All England boots out Russian

Sadley Wimbledon has come to an end for me as Alla Kudryavtseva defeated Maria Sharapova on Thursday. No sly remarks this time, no backhanded compliments just a homage to Maria and her less then traditional outfit at this years tournament. I now will look forward to the US Open I suppose. Stay classy tennis champion.

-Around The Horn-

A quick view of the week in sports

The ongoing feud between Kobe and Shaq re-surfaced and took an unexpected twist this week with the video release on TMZ.com where Shaq ripped into his former teammate not only criticizing Kobe for not being able to win a championship without him, how he rode his coattails and ran him out of town. Then things got personal and Shaq blamed Kobe for ratting him out causing his divorce and then just got profane asking: "Kobe (expletive), tell me how my a** tastes". Sure rap music is notorious for the feuds and guys taking shots at each other through rhyme, but Shaq is really not a rapper (see - Shaq Diesel, Shaq-Fu: Da Return, You Can’t Stop the Reign, Respect, Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1). Kobe can’t help but be aggravated by this assault and will no doubt get pretty angry, like an old man trying to send soup back at a deli.
What is probably the best thing about this story is that a Sheriff has revoked the honorary badge given to Shaq after the Kobe blast.

Is it any wonder why the Argo’s have taken a chance on troubled wide receiver David Boston. Boston has had many an issue in the past including a traffic incident this winter while with Tampa Bay that has led to his defection to the CFL. While driving Boston was found to have GHB in his system also known as the date rape drug. This is called that because it leaves a person groggy and powerless. It looks like there may be a pattern for Boston as it is thought that an Argo’s uniform will produce the same result. Apparently when putting on a Jay’s uniform a person will suffer that same affliction.

Melrose Place is alive and well in Tampa. They just got junior stud Steven Stamkos in the NHL Draft, a new owner in Oren Koules and a new Head Coach. Barry Melrose is now at the helm and has brought in Rick Tocchet as an assistant. Clearly the FOG (friend of Gretzky) has moved into Tampa. I wonder if Melrose will take young Stamkos under his wing and have him grow that bright blond hair of his into a shapely mullet?

Andrew Raycroft and Kyle Wellwood have been waived possibly for the purpose of a buyout. Wellwood is now a Canuck and if a buyout goes through my guess is that Raycroft will end up in L.A. with the Kings. He is only 1 year removed from winning some 38 or so games, one wold think LA would take that in a heartbeat. Knowing the Leafs luck he will go there thrive and turn into the #1 man that they thought they were getting when they gave up Tukka Rask.

When did Shawn Chacon change his name to Latrelle Spreewell? Chacon was suspended for insubordination after he grabbed General Manager Ed Wade by the neck and threw him to the ground. I guess if it isn’t a full out choke then it isn’t really that bad. No word on if Chacon mentioned anything like "I’ve got a family to feed."
~ Chacon has since been released by Houston.

OH NOAH!!!!

On the day of the NBA Draft i find it only fitting to profile Joakim Noah from his draft day when he went 9th overall to the Bulls. With one of the ugliest suits that there have ever been, Noah has a "Style" all to himself.
I will also take this time to mention Noahs recent legal troubles when an officer spotted him on a sidewalk holding a plastic cup containing an amber drink, a violation of city law. During a search at the station, officers found marijuana in his pocket. Shocking.
I think that he forgot that he plays for the Bulls not the Cincinnati Bengals.

NEW KID IN TOWN?

It appears that the Toronto Raptors have acquired Jermaine O'Neal from Indiana for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and 17th pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Toronto would have to include one other player for salary cap purposes. In doing so the Rap's have added some much needed size and re4bounding help, provided O'Neal stays healthy. With the play of Jose Calderon Ford and his poor attitude toward coming off the bench has become expendable. This appears to be a good deal for the Raptors, but it may hurt a little more that it cost the 17th pick and still need help at the 3 spot. Another good looking move for the chosen one, GM Bryan Colangelo.

Also if nothing else it does increase the NBA tattoo quota for the team, and really isn't that the most important thing?

Draft Day Vol. 2

5:10 rolls around and it is time to head out back to Scotiabank Place to get in line for the autograph signing. When we arrive there is a decent line, not huge but still a little imposing. We go to the back and begin the waiting game, and wait we did as the top prospects that were to be part of the session were caught in traffic. Since they were only to be there between 5 and 6 and then they would have to be shuffled inside to change for their big day time was a factor and the clock began to work agents us. Mummers from Sens staff went from guarantee autograph to if there is time, we are behind because of the traffic, we may not be able to guarantee. It was at this point that i began to feel that everything was a little too easy at this point and we were due for disappointment. Maybe no autographs and were we somehow going to be denied access due to some kind of oversell. Not too long after that the boys showed up and finally the line began to move and we began to make good progress! we managed to get to the table in near record time and had I not been an idiot and forgot my camera i could have got some good shots. I was forced to settle for my call phone camera to take some quick shots (that actually turned out better then i thought). Great success as we managed to get Doughty, Schenn & Bogosian. Draft Day is underway and things are looking up!

Next up was to get in the building and into a seat, this was my other concern as priority went to season ticket holders. We got through the first line of defence on the stairs as they scanned us in...phase 1 complete. We grabbed out free pom-pom and draft flyer, checked the Upper Deck Vendors setup, grabbed a pint and headed toward the stairs in hopes of a good seat, or at least a seat. 6:30 came and in went the season ticket people, so we worked our way around until we saw a line that was moving right in so we followed the herd and in we went... Phase 2 complete! We managed to get some pretty decent seats in the 300 level with a good angle to the stage. We had a good view of the NHL officials table which allowed us to see any movement from the teams. When there was a group of people at that table you knew that a trade was imminent. Despite the length of the first round it was still a great experience. We got to see Stamkos drafted #1 and got to know 40 of his closest friends as he hugged every one of them, What felt like forever he worked his way through every aunt and 3rd cousin. Sure it was his day but it was a little drawn out.After that it was pretty much a hurry up and wait. Hear a name clap and wait for the next one. Sure there was the series of boo’s every time the screen showed Cliff Fletcher to break things up and unluckily Luke Schenn being boo’d like any Leaf should be.

Despite the record number of trades and the excitement of the draft experience it was testing for any fan. Without the tv coverage and their video and breakdowns it made for a lot of downtime between picks.All in all it was a great experience, it is something that i always wanted to do and with it being so close i figured that it needed to be done. Sure it didn’t have the flair of a live high paced event but it was compelling for other reasons and it was fun to see...even if it did take 4 hours for the round plus the time we put in before it officially began.I may not rush out next year to Montreal to see it, it may have been a 1 time thing but after the beginning bumps and some unnecessary anxiety it turned into a great time.This concludes my draft day experience!

July 1 is closing in and it will soon be Free Agent time!

Draft Day- One mans journey

The NHL entry draft was surely a trying time for many a young man. This is where young players from all over the world find out how their career will begin professionally and where they fit into the mix. No doubt there is a ton of anxiety. This is not restricted to the players, no-no. I too felt those similar feelings, but for a different reason. 2 weeks ago i went to the box office at Scotiabank place to get the free tickets that would gain me entry into the draft “sorry we are all out for the first round, i can give you tickets to the second through seventh round”. I took these tickets grudgingly just so i didn’t go away empty handed, but clearly i was displeased by my lack of success. The is not much happenings to see on day 2 live. There are little or no players, no tv coverage, very little fan fair and for me very little interest.
From there i tried to get tickets from various sources, co-workers, friends, friends of friends - nothing but the same response - nope nothing. There was some outside chance that i may be able to get one, but there were no guarantee's.
Draft day rolls around and still no access, i hear that there will be an autograph session on with 2 groups of the top 6 prospects to the first 400 people in line beginning at 3:30pm, so i figure get in on that and at least get something and maybe try the box office one last time. So a co-worker and i make the tour over to to “The Bank” at 3:30 for a late lunch as i anticipate there will be a fast run on the guaranteed wristbands. First we go to the box office and ask if they have any tickets for the evening festivities - Nope.
Then as we begin to walk away we hear from a small line that they may be releasing some tickets at 4pm, why the box office person didn’t tell us that i don’t know. We run outside to make the difficult decision which group do we try for 1 (Stamkos, Myers, Pietrangelo or 2 Doughty, Schenn, Bogosian). I opt for group 2 as i already had auto’s from Stamkos and Pietrangelo and Myers wasn’t as high on my list. Back to the box office we go and at 5 min to 4 they open up the tickets, we stroll up and get the duckets...just that easy. no problem nothing to worry about. All that anxiety wiped away. So back to the office we go to finish off the day, proudly with our wristband and our entry tickets to that nights draft. So in a mear 35 minutes - 2 weeks of anxiety and frustration are gone, the draft is now becoming a reality now just 1 hour back at the office and then it is back for some well deserved autographs...this is the end of phase 1 of my draft day experience, stay tuned for phase 2 to come!

-Around the Horn-

A quick view of the week in sports

• ~With Petty Enterprises selling to Massachusetts-based private equity firm Boston Ventures it marks not only a change in ownership but shows further change in NASCAR. The one time Ol’ Boys Southern Race’n sport has now moved North and into a more Eastern high finance business. Times they are a changing, people are now more conscious about money and health then anything - we can’t have people on TV reporting on how the Miller Genuine Draft or Skoal Car did in the Winston Cup. Now we need to know that the 24 Nicorette car is in the top 10 and that it is best that we ask or doctors if Viagra is right for us. Lets just hope the day doesn’t come that the 48 Lowes car has to be taken off the track because some wall street yuppie fell off a ladder trying to put up his diploma with a hammer he bought from Lowes.
  
  
• ~ Tough game to call recently for Darren Fletcher on Rogers Sportsnet when the Jays met the Brewers. On back to back hitters he made and was so far off he could have been back on. He was commenting on how great a contact hitter was and he promptly struck out. Then the next batter he said was light hitting and had NO POWER and he in turn hit a home run. To Jamie Campbells credit he didn’t call him on it.
  
  
• ~Paul Pierce got in a good shot during a Finals press conference when asked about similarities between himself and Carmello Anthony: "Well, I never have gotten a DUI," said with a smile but still a pretty funny shot
  
  
• Willie Randolph- Gone
  John McLaren - Gone
  John Gibbons - As good as gone.
  It is too bad because this actually probably isn’t his fault. A case could be made for him being fired anytime in the last few years, but this year he has tried everything , made the right calls, they just haven’t worked. He just wasn’t given the horses to do the job and he will wind up paying for his GM’s mistakes with his job.
  
  
• ~ Tiger is on the Shelf for the year, bye-bye PGA Tour TV ratings. No Tiger, even less interest in the Fed/Ex Cup "playoff" by both the players and fans.
  
  
• ~ Like him or not J.P. Riccardi will speak his mind but true or not some things just shouldn’t be said. J.P. learned that the hard way this week. In a post game call in show on Fan 590 Riccardi publicly ripped Red’s outfielder Adam Dunn saying "Maybe we have more information and know the player a little more than the average fan." "He’s a lifetime .230-.240 hitter that strikes out a ton and hits home runs. Did you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much? Did you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here...We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn."
  Dunn in response said "I know nothing about this clown. I have no idea who he is,"
  Riccardi has since called the Reds to apologies
  
  
• ~ The NHL is threatening to kick the NY Rangers owners out of the League after the Rangers sued the NHL in September, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but you can bet that NBA Commissioner David Stern wishes he could do the same after what they have done to disgrace the once storied NY Knicks -See the Dolans and Isah Thomas.

It’s time for Jeopardy!!
the category is...

YOUR ASS OR A HOLE
IN THE GROUND

Just how questionably run is the NHL? What comes first the cart or the horse the chicken or the egg? Depends on who you ask and when.

~Set up your team for the draft and get an idea what trades you may want to make, what free agents you may want to try and sign, which of your own players to re-sign or let go all with no solid answer to what the Salary Cap will actually be until after. Ask the question and get the "around "X" amount", we’ll let you know after you decide what you want to do and hope it fits the budget.
This isn’t calculus where you have your final number and then fill in the rest later.

~Sell 30% of a team to a guy about to go bankrupt, one who uses none of his own money to buy the team, have him get the money loaned to him from another owner in the league, which is bad, but the rest of the money from the guy that he is buying the team from. That is sketchy at best.

~ Don’t let a guy buy a team who desperately wants one, who has money, is not in the process of filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Even if he does want to move the team, the guy with no money was going to do the same, just to somewhere that was more in-line with the backward thinking commissioners thinking. Again Shady.

~ The Leafs hire the buddy of a GM under contract with another team (Anahiem Ducks) to coach in Ron Wilson. Then hire the player personnel director from the Ducks Al Coates. Now this may not be tampering, perhaps only tompering. It is only 1 letter off but legally it makes all the difference in the world. Whether it is above board or not and despite any spin that goes with it, optically it just looks bad. This isn’t the CFL where anything goes.

~The board of governors approved changing the icing rule from the traditional touch icing to "No hitting icing"--"Any contact between opposing players while pursuing the puck on an icing must be for the sole purpose of playing the puck and not for eliminating the opponent from playing the puck," the league said in a statement. "Unnecessary or dangerous contact could result in penalties being assessed to the offending player."
"We think that will go a long way to reducing the likelihood of any possible injuries," Bettman said According to the AP.
So basically they are just creating a very gray area, one open for interpretation. This coming from a league that says you can’t punish intent because you can’t prove intent ...see hits to the head, hitting from behind and stick infractions.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg but goes to show how backward this league can be and why it has been passed by MMA, Arena Football and Womans Softball

Tiger takes a knee for the season
After today’s news about Tiger Woods having season ending reconstructive ACL surgery makes what he just did all the more impressive. How do you not only compete in a pro golf tournament, but a major, add to that an extra 19 holes and then wind up winning with a stress fracture? He just took the greatest win in his storied career and actually made it more legendary then it already was. The pain must have been incredible. It is a comment on just how good a shape he is in to overcome that but maybe more so how truly mentally tough he is. To be able to block that out and overcome in such a tough mental game such as golf to take home his 14th major title is just amazing. Maybe he is Robo-Tiger. Going forward we will see how Tiger can come back from this next season. People always said that the only thing that could stop Tiger is injury. We will have to see if it will be successful enough that he can still do what he is accustomed to do and that is everything no one else can do...be the best player ever. I wish him well with the procedure and a fast recovery so we can see him at next years Masters.

Throughout the Game

1st-
-Kobe can make any shot at any time, under any circumstances. He is the best player in the league.
-Ray Allen came out on fire after spending 2 days in the hospital with his son
-There seems to be more contact allowed then in an MMA match
- Pau Gasol is playing weak for a 7 foot man. Catch the ball with 2 hands, go up strong with the ball, make a shot once in a while. Even elementary kids know these fundamentals. I think he still believes he is back playing in Memphis.
-Rondo is actually playing like a vet and not a young gun shy kid
-Paul Pierce proves that it is a given that traveling is no longer in the NBA rulebook
24-20 Boston

2nd
-Baby Davis makes his first appearance in the finals - Davis hasn’t lost his Baby fat yet
- Ray Allen is still out with an apparent eye injury. After being so hot in the first how will his absence affect the Celtics?
- Rivers gets a “T”, how interesting would it be if he took another and was out of the game?
- Oh my... Gasol actually hit a shot!!
-9 pts lead for Celtics- someone took the lid of the Celtics basket
-Garnett is having a good game he just got a rebound with his head
-Allen is back on the bench...after actually being injured, unlike piece earlier in the series
-11 straight points for Boston..the series, the Championship is slipping away from LA
-Celtics have phenomenal ball movement, they have the ball on a string and are running circles around the Lakers
58-35

3rd
-If you can’t make a shot and can’t get a rebound the result is not favourable
-good team defence is tough to contend with, again, even more so when you can’t rebound
- This is beginning to get painful to watch 10:50 right now and may need to flip to the Daily show for a few minutes soon
-even the LA GM can barely stay awake
-apparently home court in the NBA is the most important thing you can have
-defence apparently does win championships
89-60

4th
- The only good thing about Rondo playing well is E.T. (Sam Cassell) hasn’t gotten court time
-Good call by GM Danny Ainge to stick with basketball after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 77
-I have been using PJ Brown since Playstation 1 NBA Live 98, he was good then and is good now, even after quasi retirement
-admittedly i was rooting for LA but the best team did win and deserves to raise the trophy
-as you can see i have gotten away from game comments as it has been effectively over for some time now

131-92
Congrats to the Celtics..next up NBA Draft

THE FINALS


In a Series that has been billed as one for the ages, a throw back to the 60’s and 80’s rivalries, the 2008 NBA Finals hasn’t lived up to the hype. For a series with 3 great players (Garnett, Allen & Pierce) and the Kobe factor it hasn’t been the most exciting. To say that every game has been fairly close in the end does not represent the quality of ball being played. The inconsistency level is like watching a grade 8 game in a half sized gym with a low roof on one end...get shooting at that end and everything hits a light and nothing goes in, go the other way and you can’t miss.
Kobe has somehow been neutralized by Pierce, who isn’t even that good a defender and is allegedly on a hurt knee. (Hey Paul, Tiger was on a bad knee, you just watch too much soccer).
It will be interesting to see if the trend of the home team coming out on fire hold true in game 6 tonight, could make for some drama if LA can take the home crowd out early.
I just want to see a game 7 for the sake of more basketball, not for an epic game, not for history, just variety. There is only baseball from here on out for a while during the week so lets milk every game possible out of this otherwise lackluster series. This coming from someone not even getting a cut of the gate, parking or concessions so that is saying something for sure, just a run of the mill fan.
Enjoy game 6 and lets hope it goes 7 at the Garden!

Classless - Even for New York
In a stunningly shameful move the Mets fired manager Willie Randolph , at 3:12 a.m. Eastern, with a press release after a game they had won, a day into a western road trip. The only things that was right about how they did this was that they didn’t do it on Fathers day. I am not a Willie Randolph fan and being a Braves fan, pretty much hate the Mets but that is one disgraceful move and a horribly unprofessional one.
Should Willy have been fired? Yes, his record was not good, he didn’t run the team well and was the head of a team that suffered the greatest collaps in baseball last year. Even still, he is a man and a pro and should have been treated as such. I once thought that Omar Minaya was a stand-up guy, but the Mets organization has made him look bad and have put him in a tough spot. Ownership is ultimately responsible for the way a team conducts its business and if that is how they treat their employees.

In the You Gotta Be Kidding Me! quote section, Mike Musina had this to say about AL pitchers. "...we run in straight lines most of the time. Turning corners, you just don’t do that."
What is this Zoolander? Cant turn left? Not an ambi-turner? Maybe should have just let this one slide Mike.

SIMPLY THE BEST!

Another Sunday came and went, but this time something special happened. Tiger Woods gave up a lead on the final day and was forced to paw his way back on the very last hole just to earn a share of the lead and to force an 18 hole playoff. In typical Tiger fashion, that is exactly what he did. In a very up and down round yet again and an ailing left knee he managed to overcome his rare chink in the armour. With his putter and the ability to block out pressure better the any other athlete, possibly every and with a little help from Rocco Mediate he managed to add to his legacy. This comeback will just be enough to set up one of the most memorable playoffs in a Major Tournament, head to head with the #126 PGA money ranking player.
As Mondays playoff evolved Mediate gave Tiger all that he could handle and then some. Each player were given the opportunity to take control and open things up a bit. That didn’t happen and again it came to a pressure packed birdie put on 18 by Tiger to force a playoff of the playoff. This one sudden death on #7. Tiger managed par and Mediate just couldn’t hold him off any longer. I give a ton of credit to Rocco for all he was able to do and almost became the man that tamed the Tiger. In the tug of war of the day Tiger has taken another step closer to his goal to reach Nickalus.He is the greatest player ever and when all is said and done there will be no disputing it. Enjoy the ride people you are witnessing something special.

Chumps, Choke, or Champs?
What happened to the Lakers? Was it a great comeback or a let down? Did LA poop the
bed or did the Celtics just turn in one great second half performance? Why was #24 unable to put the franchise on his back again and hold the lead? GOOD QUESTION, we’ll look into that.
I wish I knew. It is a wonder at how often in an NBA game that a 20 point lead can dissolve in such little time. The only thing that makes this a little more refreshing is that this time there is no officiating controversy. Well it is basketball and they do argue with the refs every time that a whistle is blown, rightly or wrongly. If a baseball player argued with an ump about a strike call that much they would be tossed out of the game before 1 pitch was thrown. But I digress.

LA staked themselves out to a 20+ point lead in this game, but either something happened in the Boston locker room or the LA room at halftime to change that every elusive lady into another direction. Yep it was Lady Lucks twin sister - Momentum. A few quick scores and the fact that there was a lid on the LA basket made for the “Perfect storm” and primed Boston into a position to win and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
People on the east coast must have figured that it was safe to go to bed at half with a safe 20 point lead. But just like the last game that evaporated and it went right down to the wire again. If we have learned anything with these 2 teams it is that both are capable of going on huge runs and in the end it is going to be close.
We will have to see how LA responds on Sunday and if they can prolong the series back to Boston. If not the big 3 will take yet another trophy to New England. Patriots, Red Sox...Celtics? What’s next a cup for the Bruins....hahahaha well 3 out of 4 isn’t bad I suppose.

He Continues to Amaze

First let me say that I am a Tiger Woods fan. I want him to break Jack Nicklaus’ majors record and continue to rewrite the record books. There are many people that don’t like him, are intimidated by him, envious of him. I am however one that will more often then not side with watching legends and history unfold. If there is a chance that someone or some thing in the sports world that will either make history or create legend or infamy I am all for it. I rooted for the Patriots to go undefeated and then win the Super Bowl, I rooted for the Atlanta Braves to win a record number of division titles (14), Jimmie Johnson to repeat as NASCAR Champion, and on the other side I rooted for the Mets to have the greatest/latest collapse in MLB history and I would love to see an NFL team go 0-16.What Tiger Woods was just able to do in the US Open just a few minutes ago in Round 3 was nothing short of amazing...even for Tiger. That may have been the most gritty and overall best round of golf that i have ever seen. Players, including Tiger have shot way lower scores and Tiger has made some of the most amazing shots ever executed on a golf course, but this was special. Playing on effectively 1 leg by the end he gritted out the most difficult 67 ever, and in the process made 2 of the most incredible eagles and one of the most improbable brirdies in a tournament changing 3 holes. Even if he doesn’t win on Sunday (and there is a chance, ONLY because his knee is worse then he is letting on), he has found a way to make his legend grow yet again.
So sit back and take in history in all its glory and be thankful that you can say you saw the greatest golfer in history play.

New Boss in Town

Just before next weekends Entry Draft the Senators have their man and it is somewhat surprisingly one of the two front runners in the search. It was rumoured for a while it was a 2 horse race between Bob Heartley and Craig Hartsburg. Then as recent as 2 days ago it looked like Kitchenener Rangers coach Peter DeBoer was almost a lock. He went to Barbados to meet with Sens owner Eugene Melnyk. That meeting either didn’t go well or they couldn’t strike a deal that pleased both parties and now it is Hartsburg’s race to run. He enjoyed much success at both the Junior level and the World Junior tournament and also has NHL experience, something DeBoer does not. Maybe Hartsburg can bring some needed accountability to a team that lost its way late last season and limped into the playoffs only to get taken out like Eight Belles after the Kentucky Derby.
We can speculate on if this is a good hire or not but truth is, here in Ottawa, nothing means that much until May or June next year. On the surface it looks good, a good name for a Canadian Hockey Market and the fact that at no time was Brian Burke’s name linked to the job and they didn’t need a search committee with Gord Kirke that can’t be a bad thing.

- Around the Horn -

Random selections over the last week or so.

Hopefully this will be a weekly Friday feature.

~How must it feel to be a $7M pitcher pitching Class A ball in Lakeland of the Florida State League. To the average fan it is easy...Awesome. To Dontrelle Willis probably not so good. Sure it may be nice to be back in Florida, the place that he was so effective and winning a World Series but Lakeland is a far cry from Dolphin Stadium a.k.a. Pro Player Stadium a.k.a. Pro Player Park a.k.a. Joe Robbie Stadium.
Are we looking at a total meltdown like Rick Ankiel or can he be fixed? At least with Ankiel he was a good hitter and still had a good arm, at least good enough to hit a cutoff man just not hit a corner-or a strike zone. Only time will tell if the D-Train can get it back on the tracks.

~Ouch...i think I tore my hamstring, nope just kicked a balled up piece of paper resembling a soccer ball and instinctively had to go down in a heap like I was in Euro 2008...or Paul Pierce in an NBA Finals game. Is it half time yet I am craving some oranges.

~Cedrick Benson has been released by the Bears. I suppose this isn’t that big of a shock. The former Longhorn running back has been a bust on the field and never had that break through season since being drafted 4th overall in 2005. With recent alcohol related arrests of late the Bears opted to part ways. But don’t worry Cedrick there is always a place for you with the convicts in Dallas with former Bear Tank Johnson and join the Rain Dance with Pac-Man Jones or if that doesn’t work out I bet the Argo’s will open their doors like with David Boston and Sticki-Icki Ricky Williams.

~THIS JUST IN- J.J. Reddick just declared himself eligible for this years draft after what seems like 8 years at Duke...check that, he has been in the NBA for 2 years now. Time just evades this guy, he must have that freeze time watch from that Adam Sandler Movie.

~Carlo Colaiacovo is again going into next season as a “Top Prospect”. How many years can a guy milk that and at what point does a team not realize that he is no longer a prospect but a concussion/knee injury waiting to happen. To put it in perspective his draft included: Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Spezza, Marek Svatos and Marek Zidlicky. But no, he is progressing well.


~Most brittle player in Toronto...

Vince Carter - after every drive to the basket. this coming after he went from being a great franchise player to just a soft baller who only plays when he feels like it.

Kyle Wellwood - After breaking his foot playing, yep you guessed it soccer. Again no good comes from soccer.

The Toronto Jays - pick a player over the last 3 years, Wells, Overbay, Hill, Rios, Thomas, Ryan the list goes on and on.

Toronto FC- any given player at any given time as it is soccer and every player has been well versed in hitting the pitch while already clutching a knee or a hamstring.Looks like only the Toronto Rock have not made the list so far.

NBA’s Stern a little on Edge

You would think that David Stern would be happy with the Lakers playing the Celtics in the NBA Championship. Apparently not as much as one might think. After hearing an interview on the Drive on Fox last night with NBA commissioner David Stern, i have a new respect for Garry Bettman and Bud Selig, at least when they try to spin they can do it smoothly and without stuttering and say a lot without actually saying anything at all. After an innocent question regarding home court advantage and how a team can win by 20 at home one night and lose by 20 the next on the road, Stern went off! He called out Sean Farnham, kinda- by repeatedly calling him Seth, saying it was the worst question he has ever heard in all his time with the league. The worst part is he didn’t understand the question, didn’t answer the question and when Farnham tried to clarify the statement he said that the clarified question was still the worst question ever. He almost hung up mid call and sounded like he was in near tears. I understand he must be pressured with the Tim Donaghy allegations and the integrity of his sport and it’s officials but to break down on an innocent question, not involving Donaghy one must question either his ability to patrol officials or at the very least defend them in a half way decent and civilized way. For a man in that position he didn’t carry himself very professionally.

Poorly Kept Secret

Not counting the transparency/quasi-tampering by the Leafs in regards to Brian Burke and their GM position. The poorest kept secret is that Alex Ovechkin will win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP tonight at the annual awards. NHL.com jumped the gun and listed Ovechkin Heart trophy shirts available for sale. Not the first time NHL.com has been a little pre-mature, they listed the Shean Donovan - Peter Schafer trade before it happened and was released to the public. They are nothing if not aggressive in getting things out to their public. Baseball will draw their awards out over a week or more in the winter, the NHL has an actual show and yet still can't wait for that.

Rocket Fuel

It has been thrown out there that in addition to steroids, HGH, his Congressional Committee testimony and his dealings with Brian McNamee, Roger Clemens has been now linked with the little blue diamond pill known as Viagra. There are various other questions alleged about him and not too long ago the looming question was regarding his relationship with formerly attractive country star Mindy McCready. Maybe that blue pill aided in throwing that slider toward McCready and John Daily’s Ex-wife (allegedly). The “Vitamin-V” doubles as not only a performance enhancing drug but a “performance enhancing drug”. It’s properties allegedly will aid in endurance and help those who are taking testosterone as well. Yes, yes it is all a rich tapestry. I just can't believe how far this once celebrated star athlete as fallen in such a short time. Feel free to draw your own conclusions and make your own jokes here. All I will say is he was only in the National League a short time, but this is the first time he has been accused of using a corked bat. That weak joke even hurt me a little, sorry.

Most Definitely

Please get Glen Kulka back to the mid morning slot on the Team 1200 in Ottawa! At no time do I ever get a chance to hear that show and i think I am all the better for it. When they moved him and Lee Versage to cover the “Drive Show” 3-6 again this summer it effectively ruined my ride home. Now if i don’t happen to leave early enough to beat the Team 990 from Montreal from turning down the power in the AM transmitter I can only listen to Melnyk in the afternoon half way before it cuts into static. This usually seems to happen during Pierre McGuires segment, which is the most tollerable thing on at that time. I am not a huge fan of JR and Galley but “Most Definitely” they are superior to the Kulkster. FSR never sounded like such a good idea. Chris Myers and the Drive on Fox is not the worst alternative either. The only thing that can be good about Kulka being on after work hours is playing a drinking game...Take a shot every time he says MOST DEFINITELY, you will get messed up faster then a game of Beer Pong! (Not recommended to be played while driving)

Point Shots - The Song

I would be remiss if i didn’t touch on the acquisition of the ‘Hockey Song’ by ctvglobemediatoday from Copyright Music & Visuals.At first i thought, wow, CBC you just got bitchslapped by CTV. They just came into your sandbox and stole your Tonka Truck!When the CBC couldn’t negotiate a deal and let the deadline pass on a possible contract extension I instinctively questioned the thought process. How can you not reach a deal? How hard is it to keep this National tradition going? Why would you trade in history to have armatures submit new music in a contest? The CBC has never been ones to do things well, see Road to Avonlea... but especially in the hockey field. They hang onto the wrong people for too long (Bob Cole and Harry Neal) and let the right people go too early (Dave Hodge,Chris Cuthbert and Brian Williams). Then they have had trouble showing “other” games on Saturday nights, not that a Leafs-Panthers game isn’t compelling. At this point i realize that my initial outrage may have been misplaced. The main thing is that the CTV did make the effort to get the rights and will use it the way it should be, for hockey and the fact that hey signed a very “Canadian“ deal recently with all their games featuring a Canadian team and the Olympics. Sure it will be a change to hear it on Wednesday nights and not Saturday but maybe this public broadcaster, who should steer clear of any bidding wars for music. Weather they were playing hardball or not with the rights holder really doesn’t matter in the end. Maybe the CBC use this as a fresh start to revive the Saturday franchise. With Jim Hughson stepping to the front next year and the emergence of quality younger people like Kelly Hrudey, Cassie Campbell (Maybe Gary Galley, we arn’t sure yet) and Elliotte Friedman who really do an excellent job, this may just be good in the long run.
Nothing is forever and like people always say “If Gretzky can be traded, anything can happen”
Lets just hope that this works out best for everyone, not just the networks but especially the fans.

Point Shots - Euro 2008

The time has come again for Euro 2008, the 13th edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European nations. It is scheduled to end June 29th.Nobody wants the summer to go by too quickly, warm weather and sunshine are always welcome...but this is the exception. June 29th can’t come soon enough. Soccer is worse then watching paint dry, The only reason it is worse is because occasionally you get some good fumes from paint.

Now seems like a good time to share some wisdom from a show that was too good for TV and stupid Execs at ABC didn’t know what to do with it. The show is Sports Night, written by West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin. I am sure that this show will show up in this blog more then once over time as it was very well written and has a great insight on sports even for a fictional tv program struck down in its prime.

Here are some quotes from one of the main characters that truely encompases the “game” that is scoccer.

• Nobody move! Name five teams that play in the MLS, and Casey says it's an American soccer league so you can't choose Luxembourg. Go.

•Blake kicks the ball with high hopes that it will enter the goal, but it does not.

•I know we promised you soccer highlights, so let me just tell you that Columbus beat Miami one-nothing, Dallas beat San Jose one-nothing, Chicago beat Colorado one-nothing, and New England beat Kansas City 2-1 in an offensive slug fest. A modest proposal - make the nets bigger.

•We'll bring you the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat, and because we've got soccer highlights, the sheer pointlessness of a zero-zero tie.

I couldn’t have said it better myself

July will hopefully be a better month because June doesn’t look too promising.

Point Shots - Hollywood has moved to Boston

And the Oscar for best dramatic performance in an NBA Finals game goes to.....Paul Pierce for his portrait an injured basketball star.Pierce went down in Game 1 and needed to be carried off by his teammates and into a wheelchair. Apparently Bank North Arena doesn’t have stretchers available. Paul then received treatment and made a miraculous recovery from a sprained knee to come out of the locker room bouncing out of the tunnel to the delight of the home crowd. Either there are great medical people in Boston or he has that Vince Carter syndrome where injuries are greatly exaggerated and it is ok to go down like you were shot. Lets see how Paul rebounds tonight in game 2 in the Garden. NBA Action, you gotta love it!

POINT SHOTS - The Rule

Joba-The-Chamberlain’s debut as a starter was less then stellar for the New York Yanks. He managed 2 1/3 innings versus the Jays with 4 walks in 61 pitches. Why are there Joba Rules? What is a Joba Rule? There isn’t a Phil Hughes Rule, There was never a Cy Young rule. How brittle do they think this kid is that he probably threw 3 times more pitches in little league as a 12 year old then they let him do now. That will strengthen an arm, throw less. Like Bart Simpson once said -we’re going to catch up to everybody by going slower then them? Coo-Coo.

ps. Joba, keep an eye out for those Canadian Soldiers

Point Shots

~ Apparently Dodger Stadium isn’t the only place where they are a little sensitive about lesbians kissing. Safeco Field in Seattle is unfriendly waters to the lesbian community as well. Last week a lesbian couple said that an usher at the Mariners ballpark asked her to stop kissing her date because it was making another fan uncomfortable. A similar incident happened a few years ago in LA. We all know that pro sports are not the most tolerant avenue in society, which is why no active male player has come out in team sports. Apparently that has crossed over the lines on the field and into the stands yet again. And if we have learned anything from Field of Dreams and Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham...once you cross that line there is no going back.

~It would seem no good comes out of Seattle lately. Manager John McLaren Went off on a tirade that even Ozzie Guillen thought was over the top. Shades of “Playoffs, Playoffs” and “I’m a man, I’m 40!” come to mind. Sure it isn’t fun being in the basement of the league but that profanity laced explosion fingered just about every facet of his team. Doesn’t look like he will be around at the end of the season so I guess he wanted to get this off his chest while there was still a platform to do so.

~With Nicolas Lidstrom and the Red Wings victory last night, finally we can put to rest the myth that a European captain can’t win the Stanley Cup. Nope wait I guess we can’t has anyone heard him talk? He speaks better English then most born and bread Canadians.People think Dan Cleary hails from further abroad. There is not even a little bit of a Swedish accent there, none. He uses American slang and everything. It is a wonder that they even let him play for the Swedish National Team. Rumor has it that he gets ID’d when trying to enter an IKEA. Even they don’t buy it.

~Georgia high school fined after ump is hit by pitch- Sure we have all had that moment during a game that we become so enraged buy an umpires call that we just want revenge but the 2 kids that drilled the umpire in Georgia crossed a line when they drilled the ump with a fastball (possibly a 4 seam-er) in the grill. Sure he had a mask on but that will still rattle a few bells. No way was there a miscommunication or crossed up signals that were just a blatant, very transparent attack on an official. $1000 was probably too light a fine but at least someone did something.

After a brief hiatus The Blog is back and hopefully with a fresh objective view of all things sports.




Watching Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals I have learned a few things:


-Zetterberg is Money! Best all-around player in the league. Well deserving Conn Smyth winner.

-No blood, no foul

-Until you see 0:00 the game is not over and the Pens proved that

-Newfoundfand was mentioned more times on a US station then in a Grade 9 Geography class

-A stick doesn’t break it explodes, Ryan Malone’s nose didn’t break, it exploded. The only way to win is to to impose your will on the opposition and compete (thank you Pierre McGuire you are a monster)

-Kelly Hrudey looks like Val Kilmer

-Bob Cole is a Hall of Fame play-by-play man, but in the twilight of his career it is evident that he just doesn’t have it like he once did. That is why I watched the NBC coverage of the game...until the end when I turned to CBC to hear him call the end of the game as it is my understanding that Jim Hughson will be taking over first team duties next year.


Congratulations Red Wings that was some of the best hockey in a long time.

Next season can’t come soon enough!