Posted on April 28th, 2013 by fred999
Allsports
So the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally returned to the NHL playoffs after a nine year hiatus. You can be sure that they will now be dominating the sports news and sports on the web in this area of Canada. Sure there was a buzz and some hype about the Toronto Blue Jays and all the great additions they made in the off season but make no mistake, this is hockey town and a Maple Leafs playoff run will catch a lot of ink. Besides so far this spring the Blue Jay have been anything but electric. I know the baseball season is long but as of this writing the Jays are in the American League East basement with a 9-16 record. They better get it together soon because a successful Maple Leafs playoff run could take the buzz away from the Rogers Center even more than the Jays crappy start already has.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Logo
Allsports was a little surprised by the way the Leafs have backed into the Stanley Cup playoffs, coming in like lambs instead of lions. Take last night in the last game of the regular season against the Montreal Canadiens. If the Leafs beat the Habs last night it would have solidified a first round playoff match-up with them. So Allsports thought the Leafs would come out full tilt, using their size advantage and soften up the smaller Canadiens team for the upcoming series that would likely start on Tuesday. Instead after a relatively even first period, the Leafs came out flat in the second and seemed to be chasing the Hab’s and the puck all period, getting out shot 11-1, out scored 2-0 in the process and trailing 3-1 going into the third. They played a little better in the third period, recording 10 shots but really had no sustained pressure in the Montreal zone and with 17 shots total in the game they never recovered and lost 4-1.
Montreal Canadiens Logo
Toronto has played well against the Canadiens this year and still won the season series 3-2. But the two losses were of the mail it in variety. Now instead of being the masters of their own fate they have to wait and see if Boston can beat Ottawa today in the final game of the season. A Boston loss and the Leafs will open the playoffs in Boston. This would be a much tougher and more physical series for the Leafs to try and get through. They addressed toughness in the off season so they should match the physical play of the Bruins but who ever wins the series might not have much left in the tank for the next round. So Leafs fans are pulling for the Bruins today to try and get the Leafs vs Hab’s match-up that all Canadian fans want to see. The Bell Center would be electric on Tuesday night if that is the case. Allsports does not want to say it but go Bruins.
“No Guts No Glory”
Walt Webb
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Posted on April 2nd, 2013 by fred999
Allsports
I would like to touch on parents involvement in their child’s sports development today in the sports news and sports on the web. Two things drive Allsports nuts when he goes to the rink or to the field to watch the kids play. First when kids start to play competitive sports it becomes all consuming for the parents because there are so many games and tournaments during the season that it seems parents are going to work all week and then packing up for a different venue every weekend. The parents social life starts to revolve around the child’s sports team because through no fault of their own all of their spare time is consumed with tournaments and games. So the parents start to socialize with each other and develop relationships. That is not the problem as Allsports sees it. No the problem for the kids starts when the games become secondary to the socializing, especially when alcohol is involved. You can’t blame the parents for wanting to blow off steam but the kids do suffer for it.
Youth Hockey
The higher the level of the sport the more it seems to happen. more time away at tournaments means more time the parents are travelling and it becomes a bit of a domino effect. The parents party and drink until the wee hours of the morning and the kids don’t end up getting the proper sleep they need to perform well. The longer the team goes in the tournament, the more important the game and the worse the kids perform due to lack of sleep. So if there happen to be scouts in the stands watching a championship game, they are seeing an inferior product because the kids are too tired to be firing on all cylinders. So parents, it’s okay to have a couple with each other but always bear in mind that you are there for your child to play their sport and make sure they get the proper rest needed to stay at the top of their game. Besides, do you really want your children watching you get gunned. Moderation is the key here.
The Pitch
The second peeve is when parents yell at their kids from the stands during a game. Half the time the parent has never played a sport and is living it through the child. They yell at the kid to play better and to get their head in the game. This is not good as all they are doing is embarrassing the kid and making them not want to be there. Yell encouragement from the stands, nothing derogatory. Its the coaches job to teach on the bench and mistakes should not be pointed out in front of everyone. Maybe some encouragement and a little positive input on the way home but remember the bottom line is, did the child have fun? That’s the first question parents should ask their kids after practice or a game. If the child is not having fun they will eventually quit and move on to another pursuit.
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Posted on March 29th, 2013 by fred999
Allsports
Well this will be Allsports first post of the year for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sports news and sports on the web. For all of Leafs Nation out there, keep those fingers crossed and start scoreboard watching because the home stretch is just around the corner in this abbreviated NHL season. We are all to familiar with the total collapse of last year in which Brian Burke described it as the tractor trailer going off a cliff, not just the wheels falling off. Is it finally time to stop the bad jokes much like this one?
NEW Leafs Bra
Allsports thinks they may have finally turned the corner and evolved into a legitimate playoff contender. Take last night for instance. The Leafs gave up the lead in the game to the Carolina Hurricanes with a couple of ill timed hiccups. Same old story right, but on this occasion they fought back, refusing to loose the game and battle for the win even though it was ugly. Good teams manage to win even though it was not their best game. They overcome and win, and a win is a win no matter how ugly it is.
Joffrey Lupul
Joffrey Lupul is leading the team by example and has been the straw that stirs the Maple Leafs offensive drink since his return from injury. Scoring seven goals in the five games since his return. Last night he set up Phaneuf’s game tying power play goal and then scored the winner on a beautiful end to end rush. How many times does that happen in today’s NHL?
Randy Carlyle
Things seem different now as the team seems to have bought into head coach, Randy Carlyle’s team approach. Under Carlyle the Leafs special teams are much improved over last year, ranking 13th on the power play and 6th on the penalty kill. A more balanced offense and a reduction in goals against have translated into a playoff position with 13 games remaining.
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Posted on March 24th, 2013 by fred999
Allsports
Allsports thought he would talk a little bit today about gambling in the sports news and sports on the web. Has anyone really given much thought to the impact gambling has on sports in general and maybe the NFL in particular? Betting on sports has likely been around since concurrency was first invented and you can be sure there were many wagers when the Romans Packed the Colosseum. Nothing added more interest to a bloody death than a bet on who would be the victor.
Roman Colosseum
Today we have many more avenues in which to bet our money and many more since the inception of the world wide web. There are many of these sites but be careful and make sure the one you are dealing with is reputable. Be sure to research them first before you spend any of your hard earned money. Allsports has had the distasteful experience of trying to work with one called “The Sports Betting Dime”. More like the betting penny. It is run by a bunch of hacks in India and is anything but a site where you would want to send your money. Luckily Allsports cut them loose before they could waste much of his time.
The Ravens run the ball on the 49er’s
By far the most bet on sport today is the NFL In fact there was a record 98.9 million wagered on the Super Bowl in Nevada alone last February, can you imagine the total amount when you consider all of the betting vehicles available today. Allsports thinks this is the main reason why NFL Football generates more income than any other sport. It sure is not because of the talking heads that host the games on TV. Think about it, how many office football pools are people involved in? Even the receptionist who does not have a clue on the game would likely be involved in the office pool and would tune in just to see how her picks for the week turned out. So it is a trickle down effect. Viewers who are not normally sports fans would tune in for the simple reason that they have money on the line. It increases the ratings for the TV stations and thus puts more money into the pockets of the league. You would never hear the NFL condone gambling on their games but you can be sure they know that it is the golden goose that makes the NFL stand above the other sports in revenue, at least that is the way Allsports sees it.
“No Guts No Glory”
Walt Webb
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