Oh Yeah, That Stanley Cup

Call it the Stanley Cup Final that Toronto forgot. Ottawa versus Anaheim will do that.

I'm a little late here, so you know how the story ended, and nobody should be surprised, except for Ottawa fans who were probably already planning ahead to next year when they would finally have a definitive piece of evidence to prove their superiority over the Maple Leafs - it's hard to argue with a Stanley Cup.

I think we should all agree that the better team won here. Anaheim deserved it, and now we really do know that Brian Burke is a hockey God.

Also, don't rag on Ray Emery too much, if anything he proved that he is capable of taking a team to the Stanley Cup finals. Ottawa needs to resign him.

And finally, I have a feeling that Ottawa won't be in the finals again any time soon. They had their shot, the last decade was practically building up to it in fact, and then they blew it and is this team good enough to repeat? And will the upper management be able to resist blowing up this team?

Free agency is less than a month away,

Jason

Endnote - I can't seem to reliably spell Anaheim. Thank goodness for the Google spellchecker

These Sens Are Scary

It was the crazy Leafs fan in me that made me choose Buffalo over Ottawa, not the rational level headed hockey connoisseur I normally am, I swear. Ottawa is obviously the best team left in the playoffs. Obviously. They didn't so much as blink while dusting off New Jersey and Pittsburgh, and it's not like those teams are bunch of stiffs either.

Ottawa is the complete deal right now, and I just hope you, as the reader, can understand how hard it is for me to type those words. In picking Buffalo, it was more because I wanted them to win, than because they deserved to win.

Ottawa has done something special this year. I don't know what it is exactly, but I've always gotten the sense that past Ottawa teams tried to hard. They compiled great regular season numbers, and then when they got to the playoffs, folded quietly. This year, they're regular season was anything but smooth, and I don't know, I guess it made them more... human? That sounds stupid, but what I mean is it's a lot easier to sympathise with them this year than in any other year previous.

Buffalo won last night, which isn't that surprising, I mean, they didn't get to where they are without being a decent team, but Ottawa will take control, like they did in their two previous rounds, and clamp down on the Slugs.

This really hurts to say, but I think Ottawa will win the cup. Even worse, I think I want them to.

Jason

Third Time Lucky

I might as well make my predictions known before its too late, and before I look like to much of a moron for choosing Buffalo. So I have Buffalo over Ottawa, in seven games now I guess, and Anaheim over Detroit, for the record.

Keep your sticks on the ice,

Jason

Round Two, Coming At You

Ok, second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Let's make this brief: I went an ok 6 for 8 in the first, due to an overabundance of optimism for Pittsburgh and Nashville, but those are understandable mistakes. I mean, it's not like I made any stupid picks like the Islanders over Buffalo or something.

Moving on, I'mma take Buffalo over the Rangers (they'll get their act together), Ottawa over New Jersey (begrudgingly), San Jose over Detroit (they manhandled Nashville, and Detroit had some problems with l'il ol' Calgary) and Anaheim over Vancouver (because, duh?) for round two.

Gotta run,

Jason

The Playoffs, Sans Maple Leafs, Again

Don't blame New Jersey for not starting Martin Brodeur, blame Toronto for not beating the New York Islanders when they had the chance last week. Thanks to that 5-2 loss, the Leafs' heroic performance on Saturday was meaningless. The better of the two teams made it, frankly. That's all I have to say on that.

With that, let's make some predictions on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

East

Buffalo (1) vs New York Islanders (8)

Here's what all the fuss was about, a chance to lose to the league's best from Buffalo. The Islanders, who have done amazingly just to make the playoffs, will be wiped away by Buffalo with no problems. Buffalo just keeps getting healthier, and the Islanders will be relying on someone named Dubielewicz in net. The faster New York is gone, the happier I'll be. Buffalo in five.

New Jersey (2) vs Tampa Bay (7)

Sweet Lou surprised everybody by firing his coach with just days remaining in the regular season. The last time he did that, it resulted in a Cup victory. New Jersey is still missing some top players I believe, Martin Brodeur is really the only guy they need. Tampa Bay has this year's Rocket Richard Trophy winner in Vincent Lecavalier - the top goal scorer vs the top goalie. Goaltending wins out, and New Jersey wins in six.

Atlanta (3) vs New York Rangers (6)

This is a tough series to call. Atlanta is playing in its first ever playoffs, which has to count for something. Both teams played well down the stretch, Atlanta after acquiring Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik; New York after picking up Sean Avery of all people. I'm going to give the edge to the Rangers who will win it in seven.

Ottawa (4) vs Pittsburgh (5)

This will easily be the most interesting series to watch. Sidney Crosby and the rest of the NHL's future square off against the NHL's most notorious chokers. I have a hunch that the the Pens will dominate the Sens, and that while it will be great to watch, the result won't be so great for Ottawa. Pittsburgh in six.

West

Detroit (1) vs Calgary (8)

Another year of playoffs, another year of Detroit in the number one seed, and another year taking on a team from Alberta, except this time, if they lose, it won't be quite as surprising. That's not to say that they will, because Calgary has been anything but impressive over the final stretch, but they will definitely put up a fight. I can't see Detroit allowing itself to be bounced in the first round again, so I'm saying Detroit in six.

Anaheim (2) vs Minnesota (7)

Anaheim is no one's underdog's this year, after putting up a consistently impressive season. Teemu Selanne keeps improving, the rookie's are scoring, the defense is solid and the goal-tender already has a Conn Smythe to his name. Minnesota, from here on out, the "darkhorse team", won't go quietly, having put up a very impressive final few months largely on the backs of the wonderful play of Marian Gaborik and rookie journeyman goaltender Niklas Backstrom. However, I'm always skeptical of flash-in-the-pan goalies like that, so I'll give it to Anaheim in five.

Vancouver (3) vs Dallas (6)

I don't see any reason to be excited about this Dallas team who is stocked with a great goalie with a bad playoff reputation. Of course, Vancouver's goalie has no playoff reputation at all, but Roberto Luongo is more or less why Vancouver is here in the first place, making this probably the easiest Western match up to call. Vancouver in six.

Nashville (4) vs San Jose (5)

This is an exact rematch of last year's 4th vs 5th seeds, in which San Jose manhandled a goalie-less Nashville team in just five games. It won't be so simple this time around, Nashville is much, much better now, and San Jose is still good without being great. It's time for Peter Forsberg to prove his worth and propel Nashville past the Sharks in seven games.

And that's that. I'll also go out on a limb and put Nashville and Buffalo in the finals, with the decision going to...... Nashville.

While we're with predictions, some matters of ego to attend to. Looking back to October, I called five of the eight teams in the East (somehow missing the upcoming horror show in Philadelphia, and mediocrity in Carolina and not surprisingly missing the miracle on ice on Long Island). In the West I (ready for it?) I went eight for eight, which isn't really that special considering the drop off in talent after ninth place.

That's all for now,

Jason

Sidenote - One year anniversary as of yesterday. Celebrate.

A Triumphant Return

Now, we were going to apologize to our faithful readers for the severe lack of recent updates, but then we realised that that would first require actually having, you know, faithful readers.

So with that out of the way, we can get to the plethora (that's a nice word, plethora) of sports stories that have had the audacity to occur during our impromptu sabbatical.

Firstly, the Stanley Cup. As we predicted, Carolina took it, waiting until game seven to do it against a plucky Edmonton team. Despite our Canadian citizenship, we here at 63 Years couldn't help but cheer for the Canes. They were the better team, let's face it, and they were stacked with a bunch of vets who were quickly running out of time on their Stanley Cup clocks. Guys like Rod Brind'Amour, (former Maple Leaf) Glen Wesley, Aaron Ward, and Doug Weight.

So good job Carolina. Keep on proving all those haters wrong. Keep on showing them that hockey can be played in cities where snow is as rare as the sun is hot.

And it was a hell of a game seven too. The score may have only been 3-1, but it was chock full of end to end rushes and chances galore. And how perfect was it that Edmonton scored at the beginning of the third? It injected a much needed dose of kick ass into the final period, and sent a nervous buzz through the whole thing.

So Carolina, a team no one picked to win it all at the outset of this season, went on to win the cup. I don't think we need to tell you how uplifting this is for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Secondly, Miami won the NBA title. Whoop-de-doo? We choose Dallas to win, and we have to admit, we watched all of twenty seconds of the entire championship series. So we'll just say that, as Raptors fans, we will always have a special corner of Hell for Alonso Mourning, and that we really, really don't like Shaq. That is all.

Nextly, the Jays are on the interleague swing from hell. With their recent sweep at the hands of the Marlins (the Marlins!) that puts them winless in six tries in NL ball parks.

Well, actually, they beat the Braves yesterday, and barring some mishap by B.J Ryan (Mishap? B.J Ryan? Hah) will beat them tonight as well. So things aren't so bad. And A.J Burnett (remember him?) is back tomorrow, giving the Jays something that resembles a pitching rotation. That's a welcome change from the combination of rookies and closers that have made up Toronto's five starters over the past month.

The Jays are ready to make some noise.

Briefly, we would like to mention the Chicago White Sox's manager Ozzie Guillen. Now, we used to think Ozzie was cool. Please note the use of the past tense.

Baseball has its traditions, or so we're told. One of them appears to be retribution. Ozzie sent some poor kid out onto the mound with explicit instructions bean the batter in the head. Instead, the rookie struck him out. That...bastard? Well, Ozzie chewed the guy out for doing his job, and handed him a one way ticket to triple-A.

Afterwards, they made something else up as justification; obviously, you can't tell the media that you sent him down because he refused to try to kill another man, but it was obvious what had really transpired.

But Ozzie couldn't let the issue just die like that. During a press conference, he insulted one member of the press who had been particularly harsh on him, calling the guy an, ahem, "fag".

We could have sworn that Ozzie was once cool, but that memory is quickly fading.

Lastly, we have the World Cup. We here at the 63 Years' offices (saying "offices" beats calling it our living room) have been glued to the TV, and have logged a seriously unhealthy amount of time in front of it's comforting green glow.

The group stage is almost complete, and things are more or less going as we predicted. There have been some hiccups, Ecuador got in over Poland, Trinidad achieved everything without scoring a goal, Ghana is now the real deal, but otherwise, it's been smooth sailing.

It's also been great soccer. We have officially fallen in love with Argentina. They play soccer the right way. The ball is always moving, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, shoot, score. Lionel Messi, Tevez, and Riquelme make them our picks for the World Cup.

That's all for now,

Jason

63 Hours Worth of News

The Jays are going along at a nice clip, even without the services of Gustavo Chacin and A.J. Burnett. They won again this afternoon, taking a 3-2 decision through 11 against the White Sox, giving them the series win to boot.

They go for the sweep tomorrow, but don't hold your breath. If our memory serves correct, thw Jays have yet to sweep a series so far this season.

In other news, the Toronto Argos are mere days away from officially signing NFL running back Rickey Williams for the season. I'd be a little worried if I were the Miami Dolphins though; after a year of Canada's laid back marijuana laws, will Rickey even want to come back?

In other, other news, Barry Bonds is still trying to take second place on the all-time homer list for himself. We are starting to wonder if Mr. Bonds will even last the season the way he's playing these days.

In other, other, other nonsporting news, the city of Toronto is set to make a bid for the 2015 World Expo. You'll excuse us if we don't seem overjoyed. It's like, talk about setting your sights low.

So you you were turned down the IOC, that doesn't mean you have to go scrounging around the bottom of the barrel to find a replacement. The World's Fair is like the Olympic's shorter, uglier, older sister.

The good folks behind this money pit insist this move will raise Toronto's international profile. Snicker. Seriously, can you name the city that hosted the last World's Fair? Yeah, me neither. For all I know, the World's Fair could be going on right now.

The only other city in the running is some Turkish 'burb, which, and we don't mean to sound cocky here, practically guarantees Toronto that Expo.

This is such a bad idea on so many levels.

In even further news, some horse broke its leg. And yet life goes on, the sun still rises in the morning and it still sets in the evening. Please, it's just a horse. Get over it.

And finally, Edmonton is sooooo close to making it to the Stanley Cup finals. If any Canadian team is going to win the cup (not named Toronto, that is) we're glad it's going to be Edmonton.

We here couldn't cheer for Ottawa of course, and Vancouver and Calgary are simply out of the question. We could stomach Montreal winning actually, they have enough that one more won't make a difference. But Edmonton, this is the team that could, the team the wouldn't give up.

We started the playoffs with a serious case of Oiler doubt, predicting a swift defeat at the hands of first Detroit, and then San Jose. That never happened of course, and now we find ourselves fully converted to the Oiler experience. Go Oils!

That's all for now,

Jason

Updating for the Sake of Updating

Much has happened in the last four days of sports, since anyone (me) here bothered to update. So if this is your sole source of sporting goodness, we apologise for any inconveniance, and suggest that you try getting a life, loser.

Firstly, there hasn't been much Toronto based news lately. The Jays are the only show in town, and they're going along nicely. Win a couple here, win a couple there, always a game or two behind New York and Boston.

Super ace Roy Halladay is at 5-1, and in our humble opine, the early forerunner for the Cy Young. He pitches tonight actually, but the game is in Anahiem, or LA, or wherever the Angels play their ball games nowadays, and we have beauty sleep to attend to.

Secondly, Barry Bonds is still one short of Babe Ruth, which, as far as we're concerned is where he can stay.

Thirdly, 63 Years went o-4 in our NHL playoff predictions. That is embaressing, no two ways about it.

We have decided to jump on the Edmonton bandwagon though, and are optimistic about putting them in the finals against Carolina. We've been betting against Buffalo all the way so far, and we don't see any reason to stop now.

Fourthly, the Detroit Pistons are on the verge of joining the Red Wings on the Motor City's many fine golf courses, having dropped game five to Lebron James and four other guys. Seeing as how we picked Detroit to win it all, here's hoping they can pull something off.

Though, if you've been paying attention, you'll realise that our powers of prediction are somewhat wanting.

Fifthly, and finally, Barcelona are champ-ionies of Europe taking down a 10-man Arsenal side 2-1. No surprises there, Barcelona is easily one of the best, if not the best club in Europe.

I was disapointed to see the final ten minutes disolve into a teamwide game of keep away by Barcelona. Arsenal barely touched the ball after Barca scored in the 80th minute. They couldn't muster anything, which turned the game into the worse kind of soccer imaginable.

We are the knights who say Nou,

Jason

No, I mean Toronto's Other Football Team

Toronto has added one more professional team to its ranks, with the unveiling of its new MLS franchise. And while we could joke that the MLS hardly qualifies as a professional league, we don't think that would be appropriate.

Sure, the MLS is about as popular as professional hot dog eating, and only slightly less nauseating to watch, and sure, North America and futbol go together like peanut butter and pickles, but forget all that. This is a happy day for soccer in Canada. Because of this new soccer team, Toronto will now have an honest to goodness soccer stadium to call its own.

The team has been named Toronto FC, which is a good solid name. Nothing fruity or weird about that. None of this ripping off real teams (Real Salt Lake? Houston Dynamo? Who are they trying to fool here?), and way better than the proposed Internazionale Toronto.

Not to mention their spiffy logo. I mean seriously, that's a quality logo.

But there are dark clouds over this team. They are owned by a monster known as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the beast responsible for 51 one years worth of futility. As owners of the Maple Leafs and Raptors, things do not bode well for MLS's Canadian pioneer.

But they don't start playing until 2007. Time enough to prove me wrong.

And speaking of Toronto and football, the Toronto Argonauts, our representative in the CFL, have earned themselves their first mention on 63 Years and Counting with the chuckle worthy move of placing running back/junkie Ricky Williams on their negotiation list.

For those not in the know, Ricky Williams was suspended for the season by the NFL for toking up once too many times.

The Argos, savvy customers that they are, imediately put him on their list, giving them exclusive rights to talk with him.

And the funny thing is that Ricky might actually be open to it. The Miami Dolphins surely want him to be doing something during his hiatus (get it? Hiatus, high? Yeah... that wasn't very good), and the CFL certainly constitutes something.

And while you could probably say something about the CFL accepting the NFL's dregs, and what kind of message does this send to the youth of today, it's more likely you'd end up with a smack. Of course the CFL will take the NFL's leftovers; that's the way it works. The CFL is like a second chance for the castoffs, the has beens, the wannabees, and the rejects that the NFL has deemed unworthy. That's just the way things are.

And about the drug use thing, well... did we mention he's a former Heisman Trophy winner?

And in other news, the Jays smacked the A's around today 8-3. Ted Lilly got the win, and he's going to have to keep being solid if this team hopes to go anywhere. A.J Burnett is still out, Gustavo Chacin is the newest question mark with a strained something or other, and Josh Towers, now at an unsightly 0-7, is quite quickly pitching his way out of the starting rotation.

In other, other news, we have to admit that following our advice in the NHL playoffs is hardly the best idea. We picked New Jersey over Carolina and they're now down 3-0; we picked Ottawa over Buffalo and they're now down 3-1; we picked Colorado over Anahiem and they're down 3-0 and in the process of losing game four as we type.

Hindsight is 20/20,

Jason

On Second Thought...

So it appears that 63 Years and Counting's much vaunted powers of prediction have been, ahem, greatly exaggerated.

Three games into the NHL's second round, and all three of the teams we picked to advance, Ottawa, New Jersey, and Colorado, are all staring down at 1-0 series deficits. In the case of New Jersey and Colorado, they not only lost, they lost by a coimbined score of 11-0.

So, if you placed some large sum of money based on our predictions, now would be a good time to bail out. We won't hold it against you.

In our defense though, we should note that we did predict that the Phoenix Suns would successfully complete the comeback against the LA Lakers, which they followed through on today, winning 121-90. Just to prove it,

In other, other, other news, the Phoenix Suns, home of Super Canuck Steve Nash, have forced a game seven against Kobe Bryant, er... the LA Lakers. Unless Kobe can put up another 80 point game, this one is going the Suns way.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Yeah, we feel special.

In other news, after ka-pounding the Angels 13-3 on Friday, the Jays turned around and lost 3-0. How that is even possible... The winning pitcher was none other than former Jay, Kelvim Escobar. It's a four game series though, so there's still time to make up for that. If memory serves correct, Roy Halladay takes the mound tomorrow.

Later,

Jason

We Promise We''ll Do Better This Time

It's time for our second round predictions for the NHL playoffs. We didn't do as well as we thought we did in the first round, going 4 for 8. But this time, we promise that all of our picks will be guaranteed 100%, no ifs ands or buts. Unless they turn out all wrong, in which case, you never met us, got it?

Eastern Conference

Ottawa (1) vs Buffalo (4)
This should be great match up. Both teams are young and fast, and both have unproven goalies backing them up. But once gaain, betting against the Senators is a fools game. As much as we'd like to see Ottawa go down flaming 4-0 to Buffalo, we don't see that happening. Ottawa wins in six.

Carolina (2) vs New Jersey (3)
Carolina showed that they were prone to mistakes against Montreal, while New Jersey showed that they were prone to wiping the floor with their opponent in sweeping New York. Martin Brodeur is head and shoulders above youngster Cam Ward in net, and Patrick Elias is carrying his team's offensive load. Carolina will definitely make it close, but this one can only go one way. New Jersey in six.

Western Conference

San Jose (5) vs Edmonton (8)
We bet against Edmonton in the first round, and got burned. However, that's not going to stop us from picking San Jose over the Oilers in this round. The Sharks can rely on so many players to step up, and Edmonton has to bank on Dwayne Roloson continuing his lights out perfomance. Sharks in five.

Anaheim (6) vs Colorado (7)
It's hard to chose which was the bigger upset, Colorado over Dallas, or Anaheim over Calgary. Either way, these to teams are here now, and the onus is on them to prove that their berths in the second round weren't flukes. Our gut is telling us to go with Colorado, which took care of the Stars so easily that one can't help but think that momentum is going to carry over. Colorado in six.

In other news, Team Canada played its first game in the IIHF World Hockey Championships (aka The Loser's Tournament) against Denmark 5-3. It was hardly an impressive win, Canada blew a three goal lead in the second, but still came out on top. To give you idea of the depth of Team Canada, they've fielded a team consisting of guys like Mike Comrie, Dan Hamhuis, and rookies Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, and they're still favourites to win it all. Canada's top line consists of Sidney Crosby sandwiched between Brad Boyes and Patrice Bergeron. They're back stopped by Columbus' Marc Denis (what, no Luongo?).

Hardly the finest batch of boys to wear the red and white, sure, but they're still more than enough to take down the best Europe has to offer. And besides, it's not like anybody in Canada is actually paying attention to it. In terms of hockey importance, the World Championships are a slight head above the Spengler Cup.

In other, other news, Josh Towers was his usual self last night, allowing the Red Sox to milk him for seven runs through five innings. With A.J Burnett done for at least another month, the Jays desperately need Towers to start winning ball games.

In other, other, other news, the Phoenix Suns, home of Super Canuck Steve Nash, have forced a game seven against Kobe Bryant, er... the LA Lakers. Unless Kobe can put up another 80 point game, this one is going the Suns way.

Later,

Jason

Correction: In The Article Dated April 19th...

After one round of play, 63 Years and Counting has returned to walk you through the first round. Our predictions did not go so hot, we will admit, but then again, did anyone predict both Detroit and Dallas would be eliminated? No you didn't, liar. Our first round record was 4 for 8, which, while not terrible, hardly speaks to our knowledge of hockey.

Without further ado, a first round recap of where we went wrong (and right).

Ottawa (1) vs Tampa Bay (8)
What we said: Ottawa 4, Tampa 2
What happened: Ottawa 4, Tampa 1

So it looks like we gave Tampa Bay a bit too much credit on this one. But betting against Ottawa is a fools game. This one was a no-brainer.

Carolina (2) vs Montreal (7)
What we said: Montreal 4, Carolina 3
What happened: Carolina 4, Montreal 2

We went with our hearts on this one, and got burned. Though for the first two games, in which Montreal jumped out to a two game lead, we looked like geniuses. But the loss of captain Saku Koivu and the insertion of Can Ward into the Carolina net were too much for Les Habitants to handle. We still maintain though, that had Koivu stayed in the series, it would be Montreal advancing, and not the Hurricanes.

New Jersey (3) vs New York (6)
What we said: New Jersey 4, New York 1
What happened: New Jersey 4, New York 0

We saw this smackering coming from a mile away. New Jersey was just too hot, and New York relied on Jaromir Jagr just a bit too much for it to end any other way. We did think though, that Jagr would be good for at least one Ranger win. Whoops.

Buffalo (4) vs Philadelphia (5)
What we said: Philadelphia 4, Buffalo 3
What happened: Buffalo 4, Philadelphia 2

In retrospect, this series was painfully obvious right from the start. But we, wrongly, believed that the Flyers combo of strength and Peter Forsberg would shut down the Sabre's speed. Scores of 8-2 and 7-1 in Buffalo's favour would seem to cast some doubt on this though. If we could go back and redo this, we would take Buffalo in a heartbeat.

Detroit (1) vs Edmonton (8)
What we said: Detroit 4, Edmonton 1
What happened: Edmonton 4, Detroit 2

This one was ugly. The Oilers have gone and knocked off our picks for the Stanley Cup Champ, in the first round no less. We didn't see this one coming. Perhaps the criticism that has dogged the Red Wings all season, that their record was inflated by playing 24 games against punching bag teams like Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis, holds some merit after all. Either way, this a big upset, and questions will probably be asked in Detroit.

Dallas (2) vs Colorado (7)
What we said: Dallas 4, Colorado 2
What happened: Colorado 4, Dallas 1

I don't think many people in the hockey world predicted Dallas just rolling over to the Avs when this series began. Who could have foreseen the meltdown of Marty Turco? Who could have foreseen the dominance of the Avs? Who could have foreseen the return to form of Jose Theodore? Not us, that's for sure.

Calgary (3) vs Anaheim (6)
What we said: Anaheim 4, Calgary 2
What happened: Anaheim 4, Calgary 3

This is the prediction we're most proud of, because a) not too many had this happening, and b) we really don't like Calgary. The final score of the final game was Anaheim 3, Calgary 0, a fitting end for a team that struggled to score goals all season.

Nashville (4) vs San Jose (5)
What we said: San Jose 4, Nashville 2
What happened: San Jose 4, Nashville 1

This was another no-brainer. San Jose was way too hot, and Nashville was relying on some no name goalie, which meant an easy win for the Sharks. It's interesting to note that the Sharks won despite getting little production from their Richard-Hart combo of Cheechoo and Thornton. If they can manhandle Nashville with those guys just coasting along, imagine what they'll do once they get going.

It's intesting to note that in the East, all the topseeded teams advanced (Ottawa, Carolina, New Jersey, Buffalo) while in the West, all the top seeded teams flamed out (Detroit, Dallas, Calgary, Nashville). Coincidence? We'll leave that to you to decide. But it makes us feel confident that this year's Cup will go to the east side, in the form of either New Jersey or Ottawa (we're not sure which yet).

In other news, the Jays won a tight one in Fenway last night, taking a 7-6 win over Boston, curtesy of a late Russ Adams double off (formerly) lights out closer Jonathon Papelbon. That would be the first run Papelbon has given up all season, and it came at the worst possible time.

Speaking of sparkling closers, how good is is the decision to bring in B.J Ryan looking now? He has six saves, none blown and no runs against through one month of play. Granted, the Jays haven't needed his services as much as maybe they thought they would, but that's probably a good thing.

Later,

Jason

Barry Bonds vs Major League Baseball

Well, MLB has given Barry Bonds a not-so-sutble "Fuck you" in the form of not recognizing his inevitable passing of Babe Ruth as note worthy.

And while their point is valid, passing the Bambino doesn't actually break any records, you have to think that if this was anybody but Bonds, MLB would at least deign to have some sort of celebration, no matter how small.

Especially since Bonds hunt for Hank Aaron's record, in my opinion at least, is hopeless. That anybody still talks of Bonds' passing Aaron in terms of "when" and not "if" is incredibly strange. Bonds sits at 712 which means he needs 43 more to tie the record. Math was never my strong suit, but the only way Bonds can catch that number (outside of juicing up, again) is if he stays around for another three seasons.

The amount of abuse Bonds has to put up with is ridiculous, and if you think he can stick around for another three seasons of that kind of garbage, born out of the US's collective hate of the man, you are either highly delusional, a resident of San Fransisco or both.

He will finish this season (barring injury, and with Bonds, that can never be counted on) with a respectable 20-25 home runs. But the chances of him coming back for yet another go round, and once again opening himself up to attacks by the media et al are, in 63 Years' opinion, slim to none.

Bonds may be a jackass extrodinaire, but he's also human. Even he has to realise that breaking some silly record (yeah, you heard me) isn't worth the stuff he has to go through.

In other news, it would appear that 63 Years and Counting's 100% guaranteed NHL playoff predictions have more or less fizzled. We only hope you didn't put to much money on our advice. We will await the result of tonight's Calgary-Anahiem game before passing judgement on where we went wrong. Go Anahiem!

In other news, the Phoenix Suns, our picks to represent the Western Conference in the finals, are facing elimination at the hand of Kobe Bryant and four other guys. Here's hoping that Steve Nash, now back-to-back MVP, can pull off some serious playoff magic and put his team through.

Here's hoping.

Later,

Jason

The Playoffs, Sans Maple Leafs

The playoff seedings are set in stone now, after the regular season wrapped up yesterday. The Toronto Maple Leafs will not be participating this year, of course, but perhaps that is for the best. One could only imagine them being swept in the first round by a team like Ottawa.

Anyway, without further ado, 63 Years and Counting presents its NHL playoff preview

East

Ottawa (1) vs Tampa Bay (8)
This series finds the would be champs, Ottawa, taking on the defending champs, Tampa. How the mighty have fallen, on both accounts. This year's version of Tampa Bay pales in comparison to the one that went all the way the last time anybody competed for Lord Stanley's mug. Martin "Short Stuff" St. Louis is hardly MVP worthy this time around, and a Sean Burke/John Grahame combo in net most definitely does not equal one Nikolai "Follow the Money" Khabibulin. Ottawa, much like Toronto did, has realised that relying on an aging goaltender was perhaps not the best idea, and must turn to Ray Emery to take them to the big dance. The Sens are hardly the sparkling specimens of hockey prowess they were to start the season, but are still a head above the Lighting talent wise. However, as a life long Toronto fan, I am obligated to cheer against the Sens. But my dislike for the Rideau Riders doesn't make me stupid. Ottawa wins in six.

Carolina (2) vs Montreal (7)
What happened to Carolina? These guys were the poster boys of the new NHL, but now they're just another team in the pack. Was losing Eric Cole that big a blow? Was trading for Mark Recchi that bad an idea? And whatever happened to that Eric Staal guy? Montreal has the momentum in this one for sure. The rumblings out of Montreal seem to indicate that David "Swiss Cheese" Aebischer is favoured to get the nod as the starting goalie. Whether that is a plus or minus, I leave up to you to decide. Montreal wins in seven.

New Jersey (3) vs New York (6)
The Devils won their division in style, waiting till the very last day of the season to do it, and are rewarded with a round against the slumping Rangers. Dubbed the Battle of the Hudson by sports pundits far wiser than I, this should be a series where New Jersey can flex their playoff muscles. Martin Brodeur gives the Devils a huge advantage in any playoff series, especially against a New York team that lost its last five games leading up to the playoffs. Can Jaromir Jagr carry this team past the resurgent Devils? Personally, I hope so, but don't hold your breath. New Jersey wins in five.

Buffalo (4) vs Philadelphia (5)
I really like this match up. Either team could realistically end up on top. The Flyers aren't quite as good as past incarnations, but they are still the Flyers and demand some respect. If Peter Forsberg can stay healthy and play at 100%, I see this one going Phillies' direction. But really, it could go either way. Philadelphia in seven.

West

Detroit (1) vs Edmonton (8)
What happened to the Oilers? Bringing in Chris Pronger and Micheal Peca was supposed to stop Edmonton's bad habit of squeeking into the playoffs. Not so, I suppose. As such, the Oils are going to be in tough to beat my favourite to win the Cup, the Red Wings. The Wings are just too good to be taken down by an Edmonton team backed by by Dwayne Roloson. Detroit wins in five.

Dallas (2) vs Colorado (7)
The Dallas Stars, the NHL's most under appreciated team, shouldn't have too too much trouble dispatching Colorado. And while Jussi Jokinen's ridiculous shoot out record won't be any help in the post season, this is a very good Stars team, and nobody would be surprised to see Mike Modano hoisting the Stanley Cup in a few months time. Not that the Avs are a bad team per se, but Joe Sakic isn't quite what he used to be, and Jose Theodore has yet to prove himself as the second coming of Patrick Roy. Dallas wins in six.

Calgary (3) vs Anaheim (6)
I will be the first to admit, I do not get the whole Calgary experience. It appears that they have managed to convince most of the sporting world that they are the real deal, but there remains one man unconvinced of Calgary's domination. Me. This team relies so much so on its goalie Mikka Kiprusoff that they managed to score one of the league's lowest goal totals and still win their division. Which makes a red hot team like Anaheim the perfect candidate to dust off the sluggish Flames. Anaheim wins in six.

Nashville (4) vs San Jose (5)
I would have taken the red hot Sharks over Nashville whether the Preds had lost their star goalie Tomas Vokoun or not. Vokoun's injury just makes it that much clearer that San Jose will come out on top. Joe "Art Ross" Thornton and Jonathan "Rocket Richard" Cheechoo are just too dominating for it to end any other way. Not that Nashville won't make it close, but in the end, there's only one team that can advance from this pair. San Jose in six.

And there you have it, 63 Years and Counting's 100% guaranteed playoff predictions (We don't mean to brag, but it looks like someone agrees with us). Just don't come crying to us when they turn out all wrong, and an angry loan shark is practicing for his chiropractory degree on your kneecaps. You've been warned.

In other news, following a matinee loss to the Yankees today by Toronto, the series is split 1-1. 63 Years and Counting would like to note that for yesterday's 10-5 win over the Yanks, the Rogers Centre was almost filled to capacity. 63 Years does not however find it pertinent to mention that the tickets cost all of 2$ for yesterday's game.

In other, other news, Mats Sundin's 4 point effort against the soon to be Las Vegas Penguins gives him 78 points through 70 games, his best showing in three or four years. It's good to have you back Mats.

Later

Jason