This Has The Making Of A Classic Series

Second-round preview: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders


Tampa Bay Lightning (2nd seed, Atlantic Division) versus New York Islanders (first Eastern Conference wild card)

How they win

Tampa:

• While the Islanders' first-round series victory over the Florida Panthers ended with a double-overtime thriller in Game 6, the Lightning have been waiting, watching, resting and preparing after their first-round series win over the Detroit Red Wings concluded on April 22. The time off will serve Tampa well, as many of its top players are bruised and banged up. Because the Lightning reached the Cup finals last season, any extra time off this spring is welcomed. Unlike the Islanders, the Lightning have recent postseason experience, and that will serve them well. It also helps that Tampa is backstopped by goaltender Ben Bishop, who stopped 152 of 160 shots against the Red Wings. Bishop owns a 2.08 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 30 career playoff games. Tampa needs Bishop's best performances in order to advance to a second straight conference finals. Like in most playoff series, special teams will be key for the Lightning. Tampa's penalty kill was 24-for-25 in the first round. On the power play, the Lightning went 4-for-23. The power play will be important because Tampa scored only eight even-strength goals against the Red Wings. Without captain Steven Stamkos, who remains sidelined after surgery to remove a blood clot in his shoulder, the once-exiled Jonathan Drouin played extremely well in the first round and will need to continue his strong play.

New York:

• The never-say-die Islanders earned three overtime victories in the first round against the Panthers. That determination and passion needs to continue against an opponent with more postseason experience. Islanders captain John Tavares was outstanding in the first round. The organization's all-time leader in regular-season overtime goals (eight) scored two against the Panthers. He'll need to continue to be the best player on the ice for the Islanders to beat the Lightning. He enters the series with five goals and four assists for nine points this postseason. In his past 12 games, dating back to March 31, he has 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points. Goaltender Thomas Greiss was solid in the first round. He combined for 88 saves in Games 5 and 6. If he can maintain that level of success, it will be an entertaining battle between Bishop and him.

(ESPN.com)

The 2 Greatest Decades For Cars Share A Common Theme

60s American Muscle And 90s JDM Legends Have More In Common Than You Think 

The Gentlemen’s Agreement among Japanese automakers may have restricted horsepower, but it was the catalyst that turned great Japanese performance cars into bona-fide legends. And 60s American muscle wasn't actually that different . . . . .

You’ve probably heard of the famous ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ among Japanese automakers that spanned the 1990s and a few years into the 21st century. Yes, that’s the same era which gave birth to some of the most legendary Japanese performance cars ever - all conveniently touted to have 276bhp in the name of motoring safety courtesy of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, or JAMA for you acronym nuts.

But what does that have to do with the classic American muscle car era of the late 1960s and early 1970s? Well it was the era which gave birth to some of the most legendary American performance cars of all time. 

As it turns out, two rather significant points in automotive history have all kinds of common ground, despite their polar-opposite origins, and we have the notorious Gentlemen’s Agreement among Japanese auto manufacturers to thank for it in the Far East, and a healthy competitive spirit to thank on the ‘Murican side. Let me explain.

Why didn’t manufacturers just come out with the legit horsepower ratings? For one, insurance rates were higher the more horsepower you had, but it was also like a gigantic game of poker where the players were terrible. The idea was that if the 1967 Corvette with the 427 V8 only advertised 435bhp, then Dodge would shoot for a similar number with the 426 Hemi in a Challenger, as would Ford with their big bad Boss 429 Mustang. Of course, nobody fell for each other’s bluff, so instead they just built each car with around 500bhp. You know, just to be sure they beat the other guys.

This begs a very important question. There are many awesome classic American muscle cars, but would these three be the legends they are today if manufacturers hadn’t lied about the power they made?

Flash forward 20 years and several thousand miles east. Japan already had nimble, tossable, fun driving machines that were just an infusion of horsepower away from becoming epic. And that was just about to happen until the Gentlemen’s Agreement was established in 1989, restricting engine output to 276bhp.

Both periods are already considered golden ages for their respective performance genres, with both eras forcing engineers to make cars attractive for more than just advertised power. Yeah, I like vintage 60s American muscle, but you know what? I would be one smiling dude spending my days rolling in classic 90s Japanese tech. As far as I’m concerned, both segments are brothers from another mother. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

(CarThrottle.com)

Hell Yah!

(BroBible.com)

It's A Damn Good Explanation

(Bits&Pieces.com)

Some Hot Wheels Coming To Market Soon

Thieves relieve Detroit-area Dodge dealer of $70,000 in SRT wheels 

The thieves ignored the V6 models and instead targeted Hellcat, SRT392, Scat Pack, and R/T versions of the Charger and Challenger. The poor muscle cars were left sitting on blocks, with the voice behind the video saying the treatment led to underbody damage. We only counted 12 cars, but the person shooting the video said thieves targeted 14 vehicles. That works out to about $5,000 in wheels per vehicle.

We've reached out to Sterling Heights Dodge general manager and the Sterling Heights Police Department for comments. We haven't heard back yet, but we'll be sure to update this post with any additional information.

Oh, and if you're in metro Detroit and perusing Craigslist for a new set of alloys, we'd advise against buying Dodge wheels for the next few weeks. They might be hot.

(AutoBlog.com)

Torque Is Your Friend & Enemy

Watch a 1,000 hp Toyota Celica lose a wheel during drag race 

After some impressive runs, a 2JZ-powered Celica has a mild disaster on the strip.

It starts well. There's a 1975 Toyota Celica. Toyota's legendary 2JZ engine provides around 1,000 horsepower, which we'd classify as "a whole hell of a lot." It sounds and goes very nicely, making multiple runs during the TX2K16, a drag and roll-racing event in, you guessed it, Texas. It faces off against a tough-looking GT-R, before making short work of an Audi R8. Then, it beats out a nice Chevrolet Camaro SS, rocking out a 10.21-second quarter-mile run on a lousy start. And then the wheels come off. Literally.

If you all you want to see is the disaster, fast forward to around the 3:30 mark. After a hearty burnout, the 2JZ-powered Celica goes for a hard launch and promptly disintegrates the lug nuts on the driver's side rear wheel. It's an impressive, if disheartening sight. But it's one the driver handles well, all things considered.

Video link (AutoBlog.com)

Did You Know - Jeans Edition

This Is Why Your Denim Jeans Have Those Little Metal Rivets Sewn Into The Pockets 

THOSE are the little metal rivets I’m talking about, and apparently they’re not just there for fun – they serve a functional purpose. So no, they’re not there just for the sake of looking “fashionable,” but rather to keep your jeans from wearing out and ripping at the seam.

Apparently there’s even a patent on them. Yup, you can patent just about anything that’s not blatantly stupid, like a boat made out of potatoes or a potato made out of boats. Those are two bad examples, but they are both indeed too stupid to patent. Levi Strauss reportedly came up with the idea to include them back in the early 1800’s when he heard miners were complaining about how quickly their pants fell apart.

(BroBible.com)

Some Of The Best Financial Advice Ever

A Wealthy Stock Trader Shared The Biggest Mistake 20-Somethings Make With Their Money 

Name one mistake you made with your money that other people usually make.

• The best thing you can do is get off the LifeStyle Ladder. It’s very common that as you grow older and make more money, you step-for-step raise your expenses and standard of living.  All that happens when you do this is that you end up, really, at the same spot. You spend what you take in. 

(BroBible.com)

It's Just That Simple

(CavemanCircus.com)

I Look Forward To Seeing Cal Berkley's New Uni's Next Year

Under Armour Signs 10-Year, $86 Million Deal with University of California-Berkley


Under Armour has signed a multi-year deal with the University of California-Berkley as reported by ESPN’s Darren Rovell. The deal will begin with the 2017-18 season.

The new partnership spans 10 years and is detailed to be worth $86 million in cash and products. This also includes a $3 million signing bonus. What’s more, $3.5 million in cash per year alongside an average annual product allowance of $4.76 million.

The bigger story here, though, is that the Cal Bears were previously a Nike school. In fact, just a short time ago the team received player exclusives for the NCAA Tournament. But the new UA deal is reportedly much more lucrative than that of Nike’s.

In the closing year of the Nike contract, Cal would receive $2 million in product and $150,000 in cash. Obviously from the new numbers listed above, this is substantially less.

(NiceKicks.com)