from immortality

Tom Brady and the Patriots are one win away from immortality. The Milton Sports Guy thinks they will cap off a legendary 19-0 season Sunday – but the toughest question comes from the gambling angle: will they cover the 12 points against the upstart Giants?

Well, here we go folks – Super Bowl XLII in Glendale (basically suburban Phoenix for the geographically challenged) where the New England Patriots look to win their 4th Championship under Tom Brady and cap off the first ever 19-0 season. They face the upstart New York Football Giants who have willed their way to Arizona against all odds – 3 wins on the road against supposedly superior competition, led by the supposedly questionable Eli Manning. I’m definitely not a fan of either team, but lemme tell ya, this is one worth watching…..

The fact that the Patriots, even though they lacked the dominance they showed earlier in the season, made it to this point, makes this Super Bowl a ratings winner. This one will go down in history. Either they go undefeated and will be known as undoubtedly the best NFL team ever, or the Giants stun them leading underdog supporters rejoicing the world over and Patriot followers sick at the thought of how close they were.

Can you imagine the Patriots losing this game? Not only would the 19-0 dream go up in ashes, but they would also fail to be recognized as Super Bowl champs – something I’ve pretty much annointed them the title of, since oh, about week 4. As big as a Patriots’ win would be – thinking of it now, a loss would be equally as monumental. The only downside for fans rooting for the big, bad Patriots to lose, would be the yearly footage of the geezers from 1972 Dolphins obnoxiously, smugly swilling champagne. I think everyone outside of south Florida would agree with me when I say that’s something I would love to see come to an end.

Anyway, onto the big game. What will happen? How will this all play out? Who will win and more importantly to some, who beats the spread?

That leads me first, to the Milton Sports Guy’s prediction:

NEW ENGLAND (-12) over N.Y. Giants

That’s right. I’m calling the Pats to cover despite the fact that I’ve been burned by this very same train of thought over the last few weeks of the regular season and throughout the playoffs when it comes to New England.

I got so sucked by their huge early-season landslide victories, that I just kept taking them to cover huge spread after huge spread, even though it was apparent by about week 12 or 13 that this definitely wasn’t the same team from early on. Either they got a little banged up or the weight of an undefeated season was finally starting to get to them (probably a bit of both). Whatever the case, they have come seriously back to earth over the course of the last 2 months.

But what did I do? I still called them to cover a large spread in both playoff tilts vs. Jacksonville and San Diego. Each time, the Patriots did just enough to win by a comfortable-but-not-outrageous margin. Two weeks ago, both of my predictions bombed when the Giants stunned the Packers right in Green Bay (after Green Bay walked all over my Seahawks in the snow a week earlier). I figured the Giants’ road success was sure to end in Green Bay, but how did I know Favre was going to finally cough up a hairball and play like the pre-2007 Favre?

Anyhoo – my ‘note to self’ after the conference championships was: “when in doubt, take the points.” That’s right – good teams have trouble covering once you get into playing games outdoors in January. It’s not only that – teams are also more equally matched, but the inclement weather definitely levels the playing field.

So I took the Giants (+12) right? Uh…. no. I’m following my instinct here, definitely not my head on this one….

What I’m thinkin’ is this: If the Giants were going to beat the Patriots, the stage was set for week 17. That’s when all the chips fell into place for New York, and yet they still couldn’t pull it off. They were at home, playing well and had a huge lead late in the game against the 15-0 Patriots who certainly looked anxious in carrying the weight of expectations of a perfect regular season. That was their chance – and the Patriots rallied and did just enough to escape with the victory.

Now, granted, the Giants have been more than impressive in the post-season. Led by Eli Manning, somehow they’ve knocked off the favoured Bucs, Cowboys and Packers in hostile territory. They did play the Patriots tough as well, so they’re not intimidated. I think this one comes down to New England though.

First of all, I would take the Patriots to cover 12 points based on this fact alone: Bill Belichick has had two weeks to prepare to face the Giants in the biggest game of his career.

That’s all I really needed, but I thought of a few other reasons: The rest of the players have also had time to rest, heal and contemplate their place in history. They’ll be pumped – they have something to prove, and remember ’spygate?’ – yeah, they’ve still got that chip on their shoulders as well. They’re hungry for this perfect season – a dream season for anyone who’s dreamed of putting on an NFL uniform. They’ll be ready.

And the final reason: I think their Brady-to-Moss led offence will finally get on track and look as good as it’s looked in weeks now that they’re out of the elements, playing in perfect conditions on the fast track in Glendale.

Oh yeah, and then there was my internal struggle over this decision and the way irony likes to toy with me: I was clearly going with the Giants until I thought “wouldn’t it be ironic if i took the points in what should be a close game after being burned all postseason for doing the opposite, and then out of nowhere, the Patriots rise to the occasion and trounce the G-men by 35 points?” I could so picture that exact scenario occuring to me – that was the final straw. I swung my pick around and began to focus on the reasons above in justifying all of this….

How will this game play out? I see the Patriots’ offence coming out red hot and going from there. The Giants will exploit the Patriot D and score their points, but I think Brady and Moss will just keep coming and New York will eventually fade.

Oh, and a final score you ask?

Patriots 41 Giants 24.

Okay, that’s it. What an NFL season it’s been – the best in quite some time in my opinion. I had started to sour on the NFL a few years ago – I just couldn’t get into any of the teams or storylines. Peyton upsetting the Pats and winning his first Super Bowl last year started to bring me back, but this whole ongoing Patriots’ undefeated/juggernaut story has really intrigued me, with the re-emergence of the Cowboys and Packers as tasty subplots.

A special thanks again also to the Milton Pigskin Prognosticator who was our featured NFL expert on most of the 19-week season here in this space. The quality research he brought to this column I’m sure was appreciated by all, compared to my statistically-lacking predictions…. Thanks MPP and enjoy the big game!

Okay Milton, it’s your turn. Who’s your pick for Super Bowl XLII?

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Posted in Guy Stuff, Sports, TV

The Milton Sports Guy handicaps the Conference Championships

January 17th, 2008

Brett Favre is one win away from a Super Bowl berth

After the Packers’ convincing win vs. the Seahawks and because the Giants’ stunned Dallas, Favre and co. are one home win away from a berth in the Super Bowl.

Well, we’ve arrived at my second-favourite weekend of the NFL season, the Conference Championships (#1 is the divisional playoff weekend, ie. last weekend – 4 usually intriguing matchups over two days). I love the AFC and NFC Championship games because it usually involves two great teams facing each other, usually some kind of rivalry or history, and unlike the Super Bowl which is contested in either warm weather cities or inside of a domed stadium, these matchups are the most important NFL games which still involve the elements. With this Sunday’s games being played in New England and Green Bay, it’s clear that the elements will indeed be a factor.

How about last week’s games, specifically Sunday’s double-underdog uprising which was thrilling, stunning and shocking all at the same time.

Those words barely begin to scratch the surface of describing a Norv Turner-led team on the road without at times, Phil Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson, upsetting Peyton Manning and the defending champion Colts. I didn’t see that game playing out any other way than a drubbing for Indy. I just didn’t. Even with San Diego up late, I figured Manning would buckle down and lead the Colts efficiently down the field for the winning score. Give the Chargers credit for exploding for some big plays on offence and putting the clamps on Indy late for the win.

The late game went as I wrote last week, although I was still surprised to see it play out. Dallas was flat (I’m sure Romo’s bye week off with Jessica Simpson in Cancun had nothing to do with it), and the Giants continued their inexplicable success on the road this year. Even more inexplicable may have been Terrell Owens’ post-game tearful meltdown defending Tony Romo, given how well he typically gets along with his quarterbacks….

Anyhoo, don’t hold your breath waiting for the underdogs to pull out victories this weekend – the Milton Sports Guy sees both favourites easily advancing to what would be a classic Super Bowl between America’s team (and QB), Favre and the Packers, and America’s villains, the undefeated juggernaut Patriots.

On to the picks (Home team in CAPS)

NEW ENGLAND (-14) over San Diego

I think we can all agree that New England will win this one outright – the question is the spread. 14 is a lot of points to give, especially in an AFC Championship game. It would be a tough decision if the Chargers were healthier – Rivers seems doubtful and LaDainian Tomlinson may not play the whole game. A Norv Turner/Billy Volek-led team with LT at far less than 100% on the road at the 17-0 Patriots? That’s not even factoring in my other rule that you never take the warm weather team on the road vs. a cold weather team. This has blowout written all over it – but again, that’s what I thought last week. Somehow the Turner/Volek combo teamed up for some huge plays and San Diego’s D came up big as well in the clutch. Then there’s New England who aren’t the same unstoppable force they were early in the season. In recent weeks, the Eagles, Ravens, Giants and Jags have given them a real challenge. Teams are figuring out that if you double-team Moss and avoid crucial turnovers, you have a chance. Ahhh, now there’s the key: “crucial turnovers.” This is what I predict will be the difference. With no LT and Volek more than likely leading the offence in the frigid conditions, you have to think the Patriots will force at least two Charger turnovers that will swing the game in their direction or turn a close game into a laugher. Therefore, I’ll try my chances once again taking the Pats to cover the big spread. I think Jacksonville was a tougher opponent than San Diego and they won by 11 last week, so 14 isn’t out of the question against this banged-up bunch.

GREEN BAY (-7) over N.Y. Giants

Although Eli Manning and the Giants have been unconscious on the road all season, and they’re fresh off a huge win vs. a bitter rival, don’t forget the roll that Brett Favre and the Packers are on… Even after finding themselves down by 14 early in last week’s game didn’t phase them, as they went on to outscore the Seahawks 42-6 from that point on. As I mentioned last week, the Packers are a team that can get a lead and then extend it. Also, Favre is a great cold weather QB while Eli Manning has admitted that he hates playing in the cold. And it promises to be cold in Green Bay on Sunday. Don’t you have to think that this road winning streak the Giants have going has to end at some point?? I think this is the week it all falls apart for the G-men. Imagine this scenario: the Packers get the ball, march down the field and score a TD. Now it’s 7-0, and Eli runs out there with his hands in his pockets and his teeth chattering. They hand off twice, and his third throw flies over Amani Toomer’s head and nearly kills Green Bay’s equipment manager. As he’s running off the field with his teeth chattering, Fox cuts to Archie Manning sitting in the stands with one of those, “I should have smacked him around more when he was little” looks on his face. Then they cut to Favre on the Packers sidelines, who’s standing there with a big grin and thinking, “Holy crap, this is gonna be easier than I thought.” All of that doesn’t seem too far-fetched now, does it.

And the juicy matchup between Favre and the Packers and the 18-0 Patriots will be set. If that’s how this plays out, this year’s Super Bowl will be one for the ages.

Now Milton, what do you think?

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Posted in Guy Stuff, Sports