Winds of Change

It's that time of year in the National Hockey League.  General Managers around the league are determining their team's most dire needs, and positioning themselves to make a splash before the February 28th Trade Deadline.  Already, teams have shown a willingness to make the bold, unconventional move.

Last Saturday, the St. Louis Blues traded 22-year-old defenseman Erik Johnson (a U.S. Olympian and first overall pick in the 2006 Draft) and checking forward Jay McClement to the Colorado Avalanche for winger Chris Stewart (who was on pace for a career season before suffering a broken hand in November) and first-year defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.  A lot of experts viewed this deal as a sign that few players are totally untouchable, and that teams will give up on highly-touted prospects if the price is right.

The Penguins have also wasted no time in making a move.  In desparate need of offensive firepower, the Pens acquired power forward James Neal (pictured above) and defenseman Matt Niskanen from Dallas in exchange for popular defenseman Alex Goligoski.  In my opinion, this move is a steal for the Pens.  They get a winger who could potentially post 30-goal seasons playing alongside Sidney Crosby, and a solid 5th or 6th defenseman, all while moving out some of their defensive depth, and perhaps paving the way next season for 2009 1st-rounder Simon Despres.  This is a win-win, both short term and long term, for the Black and Gold.

Rest assured, there will be more wheeling and dealing before Monday's Trade Deadline.  Will Dallas center Brad Richards be on the move?  Will Edmonton make forwards Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky available?  Or will a wild card come into play?  Stay tuned, folks.

Bracketology 101

No.  Not THAT bracket.

For golf nerds like me, it's one of the most exciting events of the season.  It's the one event in the season where the competitors aren't only playing against the course, they're actually going one-on-one with their fellow competitor.  It's the Accenture Match Play, the first World Golf Championship event of the year.

The top 64 players in the World Golf Rankings will be in attendance, trying to claim the title of Match Play Champion.  What could possibly be better?

For all you Tiger Woods fans out there hoping that this will be the tournament that he'll finally break through, don't hold your breath.  Though I do like his chances against his first opponent (Denmark's Thomas Bjorn), and in the next couple of matches that follow (with possible opponents including Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington, Dustin Johnson, and Bubba Watson), I don't see Tiger making it to the Final Four.  Unfortunately for Tiger, he'll most likely have to get through Englishman Paul Casey to get to the Final Four.  Casey has owned this tournament in year's past (reaching the Finals in the previous two events), making the task that much more difficult for Tiger.

Who do I see winning?  While the fan in me is pulling for a Final between Tiger and Rickie Fowler (I'm a sucker for the outfits), I ultimately see Jim Furyk winning.  The defending FedEx Cup Champion has the accuracy and the ball-striking ability to put pressure on anyone he squares off against.  I believe Furyk will take home the Match Play crown on Sunday.