The beginning of the end of the hockey fight?

By Tom
May 22, 2013 – 8:42 pm

I’m planning on writing a summation of the 2013 Columbus Blue Jackets season – honest, I am – but some news out of Montreal broke that I think is worthy of cutting in line.

According to the CBC’s Radio-Canada.ca site (in French), National Hockey League Players Association executive director Donald Fehr shared at a late April meeting with player agents that he’s beginning the process of building consensus toward meaningfully addressing hockey fighting.  By the tone of the article, it looks like Fehr wouldn’t mind eliminating fighting altogether.

What do I mean by that?  Read this Google translation of the above-linked article:

After leading the Association of Major League Baseball players for a quarter century, Fehr found himself at the head of the NHLPA in 2012. Aged about 65 years, he has signed with the NHL collective agreement that could last ten years. It seems that the abolition of fighting is one of the objectives that Fehr is set before bowing out.

“Nothing concrete has been announced to us, but I felt that Fehr was motivated by a genuine desire to address the issue of fighting,” says the Robert Sauvé, who confirmed that he had attended the meeting [of] agent[s].

…

“Fehr told us he was trying to understand the dynamics of fights and he was struggling to understand an athlete can get to defeat another or to injure him in the course of a game. It is a culture that has not known when was working in other sports,” reveals [agent] Gilles Lupien for his part, who was also present at the discussion.

It goes on from there, but I think the message is clear: Don Fehr, one of the two most powerful people in professional hockey, has fighting in his sights.  And there’s good reason to do so:

The accumulation of scientific data confirming the permanent brain damage arising from concussions, the recent deaths of former fighters in the NHL as well as the prosecution and the possibility of a potential class action [lawsuit by] players, it seems , led to a questioning of the [policies of] the NHL.

Change like this won’t happen overnight, but it sure seems like the final chapter on hockey pugilism could have started.

On a personal note: I’ve had a back-and-forth infatuation with the hockey fight (and the personalities who practice the pugilistic arts) over the years, coming to the conclusion that while fighting could have some value as a real on-ice policing tool, the current structure of the rules have limited the hockey fight to a clown show – a way to vent off some steam.  If that’s the case, I don’t see why fighting should be allowed any longer.  Never mind the chilling research about chronic traumatic encephalopathy.  I hope Fehr gets the job done.

Posted in NHL |


On Columbus and the Browns

By Zac
May 22, 2013 – 4:48 pm

At first, anyway, I didn’t think much of the press release in my email this morning about the Browns reaching a deal with a new Columbus sports radio station.

I work on Sundays in the fall, usually, and when I don’t and I’m in Columbus I usually go to a bar and watch 18 football games at once.

Rough gig. Somebody has to do it.

Anyway, the Browns, like all teams, send press releases so people will talk about them. And after I read it, I started thinking about something, and then started thinking about writing something about what I was thinking. That’s how these blogs often work.

And here’s what I think: It would be in the best interest of the Browns to try to matter in Columbus as this latest new group tries to build a brand, have success and sustain it. I’m not alone in my thinking.

“Columbus is an extremely important market to the Browns,” new team president Alec Scheiner said in a statement announcing the deal with 95.5 FM. “This addition to our network will allow our fans in this region to follow all of our games as well as other team programming.”

We know the only way the Browns are going to grow their fan base and visibility is to win on the field, and we know that’s 100 times more important than any marketing deal or radio announcement. But in just a few months on the job the new leadership group has already done a new radio deal in the home market and made several big-money hires in areas pertaining to winning (read: profiting) off the field even if the team isn’t winning on it.

I don’t live in Columbus — at least not on a full-time basis — but I see a lot of Steelers gear when I’m there. And a decent amount of Colts gear, too. And the Bengals are on the rise, and they’re only 110 or so miles away.

Columbus is far and away Ohio’s largest city. In the profit and TV viewer-driven world of the NFL in 2013, it’s a very valuable battle ground.

On Sundays at 1 p.m. in the fall, the Columbus CBS affiliate often has a tough decision to make on which game to show, Bengals or Browns. The way I understand it, showing the Browns almost always used to be the relatively easy call. The results of the last couple years when both teams play in the same window have changed that thinking. The bottom line is, if the Bengals are playing significant games in the back half of the season, the Bengals are going to be on TV.

In that case, Browns fans are going to have to go to the bar (they’re undefeated at that) or to the radio. And over time, the team that’s on more TVs is generally going to both gain and keep the most fans.

Additionally, I don’t know if NFL teams are still going to be leaving town for training camp very often anymore now that the new CBA has eliminated two-a-days and so many teams have so many amenities in their own, full-time buildings. But Browns CEO Joe Banner comes from the Eagles, who always went out of town for camp. And if that’s something the Browns ever explore, Columbus is not only going to be on the list of places to explore but probably at the top. More people equals more money and more buzz, and training camp remains one of the few things in today’s NFL that teams are selling on their own.

Columbus is very much a football town, and there’s every reason to believe it’s going to be home for the next several years (at minimum) to a championship-level football team that plays (almost always) on Saturdays. NFL scouts will be flocking to Ohio State, and it can’t hurt the Browns to make an effort to sell themselves around the city. Whether it’s riding the wave or starting a new one doesn’t matter. Keeping and gaining fans there does.

The NFL reaches its fans 12 months a year these days. The league and its 32 teams like when fans reach into their wallets.

Mostly, this is something to blog and talk about. But with Andrew Luck, the Steelers and the Bengals sharing that 200 or so mile radius, the Browns have a battle on their hands to regain Columbus. It will be interesting to see if they can.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL | Tagged , , |


On Ryan Johansen and your Columbus New Jackets

By Tom
May 21, 2013 – 10:23 pm

With the Columbus Blue Jackets 2013 season over for three weeks now, one doesn’t expect a lot of hockey talk about a team that missed – albeit by a thread – the playoffs.  This early part of the offseason has proven different.

Once the season ended in Central Ohio, the Blue Jackets announced that forward Ryan Johansen and defenseman Dalton Prout were going to head back to the club’s Springfield Falcons AHL affiliate for their playoff run.  The Falcons were 45-22-5 this past season, good enough to win the Northeast Division outright (over the affiliates for their future NHL divisional rivals in the Devils, Rangers, Flyers and Islanders, no less) and second overall in the Eastern Conference.  Sure, the Falcons were helped early on by the CBJ moving the likes of Cam Atkinson, Matt Calvert and Johansen to Springfield to wait out the NHL lockout, but the team’s momentum wasn’t appreciably slower once the NHL fired back up and the Blue Jackets took those youngsters off of coach Brad Larsen’s hands.

Point being, the Falcons were well-positioned to make a deep run into the playoffs this season…and the arrival of Johansen and Prout could only be seen as a positive.  In some ways, their playoff insertion suggested a replay of now-NHL All Star Jamie Benn’s 2010 placement in Austin by the Dallas Stars as the AHL’s Texas Stars.  Benn led the AHL in playoff scoring and drove his “baby” Stars to the Calder Cup finals, loving his experience all the way.  If only we could see the same for Johansen and Prout, right? Read More »

Posted in Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL |


NBA lottery stacks odds against worst of worst

By Sam Amico
May 21, 2013 – 2:03 pm

The Orlando Magic possess the best chance of winning the NBA Draft lottery, which of course means they probably won’t.

That’s just the way the lottery typically works. You lose all season long — then you lose again.

It’s actually a good system, as the league doesn’t reward a team for stinking. You can be awful, the NBA seems to say, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the first overall pick in the draft. You just can’t do worse than third.

Sounds fair.

Unless you’re the Magic, who could really use the No. 1 pick. But history shows that the inception of the lottery in 1985, the team with the worst record has won just four times.

That’s four times … in 27 years.

On the bright side, the Magic were one of those teams, in 2004, when they drafted Dwight Howard.

Coming in with the second-worst record are the Charlotte Bobcats, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

What makes this particularly lottery so interesting is, even if you win it, there’s no clear-cut top prospect. A lot of folks are saying it will come down to Kentucky center Nerlens Noel or Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore.

But Noel tore his ACL in February and McLeMore bombed late in the season and at the draft combine. Still, the draft is all about upside these days, and those two are viewed as the two guys with the most.

If the Magic win the lottery, they’re seem more likely to take McLemore. Same with the Bobcats. If the Cavs or Phoenix Suns (fourth-worst record), they’re more likely to go with Noel.

But that’s just a theory, and most of what happens between now and the June 27 draft will be determined by how well prospects perform when teams bring them in for individual workouts.

If those don’t go well, teams will consider trading their pick. If there ever were a year to do it, league executives have hinted, this is it.

Either way, by the end of the night, the NBA Draft will become very interesting. It just might be as interesting as the team with the league’s worst record may like.

Posted in Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Draft, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs |


Link Sports Ohio for May 21st

By Newswire
May 21, 2013 – 1:00 pm

Here are some of the top sports articles from FOX Sports networks we found for May 21st from 12:06 to 12:11:

Posted in Uncategorized, Wire |


NBA scouting director calls draft ‘deepest in years’

By Sam Amico
May 20, 2013 – 10:38 pm

On the day before the NBA Draft Lottery, the NBA’s senior director of scouting operations says it’s officially time to get excited.

“We’ve got one of the deepest drafts in years,” Ryan Blake said in an interview with Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps on 92.3 The Fan on Monday.

Now, before we go any further, know that Blake is saying pretty much the opposite of what we’ve heard. Most people have said this draft stinks — featuring no clear-cut choice at No. 1 and almost zero star power anywhere.

That may be true, Blake admitted. But that doesn’t mean this draft will be a total waste.

“What you have are a lot of different talented players and a lot of different positions,” he said. “A lot of teams will try to hit a home run, and find that franchise player.”

According to Blake, those players are out there — but it won’t happen overnight.

“You usually don’t know for sure about a guy until after three years,” Blake said. “Even Kobe (Byrant) and (Kevin) Garnett took some time. In this draft, there are so many good players who could develop into that first- or second-option guy.”

One way for rookies to get playing time is via defense, Blake said. In fact, without defense, it’ll be hard to stay on the floor as a first-year player.

And when it comes to defense, this draft has it.

“There are a lot of really good defenders, deep into the second round,” Blake said. “In fact, we’re gonna have a lot (undrafted rookie) free agents that, as soon as the draft is over, teams will be fighting over to get them on their summer team.”

Blake mentioned Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore, Indiana shooting guard Victor Oladipo and Georgetown small forward Otto Porter as the best of the best.

Porter is one name that’s been linked to the Cavaliers should they hold their current spot and draft No. 3.

“I really like Otto,” Blake said. “He played well within the system. At 6-foot-8, he can shoot the ball from the perimeter, and if you’re at Georgetown, you have to show that you can pass. When you have that size from the perimeter, that’s hard to guard.”

Posted in Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Draft, NCAA Basketball, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs |


Link Sports Ohio for May 20th

By Newswire
May 20, 2013 – 3:00 pm

Here are some of the top sports articles from FOX Sports networks we found for May 20th from 14:21 to 14:51:

Posted in Uncategorized, Wire |


14-year-old Guan will play in The Memorial

By Zac
May 20, 2013 – 12:52 pm

The latest next big thing in golf will play in next week’s Memorial Tournament.

The Memorial announced Monday that 14-year-old Chinese amateur sensation Tianlang Guan has accepted an exemption to compete next week at the 38th edition of Jack Nicklaus’ event at Muirfield Country Club in Dublin.

Tianlang became the youngest player to make a cut in a major championship in PGA Tour history at The Masters last month. His invitation to the first major of the season came by way of his victory at the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, and since the Masters has played in two additional PGA events.

“I am very excited to accept the invitation to play at the Memorial Tournament,” Tianlang said in a statement. “It is Jack Nicklaus’ event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person. He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow. My parents and I got the chance to meet him in person at the Masters, and that was one of the highlights of my week at Augusta National. I appreciate a lot the Memorial Tournament for having me there, and it is going to be a great week.”

Said Nicklaus: “I have had the fortunate pleasure of spending time with Guan and his family, and I have found him to be mature beyond his years and very passionate about his development in the game. The performance of this young 14-year-old—who, mind you, is just an eighth-grader—in making the cut at the Masters and then in New Orleans was fantastic. Winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur was a great achievement in and of itself, but his maturity, composure and competitiveness in these two significant events sends a message that this young man has a wonderful future. For the growth of the game internationally, he is a role model for all aspiring Asian amateurs, as well as young boys and girls around the globe, so it is only appropriate to give him another opportunity to compete on a world-class stage.”

Posted in Golf | Tagged , , |


Random music … just for the heck of it

By Pat McManamon
May 18, 2013 – 12:50 pm

Posted in Weekend entertainment |


Xavier’s basketball future looking bright

By Zac
May 17, 2013 – 6:08 pm

Indiana transfer Remy Abell has announced he’ll transfer to Xavier, continuing a strong run of commitments for coach Chris Mack and the Musketeers as they prepare to move to the Big East.

Abell, a 6’4 guard out of Louisville, Ky., played two seasons at Indiana and will have two more at Xavier after sitting out the 2013-14 season.

Also on Friday the school announced the addition of 6’8 Bulgarian forward Aleksandar Vezenkov, who’s played for his country’s junior national team and as an amateur in a Greek pro league. The 17-year old Venenkov is eligible to play next season.

With essentially a whole lineup of five players either concentrating on academics or playing elsewhere last season, a relatively young Xavier team took its lumps and missed the postseason but still finished 17-14. If Jalen Reynolds and Miles Davis get eligible and are ready to contribute for this season, the Musketeers will be in position to take a leap.

Joining Vezenkov in this summer’s incoming freshman class are 6’5 forward Kamall Richards and point guard Brandon Randolph,a  four-star prospect by Scout.com rated as the nation’s 15th best point guard prospect. Big man transfer Matt Strainbook (Cleveland/Western Michigan) will also be eligible this season.

Xavier already has two commits in the class of 2014, from four-star power forward Melvin Swift of Houston and three-star guard Edmond Sumner of Detroit. With Semaj Christon as the likely centerpiece for the next three years, the future for Xavier could be very bright.

Posted in Big East Conference, NCAA Basketball, Xavier | Tagged , , , , , |