I’ll Admit I Went to Bed Before The Game Ended

The Sports Guru goofed last night (I’m a big boy and can admit when I’m wrong [It’s not very often]). I decided that getting up at 5:30am to work out (thank you Ryan Toth at www.totalcorefitcamp.com) was more important than watching the second overtime of game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. What I missed was the 5th longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in triple overtime to force a game 6 tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh led the game 2-0 after the first period and Detroit cut the lead in half after the second. With two goals in the first ten minutes of the third period Detroit only had to hold on to win their 4th Cup in the past eleven seasons. NBC even went as far as to show the Stanley Cup getting all polished and ready to be presented to the Red Wings (bad karma). With only 34.3 seconds left in the game, Max Talbot tied the game for Pittsburgh to send it into overtime. Petr Sykora ended the night at 9:57 of the third overtime with a power play goal (Detroit had a player in the penalty box). So it’s back to Pittsburgh for game 6 and if needed, the 7th and final game in Detroit on Saturday night.

Time to switch gears. It’s a BIG, BIG, BIG night of baseball in New York as the New York Yankees will start Joba (sounds like the big fat hut guy in Star Wars) Chamberlain for the first time in his brief major league career. Here’s what you need to know to sound like you know what you are talking about at dinner tonight (steak and potatoes or fish and salad again). Joba has worked out of the bullpen (relief pitcher) since the Yankees brought him up from the minors last summer. He has been almost unhittable as their 8th inning pitcher setting up the 9th inning for Mariano Rivera (maybe the best closer of all-time). But since the Yankees have had some injuries and very ineffective pitching from some of their other starters, Joba gets the call tonight.

Three thousand miles away on the other coast another New York pitcher will have an important start also. Pedro Martinez on the New York Mets will make his first start since the opening week of the baseball season (when he injured a hamstring) against the San Francisco Giants. Pedro was once one of the best pitchers in the game but injuries and age have caught up to him. If the Yankees or Mets are to play meaningful baseball in the fall, both Joba and Pedro will have to play important roles. If not, there is always football season (like in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Seattle) to look forward to.

By the way, a big thank you goes to all of you who have started to read this blog on a regular basis and to my friend Pat H. who left a bunch of comments. It makes the Sports Guru feel important (well more important) and I think I’m accomplishing what I set out to do. Which is to have some fun and educate those guys and gals who need just a little more sports knowledge to feel comfortable around their “sports friends”.

Your Friend in Sports,

Dave the Sports Guru