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September 13, 2004
Weekend Roundup
I spent Friday night with an old friend at Camden Yards, and discovered just how vulnerable the Yankees really are. Could they have really given up 8 runs in the bottom of the third? While I'm sure the Yankees will hold on to win the East, I'd be looking for a quick exit in the first round against either Minnesota or Oakland. Back in New York, the Phillies climbed back into Wild Card contention with a sweep of the Mets -- something which can only hasten the departure of Mets manager Art Howe from New York. Decamping to Baltimore on Friday meant I couldn't watch the U.S.-Finland semifinal in the World Cup of Hockey live, but luckily I had TiVo backing me up. Congrats to Finland on playing a nearly mistake-free game, and for punishing the U.S. for trying to sit on a 1-0 lead. By the way, I'm amazed I was able to stay awake to watch the entire game, as the defense-first strategy of both teams produced a mighty stultifying matchup. On the other hand, the other semifinal between Canada and the Czech Republic on Saturday really was hockey at its best, and evoked echoes of the epic 1996 OT semifinal between Canada and Sweden. For one of the few times in the tourament, we actually witnessed a team come back to tie a game from a greater than single goal deficit. Kudos to Colby Cosh's employer, Canada's National Post for predicting the Canada-Finland final (I don't have the permalink, but trust me on this) -- which has the potential to be a snoozer if Finland plays it as close to the vest as they did on Friday night. Snoozer or not, I'll be parked in front of the television as it's likely to be the last hockey we see for a long, long time. Last year in Baltimore, I watched the Ravens absolutely humble Jeff Garcia and the San Francisco 49ers. But yesterday, at the control of his new team, the Cleveland Browns, Garcia (who might have had other things on his mind) simply willed his team to victory -- with a little help fromn a defense that finally figured out how to tackle Jamal Lewis. It couldn't have helped the Ravens that starting left tackle Jonathan Ogden was out with an injury (something Cleveland's Kennard Lang took advantage of with three sacks). Even worse, was the fact that none of the Ravens wide receivers seemed to be able to get open downfield -- and when they did they simply couldn't hold on to the ball. Memo to Ozzie Newsome: it's time to cut bait when it comes to former first round pick Travis Taylor, who has proven time and again that he simply can't get it done. And finally, I'd be remiss not to note that Major League Baseball let another deadline to announce the fate of the Montreal Expos to pass without comment last week. Though I've tried my best to keep a close eye on this issue at Off Wing, there really isn't any reason to until a municipality somewhere passes the legislation needed to pay for a new ballpark -- no matter where that ballpark might actually be. The fact remains that Major League Baseball will never have more leverage against local governments when it comes to a ballpark than they do right now. And once a team is officially awarded, that leverage disappears. If you must torture yourself, check in with Distinguished Senators every now and then. But I'm afraid that unless D.C. or Virginia passes some sort of enabling legislation, that everything said and written until then is just so much hot air and cold type. UPDATE: Rejoice Mets fans!
Eric
07:03 AM
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsWow. POY. That should dispell those 'lisp' rumors. Posted by: at September 13, 2004 11:24 AM This has always been my favorite time of year (sports-wise), but the whole NHL thing has cooled me off a bit. Sure, I'll watch the end of the World Cup, but my heart is breaking because of the looming lock-out. I know it may sound a tad dramatic, but ice hockey is my favorite flavor of sport, and all this stuff is frustrating (to say the least.) Posted by: at September 13, 2004 12:48 PM Team Finland is becoming the New Jersey Devils of international hockey. Between the trap and the lockout it is no wonder that some folks are thinking about cricket! Posted by: at September 13, 2004 04:31 PM Post a commentThanks for signing in, . (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) |