I have been really busy lately thus I have forgotten to post a depth chart for the Blue Jackets. With the addition of Mike York to the roster, it appears that the team is now set with their roster for the season. So here is what we are looking at:
1) Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, Kristian Huselius
2) Fredrik Modin, Derick Brassard, Raffi Torres
3) Jason Chimera, Michael Peca, Jakub Voracek
4) Mike York, Manny Malhotra, Jared Boll
Backups: Jiri Novotny, Andrew Murray
Defense:
1) Jan Hejda, Mike Commodore
2) Rusty Klesla, Fedor Tyutin
3) Christian Backman, O.K. Tollefsen
Backups: Kris Russell, Marc Mehot, Clay Wilson
Goalie:
Pascal Leclaire
Remember that Kris Russell was on the second defensive pairing last season. The defense of this team is much more deep. Just thought I would put this up for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Baseball playoff races heating up; do fans care?
With the exception of the AL West's spot, seven of the eight MLB playoff spots are still up for the taking. Teams that most sports writers like yours truly thought had no business being in playoff races are still hanging in there. Point to the obvious. Yeah, the two biggest surprises comes from Florida.
It appears the Yankees are no longer the top dog in Tampa. And the Marlins with their Minor League-Like-Payroll has stayed in contention into the dog days of summer. I wrote a blog several months ago on the Marlins saying it was hard for me not to root against them. I still feel that way, even though I will say that the fact their management did not at least go out and get one top tier player before the trade deadline was a bit troubling. Who needs Xavier Nady more, the Yankees or Marlins?
I am always interested in how fans react to contenders. Despite the Marlins being in the the NL East race all season, still remains by far the lowest draw in the Majors. Their last home game was on Wednesday and they failed to draw 15,000. You almost wonder if they make the playoffs, if they can fill up their own stadium.
The Rays on the other hand are seeing a turnaround in attendance. After having a series earlier in the season where they failed to draw 10,000, the fans are coming in. A recent weekend series against Detroit drew over 90,000 fans. Not great for a contender but solid.
The White Sox is another case of not having strong attendance. Horrible teams such as San Diego and San Fransisco are out drawing Chicago.
But this is something I feel certain of: A team which has not been to the World Series since the strike will participate this season in the Fall Classic. Could it be the Rays? Could it be the Marlins? The Phils are playing well. Maybe the Brew Crew? The Dodgers are hanging tough. Despite the White Sox getting Junior, the Twins still have a solid roster. This could be a great finish, and only time will tell if fans in these lesser markets will embrace their surprise runs.
It appears the Yankees are no longer the top dog in Tampa. And the Marlins with their Minor League-Like-Payroll has stayed in contention into the dog days of summer. I wrote a blog several months ago on the Marlins saying it was hard for me not to root against them. I still feel that way, even though I will say that the fact their management did not at least go out and get one top tier player before the trade deadline was a bit troubling. Who needs Xavier Nady more, the Yankees or Marlins?
I am always interested in how fans react to contenders. Despite the Marlins being in the the NL East race all season, still remains by far the lowest draw in the Majors. Their last home game was on Wednesday and they failed to draw 15,000. You almost wonder if they make the playoffs, if they can fill up their own stadium.
The Rays on the other hand are seeing a turnaround in attendance. After having a series earlier in the season where they failed to draw 10,000, the fans are coming in. A recent weekend series against Detroit drew over 90,000 fans. Not great for a contender but solid.
The White Sox is another case of not having strong attendance. Horrible teams such as San Diego and San Fransisco are out drawing Chicago.
But this is something I feel certain of: A team which has not been to the World Series since the strike will participate this season in the Fall Classic. Could it be the Rays? Could it be the Marlins? The Phils are playing well. Maybe the Brew Crew? The Dodgers are hanging tough. Despite the White Sox getting Junior, the Twins still have a solid roster. This could be a great finish, and only time will tell if fans in these lesser markets will embrace their surprise runs.
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