Stanley Cup Second Round Preview

 We have past the first test in the march for the Stanley Cup Playoffs We started with sixteen teams in the chase, now were down to eight. We do know one thing, and that is there will be a new Stanley Cup champion in 2020, as the defending champion Blues were knocked out in the last round. Who's going to be the team to take the next big step? Can teams like the Islanders keep rolling? We shall find out over the next two weeks. Here's what round two is looking like.

We start it off with the Eastern Conference as the one seed Philadelphia Flyers take on the six seeded New York Islanders. The Flyers got here by beating the Montreal Canadiens in six hard fought games. This was the first playoff series win for the Flyers since 2012 and Philly is looking for its first conference finals appearance since 2010. As for the Islanders, they got by the Washington Capitals in five games in the opening round. This is the second year in a row the Isles will be playing in the second round. They're looking for their first conference finals appearance since 1993. This will be the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Philadelphia winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 1987 Patrick Division Finals, which Philadelphia won in seven games. New York won all three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
August 24 New York Islanders 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena
August 26 New York Islanders 3:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena
August 27 Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 p.m. New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena
August 29 Philadelphia Flyers 12:00 p.m. New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena
August 31 New York Islanders TBD Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena
September 2 Philadelphia Flyers TBD New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena
September 3 New York Islanders TBD Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena

The Flyers have been surprising a lot of people in the playoffs. Carter Hart has been playing outstanding goaltending . He's been really really good and he keeping the Flyers in this playoff thing.  What's been gotten the Flyers game going Giroux hasn't done much of anything and Voracek had two goals in the last round. Its been mostly the role players that have stepped up for the Flyers so far. The Flyers came in with a bit of a chip on their shoulders and haven't stopped. The Islanders got everybody healthy and played their system to a T against the Caps. Semyon Varlamov has looked pretty good in net for the Islanders. They've gotten some balanced scoring, with all four lines contributing. Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey have been the ones to really lead the charge. The only thing that has me worried for the Isles in this series is their trouble staying out of the box. It cost them game four when they couldn't get out of their own way. Same thing early in game one against the Caps. Control that and they stand a pretty good shot in this series

Pick: Islanders in 6!

Next up, we have the second seeded Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the fourth seeded Boston Bruins. Tampa Got here by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games. This is the first Lightning series win since 2018, which was also the last time they made the conference finals. As for the Bruins, they're coming off a five game win over the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the third year in a row the Bruins made it past the first round and the Bruins are looking to get to the conference finals for the second year in a row. This will be the third playoff series between these two teams with both teams splitting the two previous series. They last met in the 2018 Eastern Conference Second Round, which Tampa Bay won in five games. Tampa Bay won three of four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 23 Boston Bruins 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

August 25 Boston Bruins 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

August 26 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

August 28 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:30 p.m. Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

August 30 Boston Bruins TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

September 1 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

September 2 Boston Bruins TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

The Bruins looked flat during round robin b=play. They were the President's Trophy winners for the best record during the regular season and looked primed to roll in the playoffs. They came out flat during round robin but picked it up against Carolina, despite Tuukka Rask leaving for personal reasons. No matter, Jaroslav Halak picked up the slack and was able to help power the Bruins on to round two. Boston still one of the most balanced and deep teams in the game left, but they're going against a fired up Lightning team who slayed the Jackets dragon that's been haunting them since last season's sweep. Andrei Vasilevski played pretty well in the last round, but some of his rebounds and five hole play have left a few Bolts fans a little suspect. He has more then made up for it at times, which is why the matchup of him against Halak is so interesting. And the Bolts have managed to get timely scoring out of a guy like Brayden Point all last series and they have a balanced attack in Tampa, even without Steven Tamkos still not yet (as of this writing) ready to go.

Pick: Lightning in 6!

To the Western Conference we go, as the top seeded Vegas Golden Knights take on the fifth seeded Vancouver Canucks. Vegas has made the playoffs in each of three years in the league and won playoff series now in two of the three after beating the Blackhawks in five games. They're looking to reach the conference finals for the fist time since their first year in the league. As for the Canucks, they knocked off the St Louis Blues in the first round, making it their first playoff series win since 2001. Vancouver is looking to reach the West final for the first time since that 2011 season. This will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams. These two teams split their two-game regular season series.

Here's the date and times of every game in this series:

August 23 Vancouver Canucks 10:30 p.m. Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

August 25 Vancouver Canucks 9:45 p.m. Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

August 27 Vegas Golden Knights 9:45 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

August 29 Vegas Golden Knights 8:00 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

August 31 Vancouver Canucks TBD Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

September 1 Vegas Golden Knights TBD Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

September 3 Vancouver Canucks TBD Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

Credit is due for Robin Lehnar, who's took hold of the starting job in the Vegas nets over Marc-Andre Fleury and run with it. Vegas has a deep, talented and playoff tested hockey club. Mark Stone, Shea Theedore and Alex Tuch were keeping the Golden Knights going. They await a surprising team in Vancouver who's youth movement has been carrying them to this second round playoff matchup. Case in point they just knocked off the defending cup champions to get here. Elias Petterson has the second most playoff points at the start of this second round. Him and Bo Horvat have been the ones that power this club and Vancouver looks like they're going to make noise. This is going to be a tough series, but at the end of the day, its the depth and experience that's going to win out.

Pick: Golden Knights in 6!

Finally, we have the second seeded Colorado Avalanche taking on the third seeded Dallas Stars. Colorado got here by beating the Arizona Coyotes in five games, making it the second year in a row the Avs won their opening round playoff matchup. Colorado is looking to reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2002. Dallas got here by beating the Calgary Flames in five games, the second year in a row that they've won their opening round playoff matchup, Dallas is looking to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2008. This will be the fifth playoff series between these two teams, with both teams splitting the four previous series. They last met in the 2006 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Colorado won in five games. Dallas won all four games in this year's regular season series. 

Here's the Dates and times of every game in this series:

August 22 Dallas Stars 8:00 PM  Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

August 24 Dallas Stars 9:45 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

August 26 Colorado Avalanche 10:30 p.m. Dallas Stars Rogers Place

August 28 Colorado Avalanche 10:00 p.m. Dallas Stars Rogers Place

August 30 Dallas Stars TBD Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

August 31 Colorado Avalanche TBD Dallas Stars Rogers Place

September 2 Dallas Stars TBD Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

We all know the big boys in Dallas of Jamie Benn and Tyler Segin, but the supporting cast stepped it up against the Flames. Alexander Radulov, Miro Heiskanen, Joe Pavelski all stepped up and played a big role in the last round, while Anton Khudobin played big factors in the last round. But looking at it from the other side, Khudobin has been good, but Philipp Grubauer has been just as good, as has Pavel Francouz when called apon. Colorado has been deep and well balanced behind Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Cale Makar, and Miro Heiskanen have all been factors for the Avs in the playoffs. The Avs depth has been their backbone all year. Not gonna lie, as well as Dallas has played, they can pull a couple games off in surprise. Colorado is going to be too much to handle at the end of the day.

Pick: Avalanche in 6!

Never Leave The Mic Open

One of the biggest fears for somebody in the broadcasting industry is getting caught with an open mic. What that means is, being caught unaware that there is a live microphone on and working, and whatever you say can and will go out over the air. Broadcasters always are, or should be aware, when their mics are on and transmitting over the airwaves. Well Wednesday night in Cincinnati, Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman was unaware of such a thing and some truly horrific and horrible comments were made on the air during a live broadcast.

Now it does happen, from time to time, that a TV or Radio broadcast will come back from a break early and the announcers aren't prepared for it and some stuff gets said. It has happened. But what Brennaman said has no place anywhere. Coming back from a break, Brennaman was unaware that the Reds had come out of a break early, was heard, clear as day, saying "One of the f*g capitals of the world," before then resuming his on-air duties. It's unknown what led to that remark and the context behind it. 

Steinlight Media released a statement on Brennaman's behalf. 

"I would like to sincerely apologize for the inappropriate comments I made during last night's telecast. I made a terrible mistake. To the LGBTQ community, and all people I have hurt or offended, from the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry. I respectfully ask for your grace and forgiveness," the statement said. 

Brennaman opened the fifth inning with an apology spoken directly to the camera before handing off play-by-play duties. "I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of," he said. "If I have hurt anyone out there, I can't tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I am very, very sorry."

Brennaman has been suspended from play by play duties for the Reds. no timetable on when or even if he will return to his announcing duties. This may also affect his work with the NFL as he has called football games for Fox in the past.

As somebody who's been involved in sports broadcasts in my career, both as an announcer and a producer for radio (I called college hockey and have produced hockey, basketball and football for colleges) I know what its like on both sides of the board. Its very rare that something like this happened and we've seen and heard slip ups before on the air, but nothing ever like this. There needs to be better communication between all parties involved on a broadcast and something like this should have never happened and been allowed over the air. Its disgusting and has no place in society. Good on the Reds organization and Fox Sports Ohio for taking care of this as quickly as they did. I really hope that something like this never, ever happens again.

Tatis Jr Sets Off Argument

Trust me, I know this isn't a local sports story, but with all that's been talked about regarding it the last few days, it's damn sure worth bringing up here. Monday night, in a game between the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers, young star Fernando Tatis Jr smacked a grand slam, his second home run of the night. What makes this so controversial you ask? Two reasons. One the score was already 10-4 at that point (the home run made it 14-4 which turned out to be the final). The other was that it was done on a 3-0 pitch.

Scratching your head right? Yeah so was I when I read it. Not because of the fact that Tatis did it. Oh no. I was scratching my head because so many people ended up complaining about it.

Chris Woodward, a twelve year veteran in the Majors, who's now managing the Texas Rangers, went off on Tatis after the game Monday night. 

“There's a lot of unwritten rules that are constantly being challenged in today's game,” Woodward told reporters. “I didn't like it, personally. You're up by seven in the eighth inning; it's typically not a good time to swing 3–0. It's kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis, so—just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not right.” (Sports Illustrated).

Tatis also got a bit of a dirty look from his manager when he got back into the dugout after circling the bases on his home run trot.

Here's the thing that bothers me with all of this. It was Woodward complaining abut the unwritten rule about swinging on a 3-0 pitch. And doing it when your way ahead. I can kind of see where he's coming from, but its a stupid notion. To be fair, it's also been reported that Tatis missed a sign not to swing on the 3-0 pitch, so that is on him. He even admitted to it that its his fault for missing the sign.

At the same time, it always bothers me over stuff like this. If you don;'t want Tatis to swing, have your pitchers not leave a 92 MPH fastball right over the plate where he can swing at it. You don't want him to swing, don't give him anything he can hit. Also if you don't want it to get any further out of hand, have your pitchers make their pitches better and your defense play better. Don't get mad at Tatis for playing the game the way its supposed to be played.

The fact that this argument even happened is dumb, and its a dumb rule to be fighting over. It was a bad night for the Rangers on Monday and I think it was a case of Woodward just needed someone, or something, to vent his frustrations over getting blown out. Tatis has a very bright future in this game, and that skill set was on full display on Monday night, at least at the plate. He did what any good hitter would do in that situation and got called out for it by somebody who had sour grapes.

NBA First Round Predictions

 Took a little longer than anybody anticipated, but we're finally here. The field of sixteen is now set and the chase for the Larry O'Brien Trophy is on.The Toronto Raptors are in trying to defend their title, while fifteen other teams are here trying to take it away from them. Been a long time since the season hit pause, and after an eight game regular season reboot, here we stand. We started with 30 teams, were now down to the final sixteen teams. Lets get into it. Here's how the first round goes down.

First up, its the best team in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the eight seeded Orlando Magic. This marks the 4th straight playoff appearance for the Bucks, and the second year in a row they've had the best record in the Eastern Conference. This marks the 2nd straight playoff appearance for the Magic, finishing this year with the 2nd best record in their division. This marks the second time every that these two teams will have met in the playoffs, Milwaukee won the only prior meeting in 2001. The Bucks won all four games during the regular season.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 18 1:30pm Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks HP Field House

August 20 6:00pm Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks HP Field House

August 22 1:00pm Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic HP Field House

August 24 1:30pm Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic HP Field House

August 26 TBD Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks* TBD

August 28 TBD Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic* TBD

August 30 TBD Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks* TBD

Orlando finished the regular season seven games under .500 this year. And lets not take anything away from what the Magic have done this year. Evan Fournier, DJ Augistin, Markelle Fultz ohave been putting in the work for the Magic, to keep some of that going in Orlando. However, they're going up against the best team in the game in the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing, well, like Giannis Antetokounmpo. He's the best player in the game right now. And he has help from Brook Lopez and Khris Middelton. They made a statement in the opening round series win last year against the Pistons and they are going to do it again this year against the Magic.

Pick: Bucks in four!

Next up, its the second seeded, and defending NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors, taking on the seventh seeded Brooklyn Nets. This marks the seventh straight playoff appearance, and sixth division title in seven years for the Raptors. This marks the 2nd straight playoff appearance for the Nets, first time since 2015 they've made the playoffs with a losing record. The Nets are looking for their first playoff series win since 2014. This is the third ever playoff meeting between the two teams, the Nets winning in 2007 and the Raptors won in 2014. Toronto won three of the four regular season meetings between the clubs.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 17 4:00pm Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors The Arena

August 19 1:30pm Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors HP Field House

August 21 1:30pm Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets HP Field House

August 23 6:30pm Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets HP Field House

August 25 TBD Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors* TBD

August 27 TBD Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets* TBD

August 29 TBD Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors* TBD

Who would have thought that the Nets would be in a place like this right now. With all the players that they had opt out of this season, the fact that they managed to hang on to the seven seed in this bubble is pretty impressive. Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen have really carried the Nets during this time, and they been playing some pretty good ball since the end of July. They facing a very tough and battle tested Champs in the Raptors. It a little different without Lenoard here, as he's with the Clippers. So with Kawai gone, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet have stepped it up and haven't missed a beat from a season ago. And this is a Raptors team that's at full strength and playing just as good basketball.

Pick: Raptors in five!

Next up, its the three seeded Boston Celtics taking on the sixth seeded Philadelphia 76ers. This marks the 6th straight year and 12th time in the last 13 years that the Celtics are a playoff team. Its also the 2nd year the Celtics have won 48 or more games. As for the Sixers, this is the second straight playoff appearance, after six years in a row of missing the playoffs. Its also the 2nd of back to back fifty or more win seasons. This is the 22nd ever playoff meeting between the teams, with Boston winning 13 of the previous 21. Philadelphia won three of the four meetings between the teams this season.

Here's the date and times of every game in this series:

August 17 6:30pm Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics HP Field House

August 19 6:30pm Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics HP Field House

August 21 6:30pm Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers HP Field House

August 23 1:00pm Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers HP Field House

August 25 TBD Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics* TBD

August 27 TBD Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers* TBD 

August 29 TBD Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics* TBD

One of the big forces for the Sixers this year has been Joel Embiid, who at times this year has dominated games, almost in the same vain as Giannis has for the Bucks. Embiid has been great, and almost as good has been Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons. Both guys have been able to step in and provide support and have big games right up there with Embiid. Boston, though, is a deeper, more balanced team. Enes Kantor, Jason Taytum,m Gordon Haywayrd, and Marcus Smart have been carrying the Celtics most of this season. Boston is a well rounded club, and that's not to say that the Sixers aren't. But the Celtics are just the deeper team

Pick: Celtics in six!

Final matchup in the East is the fourth seeded Indiana Pacers taking on the fifth seeded Miami Heat. Indiana is in the playoffs for the 5th straight year and the 9th time in the last ten years. For the Heat, this marks the third time in the last six years they are a playoff team. Miami hasn't won a playoff series since 2016. This is the fifth ever playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Heat winning three of the previous four. Miami won three of the four meetings between the clubs during the regular season.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 18 4:00pm Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers The Arena, Bay

August 20 1:00pm Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers HP Field House

August 22 3:30pm Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat The Arena, Bay

August 24 6:30pm Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat HP Field House

August 26 TBD Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers* TBD

August 28 TBD Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat* TBD

August 30 TBD Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers* TBD

The Pacers have had big players miss time due to injuries but managed to be able to hang onto the fourth seed in the Conference. Victor Oladipo has managed to get back on his game a little during this restart. TJ Warren has managed to be able to find a stride a little here down the stretch. Miami Can match that with the play of Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler. Indiana has a pretty good team coming off the bench, but they aren't as healthy as the depth squad coming out of Miami.

Pick: Heat in six!

To the Western Conference we go. We start it off with the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers taking on the eight seeded Portland Trail Blazers. This is the first playoff appearance and winning season for the Lakers since 2013. It's also the first time they've had the top seed  in the West since 2010. This marks the 7th straight playoff appearance for Portland, with this 8th place finish being the lowest they've had since 2017. This marks the 12th ever playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Lakers having won nine of the previous eleven. The Lakers won two of the three regular season meetings between the teams.

Here are the date and times of the games in this series:

August 18 9:00pm Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers The Arena

August 20 9:00pm Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers The Arena

August 22 8:30pm Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers The Arena

August 24 9:00pm Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers The Arena

August 26 TBD Portland Trail Blazers vs.. Los Angeles Lakers* TBD

August 28 TBD Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers* TBD

August 30 TBD Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers* TBD

There's a reason why the Lakers are the best team in the West, they're loaded. LeBron and Anthony Davis have been the anchors on this team and they've had pretty good support. Kyle Kuzma, Markiff Morris, Dion Waiters, JaVal McGee have all been productive. Portland can match with how hot Damian Lillard has been in the return to play. Him and CJ McCollum have both come up huge since play came back at the end of July. With the way Portland has been playing as of late, they are going to make it a little more interesting, but at the end of the day, the Lakers are going to be too good

Pick: Lakers in Four!

Next up, its the second seeded Los Angeles Clippers taking on the seventh seeded Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers missed the playoffs last year, but this is the seventh time in the last eight years that LA has made the playoffs.They're looking for their first playoff win since 2015. As for Dallas, this marks the first time they've made the playoffs since 2016. Dallas hasn't won a playoff series since winning the NBA title over the Heat in 2011. This is the first ever playoff meeting between the two teams. Los Angeles won all three meetings during the regular season.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 17 9:00pm Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers The Arena

August 19 9:00pm Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers The Arena

August 21 9:00pm Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks The Arena

August 23 3:30pm Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks The Arena

August 25 TBD Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers* TBD

August 27 TBD Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks* TBD

August 29 TBD Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers* TBD

Dallas has two big men they're trying to build around and this will be a great test for both of them. Luka Doncic has been a star in Dallas and now gets a chance to really shine come this time of year. Him and Kristaps Porzingis really get a chance to show what they can do. Throw in Tim Hardaway Jr and Dallas may have something cooking. They're going up against a Clippers team lead by Kawhi Leonard, who showed last year that he can really step his game up at this time of year. Him, Paul George and Patrick Beverly have been pretty much unstoppable at times this year and its going to be an uphill battle for Dallas.

Pick: Clippers in five!

Next up its the three seeded Denver Nuggets taking on the six seeded Utah Jazz. Denver has made the playoffs for the second year in a row, after missing the playoffs for four straight years. The Nuggets are looking to build off last years second round appearance. Utah has made the playoffs for the fourth year in a row and is looking for its first win in the playoffs since 2018. This marks the fifth playoff meeting between the two teams, with Utah winning three of the first four. Denver won all three meetings between the teams during the regular season.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 17 1:30pm Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets HP Field House

August 19 4:00pm Box score Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets The Arena

August 21 4:00pm Box score Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz The Arena

August 23 9:00pm Box score Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz The Arena

August 25 TBD Box score Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets* TBD

August 27 TBD Box score Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz* TBD

August 29 TBD Box score Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets* TBD

This is going to be a battle between Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic. Jokic has been pretty good this season and has gotten support from PJ Dozier and Jamal Murray. It takes a team effort, which is why they are the third best team in the West. But the combination of Gobert and Donavan Mitchell are going to be very tough to try and contain in this series. This maybe the most balanced of the series of the Western Conference and is going to be fun to watch.

Pick: Nuggets in Six!

Finally, we have the fourth seeded Houston Rockets taking on the fifth seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Houston has won the Southwest division for the 3rd year in a row and this marks the eighth year in a row they have made the playoffs. Houston is looking to win a round for the 3rd year in a row. Oklahoma City has now made the playoffs for the tenth time in their twelve year history in OKC. This is the fifth year in a row for the Thunder in the playoffs. OKC is looking for their first playoff series win since 2016. This is the ninth ever playoff meeting between the teams with OKC winning six of the previous eight. The Thunder won two of the three meetings between the teams this season.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 18 6:30pm Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets HP Field House

August 20 1:00pm Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets The Arena

August 22 3:30pm Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder HP Field House

August 24 4:00pm Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder The Arena

August 26 TBD Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets* TBD

August 28 TBD Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder* TBD

August 30 TBD Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets* TBD

Chris Paul has been a big factor for OKC this year, and is playing at a star level. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped it up during the return to play games and has taken a little bit of pressure off Paul during the eight games. But they have to go up against the dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden for Houston. Sure, Westbrook is missing time coming back from injruies, and if Houston can keep the small ball play going, they don't have to rush back Westbrook. But if the Thunder start taking early command of the series, then who knows.

Pick: Rockets in seven!

Going The Distance

Ya gotta love this time of year, if you're a hockey fan. There's no better time of the year, in any sport for that matter, than playoff time. There was no better way, in a crazy year that 2020 has been, to get this year's playoffs going, than what happened between Tampa and Columbus. There was already a built in storyline here, with the Lightning trying to eradicate their crushing loss to the Jackets last season. 

Game one this year turned into an epic contest. Puck drop for this was at 3 PM eastern time, and by the time the final goal was scored by Brayden Point, the clock read almost 9:30 PM eastern time. Almost six and a half hours of hockey later, game one had come to an end.

That game moved into the top five all time of the longest games played in NHL history, and its the second longest game played in the modern era. With that being said, here's the date time and goals for the top 15 longest games played in NHL playoff history. Also included is the person who scored the game winner.

1. March 24, 1936 - Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0, semifinal, 116 minutes, 30 seconds, Mud Bruneteau.

2. April 3, 1933 - Toronto 1, Boston 0, semifinal, 104:46, Ken Doraty.

3. May 4, 2000 - Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1, conference semifinal, 92:01, Keith Primeau.

4. August 11, 2020 - Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2, Eastern Conf. 1st Round, 90:27, Brayden Point

5. April 24, 2003 - Anaheim 4, Dallas 3, conference semifinal, 80:48, Petr Sykora

6. April 24, 1996 - Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2, conference quarterfinal, 79:15, Petr Nedved.

7. April 11, 2007 - Vancouver 5, Dallas 4, conference quarterfinal, 78:06, Henrik Sedin.

8. March 23, 1943 - Toronto 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 70:18, Jack McLean.

9. May 4, 2008 - Dallas 2, San Jose 1, conference semifinal, 69:03, Brenden Morrow.

10. March 28, 1930 - Montreal Canadiens 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 68:52, Gus Rivers.

11. April 18, 1987 - N.Y. Islanders 3, Washington 2, division semifinal, 68:47, Pat LaFontaine.

12. April 27, 1994 - Buffalo 1, New Jersey 0, conference quarterfinal, 65:43, Dave Hannan.

13. March 27, 1951 - Montreal Canadiens 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 61:09, Maurice Richard.

14. March 27, 1938 - N.Y. Americans 3, N.Y. Rangers 2, quarterfinal, 60:40, Lorne Carr.

15. March 26, 1932 - N.Y. Rangers 4, Montreal Canadiens 3, semifinal, 59:32, Fred Cook.

If this was just game one of the playoffs (it was the first game that started the day) then this is going to be one hell of a playoff year.

Stanley Cup First Round Preview

Time for talk has ended. The round of sixteen is finally set. After one of the strangest conclusions to a regular season ever, the Stanley Cup Playoffs is set to kick off. 31 teams started this whole journey way back in October, and now we're here. We will be playing best of seven series all the way through the finals. First round is here and starts right now. Lets get right into it. Here's the breakdown and predictions for the first round.

We start this off with the Eastern Conference as the top seeded Philadelphia Flyers battle the eight seeded Montreal Canadiens. Philadelphia finished in 2nd place in the Metro division during the season, but were a perfect 3-0 in round robin play, earning the top seed. Montreal got in with the last possible spot for the qualifiers, then pulled off a four game upset of the Penguins to snag the 8th seed in the playoffs. This will be the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams with both teams splitting the six previous series. They last met in the 2010 Eastern Conference Final, which Philadelphia won in five games. Philadelphia won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 12 Montreal Canadiens 8:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena 

August 14 Montreal Canadiens 3:00 p.m. Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena

August 16 Philadelphia Flyers 8:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena

August 18 Philadelphia Flyers 3:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena

August 19 Montreal Canadiens TBD Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena

August 21 Philadelphia Flyers TBD Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena

August 23 Montreal Canadiens TBD Philadelphia Flyers Scotiabank Arena

The fact that the Habs are even in this series is a big surprise. Nobody had Montreal pegged as a playoff team this year, yet here we are. The 2020 season has been an interesting one that's for sure. pulling off the win over the Penguins had a lot to do with the play in net of Carey Price. Price has reminded people as to why he won league MVP a few years back. And Shea Weber stepped his offensive game up in the qualifying round to match his defensive skillset. Jeff Petry and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were just as much of an offensive impact against the Pen But they're facing a determined and heating up Flyers team. Scott Laughton has been key for the Flyers offense during round robin play, which yes I know is different then a playoff series, but still. Lets not forget they still have Claude Giroux, Sean Couture and Jakub Voracek in the lineup, guys who have been know to score big goals at key moments. Carter Hart and Brian Elliott split time during the regular season, so you know there will be no problem going to either guy in net should the need arise. But the way round robin went, it may appear Hart is going to be the guy the Flyers go with.

Montreal pulled off the shocker in the qualify round. They outmatched the Penguins. But the Flyers have been the best team in this return to play format, which is going to be key in this round. Habs may have gotten in, but their luck may run out here.

Pick: Flyers in 6!

Next up its the second seeded Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the seventh seeded Columbus Blue Jackets. Tampa finished second in the Atlantic Division during the season, and landed the second seed because of their play during round robin. Columbus got here by sneaking in as a 9th seed going into qualifying round, beating the Maple Leafs in five games. This will be the second consecutive playoff meeting and second postseason match-up between these two teams. Columbus won last year's playoff meeting in a four-game sweep. Tampa Bay won the only game in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 11 Columbus Blue Jackets 3:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

August 13 Columbus Blue Jackets 3:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

August 15 Tampa Bay Lightning 7:30 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Scotiabank Arena

August 17 Tampa Bay Lightning 3:00 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Scotiabank Arena

August 19 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

August 21 Tampa Bay Lightning TBD Columbus Blue Jackets Scotiabank Arena

August 22 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Tampa Bay Lightning Scotiabank Arena

If your Tampa Bay, this series is big. Shot at redemption after last season, blowing not only a lead in game one, but getting swept by this Jackets team. Tampa was the presidents trophy winners last year and got stunned. They looked like they could be back on the right path. Nikita Kucherov lead the bolts in all offensive aspects and looks poised to do it again. This time, though, the Bolts are without Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, both of whom are out hurt. Last year Hedman was out too and some felt that it hurt Tampa. This year doesn't look like much different. Columbus is coming in hot, after beating the Leafs in the Qualifying round in five and are playing pretty well. Joonas Korpisalo has played great in the last round, shutting Toronto out twice. Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois both had big impacts on this team during the regular season and the playoffs.

Columbus has a pretty balanced attack and already knows how to take down the Lightning, they just did it a year ago. Tampa is coming in at less than 100% and yes Vasilevski has been great for the Bolts in goal this year. But without Hedman and Stamkos, it might be tougher. Still I think the Bolts can find a way to step it up and out play a run down Jackets team

Pick: Lightning in 7!

Next up, its the three seeded Washington Capitals taking on the sixth seeded New York Islanders. Washington was the best team in the Metro division this year, but had trouble getting going during round robin play, falling to third. As for the Islanders, they got in as the 6th seed in qualifying round, beating the Panthers in four games. This will be the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning five of the seven previous series. They last met in the 2015 Eastern Conference First Round, which Washington won in seven games. These teams split the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 12 New York Islanders 3:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Scotiabank Arena

August 14 New York Islanders 8:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Scotiabank Arena

August 16 Washington Capitals 12:00 p.m. New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena

August 18 Washington Capitals 8:00 p.m. New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena

August 20 New York Islanders TBD Washington Capitals Scotiabank Arena

August 22 Washington Capitals TBD New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena

August 23 New York Islanders TBD Washington Capitals Scotiabank Arena

Barry Trotz gets a shot at his old team. He won the cup with them two seasons ago and came to Long Island last year to try and take the Islanders to the next level. He did it, getting the Islanders into round two last year, and might be able to pull it off again this year. Golatending has been good at times for the Isles, with Greiss and Varlamov splitting duties, but Varly has taken hold of the starting job for the playoffs. What has me worried is the scoring punch for New York. They had a decent balance during the year, and now having Anthony Beauvillier  playing outstanding hockey. Ryan Pullock too. Washington has been just as goo as expected. Alex Ovechkin is well Alex Ovechkin. John Carlson has stepped his play up and now they have re loaded by adding more experience with Ilya Kovalchuck. Oh and Braden Holtby is still Braden Holtby in the Washington net.

This is a tough series to get a read on. The Caps slipped during round robin play and looked average. While the Islanders played well, I'm not sure how well the Islanders will be able to stand against a tougher opponent. Its also worth noting that every game between the two teams during the regular season was won by the road team. I just have this feeling at the bottom of my gut that its going to be the playoff tested team that wins out. New York isl= already in playoff mode and if the regular season proved anything, this could work for the Isles

Pick: Islanders in 7!

Finally, we got the fourth seeded Boston Bruins taking on the fifth seeded Carolina Hurricanes. Boston won the Presidents Trophy as the best team in hockey during the regular season, but came up empty in round robin play, falling to four. Carolina got here as the 5th seed and swept the Rangers right out of the qualifying round. This will be the second consecutive postseason match-up and sixth playoff meeting overall between these two teams. Boston won last year's series in a four-game sweep. Boston won the only game in this year's regular season series.

Here is the date and times for every game in this series:

August 11 Carolina Hurricanes 8:00 p.m. Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

August 13 Carolina Hurricanes 8:00 p.m. Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

August 15 Boston Bruins 12:00 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes Scotiabank Arena

August 17 Boston Bruins 8:00 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes Scotiabank Arena

August 19 Carolina Hurricanes TBD Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

August 20 Boston Bruins TBD Carolina Hurricanes Scotiabank Arena

August 23 Carolina Hurricanes TBD Boston Bruins Scotiabank Arena

Rematch of last years East final is going to be a fun series and an interesting one at that. Boston was the best team in the league during the regular season, winning the presidents trophy. They were red hot for most of the season. Then the pause hit and everything got flipped on its head. Boston looked really out of wack during the round robin play. Meanwhile, Carolina looked good in their series win over the Rangers. They had solid goaltending and got good scoring. This is why this series is so interesting. Is Carolina really that good? Did Boston just have trouble getting out of the blocks in round robin?

This is going to be a very tough series but at the end of the day, Boston will find its legs and wake up. It hurt their stock a little going from the top seed right down to four, but they are still in this thing and can showcase why this team was in the cup finals a year ago. the Hurricanes are a good team and will put up a good fight, but much like last year, Boston will be too much

Pick: Bruins in 6!

Moving to the Western Conference, its the top seeded Vegas Golden Knights taking on the eight seeded Chicago Blackhawks. Vegas won the Central division during the regular season, and went unbeaten in round robin play to grab the top seed. Chicago got in with the last possible spot, following beating the Oilers in the Qualifying round in four games. This will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Vegas won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 11 Chicago Blackhawks 10:30 p.m. Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

August 13 Chicago Blackhawks 5:30 p.m. Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

August 15 Vegas Golden Knights 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks Rogers Place

August 16 Vegas Golden Knights 6:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks Rogers Place

August 18 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

August 20 Vegas Golden Knights TBD Chicago Blackhawks Rogers Place

August 22 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Vegas Golden Knights Rogers Place

Its weird to see the Hawks here in the playoffs as this was a team who wasn't expected to go anywhere. But they managed to get in and face the Oilers in the qualifying round. Chicago pulled off the upset because their best players played as such. Also what helped the Hawks out a little was the fact that, yes the Oilers are a good team, they still have some glaring weaknesses in net and Chicago being the experienced team that they are, took advantage of it. Difference between qualifying round and now is, they're playing a better, more balanced team in the form of Vegas. Mark Stone and Shea Theodore were both big during the round robin play, and they still have a top scorer in Max Pacioretty, who scored 32 goals during the season. Marc-Andre Fleury will be the top man in net and can match Corey Crawford save for save in this series.

I made the mistake of going against the Hawks in the qualifying round. I misjudged how good the Oilers were. Vegas is the better team than Edmonton.  Chicago will have no problem sticking around and making noise in this series. At the end of the day though, Vegas should be able to match the Hawks and pass them in this round, having the talent to be able to match the Hawks

Pick: Golden Knights in 6!

Next up its the second seeded Colorado Avalanche taking on the seventh seeded Arizona Coyotes.  Colorado finished second in the West during the regular season and went 22-1 during round robin play. Arizon beat Nashville in the qualifying round in four games to lock up the seven seed. This will be the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2000 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Colorado won in five games. These teams split their two-game regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 12 Arizona Coyotes 5:30 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

August 14 Arizona Coyotes 2:00 p.m. Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

August 15 Colorado Avalanche 3:00 p.m. Arizona Coyotes Rogers Place

August 17 Colorado Avalanche 5:30 p.m. Arizona Coyotes Rogers Place

August 19 Arizona Coyotes TBD Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

August 21 Colorado Avalanche TBD Arizona Coyotes Rogers Place

August 23 Arizona Coyotes TBD Colorado Avalanche Rogers Place

This should come as no surprise to anybody that the Avs finished 2nd in the West. Colorado was the 2nd best team in the West for most of the season. Nathan MacKinnon had been playing at an MVP level the entire season, but wasn't the star during round robin play. Nazim Kadri was that guy to really step up dyuring RR play. Colorado has plenty of balance to be able to go deep in the playoffs. Whats going to stick in this series is the matchup between MacKinnon and Taylor Hall. Hall has help with Phil Kessel and Clayton Keller. What worries me about the Coyotes is scoring depth. Darcy Kuemper was dynamic against Nashville and a big reason why the Coyotes were able to pull off the upset over Nashville in the Qualifyer.

There's no denying the fact that Kuemper will be able to steal a game or two in this series, but lets face facts here. Colorado has too much depth for the Coyotes to overcome and the Avs have a possible MVP playing at that level

Pick: Avalanche in 6!

Next up, its the third seeded Dallas Stars taking on the sixth seeded Calgary Flames. Dallas started this off as the possible 4th seed, but got a win during round robin to move up to the three seed. Calgary beat Winnipeg in four games in the qualifying round to move on, as they were the eight seed going in. This will be the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 1981 Stanley Cup Semifinals, which the then-Minnesota North Stars won in six games. Calgary won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:

August 11 Calgary Flames 5:30 p.m. Dallas Stars Rogers Place

August 13 Calgary Flames 10:30 p.m. Dallas Stars Rogers Place

August 14 Dallas Stars 10:30 p.m. Calgary Flames Rogers Place

August 16 Dallas Stars 2:00 p.m. Calgary Flames Rogers Place

August 18 Calgary Flames TBD Dallas Stars Rogers Place

August 20 Dallas Stars TBD Calgary Flames Rogers Place

August 22 Calgary Flames TBD Dallas Stars Rogers Place

Big reason for the Flames success right now has been the play of Cam Talbot. There's no doubt that David Rittich helped carry the Flames through the regular season, but Talbot took over in the playoffs and powerd the Flames past the Jets. Talbot has the experience to be able to get them where they are now and was able to take them to the first round. It wasn't just him, they have plenty of scoring depth. Johnny Gudreau, Sam Bennett, Shean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, the list goes on with the talent up front for the Flames. Dallas can match it with their big boys of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn up front. What will end up saving the Stars for this is their goaltending. Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop have been outstanding in the Dallas net.

This series is going to be a hard hitting, closely contested series. It will go the distance and won't be much more than like a one or two goal difference in any game. For as good as the Flames are, and they are very good, at the end of the day its the men between the pipes that take the series. Calgary has some talent in net, but edge goes to Dallas and that's what's going to get them over the top.

Pick: Stars in 7!

Finally its the fourth seeded St Louis Blues taking on the fifth seeded Vancouver Canucks. St Louis had the best record in the Western Conference during the season, but went winless during round robin play to finish fourth. Vancouver got in following a four game series win in the qualifying round over Minnesota. This will be the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Vancouver winning all three previous series. They last met in the 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Vancouver won in a four-game sweep. Vancouver won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:

August 12 Vancouver Canucks 10:30 p.m. St. Louis Blues Rogers Place

August 14 Vancouver Canucks 6:30 p.m. St. Louis Blues Rogers Place

August 16 St. Louis Blues 10:30 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

August 17 St. Louis Blues 10:30 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

August 19 Vancouver Canucks TBD St. Louis Blues Rogers Place

August 21 St. Louis Blues TBD Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

August 23 Vancouver Canucks TBD St. Louis Blues Rogers Place

The defending champions were on a roll before the season stopped. They managed to do what they did during the year without Vladimir Tarasenko, who had missed time with a shoulder injury. Ryan O'Reilly stepped his play up to lead this team during the season. What worries me going into this opening round though is the fact that the Blues never seemed to really find their footing. I get it, they already had a playoff spot locked up, but showing a little life would have been nice. Jordan Binnington was outstanding for the Blues, and he's going to have to be again if this team is going to stand a chance. Jacob markstrom is the Canucks answer for it and he can more than step it up. Up front, the Cancuks have a lot of young talent to really rally around. Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Brock Besser, Quinn Hughes, this Canucks team can go.

Its going to be a fairly even series. Again what worries me is how well the Blues can find their footing. Vancouver has momentum, but I think, by the skin of their teeth, we may see the Champs hang on. Going to be another tough series, but at the end of the day experience wins out.

Pick: Blues in 7!

Oh Marty

This story is one that was too bizarre not to write about. If you followed the business of Professional Wrestling at all, then you've heard, at some point, of The Rockers. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were one of the best tag teams of the late 802 and early 90s in wrestling. They developed a new style for tag wrestling. Then, when they split up, Marty had a decent career, but Shawn went on to become a huge superstar. Both men have had their demons over the years, but over the last few days, Marty's have really caught up to him. The biggest one being he may have killed a guy.

No you didn't read that wrong, that's not a typo.

Marty says he may have killed a guy back in 1973. This all got started after a very bizarre Facebook post Marty had made in which Jannetty suggests he killed a guy and dumped the body in the Chattahoochee River sometime around 1973. As the story goes, according to Marty himself, "He was a front desk clerk," Jannetty said, "He was known to sell the weed. What I didn't know was he lured in little kids."

As the story continues, Marty claims the man tried to grab his genitals, so Marty tried to flee, but the man grabbed him by the hair and got physical with him so Marty couldn't escape. That's when Marty says he grabbed a brick and fought back.

More from Marty, "I can't say he deserved to die, but he deserved to get his ass beat." "And, when I was beating him in the head with a brick, I was only trying to beat his ass, I wasn't trying to kill him." (TMZ Sports). 

The police are now looking into any open cases of missing persons from back in 1973. If this is true, then its a messed up story on all fronts. Most wrestling fans new Jannetty had some demons he was dealing with, but this is a big one. It was kid of sad his career never took off on the singles route once the Rockers split up. Shawn went on to be one of the biggest stars the industry has ever had. Marty never quite got to that level. With all the skills he had, he could have gotten there, if he had just gotten out of his own way, in a sense.

More on this story will come to lite in the next few days. If this is true, I feel so bad for the man.

Knicks New Bench Boss

The search is now over. The New York Knicks have announced their new bench boss. The team announced last week that Tom Thibodeau has been hired as the 31st head coach in franchise history. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, at least not money wise. It appears to be a five year deal to have him as the Knicks bench boss. Thibodeau has experience dealing with the New York market, having worked here before as an assistant coach from 1996-2003.

There's no doubt in anybody's mind that he's got a track record. He managed to guide the Bulls and Timberwolves to the playoffs in every year but two as a head coach. Only times he missed the playoffs were his first year in Minnesota, and the year the Wolves let him go. His first two years in Chicago, he lead the Bulls to the best record in the league in both of those years.

As mentioned before, he does have experience in handling the New York Media. He was an assistant coach with the Knicks from 1996-2003, the last time the Knicks had sustained success. The best run was as the eight seed, the Knicks went to the finals in 1999, before losing to the Spurs. He worked under Jeff Van Gundy with those Knicks teams, and is now the 13th different head coach that the team has had since Van Gundy left, which is a staggering number to think about. His coaching style might work with this young team. He's been called by many as one of the greatest coaches in the NBA and his attention to detail has been compared to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

What I want to know is, how well is going to handle the young players that are in the Knicks lineup? He's been able to handle some of the young up and coming talent in the league in the past, he did it in Chicago when he took over there. No doubt he knows how to bring winning talent together on a team.

At the same time, for as good a coach as Thibodeau is, he can't really produce if there isn't the right mix of talent on the floor. There's times, in the past few seasons, where it looks more like a minor league team on the court then an actual NBA franchise. I have no doubt that Thibodeau can make due with the team he has and make them a good basketball club. However in order for the Knicks to truly take that step to the next level and really be a contending team, they need help from up top. What I mean is, they need to get the right people on the floor to be able to contend. Thibodaeu should be able to work a little bit of magic, I hope, to get the team going in the right direction. its going to be up to ownership and upper management to get the right guys here to work within the system.

And here's hoping ownership can actually give him a little more rope to work with in order to get this thing turned around and going the way it should and the way the Franchise deserves it to go.

Peace Out Yo

In this year of 2020 things just keep getting stranger and stranger. Sports in 2020 has been just as strange, just look at everything going on around Major League Baseball. A lot of teams have missed playing time because the players are getting hit with Covid. But the one thing that's more surprising of all (although it really isn't if you ask us Mets fans) is the saga of Yoenis Cespedes over the last 24 hours.

Before we get into it, lets give a little refreshing backstory. New York picked him up in a trade at the deadline in 2015. He (and Daniel Murphy as well) got red hot at the right time, and the Mets road that play all the way to the World Series, losing to the Royals in 5 games. 2016 he was good but not quite the same level as he was the year before. Then get got a new contract and wasn't able to stay healthy, missing the better part of the next three seasons with a variety of injuries.

Now we get to finally starting the 2020 season. He was supposedly healthy and looked good, driving in the only run on opening day with a home run, his first long ball in two years. Then he got into a bit of a slump. Then Sunday happened. He was reportedly being given a day off, but he never showed up at the ballpark in Atlanta for the game between the Mets and Braves. No show, no call, no text, nothing. Reports were running ramp as to what happened. We finally got an answer from the Mets as General Manager Brodie Van Wangenen told everybody that Cespedes had opted out of the rest of the season due to COVID.

Here's my take on this. It was a chicken way out and don't let the door hit you too hard in the ass on the way out. Look I'll give Yo credit for what he managed to do here in New York at the start, for that first year and a half he was worth every penny the team was paying him. Then the injuries took over and he wasn't the same player. He also spent way too much time doing his own thing away from the game and wasn't making any strides, at least as it looked from where I sit, to get back out on the field. He does, starts to struggle, and then decides to pack his bags and go home. It was a cheap way out and the end of a frustrating relationship that Yo had with the Mets and this fanbase. When he was on the field and playing, he could be one of the very best in the game. Then again, he was never fully there outside of the first year and a half here.

Now I'm starting to see why the A's Tigers and Red Sox were so easy to give up on him and trade him. All I can say is this, if Cespedes wants to play baseball next season, his attitude better change. There been a few different stories flying around, and hopefully we can have a bit clearer picture by the time we discuss on the next show, but this is something that just seems like its typical Mets. Cespedes better get a change in attitude or no team is going to want to work with him. Yo what you did in the start of your time in the Blue and Orange was magical and I thank you for that. But the last few years have been more of a headache then they are worth. Don't lit the door hit you too hard on the way home

Round Robin Breakdown

So with the round robin tournament play set to get underway Monday, we are here to help you get ready so you know what to be looking out for. I already did a breakdown of the Qualifying best of five round. To help me break down the round robin teams are my Tampa Sports insider (and Fellow Hockey fan) Lauren Burg.

It's FINALLY that time! After a nearly four month delay, the National Hockey League is back in action. There are some differences, however, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has rocked the world in ways that have never before been seen. 

 First, the NHL scrapped the remaining 12-14 regular season games for each team. Then, to ensure things were as fair as possible, the playoffs expanded from the traditional 16 to 24 teams. Basically, anyone who hadn't been mathematically eliminated at the time of the pause automatically qualified. From there, teams received seeds based upon their regular season points percentage when the season halted on March 12. The first four seeds in each conference receive a bye, instead playing one game non-elimination round robins against other top seeds to determine their seeding going forward. Seeds 5-12 play five game series against one another. For example, 5 plays 12, 6 plays 11 and so on.

Next, games are being held at two separate arenas. The Western Conference teams will utilize Rogers Place in Edmonton, while the Eastern Conference will play their games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Teams will be housed in two to three different hotels as well and will not be permitted to see anyone outside of their bubble so to speak

Boston Bruins:

After coming perilously close to winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, the Bruins showed no signs of a Stanley Cup Final hangover entering this season. Instead, they sprinted out of the gate like a team on a mission and were well on their way to capturing the Presidents Trophy when the season grinded to a halt. David Pastrnak led the team in scoring, with 48 goals in 70 games. That was enough to earn him a share of the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy, given annually to the league's leading goal scorer. His line, consisting of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, consistently matched up against other teams top lines with success. The fact they spent most of their time on the ice with the defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy didn't hurt either, as those five had the best plus-minus ratings on the team. Torey Krug proved to be a killer on the man advantage, with 28 points tying him and Marchand in that category. In net, Tuukka Rask carried the load and played exceptionally well, winning 26 of 41 starts with a 2.12 goals against average (GAA) and .929 save percentage. His backup, Jaroslav Halak, also performed nicely himself, collecting 18 victories in 29 starts. The only concern for this team would be how well their elder statesman (Bergeron, Chara, Marchand, David Krejci and Charlie Coyle) can hold up after months of not playing a competitive game or even being on the ice. Pastrnak's delayed arrival to training camp might pose a problem as well for a team looking to pick up where they left off in March.

Philadelphia Flyers:
Two years removed from their last postseason appearance, the Flyers are ready to make some noise in the 2020 playoffs. After a rebuilding year in 2018-19', they have the pieces to do just that. Led by captain Claude Giroux, this team went 14-4 leading up to the season's pause. Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek paced the team's scoring, while also growing into great two-way players. Matt Niskanen's arrival from the Washington Capitals added a veteran presence to the back end, something that helped Ivan Provorov's growth immensely. In goal, Carter Hart established himself as the clear-cut starter. His 2.42 GAA and .914 save percentage in 40 starts was by far the lowest of any Flyers netminder with at least 25 starts since the 2012-13 season. Backup Brian Elliott held his own also, winning 16 games and posting a 2.87 GAA and .899 save percentage. The biggest concern here is how well the young Hart performs in the spotlight, as this is his first time on the big stage.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Fresh off of a historic collapse, the Lightning struggled out of the gate this season. Scoring posed a challenge, as did winning games with the players figuring out how to prevent opposing goals. That left both Andrei Vasilevskiy and newly signed backup Curtis McElhinney on an island, trying to single-handedly steal games. Around mid December, the team clicked and went on two separate long winning streaks. Reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov again led the team in scoring, with 85 points in 66 games. Captain Steven Stamkos was on pace for another 30+ goal season when a core muscle injury requiring surgery ended his year a few weeks prior to the pause. Alex Killorn was in the midst of his best season in years, while newcomer Kevin Shattenkirk found his groove again after being let go by the New York Rangers. Victor Hedman continued evolving into one of the game's best defenseman, with 55 points and a plus-27 rating in 66 games played. While the pause helped this team get healthy for the most part, Stamkos has only taken part in three full team practices since training camp began a few weeks ago. The hope is that he'll be able to play in at least one of the teams three round robin games, but that remains to be seen. If he can't, it could be a concern heading into the first round.

Washington Capitals:

One season ago, the Capitals fell victim to an up-and-coming Carolina Hurricanes team in seven games. This year, they look to have the pieces in place for another Stanley Cup run. Alex Ovechkin led the team with 48 goals, nearly double the amount of the next highest goal scorer. Jakub Vrana, T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov can hurt you many different ways, as their numbers on the power play mirror what they produce at even strength. Tom Wilson provides the physical play, holding opponents accountable for any hits they lay on his teammates. John Carlson had his best year in awhile, with 75 points to lead his team and all NHL defenseman. That earned him a Norris Trophy nomination. Braden Holtby will get the starting nod, as Ilya Samsonov was deemed unfit to play in the postseason thanks to an undisclosed injury. Holtby wasn't at his best this season, with a 3.11 GAA and .897 save percentage, but led the team to the 2018 Stanley Cup. He'll be backed up by AHL Hershey Bears netminder Pheonix Copley or rookie Vitek Vanecek. Neither one has much, if any, NHL experience but neither did Samsonov before this season and he turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The concern for this team is if Holtby can handle the load in goal with no experienced options behind him.

St. Louis Blues:

After shocking everyone by going from last place in early January 2019 to Stanley Cup champion, the Blues entered this season ready for a repeat. They didn't waste time shooting out of the gate, showing zero signs of a Cup hangover. Ryan O' Reilly picked up where he left off last season, with 61 points in 71 games before the pause. He got help from a number of different teammates, most notably David Perron, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. Perron took the place of Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko who suffered a shoulder injury early in the season, and produced nine game-winning goals to lead the team. Alex Pietrangelo's playmaking ability and steady two-way play make him a threat on the man-advantage and at even strength. Both Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen give this team a chance to win on any given day, as both sport a GAA below 2.60 and save percentage of .912 or above. The biggest concern will be how well Tarasenko can acclimate himself back to game speed and conditioning after not playing a competitive game since late October of 2019.

Colorado Avalanche:

One year after making it to the second round, the Avalanche entered the 2019-20 season with a goal of going even deeper into the postseason. They have the talent to do exactly that. Led by perennial scoring threat Nathan MacKinnon and star rookie Cale Makar, this team poses a threat every time they step onto the ice. Mikko Rantanen is another young talent who can score when healthy. The offseason acquisitions of Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri helped the special team units, as each had 11 power play points at the time of the pause. In goal, both Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz have the ability to steal a game here and there. The numbers back that up, with the two combining for 39 wins and three shutouts in 67 starts. Michael Hutchinson was picked up off of waivers not long before the season paused, giving them more than enough experience in net. The only concern I see for this team is whether they can stay healthy long enough to make a deep playoff run.

Vegas Golden Knights:

Two seasons ago, the Golden Knights made history by becoming the first expansion team to win their conference and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. They fell short but that didn't faze them at all. Instead, the team set to work, making sure nobody thought their early success was a fluke. It wasn't, as this team is set to make their second playoff appearance in two years. Max Pacioretty looks to have finally found his groove in his second season with Vegas, putting up his best point total since 2016-17. Reilly Smith continued his maturation into a steady two-way player, while Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore displayed their talent on the man-advantage. Marc-Andre Fleury carried the load in net, winning 27 of 48 games and posting a 2.77 GAA and .905 save percentage. He was their lone good option up until the trade deadline when they picked up Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks. In three starts prior to the pause, he showed glimpses of his 2018-19 campaign, going 3-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage. The question is, did this pause affect his mentality? If it did, the Golden Knights might be in trouble. If not, they have the pieces in place to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.

Dallas Stars:

Fresh off of a playoff run that saw them come within a goal of beating the reigning Stanley Cup champion Blues, the Stars are ready for everything to align perfectly in the 2019-20 postseason. They have the talented veterans in Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. Add in second year defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the third overall pick in 2017, and you have four players capable of taking over a game. The acquisition of Joe Pavelski from the San Jose Sharks adds secondary scoring and steady play on both ends of the ice to a team that lacked both a season ago. Meanwhile, the addition of Corey Perry brings a physical presence, something this team needed last year. Both Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin have the experience necessary to make another run at Lord Stanley. The regular season and playoff numbers combined bear that out, as neither one has a GAA above 2.50 in the past two seasons. Durability could be a question mark, with Benn, Bishop, Khudobin, Pavelski and Perry all getting older. Do they have enough in the tank for one more deep run?