Perfection

Last night, Roy Halladay became a member of an exclusive club of pitchers that have thrown a perfect game. In a 1-0 Phillies win, Halladay stymied the Florida Marlins to become just the twentyieth pitcher to not allow a baserunner over nine innings of work. In completing this monumental feat, Halladay became just the second Phillies pitcher to do so, after Jim Bunning in 1964 against the New York Mets. Halladay is also the third pitcher this season to throw a no-hit, no-run performance after Ubaldo Jimenez's no-hitter on April 17th against the Braves, and Dallas Braden's perfect game on May 9th against the Rays. Halladay's perfect game, coupled with Braden's means 2010 is the first season since 1880 to have two pitchers throw perfect games. Halladay has always possessed the repertoire and ability necessary to throw a no-hitter or a perfect game, however he had everything but a touch of luck in previous experiences. In Halladay's first career win with the Blue Jays in 1998, he would have had a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning before Bobby Higginson hit a solo home run. Last night, Halladay had pinpoint command of all of his pitches as he threw one hundred fifteen pitches, seventy-two of which went for strikes. Halladay also recorded eleven strikeouts. The performance will be remembered as an utterly dominant performance by arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Sources Used: espn.com, phillies.com, baseball-almanac.com

2010 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers Although their achievements are not of the same caliber as the United States' hockey triumph in Lake Placid in 1980, the accomplishments of the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers are nothing short of magnificent. The Flyers rallied to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs as the seven seed, with an overtime win over the New York Rangers on the final day of the regular season, evoking a collective sigh of relief in Philadelphia. Once in the playoffs, the Flyers dispatched the New Jersey Devils in five games, before falling behind 3-0 to the Boston Bruins in the semifinals. The Flyers would quickly recover to win four straight games to stun the Bruins and take the series. Their comeback would include erasing a 3-0 deficit in Game Seven. The Flyers then took care of business against the Montreal Canadiens in five games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, had a much easier road to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blackhawks downed both the Predators and Canucks 4-2, before sweeping the Sharks. Now that the Stanley Cup is only a few days away, it is time to write a preview. The Flyers will enter the Stanley Cup having played more games and dealt with more injuries than the Blackhawks have. The Flyers have had seven different goalies on their roster at some point during the season. The Blackhawks begin the series virtually injury-free this season. Fatigue could potentially be a factor in this series if it goes seven games. In order to adequately assess the strengths and weaknesses of each team, I will compare them by position. Forwards: The Flyers have a trio of good forwards that are on the cusp of being star players, but mostly lack the health aspect to become a star player. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards have been solid when they are on the ice, and Danny Briere has proven to be a decent goal scorer and point producer. However, with Carter recently returning from a foot injury, it is unclear what his impact will be in the Stanley Cup Finals. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have a plethora of young talent while also having a balance of seasoned veterans. They have Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp at center, while Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane take the wing positions. The experience and goal scoring threat that Hossa brings to the table, along with the talent of Toews and Kane gives the Blackhwks the edge at the forward positions. Advantage: Blackhawks Defensemen: In order to win games, any great team also needs to possess great defense. The Blackhawks have arguably the best offensive defenseman in hockey, in Brian Campbell. They also have Duncan Keith, who is another offensive minded defenseman. However, the Flyers have two strong lines of defense that can put points on the board, while also playing exceptional defense. Their first line is composed of veterans Chris Pronger, and Kimmo Timonen. The second line is made of Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle. The Flyers have the ability to put two full lines of defensemen on the ice that can score points when needed, while also preventing their opposition from scoring. Advantage: Flyers Goaltending: Any team that aspires to hoist the cup at the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs, must have a solid goaltending unit that will keep the puck free from the net. For the Flyers, the player in charge of keeping the opposition at bay is Michael Leighton. For the Blackhawks, Antti Niemi is between the pipes. Due to many injuries, Leighton has been pressed into service, while Niemi has gained the goaltending job due to great play and the ineffectiveness of starter Cristobal Huet. Both goalies have been playing great recently, however, Leighton has not allowed the opposition to light the lamp in four out of the last seven games. The fact that teams are having trouble scoring on Leighton gives the Flyers a distinct goaltending advantage in this series. Advantage: Flyers Each team has been analyzed by position and the Flyers have gained an advantage in two of the three positional categories. Based on the analysis, the Stanley Cup Finals will be a relatively low-scoring, defensive battle. Expect this series to go to a Game Seven before a winner is decided. Verdict: Flyers in seven games