OH NO, NOT AGAIN...

It's Friday and the Big Apple is awash in disappointment as their beloved NY Yankees crushed their collective spirits by losing to the Detroit Tigers 3-2 and getting eliminated from the MLB playoffs.  Timely pitching by the Tigers staff and too many blown on-base opportunities by the Yankees led to this stunning result.

(credit: Associated Press)

Yankee fans went into the playoffs feeling confident at making a run to the World Series, especially since their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox didn't make it in.  Maybe they were looking past the Tigers, who floated quietly under the radar over the last month of the regular season, led by their probable Cy Young Award winning pitcher, Justin Verlander.  No one really noticed how good of a team the Tigers really were.  Well, if they didn't know it then, they certainly know it now.  The Detroit Tigers are for real and they put the big money Yankees away, at the hostile confines of Yankee Stadium. You can't blow that off.

Now the A.L.Championship Series pits Detroit vs Texas.  An intriguing matchup on paper, but probably not the one the Networks were hoping for.  But hey, you never know.  You might just get one hell of a series.  As for the NY Yankees?  It's back to the drawing board (yet again) for the deep-pocketed Yankees.  There will be a lot of soul-searching taking place this off season.  Who will stay?  Who will go?  Who will they bring in?  The plotlines will certainly keep folks glued to the papers this off-season.

In the meantime, while all of this was taking place, we also ushered in the start of the NHL season with two marquee matchups: The Boston Bruins vs the Philadelphia Flyers and my Montreal Canadiens vs their heated rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

(credit: Associated Press)

The majority of hockey fans in the bar were of course, Habs fans and we took our place in the back area of the bar to take advantage of the large TV's.  While most of the folks were concentrated on the Yankees/Tigers game, the hockey purists were more than content to be among their own, catching up with fellow fans from last season while keeping an eye on the game.  There were also a few new faces in the house and I hope we get to see more of them throughout the regular season.

Unfortunately for Montreal fans, the first game of the season wasn't one to write home about as the Habs seemed to have left their offense in Montreal.  The Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Habs, 2-0.  Painful to watch- and even though it was only the first game of the season, if you are a Habs fan (like myself), you can't help but to be a bit worried.  Stay tuned.

I can't really tell you what happened in the other early game (Boston/Philadelphia), as I kept my concentration on the two games mentioned above.  Boston lost, which leaves me smiling.  Hmmm...

So a night that started out with so much promise, ends up deflating like a balloon.  Oy.

Let's see what the NY Rangers can do this afternoon (1pm).


Cheers...