Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Indianapolis (-5) over Cleveland
Washington (+3 1/2) over NY Giants
New England (-1) over Pittsburgh
Chicago (+3) over Minnesota
Jacksonville (+3) over Houston
Last week: 5-1
Thursday record: 2-1
Season record: 35-31
For opponents to score a power-play on the UMass Lowell River Hawks these days, they almost need a two-man advantage.
Through the first 12 games of the season going into tomorrow's non-league contest against the Rochester Institute of Technology, the River Hawks have yielded only eight power-play goals. Nearly half of them — three of eight — the River Hawks were playing two men short when the goals were scored. Take away those three goals, and UML penalty-killers have allowed just five goals in 55 enemy power plays, a sparking .091 conversion rate.
The River Hawks have killed off 21 of the last 22 enemy power plays overall. The only goal? Scored on a 5-on-3.
The UMass Lowell hockey team had hoped to have junior goalie Carter Hutton back in the nets by early December. But it's looking more and more as if the River Hawks' No. 1 netminder will be sidelined until after the New Year. Hutton sprained an ankle in a freak accident while scraping the ice in front of his net between the first and second periods of a game against Boston University on Nov. 7. He stayed in the game for one more period but had to be removed and hasn't played since. Hutton is 2-2 with one shutout, a 1.51 GA average, and .940 save percentage. Hutton is scheduled to see a doctor next week, but he isn't likely to give the River Hawks any unexpectedly good news.
Fortunately for the River Hawks, junior Nevin Hamilton has filled in nicely. Hamilton is 4-2 with one shutout, a 2.02 GA average, and .929 save percentage heading into tomorrow's non-league game with the Rochester Institute of Technology at the Tsongas Arena. Two of Hamilton's four wins have come at the expense of nationally-ranked New Hampshire and UMass Amherst.
The River Hawks took another hit in Tuesday night's 3-1 victory over Merrimack when promising freshman center Matt Ferreira suffered a separated shoulder. He could be out until after the holidays.
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Here's something to be thankful for...Slick's Turkey Day football selections:
Tennessee (-11) over Detroit
Seattle (+12 1/2) over Dallas
Philadelphia (-3) over Arizona
Last week: 5-1
Season record: 33-30
Hopefully, you'll feast on these selections and "stuff" some extra "gravy" into your bank account!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Would the Patriots be better off signing Matt Cassel to a long-term deal and exploring the market for Tom Brady’s services?
I know, I know. I’m an idiot for even thinking it, never mind putting it in writing. I pitched the idea in some back-and-forth emails with family and friends. My cousin Mike asked when I started doing heroin.
Two weeks ago, this space compared Cassel’s stats in his first 9-starts to Brady’s, a comparison that came back surprisingly similar. At the end of the piece, I threw in a disclaimer about the career backup needing to add a fourth quarter comeback to the resume, to prove he can do it in the clutch.
In the two games since, Cassel has thrown for 400-yards and 415-yards against the Jets and Dolphins, respectively. No quarterback in Pats history has ever gone for 400 in back-to-back games, not even Tom Terrific in the NFL record-shattering 2007 campaign. Oh, and do I need remind you of the stirring late-game comeback in prime time against New York, before the defense coughed it up in overtime?
Which brings us to the crux of this ridiculous argument, which might not be as ridiculous as it appears on the surface: The Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl in three years (this year will likely make it four) because the defense couldn’t stop the opposition when it counted, especially against the Colts in the ’07 AFC Championship and the Giants in the ’08 Super Bowl.
So if Cassel can light up the scoreboard now that the coaching staff has taken the wraps off him, wouldn’t it make sense to at least entertain the thought of using the millions you’d save on Brady’s contract to sign a shut-down cornerback and maybe another standout defender?
15-years ago Brady’s hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers, traded Joe Montana and his four Super Bowl rings to make way for Steve Young. The Niners were three years removed from their last title (sound familiar?) and Montana, considered by many the greatest QB of all-time, was coming off injury.
San Fran went on to win another Super Bowl under Young, and could have won a few more if not for a couple of guys named Aikman and Emmitt. Will history repeat itself here?
It could. But I doubt we’ll get to find out, nor do I think we should. The smart money says Brady is back in a Patriots uniform next year while Cassel tries to recapture the magic elsewhere. However, if the opposite ends up happening, remember the crazy guy who mentioned the possibility in writing first!
One more crazy thought: Could the 2008 Dracut Middies be the best high school football team the Merrimack Valley Conference has ever seen? (Remember, those legendary Ray Riddick Lowell squads never played in the conference, though even if they had, I wonder if they’d march through the opposition the way Jeff Moore’s troops have this year)
In their seven conference games thus far, the Middies have averaged more than 38-points per game while allowing a shade less than 14. That includes many games in which Dracut’s finest have called off the dogs early enough to keep from scoring in the fifties, or even sixties.
Granted, these class of ’83 eyes might be “a bit” biased, but I don’t recall many other MVC teams ever looking as dominant. Do you?
That's the view from here...how do you see things?
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
New England (+1) over Miami
Baltimore (-1) over Philadelphia
NY Giants (-3) over Arizona
Indianapolis (+2 1/2) over San Diego
Green Bay (+2 1/2) over New Orleans
Thursday night: 1-0
Last week: 2-4
Season record: 29-29
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Sorry for not posting Slick's pick for last night's game sooner. We touched base at about 5pm but I didn't have access to my laptop, so you'll have to take my word that the pick is legit.
Unfortunately for those of you who've followed his advice during this 3-week dry spell, Slick finally snapped out of the doldrums and selected the Steelers minus 10 1/2 over the Bengals, which we now know was a winning wager.
Hopefully, the Slickster is back on the winning track....and hopefully, I'll post Sunday's picks on time....LOL
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Haven’t posted anything in a while, so I figured this would be a good time to clean out the junk thoughts cluttering up my mind:
1) Dustin Pedroia named MVP
What a great story isn’t it? The guy lots of us (I was one of the most vocal) thought could never make it as a major leaguer ends up winning the Most Valuable Player Award in his second full season. I mean, tell me you didn’t look at Pedroia struggling early in his rookie season of ’07 and think to yourself: he looks like the little brother who badgered his older brothers and their friends into letting him play, even though he looked so out of place.
Frankly, I would have voted for Kevin Youkilis, because I think his ability to shift between first and third base seamlessly gives the Sox more flexibility, not to mention the options he gives Terry Francona by being able to adjust to any spot in the batting order he’s placed in. Don’t forget, Youk carried the Sox for a while without Manny by slugging the bejesus out of the ball from the cleanup hole. Besides, I have a soft spot for former Spinners.
That said, Pedroia is more than deserving and I can’t find fault with anyone who voted for him.
2) Coco Crisp traded for Royals middle reliever Ramon Ramirez?
That’s it? That’s the best Theo Epstein could do for a Gold Glove caliber centerfielder who has been part of a World Series champion and be a pretty good third and a half outfielder on a championship caliber team?
Yeah, yeah, yeah! I’ve seen Ramirez’ numbers. He’s a pretty good middle reliever. But he’s no phenom. He’s a 27-year old who might have already reached his potential. You know how I feel about middle guys. They blow hot and cold from year to year, so to give up a semi-valuable piece for one is a gamble. Not that I think Coco is a great player (just enter his name into this blog’s search engine and you’ll see lots of negative things I’ve written about him). But I think he could have fetched more in return than a middle reliever that hasn’t proven a damn thing in a pressure environment.
What was the alternative? Bringing him back and having a nice little insurance policy in case of injury or continued Jacoby Ellsbury struggles?
3) How bout dem Bruins?
They look really, really, REALLY good right now. They’re playing well together, have a very nice core of young forwards who can actually put the puck in the net, are getting solid defensive play, and even the goaltending has been very good. They appear to have a legit shot at a high seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. So why am I still holding back on giving my heart completely to the Black and Gold?
Because they don’t have a legitimate #1 goalie, the kind who stands on his head in the playoffs and single-handedly steals you a series or two. I don’t care how well Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez are playing right now, do you have faith in their ability to do what it takes come Stanley Cup time?
If Peter Chiarelli pulls the trigger on a deal to land a top of the line goaltender without giving up too much in return, I think this team has a chance at the title that’s eluded them since 1972.
That’s the view from here…how do you see things?
Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
The UMass Lowell women’s basketball team officially landed a big one at 1:05 today.
Pelham High School’s senior center Briana Szidat jotted her name on a letter or intent, flanked by her parents, Pelham High Athletic Director/Girls Basketball Coach Tim Powers and AAU Northeastern Lady Panthers Coach Ricky Oliver.
A three-year varsity standout for the Pythons, the 6-foot-3 Szidat averaged right around 15 points per game and earned recognition as a New Hampshire Class I All-Star. She enter her senior season roughly 200 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
The River Hawks currently have a pair of seniors in the front court playing major minutes in leading rebounded and scorer from 2007-08 Revital Carmon as well as Texas native Shaina Berry. Both are due to graduate at the end of this season.
Not taking into consideration any other potential recruits, Szidat would be the tallest player on the UMass Lowell roster next season.
Szidat, who did an overnight visit to UML this fall, chose the River Hawks over several offers from Division 1 and Division 2 schools.
Pelham has already begun basketball practice. The season opener is at home on Dec. 2 against Bedford.
Also on the recruiting front, WMDF TV out of Mansfield, Ohio, reported that guard Bri Calver of Shelby High School signed a letter of intent to come to UMass Lowell this past week. Calver helped lead the Whippets to three consecutive Northern Ohio League titles. The 5-foot-4 guard was a Division II Third Team All-District as a junior last year, scoring 10.5 points per game.
The River Hawks have a policy of not commenting on recruits before they are officially admitted.
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Well, all that hard work disappeared in a matter of weeks.
The Slickster is back to the .500 mark after Thursday's losing wager. A slump of 10-losses in the last 13-selections has erased the winnings and probably left the loyalists on the negative side if your bookmaker collects "juice."
Can our fearless football forecaster do a 180 and go back to handing out winners? You decide. On with this week's Slick's Picks:
Baltimore (+6 1/2) over NY Giants
Green Bay (-3 1/2) over Chicago
Pittsburgh (-4 1/2) over San Diego
Dallas (-1 1/2) over Washington
Buffalo (-5) over Cleveland
Last week: 2-4
Thursday night: 0-1
Season record: 26-26
Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
The Boston Celtics played a role, but turning an eighth seed in the playoffs into a potential contender takes more than a seven-game series.
In Atlanta, it took key additions, an intense training camp, and an team-wide emphasis on defense. Yes, Celtics fans that should sound familiar. Except the additions in Atlanta weren’t multiple All-Stars.
“This camp was very competitive, probably the most competitive camp that I’ve had since I’ve been here as a coach,” Atlanta head coach Mike Woodson said. “When you add guys like Flip Murray and Mo (Maurice) Evans, two veteran guys who have had the opportunity to play in a number of systems, two guys who are defensive-minded guys that can both score, that for us that was a double-threat. That gives us a little more ammunition, something that we didn’t have last season coming off our bench. They’ve been great for us.”
The fact the Hawks were undefeated and came into this week without allowing a team to reach the 100-point plateau (Chicago and Boston scored 100 points this week) aren’t coincidental. It may also not be coincidental that Atlanta’s forward and inside presence (2.8 blocks per game in 2007-08) Josh Smith missed the last three games when opponents enjoyed more offensive success.
“We’ve improved defensively,” Woodson said. “Individually. As a team. Everybody’s trying to focus in on our game plan and trying to execute it.
“I don’t know if its going to always work, but I think if you give effort night-in and night-out especially on the defensive end and rebounding the ball -- that’s the ugly part of the game which players don’t like to do -- but if you get 12 or 13 guys committed to doing that, you become a good team.”
That approach helped the Hawks to their best start since 1997-98, and they’ve already recorded four victories on the road. The Hawks were 12-29 away from Atlanta last season.
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
A Thursday night selection as Slick attempts to turn around the recent losing ways that have eroded almost all the previous winnings:
New England (-3) over NY Jets
Last week: 2-4
Season record: 26-25
Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
The Atlanta Hawks almost kept their unbeaten streak going, but Paul Pierce's jumper with 0.5 seconds left gave the Celtics a 103-102 win. If you weren't sure about the Hawks, you should be now. No Josh Smith. Al Horford in foul trouble all night. Zaza Pachulia leaves with a shoulder injury. Did they get stomped by the defending champions on the road? No. Marvin Williams nearly gave the win with a three-pointer with under 10 seconds left.
Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
The undefeated Atlanta Hawks? That just doesn’t sound right. At least not until this season as the Hawks moved past being an “young” and “athletic” team, and they started playing good basketball.
The question folks around the TD Banknorth Garden wanted to know was simply how much did the Celtics and last year’s first round playoff series have to do with the Hawks coming out of the gates looking like a contender in the Eastern Conference.
“No question, I think that‘s been the biggest turning point of our basketball team, pushing that team to seven games,” said Hawks Mike Woodson. “Because all the doubters that didn’t think we’d win a game, we met the challenge. They went home and won three basketball games. There’s no doubt I think it puts our young team in a better frame of mind as they approach this season.”
Atlanta finished last season 37-45 and squeezed into the playoffs as the eighth seed. The went down two games to none before heading back to home and winning the next two and eventually forcing the series to close out the Hawks in a Game 7 in Boston.
“Playing them the way we did in that series, it gave us a lot of hope man for the future, especially being a young team,” Woodson says.
Celtics guard Ray Allen insists he is by no means surprised by Atlanta’s success as he saw last year that the talent existed on the Hawks’ roster to do what they’ve been doing this season. He also isn’t sure how much of that success has to do with the Celtics, saying, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t say that the only reason why they’re doing what they’re doing today. Everyone’s a year older.”
We’ll hit you with more on the juggernaut Hawks and their turnaround after the game.
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
The great baseball wordsmith, Yogi Berra, coined the famous phrase “it’s like déjà vu all over again.” Those words came to mind while watching the Patriots dismantle the Buffalo Bills 20-10 Sunday, in a game that really wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.
We’ve seen this act before, haven’t we? It’s déjà vu, the Fall of 2001, all over again.
Now, I wouldn’t bet the rapidly vanishing 401k money on the Pats finishing this season the same way their ’01 forefathers did. Nor do I think Matt Cassel is destined to follow the same career path Tom Brady has traveled. But for the first time since Brady limped off the Gillette Stadium turf nine weeks ago, I think the Patriots have a chance.
Not a Jim Carey, Dumb and Dumber, one in a million chance. A real live, honest to goodness chance at a most improbable Super Bowl championship.
A month ago, such talk would have gotten me laughed off these pages. Today, I’m guessing more than a few of you are saying why not? (To the prediction…not my banishment from the paper, I hope!) And the main reason for the brighter outlook is because of the untested quarterback who stepped in for the injured star and grew week by week until he was no longer a liability.
Here are Cassel’s stats so far in 2008: 7-TD passes, 7-interceptions, 200-passing yards per game, 67%-completion percentage, an 83.9 QB rating and a 6-3 record in his first 9-games (including the opener against the Chiefs). These are Brady’s regular season numbers from ’01: 18-TD passes, 12-interceptions, 190-passing yards per game, 64%-completion percentage, an 86.5 QB rating and a 6-3 record in his first 9-games (excluding the mop-up duty against the Jets in week 2).
Pretty darned similar, aren’t they?
I’ll even throw this one out there: Remember how pass rushers were teeing off on the career understudy like McCain apologists going after Sarah Palin? Well, Cassel has been sacked 29-times in 9-games, an average of 3.2 per game. In the 15-regular season games Brady played in 2001, he was sacked 41-times, for an average of 2.7 per game. That number includes the game where Drew Bledsoe was injured in the fourth quarter and Tom Terrific came on for only 10-pass attempts.
That’s only a half a sack per game difference, a deficit that will disappear faster than Republican Senators if Cassel continues his recent trend of only one sack in the last two contests.
There are other similarities between the ’01 and ’08 Patriots: A head coach who seems to do his best work when facing adversity. A defense that bends but doesn’t break. A running back, Benjarvus Green-Ellis-Whitton-Scanlon-Frongillo-Panos, who is conjuring up the efficient ghost of Antowain Smith. And a schedule that’s softer than the Pillsbury Doughboy’s belly.
But more than anything else, the fate of this year’s Pats is tied to how similar Cassel’s performance is to Brady’s down the stretch, whether that barometer is fair or not to number-16. The one thing number-12 was able to do early in his tenure that Cassel hasn’t is lead a late 4th quarter comeback. Chances are he’ll have to at some point if New England fans are to scramble for Super Bowl tickets come late January.
And that’s one déjà vu I wouldn’t mind experiencing, all over again.
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Buffalo (+3 1/2) over New England
Indianapolis (+3) over Pittsburgh
Oakland (+9 1/2) over Carolina
Philadelphia (-3) NY Giants
San Francisco (+ 9 1/2) over Arizona
Thursday night: 0-1
Last Week: 1-4
Season Record: 24-21
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Boy, I sure did put the whammy on our friend the Slickster, didn't I?
Just one day after I praised our fearless football forecaster and threatened to start charging for his picks, Slick turned in a worse performance than the Republican Party. Another performance like that, and our pigskin prognosticator might get voted out of this office!
The only saving grace is the season's budget is still safely out of deficit mode....for now, anyway. A plus-4 mark against the spread is still quite attractive. It's just that a plus-7 is more like Sarah Palin than John McCain.
Tonight begins another week, and it begins our Thursday night portion of NFL games. So without any further ado, let's give you Slick's Pick for this NFL Network special:
Cleveland (-3) over Denver
Last week: 1-4
Season record: 24-20
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
A few sports-related questions you won’t find on your ballot this Election Day (more questions after the bump):
Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
The Detroit Pistons acquired guard Allen Iverson, a former NBA MVP and one of the top 20 scorers in NBA history, from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb in a trade announced today.
The Pistons lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals this past season.
“We are pleased to welcome Allen Iverson to the Pistons organization,” Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said in a release from the team. “Allen has proven he is one of the elite players in the league and we like what he adds to our roster at the guard position. We appreciate everything that Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb brought to the organization during their time here in Detroit and we certainly wish them all the best.”
Iverson has averaged 27.7 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, 3.8 rebounds per game and 2.26 steals per game in 832 NBA games. He ranks 20th on the NBA All-Time scoring list with 23,044 career points and ranks 13th on the All-Time steals list with 1,879 career steals.
Click here to view the Denver Nuggets press release on acquiring Billups, McDyess and Samb.
Click the Comments link below to give your opinion on the trade, what it means for the NBA's Eastern Conference and what it means for the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
Are you people paying attention?
I know DB is...he's the only one commenting on our fearless football forecaster, Slick, who is doing his best to put money in your pocket each and every week. Are the rest of you noticing that in these tough economic times you have a money printing machine at your internet searching fingertips each and every week? Or are you taking his advice for free and not commenting on it for fear that we'll do what those phonies running "800" numbers are doing and start making you pay for this gambling advice?
I guess I don't blame you. I mean, those scam artists are lucky to break .500 with their selections. Slick, on the other hand, kicked a field goal and pitched a shutout last weeking, going 3-0 to give him a touchdown lead against the spread on the season. Chew on that for a second: +7. Where can you get that kind of solid gambling advice for nothing? Come to think of it, maybe I will make this a pay feature!
On with Slick's Picks for this week:
NY Jets (+5 1/2) over Buffalo
Tennessee (-4 1/2) over Green Bay
Dallas (+9 1/2) over NY Giants
Indianapolis (-6) over New England
Washington (-2) over Pittsburgh
Last week: 3-0
Season record: 23-16
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