Sharks stall in Motown

In the fourth and final battle between Western Conference's two top teams, the home team won for their fourth consecutive time.

The Detroit Red Wings once again pummeled the San Jose Sharks on their home ice, winning 4-1 Wednesday.

The Red Wings have outscored the Sharks 10-1 in their two games at Joe Louis Arena this year.

The Sharks have an NHL-high 91 points -- three points more than the Red Wings and one more point than the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins.

Special teams were the difference for the Red Wings in this game.

The Wings power-play was far more dangerous and efficient than the Sharks was. The Wings went 2 for 7 on the power-play, while the Sharks went 1 for 7.

The Wings also had a short-handed goal, when winger Henrik Zetterberg stole the puck, eventually performed a spectacular spin-move and beat Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov stick side.

The longterm affect of this loss is hard to gauge -- after all it is just one regular season game.
But the Sharks have to be worried about their inability to be competitive at "the Joe."

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has plenty to ponder before the March 8th trade deadline.

The Sharks have shown solid scoring from their top two lines, but they get little to no contribution from their bottom two.

They could give up some prospects for an offensive star.

And of course veteran defensive players are always a good add to a playoff team, especially if that means Alexei Semenov does not touch the ice.

Ultimately, the Sharks are one of the best teams in hockey and no matter what they decide to do at the trade deadline, the big name players are going to have step up.

That means you, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle.

With the season lost, the Warriors are in waiting mode

The Golden State Warriors are 20-37. They are in tenth place in the West and are currently 14 games out of first place.

The season is over.

The trade deadline passed and the Warriors did not take a part in it. They decided to keep their losing roster together with the hopes that better health and experience will lead to a winning season next season.

They are officially in waiting mode.

Here's a list of the Warriors needs down the stretch to ensure a better season next season:

1. Monta Ellis should be rested for the rest of the season. If he's not 100 percent next year, the Warriors will never sniff the playoffs.

2. PLAY ANTHONY RANDOLPH. Just recently, Lakers star Lamar Odom said that Randolph was like looking in a mirror with more athleticism. He has potential, and the only way he will realize this is if he plays more.

3. Continue to develop winning ways at Oracle. This young team struggled earlier this year to defend its home court. Now, with the team healthy and seasoned, the Warriors must begin to show some dominance on their home court. They will need to win a minimum of 30 games at home next year if they wish to make the playoffs.

4. Ship Corey Maggette to another planet. OK OK. Maggette is a good scorer and he can get to the free-throw line at any time. But, the fact that he has never been part of a winning team suggests that Maggette's inability to pass and poor defense outweigh his ability to score. Don Nelson's decision to bring Maggette off the bench is the right one, and he just try to limit his minutes as much as possible for the remainder of the season so Marco Belinelli, Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson can develop. This is just one example of Maggette being "literally" a walking turnover.

5. Stay healthy over the offseason. Yes, this means no mopeds. But in all seriousness, Andris Biedrins should probably rest this offseason instead of playing Olympic basketball. His health is pertinent to the Warriors success. Stephen Jackson averages the second most minutes per game. He needs to ice his legs for six months.

Tejada tests positive for steroids

Nearly a week ago, it was discovered that Miguel Tejada, a Bay Area icon and former AL MVP, tested positive for steroids.

With Jason Giambi also admitting to steroid use, A's fans must be wondering if all their recent stars were on steroids.

My guess is the Big 3 -- Zito, Mulder and Hudson -- earlier in the century were not on steroids, but no one can be sure.

Tejada's positive test comes day after Rodriguez admitted to steroid use between 2001 and 2003.

Tejada began his career in 1997 with A's and made steady improvements every season. In his 2002 MVP season, he had a .308 batting average, 34 homers and 131 rbis.

But, as with most A's stars, his greatest season made him noticed by other teams and he was lured away by big free-agent money.

The A's were never able to resign Mulder, Zito, Hudson, Giambi and Tejada because they simplyp did not have the revenue, and general manager Billy Beane believed that they could restock with great drafts and player development in the minor leagues.

Yet, all true A's fans that I have met are willing to accept Beane's tactics. And although Beane has not taken the A's to a World Series, he made the A's a consistent contender in the early 2000s.

Just two years after his MVP season, Tejada took the money, a six-year, 72 million$ contract, with the Baltimore Orioles.

Last year, Tejada signed with the Houston Astros. He struggled mightily, hitting just 13 homers (his lowest total since his second season) and a .283 batting average.

Ultimately, the Bay Area may be the mecca of steroid ball. Barry Bonds and Matt Williams were two of my favorite hitters growing up, and they both took some type of performance-enhancing drug.

With BALCO's headquarters just around the corner, it would not surprise if other Giant and A's greats took 'roids.

Challenges and Opportunities for Bloggers

Pros- Blogging gives everyone a stage to express themselves to the entire world. It gives people the opportunity to communicate their opinions and gives others a chance to read information that can be very influential.

Cons- I believe that the majority of Bloggers are fairly accurate with their information, but, blogs lack accountability that newspapers have. Also, I can post anything I want, and it may be much more interesting than newspapers, but it will be difficult for me to get people to read my blog because without advertising, it is difficult to promote it.