Touch Icing

The most moronic rule in the NHL has to be the touch icing rule.  It's a way of adding almost-negligible excitement to icing at the risk of injuring defencemen and forwards who are hustling their asses off for the sake of the team.......

Why do GMs insist on putting their greatest assets (the players) at risk?  That's why it's finally good news to see that the NHL is considering changing this idiotic rule, and implementing something much safe (like hybrid icing), according to this Globe and Mail article.

Let's hope the NHL rule custodians stop being morons, and start protecting the players that make this the greatest game on earth......

Three Man Booths

I'm watching the broadcast of the Divisional Playoff matchup of the Saints @ 49ers.  It's a three-man booth of Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa (albeit on the field).

It's enough to make me realize that two-man booths (like those employed by CBS) are superior to three-man booths.  Albert does a decent job with the play-by-play, but the commentary of Siragusa is really annoying, and Johnston, while less annoying, isn't really providing real insight.  (If I have to listen to one more comment about how much confidence the Saints offence has, then I'm gonna puke)

I think NFL broadcasts should just wake-up and realize that three-man booths are exasperating to listen to, and go back to traditional two-man booths......

Championship Saturday

What a Saturday this is going to be!

The Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks face their final tests, before the bowl season starts! Both teams are a joy to watch, explosive offences that play in permanent hurry-up mode. Both teams have a tendency to fall behind, and then explode in the 2nd half, coming back from large deficits....if they both win, they'll play each other in the BCS championship game! I'm crossing my fingers for such an event - I think it would be spectacular!

Cam Newton plays for Auburn, and is the clear cut Heisman favourite....he can run over defenders, or run past them, and he has a lethal throwing arm, too. And although the Tiger secondary gives up big plays, the front seven is solid, led by a dominant Nick Fairley that creates havoc on opposing offences. They have gone undefeated in the toughest conference in NCAA football, and need one more victory in the SEC championship against the ever-improving and SEC East champion South Carolina Gamecocks.

LaMichael James and Darron Thomas lead the Oregon Duck offence, which averages about 50 points per game! The zone-read offence is really tuned as well as it can be at Oregon, and Jeff Maehl is a solid, reliable and underrated receiver that puts up big years on play-action, when defences sell-out to stop the running plays of the Ducks. Their hurdle is their in-state long rival: the Oregon St. Beavers in the Civil War. Although the Beavers have had a disappointing season, they always show up for the Civil War, and have a history of being giant-killers....

So....here are my predictions (I hope they're not a jinx)....I think both the Tigers and Ducks will prevail, but the games will be very close:

The Civil War: Ducks 48 - Beavers 38

SEC Championship: Tigers 34 - Gamecocks 28

The Duck juggernaut gives USC the beats

Is this the most prolific offence you've ever seen? I still think Newton should get the Heisman, but this Oregon offence is just a treat to watch......what a clinic by Darrin Thomas and LaMichael James!



Wouldn't it be great to see Auburn vs. Oregon in the BCS championship?

Cam for Heisman

Really, my jaw drops, everytime I see Cam Newton play.....
He is really something....I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon, but this guy is way more impressive than Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Troy Smith, and Tim Tebow.


Look at this 49 Yd TD run against LSU, which is a very good defence!


And check out this clinic against the Razorbacks....



Cam for Heisman! (and I'm hoping that Auburn takes the SEC)

Jose blasts #50!

Nice job Jose Bautista! The Blue Jay slugger has given the Blue Jays its first 50 HR performance by a player with a HR shot to right field!



What a season!

What's the problem with video replay?

Is it me, or are the people at FIFA really dense? I was happy to see the Germans send the English packing after an impressive 4:1 display by the young German team, but unfortunately this victory was tainted by yet another blown call. England's Lampard looked to have knotted up the score 2:2, but the refs didn't see the goal. Video replays showed clearly that England did indeed have the equalizer, but play just went on.....

I don't want to blame the refs, after all, they have no reason to pretend it didn't happen.....I guess in the thick of things, they just didn't see it going over the goalline. But this is where FIFA has to wake up to the 21st century. Have video replay assist these officials when it comes to judging whether a goal counts or not. It won't destroy the game, it won't hold up play that long, and it will still keep the game controlled by humans.

I think FIFA really needs to just wake up to reality, and stop being so stubborn.

Enough with the diving already!

I'm no huge soccer fan, but living in Germany, it's nice to follow things like the World Cup (and the European Cup as well). It's a fun time, with the country gripped with the results of each game....

Actually I find soccer not a bad sport at all (much better than basketball). But there are still somethings about it that keep me from being a real fan of the game. The first is the low scoring nature of the game. I actually like defence and good defensive play, but when there are less than two goals per game (from both teams) on average, I think it's a bit too low scoring. I guess I'm biased from hockey, but I would think that an average of 4-5 goals per game would be nice. I'm not into American scoring demands like in Basketball, where you are supposed to score - but I would like to see a team up by two goals still try to score, rather than go into a full defensive shell.

But I think the most annoying thing about soccer is all the diving going on. Players act like they are mortally wounded if they've just been brushed by the opposing player. I'm not sure why this is tolerated by the referees, or by the fans. I mean the sight of a soccer player clutching their shin, looking like they are irreparably wounded, only to sprint down the soccer pitch two minutes later is just a joke. I think the penalty for a soccer player that dives is that they have to block 10 hockey slapshots at an NHL net. I think that would make them much tougher in a hurry......

The Big-12 is saved

Well, it seems like the Big-12 is saved! Hurray for Texas! Well they were really in it for the money, but regardless, I think it's good for football to have a strong Big-12 conference.

Note that the Big-10 will have 12 teams now (once Nebraska joins), while the Big-12 will have 10 teams (once Nebraska and Colorado leave). Ha ha ha ha, these college conference names are weird.....

Soccer Corniness

Is it EVERY soccer game that has those kids that come in hand in hand with the soccer players? What's up with that anyway? What do they contribute to the ceremony anyway? I think nothing is gained aside from CORNINESS.....

More's the pity...

Well, today we got news that Colorado will abandon the Big-12 and join the ranks of the Pac-10. Nebraska will probably also abandon the Big-12 and flee into the arms of the Big-10. The Big-12 is thus severely weakened, and may come to an end depending if Texas wants to bolt or not.....

The decisions of the Cornhuskers and Buffaloes to leave seem purely based on financial considerations. They think that they will reap a larger share of the revenue pie in their new conferences. Unfortunately, this means the end of Big-12 football, which has been arguably the source of the best football games over the past decade or two.

Texas vs. Oklahoma, Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, Nebraska vs. Missouri, Texas vs. Texas A&M, Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma, and Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma St.....these rivalries won't mean the same anymore....

All in all, a sad day for college football.....

Gilmour - classic goal in 2OT

What a goal! Gilmour in 2OT, Game 1, Norris Divison Final 1993.

Superbowl Pick

So it's gonna come down to the Colts and Saints in Superbowl XLIV....

and my official prediction is:
Saints 38, Colts 28

Why? No reason, everything on paper points to the Colts winning, but something about my gut seems to think that the Saints will pull this one off....of course, my gut has been wrong before!

Who dat?!?!?! Who dat gonna beat the Saints?!?!?!


(well, maybe the Colts, but I think Brees & Co. will come out on top)

Overtime beats Shootouts Anyday...

NHL Playoff Overtimes are the most exciting parts of sports - any sport!

Don't listen to those Shootout advocates - that's not real hockey. For proof of great overtimes, who can forget the 1993 Norris Division Semi-Final Game 7 between the Leafs and Wings? Nicolai Borschevsky from Bob Rouse and Doug Gilmour in OT!

Phaneuf a Leaf!

Wow....Dion Phaneuf a Leaf. The trade yesterday sent Phaneuf together with Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie from the Calgary Flames to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs give up meanwhile, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White. It's hard to tell (as the trade only happened yesterday) who will end up getting the upper hand in the deal - but I'm betting on the Leafs being very satisfied with this.....who knows, maybe it's the Doug Gilmour trade redux!

Here's to Phaneuf, and lot's of success in a Leafs uniform!

Another playoff classic....

How about this triple overtime goal by Gary Roberts against the Senators in 2002....



What a playoff year that was for #7!

The best six minutes anyone's ever played...

Doug Gilmour of the Toronto Maple Leafs played the best six minutes of hockey ever against the LA Kings during Game 1 of the Campbell Conference Finals.

Take a look!

Funny college football play!

Man, I haven't visited this blog in a long long time. Good thing my bro updates it pretty regularly!

Here's a pretty funny football play from the Florida vs FSU game this year...

Spiffy hockey jerseys

Have you ever seen hockey jerseys like this?



Apparently they were worn by the Kingston Frontenacs for Don Cherry Military Night, with the jerseys being auctionned off for Soldier On - an organization that helps injured Canadian soldiers.

NCAA Stupidity with Excessive Celebration Penalties

An otherwise good game last Saturday between No. 4 LSU and No. 18 Georgia was totally spoiled by the NCAA's stupid obsessiveness with excessive celebration.

Georgia took the lead on A.J. Green's catch with only 1:09 remaining, and the officials called an excessive celebration penalty on Green during perfectly sane celebrations with his teammates on a great TD catch in the dying minutes of the game. As a consequence, the Bulldogs had to kickoff from their 15 yardline, instead of the 30 yardline - giving LSU much more of a chance to comeback.

Sure enough, Charles Scott's run with 46 seconds left put LSU up for good. But of course, NCAA officials had to ruin another great play with another excessive celebration penalty.

There's not taunting from these college kids, just celebrating some great plays - let the players be players, and don't affect the destiny of the game with these pointless penalty calls!