Revamped: TD of Sports Microcosm

Welcome Back,

Thank you for choosing to make us a part of your day. I’m Tim Durr and I’ve been working in this sports journalism world for about six years now. I recently received my Master of Science in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication. While I was spending my days freezing in the cold Syracuse climate, I found some time to co-host a podcast called Sports Microcosm. It's been months since me and my former partner, Jonathan Kahn, graduated from Syracuse and have both gone our separate ways in the industry. I want to get back at it with blogging and podcasting so I decided to revamp this blog and podcast idea and really look to live up to what Sports Microcosm has been in my mind the entire time.

Before I made my journey to the frozen tundra between Buffalo and the Adirondacks, I spent four years in the rolling hills and fields of Western Pennsylvania at Slippery Rock University. I received a Bachelor of Science in Communication with an emphasis in journalism while at “The Rock”. During those four years, I became the sports editor of the student-run newspaper, The Rocket, co-hosted a podcast called Apt 11 Sports, produced and appeared on a TV show called Slippery Rock Sports Forum, and freelanced with the Butler Eagle and Beaver County Times.

Now I live in a much warmer place: Charlotte. I’ve been down here since graduating from Syracuse and have loved every minute of it. When I’m not spending my time revamping Sports Microcosm, you’ll find me working with the Black and Blue Review. Great coverage of the Carolina Panthers is done over there and I’m not just saying that because I’m a part of it...seriously, check it out if you care the slightest about football.

That’s my quick rundown of who I am. The only remaining question to answer: Why do this sports blog/podcast thing again?

It’s simple. When I turn on the radio, TV, or open a webpage, 96.38 percent (rough estimate) of what I hear is utter garbage. It isn’t because everyone is stammering and stuttering, most of the people are well-spoken, it’s more about the words coming out of their mouths. We live in a society of hot takes, quick reactions, and not much thought about what we’re saying. Why would people care? The news-cycle spins quicker than your jeans in the wash cycle and all the dirt we spew washes off just as quickly.

I aim to be different (but who doesn’t say that). I want people to take away a deeper point or understanding when listening to my podcast and reading my posts. I want them to take away more than a knee-jerk reaction. I want thoughts and emotions to be evoked. You may think this sports thing is silly, but I say it’s the closest we get to a view of the big picture of our daily lives unfolding.

Now that we got that out of the way. Tune in Monday for the newest edition of Sports Microcosm with a blog and podcast. A new edition will come out daily with blog posts and podcasts.

NHL Predictions: After the Trade Deadline

By: Tim Durr

A few days after Monday's trade deadline, the final 1/4 of the NHL season has officially started. We've given analysis of the moves on the podcast with a special NHL deadline edition and opened Tuesday's show with more discussion about the final deals that came in Monday night.

Now, I've decided to dive into some predictions for the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs.

First let's look at the current standings and then check out my predictions for how the remainder of the season will turn out.   Green shows improvement, Red shows decline. (X) = would miss the playoffs

                  Current Standings                              Future Predictions

ATLANTIC	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
Montreal	64	41	18	5	87
Tampa Bay	65	39	20	6	84
Detroit	62	36	15	11	83
Boston	62	31	22	9	71
Florida	64	28	23	13	69
Ottawa	62	28	23	11	67
Toronto	64	26	33	5	57
Buffalo	64	19	40	5	43
METROPOLITAN	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
NY Rangers	63	39	17	7	85
NY Islanders	65	41	21	3	85
Pittsburgh	63	36	18	9	81
Washington	65	35	20	10	80
Philadelphia	64	27	25	12	66
New Jersey	64	27	27	10	64
Columbus	63	26	33	4	56
Carolina	62	24	31	7	55
CENTRAL	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
Nashville	65	41	17	7	89
St. Louis	63	40	18	5	85
Chicago	64	38	21	5	81
Winnipeg	65	32	21	12	76
Minnesota	63	34	22	7	75
Colorado	64	28	25	11	67
Dallas	64	28	26	10	66
PACIFIC	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
Anaheim	66	42	17	7	91
Vancouver	63	36	24	3	75
Calgary	63	34	25	4	72
Los Angeles	63	30	21	12	72
San Jose	65	32	25	8	72
Arizona	64	20	37	7	47
Edmonton	64	18	36	10	46

ATLANTIC	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
Detroit	82	49	20	13	111
Montreal	82	52	23	7	109
Tampa Bay	82	49	25	8	106
Florida	82	37	32	13	87
Boston (X)	82	37	34	11	85
Ottawa (X)	82	33	36	13	79
Toronto (X)	82	30	46	6	66
Buffalo (X)	82	23	52	7	53
METROPOLITAN	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
NY Rangers	82	51	23	8	110
Washington	82	46	25	11	103
Pittsburgh	82	46	25	11	103
NY Islanders	82	49	29	4	102
Philadelphia (X)	82	35	33	14	84
New Jersey (X)	82	32	36	12	76
Columbus (X)	82	31	45	6	68
Carolina (X)	82	28	45	9	65
CENTRAL	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
St. Louis	82	51	25	7	109
Nashville	82	49	24	9	107
Chicago	82	48	27	7	103
Minnesota	82	41	31	10	91
Winnipeg	82	38	31	13	89
Colorado (X)	82	35	33	14	84
Dallas (X)	82	33	37	12	78
PACIFIC	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS
Anaheim	82	52	22	8	112
Vancouver	82	44	33	5	93
Los Angeles	82	39	28	15	93
San Jose (X)	82	39	33	10	88
Calgary (X)	82	40	36	6	86
Arizona (X)	82	23	50	9	55
Edmonton (X)	82	22	47	13	55

If the season plays out how I predicted it will, here is what the playoff matchups would look like:

Eastern Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. 8. Florida Panthers (Red Wings in 6)

2. New York Rangers vs. 7. New York Islanders (Rangers in 7)

Metropolitan 

2. Washington Capitals vs. 3. Pittsburgh Penguins (Penguins in 6)

Atlantic

2. Montreal Canadiens vs. 3. Tampa Bay Lightning (Lightning in 5)

Conference Semi-Finals

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Red Wings in 7)

2. New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Rangers in 5)

Conference Finals

1. Detroit Red Wings vs. New York Rangers (Rangers in 6)

Western Conference

1. Anaheim Ducks vs. 8. Winnipeg Jets (Ducks in 5)

2. St. Louis Blues vs. 7. Minnesota Wild (Blues in 4)

Pacific

2. Vancouver Canucks vs. 3. Los Angeles Kings (Kings in 6)

Central

2. Nashville Predators vs. 3. Chicago Blackhawks (Blackhawks in 7)

Conference Semi-Finals

1. Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings (Ducks in 6)

2. St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks (Blues in 7)

Conference Finals 

1. Anaheim Ducks vs St. Louis Blues (Blues in 6)

Stanley Cup Final

New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues (Rangers in 6) 

P.S. Jon didn't hold a gun to my head and tell me to write this either. The trade for Keith Yandle improves the play of a team that has already been one of the best in the second half of the season and I'm predicting they'll get their first Stanley Cup since 1994.