Beckett No-No’s Phillies

Three time All Star and 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett threw his first no-hit game against the Philadelpha  Phillies Sunday May 25, 2014. The 34 year old right handed pitcher, who once was known as an elite ace in the major leagues, has struggled with a nerve condition that has ran his once feared name through the mud. Coming off a disappointing 0-5 5.19 ERA 8 games in the 2013 season Josh has worked hard to regain his stuff and be an active part of the Dodgers starting rotation.

Many are hoping last season will be nothing more then a memory. Yet, Beckett who started the year on the DL has done just the opposite. The question most asked is whether or not Beckett will even be a factor for the Dodgers this season.

Thus far Beckett has made a strong statement in his return to glory, as he is now 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Has Josh Beckett found himself again? With Beckett starting to play like the ace that he is it makes me wonder can the Dodgers rotation get any stronger? Where’s does he fit in the rotation now? And what does this mean for the rest of the season?

Stay tune for further information about the Dodgers and Josh Beckett in later Articles.
-Ed Schlierman

NHL Conference Final Preview and Prediction

These playoffs continue to be some of the best we have seen in a long time, and the “Battle for SoCal” lived up to the hyped that surrounded the series. In the Western Conference we have the same matchup that we saw last year and in the Eastern Conference we have two of the original six teams which is somewhat of a classic matchup.

Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Series 1-0 Chicago lead

Chicago closed out their series with a clutch OT win in Game 6 and the Kings continued their run with a blowout of the Ducks in their own building during a crucial Game 7.  There will be a lot of speculation and talk about this series since both teams met in the Conference Finals last year.  Corey Crawford has the ability to make or break this series for the Blackhawks. He has been tested this postseason and has passed with excellence. Quick on the other hand has been shaky both against the Sharks and the Ducks and for much of the regular season, however we have seen during patches in these playoffs why Quick is often regarded as the best goalie in all of hockey.  Chicago proved last year that it knows how to score goals against the Kings and if they can do it again they can win this series. For the Kings, Chicago is the toughest team they have played so far in this postseason and if and only if Jonathan Quick plays at the level we are all used to seeing him play at then the Kings will win. The run the Kings are putting together is extremely impressive, however their lack of solid defence and a shaky Jonathan Quick will prove to be their downfall as I predict the Blackhawks will win this series in seven games.

Montreal Canadiens vs New York Rangers: Series 2-0 New York

Generally this series would have been a blast for me to write about. Both teams have long standing traditions in the league and both are surprises to make it to the Eastern Conference Final. However during Game 1’s controversial play where New York’s Chris Kreider awkwardly fell into Care Price’s knee rendering him out for the rest of the playoff series.  Unfortunately, the Canadiens don’t have depth at goaltender and that is the reason why I chose the Rangers to close this series out in six games.

NBA Second Round Preview

Ok so the first round of the NBA playoffs was absolutely insane. We witnessed series like Spurs/Mavs to Pacers/Hawks all go to game 7. What's next though?

This is what we got going on.


In the East

Heat vs Nets

I pick the Heat in 7. The Heat got a lucky break in the first round playing an injured All Jefferson and I don't they will be as lucky in the rest of the playoffs. The Nets beat them all 4 times they played this season which makes this the ultimate playoff test.

Pacers vs Wizards

I pick the Pacers in 7. I am open to being wrong and the Wizard winning in 6 or 7 but if game 7 Roy Hibbert shows up the Wizards can't win.

In the West

Clippers vs Thunder

I Pick the Thunder in 7 but that's only because I don't see the clippers as a close out team yet. The Warriors have no close out players but what they did have was an injured center that gave the Clippers a leg up late in games. The thunder don't have the same disadvantage. Durant is unreliable though and Wrestbrook is the best inconsistent player in the world. I am excited to watch.

Blazers vs Spurs

I pick the Blazers in 7. The Blazers are here to stay. Aldridge can carry games, Lillard can close them, as he showed with an insane buzzer beater two nights ago. The rest of the rotation have shown us theycan contribute in a big stage. Or maybe the Rockets we're just inferior... Anyway the Blazers are going to test the Spurs ability to close games. The old champs could flub it all if the surging Blazers ride their young stars.

-Chris Schlierman

Ducks/Kings Playoff Preview and Prediction

First things first, this series is shaping up to be possibly the best of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the first time the Kings and Ducks have met in the playoffs and anyone who follows hockey in Southern California knows that it is going to be a war.  The Ducks had some major problems in the first round against the Stars who were huge underdogs and gave the Ducks a run for their money. The Kings also had their trouble in the first round, dropping the first three games of the series to San Jose and giving up a whopping 17 goals in those first three games. However, the most intriguing story of the playoffs so far is the Kings being the 4th team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit.

A common theme around the Ducks all season has been their use of two goalies. After Frederik Andersen’s emergence as a young prospect and Hiller’s experience the Ducks had a goalie tandem that looked unbeatable at certain points in the season. Head coach Bruce Boudreau opted to start the rookie Andersen in the first round and while he impressed with his play during the regular season, the 24 year old netminder’s play slumped in the playoffs and was pulled in both games 5 and 6 for veteran Jonas Hiller. Hiller stopped every shot he faced against the Stars and made some critical saves in the Ducks comeback victory on Sunday night.  If the Ducks can have both Andersen and Hiller play like they did during the regular season they are an extremely hard team to score on.

The Kings too had their struggles in the first round after losing the first three games against the Sharks. Although it is still unknown as to who will start in net for the Ducks, one thing remains clear for the Kings. Jonathan Quick is their guy. Quick, who got lit up early against the Sharks, found his form as the series progressed and was absolutely fantastic for the Kings during their historic comeback run. Given Quick’s track record, especially his knack for becoming the world’s best goalie when the playoffs start, gives the Kings and their fans every reason to be excited for this series. If Jonathan Quick can out play his counterpart the Kings have a good chance at winning this series.

Anaheim’s power play has been a force in the NHL for the past several years and was clicking on all cylinders against Dallas.  One area where the Ducks have a major advantage is pure offensive power. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf make up one of the best tandem’s in all of hockey and have been a nightmare for the Kings all season. The battle for Southern California is shaping up to be a series for the books and while the Kings seem to be an obvious choice here, don’t count the Ducks out. If the Kings can stay out of the penalty box they have a huge advantage in full strength hockey and can win this series, whereas the Ducks need to rely on their superstars Perry and Getzlaf and have consistent goaltending.  Anaheim was nearly unstoppable at home this year and continued that trend in the playoffs. In order to win this series the Ducks must win every game at home and finish out the series in a game 7 at Honda Center. If the Kings win any games in Anaheim then they will take this series in 6. The significance of tonight’s game 1 is unparalleled for both of these teams however if the Ducks win tonight they will ultimately win the series in 7.

-Derick Riggs 

NHL Playoffs

May is here and we are in full swing with NHL and NBA playoffs.  Both sports have seen some of the best first round playoff series in recent memory, but the NHL never fails to impress; with three game 7’s in the first round and an epic comeback by the Los Angeles Kings, who were down 3-0 to San Jose and looked as if they were done.  

Boston Bruins Vs. Montreal Canadiens-series: 1-0 MTL

Game 1 of this series proved that the Bruins/Canadiens rivalry is still one of the best in all of sports. A hard fought game that went into 2 overtimes only ended when P.K. Subban scored his second goal of the night and gave Montreal a 1-0 series lead. Despite the loss, the Bruins showed during the second half of the season why they have been in the Stanley Cup Finals 2 out of the last 3 years.  Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask will prove to be too much for the young Canadiens and Boston will finish out the series in 6 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. New York Rangers-series: 1-0 NYR

This series should be an interesting one to watch. The Penguins barely made it out of the first round with Marc Andre-Fleury nearly having a monumental collapse. Although it will be a fun series to watch, the Rangers will be in control the entire time. Although the Rangers had their struggles during the regular season they are coming together at the perfect time behind veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. With Fleury's playoff woes continuing the Rangers will win this series in 5.

Chicago Blackhawks Vs. Minnesota Wild-series: 1-0 CHI

Next we have our first Western Conference matchup: The Chicago Blackhawks had their moments in a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild Friday night but will need to be more consistent if they want to make it to the next round. The Blackhawks are a team that always seem to turn it on during the playoffs, however they will be tested by a Minnesota team that has some fire power, which we saw in their first round matchup against Colorado. This series could go both ways, but if Chicago jumps out of the gates early this series could be over sooner than expected.

*Because I am a die hard Ducks fan, there will be a longer piece on the Kings/Ducks series before tonight's game 1. Stay Tuned.
-Derick Riggs