Brad Kurtzberg (TheSTN) – Baseball Swings and Misses on Hamels Suspension

  By admin | May 9, 2012 - 12:43 am | Brad Kurtzberg, Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
Leave a comment

TheSTN Sports Report - Brad Kurtzberg

TheSTN Sports Report – Monday – Friday 1:00PM Eastern on sportstalkNETWORK.com. Click Here for show page and archives.

+++++

For a guy who says he’s “old school,”Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels certainly has a new way of looking at things. Hamels was suspended by Major League Baseball this week for five games after admitting that he intentionally threw at Nationals phenom Bryce Harper on Sunday.

Hamels plunked Harper on the back. The reason given: Harper is a highly touted and talented 19-year-old rookie and the veteran pitcher felt it was his “duty” to take Harper down a peg.

The mission was not exactly accomplished. Harper got the best possible revenge. He didn’t rush the mound and start a big brawl or even get into a shouting match with Hamels. Harper merely brushed himself off, walked to first base and ended up stealing home during that sequence. For Harper, it was mission accomplished and message sent. You won’t get me off of my game that easily.

Hamels did something strange after the game, though. Unlike almost every other pitcher in baseball today does: he admitted freely that he hit an opposing player on purpose.

”I was trying to hit him,” Hamels said to reporters in his post game comments. ”I’m not going to deny it. I’m not trying to injure the guy. They’re probably not going to like me for it, but I’m not going to say I wasn’t trying to do it. I think they understood the message, and they threw it right back. That’s the way, and I respect it.”

Monday, MLB announced that Hamels was suspended for five games as a result of his actions.

At first, this sounds like a lot, but for a starting pitcher, five games is one turn in the rotation. In fact, all this suspension does is push back Hamels’ next start by one game, hardly much of a penalty.

Hamels was fined an undisclosed amount, but the five game suspension was not “without pay,” so there is little doubt the Phillies pitcher would have lost a lot more money if the commissioner’s office simply didn’t pay him for 5/162 of his salary. The NHL may be inconsistent with its suspensions, but at least fines in the NHL cost players real money since they lost part of their season salary for each game they have to sit out.

According to baseball tradition, beaning a player for spiking a teammate or showing up a pitcher or for throwing at a teammate is accepted as part of the game (unofficially or as an unwritten rule), but what Hamels did is anything but standard practice. He had no legitimate reason for throwing at Harper except perhaps that Hamels was jealous of the attention the rookie outfielder was receiving from scouts and the media.

The bottom line is that this suspension was light. Essentially, Hamels just moves back one game in the rotation, barely loses any money by baseball standards and certainly does not learn a lesson that would deter him from doing this again.

In fact, the Phillies pitcher was almost proud of what he did and there is little doubt he feels free to repeat this action. MLB lost a chance to send a message to Hamels and other pitchers that this behavior will not be tolerated in the future. Don’t be surprised if something like this happens again.

Josh Skaar (TheSTN) – Players vs Goodell: A War of Ego

  By admin | May 8, 2012 - 12:21 pm | Josh Skaar, New Orleans Saints, Roger Goodell
Leave a comment

OFF THE BENCH - Josh Skaar & Scotti Bickford

Click Here for the OFF THE BENCH Archive Page

+++++

Many players are not fans of Roger Goodell and the way he has run the NFL since becoming Commissioner. His emphasis on player safety and dolling out harsh punishments to players to break the leagues very black & white rulebook has created a chasm that would dwarf the Grand Canyon if it were corporeal.

Arizona Cardinals Player Representative, Jay Feely has been on record as saying that there is a “general distrust of (Goodell).”

Yet others, like New York Giants star Osi Umenyiora, praise the Commish: “The stupidity of people gets me, sometimes. A lot of players think he’s trying to take away our game, but Roger really cares about us. He’s a regular guy.”

On May 2nd the League came out with the suspensions of four New Orleans Saints defensive players felt to have held the highest bounty tallies: Jonathan Vilma was suspended all16 games. Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) will miss eight games. Will Smith won’t suit up for four games. And Scott Fujita (now playing in Cleveland) will miss three games.

All of the players are appealing the suspensions and the NFL Players Association is filing a lawsuit claiming, for lack of a better term, a statute of limitations claim. Basically saying that the Saints bounty program happened under the old bargaining agreement and cannot/should not be left to Goodell, only, to judge.

The suspensions created a buzz on the twitter world amongst the players in the league. Most notably amongst the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive players, who accumulated $182, 500 in fines from the Commissioner’s office through 13 fines in the first 10 games of the 2011 season.

James Harrison tweeted: Ridiculous, and nobody really sees why the punishments have been so severe over the past 3 -4 years! Lawsuits and 18 games???

Lamarr Woodley also chimed in on twitter: Vilma suspended a whole yr FOR PLAYING FOOTBALL???? cmon man!!!!!

The loyalty to other players can and should only go so far. If the Saints had knocked out a game or ended Ben Roethlisberger’s career because they were intentionally trying to end his career, would these same players be tweeting that Goodell is power hungry? Or would they be praising him for justice being served? I’m inclined to believe the latter.

Reggie Bush, former teammate of the suspended Saints players, updated his twitter after the suspensions were announced: Man these Suspensions are outrageous! I’m honestly speechless about how all of this has played out. Something needs to be done about this!

Something was done, the right thing.

Goodell may sometimes speak out of both sides of his mouth, wanting to put an emphasis on player safety, yet also wanting to expand the NFL’s regular season to 18 games. But it’s his job to maintain the safety and quality of the leagues main product: It’s players!

Players, like Bush and the Players Association need to step back and look at this bounty scandal objectively and realize that Goodell has had a great business model since coming into office and has continued to grow the league world wide.

Goodell does believe in and listens to the players in his league. “I don’t have to [reach out to the players], but I do think their perspective is important,” Goodell said. “[This year's] Pro Bowl is a good example of that. We felt like the game wasn’t reflecting what the NFL wanted, so I met with three or four player groups to discuss it. And they acknowledged that it wasn’t the type of football we wanted to present to our fans.”

The Saints bounty program and Goodell’s suspensions to Head Coach Sean Payton, former Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams and the current and former Saints players was warranted and fully justified.

The players want to band together and say that it’s okay to go head hunting and try to end others players careers? Then they should all get new contracts that get voided if/when they suffer career ending injuries.

If they refuse to see reason and just want to form an alliance against a guy that is trying to keep them around longer, when it comes time for the NFL and the Players Association to negotiate a new CBA in another 10 years, the NFL should not be afraid to put clauses into the agreement that will forbid players from suing the league for football related health issues once their playing days are over.

Steve Kallas (TheSTN) – On Balance Andy Pettitte Testimony May Be Very Helpful To Roger Clemens

  By admin | May 2, 2012 - 3:19 pm | Roger Clemens, Steve Kallas
Leave a comment

sportstalkNETWORK.com - Kallas Remarks by Steve Kallas

Click Here For Steve Kallas Show Archives & Blogs

The Steve Kallas Show – LIVE on sportstalkNETWORK.com Monday-Friday 12:00 Noon EST

+++++

A fascinating, but not totally surprising, turn of events at the federal perjury trial of Roger Clemens this morning in Washington, D.C. While being cross-examined by defense attorney Michael Attanasio on the alleged 1999 or 2000 conversation that Pettitte said he had with Roger Clemens (during which Clemens supposedly admitted he had used HGH), Pettitte made some admissions that can only be described as very helpful to the defense.

WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF THE DAY (MAYBE OF THE TRIAL)?

Well, the following is based on reports from Jim Baumbach of Newsday, The Daily News I-Team and an AP/WFAN article. The most important question of all, in this writer’s opinion, was asked by defense lawyer Attanasio (quote from the AP/WFAN article):

Question: “SITTING HERE NOW, YOU’RE 50-50 THAT YOU MISUNDERSTOOD HIM [CLEMENS], IS THAT FAIR?
Andy Pettitte’s answer: “I’D SAY THAT’S FAIR.”

Wow!

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS RELATING TO PETTITTE’S TESTIMONY

The above question and answer is pretty much the home run the defense was looking for. But there were other things relating to Pettitte’s actual testimony that may help the defense.

For example, Jim Baumbach of Newsday refers to a statement Andy Pettitte made when he refers to the conversation in 1999 or 2000 that “I thought I had” with Roger Clemens.

Yikes!

When defense lawyer Attanasio asked Pettitte whether he believes “in his heart and mind” that he might have misunderstood Clemens back in 1999 or 2000, Pettitte responded “Could have.”

Pettitte agreed with defense lawyer Attanasio that he (Pettitte) was closer to Clemens than any other teammate and that he had never seen Clemens either in possession of performance-enhancing drugs or being injected.

With respect to the later 2005 conversation (when Pettitte asked Clemens what he (Clemens) was going to say if asked about these issues and Clemens told him it was his wife Debbie, not Clemens himself, who had received the injection of HGH), Pettitte acknowledged that his first reaction must have been that he had misunderstood the earlier conversation with Clemens back in 1999 or 2000.

WHERE DID ALL OF THIS COME FROM?

Well, virtually all of this came from the 105-page deposition that Andy Pettitte gave to Congress back on February 4, 2008, four days before his cleaner two-page affidavit of February 8, 2008 (the latter being what most people focused on).

The contents of that deposition of Pettitte, and how his testimony might actually help, as opposed to hurt, Roger Clemens, were discussed at length by this writer back in July 2011 (see “Andy Pettitte Might Get The Save For Roger Clemens, Kallas Remarks, 7/5/11, reprinted yesterday at WFAN.com).

Clearly Michael Attanasio, an excellent defense attorney, was well-aware of the contents of that deposition when he asked his questions of Andy Pettitte this morning.

WHAT DID JUDGE WALTON THINK OF ALL OF THIS?

Well, the judge certainly seems to be leaning the defense’s way on a number of issues relating to the Pettitte testimony. For example, (from Jim Baumbach’s in-court account), Judge Walton said (presumably with the jury out of the room) “What we have now, based on Mr. Pettitte’s testimony, is that he’s not sure” what Clemens told him. A little later, the judge said, “At this time, he [Pettitte] is conflicted. He doesn’t know what Clemens said to him.”

The judge also scolded the prosecutor, saying that he was surprised that the prosecutor didn’t go back at Andy Pettitte regarding his 50-50 acknowledgement of Pettitte’s conversation with Roger Clemens back in 1999 or 2000.

Fascinating stuff, no?

WHAT ABOUT REASONABLE DOUBT?

As we discussed in the July 5, 2011, the Pettitte deposition, in the hands of a very good defense lawyer (as is Michael Attanasio), could give rise to testimony that would be helpful to the Clemens defense. All the defense has to show is “reasonable doubt.” While much more evidence will come in, it is submitted that only Andy Pettitte’s testimony will be viewed as testimony of someone involved day-to-day with Roger Clemens and with no ax to grind. Brian McNamee and his baggage, as well as the DNA evidence that was apparently in a beer can in a garage (or a basement) for six years, will be strongly attacked by the defense.

Andy Pettitte’s testimony today will give some great material for a defense lawyer to say in his closing. If Rusty Hardin, in his folksy kind of way, uses the above Pettitte testimony in the right way, that testimony could go a long way towards creating reasonable doubt and getting Roger Clemens off the hook.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Well, there is a long way to go and many more witnesses to testify. With respect to Andy Pettitte’s testimony, the defense will file a brief in support of a motion to strike Andy Pettitte’s testimony based on his admissions on cross-examination. If granted, that will lead to the judge having to tell the jury not to consider the testimony of Andy Pettitte (which would, essentially, leave only McNamee and his baggage pointing the finger at Clemens). If not granted, there is a lot of ammunition for closing arguments on behalf of Roger Clemens.

Some thought it was pure bluster when Rusty Hardin said, in his opening statement, that “we welcome Andy Pettitte’s testimony.”

Those who thought that found out this morning that it was the statement of a well-prepared defense team.

TheSTN – Browns’ Fujita Among Four Players Suspended For Participation In Saints Bounty Program

  By admin | May 2, 2012 - 12:07 pm | NFL, Roger Goodell
Leave a comment

sportstalkNETWORK.com - National Football League News & Notes

Click Here For 24/7 Updated National Football League News & Notes

++++++++++

Four players – Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Jonathan Vilma – were notified today that they have been suspended without pay for conduct detrimental to the NFL as a result of their leadership roles in the New Orleans Saints’ pay-for-performance/bounty program that endangered player safety over three seasons from 2009-2011. Participation by players in any such program is prohibited by the NFL Constitution and Bylaws, the standard NFL Player Contract, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The specific discipline was determined by Commissioner Roger Goodell after a thorough review of extensive evidence corroborated by multiple independent sources. Under Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the standard NFL Player Contract, a player is subject to discipline by the commissioner for conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL. The discipline imposed today for such detrimental conduct is as follows:

- Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) is suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2012 regular season. The record established that Fujita, a linebacker, pledged a significant amount of money to the prohibited pay-for-performance/bounty pool during the 2009 NFL Playoffs when he played for the Saints. The pool to which he pledged paid large cash rewards for “cart-offs” and “knockouts,” plays during which an opposing player was injured.

- Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) is suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2012 regular season. Hargrove actively participated in the program while a member of the Saints. Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program at the Saints, but also that he knew about and participated in it. The evidence showed that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of a large bounty during the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010. Hargrove also actively obstructed the league’s 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.

- Will Smith of the Saints is suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2012 regular season. Smith, a defensive end, assisted Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in establishing and funding the program during a period in which he was a captain and leader of the defensive unit. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Smith pledged significant sums to the program pool for “cart-offs” and “knockouts” of opposing players.

- Linebacker Jonathan Vilma of the Saints is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective immediately per league policy for season-long suspensions. The investigation concluded that while a captain of the defensive unit Vilma assisted Coach Williams in establishing and funding the program. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Vilma offered a specific bounty — $10,000 in cash – to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 Divisional Playoff Game and later pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game the following week (played on January 24, 2010). Vilma is eligible to be reinstated after the Super Bowl in 2013.

Fujita, Hargrove, and Smith may participate in all off-season activity, including preseason games, prior to the suspensions taking effect. Each player disciplined today is entitled to appeal the decision within three days. If an appeal is filed, Commissioner Goodell would hold a hearing at which the player may speak on his behalf and be represented by counsel.

“It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced,” Commissioner Goodell said. “Respect for the men that play the game starts with the way players conduct themselves with each other on the field.”

The evidence conclusively demonstrated that from 2009-2011 Saints players of their own accord pledged significant amounts of their own money toward bounties, that players accepted payments for “cart-offs” and “knockouts” of injured opposing players, and that the payout amounts doubled and tripled for playoff games.

Commissioner Goodell concluded, as he did with the Saints’ non-player employees, that it was appropriate to focus on those individuals who had a higher degree of responsibility and whose conduct warranted special attention. While a significant number of players participated in the pay-for-performance program, whether by contributing funds to the pool or collecting cash rewards, the players disciplined participated at a different and more significant level, Commissioner Goodell noted.

“In assessing player discipline,” Commissioner Goodell said, “I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation.”

Each of the four players disciplined today met one or more of those criteria, Commissioner Goodell said.

The evidence supporting today’s disciplinary decisions is based on extensive documentation and interviews with multiple sources. The information was developed by NFL Security, working with independent forensic analysts, and the disciplinary decisions are each based on evidence that has been independently corroborated by multiple sources. The facts supporting the discipline issued today are largely the same as the facts that Commissioner Goodell relied upon in March in assessing discipline on the club and several non-player employees. Those facts have been part of the public record for two months and have not been disputed by the team or the individuals involved.

“No bounty program can exist without active player participation,” Commissioner Goodell said. “The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules.”

The NFL Players Association received the confidential March 2 and March 21 reports on the Saints matter that were distributed to the clubs. In addition, members of the NFL staff, including the NFL Security investigators, met with NFLPA officials to review the results of their investigation. A number of current and former players, including each player disciplined today, were offered the opportunity to be interviewed with counsel present. One player (Hargrove) submitted a written statement in which he did not dispute the existence of the program, but no player agreed to be interviewed in person. In addition, the NFLPA publicly stated that it conducted its own investigation into this matter, but it has shared no information from that investigation with the NFL.

Commissioner Goodell also has advised the NFLPA of the names of all other players shown by the NFL’s investigation to have participated in the Saints’ pay-for-performance/bounty program but were not disciplined. The commissioner again invited the union to provide recommendations on how best to promote fair play, player safety and the elimination of bounties from the game at all levels. He said that identifying the other participants may assist the union in its stated desire to advance those goals.

Discipline for the Saints and club management was announced by the NFL on March 21. The Saints were fined $500,000 and forfeited two second-round draft choices (one in 2012 and one in 2013). In addition, suspensions without pay were issued to former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (indefinitely), head coach Sean Payton (2012 NFL season), general manager Mickey Loomis (first eight regular-season games of 2012), and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (first six regular-season games of 2012).

LEAGUE-WIDE INITIATIVE ALSO ANNOUNCED

In a memo sent to NFL clubs today, Commissioner Goodell re-emphasized that any program of non-contract bonuses, however it is characterized, is a violation of league rules.

To ensure a full understanding of these rules, the commissioner informed the NFL clubs of several measures that will be completed prior to the opening of the 2012 preseason:

- The policies prohibiting bounties and any related activity will be re-stated and re-emphasized for all league personnel, detailing with specificity the scope of prohibited activities.

- Each NFL head coach will be required to review the relevant league rules with his players and assistant coaches during mini-camp or preseason training camp.

- Information will be distributed to each player in the league on how to confidentially report violations of rules pertaining to player safety and the integrity of the game.

- Programs will be developed to teach safe and fair play, and respect for the game and its participants, at all levels of play. Several Saints employees have expressed their strong interest in participating in the development and implementation of these programs.

Commissioner Goodell also re-emphasized in the memo to the NFL clubs that it remains everyone’s obligation to ensure that the rules designed to protect player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are consistently followed and effectively enforced.

Brad Kurtzberg (TheSTN) – Browns Never Gave McCoy A Fair Chance

  By admin | April 27, 2012 - 9:17 pm | Brad Kurtzberg, Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy
Leave a comment

Has Colt McCoy Thrown His Last Pass As A Cleveland Brown?

TheSTN Sports Report – Monday – Friday 1:00PM Eastern on sportstalkNETWORK.com. Click Here for show page and archives.

+++++

The Cleveland Browns brass has made one thing perfectly clear at the NFL Draft this year: they do not believe Colt McCoy is good enough to be their starting quarterback. Too bad they never even gave him a chance to prove he could do the job.

McCoy has just completed his second NFL season. During that time, the third round pick out of Texas has started just 21 NFL games.

Sure, his second season was uneven, but McCoy did show some improvement, finishing 2011 with more touchdown passes than interceptions (14-11) despite the fact that he was surrounded by one of the poorest offenses in the NFL.

The Browns offense didn’t have a great stable of talent to begin with and then they were decimated by injuries. Their top offensive weapon, Peyton Hillis, had a horrible season that was marred by injuries and questions about his attitude. Cleveland ranked 28th in the league in rushing yards which certainly didn’t give McCoy much support.

His receiving corps also left a lot to be desired. The Browns had an up and coming wide receiver in rookie Greg Little but no other receivers or tight ends who struck fear in the hearts of opponents.

The offensive line was also banged up and mediocre. Other than Joe Thomas, the front line lacks All Pro talent and the results were obvious: a running game that didn’t have very many holes to run through and a quarterback who was consistently under pressure from opposing pass rushers.

Basically, McCoy didn’t have a chance to develop as a quarterback and show what he can do. Most NFL quarterbacks still require three years for the game to slow down as they gain knowledge of their team’s system and what it takes to be successful in the NFL. McCoy had barely half that amount of time and little talent to around him.

No matter how talented a quarterback is, he won’t put up great numbers if receivers are not open, defenders are always in his face and he is always facing third and long because his running game isn’t very effective.

The Browns selected a quarterback in the first round of the draft in Brandon Weeden who will be 29-years-old before the 2012 NFL season gets underway. McCoy will be only 26. Weeden has no NFL experience and will face a learning curve that McCoy is already part of the way through.

With the exception of franchise QBs like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, teams rarely get value if they use high picks in the draft to select a quarterback. The NFL is a passing league and the supply for signal callers is not as great as the demand.

It would have made more sense for the Browns to give McCoy one more year to develop before trying to find another quarterback. If he developed in year three, the Browns had the QB they can build around. If he fails to show enough improvement, Cleveland would have been in a good position to draft one of the top quarterbacks coming out in the 2013 NFL draft.

Colt McCoy may be heading out of Cleveland before the new NFL season begins. And Browns fans may never know whether or not he could have been the answer behind center that the team has been looking for since Bernie Kosar left town roughly 20 years ago.

Matt Pawlikowski (TheSTN) – It’s Do Or Die Time For The Browns

  By admin | April 26, 2012 - 4:32 pm | Cleveland Browns, Matt Pawlikowski, Mike Holmgren
Leave a comment

Can the Browns find another player like Jabaal Sheard in this years NFL draft. (PHOTO: Noel Latham)

+++++

It’s do or die time for the Browns, and this year above all since the team returned in 1999, the draft could define the Mike Holmgren era.

The Browns hold 13 picks in this draft, including two in the first round.

Will it be a quarterback, running back, a wide receiver or someone on defense? That’s the big question, something only the Browns brass would not reveal.

“I know who that four is going to be if we stay there. We are all on the same page,” Browns General Manager Tom Heckert said. ” We know we are getting a really good player no matter what happens at three. We know we are getting one of two guys.

NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock, disagrees with Heckert, who said it is a two horse race, and is convinced the Browns are set on one player.

Trent Richardson.

“A long story short, this is a big boy division,” Mayock said. “It’s all about physicality, toughness and winning games 17-14. So if you get as good a tailback as I think Richardson is, you shorten the game.”

Mayock’s also made a good point about Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan.

” When they went to the playoffs, they had a run game and a strong defense,” Mayock said. ” You have a pretty good defense by the way, so you get a run game, you’ve got a chance.”

Asked about the Browns quarterback situation, Mayock said he likes Colt McCoy.

“I like Colt McCoy alot,” Mayock said. ” I like his work ethic and intelligence.”

But Mayock also didn’t hesitate to say if the goal is to win a Super Bowl, each year you have to evaluate the position. While some have the Browns having interest in Tannehill, Mayock does not believe that is going to happen.

Instead, he believes the Browns will take a good look at drafting Oklahoma States Brenden Weeden later in the draft.

Steve Kallas (TheSTN) – Lundqvist, Rangers Politicking For Game 7

  By admin | April 25, 2012 - 11:27 am | New York Rangers, NHL, Steve Kallas
Leave a comment

sportstalkNETWORK.com - Kallas Remarks by Steve Kallas

Click Here For Steve Kallas Show Archives & Blogs

The Steve Kallas Show – LIVE on sportstalkNETWORK.com Monday-Friday 12:00 Noon EST

+++++

By now you’ve seen the play. Very late in Game 6, down 3-1, Chris Neil and the Ottawa Senators crash the net, desperate for a goal. Henrik Lundqvist seems bizarrely out of position as it appears that Neil, clearly in the crease, kicks the puck into the net to make it 3-2 with 38.4 seconds left. Lundqvist appeals to the ref immediately, telling the first ref that Neil kicked the puck and then skating around the net to talk to the second ref, appearing to tell him (with a pushing motion) that he, Lundqvist, had been pushed.

The goal is allowed to stand and Lundqvist was steaming as he was celebrating the 3-2 victory for the Rangers to force a Game 7.

WHAT DID LUNDQVIST SAY ABOUT THE PLAY?

Well, here is his quote, from MSGNetwork: “I think it’s an absolute joke. You know, I’m gonna freeze the puck and he [Neil] pushes me out of the net and kicks the puck in the net.” The King went on to talk about someone wanting Ottawa in the game, a silly statement for which he should be fined.
But you can understand his frustration.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE REVIEW?

You can watch that play 20 times and, although Neil did make a kicking motion at the puck, you can’t actually see him kick it in. The puck certainly squirted through Lundqvist, who did make the initial save but, to overturn, the officials up in Toronto must not have actually seen the puck kicked into the net. Absent such a clear view (and Lundqvist, frankly, must have had the best view of all), the goal could not be disallowed.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PRETTY OBVIOUS GOALIE INTERFERENCE?

Well, the interference by Neil with The King was obvious. He literally took his stick and jammed it into Lundqvist, pushing him away from the puck and the net. While it’s easy to see on the replay, the ref, behind the net, is always looking for the puck and, when he saw it go into the net, he had to make a split-second decision in real time and he ruled it a goal.

But he, and virtually everybody else, missed the obvious goalie interference.

Since that part of the play was not reviewable, you had the awkward situation, not evident usually, for example, in NFL replay (where they can review both feet-in-bounds AND possession, for example, on a sideline catch), where there wasn’t enough evidence to say the puck was actually kicked but there was nothing that could be done with the obvious goalie interference by Neil.

WHAT’S A REVIEW PANEL TO DO?

Well, there will be a train of thought that says, since the goalie interference was so obvious (assuming anyone up in Toronto looked for it), they should have disallowed the goal whether it was clear that Neil kicked the puck or not.

But, of course, the other train of thought is that two wrongs don’t make a right.

WHAT ABOUT LUNDQVIST’S PRIOR COMPLAINTS TO THE REFS?

Lundqvist clearly had at least two prior conversations with the refs concerning goalie interference in Game 6, especially one time when Senator Nick Foligno clearly interfered with The King. So Lundqvist was doubly mad that they missed the kick AND missed the interference.

Yes, he’s a great competitor. Yes, replay didn’t quite work to the full extent that it was supposed to work (because it wasn’t crystal clear that the puck was actually kicked AND nothing could be done about the interference that was missed just before the goal was scored).

It says here that maybe, just maybe, the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist were making a pitch to get the benefit of the doubt on the next close review and/or the next close penalty call with respect to goalie interference.
We will have to wait until Game 7 to see how that plays out, if at all.

Steve Kallas (TheSTN) – In Clemens’ Trial, Pettitte Testimony Limited; Cashman Will Testify

  By admin | April 24, 2012 - 11:51 am | Roger Clemens, Steve Kallas
Leave a comment

sportstalkNETWORK.com - Kallas Remarks by Steve Kallas

Click Here For Steve Kallas Show Archives & Blogs

The Steve Kallas Show – LIVE on sportstalkNETWORK.com Monday-Friday 12:00 Noon EST

+++++

On Monday, April 23, 2012, in a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C., the second criminal trial of former pitching great Roger Clemens began before United States District Judge Reggie Walton. After the jury was seated and instructed by Judge Walton, the prosecution gave its opening statement. The two issues that will be discussed below are the limitations set forth by the judge on the expected testimony of Andy Pettitte and the appearance of Yankee executive Brian Cashman as a witness.

ANDY PETTITTE’S TESTIMONY

In this writer’s opinion, arguably the key witness in the trial, the argument outside of the jury’s presence was whether Andy Pettitte would be allowed to testify that he got his HGH from trainer Brian McNamee, who is the main accuser of Roger Clemens.

After arguments back and forth, during which the prosecution stated that this testimony was part of the “steroids narrative” and the defense argued that this testimony was irrelevant to the case, Judge Walton determined that, at this time, such testimony would not be allowed.

It seems that Judge Walton has made a finding under the Federal Rules of Evidence that allowing such evidence would be prejudicial to Roger Clemens. That is, that the prejudicial effect of such testimony would outweigh the probative value of the testimony. According to the New York Times, Judge Walton said that “the reasonable inference is to induce that Mr. Pettitte got it [the HGH] from Mr. McNamee, and I just think there’s too much potential for that having prejudicial impact on Mr. Clemens.”

Judge Walton also said that there was too much of a chance that, if Pettitte is allowed to testify where he got his HGH from, there would be too much potential for “guilt by association.” While he reserved the right to change his mind later in the trial based on how the case is going and the testimony of others, it is unlikely that Andy Pettitte will ever testify in this case as to where he obtained his HGH.

BRIAN CASHMAN AS A WITNESS

According to the opening statement of the prosecution, Yankee executive Brian Cashman will be called as a witness by the prosecution. Apparently Cashman will testify, among other things, that Roger Clemens insisted that the Yankees hire Brian McNamee back in 2000. This will be part of the prosecution case to show that there was a close 10-year relationship between Clemens and McNamee.

However, Cashman’s testimony may cut both ways. Before opening statements and outside the presence of the jury, Clemens attorney Rusty Hardin stated, according to the Daily News, that Brian McNamee had a “considerable substance abuse problem” and that Brian Cashman will testify about a Yankee trip to Seattle during which Brian McNamee passed out and was “incomprehensible.”

The defense opening statement will be given Tuesday morning and then the first witnesses will be called at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. However, this will be a very short week in the case as Judge Walton is scheduled to go out of town for the rest of the week.