Here Comes the NHL Playoffs

We have spent the last few blogs speculating and guessing what the first round playoff matchups might be. Now that some guy I have never heard of has won the Masters, and the Minnesota Wild have closed the door on the Dallas Stars, we can analyze all eight of the first round series. The best  of them are sexy enough to bring  Jason Day's wife to her knees. The worst of them are still better that Tiger Wood's attitude after golfing. 

Eastern Conference

#1 versus #8

How they got Here: Just a few days ago it seemed like the Rangers would be the odd team out in the Eastern Conference. Instead, Carolina shit the bed at home and lost 6-2 to the Lightning and opened the door for the Rangers. Washington took advantage of Philadelphia sputtering to the finish and took over first place in the east. 

Key Player: Chris Drury played his first game on Saturday since February 2. On his first shift, he tied the game and gave the team a much needed lift. Drury has struggled since becoming a Ranger in July of 2007. All of that could change with a deep playoff run. 

Key Stat: All of the Eastern Conference playoff teams had a plus goal differential. All of the Eastern Conference teams that missed the playoffs had a negative goal differential. The Rangers at +35 are slightly better than the +27 Capitals. Goals are going to be the key to this series. Can the Capitals score enough of them? The 224 they scored during the regular season are the least amongst Eastern Conference playoff teams. The Rangers do not bring weak goaltending to the dance, and if the Capitals can't score early, they will get tight and face another early exit.

Prediction: Washington is going to play these games close to match with their new style. The problem is that New York will welcome a series decided 2-1, 1-0, and so on. The Rangers have the better goalie and I will take them in 7.

#2 versus #7

How they got Here: The Flyers were #1 on ESPN's power rankings and seamed to be coasting to the #1 seed. Since the, without Chris Pronger, the Flyers finished 6-6-5 and fell to second place in the East. The Sabres started the season 4-9-2 and didn't win a home game until November. Since January 1, the Sabres earned 60 points, more than any other team in the east. They head to the playoffs on a 8-1-1 in their last 10. 

Key Player: There are some obvious choices, but for my money, I will pick Tyler Myers as the key to the series. Myers was awful the first month of the season and so were the Sabres. Myers was great the last month of the season and so were the Sabres. You could make a case that as he goes they go. If the Sabres are glowing to slow the high scoring Flyers then Tyler Myers is going to have to stand tall in front of Miller. 

Key Stat: The Flyers are 3rd in the league in goals scored per game. Claude Giroux is their leading scorer with 76 points. That is far from an Art Ross total, but the Flyers have 7 other players with forty points or more.  

Prediction: The Sabres are the hottest team in the NHL. I will ride the wave, Sabres in 6. 

#3 versus #6

How they got Here: The Bruins were solid in the regular season basically coasting through the Northeast Division and making many enemies along the way with big, tough, and intimidating play. The are very balanced fifth in goals per game and second in goals against. Tim Thomas should be a Veznia finalist. The Canadians are one of only two teams from Canada in the playoffs and the pressure of that burden will build up with each playoff defeat. The Canadians are seventh on the power play and seventh on the penalty kill. Special teams will play a huge part in this series if the Canadians are to win it. 

Key Player: Zdeno Chara recklessly slamming Max Pacioretty into the now infamous stanchion near the benches at the Belle Centre has helped juice up this often intense original-six rivalry. I expect this series to be intense, physical, and very demanding. P.K. Subban is the key player in this series. He needs to get under Boston's skin while maintaining his cool and avoiding bad penalties. He also needs to chip in offensively and make a difference on the power-play. 

Key Stat: Mike Cammalleri failed to score twenty goals for the first time since the 2007-2008 season. In 67 games played this season, Cammalleri scored 19 goals. Last year in the playoffs Cammalleri scored 13 goals in 19 games. Cammalleri's goal total will be a key stat in this series. He will need to produce for the Canadians to win. 

Prediction: I love the Bruins in this series. I don't know where the Canadians will get goals from. Bruins in 5.

#4 versus #5

How they got Here: The Penguins got here by playing close games and winning them. The Penguins won 10 games in the shoot-out tied with Los Angelas for the most in the League. Despite key players lost to injury, the Penguins scratched and crawled their way to a very impressive  104 points. Tampa Bay returns to the playoffs for the first time since the 2006-2007 season. Steve Yzerman has done a good job putting together a playoff team, and the emergence of Steven Stamkos has helped. The Lightning are riding into the playoffs having won 7 of their last 10 games. 

Key Player: Without Crosby, and without Malkin, the key player in this series will be Jordan Staal. Barley 23 years old, Jordan Staal has already played in 60 playoff games. That kind of experience will be huge against a Tampa team with plenty of players making their first appearance in the playoffs. 

Key Stat: 66. When you say 66 in Pittsburgh it mean one thing, one five letter word, Mario. This season, 66 is the number of points Sidney Crosby had when he left the lineup with a concussion. Second on the team in points is Kris Letang with 50. 

Prediction: Even without Sid, the Penguins have been consistent all year. If Sid comes back, I will feel even better about this pick, Penguins in 7. 

Western Conference

http://thesportscasters.blogspot.com/2011/04/western-conference.html

8 Photos, Updating the Playoff Picture

A Night to Remember at HSBC Arena and 8 Fancy Pictures

The headline is quite profound, it was an incredible night at HSBC Arena. Billed, Fan Appreciation Night, thousands of people assembled in the plaza outside of the arena hours before the game started to catch a glimpse of one of the eighty former Sabres back for the celebration. 


I took $40 out of the automatic teller machine before heading downtown. I spend the first $10 at Anderson's on a couple of Roast Beef on Weck sandwiches. I spent $10 to make sure I parked between the lines in my favorite lot just a few short blocks away from the Arena. I spend $10 on two cookies frosted with the Sabres logo (Photo #1 above). I spent the last $10 on ten 50/50 raffle tickets. I didn't buy the winner, but someone did, and they collected a cool 64K for their efforts.

When the fans decided to make their way from the plaza outside to their seat inside they were greeted at the door with a Sabres version of the terrible towel and a program that's cover was a tribute to Richard Martin (Photo #2 above).

The cool thing about everyone getting to their seats early was that almost 16,000 people got to enjoy the warmup (Photo #3 above). At this point, Greg was texting me from his baller seat in the 200 level and Tammy was searching the concourse for a fresh glass of Piels (her favorite beer). 

As you can see in picture #4, over 80 former Sabres took a bow and waved to the crowd as they were introduced alphabetically by decade. Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert got a loud pop as they carried a Rick Martin jersey out to the the ice. Darren Puppa was a nice surprise and my favorite player in attendance to represent the Eighties. Pat LaFontaine got the biggest pop of the night and it was great to have Mike Peca in the arena, a clear sign that the bitterness of his contract holdout is behind everyone involved.

People love to sit on the "shoot-twice" side of the arena, and I can understand why. However, sitting on the "shoot-once" side (see picture 5, above) has its advantages. I would say that a majority of the time both sides are equally good. Tonight, the Sabres fell behind 1-0 after 1. Then they stormed out of the intermission to outshoot the Flyers 8-0 in the first five minutes of the period and stole the lead on goals by Gerbe and Pominville. Not to be dominated completely, the Flyers scored a shorthanded goal, and penalty time just expired as they scored another, allowing them to head into the locker room with a 3-2 lead. 

That is my seat (photo #6). I sit there around twenty regular season games a year. That seat is in Section 323, Row, 6, Seat 1. As part of fan appreciation night, all of the Sabres players were giving their jersey off their backs to a randomly selected season ticket holder. During the course of the game, a video would play on the screen featuring the given player and him announcing the winning seat and the lucky season ticket holder that would meet them after the game to claim the jersey off their backs. Late in the second period, Tyler Myers made the following announcement, "Hey Fans, If you are sitting in section 323, row 7, seat 1 you have just won the jersey off my back. I will see you after the game." ROW 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One row away. Seriously? Instead of a die hard Buffalonian, the jersey was claimed by a lawyer from Toronto named, Rob. He and his son Sawyer were like giddy school girls anticipating a meeting with Justin Bieber. A cute little thing working for the Sabres came in-between periods and gave Rob his instructions. (See photo 7, below)

(Rob is a great guy, a fantastic father, and a huge Tyler Myers fan. If someone besides me had to win the jersey, I am glad it was him.)

Sometimes, to be polite about it, the crowd inside the HSBC Arena sucks. The fans are negative, scream "shoot" constantly, and are just too quiet. Tonight was not one of those nights. The crown brought their A game. In the third period Gerbe scored the goal of the season to tie the game at three. Fans cheered, gave high-five, and waived their free towels (Picture 8, above). The last minute of the game proved to be uncontested, as the Sabres held the puck in their own zone and the Flyers chose not to forecheck. As the time ticked away, the crowd got louder, appreciating the fact that a team that started 3-9-4 had clinched a spot in the NHL Playoffs for the second straight season and for the fourth time out of six since the lockout ended. Overtime lasted only seconds. Thomas Vanek picked up a puck at his own blue-line, knocked away a defender at his blue-line, and pounded on the turbo button flying towards the goalie where he went back hand, top-shelf, game over. After a 4-3 victory, on a historic night, the Sabres met at center to salute a fan base that has always been there for them. 

Updating the Eastern Conference Playoffs

Going into the last weekend of the season, The Sabres can begin to prepare for 3 teams, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Boston are the only teams that the Sabres can face. The Sabres can't finish 8th and Washington has clinched 1st, therefor the Sabres and Capitals wont meet in round one (thank god). The Sabres can finish 6th if they can gain a point on Montreal tomorrow. If so, they will face Boston. If not, the Sabres will finish 7th and face the winner of the Atlantic Division. The Penguins and Flyers are tied going into game #82, but the Flyers own the tiebreaker. So like the Sabres, the Penguins will have to gain a point on the Flyers if they hope to finish second.

In other words, if the Sabres finish 6th, they play Boston in round one. 

If the Sabres finish 7th, they play Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. 

If everything stays the same as it is now, the Eastern Conference Playoffs would look like this:

1. Washington vs. 8. Carolina

It seems like the Rangers are going to be the odd-team-out in the race for the playoffs. Based on Fridays results, The Rangers need to defeat the Devils and hope Carolina looses to Tampa Bay. Ovechkin vs. Staal would be a good first round matchup and Cam Ward is going to be the best goalie in the series. Carolina could upset Washington. 

2. Philadelphia vs. 7. Buffalo

The Sabres and Flyers will play a very exciting series if they match up. The Sabres are streaking towards the playoffs, but the Flyer are sputtering in. 

3. Boston vs. Montreal

This is the series that the league would like to see the most. We have talked about it on this blog and I haven't changed my mind about how intense I think this series would be. 

4. Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay

Will Pittsburgh have Sidney Crosby for the playoffs?

The West has about 9,990 different playoff match-ups. More will be sorted out when I check back in tomorrow night. Chicago is in 8th place 1 point away from clinching. To make the playoffs, the Stars would need to win in regulation or overtime, and have the Black Hawks lose in regulation. If the Stars win in a shoot-out that will not get them into the playoffs. 

3 More Podcasts, Updating the Playoffs, a Few Links

3 More Podcasts

The Sports-Casters have been working hard during this busy sports season to cover all of the great sporting events that come around this time of year. This week we previewed The Masters, did a special podcast dedicated to the Boston Red Sox, and recorded the fourteenth official episode of the podcast. Let me help you organize everything. 

The Masters Podcast

My brother Anthony and I hosted a podcast that focuses on golf's biggest event, The Masters.  Here is the rundown:

Masters 3Things

Interview with Zach Rosenfied from Accuscore

Golf Book Club

Interview with Anthony Day of the Waterloo Blackhawks

Masters Pick4

Link: http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sportscastersextra_e01.mp3

Baseball Bonus #2: The Boston Red Sox

After a Yankees preview show that proved to be much more than that, The Sports-Casters continued the quality baseball preview podcasts by focussing on the Boston Red Sox. 

Here is the rundown:

Red Sox 3Things

Interview with Glenn Stout the editor of the Best American Sports Writing Series

Red Sox Book Recommendations

Interview with Tony Lee of NESN

Red Sox Over/Under

Link: http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sportscastersbonus_e02.mp3

Episode 14: Book Club and Deitsch

Episode 14 of The Sports-Casters featured Richard Deitsch's second appearance on the podcast. Also, Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune made his first of two appearances. Here is the rundown:

3Things

Interview with Richard Deitsch

Frozen Four Preview

Interview with Jeff Duncan 

Pick 4

Link: http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sportscasters_s01e14.mp3

Updating the NHL Playoff Picture

In my last blog, I went over all of the potential playoff matchups and what matchup I thought would be the best for the Sabres in round one. I haven't changed my mind and still consider Boston to be the best matchup and Washington to be the worst. I am close to thinking that Philadelphia might be the best first round opponent. Philadelphia has had a rough time finishing out a fantastic season. 

Through 80 games, with two remaining, these would be the playoff matchups in the Eastern Conference:

1. Washington vs. 8. New York Rangers

This would be a dream first round series for NBC. The biggest stat versus the biggest market. The Rangers took a huge hit with the ankle injury to Rochester, NY native Ryan Callahan. Interesting stat, with 224 goals, the Capitals would enter the playoffs with the lowest goals for total in the Eastern Conference. 

2. Philadelphia vs. 7. Buffalo

The Sabres have the most points in the NHL since February 22, 2011. The Ryan Miller injury was a scare, but Enroth has filled in seamlessly and the break could be just what Miller needed headed into the playoffs. Philadelphia is going the opposite direction of the Sabres having won only three of their last ten games. The scary thing about the Flyers is they are third in the league averaging 3.1 goals a game. They are consistent scorers. When was the last time the Flyers had a stud goalie?

3. Boston vs. 6. Montreal

This classic original six rivalry even has Bill Simmons excited about hockey season. The hardest thing about playing the Bruins is a best of seven series will prove to be how physical they are. I am not sure they can score enough to win, but I know they will pound the hell out of whoever is in front of them for sixty minutes. I honestly believe that Montreal won't be able to win in the era of 24/7 media. The pressure in Montreal is to much for any team especially the goaltender. Carey Price is a good goaltender, but if he plays one bad game in the playoffs the media will be too intense. 

4. Pittsburgh vs. 5. Tampa Bay

Despite not playing since January, Sidney Crosby still leads the Penguins in points with 66. Yes, 66. Kris Letang is second on the team with 49 points but only 8 goals. Evgeni Malkin is not coming back. Sidney Crosby's status is questionable, but somehow the Penguins have over 100 points. Dan Bylsma would get my vote for coach of the year. The Penguins have the #1 penalty kill in the league. Tampa is a team that everyone is lining up to play in the playoffs because they have average overall talent, but that could be a mistake. To win in the playoffs you often needs your stars to be stars and if nothing else Tampa has big time stars. Lecavalier, and St. Louis have already won a cup, and their biggest star Steven Stamkos will be ready to make his playoff debut. 

 The Links

• Jeff Duncan is the author of this month's book club book of the month, "From Bags to Riches."
• Glenn Stout authored an incredible book about 9/11 called, "Nine Months at Ground Zero"
• Keep an eye on the NHL Standings. 
• Anthony is a big fan of John Feinstein and his book, "Open."
• This is intense.
• Carter Camper signed with the Boston Bruins. 
• Anthony's USHL team is closing in on a playoff spot. 
• I am having fun checking out this cool App called, Hitpad.
• Are you watching The Kennedys?
• What do you think of the 2011 NFL Draft day hat?

Say goodnight, precious.

First Round Playoff Matchups, A Saturday of Sports, Baseball Returns, Saints vs. Redskins

The Playoffs are Coming

I dont think I am breaking any new ground by saying that the playoffs are the best part of the NHL season. There is only one week left in the regular season, but a lot is still to be decided. One thing that is certain is that the road to the Stanley Cup Finals goes through Vancouver in the Western Conference. Heading into the last week of games, lets take a look at the first-round matchups if the season ended today. 

Western Conference:

1 Vancouver 

8 Chicago

It would be awesome to watch the defending Stanley Cup Champions start their title defense against the favorite to win the Cup this season. These two teams can score and five of the top thirteen scorers (H. Sedin, D. Sedin, J. Towes, P. Kane, R. Kessler) playing night in and night out would make goaltending more important than it already is. So many of the key players that lead the Black Hawks to the championship last year are gone and that includes Antti Niemi. Roberto Luongo  is third in save percentage and is having a career year. The Black Hawks have eliminated the Canucks the last two seasons. 

2 Detroit

7 Anaheim 

The Ducks are red hot and Corey Perry is leading the charge with 46 goals. Detroit has done a great job dealing with injuries all season, but they lost at home to St. Louis (not a playoff team) 10-4 on Wednesday. Jimmy Howard has 35 wins, but he only has the 30th best save percentage (.908). Detroit is a very shaky number two, and Anaheim is a surging seven. 

3 San Jose

6 Nashville

This is one of those Western Conference playoff series that would get virtually no attention on television unless it's the only one still going at the end of the round. The series has some stars (Heatley, Thortan, Rinne, Weber) but these teams fly well under the radar. Pikka Rinne has been one of the best goalies all season posting a 2.10 GAA and a .920 SVPT. San Jose has not had much playoff success the last few seasons, and Joe Thorton has been a dog in the playoffs for years. 

4 Los Angelas

5 Phoenix 

The Kings suffered a terrible blow when leading scorer Anze Kopitar suffered torn ligaments in his ankle. Kpoitar isn't coming back and that could hurt the Kings chances of making a run at the Stanley Cup. Phoenix stepped up and signed Hobey Baker finalist Andy Miele today. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact he can have at the NHL level. I can recall other college superstars who have ended their college career and made an impact on the NHL playoffs. Off the top of my head, I can recall Jeff Farkas scoring a big playoff goal agains the Devils. 

Eastern Conference

1 Philadelphia 

8 Rangers

The Rangers are fading to the finish and watched Henry Lundqvist get beat up to the tune of six goals against the other night against the Islanders. Philadelphia has been near the top of the Eastern Conference all season, but they never seem to get good goaltending in the playoffs. I was surprised that the Flyers didn't trade for a goalie at the deadline. Sergei Bobrovsky is not the name of a goalie that I would expect to raise the Cup over his head, but Antti Niemi wasn't an established playoff star last spring. 

2 Washington

7 Buffalo

As a Sabres season ticket holder, I want no part of Washington. Don made some good points as to why Washington would be a good matchup, but I just cant get passed the fact that we haven't beaten them since Danny Briere was on the team. I will talk more about the Sabres a little bit further down. 

3 Boston 

6 Montreal

This old time rivalry has heated up the last couple of weeks to the point that even Bill Simmons was tweeting about it the other night. Boston is so physical that playing a seven game series against them could leave a team with nothing left to compete in the next round. Montreal is such a mind fuck on their own players. The media and the fans are so intense that playing there and being successful there in the era of 24/7 media seems impossible. 

4 Pittsburgh

5 Tampa Bay

Does anyone have any credible information about Sidney Crosby? Let me answer, NO. The Penguins have been so tight lipped that anyone who tells you they know when and if Sid will be on the ice, I want you to punch them in the face. Tampa Bay has emerged as a solid contender under the leadership of Steve Yzerman. It would be interesting if these teams were to meet because the two of them taken full advantage of top draft picks. Pittsburgh wont have Malkin, will?/wont? have Crosby, but Fleury will bring a ton of playoff experience into the spring. The Lighting hit big time when they drafted Steven Stamkos first overall, and Victor Hedman is a Norris Trophy waiting to happen. 

More about the Sabres...

I was thinking tonight about where I want the Sabres to finish, who to root for when I scoreboard watch, and how annoying the horn is in Washington. I got to considering the various playoff match-ups and decided on the order I want them to finish from best case to worst case...

For the sake of argument lets say it finishes like I outlined above,  1. Philadelphia, 2. Washington, 3. Boston...

1. 6th- The chance to play Boston a team that we know we can beat (4-1-1 this season) is the best case scenario for Sabres fans. Stafford has been a monster against the Bruins all season and Gerbe loves to play in his home city of Boston.  The only downside is they are so big and physical that they could wear us out in a long series and leave us with nothing left if we were to advance.  

2. 8th- Philadelphia has struggled at home, there goaltending is shaky, and Pronger is beat up. The down side is that they can score a ton and some of the Sabres can be very streaky scorers. 

3. 7th- Washington and Pittsburgh should just duke it out on their own. The Sabres struggle against Washington and some of the idiots at HSBC Arena boo every time Ovechkin touches the puck and it drives me nuts. 

4. 9th or Worse- That would suck very much.

Today 4 Became 2

Saturday is a great day to hit the couch and watch sports. I started the day watching Phil Mickelson (dressed in green and looking awfully hefty) shoot a course record 63 in Houston. I was doing my scouting for The Masters. Regardless of the play today, I will probably pick Todd Hamilton or Anthony Kim to win. 

Also in Houston, Butler defeated VCU and UCONN defeated Kentucky to set the stage for a Connecticut versus Butler final on Monday. There was anywhere from 8-25 people covering the games for CBS to I managed to hear a couple of interesting facts. 

• Butler is the first team from the state of Indiana to reach the Final Four in back to back seasons. Initially, I was surprised that Indiana never managed to do it, but who else would I have considered as a team capable of such a feat? Purdue? Indiana St? IUPUI? 
• This wasn't mentioned on the broadcast, but I think Brad Stevens should at least consider visiting Norman, Oklahoma. 
• Charles Barkley has been great all tournament, but I am not sure why Steve Kerr needed to be in the booth. 
• They showed some of the VCU practice and a drill called, "Ironman" featured coach Shaka taking a charge in his suit. 
• I expect K. Walker and UCONN to just keep on running and win another National Championship, but I really want Butler to win. They came so close against Duke last season it would be great to have them finish the deal this season. 

Baseball is Back

Baseball is back. Leave it to Apple to make me even more excited about baseball than usual. The AT Bat 11 App for the iPad is loaded with so many cool features. You can read all about the app right here. 

Another reason I am excited for baseball season is that The Sports-Casters are taking our time previewing the season. Last week we had WFAN's New York Yankees beat reporter Sweeny Murti on Episode 13 to talk about the Yankees. Then we had Alex Belth from the BronxBanterBlog and Travis Goldman from the Pinstripe Alley to help us with Baseball Bonus #1.

Next week, Richard Deitsch from Sports Illustrated will preview baseball in the media on Episode 14, and Glenn Stout and Tony Lee will join us for Baseball Bonus #2 to focus on the Boston Red Sox. 

Here are some links you need:

Episode 13 featuring Sweeny Murti as he previews the Yankees. 

Baseball Bonus #1 featuring Alex Belth and Travis Goldman. 

A non baseball link to a podcast I did with Carter Camper. Athletes Spotlight #1

Alright, it is time for Brees to say goodnight...

3 Podcasts, The Links, and a Story Only Told Here...

The Sports-Casters Have an Ambitious Week

The Sports-Casters worked extra hard this week producing three original pieces of media. Last week was the first time The Sports-Casters posted two podcasts in a week, and this week they upped the ante again. Below is a description of each podcast with the direct link to that specific show. 

Episode 13

Episode 13 has a little backstory that you will only read on this blog. On Tuesday, Don and I met at the studio at 5:00 and prepared to do a spot with Zach from Accuscore that was to feature a guest appearance by, "The Ed." We called Zach, and he needed a little more time. We called him again at 5:30 and everything was set to go. We interviewed Zach for a solid twenty minutes and then brought along the end and proceeded for a bit longer. Afterwords, we had two other interviews to record and some other stuff (3Things, Pick4, ect.) to do that took until around 9:30. When we went to edit episode 13 together the interview with Zach and Ed had vanished. We scrambled to get a hold of Zach and Ed to see if they could re-do it, but only Ed was available. 

Don and I were very frustrated with the first technical disaster in the history of The Sports-Casters, but there was nothing we could do about it. Ed was nice enough to give us another chance, and Zach will be back next week to talk about our bet and an Accuscore baseball preview. 

Episode 13, despite any technical  disaster, turned out to be one of our best episodes yet. 

Here is the rundown:

Intro/3Things

An interview with Ed Miller

A Book Club Update

An interview with Sweeny Murti fro WFAN in New York

Pick4

Here is the Link:

http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sportscasters_s01e13.mp3

Baseball Bonus Show #1

Baesball Bonus Show #1 was recorded Tuesday night and focusses on The New York Yankees.  We tracked down the proprietors from the best two Yankee's blogs on the internet, Alex Belth from the BronxBanterBlog and Travis Goldman from the PinstripeAlley blog as part of the SB Nation. 

Alex Belth ended up being a home run when we discovered he had worked on The Big Lebowski, the Ken Burns documentary "Baseball" and organized an incredible book of essays about Yankee Stadium called, "Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories: Unforgettable Tales from the House that Ruth Built." The conversation was fascinating, entertaining, and listening back it goes by in a flash. 

Travis Goldman went deep into the Yankee roster with us and gave a very detailed interview similar to the one we did with Sweeny Murti on Episode 13. 

Here is the rundown:

Intro/3Things (Yankees Edition)

An interview with Alex Belth

A Yankees Book Club Edition

An interview with Travis Goldman

An Over/Under segment featuring Yankees over/unders

Here is the Link:

http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sportscastersbonus_e01.mp3

Athlete Spotlight #1: Carter Camper

At the last minute, we were able to secure an interview with NCAA Hockey star Carter Camper from the University of Miami (OH). Carter is the first athlete to sit down with us for an in-depth interview that covered his career as a junior hockey player all the way to Miami's early exit from the NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament last weekend. 

Carter is a great kid from Rocky River, Ohio. He was very candid, open, and truthful. He answered every question with class and handled his business like a seasoned pro. 

Here is the Link:

http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/spotlight01_cartercamper.mp3

I have a handful of links to share that are meant to compliment the three podcasts that we released this week. 

• Sweeny Murti is a solid follow on twitter if you are interested on Yankees information. He has been on the beat since 2001 and his information is usually first and fast. 
• The Ed has his own website.
• Steve mentioned that he was going through the 1998 edition of the Best American Sports Writing Series.  
• Dont forget to check out Accuscore. Our buddy Zach has an interesting column about the odds that the Final Four would be what it is. 
• Alex Belth has a fantastic blog about the Yankees and living in New York City. 
• Travis Goldman runs the Yankess blog on SB Nation. 
• Steve announced a contest that could have you reading this book by the beginning of next week. 
• Steve also announced that this book will be the Book Club book of the month for April.
• Alex Belth has published a book about Yankee Stadium and a collection of columns by sports writer Pat Jordan. 
• Steve is now contributing blogs for the New Orleans Saints blog on the SB Nation. He has posted two articles that have a combined 150 comments in the fist week.
• The books recommended on the Yankees podcast are The Yankees Years by Tom Verducci, The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty by Buster Olney, The Last Boy by Jane Leavy, and the Alex Belth book mentioned above. 
• Almost everyone asked mention this book as a must read for Yankees fans. 
• Carter Camper has some unbelievable numbers at college and was a fantastic student. 

On a personal note: Our poor little doggie Brady is out for the season after a torn ACL hunting in the woods last Sunday. He limped around our house Sunday and was a sad little dog. He cuddled on the couch and asked if he could say goodnight to everyone. 

So, Say goodnight Brady....