SEASON CAN’T END SOON ENOUGH FOR THE SABRES
Things could be worse for the Buffalo Sabres. At least they can’t be impeached – although many of the team’s fans might think that wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The Sabres host the Arizona Coyotes Wednesday night in a game with major implications in the “Battle for the Basement.”
With 10 games left for Buffalo in this miserable and extremely disappointing season, the Sabres are locked in a three-way contest to avoid finishing at the bottom of the 31-team National Hockey League. Entering Wednesday:
29th—Arizona 55 points in 72 games...24-37-11 record...outscored 230-175 (--55)
30th – Vancouver Canucks 58 points in 72 games...25-39-9...outscored 240-187 (--53)
31st—Buffalo Sabres 58 points in 72 games...23-37-12...outscored 236-172 (NHL-worst --64).
The low point of the season for Buffalo might have been last Thursday night’s 5-2 home loss to Toronto. There were more fans rooting for the visiting team for the Sabres. The crowd was a sea of Maple Leafs jerseys. Many frustrated Buffalo season-ticketholders decided to recoup some of their money by selling their ducats to eager Leafs fans north of the border. Even more than usual.
The Sabres to their credit bounced back to beat visiting Chicago 5-3 on Saturday but were outclassed in a 4-0 home loss to Nashville Monday night.
Positive thoughts: The three top centers are solid building blocks up front. Jack Eichel already clearly is a star and probably will be a future superstar with an upgraded supporting cast; Sam Reinhart is scoring at a point-per-game clip; and Ryan O’Reilly is having a good season and is an elite faceoffs man...The Sabres have two at least two legit NHL veterans defensemen (Rasmus Ristolainen and Marco Scandella) and a promising young blueliner (Brendan Guhle); goalie Linus Ullmark appears ready to take over next season...And things almost have to improve for rookie general manager John Botterill and coach Phil Housley.
SYRACUSE VS. DUKE TALE OF THE TAPE
Cinderella Syracuse and Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke will collide in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Friday (9:37 p.m., on CBS and News Radio WHAM 1180) in Omaha.
Duke is favored by 11 ½ points. That seems overly generous considering how SU’s defense frustrated Arizona State, TCU and Michigan State on the way to the round of 16. The Sun Devils, Horned Frogs and Spartans all were favored and all withered against super-aggressive SU’s 2-3 zone.
Here’s how Duke and Syracuse measure up entering Friday’s game (rank among the 351 NCAA Division I teams in parentheses; stats through Sunday):
Records – Duke (28-7; 13-5 ACC)...SU 23-16 (8-10 ACC)
Scoring – Duke 84.9 (6th)...SU 66.7 (317th)
Scoring defense – Duke 69.3 (100th)...SU 63.6 (10th)
Scoring margin – Duke +15.6 (4th)...SU +3.1 (129th)
Field-goal percentage – Duke 49.6 (9th)...SU 41.5 (320th)
Field-goal defense – Duke 40.2 (13th)...SU 39.1 (5th)
3-Point FG percentage – Duke 38.3 (41st)...SU 31.8 (328th)
3-Point FG defense – Duke 31.9 (29th)...SU 32.1 (32nd)
Free-throw percentage – 70.9 (190th)...SU 73.8 (t82nd)
Assists per game – Duke 17.8 (7th)...SU 10.6 (338th)
Rebound margin per game – Duke +9.1 (4th)...SU +3.8 (56th)
Fewest turnovers per game – Duke 12.6 (152nd)...SU 12.4 (122nd)
Turnover margin per game – Duke -.6 (236th)...SU .5 (155th)
Assist/turnover ratio – Duke +1.4 (22nd)...SU +.86 (307th)
Blocked shots per game – Duke 5.1 (20th)...SU 5.5 (8th).
Reasons to like Duke – Beat visiting Syracuse 60-44 February 24. The Orange shot 31.5 percent and committed 17 turnovers as Duke played predominantly a 2-3 zone. Coach Mike Krzyzewski decided to use buddy Jim Boeheim’s pet defense because the young Blue Devils were playing terrible man-to-man defense for the first 24 games of this season. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Duke has played 2-3 zone defense 82 percent of the time in their last 11 games and it has been far more effective. Duke has been practicing the zone and against the zone and won’t be surprised by it Friday night...Significantly more firepower...If the game officials call a tight game, a foul-plagued SU team could be in deep trouble.
Reasons to like Syracuse – The Orange are a relatively young and inexperienced team, but Duke is the second-least experienced team in Division I...SU has been dictating tempo and will try to frustrate Duke’s preferred run-and-gun style...Relishing the underdog role...Tyus Battle is due to end his shooting slump...The game officials likely will allow plenty of contact. They know SU can’t afford to get into foul trouble.
PHIL KAHLER WAS OUR VERSION OF GENO AURIEMMA
Phil Kahler died Saturday at age 84. He was a legendary women’s basketball coach at St. John Fisher College.
He was to SJF women’s sports what Geno Auriemma is at Connecticut.
Auriemma arrived at UConn in 1985, His first team was 12-15. The Lady Huskies haven’t had a losing season since. He has a career record of 1,025-135 (.883 winning percentage) and 11 Division I national championships.
Kahler was 797-175 (.821 winning percentage) at SJF. He was a two-time Division III Coach of the year. He took the Cardinals to the Division III Tournament 14 times. His teams never won a national championship but finished runner-up twice (in 1988 and 1990). He had at least 20 wins 27 times.
Kahler shared a habit with Auriemma – running up scores over outclassed opponents. It helped in recruiting. I thought it was interesting that Kahler died on the day UConn crushed Saint Francis (Pa.) 140-52 in the first round of the women’s Division I NCAA Tournament.
Kahler had at least two things over Auriemma: Phil started the women’s basketbal program at SJF and also started and coached the volleyball team (386-72 record in nine seasons).
AMERKS PROBABLY BETTER THAN THEIR RECORD LATELY
The Rochester Americans looked like one of the American League’s best teams earlier this season. After a 5-2 home win over Binghamton January 12, Rochester was 23-8-4-3 for 53 out of 76 possible points (.697) in the standings.
The Amerks are since 8-11-6-3 (25 out of 56 points; .466), including three straight road losses last weekend.
Don’t panic. The manpower situation figures to improve – by a lot.
Rochester has been hampered by injuries and recalls to Buffalo. The team is getting healthier and quality reinforcements are expected from the parent Sabres in time for the Calder Cup playoffs.
AHL playoff champions usually have hot goalies. Linus Ullmark could fill that bill this spring.
YANKEES AND RED SOX, SAY IT AIN’T SO
Here’s one Major League Baseball idea that I really hate: A two-game regular-season series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in June 2019. They’re working on the particulars and I hope this proposal strikes out before the planes take off.
The two major reasons:
1—The Yankees/Red Sox is baseball’s best rivalry. Shipping two games to England would be an insult to loyal fans of the two teams.
2—The vast majority of English sports fans probably would rate baseball far below soccer in terms of excitement.
I’ve always contended that if a group of 100 people who had never seen baseball or soccer were exposed to one game of each sport back-to-back in an afternoon, at least 95 of them would rate soccer more fun to watch.
THE LAST TIME QBs WENT 1-2-3 IN THE NFL DRAFT
Some football observers believe quarterbacks could be selected 1-2-3-4 overall in the 2018 NFL draft. I’ll believe that if I see it.
The last time QBs went 1-2-3 overall was in 1999: 1—Tim Couch (Cleveland)...2—Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia)...3—Akili Smith (Cincinnati). Daunte Culpepper was picked No. 11 overall by Minnesota and Cade McCown No. 12 overall by Chicago.
McNabb had a fine NFL career. Couch and Smith were busts:
Couch – 22-37 record in 62 games played; 64 TD passes; 67 INTs; sacked 166 times; 37 fumbles
Smith – 3-14 record in 22 games played; 5 TD passes; 13 INTs; sacked 59 times; 19 fumbles (lost 8); brief unsuccessful stint in CFL in 2007.
IN PURSUIT OF GOLF’S GRAND SLAM
The Grand Slam on the men’s PGA Tour is winning all four majors in a career. It isn’t easy to do.
Only five players have won the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (British variety) and the PGA Championship: In chronological order, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
The quintet’s total major victories: Nicklaus 18, Woods 14, Hogan and Player 9 each and Sarazen 7.
The great golfers who fell just short of winning the Grand Slam include Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson (failed to win the PGA Championship)...Lee Trevino (Masters)...Sam Snead (U.S. Open).
Three current PGA Tour stars can complete the Grand Slam this year: Phil Mickelson (has won 5 majors; needs the U.S. Open), Rory McIllroy (has won 4 majors; needs the Masters) and Jordan Spieth (has won 3 majors, needs the PGA Championship).
SHORT SHOTS
Red Wings broadcaster Josh Whetzel, fresh off an exciting ride as play-by-play man for the University at Buffalo Bulls in the NCAA Tournament, will work radio games for the Minnesota Twins Wednesday through Saturday in Florida. This will be his 16th season in the radio-TV booth with the Wings.
The National Lacrosse League Colorado Mammoth will retire John Grant Jr.’s No. 24 and raise it to the rafters at Denver’s Pepsi Arena on March 24. He played six full seasons with Colorado and scored 235 goals. He spent the first 10 seasons of his NLL career with Rochester and scored 433 goals for the Knighthawks.
Rory McIllroy’s victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill last week was his first PGA Tour win since the Tour Championship in September 2016. Few people were happier with the drought-ending victory than Erica Stoll, West Irondequoit Class of 2003, who became Mrs. McIlroy in April 2017.
The thought of Nadamukong Suh joining Aaron Donald in the middle of the defensive of the Los Angeles Rams, must be causing nightmares to coaches of the other 31 teams in the NFL.
Putting the label “bridge quarterback” on AJ McCarron is far more likely to be accurate than a hot-shot QB possibly selected at or near the top of this year’s college draft actually turning out to be a “franchise quarterback.”
Addition to the list of potential Amerks/Sabres offensive upgrades: Victor Olofsson, 181st pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft by Buffalo. The 22-year-old right wing leads the Swedish Hockey League with 27 goals in 50 games.
Sad factoid on the Sabres/Amerks: Buffalo hasn’t won a Stanley Cup playoff series since 2007 and Rochester hasn’t won a Calder Cup playoff series since 2005. At least the Amerks will have a shot to end that drought this season.
Former Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane scored four goals for San Jose last Friday night in a 7-4 win over Calgary. In 9 games for the Sharks, he has 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points and a +5 +/- rating..., Brian Gionta has 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in 9 games with the Boston Bruins in 9 games for the Boston Bruins.
A few ex-Amerks in the AHL: Phil Varone (Lehigh Valley) continues to lead the AHL in scoring: 20 goals + 44 assists for 64 points n 65 games; Cal O’Reiily (Iowa) has 12 goals and 41 assists for 53 points in 63 games...Matt Moulson, being paid by the Sabres for playing for the Ontario Reign (AHL), has 11 goals + 26 assists for 37 points, with a +14 +/-- rating in 39 games.
The Rochester RazorSharks lost 105-97 Tuesday night at the Yakimas (Wash.) Sunkings. The Sharks had won 119-109 Sunday in the Sundome. Yakimas is 15-7 and 1 ½ games behind the first-place Albany Patroons in the North American Premier Basketball league. Rochester is 8-16 with six games to play and trails Kentucky (8-9) by 3 ½ games for the fourth and final playoff berth. The Sharks play at Albany (17-6) Friday night and home against the Patroons Sunday, 2:05 p.m., at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
ON THIS DATE IN SPORTS...
March 21, 72 years ago (1946), the Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington, the NFL’s first black player since 1933...65 years ago (1953), an NBA-record 12 players fouled out in a Boston Celtics-Syracuse Nationals game...57 years ago (1961), Art Modell purchased the Cleveland Browns for a then-NFL record $3,925,000....40 years ago (1978), San Die go Padres manager Al Dark was fired during spring training.
March 22, 61 years ago (1967), Muhammad Ali KO’d Zora Folley in 7 for the heavyweight boxing title...39 years ago (1979), the NHL voted to accept four WHA teams: Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers)...29 years ago (1989), Pete Rozelle retired as NFL Commissioner after 29 years...29 years ago (1989), Buffalo Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk suffered a near-fatal injury when a skate slit his throat.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Wednesday, March 21
Darius Miller (28)...Bryan Bulaga (29)...Jonathan Stewart (31)...Adrian Peterson (33)...Ryan Callahan (33)...Ronaldinho (38)...Al Iafrate (52)...Mike Dunleavy (64). Scott Eastwood (32), Rosie O’Donnell (56), Matthew Broderick (56) and Gary Oldman (60) are invited to the birthday party.
Thursday, March 22
J.J. Watt (29)...Stefen Wisniewski (29)...Chris Ivory (30)...Dexter Fowler (32)...Joey Porter (41)...Marcus Camby (44)...Elvis Stojko (46)...Shawn Bradley (46)...Russell Maryland (49)...Hannu Virta (55)...Jimbo Covert (58)...Bob Costas (64)...Ross Browner (64)...Don Chaney (72). Reese Witherspoon )42), Rick “Pawn Stars” Harrison (53) and William Shatner (87) are invited to the birthday party.