John Hangs Up the Headset

(Say it ain’t so John)
“No one has made the sport more interesting, more relevant and more enjoyable to watch and listen to than John,” quote from broadcast partner Al Michaels. I couldn’t have said it better myself. The decision came as a shock to the entire business. He could’ve gone another 30 years. But to be realistic, it was his decision to leave. He was not forced out due to illness, crummy bosses or even being bored. John went out on his own terms. Very rare that this happens in this day in age. We always think we know when it’s time for athletes to leave the sport, but ultimately we should hold back and let them decide. It comes as a shock when those in our business leave when they still have so much more to give. Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas passed away just last week before a game against the Nationals. We will dearly miss Harry’s “Out of here” homerun call during every Phillie game and his brilliant narration on NFL films.

John is one of the reasons why I have gotten into the broadcasting world. Growing up I had no idea this man was a former coach. I figured he was just a regular guy who really loved football and knew a lot about the game. Of course as I grew older I realized this guy was a great coach who went out on top. The best winning percentage of any NFL head coach with at least 100 victories. Thirty years being the voice of the NFL. It’s hard to believe he’s been giving us great analysis for that long. I truly will miss him talking about the 49ers in the early 90’s with Pat Summerall. Him fumbling (pardon the pun) his words talking about Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. That will be one thing missing with Cris Collinsworth taking his place. Cris is good, but he’s not John Madden. No one will be.

I think my other contributor J.R. (who is a die hard Raider fan) will agree with me in saying that John deserves all the happiness and prosperity in retirement that he can get. Just don’t take a job in the Raiders organization. I don’t know how this came about, but John does not need it. Oakland needs him, not vice versa. Stay away from there John. Only bad things can happen there. John is an icon not just for football broadcasters, but all of them in any sport. We will miss him and hope he lives out the rest of his life to the fullest. You also made one hell of a video game John. Madden football rules.

Beckett Needs to Wake Up

He really does. Let me set the scene for you. For example. Team A is playing at home against Team B. Team B’s pitcher, in first inning mind you, is in a jam. A runner on second and a good hitter at the plate. The pitcher waits nearly 12 seconds before finally throwing the ball towards home plate. Team A’s batter waits as long before asking the umpire for time. Key word “asking” for time. Knowing the umpire might not grant it. Time was granted. The pitcher saw that time was called, but in a split second decided to throw the ball. It happens. The momentum of his delivery carries him forward and he releases it. Not at the guy’s head though.
(Josh will get to do a lot of sitting)

With that, Team A’s batter was Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu and Team B’s pitcher was Red Sox starter Josh Beckett (pictured above). Now I’m not one to label anyone a head hunter. That’s not the label I’m giving Beckett. He is a very emotional and competitive guy. Just look at his postseason numbers for one. But I will go as far as to call him a dirty player though. You don’t throw at a guy’s head. In any situation. Baseball has it’s unwritten rules when it comes to retaliation. Bean him in the hip, butt, foot even as high as the back. Never the shoulder, neck or noggin. There is also a double standard in Baseball when it comes to when guys get thrown out. If Abreu had taken one step towards the mound, “Your Out.” Beckett however, waltzed toward the plate appearing more upset than Abreu. For what? I get that picther’s don’t like it when batters call time when their about to throw. I get that. Time was awarded to him Josh. Get mad at the ump.
(Don’t pull a hammy there Joe)

To make matters worse was the umpire crew at the game. Lead by crew chief Joe West (pictured above) who was at second base and not at home where the incident started. The only thing I remember Joe for, outside of Baseball mind you, is his apperance at the end of the first “Naked Gun” movie. That was a great 25-30 minute baseball scene at the end. Classic. Anyway, where was I, right, Joe West started to toss people. Four in all. From the same team, that didn’t even start the incident. Beckett was not tossed, but Torii Hunter was. Guess the reason. Give up? Yelling. Mickey Hatcher was next. The reason, yelling. Justin Speier was the third to go for the same reason. Manager Mike Scioscia decided to yell some more the following inning and of course he was going to follow suit. That set the tone for that boneheaded crew.
(Hey Josh, how about throwing it to Varitek, not my head)

Beckett’s quote is priceless. It’s right up there with Patrick Ewing’s during the 1999 NBA Lockout. “We make a lot of money, but we spend a lot of money to.” Beautiful. Here is Beckett’s, “I don’t really feel like I’ve done anything, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. Am I supposed to give him a hug? I wasn’t really in a hugging mood right then. I really don’t know what he wanted me to do.” Nothing wrong Josh? A guy almost got hit in the head. Did the sun blind you as you threw the ball towards his head? That’s one excuse you haven’t used yet. Again, I’m not calling him a head hunter, but this is not a case of the ball slipped or I didn’t have enough pine tar. Believe me, these guys aren’t hiding it. Who said you had to hug him? Here’s a thought. You made a mistake, own it and people will forgive. Maybe not right away, but they will. You did not have to throw the ball when time was given. Check the video for yourself. Six games is nothing. One freakin start. You sit the other five days anyway. This could’ve been avoided. You have a lot to learn there Becks. Joe, this doesn’t help your image. “Naked Gun” or not. Baseball needs to put pitchers on notice to. And they’ve done that starting with Josh Beckett.

NBA Playoff Preview

The 2009 NBA Playoffs some say will not provide much excitement or intrigue. It’ll be similar to the NCAA tournament which I just woke up from. We’ll I say to them, where have you been? Yes the great teams are easy to pick from the good teams, but it will not be sweeps galore this year. On the contrary, it will be better than all the summer movies from last year. Well, except Dark Knight, but anyway here are the preview and predictions for the first round.

Eastern Conference Round 1

1 Cleveland vs. 8 Detroit

I don’t see much of a fight here from Detroit. No Allen Iverson or Chauncey Billups. What a stupid trade that was Joe Dumars. A deteriorating Rasheed Wallace and really no identity on offense. LeBron James will run up and down the court on their division rival. Mo Williams will light it up from all over. The one area I’ll give Detroit the advantage is that they will have their offseason plans down before this series is over. I mean really, does D-Town have a chance? Cavs in 5 games.

4 Atlanta vs. 5 Miami

The Hawks have a great trio of Al Horford, Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith. Not to mention a good point guard in Mike Bibby. Their bench is stronger compared to last year primarily with the addition of Ronald Murray. Miami has MVP candidate Dwayne Wade and a slew of young talent. Jermaine O’Neal will provide a boost, but the Hawks are better on both sides of the court and with more experience than the young Heat. Miami will be back next year, but Atlanta will build on last year and this years success. Hawks in 6 games.

3 Orlando vs. 6 Philadelphia

Orlando would’ve been the number 2 seed if not for Jameer Nelson’s shoulder injury. Still this a formidable team. When you have Dwight Howard in the middle and the 76ers have. The Sixers have hmm… Sorry I lost the name, Samuel Dalembert. Nuff said. The Magic live and die by the three. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu have to get their shot going to get Orlando into the conference finals. The Sixers do have a great player in Andre Igoudala, but past that they don’t have enough to upset the Magic. Orlando in 6 games.

2 Boston vs. 7 Chicago

With the injury to Kevin Garnett it should be noted that they still are the defending champs and still are the team to beat. On that note, the Celtics are not going to repeat. Yes Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are still great players and Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, and Leon Powe have been better. They still need Garnett. Playoffs are different from the regular season. I can’t wait to see Derrick Rose vs. Rondo. That is a great matchup to watch. The Bulls have a good seven man rotation with Brad Miller and John Salmons added from the Kings at the deadline. This will be a competitive series, but the champs will prevail in 6 games.

Western Conference Round 1

1 LA Lakers vs. 8 Utah

The Lakers are healthy and ready for another run at a championship. The deepest team in the league from top to bottom. Utah doesn’t have a great chance, but a chance. Carlos Boozer has been struggling since his return and the bench has been lackluster. The lone bright spot has been Deron Williams. The Lakers lone weak spot is on defense. Specifically at point. I’m a huge Derek Fisher fan, but it is getting harder to watch him against the elite point guards. With that, the Lakers have no threat of losing this one. LA in 5 games.

4 Portland vs. 5 Houston

No team has flirted with greatness and disappointed so many with it. The Rockets have that chance now with this series against a hungry, young, upstart Portland squad. Yao Ming has to step up here. Now is his chance to show his worth. If the Rockets can beat the Blazers, it will be a huge accompishment. He hasn’t seen the second round of the playoffs. Ron Artest has been a model citizen so far. The True Warrior has to be at his best to help the Rockets. Portland has Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge as their top scorers. Both teams have great depth and it should be a pretty even matchup. The Blazers need to neutralize Yao and keep Artest quiet to avoid watching the rest of the playoffs from home. Portland in 7 games.

3 San Antonio vs. 6 Dallas

A Texas sized rivalry between these two. Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki will be a site to see. Tony Parker will be the key. He has to be the agressor against Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. Dallas is not as deep as they’ve been in the past. It will show against the Spurs who are using the mix of veterans and youngsters to perfection. No Manu Ginobili will be a blow to the Spurs. A friend of mine said “So goes Ginobili, so go the Spurs.” And that will be true in these playoffs. Spurs in 6 games.

2 Denver vs. 7 New Orleans

The Nuggets have come a long way. Trading Allen Iverson was the best move they could’ve ever done. Chauncey Billups should get more MVP votes than he will. The Hornets have been inconsistent all year. Nearly trading Tyson Chandler (if the Thunder didn’t refuse the trade) and not having the same intensity from last year have been some of the problems with this team. Chris Paul and David West have been stellar. James Posey will prove his worth here, but with Billups, Carmelo Anthony and former Hornet J.R. Smith coming off the bench, Denver can easily score 100 in every game. Nuggets in 6 games.

NHL Playoff Preview

It’s the most exciting time of the year for hockey fans. The 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will provide great matchups and some of the best hockey you will ever see. The first round promises to be very competitive with virtually no chance of any first round sweeps. Let’s get started with the preview and predictions for the first round.

Eastern Conference Round 1

1 Boston vs. 8 Montreal

This is perhaps the most lopsided matchup in the playoffs. The Bruins finished with the most points since their Cup winning season in 72′. This is a great rivalry that should be mentioned, but with Vezina candidate Tim Thomas in net and captain D Zdeno Chara leading the way. The Bruins have nothing stopping them. Montreal’s 100th season will result in a 4-1 series loss to rival Boston.

2 Washington vs. 7 NY Rangers

Star power galore in this one. Hart trophy winner Alex Ovechkin (yes he will win), Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom for the Caps. Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden for the Rangers. The most intriguing matcup is G Henrik Lundqvist against the scoring onslaught of the Capitals. Henrik will be lucky to win 2 games in this series, but I will give him two as the Caps win 4-2. JR’s boy Sean Avery is back in the playoffs. What will he do this time? (Avery is really not JR’s boy, J/K)

3 New Jersey vs. 6 Carolina

I’ve been going back and forth on this one. Carolina has finished the season better than any playoff team. G Cam Ward is as good if not better than their Stanley Cup run a few years ago. New Jersey on the other hand has finished the season in the worst way. Going 4-5-1 in their last 10 games was not how they wanted to enter the playoffs. Eric Staal is primed for another great postseason for the Canes. Carolina wins 4-2. A record season for Brodeur will go down in flames.

4 Pittsburgh vs. 5 Philadelphia

Coach Dan Bylsma has taken the Penguins from the bottom to home ice in the first round. Amazing accomplishment considering how abysmal this team was playing in February and early March. Nonetheless it’s a rematch of last years conference final. Crosby and Malkin is all you have to say about Pittsburgh. Yes Gonchar will be a factor on defense, but lets be honest. Everyone will be watching the Kid and Malkin. Philly isn’t too shabby either. Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell and Daniel Briere are great forwards. Kimmo Timonen is healthy for this rematch. Ultimately it will all come down to goaltending. Go figure. Martin Biron for the Flyers and Marc-Andre Fleury for the Penguins. Who will outduel the other? I have Fleury and Pens in 7 games.

Western Conference Round 1

1 San Jose vs. 8 Anaheim

President’s Trophy winner for the best record San Jose has to play division rival Anaheim who played probably the best hockey of anyone just to get in. I could go on and on about the Ducks, but I will hold back. Thanks to the great play of the Niedermayer brothers, Chris Pronger and Bobby Ryan down the stretch along with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and goalie Jonas Hiller the Ducks are in position to upset their rivals. The Sharks have had rotten luck in the past. You can attribute that to bad finishes, sluggish starts or some have said flat out quitting when it comes to the postseason. I think it’s different this year. Rob Blake and Dan Boyle were great additions. Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau are the backbone of their attack. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov has to be up to form to stop the Ducks if they want to contend for the Cup. Randy Carlyle has a tough decision at goalie. Go with experience (J.S. Giguere) or go with youth (Jonas Hiller). I have a saying that I got from someone else whose name escapes me, “Go with what got ya there.” With that said I have to go with my head and not my heart. Sharks in 7 games.

2 Detroit vs. 7 Columbus

Poor Columbus. Their first postseason birth since coming into existence and they have to play the defending champs. Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetteberg. Oh, and Nicklas Lidstrom. That is all I have to say about Detroit. Really, same team from last year with Marian Hossa. That’s the Red Wings. Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason (yes he will win) and his 10 shutouts for a rookie goalie will make some amazing plays in this series, but it won’t be enough. Everyone who doesn’t know already will finally get to see Rick Nash in the national spotlight for the Blue Jackets. Nash will get at least five goals, but Columbus will lose to the defending champs 4-2.

3 Vancouver vs. 6 St. Louis

The Canucks came up and basically slapped Calgary out of the division lead. Vancouver is a great defensive team and will not allow easy goals. Goalie Roberto Luongo is in my opinion the best goalie in the NHL today. The Sedin twins are solid and even late arrival Mats Sundin is playing good hockey. The Blues have had a ressurgence in the blink of an eye this year. No one had them in let alone getting the sixth seed. Paul Kariya is banged up which will hurt the Blues tremendously. Good defense, but inexperienced. As is goalie Chris Mason, but he might surprise some people. He was doing that all season long (27-21 W-L, 2.41 GAA, .916 S%, 6 SO). The Canucks have the advantage though in all the important areas. Cancuks win 4-1.

4 Chicago vs. 5 Calgary

The Blackhawks are here to stay. First playoff appearance since 2002. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Martin Havlat have lead the way on offense. While Brian Campbell, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have on defense. Sammy Pahlsson was a great addition for the Hawks and it will show in the postseason. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has returned to Stanley Cup champion form at the right time for this young team. If Khabibulin continues, it will lead to a conference final for these guys. Calgary struggled after their deadline deals. The Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold deals were supposed to ignite the Flames (pardon the pun) into a competition for the second seed with Detroit. Alas it backfired and resulted in losing out on the second seed, the division title and home ice in the first round. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who lead the NHL in wins, still has something left. With Jarome Iginla playing at a high level the Flames will not go out that easily. Youth will prevail in this series. Chicago is a darkhorse in these playoffs. Blackhawks win 4-2.

For more NHL playoff previews and analysis check out hockeytalk.biz. You’ll be glad you did.

Welcome Sports Fans

This is the start of something special. Most blogs that I’ve seen (about sports mind you) will not give you the kind of insight, analysis and of course opinions that this one will. This will be a first for myself, an avid sports fan. You will get a weekly column that will be up every Friday, daily discussion of the day in sports and it wouldn’t be a great sports blog without my co-host on KLBC J.R. Reed. Stay tuned for insightful, honest, and funny posts in the near future.

Wes the Sports Guy
KLBC 1610AM in Long Beach, CA