Game Day 4...

[nivek_wahs]

From Rod's blog... http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/2008/03/rodpedersen-game-day-4.html


SWIFT CURRENT -- Someone wrote in and asked me to start a new thread on hockey. THAT was a good idea. The comments from last night's game were getting rather nasty.

Today, the pre-cursor to Game 4 of the Pats/Broncos series tonight, has been enjoyable. My roomate, Pats' goalie coach Ryan Cyr, had the "black aces" on the ice at the Credit Union I-Plex at 9:45am. That group includes Pats prospects, Jordan Weal, Clark Breitkruez, Derek Tendler, Graham Hood, Dominic Favreau and non-dressers Alex Pym and Brett Leffler. GM Brent Parker has the kids up to give them a taste of the junior hockey "show". The Broncos are doing the same thing with some of their kids.

For me, the day started with a couple of interviews with Regina radio stations. The Wolf 104.9's Chris and Ballsie were gracious enough to invite me on at 8:00am to talk about last night's Game 3 Pats' win. I told them I was "sweating like a hooker in church" during the game, and I've got a few emails from listeners who liked the comment. At 8:50am, I guested with CKRM's Roger Currie on Currie's Corner. Like I said yesterday, the Queen City's getting Pats Fever and it's awesome.

Of course they're into the series here too. The Prairie Post newspaper's George Bowditch met me for a coffee in the hotel lobby, and we did a lengthy interview. The topic? What's it like to be hated in the winter by Swift Current sports fans, yet loved in the summer because of my role with the Riders? I told him that's never crossed my mind. He asked about how I'm able to stir up so much controversy without criticizing the other team's personnel directly. I told him it's 'a gift'. But he caught me off-guard with the question, "do you think you'll replace Bob Hughes as the most-despised Regina media figure OUTSIDE of Regina?" I didn't really know how to answer that one; other than to say I never set out to emulate Mr. Hughes. Swift Current, watch for the expose next week in the Prairie Post.

What else is shakin' here? Well the Swift Current AAA Legionnaires held a news conference at the golf course to announce they'll host the 2009 Telus Regional Midget Tournament. My good buddy Jim Dekowny is the Legionnaires' GM, and gave me a ride to and from the newser. Broncos' coach and GM Dean Chynoweth was there along with Legionaires alumnus Marc Habscheid. Dekowny is a former Pats' scout, and will talk about the announcement on our second intermission broadcast tonight.

I had a great, meaningful chat with Chynoweth. Quite honestly, I felt terrible about blogging the "Clydesdale-Thoroughbred" stuff because I didn't want to put Deano in an awkward position. But I knew the Leader Post was jumping on it, and it was THE story from Game 3. The Chynoweth family, all of them, are of infinite class. And the topic never came up. We set up a time for a pregame interview tonight, shook hands, and went our seperate ways.

Now I'm chilling in the hotel room with Cyrsie, and we both forgot to bring an extra pair of dress socks so we've dispatched Pats' marketing guru Cliff Mapes to the mall to pick us up a two-pack of blacks. Cliffie's the only one with his own set of wheels. Great guy.

What is there to say about tonight's game that isn't obvious?? It's huge of course, and I'm hoping there isn't a letdown by the Pats after last night's emotional 4-3 overtime win. I won't put myself in the Broncos' shoes, but really, you'd think last night's game would the one you'd think they HAD to have. The Pats were missing their top scorer (Jordan Eberle), and you had your opponents in your barn. Bronco broadcaster Jon Keen points out on his blog today that last night was their sixth consecutive home playoff loss.

And they are feeling the absence of defenceman Jesse Dudas and Michael Wilson. Apparently, that's a bigger blow to them than the loss of Eberle and Leffler was to Regina. But if the Pats feel the Broncos are going to letdown, then they're ripe for a letdown of their own.

Pats' defenceman Curtis Kulchar was injured in the first period of Game 3. He has a rib injury, and the Pats were concerned about the check. What's a charge, what's boarding nowadays anyhow? The lines are somewhat blurred. There was a talk of sending the tape into the league ... but I'm not sure what video evidence exists. Dallas Jackson will move back to the point for tonight. He had been lined up on the flank last night.

Some of the questions leading into tonight....

- Will Bronco goalie Travis Yonkman keep up his stellar play? The answer is; likely yes. He made some unconscious saves last night, and he'd have been named #1 star, I wouldn't have batted an eye. As it turned out, Rowat won the award.

- Will special teams continue to be special? Again, likely yes. Last night's game-winner was scored on the powerplay, and the Pats have been ahead statistically in that regard so far in the series. The officiating continues to be airtight. Yes, there are the calls and non-calls that incense each team, but that's hockey. Not to mention, the refs don't see it as we do. The PP's have come out generally even, and guys, referees, if you're reading, good job.

- Tonight's game is SO pivotal. Coming home up 3-1 for Game 5 Friday in Regina is remarkably different from a 2-2 series. Jon Keen says it's 'must-win' for the Broncos tonight. I subscribe to the theory set-forth by Danny Barrett that it's never 'must-win' till you're facing elimination, but from Swift Current's side, Keener is probably right.

- Did the Pats out-hit the Broncos last night? I don't know. I don't have Pete Paczko here to track those stats. It was pretty even last night, it seemed. I thought the Broncos came out on top, but Cyrsie just chirped from his bed that he thinks the Pats were quite a bit out front in that regard. I don't know. It was close.



The team has a pregame meal set for 3:00, and then the boys can put their feet up and think about the game, snooze, or do whatever they do on Game Day.

It should be another dandy..

RP

at 12:54 PM

[luv_the_pats]

What a game in Swifty. Both of these teams deserve the win. A hard fought battle. Let's see what the 2nd overtime brings.
Go Pats Go

[Fight Guy]

Uggghhhh how I hate these games. Too intense! Great game, except halfway through OT, the video and sound crapped out. So never saw the second half or so of the 1st OT. :burningma

But it's fixed now!:D

[Dogstink]

Well it's a best of three now. My webcast crapped out too during last half of first OT but I got the 2nd OT. Good game except for the last goal. Go Pats.


http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg245/Dogstink/lightweight.jpg

[Speedy Broncs]

Golks
Grinder
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Regina
Posts: 62



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm. Pretty quiet in here after the game. Wonder why?
_________________

Sorry, Golks - just had to repeat from your entry on our site last night :evil:

Definitely was one heck of a game tonight. Some nice goals on both sides, some that Rowat/Yonkman would want back. Should be a doozy on Friday back in Regina. Two evenly matched teams - every game decided by one goal (take away the empty netter) with 2 OT games ... can't get any better than that!

[Fight Guy]

This has, without a doubt, got to be the best series of the first round.

GO PATS!!!

[patsfan33]

The absolute save of the series came late in that fourth frame, when Bronco goalie Travis Yonkman sprawled across the net to rob Pats' sniper Jordan Eberle. Eberle took a goal-mouth feed on the left side of a wide-open cage. However Yonkman stretched across the net with the paddle of his stick to stop what seemed like the sure-fire game-winner.

i had the best view of this play.....THAT image is going to haunt me forever :( oh ebs...

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.rodpedersen.blogspot.com/


BRONCOS 5 PATS 4 2OT
(Series tied 2-2)

SWIFT CURRENT -- This series just keeps getting better and better. Zack Smith's goal at 7:37 of double overtime snapped a 4-4 tie and lifted the hometown Broncos to a 5-4 win Wednesday night in the Credit Union I-Plex. It has tied this Eastern Conference Quarterfinal at 2-2 heading back to Regina for Game 5 Friday night.

Would I like the Pats to be up 3-1? Of course. But this series has had so many thrills and spills, it's only fitting that it's going down to the wire. It's great to have the inside view of it ... to see the emotional ups and downs in the locker room, and the look of sheer elation after the wins and the colossal dismany following the losses.

But you see it too, if you've been at the games or listening on the radio. The playoffs are like Christmas. You wait for it all year and when you're in it, you savour every single second. Seeing the fans from each team jumping out of their seats in elation, or slumped over in a state of depression, you notice EVERYBODY is into this series with every shift, every hit, and every goal. Each bench is incensed with each penalty call or non-call and it's gutwrenching intensity at every turn.

Wednesday night the Pats seemed like they were going to romp to an easy win. They were loose and gregarious before Game 4, and they played that way as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead. The Broncos, tabbing it a must-win game, seemed nervous and uptight in the opening 20. But something shifted in the first intermission. The Broncos came to life in the middle period and although Regina lead 4-3 after two, you could tell the game was shifting.

Regina never got a powerplay after the 7:25 mark of the second period, and the Broncos got four straight over the final course of regulation. It was a powerplay goal by Geordie Wudrick, his second tally of the night, that tied the game up at 4-4 midway through the third. For the second straight night, we went to overtime.

Nothing was settled in the first overtime session, although the Broncos hit a post and the Pats hit a post and a crossbar. The absolute save of the series came late in that fourth frame, when Bronco goalie Travis Yonkman sprawled across the net to rob Pats' sniper Jordan Eberle. Eberle took a goal-mouth feed on the left side of a wide-open cage. However Yonkman stretched across the net with the paddle of his stick to stop what seemed like the sure-fire game-winner. 80 minutes of furious action did not decide a winner.

The second OT provided more breathless plays, but it was Zack Smith who capped it off with his third goal of the series, jamming home a pass from Dale Weise. The i-Plex erupted in bedlam.

For all the blood, sweat and tears, injuries and suspensions that have gotten us to this point, this heavyweight bout has come down to a best of three.

"We had the chance to end this game, with two-goal leads at two separate times but we couldn't close the deal," said Pats' coach Curtis Hunt, "And on the game-winner we got caught on a bad change, let them into our zone and you saw what happened. But there's no time to mope or pout. We can't get down. We know we let it slip in this game, and now we have some more work left to do."

The Pats are buoyed with the knowledge that they'll welcome back power forward Brett Leffler from a three-game series for Game 5. They'll have what should be a soldout barn behind them for the next key game in this slugfest.

What happens next? Only time will tell.

The prediction of pig spleen prognosticator Jeff Woodward keeps coming to mind. The Wolf 104.9 Radio regular predicted a split in Regina, a split in Swift Current, and Pats' wins in Games 5 and 6 to clinch the series.

We'll find out soon if he knows what he's talking about.

RP


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

[nivek_wahs]

http://communities.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/blogs/slapshots/archive/2008/03/27/broncos-win-double-ot-thriller.aspx


Broncos win double-OT thriller

SWIFT CURRENT — The Swift Current Broncos staged a heart-stopping come-from-behind effort on Wednesday, beating the Regina Pats 5-4 in double overtime to tie their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal at two games apiece.
Tonight's recap will be a little shorter than usual (don't thank me). These teams are playing havoc with my deadlines, going to overtime on back-to-back nights. As a result of Wednesday's marathon, there was only time to get one quick quote, then file my story for the Leader-Post before the presses rolled.
Anyway, captain Zack Smith was creditted with the game-winner at 7:37 of the second OT session, but he admitted afterwards that the puck actually went in off Pats captain Logan Pyett. Therefore, it should be Dale Weise’s goal.
Geordie Wudrick scored twice for the Broncos, including the game-tying marker with the man advantage midway through the third period. Prior to that, Swift Current had gone 0-for-7 on the power play.
Keegan Dansereau and Levi Nelson had the other goals while Travis Yonkman continued his outstanding play with 34 saves.
Pyett, Jordan Eberle (back from his one-game suspension), J.D. Watt and Victor Bartley replied for the Pats, who went 3-for-6 on the power play.
Linden Rowat stopped 34 shots to keep up his end of what has been a stellar goaltending duel.
Defenceman Victor Bartley was an ice-eating machine for the Pats while picking up a goal and an assist.
For Swift Current, blueliners Bretton Stamler and Spencer McAvoy (a converted forward) added two helpers each.
It has been impressive the way Swift Current has performed without the services of defencemen Michael Wilson (concussion) and Jesse Dudas (broken wrist). How many teams could withstand the loss of two key blueliners in a playoff series?
Not many.
It'll be interesting to see if their absence eventually catches up to the Broncos. They haven't taken a backseat to Regina at all in the physical department over the past three games.
The way these teams are going at each other, it makes you wonder how much gas the winner will have left in the tank for the next round.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=bfe0f216-2bcd-477c-b8f8-24d7904416a1


Broncos even up series

Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008

SWIFT CURRENT -- The Swift Current Broncos proved a long-standing theory on Wednesday night -- if you press hard enough, something is eventually going to break.

That includes the Regina Pats.

After a fast and furious game-long comeback effort, Broncos captain Zack Smith was credited with the winning goal at 7:37 of the second overtime session in a 5-4 thriller before 2,543 fans at the Credit Union iplex.

"It was kind of a 2-on-2, a broken play," explained Smith. "Dale Weise took the puck wide and I drove the net hard. It actually went off (Pats captain) Logan Pyett and in the net. I couldn't have been happier to see that."

With the victory, Swift Current tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal at two games apiece. Game 5 goes Friday night at Regina's Brandt Centre.

"To be down (3-1 in the series) obviously would have been hard to come back from," said Smith, whose team was beaten 4-3 in OT on Tuesday. "You can't say enough about how big this win was. We're pretty confident after taking one game out of their place. We were pretty disappointed after the game last night but we responded well tonight. A couple of those stops (Travis) Yonkman made, I just wanted to run out there and hug him. (Linden) Rowat has been playing great as well. Those two goalies have been battling."

It was the second time in this series that Regina lost after entering the third period with a one-goal lead. The Pats were up 3-1 and 4-3 at the respective intermissions on Wednesday, but the Broncos were relentless in their comeback effort.

Regina was awarded the game's first power play, but the best chance it produced was a failed short-handed breakaway by Swift Current's Cody Eakin.

The Pats made good on a subsequent man advantage when captain Logan Pyett snuck in from the point, accepted a pass from Scott Doucet and went upstairs on Travis Yonkman.

Regina took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a power-play marker by returning sniper Jordan Eberle, who missed Game 3 due to suspension. The Pats' leading scorer picked up a loose puck after it deflected off a Broncos' defenceman and fired a shot into the open side.

The home team got on the board just 30 seconds later thanks to a great individual effort by Keegan Dansereau, who was falling to the ice as he fired a low shot past Linden Rowat.

J.D. Watt restored Regina's two-goal lead 2:44 after that, beating Yonkman from a tough angle with 2:11 left in the first period.

Early in the middle frame, Levi Nelson made it 3-2 with a second-effort wraparound that he eventually squeaked between Rowat and the post. Victor Bartley replied with Regina's third power-play goal of the night, but Geordie Wudrick narrowed the deficit just 1:19 later when he sliced into the slot and roofed a shot on Rowat to make it 4-3 after 40 minutes.

After carrying the play for long stretches in the second and third periods, the Broncos finally tied it up on their eighth power play of the night. The goal came at 8:44 of the third period when Wudrick's shot through a screen surprised Rowat.

Nelson just missed a chance to win it with 12 seconds left in regulation, sending the teams into overtime for the second straight night.

Both sides had their chances in the first extra frame, including an early shot by Swift Current that went off the inside of the post and bounced wide. Eberle looked like he would end it for the Pats with 45 seconds left but Yonkman took away the empty net.

Regina was 3-for-6 on the man advantage. Swift Current was 1-for-8 without the services of power-play blueliners Michael Wilson (concussion) and Jesse Dudas (broken wrist).

The shots were 39-38 in favour of the Broncos.

EXTRAS: Pats RW Brett Leffler completed his three-game suspension and is eligible to return Friday ... The Broncos snapped a seven-game home playoff losing streak that dated back to the 2003-04 season. Their last four losses were at the hands of Regina ... The Pats were without D Curtis Kulchar (ribs). He was replaced by D/F Dallas Jackson. Prospect Derek Tendler, 15, served as Regina's backup goalie for the second straight game. Jeff Bosch had the flu.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=baf51feb-83d6-4816-a3f1-72259ef63ea1


Some fans suspend thought process

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008

What is the difference between a Regina Pats game and the venomous e-mail you are about to read?

The Pats game has a first period.

Here, without further preamble, is a classic non-punctuation eruption!

first of all i don't care about the spelling it's a email every monday your on global talking about sports now that's a joke being that by looking at you i can tell that all you can and have played is chess or maybe go fish and lose but if you want to try to act like you know what your talking about try telling both sides like the fact that smith goes after watt's knee but that's ok with you right or strueby get hit from behind but that's ok with you or how about the high stick in the third which drew blood and only 4 mins but that's ok with with you the league said both hits where clean and the the only reason that leffler and eberle have to sit and watch eberle (Tuesday) and leffler until friday is because they got hurt but that's ok with you players get hurt all the time that's hockey you would know that if you would have ever played the game so in closing pull your head out of (posterior)

Such are the emotions that have been evoked by a first-round Western Hockey League playoff series between the Pats and Swift Current Broncos.

The author of the aforementioned e-mail is rankled by suspensions meted out by the league, along with my televised commentary that did not decry the WHL's disciplinary measures.

To recap: Vice-president of hockey Richard Doerksen handed Pats right-winger Brett Leffler a three-game suspension -- which concluded with Wednesday's game in Swift Current -- for an injurious hit on Broncos defenceman Michael Wilson in Game 1. Wilson is sidelined with a concussion.

In Game 2, Pats star Jordan Eberle received a boarding major and a game misconduct for a collision that sent Broncos rearguard Jesse Dudas into the boards. Dudas sustained a broken wrist. As supplementary discipline, Doerksen assessed a one-game suspension to Eberle -- one of the league's best and most sportsmanlike players.

The Pats also lobbied for the Broncos' Zack Smith to be suspended, maintaining that he had kneed the Pats' J.D. Watt during Saturday's game. The league felt that a minor penalty was all that was warranted. Video evidence was inconclusive, and Watt was not injured.

The suspensions -- or non-suspensions, in the case of Smith -- incited a predictable outcry from Pats fans who feel that their team is being unjustly targeted by the league.

Reminder: The Pats did not receive one suspension from the WHL during the 2006-07 season. If there is a conspiracy, how do you explain the previous season?

The league is not exercising any vendettas. Doerksen and commissioner Ron Robison are men of integrity and principle. To suggest otherwise is simply preposterous.

Yet, the nonsense persists. One anonymous comment on Rod Pedersen's blog refers to Doerksen as a "Pat hater'' and applies the same ludicrous label to WHL director of officiating Kevin Muench.

The overheated nature of the comments, in general, has not been rivalled since the Kerry Joseph trade.

But if you suspend emotion from the equation -- which is difficult at playoff time -- and appraise the calls on merit, the fans' strenuous objections do not stand up to scrutiny.

Leffler's hit was unpenalized at the time. Doerksen feels that boarding or charging should have been called. Leffler also hit Wilson in the head. If you watch the replay, Leffler also appears to leave his feet. The result was a devastating, albeit careless, hit.

Eberle's hit was without malice, but that is beside the point. Players -- even ones as exemplary as Eberle -- must exercise more discretion near the boards.

Yes, hockey is a physical sport, but controlled contact is desirable. Too often, the Pats/Broncos series has resembled roller derby, as evidenced by repeated instances of checking from behind (of which both teams are guilty).

Injuries are part of the game, but they were avoidable in the cases of Eberle and Leffler. Hence the suspensions.

All things considered, the WHL rendered decisions that, while unpalatable to some Pats loyalists, constituted appropriate punishment -- period.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[Flathead]

i had the best view of this play.....THAT image is going to haunt me forever :( oh ebs...
When we win the series vci34 it'll be the save that won it for us, then it really will haunt ya! lol.

[luv_the_pats]

OMG, this is a crazy series. Kudo's to both teams! applause applause I might have to take up drinking to get through the rest of the series.

:clap: GO PATS GO!! :clap:

[CJSenterprise4]

Hold a lead you don't deserve to win. The pats played with 4 D-men the whole first O.T. it sounded like on my drive home from Moose Jaw and only 3 lines. They had all the great chances in the first O.T. then obviously ran out of gas and Swift came back stronger in the 2nd session. You blow a 3-1 lead even though it was the 1st and a 4-3 going to the 3rd you don't deserve to win.

[Toswammi]

i had the best view of this play.....THAT image is going to haunt me forever :( oh ebs...

That wasn't just the save of the game, or series, and not even the playoffs, but the entire season. What a miraculous save. WOW

[Flathead]

That wasn't just the save of the game, or series, and not even the playoffs, but the entire season. What a miraculous save. WOW
WHL Plays of the Week, #1 hands down! Watch for it, if it isn't there I have know idea why.

[Toswammi]

WHL Plays of the Week, #1 hands down! Watch for it, if it isn't there I have know idea why.

The only reason it wont make it there is the quality of the video feed.

[CJSenterprise4]

Hockey gods said it was not to be... Eberle wide open net and he can't raise it over the stick. That's what you get for blowing leads all game. Also it seemed to me all the broncos goals were pretty weak. Rowat didn't play very well from all the goals i seen and he really has not played that well all series.

[nivek_wahs]

From Greg Harder's Slap Shots... http://communities.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/blogs/slapshots/default.aspx


Off-day thoughts

Random thoughts:
— If you haven’t enjoyed the playoff series between the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos, you’re not much of a hockey fan.

— Believe it or not, the Pats generally do play pretty well with a lead. The problem is they don’t have the firepower to put teams away. Robin Figren, where are you? And how are the golf courses in Sweden this time of year?

— The territorial advantage over the first four games has been a virtual saw-off. That said, although the games could have gone either way, the better team has won on each occasion.

— Keegan Dansereau, who came to Swift Current with a reputation for not always giving the maximum effort, was a load for the Pats to handle in Game 4. When he plays with that level of determination, watch out!

— The goalie duel has been excellent so far, with Travis Yonkman getting a slight edge over Linden Rowat. Both players have given up a couple goals they’d like to have back, but they’ve also stood on their heads at times, especially late in games.

— Why are people so quick to jump on Rowat? Is this the fate of every goalie who follows Josh Harding? The last time I checked Rowat had a very solid year — not spectacular, but solid — and hasn't lost his team a single game in the playoffs so far. That said, it’s quite likely he’ll have to step up and win them one before this series is out.

— CKRM’s Rod Pedersen hit the nail on the head when he said Yonkman’s stop on Jordan Eberle in the final seconds on the first overtime period in Game 4 was the “save of the series.” It may also be remembered as the save that turned the series around for Swift Current.

— A quick thank-you to the Broncos’ friendly and helpful staff and volunteers. The media accommodations at the renovated Credit Union iplex were top-notch as well.

— Boy, it sure was a treat to watch two games on a quality sheet of ice. You don’t realize how bad the surface is at the Brandt Centre until you witness a game in a rink like the iplex.

— The fact that each team earned a split in the other’s rink would seem to shoot down the theory that good ice benefits the Broncos and bad ice benefits the Pats. Stay tuned.

— A few of Brent Parker’s trade acquisitions are making him look pretty good these days. Victor Bartley has been Regina’s best defenceman. J.D. Watt has been Regina’s MVP and perhaps the best player in the series. Scott Doucet has been tireless and tenacious.

— Give credit to the Broncos. I thought they were in big trouble after losing Game 3 when Regina didn’t have Eberle and Brett Leffler in the lineup. Then, after the Pats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 4, Swift Current looked to be done like dinner. Not anymore.

— If you’re not impressed by the job the Broncos have done without two of their top defencemen — Jesse Dudas and Michael Wilson — then you haven’t been paying attention.

— The return of Leffler should give the Pats a lift for Game 5. Perhaps more importantly, his presence will allow the team to go back to its usual line combinations, so head coach Curtis Hunt won’t have to shorten his bench as much.

— It’s still puzzling to me how the Pats could derive motivation from Dean Chynoweth’s innocent ‘Clydesdales vs. Thoroughbreds’ comment. That said, Watt’s reply after Game 3 was priceless: “As a farmboy I was kind of shocked," he said. "It’s the first time a Clydesdale ever beat a Thoroughbred in a race.”

— I’ve said it before and I'll say it again: If a team needs to be motivated by what its reads in the paper, the club is probably falling short in other areas.

— Watt’s comment will no doubt be interpreted by some as cocky and unsportsmanlike. My reply? Lighten up! It’s refreshing to talk to a player who actually shows a pulse during an interview. Keep it up, J.D.