Final Post

This will be my final post for this blog as the semester is winding down. Hopefully my blog has presented information to some people. I know I learned a lot from my classmates' blogs and hopefully you were intrigued with mine as well.

The M249 SAW

The M249 SAW (squad automatic weapon) was once known as one of the best light machine guns in the american military.  Known for its fast fire rate and reliability, the SAW had earned its right to be part of almost all infantry squad/ fire-teams on the front lines.  With that said, that was back in the 90s with its belt fed only design, but now, the M249 has only gone down hill since.  The current version of the SAW is no longer as reliable as it once was.  The designer had come up with the idea to turn the weapon system into a magazine fed weapon as well as belt- fed in order to increase economy of rounds throughout a fire-team.  With the new magazine feed system, the bolt carrier group was opened up more and has cause it to be very loose around bolt and chamber.  This causes rounds to easily get jumbled around inside which increases the likelihood of jamming.  Along with the jamming problem, the lack of range has created an issue in the middle east due to rounds not being able to hit targets effectively in the mountainous regions.  Even with these issues, the M249 is still widely used throughout all branches of service with rifleman squads in order to effectively suppress enemy combatants in firefights. 

Will the Wings Clinch the playoffs?

With only 7 games left in the season the 9th place Red Wings are currently struggling to clinch the playoffs for the 25th year straight.  While being tied with the Philadelphia Flyers at 85 points, each game can mean life or death for the Red Wings.  The problem the wings face currently right now is their wildly inconsistent play.  With goal-tending struggling each game more and more, it is being questioned that if Mrazek can handle being a starting goalie anymore.  With his save percentage dropping in the recent weeks compared to when he led the league in save percentage.  He seems to have lost his complete sense of concentration.  Although he is not all to blame, both offense and defense have struggled to keep their composure consistently throughout games.  Both sides of the ice need to focus on their forechecks and need to cycle the puck better in order to achieve that 8th place spot in the playoffs.

Can the Pistons snag a playoff spot?

With the NBA season winding down and with the playoffs quickly approaching, one question still remains, can the Pistons make the playoffs this year?  With one of the best pickups around the deadline, Tobias Harris has quickly fit in with the Piston's playing style.  With an average of 14.4 points per game is the fourth leading scorer for the Pistons.  While the Pistons have shown great improvement over the past years with Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson leading the team on offense and defense, this team shows great potential for making the playoffs this year.  With that said, there schedule does not show in there favor, due to facing some of the leagues best teams including OKC, Miami, and Clevland.

Jagr is one of the greats.

It is no surprise that the oldest player in the NHL, Jaromir Jagr, is still putting up numbers similar to his rookie year.  Jagr has been consistent throughout his career and has kept up with the changing NHL each year.  With 27 goals and 57 points in his first year, he is currently only two goals away from matching those numbers.  With 25 goals and 57 points in this current season he still is acting like he is nineteen.  Recently he has put up critical numbers that has had him pass Gordie Howe on the all-time points list and is currently only 27 points behind Mark Messier for second in NHl's all-time points leader board.