Maddux Sports Blog

So long, Tim Floyd. One of the slimiest coaches in basketball has reportedly resigned from his post at USC. He’s embroiled with a scandal over allegations that he personally paid an associate of O.J. Mayo so that Mayo would choose to attend USC. He hasn’t admitted to doing anything wrong, but this resignation is the next best thing. It was only a couple of months ago that Floyd declared his love to USC and chose to stay instead of taking the job at Arizona, sp this is a relationship that soured quickly. Now USC has to find a good coach at an awkward time, and they can’t afford to screw it up. The search won’t be made any easier by the sins of Floyd – no coach would be eager to jump into a school that could be hit by sanctions. I’ve never been a fan of Floyd, and this is just a clear sign that I can trust my instincts.

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Going into last night’s hockey game I had a thought in my mind – whoever won this game was going to win the Cup. After having watched the game off and on tonight I am feeling much better about that thought. Pittsburgh looked like they were having trouble early, but in the second period they flipped a switch and displayed a scary level of domination. This is a team that has learned an awful lot from getting booted unceremoniously last year, and they clearly have no interest in a repeat performance. I am in no way underestimating the Red Wings, of course. I just was very impressed by how Pittsburgh was able to find another gear – or six – when their backs were against the ropes last night.

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I just was looking at the Stanley Cup future odds. The Chicago Blackhawks are at 12/1. They are obviously a long way from a lock, but I like that price. At least in comparison to the other power teams in the conference I do – the Sharks and Wings have both looked vulnerable at time (San Jose is in the tank right now), yet they are at 3/1. I like the young talent that Chicago has, I love their coaching, and I think that they are ready for a deep run. In the East I think it will be either Washington (9/1) or Boston (11/2) that makes it through.

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After blowing their chance to even the Stanley Cup final with Detroit at two games a piece on home ice despite scoring the first goal of the game on Saturday, Pittsburgh is in dire straits. They now have to head into the hostile Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to win a game from a team and a crowd that has won it all before and knows and loves the smell of blood in the water. The sportsbooks really don’t like their chances – Detroit is a very solid -230 favorite for game five. If they do manage to pull off a miraculous win tonight all they have to do is win two more in a row against the best team in the league and the hottest goaltender on the planet. Not an easy task for anyone, never mind a team that’s core is made up of guys that are too young to grow a playoff beard. Playoff peach fuzz reigns in Pittsburgh.

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I watched the hockey game tonight, and I was left stunned by what I saw. The Red Wings are freakishly good, and Pittsburgh is in serious trouble. The Penguins haven’t scored a goal yet in 120 minutes. Ouch. What is most amazing, and most contributes to the outcome, is that Detroit is just sticking to their game plan. Pittsburgh keeps doing stupid things to try to get Detroit mad, the Red Wings don’t respond, and Pittsburgh commits a penalty out of frustration. That would be great at the best of times, but it is especially effective because neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin kill penalties. The best possible way to neutralize those two is to keep them off the ice. I feel fairly sure that Pittsburgh will win game three at home, but this series so far is just testament to how good Detroit is. It also makes me think that the week off before the series was the worst possible thing that could have happened to the Pens – their young guys had too much time to sit around and freak themselves out by the immensity of what was in front of them. It’s clear that the team lacks a player in a central role who has been here before. Detroit – start planning your parade route.

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