Polar Bear Power

It's no secret by now that Pete Alonso has become a slugger superstar for the New York Mets. Earlier this month he became the 2nd fastest player to hit 150 career homers, which he did in 532 games (Only Ryan Howard did it faster). Last night in San Francisco, Alonso clubbed his 10th home run of the year. With that he became the first player in Mets history to hit that many in the month of April.

And we got another week to go in the opening month of the season.

There's something special about Pete and his hitting ability, that's been on display since his rookie season when he clubbed 53 home runs. It went into further display last year when he set the team record for RBI's with 131. He's quickly becoming the next face of the franchise. He's becoming that clutch big bat that comes along once in a while. He's been a big factor into the Mets offense.

Sure he's not doing it alone, he's got plenty of help around him. A guy like Francisco Lindor is a perfect support slugger in the lineup, all great teams have them. They've got a Batman and a Robin. There's really no debate here, the offensive Batman for the Mets is Pete Alonso. He's been in a groove the first few weeks of the season and here's hoping it keeps going. We could be on the verge of another something special with Pete. He's a once in a generation talent at the plate that this team has had in its history.

Kingman, Strawberry, Piazza, Wright. Now you can add Alonso to that list.

Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Preview

The time has finally arrived. We started this journey back in October with 32 teams playing for a chance at hockey's ultimate prize. Now we are down to the final 16. All with there eye on the prize, the Stanley Cup. The opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is here. The opening round is set and here's how we see the series going down

Western Conference:
P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC) Winnipeg Jets
Vegas came out on top in the West with 111 points, while Winnipeg finished with the 2nd wildcard spot with 95. Its safe to say that goaltending advantage in this series has to go to Winnipeg, because Conor Hellbyuck has been his usual pheonminal self. And yes Winnipeg has a huge weapon in 42 goal man Mark Schiefle. But where Vegas has the edge is they are a more well balanced and overall deeper team. Conor might be able to steal a couple games in this series but there isn't really much to breakdown here.

Pick: Vegas in 6!

P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. P3) Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton finished with 109 points, while the Kings were a little further back with 104. Again picking this series comes down to a depth issue. Sure the Kings are a good team as evident by the 104 points on the year. There's plenty of balance in the Kings lineup. But it again going to come down to who's in net. Whether its Phoneix Coopley or Jonas Korpisalo in net for LA, Stuart Skinner has had a much better year over in Edmonton. Oh yeah, and the Oilers had three players crack one hundred points his year. in Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl and McDavid. The Oilers are too top heave to be beat in the opening round.

Pick: Oilers in 5!

C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. WC) Seattle Kraken
The defending Cup Champs win the Pacific with 109 points, while Seattle makes its first ever playoff appearance with 100. Good on the Kraken for righting the ship and finding their sea skates in their 2nd year in the league. With McCann, Dunn and Eberle leading the charge and Grubauer solid between the pipes, Seattle was able to clinch its playoff spot. But they are going up against the 2nd best team in all the West, and by the way, the defending Cup champions in Colorado. Rantanen scored 55 goals and MacKinninon hit 111 points. Oh and Georgiev won 40 games his first year in Denver. Colorado is just too good and too playoff tested to be trounced in the first round.

Pick: Colorado in 5!

C2) Dallas Stars vs. C3) Minnesota Wild
Dallas finished one point back in the division with 108 points, while Minnesota came in with 103 to close out the year. Nothing against Minnesota, who's really come along in the last number of years. Krill the Thrill hit 40 goals and 75 points to lead the charge again this year. He's becoming one of the big superstars in the game, helping carry the Wild to new heights. Problem is Dallas is a slightly deeper team and in a physical series as this one is going to be, the edge has to go in favor of the Stars.

Pick: Stars in 7!

Eastern Conference
A1) Boston Bruins vs. WC) Florida Panthers
Boston re-wrote the record books with a 135 point regular season and President's Trophy win, while Florida \got in with 92 points. In theory this is the easiest pick of the entire playoffs. Look Florida is in it for the 5th straight year and are coming off a year in which they ended a long playoff losing drought last year. Verhaeghe hit 42 goals and Tkachuk cracked 109 points. That's all well and good. You now have to face a Boston team that re wrote the record books this year for team dominance. This one is almost too easy to pick

Pick: Bruins in 4!

A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3) Tampa Bay Lightning
We get this for the 2nd year in a row as Toronto finished with 111 points, while the defending Eastern Conference Champs finished with 98. Yes, Toronto had a better record this year. But the thing with the Leafs that worries me is the offense is powered by four guys and the goalteanding hasn't done well in the spring in twenty years. They facing the three time defending Eastern Conference champions and the best money goalie in the game right now come this time of year.

Pick: Lightning in 7!

M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC) New York Islanders
Carolina took the Metro division this year with 113 points, while the Islanders locked up a wild card spot with 93 points. Mat Barzal looks like he's going to be ready to go for New York for game one, but he hasn't played since February. So there might be some rust and gelling issues. And the Islanders lack of offense at times has given fans cause for concern. Carolina's a deeper and more balanced team right now.

Pick: Hurricanes in 6!

M2) New Jersey Devils vs. M3) New York Rangers
The Devils finished 2nd in the division with 112 points, while the Rangers finished with 107. Its going to be a battle all series long. New York looking to build off last seasons deep run, while New Jersey trying to find its footing in its rebuild to dominance once again. The Devils have had a great season, nothing against what's been happening on Broadway. This is going the distance and is going to be a fun series, but at the end of the day the youth pulls it off.

Pick: Devils in 7!

Go New York Go

What a time of year to be a New York sports fan. Look at what's going on in the New York Metro area right now. Both Baseball teams are in full swing, and all five winter sports teams (Knicks, Nets, Islanders, rangers and Devils) have made the playoffs, thanks to the Islanders clinching the final spot in the East Wednesday night. Its the first time since 1994 that has happened.

As a matter of fact, going back to last fall, eight of the nine teams that play in New York made the playoffs, with the Jets the only one that came up short.

Being a sports fan in New York right now is beautiful. Think about what we got (at the time of this writing)

Mets: 7-6 2nd in East (2 back of the Braves)

Yankees: 8-4 2nd in East (4 games back of Rays)

Knicks: 47-35 finished 5th in East (will play Cleveland in opening round)

Nets: 45-37 finished 6th in East (will play Philadelphia in opening round)

Islanders: 42-31-9 4th in Metro Division (will play Carolina in opening round)

Rangers: 47-22-13 3rd in Metro Division (will play New Jersey in opening round)

Devils: 52-22-9 2nd in Metro Division (will play Rangers in opening round)

All the playoffs matches listed for the teams is going to be good, like really good. The fact that we had as good of a sporting year as New York has had this year says a lot. It speaks to how well the teams were built (again save for the Jets too). It has brough a new life to the Metro New York area getting everybody tuned in and going to the arenas. Its making for must see events every night.

Now, will it result in a championship being brought back to the area? It doesn't look too good on paper. But that's on paper, anything can and usually does happen out on the field of play. Knicks have been a very streaky team at times during the year, closing out the season on a two game losing streak that followed a three game win streak. This was a team that made the playoffs two years ago and was bounced in five by Atlanta, and they haven't won a series since 2013. So there's a lot on the line here.

For the Nets, they won three of their final five games, even though this roster looks quite a bit different then it did back in October. This is the 5th straight playoff spot for the Nets, only having one series win in the last four years. They are looking to really build off this rebuild and maybe go on a solid run. So much like the Knicks, there's a lot on the line for Brooklyn too.

The Islanders had to win out to even reach the playoffs, winning three of their final four games to get in. They did, and this was a team that had a 7.6% chance of making the playoffs back in January. They won big games late in the season when they needed to. Even when it didn't look like they had life in their legs.

The boys from Broadway are building off last years success, which was a conference finals loss to the Lightning. So there's still that level of expectation. They added Tarasanko and Kane to bolster that attack and try and get over that hump.

With Jersey, there wasn't much of a expectation with that young core they trying to build. But that group developed faster than some expected and here we sit with them as a playoff team

Records Setting In Boston

Sixty. Three. Wins.

No that is not a typo that actually happened. The Boston Bruins have won 63 regular season games in the National Hockey League. Only three teams have won 60 or more games in a season. The 1977 Montreal Canadiens, the 1996 Detroit Red Wings and the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins are also two points away from setting the single season mark of 133. Oh yeah, and it clinched the Presidents Trophy.

Its hitting rare air in this league. Four teams ever are the only ones to do this. The big question is, can they get it done when it matters most, in springtime hockey?

Lets be honest here, the Lightning faltered in their first round series against the Jackets in 2019. I know that's a rare thing, but still its worth noting. And it also worth noting that winning the Presidents Trophy won't lock in a Stanley Cup Title. It's an award that's been handed out since 1986. Only eight teams that have won the President's trophy have gone on to win the Cup, the last one to do it was Chicago in 2013. So the odds aren't exactly in Boston's favor.

But this Bruins team could be different. Linus Ulmark is having a masterful year and David Pastrnak is a 60 goal man. They can hit you in offensive waves and when they have a lead, the defense is air tight. But we all know that the playoffs is a totally different animal. The best of the best really comes out during springtime. So now we will truly see just how good this Bruins team is as the playoffs get going a week from tonight.

2023 MLB Season Preview

The time has finally arrived. no more talk. The 2023 Major League Baseball season has finally arrived. 30 teams, six divisions, all with the same goal in mind. Holding up the Commissioners trophy at the end of the year as World Series Champions. So lets not waste the time anymore. Here's a look at how things are going to go down for the 2023 season around the MLB.

AL East:
1. New York Yankees 96-66*
2. Toronto Blue Jays 92-70 (WC)*
3. Tampa Bay Rays 90-72 (WC)*
4. Baltimore Orioles 84-78
5. Boston Red Sox 75-87

Things have been brewing in the Bronx for some time now as the Yankees title drought has now hit 13 seasons. They gave Aaron Judge the big contract extension he was looking for. They added Carlos Rodon on a big contract. The core is in tact and they have two young guns waiting in the wings in Anthony Volpe and Jason Dominguez. The bullpen is solid as is the starting rotation. The Yankees are going to be very tough to beat. Meanwhile, North of the boarder, the Blue Jays managed to get a little bit better compared to what they had a season ago. They have a question at the end of the rotation, but adding Chris Bassett was a huge plus. To help out their defense, Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho were added into the mix for an already solid club. Don't be surprised if the Jays make a lot of noise come the fall. Things are going to get more and more interesting for the Rays as time goes on. They missed out on the free agent marker in the offseason and are going to be missing Tyler Glasnow with injury for some time. But they still somehow have enough talent to be able to put pressure on the top of the divisions. The Orioles seem like they are always in a rebuilding mode. Its been six years since a playoff appearance and the first time they've had a winning season since said appearance. They've got a fantastic young core to be able to build around in Baltimore in the form of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Cedric Mullins. it feels like there a few steps behind but Baltimore sems like they heading in the right direction with the talent that's assembled here. After finishing in last place a season ago, it doesn't look like things are going to get any better for the Red Sox this year. They lost a lot of talent from last year, JD Martinez, Xander Bogarts, Rich Hill all gone. In comes Justin Turner, Masataka Yoshida, Adam Duvall and Corey Kluber. Won't help move the needle much at Fenway.

 AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins 88-74*
2. Cleveland Guardians 85-77
3. Chicago White Sox 81-81
4. Detroit Tigers 68-94
5. Kansas City Royals 66-96

Injuries cost the Twins last year, but this year they seem to be healthy and back on the right track. They got plenty of talent on offense, lead by Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, max Kepler and Jorge Polanco. That starting rotation at the top seems legit with Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez. They have enough talent in their everyday lineup that, when healthy, they are going to be very tough to beat. Then there's the Guardians, who are coming off winning the division last year. Jose Ramariez was a major factor in that and is expected to have another big year this year, as is Amed Rosario. They have Josh Bell as DH and added Mike Zunino behind the plate to add to an already solid team. Only thing that worries me is the pitching depth behind Shane Beiber on the Cleveland staff. And then we have the White Sox, who are still powered by Tim Anderson, Elvis Andrus and an up and coming Andrew Vaugh. Vaughn is going to have a big bat to fill with Jose Abru no longer in the windy city. They have a pretty good starting staff with Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, and Lucas Giolito at the top. The talent is there, but there's still a few concerns as to whether this team is going to be better than it was last year. Now as for the Tigers, they have a young team led by Javy Baez and Jonathan Scoop. But with the Tigers having spent so much on Baez there's little room for them to work with. Finally the Royals are going to be at the bottom of this division once again. There is no denying that they have a star in the making there in Bobby Witt Jr and they have the best offensive catcher in the AL in Salvador Parez. That's about it. There starting rotation is bad, and that's putting it nicely. They'll be lucky to hit the mark we have set for them at 66 wins on the year.

AL West:
1. Houston Astros 98-64*
2. Seattle Mariners 92-70 (WC)*
3. Los Angeles Angels 76-86
4. Texas Rangers 73-89
5. Oakland Athletics 56-106

Looks like its another year and another AL West tile for the Astros, who even with injuries are still the best team in this division. Altuve is going to be out at least two months with a broken thumb. Jose Abru comes aboard to an already loaded cast. Bregman, Alverez, Tucker, Brantley. Gonna be tough to beat. The pitching took a bit of a hit with Verlander leaving for New York and McCullers dealing with a lingering issue in his pitching arm. Still I cant see anybody in the West topping Houston. The one who going to come close to it and will make the playoffs with be the Mariners, who look to build on what they were able to do last year. Julio Rodriguez is a star in the making and the Mariners even better was adding Kolton Wong and Teoscar Hernandez. Throw in Suarez, Crawford and Pollack with that core group, its scary how good they could be. Oh and the pitching staff with Castillo and Ray at the top is going to be pretty good too. It almost makes one feel bad for what's going on with the Angels right now, wasting the prime years of Mike Trout and Shohi Otani. On paper, what's around those two guys, this team should be solid. Rendon, Renfro, Walsh and Drury should be good. Its the pitching depth behind Otani that's holding them back. Going back to Texas, things aren't looking great for the Rangers. If everybody can stay healthy, the Texas staff could be one of the best in the entire game. Jacob deGrom, Nathan Evoldi and Andrew Heaney all came in, but all have had durability issues of late. Scoring could be their downfall, with not much major offensive punch. Finally the Athletics are going to bring up the rear in the West. There's nothing here in Oakland to even get remotely excited about. Nothing. Only way that might even happen is if the A's move.

NL East:
1. Atlanta Braves 100-62*
2. New York Mets 98-64 (WC)*
3. Philadelphia Phillies 89-74 (WC)*
4. Miami Marlins 70-92
5. Washington Nationals 54-108

This is sounding like a broken record but its going to come as no surprise that the Braves will once again win the NL East. This team has the offensive firepower to be able to dominate in this game. Ronald Acuña Jr. is healthy and you add in Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Eddie Rosario, they are going to be good. Throw in the staff lead by Max Freid and Spencer Streider, they are going to be good. One team that could match the top of that rotation is the one possessed by the Mets, who now have Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer at the top of it. What might be holding the Mets back is, aside from a possible injury to their top two starters and closer Edwin Diaz, is the lack of depth at the back of that rotation. Still there's plenty of talent on this club to make the playoffs. With the offense powered by Lindor, Alonso and a hopefully healthy clutch Starling Marte, this New York team is going to be good for a long time. Meanwhile the Phillies will be looking to build off that magical postseason run a year ago, reaching all the way to the World Series. That took a big blow during camp with Hoskins injuring his knee badly. Couple that with no real timetable for the return of Bryce Harper and it going to be a tough starting out of the gate for the boys from Philly. Still with Bohm and Turner and Schwarber, they can pack enough punch to hang around a while And with a solid staff it should keep them in the hunt for a while. Same can't be said for what the Marlins are doing. They were so rough last year they overpaid, according to some, to bring in Luis Aarez. Miami is hoping him and Jean Segura can actually power this team, because that's all they really got in the offensive game. On the mound, Sandy Alcantra is a huge bright spot, so here's hoping the Marlins might actually find support for their star pitcher one of these days. Finally, there's the Nationals, who are pretty much like the A's of the NL. The only real bright spot left for this team is Stephen Strausberg is still under contract for three more seasons.

NL Central:
1. St Louis Cardinals 90-72*
2. Milwaukee Brewers 87-75
3. Chicago Cubs 81-81
4. Pittsburgh Pirates 65-97
5. Cincinnati Reds 62-100

Another year, another division title for the Cardinals. St Louis still has one of the best one-two punches in the middle of their lineup with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Aranado. Add in Edmand and Contreas, it adds yet another layer of depth to that lineup. Oh and lets not forget that the Cards, lead by Flarety and Mikolas, have one of the better rotations in the league. All in all, the Central has to go through St Louis. No surprise, the team that's going to be right on their heels are the Brewers. As good as the St Louis starting staff is, the pitching staff in Milwaukee is even better. What has some worried is that there's no extension in place for Corbin Burnes and he isn't happy. Which could be a problem for the Brewers. That and they don't have Adames locked up long term either. There good, but could be better if their players were happier. The talent is here to keep them in the mix, but will it come through all year to really threaten the Cards or even a wild card spot? Now we move on to the Cubs, who spent the money to get better this year. Chicago brought in Cody Bellinger, Brad Boxberger, Jameson Taillon, and Dansby Swanson. With the talent that's already been assembled in Chicago, the Cubs have a chance to really make a lot of noise in this division. It's going to be another long suffering season for Pirates fans, who haven't had much positive to cheer for in recent years. Ji-Man Choi was brought in for defense and Andrew McCutchen is back on his farewell tour in the steel city. Other then that, there isn't much tor really go off of. Hayes and Hedges are good and Brian Reynolds has a huge upside. Otherwise there isn't much. If you think that's bad, its even worse for Reds fans. They still have Votto, India and Meyers, that's about it. Sure, there's young talent waiting in the wings in Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte, but they aren't ready just yet to pull the Reds out of the basement in the Central.

NL West:
1. San Diego Padres 94-68*
2. Los Angeles Dodgers 88-74 (WC)*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks 78-84
4. San Francisco Giants 74-88
5. Colorado Rockies 62-100

This is the year that we get a new champion out West in the form of the Padres. They have injury issues going into the start of the season and Tatis is still on suspension. Once everybody comes back and is healthy, they are going to be a very tough team to deal with this year. They gave extensions to Yu Darvis and Manny Machado, both worthy of it. Oh and they added more depth to the team by adding in a talent like Xander Bogarts. With the starting staff they have, and Josh Hader closing games out, the NL West is going through the Padres this year. The team to beat had been the Dodgers, but they seem like they're going to take a step backwards this year. They are still a playoff team and still a loaded team, but its a down year by Dodger expectations. Urias and Kershaw are at the top of the rotation, but its now closer by rotation as the season goes along. There still punch at the plate with Freeman, Betts and Muncy. But still something looks off in Dodger land heading into this season. Now for the Diamondbacks, they still aren't really to contend, but they have taken steps in the right direction. They have experience with guys like Longoria at the dish and young guns like Gurriel and Marte. And then there's Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas and Zac Gallen making up that young core. Things kind of fell apart for the Giants when Carlos Correa didn't pan out on the West Coast. They still have a good young core lead by Mike Yastrzemski to build around and they brought in talent to build around with Conforto and Haniger. It's going to take time but there's something to work with. Bringing up the rear in the West is going to be the Rockies. They still have Blackman and Kris Bryant, but they going to be without Brandon Rogers for most of the season. It going to be a long rebuild in Denver this season.

Baseball Broadcaster Passes

To me, broadcasters are as intrical a part of sports as the players themselves. They are the men and women who make the game come to life. For those in the Tampa Bay areas, those people are Dwayne Staats and Brian Anderson on TV and Andy Freed and Dave Wills on radio. This past weekend, we lost one of those voices as Wills passed away at the age of 58.

Wills has been the radio voice of Rays baseball for the last 18 years with Andy Freed and have been behind the mic for some of the biggest moments in team history including both of the teams world series appearances in 2008 and 2020.

Dave had a great knowledge and passion for the game and loved what he did and that came through on every broadcast. He made you feel his passion and was just as into the game as he was. I became a big fan of his instantly the first time I got to listen him call a game when I got down to the Tampa area. He made me root just as hard for the Rays listening to him call a game.

Don't get me wrong, being a lifelong Mets fan, those broadcasters will always have a special place in my heart and will always top my list. Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen, and Howie Rose will always be the top of the mountain for me. And Dave was that for many Rays fans here.

Dave will be dearly missed behind the mic

Trade Deadline Recap

Oh the trade deadline. Aside from free agency day, this is the best day on the hockey calendar that has nothing to do with games. Who's going where and for how much> How are rosters going to get retooled? Who's gonna win deadline deals?

That last question is going to really, truly be answered in time. But now that we've had time for the trades to really set in over the past few days and weeks, lets look at what's happened and who did the best of what.

Winner: Boston Bruins
They're already the best team in Hockey, and they man aged to get better. Taylor Hall out with injury, Tyler Bertuzzi brought in to fill his void for the rest of the regular season. They exte4nd David Pastrnak for another eight years. And to help them get better, they bolster the defense with Dimitri Orlov and Garnett Hathaway. At the pace the Bruins are going right now, with how good this team is, they may shatter a few regular season records for points and wins. But my biggest question is, for as great of a regular season as they are having, can they finish the job come springtime?

Winner: New Jersey Devils
For a team that's surprised a few people with a fantastic season that they're already having, the Devils managed to add offensive punch to an already good team. Bringing in Curtis Lazar and most notably Timo Meir was a huge pickup for the Devils. There is a small downside to this trade. Not only did the Devils give up a few draft picks for this trade with Meir, but Meir is on a one year deal, so right now he's sitting here as a rental player it looks like in Jersey. But still, the fact that Jersey was able to go out and pull the trigger on a couple of big moves says they going for it.

Winner: New York Rangers
A team that came within an eyelash of reaching the cup finals last year took some huge steps to try and get over that hump. They added two big names in Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. Sure, both guys are on the back half of their careers, but they can still provide some offensive punch for their games. And Kane is back to playing with former teammate Artemi Panarin. With how good this team was a season ago, and how good they were at the start of this year, they may have taken another step in getting over that hill.

Loser: Pittsburgh Penguins
Its tough to try and compete for a playoff spot it what has become a young man's game. And as good as the Penguins are, they aren't getting any younger at this point. Mikael Granlund, Dmitry Kulikov, and Nick Bonino we're all brought into the mix and all three are over the age of thirty. Sure its a great thing for having former playoff hero Bonino back into the mix, but at the same time how much more magic does he have left?

Loser: New York Islanders
A small part of me feels weird putting this out there considering what the team has done. Giving up three young players and picks was a cost, but one that had to be made, in order to get a guy like Bo Horvat. It was also smart to be able to lock him up to a long term extension with the team. Then they go out and add Piere Engvall at the deadline, which was good. But why are they on the loser list here? When you look at what it cost to get some of the other players that were acquired heading into and coming out of the deadline, it feels like the team missed the boat on taking the next step to getting back into playoff contention. They sitting in a playoff spot as of this writing, but I just got a feeling that while what they did was good, they left stuff sitting out there on the table.

Oh and lets not forget about the Tampa Bay Lightning, who made a couple moves as well. They got rid of Cal Foot and a ton of picks for Tanner Jeannot. They also made moves to get rid of Vlad Nemesnakov in another tread. So they made some moves, but at the same time they didn't really do enough in my mind to really keep pace with the likes of Toronto and Boston did in their own division and even the likes of Carolina and Jersey in the conference. Let's not get it twisted the Bolts are still a good team and are going to make the playoffs. But they seem to be a bit out of sync at times and look like they might not be ready come playoff time. We will find out in the coming weeks.