Every football season begins with a new blend of players entering the league trying to impress their teammates and counterparts on anf off the field. This NFL year, however was plagued by some veterans to go along with young players getting into major trouble.
It all started with "Tank" Johnson and Pacman Jones who each got suspended for at least a half a season; for the Titans cornerback, the punishment was at least a year after an appeal was denied. After these two individuals jeopardized their careers and their self-respect, Johnson was released by the Bears after violating the oath of his contract and signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, Jones tried to earn money through wrestling and other forms of entertainment as long as he kept in shape and did not break any law in his deal.
The behavior that best summates this years' phenomena was when Michael Vick was charged with and pled guilty to financially sponsoring and killing dogs during dogfights. At the time, the League seemed to be in shambles and there were character flaws on all fronts.
Even a successful franchise including the New England Patriots was put under investigation by the NFL after the New York Jets reported there were extra cameras at Giants stadium to steal the signals of the opposing team. In what was known as 'spygate' the Pats might not have been the instigators; it's been alleged that the Jets used additional cameras at Gilette Stadium last year before being told to remove them in a victory over New England (the last regular season defeat for the Pats)
But there are always some aspects of a season that are quite heartwarming such as the recovery of Buffalo Bills Tight End Kevin Everett, the emergence of several quarterbacks who found a fountain of youth (the likes of Vinny Testaverde of the Carolina Panthers and Todd Collins of the Redskins) or teams that have strayed from the tradition of missing the playoffs (like the Titans most recently and the Buccaneers)
After all the turbulence and triumph during the season, it's become time to talk about Jim Mora's favorite line; PLAYOFFS!
DIVISIONAL ROUND
The playoff destinations have been determined for the divisonal round with the Giants going to Tampa Bay to take on the NFC South Champions. The G-men were 7-1 on the road this season including a victory over playoff bound Washington. The running game for New York has been fabulous, averaging more than 134 yards per contest (4th in the NFL). Michael Strahan, Fred Robbins, and Osi Umenyiora are some of the players on the defensive front leading the way for the Giants who ranked seventh in yards allowed per game
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has an elite defense as the squad is third in the NFL in points allowed and squanders the second fewest yards in the league. The Buccaneers also feature quarterback, Jeff Garcia, who has beaten the Giants twice in the playoffs (once with the 49ers when the G-Men lost a 38-14 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter, and another time with the Eagles last season.) Earnest Graham has run the ball quite well considering the third-stringer has come in after injuries to Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman.
As for the other NFC divisional game, the Redskins enter the contest sky-high with a four-game winning streak, led by former backup to Hall-of-Fame quarterback Jim Kelly (Todd Collins). During the four contests, Collins was 67-105 for 888 yards, five touchdowns and two lost fumbles. Clinton Portis is back on track after earning two 100 yard games in the lastthree of the season for the Redskins, with four touchdowns during that stretch.
Seattle's destiny could be matched by how often the Seahawks play at home (7-1 at Qwest Field). Shaun Alexander has had an injury plagued season full of poor performance while veteran Matt Hasselbeck is lifting this club under the spotlight. The defense is much improved and in spite of how well the Redskins have been playing, Seattle has been to the Super Bowl and is capable of a return trip.
The AFC divisional preview comes tommorrow
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Rangers Evaluation
The Rangers first line has emerged the last couple of games including a four pointer, from Jaromir Jagr, in Toronto. Petr Prucha also came up big against the Leafs with his first two-goal game of the season. These performances might have been over the course of the past week; but evaluations are made over a year.
Offense:
Of recent weeks the offense has improved with the spark coming from Jaromir Jagr (14 points- 4 goals and 10 assists in his last nine games) and Martin Straka (11 points in the last nine contests) There is just one problem; when the Scott Gomez line (featuring Jagr and Straka) isn’t working, the team’s offense is as inefficient as an obsolete machine. In eleven games that Scott Gomez has not registered a point, the Blueshirts are 4-7. Ultimately, the Rangers need to have more scoring depth if the team hopes to make a playoff push for this season.
Brendan Shanahan has been a solid contributor and expect him to continue his pace after the New Year (he leads the team with 14 goals and seven power play scores; he’s been about a point-a-game player since a 1-0 loss against Pittsburgh on October 20th).
Chris Drury has struggled mightily after coming from the Sabres during the offseason. With the man advantage, I’ve seen him hit the glass with his slapper more than Tony Amonte used to for the Blueshirts. On December 30th, he tied the game at three against Montreal, scoring his tenth of the season; but his shooting accuracy is still at 8.8 percent (lower than his career average of 12 percent). He’s slowly getting better (seven points in his last eight games) but expect him to be a bust as teams get better acquainted with his role on the Rangers. My suggestions; don’t be anxious when shooting the puck because it goes high and wide when tension rises. Also, let Sean Avery be your friend on the ice; Avery’s impact is positive with his energy and gritty ability.
The third line has been quite inefficient as last year’s Hartford Wolfpack first unit has not come together at the NHL level. Ryan Callahan looks overmatched, Brandon Dubinsky only plays well when placed with Jagr during the man advantage (three assists against the Maple Leafs and all of them on power play opportunities) and Nigel Dawes has been bouncing back and forth from the major league club to the AHL. Add on to the list of disappointments, the lack of offensive development from Marcel Hossa and Petr Prucha, and the offensive has been putrid; Hossa’s stick handling and cycling abilites are good but his shot has not found the net often. Prucha had his first mighty game of the year against the Leafs in Toronto. Expect coach Tom Renney to continue juggling the third line to find the right combination of players. Either way, this unit has been the most exposed and the worst on the team.
Meanwhile, the Colton Orr, Blair Betts, and Ryan Hollweg fourth line has been a blessing in disguise. Orr stands up for his teammates by taking on the opposing teams’ tough guy and has 85 penalty minutes to show for it. Blair Betts exhibits tremendous speed and penalty killing abilities and has continued to spark the club in those regards, taking on other teams’ top line and second unit players. Hollweg battles in the corners and cycles the puck well to make sure the opposition has a disrupted offensive flow. He has dropped the gloves this year and can fight with the best of them, including a scrum against Colorado’s extraordinaire Ian LaPerriere. Expect the fourth line to push forward and contribute immensely to the teams’ success after the New year.
Then there’s the two headed power play monster. There is a European style (or a style with greater finesse) with Rozsival and Straka at the points (and sometimes Jagr) with the forwards being Jagr, Dubinsky and either Petr Prucha or Avery. The second unit consists of mostly North American style players that throw pucks at the net and look for rebounds. This includes Drury, Gomez and Shanahan with Fedor Tyutin and dan Girardi at the points (sometimes Avery). Recently, the power play has excelled with it’s apex being against the Leafs. The Rangers scored five times with the man advantage that game. After that barrage, the Blueshirts are fourteenth in the League with on the power play and the players will continue to improve as they work with each other more often.
The offense has been hit-and-miss at best (and has improved lately), but the team is tied for 23rd in the NHL in goals scored (96). The Rangers had started off miserably and were losing 1-0 and 2-1 games in spite of Henrik Lundqvist standing on his head. The offense gets a C-.
Defense
This unit has performed average of late, turning the puck over with frequency. The culprits include youngsters Michal Rozsival and Mark Staal. It’s amazing to think the offense of the backline has been better than what the defense has provided.
Rozsival and Daniel Girardi have combined for fifteen goals on the year (including nine conversions on the power play).
The defense was superb at the beginning of the season as the team gave up 51 goals in 26 games. Since then, the backline has appeared fatigued as has the goaltending (including backup Stephen Valiquette). The squad has squandered 43 in the last thirteen contests including a five-goal performance from Minnesota’s Marian Gaborik and a two-goal outing from Colorado’s Milan Hedjuk.
As for the combinations, Dan Girardi and Fedor Tyutin have been a fabulous duo. The two have been stable defenders and display the ability to make long-entry passes to team-mates before the opposing team’s blue line. Girardi is a fundamentally sound defensive player at the age of 23 whose potential is beyond the Milky Way galaxy. He has good hands, a nifty shot, extraordinary speed, and guards some of the top players in the NHL. Fedor Tyutin has been relatively silent offensively but he has been a stalwart in stopping offensive players from getting between the circles for excellent shots on net. I expect the two to continue dominating offensively and defensively with rare turnovers.
Michal Rozsival has been performing better on the offensive side of the puck than the defensive end. So far Roszival has nine goals and has an accurate slap shot. The shot allows power play competitors to battle at the front of the net and deflect the puck.
There are times where Roszival’s defensive mate, Marc Staal, jumps into the play and shoots it; but Staal’s defensive prowess makes up for Roszival’s turnovers in the Rangers zone. The two have been stellar at covering each others’ weak points that have made for an excellent unit. Of course, Roszival is 29 and Staal is 20, so both have the potential to be an even better tandem.
As for the final unit, the battle is between Jason Strudwick, Paul Mara and Marek Malik. Thus far, Strudwick has been involved in thirty games, Mara in 32 contests and Malik in 18. When the Rangers choose to play seven defensemen, it is more likely the defensive minded Strudwick will play on the backline with either Mara or Malik and the one not playing with Strudwick is a fourth-line winger (Strudwick has alos played on the wing this year). Strudwick is an imposing presence at six-foot three, 225 pounds and has been taking some of the weight off of Colton Orr in the fighting department. Jason cycles the puck well, keeps the puck in the zone for long periods of time, and has excellent hockey I.Q on defense. His plus/minus rating is at minus three.
Malik is painfully slow on the ice and only plays well when given an opportunity on the power play, with his heavy shot. Paul Mara’s defensive game has improved but his capabilities to shoot and attack the net have slowed considerably. This is the most unpredictable bunch because the players might skate with forwards on one night and then with defensemen another. I expect Renney to finalize a six defensemen rotation with either Mara or Malik finding the bench.
The penalty killing, up until recently, has been sharp all year. The team ranks fifth in the National Hockey league in that category.
As mentioned earlier, the defense and goaltending began the year allowing 26 goals in 51 games. The next 13 contests, the team allowed 43. The defense gets an A- because the team is tied for sixth (with the Devils) for fewest goals allowed. I expect the defense will continue to extrapolate all the talent the unit showed in the first 26 games.
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist started the season fabulously posting a save percentage of nearly 95 in the first 26 games of the season, including four shutouts. Since then, he’s allowed at least four goals on more occasions than he has posted shutouts (4-to-2). Overall, the defense has looked exhausted recently and so has Lundqvist…until the Christmas break. The Swedish goaltender performed well against Carolina and was reputable against Montreal. Lundqvist has a quick glove, an excellent blocker, and an ability (like no other netminder in the league) to cover the low part of the net as well as he does. Lundqvist is only 17-13 but has a 2.2 GAA (fifth in the NHL), a save percentage of .915 (Tied for 12th) and six shutouts (second in the league)
Since a loss to Ottawa, the Rangers have posted three consecutive quality wins against Carolina, Toronto, and Montreal. The man that mastered the pipes in the middle game was Stephen Valiquette. The 30-year old, Canadian goaltender has started five times for the Blueshirts and been involved in two other games. He is a solid backup and an upgrade from current Devils substitute Kevin Weekes. Valiquette is 2-2 with a 2.68 GAA and a .903 Save percentage.
The goaltending has been spectacular on the power play and on even strength for most of the season. I cannot give the Rangers an A in this department because of the struggles the team had experienced in December. Give the Rangers an A- and with further inspection (if Lundqvist gets better) this becomes an A. I fully expect a fabulous goaltender in Madison Square Garden for the New Year and for Valiquette to spell Lundqvist a couple of games to rest.
All in all, the team has considerably underachieved on the offensive side while performing above it’s heads on the defensive end. I believe both the defense and goaltending will raise their level of play, but the offense is stagnant. The Rangers are one forward away from a Stanley Cup championship (especially on the third line).
Offense:
Of recent weeks the offense has improved with the spark coming from Jaromir Jagr (14 points- 4 goals and 10 assists in his last nine games) and Martin Straka (11 points in the last nine contests) There is just one problem; when the Scott Gomez line (featuring Jagr and Straka) isn’t working, the team’s offense is as inefficient as an obsolete machine. In eleven games that Scott Gomez has not registered a point, the Blueshirts are 4-7. Ultimately, the Rangers need to have more scoring depth if the team hopes to make a playoff push for this season.
Brendan Shanahan has been a solid contributor and expect him to continue his pace after the New Year (he leads the team with 14 goals and seven power play scores; he’s been about a point-a-game player since a 1-0 loss against Pittsburgh on October 20th).
Chris Drury has struggled mightily after coming from the Sabres during the offseason. With the man advantage, I’ve seen him hit the glass with his slapper more than Tony Amonte used to for the Blueshirts. On December 30th, he tied the game at three against Montreal, scoring his tenth of the season; but his shooting accuracy is still at 8.8 percent (lower than his career average of 12 percent). He’s slowly getting better (seven points in his last eight games) but expect him to be a bust as teams get better acquainted with his role on the Rangers. My suggestions; don’t be anxious when shooting the puck because it goes high and wide when tension rises. Also, let Sean Avery be your friend on the ice; Avery’s impact is positive with his energy and gritty ability.
The third line has been quite inefficient as last year’s Hartford Wolfpack first unit has not come together at the NHL level. Ryan Callahan looks overmatched, Brandon Dubinsky only plays well when placed with Jagr during the man advantage (three assists against the Maple Leafs and all of them on power play opportunities) and Nigel Dawes has been bouncing back and forth from the major league club to the AHL. Add on to the list of disappointments, the lack of offensive development from Marcel Hossa and Petr Prucha, and the offensive has been putrid; Hossa’s stick handling and cycling abilites are good but his shot has not found the net often. Prucha had his first mighty game of the year against the Leafs in Toronto. Expect coach Tom Renney to continue juggling the third line to find the right combination of players. Either way, this unit has been the most exposed and the worst on the team.
Meanwhile, the Colton Orr, Blair Betts, and Ryan Hollweg fourth line has been a blessing in disguise. Orr stands up for his teammates by taking on the opposing teams’ tough guy and has 85 penalty minutes to show for it. Blair Betts exhibits tremendous speed and penalty killing abilities and has continued to spark the club in those regards, taking on other teams’ top line and second unit players. Hollweg battles in the corners and cycles the puck well to make sure the opposition has a disrupted offensive flow. He has dropped the gloves this year and can fight with the best of them, including a scrum against Colorado’s extraordinaire Ian LaPerriere. Expect the fourth line to push forward and contribute immensely to the teams’ success after the New year.
Then there’s the two headed power play monster. There is a European style (or a style with greater finesse) with Rozsival and Straka at the points (and sometimes Jagr) with the forwards being Jagr, Dubinsky and either Petr Prucha or Avery. The second unit consists of mostly North American style players that throw pucks at the net and look for rebounds. This includes Drury, Gomez and Shanahan with Fedor Tyutin and dan Girardi at the points (sometimes Avery). Recently, the power play has excelled with it’s apex being against the Leafs. The Rangers scored five times with the man advantage that game. After that barrage, the Blueshirts are fourteenth in the League with on the power play and the players will continue to improve as they work with each other more often.
The offense has been hit-and-miss at best (and has improved lately), but the team is tied for 23rd in the NHL in goals scored (96). The Rangers had started off miserably and were losing 1-0 and 2-1 games in spite of Henrik Lundqvist standing on his head. The offense gets a C-.
Defense
This unit has performed average of late, turning the puck over with frequency. The culprits include youngsters Michal Rozsival and Mark Staal. It’s amazing to think the offense of the backline has been better than what the defense has provided.
Rozsival and Daniel Girardi have combined for fifteen goals on the year (including nine conversions on the power play).
The defense was superb at the beginning of the season as the team gave up 51 goals in 26 games. Since then, the backline has appeared fatigued as has the goaltending (including backup Stephen Valiquette). The squad has squandered 43 in the last thirteen contests including a five-goal performance from Minnesota’s Marian Gaborik and a two-goal outing from Colorado’s Milan Hedjuk.
As for the combinations, Dan Girardi and Fedor Tyutin have been a fabulous duo. The two have been stable defenders and display the ability to make long-entry passes to team-mates before the opposing team’s blue line. Girardi is a fundamentally sound defensive player at the age of 23 whose potential is beyond the Milky Way galaxy. He has good hands, a nifty shot, extraordinary speed, and guards some of the top players in the NHL. Fedor Tyutin has been relatively silent offensively but he has been a stalwart in stopping offensive players from getting between the circles for excellent shots on net. I expect the two to continue dominating offensively and defensively with rare turnovers.
Michal Rozsival has been performing better on the offensive side of the puck than the defensive end. So far Roszival has nine goals and has an accurate slap shot. The shot allows power play competitors to battle at the front of the net and deflect the puck.
There are times where Roszival’s defensive mate, Marc Staal, jumps into the play and shoots it; but Staal’s defensive prowess makes up for Roszival’s turnovers in the Rangers zone. The two have been stellar at covering each others’ weak points that have made for an excellent unit. Of course, Roszival is 29 and Staal is 20, so both have the potential to be an even better tandem.
As for the final unit, the battle is between Jason Strudwick, Paul Mara and Marek Malik. Thus far, Strudwick has been involved in thirty games, Mara in 32 contests and Malik in 18. When the Rangers choose to play seven defensemen, it is more likely the defensive minded Strudwick will play on the backline with either Mara or Malik and the one not playing with Strudwick is a fourth-line winger (Strudwick has alos played on the wing this year). Strudwick is an imposing presence at six-foot three, 225 pounds and has been taking some of the weight off of Colton Orr in the fighting department. Jason cycles the puck well, keeps the puck in the zone for long periods of time, and has excellent hockey I.Q on defense. His plus/minus rating is at minus three.
Malik is painfully slow on the ice and only plays well when given an opportunity on the power play, with his heavy shot. Paul Mara’s defensive game has improved but his capabilities to shoot and attack the net have slowed considerably. This is the most unpredictable bunch because the players might skate with forwards on one night and then with defensemen another. I expect Renney to finalize a six defensemen rotation with either Mara or Malik finding the bench.
The penalty killing, up until recently, has been sharp all year. The team ranks fifth in the National Hockey league in that category.
As mentioned earlier, the defense and goaltending began the year allowing 26 goals in 51 games. The next 13 contests, the team allowed 43. The defense gets an A- because the team is tied for sixth (with the Devils) for fewest goals allowed. I expect the defense will continue to extrapolate all the talent the unit showed in the first 26 games.
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist started the season fabulously posting a save percentage of nearly 95 in the first 26 games of the season, including four shutouts. Since then, he’s allowed at least four goals on more occasions than he has posted shutouts (4-to-2). Overall, the defense has looked exhausted recently and so has Lundqvist…until the Christmas break. The Swedish goaltender performed well against Carolina and was reputable against Montreal. Lundqvist has a quick glove, an excellent blocker, and an ability (like no other netminder in the league) to cover the low part of the net as well as he does. Lundqvist is only 17-13 but has a 2.2 GAA (fifth in the NHL), a save percentage of .915 (Tied for 12th) and six shutouts (second in the league)
Since a loss to Ottawa, the Rangers have posted three consecutive quality wins against Carolina, Toronto, and Montreal. The man that mastered the pipes in the middle game was Stephen Valiquette. The 30-year old, Canadian goaltender has started five times for the Blueshirts and been involved in two other games. He is a solid backup and an upgrade from current Devils substitute Kevin Weekes. Valiquette is 2-2 with a 2.68 GAA and a .903 Save percentage.
The goaltending has been spectacular on the power play and on even strength for most of the season. I cannot give the Rangers an A in this department because of the struggles the team had experienced in December. Give the Rangers an A- and with further inspection (if Lundqvist gets better) this becomes an A. I fully expect a fabulous goaltender in Madison Square Garden for the New Year and for Valiquette to spell Lundqvist a couple of games to rest.
All in all, the team has considerably underachieved on the offensive side while performing above it’s heads on the defensive end. I believe both the defense and goaltending will raise their level of play, but the offense is stagnant. The Rangers are one forward away from a Stanley Cup championship (especially on the third line).
Friday, December 28, 2007
Celtic chatterbox
What's been the most impressive feat of the N-B-A season? The traditionalists might reveal the unusual scoring pace of some of the top teams; some modern philosophies might weave a spider-like web of transition offense from excellent defense.
But what no one seems to discuss is the ability for the Seattle Supersonics to expose a major weakness (that if other teams followed) could squeak out a victory over a now 24-3 club.
Of course Boston consumes it's opponents on defense in allowing a little more than 86 points per game; but the reality is the opposition should ALWAYS use the fast break because anyone who watched last's encounter saw Kevin Garnett gasping for air in the third quarter after "the Big Ticket" was mauling any combination of defenders in the first half. This included former New York Knicks good-guy Kurt Thomas.
Last night, after a prosperous beginning, Garnett was winded and the Celtics seemed fatigued as well. If it wasn't for the emergence of Paul Pierce in the third quarter along with contributions from Eddie House and James Posey in the second half, the Celtics would have suffered their fourth loss of the season.
Once again, the element of conjecture separating the clubs is the quality of depth in the personnel. Against House and Posey, one might not be able to play fastbreak basketball all day, but certaintly when the big three are in, an up-tempo game would be astute.
The conclusion I come to is that the Phoenix Suns have a better chance of knocking off the team with the best record in the eastern conference than the Spurs because of the strenuous and rampant pace of Steve Nash and company.
The C's have more than their fair share of challenges as Boston goes to La-La town to visit the 80's Lakers without "Showtime" Magic Johnson, or Kareem-Abdul Jabbar...how about James Worthy...is he a candidate for an Oscar sitting in the body of Lakers forward Lamar Odom? Not quite, but the Lakers have made a push for Western supremacy and situate themselves a game-and-a-half behind front-running Phoenix in the Pacific. The Lake show trails the Spurs by two-and-a-half in the West
After a mystical journey to where the Intercontinetal railroad was completed (and the west coast was connected with the East) the C's head to Laker-town...to take on one of the hottest clubs in the NBA
Either way, I'm sure the Celtics will go 4-0 on this road trip before heading to TD North Fork Bank Garden.
The point is to exploit the stamina issues faced by some veterans of the Boston Celtics. If the opposition gets in a half-court set there will be problems handling the number one defense in the NBA. Simply...follow Seattle's gameplan with the exception of the fourth quarter. The Sonics should have taught coaches around the league something about persistence on both ends of the floor.
But what no one seems to discuss is the ability for the Seattle Supersonics to expose a major weakness (that if other teams followed) could squeak out a victory over a now 24-3 club.
Of course Boston consumes it's opponents on defense in allowing a little more than 86 points per game; but the reality is the opposition should ALWAYS use the fast break because anyone who watched last's encounter saw Kevin Garnett gasping for air in the third quarter after "the Big Ticket" was mauling any combination of defenders in the first half. This included former New York Knicks good-guy Kurt Thomas.
Last night, after a prosperous beginning, Garnett was winded and the Celtics seemed fatigued as well. If it wasn't for the emergence of Paul Pierce in the third quarter along with contributions from Eddie House and James Posey in the second half, the Celtics would have suffered their fourth loss of the season.
Once again, the element of conjecture separating the clubs is the quality of depth in the personnel. Against House and Posey, one might not be able to play fastbreak basketball all day, but certaintly when the big three are in, an up-tempo game would be astute.
The conclusion I come to is that the Phoenix Suns have a better chance of knocking off the team with the best record in the eastern conference than the Spurs because of the strenuous and rampant pace of Steve Nash and company.
The C's have more than their fair share of challenges as Boston goes to La-La town to visit the 80's Lakers without "Showtime" Magic Johnson, or Kareem-Abdul Jabbar...how about James Worthy...is he a candidate for an Oscar sitting in the body of Lakers forward Lamar Odom? Not quite, but the Lakers have made a push for Western supremacy and situate themselves a game-and-a-half behind front-running Phoenix in the Pacific. The Lake show trails the Spurs by two-and-a-half in the West
After a mystical journey to where the Intercontinetal railroad was completed (and the west coast was connected with the East) the C's head to Laker-town...to take on one of the hottest clubs in the NBA
Either way, I'm sure the Celtics will go 4-0 on this road trip before heading to TD North Fork Bank Garden.
The point is to exploit the stamina issues faced by some veterans of the Boston Celtics. If the opposition gets in a half-court set there will be problems handling the number one defense in the NBA. Simply...follow Seattle's gameplan with the exception of the fourth quarter. The Sonics should have taught coaches around the league something about persistence on both ends of the floor.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
December 27th, 2007
How enlightening it is to know the sports world has not gone completely Bostonian. The New England Revolution lost the MLS Cup only a month ago, the Bruins appear to have a lesser chance in winning the Stanley Cup than most teams in the League do, and the weather for another thing hasn’t been spectacular there either.
From what I’ve noticed, however, Boston fans’ affiliation with local clubs is much more intense than in New York. I would imagine the fans want to see the Red Sox win more than the Yanks get shelled.
It’s troublesome, however, to go to an Islanders game where the squads fans’ care more about whether the rival team (the Rangers) loses than if the Isles win
As fans were leaving the building, chants of “Go Home Leafs” were prevalent from the faithful after an entertaining game. As soon as the fans heard about the Rangers whereabouts, however, it didn’t matter anymore what the Long Island team did. The fans seemed depressed that the Blueshirts didn’t get swept up by Eric Staal’s Hurricanes. It was almost as if the Islanders victory didn’t have as much meaning as it would have, had the other New York team lost.
It begs to question whether loyalties exist anywhere in sport. The fans, at one point, were as boisterous as people at fraternity parties when members route for their brothers to make a connection with somebody or the keg.
What’s even more of a mystery is that the noise in the Coliseum became almost intolerable when the scoreboard showed the Rangers were losing in the second period. It's understandable for a game-winning goal with 9.6 seconds left in overtime to provide exhiliration; it's not...when the intensity of the fans -- for that goal -- equals the same passion for the Rangers trailing.
There used to be a segment of class (exhibited by the fans) to cheer for one’s team rather than going to equal or greater lengths to jeer a rival (unless the game determined immediate playoff implications or if that squad knocked the fans’ team out). My suggestion: if you’re an Islanders fan, show more patronage for your team and stop worrying about the Rangers.
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