Author Danny Vinik

Montreal Canadiens Embarrass Themselves

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It just keeps getting worse and worse up in Montreal as P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec fought during practice today in yet another embarrassing moment for the team. After a 1-5 road trip, the Habs have just 35 points in 39 games, last in the Northeast Division and third to last in the Eastern Conference.

The Canadiens have been going through a rough stretch recently. For the first time in their existence, Montreal didn’t win a Stanley Cup during a decade when they failed to capture the title from 2000-2010. Their overtime loss in game seven last year to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins marked the 18th consecutive year that Les Bleu-Blanc-Rouge went home empty handed. And it has not gone over well with their rabid fan base.

The Habs didn’t do much in the offseason with their biggest move being the signing of forward Erik Cole. Nevertheless, expectations remain high up in Montreal.

Then the season began. The Habs won just one of their first eight games, getting out scored by eight goals during the stretch. Things improved slightly over the next month, including a home-and-home of sweep against the Boston Bruins. But that has just fueled Boston into an incredible stretch that has seen them skyrocket to the top of the NHL standings while Montreal has continued to struggle. Continue reading “Montreal Canadiens Embarrass Themselves” →

Mark Cuban Can’t Keep His Mouth Shut

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By losing the first three games of their season, the Dallas Mavericks had the worst start to a season for a defending champ in more than four decades. I’m sure that’s an accolade that owner Mark Cuban will cherish. But it didn’t stop him from spouting his  mouth before Dirk Novitzki and company finally earned their first win of the season last night.

The loud-mouthed owner said, “I think we’re a better team than last year.”

Um, paging Mr. Cuban, you’re not. In fact, you’re a lot worse. Maybe you didn’t realize it, but Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, J.J. Barea and Deshawn Stevenson were very important parts of your team last year.

Chandler was a borderline all-star last year. He played nearly 30 minutes a game and averaged 10.1 points to go along with 9.4 rebounds. On top of that, he is a very good defender and was key in clogging up the paint for the Mavs last year. Butler missed the second half of year and the postseason with a knee injury, but during his time on the court, he averaged 15 points in 30 key minutes. Yes, the Mavs won the title without him but he’s now part of a dynamic Los Angeles Clippers team that will compete with Dallas all year. Him not being on the Mavs doesn’t make the Mavs worse to be fair to Cuban and his quote, but it is going to make it harder for them to repeat as champions.

Barea is the Mavericks biggest loss in my book. While he wasn’t a starter, the little Puerto Rican was a workhouse on the court who found seems all over the place. Whenever he was in danger, he just always found a way to wiggle out of it. With the acquisition of Lamar Odom (who seems to have spent all offseason/lockout period eating chips on his couch), the Mavs have a solid sixth man to come off the bench and battle down low. He won’t be as effective as Chandler defensively, but he is more versatile on the offensive end. Continue reading “Mark Cuban Can’t Keep His Mouth Shut” →

Red Sox Acquire Andrew Bailey

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New Red Sox general manager Ben Cherrington has made his first big move today in acquiring Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney for outfielder Josh Reddick and prospects Miles Head and Raul Alcantara. The Sox needed a closer. Now they have one. I’ve been hoping the Sox would go after Bailey for a while and am very excited with this deal.

Admittedly, I don’t know too much about Head and Alcantara. Both seem to be top-level prospects, though neither is near major league ready. Head hit 22 home runs and drove in 82 runs for Class-A Greenville and Salem last year. Alcantara started the year with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, posting a 0.75 ERA and 0.60 WHIP in 48 innings. He was promoted to Lowell where he struggled in his 17 1/3 innings there, giving up 25 hits and 12 earned runs, but still striking out 14. The upper-level of the Sox farm system was depleted by the trade for Adrian Gonzalez last year and the Sox organization has been looking to rebuild it since. This trade certainly doesn’t help that, but neither Head nor Alcantara will be ready for the majors (if they continue improving) for a few years and the Red Sox have greater depth in lower-level prospects.

Josh Reddick is a solid outfielder who started extremely hot for Boston last Summer, but faded badly down the stretch. While many analysts love Reddick’s swing, I’ve always had my doubts and have seen him as great trade bait. He has terrible plate discipline and I’ve always expected him to be a step faster. Nevertheless, he’s young and has potential but I’m still extremely happy with this trade.  Continue reading “Red Sox Acquire Andrew Bailey” →