Hiller finishes off Sharks

Two seconds into Game 6 between the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks, Sharks assistant captain Joe Thornton and Ducks assistant captain Ryan Getzlaf gave it a go. After a long fight which featured many punches landed -- more by Thornton -- the Sharks seemed ready to storm into the Pond and force a Game 7 in San Jose.

It turned out they picked a fight with the wrong team.

Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller was once again phenomenal, stopping 36 of 37 shots, and the Ducks stunned the Sharks 4-1 to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Presidents' Trophy winning Sharks seemed poised for a deep run in the playoffs, but they simply could not get the puck past Hiller in the entire series.

In the six games, Hiller stopped 220 out of 230 shots for an unbelievable .957 save percentage.
In comparison, the normally formidable Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov had a mediocre .890 save percentage.

The No. 1 key to any series by most experts accounts is the play of the goalie, and Hiller was much better than Nabokov.

However, blaming the whole series on Nabokov would be criminal.

Other than Game 5, Thornton was nonexistent. Similarly, captain Patrick Marleau had just three points in six games. He did score the game-winning goal in the Sharks two wins, but in the other four games, Marleau was a non-factor.

Meanwhile, Corey Perry had three big goals for the Ducks and Bobby Ryan beat Nabokov four times.

On the defensive end, Christian Ehrhoff, Doug Murray and Brag Lukowich had no points in the series and turned the puck over too often. Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a nightmarish series, posting a minus- 6 in five on five action. Rob Blake and Dan Boyle were outplayed throughout the series by Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, shown by a minus-6 combined by the Sharks two-some and a combined plus-9 by the Ducks dynamic duo.

But, if I had to point to one player who dominated this series, it was Ryan Getzlaf. He had two goals, the first sealing Game 1 and the second sealing Game 6, and six assists. His eight points led the series, and his plus-5 was second best.

More importantly, he took it to Joe Thornton repeatedly.

Thornton has a history of poor playoff performances, and Getzlaf never let him get going. And when Thornton finally did dominate a game during Game 5, Getzlaf picked that fight.

Getzlaf may have lost the fight, but he ultimately won the war.

Sharks win pivotal Game 3

My last post suggested that the Sharks may struggle to win in the first round against Anaheim. But, under no circumstances did I expect the Sharks to lose the first two games of a series at home.

After all, the Sharks were 32-5-4 in the regular season at home, including no back to back home losses in regulation.

Unfortunately, it happened.

The Sharks had been struggling to put the puck in the net down the stretch. There struggles continued due in large part to the play Jonas Hiller. Hiller saved 77 of 79 shots in the first two games, and the Ducks claimed a 2-0 lead despite being outshot by 36 in the two games combined.

The Sharks had to have Game 3, and they knew they were going to need get traffic to the net. Defenseman Dan Boyle crashed the net and scored two goals, Rob Blake had a goal and Patrick Marleau tipped in the winner in the Sharks 4-3 victory.

And that nonexistent power-play that doomed the Sharks in the first two games showed up. They were 2 for 4 with the man advantage, including Marleau's winner with less than ten minutes to go.

The question is -- has Hiller lost his touch?

If the Sharks can continue to apply pressure to Hiller, a comeback may be within their grasp.

Sharks win Presidents' Trophy

Had someone told me going into this year that the Sharks would have the no. 1 overall seed going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I would have been ecstatic.

I think it is worth celebrating the amazing regular season that the Sharks had. 117 points is more than I could have imagined. The addition of Dan Boyle and Rob Blake have made the defense formidable, and Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski may very well develop into stars of the NHL if they aren't already.

Yet, something doesn't feel quite right about this team.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; the Sharks have not played great Hockey since mid-January.

Today's 4-3 loss to the Kings once again got me worried. Nabokov saved only 20 of 24 shots and the offense was non-existent without the power play.

I worry because San Jose's opponent in the first round will be St. Louis or Anaheim, and those teams have won 8 of their last 11 games.

Most Sharks fans would tell me I have little to worry about in the first round, but the second round could mark the end for the Sharks. Their opponent will likely be Calgary or Chicago, and each team has proven that they can match up with the Sharks man for man. Chicago particularly scares the crap out of me.

If we play Chicago, goaltending will be the key. If Nabokov outplays Khabibulin, the Sharks will advance. So, I think the Sharks will get by in seven games.

If the Sharks get to the Conference Finals, they will likely meet the Detroit Red Wings. Fortunately, the Sharks have home ice, which is absolutely crucial considering how poorly the Sharks played at Joe Louis Arena (outscored 10-1 in two games).

But, I see the Sharks folding in that series. Joe Thornton has not played well lately, Patrick Marleau will be shut down by Nicklas Lidstrom, and the rest of the Sharks can't score the way the Wings can.

Unless Detroit's goalie situation completely falls apart, the Sharks run should end there in six games.

Can we get our money back?

I have this "friend" who plays Major League Baseball. He has a below-average fastball, and his offspeed pitches don't get easy outs, which ultimately makes his a mediocre pitcher.

My friend signed a 7-year, $126 million contract in December 2006. That means that the team he is on still owes him more than $70 million dollars.

My friend is Barry Zito, and I am beginning to question if his signing by the Giants was the worst in sports history.

Every so often a player signs a lucrative deal and has a season-ending injury. The fact that so much money is being devoted to that injured player costs his team dearly, but what Zito is doing to the Giants goes beyond that.

In 2007, Zito had an average 4.53 era and the Giants had a record of 14-20 when he started. This stat line is not exactly worthy of the richest contract in baseball, but considering how much he has regressed since then, the Giants would take those stats.

In 2008, Zito was a train wreck. His 5.15 era was one of the worst for all healthy starting pitchers, and the the Giants record when he started was 13-19.

If someone showed me that a pitcher had a 5.15 era and 17 losses in 32 starts, I would tell that team to send that pitcher to the minor leagues because that pitcher is ultimately making his team a lot worse.

So going back to my original point, Barry Zito isn't just making a lot of money and not producing. He is actually making the Giants much worse and taking around 20 percent of their payroll with him.

I don't think I have ever said this, but I believe Barry Zito is the worst player on the team, and he is making the most money. The Giants would absolutely be better off releasing him and going with a minor league pitcher. I guarantee you Giants minor leaguer pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson could out-pitch Zito.

Anyways, the whole reason for this rant comes from Zito's performance tonight against the San Diego Padres. Five of the first six San Diego batters reached base against as the Padres scored three first inning runs and made Zito throw 39 pitches.

Optimistic Giants fans would point out that Zito settled down after the rough start and allowed just one run in his next three innings. But, he still threw 93 pitches before leaving after just four innings, and the Giants lost the game 7-2.

The Padres are supposed to be the worst hitting team in baseball this season and Zito could not make it past the fourth. I find that difficult to swallow.

Many Bay Area fans are puzzled by Zito's ineffectiveness as a Giant after being such a solid pitcher as an Athletic.

Zito's fastball has lost a little bit of velocity, his change-up has lost some effectiveness and his curve ball has lost some byte. This could be a result of the A's overworking him years ago, but that still does not entirely explain how he has gone from a Cy Young winner to a disaster.

It is clear to me that the mental side of the game has destroyed Zito. He repeatedly walks hitters because he is afraid to attack the strike zone with his fastball. It is as if there is something in his head preventing him from being the pitcher he was in Oakland.

All in all, I don't see Zito ever turning it around, and I advise Giants fans to give up hope. Nothing is going to make his fastball faster and his curve ball curve more (besides steroids, which is a whole different article).

I hope I am completely wrong and Zito wins four Cy Young awards as a Giant and shoves them in my face. But until then, could we get please get our money back?

Tragedy hits baseball

When Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart left the mound Wednesday, I only thought about the bright future ahead of him.

You can imagine the shock I had when I woke up this morning.

This article from the Associated press said Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver at around 12:30 A.M. Thursday morning. For one day, this blog will get away from who won and recognize what counts.

Adenhart's death is a stunning reminder to value what you have. Right this moment, an earthquake could strike the place you live and injure a person you love. That's why it is so important to live life to the absolute fullest.

As I mourned the tragic news, I saw a replay of what happened to Joe Martinez in the ninth inning of the Giants 7-1 win over the Brewers. Martinez' change-up was hit squarely by Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron. In a millisecond, the ball struck Martinez above his right eye, appearing to momentarily knock Martinez out.

Minutes later, Martinez looked fine, and it appeared that he was going to walk off the field under his own power until Giants management forced him to stay down. Hopefully, Martinez recovers fully and gets another opportunity to pitch in the majors. But, there is no telling if Martinez has any brain damage or eye damage that could affect his life. And even if he does fully recover, there is no way to predict his mental state when he returns to the mound.

Something about Adenhart's youth is particularly disturbing about this news. The tragedy reminds me of Darryl Kile and Corey Lidle dying suddenly in the past decade.

R.I.P. Nick Adenhart

Stop the Presses... The Giants Can Hit!

Last year, the Giants often struggled to score 10 runs in a week. After one game this year, they are averaging 10 runs a game.
The Giants defeated the Brewers 10-6 behind an Opening Day offense that slugged out three home runs and six extra base hits. Aaron Rowand looked healthy for the first time as a Giant, when he bombed a two-run homer in the fourth inning and doubled in a run in the seventh.

The first inning was a perfect example of Giants small ball. Shortstop Edgar Renteria singled in his first at bat as a Giant, and Fred Lewis followed with a base hit. With two outs, Pablo Sandoval was hit by a pitch to load the bases, bringing up Spring Training slugger Travis Ishikawa. He ripped a Jeff Suppan pitch for a bases-clearing triple, giving 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum an early three-run cushion.

Lincecum could not hold lead, giving up two runs in the second inning and one run in third. He left after just three innings of work and 78 pitches thrown.

Lincecum had no control of his fastball which lead to him falling behind nearly every Brewer hitter. But don't fear, Lincecum still had his usual dominating stuff as shown by his five strikeouts. What is more impressive is that his Giants teammates picked him up after the poor performance.

Rowand's homer in the 4th put the Giants ahead 6-5, and they never looked back. Bengie Molina hit a solo homer in the seventh that put the Giants up three, and Rowand's rbi double two batters later made it 9-5.

Randy Winn then went deep in the 8th off of Jorge Julio, and Brian Wilson ended the Brewers last rally when he struck out Jason Kendall with two outs in the ninth.