HOLTY’S BLOG: March Madness

/in , /by

Wednesday blog! And no we’re not discussing fruit like last week. March Madness is taking on new meaning for a Condors team battling for a playoff spot.

You may want all blogs to discuss fruit, but as I’ll remind you, it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want.

Now for the blog…

– Difficult start to the game last night for the Condors as San Jose ran wild in the first period. But, to the team’s credit, they played much better in the second and thirds to give themselves a chance late. Descheneau now has goals in two straight and has five points in his last five games.

– Jordan Oesterle had another goal last night, his sixth of the season and second in as many games. He now has 17 points (3g-14a) in his last 21 games since Jan. 1.

– 13 games remain in the regular season for Bakersfield. Stockton plays tonight in San Diego and Tucson waits for the Condors this weekend in Arizona. I said with 24 left that the Condors needed to go 16-8-0 to feel really good about getting in. Since then, Bakersfield is 7-4-0 meaning that 9-4-0 down the stretch would comfortably get the team in. Eight wins still does it I think since Bakersfield plays Tucson twice and Stockton once.

– The Condors are technically on percentage points on the outside looking in right now, but still lead Stockton by a point in the standings. You only have to worry about points from here on because Bakersfield, Stockton, and Tucson all play 68 games.

– Future Watch this week is on winger Joey LaLeggia, who has reinvented himself this season up front.

– Keep an eye out for an AHL “On the Beat” article later this week on a new (old?) Condors tradition that will hopefully add a few more to its collection by the end of the season.

– A March Madness of a different sort starts this weekend. The Condors arrive in Tucson prior to the University of Arizona taking on North Dakota in Salt Lake City. Solely because of that and the fact that I liked the Lute Olsen-Mike Bibby days, I’m picking the Wildcats to win it all. I have a Final Four of Arizona-Villanova-Oregon-UNC. Pick against those teams and you should be fine.

– Condors Insider today from 4-5 p.m. features J-F Houle, Josh Currie, and Brian Smith from the CHP. No, I’m not getting arrested. We’ll talk Guns N Hoses coming up on April 1 with a specialty jersey auction. Tune in on Fox Sports 970 AM or iHeartRadio.

Until next week Condorstown…

Ryan Holt a.k.a. Holty is the Voice of the Condors in his sixth season. He’s almost never won a bracket pool. Follow him on Twitter @CondorsHolty for more nonsense or shoot him an e-mail to Rholt@bakersfieldcondors.com with questions, comments, or blog ideas.