Big Surprises in NFL Week 1

The 2011 NFL Season kicked off with a big BANG! IT started last thursday with the first game of the year and a battle of the last two Super Bowl Champions in the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. This was a highs scoring affair as the Packers pulled one out by a 42-35 score. Arron Rogers showed why he has the reigns and making sure quickly that Packers fans forget all about Brett Farve. Of the local football clubs the Giants fall short to the Redskins 28-14. Eli Manning went 18 of 32 for 288 yards. His favorite targert was Hackem Nicks who caught 7 passes for 122 yards. The Giants offense shown good life through the first half but then all of a sudden no showed in the second half and allowed the Skins to walk back into the contest. If this is a sign of things to come in the future weeks for the Giants then it could be a very long season for Big Blue.

As for Gang Green the Jets had a tough go around with Dallas. The Jets took the game 27-24 in a close contest. Mark Sanchez of the Jets went 26 of 44 for 335 yards 2 TDs and a Pick. Looking at this as a Jets fan I'm a bit worried. I was a bit alarmed to find he threw 44 passes and barley completed half of them. I don't know how long he can hold up and get the Jets to the Playoffs. The other question I had from this game was the Jets running game. The Jets only ran the ball 15 times 10 carries by Shawn Greene for 26 Yards and LT had 5 Carries for 16 yards. Again as a Jets fan I'm hoping the running game turns up again or this could be a long season for us Jets Fans. There were a few bright spots for Gang Green. The biggest one on offense was Plaxico Burress. He had a TD Catch and started to show some flashes of his former self before his prison sentence. On Defense the punt unit came up huge blocking a Cowboys punt leading to the Game Tying Touchdown. And of course there was Derrel Revis interception that set up the game winnning field goal. Tony Romo of Dallas came out flying but after he lost his two biggest targets at wide reciever he seemed to shut down. But if your looking at the Jets next week against The jaguars.

So looking around the rest of the NFL one of the biggest surprises was the Buffalo Bills who exploded for 41 points as they blasted the Chiefs 41-7. The Buffalo Bills had been what most would call a bad team, I just never knew the Bills had it in them. Another surprise was the Miami Dolphins as they put up a fight against the New England Patriots but the Pats proved to be too much taking the game 38-24.

The two biggest performers from Week 1 for me were both Quarterbacks. First was Cam Newton. The rookie QB for Carolina played a great first game in the NFL throwing for 422 yards breaking the old record held by Payton Manning. Have to admit it was a pretty good opening day for Newton and I have to admit he put up a good fight on the opener. But the big question for him is how he handles next week against the Packers. The other big story was Tom Brady of the Pats who threw for over 500 yards in the monday night win over the Dolphins. I knew the guy was good but come on!

NHL Takes Another HIt as Plan Crash Kills 43

More sad news has struck the National Hockey League today as a plane crash kills members of a KHL team from Russia which included former NHL Talent. Here is the article from nhl.com this afternoon:

Plane crash in Russia involves KHL teamWednesday, 09.07.2011 / 2:07 PM / News
NHL.com
CommentPrintA plane crash near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia has claimed the lives of at least 43 people, according to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. The majority of victims were members of the Kontinental Hockey League club, Lokomotiv.

Lokomotiv has confirmed that the entire main roster, plus four players from the youth team, was on the plane.

"We have no team anymore," Vladimir N. Malkov, the team spokesman, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times. "All our starting players, and all the service people, they all burned in the crash."


Former NHLers among crash victims
PAVOL DEMITRA teams: OTT, STL, LAK, MIN, VAN
RUSLAN SALEI teams: ANA, FLA, COL, DET
Karel Rachunek teams: Ott, NYR, NJD
Karlis Skrastins teams: NSH, COL, FLA, DAL
Josef Vasicek teams: Car, NYI
Alexander Vasyunov teams: NJD
Brad McCrimmon teams (as coach) NYI, CGY, ATL, DET teams (as PLAYER)
BOS, PHI, CGY, DET, HFD, PHX

Coach Brad McCrimmon, forward Pavol Demitra, defenseman Ruslan Salei, forward Josef Vasicek, defenseman Karel Rachunek, forward Jan Marek, forward Alexander Vasyunov, defenseman Karlis Skrastins and goalie Stefan Liv are among the confirmed fatalities.

The deaths of McCrimmon, Salei, Vasicek, Rachunek, Skrastins and Liv were confirmed by the Russian Emergency Ministry. Demitra's passing was confirmed by his agent, Matt Keator, while the New Jersey Devils confirmed Vasyunov's death.

The crash, one of the worst in the history of sports, occurred at 4 p.m. Moscow time and the weather was sunny and clear, according to reports.

Eight crew members are also among the dead, according to reports. According to Russian aviation officials, two passengers survived the crash, but are in critical condition. According to Sovetsky Sport, one of the survivors is Russian forward Alexander Galimov.

Several hundred mourning fans wearing jerseys and scarves gathered in the evening at the Lokomotiv stadium to pay their respects.

"I knew half the team. I didn't believe it at first … then I felt sick," New York Rangers forward Artem Anisimov said according to Newsday's Steve Zipay.

Anisimov is from Yaroslavl and is a product of the Lokomotiv hockey school. He played for the team in the old Russian Superleague for two seasons, 2005-07.

"This is just awful," said Matt Keator, who was Demitra's agent. "He was such a popular guy with everyone he has ever played with."

Keator was in Russia visiting Demitra just three weeks ago. He spent some time with the Yaroslavl team during his visit.

"I was over there three weeks ago and they were a fun bunch. They seemed to be a great group of guys. Very tight," Keator said.

The Czech embassy in Moscow confirmed the deaths of Vasicek, Rachunek and Marek.
Vasicek played for the Carolina Hurricanes during part of his NHL career and McCrimmon played for the Hartford Whalers, which eventually became the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina GM Jim Rutherford issued a statement on the tragedy.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of today's tragedy in Russia. Josef was a key part of the Hurricanes for six years, helping us achieve some of our greatest successes. More importantly, he was a great teammate on and off the ice, and was respected as a person as well as a player.

"Brad McCrimmon was a member of our team while we were still in Hartford, and was well-liked by all who came in contact with him. His presence in the hockey community will be greatly missed.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to the Vasicek and McCrimmon families, and the loved ones of all of today's victims."

The Lokomotiv roster was full of players with NHL ties.

McCrimmon played in the NHL and most recently served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings before taking the Yaroslavl job in May. The Russian Times confirmed that McCrimmon also died in the crash.

Defensemen Rachunek, Salei and Skrastins, as well as forwards Demitra and Vasicek all spent a good deal of time in the NHL.

Forward Vasyunov played 18 games with the New Jersey Devils this past season. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Vasyunov died in the crash.

"I can't say enough about him," Lamoriello told reporters Wednesday. "(Vasyunov) wanted to go over (to Russia) and play a lot and come back here. He was so proud to be a Devil."

"Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world -- including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League. Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished."

Former NHLers Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev were listed as assistant coaches for Lokomotiv.

McCrimmon played defense for six NHL teams -- Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix -- in a 17-year career, appearing in 1,222 regular-season games in the NHL, collecting 81 goals, 322 assists and 1,416 penalty minutes.

He was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and the Red Wings. He also served as head coach of the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades.

According to the reports on the crash, the plane, a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger jet, went down and caught fire shortly immediately after taking to the air, crashing less than 2 kilometers from the airport.

The short- and medium-range Yak-42 has been in service since 1980. This particular plane has been in operation since 1993, according to officials. It was en route to Minsk, Belarus for a Thursday night game against Dynamo Minsk, Yaroslavl's opener to the 2011-12 KHL season.

Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Brent Sopel, who is now playing in Russia, tweeted shortly after the crash: "In shock. Prayers out to all of the KHL families."

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the plane crashed immediately after taking off from an airport near the city on the Volga River, which is approximately 150 miles northeast of Moscow.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has sent his transport minister to the site of the crash.

A game between KHL teams Salavat Yulaev and Atlant in the central Russian city of Ufa was called off midway Wednesday after news of the crash was announced by KHL president head Alexander Medvedev.

"We are working to find an appropriate way to honor this club and begin the healing process from the deep loss so many of us feel today," the league said in a statement Wednesday

Russian Ice Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak also expressed his feelings on the crash.

"We will do our best to ensure that hockey in Yaroslavl does not die, and that it continues to live for the people that were on that plane," he said.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel called the crash "the darkest day in the history of our sport."

"Despite the substantial air travel of professional hockey teams, our sport has been spared from tragic traffic accidents," Fasel said. “But only until now. This is the darkest day in the history of our sport. This is not only a Russian tragedy, the Lokomotiv roster included players and coaches from 10 nations."

"Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world -- including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished."

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, founded in 1949 as the team of the Railways Ministry, is one of Russia's leading hockey teams and came runner up in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2008 and 2009. In 1997 it took the Russian Superleague title and won back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003.



This is becoming an alarming trend for the NHL as there have already been a few other players who have passed away since the stanley cup finals. Since the finals, besides the gentleman listed above, the League has lost Wade Belak, who died of unknown causes on August 31st, Rick Rypien, who had committed suacide on August 15th and Derek Boogaard, who on May 13th died of an accidental death due to mixing of drugs and alchol. The hockey world has taken a big hit the last few months and those gentelmen will be missed both on and off the ice.

NFL Preview 2011

Ao after a scary few months during the lockout, we have the game back ready to rock and roll with week one of the 2011 NFL season. So after the lockout ended there was a frenzy to try and get players signed and ready for the start of the season, but we are ready to go. So before we look at the schedule for Week One of the season here are my predictions for the divisions in the NFL. We Start with the AFC East.

So this year the AFC East went through some dramatic changes in both New England and New York. The pats looking to improve from last season add two huge weapons in Albert Haynsworth and Chad Johnson. As if the Patriots weren't a dangerous opponent as is, through those two guys into the mix and I think it might be a done deal. As much as it pains me to say this I give the Patriots the division going 14-2. Giving the pats the most trouble will be the Cowboys Eagles and Jets. Now then as for the Jets they too had some big changes. Shaun Ellis and Braylin Edwards are both gone, but they did replace Edwards with Plaxico Burress. This will be another strong showing for Gang Green this year I see a 13-3 maybe 12-4 season and Wild Card winners for the Jets. As for the rest of the East it was the same old story quiet as usual. Here are my predictions for the AFC East:

1. Patriots
2. Jets (Wild Card)
3. Dolphins
4. Bills

Now moving on to the AFC North there wasn't much noise coming from the division as neither of the 4 teams made any noise. The Ravens still have the one of the top 5 D's in the league and Pittsburgh is well Pittsburgh. here is how I see the standings in the AFC North:

1. Steelers
2. Ravens
3. Browns
4. Bengals

Now for the toughest division in the AFC to judge the AFC South. Under normal circumstances I would have had the Colts a lock to either win the South or get the Wild Card but this year it might not happen. With Payton Manning having neck surgery and more than likley going to miss week 1 the Colts are going with Kerry Collins as their starting QB. Unless Payton Manning can come back 100% healthy sorry but the best I see for Indy is somewhere in the 8-8 to 10-6 range. Here's my predictions for the AFC South:

1. Jaguars
2. Texans
3. Colts
4. Titans

Finally for the AFC West. This looks to be another down year for the AFC West once again proving that teams in the western divisions of both leagues are weak and pathetic. Oakland will have more and more bad years as long as Al Davis continues to own this team so once again the Raiders will be well below .500. The other 3 teams I can see as .500 or maybe better clubs. Kanas City will sit at 8-8 and Denver and San Diego will fight it out for the title. Here is the AFC West:

1. Chargers
2. Broncos
3. Chiefs
4. Raiders

NOw moving over to the NFC East. This much like in the AFC is tough to call. The only teams in this division to make any noise are the Eagles and Giants. Dallas was quiet which was a surprise, and Washington seems to be loosing its grip. The Eagles sign Mike Vick to a long contract worth over $100 Million. They have obvious faith in Vick but can Vick be a good return on the investment and not be just a flash in the pan. Here is how I see the NFC East ending up:

1. Eagles
2. Giants
3. Cowboys
4. Redskins.

NFC North is up next and home to the reining champs the Green Bay Packers. The only team really posing a threat to the Pack in this division is the Bears as they always do. Minnesota will make some noise but will faid out near the end and the Lions well they are just the Lions and are still trying to rebuilt I don't consider them worth much right now just like the Raiders. Here is what I see for the NFC North:

1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Vikings
4. Lions

NFC South is up next. This may be the most even division of all in the NFL. No teams making REAL noise. I give the division to the Saints based on the fact that they have been a solid team for the last little while and most of the core is still in tact from the suprebowl team so the Saints take it. Atlanta will pose the biggest threat. This is a ball club that is starting to make a solid upswing. easy 12 wins for them this year. Here is the NFC South:

1. Saints
2. Falcons
3. Bucs
4. Panthers

Finally the weak NFC West. Arizona and Seattle are going to be the dominant forces as they always are and San Fran and St Louis are average at best. This is the easiest division to predict. So here is the NFC West:

1. Cardnials
2. Seahawks
3. 49ers
4. Rams

So there are my divisional predictions. Check back next week for a Week 1 recap!

By The Numbers: Greatest Players From 00 To 99

NOw then I've been waiting a while to post this so here we go. This list is from a book of the same name produced by Hockey Night In Canada! NOw what I will be doing here is I will be writing the list itself then writing my opinion on the list. So here we go the best by the numbers from 00 to 99.

00-John Davidson
0- Neil Sheehy
1- Terry Sawchuk
2- Doug Harvey
3- Scott Stevens
4- Booby Orr
5- Denis Potvin
6- Ace Bailey
7- Howie Morenz
8- Cam Neely
9- Gordie Howe
10- Guy Lafleur
11- Mark Messier
12- Dickie Moore
13- Mats Sundin
14- Dave Keon
15- Milt Schmidt
16- Henri Richard
17- Jari Kurri
18- Denis Savard
19- Steve Yzerman
20- Luc Robitaille
21- Stan Mikita
22- Mike Bossy
23- Bob Gainey
24- Chris Chelios
25- Jacques Lemaire
26- Peter Stastny
27- Frank Mahovlich
28- Steve Larmer
29- Ken Dryden
30- Martin Brodeur
31- Grant Fuhr
32- Dale Hunter
33- Patrick Roy
34- John Vanbiesbrouck
35- Tony Esopsito
36- Glenn Anderson
37- Olie Kolzig
38- Dave Andreychuk
39- Dominik Hasek
40- Henrik Zetterberg
41- Stu Barnes
42- Sergi Markov
43- Martin Biron
44- Chris PRonger
45- Brendan Morrow
46- Martin St. Louis
47- Viktor Kozlov
48- Danny Briere
49- Brian Savage
50- Trevor Letowski
51- Brian Campbell
52- Adam Foote
53- Nikolai Khabibulin
54- Hannu Toivonen
55- Larry Murphy
56- Sergi Zubov
57- Steve Heinze
58- Bill Berg
59- Tom FItzgerald
60- Jose Theodore
61- Rick Nash
62- Olli Jokinen
63- Mike Ribeiro
64- Darrin Shannon
65- Mark Napier
66- Mario Lemieux
67- Robert Svehla
68- Jaromir Jagr
69- Mel Angelstad
70- Oleg Tverdovsky
71- Evgeni Malkin
72- Mattheu Schneider
73- MIchael Ryder
74- Paul Coffey
75- Hal Gill
76- Dustin Penner
77- Ray Bourque
78- Pavol Demitra
79- Alexei Yashin
80- Nik Antropov
81- Miroslav Satan
82- Martin Straka
83- Ales Hemsky
84- Guillaume Latendresse
85- Petr Kilma
86- Jonathan Ferland
87- Sidney Crosby
88- Eric Lindros
89- Alexander Mogilny
90- Joe Juneau
91- Sergei Fedorov
92- Rick Tocchet
93- Doug Gilmour
94- Ryan Smyth
95- Danny Markov
96- Tomas Holmstrom
97- Jeremy Roenick
98- Brian Lawton
99- Wayne Gretzky



Now of the numbers listed above there are few that are no doubters such as 66, 68 87, 71, 99 and such. There are a few that could bring about strong debate. That is what I will do now. Of the listed I do not disagree with anything. It's the list of the other guys at the numbers that are up for debate now. The first number up for debate is #10. Guy Lafleur won at that number and that is good. BUt They had the Russian Rocket Pavel Bure listed at #8 on this list and I disagree I think Bure should be 7. Now George Armstrong is listed at 3 on this and he should be lowered to 8 and have everybody else pushed upwared by one spot . Another number for debate is #8. Neely won at 8 a good call. What annoyed me was that Ovechkin was at 10 on this list whereas I feel he should have been easily 5 on the list.

The list for #19 may have been the closest one here. Here is what the list looked like for #19
1. Steve Yzerman
2. Joe Sakic
3. Larry Robinson
4. Brian trottier
5. Jean Ratelle
6. Rick MacLeash
7. Butch Goering
8. Paul Henderson
9. Joe Thorton
10. Brad Richards

Now two things about this list. Firs is I would have switched Joe Thorton up to the 7 spot and dropped Butch Goering down to 9 but again that is just me. The other thing I want to bring up is that this may have been the closest race on the whole list. It could have gone eitehr way between Yzerman and Sakic but the reason I feel it went to Stevie Y is because he put up better numbers for longer than Super Joe but both guys are locks for Toronto.

IF anybody wants to get more in-depth with this list go to your local bookstore and look up the book BY THE NUMBERS FROM 00 TO 99. That is the full list and details of the list I just presented. Enjoy it!

Jim Thome Joins 600 HR Club

Monday night Slugger Jim Thome recorded his 600th career home run in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers. Thome 600th home run came on his 8,167th at-bat, which is the second fastest in Major League history. Babe Ruth reached 600 home runs in 6,920 at-bats. Thome also became the first big-leaguer to his numbers 599 and 600 in consecutive at-bats. He became the 8th player to reach this mark. And not only was he the 8th man to reach 600 but he is 8th all-time on the home run list behind Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds, and Thome is only the 4th lefty every to hit 600.

Of the guys ahead of him on the Home Run list, 3 of them are already in the Baseball hall of fame, Mays Aaron and Ruth. Of the remaining 5 guys, Thome included, I can only really see 2 of them getting into the hall of fame clean, Jim himself and Ken Griffey Jr. What I mean by that is, Griffey and Thome are both hall of famers there is no debate on this topic. The debate here is to whether or not Sosa, Bonds, or A-Rod get in. The reason I say that is again due to the steroid allegations. Of those three guys though the one I feel with the best chance to get in is A-Rod because he had a very very good career before the steroids accusations hit him. As for Jim Thome he deserves every bit of the recognition he got and for that I tip my hat to him for hitting #600!

Chris Osgood Announces Retirnment. Hall of Famer?

The announcement came down this afternoon. Chris Osgood has retired from the NHL. Here is the story courtesy of nhl.com:

While acknowledging how difficult a decision it was and how it weighed on him, three-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Chris Osgood announced Tuesday on a conference call that he is retiring.

Osgood, 38, leaves the NHL with 401 career victories, including 317 as a Detroit Red Wing. Only Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk won more games with the Red Wings (352) than Osgood, who won the Stanley Cup twice as a starter (1998, 2008) and once as a backup (1997). He played 14 of his 17 seasons with the Red Wings, splitting three others between the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues.

Detroit General Manager Ken Holland announced on the same conference call that Osgood is staying with the organization as a goalie consultant and will help mentor the Wings' goaltending prospects, including 2008 first-round pick Thomas McCollum. Holland also said he will be signing another goalie to back up Jimmy Howard by the end of the week.

"I wrestled with it every day," Osgood said of the decision to retire, which he finally made Saturday night after sitting down with Holland in Vernon, B.C., where they both have summer lake houses. "It was on my mind and made it difficult for me to even operate some days because it was taking a toll. I thought it would be easier, but it's been very difficult for the last few months here deciding what I should do. Now I'm looking forward. I can move on and I'm excited about what I'm going to do with the organization."


Osgood reportedly told Holland in May that he was hoping to return for one more season, but the Wings were concerned about going into the 2011-12 season with a No. 2 goalie who was coming off season-ending sports hernia surgery in January.

"I could have told Kenny I was 100 percent ready to go," Osgood said. "I have been working out since I came back from surgery, but I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't get hurt again. Part of my decision is I didn't want to put them (the Red Wings) in a situation where come December I can't play anymore. That wouldn't look good for me or the team."

Osgood did admit that had he not picked up his 400th career win last season, he would be returning for an 18th NHL season.

"I wouldn't have (retired). I definitely wouldn't have," Osgood said. "I was going to play until I got it regardless and do whatever it takes to get to 400. That sounds selfish, but that would have been my decision."

Osgood called winning No. 400 in Denver on Dec. 27, 2010 one of the best memories of his career because he saw how hard his teammates were working to get him the win that night. Osgood said that memory made it easier for him to retire.

"It was a late arrival in Denver and we played the previous night (in Minnesota). The guys were exhausted and they played their hearts out," Osgood said of the 4-3 overtime win in which he stopped 46 shots, matching his career high. "I could tell how hard the guys were working and they would do anything for me. As a player it doesn't get any better than that. That game was one of the reasons I decided to retire. Beyond winning the Cup again, I can't do anything better than that game, playing with my teammates and feeling that connection and closeness in competition. It doesn't get any better than that."

Now that Osgood officially has retired, the debate over whether he's a Hall of Famer is raging.

Holland said he believes Osgood belongs in the Hall and Osgood also said he thinks he deserves to make it once he's eligible, in 2014.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock also told NHL.com that Osgood should be a Hall of Famer simply because he hit the 400-win plateau and can call himself a champion.

"I think when you've won 400 games and you've won three Cups, you're in," Babcock said. "Heck, I think if you've won 400 games and you've won one Cup you're in. Winning the Cup is impossible."

Osgood's 401 career victories rank 10th all-time in the NHL, two behind Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr. He appeared in 744 games in 17 seasons and posted a .905 save percentage, 2.49 goals-against average and 50 shutouts. Osgood was better in the postseason, with a 74-49 record, .909 save percentage, 2.49 GAA and 15 shutouts in 129 games. He's fourth all-time in playoff shutouts.

"It means a lot to me," Osgood said of making the Hall of Fame. "Obviously I would be kidding myself to say it doesn't mean a lot to me, because it does. I know what I've had to do to get to where I've been and I feel I do deserve to be there. I think over the majority of time in the playoffs I did that. For me, it's more my playoff stats that are more important than anything else. It would mean the world to me to get into the Hall of Fame. Hopefully one day it happens."

Osgood won 16 games and posted a .918 save percentage to lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 1998. A decade later, he replaced an ineffective Dominik Hasek early in the 2008 playoffs and won 14 games to lead Detroit to the 11th Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

Along with playing 565 games as a Red Wing, Osgood also suited up for 103 for the Islanders and another 76 for the Blues from 2001-04. He returned to Detroit in 2005 after the work stoppage, altered his style to become more of a butterfly goalie and flourished for several more seasons.

"Any time you're in the top 10 of anything that's been around almost a hundred years (like the NHL), it's pretty special," Holland said. "People would say that Chris played on a good team and use that as a reason why anybody could accomplish what he's accomplished, and my response is most of the guys that are on that list also played on good teams. If it was so easy, everybody would be doing it. It's not easy to win 400 games. He's won two Stanley Cups (as a starter). He has 50 regular-season shutouts. I think Chris thrived in dealing with the pressure of playing on a good team, on a team with high expectations year in and year out."


Now this brings about the question is Chris Osgood a Hall of Famer. I say yes but there is a kicker to this it's very long odds. It really all depends on who he is in the running against in a given year of nomination.

2011 Major League Baseball First Half Recap

With the All-Star game now here for Major League Baseball I figured it would be a good time to now take a look back at a pretty exciting first half of the Major League Baseball season. There is a lot to look at such as the Divisional standings league leaders, and milestones that have been hit through the first half of the season. So lets get this show on the road with the standings. Here are the standings as they sit right now by division:

American League
AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Boston Red Sox 54 35 .607 — 27-17 27-18
New York Yankees 51 35 .593 1 28–19 23–16
Tampa Bay Rays 49 39 .557 3½ 21–21 28–18
Toronto Blue Jays 43 47 .478 11 19–22 24–25
Baltimore Orioles 36 49 .424 15 22–22 14–27

AL Central W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cleveland Indians 47 41 .534 — 27–17 20–24
Detroit Tigers 48 43 .527 ½ 27–19 21–24
Chicago White Sox 44 47 .484 4½ 21–24 23–23
Minnesota Twins 40 48 .455 7 20–19 20–29
Kansas City Royals 37 53 .411 11 24–26 13–27

AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Texas Rangers 48 41 .539 — 28–18 20–23
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 47 42 .528 1 23–22 24–20
Seattle Mariners 43 45 .489 4½ 25–23 18–22
Oakland Athletics 39 50 .438 9 23–21 16–29


National League

NL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Philadelphia Phillies 56 33 .629 — 33–14 23–19
Atlanta Braves 53 37 .589 3½ 28–18 25–19
New York Mets 46 44 .511 10 19–22 27–22
Washington Nationals 45 45 .500 11½ 27–17 18–28
Florida Marlins 41 48 .461 15 19–26 22–22

NL Central W L Pct. GB Home Road
Milwaukee Brewers 48 43 .527 — 32–14 16–29
St. Louis Cardinals 48 43 .527 — 24–21 24–22
Pittsburgh Pirates 46 43 .517 1 22–22 24–21
Cincinnati Reds 45 46 .495 3 23–21 22–25
Chicago Cubs 37 54 .407 11 20–26 17–28
Houston Astros 30 61 .330 18 14–33 16–28

NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
San Francisco Giants 51 40 .560 — 27–16 24–24
Arizona Diamondbacks 49 42 .538 2 23–19 26–23
Colorado Rockies 43 47 .478 7½ 22–22 21–25
Los Angeles Dodgers 40 51 .440 11 22–27 18–24
San Diego Padres 40 51 .440 11 19–27 21–24

The American League has a few surprises in it. The AL West is pretty much going the way most experts had predicted it. The Central is a good surprise. The biggest surprises in the AL Central are the fact that the Twins are in 4th place and under .500 and the Indians are over .500 and leading the AL Central. Nobody really saw this coming at all. The American League East was a surprise at the start of the year with both the Yankees and Red Sox struggling and the Orioles seeming to have found something. Then reality set in, the Orioles are back in last place and the Yankees and Red Sox are once again fighting for the division.

As for the National League, the only real surprise in that league is the NL Central. Let's face facts the NL East and NL West are sort of following the script, if you will, as to where the teams were gonna finish. The Central has been a big surprise with the Cardinals and Brewers tied for first place. The Cardinals are playing what I would consider average ball for them, while the Brew Crew has been playing pretty well. What is really surprising is the play of the Pittsburgh Pirates who are a game out of first place and over .500 for the first time in 12 years. A tip of the cap has to go out to the Pirates for the resurgence this year.

Now moving on we will take a look at the stats leaders through the first half:

American League:
Batting leaders:
AVG Adrian Gonzalez (BOS) .352
HR Jose Bautista (TOR) 31
RBI Adrian Gonzalez (BOS) 77
R Curtis Granderson (NYY) 79
H Adrian Gonzalez (BOS) 126
SB Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS) 28

Pitching leaders:
W CC Sabathia (NYY) 12
L Jeremy Guthrie (BAL) 11
ERA Jered Weaver (LAA) 1.86
K Justin Verlander (DET) 138
IP Justin Verlander (DET) 143.1
SV José Valverde (DET)
Brandon League (SEA) 23

Now for the National League:
National League:
Batting leaders:
AVG Jose Reyes (NYM) .354
HR Lance Berkman (STL) 24
RBI Prince Fielder (MIL) 72
R Jose Reyes (NYM)
Rickie Weeks (MIL) 65
H Jose Reyes (NYM) 124
SB Michael Bourn (HOU) 35

Pitching leaders:
W Jair Jurrjens (ATL) 12
L J.A. Happ (HOU) 11
ERA Jair Jurrjens (ATL) 1.87
K Clayton Kershaw (LAD) 147
IP Roy Halladay (PHI) 143.1
SV Craig Kimbrel (ATL) 28

So there you have it with your stats leaders in Major League Baseball. Now then there have been a few milestones and major records that have been hit in the Bigs this season. The following are the major mraks that have been achieved as of July 9th 2011:

Batters
David Ortiz (BOS):
Recorded his 350th career home run in the second inning against the Texas Rangers on April 2. He became the 82nd player to reach this mark.
Set the major league record for RBI by a designated hitter (1004) by driving in a run with a groundout in the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers on April 2. He broke the record that was previously held by Edgar Martinez.
His home run on May 21 against the Chicago Cubs made him the fifth player to hit at least 300 with the Red Sox. The others are Ted Williams (521), Carl Yastrzemski (452), Jim Rice (382) and Dwight Evans (379).
Recorded his 1000th career run scored in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians on May 25. He became the 311th player to reach this mark.

Nelson Cruz (TEX):
Became the third player in Major League history, joining Willie Mays and Mark McGwire, and the first American League player to hit a home run in his fourth straight game to begin the baseball season.

Miguel Cabrera (DET):
Recorded his 250th career home run in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on April 6. He became the 201st player to reach this mark.

Chipper Jones (ATL):
Recorded his 2500th career hit in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 8. He became the 93rd player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1500th career RBI by hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins on April 13. He became the 51st player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 500th career double in the 12th inning against the San Diego Padres on April 25. He became the 52nd player to reach this mark.
Passed Mickey Mantle for second all-time for RBI by a switch-hitter by driving in his 1510th run with a RBI groundout in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on April 27. Eddie Murray is the all-time leader with 1917 RBIs.

Jimmy Rollins (PHI):
Recorded his 1000th career run scored in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals on April 12. He became the 310th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 350th career stolen base in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals on May 5. He became the 108th player to reach this mark.

Johnny Damon (TB):
Became the first player in Major League history to hit a walk-off HR with five different teams by hitting the game winning HR against the Minnesota Twins on April 14. He also hit walk-off HR with the Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox.
Recorded his 500th career double in the first inning against the Florida Marlins on June 18. He became the 53rd player to reach this mark. Damon also became the 11th player in Major League history to amass at least 500 doubles, 100 triples, 200 home runs and 2500 hits for his career.[18]

Michael Young (TEX):
Became the all-time leader in doubles for the Senators/Rangers franchise on April 15 against the New York Yankees. Young hit his 353rd double in the third inning, breaking the team record that was previously held by Ivan Rodriguez.
Became the all-time leader in games played for the Senators/Rangers franchise on June 14 against the New York Yankees. Young played in his 1574th game, breaking the team record that was previously held by Rafael Palmeiro.
Became the all-time leader in runs scored for the Senators/Rangers franchise on July 7 against the Oakland Athletics. Young scored his 959th run on a home run in the fifth inning, breaking the team record that was previously held by Rafael Palmeiro.

Adam Dunn (CWS):
Recorded his 1000th career walk on April 24 against the Detroit Tigers. He became the 112th player to reach this mark.

Andre Ethier (LAD):
Set a Major League record by hitting in 23 consecutive games in April with a double in first inning against the Florida Marlins on April 26. He broke the record that was held by Joe Torre in 1971. Ethier extended his April hitting streak to 26 games on April 30.

Grady Sizemore (CLE):
Became the first player in franchise history to record 200 doubles, 100 home runs and 100 steals with a double in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals on April 26.

Ben Zobrist (TB):
Set franchise record for RBI in a game by driving in eight runs on April 28 against the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. He broke the record of seven set by Carlos Peña in 2007.
Became the fourth player in Major League history to record at least seven hits and 10 RBIs in a single day since RBIs became an official stat in 1920. The other three are Jim Bottomley (1929), Pete Fox (1935) and Nate Colbert (1972).

Carl Crawford (BOS):
Recorded his 1500th career hit in the third inning with a single against the Los Angeles Angels on May 3. He became the 588th player to reach this mark.

Hanley Ramírez (FLA):
Recorded his 200th career stolen base in the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 3. He became the 339th player to reach this mark.

Prince Fielder (MIL):
Recorded his 200th career home run in the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres on May 11. He became the 298th player to reach this mark.

Carlos Lee (HOU):
Recorded his 2000th career hit in the first inning with a single against the New York Mets on May 14. He became the 261st player to reach this mark.

Brian McCann (ATL):
Became the second player in Major League history to hit a pinch-hit, game-tying homerun in the ninth inning and end the game in extra innings with another homerun on May 17 against the Houston Astros. Jeff Heath, of the Boston Braves accomplished this feat on August 27, 1949 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Wilson Ramos (WAS):
Became the fifth catcher (joining Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jody Davis, Wes Westrum and Walker Cooper) since 1920 to score five runs in a single game and just the second catcher (the other is Westrum in 1950) to score five runs, hit a home run and a triple in the same game on May 20 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE):
Became the fifth shortstop (joining Barry Larkin, John Valentin, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Roy McMillan) since 1920 to have five hits and two home runs in a game on May 22 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Brandon Crawford (SF):
Became the sixth player in Major League history to hit a grand slam in his first Major League game on May 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

José Reyes (NYM):
Recorded his 350th career stolen base in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 28. He became the 109th player to reach this mark.
After 1000 career major-league games, Reyes has 98 triples and 360 stolen bases. The only other player in history with that many triples and stolen bases in their first 1000 games is Ty Cobb, who had 106 triples and 391 steals.

Torii Hunter (LAA):
Recorded his 1000th career RBI by hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals on May 30. He became the 269th to reach this mark.

Melvin Mora (ARI):
Recorded his 1500th career hit with a single in the seventh inning against the Florida Marlins on May 30. He became the 589th player to reach this mark.

José Bautista (TOR):
With 11 home runs during the month of May, the most in the American League, it was the fifth straight month in which he led the American League in home runs (excluding March and October) joining Jimmie Foxx in 1933–1934.

Danny Espinosa (WAS):
Became the first rookie second-baseman in Major League history to hit 10 home runs before June 1.

Curtis Granderson (NYY):
Became the second player in Major League history to have 17 or more home runs and five or more triples in a season before June 1. He joins Babe Ruth, who did it for the Yankees in 1928.

Raúl Ibáñez (PHI):
Recorded his 1000th career RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 5. He became the 270th player to reach this mark.

Paul Konerko (CWS):
Recorded his 1000th career run scored in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners on June 7. He became the 312th player to reach this mark.

Orlando Cabrera (CLE):
Recorded his 2000th career hit with a single in the second inning against the New York Yankees on June 12. He became the 262nd player to reach this mark.

Michael Bourn (HOU):
Recorded his 200th career stolen base in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves on June 13. He became the 340th player to reach this mark.

Ichiro Suzuki (SEA):
Recorded his 400th career stolen base in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels on June 15. He became the 70th player to reach this mark.

Vladimir Guerrero (BAL):
Recorded his 2500th career hit with a double in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 16. He became the 94th player to reach this mark.

Mark Teixeira (NYY):
Recorded his 300th career home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 30. He became the 130th player to reach this mark.

Aramis Ramírez (CHI):
Recorded his 300th career home run in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox on July 1. He became the 131st player to reach this mark.

Scott Rolen (CIN):
Recorded his 2000th career hit with a single in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 4. He became the 263rd player to reach this mark.

Lance Berkman (STL):
Recorded his 350th career home run in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds on July 5. He became the 83rd player to reach this mark.

Jim Thome (MIN):
Recorded his 1700th career walk on July 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He became the 9th player to reach this mark.

Derek Jeter (NYY):
Recorded his 3000th career hit with a home run in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 9. He became the 28th player to reach this mark.


Pitchers
No-hitters

Francisco Liriano (MIN):
Threw the fifth no-hitter in Minnesota Twins history and the seventh in franchise history (the other two came when the club was known as the Washington Senators) in a 1–0 win over the Chicago White Sox on May 3. It was also Liriano's first complete game in 95 major league starts.[19] Liriano also became just the fifth pitcher in the last 30 years to throw a no-hitter that included more walks (6) than strikeouts (2). In addition, he carried the second-highest ERA (minimum three starts) of 9.13 into the outing of any pitcher to go on to throw a no-hitter, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Justin Verlander (DET):
Threw the seventh no-hitter in Tigers history by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on May 7. This was Verlander's second no-hitter, his first coming against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Verlander allowed one walk but still faced the minimum of 27 batters. He became the second Tigers pitcher (Virgil Trucks) and the 30th pitcher in Major League history to throw multiple career no-hitters.

Other accomplishments

Huston Street (COL):
Recorded his 150th career save by closing out a win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 2. He became the 70th player to reach this mark.

Chris Carpenter (STL):
Recorded his 1500th career strikeout against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 6. Josh Rodriguez was the victim as he struck out in the second inning. Carpenter became the 178th player to reach this mark.

Joe Nathan (MIN):
Recorded his 250th career save by closing out a win against the Oakland Athletics on April 8. He became the 30th player to reach this mark.

Kyle Lohse (STL):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 15. Aaron Miles was the victim as he struck out in the seventh inning. Lohse became the 442nd player to reach this mark.

Justin Verlander (DET):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Chicago White Sox on April 22. A.J. Pierzynski was the victim as he struck out in the seventh inning. Verlander became the 443rd player to reach this mark.

Jered Weaver (LAA):
Became the first pitcher in Major League history with six wins by April 25. He defeated the Oakland Athletics to set this record. He also became the sixth pitcher since 1900 with six wins by the end of April joining Vida Blue (1971), Dave Stewart (1988), Randy Johnson (2000, 2002) and Brandon Webb (2008).

Mark Buehrle (CWS):
Recorded his 150th career victory by defeating the Baltimore Orioles on May 2. He became the 246th player to reach this mark.

Joel Piñeiro (LAA):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Boston Red Sox on May 5. Kevin Youkilis was the victim as he struck out in the fourth inning. Piñeiro became the 444th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the New York Mets on June 17. He became the 580th player to reach this mark. He also became the fourth Puerto Rico-born pitcher to win at least 100 games in the major leagues, joining Javier Vázquez, Juan Pizarro and Jaime Navarro.

José Valverde (DET):
Recorded his 200th career save by closing out a win against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 8. He became the 41st player to reach this mark.

Jason Marquis (WAS):
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the Atlanta Braves on May 10. He became the 578th player to reach this mark.

Ted Lilly (LAD):
Recorded his 1500th career strikeout against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 10. José Tábata was the victim as he struck out in the first inning. Lilly became the 179th player to reach this mark.

Heath Bell (SD):
Recorded his 100th career save by closing out a win against the Colorado Rockies on May 14. He became the 126th player to reach this mark.

Vin Mazzaro (KC):
According to The Elias Sports Bureau, Mazzaro became the first pitcher to give up at least 14 runs in fewer than three innings (2.1) in baseball's modern era (since 1900) against the Cleveland Indians on May 16.[21]

Josh Beckett (BOS):
Recorded his 1500th career strikeout against the Cleveland Indians on May 24. Carlos Santana was the victim as he struck out in the first inning. Beckett became the 180th player to reach this mark.

Jo-Jo Reyes (TOR):
Tied the major league record by making his 28th consecutive start without recording a win on May 25 against the New York Yankees. He ties the record that is currently held by Matt Keough (1978–79) and Cliff Curtis (1910–11).

Mariano Rivera (NYY):
Became the first pitcher in Major League history to have appeared in 1000 games for one team by closing out the Yankees win on May 25 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rivera became the 15th pitcher overall to reach this plateau.[22]
Recorded his 20th save of the season by closing out a victory against the Colorado Rockies on June 26. This is the 15th time that Rivera has reached 20 saves in one season, tying Trevor Hoffman for the most 20-plus save seasons in Major League history.

J.J. Putz (ARI):
By recording the save on May 25 against the Colorado Rockies, Putz registered a franchise-record 14th straight save to start the season.

Francisco Cordero (CIN):
Recorded his 300th career save by closing out a win against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 1. He became the 22nd player to reach this mark.

Carl Pavano (MIN):
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the Kansas City Royals on June 3. He became the 579th player to reach this mark.
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 26. Prince Fielder was the victim as he struck out in the fifth inning. Pavano became the 448th player to reach this mark.

Brian Wilson (SF):
Recorded his 150th career save by closing out a win against the Colorado Rockies on June 3. He became the 71st player to reach this mark.

Tim Lincecum (SF):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Washington Nationals on June 6. Jerry Hairston was the victim as he struck out in the second inning. Lincecum became the 445th player to reach this mark. He also became the eighth pitcher in baseball's modern era (since 1900) to amass 1000 strikeouts in his first five Major League seasons, joining Tom Seaver, Bert Blyleven, Dwight Gooden, Kerry Wood, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Hideo Nomo and Mark Langston.

Jonathan Papelbon (BOS):
Recorded his 200th career save by closing out a win against the New York Yankees on June 7. He became the 42nd player to reach this mark.

Carlos Zambrano (CHC):
Recorded his 1500th career strikeout against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 10. Jimmy Rollins was the victim as he struck out in the fourth inning. Zambrano became the 181st player to reach this mark.

Zack Greinke (MIL):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Chicago Cubs on June 16. Alfonso Soriano was the victim as he struck out in the fifth inning. Greinke became the 446th player to reach this mark.

Cole Hamels (PHI):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Seattle Mariners on June 19. Miguel Olivo was the victim as he struck out in the fourth inning. Hamels became the 447th player to reach this mark.

James Shields (TB):
Became the first pitcher in Tampa Bay's 14-year Major League history to toss three consecutive complete games by going the distance against the Houston Astros on June 24.

A.J. Burnett (NYY):
Became the first pitcher in Yankees history to register four strikeouts in one inning. He accomplished this feat on June 24 against the Colorado Rockies in the sixth inning.

Brandon Beachy (ATL):
Became the first Braves rookie since 1900 to record 20 or more strikeouts while winning consecutive starts by striking out nine batters in the Braves' win against the Seattle Mariners on June 27. Beachy struck out 11 in his previous start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Matt Cain (SF):
Recorded his 1000th career strikeout against the Chicago Cubs on June 30. Koyie Hill was the victim as he struck out in the fifth inning. Cain became the 448th player to reach this mark.

Dan Haren (LAA):
Recorded his 100th career victory by defeating the Detroit Tigers on July 5. He became the 581st player to reach this mark.

Craig Kimbrel (ATL):
Tied the Major League record for most saves by a rookie before the All-Star break since 1969 that was set by Jonathan Papelbon in 2006 by closing out the game against the Colorado Rockies on July 5. It was Kimbrel's 26th save. He set the rookie record on July 7 with his 27th save by closing out a victory against the Colorado Rockies.


So there you have it a look back at the first half of the 2011 MLB season. Check back here again on Wednesday for a recap of the 2011 MLB All Star Game