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The technology is working!
I am sitting here at the Division 1 state softball semifinals watching Monroe play New Baltimore Anchor Bay. In previous trips here, the wireless connection would not work at the press table. I was pleasantly surprised to get a signal this time.
Monroe’s Amber Rafko was safe on an error in the top of the first, but the Trojans did not score.
It was interesting flipping back and forth during post-game coverage of the Detroit Red Wings’ win over Anaheim in Game 7 of their playoff series Thursday night.
Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond were positively giddy. There was a brief delay after Daniel Cleary’s game-winning goal and Redmond was indignant, wondering what the officials could possibly looking at and calling the complaints of Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller “sour grapes.”
There was a completely different tone on CBC. Ron MacLean and Don Cherry maintained that the goal should have been disallowed because Cleary pushed against the Hiller’s pads, forcing the puck into the net. They said it would have taken a lot of guts by the officials to make the “right call.”
Perhaps they are right technically, but it would be impossible to make that call in that situation. Besides, MacLean and Cherry had the benefit of watching the play in slow motion. I don’t know how any official could have decided in real time whether it was Cleary’s stick or Hiller’s pad that pushed the puck into the net.
On top of that, the Red Wings had already been cheated out of one crucial goal in this series. They deserved this one.
So, it is on to the Western Conference finals for what should be a fun Original Six series against the Chicago Blackhawks.
I watched quite a bit of the Celtics-Bulls playoff game last night.
It was a great game, going three overtimes before Chicago finally pulled out the victory. But I had a hard time concentrating on the game. I kept thinking that comedian Will Farrell was on the floor for the Celtics, but it was actually Brian Scalabrine.
Now, the real fun starts for the Detroit Red Wings. They start a second-round series with the Anaheim Ducks Friday night.
The first round against Columbus was too easy. It was hard to tell if the Blue Jackets were just overwhelmed by their first playoff experience or if the Wings were just that good.
It probably is a combination of the two. Anaheim will be a much stiffer test.
And while the Wings are playing the Ducks, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the Vancouver-Chicago series. Wing fans should be rooting for Chicago.
There are a couple of good reasons for this:
1. It would be fun to see an Original Six matchup and rekindle the rivalry with the Blackhawks.
2. Avoiding Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo would be a good thing. He is the kind of netminder who can steal a series.
3. A Chicago victory would mean that the Red Wings can avoid back-to-back series against a Western Time Zone team. Those can be draining.
You asked for it, you’ve got it.
During our last live chat on the Detroit Tigers, someone suggested that we do one on the Red Wings. It was a great idea. It’s going to happen at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14.
I’ve dragged my buddy and fellow Evening News writer Ray Kisonas in for this one. He is a long-time hockey fan with plenty of opinions on the game.
Join us for some lively discussion on the Wings and the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Here is the link:
http://www.monroetalks.com/livechat/index.php?theCase=enterChat&chatID=5
I am at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the state individual wrestling finals. The Grand Match is going on now. I will keep you updated on the local wrestlers batting for state titles.
Here is a list of the local placers who did not make the finals:
Other Region placers were:
Dundee: Joey White (61-5) third at 112, Joey Rendina (65-1) third at 125, Chris Rau (60-8) fourth at 119, Josh White (52-10) fourth at 130, Brandon Treharne (45-9) sixth at 119.
Bedford: Mason Cole (49-6) third at 285 and T.J. Romijn (49-8) sixth at 152.
Airport: Dom Sindone (42-10) eighth at 119.
Huron: Nick Wellman (46-8) fourth at 135.
Erie Mason: Bruce Barnes (31-8) eighth at 152.
Ida: Cody Ott (42-13) sixth at 152.
Dundee’s wrestling team is preparing for the Division 3 state championship match against undefeated Goodrich.
I will be updating the progress of the match via comments on this blog. Readers are welcome to add their comments or questions.
Dundee is on the mat warming up for the state semifinals.
I will keep you updated on the match in this blog. The new entries will be listed as comments under this item.
Readers are welcome to add their own comments or questions.
We are here at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, makng good time on our drive on a perfect day.
Dundee just completed its warmups and yielded the mat to Richmond.
The Division 3 coaches are meeting now. I should know today’s starting weight soon.
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