DG's Quick Hits- November 25, 2007

• No matter how you look at it, Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez’s decision to award a free kick against Scottish defender Allan Hutton when Italy’s Giorgio Chellini clearly forgot he wasn’t playing hockey and bodychecked Hutton to the ground was a complete and utter disgrace- whether or not you’re Italian or Scottish. The free kick led to a cross that delivered Cristian Panucci’s 91st minute strike that made it 2-1 for Italy, leaving Scotland just seconds to find the goal that would keep their hopes alive. To paraphrase the Italian blogger at The Offside, if that had been the same situation only with a decision against Italy, Italians like myself would be all up in arms and scream to no end how wronged we were, with additional charges of anti-Italian bias by FIFA thrown in (as was the case at World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004, where excuses masked the fact that team vastly under-performed). Still, those are the breaks and any wrangling about it won’t change the result. Of course, leave to a Juventus player (Chellini) to know just how to influence the referee’s decision his team’s way.
• Any doubters that the New England Patriots aren’t good should be gone after the 56-10 demolition of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, NY. The Patriots scored the most on the road since the Atlanta Falcons poured 62 on a hapless New Orleans Saints team in 1973, and saw Randy Moss catch four touchdown passes in the first half. The Patriots’ biggest enemies just may be themselves, because there’s not a team (or a league) that can match up with them when they’re on their game (of course, the Patriots’ running game isn’t exactly at an elite level but it does do enough to keep defences off balance). I could go on about how great Tom Brady and Moss were against the Bills, but what really impresses me about New England is their focus- week in, week out, they don’t play “a bad game” (like the Indianapolis Colts have been prone to doing, even when they were winning), always playing in synch and at the top of their abilities. Somehow, I don’t think a letdown will be coming their way any time soon.
• The result also shows the Bills they’re still not an elite calibre (or even a playoff calibre) team, as the defence was lost for answers against the first really good offence they played against in a while (okay, the Cincinnati Bengals were contained, but they’re out of synch, and don’t start about the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets or Baltimore Ravens, the other three teams Buffalo defeated this season). There’s still a lot of promise, but the 5-5 Bills still have a lot of work to do (especially on offence) if a return to the playoffs for the first time since 1999 is in order.
• Even though the officials weren’t supposed to “review” what would become Phil Dawson’s game-tying field goal for the Cleveland Browns against the Baltimore Ravens, I’m glad they did. It’s better they get it right instead of let a technicality potentially rob a team of a game.
• This brings me to a related point- it’s time the NFL gets rid of the barriers to “challenges” and review. Wasn’t the challenge system brought in because Buffalo was robbed of a victory at the last second against New England back in 1998? So, then, what’s the point of telling coaches they can’t challenge late in the game? Those are the calls that are the most crucial because they really do decide the game. Furthermore, there’s no point in limiting what can and can’t be reviewed because, as we saw today in Baltimore, just about anything could decide a game. Yes, challenges waste time, but with the limit of two unsuccessful challenges, it ensures that it doesn’t take too much time during the game.
• Another entry in the Brian Burke Log of Boneheaded Ideas: he wants to amend the rules of the National Hockey League’s salary cap to allow teams to pay part of a player’s salary if they’re being let go, after being forced to waive Ilya Bryzgalov (and lose him to the Phoenix Coyotes) after no teams bit on a trade for the talented netminder (stuck on the bench only because of Jean-Sebastien Giguere). No Brian, the reason you lost Ilya has nothing to do with the cap but everything to do with your inability to secure the right deal- I’m sure if you had waited even a month, those Coyotes would have bitten a trade deal that may just involve a draft pick. Just like the idea of the “legal bear hug”, this idea is yet another proposal invented because of your own team’s failures, failures of which you yourself are ultimately to blame for (and blaming someone else for them still doesn’t remove those errors). This idea is absurd on so many levels, chief of which is the fact that it would lead to heavy abuse of the salary cap- teams could “stock up” on players, not have to worry about paying them and build a team that would, for all intents and purposes, contravene the salary cap but doesn’t simply because those players were “waived”. Oh, and those fire sales? Forget them actually involving trades- if teams know they can get players “for free” (as is usually the case in such “sales”), they’re not going to offer any trade. Finally, what would stop a team from “signing” a player to an outrageous contract, placing him on waivers and having the team that really wanted him (but couldn’t because of the cap) claim him off waivers? Like the “bear hug” idea, it’s best the NHL just tune Burke out on this one.
• Yet again, another NHL player was praised for making what should be a basic, two-foot, uncovered and un-pressured pass up ice- this time it was Tomas Kaberle (something about those Europeans, huh?), sifting a pass to Nikolai Antropov in what would eventually be a 4-2 Toronto loss to Boston on Tuesday night. Yeah, it led to a scoring chance and that’s what made it memorable, but it amazes me just how many people don’t seem to see how inherently simple this play is- it’s not like we’re dealing with a stretch pass or Kaberle and/or Antropov having to deal with a player on his back (those plays would be hard). Two feet? That’s nothing. Simply put, any defenseman- heck, any *player*- who is unable to execute that kind of pass doesn’t belong in the National Hockey League, but, sadly, with the talent level being where it is (due to over-expansion and too many NHL coaches still preferring size to skill), this doesn’t happen as often as it should.
• As an extension to the “fading fundamentals” problem that plagues the NHL these days, it’s time teams get their players in better offensive positions. Seeing both the Bruins and Maple Leafs send three attackers right at the blue-line rules out the simple “outlet pass” because it forces the stretch pass- easy pickings for the lone defender at centre ice who’s not standing up at the blue-line. If players played a little further back, they just might force the defenders up and- gasp- create some openings; but that’s never going to happen as long as coaches insist of having rejected wrestlers in hockey uniforms.
• Proof that Burke doesn’t have a monopoly on stupidity within the ranks of those with executive experience: Bill Watters, commenting on the lack of scoring opportunities in the second period (when Mats Sundin scored to give Toronto a 2-0 lead that Phil Kessel cut into late in the period), suggested the NHL “bring back the redline” (well, it wasn’t actually taken away- it’s still used for icing) because of the fact teams stacked the blue-line with four defenders; before finishing off with a yelp of “give us back our game”. The problem with this is twofold- one, the main reason why the “two-line pass” rule was taken out was because it allowed the trapping team to stick two players in the half of the neutral zone immediately adjacent to the defensive zone (closing off the immediate passing lanes and “forcing” two-line passes); and two, if teams can stack the blue-line with four defenders, what’s stopping them from doing so at centre ice? Or just leaving them at the blue-line anyway (just because the two-line pass rule is in effect doesn’t necessarily mean teams have to exploit it)?
• I wonder who were the bigger turkeys- the opponents of the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts (the Detroit Lions, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, respectively) or the sorry saps who sat through almost eleven hours of those games. Yeah, Thanksgiving in the NFL is a great tradition, but it would behove the league to schedule better games for it. At least all the “awards” were nice, though.
• Brett Favre after winning the Galloping Gobbler award: “it’s certainly the most moving and exciting award I’ve won”. No word on whether or not he’ll do as Troy Aikman hopes and display it proudly on his mantelpiece.
• Speaking of Aikman, during Green Bay’s 37-26 victory over Detroit (which looks closer than the actual game was), commented on the fact next week’s Green Bay-Dallas contest (featuring two 10-1 teams) will be on the NFL Network by stating “it’s unfortunate because most of the country won’t be able to see it”. The question, then, is this: is he echoing the sentiments of the fans or just the sentiments of employers FOX, who would have televised that game. One thing is for sure- you can bet that FOX and CBS won’t let this happen again.
• Also on NFL Network: the potential 16th regular season victory by the New England Patriots over the New York Giants. Now, granted, before the season began no one thought that Green Bay-Dallas nor New England-NY Giants would be the tilts they are (the Packers being an 8-8 team in 2006, the Cowboys 10-6; ditto for the Giants at 8-8 and New England at 12-4), but seeing how both games are probably going to be among the biggest (if not the biggest) regular season games in NFL history (especially the latter contest), the NFL needs to do a better job in distributing its games. If it wants to keep games on the NFL Network that is within its rights, but it’s doing a disservice to its fans by potentially hoarding the contests they desperately want to see (that and I doubt CBS and FOX want to pay the NFL US$3.7 billion in rights money to broadcast endless games between the 2-7 San Francisco 49ers and the 1-8 St. Louis Rams).
• As for the actual NFL Network presentations as a whole: it looks very much like a second-tier, tattered up, cable broadcast, complete with a glitzy, “robotic” scoreboard that is just large and clunky, complete with simple camerawork and special effects tricks simply meant to evoke a “wow, cool!” reaction, like that 3-D freeze-frame action shot that showed the Atlanta Falcons’ secondary coverage on Indianapolis’ second touchdown. Yes, it’s true the NBA, NHL, and MLB also get this kind of “window-dressing” on a lot of their broadcasts but the vast majority of the NFL’s broadcasts are simple (not overdone) broadcasts (even on ESPN), the NFL Network’s production job just looks like it’s woefully out of place. It’s certainly not “big league” (because no one really *needs* an incentive to watch the NFL) and it’s not going to inspire me to pay for it either but the league, in it’s condescending, “holier-than-thou” thought process, believes the cable companies (who have refused to accept the NFL’s request for 70 cents of each subscription) are conspiring in keeping the Network- and hence football- off the airwaves. I think the companies did what I did and had a look at the channel (whose games are also carried on TSN up here in Canada) and came to the same conclusion- make the broadcasts better and maybe we’ll think about shelling out the dough.
• Greg Millen after a linesman grabbed Bryan McCabe’s sweater and hauled the Leaf down while trying to break up a fight between him and fellow knucklehead Dallas Star Steve Ott: “they shouldn’t do that, players could get hurt.” Really? Wow. Such an obvious thing to say- but maybe not so obvious to those like Millen, who probably think players don’t get hurt in fights. Anyone who does think that might as well look up players like Brad Dalgarno, Nick Kypreos (Millen’s co-worker at Sportsnet), Jeff Odgers and Cam Russell, among others, all of whom *were* injured in fights.
• Of course- as I have said elsewhere- fighting in the NHL isn’t even close to being *the* problem in hockey- referees clearly need to do a better job protecting their players. Witness Brendan Morrow’s hit from behind on Darcy Tucker (that tore a gash on Tucker’s face) and Ian White’s crosscheck on a Dallas player (the name escapes me) earlier in the game. Both plays are dangerous and illegal, yet neither were called. I know it’s a fine line between a good physical hit and a dangerous play, but unless the NHL truly acts on the issue, it’ll have no players left to play.
• Speaking of missed calls- why did Mattias Ohlund only receive four games for an ugly, obviously pre-meditated slash on Mikko Koivu? Forget the fact it’s not at the head or that Koivu elbowed Ohlund (that should have also been punished)- that was a vicious hit that, maybe not quite on par with Steve Downie’s hit, merited a suspension of at least 10 games, because Ohlund’s slash broke Koivu’s left fibula (a shin bone). I guess the fact that Alian Vigneault really “needed” Ohlund is why the Canucks defenseman got a slap on the wrist- business as usual in the NHL, I guess.
• NHL goals-per-game average (up to November 24): 5.57 goals-per-game. Not yet at the low of 1998-99 (5.28) but it’s a significant drop-off from the 5.8 posted a year ago and the reasons for that? I’ve said it before- far too little skill because the vast majority of players (including Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin) were drafted before the “new NHL” took its shape (hence there are too many players who are great at wrestling but terrible at passing, shooting, skating, etc.) and because coaches- many of whom are pre-lockout types themselves- simply aren’t being creative, because they too, still think in the mindset of the hyper-defensive days of the “old NHL”.
• Congratulations to the Houston Dynamo for winning their second consecutive championship. What- you don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh don’t worry, you’re not alone- most of North America were paying attention to Peyton Manning’s wry smile and Phil Dawson’s luck to know what the Dynamo did anyway.
• Anyway, I’ll cut the suspense, because the Dynamo are a Major League Soccer franchise- you know, that league that pretends to be a major league and started in 1996 as a requirement for FIFA handing the United States the 1994 World Cup. The Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in the MLS Cup Final, coming back with two second half goals (the winner scored on a header of a looping cross from Canadian national Dwayne De Rosario) after U.S. national Taylor Twellman put the Revolution up 1-0 midway through the first half. The game itself was pretty captivating- lots of end-to-end action, chances, and tension so big you had to cut it with a knife. Still, it- like much of MLS soccer- was incredibly sloppy, with a lot of chances simply created not because the attacking was any good but because the defending was just that bad. Case in point: Joseph Ngwenya’s 61st-minute goal that levelled the game for Houston. There, the ball was crossed in from a corner kick, cleared outside of the penalty area, but the Dynamo managed to work the ball back to the right flank and cross it right back in. It’s here where the “comedy of errors” (as Eric Wynalda so accurately put it) literally kicked in (yes the pun’s intentional)- the ball took several bounces in the penalty area as bemused New England defenders so desperately wanted to wail it out of there, while the ball manages to just roll on the ground for opportunistic Houston strikers to take care of. One attacker takes a weak shot right at Revolution keeper Matt Reis who, instead of grasping onto the ball, just simply blocks it, leaving the ball on a platter for Ngwenya to rifle home. The sequence probably left New England manager Steve Nicol hanging his head, as the Scotsman has more than likely seen better and more decisive clearances in his day (especially in his fourteen years at Liverpool). I’ll tell you this much though- I’ve NEVER seen that happen in games not just involving the so-called “big teams” such as Arsenal-Manchester United or Inter-Milan, I’ve never seen it in *any* major European first division match. That ball is either out or in the net in a matter of seconds, not being allowed to just sit there while clueless players take hopeless hacks at it.
• Speaking of the MLS Cup Final, ABC’s presentation had more in common with a rudimentary cable broadcast (“borrowing” from subsidiary ESPN’s production team) than a true, “major league” broadcast. It is true that they use ESPN’s presentation in other sports (such as college football), but there weren’t a lot of camera angles (at least not the kinds that would be present on a European soccer telecast) and the look of the broadcast made it feel like the scoreboard was slapped on a “monitored” presentation. Then there was the announcing: Dave O’Brien did good, carrying a real sense of excitement and drama in his voice, but the crowded commentary box (featuring former U.S. nationals Eric Wynalda and Julie Foudy) meant that the commentators were never really allowed to finish a thought. Furthermore, the three of them offered glimpses of insight but were very rarely ever offering much depth in their commentary, something that could be expected of baseball man O’Brien but not of Wynalda and Foudy, themselves former soccer players. For example, Foudy commented (prior to Ngwenya’s goal) that Houston would switch to a “3-5-2” formation by pushing one defender up, but never offered much explanation on the chances of success that formation would have. Then there was Wynalda, referring to the fact New England were piling men forward in a bid to tie the score but never really commenting on how well the Revolution were doing in coming up with that tying score (and Houston for preventing it). Maybe Foudy and Wynalda were afraid of levelling criticism towards the players (perhaps because these are not “big time soccer players” and thus probably could operate “normally” with the rest of the population), as, otherwise, their commentating was insightful although, at times, painfully obvious. Still, part of being a great commentator is the ability to give an accurate review of the events, which means heaping praise on players who do a good job and criticizing those that don’t (hey, they’re professionals- they should be able to take the heat); as well as being able to say if certain tactics and players are working out. There’s potential, to be sure, but it still left a lot to be desired- and if ABC isn't willing to “go the extra mile” in their broadcast, it shows you what they really think of the MLS.
• Still, there might be one good reason to root for the MLS to become a “mainstream” sport- it might mean having a “real”, lucrative and prestigious world club tournament, not the current “Club World Cup” where the European teams are just present for photos. Of course, therein lies the Catch-22: the only way the MLS *can* become immensely popular is if its teams win something of significance on the world stage (i.e., beating a top-quality European side in a competitive match (please don’t tell me about how the MLS All-Star team defeated Chelsea in 2006- that Chelsea team was in pre-season form and most likely saw the game with the All-Stars as just another “tune-up” contest. In other words, the game was meaningless for them and their effort showed). It’s not enough to just throw money at players- you might convince the “prima donnas” such as David Beckham, but players who have a desire to compete at a high level (as most high profile soccer players in their prime are), they want to “win” something with meaning- and the MLS Cup means nothing (besides, it’s not like the European teams are penniless. Also, look at it this way- would Derek Jeter play baseball in London if a team gave him $40 million a year?). So what is the next course of action? The MLS has managed to survive for eleven years while being a minimalist venture and, in deciding to incorporate a “designated player rule” to allow clubs to attract big-name stars, felt it had done enough to take “the next step”. Of course, this next step is convincing American soccer stars (what an American soccer fan ultimately wants to see) to stay in the MLS, which it hasn’t been able to do, before it can start thinking of Europe’s brightest stars. In the meantime, a soccer-loving entrepreneur with loads of cash (maybe Robert Kraft?) could look into setting up this “world tournament” to give the MLS an incentive to stockpile its teams- and to give world-class players a reason to come to North America in the first place.
• Greg Millen stated during the Phoenix Coyotes’ 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs that the reason why the Coyotes are coming around now is because their market allows them to be patient (an obvious swipe at both impatient Canadian markets and the fact the Americans have no market). However, I remember when the Leafs missed the playoffs two seasons in a row in 1997 and 1998 The Toronto Star ran a poll asking Leaf fans what should be done and many Leaf fans said they’d rather watch a rebuilding team lose than the current, veteran-laden team lose. While I agree with Millen on the fact that Canadian markets are, in general, not particularly patient, I don’t think a Canadian market would mind if their team was upfront with their fanbase on the fact that they *are* rebuilding and ran the team in that manner. The problem is the fact that each Canadian market- except Toronto, actually- has seen periods of success since the lockout (Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver have all been playoff teams at least once the past two seasons, while Ottawa and Edmonton have each been to the Cup Final), and the failures of Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto have more to do with mismanagement than an a reluctance to rebuild (the botched Chris Pronger trade comes to mind). Still, the Oilers and Canadiens do possess some great young talent and seem to be on the right track, leaving badly mismanaged Toronto in the dust.
• Finally, I come to the Grey Cup and I must say I’m happy that the two combatants are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (who should really be called the Yellow Bombers because I haven’t seen them wear blue in a while) and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, because those are two markets that genuinely care about the Canadian Football League, unlike Toronto which doesn’t. It’s here where I’ll make the case that should the unfortunate happen and the Buffalo Bills move to Toronto (and it would be unfortunate, because the Bills, like the Packers in Green Bay, *are* Buffalo), the team should be renamed the Argonauts (because that is too much tradition to simply throw away), with the CFL Argonauts possibly moved to a city that would want the CFL (such as, maybe, Halifax). I know there will be doomsayers predicting that a CFL without Toronto is a CFL without a future, but the CFL already practically *is* without Toronto (witness the “great coverage” the Doug Flutie Grey Cup wins got, as well as the 2004 victory not so long ago), and besides, there’s already GTA representation- the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The CFL would continue just fine without Toronto.

-DG