- It’s good to be royal: After 170 minutes of scoreless soccer over two games between Madrid rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Real broke through with a single goal. That was all they needed to advance into the Champions League semifinals, joining Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus.
Line: Atletico put up a good fight, but in the end, Real’s quality showed through. - From the brink: There were two hockey teams facing their playoff extinction last night. One will live to see another day, the other will not. The Ottawa Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 to force at least a fifth game in that series. On the other side of the country, the Anaheim Ducks finished the Winnipeg Jets off, by a score of 5-2. The Winnipeg Fans, who waited 19 years to see a home playoff game, will need to wait at least another year for a home playoff win.
Line: Good for Ottawa for pushing back at the Canadiens. Poor Winnipeg. - The Spurs are still the Spurs: After losing game one of their series against the Los Angeles Clippers, there was a predictable flood of stories proclaiming this to be the end of the aging San Antonio Spurs. Last night, the Spurs showed that until they are truly dead and buried, it’s always a bad idea to count them out. Despite losing two key players, one with an injury, the other from fouling out, during last night’s game, the Spurs still found a way to win. The final score after four quarters and one overtime period was 111-107.
Line: You can’t expect the Spurs to go out easily, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they won it all. Again!
Category: Following Sports
Sports Forecast for Thursday, April 23, 2015
Sports is no fun if you don’t know what’s going on. Here’s what’s going on: In today’s segment, I covered:
- MLB Baseball – Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates, 12:35 p.m. ET on regional cable.
- NHL Hockey – New York Islanders at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.
- NBA Basketball – Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans, 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
- And more!
For email subscribers, click here to get the audio.
You can subscribe to all Dear Sports Fan podcasts by following this link. Music by Jesse Fischer.
Sports Stories: Waffle fries and victory
Everyone has a sports story. As part of my mission to create peace in the world between sports fans and non-sports fans, I am doing a set of interviews of people on both sides of the line. Whether you’re a die-hard fan with their favorite player’s face tattooed onto their body or someone who is not a fan but whose life intersects with sports in some way, you have a valuable story to tell. Sign up today to tell your story on our easy to use booking page.
To get things started, I’ll be sharing some of my own personal sports stories here.
Although we grew up in Central New Jersey, my friend James and I have been Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fans for around 20 years. Like many young people (read this New York Times article about this phenomenon) we jumped on the bandwagon of a winning team in that impressionable age bracket between 8 and 12. Back then, the Penguins were a skilled hockey team that played a wide open style of play. They didn’t care so much if their opposition scored five goals because they were convinced they could score six. This provided a striking contrast with our local team, the New Jersey Devils, whose tactical choice to turn hockey into a grapple-first, skate-second sport eventually sparked widespread rule changes. Not only were we rooting for a winner, but we felt we had the favor of the hockey gods.
Fast forward to the Spring of 2009 and James I were both living in New York City. We weren’t close friends but we hadn’t had a falling out, either. Call us, dormant friends. Then, the NHL playoffs started, and for the second year in a row, the Penguins began a deep run. In the first round, they faced their dreaded rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. We started meeting up for games at a bar convenient to both of us called Dewey’s. The Penguins beat the Flyers in Game Six of the series. After giving up 3 goals to start that game, the diminutive and much-loved Penguin, Max Talbot, picked a fight with a much bigger Flyer. Talbot “got his ass kicked” as he said later, but it seemed to snap the team out of their malaise, and they rattled off five straight goals to win the game and the series. It was glorious.
Over the next few weeks, as the Penguins progressed closer and closer to their goal of winning the Stanley Cup, James and I settled into a superstitious pattern. Go to Dewey’s. Sit in the back. Get the waitress or busboy (most of whom knew us by then) to turn on the game. Order a pitcher of Yuengling. At the start of the second period, order chicken fingers and cheese fries and share them. We even had roles to play. James was the optimist, I was the pessimist. “They’re not going to win,” I would say, “the other team is too big, too strong, their goalie is too good.” James would talk me down. Our act worked. The Penguins beat the Capitals 6-2 in Game Seven on the road to win that series 4-3. The conference finals were a breeze — a four game sweep over the Carolina Hurricanes. This set up a rematch of the previous year’s Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and the Red Wings.
The series was an epic. The Red Wings won two games at home, then the Penguins won two games at home. The Red Wings took game five, the Penguins took game seven. Before we knew it, we were looking at one last evening at Dewey’s for game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. There’s nothing better or more thoroughly nerve-wracking than a game seven. The only problem was — James was hosting a party in his apartment that night. Not to worry, he said, he would get a friend to open his door and we could join the party after the game. NO WAY was he going to be responsible for a Penguins loss by changing up our routine.
We went to Dewey’s. The Penguins won. We hopped into a cab and rode it to Red Hook, Brooklyn, screaming happy inanities periodically through the open windows.
Thanks for reading. Share your sports stories with me soon. Book some time today.
What happened on Tuesday, April 22, 2015?
- Overtimes abound in the NHL Playoffs: Two of the four games last night in the NHL playoffs went into overtime. The Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 2-1 in single overtime to even their best-four-out-of-seven series at two games apiece. The Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators needed three overtime periods to decide their game last night. Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook scored in the 101st minute of the game to give the ‘Hawks the win and put them up 3-1 in the series. Overtime is exhausting for both players and fans, the difference is that the fans are likely to have bleary eyes, the players are likely to have black eyes.
Line: Overtime is exhausting and exhilarating. - Giant wins in the Champions League: Soccer powerhouses, Barcelona and Bayern Munich left nothing to chance in yesterday’s Champions League games. Barcelona beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in a game they only needed not to lose by two or three goals. Bayern Munich needed to win 2-0 to advance but instead decided to put on a soccer clinic and win their game against FC Porto 6-1.
Line: I can’t say I’m surprised by the results but I am surprised by how easily Barcelona and Bayern seemed to get them. - Fun times in Houston: The Houston Rockets not only won their playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks last night to go up 2-0 in the series, but they looked like they were having fun doing it. Dwight Howard and Josh Smith, two mostly unlikeable characters, combined for six alley-oops. Death by alley-oop is a humiliating way to go.
Line: Houston just looks better than Dallas. Can we fast-forward to the next round now?
Sports Forecast for Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Sports is no fun if you don’t know what’s going on. Here’s what’s going on: In today’s segment, I covered:
- UEFA Champions League Soccer – Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid, 2:45 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
- NHL Hockey – Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m. ET on USA.
- NBA Basketball – San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
- MLB Baseball – St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
- And more!
For email subscribers, click here to get the audio.
You can subscribe to all Dear Sports Fan podcasts by following this link. Music by Jesse Fischer.
What happened on Monday, April 20, 2015?
- The Boston Marathon was uneventful, and that’s good: Caroline Rotich, a Kenyan runner won the women’s race by four seconds over Mare Dibaba. In a less exciting finish, Lelisa Desisa won the men’s race. The day was dominated by echoes of the race two years ago which was interrupted by a terrorist attack at the finish line. Bitter-sweet stories abounded, like Rebekah Gregory’s. Gregory was at the race two years ago with her son and they were both injured in the attack. Gregory lost her leg below the knee. This year she decided to cross the finish line (not run the entire race, but I don’t really think that’s important, do you?) as a symbolic way of taking her life back. You can read an interview by Amy Van Deusen of Gregory and some of her supporters on ESPNW here.
Line: As long as everyone finished the race safely, I’m happy. - Red Sox win to complete the celebration in Boston: Marathon Day, officially known as Patriots’ Day, is a big holiday in Boston. As part of the day’s celebrations, the Red Sox play a home game starting at 11 a.m. This year they beat the Orioles 7-1 in a rain-shortened game.
Line: Not that any professional sports team should ever intentionally lose, but being the visiting team in Boston on Marathon Day must basically be a no-win situation. Why not just take it a little easy? - You’ve got to feel for the Jets: Winnipeg lost its NHL team, the Jets, in 1996 when the team moved to Arizona of all places. After years of mourning, they finally got them back when they convinced the struggling team in Atlanta to move up north. Last night the city hosted its first NHL playoff game in 16 years. And… the team lost in heart-breaking fashion to go down 3-0 in the best-four-out-of-seven game series against the Anaheim Ducks.
Line: Poor Winnipeg. I wish they were winning. - Tied after three, not close after four: The game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors was tied after three quarters but the #1 seeded Warriors came out in the fourth quarter and scored 10 more points than their opposition. The advancement of the best team all year, the Warriors, past the first round may be inevitable but the underdog Pelicans are showing themselves to be worthy of admiration as well.
Line: For a series with such little drama about who is going to win, it’s certainly got entertaining basketball.
Sports Forecast for Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Sports is no fun if you don’t know what’s going on. Here’s what’s going on: In today’s segment, I covered:
- UEFA Champions League Soccer – FC Porto at Bayern Munich, 2:45 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 2.
- NHL Hockey – Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames, 10 p.m. ET on USA.
- NBA Basketball – Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets, 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
- MLB Baseball – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 p.m. ET on regional cable.
- And more!
For email subscribers, click here to get the audio.
You can subscribe to all Dear Sports Fan podcasts by following this link. Music by Jesse Fischer.
Sports Forecast for Monday, April 20, 2015
Sports is no fun if you don’t know what’s going on. Here’s what’s going on: In today’s segment, I covered:
- MLB Baseball – Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox, 11 a.m. ET on regional cable.
- Running – Boston Marathon, 7 a.m. ET to 3 p.m. ET on regional cable and streaming live at CBSBoston.com.
- NHL Hockey – New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.
- NBA Basketball – New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
- And more!
For email subscribers, click here to get the audio.
You can subscribe to all Dear Sports Fan podcasts by following this link. Music by Jesse Fischer.
NBA Playoff Companion, April 18, 2015
The playoffs are a wonderful time in sports but they can be hard to follow, even for the most die-hard fan of a playoff team. They’re virtually impossible for a non-fan or casual observer! No matter who you are, Dear Sports Fan’s Playoff Companion can help. Sign up to get text updates each day for your favorite team or teams or just for the team or teams you feel you need to know about in order to be able to have a decent conversation with your wife, husband, son, daughter, parent, colleague, or friend.
Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards — Game 1, 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN — Series is 0-0
Toronto Raptors fans – We’ve got the best home-court advantage in the league. Time to use it.
Toronto Raptors interested parties – After five years without playoffs, Raptors fans went nuts last year when their team made it. This year should be no different.
Washington Wizards fans – Time to wipe the slate clean. Ignore the last few weeks/months of terrible play. This team can flip the switch, right?
Washington Wizards interested parties – The Wizards started the year off playing great and have steadily looked worse and worse. Fans will be hoping they can return to their winning ways.
Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans — Game 1, 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC — Series is 0-0
Golden State Warriors fans – Time to get back in gear after a coupe weeks of meaningless games.
Golden State Warriors interested parties – After an incredible year in which the Warriors won the most games in the league by far, the slate is wiped clean for the start of the playoffs.
New Orleans Pelicans fans – We can’t match up with their guards but they can’t match up with our Brow. Let’s steal game one.
New Orleans Pelicans interested parties – Virtually any scenario that leads to the unlikely upset of the Warriors begins with a win today.
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks — Game 1, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN — Series is 0-0
Chicago Bulls fans – Forget about all the injuries and struggles this year. The team is healthy today and that’s all that matters.
Chicago Bulls interested parties – If you had told a Bulls fan before the year that they would enter the playoffs healthy facing Milwaukee, they would have taken it. Although the season has been a struggle with lots of injuries, the team got where it was trying to go.
Milwaukee Bucks fans – We’re the best kept secret in the league. And that secret is about to be broken over the backs of the Bulls.
Milwaukee Bucks interested parties – The Bucks are underdogs in this series but they’re a dangerous type of underdog — young, gifted, and athletic.
Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks — Game 1, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN — Series is 0-0
Houston Rockets fans – There’s really no reason to be worried about the Mavs, so why do I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach?
Houston Rockets interested parties – Rockets fans should be confident, but there’s always something about playing a veteran team that’s had success like the Mavs had to make you uneasy.
Dallas Mavericks fans – The first game will tell us a lot. If Rondo can slow down Harden, then all his nonsense might have been worth it.
Dallas Mavericks interested parties – The Mavericks gambled mid-season by trading for Rajon Rondo. So far it hasn’t seemed like a good trade but the playoffs will be the true test.
Stanley Cup Playoff Companion, April 17, 2015
The playoffs are a wonderful time in sports but they can be hard to follow, even for the most die-hard fan of a playoff team. They’re virtually impossible for a non-fan or casual observer! No matter who you are, Dear Sports Fan’s Playoff Companion can help. Sign up to get text updates each day for your favorite team or teams or just for the team or teams you feel you need to know about in order to be able to have a decent conversation with your wife, husband, son, daughter, parent, colleague, or friend.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators — Game 2, 7 p.m. ET on CNBC — Series is 1-0
Montreal Canadiens fans – Ignore the game outside the rink, all that matters is another win tonight.
Montreal Canadiens interested parties – This series has exploded into controversy thanks to a slash by Canadiens P.K. Subban that broke an opponent’s wrist. The controversy is fun but winning would be better.
Ottawa Senators fans – Vacillating between seeing red and wanting to keep calm and play on.
Ottawa Senators interested parties – Senators fans are up in arms about a slash that broke the wrist of winger Mark Stone. Anger mixed with disappointment is the cocktail of the day.
Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders — Game 2, 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network — Series is 0-1
Washington Capitals fans – Time to even it up. No excuses, no tomorrows.
Washington Capitals interested parties – Having a better record than your playoff opponent means you get the first two games of the series at home. This is usually an advantage but if you lose the first game, as the Capitals did, it really puts the pressure on to win the second.
New York Islanders fans – There’s nothing better than being a road team in game two after stealing game one. It’s literally all upside.
New York Islanders interested parties – The traditional goal of a road team in a playoff series is to win one of the first two games on the road. The Islanders already did that, so the pressure is taken off this game in a big way.
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks — Game 2, 9:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network — Series is 0-1
Nashville Predators fans – Time to wipe the disappointed memories of double-overtime out of our heads. The positives will outweigh the negatives… if we win tonight.
Nashville Predators interested parties – Only the slimmest of margins separated the Predators from their opponents in game one. Fans will be hoping for the same kind of game with just a tiny bit more luck tonight.
Chicago Blackhawks fans – Win, rinse, repeat.
Chicago Blackhawks interested parties – The Blackhawks have been so successful over the past five years, that winning has become, if not expected, at least habitual. Spirits are high heading into game 2.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames — 10 p.m. ET on CNBC — Series is 0-1
Vancouver Canucks fans – Breath easy, relax, project confidence. Try to ignore your stomach starting to creep up into your throat.
Vancouver Canucks interested parties – It’s only been one game, but the pessimistic streak that typifies the true Canucks fan may already be starting to run rampant.
Calgary Flames fans – As long as the kids keep winning, maybe they won’t notice (and no one else will notice) that they’re in a bit over their heads.
Calgary Flames interested parties – The Flames are a young team that’s playing better than expected. Fans will be thrilled but with a tiny bit of reserve held for the moment things start going badly.
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins — Rest Day — Series is 1-0
New York Rangers fans – See? The Penguins are soft. Oh sure, they made a game out of it, but they don’t have our discipline or depth.
New York Rangers interested parties – The Rangers should have won and they did. Today is a good day for Rangers fans. Game two is Saturday night.
Pittsburgh Penguins fans – Oh no! Same old, undisciplined, mentally lapsing Penguins. Although they did look good for the other 58 minutes…
Pittsburgh Penguins interested parties – Your Penguins fans may seem either unusually affected or unaffected by last night’s loss. Both responses are normal.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings — Rest Day — Series is 0-1
Tampa Bay Lightning fans – Every fear we had about the Wings came to fruition in one night. Still, the hope is to wear them down.
Tampa Bay Lightning interested parties – A game one loss won’t dampen a Lightning fan’s enthusiasm… yet.
Detroit Red Wings fans – The Magic Man’s got a little bit of magic left. All hail Pavel Datsyuk.
Detroit Red Wings interested parties – A perfect road playoff game for the veteran Red Wings have their fans strutting just a little bit today.
St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild — Rest Day — Series is 0-1
St. Louis Blues fans – Not the start we were looking for, but all roads to Rome weren’t paved in a day, right?
St. Louis Blues interested parties – Encourage the Blues fan in your life to take the longer view of things. The first game didn’t go well, but were they really expecting to go 16-0?
Minnesota Wild fans – Never a doubt! The Blues may be more accomplished, but our team is a bad matchup for them.
Minnesota Wild interested parties – The Blues were a scary opponent for Wild fans but now that game one went so well, a little bit of confidence will be creeping in. That’s good, nurture it.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets — Rest Day — Series is 1-0
Anaheim Ducks fans – One down, one to go. The best way to mute the Winnipeg crowd is to beat their team twice in California.
Anaheim Ducks interested parties – The Ducks looked very strong in their first game and win of the postseason.
Winnipeg Jets fans – Doesn’t matter, let’s steal game two!!! GO JETS!!! Although, I will admit that the Ducks looked strong.
Winnipeg Jets interested parties – Losing game one will barely have an affect on the near-berserker levels of enthusiasm of the Jets fans in your life.