Are The Anaheim Ducks Done?

Many expected the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks to go toe-to-toe in their first-round matchup. Not only that, but considering that the Ducks had home-ice advantage, you would've thought that the Ducks were going to walk out of their own building with two big wins.

That wasn't the case.

Games 1 & 2 found the Sharks sitting in good leads and eventually winning both games. Now, last night in Game 3, the Sharks showed up while the Ducks may have had their worst performance of the season. They got blown out 8-1 in Game 3. For many of us, that's unacceptable. What's even worse is now the Ducks sit themselves in an 3-0 hole and many are expecting the Sharks to just finish them off and head off to the second round.

Is there still a saving grace for the Ducks? Perhaps. And considering their opponents, they're going to have a big uphill battle.

In Game 3, the Ducks had terrible penalty issues, and the Sharks capitalized on that with eight power play opportunities, getting goals in four of those opportunities. The Ducks also couldn't find the net. In the three games in this series, they've only scored three times. That's also unacceptable.

Ryan Getzlaf has two assists in the three games while Rickard Rakell has one goal in three games. Rakell led the team in scoring during the regular season. Another high-profile player for the Ducks, Corey Perry, has yet to make an impact this postseason, having a minus-3 rating, eight penalty minutes and seven shots on goal. Ryan Kesler is also not showing up, with only four shots and an assist.

While those figures may seem like a worrisome trend, it also shows the toughness and the great play that the Sharks have gone through right now, and if the Ducks have any chance of turning it around in this series, they're going to have to step up, and that means the big players on this team will have to step up as well.

The bigger question is: Whether or not the Ducks are ready for Game 4, are they done for the rest of the postseason? It remains to be seen, but if they keep playing the way they did the first three games, then they are officially done. The Sharks are not a team that you want to pushover and the feeling for the first three games is that the Ducks have underestimated. News flash: The Sharks are not a pushover, unlike many other teams. They play defense, they have toughness, and they have great goaltending that many teams struggle against. The Ducks are certainly one of those teams.

In my best estimate, the Ducks look like they're done. Even if they win Game 4 and perhaps Game 5, this is not the Kings-Sharks series of many years ago, when the Kings came back from a 3-0 hole to win the series. The Ducks are struggling on offense, their stars are not stepping up, and they're taking penalties. You can't have that for the rest of this series and beyond. So right now, the Ducks are not done but more mistakes like this and that could seal their fate.

Trouble Ahead for the Padres?

The San Diego Padres were hoping not to get off to a bad start this baseball season. Well, unfortunately, they did, and with the why things are going right now, they definitely don't want to be playing the Houston Astros this early in the season.

Yesterday's 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies dropped them to 1-6 to start the season and questions have been surrounding this team, like the closer role of Brad Hand the ineptness on offense from most of their starting players. However, it didn't just start at the beginning of the regular season. Their chief-run producer Dinelson Lamet landed himself on the DL even before the Padres left to go back to San Diego from spring training. And now they're feeling the impact of his loss, since he is a big part of their run-production.

In Thursday's game, however, Joey Lucchesi was the main reason the Padres stayed in it til the end, and for the time being, the Padres are going to keep him in the rotation, with the hope that their offense will get things going and allow him to get some wins under his belt. However, that is hard to force, considering the Astros are up next and they've got good teams on the horizon.

The big question mark might be Brad Hand. Although he's had a fine career with the Padres so far, questions are now starting to arise if he's going to be able to be the closer role for the foreseeable future. My guess is no and that he'll return to the eighth inning role, where he's been good for the past few seasons. But right now, he's in the spot where he is, and the Padres might have to bite their tongue and wait for better results. However, I can understand their impatience with this.

Last Friday, Hand allowed five runs and blew a save, allowing the Brewers to walk away with the win. On Thursday afternoon, he walked the two first batters and eventually had the bases loaded before giving up another walk to bring in a run. There was groans from Padres fans, because they knew they had lost this game on him.

In his first four innings of 2018, Hand allowed eight runs on five hits and three walks. Those are numbers that are alarming, especially to manager Andy Green.

So with all that being said, are the Padres actually in trouble this early in the season? Perhaps, and especially since they have a hard schedule this early and with a weekend with the Astros on deck. I can't blame the whole thing on Brad Hand yet. He may be able to turn this around, before things get out of hand. But right now, the offense is the biggest blame in all of this, because Eric Hosmer hasn't really done much yet to move the needle. He's had a couple of hits, but not enough to really turn the tide for this team, while Wil Myers just landed himself on the DL with injuries. You also have Carlos Asauje and Freddy Galvis, who have yet to pick up the hits and the runs they need to get them some wins for this team. It's really not looking good on paper right now.

Here's the thing: We're still early on the season. There's time to turn things around. This is not the end of the world yet. However, I do understand the concern on a bunch of Padres fans and management. This is not the trend you want to have at the beginning of the season, especially when your offense looks inept at times. Perhaps things will change as the season goes along and people get adjusted to their roles. I just hope Green is not ready to push the panic button on this season, because the way things look, that's where it's headed: Panic mode.

Is Dana White Responsible For Conor McGregor's Action?

Dana White was probably hoping to wake up on Thursday morning with no incidents or actions ahead of UFC 223 in Brooklyn, New York. Well, unfortunately for him, Conor McGregor did not let him have a good day, and now we're beginning to wonder if Dana White himself is responsible for all of the McGregor antics.

On Thursday, McGregor, along with a few other fighters, attacked a bus that was filled with fighters fighting at UFC 223 at Barclays Center. One of those fighters suffered some facial injuries while another suffered an eye injury. McGregor is now currently in police custody, facing multiple charges of assault and criminal mischief.

If you were all watching this video on Thursday, McGregor acted like he was above the law in this and didn't expect any punishment, which was basically what he had been doing all these years and yet Dana White had done nothing to curb it, which is understandable from a money standpoint but not from a humanistic standpoint.

The UFC, and Dana White in particular, had reinforced for years that not only is he the new face of the UFC but that he is able to do what he wants without facing any repercussions or any sort of punishment. For many of us, it's almost sick to hear that. However, it's true, and it might be time for Dana White to do something to curb this behavior.

On Thursday night, Dana White did issue a statement on the matter, calling it "the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company." Honestly, when one of your fighters injures another fighter outside of the ring, it clearly isn't a good thing, and it's Dana White that's going to have to face the biggest battle to not only protect Conor McGregor, but also to protect the brand.

So what's going to happen? Is Dana White actually going to follow through and give punishment to McGregor? I find it hard to believe that Dana White will actually punish McGregor, as the UFC hasn't done anything about his actions in the past. The only time that he's really faced any consequence was a fine of $150,000 from the Nevada Athletic Commission for his actions back in August 2016 when he threw bottles and an unopened energy drink before his fight with Nate Diaz. Since then, nothing.

Dana White, whether directly or indirectly, is responsible for the actions of his fighters and anyone else that is under his command. I understand why McGregor has the personality he does because it brings in a lot of money for UFC and a lot of money for White himself. But, at this point, the recent actions by McGregor don't show money-grabbing or fight promoting. It just shows somebody who can't get out of the spotlight, no matter if he's fighting or not, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to stay there. That's somebody I would actually fear for his safety. Dana White should as well, and that's why he may face the bigger music if he does not bring any sort of punishment towards McGregor.

Yes, Dana White is responsible. This is his brand and this is his fighter. He's part of the problem for McGregor and part of the problems for any of the fighters involved in his brand. That's not good for him and it's not good for those who are also involved in the management of his sport. If White doesn't impose some form of punishment on McGregor in order to curb his actions, it could spell the end of the UFC, Conor McGregor, and maybe even Dana White. That is something that this sport can't afford to lose.