Boston Bruins beat Vancouver Canucks in Game 7, win Stanley Cup

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

VANCOUVER — He unscrewed the cap, looked to his left and right and then poured. Desperate to change Boston’s luck in Vancouver where the Bruins were winless, injured Bruins forward Nathan Horton was caught by cameras sprinkling water on the Rogers Arena ice a couple hours before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

It was believed to be water from Boston.

wpid 36701 650 366 Boston Bruins beat Vancouver Canucks in Game 7, win Stanley CupBoston Bruins forward Brad Marchand scored his 10th goal of the postseason to give his team a 2-0 lead at 12:13 of the second period. (AP Photo)

But the Bruins didn’t need any miracle water. Not when they had their miraculous goaltender.

For the first time since Bobby Orr raised the Cup in 1972, the Stanley Cup is headed to Boston. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was perfect again in Boston’s 4-0 win in Game 7, stopping all 37 of Vancouver’s shots. Thomas’s name will not only be etched in the Stanley Cup, it’ll be in the record books.

The Bruins rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to stun the favored Canucks, to the disappointment of the estimated 100,000 fans who packed the streets of Vancouver ready to celebrate the Stanley Cups return to Canada.

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The wait continues.

The Montreal Canadiens remain the last Canadian franchise to win the Stanley Cup, a drought that stretches back to 1993.

As good as Thomas was when the pressure was at the highest in the series, opposing goalie Roberto Luongo was shaky. After the Canucks jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, Luongo allowed eight goals in Game 3, four more in Game 4 and three in the series clincher.

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Bruins’ Tim Thomas earns Conn Smythe with historic Stanley Cup Finals Thursday Jun 16

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Patrice Bergeron beat Luongo twice in Game 7, scoring the crucial first-goal of the night 14:37 into the first period. Brad Marchand, who was outstanding again, scored his 10th and 11th goals of the playoffs, the second into an empty net.

It was all more than enough for Thomas.

The Vancouver collapse doesn’t just fall on Luongo. The other Vancouver stars were just as ineffective for the Canucks in this series. Hart Trophy finalist Daniel Sedin had just one goal in the series as did twin brother Henrik. Ryan Kesler didn’t have a single point.

Boston’s stars, meanwhile, shined. Besides Thomas, Zdeno Chara was outstanding in this series — a main reason the Sedin twins were so ineffective in this series. Bergeron came up big in the biggest game and even Mark Recchi, whose star will likely fade into retirement, found his legs down the stetch with an assist in Game 7 following a three-point night in Game 6.

Recchi raises his third Stanley Cup, bringing this one home to Boston.

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Joe Nathan likely headed for minor league rehab assignment

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

wpid nathan getty Joe Nathan likely headed for minor league rehab assignment Getty Images

According to MLB.com beat writers Rhett Bollinger and Jordan Schelling, right-hander Joe Nathan told reporters in Fort Myers, Florida on Wednesday that he is ready to return to the major leagues.

Nathan has been building the strength of his arm with semi-daily throwing sessions since the beginning of June and even tossed a live batting practice session Wednesday morning to catcher Joe Mauer and top infield prospect Miguel Sano.

But the Twins’ coaching staff isn’t quite convinced. They’re still disheartened by the 15 runs that Nathan allowed in his first 15 1/3 innings and probably second-guessing his early return from Tommy John surgery.

Here’s manager Ron Gardenhire, speaking to MLB.com:

“I read a report that he’s really close, but that’s to be decided,” Gardenhire said. “Our plan is for him to go to Triple-A and face hitters in a game situation two or three times. I guess there’s a discrepancy. He believes he’s ready to go. I heard that, I read that. So we’ll have a conversation with him.”

That conversation will probably go something like this:

GARDENHIRE: “Hey, Joe, how’s the arm feeling? How’s the elbow?”

NATHAN: “All good, skip. Ready to get back at it.”

GARDENHIRE: “Great, we’re sending you out on a rehab assignment. Pack your things for Rochester.”

Sorry if you were expecting comedy there. In my defense, minor league rehab assignments aren’t very funny. I suppose I could’ve added a “fire it through the internet” line to Gardy’s dialogue. For Aaron.

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Mitt Romney, Red Sox fan, didn’t know the Rays have a dome

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

wpid romney laugh Mitt Romney, Red Sox fan, didn’t know the Rays have a dome Reuters

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is hosting a fund raiser in downtown Tampa, Florida on Thursday and decided to kill some time by taking in the Red Sox vs. Rays game Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

The former Massachusetts governor and self-proclaimed Red Sox fan told reporters that he didn’t want any political questions for the evening, but that he’d be happy to “talk some baseball.”

So the reporters and Romney did talk baseball, and while doing so revealed that the 64-year-old Republican knows next to nothing about the current state of the sport. At least, he never watches it.

Romney was asked for his thoughts about Tropicana Field, an indoor stadium in St. Petersburg that the Rays have called home since 1998, over 12 years. His response, via Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times:

“It’s cool – I had no idea,” Romney said. “I thought I was going to be in sweltering heat, but instead it’s cool, and a responsive and warm crowd.”

Romney “had no idea” that the Rays, who share a division with his beloved Red Sox, played in a dome.

Now, he’s a busy guy. Running a whole state is surely a demanding job and a presidential campaign must require a torturous schedule. But the Red Sox and Rays will meet 19 times this season and nine of those meetings will take place at The Trop. The Red Sox, in fact, have played over 100 games at Tropicana Field since its opening. And yet Romney didn’t know that the Rays have a dome.

Could it be that a politician is telling people that he’s one thing (an avid Red Sox supporter) and actually is not? What an outrage. What an uncommon occurrence. Be kind to each other in the comments.

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Presenting the minor league stolen base leaders

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

wpid mike trout Presenting the minor league stolen base leaders Getty Images

Here’s a list of the current stolen base leaders in the minors, topped by a couple of very good prospects.

1. Billy Hamilton (A- Reds): 52 SB, .233/.294/.325 in 240 AB
2. Gary Brown (A+ Giants): 32 SB, .335/.407/.487 in 269 AB
2. Tyler Graham (AAA Giants): 32 SB, .269/.339/.358 in 201 AB
4. Rymer Liriano (A-, A+ Padres): 31 SB, .267/.338/.428 in 236 AB
5. Daniel Carroll (A+ Mariners): 30 SB, .351/.406/.421 in 235 AB
6. Anthony Gose (AA Blue Jays): 29 SB, .249/.346/.369 in 225 AB
6. Travis Witherspoon (A- Angels): 29 SB, .215/.277/.320 in 247 AB
8. Reymond Fuentes (A+ Padres): 28 SB, .299/.351/.357 in 244 AB
9. Reggie Keen (A- Brewers): 25 SB, .263/.313/.379 in 224 AB
9. Jeff Kobernus (A+ Nationals): 25 SB, .260/.303/.349 in 235 AB
11. Andrew Means (A+ Reds): 24 SB, .265/.328/.374 in 211 AB
11. Felix Sanchez (A- Red Sox): 24 SB, .238/.321/.300 in 210 AB
11. Jonathan Villar (A+, AA Astros): 24 SB, .250/.341/.400 in 220 AB
11. Carlos Willoughby (A- Giants): 24 SB, .276/.374/.344 in 250 AB
15. Mike Trout (AA Angels): 23 SB, .330/.434/.565 in 209 AB
15. Ray Kruml (AA Yankees): 23 SB, .268/.316/.329 in 228 AB

This kind of list is always going to have a lot of non-prospects, but some very good ones make the top 15 here, including the game’s best prospect in the high minors.  Trout has been brilliant as a 19-year-old in Double-A, amassing a .998 OPS through 57 games. About the only flaw in the game is that he’s not hitting a lot of doubles (just nine so far to go along with eight triples and eight homers).  However, he makes up for that by often taking second after his singles and walks.

Hamilton is far out in front despite having a disappointing season to date.  Baseball America rated him as the game’s No. 50 prospect after he hit .318/.383/.456 in Rookie ball in 2010, but the 20-year-old has really struggled since moving up to full-season ball. His 64/20 K/BB ratio is particularly problematic given that he doesn’t have much power at all.  Still, Hamilton is a shortstop, and he’s not going to have to be all that strong of a hitter to turn into a quality regular.

Gary Brown isn’t a fabulous basestealer — he’s been caught 14 times to go with his 32 successes — but he is looking like an excellent prospect.  He looked like something of a project coming out of Cal State Fullerton, so he’s blowing away expectations by hitting .335 in his first full season.

I’m not a Gose fan, and I think Fuentes and Villar are probably the next best prospects here.  Fuentes was the third player to go from Boston to San Diego in the Adrian Gonzalez deal last year. Villar and Gose were both part of the Astros’ haul from the Phillies for Roy Oswalt, but Gose was then shipped to Toronto for Brett Wallace.

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Projecting the 2011 NL All-Star team

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

wpid ryan braun prince fielder1 Projecting the 2011 NL All Star team AP

With one month until the game, he’s my first attempt to project the NL All-Star roster.  The team will have 34 players, usually 21 hitters and 13 pitchers.  Remember that all 16 teams need to be represented.

Catcher
Locks: None
Possibilies: Brian McCann, Yadier Molina, Miguel Montero, Chris Iannetta, Ramon Hernandez, Jonathan Lucroy

With Buster Posey down, I thought Molina would cruise in winning the popular vote for the third straight year. However, now it looks like McCann might get to start an All-Star Game for the first time. He’s currently 300,000 votes ahead of Molina.

It will be interesting to see if Molina makes the squad if he’s not voted in. He got off to a great start offensively, but he’s cooled now and he’s not having his usual success throwing out basestealers. Montero looks like he’ll have a pretty good case for the spot, but since he’s another left-handed hitter, he doesn’t exactly compliment McCann.

First base
Locks: Albert Pujols
Possibilities: Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Gaby Sanchez, Todd Helton

I’d like to say Votto is a lock, but he’s second to Pujols in the balloting and he wasn’t picked as a reserve last year. He only made the team by winning the fan’s Final Vote as the 34th player.

Even with Adrian Gonzalez out of the mix, first base is stacked. Pujols seems likely to win the vote now that he’s overcome his rough start. With the DH spot available, the NL could take four first basemen and start both Pujols and Votto. Fielder should be the third man in. Howard could well be the fourth, even though he’s not having the season that Sanchez is.

Second base
Locks: None
Possibilities: Brandon Phillips, Rickie Weeks, Chase Utley, Neil Walker, Danny Espinosa, Kelly Johnson, Justin Turner

I think Weeks is pretty much a sure thing to make the team, even though he’s currently 300,000 votes back of Phillips. Utley is as 470,000 votes back and probably has too big of a gap to make up. Besides Weeks, no NL second baseman is having a very good year. Excluding Utley’s 20 games, Daniel Murphy is the only even occasional second baseman with a .750 OPS and he’s playing first now.

That said, I do think Walker has a shot here. He’s driven in 42 runs already.

Third base
Locks: Placido Polanco
Possibilites: Chipper Jones, Ryan Roberts, Ryan Zimmerman, Chase Headley, Scott Rolen, Pablo Sandoval, Aramis Ramirez

Injuries have really decimated the competition here. Polanco is the vote leader by a cool 630,000 ballots over Jones, and it’s hard to see that changing. Chipper deserves to go as the backup as long as he’s still healthy in mid-July.

Roberts could be an option if the NL insists on taking a utilityman, like it did with Omar Infante last year.

Shortstop
Locks: Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes
Possibilities: Stephen Drew, Jimmy Rollins, Starlin Castro, Alex Gonzalez

Tulo is going to win the vote, and Reyes is pretty much guaranteed of a spot as a backup. Drew is the obvious choice if the NL takes a third shortstop, and given the lack of quality options at second or third, it might as well.

Outfield
Locks: Ryan Braun
Possibilities: Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, Matt Kemp, Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Pence, Jay Bruce, Andre Ethier, Ryan Ludwick, Mike Stanton, Carlos Beltran, Mike Morse, Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Young, Justin Upton, Martin Prado, Drew Stubbs, Shane Victorino, Kosuke Fukudome

Berkman and Holliday have substantial leads over Ethier and Kemp in the balloting, so it looks like they’ll go. As much as Votto deserves to start for the NL, the team would actually be better off putting Kemp or McCutchen into the starting lineup and using Berkman as a DH. Otherwise, it’s going to Holliday in center field to start.

Pence is the obvious choice to go as the Astros’ rep, and it’s hard to imagine Bruce being overlooked.  It’d be nice to see Beltran get a nod for his performance this year, but it’s probably for the best that he takes the three days off to rest up.

Starting Pitchers
Locks: Roy Halladay
Possibilities: Jair Jurrjens, Cole Hamels, Tommy Hanson, Kyle Lohse, Shaun Marcum, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Jhoulys Chacin, Anibal Sanchez, Charlie Morton, Wandy Rodriguez, Tim Stauffer, Ian Kennedy, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Cliff Lee, Jaime Garcia

It still too early to try to make the calls here, though I am listing Halladay as a lock.  A few spots will likely come down to who pitches the Sunday before the game.

Relievers
Locks: None
Possibilities: Brian Wilson, Heath Bell, Leo Nunez, Joel Hanrahan, J.J. Putz, Francisco Rodriguez, Jonny Venters, Huston Street, Ryan Madson, Francisco Cordero, Craig Kimbrel, Drew Storen, John Axford, Mike Adams, Tyler Clippard, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall

I’ll be pretty upset if Venters isn’t selected.  He’s been the NL’s best reliever all year long.

OK, let’s give it a try:

NL All-Star team

Lineup
3B Placido Polanco
DH Joey Votto
1B Albert Pujols
LF Ryan Braun
SS Troy Tulowitzki
RF Lance Berkman
CF Matt Holliday
C Brian McCann
2B Brandon Phillips

Bench
C Yadier Molina
1B Prince Fielder
1B Ryan Howard
2B Rickie Weeks
3B Chipper Jones
SS Jose Reyes
SS Stephen Drew
OF Matt Kemp
OF Andrew McCutchen
OF Jay Bruce
OF Hunter Pence
OF Mike Stanton

Pitchers

Roy Halladay
Tommy Hanson
Cole Hamels
Jair Jurrjens
Tim Lincecum
Clayton Kershaw
Shaun Marcum

Brian Wilson
Heath Bell
Jonny Venters
Joel Hanrahan
Drew Storen
Carlos Marmol

I didn’t have a Cub in my original go, so Marmol squeezed Ryan Madson out of a slot.  Sean Marshall might be an even better choice, but I’m already pushing my luck by picking one setup man.

The Nationals got their selection in Storen, though Tyler Clippard would be just as good.  Jordan Zimmermann is starting to look like a candidate, too.

As it turned out, Stanton makes it as the lone Marlin.  Leo Nunez and Anibal Sanchez were near misses.

I held back with the Giants, even though Bruce Bochy will want some of his own players on there. He might have gone with Freddy Sanchez as a reserve infielder, but that’s no longer a possilbility.  I’m sure he’ll squeeze one of his starting pitchers on the team, whether it’s Lincecum, Matt Cain or Madison Bumgarner.  Also, Wilson will likely be reserved for closing duties if there’s a save opportunity.

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Hanley Ramirez to sit out day games after night games

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

wpid hanley Hanley Ramirez to sit out day games after night games Getty Images

Fresh off the disabled list, Hanley Ramirez is out of the Marlins’ lineup this afternoon and Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports that he’ll be sitting out day games following night games for at least the next two weeks.

“That’s the doctor’s recommendation, so we have to follow it,” manager Edwin Rodriguez told Frisaro. “For two weeks, we will have to deal with that.”

Florida is playing a double-header today, so Ramirez is expected to be in the lineup for Game 2 tonight, but Frisaro reports that he’ll then likely sit out tomorrow’s day game.

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Trevor Cahill is on a serious skid

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

wpid cahill rubbing head Trevor Cahill is on a serious skid

The White Rabbit — fabbo nickname by the way, if it is indeed his nickname and not just his warm up music — is struggling. Big time. As Paul Gutierrez reports at CSN Bay Area, Cahill has gone 0-5 with a 5.67 ERA in his last seven starts.

Last night’s game was one of his worst. He walked seven guys, including Jeff Francoeur. Twice. That takes some doing.  He threw two wild pitches and after the game said that he had no idea where the ball is going.  He says it’s mechanical, and the fact that his control is so crazy as opposed to, say, his velocity, suggests that could be true. But man, I can’t recall the time such a good starter went sideways so totally and so unexpectedly like Cahill his without there being some physical problem.

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Phoenix Coyotes name Jim Playfair associate head coach

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett will have some new help along the bench next season.

Jim Playfair signed a multi-year deal with the Coyotes to serve as the team’s associate coach, according to a team release.

The Phoenix Coyotes hire Jim Playfair, who became a YouTube legend after a stick-breaking tirade in 2010, as an associate coach.

Playfair had spent the last 11 seasons with the Calgary Flames organization, including one as the team’s head coach — in 2006-07, he went 43-29-10 and won the Northwest Division.

“(Playfair) has great communication skills and we are confident that he will be able to contribute in many areas,” Tippett said.

For the last two seasons, Playfair coached the Flames’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, British Columbia. In 2010, he gained notoriety — and became a YouTube legend — for breaking two sticks on the bench after a disagreement with a referee.

Calgary GM Jay Feaster thanked Playfair for his contributions in a team release and said his search for a new AHL coach would begin immediately.

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Nick Johnson agree on deal

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed one of their many potential free-agent forwards, agreeing on a one-year, two-way deal with Nick Johnson.

The team announced its agreement with Johnson, 25, which would pay $550,000 at the NHL level. on Saturday.

wpid 35135 330 04 Pittsburgh Penguins, Nick Johnson agree on dealPittsburgh Penguins Nick Johnson, right, missed 23 games in 2010-11 with a concussion. (AP Photo)

Johnson, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick in 2005, had one goal and two assists in four games with the team before a concussion sidelined him for the season’s final 23 games.

The 6-2, 196-pounder has two goals and five assists in 10 career games with the Penguins. He has 50 goals, 94 points and a plus-46 in 169 career games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Penguins’ primary affiliate.

Potential unrestricted free agents among the rest of Pittsburgh’s forward corps include Pascal Dupuis, Mike Rupp, Max Talbot, Craig Adams and Chris Conner. Tyler Kennedy and Dustin Jeffrey can become restricted free agents.

Teams have until July 1 to cut deals with potential free agent to keep them off the market.

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Flyers acquire rights to Coyotes’ Bryzgalov

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark Brenson

The Philadelphia Flyers, seeking to address their longstanding goaltending issues for the 2011-12 season, have acquired the negotiating rights to Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.

Now all they have to do is sign him.

wpid 35539 650 3661 Flyers acquire rights to Coyotes BryzgalovThe Philadelphia Flyers, seeking to strengthen their goaltending for the 2011-12 season, have acquired the negotiating rights to Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. (AP Photo)

Bryzgalov is the consensus top unrestricted free-agent netminder this summer and can hit the market on July 1. The Flyers can negotiate with him exclusively until then.

To acquire his rights, the Flyers traded a third-round choice in the 2012 NHL Draft, a conditional pick and forward Matt Clackson, whose contract will expire on June 30.

“After several discussions with Ilya and his agent, it became very clear to us that we were not in position to sign Ilya to a long-term contract,” Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said.

The Flyers are eager to see if they can work out a contract with Bryzgalov, 30, and any deal is unlikely to come cheap: Bryzgalov is seeking an annual salary in the $7 million to $8 million range, according to Fox Sports Arizona.

“We’ll see what we can do,” Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said. “He’s certainly not an old goaltender. We feel like he’s got a lot of good years left in him. When you get into a negotiation like this, you’re dealing with a salary cap and you try and get a number you can live with.”

The Flyers have made no secret this offseason about wanting to upgrade their goaltending following a sweep at the hands of the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins during the Stanley Cup playoffs’ Eastern Conference semifinals. During the playoffs, the Flyers started Sergei Bobrovsky, Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton.

Bryzagalov will likely not come cheap for the Flyers, who must clear cap space to sign him to a long-term deal — they have more than $59 million committed to players for next season and a potential top unrestricted free agent in Ville Leino. The salary cap hasn’t yet been set, but it’s unlikely to exceed $63 million.

“We still have intentions of trying to re-sign Ville … but you can only do so much,” Holmgren told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re trying to have the best team available. We’ll see what we can do.”

Other potential options to clear space for Philadelphia: trading forwards Kris Versteeg and/or Jeff Carter.

This season, Bryzgalov switched agents to Ritch Winter, much like Marian Hossa did in the year before reaching unrestricted free agency.

Bryzgalov didn’t seem all that concerned that the free-agent market has been soft for goalies in recent years, telling Sporting News’ Craig Custance in May, “I always have Russia,” though he has since stated his willingness to remain in the NHL.

Bryzgalov, who turns 31 on June 22, went 36-20-11 with seven shutouts and a 2.48 goals-against average for Phoenix in 2010-11. He struggled in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with a 4.36 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage as the Coyotes were swept in the first round by the Detroit Red Wings.

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