If you have visited here before and read any of my hockey stories, you may know that I despise NBC hockey analyst Mike Milbury. Milbury played 12 seasons as a defenseman for the Boston Bruins, before becoming an assistant GM and head coach for the Bruins, then having a disasteous stint as GM and head coach for the Islanders. He is most known for going into the stands during a fight at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers and beating a fan with his own loafer.
For the past several years, the 63-year-old Milbury has been one of the lead analysts on NBCSN’s NHL coverage and in that time, he has shown that he took many too many blows to the head. His commentary has been boorish, Neanderthal-like; mostly the talk of an old washed up hockey player from an earlier day. He blasted Hall of Fame broadcaster Pat Foley when Foley complained, rightly, about the late start times for the Blackhawks/Blues series for middle of the week games in the Central time zone, pushed back for television. Milbury is the American Don Cherry, gruff and wrong, but without Cherry’s wide outfits and over the top wackiness. Although former Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick is not a great commentator either, he’s better than Milbury and often, I wish Roenick would reach over and knock Milbury upside his head.
Well, Milbury may have finally gone too far this week. Earlier this week, during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between St. Louis and San Jose, he made a comment about injuring opponents: “if you’re going to slash him, crack a bone or something. If you’re going to hit somebody from behind, give him a slight concussion or whatever.” As hockey has gone out of its way to reduce the number of fights in the game and the goon as all but disappeared from the sport, here’s Milbury’s 19th Century thinking, in effect condoning injuring opponents.
Hockey faces much the same problem as football, with the knowledge about brain injury like CTE and others, the game has adapted and will have to adapt further to remain viable. Many kids won’t want to play hockey for fear of long term illinesses. But here’s the old defenseman saying that if youre going to assault someone on the ice, make sure there’s an injury involved.
Mike Milbury never won a Stanley Cup as a player, a coach, or a GM. His ineptitude has kept him from getting a job on the ice or in the front office. Now, his mouth, previously just an annoyance to be avoided by going to the bathroom or the refrigerator during intermissions, is now on record as telling players to hurt each other. I wanted Milbury to be fired for being a bad analyst; now he really has to be fired in everyone’s best interests.

In the argument about the naming of the Washington Redskins, I have admitted that as a kid growing up, I never heard anyone complain, not even the friends I had who had more Native American ancestry that the rest of us. As the complaints got louder and more and more people began to stand up against the nickname, I went along, calling for change and for team owner Dan Snyder to change the name. Snyder has shown that he is a rich, hedge fund scumbag who has said that he will never change the name, even as the U.S. Copyright office has refused to protect his copyright because the nickname is offensive.
Well, the Washington Post conducted a poll of Native Americans and a whopping 9 out of 10 say that they are not offended by the name. Snyder, in his penthouse is smiling, and tons of people, Tea Party types mostly are bashing liberals for making an argument over political correctness when people aren’t, for the most part, insulted.
This of course, is the Donald Trump crowd, blaming political correctness for not allowing them to show their bigotry and hatred. There are a lot of Native Americans who have complained, quite loudly, that they are offended by the name, but this argument brings up an interesting question: how many people being offended is the tipping point? “Redskins” is an offensive name, going back centuries. Knowing what it connotes, I hate to write it; I try to avoid saying it. But if the poll is true and 90% of Native Americans either aren’t offended, don’t care, or, most likely, have bigger problems like getting enough to eat, good housing, good schools and job opportunities to worry about a football team’s nickname. Or should we stand against people being demeaned, even if it started decades ago? While we can’t adjust life to keep everyone from every being insulted by anything, and the current political climate is for people to be insulted by everything and willingly insult anyone who disagrees with them, what should we do?
Snyder will smirk and continue to stand his ground. The right wingers will claim a victory against the Liberals who torment them. Liberals should take a look at what they do, because they, like the Tea Partiers, also can be overzealous. I do think however, that there is a lesson here, if anyone wants to listen (doubtful, I know).
But if the Donald Trump faithful think that this poll and the existence of the Trump campaign, win or lose, means that they have the right to trot out the N-word, or disparaging comments about Hispanics, gays, lesbians, transgender people, or anyone else, they are dead wrong.

Every sport, at every point in the sport’s history, has a “most popular player.” The ”face of the game” if you will. Often, it’s the best player, or at least among the best players in the sport, but other factors, like being on the best team, or being on the most popular team, and often it’ whether the player has “start power” the most attractive, charismatic and photogenic the person is makes them the player most identified with the sport.
Some could say it started when Jerry West’s silhouette became the symbol of the NBA, but there has always been the number one guy: Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James. There is no sport that has had a face of the game more than hockey. Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr, the Great One – Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux. Every time has had it’s “face of hockey.”
For the past several years, one could make an argument that the face of the NHL is either Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovetchkin. Both are the best scorers in the game, and while Ovetchkin is Russian and has a face that shows he’s a hockey player, Crosby is a bit of a pretty boy. Hockey purists will say that Ovetchkin’s lack of an all around game and failure to win a Stanley Cup, in fact, not even get the Capitals to a final is the argument against him being the face of the game. Those same purists point to Crosby’s crybaby antics on the ice and “soft” reputation for him not deserving of being the face of the game. Some say that Crosby isn’t the best player on his own team, giving that honor to Evgeni Malkin.
It should be said that Crosby’s Penguins did win the Cup in 2009, but since then, while he has put up decent scoring numbers when healthy (104 points in 2013-14, 84 in 2014-15, and 85 this past season) they have been the quietest scoring you’ll ever see. Crosby netted 15 game winning goals between 2010 and 2014. Still considered one of the best players in the game, the Blackhawks pair of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each easily sell more jerseys than Crosby, which is one measure of whether one is the face of the game.
To Gary Bettman’s and the NHL’s relief, Crosby has been more of a centerpiece of the Penguins. Nine of his 36 goals this past season were game winners and more important, Crosby scored the game winning goals in the last two Penguin victories, wins against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals. One of the goals came .40 into overtime. For the first time in a very long time, Crosby is looking like “the man,” which he hasn’t been for a very long time
I have long said that the Penguins problem has been on the blue line and in goal. The lack of defensive depth and the fact that the team does not have a shut down, defensive defenseman has been a big problem. And Marc-Andre Fluery is great regular season goaltender, but in the playoffs, he’s been adequate at best. This year, however, new coach Mike Sullivan has used his mostly offensive defensemen to push the advantage, figuring a good offense being the best defense. In goal, an injury to Fluery has made the team look to 21-year-old Matt Murray who has been steady on net.
Perhaps this is the year in which the face of the game proves his mettle? Lots of people hate Crosby (I am no fan by any means), but it would make the NHL very happy to have the face of the game in the Stanley Cup finals.

So, we’re down to the conference finals in the East and West of the NHL and what a weird group we have…
In the East, we have Tampa Bay, who just came up short in last year’s Stanley Cup Final to the Blackhawks. They played very well against the Hawks with perhaps a key injury to goaltender Ben Bishop being the difference in that series loss. With defenseman Victor Hedman showing star stature last year and with scoring machine Steven Stamkos, the Lightning were a serious Cup contender.
How they’ve done it however, is far from normal. Stamkos has been out of the lineup for months because of blood clots in his arm. He has started to skate again, but he will be unavailable until doctors discontinue the blood thinners he’s taking. Plus, of course, Stamkos is in the last year of his contract with the Maple Leafs, Red Wings and lots of other teams trying to find a way to give him the big money he deserves as one of the game’s biggest stars.
The biggest story of the season other than Stamkos involved Jonathan Drouin, who has not lived up to his status as the third overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft. Due to injury, Drouin played only 19 games early in the season, and so the team sent him down to affiliate Syracuse of the AHL. At that point, Druin’s agent announced that his client had made a trade request in November but kept it quiet from the public. Drouin refused to report to Syracuse; the Lightning looked for a trade but the asking price was high. Now, Drouin has returned to the team and has played very well in the playoffs. Even with a 1-0 lead in the series, the Lightning have more injury troubles. Bishop was taken off on a stretcher in Game 1 of this series with an apparently leg injury. Head Coach Jon Cooper said that Bishop was “day-to-day” (much as he said in last year’s Cup final), but he is listed as questionable for Game 2 tonight.
The Lightning face the Penguins who despite star power in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, have not won a Cup since 2009. I always thought that the weakness of this team has been on the blue line and in goal during the playoffs. Since Mike Sullivan took over as head coach however, the Penguins have been one of the hottest teams in the league, accentuating an up-tempo style that has worked well for Crosby and Malkin, but also Phil Kessel, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz. Plus, a last season injury to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been a blessing in disguise. Fleury has frankly, been great during the regular season, but not good in the playoffs. Some of that has been due to poor play in front of him, but some of it has been bad play on his part. Backup Matt Murray has stepped up and gotten the Pens through the first two rounds, playing with a maturity far beyond his 21-years.
In the East, it’s the “Someone’s Gotta Win” series. The San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues are regular participants in the Stanley Cup playoffs annually, but every year, both teams have not made it this far; not just losing, but usually losing in heartbreaking fashion. The Blues got past the Hawks and Stars in two seven game series. They also have a 1-game-to 0 lead at this point. As much as I can’t stand them personally, they have put it together, playing much more solid than in previous playoffs.
Meanwhile, if you looked up “underperformers” in the dictionary, you would see pictures of the Sharks. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and others on this team have put up big numbers in the regular season, only to wilt in the playoffs like a flower in a draught. In fact, this team was nearly blown up and a rebuild begun after not making the playoffs at all last season, but here they are, on the big stage yet again. Defenseman Brett Burns has really come on in the playoffs and is clearly a Conn Smyth Trophy candidate for best playoff performer. I admit that I do have a soft sport for the Sharks because of GM Doug Wilson, who was a Blackhawk stalwart for so many years.
So, “who’ve ya got” I hear you asking. I think the Lightning will prevail in the East and I think that the Blues will make it through the West.

Baseball fans in Chicago are positively giddy. Ordinarily, this time of year belongs to the Blackhawks, winners of three Stanley Cup titles in six seasons, but this season, the Hawks fell short in the first round of the playoffs, leaving the city with baseball.
Last season, after years of bad baseball and promises, the Cubs made the playoffs and went to the NL Championship Series, losing to the Mets. As a result, the expectations of the Cub Nation have been sky high all winter. To many, myself included, it has been a bit sickening. But the team has responded – boasting the best record in baseball: 24-6; having swept the Pirates and Nationals in the last week. Despite the loss of slugger Kyle Schwarber for the season and a slow start by $184 million man Jason Heyward, but still posting the best run differential in the sport (+102). Timely hitting, high run production, good pitching and defense along with the right touch from Manager Joe Maddon, and the North Siders have dreams of the first World Series since World War II and their first championship since 1908.
More surprising are the South Side White Sox. Last season, expectations were also high. The acquisitions of Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche, David Robertson and Jeff Samardzija led to expectations that two years of bad baseball, including a 99 loss season were behind them. The team failed to hit, the pitching was spotty and most of all the team’s base running and defense were abhorrent.
This year, however, despite the possible distraction from the Adam LaRoche and his son incident in Spring Training, the White Sox have been even more surprising. The Sox are 23-10, also getting timely hitting, pitching and defense. White Sox fans are more skeptical and need to be convinced that the team is “for real,” but weather permitting, the fans should be coming out.
On both sides of town, the dream of a “Subway Series” is alive and fertile. Unfortunately, there are still almost 130 games left in the season, spread over four plus months of rain and heat. They will both have losses, even losing streaks. Being Chicago teams, I’m certain one of these streaks will bring much hand wringing and consternation. So far though, we need to enjoy it.

As you may know, I wrote for The Sportswriters on TV, and I can’t help believing that somewhere Bill Gleason is smiling. The late Daily Southtown writer and Sportswriter created a big stir at a press conference after one of the Chicago Bulls’ championships, Gleason asked Michael Jordan about Nike mistreating Asian workers who made the Air Jordan shoes. Jordan, the biggest star and salesman of the time, deftly sidestepped all questions about the workers, avoided questions about African-American rights and issues because we couldn’t make waves with the Bulls, the NBA, or most important, Nike.
Now, millions of dollars later, Jordan has earned enough money to own his own franchise, the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have been a bad franchise, with no playoff appearances until this year. However, politicians in North Carolina passed the anti-transgender law concerning the use of toilets, and many companies and individuals have pulled out of the state until this racist law is struck down. The state legislature and governor have stood firm however, and now, for the first time publicly, Jordan is taking a stand. He has said that if the law is not overturned in 30 days, the Hornets will leave for another city.
It isn’t just that easy of course. If he does, there will be lawsuits, both sides making bold statements against the other. The NBA, concerned about PR will say little, siding with Jordan but unwilling to openly court bad PR, even against a horrible law. But this is North Carolina, where basketball rules all, and Jordan is a son of North Carolina. I don’t know if this will be the tipping point to get Republican North Carolina congressmen and representatives to change their mind, but it can’t hurt.

Frequently, I’m asked why I follow sports; why do I write about it? What is the big deal? What makes it so compelling? Of course, these questions come from people who aren’t into sports at all, and generally I tell them that it gives people something to occupy themselves with, and more important, it allows people to be competitive without killing or maiming each other. In sports, someone wins, someone loses, and the teams can come back and play again tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week, or the next year.
I should also answer: because the unpredictable and unexpected. If the team that is expected to wins always does, then it’s pretty boring. Upsets help make sports compelling in ways that take many years to see and understand in “real life.” Villanova over Georgetown in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Finals, Ali over Liston; Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson; New York Giants over then unbeaten New England Patriots in the Super Bowl; the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team. I don’t really need to even discuss them – anyone who follows sports at all know about all of these upsets – I don’t need to describe them. Also making sports fun is the fact that many of us will tell stories about where we were during these upsets; what we were doing; how we felt when they happened.
Add another ridiculous victorious underdog to the ranks of the greats. I don’t follow soccer much, especially English League Soccer – like most. I’ve heard of Manchester United, Arsenal and a few other teams, but that’s about it. So, I stand with millions congratulating Leicester City. Leicester City was playing in the second tier two years ago, but secured an incredible Premier League title this week. Leicester came close to be relegated again last year and started this season as 5,000-1 long shots according to the bookies.
But they built a seven-point lead over Tottenham with just two games remaining. Leicester could have won outright on Sunday but came up short against Man U, but Tottenham tied Chelsea 2-2 giving Leicester the championship.
For the first time in their 132-year history Leicester is champion of England. I’m sure that there has been non stop celebrating among its fans (I believe that there may be some drinking involved). The only drawback I can think of is the inevitable movie that will be made of this upset. Movie studios love sports films, especially with an underdog story. Look for it next year starring Benedict Cumberbatch.