#1s with Some Bullets

Some bullet points of a blog today:

• I have officially bet the entire AL Central to win the World Series. Before the season started, I threw $20 on the Sox at 21/1 odds (20 to win 420). I just checked all of the team's odds in the AL Central outside of the Sox and they were all 40/1 or over. So I threw $6 on KC (80/1 odds), $8 on the Twins (60/1 odds) and $10 each on the Indians and Tigers (both 40/1). Whether this proves to be a dumb strategy is a non-arguing point (I know it's stupid). I guess I figured if my Sox bet was gonna be shot in October, I might as well insure myself with the rest of the division at such high prices.
• Two trains of thought with the Bulls after going up 2-0 in the series: (1) Being on a double digit win streak, they're clearly doing something right, so no use in complaining on how they win, just as long as they win vs. (2) A #1 seed such as the Bulls with the supposed MVP should be destroying the Pacers on their home court, where they've shown themselves to be a dominant force, not letting them hang around (or in Game 1's sake, hold a lead the entire game up until the last minute). Both points can be argued. I don't think the Bulls can play like this against the Heat or Celtics (or even the Magic/Hawks) and expect to advance to the Finals.
• Speaking of the Bulls, I wore the Brian Scalabrine jersey again yesterday. I believe I have worn the jersey more than he has in 2011, and in about a quarter of the time.
• First day without class, so that means going to a bar of course. Well, for a friend's birthday. I don't want to make going to bars a habit, but I don't want to be trapped at home either this summer. Especially considering I work from home. So if you're reading this, GET ME OUT OF THE HOUSE!
• Just pulled the trigger on the Knicks for Game 2 tonight. I pegged them winning one of the first two games at Boston, so figured it was worth the risk at +275 for $35.
• Looks like The Playoff Stubble that I spoke of last week is about right for the Blackhawks, who are on the brink of elimination. I say they pull out a couple of wins here just to tease everyone, but then lose in Game 6.

....coming soon in the next day or two, a Scalabrine article that you will definitely want to read. Stay tuned.

World Series Bets Placed:

96124773	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11108] CLEVELAND INDIANS +4000 $10.00 $400.00
96124774	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11110] DETROIT TIGERS +4000 $10.00 $400.00
96124775	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11113] KANSAS CITY ROYALS +8000 $6.00 $480.00
96124776	TNTODDS TO WIN 2011 WORLD SERIES [11117] MINNESOTA TWINS +6000 $8.00 $480.00

From Playoff Beard to Playoff Stubble: The Hawks' Short Journey through the Playoffs?

How thick will the Hawks' beards get this year? Beard season starts today.

Everyone who knows me knows I don't follow much hockey, but there's one thing that I love about hockey: the playoff beard. Last year's Hawks squad had a variety of playoff beards growing throughout their Stanley Cup run:

One of the thicker beards last year, as worn by Adam Burish

This beard, proudly worn by Antti Niemi

 
And then, there are the not-so-pretty beards:

My cousin Tony grew better facial hair at the age of 12 than Kane did at 21.
$20 says Kaner punched the cabbie because cabbie said Kane's beard looked like "my wife's lower region".

I guess being talented and having a good beard don't go hand in hand.

From what I hear about the Hawks' inconsistency this year, fans of childish beards grown by adult men will be disappointed when Kane and Toews (among others) get eliminated early by the President Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks.

The one thing I do know about hockey (and baseball) compared to basketball is that playoff series are a lot more unpredictable and home ice/field does not mean as much when compared to NBA. Seems like every year or every other year, a 1 seed loses to an 8 seed in hockey in at least one of the conferences. The Ducks almost won the Cup less than ten years ago as an 8 seed and the Flyers made it all the way to the Cup as a 7 seed last year against the Hawks.

Also, if history is any indicator, making the playoffs in the last week/game isn't necessarily a bad sign for the Hawks. Some recent sports examples of teams who squeaked into postseason play:

NHL- Flyers (2010): made the playoffs in the last day of the season last year and were two games away from winning the Stanley Cup.

MLB- San Francisco Giants (2010): They squeaked into the playoffs after winning in game 162 (last game of the regular season) vs. the Padres, who helped the Giants get back into the NL West race by losing 10 straight games in September. The Giants went on to win the World Series after besting the Braves, Phillies and Rangers in October.

NFL- Green Bay (2010-11): won their last two regular season games, including an ugly affair against the Bears on the 2nd day of the year, then won the Super Bowl after winning three straight games on the road, including at Chicago.

NCAAB- Butler/VCU (2011): Some say that Butler may not have made the tournament if they did not win their conference tourney; everyone said that VCU did not deserve to be in the play-in game of the newly-expanded 68-team NCAA tournament. Both teams made the most of their opportunities. Butler won a pair of last second victories in the first two rounds, then proceeded to the Final Four after victories against Wisconsin and Florida. Meanwhile, VCU was the first team to need 5 wins to advance to the final weekend, capping off their amazing run by dominating against highly-touted and top-ranked Kansas. While Butler (who beat VCU in the national semis) ended up looking terrible against Uconn, they definitely went further than 99.999% of people thought they would.

So will the Hawks (or another team) join this list? It's much more possible in NHL than NBA. Whereas I could name the 5 teams that even have a shot at the NBA title (no particular order: Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Heat, Spurs), hockey always presents series upsets that allow for any and all teams to have a shot at the title.

Good luck to the Hawks to advance beyond the playoff stubble stage. From what I hear, they'll need all the luck they can get.