The Dilemma

The Columbus Blue Jackets have found lightning in a bottle the last couple weeks in the form of Sergei Bobrovsky in net.  The goalie is on some kind of ridiculous tear.  He put up his second career shutout against Phoenix.  The CBJ remain just a few points out of the playoffs, creating a hot debate among fans in the 614.  Should the Jackets continue to ride goalie Bob and take a shot at a  playoff run, or "tank it" for a top draft pick?  We'll tackle it here.

Eric: The recent ten-game point streak has been nice, and has given fans some excitement for the short-term future.  Unfortunately, it's not what the Jackets need as a franchise at this point.  Remember the playoff run of a few years ago?  The team got in as a seven seed, but GM Scott Howson set the team back as they struggled to build on their foundation, ultimately leading to three futile seasons and terrible contract signings to try to strike quickly again (see: James Wisniewski's deal).

The franchise drafted a future superstar in the 2012 Entry Draft in Ryan Murray, who is still out recovering from shoulder surgery.  He was the second overall pick, and many experts had him pegged as the number one overall prospect.  With three first round picks in the 2013 Draft, Columbus has a great opportunity to pick up one or two more future superstars (three would be too good to be true for Jackets fans).  That is how it's done in the NHL.  Franchises are mainly built through the draft.  Teams looking to rebuild usually have to get a top three or four pick to get their superstars as well.  It's how Pittsburgh did it, drafting Fleury, Crosby, Malkin, and Staal.  Chicago drafted Kane and Toews in the top three in back-to-back drafts, and added their top defensemen (Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook) in the first round just a few years prior to that.  Edmonton is attempting to go the same route, although success has not yet come for the Oilers.

For a franchise known for its futility, the Jackets have never won the top overall pick in a draft.  The odds have not been in their favor.  Unfortunately, they have too often finished between 20th and 25th overall, missing the playoffs but not getting a top-three pick.  They have found ways to draft between 6th and 10th overall, and missed on quite a few of those picks.  The 2013 Draft is loaded with top-end talent, and a pick in the top three would almost assure them of a star.

The team badly needs better scoring from their forwards.  Ryan Johansen, drafted fourth overall in 2010, has shown signs of being a franchise center for the future.  Other than that, the team is filled with decent third and fourth-line forwards.  The Jackets just do not have the forward talent to compete with the defending-champion L.A. Kings, the record-setting Chicago Blackhawks, or new division foes like the New York Rangers (hello, Nasher), Pittsburgh Penguins, or Philadelphia Flyers.  Bobrovsky can't possibly save every shot.  The Jackets are currently 30th (or last) in the NHL in scoring at 2.1 goals per game.

Here is the good news if you are a fan of tanking it for a top pick.  The team finishes with 12 of their last 17 games on the road, where they have struggled mightily in buildings not located in Detroit.  Also, as good as Bobrovsky has been in net, he cannot possibly continue at his current pace.  If there is any season to finish last, it would be this shortened season.  The fans would not have to live through the misery of an 82-game season.  The short-term glory of barely making the playoffs does not help this franchise become a perennial Stanley Cup contender.  Unfortunately, Jackets fans, we need to lose in regulation quite a bit down the stretch.

Ben:  Ok, Eric.  You have made some valid points.  First of all I need to make a couple of comments:

1.  "You play to win the game".  Herm Edwards

2. "Playoffs?!...You kidding me... I just hope we can win a game".  Jim Mora

That's taken care of.  Now I can move on with my argument.

As much as many of the fans and I would love to have a top-three pick in the next draft, it's a bad idea to purposely set the team up for the scenario.

Here's two reasons you don't tank the rest of the season:

1.  Winning is contagious-  Call it cliche, but there has been plenty of proof throughout the years that proves this to be true.  Let's consider all the players and coaches for the Jackets right now.  It's clear to all of us that they know and believe they're way better than they were at the beginning of the season.  With the 614 hockey swag at a very high point, it would be dumb to let it go.  The Columbus Blue Jackets and their fans are confident and have a serious belief they can compete with anybody, that's not something you let fall to the wayside.

2. The Bandwagon Effect-  Jackets fans like showing up to a game with a busy Nationwide Arena.  Unfortunately, the CBJ don't bring in the largest crowds.  With more wins at the end of the season combined with the lieu of first-round draft picks and some preseason hype, more fans (who weren't previously fans) will show up to games.  This essentially would give the Jackets a better home-ice advantage for the 2013-14 season.

I could go on for hours, but we got a season to finish.

In the end both of us just want a Stanley Cup.  Unfortunately, for now, the Jackets are facing... "The Dilemma".

Columbus Outlasts Phoenix to Prolong their Point Streak to 10 Games

The past week it's been the same conversation every day when talking about the Columbus Blue Jackets.  "Did you see Bobrovsky last night?".

Bobrovsky has put the team on his back, stopping 239 of 245 shots in his last eight games played.  

Saturday night Bobrovsky had 39 saves, allowing no goals in regulation or overtime.  Of course, the Jackets' offense didn't produce once again, so it took a shootout to get the 1-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.  

Anisimov and Letestu scored for the Jackets in the shootout as the Coyotes failed to score on their first two attempts.  

Columbus has now had 20 one-goal games on the season (29 games played) and has a record of 11-12-6.  The Jackets will host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at 7 PM ET.  If they win they'll be .500 for the first time since January 23rd earlier this season (1-1-1 at the time).    

Lack of Offense Remains a Glaring Weakness for the Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky only gave up one goal on 38 shots from the Vancouver Canucks in a 2-1 shootout loss in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday night.

Columbus had it's five-game win streak come to a halt, but were still able to extend their point streak to eight games.

Tuesday night's performance is the perfect example of the Blue Jackets current status as a team.  One that can compete on a nightly basis, but lacks fire power on offense to take themselves over the top.

Why can they compete on a nightly basis?  Simple answer.  The team has played spectacular defense and has a rising star in goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

 Now to the lack of offensive fire power.  How about averaging 2.2 goals per game, good for 28th in the NHL.  That's simply not good enough.

I'll be keeping a close eye on the Jackets offensive play in Thursday's matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena at 7 PM ET.  It very well could be telling of the direction this team is heading the rest of the season.

Bobrovsky Stars In Jackets Winning Streak

After a great weekend of sports many fans might be having "A Case of the Mondays".  Monday, however, for Columbus Blue Jackets fans isn't too bad for a change.

Yeah the team's on a five-game winning streak and can consider the possibility of a playoff spot.  In the end, what's most important about this team is that they're finding their true identity.

Starting off with the key figure in the winning streak.  Sergei Bobrovsky.  As mentioned in an earlier post, Bobrovsky entered the game for Steve Mason versus Edmonton last week less than a minute into the second period.  During the Jackets' hot streak, Bobrovsky started the other four games and played in four overtime periods.

Bobrovsky has faced 128 shots and given up four goals over the past five games.  That's one goal per every 25.6 shots.  In the five games (including overtimes) Bobrovsky has  a goals allowed average (goals given up per sixty minutes) of .81.  If none these statistics blow you away, it doesn't hurt to know Bobrovsky had his first career shutout (3-0 versus Detroit on Saturday) and was named the "First Star" of the week.

The second key to the streak has been the Jackets penalty kill.  Columbus was short handed 14 times during their five previous wins and only allowed one power-play goal (not to mention it was a 5-on-3 goal given up at Detroit).  The Blue Jackets now are fifth in the NHL in penalty kill percentage and have a defense that won't be taken lightly for the remainder of the season.

Happy Monday Columbus.  It looks like hockey might just be relevant again in the 614.




 

Jackets Hold Off Edmonton and Improve to Above .500 At Nationwide Arena

Tuesday night was a microcosm of the Jackets' season for its fans, except for the fact that the team won.

The Jackets seemed to on their way to a home victory with an early flurry of shots and a Vinny Prospal goal (team-leading ninth of the season) to put them up 2-1 after trailing early.

With 1:17 remaining in the first period, Mason gave up a game-tying goal scored by Ryan Whitney.  The Jackets found a way to outshoot the Oilers 14-7 in the first period and still be tied at two going into intermission.

Once again, this is a microcosm of the season.  So the beginning of the second period is where it gets worse.  Only 31 seconds into the 2nd, Magnus Paajarvi scored his fourth goal of the season to put Edmonton up 3-2.  In less than two minutes of regulation time, the Jackets found a way to go from leading 2-1 with plenty of confidence, to losing 3-2 with a rather upset home crowd.

Segway.

Enter Sergei Bobrovsky.

After entering the game with 19:29 in the 2nd period, Bobrovsky stopped all 21 shots he faced including a phenomenal save in overtime.    

Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson scored his second goal of the season to tie the game at three with 9:16 remaining in the 2nd period, but the story of the game was Bobrovsky's outstanding relief performance.

The Columbus Blue Jackets won in a shootout over the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night by a final of 4-3.  The Jackets are over .500 at Nationwide Arena for the first time this season (5-4-3 record at home).

Artem Anisimov and Mark Letestu scored in the shootout while Bobrovsky continued his dominance not allowing an Oiler to get the puck in the net.

Jackets Head Coach Todd Richards did a magnificent job of keeping his team composed after a disappointing turn of events that put the team in a 3-2 hole.    

Columbus has now had eight consecutive one-goal games (five on the road and three at home).  The team is 3-3-2 in that stretch with the only regulation victory coming at Detroit.

For what it's worth, 10 of the Jackets' 16 losses have been by one goal.  With an overtime and a shootout victory in the last two performances, the Jackets may just be turning things around.

Columbus has now won two straight and has a four-game point streak.  The team will look to keep the momentum they've built on Thursday night as they host the Vancouver Canucks (11-6-5) at 7:00 PM ET.   

Parody Gives Basketball Bucks Some Hope

College Athletics is an unpredictable beast.  For some reason, perhaps it’s that whole “student” part of student athlete providing distractions.  College athletes do not always perform consistently from game to game.  This past fall it looked like Oregon would battle Kansas State for the BCS Championship Game. The two teams didn’t perform down the stretch and left the door open for Alabama and Notre Dame.

College basketball is no different in that aspect.  Teams ranked in the top five have been defeated on nineteen occasions by unranked opponents this season.  Yes, 19.  A few weeks ago, Indiana lost on the road at Illinois as the top-ranked team in the country.  Surely, this should have resulted in a fall from the top spot.  Nope, not this season.  Virtually every other top team behind the Hoosiers lost that week.  So much for "earning" the top spot. 

This brings us to the enigma that is the Ohio State men’s basketball team this year.  They’ve put together impressive home wins against Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin.  They have also been hammered in Madison and at Illinois.  You’ve probably heard Ohio State is awful against ranked teams.  They are 2-7 against top-25 opponents (the Badgers were unranked at the time of their home victory). 

That doesn’t really matter though.  Ohio State proved it could hang with Duke at Cameron Indoor. A Duke team with a healthy Ryan Kelly.  The Bucks were a few missed shots away from knocking off Kansas.  They took Michigan to overtime in Ann Arbor and were a botched last-second play away from doing the same to Sparty at the Breslin Center.  

Here’s why their record against quality opponents isn’t a huge cause for concern right now: College basketball is down this year.  Way down.  Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist aren’t leading a Kentucky squad.  Jared Sullinger and Thomas Robinson have moved on.  There isn’t a Steph Curry or Kemba Walker carrying a team (that we know of yet). 

Here is what happened.  Last year’s sophomore class was exceptionally strong, in part because of Barnes, Sullinger and others coming back because the prior year the NBA lockout loomed.  A strong sophomore class was combined with a solid freshmen class, headlined by Anthony Davis.  The quality of teams was simply better last season.  I'm not even sure who Dick Vitale’s “diaper dandies” would be this year other than Mclemore of Kansas, Nerlens Noel (who's hurt), and Stauskas for Michigan (who has tailed off).  Perhaps this is a reflection of a “down” freshmen class or I just haven’t had as much time to watch college basketball (dang it employment!).

This Ohio State team is essentially the same as last year’s group, minus the 1^st round NBA draft pick Sullinger and one of the all time career points leaders in Ohio State history in William Buford.  Those guys were replaced with Amadeo Della Valle, who for the record has the potential to be my all-time favorite Buckeye because of his hair, hustle, sweet stroke, and swag (see Twitter).  No offense to Amadeo, but he’s mostly played during garbage time so Thad is trying the whole addition-by-subtraction approach I guess.

For as bad as Ohio State has been at times this year, they currently hold a top-15 national ranking, have an almost-guaranteed win left on the schedule (Illinois at home), and a chance to make a statement at Indiana.  They should be a 4 or 5 seed come tournament time, but we’ve already seen that every top team has flaws and is beatable.  The first game in the NCAA tournament and possibly even the second won’t be a “high quality” opponent that OSU has struggled with all season.  As long as the Buckeyes don’t go into a tailspin and bring it every night, they’ll be in every game they play because of their stifling defense.

There are question marks, don’t me get wrong.  There are about two “known” quantities on this team.  Deshaun Thomas will put up 18-25 a night and Aaron Craft will play relentless defense and provide great energy…and some rosy red cheeks.  Other than that, I don’t know who is going to show up.  Free throws have been all over the place.  Same goes for 3 pointers.  The defense has even disappeared at times.  Like every college basketball team this year, they are flawed.

The obituary was being written for this team following back-to-back losses (the first such occurrence in 121 games) which led to losses in 3 of 4 that culminated in the beat down by the Badgers.  That was followed up by a no-show near home loss to Northwestern who has SEVEN scholarship players on their roster.  Ohio State can play with anyone in the country…when they’re on.  Fortunately for them, there is not a dominant team in college basketball this year.  This gives them a shooters chance come tournament time.  However, every team is probably thinking the same thing.  Just a few short weeks until we find out which teams are going to weave their way through the mess that is college basketball all the way to the Final Four.

Enjoy the ride.  

2013 Cleveland Indians Season Preview

For the first time in several years, there is reason for optimism in Cleveland.  The Indians made several intriguing moves this offseason as they look to compete for a spot in the postseason.  Let’s take a look at the team:

2012 Summary: The Indians finished last season with a 68-94 record, good for fourth place in the American League Central Division, 20 games behind the division-winner Detroit Tigers and just two games ahead of the last-place Minnesota Twins.  At the All-Star break last year, the Tribe were three games over .500 and stood three games out of first place in the division behind the Chicago White Sox…then the second half happened.  They went 5-24 in August and ended up with the fifth-worst record in all Major League Baseball.

Offseason Review: It was an unusually active offseason for the Indians, a team that normally is very cautious with their spending and tends to trust in developing their young players from year to year.  It began just before the Divisional Round of the playoffs last year when the team hired Terry Francona to be their new manager.  Francona, who led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series Championships in eight years, would have been enough by himself to get fans more excited about this team.  But they weren’t done there.  The Indians traded soon-to-be free agent Shin-Soo Choo in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks that returned outfielder Drew Stubbs and pitching prospect Trevor Bauer.  They then signed all-or-nothing slugger Mark Reynolds, former Buckeye Nick Swisher and veteran pitcher Brett Myers to free agent deals.  Just when fans thought the moves were done, they struck a deal with speedy outfielder Michael Bourn.  The moves added much needed depth and experience to the team and has baseball fans anxious for the upcoming season.

The Infield: The Tribe will roll out Swisher at first base, Jason Kipnis at second base, Asdrubal Cabrera at short, Lonnie Chisenhall at third and Carlos Santana behind the plate.  Kipnis had a great first half last year, hitting .277 with 11 homeruns and 20 stolen bases before the break.  After the All-Star game, Kipnis, like the rest of the team, struggled hitting .233 with 3 HRs and 11 SB.  Getting more consistent production out of their second baseman will be key for the Indians in 2013.  At the hot corner, Lonnie Chisenhall will be entering his third season at the big league level.  His first two were cut short due to minor league stints and injuries, but this season the starting job is his.  The former first round pick will have to produce for the team because there are few players on the club that could fill in should Chisenhall get off to a slow start.

The Outfield: The Indians might have the fastest outfield in the Majors.  Drew Stubbs has averaged 33 stolen bases over the last three seasons, Michael Bourn has averaged 51 and Brantley, although his SB totals haven’t been huge in the Majors, has posted totals in the 30’s and 40’s in the minors.  The plan is to start Bourn in center, Stubbs in right and Brantley in left.  The question here is whether Stubbs will be able to make the transition from center field to right.  In 486 career games he has never played right field.  Offensively, Stubbs will have to cut down on his strikeouts if he wants to stay on the field.  He has above-average power and can run like a deer, but he also swings and misses a ton.  With the other two guys, Bourn and Brantley, you know what you’re getting.  Bourn will lead off and will put pressure on the defense with his blazing speed.  Brantley is a solid bottom of the order hitter who won’t beat himself at the plate.  The outfield should be a strength of the team and should be fun to watch out in the field.

The Pitching: The top three spots in the rotation are set.  Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez and Brett Myers will all hold spots on Opening Day.  The last two slots are up for grabs for guys including Mike McAllister, Carlos Carrasco, who is recovering from Tommy John Surgery, newcomer Trevor Bauer and veterans Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka.  With all the offensive offseason additions, the area that seemed to be neglected was the rotation.  There are a number of potential candidates, so hopefully for Indians fans the competition brings out the best in the staff.  The bullpen, which was supposed to be a strength of the team last season, had a team 3.99 earned run average which was second-worst in the AL in 2012.  The main fixtures are still there with Chris Perez closing out games and Vinnie Pestano setting him up, but the other pieces are a little different.  The Tribe added Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw but lost lefty Tony Sipp in the three-way trade with the D’Backs.  With the potential for a shaky starting rotation, the “Bullpen Mafia” will need to step up their game in 2013.

Upcoming Player to Watch:  The main piece of the Choo deal was starting pitcher Trevor Bauer.  In 2011 he was rated as the #9 best prospect in baseball by Baseball America.  He dropped to #14 this year, but that's probably due to his struggles in the majors late last season.  In four starts with the D’Backs he was 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA and 13 walks in 16.1 innings.  On the bright side, he did strike out more than a batter per inning with 17 K's.  He supposedly had some issues with the Arizona coaching staff with not taking their advice which was part of the reason they were willing to let him go.  He’s a unique guy with an unorthodox routine, but the results have been positive his entire career, and if he can win a spot in the Indians rotation, he could be a potential Rookie-of-the-Year candidate.

Three Questions: 

1. Will Nick Swisher be able to translate his power numbers from the short porch at Yankee Stadium to the “regular porch” of Progressive Field?  There are lots of doubters, but if you look at his career stats, his homerun totals weren’t that inflated during his four years in New York.  Count me in the group saying he’ll be fine.

2. Will Carlos Santana step up his offensive game?  Santana hit 27 and 18 homeruns in his first two full Major-League seasons respectively, but he is a career .247 hitter.  With the likes of Drew Stubbs and Mark Reynolds now in the lineup, the Indians will need Santana to be a better hitter even if that means sacrificing some power.  The last couple seasons he’s been one of the major pieces of the lineup.  Maybe with the new additions there will be a little less pressure and he’ll perform better than ever.  He's still only 24 by the way.

3. Can Justin Materson bounce back to his 2011 form?  In 2011, Masterson had a 3.21 ERA in his 33 starts.  Last year he had a 4.93 ERA in 34 starts.  He had his good days and his bad ones, but for the most part he was flat-out more hittable last year than he was in ’11.  He’ll need to figure it out because the team will only go as far as its pitching, and as the staff ace it will be his responsibility to be the man.

X-Factor: Ubaldo Jimenez.  In 2010, he finished 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA.  Since then he has struggled  mightily.  Last year he was 9-17 with a 5.30 ERA.  It's frustrating watching him pitch because you can see his “stuff”, but he almost never seems to be able to consistently throw for strikes.  He may not be as good as the guy in 2010, but he isn’t as bad as he showed last year.  If he can find some middle ground and be more consistent this season the Indians will be in good shape.

Prediction: I am an Indians fan, so perhaps my views are a little biased.  I like what the team has done, but I’m not going crazy about the teams’ chances of winning it all.  There are lots of questions, but they definitely should be better than they were last year.  Everyone loves the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central this year and rightfully so.  Luckily for the Tribe there are two Wild Card spots.  With the additions they made in the offseason, some improvement from their young players, and some rebound from their disappointments last year, the Indians will finish 86-76 and win the second Wild Card spot.  Unfortunately, they’ll lose the Wild Card Game to the Tampa Bay Rays 7-5.

Jackets Finally Win in OT

The Blue Jackets had sour tastes in their mouths following the previous two games coming into Sunday afternoon's matchup with the Colorado Avalanche.  They managed to get to overtime at home against the Dallas Stars, four times coming back from one-goal deficits only to lose in the extra period.  The Jackets followed up the 5-4 loss with another one-goal loss in overtime Friday night, this time 3-2 on the road to the blistering-hot, record-setting Chicago Blackhawks.  Finally, finally the hockey gods sent one Columbus' way on Sunday.

With 4:18 left in overtime, P.A. Parenteau was called for hooking, which was the eighth Avalanche penalty of the game (two were fighting majors).  There was 2:34 remaining when Artem Anisimov wristed a high, hard shot past Seymour Verlamov and ended the game.  And what we've all been waiting to hear again. "Jackets win" (by a final score of 2-1).

The game was a snoozer for most of the opening period.  Derek Dorsett fired a shot from the front of the crease wide of the net after a nice set up by Mark Letestu.  Fedor Tyutin was called for cross-checking with 12:18 left in the first, but the Avalanche could not capitalize.  Later in the period, Colorado compounded their problems with too many men on the ice while already on the penalty kill.  Fortunately for the visitors, the Jackets could not find the back of the net during the 1:21 of 5-on-3 time and managed only one shot on net during the power plays.  The period ended scoreless, though the Jackets had an 8-5 shot advantage along with better scoring opportunities.

The Blue Jackets opened the 2nd period with a penalty just 36 seconds in, this one was tripping by 39-year old Adrian Aucoin.  They killed off the penalty and, once again, the game became rather boring with not a whole lot of action taking place.

That would change at the midway point of the period as recent call up Dalton Prout would throw down with the Avs' Cody McLeod.  The young Jackets defenseman held his own against the NHL vet, trying to bring some energy to the crowd and his teammates in what was becoming a fairly lackluster contest.  Unfortunately, the Avalanche would strike first with 7:36 left in the period.  Paranteau sent in a floater from the right point through traffic and the puck found its way over Sergei Bobrovsky's shoulder into the back of the net.  However, the play went to review as it appeared Matt Duchene re-directed the puck with a high stick.  The officials in Toronto reviewed the goal, and of course, because it's the Jackets, the goal would stand.  Apparently the folks who reviewed the play do not understand the laws of physics because I've never seen a puck change direction that quickly on its own (with a blatant high stick).

Just a couple minutes later, Patrick Bordeleau would send Nikita Nikitin into the boards as Niktin was sending the puck up ice.  Niki6 (new trending nickname)  would remain down on the ice momentarily, and he eventually went to the dressing room with an "upper body injury" for the rest of the game.  Immediately off the next face off, Jared Boll stepped to the defense of his teammate and challenged Bordeleau to a fight.  The Boller (still trending) gave up quite a bit of size, ate some punches at the beginning of the bout, but ended up landing a few right handers.  The rest of the period was fairly uninteresting in terms of scoring chances.  The Avs would take a 1-0 lead to the third period, with the Jackets owning a shot advantage of 16-12.

It would not take Bordeleau long to find his way back to the sin bin as he went off for hooking with 17:22 remaining in the 3rd period.  Duchene would join him for hooking less than a minute later, giving the Jackets another 5 on 3.  It only took two 5-on 3 opportunities for the Jackets to strike gold in this one.  Vinny Prospal skated in towards the slot from the below the right circle and tried to center the puck to either Nick Foligno or Ryan Johansen.  However, Ryan O'Reilly would reach for the puck and tip it into his own net (nice way to make your season debut after a contract dispute bro).  It was the first 5-on-3 goal for the Jackets all year and snapped an 0 for 13 power play slump.

The Jackets were victim to another, uhm, interesting call by the referees.  Johansen was held up by Shane O'Brien of the Avs with 3:07 left in the 3rd, well behind the play.  RyJo ( trending fo show) fell to his knees momentarily but popped right back up.  O'Brien was rightfully called for interference but Johansen was sent to to the box as well, for diving (which was, in an edited sense, B.S).  Neither team capitalized during the resulting 4 on 4 and the game went to overtime tied at one.

Just 42 seconds into overtime, Paranteau was called for hooking.  The Jackets were able to to keep it in the offensive zone for a while on this particular power play. Anisimov ended the game when he got a pass at the top of the right circle. He faked left for a few seconds in front of an Avs defender with a broken his stick and pulled the trigger.  Varlamov never had a chance thanks to an Umberger screen.

Other notes: This was the seventh one-goal game in a row for the CBJ.  They had lost the previous four, including the last two in OT.  This was also the first victory for Columbus in overtime, and their first win past regulation since the shootout victory in Nashville for the season opener.

Ryan Johansen is not too far away from living up to his #4 overall draft pick hype.  He won 12 of 18 faceoffs and had four or five setups that would have been highlight reel worthy if his teammates would have converted.  Test Tube (Letestu) and Foligno had solid performances as well.

Nikita Nikitin did not return from the Bordeleau hit.  If he is out for the next game, the Jackets might be short four of their regulars along the blue line against Edmonton (Jack Johnson, James Wisniewski, and  John Moore are also out with injuries).

Columbus finished the game with a 34-19 shot advantage over Colorado.

This game marked the start of a stretch in which the Jackets play 9 out of 10 at home.  Next up: Edmonton Oilers (at Nationwide Arena), Tuesday at 7:00 P.M.

2013 Cincinnati Reds Season Preview

The Cincinnati Reds are officially one of the premier teams in the National League.  Manager Dusty Baker looks to improve on a terrific 2012 season and try to win the first World Series in the Queen City since 1990.  Here’s a quick look at the team:

2012 Summary- The Reds went 97-65 last year, winning the NL Central Division by nine games over the St. Louis Cardinals.  In the National League Division Series, the Reds went up 2-0 on the San Francisco Giants in a  best-of-five series before losing the final three games at home and hitting the golf courses early.  Of course, the Giants went on to win their second World Series in three years, but the taste is still bitter for Reds fans.

Offseason Review: The Reds had one glaring weakness last season and they filled it this offseason.  They needed a leadoff hitter badly, so they addressed the issue by dealing Drew Stubbs to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.  Stubbs had fallen out of favor with Reds fans because of his poor plate discipline.  He has a ton of talent but was unable to harness it into being a productive player in Cincinnati.  Choo steps in for Cinci, a lifetime .289 hitter, to set the table for Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and company.  For as much success as the Reds had in 2012, leadoff hitters hit for a combined .208 batting average on the season.  Choo brings some power too, so his addition to the lineup this year could be huge.

The Infield: Canadian slugger Joey Votto will man first base, Brandon Phillips will be at second, Zack Cozart will play short stop, Todd Frazier will be at third and the combination of Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco will be catching for the Reds.  Brandon Phillips makes the highlight reel nearly every night, but what makes him vital to the Reds' lineup is that he gets it done at the plate along with his impressive fielding acumen.  Speaking of plate production, Joey Votto is back and should be healthy to start the season after missing some time last year with a knee injury.  His home-run totals have dropped from 37 in 2010 to 29 in 2011 to only 14 last year, but hopefully for Reds fans the injuries are behind him.  The one thing that hasn’t declined is his batting ability.  In his 5+ years in the Major Leagues, he has a lifetime .316 batting average, hitting a career-best .337 last season.  Cozart and Frazier are a couple of young guys in the left side of the infield who will be counted on this year to improve upon their 2012 campaigns.

The Outfield: The Reds will go with Shin-Soo Choo in center field, Jay Bruce in right field and Ryan Ludwick in left field.  Choo and Bruce will compete for two things: who can get the loudest crowd cheer (Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce vs. Chooooooooooooooo), and who has the best arm.  Both can be deadly with their arms gunning down base runners going for an extra bag.  In Cleveland, Choo was about a 20-homerun player, but in the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, look for that number to increase to maybe 25-30.  In Jay Bruce’s five career seasons, he has increased his home-run total every year.  Last year he hit 34 bombs, so can he reach 40?  He’ll be 26 on Opening Day, which should be the beginning of his prime, so 40 homeruns shouldn’t be out of the question (I don't think that's too much to ask for in the non-steroid era).

The Pitching: The Cincinnati Reds will have one of the best starting rotations in the NL with Johnny Cueto, Matt Latos, Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey filling the first four spots.  The number five guy is the one that is getting all the attention and controversy.  The Reds have chosen to move Aroldis Chapman, aka “the Cuban Missile”, from closer to starting pitcher.  Chapman, who recorded 38 saves last season with a 1.51 ERA will take his 15.9 K/9 (the number of strikeouts a pitcher would have if you extrapolate his stats out per nine innings) to the starting rotation.  It’s an odd decision to many to move one of the best closers in the game to a new, unknown role, but that’s what the Reds have chosen…we’ll see how long that lasts.  The bullpen will look to be strong once again in 2013 after finishing with a MLB-best 2.65 ERA.  With Chapman moving to the rotation, the closer role will be handed to Jonathan Broxton.  Broxton has had some success finishing games for the Dodgers and Royals, so while he won’t be nearly as dominant as Chapman was, he should be able to get the job done on most nights.

Upcoming Player to Watch: Billy Hamilton probably won’t make the roster out of Spring Training, but he may see the field in Cinci later on in the year.  He was drafted as a short stop, but the Reds would like to see him in the outfield to use his one huge asset: speed.  In High Class-A and AA last year, Hamilton stole 155 bases in 132 games.  Let me type that out again.  In one season, Billy Hamilton stole 155 (one hundred and fifty five) bases.  That’s an improvement over his disappointing 2011 campaign when he only had 103 SB on the year (barely triple digits).  There is some question as to whether he can hit well enough to make it in the big leagues, but he answered that last year hitting .311 on the year.  Even if he only comes up as a late-game pinch runner later on in the season, this guy could make an impact on the team.  He’s one of the most intriguing players around, and Reds fans deserve to have the privilege of watching him play at some point this season.

Three Questions:
1.  Will the Aroldis Chapman move work out?  You knew this had to be one of the questions.  The guy was an absolutely dominant closer last year.  A buzz would go through the stadium, home or away, when he entered the game.  He could go max-effort for 10-20 pitches and was one of the best at his position in the game.  Now the Reds want to put him out there for 100+ pitches every five games to see what he can do.  Sure, he has the talent, but when he faces the same guy three or four times a game, can his two-pitch repertoire get it done?  There’s no way he’ll be able to have that 100+ mph velocity for 6-7 innings.  In my opinion, this is an experiment that’ll last a month or two, maybe five or six starts, then they’ll move him back to the closer role where he belongs (I'm only a blogger though). 

2.  Can this team put last year behind them?  The Reds won the first two games of the NLDS on the road, needing only to win one of the last three games at home.  They were unable to get it done.  In 2010, the team made the playoffs only to get swept by the Philadelphia Phillies including a Roy Halladay no hitter.  2013 is a new year, and this team is in a great position to make a deep postseason run.

3.  Can Joey Votto regain his 2010 form?  First of all, I’m not at all saying his last two seasons have been a disappointment.  In 2010, Votto hit .324 with 37 homeruns, 113 runs batted in, and 16 stolen bases.  If he is fully healthy and can put up similar numbers, Votto will be a M-V-P candidate in 2013.  At least Reds fans know that even when he’s not at 100% he can still hit .337.

X-Factor: Devin Mesoraco.  The backup catcher for the Reds is my X-Factor for the 2013 season.  He hit .212 with 5 HR last year, and nobody is talking about him this year.  If you go back to last preseason, though, all the “experts” were hyping him up as an impact offensive catcher.  Baseball America had him ranked as the #16 best prospect entering the 2012 season.  Now he’s all but forgotten.  Maybe he’s just one of those busts.  I’m not saying the Reds will be a failure without him becoming a productive Major Leaguer, but if he steps up and improves his game, he could become another integral piece in an already potent Reds lineup.  

Prediction: The Reds are going to do very well in 2013.  As I already mentioned, the Chapman-in-the-rotation experiment won’t work and things will be back to the way they should be by June.  The Cardinals will continue to be a threat in the NL Central, but the Reds are too good to have less wins than St. Louis.  The Reds will win the division, beat the Cardinals in the NLDS in 4 games, but will lose to the Braves in the National League Championship Series in 6 games.  It’ll be a successful season, but fans will once again be wondering what more needs to be done bring another championship to Cincinnati.

Stay tuned for more Reds coverage throughout the season and don't forget to check out Clutch Sports Blog where there will be more previews and analysis from across the majors. 

Jackets Can't Quite Pull Off the Upset In Chicago

It only took 31 seconds for Vinny Prospal to score goal 250 of his career giving the Jackets a 1-0 lead in Chicago on Friday night.  For Jackets fans it all seemed too good.  Of course it was.  The first period ended with the score tied 1-1 and both teams getting seven shots on goal.

The Jackets had a ray of hope again in the second period as Artem Anisimov scored with 7:18 remaining with a long slapshot that deflected off Blackhawks defender, Daniel Carcillo.  Now is the classic time for Jackets fans to wonder how the team can blow the 2-1 lead.  How about allowing a Patrick Sharp back-hand goal from an impossible angle and giving up a break-away goal to Ryan Bickell in a span of 59 seconds...mission accomplished.  The Jackets not only gave up the lead, but also  lost all momentum.  

Here's the inexplicable part of the game.  The Jackets were outshot 17-8 in the third period and still outscored the Hawks 1-0.  Ryan Johansen, the 20-year old center for the Jackets scored his first goal of the season with 7:37 left in regulation deking out Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery for a sick back-hand finish.

Overtime was predictable.  Brent Seabrook scored 3:23 into OT on an impressive no-look pass from Blackhawk teammate Jonathan Toews.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are now 5-12-4 (14 points) after a 4-3 overtime defeat in Chicago.

The Blackhawks can probably look to a tremendous save by Emery 12 minutes into the game as the difference in this contest.  Cam Atkinson shot the puck and was denied by Emery's skate and the post, preventing the Jackets from taking a two-goal lead that could have led to the Blackhawks' first regulation loss of the season.

The Hawks outshot the Jackets 35-22 and missed on plenty of scoring opportunities.  Patrick Kane hit the post less than five minutes into regulation and Jamal Mayers hit the inside post with a wide-open net 2:38 into the third period.

Steve Mason had another up-and-down performance in net for Columbus.  The 24-year old was playing outstanding until he allowed Sharp to score from a terrible angle with 2:40 left in the second period and (when it rains it pours) gave up his third goal of the evening 59 seconds later.  Overall he played well, but fans in Columbus will wonder "why" when watching replays of the Sharp goal.

The number to remember after Friday's defeat is 10.  Columbus has now lost 10 of its 16 games by one goal.  The Blackhawks have defeated the Jackets in 10 straight games.

At least that first-round pick's looking good.