Acting Athletes

How many commercials have we been forced to sit through where athletes "act" their way through 30 seconds of horrible, horrible scripts? I'm pretty sure Peyton Manning is the best athlete-actor of all time. In case you haven't had the pleasure of witnissing his acting talents, I give you this...



But now, there's a new face on the scene. Good old Canadian kid Steve Nash is cutting his chops in front of the camera, and the results are pretty hilarious. (50 Cent is in this too, but let's not focus on that.)



So who will be the next Great Acting Athlete? As long as Mats Sundin and Wayne Gretzky aren't EVER allowed in a commercial... EVER again, I'm good.





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Not So Golden

A few words of advice to Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate... Always remember which end zone you're scoring in. During the Fighting Irish 33-30 win over Michigan State this past weekend (quick note: only beating the Spartans by 3 points shows the Irish are still a ways away from being a true top-25 team...) Tate caught the game-winning touchdown late in the 4th quarter. What happened after the catch can only be described as true hilarity.



I get it Tate. You were excited, it was a nice catch, blah blah blah. Buddy... YOU JUMPED INTO THE WRONG MARCHING BAND! It's like The Wiggles trying to dive into a crowd of three year olds! Your team is already hanging by a thread as it is... try not killing youself with celebrations in the future.



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Islanders/Flames Recap

A pretty good preseason tilt at the Saddldome last night... but maybe not so much for Kyle Okposo. Piece of advice young man: when Dion is on the ice, keep your head up.



And Theo scoring the shootout winner? Hollywood writers are jealous tonight.






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So You Wanne Be A UFC Fighter?

So last night was the premiere of The Kimbo Slice Show... check that... The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. (Is anyone else looking forward to watching the "YouTube Sensation!!!" getting knocked flat on his ass by a REAL fighter?) Anyways... the first fight was between Team Rashad's Jon Madsen and Team Rampage's Abe Wagner. Before the fight, Madsen said his gameplan was to take Wagner to the ground every chance he got. Wagner said he could block the takedown attempts, and even if he DID end up on his back, he didn't think Madsen's ground game was "anything to write home about". Well judging by the size of this cut on Wagner's dome, I hope he still remembers how to write, period. It can never be a good thing when, during a fight, it looks like someone turned on a faucet of blood inside your forehead. The line of the night was when the doctor said something like "You may have a fracture inside there", and Wagner responded with "You can see the bone?!" Dude, look in a mirror. You can see the back of your skull. And the dude sitting behind you. Your head is now see-through, so... yeah. Enjoy that.

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Ennis Signs With Buffalo

A piece of good news for the local WHL fans here in Medicine Hat. Ex-Tigers forward (well... he's eligible for one more season, but trust me, he won't be back in the dub) Tyler Ennis signed a 3-year entry level deal with the Buffalo Sabres today. He was one of their two 1st-round picks in the 2008 NHL draft, 26th overall. He finished with 236 points (115 goals) in 245 career WHL games, and had an unbelievable night on February 27, 2009. He scored 6 goals that night against the Prince Albert Raiders. Here is what Sabres fans should be looking forward to in the next few years, and all 6 of his goals against PA are here too. Pay special attention to goal #5 from that night... unbelievable!






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Classic NCAA Football Rant!

This one goes out to my friend Aaron Ward, who reminded me of this gem. An Alabama football fan explaning why he does not like... nay... HATES Tennessee. One of the funniest rants of all time!







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Oh Hello NFL. I Missed You!

As I sit here writing this, the Raiders are tied with the Chargers 10-10 at the half. Why would Oakland tease their fans like this? Seems like a jerk move… So what else has been happening in the world of sports?
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Some musings from the opening weekend in the NFL… On a personal note, I’m choked to see Brian Urlacher out for the season. I’ll be at Soldier Field for the Week 8 Cardinals/Bears game, and now I won’t be able to watch Urlacher patrolling the middle. Unfortunate. Fortunately, I’ll be able to watch Jay Cutler throw 6 INTs. OK, maybe not quite… but holy man was that ever a brutal debut. As for the Cardinals, talk about the ultimate Super Bowl hangover! The 49ers might be a dark horse this season, but no way should they have beating Arizona IN Arizona. Huge. So Donovan McNabb breaks a rib, and now Jeff Garcia is once again employed. If he can’t hack it with the Raiders, can he help in Philly? How bad is the Saints defence when they give up 27 points to the Lions? New Orleans looks like the Colts of the past… all offense, no defense. Fun to watch that offence though, Brees is a stud. And it took three-and-a-half quarters, but Tom Brady is baaaaaaaaaaaack. I really hope TO enjoys going 5-11 in the cold this season. What’s the over/under for when he starts barking nonsense at Trent Edwards? Brett Favre may be the big news in Minny, but AP is still the man. And Percy Harvin might get 10 TDs this season.
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Kudos to Sens GM Bryan Murray for getting a pretty solid return on that malcontent Dany Heatley. If Cheechoo and Spezza can find some chemistry, look for Cheechoo to get back to a 40-50 goal season. And as for the Sharks… Sure, they added some great talent. But when you look at what has held them back in the playoffs, it isn’t a lack of talent – it’s a lack of heart. And I think it’s pretty safe to say Heatley won’t help a lick in that department. So considering Murray was forced into dealing a player who clearly wanted out, the Sens won this trade. And hopefully Heatley tears his MCL in game one and misses the entire season.
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More NHL… the Oilers signed Mike Comrie, which I believe brings their average height up front to about 4’3”. I really don’t understand the thinking in Edmonton. You have 10-11 small forwards who can’t find their way to the front of the net (and a big forward who plays like he’s scared… hello Dustin Penner) and you go out and grab another one?! But I guess when all the other big names in the league want nothing to do with the Oilers, there aren’t a whole lot of other options. Could be another long year in the City of Past Champions.
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So apparently Serena Williams is kind of a jerk. I know it was in “The Heat of the Battle!!!” but are you SERIOUS Serena? Threatening to shove a tennis ball down a lineperson’s throat to “kill them”, and you didn’t think they’d ding you a point? By the way, want to know what face Serena makes when she's trying to lie her @ss off to get out of trouble? This one:

It’s actually really too bad that happened, because it took all the attention away from what everyone SHOULD have been talking about – Kim Clijsters winning the US Open in only her third tournament back after taking three years off. On one hand, I was happy to see Clijsters do well and represent for all the mommies out there. But on the other hand, I think it speaks to the state of women’s tennis. How bad is the level of competition when Clijsters can pull that off? OK, even if you’re sold on her game, and think she really IS that good… what about Melanie Oudin and Caroline Wozniacki? No disrespect to either lady, but when you can get into the quarters/finals simply by waiting for your opponent to miss a shot, that doesn’t speak very well to the overall product. Hopefully a new crop of dynamite players are waiting in the wings. As for the men’s final, THANK YOU Juan Martin del Potro for stepping up and taking out Roger Federer. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the hell outta Federer. That between-the-legs shot against Djokovic in the semis was ridiculous. But it was great to see someone (ANYONE!) finally put an end to Federer’s run at the US Open. And del Potro is only 20 years old, so could he be the next Federer on the scene?
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That’s it for me. I’m gonna go watch the Raiders self-destruct in the second half. Thanks to everyone who drops in. Much appreciated.





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Plaxico to the Pen!

Ramblings from a busy Thursday in the world of sports…

Is it just me, or is there something nice about knowing Plaxico Burress will be spending some time in jail for shooting himself in the leg last November? Let’s be honest… wearing sweatpants to a Manhattan nightclub is reason enough to be put away, but Plexiglass is definitely finding out the hard way that New York State doesn’t mess around when it comes to gun crime. He was originally looking at 3-and-a-half years on three charges, but ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge and agreeing to two years. (I love how that’s reported… who “agrees” to go to jail?) So he got off with a lighter sentence, but don’t kid yourself, two years in a federal slammer is no easy thing. (I wouldn’t know from experience, I can only assume in this case.) I wonder if he’ll take Mike Vick’s roster spot on the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary Camp football team in Kansas? Anyone else smell a reality series based on ‘The Longest Yard’? I'm looking at you Fox Sports!
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All the talk at the World Track & Field Championships has been about Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt breaking the 100m AND 200m world records. Or has it? Here’s a new one for you: a South African female (we think) distance runner is being tested to prove she’s... a she. WHAAAT?! Caster Semenya won the 800m world title on Wednesday. Three weeks ago, the IAAF asked the South African Athletics Federation to conduct a “gender test” on Semenya. It involves a complete physical medical exam, and reports from a gynecologist, psychologist, and gender specialist… among others. OK, listen up IAAF, I’m about to save you a whole lot of money and time in two short steps. Ready? First: look for an Adam’s Apple. Second: If that doesn’t solve the “mystery”, make her watch ‘Failure to Launch’. If she laughs even once, case solved. You’re welcome.
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Have you ever thought to yourself: “Man, I wish I didn’t have to take this test!” Well, not only did Derrick Rose apparently think that, he acted on it! The University of Memphis men’s basketball program just had its record-setting 2007-2008 season wiped out due to what the NCAA Committee on Infractions is calling “major violations”. Among the charges is one that says Rose (the leader of the Final Four squad) didn’t take his own SAT exam. Um, pardon? How the heck does that even happen? Either SAT Proctors need to ask for better photo ID, or the NCAA needs to stop allowing SATs to be done online. Seriously, this is one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a while. But I’m guessing the Tigers aren’t finding it all that humourous. Their record-38 wins AND second-place finish to Kansas at the 2008 Final Four are like the best character on the Muppets… Gonzo! Is it a coincidence Head Coach John Calipari bolted to Kentucky in March?
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So Dany Heatley is set to break his silence at a press conference in Kelowna tomorrow. But he won’t be discussing details on why he wants out of Ottawa. Soooooo, why the press conference Dany? You really think standing at a podium and mumbling rehearsed lines while staring at the floor is going to kill the story ahead of Team Canada’s Orientation Camp in Calgary? How about this: stay home. From the NHL and the Olympics. Canada has more than enough talent to win without you, and the Sens probably don’t want you (or more specifically, you pee-poor attitude) around anyways.
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And yes, Brett Favre is back. I’ve already ranted and raved about how much I’ve grown to hate him in the past few years, so let me comment on the actually signing. Honestly, the Vikings just got a whole lot better. With defences stacking the box to keep an eye on Adrian Peterson, Favre should have plenty of looks downfield. He’ll also play all of his home games in a dome, and he didn’t put his body through the rigours of two-a-days at training camp. But here’s the thing: he knew he was going to sign in Minny three weeks ago. So why wait until now to formally sign? Why not sign three weeks ago, tell everyone you weren’t going to be at the first bit of training camp, then go on a nice holiday to get yourself “mentally ready” for the season? Instead, you screwed over Rosenfels and Jackson and made yourself look like a selfish jerk… AGAIN. (OK, so apparently I wasn’t done ranting and raving about it.) But again, Favre is still capable of being a top-15 QB, so it’s a decent signing for the Vikings. But here’s hoping the Vikes finish 0-16 and get POUNDED by Green Bay October 5th, and in Green Bay November 1st.
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Lastly, I can barely contain my excitement about this… NCAA Football officially kicks off two weeks from today. My Florida Gators are primed to add yet another BCS Title under Tim 'Don't Call Me Jesus... OK, Call Me Jesus' Tebow (and start getting to know the name Deonte Thompson, the new Percy Harvin) although I’m keeping my eye on the one team that beat the Gators last year: Ole Miss. Yup, Eli Manning’s alma mater could very well find itself at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010. True, they were a not-so-impressive 9-4 last season (and only 5-3 in the SEC) but they won their last six games, then absolutely slaughtered 11-1 Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. If the defense can hold the fort, the Rebels could very well be the first huge surprise of 2010.


That’s it for now, enjoy the weekend. And please, if you’re going out clubbing, have the decency to wear some REAL pants. And don’t shoot yourself in the leg. In fact, just leave the gun at home.



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My New Favourite Athlete

Allow to me start with a giant THANK YOU! to a very special person who came into my life this past weekend. This person grabbed a piece of my heart, while ripping out thousands of others’ in the process. This person is smart, poised, endearing, and cool under pressure. This person is from South Korea, doesn’t speak English, but will probably have to learn pretty quickly. This person stared the ultimate adversity in the eye… and didn’t blink. Not even once. And lastly, this person managed to make a seemingly all-powerful (that is, if you listen to CBS Sports commentator Nick Faldo) athlete look absolutely human. This person is… Y.E. Yang. Yang did what nobody had managed to do in 14 previous attempts: Beat Tiger Woods in a major championship with Tiger holding the 54-hole lead. Did anyone else almost bawl like a baby (out of happiness, not out of sadness for Tiger) when Yang hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy yesterday? Putting my personal feelings for Eldrick aside for a moment, just the fact that somebody FINALLY rose up to the challenge is reason enough to be happy at the result. When Padraig Harrington scored an 8!!! on the par-3 8th, not only did it give me hope for my own golf game, but it also caused my friend to say “Well there goes the only guy who could have caught Tiger!” At the time, I was resigned to the fact that was probably true. But as I was driving home on the Trans-Canada, I listened to radio updates as the back-9 unfolded. (Oh, quick sidebar for the FAN 960… if the PGA Championship is on the 18th hole, and a historic finish is about five minutes from happening, maybe you should delay the “Jays This Week” show and stick with the golf. Just sayin’…) The chip-in at 14 and approach shot on 18 sounded like things of beauty, and when I saw the TV highlights when I got home, I was a little jealous I didn’t get to watch it unfold live. A great finish to a great weekend, and you have to wonder the ripple effect this will have. Tiger showed himself to be human, Yang showed it IS possible to hang with the world’s #1, and the rest of the Tour now has to be licking its collective lips.
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What to make of the Patrick Kane story? I’m glad I didn’t hop on it when it first broke, because it’s looking more and more like he’s the victim of having an a-hole cousin. That’s not to say I think Patty is 100% innocent, but it doesn’t look like he was the aggressor. Although I might still offer him 20 cents when I go to the Kings/’Hawks game in November…
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I love the new jerseys unveiled by Hockey Canada this afternoon in Vancouver. The 2010 Olympic hockey players (men, women, and sledge teams) will look sharp. A red maple leaf on the chest, with mini-versions in the middle representing Canadian hockey’s gold medal counts, and a thunderbird and an eagle supporting and protecting the central maple leaf. It could do without the Nike swoosh on the top-right part of the chest, but you had to know it was going to be there.
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Dear Brett Favre: As mentioned in a previous posting, GO AWAY!
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Big-time drama in Washington leading up to the midnight EST deadline for the Nationals to sign Stephen Strasburg. But with Scott Boras as his agent, I’m guessing Strasburg is headed back into the draft. Pretty disheartening for Nats fans when you consider Aaron Crow did the EXACT same thing last year. Hey bud Selig, explain to me again how baseball in Washington is suppose to be successful? No fans, no talent, no hope. Stay tuned.
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And Mike Vick lands in Philly. I’ve already said my piece about Vick coming back to the NFL (Coles Notes version: I’m OK with it) but Philly? REALLY? Philly sports fans hands-down the toughest to play in front of, and that’s for the home teams! You can bet the first incomplete pass, fumble, sack, etc… Vick will hear boos like he’s never heard before. I hope he has thick skin.

That’s it for now. Have I mentioned I’m a big fan of Y.E. Yang?!



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Wednesday's Thoughts

Is there anything worse than packing up your campsite in the rain? Maybe playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but I'd have to say they're neck-and-neck.
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Hey Eli, can I borrow some cash? How the heck is Eli Freaken' Manning the highest paid player in the NFL? The Giants sign Peyton's baby bro to a six-year deal worth $97 million dollars. (It works out to about $15.3M a year.) I understand he led them to the Super Bowl over a heavily-favored Patriots squad in 2008. I get he handles the pressures of playing in the Big Apple pretty well. I know he's the first G-Men QB to ever go four straight years at 3000+ yards and 20+ TDs... But still, isn't there something wrong with him making more money than ANYONE else in the league?
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In other NFL news, Reggie Bush left the New Orleans Saints practice today favoring his surgically-repaired left knee. I'm not one to pick on guys when they get injured (unless it's a stupid injury that was their own fault... I'm looking at YOU Marty Cordova!) so I won't start now. What I will say is this: At least Bush's wonky knee will have him drafted where he should be in fantasy leagues. No more of this "Oh, Reggie is going to break through this year, so I'm taking him with my second-round pick" nonsense. In order for Reggie to "break through", he has to figure out how to break-through a defensive line. Not gonna happen. He's a classic example of a guy who could outrun college LBs sideline-to-sideline, but ask him to find a hole to run though up front? Not so much. He's decent as a kick-returner and maybe in the Wildcat formation, but he's not an every-down NFL running back. By the way, what was his off-season rehab assignment? From what I could tell, it involved "avoiding" TMZ cameras with Kim Kardashian.
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Let's talk some baseball. Why the hell is Roy Halladay still a member of the Blue Jays?! They're not making the playoffs this season, they won't make the playoffs next season, and there's no way he's back in TO in 2011. How is it that everyone else but JP Ricciardi knows that? I guess JP was asking for a king's ransom in return, and potential trading partners just weren't willing to mortgage their entire futures for the Doc. So instead, the Jays are left with a clearly-rattled ace who'll be faced with the same scrutiny at the deadline next year. Which brings me to my next question... Why does Ricciardi still have a job?
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Still on the diamonds, did you see that video of Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder trying to get into the Dodgers clubhouse last night? The Dodgers were up 17-4 in the ninth inning when LA reliever Guillermo Mota plunked Cecil's kid, probably in retaliation for Manny Ramirez and Juan Pierre getting hit earlier in the game. So Fielder went all 'roids and tried eating his way into... wait, sorry, GET into... the Dodgers clubhouse, presumable to put Mota between two slices of bread and... again, my apologies... to CONFRONT Mota. At least that's what the educated guess would be. My guess? Fielder thought he heard a teammate say: "Hey Prince, there's a giant clubhouse near the Dodgers' locker room". After all, who can resist a well-made clubhouse sandwich? Here's the bleep-filled hilarity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-RwPDkNjRk
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In NHL news, the Phoenix Coyotes are still broke, up for sale, and terrible. There is some new drama unfolding in the case, but seriously, wake me up when this thing is over. The WNBA has more appeal to me at this point...
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So Jeremy Roenick and Teppo Numminen are both retiring. 40 combined years, zero Stanley Cups. Ouch. Both guys deserve a lot of respect for the years they put in, and the personal milestones they achieved. But you have to think they'll both have nightmares of never planting a big wet one of Lord Stanley's Mug.
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That's enough of my hot air for one day. Oh, somebody do me a favour. Custom-build a walker with blades to help poor old Brendan Shanahan get on the ice with the Devils. Doesn't he already have 3 Stanley Cups to fill his dreams at night?




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Back At It!

OK, so it's been... let's see... about two and a half months since my last post. But in my defense, uhhh... OK, no excuses. I've been away on a few trips and excursions (Sasquatch '09 was PHENOMENAL by the way) but really I just got caught up doing other things, then remembered how much I actually enjoy writing. So I'm going to do my best to keep this blog updated on a fairly regular basis from now on. So for all 3 of you who read it, I make that promise to you! To get it started, I thought I'd take a look at some of the bigger stories going on in the world of sports these days and offer my take.



A couple of huge stories today, the biggest probably being both Big Papi and ManRam testing positive for PEDs in 2003. Am I the only one who has become COMPLETELY desensitized to this whole scenario? It's a pretty sad state of affairs when the first thought that goes through my mind after finding out was "Huh." Here's me thing about it: Why doesn't MLB just release the entire list of the 100+ players who tested positive at once instead of bringing new names to the forefront every few months? I understand the list is "under seal" by a court order, but c'mon already! We already knew A-Rod, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa (among many others) were on it, so why not just release it, deal with it, and move on? Oh, and by the way, Big Papi was a part-time scrub for his six seasons before 2003, then all of a sudden became a homerun-hitting masher. Weird. Just another story that makes Albert Pujols look more and more like the best player of this (and maybe by the time he's done, ANY) generation.

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Another strange twist in the death of Arturo Gatti as Brazilian police now say his death was a suicide. They originally thought his wife had strangled him with her purse strap while he was passed out on the couch, but after the coroner's results said Gatti may have killed himself, they backed off that statement pretty quickly. Apparently he was found hanged and suspended in their vacation condo, which his wife's lawyer said proved her innocence. Fair enough, but you still get a sense this case isn't wrapped up quite yet. Gatti's family refuses to believe he would have reason to comitt suicide (there could have been demons only he knew about, I know...) his wife was asleep in the condo for 10 hours before she discovered his body, and neighbors say they heard a pretty heated argument in the hours leading up to his death. I'm not about to sit here and pretend I know more than the investigators, but it'll be interesting to see if any new information pops up in the coming days, weeks, months. Either way, a tragic ending to an electrifying boxer. His trilogy of fights against "Irish" Micky Ward are still three of the best boxing matches you'll ever see.

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Michael Vick says he's 'getting close' to signing with a professional football team. I didn't realize the situation in Rider-nation was that desperate. In all seriousness, I've been asked a few times what I think about the Vick situation. Look at it this way: If a plumber is convicted of financing dog fighting, does his time in jail, is he still allowed to be a plumber when he gets out? Yes. So why should an NFL QB be any different? But as for the people who think the NFL shouldn't suspend him, I couldn't disagree more. Roger Goddel has every right to bring down his own punishment separate from the legal system's. Now.... as an NFL GM, would I sign Vick? Not a chance. Not only would you be putting yourself under the biggest national microscope for all the wrong reasons, but I've never been a fan of the guy. Yes, he's fun to watch run around every third game or so, but with a career completion percentage of 53.8%, a YDS/GAME average of 155.5, the fact he never threw for more than 20 TDs in a season, and an average rating of 75.5... why would anyone be so desperate to sign him even in his "good" years? He has NEVER proven himself to be amongst the elite NFL signal callers. Yes, he got the Atlanta Falcons to the '02/'03 NFC Championship Game (after handing the Packers their first-ever home playoff loss in the first round) but I can show you list a mile long of NFLers who have over-achieved for a period of a few games before coming back down to reality. The fact is, the numbers don't support any arguments that he has EVER been a quality pro quarterback. Exciting at time, yes. Elite player? No.

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Is anyone following the craziness surrounding Jeremy Mayfield and his legal battle with NASCAR these days? I know most people don't follow NASCAR at all, so I won't go into all the details, but if you want some good dramatic reading, go here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Jeremy-Mayfield-at-odds-with-stepmother-Lisa-ove?urn=nascar,176946

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I'm glad the MLB trade deadline is tomorrow. If I had to read one more headline saying: "Doc's last start as a Jay?", I was going to lose my mind. Best pickups in recent weeks: STL grabbing Holliday from COL, and PHI nabbed Lee from CLE. Poor Indians fans...
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Speaking of baseball, has anyone had worse injury karma than Chicago Cubs outfielder (and former Blue Jay) Reed Johnson? Back from his June stay on the DL with back spasms, he's right back on it after fouling a pitch off his foot in the first inning yesterday. He's a tough hombre though, he tried playing another two innings on a fractured foot before pulling himself.
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Dear Brett Favre: Go away, and stay away! Sincerely, Liam.
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So that's about it for today. I think I like this format, so I'll probably post a new one every few days to offer my oh-so-valued opinions on the biggest stories, with the odd full entry on stories that really grab my attention.





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No Love for Datsyuk

Sitting at home watching the Pittsburgh/Washington game seven last night (by the way, thanks for showing up Capitals) I couldn't help but ask myself why Pavel Datsyuk's name rarely (if ever) is mentioned in the "Best Player in the NHL" discussion. Yes, Alexander the Great and Sid the Kid are two of THE most phenomenal players in the NHL, but is either of them really "The Best"? Allow me to make a case for Datsyuk.

Here is a guy who is always among the league leaders in points, plus/minus, and faceoff percentage. Yes, he plays on a great team, and has since he came into the league in 2001. But that doesn't mean his numbers are minimized in any way. When you watch him play, it is amazing to see how easy he makes EVERY aspect look so easy.

In the offensive zone, he is a pure sniper who also has the Adam Oates-like ability to find the open man. As his plus/minus and 2008 Selke Trophy show, he's no slouch in his zone either. You NEVER see him gliding through the neutral zone when he should be back-checking, and that's more than you can say for Ovechkin. (CBC had a great camera angle from game six that showed Ovie lingering at center ice while the Penguins capitalized on an odd-man rush. He must have learned that trick from Malkin.) Throw in his 89 takeaways in the 08/09 season... you see where I'm going with this.

I think one of the truest, yet most under-rated, signs of a great player is when you see him taking important faceoffs at key moments in games in either zone. Datsyuk has been "that guy" for Detroit since 2001, and he's won more than a few important faceoffs against the Ducks' Todd Marchant in this Western Conference Semi-Final.

I guess this is kind of answering my own question, but I think the reasons why he isn't seen as the best player on the planet aren't that hard to understand. He plays with a handful of other phenomenal players, so it's easy to get lost in that shuffle. He isn't as loud or exciteable as Ovechkin, he just goes about his business and doesn't jump into the glass when he scores a goal. And he didn't come into the league with all anywhere near the hype that surrounded Crosby. I have nothing against Sid, but he's your typical polished, rehearsed athlete whose personality isn't exactly inspiring. Not to mention Sid still has a tendancy to take stupid penalties when things aren't going his way. I don't question his hockey ability... but when you watch both players on the ice, is he really THAT much better than Datsyuk?

So when (not if...) Datsyuk becomes the first player to repeat as both the Selke and Lady Byng winner when the NHL awards are announced in Las Vegas on June 18... take a minute and think to yourself: "Is Pavel Datsyuk the best player on the planet right now?" The answer may surprise you.





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Balsillie's Bailout Plan

If you listen closely enough, you might just hear Steven Bochco's pen going crazy as he creates his newest made-for-TV legal drama: "Balsille V. Bettman: Battle in the Desert". The legal fight between the Blackberry guru and the NHL's Commish is shaping up to be a knock-em-down, drag-em-out affair of epic proportions, and I for one will be following it closely every step of the way. There's a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo to wade through, and I don't pretend to be smart enough to know it all, but here are the main bullet points:

1. Jim Balsillie has a lot of money, and has twice tried to purchase an NHL franchise to move to Southern Ontario... the Pens in 2006 and the Preds in 2007. Balsillie even went so far as to collect 12 000 deposits on season's tickets for the Hamilton Predators when trying to buy the Nashville franchise.

2. Gary Bettman does not like Jim Balsillie. Hate is a strong word, but I would even venture to say Bettman "hates" Balsillie. And he doesn't really go out of his way to hide it.

3. The Phoenix Coyotes are in a heap of financial trouble. Who knew putting an NHL franchise in a city where bass fishing gets more media attention (seriously, I wish I was making that up) than hockey would be a bad idea?

4. Here's where it gets a little dicey. Coyotes "owner" Jerry Moyes tried putting the team into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but according to NHL brass, Moyes no longer had control of the franchise. The NHL's Deputy Commish Bill Daly says the team was under NHL control, so Moyes didn't have the authority to file for Chapter 11.

5. Balsillie made an offer of $212.5M to buy the team from under its bankruptcy, conditional on him being allowed to move it to Southern Ontario (ie - Hamilton).

So now the question is: Are the Coyotes actually in Chapter 11 under Moyes, or does the NHL have financial control of the franchise? The NHL says they have offers from other Phoenix parties to buy the team and keep it in the Sun Belt. Because we've all seen how well THAT'S working out. Until we ge the legal answer to that question, nobody really knows what the next step in the process will be.

But here's the thing... Bill Daly dropped this nugget to the Canadian Press yesterday: "(The NHL doesn't) like to pick fights, but we end them." Aha, and THERE'S the real issue involved. What we basically have is two high school (junior high?) bullies eyeing each other up while the rest of the students look on with keen excitement.

Balsillie might be guilty of using underhanded techniques to acquire a franchise, but Bettman isn't exactly coming off looking like the smart NHL boss that he desperately wants peopl to think he is. Bettman's stubborness has never benefitted the league... players OR owners. His desire to keep a franchise in a market that CLEARLY doesn't give two ships about the NHL (or hockey at all for that matter) isn't benefitting anyone. OK, that might be wrong of me to say. I apologize to the 100 or so season's ticket holders. Moving on... I mean, they have Wayne Freaken' (not his real middle name, I'm aware) Gretzky behind the bench, and they STILL can't drum up minimum support to get the people excited. You'd even think there's enough Canadian retirees in Arizona to make a real go of it, but clearly not.

So who comes out looking worse? The somewhat-shady man who might be trying to get around the NHL ownership rules to move a struggling team to a viable market? Or the man refusing to let him do so to save face and prove he still has complete "power" over his league? All I know is this: before this drama comes to an end, they'll be plenty of material for Mr. Bochco to fill a couple of seasons worth of attention-grabbing TV scripts. I call dibs on Jim Balsillie's character. I'll make a call to see if Vern Troyer is available for the Bettman role.





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Welcome!

First and foremost... thanks for checking out my newest little project. I figure I have a lot to say on a lot of sporting topics, so why not share it with the world? In the words of Austin Powers: Allow myself to introduce... myself.

I'm the Sports Anchor/Producer at CHAT-TV in Medicine Hat, Alberta. We're a community of about 60,000 with a HUGE local sporting scene. The biggest draw comes in the fall and winter (and spring if all goes well) with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. The city also loves its minor hockey, ringette, curling, baseball, soccer, rugby, stock cars... You name it, we cover it at CHAT.

As for me, I'm a fan of pretty much every sport other than cricket. (What the heck is a Beamer anyways?!) I'm sure cricket is a great game, I'm just not sure I have the time to dedicate to learning it. It's kind of my version of a "smile-and-nod" sport. Anything else, I'm game for a good discussion/debate. Those who know me know I have my favourite teams in all of the major leagues, but for the purposes of THIS blog, my personal biases will be (mostly) set aside. For at least the first few weeks.

I'm excited to have this forum to vent/discuss/analyze/comment on/etc on the wide world of sports. I'll be posting on topics covering the entire sporting spectrum, so please feel free to visit often and post your comments!