For only the second time ever, all four major league sports were in regular- or post-season session on the same day. I staggered my sports-viewing schedule in order to catch portions of games from all of the sports. I decided to key in on one star player in each game and to look at his contributions to his team.
First up was a hockey game pitting the New York Rangers against the Boston Bruins. Today marked the 50th anniversary of goalies wearing protective masks. Montreal goaltender Jacques Plante was playing in New York in 1959 when he took a wrist shot to the face that would go on to revolutionize goalie protection. A half a century later, a masked Henrik Lundqvist was in goal against the Bruins.
From the tip off, the Bruins staged a series of pressured attacks. Many of them were held off by strong play from Rangers’ defensemen, limiting the Bruins to just eight shots in the first period. When the puck did reach Lundqvist, the goalie appeared unfazed, and he snagged several shots that came his way. When he wasn’t able to catch the puck, Lundqvist successfully deflected it toward the corners and out of danger.
Late into the period, Boston’s David Krejci toppled over Lundqvist. The goalie rose up, and Krejci was escorted to the penalty box. In that moment, Lundqvist showed the same toughness Plante had. Thanks to Lundqvist’s stellar play, the teams headed into the intermission wrapped in a scoreless tie. The Rangers went on to win the game by a score of 1-0.
Football dominated this afternoon’s play, and no player commanded more scrutiny than Brett Favre. So much was on the line that Fox arranged for a “Favre Cam” to focus on him at all times. Even with the technological enhancements, the storyline still wrote itself: Brett Favre returning to Green Bay playing for a rival.
Fans at Lambeau Field seemed confused about how to greet their former idol. There were more boos than cheers, yet most people stayed respectfully in their seats. Favre went out on his first drive and completed some short passes, earning the Vikings a first down, before punting the ball away.
After a Green Bay punt, the Vikings offense came back out on the field. A miscommunication between Favre and the center resulted in a premature snap and a fumble recovered by the Packers. It was the kind of play that Packers fans were waiting for, in some ways worse than a Favre interception. It gave an inclination that the crowd, the hype and the impact of this game was capable of rattling the legendary quarterback.
The Packers went up 3-0, but the Vikings took the ensuing kick-off deep into Green Bay territory. On 4th and goal, Adrian Peterson broke the plane and scored the first touchdown of the game. Favre had handed off to Peterson all four times on that set of downs; he passed just four times out of the team’s first 14 offensive plays. This clearly wasn’t the same gun-slinging Brett Favre that Packers fans remembered and immortalized. Favre went on to throw four touchdowns in a 38-26 win.
In a game early in the new season, Paul Pierce showed he was already in mid-season form, scoring 20 points in the first half today. After heavily slowing down in the third and fourth quarters, amid New Orleans rallying to cut into Boston’s lead, Pierce re-emerged down the stretch to lead the Celtics to a 97-87 victory.
With a four-point lead with under five minutes to go, Pierce came up with key loose ball that gave the Celtics possession and control of the game. The Celtics then ran their offense through Pierce as often as they could. He scored on a driving fall-away and then hit a three pointer to put the game out of reach.
On possessions where Pierce wasn’t the central figure, he took a backseat to other players like Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett who had better looks because Pierce created defensive lapses and mismatches. Pierce’s leadership on this Boston team is even more pivotal this season than previous ones with Garnett coming off of injury and newcomers like Rasheed Wallace still adjusting to their roles within the Celtics’ system.
On a team so stacked with talent, the Celtics could easily suffer from the hardships of having to share the ball. Pierce made the most of his shots, shooting 10 for 14. Above his stellar accuracy, though, is Pierce’s position as the focal point of the offense. Even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, Pierce continues to make decisions that improve his team’s chances of winning.
The sports day ended with Game 4 of the World Series between th New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies. Alex Rodriguez had proven his skeptics wrong this post-season by posting some key hits and even homering in Game 3 on Saturday night. This game became critical in the Yankees’ hopes to separate themselves from their competition.
Rodriguez’s night started slowly. The Yankee third baseman struggled at the plate, going 0 for 3 with a strikeout in first plate appearances. But that all changed in the top of the 9th with the game tied at 4 runs apiece. With two out and two on, Rodriguez laced a double to left field that scored Johnny Damon, the go-ahead run. A-Rod scored moments later to help lead the Yankees to a 7-4 win.
A-Rod has done his part in reforming his reputation as a post-season liability. What’s particularly amazing about the Yankees’ offensive output is their players’ batting averages have been mostly sub-par. But they, and especially A-Rod, have picked their spots well.
That’s what all of these players, in their respective sports, demonstrated on the ice, field, court and diamond today. The faces of organizations step up and carry their teams when times call for it. Whether it’s an early season match-up or a post-season ballgame, the best players find ways to deliver however and whenever possible. However, it’s important to acknowledge that Lundqvist’s defensemen’s containment, Peterson’s rushing touchdown, Garnett’s clutch shots, and Damon’s stolen bases opened up the possibilities for their teammates’ contributions.
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