Team 4- The Final Installment...ish

Round 4 of selecting a NEW TEAM has landed on the LA Kings. This is a team with some interesting pieces and makes them one of the more attractive teams to choose from.For the last few years they have been a bit of a joke on the ice and there were questionable decisions being made in the front office. On the bright side it was those years that put them in a position to start building their team through the draft. The decision to bring in Marc Crawford probably wasn’t the right choice and by all accounts his endorsement of Dan Cloutier in nets did nothing to further the development of this team.

The change in philosophy on how prospects are evaluated and developed under the guidance of Dean Lombardi and his hockey operations staff is a big reason for optimism. Lombardi did a good job at putting together the San Jose Sharks and looks to be doing that in LA. The Kings have what looks to be one of the deepest roster of quality of prospects in the NHL. They have 3 good looking goaltenders in Jonathan Bernier, Jeff Zatkoff and Jon Quick...all under the age of 23. Quick just came off a very solid rookie year as the starter. His play will allow the team to be patient in bringing along the other 2 and will allow for some competition on the farm team. Another luxury they have is a very deep defence both at the NHL level and in the system. Drew Doughty very easily could have been a contender for rookie of the year and was selected to play for Canada at the World Championships. Jack Johnson is a big body First Round Pick and has that Michigan pedigree. In the minors and in junior may be the best grouping of young defence. Canadian World Junior captain Thomas Hickey was an early pick and looks to be a good 2 way defenceman, smart and savvy Russian Vyacheslav Voynov has some real potential, towering pivot Brian Boyle may play center or defence but is a pig body for sure and then last years 13th pick the rugged Colten Teubert ( I have a softy spot for Teubert as I have met him and gotten his autograph. He seemed really down to earth very chatty and outgoing just a nice guy...also watching him in the World Juniors in person as a first pair shutdown player doesn’t hurt. He looks to possibly be a very solid player).

Where I see the team lacking is up front. After watching a few games and looking into the team they are a little weak up front. Scoring was an issue all season and they will need to do something soon to address this. There have been talk that maybe a Marian Gaborek may come as a free agent and even some talk of Vincent Lecavalier being dealt to LA. If that is the case they do have some pieces that could be moved in a possible deal as Tampa has NO DEFENCE. The Entry Draft this year will be very interesting for them as they do have the 5th pick and are assured of a good player or it could be used to get a top flight forward that can put the puck in the net.

Already on the team or on the verge that look to be making positive strides are Oscar Moller,Wayne Simmonds, Teddy Purcell, and Trevor Lewis. These youngsters along with Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Jarret Stoll and Alexander Frolov allow for a decent core to build upon.

So here we are, 4 teams that are in the running to become my favorite Western Conference team. This is where things begging to get difficult and a little murky. I will admit that I did have a bit of a lean when I began thinking about this and LA had the early lead. The only problem was that as time went by and i started doing a little research the balance of power began to shift. As of right now I have widdled the selection down to 2 possible choices....The LA Kings and....The St. Louis Blues. and that I am afraid is where it will need to stay right at this moment. It is just too close to call and I will have to give it some real thought and weigh the pros and cons. At this point it is just too close to call...a photo finish as it were. I hope to have an answer to this burning question very soon, within the next few days but I just don’t know which way to go at this point. Wish me luck, it looks like I will need it.

Team Three - The Winnipeg Je...Phoenix Coyo...Kansas City...

Round 3 of selecting a NEW TEAM has landed on the shoulders of the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes are an interesting option right now. Coming on the heals of a fairly busy trade deadline, they have managed to save some money by sending out Oli Jokinen, F Daniel Carcillo, G Mikael Tellqvist D Derek Morris, 2009 3rd Rd. Pick and getting back D Dmitri Kalinin, F Nigel Dawes, F Petr Prucha, F Scottie Upshall, 2011 2nd Rd. Pick, F Matthew Lombardi F Brandon Prust, 2009 or 2010 1st Rd. Pick, 2010 4th Rd. Pick. Jokinen wasn’t fitting in Pheonix and had a big contract. They should never have moved Keith Ballard for Jokinen in the first place so that does call into question certain personnel moves fro the GM’s office. At least they managed to get back some quality bodies although the one concern is that they are small and soft and they got smaller and softer and with Prucha and Dawes 2 players that are in need to prove themselves. On the plus side they did get some good draft picks going forward. It seems that they do have a decent scouting staff but that could be skewed by them being bad for so long that they could just be just falling ass backwards into good picks.

They have a good young team and have many good young prospects in the system including Brett MacLean and the youngest Staal, Jared. Already on the roster is captain Shane Doan who is underrated but a true first line pressure player. Peter Meuller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov and Mikkel Boedker are good up and comers but the blueline looks to be a little weak at first glance and that need to be tended to. It does help that they have solid goaltender in Ila Bryzgalov to helps hide some defensive weaknesses the team has.

One big issue still remains...the team is looking good on the ice and maybe even behind the bench as Wayne Gretzky is actually having some success coaching this young team, but the franchise looks to be in big trouble. For a franchise that has already been moved once from Winnipeg and with the amount of debt that they have the franchise may be in jeopardy of either being on the move again, disbanded and/or consolidated with another team. With that kind of uncertainty I don’t know if I want to hitch my cart to that horse going up that mountain.
If the team had more certainty it would make a better case for itself but right now it seems like it may be fighting an uphill battle. Ownership and team viability will play a major role in their candidacy.

Well that is 3 down and I guess one more to go and then it will become decision time. After this review things have actually tightened up and what direction I believed to be going in has shifted a bit. There was, as in any sporting event a favorite going in. On paper it was a bit clearer but as we know these games arn’t played on paper. Sometimes the role of underdog is actually more advantageous.

Round 2 of selecting a NEW TEAM is a write in candidate, They finally made the playoffs for the first time ever. I speak of course about the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are the second team in the running and this rundown is in anticipation of them being ousted out of the playoffs sooner rather then later...probably tonight...probably another shutout for Detroit.

They have now appointed their number 1 goal tending job to rookie Steve Mason. Mason was great in the World Juniors when he played and has had a very successful 1st season and is posting 10 shutouts and is the leading candidate to win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. The only concern is that perhaps it could be part of the system they play in and also will he fall into the realm of the infamous sophomore jinx, similar to what a Carey Price is going through right now. It seems that as teams find tendencies on goaltenders it can expose them and exploit any weaknesses.

The Jackets have some other good young players in on the team and in the system. Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov, Derick Brassard, Cody Goloubef, Stefan Legein, Kris Russell. A good base to build upon for sure.

Getting Antoine Vermette should help out Kristian Huselius and Rick Nash with the offence a bit but he isn’t enough to make that big of an impact. Now there is the big name and the big question mark...Rick Nash. This is the dangerous one, does he sign an extension and at what amount and/or term. That could go a long way in determining the short and long term success of the team. Nash is clearly the franchise player and the leader but has never had much support and so far during the playoffs not much success. Does that make him more hungry or just bitter.
Not knowing some of these major details makes it tough to stomach making them a front runner in the race to be selected. Also the fact that they have a lot of money spent this season it will be interesting to see how they use any possible space next year. Having Mike Commodore locked up for 4 more years at $3.7M isn’t helping their case any.

They are a viable option and is a deserving to be a finalist but at this point they look to be a an outsider. Perhaps a longer push in the playoffs may have helped their cause but I just don’t trust the team at this point going forward. I also hate to say it but I really don’t have much love for the logo and that isn’t helping their cause much either.

The Quest - In Search of a 1B

ROUND 1 here is the first installment of the selecting a New Favorite Western Conference NHL Team. In honour of there first trip back to the playoff and their exit last night after being swept, I am submitting the St. Louis Blues.

This is an interesting team for a few reasons. I wasn’t planning on sellecting any teams for consideration that made the playoffs as they could be seen as already decent and I didn’t wasn’t to be considered as a bandwagon jumper. They messed up that plan by making a late season charge into the playoffs. Perhaps they over achieved a bit this year but they are still a good up and coming team. Chris Mason has played well and between himself and Hannu Toivenen could prove to be a good 1-2 combo in nets for a while. Keith Tkachuk is still there and is actually playing well and doesn’t seem to be a prickly or as , well, fat as he has been in the past. There are some real nice pieces already in the lineup with Patrik Berglund, Brad Boyes, Andy Mcdonald, T.J. Oshie, Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer. To be in the position that they are in right now despite the injuries to many of the big name players on the team such as Paul Karya it shows that they are a team to keep an eye on.

I also like the fact that John Davidson is there overseeing this club as he seems to have had a vision for this team and has stuck with it and that is beginning to show dividends with the run they are currently on. They should get a mid 1st round pick this season in a decently deep draft, and that will also help going forward.

They also have some decent players down the line either in the minors or drafted players. None more interesting then Alex Pietrangelo who will be looking to make the club next season and will have a very legit chance of doing so.

One thing that is going against them in my eyes stems to a trade that was made earlier in the year between themselves and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pre-Brian Burke, Cliff Fletcher pulled a deal that sent Lee Stempniak to TO for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. I am not pleased with this deal as one player I have no use for is Colaiacovo. Steen I can take or leave, he may be serviceable but as for Colaiacovo, no interest...you can’t be a top prospect for 6 years...there is no reset button every year.

Look for the next possible team to be posted very soon.

What Cha Gonna Do Brother?

Late last week former pro wrestler and reality tv personality Terry Bollea aka. Hulk Hogan was giving an interview where he, during the course of the interview stated that he could understand OJ Simpson. This is not a good thing to say by anyone let alone a famous wrestler. After what has happened to many before him and the circumstances surrounding Chris Benoit’s death and link to roid rage coming out with the comment "...I totally understand OJ. I get it" is chilling at best.

Hogan told Rolling Stone that his wife Linda dumped him, forced him out of his $18 million mansion, allegedly started spending his money at the rate of $40,000 a month and dating "some shaggy-haired pool boy 30 years her junior,"

Hogan allegedly said "I could have turned everything into a crime scene, like OJ, cutting everybody’s throat," "You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can’t go to anymore, you’re driving through downtown Clearwater and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife . . . I totally understand OJ. I get it."

It is bad enough that he may feel this way but to say so publicly not only shows bad judgement but also shows that he may not be thinking clearly. Perhaps he has taken the high road to this point but with these comments he will not help his own case going forward both legally and in the eyes of the public.

Hopefully this was just a one time outburst and not the result of any calculated ideas or anything that he would ever consider doing. It is sad just on its own Merritt but for someone who was once revered by millions of young children to be in this position is really a shame. We want the Hulk that reminded us as little Hulkamaniacs, to say our prayers, take our vitamins and we will never go wrong.

I just hope that Terry gets some professional help and can put this whole thing behind him for both the good of himself and his family only question now is... "What Cha Gonna Do Brother??"

Around The Horn

New Yankee Stadium looks like a launching pad where good baseballs go to die...over the fence. After the Yankees gave up 14 runs in the second inning Saturday and lost the game 22-4 they were probably looking for answers. The dimensions are the same as the original Yankee Stadium, so either the pitching was really bad, the aerodynamics of the new stadium are way different or after some $1.5 Billion put into construction they used some of that money to pipe in the thin air from Denver. Even a clean ARod may hit 80 home runs after he returns. Also who would have thought that entering the season that Right Fielder Nick Swisher would be the most effective relief pitcher on the Yanks?

Kevin Garnett of the Celtics is said to be out of the NBA Playoffs with a knee injury. Maybe this is true and if so the Celtics may be in big trouble. Just let us not forget that last year Paul Pierce went down and needed to be wheeled off the court in an apparent series threatening injury versus the Lakers and withing 5 minutes he was back running and jumping down the hallway to get back into the game. Guess you can’t always believe what you see. Lets see how this plays out.

Rafael Nadal won again at the Monte Carlo Masters, his 5th straight. He is now officially the face of men’s tennis. Roger Federer got married and is expecting his first child...could that be the beginning of the end for Roger? Is it time to start worrying that he may not get to Pete Samparas’ record? Hard to cover the court with a ball and chain on your ankle.

Isiah Thomas was hired as coach of Florida International University. Where is that? don’t worry you an’t the only one wondering. He was a great player but not a great executive a bad coach and questionable conduct when it comes to sexual harrasment. This small name school clearly picked Isiah only to get on ESPN with his name...and the best thing about that is when he was formally announced he was called ISIAH THOMPSON! Even Bobby Clark who forgot the name of his #1 draft pick Claude Giroux thinks this is really bad.

And Then BOOM! - Retirement

John Madden has announced his retirement from broadcasting NFL games on NBC’s "Sunday Night Football". Madden has been in the booth since 1979 after leaving the Raiders and joining CBS. He worked at all 4 major Networks over his career in broadcasting. Madden will leave the booth and be replaced by Chris Collinsworth.

Madden, the former coach of the Los Angeles Raiders and Hall of Fame member may well be regarded as one of the best football minds in the NFL. Though his delivery may have been the but of some jokes almost like a Harry Carey. John may not have had the polished delivery that Al Michaels Pat Summerall or Joe Buck may have but he did have a style truly his own. Madden was known for stating the obvious with his calls which was part of his charm - (Here’s a guy who see’s the ball better when he has his contacts in). Often in many parodies of him there would be a mention of Brett Favre. He probably didn’t say that much about him as people may believe but there is just something funny about the way that Madden would say his name.

Madden could not be accused of talking down to people, he would talk as if he was right there explaining it to you.
He seems to be a good guy, as he has sent me his autograph so he is A-OK in my books!

With Collinsworth taking the reigns the broadcasts will take on a very different feeling. Al Michaels is a pro and could probably work with a monkey and still make it look seamless and not at all out of place so chemistry should not be an issue. Early on I had little or no use for Collinsworth when he was on ESPN but he has really grown as both an analyst and as a color commentator to the point that he is actually one of the best in the business. He is still a little stubborn at times but he knows the game and has a good sense of humor.

The Blue Devil Made Me Do It

Greg Paulus has a very big and a very rare decision to make after playing point guard for the Duke Blue Devils. Duke is one of the most prominent basketball programs in all of the NCAA, and the point is a very important position. Paulus wrapped up is basketball career in the NCAA Tournament and one would figure that he would either enter the NBA Draft and hope to be selected or perhaps go over and play professionally overseas for a few years.

Nope not Paulus. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a standout quarterback in high school at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., and now after 4 years on the hardwood has 1 year of eligibility left to play football if he wishes.

Paulus spent Tuesday on the campus at the University of Michigan and talked with Coach Rich Rodriguez and has also been contacted by several NFL teams and also college programs about playing. One wonders if this might be like a Charlie Ward in reverse where he won the Heisman at Florida State and went to the NBA to play basketball with the Knicks and was not drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Difference here is Ward played both sports in college not just high school.
Now here is the obligatory Charlie Ward quote just because... After what was perceived as a anti Jewish statement Ward responded "I didn’t mean to offend any one group because that’s not what I’m about. I have friends that are Jewish. Actually, my friend is a Jewish guy, and his name is Jesus Christ."

Clearly this kid is a very gifted athlete and has all sorts of options at his fingertips. One would think that even only one year of a Michigan QB Pedigree is better then 4 in most other programs, then if he chooses to move on to the NFL he will have a little more solid ground to stand on.

If only he was a Wide Receiver he could be drafted right now first overall by the Detroit Lions.

Hitting The Golden Trail

The Golden Boy has decided to trade in the gloves and the robe for a business suit. Oscar De La Hoya has announced his retirement from professional boxing. Now it may be too early to truly write him off. not very often is it that a boxer who retires actually does retire the first time. Retiring as a boxer is like knocking over a drink machine, you have to rock it and hit it a few times before it actually topples over.

De La Hoya carried a sport for the better part of a decade. In a time when boxing didn’t have as strong a field in the Heavyweight Division Oscar was always a big draw no matter the opponent. He is almost as well known for his miscues rather then his triumphs which is too bad. He is often criticised for being more Hollywood then prize fighter, which probably isn’t fair but that is the perception.

When he won the Gold Medal Barcelona Olympic Games he made himself into a household name and became one of the most popular and best drawing name on many Pay Per Views. De La Hoya was Ring Magazine’s "Fighter of the Year" in 1995 and Ring Magazine’s top-rated Pound for Pound fighter in the world in 1997.

Before his announcement he founded Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. which has become a pretty successful combat sport promotional firm and should allow him to both keep close with the sport that he loves without putting himself at any more risk of a major injury or getting his face caved in.

I was never a huge boxing fan but when De La Hoya was fighting I would take notice, I admit it may be partially due to his pop culture celebrity but also respected him as a champion fighter. Here's to hoping that he follows the lead of Lennox Lewis (so far) and stays away.

NHL Draft Lottery Order...For Now

Not since the Sydney Crosby sweepstakes h there been a a lottery that has drawn as much interest as this years NHL Entry Draft Lottery.There are only 5 teams with the ability to move to #1 as each team can only move up a maximum 4 positions. The 5 teams with a chance to be selected are as follows: 1.New York Islanders 2.Tampa Bay Lightning 3.Colorado Avalanche 4.Atlanta Thrashers 5 Los Angeles Kings. Now there is always the chance of trades later on but as of right now the order will be determined tonight on TSN and brought to you by Scotiabank!
There is a nice grouping of reps from the teams in the running for the top pick with Peter Mahovlich and Dave Andrychuk and former Senators goalie Craig Billington....if things don’t go well for the LA Kings I think that there could be a good chance that Ron Hextall has an on ice flashback and just snaps and starts slashing TSN’s nice HD Set.

Bill Daly VP of the NHL is also on hand and ready to announce the “winners”.
Kings were at 5 and stay # 5
Thrashers were 4 and Stay #4
Avalance were 3 and Stay #3
Tampa Bay were 2 and stay #2
New York Islanders were projected 1 and Stay #1

Everything went according to Hoyle and there was no movement or surprises. Provided Brian Burke doesn’t make good on his intentions on making a move to the front of the line with a trade it will be John Tavares and Victor Hedman going 1-2 to either NY or Tampa and it will likely fall in that order JT then Hedman. After that things get a little muddled as far as where players will fall. Anything in the top 10 should net a good player it is just depending on team need and best available player.

Toronto has 7 and that is right in the area with Luke’s younger brother Brayden Schenn. Ottawa in at 9, like they were when the made the questionable pick of Brian Lee and not Marc Staal a few years back. Look for them to once again take a defenceman and expect it to be either Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Dmitri Kulikov provided they too don’t make a play to move up a few spots which may just happen as Bryan Murray needs to do some “Tweeking”.

Truly a Final Round Unlike Any Other

In a round that left 2 of the competitors 3 and 4 shots back, it was those 2 that made The Masters Tournament worth watching. It was exactly what the PGA and CBS were looking for. Phil Mickleson and Tiger Woods put on a show all day as Mickleson came out early firing on all cylinders and Tiger Woods started slow but then hit his stride. The beauty was that these 2 players were matched up together on Sunday and in pursuit of the Championship. Unfortunately they began fairly far back on the leader board making it very difficult to make up that kind of ground. These to greats did do their best to erase the deficit and put some serious heat on the leaders Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera. Watching Tiger and Lefty end the front 9 and thru the back nine it was like they were the only 2 players on the course, despite the fact tat they never did even get a chance to tie for the lead. It was some of the most compelling golf with great shots and devastating misses . It had everything except the actual tournament on the line. Strange that 1 super pairing that just didn’t have a shot to win was the best storyline of the final day. Mickleson ended -9 and Tiger ended -8.

Crazy thing about it is the Masters eventually came down to a 3 way playoff between Perry, Campbell and Cabrera. Even with that exciting finish it didn’t have the same buzz that followed Phil and Tiger all day. One could compare it to winning an MVP while being on the loosing team. Each player did all they could to make a poor shot and do their best to give the tournament away in a sudden death playoff starting on 18 then eventually followed it up with a huge save. Campbell was the one exception as he missed a makeable putt that eliminated him from the playoff. Perry and Cabrera moved on to the 2 playoff hole where Perry missed a relatively easy 2nd shot into the green and opened the door wide open for Cabrera, who put his 2nd shot pin high and put all the pressure on Perry to get up and down from just off the green. He was not able and Cabrera held on for the victory. It is too bad, Perry would have been a good story with the chance to be the oldest to ever win a Major. Instead, Cabrera who is, for lack of a better team and interesting character and golfer at best, is victorious and earns the right to go to Butler Cabin and put on that Green Jacket.

Great Finish In NCAA Championship Final

Since it was going head to head versus Hockey Night in Canada with Toronto hosting Ottawa and Montreal playing Pittsburgh it would not a surprise that the game seen on The Score last night may have been overlooked by most hockey viewers but it may have been one of the best NCAA hockey games ever. If not the game itself at least the finish. Not too many people would watch an NCAA game at the best of times since there just isn’t too much coverage but this was for the National Championship. Miami (OH) was up 3-1 over Boston University in the 3rd period. With just over 3 minutes remaining Boston pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. With just over a minute left they scored to close the gap to 3-2. Inside a minute to play now and the goalie still out Boston managed to strike again and tie the game at 3-3. Now what was an almost sire win for Miami has come down to a next goal wins. In the overtime, On a shot from the point a Miami player went down to block the shot, it deflected and fluttered over the goalies shoulder and into the back of the net. It was one of the most unlikely and most exciting finishes to a hockey game that you are ever going to get.

The fact that it was Boston U that made the comeback and won their 5th title you almost have to agree that Boston must have a stranglehold on the title of City of Champions. Between this game the Patriots Super Bowl wins and record and success of late, The Red Sox World Series’, The Celtics being NBA Champions...heck even the Bruins had the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Marriage Proposals At Sporting Events

If it isn't bad enough that fans use the video board to pop the question (you gotta be 100%sure of the answer because 20,000 or more fans and TV stations can be very cruel).Now even the athletes are doing it right on the field. The is something to be said about college athletes using sporting events as a grounds for marriage proposals. There was the Boise St. QB after winning a Bowl game in an upset then during the celebration went over and proposed to his girlfriend, a cheerleader for the team. Good day for that guy.

Just recently University of Texas star Destinee Hooker won a high jump title and was still on the track when Clifton Gay dropped to his knee, pulled out a ring and proposed. She nodded in agreement and began hugging just about everyone in sight. Hooker said basically that this was the perfect place “My team's here, my family's here, this was perfect.”A mere 15 minutes or so earlier, Destinee won the Texas Relays title with a high jump leap of 6 feet, 3 1/2 inches in her first outdoor meet since 2007. A two sport star on bot the track as well on the Volleyball Court, took a year off of the track to concentrate on volleyball. Clearly an exceptional player she was invited to train with the women's national team before the Beijing Olympics. She was also an All-American as outside hitter. She may even have some opportunities to get a medal at the Olympics or Worlds with her talent.

Even with all those accolades and a 1.5 carat square-cut diamond set in a diamond-studded white gold band, people will still remember this story for 1 reason and I am sure you know what that is... the impending Gay-Hooker Wedding...Thanks Jay Leno, I am sure this should make your Headlines segment.

Looking ahead to 2009/10 - Decision Time

With the Ottawa Senators out of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years I figure now is as good a time as any to begin looking toward next season and like many GM’s have to get all the ducks in a row prior to the Entry Draft as well as July 1 free agency.

In the next few days I will begin a short series involving teams in the NHL’s Western Conference. One may think as the season is drawing to a close that it would involve the playoffs, but not this time. Over the course of a few days I will be outlining a small sampling of Western teams that are more “down” that I will be throwing my support behind and becoming my Western team and backup favorite. The Ottawa Senators will remain my team and I will always throw my support that direction in the unlikely event that the two ever meet up...but how sweet would that be? Now when I began throwing around some teams the Blues and Blue Jackets looked like they were going to miss the playoffs and had the potential to be a lottery pick but after an unlikely run they have basically made the playoffs but are still on the short list. I wanted to keep it to the down and outs so there would be no accusing of a bandwagon jumper. St Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes, L.A. Kings, or Nashville Predators. The other teams in the West are either too established or teams that don’t interest me. Even though Edmonton fits the bill I just can’t justify them just for being a Canadian team and as for the Colorado Avalanche they just seem as a team that has been good for too long and maybe with Joe Sakic out and all the injuries, arn’t as bad as they appeared this year.

So look forward to this series to begin probably early to mid week next week. Please feel free to weigh in as there is a tentative ranking going in but nothing is set in stone yet and a good case could sway the final decision.

Around The Horn

Today marks the beginning of a Tradition Unlike Any Other. It is time for The Masters. For golf fans this is the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the Final Four, the World Series wrapped into one.
Rumor has it that this Tiger Woods fellow is supposed to be good and has a chance to even win this year, it is like he came out of nowhere

The Columbus Blue Jackets have finally made the playoffs for the first time...ever in life. Will It be enough to make Rick Nash decide to commit to the team and sign a long term deal? Good question.
So does Doug Maclean still take credit for building this team? Is this just a coincidence that they made it in after he was relived of duty?

French officials say that Lance Armstrong violated the rules of their testing policy. His samples came back clean and there was no signs that he had done anything wrong. The agency, known as AFLD, said in a statement that the doctor leading the tests maintains Armstrong “did not respect the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation” of the testers.
Just another point that proves that the French really do hate Lance and will likely continue their witch hunt well after he decides to call it quits...for real this time.

Andrew Bynum of the Lakers is apparently ready to return to the team after rehabbing his injury in time to get ready for a playoff run.
Bynum had little choice but to re-join the team after he was seen at the Playboy Mansion with a bunny on his shoulders. Granted she probably weighed less then the bar he uses to put his weights on, but optically it just looks bad.

Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will be suspended three games by the NFL Lynch was arrested near Los Angeles on Feb. 11. In searching a parked car carrying Lynch, Culver City police found a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun inside a backpack in the trunk. Police also found four marijuana cigarettes in the car, but no drug charges were filed.
This may not be good as far as personal conduct goes but at least he didn’t shoot himself in the leg with his gun.

Cory Clouston Signed a 2 year deal to coach the Ottawa Senators.
With the amount of coaches that the team has gone through after some 8+ years under Jacques Martin it would be fitting had they left the Interim Head Coach title on him.

Terrell Owens shocked all of Up State New York by actually attending a voluntary workout with the Bills.

Head Over Heels

How fitting is it that on the day that Michael Jordan was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame that the North Carolina Tar Heals have become National Champions again? The former NC star was elected is a star studded class that includes John Stockton, David Robinson, C. Vivian Stringer and Jerry Sloan.

The Tar Heals came out firing on all cylinders and ran out to a 22-7 lead and never looked back. Many wondered if playing in Detroit at Ford Field before a pro-Michigan State crowd would intimidate the folks from Chapel Hill...they did not seem to have an issue. Unfortunately for the Spartans it took the same rout as Detroit Lions games in that same arena, Michigan State came up short. A combination of good team defense that left State turning the ball over both with forced and unforced errors, speed and an offensive attack that was just too much for the Spartans to handle. The trio of senior Tyler Hansborough, Final Four MVP James Ellingtons and the overall play of Ty Lawson who set finals record with 8 steals.

This game marked the end of Tyler Hansborough’s collegiate career, and to many it is one of the most outstanding and possibly one of the greatest college careers ever. He leaves being the ACC highest scoring player and as a National Champion. It is up to much debate about how he will be in the NBA. Will he be a star or will he become a Christian Laettner type guy, who knows? (I know comparing a Duke player to an NC player should not be done but the similarities are there)

Chipper's Back And Locked Up!

Lost in the Hype of the Road to the Final Four has been the announcement that my Atlanta Braves have done what I have been hoping that they would do and that is lock up All Star third baseman Chipper Jones until 2012 with an option for 2013. The deal is worth $43M with the potential to reach $61M with incentives signing bonuses and the option. Sure that may be a lot of money and for those who may be familiar with the Braves they know that of all baseball clubs they are one of the best at getting out 1 year early rather then 1 year late with their star players. That is why they were able to go on the historic run that they did throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. So to lock up Chipper, 36, to this contract virtually ensures that he will be in Atlanta until he retires. I can only hope that that is true. Chipper is my favorite player, a very probable Hall of Fame member in the future, 1st overall pick of the Braves, should have been Rookie of the Year had the writers not had their head in their asses and selected Hideki Nomo, 6 time All Star, 1999 NL MVP and was a member of the Braves 1995 World Series Championship team. I couldn’t, nor would I want to picture him in another uniform. Even if he can stay relatively healthy for the next few years (which is a big IF since he is know to break down of late with lower body injuries) I will be happy to trot him out to 3rd base. He is still the engine that runs that offense.

The opening game is tonight at 8 with the Braves vs the Phillies. The Braves are entering the season with a young staff, but one with potential of being very good. Once they get back some injured vets like Tom Glavine and Tim Hudson they will become even stronger. The offense is tough to get a handle on and I don’t think many know what they are going to get so I guess we will let it play out and see if some vets can bounce back and if some rookies can step up and establish themselves.

Either way Baseball Is Back...PLAY BALL!!

Sweet Carolina - NC Is Playing For Another Title

Game two is on and has North Carolina taking on Villanova. Carolina has come out firing and getting makes and have stretched the lead to as much as 17 points. Right on cue with most basketball games (I don’t know what it is but there is so often a comeback when teams fall far behind in basketball) Villanova has started to make a push and have closed the gap to under 10 at the half. Anything under double digits is good both realistically as well as optically. Double digits look bad just look at cases of cola at $7.99...looks a lot better then $8 or gas at 79.9 rather then 80.0.

The game is now over and the match is set North Carolina is victorious with a 83-69 victory. Villanova just couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half. they kept shooting 3’s and they wouldn’t fall, they would get looks close to the basket and they wouldn’t fall. North Carolina in turn just filled the basket and had three’s falling like raindrops. That is exactly what NC is going to need come Monday when they face Michigan State in the finals on Monday night.

Looks like there will be a great Finals Monday in a rematch that these teams played in December. NC won big that day, don’t expect them to walk over the Spartans again, this has the potential to be a big nail biter!

If you are watching the game Monday take notice of the court it seems to be raised and the benches are set well below the floor along with press row. It looks way different then a traditional court. I am sure that it has something to do with the fact that it is set on a football field but it is very distinctive, I like it. Perhaps more arena's should adopt this it is a sharp look.
Enjoy the finals!

Michigan State Wins..But Don't Call It An Upset

Game 1 of the final 4 is over and It was Michigan State taking over late in the second half after a closely contested match until the 14 minute mark. At that time it was 49-49. The Spartans were just too strong down the stretch and managed to pull away from the UCONN Huskies and ended the game 82-73. Not even the 7 foot 3 inch Thabeet wasn’t enough to save this one. What I found kind of funny was looking on some websites after the game that had headlines like “State of Shock” and calling it an upset. Just because it was a #2 beating a #1 doesn’t make it an upset...especially when you factor in the fact that they are playing in Ford Field in Detroit MICHIGAN. Yeah maybe they might have the edge as far as being the hometown darling. In basketball more then any other sport it seems like home court/field advantage is very important. Also, as in both Final 4 games they are all evenly matched and all the teams have a legitimate chance, rest assured that this was not an upset.

It was a great game to watch and set the bar for the North Carolina vs Villanova game pretty high to live up too, but I am sure it won’t disappoint.I am not pleased that State won but a good game is always ok in my books...I just hope whoever comes out of the second game prevails in the finals. Only time will tell.

The Road To The Final Four

We are almost to that magical time in NCAA Basketball. It is April and the Madness is over and now we are on the Road to the Final Four.

Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans will take on Jim Calhoon and UCONN Huskies in one match up and Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heals will take on Jay Wright and the Villlenova Wildcats. That makes 3 #1 seeds and a #2 seed that have made it through. Last year all 4 #1’s marched the road to the Final Four.

In my bracket I had 3 of the 4 correct with the exception of Michigan State.
The beauty of this tournament is that you don’t need to follow it all season to enjoy it at this time of year.

Both UCONN and North Carolina have a ton of talent and potential NBA players they are the 2 1 seeds and both favorites. Michigan State has the potential for an upset but the chances that they can knock of both look to be slim. If there is going to be an upset that likely pick will be Villlenova. Coach Wright is not only one of the best coaches in the nation but an upstanding person and an asset in the autograph department.

I am going to stay true to my pick and hope that Ty Lawson can take the Tar Heals to the top, but if they go down I'll be rooting for Villlenova.

So if you are looking for some good games and some good drama Saturday’s games followed by the National Championship game on April 6th.

Sometimes The Police Need to Police The Police

I am sure that many by now have heard about Houston Texans Running Back Ryan Moats and his incident last week involving Officer Robert Powell from the Dallas Police Department. Moat’s mother-in-law was dying in the hospital and he and his family were rushing there to be with her.
The officer pulled over Moat’s SUV for rolling through a red light and pulled out his gun and threatened Moats with jail as the player and his family pleaded to be allowed to go inside the hospital. Powell continued writing Moats a ticket and lecturing him even after a fellow officer confirmed that Moats’ mother-in-law was dying.

This whole scene was caught on the dashboard video. At one point the officer was overheard as saying “I can screw you over,” “I’d rather not do that. Your attitude will dictate everything that happens.”. Sadly Moat’s mother-in-law died before Powell allowed Moats to go inside the hospital. Since then Powell has resigned under his own accord but by doing so while still under investigation can not be rehired by the department. An internal investigation is still ongoing.

We have rules in sport and rules in society to protect people and their rights, and make for a safe environment. Much like plays on the field sometimes it isn’t black and white. There are times when there is a grey area and common sense needs to come into play. Clearly in this instance common sense nor compassion were used. What is also an interesting side note to this is that had this not happened to an NFL player and his family nobody would have seen this. Makes you wonder how often something like this happens.

Sens Army Unite - In Mourning

If you are looking to watch your boys Spezza, Heatley and possibly Phillips or Fisher this spring you will have to switch your focus to the World Championships. As of last night the Ottawa Senators have officially been eliminated from the playoff picture. This marks the first time in many years that Senators fans young and old won’t see their team playing into the spring. It will be a bit of a culture shock for sure after a 10+ year run that saw them at least make it to the dance but this time around it was just not meant to be. Sure they had a decent conclusion to the year but basically in garbage time where it is easy to play loose because there is no real pressure.

April 12 is the last game on the schedule and that will conclude the regular season, then it will be playoff time for a good lucky 16, a time to brush of the golf clubs for the better part of the other wannabe’s.

April 14th is the next date to look at and that is the Draft Lottery. As it stands now the Senators are outside of the top 5 (or bottom side, however you look at it) and will not have a shot at Hedman or Tavares but are still in the top 10 most likely and by the looks of the prospects there is decent depth and player until 11 or 13 at least. As long as they don’t drop the ball like they did when they had the 9th overall pick and choose Brian Lee over Marc Staal.

At least with the early exit there will be plenty of time to gear up for the draft and open up all the speculation about Draft Day trades selections and July 1 Free Agency.

Around The Horn

Chris Bosh is facing a child support suit in the US.

I just hope that this is just an isolated incident and isn’t the beginning of The Shawn Kemp Story Part 2.

World Baseball Classic is now over and Japan is 2 for 2 and defended their title.I must say for a game that I had little invested in it was a great game and very close and exiting all the way and the last 3 innings were as intense and interesting as any MLB playoff game that I have seen since the 1995 World Series with my Braves in it.
a) Starting the game at 9:30 est and going into extra innings and ending after 1am is not going to be good for ratings...especially if the US arn’t going to be in the finals.
b) Is it actually the Asian Baseball classic?
c) will this ever become as big as say the Rider Cup in 20 years or does the US not care enough about it?
d) If Japan won this versus S. Korea, can we really call a Red Sox vs Braves final a “World” Series Matchup? At least each of those 2 teams has a Japanese player on the roster.

Jennifer Jones and Team Canada are 9-1 at the Woman’s World Curling Championships.

This is only mentioned because I am a fan of Ms. Jones and am always rooting for her to do well and move forward.

Pierre Lueders should be very careful if he wants to make it to the Vancouver Olympics.

With the injury history of Jesse Lumsden maybe he may net be the best person to hurl yourself down a hill of ice with.

Q: What do you call a Soccer fan with an IQ of 10?

A: Supremely gifted!

Blackhawks Ice Crew

During a scouting mission for my new favorite Western Conference team I had to watch the Chicago Blackhawks vs LA Kings game on WGN. The Blackhawks would be a good team to throw my support behind but they are too good right now and are in the playoffs so that has taken them out of contention for my support. After years of being VERY bad they have managed to draft well (bad teams and top picks will help in that regard) and are now seeing the results paying off. Even the fans are getting behind them and are filling the United Center. I was watching this game to evaluate the LA Kings and see what they had and if they were worthy of my support. When I post my series on the teams I will make a case for them as they are an early front runner.

What I did see while watching the game was that of the many US arenas that I would like to watch a game, The United Center is one of the tops on the list. They always said that Old Chicago Stadium was one of the best and loudest places to play. That may be true but right now the United Center is more then holding their own. It has everything to do with the team on the Ice. Sure the Blackhawks are fun to watch but I am talking about the Hawks Ice Crew. They put every other team to shame. This is some fine marketing and a great idea. Not only do these lovely ladies do a great job managing the ice but they are all style while doing it.

I think that The Ottawa Senators should adopt this idea, it would be great for ice conditions as well as the total entertainment value while at the game.. Mr. Mlakar think about that for next year to turn around the fortunes of the team. Just look at what having Mike Fisher sign Carrie Underwood then trading for Hillary Duff...errr Mike Comrie did to help the team change their loosing ways.

To learn more about the Ice Crew visit the Chicago Blackhawks website: http://blackhawks.nhl.com/icecrew/0809icecrew.htm

Road to the Sweet 16

Round 2 of the tournament is in mid swing and the first line up of games were just like the seedings would predict and that made for some games that were never close. The Villanova game for example falls in that category.it wasn’t until the 5pm games that things started to get interesting. The North Carolina Tar Heals had more then their hands full with LSU and may have been forced to use their star guard Lawson more then they would have wanted. I had that game streaming as I have UNC to will it all in my brackets and it is way to early for them to be upset and blow things up for me. The other game that I had streaming was MY Michigan Wolverines. Sure I knew that they were going to loose but as a true fan it is my duty to watch and cheer. They were right there for 3/4 of the game and offered a glimmer of hope for an upset. Unfortunately in the end they fell to the #2 seed Oklahoma. The 3rd game that I had up on the stream was Purdue-Washington..I had Washington in the bracket and that one was the true down to the wire game that screwed up my perfect West region that I had going...jerks.

While all this was going on I managed to have the Ottawa Senators-NY Islanders hockey game audio on and the Toronto Maple Leafs-Montreal Canadiens Game on the TV. Nice to have multi games available on a Saturday night!!

Lakers-Bulls and Vancouver-Coyotes game for the tv and the 12 seeded W. Kentucky-4 seeded Gonzaga and Duke-Texas streamed on the computer. Texas looked like they may have put themselves into a position to become an upset in the making but Duke being Duke managed to beat Texas and sent them home...more times then Leave it to Beaver, reruns. The Gonzaga game was more tournament like...wow that was a wild finish. It is crazy that some of these kids have the mental make-up to execute in some of the pressure situations that they are put into. W. Kentucky was clearly seeded wrong as they may have been one of the best #12 team I have seen in a long time.

Second Half of Day 2 of the Madness

WOW, apparently the Friday’s special was upsets with a side of overtimes.

Cleveland State-Wake Forest was one of the biggest upsets, not only because it was a 13 defeating a 4 but it was the way that it happened and just how bad of a blowout the 84-69 Final really was. Wisconsin-Florida State 61-59 OT Final was crazy right down to the last play in overtime with yet another 5-12 upset. Siena-Ohio State 74-72 2OT Final came down to a “three-for-all”, as Siena nailed a 3 with 4 seconds left in the 2nd overtime to seal the 8-9 upset.

Once again both games were back and forth and it was all that The Score to do to keep up with each game flipping back and forth between the two during whistles and time outs. EVEN MORE MADNESS!

This is why the NCAA tournament is what it is, memorable games, exciting finishes overtimes and buzzer beaters! Bring on the next round of games, but it will be tough to top what has already happened!

Day 2- March Madness

After an excellent opening day to the NCAA Tournament one would figure that day 2 wouldn’t be able to equal or match the quality or excitement...thankfully that was not the case. Day 2 started the day with 2 edge-of-your-seat games. Tennessee-Oklahoma State and Utah State -Marquette. Both games were back and forth and it was all that The Score to do to keep up with each game flipping back and forth between the two during whistles and time outs. MADNESS!

The next round of games in the 2pm schedule also had its share of excitement. 16 seed East Tennessee State gave one heck of a performance vs 1 seed Pitt. No #16 has ever beaten a #1, that trend continued this time but very late in the game it look like it may be possible. Pitt survived a nice scare for sure. As for the upset game it was Dayton vs West Virginia. I know that there weren't too many people who saw Dayton taking this game, in any event it was a very exciting game.

It will be interesting to see if the 7pm games will offer up the same sort of excitement as the afternoon games, only time will tell.

As for the best event from day 1 was North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough's taking the ACC all time scoring lead. It is a great fit for the fact that not only did Tyler go to school, stay in school the full time, put up this amount of points and become one of, if not the greatest college player ever (whether that equates to NBA success remains a huge debate). Most importantly he took the record from not only a player from the Tar Heals biggest rivals from Duke but that player was none other then JJ Reddick. Reddick as I have suspected for many years was at Duke for like 8 years, It seemed like he would just never leave and that is why he was able to put up so many points. Reddick is like the Carlo Colaiacovo of college basketball, you know, the guy who was a top prospect for like 6 years.

Day 1 - Let The Madness Begin

Day 1 of March Madness is now in full force and many of the games have been played with just the late games left to be played. There was little in the way of major upsets so far. There were a couple of 7-10 games that went the way of the 10 seeds but none more impressive then those feisty boys from Ann Arbor. Yes that is right, my Michigan Wolverines managed to pull off the upset over Clemson in a tight hard fought game that Michigan managed just to hang on to win. 1 win in the first round shouldn’t make me that happy but for this Michigan team it is huge. I don’t expect them to win another in the tournament, and in fact I am just happy that they finally made it back. It has been 11 years since the Wolverines have even qualified for the big dance. Sure there may have been some NCAA discipline that may have prevented them for a few of those but now they are in. This is no Fab Five for sure but it is a start.I would have liked to see them in the classic yellow or white jerseys not the navy but maybe next game.

As for the rest of the day thus far, games were what we should expect, some blowouts from the #1-16 games and some very close games that went down to the wire.

I had the set up going- 1 game on the TV and used the March Madness on Demand to get 2 others streaming on the computer. It was a great set up and allowed me to stay on top of 3 games at the same time. Madness times call for Madness measures I guess. I did have to break that a bit and throw up the Senators-Canadiens game but had the Michigan game on the computer, so all was good.

I know all about the close games as I decided to play a few tickets on Proline even broke down some games and hedged my bets to cover myself and ensure even just a small payout and.....well lets just say... that needless 3 pointers late in a game that you are clearly going to loose helps NO ONE! Win by 6, tell that to the players, it is like that useless field goal in a football game. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, like kissing your sister (I know your sister, and that would not be a cause for celebration for sure). My great plan was crushed and that was some well wasted money. So outside of the 4 brackets that I filled out that is where my outside interest stops. I will watch the games for entertainment and the fun of the brackets but no more Proline. Apparently I have done something to anger the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming).

Time now for the late games! OOHHH, look who we have up....Duke and as we all know “Certainly Duke is Duke. They're on TV more than Leave it to Beaver reruns” - Former Providence coach Pete Gillen

Top Canadian Female Sportscasters

Before the NCAA tournament begins and the networks will have plenty of coverage of the favorites, all the Mid-Majors and the Cinderella's. I figured that this would be a good time to give a look at some of the faces that you may see feeding you the scores, the highlights and the video and the audio. There was a time where you would almost never see a female on a sports show, maybe on the sideline but even that was a stretch. Now there are many female sportscasters not just sideline reporters but also in prominent and even head anchor spots. The best part of it is that yes they are attractive that is a huge bonus but they are also very talented and knowledgeable. I have chosen to give a quick look at what Canada is bringing to this party.

Because this is a Canadian list that is part of the reason why there are only small head shots. It seems that it is much easier to find good pictures of their American counterparts. In addition the limited number of national sports channels limits the scope of this list but to be able to make a list of 10 with so few options says something for the overall depth.

10. Jody Vance - Leafs TV
Jody was at Sportsnet for a while before moving to Leafs TV. That may play a role on why she has slipped to #10. Also without the national platform she isn’t in plain view anymore and that seems to have cost her a few positions.
9. Christie Chorley - The Score
Not sure if she is still there but seems to be deserving of a top finish. Lesser role and smaller network may hold her back.

8. Daru Dhilon - Roger's Sportsnet
Limited in her role on the network doesn’t work in her favor and doesn’t allow her sports knowledge to be shown.

7. Chantal Machabee - RDS
Basically the only female on the french sister network to TSN. Can’t understand french but I will presume that she is good and is a true professional.

6. Cassie Campbell - CBC Sports/ HNIC
Cassie is a former captain of the women’s national hockey team and not does games for Hockey Night in Canada. She doesn’t do much colour work in the booth but is actually very good when she has and does a great job whenever else she is on camera.

5. Jennifer Hedger - TSN
She should be higher on the list but seems to have slipped. She has done nothing to fall but credit the others on earning a promotion. Some ahead have matured in there roles and Jennifer seems to be a little over tanned.

4. Holly Horton - TSN
She is the dark horse in my list. Back in the day when she had just started, she very raw and her ability was questionable. Over time she have become a first rate anchor, her delivery and knowledge is top notch and she managed to get more attractive which is a nice bonus.

3. Sara Orlesky - TSN
Sara is still finding her voice but does a good job in whatever assignment she does. On screen she is easy on the eyes and that has vaulted her into a top 3 finish.

2. Martine Gaillard - Roger’s Sportsnet
Martine was good on The Score but was notorious for her looks changing on a weekly basis, you never know what look she would throw at you from week to week. Now on Sportsnet she has been stable and always looking top notch. Her ability is top notch and I would give her the nod as the #1 female sportscaster in Canada. It is also an advantage that Sportsnet does a better job of getting their people out to be seen in other forums. Getting time on the FAN 590 (A Rogers station) helps.

1. Evanka Osmak - Roger’s Sportsnet
Evanka has also come a long way from her start and has become a solid sportscaster in her own right. Still a small step behind Martine in overall ability but continually getting better. This is clearly just a shallow, physical reason why she get top billing but still very deserving. Also working in her favor as with Martine is that she has more exposure and I know more about her background and more behind the person info then just in front of the camera.

At this point I will mention to all those who remember Hazel Mae and think that she would be at the top of this list had she not left for NESN (New England Sports Network), she would not! She actually would be lucky if she even makes my list. I didn’t like her doing the morning update show, didn’t like her style and didn’t care for the overall presentation. I just didn’t find her that attractive either. I was glad that she opted to move on.

"Test" Failed - Former WWE Wrestler Found Dead

Well I guess that it was just a matter of time. Yet another pro wrestler has died at a very young age. Canadian Andrew “Test” Martin was found in his Florida apartment March 13th after a neighbor noticed that he hadn’t moved in several hours. Test was one that may not come as as big a surprise that he passed so prematurely. When your ring name is a short form for “Testosterone” there is little left to the imagination. Although there has not been an official cause of death, foul play was not suspected. I guess that is up for ones definition of foul play. Martin failed a drug test and was suspended under the promotion's wellness policy in February 2007 and that could be construed as foul. He was arrested on a DUI charge near his Tampa home in April 2008. Clearly Test had many demons, and it would appear that they eventually caught up to him.

Despite all his troubles he has had his share of success in the ring holding several titles and romances with Stephanie McMahon and Stacey Keibler and outside the ring with a real life romance with Keibler and most recently with Kelly Kelly.
He must have been a decent guy in real life because he sure came off as a real douche as a wrestler and really not a very good one. He was just big, not overly talented.

Martin joins a long list of young wrestlers who prematurely died, most from causes stemming from substance-abuse. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Mike "Crash Holly" Lockwood, Bryan "Crush" Adams, Davey Boy Smith, Rick Rude, Miss Elizabeth are among Martin's WWE contemporaries who have passed away. Just remember as well, this is a very small portion of the list of wrestler's who have passed very early. The list is just too long to get into in its entirety.

It is sad that this Male Soap Opera has such a dark side and takes so many so young.

Thank You and Goodbye Killer!

March 15th, 2009 marked the last game that 67’s Coach Brian Kilrea would work a regular season game behind the bench. Now he still has a playoff run ahead as they will play Niagara in the first round and will still stay on as GM of the team. Kilrea has been with the 67s as coach since Sept. 27, 1974 minus 2 seasons as an assistant with the New York Islanders, has the most wins by a coach and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. All you ever hear about him is that the players that he has come in as boys and leave as respectful men. It is kind of funny when, by all accounts, that a Kilrea story can’t be told because of the expletives yet he manages young men and moulds them into not only good hockey players but good members of society.

I was lucky enough to be there in person 4rows from the glass right behind the net to take in this special event as “Killer” was saluted with an almost 40-minute pre-game ceremony.There was a few video messages played before he addressed the crowd. Former Springfield Indians teammate and friend Don Cherry and TV sidekick Ron MacLean said some nice words, as well as from former 67's goaltender-turned-broadcaster Darren Pang and Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky sent on their regards as well. There was a nice video tribute that highlighted his career showing him scoring the first goal in LA Kings history to his many triumphs behind the bench, including him lifting the Memorial Cup. Kilrea now has 1,193 wins in 2,157 games behind the bench. Both numbers are Canadian junior records. The CHL's coach of the year award is also named after Kilrea. He then addressed the crowd with a very moving speech, which he almost got through until the end when he got a little choked up when talking about the most recent honor bestowed upon him...a donation to CHEO by the team and the OHL to name an educational teaching room after him. It is only fitting that his name be linked with developing youth. A banner to commemorate Kilrea's career was also raised to the rafters.

In a fitting tribute the 67s managed a 5-3 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs in Killers last game. Logan Couture scored a hat trick on some pretty goals to lead the team to victory. In 2 very classy moves at the end of the game the team held their sticks like an arch as Killer walked under and off the ice and then there was the announcement that there were 4 stars, 1 Frontenac, Juilan Demers who was the 3rd star, Couture was 2nd and of course then Brian Kilrea was the games first star.
As a fan of junior hockey it was really great to be in attendance for this and just be apart of the 10,000+ standing room only crowd as Ottawa said goodbye to a legend. It will be interesting next year for Killer not to be behind the bench but hopefully incoming coach Chris Byrne can continue in the success that the team has come to enjoy. It will be tough for sure as you can’t fill the shoes of a legend. I am sure that he will do a great job and become a good coach in his own right after his success in Nepean as coach of the JR A. Raiders.

Final 8 CIS Championship

Ottawa is hosting Canada’s version of the Elite 8 in a championship tournament format for Men’s CIS Basketball. Concordia, Calgary, Dalhousie, UBC, Ottawa, Western, StFX, Carleton all made the cut this year and took the trip to Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place. The Carlton Raven’s are again the #1 ranked team heading in and look to continue the dynasty that coach Dave Smart has in place.

I was lucky enough to gain entry to the second double header of the quarter finals Friday night. A buddy scored up some sweet seats and offered up a ducket. Actually to be fair the seats were not the best but the location was PRIMO. The seats were folding chairs which was ok but they were placed on the floor and only 4 rows back...oh yeah pretty much centre court. Lets just say that it gives you different perspective on the game when you are at that level for sure. It would have been a bit better had the rows been raised a bit and staggered but when you are at that level and you get the tickets free you really are in no position to criticise. Also you’d think that by now I would learn to bring a good camera to events like this, but alas another rookie mistake on my part and had nothing but my crappy 1.3mp phone and that is why the pictures, well, suck.

Not unlike the game that was played with Kansas when they came to plat the Ravens and Gee Gees, this event was also sponsored by milk. Like I said before in one of my posts, nothing says basketball like a nice carton of milk! Mmmmm thirst quenching after a good game of ball

This is no place to sugar coat things, this is not NCAA ball, far from it (actually from what I saw Carleton may be an exception to that). In the first game you could tell that Ottawa and Western may not be on the same level as some others in the tournament. It appeared that they don’t practice foul shooting...ever, as I have never seen more missed free throws since Shaq in 2001. That game was played at a fairly slow pace and was more of a half court game, When they did run it seemed to wind up as a miss or a turnover. Ottawa was fairly outmatched from the outset and were only in the game at the beginning.

The second game was just a blowout from the get go when Carleton plated St. FX. It was actually one of the stranger games I have watched. In warm up both teams were making shots, running dripps and both looked crisp. During the game St. FX played hard, shot decently and created some difficulties with some good pressure and a strong full court press. I know sounds like that would make for a nail biter doesn’t it? Not so much, Carleton crushed them 94-57. It was weird it was the closest and most even blowout I have ever seen. If you didn’t look at the scoreboard you’d think it was a close even game.

That is a big difference being there and not watching it on tv with commentators. Without knowing some of the back stories or basically anything about the teams you are going in blind and may miss on some of the small things of the game.

Pre-Tournament Classic - Game Goes To 6 Overtimes

Someone tell Donovan McNabb that there may be ties in football but there are defiantly no ties in basketball. Much like the song from Sherry Lewis and Lamb Chop, it was the game that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends. Some people started playing it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue playing it forever just because....

The Syracuse Orange and the UCONN Huskies battled last night at Madison Square Garden that went from being a regular conference tournament game into the longest game in Big East tournament history and the second-longest game in the history of NCAA Division I basketball. Syracuse ended up the victors with an upset of the number 3 ranked team from UCONN 127-117 victory that went 6 overtimes and spanned three hours and 46 minutes - the game started at 9:36 p.m. Thursday and ending at 1:22 a.m. Friday. The game almost ended in regulation on a buzzer beater but after review the last frame showed the last dimple on the ball was still in the shooters hand as time expired.

You know that these two teams will always remember the history they made the night they went 70 minutes at the Garden.

If this is any indication on how much Madness there will be this March, we should look to be treated to some epic games.

As the PA man said, "Have a safe trip home, and good morning."

March Madness- Time To Bust the Bracket

It is almost that time of the year again when the world of pro sports takes a backseat to the college ranks. Much like New Years day is known for all the college bowl games March is here and it is time to unleash the MADNESS...March Madness that is.

The fun will all start with Selection Sunday only a few days away when we find out who is in, who is out, who got the number 1 seeds and find out where Weber State is. I looked on a map of the US and A and did not see the state of Weber, maybe it is hidden under part of Texas, Texas is pretty big you know.

This is a time for the under dog and the Cinderella team to shine and put their tiny school on the map even if it is only for a few weeks in March. A time where a number 5 seed will fall to that number 12 seed. A time where some unknown kid becomes a household name, where his 15 minutes of fame may be a basket with 0.4 seconds on the clock. A time when we hear things like Sweet 16 Elite 8 and Final Four

It is a time when knowing absolutely nothing about sports or basketball is the best. I know it sounds weird to say but you know it is a fact that the secretary in your office will fill out her (or his) bracket with no idea anything about anything and wind up winning the thing because she likes the colour Baby Blue (this is not an endorsement for the North Carolina Tar Heals, even if there is a good chance they may take it).

It is also that time when those who are die-hard Young and the Restless fans have to suffer through the show to end all shows getting pre-empted for basketball coverage. Sorry to be the barer of bad news but please don’t shoot the messenger. I do feel your pain, but it is only a couple of days and I am sure you can make it few days without finding what is really going to happen between Jack and Victor and the triumphant return of Danny Romalotti and Snapper Foster!

So come Sunday get that bracket printed and engage in the fun of “Busting the Bracket!” it is one of the best events in all of sports.

Old "Hab"-it - Gainey Takes Over As Coach

There have been some big moves of late in the sporting world. Over the course of the NHL year 7 coaches have been fired already. 1 in the Western Conference and 6 in the East. The most recent is Guy Carbonneau in Montreal. It was believed that with the personal relationships and ties to to team that he would be difficult to fire him and the only way that he would leave if he stepped down. Not so much and now he is gone and Bob Gainey has taken over the team.

"Not long ago, I responded to a question: What was the best decision I made as (Canadiens) GM? And hiring Guy was my best decision," Gainey said Monday at a news conference. "Today this decision might seem contradictory, but in the last eight weeks our performance has been below average, and I believe that a change of the direction at ice level was necessary. With 16 games left in the season, I believe that the change was necessary to maximize our chances of being one of the teams to participate in the playoffs this spring." Gainey said

The Canadiens have been a struggling team of late and are now in a very dangerous area in the standings. They are in 5th place but only 2 points up on 9th. Any slip up and they could fall further then the Ottawa Senators did last year and manage to become bigger choke artists then the Mets in their epic collaps.

It will be interesting to see if Gainey can right the ship in the few games that are left and get the Habs playoff bound, because if he doesn’t this will be a VERY different looking team next year with nearly half the roster left unsigned next season. Jobs are on the line and there are a lot of prospects in Hamilton that are very close to making the team and many veterans who may not be welcome back. The 5 year plan might have to start from ground zero if things don’t go as planned.

Battle Of The Young-Stars

Rivalries come and go in sports all the time. There have always been battles through the years between teams. Whether it be due to repeated playoff meetings, divisional match ups or strictly geographical. Celtics- Lakers, Michigan-Ohio State, Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins, Cowboys-Redskins, Senators-Leafs, Flames-Oilers and of course Yankees-Red Sox and so on.

With that also comes personal rivalries. Usually those are sparked when 2 elite level players are either so good that they match up well or are involved in a team rivalry and it escalates to a “Whatever you can do, I can do better”. It seems that it is more a basketball thing because 1 player can make more of a team impact then the other sports. Recent memory has Magic vs Bird, Jordan vs the NBA...Jordan was just that much better, Reggie Miller vs Spike Lee (Ok that may be a stretch but hey, it is funny), Kobe vs Shaq. But right now there is a new battle that is taking form and it is probably the best thing for the NHL - Sidney Crosby and sidekick Evgeni Malkin going head to head with Alexander Ovechkin and his boy wonder Alexander Semin.

Despite the collaboration at the All Star game between Malkin and Ovechkin there still is some dislike I believe. Semin and Ovetchkin have been very critical of Crosby of late and both sides have thrown out some barbs, both on the ice and in the media. Crosby has taken exception to how Ovechkin handles himself on the ice, especially his celebrations while on the other side Ovechkin has said that Crosby is a talker and a whiner. This give Capitals-Penguins games a nice bit of intrigue above and beyond the game and may just be what hockey needs, 2 of the top players going head to head with real emotion and dislike. Bird Magic saved the NBA, maybe this will do the same for the NHL. Should be interesting to see how this storey plays out.

Canada Falls To USA In A Thriller

Canada and the United States have opened up play at the Rogers Centre in the World Baseball Classic and it was a classic. The Canadian squad is a good looking group yet again. When you can throw out hitters like Matt Stairs, Joey Votto, Russell Martin, Jason Bay and former MVP Justin Morneau you know that you should be able to score some runs. The pitching is thin as all the big names aren't there for a variety of reasons and that could prove to be the difference. Despite that, today's 6-5 loss to team USA the team looked good. 40,000+ were on their feet for the last 3 innings and were ever so close to pull out an upset again this year versus the Americans.

As a Canadian, anytime you watch a team with the Maple Leaf Flag on it is tough to ignore and easy to root for. Whether it is Hockey or baseball, curling or basketball pride takes over. The only exception would be soccer because 1) They are not good, there is no real league or coverage for them so it is tough to associate or recognize them and 2) It is soccer so who cares..it is just wrong that during the course of wearing the uniform in play that when they do the customary crying and grabbing their leg after a fake injury occasionally a fake tear may fall on the Canadian Crest.

It was great to see an awesome emotional game not only this early in the year but just having baseball back on is a sight for sore eyes.

GO CANADA!