Re. Leafs and Marlies

Good news! There will be playoff hockey in Toronto this year.

In my latest Hockey54.com article, I'll explain why it's time to ignore the Leafs and follow the Marlies.

Enjoy!

ER

Re. The 1981 Montreal Expos

(My latest from TheGoodPoint.com)

2011 marked the 30th anniversary of the Montreal Expos' first and only playoff appearance. It was also the first time the MLB post-season took place on Canadian soil.

Sadly, this important milestone was almost entirely ignored by the mainstream media.

Take a trip down memory lane.

Enjoy!

ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - World Series

I was completely wrong about the ALCS and NLCS. To be honest, I'm tired of predicting. It's just guessing. Sure, there are stats to suggest who might win. But once the first pitch is thrown, all the stats go out the window and it comes down to seeing which team is better for that particular match.

Anyway...

2011 World Series

St. Louis over Texas in six

I love a good underdog story.

- ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - LCS

The Brewers, Cards and Rangers - Three teams I didn't pick. At least I was right about the Tigers and that was a perfect prediction.

American League Championship Series

Detroit over Texas in seven

National League Championship Series

Milwaukee over St. Louis in six

- ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - LDS

American League Division Series

Tampa Bay in 5
Detroit in 5

National League Division Series

Philadelphia in 3
Arizona in 5

*Haven't forgotten about the Blue Jays' season. Those thoughts will come soon.

- ER

Final Thoughts - NHL Playoffs

The Bruins deserved to win. Vancouver simply fell apart when it mattered the most. Every single flaw on the Canucks' roster was exposed.

Tim Thomas was phenomenal. An incredible performance.

Totals: 9 out of 15 - 60%

ER

Final Thoughts - NBA Playoffs

Congrats to the Dallas Mavericks! I thought they would need seven games, but Dirk and co. had other plans.

I said this title was Miami's to lose and that's what happened. Lebron simply did not show up when it mattered. This was a huge learning experience for James; more potent than losing the 2007 final to the Spurs. Wade and Bosh were alright, but it wasn't enough.

If there's one thing to remember from this series and this concluding NBA season, it would be that karma exists; even in South Beach.

Totals: 10 out of 15 - 67%

-ER

Re. Game 3, Stanley Cup Final

Vancouver got out-everything. Let's see what bounce they have on Wednesday.

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Championship Round

Round Three: See previous post. In other words, wrong, wrong and wrong.

NBA Final

Dallas over Miami in seven games

Rematch of the 2006 Final. This time, the league title is Miami's to lose.

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Stanley Cup Final

Round Three: Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Stanley Cup Final

Vancouver over Boston in six games

The Canucks must keep their foot on the gas at all times. Far too often, they take their foot off, allowing their opponents to take advantage. Any mistake will hurt Vancouver's chances. They must attack Tim Thomas.

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round Three

Round two: Three out of four. One perfect prediction (Chi/Atl).

On to the next round:

Eastern Conference Final

Chicago in seven

Western Conference Final

OKC in six

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Three

Round two: Two out of four. No perfect predictions.

On to the third round!

Western Conference Final
San Jose in 7

Eastern Conference Final
Tampa Bay in 6

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round Two

Round One: Six out of eight. No perfect predictions.

On to the second round:

Eastern Conference

Chicago in six
Miami in seven

Western Conference

LA Lakers in six
OKC in five

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Two

Round One: 7 out of 8. No perfect predictions

On to the second round.

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay in 7
Philadelphia in 6

Western Conference

Detroit in 6
Vancouver in 4

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round one

Hard to have an interest without the Raptors participating. Nevertheless...

Eastern Conference

Chicago in four
Miami in four
Boston in six
Orlando in six

Western Conference

San Antonio in six
LA Lakers in five
Dallas in seven
OKC in seven

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round One

Here we go!

Western Conference

Vancouver in 6
San Jose in 5
Detroit in 7
Anaheim in 7

Eastern Conference

Washington in 6
Boston in 6 (As a Habs fan, I really hope I'm wrong)
Philadelphia in 4
Tampa Bay in 6

- ER

Re. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the most dangerous team in the NHL. If you're not convinced, I've written down ten reasons why everyone should watch out for lightning strikes.

Enjoy!

- ER

Re. The Manning Pout

I've written about Peyton Manning before. So what I'm about to say shouldn't be a surprise:

There's something about seeing Peyton Manning lose that makes me smile.

Is that a terrible thing to say?

- ER

MLB Playoffs: Final Thoughts

I watched the San Francisco Giants play the Blue Jays this past June. They were a good team, but they sure didn't look like a team that would go on to win the World Series.

The Giants didn't have the best batting lineup, but it didn't matter. They had a phenomenal pitching staff led by Tim Lincecum. San Fran's starters silenced a very strong Texas Ranger lineup. They made players like Josh Hamilton and Vladdy Guerrero look normal. SF's pitchers stepped up and provided an enormous amount of confidence for their hitters.

The Giants were in and out of playoff contention all season long. But when "clutch time" arrived, they answered the call and have been awarded for their effort.

Finally, to sum up: 4 out of 7 = 57% Started out strong, but wasn't expecting the Giants to go far. Like I said yesterday, I should've listened to my gut.

- ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - The World Series

I was right about Texas, but incredibly wrong about Philadelphia.

2010 World Series

Texas over San Francisco in six

This was a hard decision to make. The Rangers and Giants have great pitching, with the edge going to San Fran. However, Texas has a better batting lineup, which will lead them to the title.

Pitching will always be the most important part of baseball. But pitching cannot be the sole contribution to a victory. A team still needs to swing the bats. It takes great pitching and great hitting to win. Texas is closer to that than San Francisco.

- ER