Today marks the beginning of the end for my beloved Big East Conference. It's the last time that the Big East as we know it will all be together at Madison Square Garden for what used to be the conference's signature event. (That's one of the reasons it's so sad UConn's ineligible for postseason play this year.) Sure, the Big East will continue. But things will never be the same. Syracuse made sure of that when they decided to leave the conference.
The irony of the situation is that the whole thing could've been avoided. Back in 2011, the Big East rejected an offer from ESPN that would've quadrupled the league's annual TV rights to roughly $155 million. The reasoning? Thinking they could get more, something in the ballpark of the Pac-12's $2.7 billion TV deal. Two days later, the first domino fell. Syracuse and Pitt announced they were leaving for the ACC. We all know what's happened since. The deal that the conference just agreed to with ESPN is six times! less than that original offer. If they'd only accepted that original deal, the Big East that we love would've survived. But hindsight is 20-20, and we all know what's happened to the conference as a result.
The almighty dollar is what killed the Big East. Syracuse and Pitt saw greener pastures in the ACC. Despite the fact it's nowhere near the Midwest, West Virginia is willing to do all that traveling if being in the Big 12 means more money. The Big Ten wanted to keep up and keep Penn State happy by adding another team in the Northeast, which was Rutgers' golden opportunity to bolt. Then Notre Dame left, becoming the sixth former Big East school to join the ACC. Louisville became the seventh, and UConn and Cincinnati desperately wanted to be. And that doesn't even count TCU, which left the Big East before even officially joining.
It's safe to say that the Big East's attempts to keep up were abject failures. The football-only members on the West coast that didn't make any sense anyway? Yeah, that's not happening (which is probably a good thing). With the schools that did agree to join, the Big East was turning into a glorified Conference USA. The Big East as we knew it was already a thing of the past. The Catholic schools that helped found the conference knew that. That's why their group decision to unilaterally break away and start their own league where basketball will be the focus was as inevitabele and predictable as it was necessary.
Those seven finally made a move looking out for their own best interest. And they were paid handsomely for it. To the tune of $500 million over 12 years from FOX, on the condition that the new league starts this fall. Fortunately, the two conferences did the right thing. The ones that are breaking off get to keep the name and Madison Square Garden, while the current Big East will have a new name and need a new conference tournament site. (Is this a Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens type thing? I'm not really sure how it all works.)
At least the Big East name will stay with the schools we associate with the conference. Because let's face it, people aren't buying tickets for the greatest college basketball tournament of them all to see Central Florida vs. SMU. Those aren't "Big East" teams. You couldn't have Houston vs. Tulane at Madison Square Garden and Georgetown vs. Villanova somewhere else. It wouldn't have been right. The schools that made the Big East deserve that history. And that name. Fortunately, they get to keep it.
But while it's comforting to know the Big East Tournament will continue, it's also sad to think about the rivalries that will be lost when the conference breaks up next season. Thirty years of truly memorable moments have taken place at Madison Square Garden. That six-overtime game between UConn and Syracuse. Gerry McNamara willing Syracuse to the title as an eight-seed. Kemba Walker single-handedly winning five games in five days to capture the Big East title, then doing the same thing in the NCAA Tournament. That Allen Iverson-Kerry Kittles game in 1995. My first-ever college basketball game--the 1990 final, which was the true birth of the UConn-Syracuse rivalry.
And let's not forget the great players who've come through the Big East. Patrick Ewing. Derrick Coleman. Ray Allen. Alonzo Mourning. Dikembe Mutombo. Chris Mullin. Gerry McNamara. Ed Pinkeney. Richard Hamilton. Kemba Walker. They'll forever be a part of the Big East's history. But, sadly, that's what it will remain. History.
Sure, we'll still have Georgetown-Villanova and Georgetown-St. John's. And with the true double round-robin being revived, we've got a chance to see new rivalries like Georgetown-Marquette or Villanova-Butler develop. But no Syracuse. No UConn. No Pitt. No Notre Dame. No Louisville, which was clearly the best of the 2005 additions and brought a whole new set of rivalries. Those are the matchups that made the Big East. It'll be sad to see them go.
The Big East will continue. But this is the end of an era. This weekend, we get one final chance to celebrate the Big East as it used to be. The Big East that we'll always remember. The Big East that we fell in love with. The Big East that we'll miss.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Blackhawks vs. Heat
The Blackhawks lost last night, thus ending their remarkable streak of 24 consecutive games with a point to begin the season. The Heat won today, extending their winning streak to 18 straight games. It was a little more topical when both streaks were still active, but the debate over which streak was more impressive waged for quite some time.
As expected, whichever streak people find more impressive generally depends on which sport they prefer. The NBA people, more likely than not, would say the Heat. Likewise, hockey people would go with the Blackhawks. I think both streaks are equally ridiculous. But in order to better make a comparison, it's worth putting both streaks into context.
Let's start with the Heat. It's incredibly difficult to win 18 games in a row, regardless of what sport you're playing. The fact that the Heat are the defending champions has made them the Hunted. That makes it even harder. They haven't lost in more than a month. February 1 to be exact. But again, they're the defending champions. It's already been firmly established that the Heat are the best team in the NBA, and it's not a surprise that this streak is happening in the middle of the season. They've gotten better as the season has gone on, and now they've hit their peak. That's what good teams do. I'm not saying that luck hasn't been involved. For a winning streak to go on this long, it has to be. But the best team playing at its best is going to win most of the time. I think that's what's going on here more than anything else.
It's also worth noting that they're still 15 games away from the NBA record. That ridiculous 33-game streak was set by the 1971-72 Lakers, who had a pretty good Big Three (Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich) themselves. That Lakers team went 69-13 en route to the NBA title. If the Heat don't win the championship, does their winning streak mean anything? Ask the 2007 Patriots what's more important.
Now let's take a look at the Blackhawks. I'm inclined to say their streak is slightly more impressive. And it has nothing to do with preferring the NHL to the NBA. Rather, it has everything to do with when and how the streak took place. The Blackhawks earned a point in each of their first 24 games of the season! Even more impressive, they did it with essentially no training camp and no preseason games! So, the first 24 times the Chicago Blackhawks stepped on the ice, they scored a point. Every winning streak is impressive, but to do it in the first 24 games of the season is simply mind-blowing!
I know what some of you are thinking, "Yeah, but in the NHL, you get a point for overtime/shootout losses, so it wasn't a true 'winning' streak." True. But that doesn't diminish the accomplishment. Nor does it change the fact that they still earned a point for those shootout losses (which they still would've earned under the old rules where you got a point for a tie). If that's your argument that the Heat's streak is more impressive, I'm not going to dispute it. Because you'd be right. The Heat don't get any credit for losing in overtime and the NBA doesn't have shootouts. But 24 straight games to begin the season, which started three-and-a-half months late, without the benefit of a training camp, trumps 18 straight wins in my book. Ever so slightly.
The other reason I'd take Chicago's streak over Miami's is because the Blackhawks set a record, while the Heat didn't. The Lakers' 33-game streak is still the gold standard in the NBA. You could make the (completely valid) argument that the NBA is much tougher today than it was then, but 18 is still 15 short of 33.
That Lakers streak I rank as the second-best in-season winning streak in the history of professional sports. The only one that tops it is the one that immortalized "Moneyball," the 20 straight wins by the Oakland A's in 2001. Winning that many games in a row is difficult regardless of the sport, but in baseball, it's virtually impossible. You play everyday. That fact alone makes what the Moneyball A's did so mind-blowing. They played every day, yet didn't lose for three weeks! Besides, consider all the other things that can make you lose a baseball game. Running into a hot pitcher. Your own pitcher having an off night. Error-prone defenders. Oakland had none of that for 20 straight games. Truly remarkable.
And while what the Blackhawks did and the Heat are doing is truly impressive, neither streak is nowhere near as remarkable as what the 2001 A's did. Or the team that boasts the greatest winning streak of them all. The 1972 Dolphins.
As expected, whichever streak people find more impressive generally depends on which sport they prefer. The NBA people, more likely than not, would say the Heat. Likewise, hockey people would go with the Blackhawks. I think both streaks are equally ridiculous. But in order to better make a comparison, it's worth putting both streaks into context.
Let's start with the Heat. It's incredibly difficult to win 18 games in a row, regardless of what sport you're playing. The fact that the Heat are the defending champions has made them the Hunted. That makes it even harder. They haven't lost in more than a month. February 1 to be exact. But again, they're the defending champions. It's already been firmly established that the Heat are the best team in the NBA, and it's not a surprise that this streak is happening in the middle of the season. They've gotten better as the season has gone on, and now they've hit their peak. That's what good teams do. I'm not saying that luck hasn't been involved. For a winning streak to go on this long, it has to be. But the best team playing at its best is going to win most of the time. I think that's what's going on here more than anything else.
It's also worth noting that they're still 15 games away from the NBA record. That ridiculous 33-game streak was set by the 1971-72 Lakers, who had a pretty good Big Three (Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich) themselves. That Lakers team went 69-13 en route to the NBA title. If the Heat don't win the championship, does their winning streak mean anything? Ask the 2007 Patriots what's more important.
Now let's take a look at the Blackhawks. I'm inclined to say their streak is slightly more impressive. And it has nothing to do with preferring the NHL to the NBA. Rather, it has everything to do with when and how the streak took place. The Blackhawks earned a point in each of their first 24 games of the season! Even more impressive, they did it with essentially no training camp and no preseason games! So, the first 24 times the Chicago Blackhawks stepped on the ice, they scored a point. Every winning streak is impressive, but to do it in the first 24 games of the season is simply mind-blowing!
I know what some of you are thinking, "Yeah, but in the NHL, you get a point for overtime/shootout losses, so it wasn't a true 'winning' streak." True. But that doesn't diminish the accomplishment. Nor does it change the fact that they still earned a point for those shootout losses (which they still would've earned under the old rules where you got a point for a tie). If that's your argument that the Heat's streak is more impressive, I'm not going to dispute it. Because you'd be right. The Heat don't get any credit for losing in overtime and the NBA doesn't have shootouts. But 24 straight games to begin the season, which started three-and-a-half months late, without the benefit of a training camp, trumps 18 straight wins in my book. Ever so slightly.
The other reason I'd take Chicago's streak over Miami's is because the Blackhawks set a record, while the Heat didn't. The Lakers' 33-game streak is still the gold standard in the NBA. You could make the (completely valid) argument that the NBA is much tougher today than it was then, but 18 is still 15 short of 33.
That Lakers streak I rank as the second-best in-season winning streak in the history of professional sports. The only one that tops it is the one that immortalized "Moneyball," the 20 straight wins by the Oakland A's in 2001. Winning that many games in a row is difficult regardless of the sport, but in baseball, it's virtually impossible. You play everyday. That fact alone makes what the Moneyball A's did so mind-blowing. They played every day, yet didn't lose for three weeks! Besides, consider all the other things that can make you lose a baseball game. Running into a hot pitcher. Your own pitcher having an off night. Error-prone defenders. Oakland had none of that for 20 straight games. Truly remarkable.
And while what the Blackhawks did and the Heat are doing is truly impressive, neither streak is nowhere near as remarkable as what the 2001 A's did. Or the team that boasts the greatest winning streak of them all. The 1972 Dolphins.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Exit Sandman
If you're a baseball fan, today's news was not a surprise. Most everybody expected Mariano Rivera to retire at the end of last season, but his knee injury forced a change of plans. As soon as he tore his ACL during batting practice in Kansas City in May, we all knew he was coming back for one final go-round. Mariano was going to go out on his terms. And if there's anybody who deserves to, it's Mariano Rivera.
I'm not going to pontificate about Mariano Rivera's greatness. He's the greatest closer of all-time. Without question. It's not even close. Everyone agrees. If you want to see his Hall of Fame induction, you'd better book a hotel in Cooperstown for July 2018 now while you still can. And seeing as nobody in Major League Baseball is ever allowed to wear his number again, the Yankees might as well schedule his jersey-retirement ceremony for Opening Day 2014.
Rather, I'm going to reflect on what a pleasure it's been to watch him over the past 19 years, and how I'm going to cherish this season. If you've never had the privilege of being in the crowd at Yankee Stadium when the bullpen door swung open and "Enter Sandman" started blaring over the PA, I can't even describe what it's like. I don't even know how many times I've been there for it, and it's cool every time. A different energy comes into the Stadium after that final out of the bottom of the eighth. Last year simply wasn't the same. Just like every year after this year won't be the same.
Announcing it early was the right decision. It takes the "Will he or won't he?" element out of it. He can be at peace without wrestling with that burden. More importantly, everyone gets a chance to say goodbye. Not just Yankees fans, either. If nothing else, this season will be Mariano Rivera's Farewell Tour. And who knows? Maybe it'll be the motivation the Yankees use to make sure his final Major League pitch is the last pitch of the World Series.
It's fitting that by making his announcement during Spring Training, Rivera has made it so that every Yankees road trip this season will be his final visit to each American League city (although, that does make the fact that the Yankees end the season in Houston even more awkward). And as much as fans of other teams may hate the Yankees, none of that derision is ever directed towards Mariano Rivera. He exudes class, and as a result, has earned the respect of everyone around baseball. That respect is directed right back towards him by opposing fans, who, even if they don't necessarily "like" him, never jeer him.
Even the fans who have a reason to hate him the most, Boston Red Sox fans, show Mariano Rivera nothing but respect. He allowed a big stolen base to Dave Roberts in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS which started that Boston comeback from 3-games-to-none down in the series. The Yankees opened the 2005 season against the World Champion Red Sox at Fenway Park. During the pregame intros, when Mariano's name was called, the Boston fans gave him a sarcastic cheer, "thanking" him for his part in the comeback. Rivera took it all in good humor, tipping his cap to the Boston fans. As heated as the rivalry was in the early part of this century, Mariano forever endeared himself to the Boston faithful that day.
Likewise, it's fitting that he's the last person in Major League history that will ever wear the No. 42. The number that will forever be associated with Jackie Robinson will also forever be associated with Mariano Rivera. Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe it's because Jackie Robinson and Mariano Rivera are similar in so many ways. Mariano Rivera understands the significance of who his number represents. He follows Robinson's example on the field every day, and his teammates follow suit. They respect the game the same way he does.
As a Yankee fan, I've been spoiled to get to enjoy Mariano Rivera's greatness first-hand for years. Wins should never be taken for granted. Yet with Mariano they are. He blows a save every once in a while just to remind us all that he's human, but it's so infrequent and he's meant so much to the franchise that we never take our frustrations out on him. Without Mariano Rivera, the Yankees don't win five World Series titles since 1996. Everybody knows that.
More importantly, his demeanor never changes. Win or lose, it's business as usual. He's had some epic failures (2001 World Series, Game 7), yet simply walked off the mound. He didn't hang his head or show any sort of emotion. I've only seen him celebrate on the mound twice. One was after Aaron Boone's homer in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. The other was when he broke the all-time saves record. But that's the exception. And it's an important message for younger players to take away: Act like you've been there before.
However this season turns out almost doesn't matter. This season is for Mariano Rivera. If the injuries catch up to them and the Yankees fall out of the race, September will be about saying goodbye to an all-time great Yankee in much the same way the 2008 season became about saying goodbye to the Old Stadium. Or maybe it'll turn into "Let's win it for Mo and send him out on top." Either way, I'm going to enjoy the ride.
I'm not going to pontificate about Mariano Rivera's greatness. He's the greatest closer of all-time. Without question. It's not even close. Everyone agrees. If you want to see his Hall of Fame induction, you'd better book a hotel in Cooperstown for July 2018 now while you still can. And seeing as nobody in Major League Baseball is ever allowed to wear his number again, the Yankees might as well schedule his jersey-retirement ceremony for Opening Day 2014.
Rather, I'm going to reflect on what a pleasure it's been to watch him over the past 19 years, and how I'm going to cherish this season. If you've never had the privilege of being in the crowd at Yankee Stadium when the bullpen door swung open and "Enter Sandman" started blaring over the PA, I can't even describe what it's like. I don't even know how many times I've been there for it, and it's cool every time. A different energy comes into the Stadium after that final out of the bottom of the eighth. Last year simply wasn't the same. Just like every year after this year won't be the same.
Announcing it early was the right decision. It takes the "Will he or won't he?" element out of it. He can be at peace without wrestling with that burden. More importantly, everyone gets a chance to say goodbye. Not just Yankees fans, either. If nothing else, this season will be Mariano Rivera's Farewell Tour. And who knows? Maybe it'll be the motivation the Yankees use to make sure his final Major League pitch is the last pitch of the World Series.
It's fitting that by making his announcement during Spring Training, Rivera has made it so that every Yankees road trip this season will be his final visit to each American League city (although, that does make the fact that the Yankees end the season in Houston even more awkward). And as much as fans of other teams may hate the Yankees, none of that derision is ever directed towards Mariano Rivera. He exudes class, and as a result, has earned the respect of everyone around baseball. That respect is directed right back towards him by opposing fans, who, even if they don't necessarily "like" him, never jeer him.
Even the fans who have a reason to hate him the most, Boston Red Sox fans, show Mariano Rivera nothing but respect. He allowed a big stolen base to Dave Roberts in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS which started that Boston comeback from 3-games-to-none down in the series. The Yankees opened the 2005 season against the World Champion Red Sox at Fenway Park. During the pregame intros, when Mariano's name was called, the Boston fans gave him a sarcastic cheer, "thanking" him for his part in the comeback. Rivera took it all in good humor, tipping his cap to the Boston fans. As heated as the rivalry was in the early part of this century, Mariano forever endeared himself to the Boston faithful that day.
Likewise, it's fitting that he's the last person in Major League history that will ever wear the No. 42. The number that will forever be associated with Jackie Robinson will also forever be associated with Mariano Rivera. Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe it's because Jackie Robinson and Mariano Rivera are similar in so many ways. Mariano Rivera understands the significance of who his number represents. He follows Robinson's example on the field every day, and his teammates follow suit. They respect the game the same way he does.
As a Yankee fan, I've been spoiled to get to enjoy Mariano Rivera's greatness first-hand for years. Wins should never be taken for granted. Yet with Mariano they are. He blows a save every once in a while just to remind us all that he's human, but it's so infrequent and he's meant so much to the franchise that we never take our frustrations out on him. Without Mariano Rivera, the Yankees don't win five World Series titles since 1996. Everybody knows that.
More importantly, his demeanor never changes. Win or lose, it's business as usual. He's had some epic failures (2001 World Series, Game 7), yet simply walked off the mound. He didn't hang his head or show any sort of emotion. I've only seen him celebrate on the mound twice. One was after Aaron Boone's homer in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. The other was when he broke the all-time saves record. But that's the exception. And it's an important message for younger players to take away: Act like you've been there before.
However this season turns out almost doesn't matter. This season is for Mariano Rivera. If the injuries catch up to them and the Yankees fall out of the race, September will be about saying goodbye to an all-time great Yankee in much the same way the 2008 season became about saying goodbye to the Old Stadium. Or maybe it'll turn into "Let's win it for Mo and send him out on top." Either way, I'm going to enjoy the ride.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
2013 Joe Brackets-ology (Women)
Unlike the men's NCAA Tournament, the women's Tournament is really easy to figure out. The top four teams are pretty clear. They're far-and-away better than everyone else, and the quartet's only losses have come against each other. Same thing with the No. 2 seeds. The 10 best teams in the nation have been so clear cut all season that the first two lines on the bracket should be pretty easy for the committee. In fact, they can probably start working on seeds 3-16. Since figuring out who the top seeds are and where they're going isn't hard.
With that in mind, all that's left is determining which region would play which in the Final Four. Baylor's the obvious No. 1 overall seed and Notre Dame should be No. 2. I would say UConn gets the nod over Stanford as No. 3, which means your Final Four matchups would be Oklahoma City (Baylor) vs. Spokane (Stanford) and Norfolk (Notre Dame) vs. Bridgeport (Connecticut).
As for the rest of the Tournament, here's how I see it playing out...
OKLAHOMA CITY
Waco: (16) Texas Southern at (1) Baylor, (8) Villanova vs. (9) Michigan
College Station: (13) Fresno State at (4) Texas A&M, (5) North Carolina vs. (12) Chattanooga
Lubbock: (3) Dayton vs. (14) Florida Gulf Coast, (11) Vanderbilt at (6) Texas Tech
Queens: (2) California vs. (15) Albany, (7) Purdue at (10) St. John's
SPOKANE
Stanford: (16) Belmont at (1) Stanford, (8) West Virginia vs. (9) Charlotte
Newark: (13) Marist at (4) Delaware, (5) South Carolina vs. (12) East Carolina
Spokane: (3) Nebraska vs. (14) South Dakota State, (6) Florida State at (11) Gonzaga
Knoxville: (15) Utah State at (2) Tennessee, (7) Syracuse vs. (10) Creighton
NORFOLK
Iowa City: (1) Notre Dame vs. (16) Hampton, (9) Princeton at (8) Iowa
Columbus: (4) UCLA vs. (13) Middle Tennessee, (5) Iowa State vs. (12) Illinois State
Louisville: (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Navy, (11) Michigan State at (6) Louisville
Durham: (15) Northern Colorado at (2) Duke, (7) Green Bay vs. (10) DePaul
BRIDGEPORT
Storrs: (16) Winthrop at (1) Connecticut, (8) Miami vs. (9) Oklahoma
Boulder: (4) Georgia vs. (13) Hawaii, (12) San Diego State at (5) Colorado
College Park: (14) Quinnipiac at (3) Maryland, (6) Oklahoma State vs. (11) Toledo
Baton Rouge: (2) Penn State vs. (15) Lamar, (10) South Florida at (7) LSU
With that in mind, all that's left is determining which region would play which in the Final Four. Baylor's the obvious No. 1 overall seed and Notre Dame should be No. 2. I would say UConn gets the nod over Stanford as No. 3, which means your Final Four matchups would be Oklahoma City (Baylor) vs. Spokane (Stanford) and Norfolk (Notre Dame) vs. Bridgeport (Connecticut).
As for the rest of the Tournament, here's how I see it playing out...
OKLAHOMA CITY
Waco: (16) Texas Southern at (1) Baylor, (8) Villanova vs. (9) Michigan
College Station: (13) Fresno State at (4) Texas A&M, (5) North Carolina vs. (12) Chattanooga
Lubbock: (3) Dayton vs. (14) Florida Gulf Coast, (11) Vanderbilt at (6) Texas Tech
Queens: (2) California vs. (15) Albany, (7) Purdue at (10) St. John's
SPOKANE
Stanford: (16) Belmont at (1) Stanford, (8) West Virginia vs. (9) Charlotte
Newark: (13) Marist at (4) Delaware, (5) South Carolina vs. (12) East Carolina
Spokane: (3) Nebraska vs. (14) South Dakota State, (6) Florida State at (11) Gonzaga
Knoxville: (15) Utah State at (2) Tennessee, (7) Syracuse vs. (10) Creighton
NORFOLK
Iowa City: (1) Notre Dame vs. (16) Hampton, (9) Princeton at (8) Iowa
Columbus: (4) UCLA vs. (13) Middle Tennessee, (5) Iowa State vs. (12) Illinois State
Louisville: (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Navy, (11) Michigan State at (6) Louisville
Durham: (15) Northern Colorado at (2) Duke, (7) Green Bay vs. (10) DePaul
BRIDGEPORT
Storrs: (16) Winthrop at (1) Connecticut, (8) Miami vs. (9) Oklahoma
Boulder: (4) Georgia vs. (13) Hawaii, (12) San Diego State at (5) Colorado
College Park: (14) Quinnipiac at (3) Maryland, (6) Oklahoma State vs. (11) Toledo
Baton Rouge: (2) Penn State vs. (15) Lamar, (10) South Florida at (7) LSU
Monday, March 4, 2013
2013 Joe Brackets-ology (Men)
Gonzaga has ascended to No. 1. It's incredible to see the Zags at the top of the rankings. Especially since I'm not sure they even get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It's been a crazy season in college basketball, with top teams falling every week (often right after they become No. 1). The NCAA Tournament is going to be crazy. It's so wide open that it's difficult to predict even what you think might happen.
With all the ups and downs of each team, it's also impossible to predict who's going to be seeded where. The conference tournaments are going to be very telling this year. Seedings and bids are going to be up for grabs. With those tournaments beginning this week in the mid-majors, I figured it might be time to do a little Joe Brackets-ology.
MIDWEST (Indianapolis)
Dayton: (1) Indiana vs. (16) Northeastern/Norfolk State, (8) NC State vs. (9) Memphis
Salt Lake City: (4) UNLV vs. (13) South Dakota State, (5) Saint Louis vs. (12) California
Kansas City: (3) Kansas State vs. (14) Florida Gulf Coast, (6) Wichita State vs. (11) North Carolina
Lexington: (2) Louisville vs. (15) Eastern Kentucky, (7) Oregon vs. (10) Illinois
WEST (Los Angeles)
Kansas City: (1) Kansas vs. (16) UC Irvine, (8) Creighton vs. (9) Colorado
San Jose: (4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Middle Tennessee, (5) New Mexico vs. (12) Kentucky/La Salle
San Jose: (3) Arizona vs. (14) Oral Roberts, (6) Notre Dame vs. (11) Alabama
Salt Lake City: (2) Gonzaga vs. (15) Weber State, (7) Minnesota vs. (10) Iowa State
EAST (Washington)
Philadelphia: (1) Duke vs. (16) Wright State, (8) UCLA vs. (9) Saint Mary's
Austin: (4) Syracuse vs. (13) Davidson, (5) Ohio State vs. (12) Oklahoma/Mississippi
Detroit: (3) Michigan State vs. (14) Princeton, (6) Pittsburgh vs. (11) Akron
Dayton: (2) Florida vs. (15) High Point, (7) Butler vs. (10) Colorado State
SOUTH (Dallas)
Detroit: (1) Michigan vs. (16) Wagner/Southern, (8) Missouri vs. (9) San Diego State
Austin: (4) Marquette vs. (13) Bucknell, (5) Oklahoma State vs. (12) Virginia
Philadelphia: (3) Georgetown vs. (14) Stony Brook, (6) VCU vs. (11) Louisiana Tech
Lexington: (2) Miami vs. (15) Niagara, (7) Cincinnati vs. (10) Temple
Final Four Matchups: Midwest vs. West, East vs. South
Bids by Conference: Big East (7), Big Ten (7), Atlantic 10 (5), ACC (5), Big 12 (5), Pac-12 (5), SEC (5), Mountain West (4), Missouri Valley (2), WCC (2)
With all the ups and downs of each team, it's also impossible to predict who's going to be seeded where. The conference tournaments are going to be very telling this year. Seedings and bids are going to be up for grabs. With those tournaments beginning this week in the mid-majors, I figured it might be time to do a little Joe Brackets-ology.
MIDWEST (Indianapolis)
Dayton: (1) Indiana vs. (16) Northeastern/Norfolk State, (8) NC State vs. (9) Memphis
Salt Lake City: (4) UNLV vs. (13) South Dakota State, (5) Saint Louis vs. (12) California
Kansas City: (3) Kansas State vs. (14) Florida Gulf Coast, (6) Wichita State vs. (11) North Carolina
Lexington: (2) Louisville vs. (15) Eastern Kentucky, (7) Oregon vs. (10) Illinois
WEST (Los Angeles)
Kansas City: (1) Kansas vs. (16) UC Irvine, (8) Creighton vs. (9) Colorado
San Jose: (4) Wisconsin vs. (13) Middle Tennessee, (5) New Mexico vs. (12) Kentucky/La Salle
San Jose: (3) Arizona vs. (14) Oral Roberts, (6) Notre Dame vs. (11) Alabama
Salt Lake City: (2) Gonzaga vs. (15) Weber State, (7) Minnesota vs. (10) Iowa State
EAST (Washington)
Philadelphia: (1) Duke vs. (16) Wright State, (8) UCLA vs. (9) Saint Mary's
Austin: (4) Syracuse vs. (13) Davidson, (5) Ohio State vs. (12) Oklahoma/Mississippi
Detroit: (3) Michigan State vs. (14) Princeton, (6) Pittsburgh vs. (11) Akron
Dayton: (2) Florida vs. (15) High Point, (7) Butler vs. (10) Colorado State
SOUTH (Dallas)
Detroit: (1) Michigan vs. (16) Wagner/Southern, (8) Missouri vs. (9) San Diego State
Austin: (4) Marquette vs. (13) Bucknell, (5) Oklahoma State vs. (12) Virginia
Philadelphia: (3) Georgetown vs. (14) Stony Brook, (6) VCU vs. (11) Louisiana Tech
Lexington: (2) Miami vs. (15) Niagara, (7) Cincinnati vs. (10) Temple
Final Four Matchups: Midwest vs. West, East vs. South
Bids by Conference: Big East (7), Big Ten (7), Atlantic 10 (5), ACC (5), Big 12 (5), Pac-12 (5), SEC (5), Mountain West (4), Missouri Valley (2), WCC (2)
Thursday, February 28, 2013
World Baseball Classic Time
I know that 98 percent of you are either lukewarm about the World Baseball Classic or don't care at all, but I couldn't be more excited. I love the World Baseball Classic. For the next two weeks, unwatchable Spring Training games are being replaced by intense, playoff-like competition between the 16 best national teams in the world in the only national-team competition that actually includes Major Leaguers. I think that's probably why I like the WBC so much.
This year had the added twist of the qualifying tournaments, which resulted in Spain and Brazil making the big tournament for the first time. They also wisely divided the four semifinalists from 2009 into the four different groups. That means we're not going to get Japan vs. South Korea five times like we did four years ago. In fact, the three teams that have made the finals in the history of the event (Japan, Cuba, South Korea) will all be in the same second round group, meaning one won't even get to the semis.
And with that, here's my take on the four WBC first round pools, as well as some predictions...
Pool A (Fukuoka, Japan): Japan, Cuba, China, Brazil
If they were going to separate Japan and South Korea (which they had to), they had to put somebody else in the Asian pool. The winner was Cuba. And I really mean that. Because there's no way Japan and Cuba aren't the two teams coming out of this group. Japan won the first two WBCs and is one of the favorites again, even though this time their team includes only players from the Japanese Major Leagues. No Ichiro. No Dice-K. No Darvish. That shouldn't matter. The only challenge they'll face is from Cuba. With baseball no longer in the Olympics, this is THE event for the Cuban national team, which was embarrassed by not even reaching the semifinals in 2009. The Cubans feel like they've got something to prove, and they'll take it out on poor China and Brazil. Brazil upset Panama to win its qualifying tournament and is making its WBC debut, while the Chinese team is improving all the time. The Chinese eliminated their rivals from Taiwan four years ago and avoided the qualifying tournament as a result. Since Brazil's also in this group, they might get direct entry again in 2017, but neither team is advancing. Not over Japan and Cuba.
Pool B (Taichung, Taiwan): South Korea, Netherlands, Australia, Chinese Taipei
This is arguably the weakest of the four groups. South Korea, the 2008 Olympic champions, lost only one game in the 2009 WBC. It just happened to be the final. In their fifth game against Japan in the tournament. That can't happen this time (the max games they can play is three). South Korea's clearly the class of this group, but the second spot is wide open. Any of the three teams can advance. The Netherlands is seeded second and probably has the slight edge over Australia and Taiwan. The Dutch team boasts a number of Major Leaguers from Curacao, and talent-wise they're probably the second-best team in this group. Furthermore, they're not going to need to beat the Dominican Republic twice like they did in 2009. Australia should be a win and Taiwan is definitely a winnable game. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Netherlands advance to round two. But I don't think Taiwan can be counted out. Especially since they're playing at home. In a group that's not too challenging. They're ranked sixth in the world and have a bunch of Major Leaguers on the roster. Australia isn't bad, either. A three-way tie at 1-2 that brings those wonderful, convoluted WBC tiebreakers into play doesn't seem out of the question. But I'm going to go with Taiwan taking that second spot behind South Korea.
Pool C (San Juan, Puerto Rico): Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Spain
Along with Pool B, this one figures to easily be the most competitive. Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are all deep enough to make deep runs in the tournament, but one won't even get out of the first round. In 2009, that was the Dominican Republic, which was knocked out after being upset by the Netherlands twice. Venezuela, meanwhile, was a semifinalist in 2009 and is my pick to win it all this year. It's really not fair how good that team is. Even without Felix Hernandez. Venezuela's biggest problem might be finding a way to get everybody into the lineup. Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, Elvis Andrus, Marco Scutaro, Carlos Gonzalez. Yeah, they're gonna get some hits. Puerto Rico has the advantage of hosting and boasts its usual array of Major League stars in the lineup, but I'm not sure if the pitching staff is going to hold up against the likes of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Speaking of the DR, they're like Cuba. Good, hungry and dangerous. Like Venezuela, they've got an extremely loaded lineup, and I think the pitching, anchored by Edinson Volquez, should be good enough. Like Brazil, Spain's achievement was in just getting here. Unfortunately, though, they were drawn into this ultra-strong group. Spain is completely overmatched against these three opponents. As for the two that advance, I'm going with Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
Pool D (Phoenix, Arizona): United States, Mexico, Italy, Canada
Italy gets to hang out with the three North American teams in Phoenix, where the USA and Mexico are the clear favorites. When the WBC was first concocted, most experts thought the tournament format favored teams like the United States, which can fill six teams of Major League all-stars and still have plenty to spare. Through two tournaments, though, that hasn't been the case. So Joe Torre was brought in to manage Team USA. And he took a different approach while assembling the roster, going with one starter at each position and just a couple of backup utlilty guys. This should allow the lineup to gel a little better and be a more cohesive unit in the later stages of the tournament. We'll see if it works out. Mexico's got Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo, Giants closer Sergio Romo and Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on its roster, but will need to beat Canada to advance. The Canadians were as embarrassed as anybody by their showing in 2009, being eliminated first after losing twice (in Toronto!) and having to go through the qualifying tournament despite being ranked sixth in the world. They got through the qualifier with ease and are back where they belong in the WBC main tournament. Even without Russell Martin, I like this Canadian team. They beat the USA in 2006, only to be eliminated on that confusing runs tiebreaker. They've got the talent to knock off Mexico and advance. If nothing else, they should get a chance to get revenge on Italy, the team that knocked them out of the 2009 tournament. Nothing against Italy, arguably the best team in Europe, but the two qualifiers will be from North America. Probably the US and Mexico.
Pool 1 (Tokyo, Japan): Japan, Cuba, South Korea, Chinese Taipei
Pools A and B move on to Tokyo, where the format changes from round robin to modified double elimination. Assuming Japan and South Korea win their groups, that means South Korea would play Cuba in the first game of round two. Winning that game will be paramount, since the loser would have to beat the other again, as well as possibly Japan, to get to the semis. With Japan playing at home, I think they advance. For the other spot, I'll take Cuba.
Pool 2 (Miami, Florida): Venezuela, Dominican Republic, United States, Mexico
Fans in Miami, you'll get to see actual Major Leaguers this season! Of course, it'll be in March. I think Venezuela's the best team in the tournament, which means they'll get one of the semifinal spots. The same thing I said about Cuba-Korea applies to USA-DR. That could be the game of the tournament. Ultimately, though, I think the American pitching is what makes the slight difference. The USA takes the other spot.
Semifinals/Championship (San Francisco, California): Japan vs. USA, Venezuela vs. Cuba
The only thing standing between Japan and a third straight trip to the finals, in my opinion, is Team USA. However, this Japanese team isn't as good as the one in the previous two editions, and that break they'll get after crossing the ocean could be a detriment. As a result, I'm saying USA in a slight upset. I keep reiterating that whole "Venezuela is the best team in the tournament" thing. As much as I respect the Cuban National Team, I think the Venezuelans will be too tough. In the final, we've got Venezuela vs. the USA. The pitching is the only thing that concerns me about Venezuela, but not enough for me to stray from my pick. Venezuela wins the tournament.
This year had the added twist of the qualifying tournaments, which resulted in Spain and Brazil making the big tournament for the first time. They also wisely divided the four semifinalists from 2009 into the four different groups. That means we're not going to get Japan vs. South Korea five times like we did four years ago. In fact, the three teams that have made the finals in the history of the event (Japan, Cuba, South Korea) will all be in the same second round group, meaning one won't even get to the semis.
And with that, here's my take on the four WBC first round pools, as well as some predictions...
Pool A (Fukuoka, Japan): Japan, Cuba, China, Brazil
If they were going to separate Japan and South Korea (which they had to), they had to put somebody else in the Asian pool. The winner was Cuba. And I really mean that. Because there's no way Japan and Cuba aren't the two teams coming out of this group. Japan won the first two WBCs and is one of the favorites again, even though this time their team includes only players from the Japanese Major Leagues. No Ichiro. No Dice-K. No Darvish. That shouldn't matter. The only challenge they'll face is from Cuba. With baseball no longer in the Olympics, this is THE event for the Cuban national team, which was embarrassed by not even reaching the semifinals in 2009. The Cubans feel like they've got something to prove, and they'll take it out on poor China and Brazil. Brazil upset Panama to win its qualifying tournament and is making its WBC debut, while the Chinese team is improving all the time. The Chinese eliminated their rivals from Taiwan four years ago and avoided the qualifying tournament as a result. Since Brazil's also in this group, they might get direct entry again in 2017, but neither team is advancing. Not over Japan and Cuba.
Pool B (Taichung, Taiwan): South Korea, Netherlands, Australia, Chinese Taipei
This is arguably the weakest of the four groups. South Korea, the 2008 Olympic champions, lost only one game in the 2009 WBC. It just happened to be the final. In their fifth game against Japan in the tournament. That can't happen this time (the max games they can play is three). South Korea's clearly the class of this group, but the second spot is wide open. Any of the three teams can advance. The Netherlands is seeded second and probably has the slight edge over Australia and Taiwan. The Dutch team boasts a number of Major Leaguers from Curacao, and talent-wise they're probably the second-best team in this group. Furthermore, they're not going to need to beat the Dominican Republic twice like they did in 2009. Australia should be a win and Taiwan is definitely a winnable game. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Netherlands advance to round two. But I don't think Taiwan can be counted out. Especially since they're playing at home. In a group that's not too challenging. They're ranked sixth in the world and have a bunch of Major Leaguers on the roster. Australia isn't bad, either. A three-way tie at 1-2 that brings those wonderful, convoluted WBC tiebreakers into play doesn't seem out of the question. But I'm going to go with Taiwan taking that second spot behind South Korea.
Pool C (San Juan, Puerto Rico): Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Spain
Along with Pool B, this one figures to easily be the most competitive. Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are all deep enough to make deep runs in the tournament, but one won't even get out of the first round. In 2009, that was the Dominican Republic, which was knocked out after being upset by the Netherlands twice. Venezuela, meanwhile, was a semifinalist in 2009 and is my pick to win it all this year. It's really not fair how good that team is. Even without Felix Hernandez. Venezuela's biggest problem might be finding a way to get everybody into the lineup. Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, Elvis Andrus, Marco Scutaro, Carlos Gonzalez. Yeah, they're gonna get some hits. Puerto Rico has the advantage of hosting and boasts its usual array of Major League stars in the lineup, but I'm not sure if the pitching staff is going to hold up against the likes of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Speaking of the DR, they're like Cuba. Good, hungry and dangerous. Like Venezuela, they've got an extremely loaded lineup, and I think the pitching, anchored by Edinson Volquez, should be good enough. Like Brazil, Spain's achievement was in just getting here. Unfortunately, though, they were drawn into this ultra-strong group. Spain is completely overmatched against these three opponents. As for the two that advance, I'm going with Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
Pool D (Phoenix, Arizona): United States, Mexico, Italy, Canada
Italy gets to hang out with the three North American teams in Phoenix, where the USA and Mexico are the clear favorites. When the WBC was first concocted, most experts thought the tournament format favored teams like the United States, which can fill six teams of Major League all-stars and still have plenty to spare. Through two tournaments, though, that hasn't been the case. So Joe Torre was brought in to manage Team USA. And he took a different approach while assembling the roster, going with one starter at each position and just a couple of backup utlilty guys. This should allow the lineup to gel a little better and be a more cohesive unit in the later stages of the tournament. We'll see if it works out. Mexico's got Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo, Giants closer Sergio Romo and Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on its roster, but will need to beat Canada to advance. The Canadians were as embarrassed as anybody by their showing in 2009, being eliminated first after losing twice (in Toronto!) and having to go through the qualifying tournament despite being ranked sixth in the world. They got through the qualifier with ease and are back where they belong in the WBC main tournament. Even without Russell Martin, I like this Canadian team. They beat the USA in 2006, only to be eliminated on that confusing runs tiebreaker. They've got the talent to knock off Mexico and advance. If nothing else, they should get a chance to get revenge on Italy, the team that knocked them out of the 2009 tournament. Nothing against Italy, arguably the best team in Europe, but the two qualifiers will be from North America. Probably the US and Mexico.
Pool 1 (Tokyo, Japan): Japan, Cuba, South Korea, Chinese Taipei
Pools A and B move on to Tokyo, where the format changes from round robin to modified double elimination. Assuming Japan and South Korea win their groups, that means South Korea would play Cuba in the first game of round two. Winning that game will be paramount, since the loser would have to beat the other again, as well as possibly Japan, to get to the semis. With Japan playing at home, I think they advance. For the other spot, I'll take Cuba.
Pool 2 (Miami, Florida): Venezuela, Dominican Republic, United States, Mexico
Fans in Miami, you'll get to see actual Major Leaguers this season! Of course, it'll be in March. I think Venezuela's the best team in the tournament, which means they'll get one of the semifinal spots. The same thing I said about Cuba-Korea applies to USA-DR. That could be the game of the tournament. Ultimately, though, I think the American pitching is what makes the slight difference. The USA takes the other spot.
Semifinals/Championship (San Francisco, California): Japan vs. USA, Venezuela vs. Cuba
The only thing standing between Japan and a third straight trip to the finals, in my opinion, is Team USA. However, this Japanese team isn't as good as the one in the previous two editions, and that break they'll get after crossing the ocean could be a detriment. As a result, I'm saying USA in a slight upset. I keep reiterating that whole "Venezuela is the best team in the tournament" thing. As much as I respect the Cuban National Team, I think the Venezuelans will be too tough. In the final, we've got Venezuela vs. the USA. The pitching is the only thing that concerns me about Venezuela, but not enough for me to stray from my pick. Venezuela wins the tournament.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
It's A Step, But Still Needs Work
The much talked-about NHL realignment plan was released today. The NHL has been trying to realign ever since the Jets moved to Winnipeg and they had a team in Central Canada stuck in the Southeast Division. They made a proposal last December that they wanted to take effect this season, but it was stupid and the players thankfully rejected it. Today came Round 2.
The biggest changes with the new plan is that somebody explained to the NHL that you can't have four conferences, so those "conferences" are now called "divisions" (what they actually are). They also juggled some of the teams around, moving both Columbus and Detroit to the Eastern Conference and switching Colorado from the Pacific Divison to the Midwest Division.
The schedule and playoff format are also slightly better in this proposed alignment. The December 2011 version of the schedule called for two games against everybody, but also a ridiculous number of intradivision games. Then intradivision playoffs. In other words, you would've been playing the same teams over and over again. Now they're proposing two interconference, three with the other division in your own conference and four or five in your division. It's much more balanced, which is significantly better.
And instead of going back to the pre-1994 division playoffs, the new playoff format has the top three teams in each division qualifying automatically, with the last two spots going to wild cards from either division. Theoretically, it could be five teams from one division and three from the other making the playoffs. That's OK. Because under the old proposal, you could've had a team with the fifth-best record in hockey not making the playoffs simply because it finished fifth in its division. (And not to mention the fact that teams like the Islanders would've had little to no chance of ever getting in, since some combination of the Penguins, Devils, Flyers, Rangers and Capitals are all good every year.)
They had to get Winnipeg out of the East. Everyone knows that. But there are still problems with the new divisions that I think need to be addressed before I can get completely on board with NHL realignment. The first is that the NHL brass is clearly not full of math majors. First, they wanted to have four conferences instead of two, which made no sense. Now, they want to have one conference with 16 teams and another with 14. Sure, Baseball made it work for 15 years, but even they've gone to the 15-15 split. That's what it should be. Especially since it's inherently unfair to have 14 teams with a 57 percent chance of making the playoffs and 16 with only a 50 percent chance.
I understand there are 16 teams in the Eastern Time Zone. That doesn't mean you have to put them all in the Eastern Conference. One has to be in the West for the conferences to be balanced. And, sorry Detroit and Columbus, but you're the furthest west. Being with all of the teams in the Central Time Zone wouldn't be killer on travel. Especially since those are their biggest rivals.
Also, by making the Red Wings happy and moving them to the East, you're screwing over the entire Western Conference. Especially the Chicago Blackhawks. Now you've got five Original Six teams in the East with only Chicago in the West. More significantly, the Red Wings are the Blackhawks' biggest rivals. You're willing to throw away 90 years of history just to make the Red Wings happy? (Not to mention their rivalries with teams like St. Louis that date back to the days of the Norris Division.) And for all the other teams in the Western Conference, they're losing the biggest draw that they bring into their arenas. I'm sure that most of the Eastern Conference teams aren't happy about having one of the best teams in the league switch conferences, either.
Detroit's biggest concern was that they constantly had to go back-and-forth to the West Coast. The new schedule will help that anyway, though. And going from the extreme Western portion of the Eastern Time Zone to the Central Time Zone isn't exactly back-breaking. 8:00 games aren't 10:00 games. Besides, if you're going to play a home-and-home against everybody, you've still got to go to California four times, Western Canada three times, Phoenix and Colorado. That's nine games.
I also have a slight problem with the Easternmost teams in the league (Boston and Montreal) being in the "Central" division, along with a bunch of other teams (Florida, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Torono and Ottawa) that aren't exactly in the Central. In fact, of those eight teams, the only one that's actually "Central" is Detroit, although you could make some slight argument for Buffalo and Toronto. I'd like to propose a different name for the Central Division. Although, I'm not sure what, since "Northeast" wouldn't work because of the two Florida teams.
I'll give the NHL some credit. This is definitely better. But there's still some work to do. It'll require some minor tweaking, but I think this is probably pretty close to what we're going to see next season. Regardless, there's going to be some sort of NHL realignment. And it's coming sooner rather than later. While I'd prefer something a little smaller than these widespread changes, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. And, on the surface, it seems like they did a good job of catering to what everyone wanted. Except for maybe the fans. But this is the NHL we're talking about. What do the fans matter?
The biggest changes with the new plan is that somebody explained to the NHL that you can't have four conferences, so those "conferences" are now called "divisions" (what they actually are). They also juggled some of the teams around, moving both Columbus and Detroit to the Eastern Conference and switching Colorado from the Pacific Divison to the Midwest Division.
The schedule and playoff format are also slightly better in this proposed alignment. The December 2011 version of the schedule called for two games against everybody, but also a ridiculous number of intradivision games. Then intradivision playoffs. In other words, you would've been playing the same teams over and over again. Now they're proposing two interconference, three with the other division in your own conference and four or five in your division. It's much more balanced, which is significantly better.
And instead of going back to the pre-1994 division playoffs, the new playoff format has the top three teams in each division qualifying automatically, with the last two spots going to wild cards from either division. Theoretically, it could be five teams from one division and three from the other making the playoffs. That's OK. Because under the old proposal, you could've had a team with the fifth-best record in hockey not making the playoffs simply because it finished fifth in its division. (And not to mention the fact that teams like the Islanders would've had little to no chance of ever getting in, since some combination of the Penguins, Devils, Flyers, Rangers and Capitals are all good every year.)
They had to get Winnipeg out of the East. Everyone knows that. But there are still problems with the new divisions that I think need to be addressed before I can get completely on board with NHL realignment. The first is that the NHL brass is clearly not full of math majors. First, they wanted to have four conferences instead of two, which made no sense. Now, they want to have one conference with 16 teams and another with 14. Sure, Baseball made it work for 15 years, but even they've gone to the 15-15 split. That's what it should be. Especially since it's inherently unfair to have 14 teams with a 57 percent chance of making the playoffs and 16 with only a 50 percent chance.
I understand there are 16 teams in the Eastern Time Zone. That doesn't mean you have to put them all in the Eastern Conference. One has to be in the West for the conferences to be balanced. And, sorry Detroit and Columbus, but you're the furthest west. Being with all of the teams in the Central Time Zone wouldn't be killer on travel. Especially since those are their biggest rivals.
Also, by making the Red Wings happy and moving them to the East, you're screwing over the entire Western Conference. Especially the Chicago Blackhawks. Now you've got five Original Six teams in the East with only Chicago in the West. More significantly, the Red Wings are the Blackhawks' biggest rivals. You're willing to throw away 90 years of history just to make the Red Wings happy? (Not to mention their rivalries with teams like St. Louis that date back to the days of the Norris Division.) And for all the other teams in the Western Conference, they're losing the biggest draw that they bring into their arenas. I'm sure that most of the Eastern Conference teams aren't happy about having one of the best teams in the league switch conferences, either.
Detroit's biggest concern was that they constantly had to go back-and-forth to the West Coast. The new schedule will help that anyway, though. And going from the extreme Western portion of the Eastern Time Zone to the Central Time Zone isn't exactly back-breaking. 8:00 games aren't 10:00 games. Besides, if you're going to play a home-and-home against everybody, you've still got to go to California four times, Western Canada three times, Phoenix and Colorado. That's nine games.
I also have a slight problem with the Easternmost teams in the league (Boston and Montreal) being in the "Central" division, along with a bunch of other teams (Florida, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Torono and Ottawa) that aren't exactly in the Central. In fact, of those eight teams, the only one that's actually "Central" is Detroit, although you could make some slight argument for Buffalo and Toronto. I'd like to propose a different name for the Central Division. Although, I'm not sure what, since "Northeast" wouldn't work because of the two Florida teams.
I'll give the NHL some credit. This is definitely better. But there's still some work to do. It'll require some minor tweaking, but I think this is probably pretty close to what we're going to see next season. Regardless, there's going to be some sort of NHL realignment. And it's coming sooner rather than later. While I'd prefer something a little smaller than these widespread changes, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. And, on the surface, it seems like they did a good job of catering to what everyone wanted. Except for maybe the fans. But this is the NHL we're talking about. What do the fans matter?
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