June 16, 2015
One of the most memorable moments of the just-completed Stanley Cup Finals was the ceremonial handoff of the trophy from Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews to Kimmo Timonen.
Timonen, a former Flyer and a first-class citizen of the entire hockey world, was only a bit player with the Hawks, but everybody knew what the trophy meant to him. After 17 years in the NHL Timonen was going out as a champion – and the annual celebration had its signature moment.
The picture that spoke a million words – Finnish or English -- was Timonen hoisting the Cup over his head. The picture was pure elation. The picture told the story of what it means to win, what it takes to persevere.
But the most important part of the picture was not Timonen. Even after all the tributes, Timonen was only a supporting actor in this scene.
The most important part of the picture was the one constant. The most important part of the picture was the same character that should be accorded the MVP trophy for every sport, every year – the Stanley Cup.
Timonen as a champion was a nice story, but it had no texture without the presence of the Stanley Cup. Other sports have tried to come up with hardware, and they all have rings. But what makes hockey different is the trophy.
You get your name on the Cup and for those very few moments, fans get a real glimpse of what means to play for a hunk of tin, and not a contract worth millions of dollars.
The Stanley Cup is priceless, just ask Kimmo Timonen.
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There are 108 stitches on a Major League baseball, and that might represent one for every loss suffered by the Phillies this season.
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Things have taken a turn from bad to worse for the Philadelphia 76ers and there is now real concern that prospect Joel Embiid will require surgery on his chronically bad foot. The Sixers and general manger Sam Hinkie took a calculated risk when they chose Embiid with the third pick of the 2013 draft, as his injury issues were always a concern.
You can’t go back in time and reverse a decision but it is unlikely the Sixers are second-guessing that move. At that point in time, with who was left on the board, it made sense to take the risk.
Check out the rest of the first round, and you can’t find the no-doubt-about-it choice that would have made the decision to select Embiid look stupid.
If this injury turns out to be a career crusher, it says here it was still worth the risk.
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The Phillies continue on their treadmill to nowhere, and there are no signs that things are going to get better.
Well, there was one arrow pointing up earlier this week when it was revealed that the team might hire Andy MacPhail to take over the role of club president from Pat Gillick. MacPhail is 63, and he certainly has a solid background having turned around the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs.
The hope here is that this change takes place immediately – like YESTERDAY.
The Phillies have already blown past the draft with the present power structure in place and they are now headed toward a crucial trade deadline. The Phillies need to make changes in time for that deadline, and that should also include a replacement, or by a passing of power from general manager Ruben Amaro.
At this point, it is beyond obvious that Amaro will not be in his general manager seat next season and even more unlikely that Ryne Sandberg will be back at the club’s manager. It only stands to reason that any changes should be made with the new set of eyes in charge.
This is a crucial time for the Phillies; they have a small window to get prospects in return for players such a Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Carlos Ruiz, or even Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. It is nonsensical to allow Amaro and the current front office team to make those decisions.
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There is now a move among some influential alumni at Rutgers University to start a move toward a Div. 1 hockey program that would eventually join the Big 10. There is already a blueprint for a move like this across the state border in Happy Valley.
Penn State has rapidly progressed as a hockey program. In a few short years, the Nittany Lions are hammering it out with national powers such as Minnesota and are winning more than their share of games. There is a growing gold mine of local talent and if it gets a green light, Rutgers will have natural rivalries with D-1 programs in the Ivy League as well as the Big 10.
Eventually, Temple, St. Joe’s and Villanova will figure out Div. 1 hockey is a natural. As for Penn, the Quakers should be embarrassed to have dropped their history-rich program while Ivy League rivals Harvard, Yale and Princeton carry on rich traditions.
