AO Update

So I was a little off in my predictions, but not way off. Actual quarterfinal matchups in the Mens' Draw were as follows:

1 Rafael Nadal v. 6 Gilles Simon (I picked Gael Monfis who retired in his match against Simon, after going down 2 sets to 1)
14 Fernando Verdasco v. 5 Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (I picked the wrong upset here. I figured that Blake would finally break through against tougher competition, but he didn't. Verdasco and Murray played a great five set match which Verdasco pulled out in the end)

3 Novak Djokovic v. 7 Andy Roddick (dead on)
2 Roger Federer v. 8 Juan Martin del Potro (dead on)

So I did pretty well, getting 5/8. I'm 1/2 on semi-final predictions so far. Roger Federer only lost three games en route to destroying del Potro and securing his place in the semis. Andy Roddick's improved fitness was extremely evident in his three and a third set win over Djokovic. Djokovic won the first set in a tie-breaker and then promptly ran out of gas. Roddick pushed him all over the court for the next two sets, and for the first three games of the fourth set before Djokovic finally retired. Here's hoping Nadal and Verdasco win tonight!

Tennis is BACK!

And I'm strongly considering staying up until 3:30 AM to watch Rafael Nadal play. The Australian Open started Sunday, and it's shaping up to be a good tournament.

-Nadal is still ranked #1 in the world, which makes me happy. It'll be interesting to see how he does here. Traditionally, Nadal does alright at the Aussie Open, he's made the semis once and the quarters a few times I believe, but he's never played the type of tennis he brings at Roland Garros or Wimbledon.

-Novak Djokovic is starting his first Slam defense and he looked pretty good dispatching Stoppini in the first round.

-Roger Federer won his opener in straight sets as well, but he played a lot of long games in the second and third set and still does not look like the player that dominated the tennis world for the better part of four years. He's still better than any player ranked below #4, but I think he'll lose to Djokovic in the semis again this year and he'll eventually slip to #3 in the world this season.

-Can Andy Murray finally break through at a Slam? He made it to the finals of the U.S. Open, but was man-handled by Federer, so I'm guessing he's still not quite ready to win.

-Conversely, James Blake and Andy Roddick need to come up big in this tournament or I'm pretty much writing them off as afterthoughts in Slams from here on out.

Predictions:
Quarterfinals:
1 Rafael Nadal vs. 12 Gael Monfils
4 Andy Murray vs. 9 James Blake
3 Novak Djokovic vs. 7 Andy Roddick
2 Roger Federer vs. 8 Juan Martin del Potro

Semifinals:
Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Murray
Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic

Finals:
Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic

Winner:
Novak Djokovic

The Double Standards in the NHL

The NHL's double standard for its players is disgusting. Thursday night, Sidney Crosby decided the best way to fight someone was to punch someone in the back of the head and in his groin while his teammate held the guy in a headlock. It was a clear attempt to injure, and just an awful display of sportsmanship. However, it's been three days, and by not punishing him at all, the NHL is giving tacit approval to Crosby's actions. Crosby already acts like he's above the rules of the game, and this latest incident is just further proof that he knows he can get away with whatever he wants. Had this been anyone besides Crosby, he would have been suspended for several games. Case in point: Sean Avery uses the phrase "sloppy seconds" and is shut down for the rest of the season. Or last year, Steve Downie gets suspended for punching Jason Blake in the face. Here's a clip of Crosby's actions from Thursday:

And here's a clip of the punch that got Downie suspended:

Which is more worthy of a suspension? If Gary Bettman and Colin Campbell refuse to act upon Crosby's situation, then they are practically admitting that they will let the stars of the game run wild, but if you're not one of the league's superstars, you'd better never step out of line. Prove me wrong Bettman. And please, Penguins fans, I want to hear you defend his actions. I really want to see what you'll come up with.

This Just In: The Flyers Love to Party... College Style

After the Flyers historic rally from a four goal deficit, several Flyers decided to go party at a Temple fraternity. SPORTSbyBROOKS posts several pictures here But I'll post a few of my favorite below. I just find it funny that many of these players are making millions of dollars a year, but they decide to go to a frat party to get their drinks. It's also cool that they feel comfortable enough and safe enough to go to Temple's campus and get drunk there. Anyways, picture time!

Mike Richards looks like he's trying to get some action:




















Richards is cleverly hiding the two beers he's holding. Double fisting like a champ:
















Nitty looks like he's drunk:















Aaaaaand there is Carter hanging out at the bar:

lolPenguins

Ahh it's always nice to beat the crap out of the Penguins. And what's a Penguins loss without them pulling a chicken move? I mean really, why do you try and fight Hartnell with six minutes left in the game? What a loser move, but then again, I've come to expect that lack of class from the Pittsburgh organization. But I would bet that the next time the Flyers and Penguins play, it'll take about two seconds into Godard's first shift for Cote to send him a message. Anyways, I'll take the win as it will move us a couple points behind the Rangers for first in the Atlantic. The Flyers are 12-1-3 in their last 16 games which has taken them from fourth in the division to second. They're one of the hottest teams in the league right now and This was also the first game in which Cindy hasn't scored against the Flyers, so it's nice to know that we can keep her quiet from time to time. 4 power play goals was the difference today, as the Flyers special teams continue to completely dominate the competition. Next up for the Flyers is a mediocre Colorado team, but the Flyers have struggled to beat Colorado in past years despite being the better team. So we'll see how it goes.

Wow What a Win!

So the Flyers just came back from a 5-1 deficit? I'm not sure I've ever seen that happen in my life. After listening to the first two periods, I shut the radio off because I was disgusted after listening to us give the game away to Carolina... after watching The Office, I check my fantasy team, and I'm shocked see that the Flyers have come back to tie the game at 5 by the end of the 3rd period. Scott Hartnell got things going with, what else, a shorthanded goal, and ended the game with a power play goal, a short handed goal and a even strength goal. Not a bad night. The Flyers killed off another penalty in overtime to force the shootout, which the Flyers are generally terrible in, but a Christmas Miracle happened and both Simon Gagne and Mike Richards scored while Nitty stone Rod Brind'Amour (still one of my favorite players) and Eric Staal (I think) to win the game. I'm pretty shocked.

So Apparently We Can Kill Penalties this Year

Since the NHL hasn't decided to return any of my emails about allowing Flyers games to be broadcast in State College, I have taken to listening to the games on NHL.com (at least, until the NHL decides that this is Pittsburgh's radio territory now. But since I've started listening to games, I've noticed that the Flyers have a potent penalty kill and get several shorthanded chances a game. Who knew. Last season the Flyers biggest problem was the penalty kill, but they figured something out during the off-season and now every time I listen to a game it seems like we're the ones who are dominating the play while we're supposedly short handed. Chris Therien and Tim Saunders are loving this. Inevitably, every time the Flyers take a penalty one of them jokes "Well now [insert opposing team here] is at a disadvantage as the Flyers are going on the penalty kill". Anyways, it's pretty cool to be a feared team when killing penalties. iI seems like over the years, that's always been a struggle for the Flyers, but now they've worked it out.