Joe Russo's Detroit Red Wings fan blog

So with game 1 in the books, Detroit has shown that familiarity breeds dominance.  With that, here are a few things to take away from last nights game 1 and to look for in game 2.

First, it is plain to anyone who has working eyes that Henrik Zetterberg enjoys the hell out of shadowing and dominating Sidney Crosby.  It wouldn'y suprise me if Gary Bettman blew up Hanks phone all day asking him to please take it easy on pet Sid.  In fact, it's not even funny how glued Z was to The Kid, whose own shadow wasn't even visible.  If Zetterberg wins this matchup 85% of the time, this series will be short.

Holy Osgood, Batman!  The man they call the Wizard is in a place all by himself right now on some celestial plane of higher consciousness.  Must be steroids, haha!  This playoff has cemented Ozzies' legacy as one of the best ever, and if anyone wants to argue, go talk to the side of your house, cuz it's getting nowhere.

Continue reading "Game 1 Recap, Game 2 Preview"

Good to see the wings back in it.  Good to see a rematch with the pens.  Here's hoping Marian Hossa made the right call.  Cannot wait til this series starts tonight!  It's gonna be an epic battle, every game, every minute of every period.  Your about to see the most competitive series of the last 10 years. 

Hopefully everyone's 100%, cuz I'm Goin out and puttin the Penguins on the endangered teams list.  Who else is as eager as i am to see this series?  Should be everyone!

Continue reading "Go Wings!"

As of now, if Rick Porcello stays in the majors and keeps getting the workload he has been lately, he's on pace for 180+ innings as a 21 yr old rookie.  Now i know all the old sentiment of when pitchers pitched 20 complete games a year and never had issues, but this is just a different time.  Innings and pitch counts are monitored more closely than a guys heart rate or blood tests and may have helped prolong some careers.  The point is still, can he hold up and if not, what can the Tigers do?

First off, Bonderman and Willis are both unacceptable answers at this point as both are bigger question marks than the rookie.  Say Willis builds off his last start and turns his career around in Detroit, and he becomes a reliable 3-4 guy, it still leaves one spot and im not sure Zach Miner gets anybody other than his mother excited when he steps up there.  And you can't count on Bonderman, the 2-pitch, 1st inning blues wonder who somehow manages to make it 2-3 times through a major league lineup with a fastball and a slider and a....yea that's it.  As if i couldn't inspire more confidence here's another tidbit: the guy has tried to learn a third pitch for 6 years....at least....is anybody gonna call an apple an apple and finally say enough, get in the bullpen or get a 3rd pitch.  Now i was always one of his biggest fans, but i just don't believe he can make it anymore on 2 pitches, especially if his fastball has slowed, as the reports say. 

Continue reading "The Rookie"

Kids, they never know when they are finished.  They often fail to recognize when they are outclassed in a fight, or outsmarted in a debate.  And that is their very best quality, and the one the Blackhawks are showing right now.

Down 2-0 in the series with their playoffs lives at stake, overmatched by a deeper, more skilled and experienced team, they dug into what makes kids so special: complete ignorance to their situation.  Fighting like they had the advantage, skating as though if they keep it up, Detroit will eventually fall too far behind to catch them.  Problem is they didnt start playing that way until game 3, already down 2 games to none. 

Oh yeah, sometimes kids forget things, and these Kid-Hawks forgot the series started 3 games ago, and not last night.  Good win for Chicago, just too late to matter.

Continue reading "Oops, We Let the Kids Back In"

In case no one has noticed, the Tigers pitching staff as a whole has been tremendous to this point in the season.  Aside from Gallaragas last 2 starts, even the suspected weak link in the bullpen has been excellent(although a lot of that may have something to do with limited Lyon sightings).  So far  the whole staff has easily outperformed expectations.

Verlander and Jackson make an unhittable front 2 starters, consistently going deep into games and really working the batters.  Trying to get a win on either of those 2 days is hard enough without having to watch a rookie throw a swirling missile and depth charge sinker at you as well.  Although i really like the way he has pitched, his innings are going to be a factor as we head into late June and July, and ideally they would like to send him back down for a bit to get some work in for the stretch run.  All of that of course is directly tied to the continued success of Willis and a healthy Jeremy Bonderman.  If those things all happen this team not only has the pitching in place, but also a surplus of arms in case of that freak injury to one of the cogs in the offense. 

Continue reading "Why the Tigers can win it all"

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals was just another reminder that there is NO team outside of Anaheim and Pittsburgh thet can challenge the Wings in their quest for another title.  The Anaheim series showed what the Wings are made of, as the Ducks forced Detroits hand early and often in games.  Their patience to wait for mistakes and almost bullet-proof D-men almost sent the Wings home for some early tee times and cold ones on the deck.  But Detroit responded.  And they did it like they always do: calmly and efficiently, with 4 lines rolling like an avalanche down the mountain side.  I look forward to seein those Ducks in the Conference finals next year.  But i digress.  This team has taken it's shots, and come out the superior team just about every time they hit the ice.

Continue reading "Wings-Hawks will be great for years"

   Let's throw Ozzie a bone.  I could feel it during games, working around all those people.  They were anxious anytime the puck came into the Wings zone, on edge whenever it edged in toward the slot, and sheer panic anytime it made a forward movement toward Ozzie. 

   I can see why they might debate his "Hall credentials", but his playoff record is simply amazing.  2 cups as a starter, one as a backup.  He's one of four guys to post back to back shutouts to start the Finals.  All the guy does is win.  He bailed out Hasek last year, was excellent in the Dallas and Pittsburgh series' and had to carry the Wings a few times against the Ducks this year.  Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan is about as closeas it comes to what we throw at teams and Ozzie came out on top in key spots. 

Continue reading "Ozzie Holds Up"