Mid-Week sports thoughts #collegefootball #NCAA #CFL #football #sports

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It may be early August with baseball in final stretch of the regular season AND PGA Fed-Ex playoffs are on but my mind has turned to the weekend of Aug 24 and the kickoff of the College Football Season. 

Have found it very difficult to get email newsletters from teams.  Am in the midst of reading the Street and Smith preview and there is so much info to glean. 

An early thought is that the Miami Hurricanes may not be very good this year.  I think they are going in with a lot of holes and issues.  I would love to see a new team in the CFP so maybe a PAC 12 team can go undefeated and grab the 4th spot?

The CFL is heading towards the halfway point and the standings are tight.  This week’s battles could tell how things are looking.  Can Saskatchewan take down Montreal in Montreal?  Can Edmonton get their 5th win?  Does Hamilton bounce back?  Going to be fun!

Mr. N The Sports Fan

NBA Summer League. . . disappointing or exciting? You be the judge #NBA #basketball #sports

I was excited to watch NBA Summer league to see the greats from college highlighted and featured.  But no. 

What is it 90% of the time?

Interviews with NBA stars and such who sit on the sidelines. 

What is the point of broadcasting and interview show instead of talking about the kids?

Mr. N the Sports Fan

It Would Be Great if @LoyolaChicago @RamblersMBB Could Win It All #MarchMadness #FinalFour #CollegeHoops #OnwardLU

 

I enjoyed watching Loyola-Chicago win their conference championship during #ChampWeek but I never thought they would power on past the second day of March Madness. It is so amazing they are in the Final Four and Sister Jean is there with them! I doubt they can do it but they have surprised everyone so far!

 

Go #Ramblers!

 

Mr. N The College Hoops Fan

Is #CollegeHoops Success Simply Scoring More? #collegebasketball #NCAA

 

Been very busy with life and vacation lately but here I am and baseball season is about to start so watch out!

 

However it is still college basketball season and I have watched more hoops this year than ever before. I have noticed an interesting simplicity about the game. Literally if you score more, you win. The biggest changes in games come in ‘runs’ – a team opens on a 10-0 run and the other team never gets back.

 

A team is up by 8 but allows a 10-0 run and loses. The issue isn’t that one team hits every shot. You don’t have to hit 100% to be a winner. Good teams hit every 2 of 4 in a game and in many cases can score 3 in a row. The teams that struggle miss 3 shots in a row often. The margin in basketball can be very slim. You shoot and miss, the opposition puts in a transition 3, you shoot and miss, the other side hits a 3 and it’s 6-0. Add another miss and a 2 and suddenly you are down 8.

 

To win, you really have to hit at least every other shot to the 40% point.

 

Mr. N The College Hoops Fan

Expansion #Hockey Talk: Vegas Golden Knights @GoldenKnights #NHL #VegasBorn

Photo Credit: http://static.lakana.com/nxsglobal/lasvegasnow/photo/2017/03/06/vegas%20golden%20knights_1488828518854_17977466_ver1.0_640_360.jpg

 

All the talk about Las Vegas setting the record for most wins by an expansion team brought two things to mind.

 

1 – I sincerely doubt the NHL will allow a team to be created the same way as nothing is as galling to an established team as being taken to the woodshed by the newbie.

 

2 – I think expansion and I think Washington Capitals. Now that was an expansion team! (The stats reminders come from the good people at the hockeydb.com) Washington went an amazing 8-67 in 1974-75. Their two goalies (Ron Low and Michel Belhumeur) allowed an average of well more than 5 goals a game and were somewhat responsible for the superb scoring that was done in the NHL that year and the next.

 

That is what expansion is supposed to do…inspire good teams and good players to succeed while the owners of the other teams count expansion fees.

 

This new order where Las Vegas is going to challenge for the Stanley Cup is indeed something not seen in the early days of the NHL post original six!

 

Mr. N The Hockey Fan

Baseball Collusion: A History Lesson for Those Who are Too Young to Remember #MLB #MLBPA #baseball #sports

 

 

There is a lot of blather over the state of the free agent market in baseball today. Certain agents are dropping the C word and saying the lack of huge deals is co-ordinated. Baseball colluded between 1985 and 1987 when star players became free agents and got NO offers. People like Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Ron Guidry, Tim Raines got no offers and resigned with their teams. Super stars like Rod Carew and solid power hitters like Dave Kingman got no offers and retired. That was a scandal and baseball was rightly held accountable.

 

 

Fast forward 30 years and the claims are being made again. Well there is a huge difference. Players have been offered huge 5 year deals and have declined them. JD Martinez was offered 5 yrs and 125 million from Boston but wanted 7 years. Eric Hosmer was offered 7 yrs and 147 million to stay in KC but wants more than 7 years. Both of those remain unsigned as part of the group ‘no one wants’. That is so much horse manure you could fertilize the back forty.

 

 

Owners are offering huge deals that are 5 years or less and players *AND AGENTS* wants 7 to 10 year deals. Getting offers and turning them down isn’t collusion. Getting no offers from any team is collusion.

 

 

 

Mr. N The Baseball Fan

Under the Radar Team: @saintmaryshoops #NCAA #collegehoops #basketball

Had the pleasure of watching St. Mary’s play the other night and, my oh my, is there an under the radar top 20 team playing out west right now!

Saint Mary’s basketball team is built as a team and they do everything well.  They are top 6 in FG%, Assists, 3pters, takeaways.  They are fast, smart, efficient and accurate.

I think the St. Mary’s is about as good of a lock to make it to the 32 and have a good shot at Sweet Sixteen as there is in college hoops.

 

Mr. N The College Hoops Fan

Monday Morning #Hockey Thought – Toronto Maple Leafs #TMLTalk #MapleLeafs #NHL #AustonMatthews

Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports

Random thought over NHL weekend…

 

I have watched more Leafs games this year than I have since Gilmour took them to the final four last century.  I have enjoyed watching Auston Matthews play.  Often he seems like he is playing a level above all those around him.

 

The Leafs currently sit in a playoff spot but don’t seem to be able to make a move to go up further in their division.  Their goaltender has publicly stated he thinks several people think just making the playoffs is enough.

 

That is too bad as that mirrors what the organization felt for the last couple of decades.  The team can make good $$$ simply having two playoff home games.  To go further takes more effort.

 

I still think they need a plus Goaltender to add to the already potent offense to make the move.  Can Toronto draft/acquire a Goalie who can bring back the days of Felix The Cat? Even Mike Palmateer?  We will see.

Any Leafs fans out there? What are your thoughts?

 

Mr. N The Hockey Fan

How Bout Dem Houston Cougars? #collegehoops #NCAA #GoCoogs

 

How bout dem Houston Cougars?

 

We have had the pleasure to catch a couple of the Cougars games lately. We watched one where they put up a scorching 50+ in the first half. The Cougars are a scoring machine.

 

They may lack a bit on D now and again but they are a fun watch. I think if a team sleeps on them in the tournament they can at least get to to the 2nd round.

 

I loved the Cougars Football team with Andre Ware and it’s fun to watch them unload 3’s on the court!

 

Mr. N The College Hoops Fan

A Hockey Thought for a Tuesday #NHL #hockey #sports #blog

What is the deal with Michael Grabner? 

 

I will fill in the world with some facts about my hockey interest.  Was a huge fan thru about 1994 and then gave up the game.  Have watched a bit this year with the arrival of Austin Matthews in Toronto but NCAA basketball has taken over my viewing the last month.

 

As to Grabner, he is a forward with the Rangers and currently sits with 20 goals and only 4 assists.  That kind of stat line is unheard of.  When Grabner was 18g and 3a, he was tied with someone from 1927-1928 for most points least assists. *that evidently comes first from the NY Post*

My thoughts are … is Grabner afraid to pass?  Does his stick only shoot but not pass?  Is he just the NHL version of Carmelo Martinez?

I have seen the greatest goal scorers in the history of hockey and the most selfish would be able to score 40 and get 20 assists.  To be on pace for 40 goals with 8 assists is ludicrous and makes my head hurt.

Mr. N, Hockey Fan