Sunday, May 30, 2010

Philly Sports 101

Posted: 30 May 2010 11:34 AM PDT

Game one of the Stanley Cup Finals was a scoring slugfest. Both teams jockeying for the lead in the game. It went from 1-0 Flyers, to 1-1, to 2-1 Chicago, to 2-2, to 3-2 Flyers, and that was all in the first period. When the final horn sounded, the Flyers had lost 6-5 and are down 1-0 in the series. Michael Leighton was pulled in the second period after giving up five goals in a little over 35 minutes of play.

I'm not going to go into every goal in detail because there was so many. A positive for the Flyers was that they were getting secondary scoring from unlikely candidates. Blair Betts and Arron Asham each scored for the Flyers. Arron Asham is becoming a scoring threat because of he has a wicked and accurate slap shot.

The defense had several lapses, which resulted in turnovers, which often result in goals. Many of the goals Michael Leighton gave up weren't exactly his fault, but some he could have saved. The fact of the matter is you have to stop some of them. Five goals on twenty shots is no good for a goaltender. I think coach Peter Laviolette made the right decision to pull Leighton.

Brian Boucher, in his first game back from injury, relieved Leighton and played fairly well. He faced twelve shots and saved eleven, but that one goal was a big one. Tomas Kopecky scored the only goal of the third period, and that was the winner for the Blackhawks.

I don't think a goalie controversy should start up just yet. I think Michael Leighton deserves another start to show what he can do. If the Blackhawks have another great night against him, then maybe you switch to Boucher come game three.

Game two is critical for the Flyers. Falling down 2-0 in the series is not an option against the Blackhawks. They have a high powered offense and forced the Flyers to play to their style in game one. In game two, the Flyers need to slow the Blackhawks' offensive attack. They can do it by being physical against the Blackhawk forwards. Game two is Monday night.

Halladay Tosses Perfect Game

Posted: 30 May 2010 10:34 AM PDT

Roy Halladay has thrown the 20th perfect game in Major League baseball history, the second in Phils history. Halladay dominated the Marlins to say the least, 27 up, 27 down. He struck out 11. The amazing thing is that Halladay went to three ball counts many times during the game, and every time he prevailed. Many Marlin hitters stood dumbfounded as the Halladay painted the corner with called third strikes.

The Phillies won the game 1-0, so Roy had no room for error. The run did the Phillies scored came on an error by Cameron Maybin. Maybe seeing the performance of a lifetime from Halladay will motivate the offense, which has been struggling mightily recently.

As with most perfect games, the defense did help out Halladay. Juan Castro made several nice plays at thrid, including the one that ended the game. Wilson Valdez made a great throw from short to nail a Marlin runner on a bang-bang play. Both Castro and Valdez have performed great in the field while filling in for the regulars.

Think of how great a moment this is for Roy. For the rest of his life, he will be able to say that he pitched a perfect game. A perfect game is the ultimate one-game achievement for a pitcher. So many times, a unknown pitcher throws a no-hitter, and you'll never hear about him again. But for Halladay, his perfecto will be a footnote on his amazing career, instead of his 15 minutes of fame.

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