Quick Hits

USA A-OK: Martin Brodeur embraces the Stars and Stripes. Anyone else concerned that the potential number one goalie at the Olympics this February for Team Canada just passed his test to become an American citizen? Nothing like having the pride of wearing the Maple Leaf on the chest of your jersey that was brought to you by a Bald Eagle. I know the dual citizenship thing is just a paper and legal issue but the timing could have been better. Maybe doing this after you play for you country would look a little better. There is no question that he is a true Canadian but this close to a major international competition is questionable. Either way we will see Marty in Vancouver this winter.

Tiger accident over and done with: All Tiger Woods has to do is pay a US$164 fine and accept the deduction of points on his licence then case closed. What led up to this point is nobodies business but he and his wife. The only thing that we should be concerned about is when this affects his play. Since he pulled out of his own tournament we as fans deserve to know the extent of the injury, but the events that led to the situation is a private issue and that should be respected. Gossip is so big in our society and always has been and as much as we all like to hear the dirt there needs to be some level of privacy involved. If there are issues at home, lets hope it gets worked out, nobody wants to hear a Phil Hartman type story. Maybe there is no fire near this smoke and it is just a misunderstanding. Only real issue is that keeping quiet only fuels idol and damaging speculation.

Jets bring in Yanks manager Girardi to teach Mark Sanchez how to slide: Seriously? There is no one in the Jets organization that knows how to slide correctly. And even if there isn't the best you could do is Girardi? I guess Jeets is busy with his Sportsman of the Year award but there must have been someone better. Even in media driven New York this is a weak attempt to get a good public relations story...this is not good PR it is just weak.

Take that! Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun had to leave the game on a stretcher after his teammate, Keith Ballard, whacked him across the head with his stick in frustration after an Ilya Kovalchuk goal. If that hits Kovalchuk and not his teammate he would be looking at a 20 game suspension. I don't think that he should be let off the hook. The league wants players to be responsible for their sticks, should it matter who gets hurt during a reckless and careless act? What if it was the ref? At the very least the team needs to do something publicly to show that that kind of behaviour is not to be tolerated.

Around The Horn

Capitals' Donald Brashear was suspended for a total of six games by the NHL for two separate incidents Brashear got one game for contact during the pre-game warm up with Colton Orr and five games for his late predatory hit to the head on Blair Betts in the first period.
Where is Marty McSorley when you need him? I thought this when it happened and this just emphasizes it, Marty could have done the game of hockey a favor had he managed to take Brashear out of the league. He can’t keep up and doesn’t have a place in the league anymore.

In another sad story, former NBA star Jayson Williams was taken down with a stun gun by police at his residence Monday after the reportedly suicidal athlete resisted attempts by officers to take him to a hospital. He was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter, after a 2002 shooting of his driver and allegedly trying to cover it up but the jury deadlocked on a reckless-manslaughter count. A retrial is pending, and he has been free on bail since the shooting.
This athlete had a $68M contract with the NBA’s Nets. It is crazy to think that someone with that wealth would still conduct themselves is such a matter. Clearly he must be more then a little unbalanced and that is just something that fame and money just can’t buy your way out of.

Former Philadelphia Flyers prospect Ladislav Scurko faces 15 to 20 years in prison after admitting to police that he murdered a referee and buried him in the woods near Kosice, Slovakia in January 2008.What is with all these messed up stories, full moon or something???
How bad is a tripping call that you would kill a man over it? Apparently there are rumours of gambling that may have played a role in this. It will be interesting to see what more comes our about this.

Tigers placed backup catcher Matt Treanor on the 15-day disabled list for an injured hip.
Why would this end up on this list? It came to my inbox via an SI alert about AVP star and Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May, his wife. He must know how Mr. Mia Hamm - Ramon (Nomar) Garciapara feels on a daily basis. I just find it funny.

2 months of speculation is over and thankfully so is the NFL Draft. Matt Stafford was selected by the 0-16 Detroit Lions. He got a lot of money and even more pressure and expectations not only for himself to be great but to turn around a team that is barely treading water after years of poor upper management.
Maybe now sports talk radio can focus on something other then the useless information about 4.4 40 yard dashes and bench press reps and Wonderlic Test scores... ok maybe the Wonderlic is important, it did expose Vince Young as a big risk with questionable mental makeup to be an NFL QB.

USC Got another QB drafted in the first round in Mark Sanchez.
Funny that the are a pretty boys (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Sanchez..and lets throw in Matt Cassel even if he never really played at USC). What is Pete Carroll doing down there during recruiting? Building football teams or having castings for High School Musical?