thedfa

[thedfa]

2013: Year of the "Nay"

The Toronto Blue Jays season so far can be summed up in one word - shocking. Now I mean that on multiple levels. I am shocked at the fact that they are currently sitting in last place in the American League East Division standings. I am also shocked at the fact that they had an eleven-game winning streak to help push them back into a playoff picture for a certain time; that hasn’t helped much.

Looking at this team, who exactly one week ago had four players chosenfor the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, I can’t help but remind myself of the feelings I had around this time in past seasons - disappointment, outrage, and sadness all rolled up into one. I have been following the team closely for almost ten years now and not seeing them secure a playoff berth, let alone win a championship, a sort of humbling feeling comes back again, “So this is what a Toronto Maple Leafs fan felt from 2004-2012." I also find it very coincidental that my favourite NHL team (Canadiens) and my favourite MLB team won their respective championships the same year and haven’t won them since.

Now the Jays went through some major changes during the winter. There was that blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins that sent Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonifacio, and John Buck to the Blue Jays in exchange for Henderson Alvarez, Yunel Escobar, Adeniy Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis, and three good prospects (pitchers Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, and outfielder Jake Marisnick), which as of now has not worked out as planned. Another big trade was the acquisition of 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner Robert Allen Dickey from the New York Mets along with catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas in exchange for John Buck, stud catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud, good pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard and prospective outfielder Wuilmer Becerra. 

So far, Reyes has spent most of the season on the disabled list due to that ankle injury he suffered back in April, and since coming back has performed admirably, arguably the brightest spot of the Miami trade. Mark Buehrle, who in my opinion is nothing more than a #4 starter slotted in the #3 spot because of his throwing arm, is not playing up to his potential - even if he was in the #4 spot. However, he is thirty-five so I’ll give him a bit of a break. Emilio Bonifacio is also playing well…for the role he has been given with the club. The biggest disappointment from the blockbuster trade with Marlins and the one player that was the centre-piece of the whole trade (it is widely believed that GM Alex Anthopoulos inquired originally about one player and it snowballed from there into a blockbuster) is Josh Johnson. He should be slated as the #2 or #3 starter, but because stud Brandon Morrow was the de-facto #2 and they needed a lefty in the middle of the rotation to change things up, Josh Johnson is the #4 in the starting rotation for the Jays. His stats oddly enough reflect that of the #5 spot. He’s been inconsistent, to say the least, and when I look back at the trade and the whole trade revolving around acquiring Johnson, I can’t help but wonder and think, “What was the point?" To be fair, Josh Johnson has the stuff to be a potential ace when he’s completely healthy (see 2010 season). However, he is (and has been this year) injury prone, which I believe can have an effect on his game. I was hoping that when we acquired Johnson, that as the #4 starter would face-off against easier matchups (in terms of opposing starting pitchers) and be able to use that to his advantage. Unfortunately that isn’t always the case and Josh has yet to show me or any other Jays fan that he can be a consistent force in the Blue Jays rotation, even when he is healthy and in the lineup. He is a free agent after this season and I am unsure on whether the Jays should bring Johnson back. However, I am pretty sure that he will be wearing a uniform from another team come April 2014 anyways. 

After that blockbuster trade with the Marlins, the Jays were going all out for it, as majority owners Rogers Communications unloaded some payroll money to acquire all these players, including giving a brand new three-year contract worth $29 million with a club option in 2016 for about $12 million to Dickey. Now he was brought in to be the ace of the rotation (Ricky Romero, who was supposed to fill that role going forward with Toronto, has had problems with the mental aspect of his game that has been affecting it), but he’s been almost as inconsistent as Johnson. This whole transaction, again, hasn’t bore any fruit and has done nothing to change the fate of this baseball club.

Now Steve Simmons suggests that the Blue Jays starting pitchers just aren’t good enough, and in a lot of ways he is right. However, I still feel Dickey could be a knuckleball ace again. He pitched over 230 innings during his Cy Young Award winning season, way more than any season he has ever had - I mean he’s no Roy Halladay, who would have almost double digit Complete Game stats some seasons (Four seasons with nine CGs, three of them consecutively). A less than 200 IP 2013 season may help Dickey in the long run, and may help the Blue Jays too. Speaking before about injury prone pitchers, Brandon Morrow, who has been injured most of the season and should be back soon, will solidify the top half of the Blue Jays starting rotation (provided he is healthy) in future seasons with the ball club.

The bottom half is the cause for most concern. Buehrle is a #4 guy, playing out of his reach in the #3 spot. Josh Johnson is most likely bolting for free agency this winter, and the #5 is a big question mark. What I would like to see for the bottom half of the starting rotation (and this is pretty wishful thinking people, but bear with me), is the resurgence of Ricky Romero from Triple-A Buffalo after dealing with “Chucky" and beating his demon sub-conscious to a pulp so he can go back to being somewhere close to his old ace-like self. If he can be the #3 guy, allowing for Buehrle to actually move down to #5 (I don’t know any teams that have two lefties going back-to-back in the starting rotation) and hopefully one of Kyle Drabek or Drew Hutchison (both suffered serious elbow injuries requiring Tommy John surgeries last summer and have yet to re-join the ball club) can fill out the rotation at #4; I would be thrilled with that rotation on paper. Another scenario is that Romero plays so well going into the 2014 season that he makes his way into the #2 spot by the 2014 All-Star break at the latest and Morrow moves down to the #3 spot. Imagine two former aces re-gaining their form in Dickey and Romero, another stud pitcher in Morrow in the 1,2 or 3 spot of the rotation and the starting pitching for the Blue Jays could be unstoppable, again provided everyone is healthy for most of the season.

Yet I haven’t even reached my main point of this post. Do you know how many runs they scored on average during their 11-game win streak? 6.36 runs. Do you know how many runs they have scored on average since that streak? I can’t remember exactly but I think it was around 3.5 runs per game. That is a huge difference. Also, the starting pitcher’s ERA during the streak was 2.65; since the streak it is A LOT higher (5.19 ERA in July for ALL pitching). This year when the Blue Jays are on, they’re probably one of the best teams in MLB. When the Blue Jays are off, they’re probably one of the worst teams in MLB. A team with such polarizing play is not going to be able to make it to the dance, let alone survive the playoffs to make it to the World Series. That is the crux of the Blue Jays performance for the 2013 season so far. They need to stabilize their polarizing play to be leaders in the race for the playoffs from start to finish (or anywhere in between).

Because of this reason, I am counting the Blue Jays out…right now. I sort of counted them out before the 11-game win streak (in an unofficial capacity, not declaring, “I’m done with this team," but more like, “Looks like no playoff berth again for the Jays and their fans."), but the odds of them replicating that success and then some to actually make the playoffs in any capacity is very, very slim as of now. It’s time for the team to look forward to the 2014 season, a hopeful tomorrow.

#BlueJays #2013season #YearOfTheJay #YearOfTheNay #StillLoveThisTeam

[thedfa]

One of the greatest to play the game with his own "non-dunking" highlight reel.

#MJ #Jordan #Bulls #TheOriginal23 #NoDunks

[thedfa]

Wow thanks for taking so much time to write all that! I get where you're coming from. It's a little weird reading that, since I am a madridista through and through. And it is insanely difficult to decide which sports team out of the bazillion on this planet is the best "modern" one. I'm assuming you watch most sports so what is your opinion on the NBA right now? There were a few huge moves that I can't wait to see play out this season.

Talking about sports and pop culture is what this blog is about. I have opinions on sports and I do watch quite a lot of it. It is difficult to say which sports team is the best one in “modern history" because you could ask 100 different people and probably get at least 10 different answers. That’s what makes sports so great; so many opinions about one topic. Now whether they’re good or bad opinions is a totally different story. I mean I know a lot of hockey fans that think James Reimer should be the starting goalie or at least one of the 3 goalies selected for Team Canada at the Olympics yet he wasn’t given an invite to Team Canada’s Training Camp in August. Hmmmmmmm….interesting.

Now the NBA has been my least watched North American sport (out of the big 4) the past 5 years, but I’ve been trying to keep up with it recently and there have been some big news (I’m going to be watching a lot more NBA games and highlights this year).

Straight out of Boston, Doc Rivers to the Clippers, Pierce and Garnett to the Nets along with Terry, and slowly the Celtics from 2008 are now virtually all but gone (Rondo is still there, right? jk, I know he’s still there). Dwight going to Houston was the logical choice. There were a bunch of other moves that have slipped my mind as of late but those are what popped up. Also being from Toronto, I know some local radio and TV personalities (Tim and Sid on the Fan 590 and Sportsnet 360) were so glad that Bargnani was dealt to the Knicks for Camby, Quentin Richardson, and Steve Novak along with a couple 2nd round picks.

I, and am sure you have too, read this article by Bill Simmons talking about how the Lakers can go into the 2014 summer with 0 payroll and try to get potential UFAs LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and others to revamp that Lakers squad after the Achilles injury to Kobe at the end of last season. An odd article from Celtics fan Simmons, but nevertheless, it was thoroughly entertaining.

My thoughts on the NBA right now:

Super teams are awesome. However, they only last like a few years and they aren’t proven to produce real legacies (outside of the Miami Heat). I like it though. Everyone is going to remember the Miami Heat back-to-back and hopeful threepeat whether LeBron stays in Miami after this season or goes back to Cleveland or goes somewhere else like the Lakers. If Miami does threepeat, King James would be stupid to give up the opportunity to compete for 4 straight NBA titles since the early ’60s with the Celtics and sign elsewhere. It all depends on how the 2013-14 season unfolds. I think Chicago might have something to say (hopefully with DRose coming back and other key guys like Noah and Deng will have full healthy seasons) and the Brooklyn Nets, as well as the New York Knicks might all have something to say too. Indiana, with all their defense, are on the fringe for me as I don’t think their depth is enough to contend with Brooklyn, Miami, Chicago, or even New York.

If you look West, San Antonio you never know with Gregg Popovich at the helm and what he’ll pull out of the hat with the three musketeers (Duncan, Gino, Parker), Houston could contend now with Dwight and Harden being the star guys over there plus a few other contributors. Golden State’s young duo of Curry and Barnes, with veterans like newly acquired Iguodala and of course David Lee, I like the way their franchise is going. Oklahoma I think made a mistake in keeping Harden over Ibaka. Ibaka when he brings it, can take over games. But over the past year, he hasn’t really brought it consistently enough. I think Harden was better at delivering that consistency and that’s what they were missing last year during the playoffs with Ibaka. Memphis and LA I think are on their way down to the bottom of the Top 8 of the West…or below the Top 8 (:O). Memphis’ Randolph is getting old (especially those knees), Gasol is one of their few bright spots along with Bayless and Allen, but their team revolves around defense. You’re not going to win a lot of championships by playing Top 5 defense in the NBA but mediocre to bottom 10 offense in the NBA. It doesn’t work like that anymore, not with super teams like the Heat, Nets, Knicks, etc. LA just looks extremely old, like Jurassic period old. I think they need to keep all expiring contracts going into next season, trade Nash to Toronto and go into the 2014 offseason with no payroll except for maybe Kobe, but even then I wouldn’t recommend it, unless he’s on a path to defeat Chamberlain and his scoring record, in which case Bryant needs to be part of the fold. However, Bryant cannot be THE go-to guy, just maybe 1 of a few. Imagine Kobe and LeBron in the same backcourt; old blood and the new blood for the Los Angeles Lakers. Would sound very promising

My other thing about the NBA is the bad officiating which has swept that league along with my beloved NHL and to some degree, FIFA as well. The amount of non-calls in the playoffs vs. calls in the regular season is bad; it reminds me a lot like the NHL. There seems to be two different sets of rules for certain infractions during the playoffs and during the regular season that allow certain NHL teams who are built certain ways to have a bit more of an advantage when it comes to obstruction. When it comes to the NBA however, I liked it back in the ’90s when if you tried to go to the rim and you experienced a reasonable amount of contact, you weren’t going to get a call. It was that simple and MJ knew this all too well and it is why I think he’s one of the best to ever play the game and definitely the best of his era. LeBron, during the regular season, gets SOO MANY fouls called for him, yet somehow his defensive play is so spectacular (which I’ll agree, he’s an amazing defender) that he hardly ever gets called for a foul? It seems a bit fishy to me, but that’s for another time. I just think the lack of consistent foul calling in the NBA has really dwindled over the years, at least that’s what my dad has said as he has become a huge Heat fan (he lives down there half the year).

For me, the 2013-14 season is as exciting as the offseason that follows it. I can’t wait to see what stories unfold and who comes out on top. 

Love these questions. Keep ‘em coming.

#NBA #Celtics #Big3 #Pierce #Garnett #Terry #LeBron #Kobe #Lakers #Rockets #Knicks #Nets #Bulls #Warriors #Grizzlies #Spurs #Duncan #Parker #Ginobli #Popovich #Rose #officiating #somanyhashtags

[thedfa]

Hey there! I just saw an answer you posted like 3 days ago. You said the best sports team in modern history if FC Barcelona? Could you maybe explain why? I hope it doesn't come off rude. I am a Real Madrid fan so I'm curious about your answer. Also, I think its cool your blog is gonna be modeled somewhat after grantland cause I am a huge Bill Simmons fan. Thanks for your time! -Nandy

A classy Real Madrid fan. I like it.

Okay, so I think i said arguably one of Barcelona, the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Yankees is the best sports team in modern history.

Barca, I make the case, because the last 20 years here is how the Champions League Trophies stats break down:

Barcelona, 3; Madrid, 3; Manchester United, 2

I think personally, the argument is between Barcelona and United. Barcelona, although having as many Champions League Trophies as Madrid in the past 20 years, have 3 more La Liga titles and 2 more Copa del Rey trophies.

Now the comparison between Barcelona and United. Both have had star players play with them throughout a lot of their careers. Barcelona has had the advantage of having the best player in the world on their team, and play in an easier domestic league, I still give a very slight edge to them because of the extra trophy they have won in the past 20 years in Europe. Now they have been fortunate to groom Messi ever since he was a little kid. That’s what great scouts are for. Nevertheless, many can make the case that Manchester United is arguably the best sports team in modern history as well. Football (or soccer for my North American readers) is such a hard sport to compare teams against, because of the variance in difficulty from one league to the other. Champions League can help settle some arguments maybe, but it isn’t a “rule of thumb" so to speak.

Ultimately though it is a hard answer to have for “Who is the best sports team in modern history", also if the question is “Who is the best european football franchise in modern history". Arguments can be made, analyses can be broken down and looked at, but for me looking at some generic facts, I go with Barcelona, just slightly over United & Madrid. You can agree or not, and make a case for Team “X" or Team “Y", that’s what makes discussion about sports worthy of anyone’s time; there are so many logical arguments to be made.

[thedfa]

What is this website about?

Sports and pop culture. I'm trying to blog in a style similar to that of Bill Simmons from ESPN and grantland.com.

#Bill Simmons

[thedfa]

Why do the Habs suck so much? And why is it that most hab fans themselves never really played hockey?

Your first question lacks specificity, so when you say “Why do the Habs suck", you should say “Why are the Habs just a playoff contending team and never a Stanley Cup contending team?" The fact is Montreal lacks a lot of qualities that makeup a SC Championship contending team. If you look at the only Northeast division team that has won a Stanley Cup in the past 5 years and was so close to another one, they have lots of qualities that SC contending teams should have:

Size. Boston is known for being “goons" and having big players that are not easily taken off the puck (unlike the Habs) and can lay out the big hit more consistently than most other teams (again unlike the Habs)

Great goaltending. Rask and Thomas have been WAY better than Price over the years and BOTH have had better seasons than Price’s best season, as well as have performed better than Price in their respective PO histories.

Great defense and good defensive team play. Outside of Chara, there aren’t great defenders on the Boston back end, but they had guys like Ference, McQuaid, Boychuk who filled a niche and played a role that helped create a strong, team first defense. They collapse to the net really well and easily clear out bodies in front of the net. You need crease clearing defensemen to stand up to the big opposing forwards in front of the net.

As for your second question, I don’t know how true it is. Look at all the NHL players that grew up as “Habs" fans and you’ll see there were actually a good number of them. Maybe  your sample size is too small and should ask more Habs fans what level of hockey they played. Personally, I have never played higher than like Men’s League. The reasons for that are more personal than anything but I know at least 1 Habs fan in my group of friends that likes to think he knows hockey and the NHL, but has never played a single organized game of hockey at all, at any level. Period. And I just laugh at him or dismiss him when he says something ludicrous, like “Jonathan Bernier won’t be better than Reimer" or something to that effect. I laughed at him because he makes it seem like he has a crystal ball in his closet or something. I feel like there always is a chance Bernier will be better than Reimer and I think he ultimately will. John Shannon said it best "Make no mistake. Leafs management view Bernier as an upgrade. He comes to Toronto as a starter."

#Habs #Leafs #Bruins #SportsTalk #SCTalk

[thedfa]

the leafs are the best sports team in modern history - do you agree?

No. You said sports team in modern history. Two things that are ambiguous about the question: 1) Which sports are we talking about here? (i’m guessing all sports) 2) What do you define as “modern history"Nevertheless, I do not agree that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the best sports team in modern history.

If I was going to pick “which is the best sports team in modern history" I would probably go with the last 10 years, probably FC Barcelona. The last 20 years, probably either the New York Yankees, the New England Patriots, or the Los Angeles Lakers. They all keep making their leagues’ respective playoffs, have won a lot of championships for specific periods during the past 20 years and are still likely contenders for championships in their respective leagues in the future.

#Leafs #Barca #Yankees #Patriots #SportsTalk

[thedfa]

Cory Monteith: Glee Legend

This week, the music/television industry (if that even is a thing) lost an incredible person. Cory Monteith, who was famous for playing Finn Hudson on Glee, passed away from a lethal mix of heroin and alcohol last Saturday in a Vancouver hotel room. This story has popped up everywhere on my Twitter timeline and my Facebook newsfeed (and rightfully so), plus reading other celebrities' tweets on a buzzfeed just added to it. So I thought being a somewhat GLEEK myself, I thought I would pay homage to (from what I've read about him) a great person, both in front of the TV screen and off it.

Cory's infamous role as Finn on Glee was arguably one of my favourite characters on the show; he was a leader, he was an amazingly talented singer, and he cared about everyone and everything related to Glee and football (Glee I guess sometimes came first, but I'm cool with that). For me, sports, music, acting were all part of my life in some way or another back in high school...and in some ways they all still are after high school. I just felt very connected to Finn's character and even with those goofy dancy moves to boot (I pride myself on my dancing ability, and acknowledge anyone who at least tries to move their feet to a rhythm).

In contrast to his character's "good" image, Monteith had been battling a drug addiction (he started drinking alcohol at the young age of 13, which lead him to doing harder drugs later in life) and even as recently as last year had checked himself into rehab to kick the dangerous habit to the curb. In a place like Hollywood, where everything you do is scrutinized by the second and to paramount lengths, I think it was admirable for Cory to take ownership and action of his addiction and do what was right in his mind to better himself and the people in his life. Now I don't read that much on Glee (I'm not a huge GLEEK, but I do watch the show) and I had never heard about Cory's addiction up until last year when he checked into rehab. But from the time I've spent reading up on Cory from articles written about him and interviews from celebs that knew him, I feel like I got an accurate picture of him; a bright, warm, dedicated guy who got caught up with the wrong things at the wrong times and had the best interests at heart.

RIP Cory Monteith. You will be missed.

[thedfa]

These character posters are growing on me. Here's a few from the new X-Men First Class: Days of Future Past

[thedfa]

The saddest press conference photo. Ever. Welcome to the Celtics.

#sadthree #celtics #humphries #brooks #bogans #rigginforwiggins

[thedfa]

LawSUITS & Serial Killers

The summer has already started and usually there are never any amazing television shows to watch...besides a few new ones that come out which are all either huge hits or misses (does anyone else besides me ever watch summer TV, reality or not???).

I remember the days when I was a teenager and So You Think You Can Dance was a summer TV show staple…until FOX moved it to the fall and I subsequently said to myself “Screw you FOX, way to get rid of my only summer TV show!" I mean I know like 1 out of 100 males that are/were secure enough with their masculinity to watch a show like SYTYCD (yes, I know the acronyms). Maybe I was one of those guys? The fact is that SYTYCD had so many hot female dancers that if you walked up into a club and saw them, they'd be those girls that you would have no shot at taking home with you. Ever. And then they had those male dancers who did Hip Hop or Krump or even some good Swing or Contemporary routines that would make you be like, "I wish I could move my body like that. I COULD GET ALL THE WOMEN!" Nevertheless, what FOX did to me, I could never forgive them and I effectively stopped watching SYTYCD from that point forward.

But this summer there are two shows that have been on my perennial radar of great plots, character development, and drama/comedy that should make for quite an entertaining 2-3 months.

The serial-killing serial killer show Dexter is finishing up this season and the producers at Showtime decided to air it in late June instead of its usual late September start it has had for the previous 7 years of its existence. I only have one word for this strategic move by the cable network - brilliant. Nothing of Dexter’s calibre will be on Cable television this summer (at least that my brother or I will be watching) and it’s the perfect way for Dexter to go out. It has almost zero competition and Showtime allows a new show in the pipeline to fill Dexter’s spot in the fall or for an existing powerhouse series to take over their spot on Sunday nights. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better scheduling plan than the one Showtime is using this summer for Dexter. I don’t know if other cable or regular networks have done the same thing, but in recent memory I can’t think of any show that was a regular series in the fall that subsequently came back the following summer to end its series with a final season. It’s original (i'm assuming). It’s effective. I LIKE IT.

As of writing this post, I’ve only seen the first episode of this season of Dexter (and i’m not going to be spoiling anything in this blog) and I'm already captivated...again. I know it doesn't HAVE to be in the show, but the hiliarious amounts of sex near the beginning of the series has somewhat drifted away and has left out a human trait of the show that I (being a 22 year old guy) liked. Nevertheless, questions arise as the final season continues. How will this show end? Is Dexter going to be found out by everyone to be a serial killer like TV watchers “found out" who the mother is on “How I Met Your Mother"? Seems like 2013 is the year of the TV plot discovery. Will Dexter be bested by a fellow serial killer, or die by some other means? It would be the most predictable way to end a show, but at least it would be better than being put in a jail cell and living out a prison sentence for being “unsamaritan" or whatever. 

Since the first season, Dexter has had twists and turns, as well as plot and character development that just keeps the thing going like Days Of Our Lives’ plots. It’s kind of hard to fathom that this is going to be the last season we see Dexter chasing down a serial killer that he’ll eventually wrap in shiny plastic and put one of his knives through his (or her) chest by season’s end, while trying to continually hide from his friends and family the unforgiving things he has done to unforgiving people. That kind of imaging left me scarred (not really) and entertained all at once. Dexter is a show that is truly a unique type of drama that I have rarely seen in my lifetime.

Moving to something a little lighter in terms of content, Suits is back again this summer too with its third season thats airs on Tuesday, July 16th at 10:00 p.m. EDT on USA Network or Wednesday, July 17th at 10:00 p.m. EDT on Bravo for my Canadian readers.

While studying in Waterloo, my roommates had gotten me into Suits and to be honest, it wasn’t all that hard. You have the premise of this guy, Mike Ross, who has a ridiculously amazing photographic memory that remembers everything he reads and recalls it so quickly like Ken Jennings giving questions on Jeopardy! (why this guy isn't working for the CIA as a secret agent, I have no clue). Mike walks into an interview room for a prestigious New York City law firm to escape from cops who were chasing him because of a sting drug deal. He gets mistaken as an applicant for a vacant Associate position at the firm, schools the interviewer, Harvey Specter (who will become his boss, making them THE 1-2 lawyer punch of the show), and Harvey hires him knowing full well that Mike has never attended any law school and has never passed the bar for the State of New York...you know just for shits. So again there’s that danger factor, sort of like with Dexter. Will Mike get found out as a fraud lawyer and will Harvey get implicated as being complicit with the fact that he knew Mike wasn’t a licensed lawyer and lose his own license as well? On top of the gorgeous women that round out the cast as managing partners, legal secretaries, paralegals, and a whole lot more, the show was a no-brainer for me.

Without spoiling much, last season ended with quite the scene (Mike and one of his female love interests are going at it in the file stacks of the law office after a key plot development surfaces). Not only were there cliffhangers, but avid fans of the show were waiting for Mike and this unnamed female character, who shall remain anonymous for non-spoiling purposes only, to finally do the deed.

This show is intriguing in such a different way then most other occupation-based shows (Grey’s Anatomy, Rookie Blue, etc.) because of how the writers have developed the two main characters, Mike and Harvey. They are brothers from other mothers, they test each other, push each other and help each other when the other doesn’t ask. They can get on each other’s nerves sometimes, but they still have the great witty banter that most budding main characters should have (by referencing lots of pop culture, so you can see why I really like this show) and ultimately, they have each other’s backs. You've got to realize that being the real-life version of Mike Ross is probably my unrealistic and unachievable goal in life. Or Harvey Specter's life (which is probably a little more attainable) for that matter. I don’t think I’ve ever been more interested in a drama (with some comedy) like Suits in my entire TV-watching career.

It’s going to be a summer to remember (TV-wise, among other reasons) and Suits and Dexter will hopefully provide some entertainment for the summer that usually lacks some on the little screen.

Thanks for reading. You’ve been DFA.

#Suits #Dexter #SummerTV #SYTCYD

[thedfa]

This looks ridiculously amazing. July 26. And in 3D.

[thedfa]

They don't hang Conference Championships banners from the rafters here

Carey Price

[thedfa]

Montréal Canadiens

I wanted my first non-Introduction text post to be...I guess special is the right word. Out of all the sports teams I follow, only one is considered to be the team that I follow as a fanatic: the Montréal Canadiens.

When it comes to the "Habs", there is arguably no other franchise in the NHL that has a deeper, richer, storied history than them. They've been around for over 100 years (the oldest team in the NHL, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs) and rightfully so, have the most Stanley Cup Championships (24 to be exact, again followed by the Leafs with 13).

So why and how does a guy born in Toronto, who grew up in Thornhill, ON root for "Le Tricolore"? The answer is actually quite simple. Most Toronto "Habs" fans are born into families where their parents (or sometimes even themselves) are from Montreal. In my case, I'm a little of everything. When my dad moved to Canada in the late '70s from the Middle East, he came to Montréal to study engineering. He spent his time there (on top of studying and working) watching the great Habs dynasty in the late 70s, with Ken Dryden between the pipes, along with other NHL legends like Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson, Yvan Cournoyer, Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau, as well as many others. My mom was born in "La Belle Province" (aka Québec) and lived in Montréal for about half her life or so. Now you can see that while I was growing up me, my brother, and my dad all rooted for "Le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge" mainly because my dad was the first to cheer for them during the glory days and his passion for the team rubbed off onto both of us. Just a side note, I also lived in Montréal for 3 years when i was much much younger (from when I was about 3 or 4 until I was about 6 or 7) before moving back to my hometown. From there, I have grown to love (mostly) and (sometimes) hate everything about this franchise, from the bipolar fanbase to the amazing city, the players, the history, the tradition and everything else in between. If there were no Montréal Canadiens, I would probably be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan (man would that suck ;)).

So moving on from that history lesson, I have to say with the direction provided from the new Executive Vice-President and General Manager Marc Bergevin (former Chicago Blackhawks scout and Assistant GM) the team seems to be on the up. MB has a vision for "Le CH". Building through the draft, getting bigger, and creating a championship contending team not for just one season, but for many seasons are part of his long-term goals for this hockey club. Bringing in Michel Therrien as Head Coach (who had a previous stint as Head Coach with the Canadiens from 2000-2003) at the beginning seemed weird to me, but has so far in one lockout-shortened, 48-game regular season and an early Stanley Cup Playoff exit is starting to grow on me...a little.

The team itself has a lot of great young core players that are key to building a championship team. There are good pieces in place that have set the foundation for a recent Chicago Blackhawks-type "dynasty" within the next few years.

Starting from the net and moving out, the "Habs" have a young (relatively) stud goaltender in Carey Price, who from his 2006-07 WHL season and 2007 AHL Playoffs, was turning heads everywhere in the hockey world. He has played over 300 games in the NHL and has some solid numbers for a relatively young goalie. In my opinion, he is an elite talent, but he needs to elevate his game to another level to be considered an elite goalie in the NHL.

On defense, the Canadiens have a formidable unit, which includes arguably one of the brightest, most-talented young two-way defenseman in the NHL. Fresh off his James Norris Memorial Trophy winning season during the 2013 lockout-shortened campaign, P.K. Subban has cemented himself in NHL and Montréal Canadiens history. He's the first defenseman in over 20 years from the "Habs" to win the prestigious trophy (since Chris Chelios in 1989) and is continually improving his skills season after season.

After him, you have the veteran Andrei Markov, who after 2-3 years of knee injury-plagued seasons, has come back for the 2012-13 season (KHL and NHL) as an offensive weapon. He was 2nd in the NHL in Powerplay Points among defensemen, falling only behind his teammate P.K. Subban in that category. He was also tied for 4th in the NHL in total points among defensemen, again falling behind teammate Subban, as well as other top NHL defensemen Kris Letang & Ryan Suter, both Norris Trophy Finalists.

Josh Gorges, who by many in Montréal's fanbase is considered to be the next captain of "Les Glorieux", is a solid defensive defenseman who blocks shots, will fight, and rarely provide some offensive support. As I implied before, he is a leader on this team and the intangibles he brings to this franchise is unmeasurable and valuable. Last season, along with the team, Gorges played quite badly down the stretch defensively, but there is no doubt in my mind he will bounce back for the 2013-14 campaign.

Signed in 2011, Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz had some interesting sophmore campaigns in the NHL. Emelin improved upon his defensive ability by adjusting to the NHL game as well as being a forceful and effective hitter. His season was cut short when he tore a ligament in his knee while colliding (or hitting) Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins. Diaz started his season this year playing with Markov on the 1st Powerplay unit, tallying 8 points in 9 games before the return of P.K. Subban after his contract negotiations came to an end. Before suffering a concussion during his 19th game of the season, Diaz scored 13 points. Both players have improved exponentially since their rookie seasons despite injuries and will continue to be a strong presence on the Canadiens' blueline next season (Emelin will not be back till January due to his knee injury).

Francis Bouillon, very recently acquired Davis Drewiske, and rookie Jarred Tinordi round out "Le CH"s defensive unit by providing some size in Tinordi and Drewiske, defensive and hitting ability between all three of them as well as some stability in the bottom portion of the defensive lineup.

The Canadiens' defense still needs some work though. In the future, I would like to see the blueline bolstered with more size to clear opposing forwards out of the "Habs" crease. Tinordi, as a rookie defenseman in the NHL, is a good start. However, with guys like Francis Bouillon listed generously at 5'8" and Raphael Diaz at 5'11" a part of the lineup, the Habs should upgrade their size department on the back end in the coming years, especially in the Bouillon ("CUBE")'s case.

Moving onto the forwards, Montréal has been plagued with a term by many other fanbases and our own as a "soft" or "shrimpy" or "smurfy" team with too many "smurfy" forwards (and indeed some defenseman) to create a SC Championship contending team. Some of these "smurfs" (as I like to call them) include the Canadiens' captain Brian Gionta, David Desharnais (a Québec hero), rookie Brendan Gallagher, as well as new Unrestricted Free Agent signing Daniel Brière (also a Québec native).

However, the "Habs" do have some key young forwards on their roster that will be vital to winning their 25th Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. These players include Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, and Lars Eller.

Pacioretty was drafted in 2007 in the 1st round at No. 22, and is listed at 6'2". Last season with Desharnais and former Habs forward Erik Cole, Pacioretty lead the Canadiens in points with 65, along with his linemates Cole (61 points) and Desharnais (60 points), to be a part of one of the most productive scoring lines in the NHL during the 2011-12 campaign.

After a dreadful 2011-12 regular season where the Canadiens finished last in the Eastern Conference, Montréal was rewarded with the 3rd overall pick at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and used it to select highly touted centre Alex Galchenyuk. Coming off a knee injury season during his draft year in 2011-12, Galchenyuk started his 2012-13 season playing with the Sarnia Sting in the OHL alongside fellow Russian-speaking Nail Yakupov (the #1 overall pick in the same draft as "Chucky"), scoring 61 points in 33 games. Galchenyuk was also named to the Team USA roster for the 2013 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships where the team won the Gold Medal. To cap it off, Galchenyuk made the Montréal Canadiens roster to start the 2013 NHL lockout-shortened season, playing on the left wing on the 3rd line mostly with Lars Eller and fellow rookie Brendan Gallagher, scoring 27 points in 48 games as an 18/19 year old.

One of the other bright spots in the forward position for the "Habs" is Lars Eller. Eller was acquired in the infamous Halak trade that sent emerging goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the young Dane as well as Ian Schultz. His first two campaigns in Montréal were relatively mediocre, but this season Lars Eller's game reached a whole new level. After being benched for 2 of the first 3 games of the season, Lars Eller went on to score 30 points in 46 games for his best season to date in the NHL. His season was cut short when he received an illegal hit to the head from Ottawa defenseman Erik Gryba during the 1st game of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal between the Montréal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, suffering facial fractures and a concussion.

With acquisitions like Daniel Brière & George Parros during this offseason so far, the Habs forwards (rounded off with Rene Bourque, Tomas Plekanec, Travis Moen, Ryan White, Brandon Prust, and possibly Gabriel Dumont and/or Michael Blunden) are slowly becoming bigger. Size has always been a key issue in the "Habs" lineup and GM Bergevin is addressing it slowly this summer. There are some more tweaks to the lineup that need to come, but the Canadiens are in a okay spot...for now.

Last season, the team narrowly won the final Northeast Division Championship (as the NHL will be re-aligned for the 2013-14 season) and finished 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with 63 points. They started off really strong, going 15-5-4 through the first half of the season only to finish off 14-9-1 in the second half of the season. In the playoffs, they were eliminated in 5 games by the somewhat less-injury riddled Ottawa Senators to end off a disappointing series for the Montréal Canadiens, a blemish on an overall bright campaign for the team.

My hope is that for next year, the team will be able to reclaim the form that they had at the beginning of last season, where they started strong out of the gate and continue that performance to the end of the season. Hopefully they'll finish as division winners again, but with Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Florida coming into the former Northeast Division to make up the new "Division C", the odds that the "Habs" make the playoffs (let alone win the division) are much smaller. IMO, Montréal had a fortunate 2013 season. Most players on most teams took a while to get into form, allowing for the Canadiens to control games with unprecedented possession and scoring statistics and come out with a "W" in a majority of their games. With a full training camp and preseason, NHL teams aren't going to be as easy to beat next season as they were the previous season (Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers three times, humiliating them 3-0 twice at the Bell Centre) and the Canadiens are not SC Championship contenders by any means...yet. However, you never know what the next season will hold, as injuries will come along (as they are a part of the game) and interesting stories will unfold.

I honestly cannot wait for the 2013-14 NHL season to start and for hopefully my "Habs" to make the playoffs and compete again for Lord Stanley's Cup.

#Habs #CH #Tricolore #NHL #DriveFor25

[thedfa]

Arguably my favourite NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan.

#MJ #3peat #icon #bestSGever

[thedfa]

Introduction

So I started "Fishy's Field" as a side project. I like discussing sports and pop culture, among other things. Like other blogging sites, Tumblr is a great social media tool as it allows posters to interact with their followers via Twitter & Facebook, which interested me a lot.

I will probably post about once a day with a different topic each day, usually on the same subject (sports, pop culture, etc.). Follow me if you're interested in what I have to say about the National Hockey League (specifically the Montreal Canadiens or other NHL topics), National Basketball Association (specifically the Chicago Bulls or other NBA topics), National Football League (specifcally the Seattle Seahawks or other NFL topics), Major League Baseball (specifically the Toronto Blue Jays or other MLB topics), British Premier League & La Liga (specifically Arsenal and FC Barcelona or other soccer topics) as well as everything to do with Pop Culture, including movies, television shows, music, etc.

Side note: In terms of sports teams, I have recently made the switch from Manchester City to Arsenal in the BPL. Can't stand the way the team is run in Manchester and always have had a soft spot for Arsenal. Also, my hometown Raptors I can no longer follow. Bryan Colangelo, who I thought was going to do a good job with the Raptors as the General Manager, has made me move to the Chicago Bulls, an up and coming NBA team with promising talent.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy my blog!