"Bahama Mama"... Making some predictions

Its been a whirlwind couple of weeks and my blogging has gone from non-existent to all over the place. 2 weeks ago I took off to Boston and the Bahamas for some fun in the sun and much needed R&R. Let me tell you Paradise Island lives up to its name and I was fortunate enough to get beautiful weather for the entire length of my stay at Atlantis. A picture is worth a thousand words and instead of praising to no end the beauty of this resort I figure the above picture would give you an idea. A bit pricey but soo worth it, Atlantis lived up to its namesake and provided photo op's every moment as you walk through the resort. My favourite is the slide where you suddenly find yourself enclosed in a glass tube which is suspended inside a shark tank. Ill get some pic's on flikr up sometime soon. In the meantime let's get to what I began this post for some predictions for the NBA Championship and the Stanley Cup ( a little late but I'm going with it)

According to Shaq the role he plays will soon be obsolete and Dirk will be the model of an NBA center. This matchup its one of the best we have seen in a while and is keeping with the theme of being one of the most exciting playoffs for the league in over a decade. There is really no one on the Heat roster that can defend Dirk, but fortunately for the Heat they can try to shut down the rest of the team. Avery Johnson has proven throughout the playoffs why he was named the coach of the year in the NBA as he has played each series perfectly. He has prepared his team well and with his coaching strategies outcoached the opposing coaches putting his team in the perfect position to win. Yet, if there is one guy who can give him a run for his money its Coach Pat Riley who is seen prancing the sidelines on the other end with his always in place hair and lots of experience to boot. I thought about this one for a while as I like both teams but they represent the changing of the guard in the NBA. The heat with the Shaq- Wade combo personifies how a team was built to win in the past but the Mavericks are the future with a high powered uptempo offense and a modern approach to defense. For now though... Shaq is playing like he is in his prime and the 1-2 punch of Superman and the Flash should prevail.
My Prediction: Miami Heat in 6

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals garnered less interest from viewers south of the border than some women's NCAA softball game. True its a little hard to find what channel the game is on (OLN) and for the most part half the country probably doesn't even know what OLN is!! Its a shame that no major station picked up the finals because its been a great couple of games. I know its a little late to make a prediction (but since this is my blog I will do as I please) for the Stanley Cup as 2 games are in the books. The Carolina Hurricanes are looking strong and the Edmonton Oilers lost their starting goaltender in game 1. The Oilers have kept the Cinderella story alive this season and coming from 8th spot in the Western conference to the Stanley Cup Finals is a big deal in itself but I do believe they will go down fighting and the goaltender situation made their task a lot harder. I don't see this series going too deep and hopefully next year the NHL will have a better television deal in place in the US so more people can enjoy the product on ice with everything that's changed. The new NHL is here to stay.
My Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes in 5

This program is being interrupted due to technical difficulties!

I woke up on the weekend to my laptop making gurgling sounds almost trying to converse in baby talk which then escalated to sounds of a plane taking off from a runway. NOT GOOD! I had replaced the hard drive last year but it was obvious that the laptop was on its last breath so I began the tedious task of backing up all my files before it officially dies on me. Immediately my mind starts thinking of a replacement and I begin doing some research for a new laptop. Lo and behold I come to you today writing from my new baby the Sony Vaio VGNSZ220P . Its strange how attatched I was to my old computer tho and it felt so familiar and now its a whole new "getting to know you" process going on with the new laptop. This all got me thinking about technology overall and different ways that it has a big part in my everyday life.

Back in the day before I had a PVR/TiVO if I was going to miss a game it was like oh well I will watch it game in an hour format or watch the highlights but now I can just PVR the game and watch it like its live later on that night or the next day. Chances are though, the longer I wait the less chance there is that I will get to watch the game without knowing the outcome in advance either. Back in the day that was a lot more easier controlled but now all it takes is an MSN nickname "RAPS WIN! RAPS WIN! RAPS WIN!" and all the suspense is gone. In general though there have been a lot of advancements in technology that enhance or improve the experience for a sports fan. With a little bit of research here are some you might want to look into...

HDTV: Sunday Football was forever changed when I watched my first NFL game in HDTV and reverting back to anything less would be a sin. Over the last two years most cable companies have started offering all the major channels in HDTV and almost all sporting events in north America are now broadcast in HDTV. If you haven't had the chance to watch a game in pure crispness (hrmm is that a word?) I advise you do so ASAP 'cuz you are definitely missing out. Before I had experienced it I didn't think it was going to be that much of a difference (kinda how the introduction of progressive scan on DVD players was)but HDTV has been one of the best new advancements made to enhance the home viewers experience of a sporting event. As the prices continue to drop and more people begin to experience HDTV it will become the norm in watching your favourite team from the comfort of your own home but the feel of being at the game. (Addon: just found this article about the linkage between sports fans and HDTV)

SkyBOX: Vivid SKY has come up with a technology which can change the experience of a fan at a sporting event for ever. Their tagline... "Because the game waits for no one". I first read about the SkyBOX in this USA Today article and did some research into the product. Do not have any first hand knowledge of it but it seems interesting to give the sports fan a way to interact while attending a game. A few clicks away on this handheld device would be the slugging percentage of the batter at the plate or you could check laptimes compared to another car at a NASCAR race. It will add a dimension into the game that our generation is already very in sync with. Its all about stats and crunching information and with the www at our fingertips at home we can access all this information and this SkyBox is aiming to give you that feeling of access and more at any live sporting event you attend. If this product can reach its potential it will change the live sporting experience forever.

Satellite Radio: Sirius Satellite radio boasts the largest variety in sports programming and XM Radio offers listeners a healthy dose of sports. Satellite radio hasn't caught on as fast as some might have expected and that has a lot to do with the cost (reasonable I think) but people are not used to paying for radio a service that has been free for as long as I can remember. Living in Canada I was previously pretty much stuck listening to local broadcasts but with satellite radio I get the chance to listen to ESPN radio or catch out of market games. This has helped people who are fans of a team outside their local listening area and are able to get broadcasts of any game they chose and to boot listeners have to sit through fewer commercials on satellite radio.

Slingbox: Slingmedia has come up with a solution to something I have been struggling with for a while now. I travel a lot and at times for several weeks at a time and I hate missing a Raptors or Eagles game. The slingbox allows you to connect it to your pvr and control it from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection also it transmits the TV feed to your computer anywhere in the world. Earlier this year I was in Dubai and they have limited sports coverage and so I resorted to buying NBA audio league pass and stayed up all all hours of the night to catch a live raptors game. With the introduction of a slingbox I can essentially have my PVR record raptor games and when I get a chance get online connect to the box and watch the game at my own time as if I was sitting in my den in Toronto. Sounds insane and hard to believe eh? I actually know someone who has been using this unit for a couple of months and has nothing but good things to say. So if you are one who wants to have access your TV from the road or your office this might be something you want to look into.

Besides the few advancements I mentioned above there have been others implemented that I now cannot live without. Youtube and Google Video both offer clips of sports highlights, videos made by fans, bloopers and all sorts of gems. Google video also has a deal in place with the NBA and you can watch a complete game by paying 4$ the next day of the game. The leagues have jumped onto the bandwagon as well taking control of most of their media. You can become a Red Sox insider and for a flat fee for the year you can get all red sox games online through MLB.tv . The NBA also has audio and video options for their fans to watch out of market games or when you may be on the road and want to watch your team. Most of the offerings through the MLB, NBA and NFL cost more than a fan might be willing to pay but I believe in time it will level out. I also figure I should mention Podcasts and shows like ESPN, Sports bloggers and other sources are putting up shows online for you to directly download to your iPod's for free and listen to them on the go.

Thought I should throw this in... an article I found basically trying to question the role of technology in sports.

All this said... Its an exciting time to be a sports fan!!!

Would you pay for a music video??

It's hasn't been long but the infamous group known as the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is back in the news and they got something NEW to whine about.

"Viral video sharing would not have been an issue just 18 months ago, when the labels still viewed music videos as a promotional tool for selling albums. But today videos are a rapidly growing money-maker for the music business. The RIAA estimates that sales of music videos topped $3.7 million in three months, after being introduced in October"

Are they freakin kidding me? Music Videos have always been a form of advertising and a way for us consumers to want to buy an artists album. From my knowledge a great deal of the videos are paid for by the artist with a budget they have been given. The RIAA will probably spend way more in legal fees trying to get the likes of Youtube and similar sites to stop allowing these videos to be shared but this will only hurt the artist. Have you turned on MTV or VH1 recently?? Can you remember the last time you saw an actual music video playing on there?? ... Me Neither. Sure there is TRL but in general these stations have turned to the craze of reality TV and more lucrative offerings. Music Videos have helped album sales for decades and now people are sharing them with the rest of the world. Someone in China who may not have seen the newest Shakira video but now that its on Youtube is able to enjoy it this can in turn help him/her decide to buy the artist's album. Now the RIAA want to be compensated essentially for the world giving their artists a boost by advertising their music on the net?? In essence they want us to pay for commercials and/or pay for the right to show commercials... Pure ludicrous.

To me a music video is the equivalent of a TV commercial... with a purpose to hype up the product to get you to buy it. Advertising on TV has been one of the strongest ways to get consumer awareness of a product and music videos were just telling the fans that there is something new out there. How about TV remove all the stupid commercials we are forced to watch through our favorite shows. They should implement this RIAA theory too and make us pay for them or else watch TV commercial free!! Taking it further maybe the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) should take a lesson from this and stop showing us the movie trailers. They give away most of the good parts anyway so they should stop showing them on TV and maybe then we will actually want to see a movie that hasn't been ruined for us in a 2 minute preview!!!

I understand that the artists were losing money from pirated music but really... would u pay $1 to download a music video so you can watch it once or twice? The public is helping the artist by sharing the music video and bringing it to people who may not see it elsewhere and really do you need to see it more than once its not like some classic movie or even porn. Sometimes its nice to be able to get your hands on an old video that doesn't get airtime and it might remind you of an album and you might want to go buy it. They are stupid to be fighting this... music videos on the net is one of the best free advertising an artist can get but because the RIAA has no control over it they don't want to give the artist that luxury either??

No matter how hard the RIAA's of the world try and no matter how much money they throw at their problem, they will never stop determined people from obtaining their content for free. Groups like this will always be reacting to the proactive.

On that note just because I can...

The "IF" Factor : Breaking down round 2 of the NBA Playoffs

LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM?

Well that was totally anti-climactic... Kobe Bryant was MIA for game 7 against Phoenix and being the Kobe hater that I am I was thrilled. He came out to play but when he realized his team was not going to be able to pull it off he went AWOL. My theory ... Once the Lakers were down 15 he started passing the ball to the rest of his team, who for the most part don't belong in the NBA and when they lose he can say he got them the shots they didn't make them... blah blah team player blah blah... Youth in the playoffs... But really the Lakers were down on the Raptors by 20 points the day Kobe decided to go nuts on us all and drop 81 points. You tellin me he couldn't even try to win this game on his own somethin he is done all season long?

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Round 2 is underway and I am a little late for a preview (blame the good weather) so I decided to go with the humor approach to break down the series. Every game has some players that are tagged the "X" - Factor so here is my version with my "IF" factor for each team to get to the next round.

(#2) Miami Heat v/s (#3) New Jersey Nets


IF Shaq can arrest Vince for faking an injury
IF Dwayne Wade can stop wearing those pantyhose
IF Jason Williams can go back to being "White Chocolate"
IF Antoine Walker figures out a way to become useful on the court
IF Alonzo Mourning thanks Vince for asking for a trade which in turn got Zo to Miami
IF Gary Payton can stop trash talking and actually start playing ball
IF the Miami Heat never again don the Floridians uniform


... Then the Miami Heat will win this series.


IF Vince Carter doesn't have a graduation to attend...
IF Richard Jefferson can bribe Jason Kidd to pass him the ball from time to time
IF Jason Kidd can keep his manchild of a kid away from the press conferences
IF Nenad Kristic pulls a "Raja Bell" on Shaq
IF Uncle Cliffy would reveal what age defying pills he has been taking
IF John Thomas can enjoy his 15 minutes of fame
IF Lawrence Frank can grow some facial hair


... Then the New Jersey Nets will win this series.

My Prediction: Miami in 6
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(#1) Detroit Pistons v/s (#4) Cleveland Cavaliers

IF Rasheed Wallace can find a way to hide that hideous patch on the top of his head
IF Chauncy Billups shows Larry Hughes how to make a shot in a playoff game
IF Ben Wallace releases the FRO
IF Tayshaun Prince shows Lebron what playing against a real defender is
IF Richard Hamilton admits he uses the mask to hide his ugliness
IF the Pistons fans keep their beer cups away from the players on the court.


... Then the Pistons will win this series.


IF Lebron James can stop making love to Damon Jones long enough to win a game
IF Damon Jones can forget about his 14 seconds of fame and actually contribute
IF Big Z can find a way to make a shot over Big Ben who is 6" shorter than him
IF Donyell Marshall can find his 3 point shot
IF Anderson Varejao gets cast in the role for "Sideshow Bob" in the live action movie
IF the Pistons simultaneously combust
IF the NBA pays off the refs 'cuz they want to see Lebron set new records


... Then the Cavaliers will win this series

My Prediction: Pistons in 5

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(#2) Phoenix Suns v/s (#6) Los Angeles Clippers


IF Steve Nash defects from the NBA to the MLS
IF Sean Marion takes the Red pill and gets transported to Zion
IF Boris Diaw can get his middle name on his jersey 'cuz it sounds cool (Riffod)
IF Leandro Barbosa can decide on a nickname...
IF Raja Bell can get his mom to do some more trash talking
IF Tim Thomas keeps getting paid for showing up only for the playoffs


... Then the Phoenix Suns will win this series


IF Elton Brand starts sounding like an adult male
IF Sam Cassell gets cast for the role of E.T in the remake of the movie...
IF Chris Kaman finds his way to the barbershop
IF Shaun Livingston spends less time designing his corn rows
IF the Phoenix Suns try to play defence
IF Billy Crystal swaps season tickets with Jack Nicholson (Jack is soooo much cooler)

... Then the Clippers will win this series

My Prediction: Suns in 6
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(#1) San Antonio Spurs v/s (#4) Dallas Mavericks


IF Tim Duncan grows a personality and shows some emotion
IF Manu Ginobili admits Balki from "Perfect Strangers" is his twin
IF Tony Parker stops drooling at his woman and concentrates on his extreme layups
IF Robert Horry can make about 100 more clutch 3's
IF Bruce Bowen admits to playing "dirty" defense
IF Eva Longoria flashes the Dallas Mavericks team


... Then the Spurs will win this series


IF Dirk Nowitzki can lay off the Booze
IF Jerry Stackhouse can make more 3's than Robert Horry
IF Devon Harris breaks Tony Parker's record for fastest end to end layup
IF Avery Johnson throws a fit at a post game press conference
IF Desagana Diop can stay out of foul trouble
IF Mark Cuban claims to "own" Greg Popovich


... Then the Mavericks will win this series

My Prediction: Dallas Mavericks in 7

Oh yeah... The NHL Playoffs are going on as well - Preview: Round 2

Honestly... I missed hockey initially, but gradually I ended up watching more basketball and began to watch full baseball games. Before I knew it I had forgotten what it felt like to make my Saturday night plans around Hockey Night in Canada. So when the NHL lockout came to an end and the 2005-2006 season was ready to get underway I had no idea what to expect. Suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised with the new and improved product but the jury is still out on the use of the shootout to decide the end of a tied game. As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan the shootout was our enemy for the most part but it did help solve the problem of "sporting events should never end in a tie." The "new" NHL as the media tagged it, is fast paced and the new rules implemented greatly benefit the offensive skilled players as with more open ice to work with we have seen scoring averages go up all around from previous years. At seasons end I decided to ask people around me what they thought of the new and improved NHL and most of them were pleased with the game as it definitely has added more excitement for the fans. With Sidney Crosby as the poster boy for this new NHL, parity between teams with the new salary cap and a new TV deal with OLN (Outdoor Life Network) the league boasted record level attendance numbers around the league for the regular season.
Dominik Hasek hasn't started a playoff game for the Ottawa Senators, the Detroit Red Wings got eliminated in the 1st round for the 3rd year in a row, Jaromir Jagr was injured in game 1 and effectively took out the Rangers from contention... yes the NHL playoffs are underway. The first round is over and in the west it was all about the underdog and in the east it came down to goaltending.

Western Conference: The Underdog comes out on top
The top 4 teams in the west were all eliminated in the first round including the Detroit Red Wings who held the best regular season record in the NHL.


When you mention the names Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton you automatically think of a high powered offense. Add in a Patrick Marleau and you are looking at a lethal powerplay which might be the difference in this series. In the Nashville series the two main offensive players were shut down but others were able to step up, but to get past a very deep Edmonton Oilers team, the Sharks will need their big guns to step up and should hope for a solid contribution from role players like Alyn McCauley and Mark Smith. In the first round against the Nashville Predators the defense stepped up for the Sharks and not just on offense, the San Jose sharks entire defensive unit boasted a plus rating and they received solid goaltending from Toskala who will have to remain consistent against a very well balanced Oilers team. The first round was a tough matchup for Edmonton but players like Fernando Pisani and Ales Hemsky elevated their game to bolster the offence headed by Ryan Smyth and Defensive Unit led by Chris Pronger. The Edmonton Goaltending situation was a big question mark but Dwayne Roloson stepped up and is a major reason the Oilers are still alive going into the second round. In the regular season the Oilers were victorious 3 of the 4 times these two teams faced each other but this is the first time the teams are meeting in the playoffs. This years playoffs have been a display of power play skills and the team that can stay out of the penalty box in this series most probably will be the one going on to the Western Conference finals.
Prediction: San Jose Sharks in 6


The Anaheim Mighty Ducks were the only team that had to go to a 7th game in order to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They were able to do this on the strength's of the defence led by Scott Niedermayer and superb backstopping of rookie goaltender Ilja Bryzgalov. My initial reaction when watching a game between Calgary and Anaheim was: "WHO??? Where is Jean Sebastian Giguere??" but looking at his stats Bryzgalov is their guy with a 2.29 GAA and even managed to get a shutout in the first round. Teemu Selanne had an outstanding regular season and with an Olympic silver medal to boot he has been leading this Anaheim team with toughness and offensive contributions. This team is very well rounded and will be a bit of a challenge for the Colorado Avalanche who will be relying primarily on offence to take them through to the next round. 2 Months ago Jose Theodore was sitting on a couch Montreal with a broken foot and now he is in net for the Av's while the Montreal team is already on the golf course. All season long the Avalanche remained one of the top scoring teams in the league and the first round of the playoffs was no different with Joe Sakic, Alex Tanguay, Andrew Brunette and Milan Hejduk on the roster.The saying goes Offence wins games but defence wins championships" and this is going to prove important for the Avs to consider they are going to need their defensive unit to step up if they want to get to the next round. Regular season has the Ducks in front winning 3 of the 4 games against the Avs but this is the post season and the experience on the Colorado Avalanche roster will most definitely be a factor. Selanee will be playing against his old team which might give him an extra boost and Jose Theodore has a chance to prove that Montreal made a mistake by shipping him out.
Prediction: Colorado Avalanche in 7

Eastern Conference: 3 Rookies and Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils has more playoff experience than all the other 3 goaltenders in the eastern conference semi-finals.


Ottawa Senators window is closing on them. When they signed Dominik Hasek they believed he was the final piece they needed to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. Things did not quite work out that way as during the Olympics Hasek was injured and they had to rely on a young goaltender in Ray Emery to take them as far as possible. The Buffalo Sabers on the other hand were probably one of the most surprising teams in he NHL this season. Their fast paced style of play worked well with the new rules enforced in the league and this series promises to be an offensive delight. For the Senators they finally have their lineup healthy and are very deep on offence with players like Daniel Alfreddson, Martin Havlat, Jason Spezza and Danny Heatly being just some of the names on their roster. Heatly found a new life in Ottawa who had a rough year before the lockout season and has been a great compliment to the other offensive players already in a Senators uniform. Havlat only played 18 games all season but looks healthy now and through the first round the Senators managed to score at will as they eliminated the defending Stanley cup champions in 5 games. The blue line for the Sen's is solid as they have two all-star caliber defencemen in Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden who are very effective on the power play. The senators are not a very big muscle type team but probably more so than the Sabres who have won a lot of their games during the season with their lightning quickness on the ice. They managed one of the better road records in the regular season and so home ice advantage tot he Senators might not be much of a factor in this series. The Sabres scored the most goals from all the teams in the first round of the playoffs as their offensive unit is led by players like Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. The Sabres much like the Senators got through the first round with the help of a rookie goaltender as Lindy Ruff went with Ryan Miller for all the games against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Senators were the top team in the east for the regular season and were fairly dominant over the Sabres during that time winning their series 5-3 but as mentioned before its a whole different ballgame in the post season. This series will come down to the battle of the rookies in net and the powerplay. The Senators were one of the best power play teams and the Sabres one of the best penalty killing teams. Bottom line.. Will it be Emery or Miller who can handle the pressure of an offensive barrage, stand tall and carry their team to the next round.
Prediction: Buffalo Sabres in 7


The New Jersey Devils head into this series on the heels of a 15 game win streak which included a 1st round sweep of the new York Rangers. Martin Brodeur has ample big games and playoff experience under his belt and he will look down the sheet of ice at a rookie in Cam Ward who was put into net for the Carolina Hurricanes after they lost their first two games of their series against Montreal. Carolina was solid through the season but went into the playoffs on a losing skid but after shaking off the first two losses against Montreal coach Laviolette took a chance by putting the rookie in net and he helped get the team 4 straight wins to get to the next round. The Hurricanes also have one of the young stars of the NHL playing on offence as Eric Staal has had an All-star type season and he was complemented with veterans like Rod Brind'Amour and Mark Recchi. The New Jersey Devils have the most experienced goaltender in the playoffs and Martin Brodeur only allowed the New York Rangers to score 4 goals through the 4 games they played. Playing in front of him the Devils have a team with plenty of playoff experience and a few Stanley Cup rings. Patrik Elias leads the charge on offense and is helped by Jamie Langenbrunner, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. The Devils also have John Madden on their roster who is one of the best two way players in the game. His defensive style of play and the likes of Brian Rafalski on the blue line make them a very tough team to beat and Carolina will need to have all their lines clicking in order to get past the Devils who can adjust their style of play as they have so many weapons on the team. The hurricanes will also have to improve their penalty kill in order to give them a chance against one of the better power play teams in the NHL. These two teams split the season series but this is a lot of pressure for a young goaltender who will be facing his childhood idol in Martin Broduer and if the Hurricanes come out slow the way they did against Montreal I don't think they have a chance as the Devils will pounce on them and the series will be lost.
Prediction: New Jersey Devils in 5