Blue Jackets Changing on the Fly

After starting this season 0-7-0 the upper management of the Columbus Blue Jackets felt a change, a drastic change was needed...So this morning, after getting smoked by the New York Islanders last night, the 'Jackets fired head coach Todd Richards and hired John Tortorella...Torts contract is for this season and the next two, which is the same amount of time that was left on his contract with Vancouver...and Vancouver is paying "some of it"....Columbus had to send a third round draft pick to the Canucks

After a season full of injury on top of injury...The Blue Jackets scratched and clawed late last season to be a thorn in the rest of the NHL's side...When the season was over, Richards' job seemed secure and the 'Jackets were on everyone's list of teams to watch this season...That thought was bolstered by the off-season trade for Brandon Saad, and signings of a couple role players...

Well, if you have watched them, you have seen that they aren't very watchable...The numbers of mistakes made by their defense is horrifying...A team with high expectations starting 0-7 is no good, and a move of some sort seems to be demanded by either the media, the fans, or both...Richards ended last season getting high praise form both...Now he has been shown the door...How quickly things can change....

Tortorella, well known for being a pain in the ass to his players, has a 444-371-115 record as a head coach...And a Stanley Cup ring from his time as the Lighting head coach when they won it all in 2004...When Torts time ended with the New York Rangers being hated by his players, who made it clear they were happy he was gone...His tactics that worked when they were young kids coming up, had grown tired...

In Vancouver, Tortorella didn't have the players to play his style...And they didn't seem to willing to buy in to his temper and tactics...When the coach leaves the dressing room to go after the opposing coach in his team's dressing room, it says a lot about your team and/or a lot about how they feel about you, when they don't follow you in...

In Columbus, there are a number of young players, especially on the blueline, that could use a Tortorella kick in the ass...There are also guys like Brandon Dubinsky...

Dubinsky played for Torts in New York...He became the player he is because of Torts...Playing Tortorella hockey killed some of his offensive numbers, but he plays every other aspect of the game very well...He's a Tortorella guy...I just wonder if he wants to deal with it again...

Nick Foligno can play Torts hockey...He seems to fit  the mold...Saad can play it too...Christ, just walking in the door to Columbus killed his offensive numbers, so what the hell...Guys like Calvert and Atkinson, and Campbell will fit well into his system...

The guy who will have the most trouble with this move is rising superstar center, Ryan Johansen....

Johansen has all the skills...All the talent...He can play two-way hockey...But players like him often get caught in a tight spot with Tortorella...They are expected to play tight defense, physical, and then knowing their skills, Torts piles the bulk of the offensive pressure/load, on them...


I think Tortorella will help Columbus, but he may have to pull back on the asshole level slightly...His teams play D...This team has played no D so far...The 'Jackets will turnaround...I just don't know for how long...

Monday Moaning Part Two

Well before I get to how the NCAA came down on Penn State, I have to get to this...It was announced this afternoon/evening that my New York Rangers, finally got a deal done with the Columbus Bluejackets, for star winger, 28 year old, Rick Nash...Even better, is what the Rangers gave up for Nash...The Rangers sent forwards Brandon Dubinsky, Aretm Anisimov, and defenseman Tim Erixon, along with a 2013 first-round draft pick...Besides getting Nash, who has 6 seasons left on his contract, the Rangers get defenseman Steve Delisle, and a conditional 2013 third-round draft pick...

Dubinsky was one of the key guys in the locker room, and while his offensive numbers dipped last season, his toughness, willingness to drop the gloves, and defensive play were very important to the Rangers success...His contract size pretty much made him expendable...Columbus fans will love him, on and off the ice, just as they did Nash...Anisimov is a good player, but hasn't yet reached his full potential...Erixon had a cup of coffee in the NHL last year, and should make the Jackets roster this season...Lots of upside in his game...

As the talks have gone on for months, names like Kreider, Stepan, and Del Zotto kept coming up...No way did I want the Rangers to move Kreider and Stepan...As much as IO love Nash, I didn't want to lose those guys...DZ okay, but those other two kids, give the team so much extra jump...Stepan has already shown the ability to be an excellent two-way player, and the spark Kreider gave the team in the playoffs, made it clear that this kid is one of the key building blocks...

Adding Nash's offensive skills is huge, especially since Marian Gaborik will be out for the beginning of the season recovering from a shoulder injury...Nash's work ethic, and professionalism will fit right in with the Rangers and what coach John Tortorella has been doing there...I'm very happy with deal!

Now, to the way the NCAA dropped the hammer on Penn State...$60 million fine...Yes!
4 year ban on PSU going to a bowl game...Yes
4 year ban on conference championship and national championship eligibility...Yes!
Loss of 40 scholarships over 4 years...Yes
All wins from 1998-2011, stripped...Yes/Wow!
I have to say, stripping the wins, shocked me...

It's rumored that PSU had this option, or to have a 2 year "Death Penalty"...Shutting down the program for two year...I have to say, this may actually do about the same kind of damage to the "Death Penalty"...Losing 40 scholarships, and the 4 year bans, just kills recruiting for at least 3 years...And yes, there are still PSU alums, and fans, and students bitching and moaning about this...And yes, the Paterno family is holding firmly to their belief that Joe Paterno was a mother fucking saint...He wasn't...I'm sorry you were fooled...We all were...Even people like me, who aren't Penn State fans, we all respected Paterno as a coach...He seemed like a no-nonsense guy...He disciplined his players fairly, and harsher then most coaches did...Sadly he didn't do the same when it came to his coaches...

This was a strong statement by the NCAA...All programs have been put on notice, that this shit can't go on...But now that the NCAA has taken, a moral and social stand, they need to live up to it...There are plenty of other wrong doings that have and will go on...They need to continue to be firm if they want to change the "Football first culture" that NCAA President Mark Emmert spoke of...

That's it for now...

Later, The Beeze.

Hockey Season is Back...

...And there's nothing like the Rangers and Islanders scrapping one out...Unfortunately, the Rangers lost...But it was nice to see some bad blood between these two rivals...I hope the hate lasts all season long...

Here's a quality fight between Brandon Prust and Zenon Konopka...




Here's Wisniewski telling Avery to go suck another dick!



That wasn't the first gay thing Rangers fans have seen this week...Check out this creeptastic moment from a few nights ago...



Lot of unity on this Rangers team...Lets hope it pays off!

Later, The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

Here we are again....Another Monday is upon us...This weekend wasn't too exciting at the Beeze household...The highlight Sunday was probably, taking the kids to see "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." The 3-D thing was cool...Better then any 3-D crap we had when I was a kid...The kids like the book, so they were really looking forward to seeing the movie...They really enjoyed it...Time wise it was really good too...I hate when they do a kids movie and it runs longer then an hour and a half...

If you catch it in 3-D be ready to pay more...$34 dollars for the wife, 2 kids and myself...Then popcorn, and drinks, was another $25...WTF!

While we were there the two little Beezers found out they're re-releasing the "Toy Story" movies in 3-D soon...Better start saving up some cash...

So why was this the highlight...1) Because the wife fell asleep early and didn't give any up...2) The Cleveland Browns took the field against the Denver Broncos...It wasn't pretty...The Brownies went out there wearing their stupid ass brown pants...WHY? Well, I guess if you're going to play like sh!t...You may as well look like sh!t....


Again the Browns didn't get in the end zone, as they lost to the Broncos 27-6...Unreal!

Saturday was a little better as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat Michigan State 33-30...Yeah, they won...But I wasn't really happy about how they played... http://irishbuzz.blogspot.com/2009/09/irish-beat-spartans-33-30.html

Then there was my gambling Saturday...I had Toledo getting 20 from Ohio State...LOSS...I had Florida giving The Vols 29...Loss...I really thought the Gators were gonna kill them...To bad I didn't have Washington beating USC or Middle Tennessee upsetting Maryland...Then Sunday I got knocked out of my "Knockdown Pool" along with everyone else who had the Packers...How do you lose to the Bengals? Get it back next week...

In the Hockey World...Preseason games have started...I can't really get into it yet...I love hockey, but I have a problem with both hockey and baseball...Their seasons are too long...I'd love to see baseball cut some games...They shouldn't start the season until May and end in September...Hockey should start late in October and end no later then may...The Stanley Cup finals in June makes me nuts...the World Series being played in the cold fall nights of October is almost as stupid as opening day in April snow showers...But I'm spinning out of control here...

The big news in the hockey world was Phil Kessel being traded from the Boston Bruins, to the Toronto Maple Leafs, for first round picks in 2010 and 2011...and a second round pick in 2010...

The contract talks with Kessel have been a pain for the Bruins...And the media have taken some shots at him for not always playing to his potential...Word is, the Leafs and him have already worked out a 5 year, $27 million deal...

Good news for my New York Rangers this weekend, as they finally worked out a deal with their young, talented, center, Brandon Dubinsky...2 year $3.7 million...

Now, this week I'd Like to close with a song...the lovely and talented, Billy the Kid just put out a new video for her song "These City Lights." Hope you enjoy...




Have a great week...

Later, The Beeze.