LeBron Returns to Cleveland, Pigs Fly! #01-2014

Well, there must be a snowstorm in Hell, and somewhere pigs must be flying around in circles, because LeBron James is heading back to the Cleveland Cavaliers!

After 2 NBA Championships in 4 years with the Miami Heat, King James decided to opt out of his contract and go back to where it all started. Will the city of Cleveland forgive and forget? If it was me, I'd hold a grudge. The Cavs were supposed to be LeBron's team, and he was supposed to win it there. When the going got tough, LeBron and his buddies Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade got together and formed a stacked team in Miami, designed to win championships. For LeBron, team loyalty had gone out the window, and rings were the only motivator.

Now, after winning 2 with the Heat, LeBron has decided to waltz right back to Cleveland, as if nothing ever happened. So far the reception from Cleveland fans has been good. LeBron's return has brought prominent free agents to Cleveland, and a potential deal for Minnesota's Kevin Love is in the offing. It looks like the Cavs are trying to duplicate the formula used by the Heat. And it may work.

Cleveland fans are long suffering, with the Indians in MLB and Browns in football experiencing long championship droughts. Sure, it would be nice to see them win a title in basketball, but this isn't the way it was supposed to happen. LeBron has rings with another team, so if he doesn't win in Cleveland, he'll be fine with it. His return to the city was more of an image repair than a strategic move. And we all know how players love their legacies!

Thanks for reading.

Mooseheads' 20th Anniversary Deserves Big Celebration (SSB2013-05)

      The 2013-14 season marks a milestone for our beloved hometown Halifax Mooseheads. The Mooseheads, who play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, are coming off a historic season in which they won both the President's Cup and the Memorial Cup, awarded to the winner of the CHL Championship.
      The Mooseheads are also the longest running franchise Halifax has had. The American Hockey League tried on three separate occasions to set up a team here, with only the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, a farm team for the Montreal Canadiens, having any degree of success. The Vees were in Halifax from 1971-1984. They were followed by the Nova Scotia Oilers from 1984-88, and the Halifax Citadels from 1988-93. But those were semi-pro teams, and fans had few glimpses at players who were actual NHL material.
      But that all changed in 1994, when the Quebec league granted Halifax a junior franchise. Fans now had a chance to see players who could become NHL'ers thought the Draft. And they did. Among draftees from the Mooseheads are J-S Giguere, Milan Jurcina, Jody Shelley, Alex Tanguay, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin, Zach Fucale, and many other notables. The Mooseheads have done what other franchises could not, and captured the hearts and minds of Halifax sports fans. Games are as much social events as they are sports spectacles, and fan support for the team has been consistent through good times and bad.
      That's why this season, the Mooseheads need to celebrate. Not just for the franchise, but for the fans, and for anyone who has ever donned a Halifax Mooseheads jersey. Twenty years is a great milestone, and needs to be acknowledged. So here are some suggestions as to what the staff and ownership could do to celebrate.

1) Team reunions -  The Mooseheads have had some great teams over the years, including the 1994-95 original squad, the 1996-97 team that came oh-so close, the 2000 Memorial Cup host team, and most recently the 2012-13 Champions. Fans in the city have long memories, and would love the chance to cheer for these players one more time. Brandon Reid, Alex Mattieu, Ramzi Abid, Ladislav Nagy, Robbie Sutherland, Jules Eddy Laraque, and a host of others would be a welcome sight for Moose fans.

2) Commemorative merchandise - There's been a lot of Memorial Cup items available, and fans buy up most of the Halifax Moosehead merchandise that comes out. Some 20th anniversary hats and shirts would sell like hotcakes, as would any other similar items.

3) "Best of" videos - A highlight reel could be made of teams from every season, and  a different one could be played at some point during the home games. These nostalgia trips would bring smiles to the faces of young and old.

4) ...and most important of all....CELEBRATE! The worst thing to do would be to just let the season go by without properly celebrating. The fans want it. The former players would love it. The whole city would love it. Sure, there will be the banner raisings for the League Championship and the Memorial Cup, which, believe me, will be fantastic. But, why not retire a couple of numbers this season. Perhaps Robbie Sutherland or Brandon Benedict, or some of the other great players who have made contributions to the team over the years.

      I'm sure the franchise will not disappoint. Because in good times and bad in the past, they've always been great to the fans, players and city. Happy 20th Mooseheads!

Wanna Be the Best Lebron? Earn it, Don't Ask for it! (SSB2013-04)

     Lebron James and the Miami Heat just won the NBA Championship again. Big surprise, because you get what you pay for. And let's face it...it's not the greatest era in NBA history, with a lot of really horrible teams. So, when Lebron James comes out and says he wants to be counted among the greatest players of all time, it gives some pause for thought.

       Don't get me wrong. Lebron James is a great player. Despite the fact that he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in a highly controversial manner (by announcing it on a prime time special!), Lebron is among the most popular players in the NBA. In ten seasons in the NBA, Lebron has averaged over 27 points a game, and has won 2 championships. He is a 9-time All Star, a 2-time Finals MVP, and a 4-time Regular Season MVP. Those are Hall of Fame numbers, but is he the best of all time? Not yet. 

       You see, there a fellow by the name of Michael Jordan who might have something to say about this issue. You see, MJ has 6 rings, and won the MVP of the playoffs all six of those time.Jordan won 5 MVPs in the regular season, and averaged over 30 points a game during his 15 year career. Add into these stats that MJ once took a season off to play professional baseball (at the minor league level.) So there's at least one guy ahead of King James.

       Next, there's Wilt Chamberlain. Let's forget about his prowess with the ladies. Wilt did at least 3 things that Lebron will probably never do. Wilt scored 100 points in one NBA game. He also averaged 50.4 points per game in the 1961-62 season for the Philadelphia Warriors, and had a career average of 22.9 rebounds per game. For most players, 22 rounds is a good week! So that's two.

       Another player Lebron will have to pass to be considered the best is Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant. Kobe has had a stellar career, with 5 championships and a 25.5 points per game career average. He's also been a 15 time All Star, and still has a little gas left in the tank. Kobe is also the Los Angeles Laker's all-time leading scorer, which is really saying something, considering Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar also played for the purple and gold.

       Speaking of Kareem, Lebron is also behind him as well. Kareem played 1560 career games, and scored 38,387 career points. Kareem is a 6-time league MVP, and a 6-time NBA Champ. Plus, he was in Airplane, and a movie with Bruce Lee! Take that Lebron!

       Even former Boston Celtic Bill Russell could still be considered better than Lebron. While Russell averaged only 15.1 points per game, he won 11 rings with the Celtics between 1957 and 1969.

       So, in summary, a lack of rings (don't worry Lebron, you've still got some time for that!), some truly dreadful opponents, and pure number crunching suggest that Lebron James is not yet the best ever. Maybe if you stop telling us you're one of the greatest, and concentrate on what's going on on the court, perhaps one day you will be.

Thanks for reading!

Steveo's 2013 NHL Playoff Preview (SSB2013-03)

    The 2012-13 NHL season will be remembered for many things, most memorably that it almost didn't happen. bit the sprint-to-the-finish style led to some great hockey, and some surprise team in the post season.

    In the East, the Maple Leafs ended a 9 year drought, and will face Boston in the opening round. The New York Islanders also made the post season, led by flashy forward John Tavares. The surprise no-shows from the East in this year's playoff include Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, who both have some retooling to do. Over in the West, the Detroit Red Wings just barely squeaked into the second season, and the Edmonton Oilers continued their run of futility. The Calgary Flames started a rebuild, and traded away the face of the franchise in Jarome Iginla. And the Chicago Blackhawks looked unbeatable most of the season.

    Now, let's get to the predictions. First the Eastern Conference:

#1 Pittsburgh vs #8 New York Islanders - Easy 4-0 or 4-1 win for the Penguins here, as they loaded up at the deadline and are almost fully healthy, as captain Sidney Crosby is set to return for Round 1.

#4 Boston vs #5 Toronto - Welcome back to the playoff Toronto! Your reward...playing an angry Boston team that has stumbled as of late, but has feasted on Toronto since the Phil Kessel deal. B's in 5, maybe 6.

#2 Montreal vs #7 Ottawa - The Habs have been slumping, and Ottawa is almost fully healthy. This series will go 7, but I think the Canadiens will squeak it out.

#3 Washington vs #6 New York Rangers - The Caps started slow this season, but they've come on at the end. Alex Ovechkin has been a beast. Capitals in 5.

    Over in the Western Conference:

#1 Chicago vs #8 Minnesota - Chicago will win 4-0. Come on.

#4 St. Louis vs #5 Los Angeles - The Kings are the defending champions, but haven't looked great this year.  Blues in 7 games in what will be a great series.

#2 Anaheim vs #7 Detroit - These are not the dominating Red Wings of old. Without Nick Lidstrom, they've struggled defensively. Ducks will be the "mightier", and win in 6 games.

#3 Vancouver vs #6 San Jose - Vancouver will probably win, but I'd love to see the Sharks take them down. Since I have to guess, I'll say Canucks in 6. This one could easily go 7 games.

    The rest will break down like this...Pittsburgh over Boston in 6 in Round 2 and Washington over Montreal 4-1. Over in the West, Chicago over St. Louis in 5, and Anaheim defeats Vancouver in 6 games. Pittsburgh will beat Washington 4 games to 2, and the Blackhawks will eliminate the Ducks in 6 Games. That sets up a Stanley Cup Final of Pittsburgh versus Chicago, with Sid and the boys taking home the trophy 4-2 in a high scoring series.

    As always, predictions aren't an exact science, and I've been know to be wrong!

    Thanks for reading!

Boston Strong! (SSB02-2013)

The recent attacks at the Boston Marathon were heinous and senseless, and caused a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering to many individuals, most of whom were family and friends of runners. But Boston is one of the most resilient cities in the world, and not only did the city find out who did the bombings, they managed to do the one thing that is probably harder than anything...they bounced back. The city of Boston returned to normalcy, and life carried on. The hearts of everyone will go out to the victims and their families, but Boston proved, as the old saying goes, "No one comes into our house and pushes us around." Sports have alway been a part of Boston's history. The Red Sox in baseball, who until recently, were under the blanket of an 80-plus year curse, the New England Patriots in football, who have been dominant in the NFL for over a decade now, the storied Celtics of the NBA, one of the sports winningest franchises, and of course, the Bruins of the NHL, who recently held the Stanley Cup aloft for the first time in many years, are all the backbone of the city. The Bruins, who were first to return to action after the attacks, paid tribute to the first responders and police before their game last week. A stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner showed that Boston was getting it's groove back, and in the following days in which the perpetrators were caught, the Red Sox also took back to Fenway, with David Ortiz speaking from the heart and inspiring the crowd. The Red Sox, who were supposed to be near the bottom of the standings, are currently in first place in their division. Though the memory of the events of April 15th will never be forgotten, Boston will go on. They will go to work, go to restaurants, shop, go to school, and yes, go to sporting events. Boston will always remain BOSTON STRONG. Thanks for reading.

Burkie Gets The Boot! (SSB2013-01)

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a bombshell this week when they fired General Manager Brian Burke, only days before the start of the NHL season. After 5 straight losing seasons under his command, the new Leafs ownership group decided that they had had enough of old Burkie. Was it a big surprise? Well, if you live outside of Toronto it wasn't. Despite making some big moves, including acquiring Phil Kessel from Boston and Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames during his tenure, the Leafs were never able to work their way into the playoffs. The best they could manage was a 10th place finish in the Eastern Conference. Let's face it though...the Leafs have been bad since 1993. That was the last time they made the hockey world take notice, when they lost in the Western Conference final to the Los Angeles Kings. And the last time they won the Stanley Cup? Well, let's just say, Canada was celebrating it's centennial, and hippies were still flashing peace signs....in 1967! But everyone thought Burke could come in and make a difference. Turns out...he could not. He had been moderately successful in his terms with the Anahiem Ducks (who were "Mighty" at the time!) and the Vancouver Canucks. But his system didn't take in TO. And, if rumours are correct, he could not pull the trigger on a deal to bring goaltender Roberto Luongo to Toronto. Add this to the losing record, and the only solution was to show Burke the pink slip. Brian Burke may not have been the worst GM Toronto ever had...remember the Cliff Fletcher era? Well, the second era anyway. But, the gruff grump was the face of the latest failures in Leaf Town, and was the target of much criticism. Good luck Dave Nonis! You will need it in media crazy Toronto! The current season is going to be a shorter one, because of a labour dispute between the players and owners, an will be a sprint to the finish. Any team that gets hot can win. But, it's probably a safe bet it won't be the Maple Leafs....this season, or anytime soon.

10 Reasons I'm Pissed About the NHL Lockout (SSB080)

Anyone can tell you, I'm passionate about hockey. I watch, I play, hell, I even used to coach. But the National Hockey League players and owners are starting to make me doubt my passion, by seemingly allowing yet another season to be cancelled. And I'm pissed off! Here's are 10 reasons why. 10) Gary Bettman's attitude - This guy comes off like he hates his job, and it shows. Remember how grumpy he was when he had to give Winnipeg back its hockey team? No wonder this guy gets booed every time he makes a public appearance for the NHL.... at the draft, at the Stanley Cup presentation.... pretty much anywhere he goes. The league would have a lot less issues without this stubborn jackass at the helm. 9) Donald Fehr's attitude - Don is a former baseball player rep.... who got a season cancelled that league, too! Fehr has shown that pretty much whatever the owners present, it will not be good enough. Fehr tries to make himself the sympathetic character in the dispute, but just comes off douchy. The NHLPA needs a former PLAYER to lead them, not a baseball guy. 8) No NHL - This goes without saying. The NHL is, at times, the greatest spectacle in sports. It's fast, there's hitting, there are fights and there are (since the rule changes from the last lockout) lots of goals. It's a beautiful game, but now it's being ruined by a bunch of money grubbers. 7) Players going overseas - The exodus of NHLers to Europe and Russia is a bad thing all around. The players are basically taking jobs from lesser skilled players who just want to have a taste of professional hockey. And, in some cases players, including Thomas Plekcanic and Tuuka Rask, are getting injured. Then there are the bratty Russians, most notably Alex Ovechkin, who are saying they may not come back when the dispute is settled. I say... good riddance. Take you Mr. Big bar with you on your way out the door! 6) Money, Money, Money - All we hear about from both sides the money this and money that. Here are some words both sides have apparently forgotten... "Hockey" and "tradition". They also seem unaware of the definition of "compromise" either. 5) Saturday Nights are gonna suck - With no Hockey Night in Canada, fans will have to pick up new hobbies... I suggest a dartboard with Gary Bettman's face on it. 4) Spinoff jobs will be affected - Everyone whose livelihood depends on the NHL, from peanut vendors to statisticians to front office workers, are losing their jobs because a bunch of millions can't decide how to divide up all of the money their making. Yeah, that makes sense. 3) Lack of respect for hockey fans - When the reps for both the NHLPA and owners come out in public and say, "Why would we get together, there's nothing to talk about?", they slap anyone who has ever watched their product hard in the face. What is there to talk about? HOCKEY! and HOW YOU GET BACK TO PLAYING IT!, you bunch of greedy morons! 2) My Beloved Bruins - After last seasons OT loss in round one, I was looking forward to seeing how my team would respond after parting ways with contrary goaltender and Obama Hater Tim Thomas.... guess that won't be happening! 1) The Dispute Can Be Solved Easily - Just split it 50/50 guys! Really, does one side have to have 1 or 2 percent more, just to feel like they're in control? Get over yourselves, honestly. The NBA solved their labour problems. The NFL did the same. And MLB really hasn't had any problems since... oh, yeah, when that Fehr guy was in charge! So, NHL, it's up to you.... fix your damn labour dispute, or just stay home and mope about it. Either way, I'm sick of "collective bargaining sessions", and I'm gonna go watch a Mooseheads game... because that's where hockey is still pure.