HOLTY’S BLOG: THE SECOND HALF

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This is a big weekend in Condorstown. And no, not because the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl. Although, that will be a great way to spend a Sunday.

No, this is a big weekend, because the second half of the season is upon us and the Condors are right in the thick of things. You might be thinking, Holty, there are 30 games left, the Condors have been in the second half of the season for the past two weeks now and you’d be right, but it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want, and post all-star break is the second half of the season.

Now for the blog…

– Yesterday, the Edmonton Oilers traded forward Mitch Moroz to Arizona for forward Henrik Samuelsson. Strangely enough, both were linemates on the Memorial Cup winning Edmonton Oil Kings side a few years back. It’s a fresh start for both players, and Samuelsson comes to Condorstown having scored 18 goals in the AHL his rookie year. Let’s hope he can find that scoring touch down the stretch.

– More on Samuelsson: the Condors will be the fourth AHL team he has played for in three seasons. Arizona had moved their AHL affiliate each of his three seasons there from Portland to Springfield to Tucson. He’ll wear No. 10.

– Yesterday on Condors Insider I posed five questions that I think will decide the Condors fate and whether we’re playoff blogging in April. The biggest of which I think is who steps up over the final 30 games to provide secondary scoring. The team is 14th in the league in scoring, but obviously a lot of that has come from Beck, Hamilton, and Lander. Lander is no longer here, so who can provide solid numbers down stretch to help ease the burden?  Certainly, if Puljujarvi is here for an extended period of time, his numbers would translate well.

– Speaking of Puljujarvi, he’s a huge Roger Federer fan, as our many on the team. A group of us spent the early morning hours at Austin-Bergstrom before our flight watching the Australian Open. Dillon Simpson was more than enthused and then went and chased Phil around in San Diego for the rest of Sunday.

– The team flocked all around North America during the brief three days off. Couple guys went to Las Vegas, some went home, others went to Mexico, and Kyle Platzer/Greg Chase spent the time golfing Pebble Beach.

– Playoff situation? Six points behind fourth-place Tucson and three points back of fifth-place Stockton with a game in hand. This home-and-home against Stockton is huge this weekend. The Heat have had trouble scoring goals as of late and have lost four straight. Bakersfield has to let the sleeping dog lie this weekend. I sometimes think it’s harder facing a team that isn’t playing well than a team brimming with confidence.

– Lock of the week? New England has won four Super Bowls in my lifetime by a combined 16 points. Only once have they won by more than three points. That said, they’re giving three on Sunday. I like that and I like under 59. I know you’re thinking, “Holty, life’s too short to bet the unders,” but 59 is a lot for a Super Bowl. Only twice in 13 years would that have covered. Patriots 31, Falcons 20.

– Lock of the week Pt. 2? Super Bowl MVP will be Dion Lewis. I have a haunch. You can get him for +3300. That might make for a pretty good Sunday.

Until next time Condorstown…

Ryan Holt a.k.a. Holty is in his sixth season in Condorstown. Don’t bother him on Sunday. Follow him on Twitter @CondorsHolty for more nonsense or shoot him an e-mail to rholt@bakersfieldcondors.com with questions, comments, or blog ideas.