Chip Shots

When Coaches Fight Back

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:10:00 GMT

Being the coach of a major college sports program is tough work. You are as good as your program, with most coaches getting a three year window to achieve some success. Win, and you get a contract extension. Lose and you'll find yourself unemployed. Three college basketball coaches were let go yesterday.

When winning coaches are let go for something other than wins and losses, it raises eyebrows. And when they are let go under a cloud of conjecture and convoluted allegations, it makes it even more interesting.

Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was fired for being, well, Mike Leach. What has come to light in recent testimony is the fact that ESPN commentator Craig James pushed for Leach's firing because he thought his son, Adam was being mistreated. When James' harsh criticism fell on deaf ears with members of the coaching staff, the AD and the school president, James went to the board of regents for satisfaction. His actions may have removed Leach, but they also have most likely killed James' career at ESPN.

Leach has a good chance of winning his suit or at least getting a pretty big settlement for his trouble.

At South Florida, Jim Levaitt's career came to an end when he allegedly choked and slapped a player. Or did he? The player involved recanted. A police officer who was in the locker room claimed he saw nothing. South Florida axed Leavitt anyway and now Leavitt is suing the school for wrongful termination and to recoup his financial losses for the seven years remaining on his contract. He's also sued them for damaging his reputation which most likely will lead to him being out of coaching for awhile.

Last November, Mark Mangino, another successful coach was dismissed by Kansas for allegedly abusing his players.

In both of these cases, the coaches were dismissed for how they handled their players.

Let me be clear: Men of my generation think absolutely nothing of being chewed out or grabbed by a coach. Having your helmet slapped in practice, your facemask grabbed, made to run laps or stairs was common in my day and I do not have a problem with it. Abuse is in the eye of the beholder. Character building may be in the eye of another.

I think that in my day, we looked up to coaches. Coaches were feared and bigger than life and someone who could at least instill in you enough good habits to go on to have a successful life. They used to say down south that the two most important men in your life after your daddy were your preacher and your football coach. All three are still held in high reverence in that part of the country.

My father fought in World War II when he was 19 years old and enjoys telling stories of some of the things that were said to him while he was training and in the army. Never once did he think about getting a lawyer and crying abuse. Never once did he tell his mother to call the army and complain. Never once did he think about leaving the army. And, as he will proudly tell you, that whole experience shaped his character.

So, when I read these stories of men who have been successful being run off by lawyers, candy ass athletes or their stage parents, I get upset. Because unfortunately, we live in a society of pussies. That's right, I said pussies. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for clogging court rooms and wasting time with needless lawsuits just because some lawyer on TV thinks he can help us hit the lottery. We should be ashamed for running off successful coaches with half assed accusations that not only cost them their jobs, but possibly their livelihoods and their careers. We should be ashamed of when we can't hack it, running to our mommy and daddy and pointing the finger at someone else rather than realizing maybe it is us who is to blame.

I hope that both Leach and Leavitt win millions for being wronged. These are quality football coaches run off by pointy heads who have no idea what competitive sports is about. Sports isn't "come here big guy. I know you wanted to block that guy who ran around you and sacked our quarterback. Sorry you missed Let's hug it out." Sports, like the military, is based on repetition, discipline and order. Some times coaches get tired of talking. Sometimes they yell, they grab, they push. That's why they win. Because they instill into you the fear that if you miss that block again, you are going to get a boot up your ass. That's how it is and should be. That's how Bear did it. That's how Vince did it.

Of course, Bear and Vince wouldn't last twenty seconds these days. The lawyers, the parents and the candy asses wouldn't let them.

Hawks Leaky Defense Takes Another Hit

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:51:00 GMT

Great hockey teams have great defense. That's why I've sadly come to the conclusion that the Chicago Blackhawks have a ways to go to be discussed as a potential winner of Lord Stanley's Cup.

Reeling from Saturday's mind numbing loss to Philadelphia, the Hawks returned home Sunday to meet the best team in hockey this season, the Washington Capitals. The Hawks took a 3-0 lead and should have run away with the game following the first period ejection of Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who checked defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards from behind, resulting in Campbell shattering his collarbone.

In the third period, the previously lifeless Capitals woke up and scored three goals in the third period, netting the game winner in OT. It was another loss for the Hawks when they led big. 3-0 in a hockey game is like being up 28-0 in football or 6-0 in baseball. It's hard to come back from that, but the Hawks, at least lately, have allowed opponents back in the game when they should have sealed the deal.

In addition to another horrible loss, the Hawks have physically lost Campbell, one of their top defensemen for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs. I thought the hit Ovechkin put on him wasn't 100% clean, but didn't warrant a game misconduct. When you consider the size of the players and the rate of speed that they are flying around at, hits like the one on Campbell are probably unavoidable. I didn't think Ovechkin went out of his way to injure Campbell or took a run at him. He also didn't go to his head, which is a big concern among NHL administrators these days.

No doubt the NHL will look it over and decide if it warrants a suspension, fine or both. But given Ovechkin is one of the two best forwards in the game, chances are he will probably just have some pay withdrawn. The league certainly can't afford to lose him for ten games and the NHL, like every other league on the planet, always looks the other way when a star is involved.

The Blackhawks need to circle the wagons and figure out how to keep a lead. It doesn't matter how many goals you score if your defense can't protect it. And with Brian Campbell out, the Hawks can protect it less.

White Sox Camp: All Not Quiet On The Western Front

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:52:00 GMT

In what started out as a pretty quiet camp for the Chicago White Sox has turned into some pretty big problems in the last couple of days. In no particular order by still an area of concern:

The horrible injury to prized prospect Jared Mitchell. Mitchell was not going to make the roster this year, but he was having an outstanding camp and was ticketed for AA for his first full season of minor league baseball. Now, he'll be a year behind and we'll see how blowing out his ankle affects his speed and agility when he suits up in 2011. This was a bad injury for the Sox organization as the kid clearly appears the talent to be successful at the Major League level and be the leadoff man/outfield star the Sox have needed for a long time.
The slow start of Bobby Jenks. It seems like the only person on Earth getting shelled more than Osama Bin Laden is Bobby Jenks. has toiled less than three innings with an ERA of 37.80. He's also reported some problems with his calf, the same calf that he caused him problems last year. Before you start apologizing for Jenks, realize the prior two spring trainings, he's been nearly flawless. So, you have to ask yourself, will he be ready come April, does he have a long term issue with his calf, is it more severe than the Sox are telling us and if Bobby can't go, can Matt Thornton or J.J. Putz get the job done? One thing is for sure: If Jenks is out for a good length of time, the Sox have found a way to neutralize the gift they were given with Joe Nathan's elbow injury. For the love of God, Bobby, please pick up a six pack.
The slow start of Mark Teahen. Teahen is projected to be a key piece to the puzzle for the Sox in 2010 and needs to be more than a complimentary player. I don't think he's Joe Crede, but he's not Wilson Betemit either. Teahen is hitting only .105 in 19 at bats. Compare that to last year when he ripped for .433 in the spring. Sure, it may just a be a slow start. Let's hope that it is because Omar Vizquel isn't hitting either and he's the backup to Teahen. The Cuban Sandwich won't be ready until at least 2011 (2012 if he continues not to run out popups) and he couldn't carry Teahen's glove on defense. Of course, Teahen couldn't carry Joe Crede's glove. Is it time now to worry about third base, because I didn't like the trade to begin with.

Before you think I've gone over the deep end, let me clue you in to my philosophy here. Spring training is not the regular season. The record is irrelevant. In many cases, stats are irrelevant in that a player might go to the plate or mound working on a specific stance or a new pitch. And, you always factor in the desert air for both hitters or pitchers.

What you do watch are how players are rehabbing from injuries from the previous season and how the youngsters are progressing.

So far we know that the Sox have some talented young players (this kid Morel is particularly outstanding and could be Beckammed to the bigs.) The pitching has been good, although there is some concern so far regarding Freddie Garcia and Daniel Hudson. But the big four have looked good.

The Mitchell injury hurts a lot, but he's young and he'll be back.

Ozzie's Trip Into Cyberspace Shot Down By White Sox

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:33:00 GMT

I love Ozzie Guillen. I love his enthusiasm, I love his brutal honesty, I love him as manager of the Chicago White Sox. And, if he were allowed to write a blog, I would subscribe to it immediately and delight in reading it everyday.

Alas, it is not going to happen.

Ozzie is a man without a filter. That's why White Sox fans love him. Butfrom a PR standpoint, he is a mouse click away from causing an unintended firestorm.And the White Sox organization, which doesn't want to take the time to act ashis filter, wants to avoid it.

There's also Ozzie's problems with English (remember Mariottigate?). Sometimes Ozzie uses words out of context because he hasn't totallymastered our language and the feces hits the fan.

A proposed Ozzie website has been shot down by the White Sox organization. You don't have to have 20-20 eyesight to read between the lines: Everything Ozzie says is big news. And, the White Sox would just assume the news be about the ballclub than Ozzie's latest thoughts.

Ozzie wanted to use his website as a tool not only for White Sox fans, but Ozzie fans in his native Venezuela. And, if the White White Sox, who lag behind in market share to their cross town rivals, the Cubs. Anything tied to the Sox would keep them top of mind, which in marketing is the bottom line.

What the White Sox media staff should do is have Ozzie record his thoughts on tape and then add them to the sight. Anything inflammatory or possibly damaging wouldn't make the cut. Granted, this would make Ozzie come off like Tiger Woods, but the page would get a lot of hits.

Ozzie could also use the page to raise money for and build community awareness of White Sox charities as well as talk about issues other than baseball. Ozzie is a man of many topics including politics and pop culture. He has many interesting opinions on just about everything.

Obviously, this isn't going to happen, partially because Ozzie is so unpredictable and because White Sox GM Kenny Williams wants to keep his manager in check. A manager who is also an Internet star becomes a potential problem, especially if the team is not doing well or he and his manager are not on the same page. Ozzie already talks enough to the media and has his Twitter account, but a website and a blog are probably the straw that broke the camel's back with the front office.

It's a shame.

Michael Landon Must Be Getting The Band Back Together

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:40:00 GMT

The man who proved that hall of fame defensive linemen don't necessarily have to have the IQ of a wall, Merlin Olsen, has passed away from Cancer at 69.

Olsen was part of the Los Angeles Rams fearsome foursome which also included Deacon Jones, Roosevelt Greer and the late Lamar Lundy.

Following his stellar football career, Olsen turned to announcing and acting. He joined Curt Gowdy in the NBC booth to form one of the better TV partnerships in NFL history. Later Olsen worked with Dick Enberg and participated in calling the greatest football game ever played, Super Bowl XX on January 26th, 1986.

Olsen was also an actor who appeared in "Little House on the Prairie." A spin off, "Father Murphy" lasted 34 episodes.
Olsen also did TV commercials.

No doubt, he'll get a big wreath from FTD.

Karen Grassle, be afraid, be very afraid.

Hoosier Batting Order?

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:32:00 GMT

LA Dodger self declared manager in waiting, Don Mattingly had an embarrassing faux pas the other day, not realizing that his team batted out of order. Mattingly was managing the Dodgers in a game against Arizona.

I wonder if he also kept the books for his now defunct restaurant in Evansville, IN

Quickshots: Twins Loss Is White Sox Gain

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:29:00 GMT

You hate to wish bad things on people, but you wouldn't be a Chicago White Sox fan if you didn't smile a little bit at the news that Twins closer Joe Nathan may be out for the entire season. Yes, the Sox are saying all the right things, but I have to believe somewhere deep down where Ozzie doesn't Tweet, he smirked a smirk of joy at some point. However, I should warn you: Never, ever count the Twins out. Somehow, they always find a way.
Omar Vizquel=Peter Pan
If Julius Peppers turns out to be a bust, the Bears have a way out. (Bear Goggles On)
Ricky writes his second brilliant piece this week about how the perception of blue collar, bear chugging fans isn't always reality. (Tremendous Upside Potential)
NASCAR's new attitude this year: Boys will be boys. Trying to regain some of it's market share, NASCAR is allowing drivers to channel their inner Earnhardt and let them go after each other. While that's all fine and good in hockey, it takes on an entirely different meaning in a car going 190 MPH. Carl Edwards should have been parked for a month
When are the Cubs going to figure out that acquiring sexy names is fine when they are in their prime, but ten years after not so much.
There may be more to the Blackhawks second period collapse against Detroit Sunday than the goaltending. In the mean time, Antti Niemi, come on down. (The Fifth Feather)
Now Jim Sorgi has to learn how Eli takes his coffee. (Rumors & Rants via Yardbarker)
One of the greatest guards in Bulls history misses his friend, another one of the greatest guards in Bulls history.
Why does a person need $1 million a month for spousal support? It's just so wrong on so many levels. Jamie McCourt owns seven houses! SEVEN HOUSES! Here we are in a recession and these greedy bastards are fighting over how much spending money they get to maintain their lifestyle. Hey, try living my lifestyle, you greedy broad. You'd have a whole new appreciation for yours, I guarantee it.
Speaking of the rich getting richer, look out here.
KSK's hilarious take on what really happened with Big Ben. Speaking of that, I think that this time this incident may come back to bite him. The woman did all the right things, went to the cops right away and to the hospital. This isn't an "oh by the way, this happened a year ago and now I am going to sue deal" like the woman in Reno. (Kissing Suzy Kolber)
Basketball fans in Indiana are upset their two mid-majors had conflicting air times on ESPN. How Hoosier (Midwest Sports Fans)
Coach, what play should we run? Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
Just what we needed another bowl game. At this point, maybe six teams don't play in some kind of bowl game.
A former Dodger great exits, stage right.
ESPN finally makes a radio programming move people will actually like. Now, if they brought back Tony and PB, it would be perfect.
Former Boston great Nomar Garciaparra is announcing his retirement. He will now spend his days looking for a broadcast gig and eating Hamm.

Ozzie, Kenny Take Bite Out Of Cuban Sandwich

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:06:00 GMT

There's a lot of standing around in baseball. When you are not at the plate, you are in the dugout or standing on deck. On defense, you stand around waiting for the ball to be hit. In most cases, there are few instances where you need to run. Just hustle after balls hit to you, hustle on and off the field and always run out anything you hit no matter how obvious it becomes that you are going to be out.

These are lessons we all learn in Little League. Unfortunately, there are no Little Leagues in Cuba.

Yesterday, the White Sox Dayan Viciedo (a.k.a. The Cuban Sandwich) didn't run out a pop up. If this were some no name walk-on non-drafted free agent, chances are the Sox would have cut him on the spot. But The Cuban Sandwich is signed through 2012 and received a pretty hefty bonus for coming to the Sox out of Cuba. That's why, he was chewed out in Spanish by manager Ozzie Guillen and in English by General Manager Kenny Williams.

According to Ozzie, the Sandwich has promised to run everything out from now until the end of time.

The Sandwich has not been impressive in camp. He still has a long swing and breaking balls make him look as confused as Paris Hilton on Jeopardy. It's also hard finding him a position. He's a third baseman by trade, but the Sox want him to move to first because of his limited mobility and the fact that they already have Mark Teahen at the Major League level and the talented Brent Morel in the high minors. If the Sandwich wants to play, it's first base or bust.

The Sandwich is still adjusting to playing baseball in America and is hurt by the language barrier. I can't imagine this poor kid playing his first year of U.S. baseball in Birmingham, Alabama and trying to learn English. Down there, y'all is a greeting, not a moving truck and you fry your chicken in "awl." Not to mention all of the wonderful Southern temptations available locally which will no aid The Sandwich in staying in tip top athletic condition.

Still, there are some things in baseball that are known in any language and one of them is you run out pop ups. Nothing angers fans more than a player who doesn't hustle.

One other interesting fact about The Sandwich: He recently switched agents. He is now a client of ~~Lucifer~~ ~~Beelzebub~~ ~~Satan~~ Scott Boras, which could lead to some problems down the road if The Sandwich can't turn his game around quickly. So far, he's failed to meet expectations while other players have. Hopefully, he will turn it around otherwise the Sox may send him somewhere else to stand around.

Red Wings Send Hawks Message: Your Goalies Suck

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:08:00 GMT

Just when Chicago Blackhawks fans thought it was safe to think about Patrick Kane and Jonathan Towes skating around the U.C. with Lord Stanley's Cup, reality set in. The reality is, despite denials from anyone named Bowman and just about everybody in the Hawks organization, the Hawks goaltending leaves a lot to be desired.

The Hawks had a two goal lead going in the second period of a nationally televised game against Detroit. The same Detroit Red Wings which is holding on by their fingernails to be the eighth and final entrant for the Western Conference in the playoffs. The same Red Wings who have finally gotten all their injured players back, but suffered injuries to GWS poster boy Todd Bertuzzi and their best player Pavel Datsyuk during the game yesterday.

Yet these are the same Red Wings that turned Hawks starting goalie Cristobal Huet into a duck in a shooting gallery in the second period. After four quick goals, Huet was yanked form the proceedings and replaced by Antti Niemi. Niemi surrendered a goal to Datsyuk with 2.3 seconds left in the period, giving Detroit five second period goals. That goal, was the difference in the game as the Hawks lost 5-4.

Stan and Scotty Bowman can laud the goalies all they want, but the sad fact of the matter is these two guys are the not ready for prime time players. Huet has been a bust as a free agent and couldn't stop a beach ball. His positioning is awful and he stays down way too long. Niemi is young, raw and unproven and while he makes a solid backup, he certainly isn't ready to carry this team in the playoffs.

And this was against the Wings, who are not nearly as good as they were a couple of years ago. You don't think Alex the Great has drool all over his Capitol's sweater thinking about coming to Chicago next Sunday to face the two punching bags the Hawks put between the pipes.

Coach Qstache can berate the defensive positioning all he wants, but you'd have to be Stevie Wonder not to see that neither one of these guys is going to last deep into the playoffs. And the goalie ship has done sailed, leaving the Hawks with an open net. The Hawks may or may not have had an opportunity at acquiring a legitimate NHL goalie at the trading deadline but did not. That decision may cost them more than they ever could have imagined.

Quickshots: $pending $pree Isn't Always Cure All

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:32:00 GMT

Now that the Bears have signed an all-star team of free agents, one wonders how it translates to the field. Can Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna make a big difference or will learning a new offense while not upgrading the wide receivers and offensive line and the defensive backfield by too much to overcome? BTW, an expert no less than SI's Peter King thinks free agency is over rated.
There is one other aspect to the signing of Julius Peppers. Peppers seemed to indicate that he came to the Bears because of Lovie Smith. If the Bears finish 6-10 next season and Smith is kicked to the curb, how much enthusiasm will Peppers have for his new team?
Does anyone really care who the lead announcer on the World Cup Soccer games is if only six people are going to watch it. Most people interested in it will watch it on a network that speaks a different language. Personally, I think they ought to turn Kenny Mayne and Scott Van Pelt loose. At least then it might be watchable.(The Big Lead)
There's an old saying where I come from: You can't fix stupid.
Ricky writes on of his best blogs about racist Cub fans. He makes an excellent point: These aren't your daddy's Cub fans. The Cub fans who embraced Billy Williams, Ernie Banks and even Andre Dawson are not the people causing the problem. Nicely done, sir. (Tremendous Upside Potential)
Can someone explain to me why three decorated umpires of the past got fired yet Phil Cuzzi remains employed? Correction, two decorated umpires from the past and Richie Garcia.
It's been quite an awakening for former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow going from the most decorated player in college football to a potential late round draft pick who has to work out individually for NFL teams. Proof again that success at the college level doesn't always translate to success at the NFL level. Of course, if Tebow gets drafted by the right team with the right coaching staff and the right system, he might have a chance of some success. Of course, Florida quarterbacks do not have a history of setting the world on fire, right Rex?
While the Bears could use some wide receivers, Jay Cutler's receiver of choice may join the Bengals.
This could be the most important spring training development for the White Sox.
And now, a few words from the greatest baseball player in history. Just ask him. (The Big Lead)

If This Is The Future, I Kind Of Like It

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:27:00 GMT

I got to watch both Chicago White Sox games today. And while they are only the third and fourth spring training games played so far, I have to say I'm fairly impressed with what I've seen.

In the game against the Cubs, Carlos Quentin had two home runs. Okay, they were against Carlos Silva, but still. Everything good and bad about Q is in his head and those two monsters he hit yesterday are a good sign that he's focused and possibly pain free.

What was encouraging to see was two stolen bases by Andruw Jones and stolen bases by Mark Kotsay and Tyler Flowers. It was nice to see bunts actually land where they were supposed to (nicely played, Brett Lillibridge.)

Daniel Hudson looked pretty good in his three innings pitched against the full Cubs starting line-up.

Meanwhile, at Camelback Ranch, the other Sox team broke open a close game with the Dodgers to win going away 8-4. Jered Mitchell had a pair of RBI doubles and scored three runs. A.J. Pierzynski had a big single for the Sox.

Brent Morel looked very good at third. You wonder if he is "third baseman of the future" material or just a farmhand who will eventually be a part of one of Kenny's blockbuster trades. With Mark Teahen signed for three years, one wonders if Morel will see the light of day at the big league level as a White Sox.

Freddie Garcia and Bobby Jenks did not look especially sharp yesterday, but it is early and yesterday marked the first appearances for both.

Again as in the game against the Cubs, the Sox were running and bunting from the get go and looked good doing it.

Yes, I know it's early. Yes, I know the Sox weren't facing Justin Verlander or John Lackey. But still, it was a good day and you can see the transition in the team that Ozzie has been begging for. Let's see how it shakes down this afternoon against a clearly embarrassed Cubs split squad.

Bears Continue Assault On Peppers

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:46:00 GMT

Today is the first day of the free agent signing period in the NFL sans salary cap and the Chicago Bears are proving to be players. They've already signed former San Diego tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, which, in effect, signals the end of the Desmond Clark era. Manumaleuna is a blocking specialist and will be a key cog in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz's revised offensive scheme.

As the late Billy Mays used to say "But wait, there's more."

Bears head coach Lovie Smith has been dispatched aboard a private plane to North Carolina to bring back what many consider to be the biggest free agent prize, former Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers. Rumor has it Peppers may already be in the fold and the Bears will hold a press conference this afternoon to make it official.

If you think Peppers and Manumaleuna may be a pretty good haul for a days work, there is still more. The Bears are engaged in serious talks with RB Chester Taylor. Taylor, a backup in Minnesota, could become the starter in Chicago. He's not a guarantee though as his asking price may be out of the realm.

And one more free agent, former Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle may also be interested in coming to the Bears.

The good news is if these four players are all signed up, they may significantly improve the Bears in 2010. Unfortunately, Lovie Smith is still the coach and the players, as talented as they are, don't coach, game plan or make halftime adjustments. And, more important than anything NONE OF THESE PLAYERS ARE WIDE RECEIVERS,GUARDS OR TACKLES!

This could be a big day for the Bears, but you've seen before that even adding top tier free agents can be putting lipstick on a pig if there are other problems. The absorption of Martz's offense, the weakness at wide out and the continuing concern over the health of Tommie Harris and Brian Urlacher brings you back to reality. There's also the fact that my mother-in-law, wife and both dogs can protect a quarterback better than the Bears offensive line.

So, before you think about planing your vacation around Super Bowl XLV, know this; A lot more questions need to be answered first, even if Virginia McCaskey's purse is wide open.

Will The Chicago Blackhawks Be Buyers For A Goalie Upgrade?

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:12:00 GMT

You needn't look any further than the recently completed Olympic hockey tournament to realize just how important good goaltending is in hockey. After the USA beat Canada in their first matchup, Team Canada coach Mike Babcock benched Martin Brodeur and rode Roberto Luongo all the way to e gold medal. Ryan Miller carried the USA to silver and was named the MVP.

The bottom line is, you need to have confidence in your goalies and you need to have solid goaltending to get far in the playoffs. I am convinced that contrary to what you might hear them say, the Chicago Blackhawks have neither, which, down the road, is a big problem.

Last night against the lowly New York islanders, the Hawks gave up goals in rapid fire succession, hastening the exit of starting goalie Antti Nemmi and restoring to the spotlight, if only for a moment, Christobal Huet. Neither one was particularly effective and the Hawks left the Island with a 5-3 loss. If this can happen against the fourth worst team in the league, imagine what might happen in a playoff series against Detroit or San Jose.

Don't give me the excuse that the six Hawks who were in the Olympics had an off night because I'm not buying it. The fact is that neither Nemmi or Huet scares anyone and if the Hawks are committed to bringing home Lord Stanley's Cup, they need to act now.

There's a rumor that the Toronto Maple Leafs will take Huet off the Hawks hands. While the Maple Leafs have veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere, he's really not the man we're looking for here. The other rumor is that the Hawks are looking at Tomas Vokoun of the Florida Panthers. NOW we're talking. The rumors also say the Panthers don't want Huet. So, pull a three way. Send Giguere to Florida, Huet to Toronto and Vokoun to Chicago.

I knew Vokoun when he broke in with Nashville. In fact, during the Preds first training camp, I noticed how good he was and had some pretty interesting conversations with Paul Gardner who, at the time, was Barry Trotz' top assistant. We agreed the kid had a bright future. The Preds eventually brought him up and the legend of "The Vokounator" was born (he love that nickname as he is a Czech and looks up to Domink Hasek.) He works hard and has gone farther in the NHL than anyone thought he could go. He's a good guy too and would fit in on a team sprinting for a championship.

Most likely, Stan Bowman won't mortgage the future on finding a goalie upgrade. The Hawks have danced this far with who brung them. The question is, how long will Huet and Nemmi let the Hawks dance in May?

Can The NHL Take Advantage Of Olympic Love?

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:23:01 GMT

Growing up in Chicago in the 70's, the Chicago Blackhawks were a pretty big deal. Much bigger than the Chicago Bulls. In my neighborhood, we played much more street hockey than we did basketball, largely because we were all Hawks fans. The Hawks always made it to the playoffs and in the early part of the seventies, they had a couple of near misses in winning Lord Stanley's Cup.

Over time, the NHL somewhere lost it's way and the NBA juggernaut not only passed it in popularity, but wiped it off the map. There are some who believe that the reason NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, a former NBA employee was given a glowing recommendation at the time of his hiring by NBA Commish David Stern was that Stern was sure Bettman would, through Bettman's incompetence, bury the NHL. I don't believe it, but I also don't dismiss it.

Fast forward to this weekend and the 27 million people who watched the USA and Canada play in the Olympic final. While the USA lost, it was a great victory to have hockey exposed to the masses again. Maybe, just maybe, this could be the springboard to the NHL becoming more popular. Recent TV ratings and studies have shown the NHL is gaining on the NBA. And, in some of the NHL's bigger and most important markets like Chicago, Buffalo and Boston, teams are competitive again and the fans have been coming out.

Still, hockey is lagging behind the popularity it enjoyed thirty years ago.

Why? I agree with our hero and role model that hockey on an international scale with all hands pulling for one team and national pride on the line is a far more compelling reason to watch hockey than a Tuesday night game between the Flyers and Devils. International hockey is played by all-star teams and you get to see all of the best players play at the highest level possible. Everyday hockey is good, but for every Patrick Kane there is a fourth line stiff who is either too old or too unskilled to have an impact.

The same with goalies. Some are stand on your head good like Ryan Miller and Roberto Luongo. Others are Jeff Deslauriers or Chris Mason.

If the NHL is going to improve their product, it needs to contract. Merge some of the teams that aren't successful into a smaller, more concentrated league offering a better product. You need twenty players and two goalies on an NHL team where in the NBA you need only twelve and three really good ones.

The second thing that needs to be done is find a cable operator that people can actually find on basic cable. The only reason I know where Versus is on my cable system is that it's between the Food Network and Nat Geo, two channels we watch a lot at my house. It's doubtful ESPN will take hockey back, especially since they finally got what they always wanted, the NBA. But someone that's in a majority of homes (even ESPN 2) would be better than where hockey is now.

I want to see hockey become popular again because I enjoy it and increased popularity means increased exposure. Unfortunately, once the euphoria fades and reality settles back in, I'm afraid it will be back to business as usual.

For A Few Minutes Saturday Night, I Cheered For Canada

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:41:00 GMT

Kevin Martin is not someone you would ordinarily know in the USA. He's the skip of the Canadian Curling team. Curling, is probably less popular than soccer in the US (if that's possible) and not a whole lot of kids are signing up to take lessons. But in Canada, Curling is a huge deal and Kevin Martin has been called "the Michael Jordan of Curling."

In his storied career, the "Old Bear"has won just about every Curling tournament known to man...except one. That was the Olympics. In 2002, Martin and company were upset by Norway and Saturday night, it was the Norwegians in their garish pants that stood between Martin and the one thing he needed for his impressive resume, Olympic gold.

And so, it came to pass that martin led his team to victory with some very impressive shots late in the match and finally got the gold. At 42, his future is uncertain and if he never throws another 42 pound stone in the Olympics again, he will still have the satisfaction that in front of a world wide audience and the crazies jammed into the rink, he was a champion.

It was quite an ending to what was a pretty great Olympics.

White Sox All In For A-Gon?

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:16:00 GMT

Can you imagine White Sox General manager Kenny Williams in Las Vegas? Maybe playing Texas Hold 'Em? You'd get that steely glare right before he barked "all in" and pushed his pile of chips into the center of the table.

That may be what Kenny is doing in pursuit of San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Rumors (and that's what they seem to be) are rampant that Williams is willing to bet the house (and perhaps his house) on somehow putting together an impressive enough package to acquire the left-handed power hitter.

While the pieces to the puzzle are still a mystery, there have been some good guesses. The Padres are in a rebuilding mode and are looking for young players to anchor their future while shedding payroll in the process. The rumors that a key piece to the puzzle may be the savior himself, Gordon Beckham. Would Kenny be crazy enough to trade the best Sox prospect since Robin Ventura away after only a year on the White Sox roster? If it meant winning a championship, yes he would.

Assuming that Beckham is involved, the Padres would most likely take Paul Konerko off the Sox hands for the remainder of the season. Paulie would probably waive his no-trade clause for the Pods who are not that far away from his home in Arizona. The Sox would also have to give up a couple of prospects, like pitcher Daniel Hudson, Clevlan Santeliz or Lucas Harrell. And possibly an infield or outfield prospect like C.J. Retherford, Brent Morel or Jordan Danks. The Pods may even be interested in a more developed prospect like catcher Tyler Flowers.

So, does Kenny do this Chinese restaurant style (one from column "A", two from column "B") or does he hold the line and trade only the players he really thinks aren't going to see the light of day with the Sox?

I have no problem with the Sox moving Paulie. It's the last year of his deal, he probably won't be back next year and he's clearly in decline. But trading Beckham? I have major issues with that. The kid is a stud, he'll be the leader of this ballclub when Paulie, A.J. and Buehrle are gone (which could be as early as the end of next season) and he's got tremendous character. I would just assume they trade six players not named Beckham and kill the entire farm system just to keep the Savior in pin stripes. I'd even consider trading the Cuban Sandwich if it meant keeping Beckham. Plus, the Pods would have plenty of spare parts to choose from like Jayson Nix and Brett Lillibridge.

Winning at all costs and gambling the future away is one of the things Kenny does best, but hopefully even he isn't so desperate that he doesn't mortgage the future's best player at a one or two year dance with A-Gon. Although with Kenny Williams, it's all in all the time.

When You Say Bud, You've Said Enough

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:32:00 GMT

ESPN has suspended Peter Pascarelli's podcasts perhaps permanently, after he took a couple of subtle and fairly harmless shots at the Commissioner of Baseball.

As an apparent aside, Pascarelli dared to make light of the new statue of Bud being constructed in Milwaukee and said something about pigeons finding it and conducting their business upon it.. Last year, Scott Van Pelt took aim at Bud on ESPN radio and was benched.

I don't know what's going through the minds of the people running the network, but I have a sneaking suspicion.

ESPN is fighting the MLB network for the hearts and minds of baseball fans. They've already lost two key pieces of their coverage, one through his actions (Steve Phillips) and the other through a better deal with MLB (Peter Gammons.) In order for ESPN to remain competitive, they pretty much have to service Bud at every opportunity. Making fun of Bud just makes MLB mad and they have the leverage with their own network to make ESPN miserable. So, the network actually becomes a pawn in the effort to keep Bud in a positive light.

ESPN has been very arbitrary in some of these suspensions, some don't make sense and in many cases a simple "I'm sorry, I went a bit over the top" would have sufficed.

Just the buzz of an apology is enough to get you some pub. Benching star players makes your team weaker not stronger. ESPN should run a disclaimer that says "The opinions of ESPN hosts are the opinion of ESPN because if it's not, you can count on them getting their asses suspended."

Quickshots: Ozzie's Followers In For A Real Tweet

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:28:00 GMT

I don't "tweet." I think I can best discuss the mundane details of my life here. Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has embraced Twitter and is now "tweeting", mostly with the help of his sons, who are ghostwriting for him. Kenny Williams does not "tweet" and he has no use for his manager doing so either. With any luck, Ozzie's "tweets" will be filtered, unlike Ozzie himself.
Happy birthday to my favorite ball player as a kid, Ron Santo, who hits the big 7-0 today. The first major league game I ever went to, Ronnie hit two homers (I went to maybe five or six Cubs games before going to my first White Sox game.) I hope number ten gets everything he wants for his birthday except for the one thing that eludes him. And I'm not talking about the hall of fame, of which he is richly deserving.
I would be really disappointed if NBC suspended Mike Milbury for his "Eurotrash" comment yesterday. In context, what he said was fine. Even out of context, which is the way it's being reported to titillate, 'm sure we said a lot worse about the Russians during the cold war. Everybody move on, please.
A hockey announcer in Montana was kicked out of a game for being critical of officials. This was an announcer who does his games on the Internet. Next, they will probably come to your home.
I couldn't disagree more with this guy. Chicago has always loved hockey and with the Hawks finally competitive again, a Stanley Cup parade would be huge. Of course you have to be older than 35 to know that. The guy is obviously a Bulls fan. And a Cubs fan. And, under 30. And, an idiot.
Scott Linebrink will endeavor to choke less.
The faces of Curling. (Slate)
Good afternoon and welcome to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa for today's game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Ole Miss Ackbars.
Tiger Woods, Steve Phillips and Dave Stewart will be disappointed, but it may become next to impossible to get a Hummer.

Tony's Time Out Too Long

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:27:00 GMT

I'm not a fan of Tony Kornheiser, but I have to laugh about his suspension at the hands of the WWL.

In case you live under a rock (or in Mississippi), Kornheiser drew two weeks worth of game misconducts for taking some shots at ESPN morning anchor Hannah Storm's wardrobe. Nothing bad, a little provocative maybe, but certainly nothing in my opinion that warrants two weeks off. Maybe a day and that's just to appease what ever hurt feelings Storm may have had.

Are we now so sensitive that if we publicly call out a co-worker for dressing like a refugee from 1968 that we get put in time out? Apparently that is the policy at ESPN.

Certainly, if the comments were sexual in nature or profane or mean spirited, then, yeah, sure, okay. But saying Storm's choice of wardrobe was""horrifying," and that her shirt was too tight and looked "like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body" really isn't as malicious as it sounds. Not where I come from anyway. I've said worse things to my wife and I'm not only still married, but I didn't even have to sleep on the couch.

Back in the day, ESPN would have encouraged Hannah to come back on Tony, making fun of his bald head and his garish ties. But that ship sailed with the Mayflower. Now, to poke fun at a co-worker gets you benched because some, including lawyers, find that an opportunity to bring suit.

Tony Kornheiser apologized on-air and privately to Hannah Storm. That should have been the end of it right there. But instead, he has been removed for two weeks and a mini firestorm has erupted over what some feel is an overly aggressive policy. I've heard worse things at my office and I'm sure that you've heard worse things in yours. Nobody promised Tony Kornheiser fair, but no one promised him unfair either.

USA Curling: Times May Be A Changin'

chip@chipramsey.com (Chip Ramsey) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:40:00 GMT

I am obsessed with Curling. I don't even know what I'm watching half the time, but to me it's like ocean waves. Three hours of Curling and I am in my happy place, totally relaxed and tranquil.

To that end (pardon the pun), I was really disappointed in the effort of USA Curling teams at the Olympics. I'm no expert, but the Canadians that NBC hired to do the analysis are, and according to them (both highly decorated Curlers) the USA makes a lot of bad shot choices. That, and when it comes down to crunch time, they can't get it done.

USA Skip John Shuster had several chances to win early matches and missed all four times. He was so far off the mark, he was benched for one of the matches, which doesn't happen very often. USA Women's Skip Debbie McCormick also missed a big shot against the Chinese yesterday that would have resulted in a huge upset.

Like I said, I don't know what I'm watching, but I get the impression that our teams aren't very good. Just watching Kevin Martin and the Canadian men's team would confirm that. So, you wonder what it would take to make the USA more competitive in this sport.

From what I understand, the USA takes the best team and not the best players. In other words, it's like we send the Chicago Blackhawks to the Olympics instead of a collection of all-stars. Now there is talk that the USA is going to change the selection process to find the best Curlers, not the best team. This makes sense to me.

In an Olympics where the USA won a silver in Nordic Combined and could win Gold in hockey, getting Curling shaped up would probably be a good thing. For some odd reason, people really enjoy watching this sport and it would add to the excitement in this country if we could win an occasional game.

By the way, I've never Curled before and have no idea what those athletes go through, so I hate to be critical. I have nothing against the current members of Team USA. John Shuster looks like a great guy to go have a cold one with. Like most Americans, I am selfish and want the USA to do well in all sports, especially those I invest my time in. You know the old saying: Let he who is without Curling satisfaction throw the first stone.