Monday links: Not really believing its May edition

http://www.freep.com/ARTICLE/20100503/COL08/5030416

Blame the referees for this Red Wings loss
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — This wasn’t merely theft. This was grand larceny.

If it’s possible for the home team to steal a victory, San Jose did exactly that. And when they dust the Game 2 crime scene for fingerprints, they will discover some belonging to the guys in the striped shirts.

The Red Wings could be forgiven if their normally unflappable calm surrendered to the anger of having a crucial game snatched away by an unbalanced whistle in the final period.

You can’t have a third period in this series without the Sharks having a 5-on-3 advantage!

Complaining about officiating is usually the coward’s way of rationalizing defeat while side-stepping self-accountability.

San Jose has been the better team through two games. The Sharks are quicker in transition. They clearly have the most effective player in Joe Pavelski. And they have killed the Wings in the face-off circle. But you cannot ignore one telling statistic from the Sharks’ 4-3 comeback victory Sunday night: San Jose basically had nine power plays, the Wings only three.

Some players privately expressed their disdain over the officiating, but the public response stayed on the high road.

“You can’t let it get to you,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “But it’s definitely tougher to win games when you’re in the box that much.”

Coach Mike Babcock wisely didn’t take the bait when reporters asked for his commentary on the unevenness of the calls. He would have been justified, but when you have enjoyed the success that the Wings have over the years, it’s better focusing on what you could have done better — like winning more face-offs.

Nobody wants to hear the rich kids complaining about the unfairness of life.

“I know that they’re frustrated,” Babcock said, “but they’ve got to stay out of the box.”

The Sharks had the man advantage for a 4 1/2 -minute stretch in the third period thanks to three successive calls against the Wings.

Babcock could only laugh on the bench after Niklas Kronwall’s suspect hooking call against Pavelski gave San Jose another 5-on-3 at a crucial juncture, same as the start of the third period in Game 1. But that was nothing compared to the love tap Todd Bertuzzi gave Marc-Edouard Vlasic from behind in back of the San Jose net. Vlasic performed a dive worthy of a Sonny Liston bout, but it was Bertuzzi who sat for two minutes.

"It’s hard to win when you’ve got a steady parade of guys going to the box," said Babcock.

 

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The series isn’t over. The Wings haven’t played poorly, short of the first 10 minutes of Game 1 when they searched for their lost legs. But they find themselves in a perilous predicament. They must win both games in Detroit or risk the Sharks seizing a lead that perhaps even they couldn’t choke away.

"We can’t focus on anything but the next game," said Nicklas Lidstrom. "Game 3 is all that matters now. We just have to shake this off and move forward and hopefully things might shift in our direction."

If there’s a decibel level beyond ear-piercing loud, The Tank reached that stratosphere in Game 2. The crowd understood the significance of this game. Even though their home favorites possessed an early 1-0 lead, there’s that ever-present cloud of impending doom over this city in regards to its hockey team.

That cloud grew more dense seven minutes into the first period when San Jose’s Joe Thornton gave the puck away in the Sharks’ attacking zone.

Pavel Datsyuk grabbed it and raced down ice with two San Jose defenders wrapped around him. But he still created enough space, throwing a shot on net that Evgeni Nabokov inexcusably let get past him.

Groans were heard all through Silicon Valley after that one.

But then "The Big Pavelski," as they call him here, reminded everyone that he is right now the best player on the ice for either team.

He’s got four goals. He’s winning 80% of his face-offs. And he’s still not satisfied.

"It’s still a long, long way to go in this series," he said. "We fought back from behind and took advantage of our power play, but anyone who thinks that we’re in control of this series is crazy."

Fuming at the refs won’t cool off Pavelski and it won’t make them more effective on the dots, but the Wings are justified in lamenting that they deserved better than what they got.

That’s dumber that the 1,000,000 people praying for Obama to die

Loved the No Guts, No Glory video.
In the TSN Petro video he sure doesn’t look 19. A great Blues fit when able to grow a beard like that at that age.
Odds he plays most games in Peoria??

The Blues aren’t talking about their failed handling of Junland because none of the media has asked. I want to see this make it into the media, then see if what they say.

The article at PPP about blogs and media interaction was a great read. Lots of great responses too. Definitely worth the time. I finally by the end of the read figured out what MSM stood for. Call me ‘out of the loop’.

I may be tired of Facebook & Myspace, but Wingnation’s crying never gets old.

I prefer the original Shark sweaters and hate the orangy stripe on the new ones but not as much as I hate the evil red Detroit wears.

It’s so fun seeing the Wings have their picnic basket stolen.
Close it out Sharks!
Crying towels at the ready?

This is going to be great!

“Yes, baseball is a humbling game and teams must pass a test on a daily basis. That’s why baseball offers a truer sense of quality than the other team sports.”

bernie drooling over the slowest sport still alive in america (and second slowest only to cricket in all of the western hemisphere).

ya gotta love the post, dontcha?

because i watched this

bob gassoff talks about a disabled veteran charity organization

nubtube thinks i should watch

THIS

i mean seriously WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) Louis CK is FUCKING AWESOME, my favorite comedian, and the bag of dicks gets me every time too, especially when he describes it as a ziplock bag of congealed chicken parts because thats how I pictured it.

2) Someone invited me to “Throwin Up the Wing” and I bitched them out hardcore. I mean I tore them a fucking new one. And if I see ANYONE doing that I WILL punch them in the face NO MATTER WHAT.

I’m gonna feel real sorry when someone with tourette’s has THAT particular tic (throwin up the wing), because they will get repeatedly punched in the face. Not even tourette’s will be an excuse…

…. only an excuse to get FUCKING BEAT DOWN!!!! HAHAHA!!!!!

3) I am surprised I haven’t been invited to a “lynch Howard” group on FB, because they ALWAYS blame the goalie (trust me).

4) FUCK DETROIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s dangerously close to some gang signs… of course, it’s from Detroit, so I’m not hugely shocked or anything.

In highschool we had this game where you would make that sign and put it on any part of your body below the waist. If you got someone to look at your hole they got punched. Apparently Detroit is doing it backwards.

BUT POWERTHIRST WILL GIVE YOU BIRDS!"

Powerthirst. The gift that keeps on giving.

my toilet didn’t work.

Eat less fiber.