It’s the second half of our first back-to-back race weekend of this still young 2011 Formula One World Championship season. In the first two races, we’ve seen Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel dominate by scoring two wins and two poles. In fact, Vettel has been so dominant that a win at the Chinese GP would give him five straight dating back to last season. With that level of dominance, can anyone match Vettel’s pace this weekend? Continue reading
Sports
NHL Western Conference Quarter Finals Preview
Ah the NHL playoffs are finally upon us after a long and difficult regular season we are ready to anoint a “true” champion. Although the regular season clearly showed that Vancouver was the best team by a wide margin, now they have to prove it the most random, impossible to predict playoff system that the NHL has. Don’t get me wrong I love it to death but if Vancouver doesn’t even get out of the first round I think it is unfair to say that they choked/suck/ whatever you want to say. Chicago won the Cup last year and once again is a very talented team (that almost wasn’t here). Sadly we measure the best team in one of the most inefficient ways possible but hey it’s damn exciting. Sometimes I think the EPL has it right (*gasp). Last year when the Sharks got to the Conference Finals and lost, people crowed how the choked once again but in reality they were at worst the 4 best team in the league and had an outstanding season. But anything less than a Cup winning season spells failure for every team.
There are four teams of the 16 in the playoffs that don’t have a realistic shot at winning the cup: Nashville, Phoenix, Montreal, and New York Rangers. If any of those teams win I would be surprised, anyone else can easily be explained why they won it. I have had Philadelphia and San Jose going to the Cup finals since 2006 and I see little reason to change that now given that anything can happen. Let’s break every series down to the nitty-gritty and I’ll give you some keys for teams to win. It goes without saying that goaltending is important and can swing any series. The physiological advantage of having a solid goalie behind you is immeasurable but has been proven again and again to be very important. Continue reading
F1 Power Rankings: Malaysian Grand Prix
One race into the nineteen race 2011 Formula One World Championship and I don’t think that the picture is any clearer. Some of the expect frontrunners were slow off the mark in Australia. Some of the midpack teams, like Sauber and Toro Rosso, had surprising runs which could have them thinking points in every race. So who looks good heading into this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix? This week’s Power Rankings takes a stab at it. Continue reading
Formula One: 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix Cancelled
With a month to go before the May 1st deadline for rescheduling the race, the Bahrain Motor Federation will officially cancel the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix. The race was initially postponed due to political unrest in the country with the possibility of rescheduling but cancelled outright today. Continue reading
NHL Power Rankings: Week 26
A week and a half is all we have left in the NHL regular season so we come to the final NHL Power Ranking of the 2010-11 season on The Lowdown Blog. It’s been a long run that has trailed off as of late but that’s what happens when life gets in the way. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have all 30 NHL teams ranked from top to bottom for you once again. We have a new team atop the rankings this week and it really shouldn’t surprise anyone. Continue reading
NHL Power Rankings: Week 25
Another week, another dose of the NHL Power Rankings. With two and a half weeks left in the season, the Western Conference playoff picture is just as cloudy as ever. But there’s still the stand out Vancouver Canucks atop the standings. However, leading the Presidents’ Trophy chase won’t get them on top of the Power Rankings. Continue reading
F1 Power Rankings: Australian Grand Prix Edition
Regular visitors to The Lowdown Blog know what my Power Rankings are all about. New visitors may be slightly confused. Well, it’s only going to get worse from here. Every Wednesday, I’ll post my rankings of the drivers in Formula One. The rankings will be based on their how they’re running this season (or in testing for this first race), past performance at the upcoming track, the performance of the car and other intangibles that affect their performance (see Favre, Brett). It’s more of a prospective list than a restrospective list. Anyway, here is your first round of Formula One power rankings. Continue reading
F1 2011 Season Preview: Predictions
It’s time for the third and final part of our Formula One season preview. With the examination of the teams, drivers, and new rules out of the way, it’s time to put all of the information we have together for predictions for the 2011 season. Of course, the combination of the new rules and testing times is not necessarily an accurate portrayal of who’s fast which makes predicting the season a difficult proposition. However, as we like to say around here: We’re ambitious but rubbish. Continue reading
F1 2011 Season Preview: The Rules
Welcome to part two of our 2011 Formula One World Championship season preview. Today, we look at the new rules that have been implemented this season. In the continuous search to lower costs, level the playing field and increase the quality of races, the FIA have put into place several new rules for this season. Last year’s rules seemed to shakes things up enough to keep the whole season interesting. Will this year’s new rules make the racing better still? Continue reading
NHL Power Rankings: Week 24
It’s back to the well once again with another edition of the NHL Power Rankings. For the third straight week, a different team sits atop the rankings. While that’s starting to change on a regular basis once again, the bottom of the Power Rankings remains the same. Continue reading
The Lowdown 