Cityhockeyfever's Board

Nice one CHF on the new Pittsburgh Arena. I haven't seen Frank around since the playoffs ended hopefully he returns. I am also looking forward to reading what you have to say about the upcoming NHL season.

Hi,

Thank you very much for writing. Happy first day of summer!

It was 105 degrees here today, but I have been inside all day sewing spandex. The weather is supposed to cool down by Monday.

The Mets folded so horribly last year that I adopted the Dodgers/Angels as a kind of mild protest. I even tried to quit the Mets yahoo board but the manager persuaded me to stay. When you get right down to it, baseball is a bunch of guys making obscene amounts of money for playing a kid's game!

My best friend Nina was a hockey fan. We used to go to the Orlando Solar Bears games and she could always find someone to give us free tickets. And we met lots of nice people: firemen, corporate guys. One time we went to Tampa to see the Flyers. I drove her car while she graded papers using the dome light.

Nina ended up marrying a hockey player.

Oh well, my break is almost over. Talk to you again soon!

Jolie

All I remember is that the Flyers looked so much better than the Lightning and that the arena was HUGE.

Hey Paul,

Everything's great with me. If you don't follow the NFL very close, that's fine.

I think that Rolston just wants a decent deal at close to market value. He admits this is it for him, and I can't blame him for wanting to get some money before he retires.

Nice, hope you can go, and the sweep was great. It felt good to win

Hi Paul,

Thanks so much for writing.

The people on the Yahoo Met's board were really shocked by the midnight firing. Rick Peterson was an overrated pitching coach. Oddly, during all the Mets games I've seen, they played well.

Yes, it is a completely different world out here than in the midwest, northeast, or Florida (where I lived before moving here). Claremont is about twenty minutes from me in clear freeway traffic.

Today when I was walking my friend's dog he got overheated but a nice lady let me use her garden hose to get him some water. It does get blistering hot in the inland sections of southern California along with the desert.

If you get sick of the heat, you can either go to the mountains or you can get on the train and go to San Juan Capistrano/San Clemente/Oceanside where they get natural a/c from the ocean. Malibu/Santa Monica are usually cooler, too.

Sincerely,

Jolie

Hi cityhockeyfever,

If you are interested, Whatifsports played out the NHL Finals 10,000 times and predict the Red Wings in 5 games!

http://www.armchairgm.com/Article:...y_Cup_Finals_Simulated_10,000_Time

Glad you spotted it. Dan should fix it soon...

Ha Ha, we really aren't bitter. He had a shaky run towards the end of his tenure here in Pittsburgh. That led to the distain, but over the years, I have become convinced we boo him out of respect. We know that without him, the Pens might not have their cups.

Yeah, I hope so too. How bout that 4OT Stars/Sharks game last night? That was crazy.

Hey, they played a great series. Each game could have gone either way. Now, just send Jagr back to the 'Burgh for one more year.

Thank you for the gift, and nice series. New York put up a fight in game 5. Now, I just hope Pittsburgh can finish the deal. Good luck to your Rangers in 2009.

Yeah, just a great win there...they earned this one...beating arguably a cup contender...

They're playing with the house's money now...no one had them here and the Pens-Flyers series will not only be (hopefully) one for the ages, but just great for hocket as a whole...

Sorry about your rangers...but they've built a core for next season which should continue to make them a contender. I'm be interested to see what happens to Jagr...

Thanks - Justin

Yeah with the Habs out, my interest is shifting a little more to the IIHF tourny. My heart was broken twice lets hope Team Canada doesnt make it three. I hope your Rangers can make some sort of comeback and stick to the Pens, really they have enough talent. Heres hoping.

Even as a Pens fan, I have to say - it was definitely a questionable call. But then I also have to think, if he had black pads on the puck probably wouldn't have even gotten to that point. On one hand, I think the NHL hates Straka. On the other, I think the Rangers are just going to have 'that kind' of series.

This series isn't in the bag till it's at 4 games for a team. Although the Penguins have really given me no reason to lose faith, I still remain apprehensive in the over-confidence department...if not to potentially jinx the team in doing so.

Thank you for the civility. I knew of all Rangers fans you'd be the one to maintain a level head.

Now answer this - do you genuinely think that whistle on Straka's 'almost' goal was early?

I've seen Soriano pitch in person probably two dozen times, he has awesome stuff, the reason he is a closer now is because he's been hurt so often. The fact the Braves have lost Moylan for the year and another guy is hurt now (can't remember who it is) means Soriano will be back closing as soon as he is activated. That said, he has just as good a chance of getting hurt again and missing the rest of the season as he does of getting 35 saves. He is, however, worth the risk, so I would keep him. I wouldn't package Valverde and Brocail because they are on the same team. If Valverde chokes, which he will, who will replace him? Yep, Brocail. So you could conceivably lose 20-25 ADDITIONAL saves by trading both. Lieber is in the pen because he is rehabbing an injury. The Cubs want to showcase him for a trade, if they were interested in keeping him he would be starting. They don't want to risk putting him in the rotation and getting hurt, so throwing him two or three times a week (against different teams, mind you) is their way of showcasing him. He could end up with the Yankees or Dodgers and pick up 10-12 easy wins for you that way. If Lidge were to get hurt and miss the season, I would guess the Phils would move Meyers back to the pen, I can't see them using Gordon or Madson to close. And with Gordon being 41 years old, the chance is there HE could get hurt, which means more opportunities for Madson as well. I know alot of fantasy players are enamored with what Valverde did last season, so he would have to be in the offer for sure. The fact Lieber will likely be traded and move back to starting gives you more options, leaving either Soriano or Brocail to fill out the offer. Being as I mentioned Valverde and Brocail wouldn't be feasible, then I would offer Soriano and Valverde for Wagner. Good luck.

Montreal is obviously very good...right now the flyers are above many other expectations and about where i expected them to go...

I can't complain and i'm glad boston took montreal to the limit so both teams are tired

Yeah Paul, I should be around Wednesday night. What time you thinking? I'm pretty much free any time after 7pm.

That was a good series. Who would you rather play in the next round? Besides Lundqvist, Gomez played a great series. I tell you what though, the rooks were impressive. Staal had a whale of a game in game 4.

That loss was tough as they come, the Flames will bounce back though. Since you are a Rangers fan what is your take on the whole Avery arm waving back to play thing. Good ploy or step too far?

Glad you like the blog and thanks for your support of the Phillies. I've actually never played fantasy baseball, but it looks like a steal if you can pull off that trade for Hamels. Good luck.

Thanks for the welcome...Well hopefully those pesky "Devs" will get rid of those pesky "rangers" before I have to worry..Sure don't want a repeat of the Fiasco in Feb.,! TTFN Jennifer

Best I can do from memory.

The Rangers went 6-1 vs. the Devils this season, outscoring their rivals 20-9. Although their loss in the final game of the season cost the Blueshirts home ice in the series, the Rangers match up so well against New Jersey it shouldn't matter either way. The two biggest weaknesses of the Devils play into the Rangers two biggest strengths. First, New York had eleven players score double digit goals. While the lack of a bonafide 40 goal scorer would have hurt another team, the Rangers actually benefitted. Allowing the coaching staff to mix and match lines without regard to who plays well with who gave them a marked advantage over the opposition. The Rangers attacking offense, carrying the puck in as deep as possible instead of the traditional dump and chase, gave them fewer overall shot opportunities, but those they had were of higher quality. The Devils defense corps is among the biggest in the league, and while they trap well, in tight spaces their lack of mobility allows the Ranger forwards an extra second to grab control of the puck and get a shot off. In the same light, Richard Brodeur is among the best goaltenders in the league and excels on longer shot attempts. Pinching inside reduces shot attempts but increases scoring opportunities. Rangers in five.

haha they're a fickle people, but people nonetheless. If you ever had to gauge the overall progress of mankind's charisma and character, Philly is the last place you want to look.

Malik paired with Paul Mara while Christian Backman may be with Jason Strudwick? That's a report I heard. Really, what is Renney thinking doing that? I'd leave Mara-Backman together on the third line.

Congrats on third place!

http://www.armchairgm.com/index.php?title=Special:SpringSillinessHome/13