We’ve got a Double Feature for you today… Junoir Blaber’s superb column and our latest Meet The Matts Radio Podcast… This one with Wally Backman calling in again, Bobby V and Mad Dog ranting re Tommy Lasorda bashing Don Sterling’s gal-pal, the Jets passing on Johnny Football and Mad Dog’s “Bad Job/Not a Bad Job.”
If you don’t see our Sound Cloud Podcast, and are looking on a Droid, click this.
Now to Mr. Blaber’s Blabberings:
“I think they have an amazing team already. Last season they were obviously one of the best teams and I think it was just a great fit for my style and for me to play there.” – Rick Nash on being traded to the NY Rangers in July of 2012.
EL BARIO, BRONX – This has been arguably one of the longest weeks of my life. Your humble Sports Deacon Blaber is tired but my Bully Pulpit calls me to duty, especially after listening to Wally, Dog and Bobby V in the newest and most excellent MTM Radio piece. So, with sleeves rolled up and sweat on brow, I’ll break down the New York Rangers’ poor playoff performance – spurred by a useless/expensive line of Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards. Also, we’ll fight through the enough-already-nausea that comes with the over-kill selling of the NFL draft. and miss the old days when you just read about it in the paper.
NY Rangers: Bucky Dent became known to legion of Red Sox fans as Bucky “Fracking” Dent. Now Rick Nash is about to go down that road – but Dent played for the Yankees, so his hatred on the part of Sawx fans was just. Nash will be getting “friendly fire” from his own fans, who are being killed by one of their own. When you think about the amount of money and talent sold to get this guy, you can’t help feeling angry. 1 goal in 22 playoff games going back to last season when he was acquired. In a crucial game four he turns the puck over on power play, leading to a Penguins goal. At least someone is scoring on a Rangers power play! Thankfully, Chris Kreider and Ryan McDonagh ended the 0-35 PP drought in last night’s impressive win at the Igloo. Back to Nash… Brad Richards tried to defend how hard Nash is working to contribute. Hey Brad, how about you go suck an egg because you have been as useless as breasts on bull (that assist last night means nothing) and your buddy Martin St. Louis completes the unholy trinity of futility. Didn’t the Blueshirts trade away Captain America Ryan Callahan for Looey to light up the net? Sorry about the death of Marty’s mom, but it doesn’t change the fact that this line couldn’t find a goal in broad daylight with flashlights! To make it worse, defenseman Ryan McDonaugh has been out of sorts… trying to play hurt is all well and good but he has looked like an injured liability. Hopefully, last night’s performance means he’s over the hump.
All of this aside, what really frustrates me is that coach Alain Vigenault is talking like he is miffed, too. Viggy, it is simple: put Mats Zuccarello, who is on the team’s best line, on the first line. Swap the gnomes and try and kick-start something. It is not rocket science.
New York Bust: The pain of watching Nash, Richards and St. Louis reminded me of the greatest pains us New Yorkers and big city fans suffer: the pain of watching a guy tear it up for some no-name, small-pond team but then getting big money to become useless in NY. For Mets fans, we have Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay, Mike Cameron and whole lot more. Yankee fans have Jeff Weaver, Randy Johnson, Kevin Smith… and the list goes on. In football, the Jets have players on both sides of the ball – like a Tony Casillas – and most of the squad from the early 90s and post-Tuna era. The amount of players that have gone through the Garden during the Knicks lost decade and Rangers “Edmonton East” era is too numerous to count. The thing these guys don’t realize is that it is not a 162/82/16 game season, every game is a season on to itself and yesterday’s hero is today’s goat. Can you bounce back? If not back your bags!! Also we love winners here in NY. That hardworking staying after practice schtick is only useful, if you are winner. If you are working hard and sucking then you don’t have the talent!!
NFL Draft: Anyone remember the days when you picked up the paper and in it was the NFL Draft. No fanfare or all this 3 day nonsense. I mean I enjoy football but not enough to spend time drinking just to find out who my team picked. As a Jets fan, I can assure you that he will likely turn out not as good as advertised. Seriously wake me up in September when the games count! In the meantime, I will just read the transactions section of the paper.
That is it for now, feel free to comment below and come back tomorrow for the one and only Cheesy Bruin.
P.s… If you want to read more of my ramblings as a Rugby Guy, you can find them on RugbyWrapUp.com and our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter @RugbyWrapUp and @JunoirBlaber, respectively.
