As everyone has probably heard by now, Reilly is leaving SI for the 4-letter network, perhaps the only thing that could make ESPN any more annoying.

That being said, who should replace Rick Reilly at SI? For those of you who are networked in the sports Blogosphere, the names Dan Shanoff and Will Leitch should be familiar. Leitch is the ultimate sports fan success story, a man who took an idea of a new way to report sports, and made his mark in our little society. Dan Shanoff is a highly respected blogger that is an expert at collegiate sports. But for now, he has a great idea for the people at Si:

Sports Illustrated needs to make a bold move to replace their most coveted talent, columnist Rick Reilly, who bolted for ESPN. The answer, more than mere replacement:

Hire Deadspin's Will Leitch.

I spent way too much time the past few days thinking about this wild story that Rick Reilly jumped from Sports Illustrated to ESPN. The sports-media implications are fascinating: SI's signature "name" leaving for... TV. (Although it sounds like his main focus will be simply replicating his column on the back page of ESPN the Magazine.)

Beyond the implications for ESPN, the reality is that SI needs a bold move. One is available:

SI should hire Deadspin's Will Leitch away from Gawker Media and give him the back-page column, the new lead voice of SI (including SI.com).

Rick Reilly's biggest problem: His relevance has declined precipitously, as was noted at The Big Lead. If you're over 35, you might still think of him as the multiple-time "Sports Writer of the Year" and the lead "identity" of SI. (Even if you think he has lost something off his fastball.) But as someone who is perilously close to the not-so-coveted "Over-35" demographic, I can say with authority: We are hardly the target audience.

If you're under 30, if you knew who Reilly was at all (and you probably don't know or, more likely, don't care), you know Reilly as the author of those columns that -- if they didn't have Reilly's byline -- you'd wonder why editors at SI were putting warmed-over Page 2 column ideas on their back page. (The nadir: Reilly's tortured "live-blog" of the NFL Draft, which nearly offset his campaign to raise money for malaria nets, which was inspired.)

On the other hand, Will Leitch couldn't be more relevant. He launched and writes the most influential proposition in sports, a blog that not only is the center of gravity for the entire sports blogosphere, but drives a healthy portion of sports newspaper, radio and TV conversation, too.

That's precisely the kind of impact that a brand like SI needs. It needs relevancy, not with its established and aging base of magazine readers who might enjoy Reilly, but with its unestablished and young base of cross-platform consumers who do enjoy Leitch.

Yet for all of Leitch's talents as a blogger, he's an even better essayist, as anyone who has read his column series on either the NCAA Tournament or the MLB playoffs knows. Things are about to get even bigger for Leitch: His new book, "God Save The Fan," comes out early next year. I've read it. It's mind-bogglingly good; enough to establish – or, to many of us, affirm – Leitch's position as THE leading voice of the sports fan today.

I don't usually think about life after Deadspin for Leitch, but I know it has to be there. Of the "what's next" opportunities I think he would be perfect for, taking over the back page of SI would be at the top of the list: Escorting SI from the plateau of the "Reilly Era" into lockstep with the "Deadspin Era."

What makes Leitch so unique for that role is that, for all of the "Underground" populism, he is a purist at heart. He cares about sports in a way that old school guys like Reilly -- who long ago drifted into cynicism cloaked under some kind of stab at "humor" -- simply can't grasp. It's why Reilly can't connect with younger consumers anymore. Leitch combines a reverence for what made SI great with a unique empathy for today's sports fans and a unique understanding of today's sports landscape. Consequently, he can uniquely bridge the gap between SI's older consumers and its younger ones, its bygone golden era and its future.

Most of all, it is precisely the bold step that SI needs to take to stay relevant. I appreciate the Dan Patrick deal last week, but the buzz lasted all of 36 hours before the leaked Reilly story trumped it. SI will never be (or beat) ESPN, nor should it try. As sports bloggers have picked up faster than their traditional counterparts, in sports media, direct competition is overrated -- the most important thing is to serve an audience uniquely (and, hopefully, profitably):

It is better for SI to stake out its own unique voice for the next era in sports and sports fandom; who better to represent that effort that the voice who single-handedly eclipsed SI (and everyone else in traditional sports media) to become the most powerful complement to ESPN among sports fans?

It's a very simple proposition for SI Group President Mark Ford, SI Digital President Jeff Price, SI Managing Editor Terry McDonnell and SI.com Managing Editor Paul Fichtenbaum:

Replace Reilly with relevancy. Putting Will Leitch on the back page of SI every week would be a breathtakingly bold move for SI and a spectacular victory for sports fans everywhere.

(Mega-Disclosure/Caveat: Leitch is a very good friend of mine. We play in two fantasy leagues together, virtually year-round, which in this day and age is as entangled as people can get. I write a weekly guest-post on Deadspin, for which Gawker Media pays me, and I have written other posts for Leitch before. I am a huge fan of his, personally and professionally, as should be obvious. All that said: This post was written entirely independent of Leitch. He didn't know about it, and I didn't tell him I was going to post it.

Also, though it might look like I'm crushing Reilly here, by all accounts he's a fine fellow, who has built a world-class reputation at the top of the sports-media world; still occasionally manages to turn a clever phrase; who consistently and admirably lends himself to extremely worthy causes; and who even is rumored to find his way into Baton Rouge press boxes with foxy arm candy, which anyone can't help but respect. While I am not unfairly skeptical whether he can move the ratings needle at ESPN to justify his rumored multi-million dollar annual deal, I am quite sure he will find much success and happiness there. I am always in favor of bold career moves, and his certainly qualifies. I wish him well.)

Posted by DanShanoff.com at 10/23/2007 10:02:00

Original post

My own disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Leitch, Shanoff, nor Deadspin except as a fan. I felt the urge to share this with you guys in the hopes we could get a sort of grassroots movement going. For those of you who have never heard of these two check out Deadspin and DanShanoff.com

Dear Mr. Rod,

Hey there, how's it goin? you enjoying that 60HR pace you're on? Sounds like a good time, and it even looks like your team may make the playoffs this year, after all that smack the "experts" talks at the beginning of the season. Anyway, the reason I'm writing today is to give you a suggestion for your employment next year. See, we've all heard how you're planning on opting out of your contract after this season. I've heard lots of theories: you want more money, you hate the pressure of playing in New York, even *gasp* that you dont get along with Derek Jeter! Anyway, we both know that you have more money than God, and that you could basically play anywhere you choose next year, so let me make a suggestion:

Come play for the Rays.

Yea that was pretty funny, I know. OK come on, stop laughing. Seriously dude. Ok you done? Listen to me. What beter way is there to really stick it to those New Yorker ####s that've been on you since day one? What better way to show that you are a leader, and that you can succeed and lead a team to the playoffs? Is there a better way to really write your name in the history books than to lead a perpetual loser to the Promised Land? Think about it.

The Devil Rays are not the Texas Rangers, They are an up and coming team that would make it on their own. They just need some veteran leadership and some stability. You can provide that. Hell, we'll even let you move back to shortstop!

So think about it Alex. Think about it long and hard. Think about what it would do to New York to lose to the Devil Rays, even more than they do now. Think about how good it would feel to knock the Yankees out of the playoffs. And think about the money. Its not really about the money, is it? Take a $10 million a year contract, 2-3 years, and really stick it to the Yankees. After 2 years, you'll probably get bored with it, and then you can move on. And if it really is about the money, think about how much you could make if you did help the Devil Rays win the World Series. Teams would mortgage their children to sign you.

So I hope some day soon we can make the announcement.

"Today, the Devil Rays signed Alex Rodriguez to a 2 year $20 million contract. Alex will play Shortstop and hit 4th for the Rays."

Thanks for listening A Rod

-Josh

So in my dream Devil Rays team, they'd have a lineup that looks like this:

LF Carl Crawford

CF BJ Upton

1B Carlos Pena

SS Alex Rodriguez

RF Delmon Young

DH Jonny Gomes/ Akinori Iwamura

3B Evan Longoria

2B Brendan Harris

C Dioner Navarro

Now look at that and tell me Andy Pettitte wouldnt #### his pants about facing that lineup?

Warning!!!!BLOG IS FULL OF STATICTICS SUPPORTING MY CLAIM! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

      Don't look now, but it looks like everyone's favorite whipping boy team is beginning to make its move. Now I've already gone on record as saying the Devil Rays will be competing for the World Series in three years time, but now is when we should be rewrding those who are achieving now with berths on the All Star team. By now, everybody should know that making the AllStar team is as much media exposure as it is luck. Real skill plays very little part in it.

         Take away the ridiculous fact that the starters are elected by fan voting, almost always assuring that the AL starting team is a mix of Yankees and Red Sox. After that, take away the remainder of players are chosen by the AllStar team's manager, which inexorably leads to obvious and sickening nepotism, and the AllStar teams are less made up of players who deserve to be there than players who have stoked their media ego or their manager enoughto get themselves on the squad.

        Parting from this, I am making my case to all of you that 4 members of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays belong on the AL AllStar squad this year. Bleieve me if you will, it doesnt really matter. Everyone knows that the first three innings of the 2007 AllStar Game is still going to be like watching Yanks/Sox vs. Mets/Dodgers.

         First up is the Devil Rays number 1 starter, the man who supplanted Scott Kazmir. James Shields has been one of the best pitchers in the AL the first two months of the season,and has the stats to prove it. His record is 6-0, one shy of the team record for consecutive wins. He has left all 13 of his starts with the Rays tied or ahead, and if not for lack of run support, he would have just as many victories as Beckett, who the four-letter network has featured all year long. Shields has worked seven or more innings in 10 straight starts and 11 overall and has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his past 10. Shields has not issued a walk twice in 13 starts this year.

For those who may not be convinced, lets compare Shields' season to that of perennial allstars. (All stats current to Sunday 6/10/2007 morning.)

  
                               W  L WHIP   IP    G   GS  CG SHO K    BB    HR GIDP OBA   RS  G/F      ERA   
J. Shields TB       6  0  0.96   97.2  13  13  1     0      83   18    12   3   .259      53  1.00    3.04
J. Santana MIN   6  6  1.10   86.0  13  13  0     0      96    23   13    5   .283     46  0.74    3.24
J. Beckett BOS   9  0  1.00   72.0  11  11  0     0      67    16      3     5   .257     70  1.47    2.88

        rs=runs support

Its obvious that Shields blows away the competition in just about every category. More K's that Beckett, less walks than Santana, a better WHIP than both and a better ERA than Johan. I can almost guarantee both these pitchers will be on the allstar squad. Dont you think Shields deserves to be too?

Now lets look at Shields next to a pitcher that some are already handing this years Cy Young Award to.

                            W   L  WHIP  IP      G GS  CG SHO K    BB HR GIDP OBA RS  G/F     ERA  
D. Haren OAK   7    2  0.86    97.0 14 14    0  0      76   21   7     3   .227    47  0.88    1.58
J. Shields TB   6     0  0.96    97.2 13 13    1  0      83   18  12   3   .259    53  1.00     3.04 
   
As you can see, very similair numbers across the board, excepting ERA. Haren is almost a lock to be on the squad, and James Shields should be too. 

Next we'll look at the Rays closer, Al Reyes, who has started the year by converting 15 straight save opportunities. Lets put Reyes next to the frontline closers in the AL

                                 W   L   S     WHIP      IP      G      K    BB  HR GIDP OBA   RS   G/F      ERA
A. Reyes TB            1   0   15    0.71     26.2    27   32    7     3      0    .202     1     0.41     2.03
J. Papelbon BOS   0   1   14    1.07     22.1    22   32    10   2      0   .269     6     0.74     2.01
F. Rodriguez LAA   0   2   19    1.24     26.2    26   37    11   2      1   .300     4     1.67     2.36
J. Putz SEA              0   0   17    0.60     28.1    27   29     5    3      3   .190     7     1.24     1.27

Now JJ Putz of Seattle is far and away the leader of statictical categories here, but Reyes is a not too distant second. Reyes has been statisticaly better than Papelbon and K Rod
 
          Next we come to the position players, where the field is a bit more muddled, but still we find two Devil Rays that deserve recognition. First up id BJ Upton, who has had a monster first half, but in reality is more than likely to be left off the AL squad.(Especially if Robinson Cano wins the fan voting as Jim Leyland will definitely take his own Placido Polanco.) This year, Upton finally found himself a position, and responded by finally fulfilling his potential. Here are Upton's stats next to the leading AL shortstops:

                                    AB    R    H     2B  3B HR RBI BB   SO   SB  CS  S F SH  OPS       AVG
B. Upton TB 2B        200   36   64   16   1   9      31  22    68    13    5   0  1 0      .941     .320
R. Cano NYY 2B      229   28   63   18   4   3      29  11    41     1     4  2  0  0       .742      .275
B. Roberts BAL 2B  237   39   77   15   2   2      17  36    35     21   4  0  1  0       .844      .325
I. Kinsler TEX 2B      204  34   48     9    0  11    29  26   33     10    0  3  6  0       .767       .235
J. Barfield CLE 2B   212  24   53     9    3   2      29    8    45      6     1  1  2  0       .632     .250

Upton is a well rounded player that is well represented by his stats on this list. First in RBI, Upton is more consistent that Kinsler, has more power than Barfield or Roberts, and has great baserunning ability. Cano is currently leading the AL in voting, whilst Polanco has also had an amazing start to the season. That means there MAY be a single spot left open for another 2b. Upton may get the nod for more than his stats. He has the ability to play 3B, SS, AND 2B, not to mention CF.

       Finally we come the the MOST UNDERRATED and perhaps the BEST PLAYER IN ALL OF BASEBALL, Carl Crawford. He has been labelled as a superstar by so many baseball writers that it's a real shame to see him miss all the media attention lavished on Jeter, David Wright, and Jose Reyes, just because he plays i Tampa Bay I Crawford played in a ny other city, he would be acknowledged as one of the games best players, maybe even as one of the best in history, putting up comparable numbers through the first 5 years of his career as Hall of Famers. Crawford more than any other player on the Devil Rays deserves to be recognized for his prowress,a dn deserves to be on the AL allstar squad. Now I know that outfielders are not divided by position, but here is Crawford next to some other Left Fielders and previous all stars.

                                    AB    R    H   2B  3B HR RBI BB SO   SB  CS SF SH OBP OPS  SLG  AVG
C. Crawford TB LF  242   34  75   17  7  6     38  20   43    17   6     0    0 .367  .879  .512   .310
R. Ibanez SEA LF    205   34  60   13  2  2     36  19   26    0     0     4    0 .346  .751  .405   .293
C. Monroe DET LF  205   36  48   16  0  9     36  17   59    0     2     3    0 .289  .733  .444   .234
M. Ramirez BOS LF 222  32  65   13  1  8     33  32   40    0     0     2    0 .384  .852  .468   .293
H. Matsui NYY LF     177  29  49   13  0  6     31  23   23    1     0     3    0 .358  .810  .452   .277

Now ManRam has had a bad start, and Matsui was injured, but CC is by far the best AL Left fielder, even without taking into consideration his stellar defense and leadership skills. CC is leading AL LF in RBI, SB, Hits, AVG, Triples, and Slugging. Carl Crawford is outslugging Manny Ramirez! but unfortunately, Manny will probably be starting in left field for the All Star Game, just because he happens to play in Boston.

   I am more than happy to hear questions/comments/feedback, but numbers dont lie: BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Al Reyes, and James Shields all deserve to be on the AL all star squad.

So today the Tampa Bay Devil Rays open up a three game series at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex and I couldnt be more excited. A little backstory: I'm originally from St. Petersburg, and I moved to Orlando three years ago to go to UCF. I was always a rabid Tampa Bay sports fan, and living in Orlando is a bit tough on me; the sports coverage here really sucks, and Tampa sports teams dont get on Orlando TV very often.

Enter the Rays. In an effort to expand the fan base into Central Florida, they moved a home series versus the Texas Rangers (always a very small draw at the Trop) to Orlando. This will be the first time major league baseball will be played in Central Forida, oustide of spring training and minor leagues. I am absolutely stoked, not only to see the Rays play outdoors for once, but also for the future impact this could have for the team. The Tampa/St Pete market is pretty large, but in all honesty, the fans there havent really supported the team well enough to allow a payroll that is competitive in the AL East. Honestly, who thought that putting an expansion team in the same division as perennial $100 million payroll teams like New York, Boston, and soon to be Toronto and Baltimore was a good idea?

If the Rays can merge the Tampa/St Pete and Orlando TV markets, it becomes the FOURTH LAGEST TV market in the nation! A market like that, coupled with a resurgent team full of young stars under contract for a long time means

a.) this team can afford to bring in some FA's that will help it win and

 b.) the team can actually AFFORD to keep these young stars as Rays for a long time

I know there's a ton of people out there who disrespect the Rays (see: any ESPN anchor or analyst who talks about them) but this team is for real. Look at the Brewers, and you will see where the Rays will be in 2-3 years. This team is exciting, the pitching is only gonna get better and the hitters will continue maturing. Before long it will be the Yankees and Red Sox looking up at us from the AL East cellar. I know there's a lot to be embarassed about under previous ownership, but this is not the same team that developed players, only to see them go because they couldnt be afforded. New Ownership, Young players, and hopefully a supportive fan base will finally put Tampa on the map as a competitive baseball city.

As for me? I have tickets to see Scot Kazmir pitch Thursday night and I cant wait to see him sit down 9 Texas Rangers via strikeout. Thats my prediction.

I dont see why Foxsports continues to have this bozo write articles...almost everything he says is either wrong, farfetched, or incendiary. So he knows about hockey hunh? Who cares, the guy's a ####.

In his most recent article, he had the nerve to say the ice the Lightning play on is the 2nd worst in the NHL. Hmmm...have EVER seen a  game at Madison Square Garden??? It may seem like something inconseqeuential and stupid to get mad about, but I have a friend that works at the Forum and he's told me about all the #### that crew has to go through to keep the ice nice, and that they do an amazing job. In my opinion, the Forum ice is some of the BEST ice in the NHl, because its very fast and you dont get NEARLY the same amount of crazy bounces you get in some buildings.

Apparently uber-ref Joey Crawford has found something to occupy his time while he's suspended from the NBA: He's changed his name to Mick Mcgeough and is now ruining the NHL playoffs.

Seriously, the officiating in tonights game 4 between the Lightning and Devils was atrocious. Missed calls, non calls, and refs swallowing their whistles. In all honesty, either team deserved to win, but you hate to see a game marred by such complaint-worthy 3 blind mice officiating. Sucks that the Devils won, but hey, all you guys thought this series would be over in 4 or 5.

Holmquvist was outta his mind good tonight, Brodeur was once again so-so. Where's everyone at that was handing this series to the Devils just because of Brodeur????

The Lightning are a very good team, no matter what the national perception is. If this team had goaltending this good all year long, they'd have the best record in the league and would be wiping the floor with the Islanders. Oh well, we'll just content ourselves with watching watching the Thrashers tank in the playoffs...god that tastes so sweet.

I know there are a lot of options out there for people to watch baseball. You can get MLB.TV and watch games online, (only drawback is huge blackout areas and frustrating buffer times) get MLB packages on your cable provider, or just tune in to national TV, you're bound to find a game on somewhere.

But what about us guys stuck at work or in class you say? Well you can go for Gameday Audio on MLB.com or the MLB.Tv if your work computer supports.

But if you're stuck at work on a saturday, and your favorite team is playing, and you cant get away with audio at your desk, what are you to do?

That, my friends, is where MLB Gameday comes in. In years past, Gameday was a flash-driven feature, available on every teams website, that gave a pitch by pitch breakdown, real-time view of the bases, and up to date scoring along with all the stats associated with a box score, and then some.

Now Gameday has grown up. Every pitch can be pictured, including angle, velocity, breaking point, where it crosses the plate, and what the batter did with it. The view shows the trajectory of the pitch, and can be turned to 6 different views, 3 each form batter and pitcher perspective. Further, you can watch the pitches as they happen, which happens to update faster than the Gameay.Audio broadcasts what the announcers say, or you can go back and re-live every at bat of the game to that point. When each batter comes up, the Gameday feature shows the pitch location and results of every previous at-bat by that player. Add to that a visualization of the ballfield and every player on it, that you can click on the icon of every player and see essential stats about them. You can also shift the focus and see where every hit or out has occurred during the game for each play.

At the top of the screen, there is a live scoreboard that gives updates whenever the score of another game starts and gives the scoring attributed to each play in the current game.

Overall, I gotta say I am more than pleased with MLB's efforts on this one. The Gameday feature is wonderful for those of us who want to watch every game, but can't for some reason or another. Next time you're at work, or stuck somewhere you cant watch the game, fire up the computer, go to your team's official website and check out the Gameday.

 Jesus Saves...

Saw this earlier today on Deadspin while I was in class "taking notes" on my laptop. Gotta love how every single building at UCF is set up for wireless.

Did K-Rod doctor baseballs?

And secondly, this commercial for the Toronto Blue Jays has been banned from airing in Canada due to it's "violent nature towards children". C'mon Canada! Do you forget what it's like to be a kid? The ride that kid took when Frank clocked him with a pillow was probably the most fun he's had with his dad in years. Canada, you're the nation of hockey players! WTF?

Lightning can't sneak up on anyone in these playoffs

As a new baseball season dawns, everyone knows there is one topic on everyone's mind: will Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron's all time career home run record?

We've already seen that Major League Baseball is not going to do anything to truly investigate reports of Bonds' alleged steroid use, and it remains to be seen if their stance will change the closer Bonds gets to the record. Therefore it's going to fall to the responsibility of the players. Pitchers, here's your chance to right the wrongs perpetrated by the steroid era.

Stop Barry Bonds. Walk him, plunk him, throw him so much junk he has absolutely no chance to hit a single home run this season. It's my guess that it will be far more satisfying for pitchers to drill a fastball into his thigh. All you need to do is keep him from hitting the ball. What matter is it if there's a geriatric 'roid user limping around the bases? It' not like the Giants have a feared lineup protecting him. Odds are, if you put Barry on base, he probably wont score more than 1 out of 8 times. Is that so much to ask? Giving up a few runs in order to reinstate the integrity of the game?

Face it: the players used steroids and Baseball did nothing about it. Now it's time for the players to man up and return honesty to baseball. There may be some of you that will stand up and say "well it can't be proved that Barry used steroids, so why punish him for it?" I say to those people:

Look deep into you heart. Listen without bias to the stories from players. Hear what the authors of Game of Shadows have to say. Compare a Barry Bonds card from his early career to what he began to look like 6-7 years ago. Now tell me truthfully that you don't think Barry used drugs to enhance his performance in any way. Do you believe he is a natural giant, a hitter without match? Honestly?

The home run record is currently held by one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In every way he is the anti-Barry Bonds. Soft-spoken, kind, loved by fans and teammates, Henry Aaron was a baseball player we can all love. Now look at Barry Bonds: he is an awful person above all, teammates rarely get along with him, the media cant coexist with him, and he's become a parody of what a baseball player should be. Bonds' only purpose in continuing his playing career is to STEAL the record that Aaron WORKED so hard for. Is there a single fan outside of San Fransisco that cheers Barry Bonds? Is there a single other team that would give him a contract? Does his awful impersonation of a 60 year old ManRam in left field ruin the integrity of the game and appear to be a slap in the face to younger, hungrier players, players who deserve a shot at the Bigs?

Pitchers, even you AL guys during interleague, now is your chance. Show the fans that you dont approve of Barry's "enhancement", his personality or his continued existence on a baseball diamond. Show the fans that you love the game as much as we do, and that you want to fix all the problems and right the wrongs of the past 20 years. Batters, stand there and take whatever retribution Giants pitchers might give you for Barry being plunked. All it should take is 1 year of this. 1 year of keeping Barry miles away from the home run record should convince him to leave. Let him stay number 2. I'm fine with Barry being #2, and even more happy if an asterisk is added later. But I cannot, and no one should tolerate Barry Bonds as Major League Baseball's all time home run leader.

One 97mph fastball, coming right up Mr. Bonds.

Peewee hockey brawl

 Trust me, it'll make your day

THis is something I've been watching all season long,  and if the NHL wants to maintain the integrity of its game, then they need to steop up and do something about it. I'm talking about two things: the quality of the referees, and the goal review process.

After last nights's debacle in St. Louis where this GOAL and this GOAL weren't even reviewed, its time to take a serious look at whether or not the NHL is doing everything it can to make sure the integrity of the game is being protected. After watching this video explaining how the review process works, I'm hardly reassured. I mean, dont forget such classics as this or this .

My main problem with the NHL is that the work of providing every conceivable camera angle is not provided, as in the first video where no conclusive look is available. You're telling me in this day and age we cannot make a camera samll enough to definitively tell whether a puck goes in nthe net or not?

When it comes to officiating every fan has their gripes. But I want someone to tell me in all honesty that they have watched all their team's games this year and have not seen any missed calls. Hell I see about 10 per game watching the Lightning play. And before you guys start saying I dont know what I'm talking about, I'm trained as a ref. I would have taken the USA Hockey camps and gotten certified, but I didnt have the money. I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to penalties. like this shameful display (about 2 min 10 sec in watch as Kubina hacks a skaters legs out from under him, then passes the puck leading to an odd man break.) Not to mention Daniel Briere's favorite "Im gonna hold a defenseman's stick in my armpit then flop for a hooking call" that I've seem happen at least 3 times in the 4 games the Lightning have played against Buffalo.

Listen up NHL: you need to straighten up and get your zebras better trained.

But I caught the tail end of today's Xavier-OSU game and I have only one thing to say:

Gus Johnson is a disgrace.

I wouldnt be surprised at all if he had a buckeye tattoo on his ####, or if he stormed the court to hit his knees in front of Greg Oden. I swear, every single on of his calls was pro-Ohio, including his increduloue "And no call?!?!" with about one minute left to play. I dont watch a lot of basketball, being a hockey fan I have to laugh at the flopping and slapping that goes on. (ever heard the phrase "that gust of wind just fouled d-wade"?) But this game was very exciting. Too bad Xavier couldnt hold up and upset the Suck-eyes.

Let's go Gators!

I'm putting a post here in hopes of attracting a healthy debate. I really think most people have basically given the MVP award to Sidney Crosby this year, and I dont think he deserves it. My personal choice would be the man who is leading the NHL in goals, tied for 6th in Game-winning goals, 2nd in the league in Short-handed goals, top ten in Power Play goals and second in points., Vincent Lecavalier. But by all means, I want to hear what you have to say.

  I know I'll probably hear it from you guys, but to me, Crosby isnt half the player Lecavalier is. Vinny is a force every night for his team, logging over 22 mins a game on the ice, playing power play, penalty kill and even strength. His even rating may turn some people off, but when you're on the penalty kill nearly the entire 2 minutes, it will affect your +/-. The most telling stat for me is that 6 of his 45 goals are game-winners, several other are game-sealers, and that more than 65% of his assists are PRIMARY. Compare that to Crosby, who has about 50/50 Primary to Secondary in the assist column. If you've ever read this article , you know that the secondary assist can be a very misleading stat. If you re-calculate the assist of Lecavalier and Crosby, removing all secondary assists, it looks like this: (sorry the data is about a week old)

Player                         GP            G                   A            Pts w/o secondary assists

CROSBY PIT             58           26                   41          67

LECAVALIER T.B     64            41                   26          67

When you look at this, the gap in points between Lecavalier and Crosby is erased, but Lecavalier still has all those goals. And to me, goals are more important than assists. If you look at scoring consistency, Lecavalier has been held scoreless in only 8 games this year, compared to Crosby's 12. Further, Lecavalier has only gone 2 consecutive games without a poin ONCE. Crosby is now mired in a 3 game skid, however, he hasnt gone more than 2 games without a point in a row.

I know many of you will talk about Crosby's effect on every player on the ice, his role in the locker room, blah, blah, blah. To me Crosby does nothing that Lecavalier doesnt do better. EXCEPT ONE THING:

Crosby whines better.

 Take this from someone who plays the game: it's ok to be mad about a call, even if its a good one. But if you're a player that can be found talking to the referee about calls after EVERY WHISTLE, then there's a problem. I like Crosby as a player, and he seems like a great guy, but if you're a leader of a team, there are times when you have to lead by example (And I'm not talking about Jarko Ruutu's new-found prowess at diving). Sometimes, you get a bad call, and then you just have to suck it up and kill the penalty. To me, that should make Crosby inelegible for MVP, at least until he grows up a bit and matures.

The MVP shouldn;t just come down to statistics. Team record is important, but for the time being I'm looking at both PIT and TBL as teams in similar standings (they actually are pretty close) and what happens in the playoffs should weigh heavily on the voter's minds. The purpose of this post is to open up everybody's mind, and to prevent Crosby from winning the MVP just because everybody assumed he deserved it most.

One final note, I disregarded Martin Brodeur from this list for a reason. I dont believe a goaltender should win MVP. Just like in baseball, goaltenders have their own award, and MVP should be limited to skaters, not a goaltender who plays in a defense-first system, especially not a system that still traps even if the team is down 2 goals. To me, Brodeur is a great goalie, and a certain Hall of Famer, but his system is set to help him out in every way possible. Im not knocking the trap here, even though I think its killing Hockey's marketability. Brodeur is a great goalie, and he should win the Vezina hands-down, but he should NOT be included in  MVP voting.