3 More Things

MLB Playoffs, Stanley Cup Prediction, The Sports-Casters

1. It has been quite a while since I have blogged and since the show has been moving quickly. It seems like we just don't have enough time to cover all that is going on in the world of sports. The podcasts have been especially packed. Last week, we talked with McLovin from the Dan Patrick Show about the struggling Eagles. We talked to Tim Layden about his book, Sports Illustrated on the iPad, and his time at the track and field world championships in Daegu, Korea. Last, we started previewing the 2011 NHL season with the Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski. We will continue to preview the season with over the course of the next month.

This Tuesday is episode 46 and it might be our best show yet. Gregg Easterbrook from ESPN's Page 2 writes a weekly column called, Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Like Don and I, Mr. Easterbrook is from Buffalo, New York. Also from Buffalo is actor/comedian/producer/media everything Nick Bakay. Nick is new to twitter and was very kind in setting up his appearance on the show. We will also talk to Matt Crossman of The Sporting News. Matt worked extensively on the annual list of top sports markets in the country. The Sporting News is also undergoing some changes in distribution of the magazine and it will be interesting to see what he thinks about the magazines future. Look for EP46 of The Sports-Casters on Tuesday evening.

2. The Major League Baseball playoffs have been nothing if not dramatic. Yankees captain Derek Jeter just missed a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that would have given the Yankees the lead in game five of their Division series against the Tigers. Instead, A-Rod shit the bit in the seventh inning and then made the last out of the game and the last out of the season for the second consecutive year. Tonight, the Brewers rode a walk off single in the tenth inning to their first appearance in the NLCS (They played in the ALCS in 1982). After the dramatic game in Milwaukee, the Phillies and their 102 regular season wins were eliminated by Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals. Carpenter was brilliant pitching eight innings and allowing only three hits. Ryan Howard (like the before mentioned A-Rod) also made his team's final out for the second consecutive season. As bad as that may have hurt Howard, the injury to his achilles could be a pain that continues to ale Phillies fans for years to come.

The baseball has been great, but I can't help but dislike the short five game series in the opening round of the playoffs. It seems like a team like the Phillies isn't given enough advantage for being the best team over the course of a 162 game season. The Phillies finished 12 games better than the Cardinals who didn't even earn a playoff spot until the last day of the regular season. The best of seven series would be more fair than the current format.

I am looking forward to the upcoming ALCS and NLCS. I will take the Rangers over the Tigers in six games and the Brewers over the Cardinals in seven. One last thing about baseball, remember in July at the all-star game when Prince Fielder hit a 3-run home run to give the National League a victory and home field advantage in the World Series? Well, Fielder and the Brewers are only four wins away from the World Series starting in Milwaukee where they were an incredible 57-24 during the regular season. That all-star game home run could turn in to one of the biggest in the games history.

3. As I mentioned earlier, we started previewing the upcoming NHL season last week when the Puck Daddy joined us on the podcast. We will continue to talk about the upcoming season in the coming weeks with Jon Buccigross, Katie Baker, and some of the smartest hockey minds in the media. We will also be doing some athletes spotlight podcasts with players from NCAA Hockey, the AHL, and hopefully the NHL.

In the meantime I wanted to get some predictions for the 2011 season on paper.

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams
Buffalo Sabres (Northeast Champions)
Pittsburgh Penguins (Atlantic Champions)
Washington Capitals (Southeast Champions)
Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadians
Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Rangers

Eastern Conference Champions- Buffalo Sabres

Western Conference Playoff Teams
Vancouver Canucks (Northwest Champions)
Chicago Blackhawaks (Central Champions)
Los Angelas Kings (Pacific Champions)
Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Calgary Flames

Western Conference Champions- Los Angelas Kings

Stanley Cup Finals- The Buffalo Sabers over the Los Angelas Kings in five games.

Last thing, I pre-ordered an iPhone 4S today and it wouldn't have been possible without the innovation of Steve Jobs. I have mentioned many times on this blog and on the podcast how much I enjoy the products that Apple makes. Steve Jobs was an incredible innovator and he will be missed. Rest in peace, Steve.