Fantasy Football Season 3: A New Hope

This blog, which used to be dedicated to new sports is being re-tooled as a blog that will feature my fantasy football league and be used to forecast fantasy football trends, rumors and topics.

To give the passing reader a good indicator of the level of competition in our fantasy football league, most of us have been playing fantasy football for many years now and can tell you almost any stat about any player in the league.  We also have some casual fans of the NFL who have joined and, much to our surprise, they have fared well.  The first year I ran the league, we had the problem of only having 10 "managers" and a decent percentage of the not checking their rosters often (if at all).  What ended up happening was a guy who never checked his roster won the Championship despite our best efforts.  So we regrouped...  I decided to add 2 more players and remove the cancer from our league.  I also added a key stat to our league.  We had originally gone with the format of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 RB/WR, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 DEF/ST with basic stats like passing/rushing/receiving yards and passing/receiving/rushing TDs (4 points for a passing TD, 1 point for every passing yards, 6 points for every other TD and 1 point for every 10 yards of non-passing offense).  In Season Two, I decided to implement Return Yards and Return TDs to add a new element to the game.  A guy like Devon Hester, who is a phenomenal talent on the field, has little to no place in most fantasy leagues because they don't account for such stats.  But our league invited players like Hester, Joshua Cribbs, Antonio Brown etc. to become vital Fantasy players.  Season Two ended with a hot playoff race.  The #1 and #2 seeds were knocked out in the first Round and I, as the 4th seed, scored 130+ points in each of my 3 games on my way to the Championship.

This year's draft was a success.  We have another 12 team league, 10 of which are carryovers from last season.  Much to the dismay of the rest of the league, I, as League Commissioner, was given the first pick in the draft.  And to those naysayers who claim that the draft was rigged, tampered with or otherwise a government conspiracy, I say: Get Over It.  Being a life long Packers fan, dating back to the days of He Who Shall Not Be Named, I was given the choice of picking the new Sheriff in town (Aaron Rodgers) or a handful of running backs who are fantasy studs (Ray Rice, LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster etc.).  I eventually caved and went with my gut-instinct and picked Aaron Rodgers (much to the dismay of aforementioned naysayers).  The rest of the picks pretty much went as you might expect: Foster, McCoy and Rice were picked 2, 3, and 4 respectively and Tom Brady followed.  The only pick that surprised me the most was Cam Newton taken 9th overall by Team Covney.  I give credit to Cam, he had an amazing rookie year.  It was quite possibly the greatest rookie campaign in any sport ever.  But Cam Newton is still not a Top 10 Player, fantasy or otherwise.  Forte, Brees and Stafford rounded out the bottom of the First Round.

Being that we chose a Snake Draft, the Cleveland Old Man Brain Trust was given picks 12 and 13.  Pick #12 was Stafford and Pick #13 was Rob Gronkowski.  Much debate was had over this pick because of a TE going so high in the draft.  Yes, rule of thumb is to never draft a TE higher than the 3 Round BUT is Gronk really a TE?  He had 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 TDs last season, which is pretty impressive until you realize that he's playing TE, then its just downright ridiculous.  But the question has to be asked, is there another player who can put up those numbers who is worth more than Gronk at #13?  There are very few players who can put numbers like him.  I would apposite that only Aaron Rodgers, Arian Foster, Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson can best him in fantasy points.  So that being said, the question is now: How did Gronk fall to 13?  My answer is: people shy away from him because of that TE label but he truly is worth more than most players in the NFL.  The other topic of hot debate was the selection of Michael Vick at #23.  Michael Vick in years past has been both a Fantasy Savior and a Fantasy Burden.  The only thing consistent about his fantasy production is the inconsistency of his fantasy production.  One game he will throw for 3 TDs and 300 yards, the next week he'll throw for 1 TD, 2 INT and 1 Rushing TD and the very next week be absolutely silent on all fronts.  He is another dynamic player but being dynamic on the field doesn't necessarily translate to fantasy.  Plus, with Vick, he is a liability every time he steps on the field.  He has only played one full season and he has already left 2 preseason games this year due to injury.  I personally think Michael Vick would have been available in a later round and given the fact that names like Roddy White, Stephen Jackson, A.J. Green, Mike Wallace and Adrian Peterson were still available, I would pass him up to get one of those guys.

After picking up a work horse like Roddy White, I figured I needed a solid running back to compliment my combo of Rodgers and White.  I decided Stephen Jackson was probably the best pick at the 25 spot because he has also been a workhorse who has stayed fairly healthy over his career.  Marshawn Lynch is WAAAYYYY overvalued by ESPN and everyone else.  I didn't like Adrian Peterson coming off an injury, especially a knee injury.  Surprisingly, Mike Wallace was taken before Dez Bryant but this should be expected with a good number of people in our league residing in and fans of Pittsburgh.  Mike Wallace could have a monster season going into the last season before his contract expires and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.  He could also have a miserable season given that he most likely will exit Pittsburgh on a sour note and has made it clear he no longer wants to be a part of the team.  I, personally,  don't think Mike Wallace is a great receiver, he's fast (maybe the fastest) but he's inconsistent at best.  Another name that popped maybe a round or two early was Jordy Nelson.  Looking at the other players that were taken, it seems odd that he would go so high.  He had a breakout season last year but he will be targeted by opposing defenses and his production may be trimmed significantly.  He also has the tendency to drop easy passes and catch seemingly uncatchable passes.

With the the 11 pick in the 3rd round and the 2nd pick in the 4th round, the Fighting Fins selected 2 solid running backs, Fred Jackson and Trent Richardson.  Jackson, who has shown flashes of greatness over the last couple seasons despite being on (at best) a mediocre team, could have a breakout season with a revamped offensive line and the emergence of Stevie Johnson as legitimate WR.  Trent Richardson could very well win the Rookie of the Year award because he a stud at RB.  An outstanding RB at Alabama, look for him to continue his dominant streak.  If Brandon Marshall can stay clean and not cause any incident both on the field and off the field, he could prove to be one of the better WRs in the NFC.  But its Brandon Marshall so anything is possible.  The pick of Peyton Manning could pay dividends if he can have even a sub-par Peyton Manning season.  Going late in the 4th round, some thought that this was too early for the once dominant QB.  I would say it may have been too late especially given that he made it through training camp and the pre-season without any issues.

If any Pittsburgh Steelers' WR is worth his fantasy weight, its Antonio Brown in our league.  A player who makes big plays on offense and racks up tons of yards on special teams.  I consider him a steal this late in this draft.  It may be important to note that Peyton Manning was selected before ever other QB except Rodgers, Brady, Newton, Brees, Stafford, Eli Manning and Vick.  That being said, Tony Romo and Phillip Rivers were taken in the 5th round.  This is astonishing to me in hindsight.  Phillip Rivers has been one of the elite QBs of the NFL.  Tony Romo has been on the edge of the NFL eliteness but in terms of fantasy, he may be worth more than a 5th round pick.

With pick #62, the 49ers defense was selected.  This was the first defense selected in our draft and as one of the owners so aptly put "You have to get that 7 points every week."  Note to Noob Fantasy owners: DO NOT SELECT ANY DEFENSE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WITHOUT PROPER SUPERVISION.  Don't make the same mistakes this manager did.  Also, it should be noted that Matt Ryan was selected just one pick later.  Matt Ryan. Let me say that one more time.  Matt Ryan was selected one pick AFTER the 49ers defense.  Whether or not that owner needed another QB, I would take Matt Ryan's 12-15 a week performance over any defense, even if Jesus was playing safety. But like Lemmings, fantasy owners begin to panic when one person runs off a cliff so the Houston Texans was selected right after Matt Ryan.  Vernon Davis, Devon Hester and Antonio Gates all were selected after the 49ers AND Texans defenses were taken.  Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids.

ESPN has a new app called "Commissioner Toolkit."  It provides each league commissioner with cool videos and accessories for each league.  One thing it provides is a grade for each teams draft.  I have included what ESPN ranked each of our teams at but I wasn't all to thrilled with the grading.  Here are my grades for each fantasy team in order of best to worse.

T.O. and the IFL Rejects - A
Cayuga Creamers - A-
Romosexual Tendencies - B+
Rochester Jeffersons - B
TROY CLARAMALU* - B
Chris Johnson is Fat* - B
C'land OldManBrainTrust - B-
Fighting Fins - C
The Hoodie Rules - C
Show Us Your TD's - C
Pashtunstan Chai Boys - C-
Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood - C-

I will be providing a week by week analysis of the players to pick up and the players to stay away from.  Feel free to email any questions or comments to weeklylineup@yahoo.com.

- Mike

Episode:19

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This episode of TWL we discuss the fairly anti-climatic all-star game, baseball’s first half MVP, CY Young and Rookie of the Year. We talk about the British Open and who has a shot to win the open, we discuss James Harrison’s interview with Men’s Jounral and the fate of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ OLB, Hines Ward’s DUI, NHL Free Agency and The Women’s World Cup.

Picks:

Phillies (Mike)-Mets (Shane)

Red Sox (Shane) at Rays (Mike)

Cardinals (Mike) at Reds (Shane)

British Open Pick:

Shane: Luke Donald

Mike: Padraig Harrington

NFL Lockout: Will it be resolved by the end of the meeting next week?

Shane: Yes, 20th

Mike: No

‘The Best Is Yet To Come’

Written by Shane McFarland

Here we are in the middle of July talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates and their level of play again.  This year however, we’re talking about how exceptional the ball club has been.

Their 47-43 record has them only one game out of first place in the NL Central at the All-Star break.  More importantly though, it has inflamed an otherwise melancholy community of baseball fans with a passion for their ball club that has been absent since the early 1990’s.  For at least one generation of fans in Pittsburgh, they have yet to see a winning baseball team.  That looks like it’s all about to change.

They say that a team takes on the personality of its manager.  If that’s the case, the Pittsburgh Pirates are reflecting new manager Clint Hurdle, to the tee.  Nothing about this man says fake or phony.  He is as authentic and genuine of a baseball man as you will find in the game today.  Hurdle’s confidence in the clubhouse has translated into a winning attitude on the field, and it reflects in the team’s execution this year.

The starting pitching has been ridiculously good considering how far they’ve come since just last season.  In 2010, Pirates starting pitching had the THE WORST ERA in the majors – 5.28.  Here in 2011, under the tutelage of pitching coach Ray Searage, the Bucs’ starting rotation has an ERA of 3.62.  Easily one of the most amazing turn-arounds I have ever seen.

Anchored by first-time All-Star Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.01 ERA) I would argue the staff has pitched as consistently well as any in the majors.  Youngster Charlie Morton (7-5, 3.80) seems to have found what works form him and is getting more ‘season’ every time out.  The lone lefty in the rotation, Paul Maholm has become a more complete pitcher this season, working on his command of the inside part of the plate against righties, a flaw which manager Clint Hurdle immediately pointed out to Maholm upon arrival in Pittsburgh.  With little to no run support to work with more times than not, Maholm has faired exceptionally well this first half, posting an ERA of 2.96 (3^rd among LHP in NL, 8^th overall).

The back end of the rotation has done its fair share of solid work, too.  James McDonald (5-4, 4.42 ERA), though struggling with control sometimes, shows promise as either a nice, hard-throwing, right-hander at the back of the rotation, or even trade bait potentially if the Pirates elect to give Ross Ohlendorf a chance when he comes off of the DL.

And then there’s possibly the best-kept secret in baseball – Jeff Karstens.  He’s not a flamethrower by any stretch, but Jeff Karstens has managed to turn in as solid of a first half performance as any Pirates starting pitcher.  His 2.55 ERA ranks fifth in the NL, right behind Phillies’ stud Roy Halladay (2.45).  His contributions to this ball club winning have been invaluable.  He has filled what seemed like a large gap so well that I don’t know if Ohlendorf will get a chance to pitch when he comes back. 

Jeff Karstens

The Pirates may even elect to go to a six-man rotation at some point, to give their guys some extra time to rest, as many, if not all will eclipse their most innings pitched in a single season.  Clint Hurdle and Ray Searage will have to monitor the young guys closely and keep them well rested if the team wants to make a run in October.

Let me not forget to mention the bullpen either because they have been sensational.  Relievers Jose Veras, Chris Resop, and Daniel McCutchen have all pitched extremely well this year in front of All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan.  In 26 opportunities, Hanrahan has closed the door on the opposition all 26 times.  He throws as hard as anyone and has the control and moxie to throw either his fastball or slider in any count.  It is certainly a luxury to have a solid bullpen that starters can hand the baton off to, to finish games.

It’s also an advantage when you have a superstar like Andrew McCutchen hitting in the middle of your lineup.

Lead by the ever-increasing talents of center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates offense has had its woes this year, but generally speaking, they have been much more productive in critical situations compared to years past.  If you don’t think so, take a look at the win column.

A .255 team average with runners in scoring position isn’t much to brag about, but believe it or not that ranks in front of the mighty New York Yankees.  It’s not bad company to be in if you ask me.

Andrew Mccutchen

McCutchen leads the team with 14 homeruns, 54 runs scored, and a .291 batting average.  He leads by example, which in the city of Pittsburgh will only earn in points with the fans.  McCutchen, barring any injuries or massive slump, should set career-highs in every offensive category. 

He couldn’t have picked a better season to shine the brightest either.  He earned his first All-Star appearance in Arizona this year after initially being left off the team.  I expect him to be a regular visitor to the Midsummer Classic for many years to come.  For as valuable has ‘Cutch’ has been, the Pirates have been getting a much needed boost in offense from a traditionally non-power position.

A big part in the run production department has to be accredited to the young Pittsburgh native, Neil Walker.  Walker, who leads all NL second baseman in RBI (59) has shown indications that he will be a productive offensive force for years to come.  Earning the everyday second base job, Walker has excelled at the plate as much as he has in the field (.991 fielding percentage).  Despite striking out more times than you would like him to, Walker is still a young player learning the league’s pitchers.  Give him time and he could become a potent force in driving this Bucco’s lineup for the foreseeable future.

While I’d like to say there are more positive notes offensively for the Pirates,’ there really aren’t.  Recent call-up Alex Presley has been impressive thus far with the big-league team, hitting .365 in 13 games while notching multi-hit performances in 7 of those games.  Beyond that though, the Pirates’ projected run producers have been extremely underwhelming. 

Third baseman Pedro Alvarez has battled injury for the better part of the season.  It will be important for the club to get him going after the All-Star break as he could prove to be extremely important down the stretch run.

First baseman Lyle Overbay has had his good stretches, but has yet to put up a consistent month of production.  The same goes for Garret Jones.  Now primarily only facing right-handed starters, ‘G.I. Jones’ flashes brilliant power from time to time, but Hurdle is looking for more consistent production from a guy whose battering average has slipped to .248.

So what you ask is it going to take for this Pirates team to contend?

Clint Hurdle

For one, the starting pitching must remain as sharp as it has been.  The Pirates are a notoriously bad second half team.  Over the last five seasons they have managed to only win, on average, 27.8 games.  That simply won’t cut it. 

By being well rested and keeping an even-keel attitude, I think the Pirates staff will continue to pitch well against division opponents.  With three consecutive series against division opponents to begin the second half of play, those first nine games should be a good test for a team that hasn’t played a meaningful game since 1992.

Secondly, the Pirates need to find more offensive production from their corner infield and outfield positions.  This could be answered simply with a healthy Pedro Alvarez in the lineup.  If Pedro comes to play the way he did the second half last year, I think the Pirates will be very close at the end.

I like Alex Presley in the outfield with McCutchen, too.  He provides legitimate speed in the leadoff spot and already has six XBH in his brief time in the majors.  Since the Pirates won’t be out-slugging anyone this season they’re going to need players like Presley who can force the issue on the base paths.

If the fixes can’t be made internally, there’s no reason to think why the organization won’t look outside to find a remedy.  They have reportedly been in the market but have yet to give any real indication of players they’re considering.  Undoubtedly, they’ll want someone that they could sign to multiple years.  Renting players is not something the Pirates can afford to do.  If they’re going to give up any top minor league talent, I hope they bring back a player on the rise.  I think a rental player would be counterintuitive to what the Pirates front office is trying to do right now with the team.

One thing is for certain.  This second half of the Pirates’ season will be the most closely watched thing this summer in Pittsburgh.  Even if they do come up a little short, won’t it just be nice to watch a team take the field, knowing that they’re only going to get better in years to come?  It’s exciting and fresh, and exactly what all Pittsburgh Pirates fans deserve – a winner.

Follow me on Twitter @mcfarlands412 or Email me stmcfarland5@gmail.com

If I Were David Stern…

Written by Shane McFarland

We are living in strange times indeed.

Two, simultaneous, pro-sport lockouts?  Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the storm that is the summer of 2011.

While it looks like the NFL is on the horizon of resuming business finally, the NBA is still light years behind in negotiations.

NBA Commissioner David Stern exuded disappointment upon his opening statements at a press conference about the current state of the league last week.  “We didn’t see any other option but to make the recommendation that we’re going to make later this afternoon to the Labor Relations Committee,” said Stern, referring to locking out the players.

Another so called case of” millionaires vs. billionaires,” the strife between NBA owners and the National Basketball Player’s Association (NBPA) should be an interesting one to observe.

Two-time scoring champion and budding superstar Kevin Durant spoke very strongly about the players commitment to getting what they feel is just, saying “No matter how long the lockout's going to take, we're going to stand up. We're not going to give in."

He’s going to have to, at least a little, if he wants to be playing basketball anytime soon.

I expect the ‘Angel of Stern’ to be a shrewd negotiator throughout this whole process.  Tough but fair, nonetheless.  He has been able to reach agreements before with the Player’s Association, going all the way back to the early 1980’s when he helped introduce drug testing and a salary cap to the league, and effectively a revenue-sharing system.  There’s no reason to think he can’t do it now.

Unlike the NFLPA, the NBPA does not plan to decertify and go to court over the matter.  They remain willing to negotiate with the league, which has to be encouraging for onlookers. 

If I’m David Stern, I’m looking to do a couple things with this new collective bargaining agreement. 

1) I have to find a way to make this revenue-sharing thing work again, because clearly, there is a huge discrepancy in competition level between large-market and small-market teams.  Large-market teams are able to afford the high-priced free agents and have dominated the landscape of basketball for the past decade.  Some new type of cap must be introduced to go hand-in-hand with the revenue agreements.  It’s kind of perfect timing for this CBA negotiation considering the economic times the U.S. has been facing, so I’m hoping something sensible comes out of talks between the two groups.  As much as people like to hate on ownership, those guys are in it to make money.  It’s a business.  Plain and simple.  The small guys just feel like they’ve been neglected so I have to make some amends with those guys.

2) I have to pay the stars of my league.  After all, the reason why the NBA is at an all-time high in popularity is because of the superstar power of players like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Derrick Rose.  These guys are marketable everywhere from selling jerseys and shoes to selling tickets and putting asses in the seats.  PAY THE MAN HIS MONEY!

3) Get it done quickly!  I’m lucky that the players don’t want to go to litigation.  I deal with enough lawyers as it is.  I don’t want some of my best players going overseas either.    With Deron Williams set to play in Turkey if there is indeed a long NBA lockout, I don’t want Kobe or any other of my stars being lured away to end up hurting themselves and have to miss time when the CBA gets done.

Unfortunately, things of this nature are not settled on the basketball court but in hotel conference rooms.  Like anything else anymore, it is a matter of dollars and cents.  The price is going to have to be right for both sides before they open the doors again for another season of NBA basketball.

Follow me on Twitter @mcfarlands412 or Email me at stmcfarland5@gmail.com

A Look at NHL Free Agency

Written By Jon Covney

With the draft last weekend and NHL free agency starting at 12pm on Friday, it has been a busy week leading up to this point. With the NFL still negotiating a new CBA and the NBA’s CBA about to expire the NHL, in comparison, is on stable ground. What this means for the future success of the league remains to be seen but hopefully come tomorrow there will be big moves to thrust the NHL into the spot light.

The Philadelphia Flyers kicked everything off in a series of shocking moves by trading 2 of their top players in captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to Los Angeles and Columbus, respectively. What was shocking about these trades was that both players were well established and consistent scorers with Richards scoring 23 goals and 43 assists, and Carter scoring 36 goals and 30 assists while only missing 3 games all season combined. What made the trade even more shocking is that both had signed to long term contracts, Richards had 9 years left on a 12 year, $69 million deal and Carter agreed to a 11-year, $58 Million contract extension this past November. It is believed that the Flyers made the moves to free up cap space to sign veteran goalie Ilya Bryzgalov who was signed to a 9 year $51 million deal just hours after those trades. For Richards the Flyers received forward Wayne Simmons, defensive prospect Brayden Schenn and a 2012 2nd round pick And In return for Carter they received 2007 first rounder Jakub Voracek, as well as first- and third-round picks in the 2011 draft. 

While it is widely believed around the hockey community that the Flyers were always hampered by their goaltending, which is why they traded for the rights to sign Ilya Bryzgalov, the way they went about doing so was puzzling as they gave up much of their offense and team identity by doing so and on paper what they got in return doesn’t replace the hustle and effort of Richards who is one of the best two way forwards in the league as he has 23 shorthanded goals over his 6 seasons, or the natural goal scoring ability of Carter. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Flyers pick up any free agents come Friday in an attempt to shore up their offensive depth now that they are set at goaltender and picked up more defensive help to play with the shutdown ability of Chris Pronger. 

Other notable trades/ transactions which have taken place since the draft include:

The Chicago Blackhawks continue to give up pieces from their Stanley Cup team as they traded Defenseman Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers for forward Rostislav Olesz.

Ryan Smyth returned to Edmonton after tearfully being traded at the 2007 trade deadline by the Oilers to the Islanders due to the two sides not being able to come to an agreement on a contract after Smyth had spend his first 13 years in the NHL with the team. He later signed with the Colorado Avalanche for 2 years and then spending the past 2 years in Los Angeles.  The deal that sent Smyth back to Edmonton wasn’t without speed bumps as the Kings planned to buy out Gilbert Brule, the player they were to have received in return, but since Brule was injured the Kings were prohibited from buying him out, instead they received a 7^th round pick and Colin Fraser (it was revealed that Fraser was also injured but the trade will stand and the Kings will receive another player in compensation).

 New Sabres owner Terry Pegula has lived up to his promise so far, in promising to spend money to land quality players as he has publicly stated that his goal is to win the Stanley Cup, landing defenseman Robyn Regehr, along with former Sabre forward Ales Kotalik, and a 2^nd round pick in 2012 for defenseman Chris Butler and forward Paul Byron. In order to land Regehr, Pegula and the Sabres staff flew to Calgary to personally meet with him and convince him to waive his no trade clause to come to Buffalo. Flying out to talk with Regher in person proved how much Pegula wants to win. He wants to build his team with players he knows will fit in well and give him the best chance at winning. This move was followed up with the signing of former Vancouver defenseman Christian Erhoff to a 10 year $40 million deal after they acquired the rights to negotiate with him. Both these defensemen are solid defensemen who possess puck moving abilities which will turn Buffalo into a quick strike team with a solid defensive presence in front of Ryan Miller. Buffalo should be active in free agency as they look to pick up a big play forward such as Brad Richards. Richards won’t come cheap but Pegula is willing to spend the money to pick him up. Richards should be attracted by the tenacity of Pegula and would fit right into the culture of hockey crazed Buffalo.

One of the most interesting stories of the week has been the Jagr decision. Jaromir Jagr was expected to make his NHL comeback official this past Wednesday but 36 hours later no one has heard from the 39 year old forward as he was supposedly choosing between the Red Wings and Penguins with the Canadiens having been eliminated as a possibility. However as of Thursday night his agent said that they have started talking with multiple teams and that they will make a decision in the next few days. It will be shocking if he decides to sign with any other team that Detroit or Pittsburgh as both of those teams would be a good fit. Detroit is an annual contender with smart forwards such as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk who play selfless hockey at a high level and ageless defenseman Nicklas Lidstom, Jagr would fit right in and be able to contribute both offensively and defensively. The Penguins would be a good fit as he would be surrounded with talented players such as Crosby and Malkin, and he would hopefully fit on a line and be able to contribute 20 goals. Of course it goes without saying he is good friends with owner Mario Lemieux and has stated that he would be willing to take less money to play in Pittsburgh, where he won 2 Stanley Cups.

When free agency starts at noon on Friday all eyes will be on Brad Richards as he is only elite player in this year’s class of free agents with the talent dropping off considerably after him. Some other players to keep an eye on include:

Teemu Selanne- At age 41 if he doesn’t retire he will most likely resigns in Anaheim

Tim Connolly- Flashed skills in Buffalo, but cannot seem to stay healthy

Simon Gagne- A proven player but like Connolly health is an issue

Tomas Kaberle- A veteran defenseman who will improve a team’s power play but was MIA   during Boston’s playoff run

Ed Jovanovski- Despite being 35 he can still provide veteran leadership to a young team

Tomas Vokoun- The class of the goalies this year can provide a team with a proven starting goalie

Ray Emery- Looked good in the limited amount of games he appeared in last year with the Ducks and was named the starter for the playoffs. Teams looking at him will look for him to possibly split starts with another goalie or fight for the starting position in camp.  However his injury and attitude problems will limit the number of teams interested.

Once all is said and done on Friday and the weekend I will update and analyze the signings.

The NHL Realignment Question

Written By Michael Curtis

Just as Major League Baseball is discussing the possible realignment of their leagues and divisions, the NHL must too look to realign their divisions.  With the Atlanta Thrashers franchise moving to Winnipeg, many wonder how to structure the new divisions to allow for easy travel and also be able to keep the inter-divisional rivalries.

            At least for next season, Winnipeg will be in the same division as the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.  This would make the Winnipeg Jets the team who will likely travel the most, an undesirable honor usually held by the Vancouver Canucks who travel already far distances to play their intra-divisional teams. 

So how does the NHL fix this problem?  What was discussed and reported from the latest NHL Owners meeting is a possible scenario whereby both conferences have 2 divisions and the winner of each division is given the first 2 spots and the rest of the playoff spots are decided based on points.  The most likely choice is that Winnipeg will be moved to the Western Conference and either Columbus or Nashville will be moved to the Eastern Conference.

The next step is how do you divide the schedule so that the divisions carry some weight to them but don’t allow for one division to be too strong or too weak and allow non-competitive teams to make the playoffs.  The schedule can be split up so that the East and West play each other for 20 games a season (roughly ¼ of the season), divisional teams play each other 36 games a season and play non-divisional teams for another 26 games.  This way the divisions are not weighted as heavy as the previous system.

The next decision is how do you fairly split up the divisions to keep divisional rivalries alive and to create and instill new rivalries that weren’t there before.  I think the Eastern Conference should be split into two divisions: East Coast and Mid-Atlantic.  The East Coast Division would include: Boston, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida.  The Mid-Atlantic Division would include: Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Philadelphia. 

As a native of Western NY and a current resident Western Pennsylvania, I know the rivalry that Pittsburgh has with Buffalo and Columbus.  It is a perfect fit to help build a new rivalry that otherwise hasn’t existed.  But many people doubt that the Penguins can find a rivalry with many of the other Canadian teams.  Toronto has been a rivalry for Pittsburgh over the years, the sparks always fly when these two teams meet.  Ottawa and Pittsburgh have played each other 3 of the last 5 postseasons, you can cut the tension with a knife when these two teams faceoff.  And it keeps the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia rivalry in place.

And we all know the centuries old rivalry between the cities of Boston, New York, Newark and Washington.  So why not build off that concept and model the division to incorporate these rivalries.  Plus it allows for Ovechkin to be seen much more in the Big Apple.  The only problem that may arise with this division is that it unfair to the Florida Teams because they have to travel significantly farther than the Bos-Wash teams.

The West is far less complicated to decide who to put in what division because geographical proximity comes less into play.  The division can be named Mid-West and Pacific.  The Mid-West Divison includes: Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg and Dallas.  The Pacific Division includes: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado, San Jose, Anaheim, Phoenix, Los Angeles.

The Mid-West Division brings together the current Detroit-Chicago Rivalry and also allows for new ones to grow with Minnesota now in the mix.  When the NHL originally expanded, they assumed that Minnesota and the Western Canadian teams would renew their rivalry when the North Stars resided in Minnesota.  But unfortunately, the rivalry has quite stuck as the Wild have not had the attendance or competitive edge to form such a rivalry.  Using the century old battle of Minneaplois, Chicago and Detroit (mostly in football), these hockey teams would provide for a heated battle every time they played each other.

One of the biggest grievances that the NHL has right now is that Vancouver has to travel more than any other team.  The Pacific Division allows for Vancouver to travels with teams that closer in proximity and keeps the current rivalries as well as allows for teams like Anaheim and San Jose to become even bigger rivalries than they already are.  Even Edmonton, a team who’s greatest accomplishment in the last 10 years was their Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the 2004-2005 season, could use a jump start and what better way to do that than have them play Los Angeles, the team that stole Wayne Getzky from Edmonton, 5 or 6 times a season.

This is not what the NHL has said they will do with the new division, they haven’t even agreed to realign the divisions, but this is jump my thought experiment on how they should go about forming new divisions and making the sport more entertaining and profitable.  Feel free to comment on this post or email us weeklylineup@yahoo.com with your thoughts and suggestions.

What We’re Likely to See Out of Jagr If He Returns To The NHL

Written by Michael Curtis

As a long time Pittsburgh Penguins, I grew up in the early 1990’s watching Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr dominate hockey and claim almost every scoring title from 1990-2000.  After Lemieux retired the first time in 1997, the team was left with Jagr.  He played his best with little or no help on his line but despite that, he captured the Art Ross Trophy (Leading Point Scorer) from 1998-2001.  In 2000, Lemieux and Jagr were reunited again when Lemieux announced that he was coming out of retirement to play for the Penguins at the League Minimum Salary.  The chemistry between Jagr and Lemieux wasn’t the same as it was in the early and mid-1990’s but it still was lethal.  After the 2001 season, Jagr was traded to the Washington Capitals after he privately and publicly denouncing and ridiculing the Penguins and the City of Pittsburgh.  That was the last time I ever respected Jaromir Jagr.  He went on to play 3 seasons with the Washington Capitals and 5 seasons with the New York Rangers before leaving America and the NHL to go play in the highly touted KHL of Eastern Europe.  But as news reports spread rampant about Jagr making his decision today, I wonder what Jagr are we most likely to see and is it worth it to any team to sign him?

The 39-Year Old Winger has played the KHL for the past few years, a league which has been hyped as a worthy competitor to the NHL both in talent and in salary.  But players like Jiri Hudler, Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Morozov who have gone over to play in KHL have seen a big decline in their production.  Some people attribute this decline in the fact that these players are in the waning stages of their careers and simply can’t produce at the same level they did even 5 years ago.  But recently, more and more hockey analysts have been speculating that the reason for the decreasing production is that the level of play is not nearly as high as the NHL so most players don’t feel as though they need to produce at those same high levels.  But what has made everyone so excited about Jagr’s return to the NHL is his play at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and at the World Championships in the same year.  He was the dominant player for the Czech Republic team. Despite finishing 7^th at the Olympics, Jagr and the Czech Team won the Gold Medal at the World Championships.  The American and Canadian coaches and GM’s who saw him play at both events were astounded that he Jagr still played at the well at his age, prompting many of them to wonder if some day they could sign him.  The main question was “How long could he sustain that level of play at his age.”  I think Jagr is capable of one or two more years of quality service to any team, whether it be an NHL or KHL team.  He would be a great 2^nd Line Winger on a team like Pittsburgh or a 1^st Line Winger on a team like Detroit.

But what a deal ultimately comes down to is: Can both sides mutually benefit from the signing?  In the case of a team like Pittsburgh, he would have to take a decent pay cut from what he might get from other teams.  The Penguins don’t have much cap space to begin with so it is unlikely that they will through $3 or $4 or $5 million his way but they also don’t want to underpay as to make him regret him playing.  In my mind, a fair price from Pittsburgh would be a 1-year, $1.5 million contract with a second year option at $1 Million.  That way, the Penguins are not contractually obligated more than a year if he turns out to be a bust.  In the case of a team like Detroit, they have a bit more cap space with Brian Rafalski retiring.  They might be able to use the available money from Rafalaski to throw at Jagr.  He’d be looking at a deal worth maybe $3 to $4 Million a year for 1 or 2 years also.

In the case of the Penguins, Jagr is definitely worth $2.5 Million if he stays both years because he immediately boosts their potential at Winger for Crosby and/or Malkin.  Even if he doesn’t score 75 points, he can still provide an instant upgrade on the power play and he has the tools to set up Malkin and Crosby.  For Detroit, Jagr really isn’t worth up to $8 million total.  He’s 39 years old, a risk for injury and possibly a bust so why would a team throw that much money at him?  Mainly because the Red Wings are getting desperate after not making the Stanley Cup Finals for the 2^nd straight year and possibly losing some key pieces of their team to free agency and retirement.