Almost Mariner'ed It...

Cue the GIANT SIGH of relief/annoyance.
In a low scoring and crazy game 7, the Canucks finally got it done. I have not posted in a while- kind of a superstition during the playoffs thing. After game 5 when the Canucks were up 3-2 instead of taking care of the sweep in game 4 I probably should have realized my superstition was utterly ridiculous, but I digress.

I will not lie, nightmares of a Blackhawk comeback crept into my head at times- actually most of the time after game 5- but the boys in blue closed it out tonight, thanks to a stunning slapper from Alex Burrows. (seen above on the right after the goal)

 The only comparison I could draw up in my head was one to the 2001 Seattle Mariners- the squad that won a record 116 games and steamrolled Cleveland in 5 games only to succumb to the Spankees in 5 in the ALCS. So much promise, and so little production. Kind of like the Vancouver- Chicago series. The first three games of the series were a breeze. Enter Roberto Luongo.

Usually, no- traditionally and historically a stud in between the pipes simply lost it in game 4 it seemed. Luckily Cory Schneider is an outstanding tender in his own right, as he posted a fanastic 16-4-2 record in the regular season. It would be fair to say he is more of a 1A goalie as opposed to a "B" option for coach Alain Vigneault. Luongo reassured everyone in game 7 however, allowing only 1 goal that, I must admit, was pretty filthy. (Jonathan Toews, you dirty DAWG!)

Nashville Predators, here we come.

Another List, Kinda

Totally not biased or anything..

While watching the Mariners get blasted by the mighty Rangers this evening, I Started to realize how much I miss Dave Niehaus’ voice as the Mariner’s play-by-play man. I thought I would compile a list of terrible and annoying announcers complimented with a few of my favorites.

Not so favorite:

1. Gus Johnson’s unnecessary gaps between words. The guy can’t even say one sentence without pausing for 5 seconds between two random words

2. Dick Vitale’s ACC bias- the only reason the guy doesn’t do games outside of this conference is because he couldn’t logically talk about Duke or North Carolina the entire time

     3.  Now call me a sexist, social and cultural idiot, or whatever you want, but I cannot stand women that announce college football. It’s something about their voice that just seems out of place. Kind of like how you see collegiate softball teams coached by men. Doesn’t really make sense…

      4. An A-bomb for A-rod! – Dumb, Insensitive, whatever you want to call it- I feel like this phrase was created out of laziness- Dave Neihaus is rolling in his grave as I speak- he never said anything this ridiculous when calling M’s games when A-rod was just a little tike in the league.

Favorite:

Best. Comb-over. EVER.

 1. Brent Musburger. The guy is just a class act, and an artist with words. Great style, great delivery. I've even met the guy. Before the USC game at Autzen last year, my roommates and I met him at the Steelhead Grill in Eugene. How did I notice him? I heard that iconic and familiar voice behind me and thought it sounded like someone I had heard talk a lot. Astronomy Teacher? Nope. One of my neighbors? Couldn't be. Brent Musburger? Oh yeah. 

2. The Martin Tyler/Andy Gray combo. Stemmed from FIFA as anyone who plays the game could imagine, this dynamic duo announced the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for ESPN. Even as the US struggled, they made the games highly entertaining to watch. I consider myself fairly educated in terms of international soccer, but this combo would surprise me with crazy facts, stories, and information on a regular basis. My fingers are crossed for a repeat of these guys in 2014.

3. The Jon Miller/Joe Morgan ESPN sunday night baseball duo. These two again combine expertise with excellent diction and voice. One of the main reasons I wished I was a Giants fan was so I could have the pleasure of listening to Miller do EVERY GAME! Don't forget about Joe Morgan's knowledge regarding hitting, either. I swear I would learn more from him talking about players' swings on Sunday night than a round or two in the cages in high school.

Well those are my most hated/favorite. The ones that came to me somewhat easily, at least. I'm sure there's more. Feel free to comment if you can think of any others- as I know as soon as I click "post" I will think of one.