Nero

Cologne Seattle Toronto Quebec

Wolves FTW

This trade deadline solidifies the theory we'll see: ALCS - Rangers vs. Tribe & NLCS - Cubs vs. Giants. As for the Jays, I'm excited to see Liriano come up and work with Russ again. Sanchez slides back to the pen for preservation. Highlight of the day was telling Chavez to pack his shit. Low point is having to listen as the Yankees re-tooled their farm.

I'll take a pair of assists. 51 shots is even better. Lynx are too feast or famine. We're either shutting 'em out or getting shut out. "C" for consistency I guess.

25 shots, no goals. No bueno. Hardy seems to be playing more offense than defense right now.

Apparently the Red Sox have expressed interest in Beltran. Wouldn't that make for an interesting trade.

1st place was fun...for a day. lol. I'll take 2/3 games against Baltimore. I'll even take them picking up Wade Miley. Miley is one of those guy that just can't pitch well in the AL East. Fingers f'ing crossed that Tulo doesn't miss extended time with the thumb. I expect a little more pitching insurance tomorrow. Thinking a smaller deal to pick up Jim Johnson from the Braves.

End of the day, I see 5-0 Ottawa.

Damn, already at 5 goals. Not too shabby for a blue-liner.

Preseason predicting is all relative. Some supposed experts would predict a division title with 8 game cushion while those of us who are more realistic didn't think that would happen given our lack of elite pitching. But things are coming together and the Jays are getting hot at the right time. Hopefully we swing another minor deal or two to shore up the bullpen and add some rotation depth.

I gave Kodarek my last code but I see EA has been tweeting them all day.

1st place got me all...

Plenty of time left in the season. My TPE will catch up soon.

Welfare it is then

July 29, 2016 - VHL.com OTTAWA – The puck officially dropped on the Brent Hardy era Thursday and already, the Ottawa Lynx seem newer and more improved. It took Hardy all of 10 minutes and 9 seconds to score his first VHLM goal, a power play conversion that opened that drew first blood in a win over last place Bratislavia. “Just incredible”, Brent Hardy said in describing his first VHLM action. “...the fans were great, the boys were fired up, and we prepared to play some aggressive hockey.” The aggressive style of play was a sight for many sore eyes due to Ottawa’s recent struggles to get shots on net. The tempo had definitely changed on Thursday and the Lynx put off 45 shots in route to a 3-0 victory over the Watchman. After the game, Ottawa GM Sandro Clegane credited Hardy as being the difference-maker. “Brent’s addition along the blueline allowed coach to put forwards in their more natural spots for several shifts”, explained Clegane. “The team played with more energy and confidence...it certainly showed in the box score.” Hardy’s goal came after a high sticking call put the Lynx on a man advantage. It didn’t take long for the power play unit to open up lanes where Hardy put an Eric McCroy pass to the back of Bratislavia’s net. The Lynx’s newest addition finished the night with a goal on 6 shots, a pair of hits, and a pair of blocked shots.

Red Sox are officially a dumpster fire. O's took an L last night too.

I still have one more beta code for PS4 if anyone wants it. Shoot me PM.

BRENT HARDY – Defenceman - (Season 51) -Overview- Born: April 6, 1998 (age 18) Height: 6’3 Weight: 225 Handedness: Right Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada High School: St. Michael’s College School Current Team: Ottawa Lynx (#7 / Defenceman) -Summary- Brent Hardy is a pure athlete with a rich ice hockey pedigree. He is not only a product of the St. Michael’s College School (Prep) program but he is the son of Gordon Hardy and the protégé to Gus Goudreau, a pair of CCJHL legends. Many VHL scouts have lauded Brent Hardy for his tremendous work ethic and dedication to the constant betterment of his game. Hardy projects as a top pairing defenceman with the potential to develop into an elite player. He should be a major factor on special teams as he continues to develop the flexibility to run the power and be a shut-down defender on the penalty kill. Hardy will be team leader at every stop and has a personallity that is extremely marketable. -Strengths- Presence – There are plenty of physical attributes to describe Hardy of which many combine to produce his imposing presence. His teammates at St. Michael’s admit Brent was always around the clubhouse and typically the center of attention. “Good or bad, Brent was always the ringleader,” said one former line mate. Hardy spent two years as team captain of the Blue Raiders and played the role very well. He was always seen controlling the tempo on the ice and in rallying his teammates just prior to clutch situations. “I’m an intense guy who likes to let everyone in another uniform know where I am on the ice,” Hardy once admitted to VHLM scouts. Isolation – If Brent Hardy has a super power, anticipation is it. Few young players have the ability to read puck-moving forwards as well as Hardy does. He is very comfortable in 2-on-1 scenarios and will find way to disrupt the opposing advantage. Goudreau has said the goalies who played behind Hardy at St. Michael’s, “...always excelled because [Brent] kept a lot of pressure off”. Hardy is even better in even situations where he presents great instincts and stick work to win a majority of his battles. Skating – “Few players of similar size skate as well as [Hardy] does,” admitted one VHLM GM. He’s not the quickest player on the ice but he is a smooth skater that can keep up with the game’s better forwards. Most important, Hardy can fluently move East to West and best within his team’s zone. “...deceiving, in a good way”, was how one league scout described Brent’s movement up and down the ice. -Weaknesses- Passing – Hardy was, once upon a time, a breakaway skater who finished plays on the offensive end of the ice. Fast-forward to now and he’s a larger, more physical type of defenceman. That said, it’s worth noting Hardy’s concentration was never to pick apart a zone and strategically move the puck. His coaches at St. Michael’s admitted Brent’s goals were set up or situations in which Goudreau says, “...he just took the puck and ran with it”. The talent-laced Raiders never had to rely on Hardy to quarterback the power play but the same cannot be said about the VHLM. Expect coaches to begin working with him on puck movement as it’s the one attribute that can see Brent Hardy emerge as an elite defenceman in the VHL. Checking – Depsite his large stature, avoiding physical contact is something Hardy’s father taught him at a young age. Gordon Hardy admits that his son’s, “runt-like size”, while growing up cause him to develop a more, “cat and mouselike” type of game. Brent showed more of a willingness to get physical as a senior at St. Michael’s. His checking along the boards showed progress under Goudreau’s tuteledge but he was often times entangled and either late to a spot or caught completely out of position. Patience – Similar to his struggles in puck moving, Hardy hasn’t done himself any favors in terms of allowing plays to develop. Although he handles the puck better than average, Hardy often looked to pass before lanes opened and tried to force many goals. Cramming the puck down the opposition’s throat worked in prep school but obviously won’t come so simple at the junior and professional levels.

I mention this for the GM's sake. See my comments in Jardy's podcast thread.

Most have little-to-no value. Beltran is expiring and an All Star so they'd be wise to unload him. They're stuck with Tex & A-Rod for another full season.

Bump the grace period to 24 hours.

F--- yeah!!

From my end, I would agree the new VHLM waivers system does force GM's to be engaged. For what it's worth, Ottawa's pitch was the most detailed and made the most sense. I would agree the waiver period should be pushed to 24 hours after player has been approved by the league for entry. Too many guys fill out an app, do 12 hours worth of shit, and then are never heard from again. There's more to be excited about with a newbie who comes back a day later. And yes @JardyB10, had you been job searching and not playing SHL...Hardy would've been playing for another club. Glad it worked out though.

I don't think the Yankees are necessarily "sellers". I don't think they planned on re-signing Chapman and there's other deals they'll consider on a case-by-case basis. If they could acquire Sale and another bat, considering their bullpen, they most certainly can compete. Now if they go ahead and dump Beltran, CC, and Pineda, then I'd say they're selling. I don't think the Yankees really know what they want to do right but they definitely need to wait out some of these garbage contracts they have on the books.

Expect Jays, O's, and Red Sox to be scrambling for deals at the last minute. Dombrowski doesn't seem urgent but dropping 4 of 5 at home, to inferior teams, can't sit well with a club who invested $217M in Price. And in other news, there's some serious steam behind the Yankees and their interest in Chris Sale. New York has plenty of intriguing prospects and usually doesn't have a problem trading away the bulk of 'em.