The Eye Wall – Ladd out, Ruutu in
February 29, 2008 at 11:09 am | In Hurricanes Hockey | Leave a CommentTags: Carolina Hurricanes
The NHL Trade Deadline came on Tuesday, and Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford decided to pull the trigger after all, dealing scrappy forward Andrew Ladd to Chicago for rough and tumble Tuomo Ruutu. Personally, I think the move was unnecessary, as Ladd was just beginning to find his niche up on the scoring lines, but the club was apparently looking for someone who could center – with the injury to Brind’Amour – and Ruutu can do that. Ruutu can also throw the body, as we found out during his Carolina debut Tuesday night, throwing out three thunderous shots in a game in which he arrived at the arena 12 minutes before the puck dropped. His night ended with a borderline high stick from the Devils’ Patrik Elias which left him with 40 stitches and a pat on the back for his efforts.
Final Four Contenders and Pretenders
February 28, 2008 at 4:04 am | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentEveryone has a different opinion of who is most likely to make the Final Four. Around these parts, you’ll hear Carolina and Duke’s name come up, usually not from the same people. In the next state over, you’ll hear Tennessee and Memphis. Fans in the mid-west love to tout Kansas and Texas as Final Four contenders. And on the West coast, you hear about UCLA. In my opinion, some of these teams are capable of making the Final Four and some are not. There are some teams that people aren’t touting that I think could surprise people. Allow me to give you the 2008 Final Four Contenders and Pretenders.
Don’t let the door hit ya…
February 28, 2008 at 2:32 am | In The Panthers and the NFL | Leave a CommentWRAL.com is reporting that David Carr has been released from the Carolina Panthers after one year. Many thought that Carr would be a decent upgrade over Chris Weinke as a backup Quarterback, and some even thought Carr would challenge Delhomme for the starting job. These same people thought Carr was ineffective because Houston was just a terrible team and franchise and that a fresh start would show why he was a former overall #1 draft pick. Unfortunetly for Panther fans, they could not have been anymore wrong. Carr was so terrible that the Panthers lured 183 year old Vinny Testaverde out of retirement and started undrafted, unheard of rookie Matt Moore, shifting Carr down to 3rd on the depth chart. There were times this year where Panther fans were hoping that John Kasey would take the snaps at QB rather than David Carr and his Mickey Mouse gloves taking the field. It worked out very well for Houston, who finished with an 8-8 record behind career backups Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels. So where does Carr go from here? I’m sure other NFL teams are looking for a 3rd stringer. If not, there is always the CFL, Arena Football, or the new All-American Football League that is starting up.
While Carr is leaving, he’s holding the door open for an old friend. Mushin Muhammad is coming back to the Panthers, which could be either a good or bad thing. Steve Smith obviously needs receiving help, as Keary Colbert and Drew Carter, while showing flashes of brillance, do not have the consistency to warrant anyone covering them in the open field. Muhammad has been great for the Panthers before. However, he’s not getting any younger. Hopefully this works out well for the Panthers. Now if they could get a power runner and a decent front line, they’ll be all set on offense.
Down Goes Memphis!
February 24, 2008 at 10:32 am | In ACC basketball, Hurricanes Hockey, Random Sports Stuff | Leave a CommentTags: Carolina Hurricanes, college basketball, Duke, Oregon, uniforms
Good game at the FedEx Forum this evening and Tennessee takes out Memphis and will assume the top spot in the polls come Monday. Credit the Tigers for taking Lofton out of the game for the most part, but the Vols found a way to win in spite of Lofton’s abysmal performance. Oh, and if Memphis could hit free throws, they win the game. Nothing drives me crazier in sports than a basketball team that can’t make free throws on a consistent basis. Memphis is a good team, but I’m still not sold on them getting to the Final Four. Elsewhere, Kansas goes down to OK State. UCLA rallies in the second half to get past Oregon, sporting some of the UGLIEST unis college hoops history, with the black lettering on black jersey. Just abominable. Someone seriously needs to do something about that crap in Eugene – no excuse for the Ducks to have unis in two sports that are offensive to the eyes.
Anyone else figure out the ACC yet?
February 22, 2008 at 7:14 pm | In ACC basketball, The Panthers and the NFL | Leave a CommentSo, a couple of weeks ago, the ACC seemed so clear. Duke and North Carolina were clear contenders, Maryland and Clemson were solid as the 3rd and 4th teams to make the NCAA dance, and everyone else basically had work to do if they wanted in. Well, a lot of work was done and a lot of NCAA resumes were strengthened (and weakened).
The Eye Wall – Big Week for the Canes
February 21, 2008 at 11:04 pm | In Hurricanes Hockey | Leave a CommentMonday and Tuesday epitomized all of the problems the Carolina Hurricanes have had this season. In addition to the already injured Brind’Amour, Williams, LaRose, Tanabe, Seidenberg, and Eaves, Erik Cole and Ray Whitney were both sidelined in Jersey, Cole with a touch of the flu, the Wizard with a sore groin. Joe Jensen got the call up from Albany and then HE GOT SICK in the middle of the game. The scoreboard probably made Caniacs sick, as well, with the Devils dominating Carolina for the third time this season, 5-1, the game never in any doubt. The first three game winning streak of the season goes up in smoke with #26 and #13 missing the game. They would be back the following evening in Raleigh when the Canes battled visiting Boston, and they would be integral to the outcome.
Brand New Season
February 21, 2008 at 12:17 pm | In ACC basketball | 1 CommentTags: ACC, Duke, State, UNC
On Sunday evening, the Duke Blue Devils had a comfortable two game lead in the race for the ACC regular season title. Approximately 75 hours and 80 minutes of basketball later, that lead has vanished, the first part of it Sunday night at a raucous and emotional Lawrence Joel Coliseum, the second at a, well, verbal BankUnited Center outside of Miami. The Dukies’ bread and butter went stale on Sunday, only shooting 28% from beyond the arc in the loss to Wake. Wednesday was a different story, as the Devils jacked up 37 threes, hitting 15 of them. But Duke was unable to put the clamps on Dwayne Collins or Jack McClinton, and the Hurricanes built a 20 point lead in the second half, before leaving the door open for the Devils with clock management that would make Herm Edwards squirm. But just like their conference lead, time ran out on the Dukies on Wednesday night. But hey, Duke’s got injuries, too.
Quick weekend thoughts.
February 19, 2008 at 12:42 am | In ACC basketball, Hurricanes Hockey, Random Sports Stuff, The Bobcats and the NBA | Leave a CommentWhat a weekend it was in sports, ACC and otherwise.
Every Kiss Begins With K
February 18, 2008 at 11:00 pm | In ACC basketball | Leave a CommentTags: Coach K
Don’t fret, K. Just because you got outcoached and outplayed last night in Winston-Salem doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world, even if officials actually calling fouls on the Blue Devils for 40 minutes IS a sign of the Apocalypse. It’s okay, Mike, one loss isn’t gonna cost you all those endorsement deals. In fact, the new one released for Valentine’s Day was so popular that it’s still in circulation a week after the fact:
“So that’s what it looks like without vodka.”
February 17, 2008 at 9:52 am | In ACC basketball, Hurricanes Hockey, The Bobcats and the NBA | Leave a CommentAn entertaining day of sports kicked off early with the Heels hosting Virginia Tech at the House that Dean Built, with Carolina looking to avenge last year’s ridiculous sweep at the hands of the Hokies. And the Tar Heels wasted no time establishing their dominance, pushing the lead to double digits five minutes in and just obliterating V-Tech by 39. The scary thing is that Carolina turned the ball over 19 times and still led by 47 at one point late in the game. Alex Stepheson played his best game of the season, shy of a double double by one rebound, and contributed several blocks to a stellar defensive effort from UNC. Stepheson has all the tools to be a force down on the block, particularly defensively and on the boards, but he tends to lose his focus from time to time. That can, and likely will, be corrected. If he can add a more consistent offensive game, the kid will be All-ACC the next two seasons.
Continue reading “So that’s what it looks like without vodka.”…
-
Recent Comments
sdfsdfsfsd on Coming up soon… sdfsdfsfsd on 20 Reasons Why Carolina/Duke i… sdfsdfsfsd on 20 Reasons Why Carolina/Duke i… playable games onlin… on Brand New Season ericomac on We Interrupt This Program for…
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
