Date: 5/12/10
Watching: Montreal vs. Pittsburgh, Game 7, Round 2

Why do I want the Stanley Cup to go to Canada? Because right now, in Montreal, they have sold out their stadium for people seeing a game that is being played in Pittsburgh. Now, I know, this is hardly the only time this has ever been done, but look: Pittsburgh is generally acknowledged to be a pretty good hockey town, with a dedicated, passionate, and knowledgeable fan base. But is there any chance they sell out Mellon Arena to watch a game on TV in round 2? Sure, if it was Game 7 of the Finals, I can see that.

Though of course, there's the additional factor that Montreal is one of the most underrated cities in terms of sports heartbreak. Their baseball team got taken from them. And I know that most people feel like they deserved it because nobody was showing up to the games. But listen: the strike cost them a trip to the playoffs, in what had been their best season by far in many years. They were well clear in first place, and they got nothing out of the season. The same thing happened to the Reds (it actually happened to them in the strike before that as well -- it came mid-season, and it was decided to award the playoffs based on the best records in each half of the season. The Reds had the best overall record, but were in second place in each half of the season, so they got shut out). And it sucks, big time, especially in a town that didn't have the insanely deep baseball roots that Cincinnati has. So, of course attendance dwindled, it dwindled everywhere. My dad didn't go to a game for a good ten years after the strike, and we used to go maybe 7 or 8 times a season. And the Expos' brilliant counterstrategy was to let all their best players leave, and then sell the team to a guy that then doesn't sign any broadcast deal. So that happened, and then their hockey team, which was the best FOREVER, became bad for a long time. So that's a lot of angst to deal with, but now they've snuck into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, and knocked off the #1 seed, are carrying the weight of the entire country after Vancouver got knocked out last night (so much for my Stanley Cup prediction), and now are absolutely destroying the Penguins (the defending champions, who have the best player in the game). I'd be excited, too.

In other news, in a business-day special this morning, Homer Bailey shut out the Pirates in 90 pitches. This the day after Johnny Cueto pitched a one-hit (should have been an error), no-walk shutout. That is just... unbelievable. The Reds haven't had back-to-back shutouts since 1988! And if you had asked any Reds fan who the two least-likely pitchers in the rotation to throw back-to-back shutouts, they would have said "Bailey and Cueto." You know, I said at the beginning of the season that it was nice that there was at least a scenario that had the Reds being a real playoff contender this season. It involved a lot of people not having bad seasons, many of whom had histories of inconsistency, so it wasn't at all likely, but, fingers crossed, everything seems to be breaking in the right direction all at once. I'm actually glad to be playing the Cardinals: let's find out right now how good we are.