Thursday Water Cooler – April 29th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
One of the biggest playoff upsets in recent memory is probably fresh on most of our minds but it deserves one more mention in today’s news.
NHL news: No. 8 Canadiens eliminate No. 1 Capitals
There are simply no words to describe the upset. It would be the equivalent of the Bulls beating the Cavs in round one. Don’t believe the comparison?
Consider that the Washington Capitals (a) Have hockey’s answer to LeBron in Alexander Ovechkin and (b) finished a whopping 18 points ahead of the second place team in the East and 33 friggin’ points ahead of eighth-seeded Montreal.
Yet that didn’t stop the Habs from doing the unthinkable. They defeated the Caps 2-1 last night, rallying from a 3-1 series deficit and winning two of the last three games on the road. Overall, Montreal won three times in Washington; the Caps lost six home games in the entire season! With the Caps’ crazy offensive talent and gritty forward corps, there’s just no excuse for the loss.
Simeon Varlamov wasn’t stellar in goal but he certainly didn’t lose the series for his team.
NFL news: Jaguars courting Darren Sharper
It was a year to remember for safety Darren Sharper, who came close to winning Defensive Player of the Year and won a Super Bowl with New Orleans. Now, his pockets are about to get deeper.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are desperate for a playmaking defensive back who can jump routes and Sharper fits the bill. The Dallas Cowboys are also interested.
But from Sharper’s perspective, the Saints may still be the best destination. Under Gregg Williams’ scheme, he has lots of freedom, roaming the secondary almost as a “free agent” – and that’s what allows him to cause so many turnovers.
MLB news: Hoffman finished?
Better cherish the sound of “Hells Bells” every time you hear it blaring from the PA in Milwaukee; we may not get to do so many more times. Major League Baseball all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman appears to finally have lost it at age 42.
It’s not like his low-80s fastball fooled any hitters over the last decade or so but, if his Hall-of-Fame changeup eludes him, as it’s doing right now, it could be the end of the line for greatest relief pitching career of all time.
Hoffman has allowed 13 earned runs and six homers in nine innings this season, blowing four of seven save tries. To put that in perspective, he allowed 11 runs and two homers in all of 2009 (54 innings), blowing four of 41 save tries. It sure looks like Hoffman is done.
NBA news: Nuggets stay alive but lose Nene
The Jazz had Denver on the ropes despite losing starting center Mehmet Okur to a ruptured Achilles. Last night, Denver returned the favor by losing its starting center.
The Nuggets did stay alive 3-2 in the Western Conference quarter-final but Nene suffered what could be a serious knee injury last night. He’ll undergo an MRI today, which will likely reveal a torn ACL.
At best, he’ll still likely miss the rest of the first round.
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