On to the third round

I didn't do great in my predictions for the second round.

Vancouver over Nashville in 5 - off by only one game
Detroit over San Jose in 5 - picked the wrong team, so I was off by a lot here
Philly over Boston in 5 - ditto. Not sure how good or how bad the Flyers really are.
Tampa over Washington in 7 - off by three games
Layton over Ignatieff in 4 - this was my best prediction

What will the Final Four do?

Vancouver over San Jose in 4
Tampa over Boston in 5 - this one is all about goal-tending. I'm predicting that Tim Thomas won't play every game for the Bruins

The Second Round

Here are my picks for the second round. We saw some great hockey in the first!

Vancouver over Nashville in 5
Detroit over San Jose in 5
Philly over Boston in 5
Tampa over Washington in 7
Layton over Ignatieff in 4

Playoffs?

Yes, I've been paying attention - just not paying attention to The Fearful Porpentine. So it's too late to add my first round picks, but not too late to laugh at some of Adrian's.

Good picks: Washington, Philly, Pittsburgh. Going against the flow with the Habs pick - not too many of the chattering class had the Canadiens. I'm worried now that they've let the Bruins back in the series. But Mtl in 6 seems reasonable now. I'm worried that the top 4 seeds in the East will go through to the 2nd round: boring.

Vancouver: check
Anaheim: check
Sharks: check
Phoenix: not so much - looks like the Red Wings may be a match for Vancouver in the West.

Again, the top 4 seeds could easily go through. Not so boring on this side, though. I know you don't like the Canucks, Adrian, but I love watching them. I wouldn't count out the Mighty Ducks, either.

Some good hockey so far. I prefer better weather to watch my playoff games, though.

playoffs are go!

i'm just going to dive right in;


Penguins over Lighting in 7


this is a toss-up for me, who knows?


Capitals over Rangers in 5


the rangers are young, and not ready for this yet.  whereas Ovechkin is well rested, and they won't lose to the 8 seed two years in a row.


Canadiens over Bruins in 6


i don't know if i really believe this pick, but i'll hope that the habs can call upon some of that magic they always seem to have against the bruins in the playoffs.


Flyers over Sabres in 7


remember that scene in the Simpsons where Lyle Lanly has completely the Monrail training, and then doesn't really say who gets the job?  he just motions in the general direction of the class?  yeah, that's this series.  i'm barely even aware of Buffalo still having an NHL team.  where did they finish?  who plays for them?  who knows...


Coyotes over Wings in 7


i know they want to make a great impression on their new fans in Quebec City, so they just might take this series.


Canucks over Black Hawks in 6


i hate this, but i just don't see Chicago with enough to beat Vancouver this year.  but, if they steal game one, i could see the Canucks fold...


Sharks over Kings in 5


the battle of Califormia.  too many injuries for LA, too much offense for Dustin Penner to make up by himself. this is as far as San Jose will go though...


Mighty Ducks over Predators in 7


does anyone short of Rinne scare you in Nashville's lineup?  can you name anyone in Nashville's lineup?  Shea Webber i guess.  Anaheim is hot - i think i have them in the Western final against the Vancouver.

My Mad Men avatar - recognize me?

semi finals. and finals.

i totally forgot to put my posts for the last round.

i had the Hawks over SJ, though certainly not in 4.

and i was going to go with the Habs again, so i lost there.

i have the hawks with the Cup. i did all along, though they supposed to be beating the Caps.

while i'm at it, i've got the Lakers too. but i only called that after tonight. for them, winning games 1 and 3 is statistically the end of the series. they're just too strong up front. i guess if Ray Allen can break a record every game from here on out, the Celtics have a chance - but how likely is that?

and, speaking of basketball, i also have LeBron staying in Cleveland. maybe Chicago is the best destination - James + Rose + Noah sounds very good - but the Cavs seem so close already. the question is; does he want rings, or does he want to be Jay-Z?

i don't know if i can call groups in the World Cup - i just don't follow it that closely - but i'll take Argentina for the title. in some completely wacky way, Maradonna's Madness will work.

i will however be cheering hardest for Ghana.

Who Cares?

Right - who cares about the Stanley Cup anymore?  Let's talk World Cup!  Here are my picks for 2010 in South Africa:

Group A: going through will be Mexico and South Africa.  I predict France will flame out.

Group B: a no-brainer: Argentina & Nigeria.  Go Super Eagles!

Group C: England & (though I don't think they're that good) the U.S.A.  These two had lucky draws!  England is strong!

Group D: Germany, obviously, and Ghana.

Group E: Netherlands, of course.  I'm a big fan of the African teams, and I think they'll all benefit from playing in their home continent.  But I'm picking Denmark instead of Cameroon for the second spot.  This is a pretty strong group!

Group F: I don't think Italy is as strong as they once were, but this isn't a really tough group.  I'm picking Paraguay for the second spot, but just because I like the South American teams.  It could just as easily be Slovakia.  But not the kiwis!

Group G: I predict that being in the Group of Death will be an advantage for Brazil.  They'll go through, along with Portugal, but there will be a strong showing from the Cote d'Ivoire, and perhaps even the North Koreans.

Group H: Spain and Chile look to be the obvious choices here.

Two of these five teams will be in the finals:

Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Netherlands, Portugal.  My outsider pick: Nigeria I mean Mexico.  Oh, and Chicago in 6.