H O C K E Y D I N O

Da Bears

A man had 50 yard line tickets for the Super Bowl
Bear's game. As he sits down, a man comes down and asks
if anyone is sitting in the seat next to him.
"No," he says, "the seat is empty."
"This is incredible," said the man. "Who in their right mind would
have a seat like this for the Bears Super Bowl game, the biggest
sporting event in the world, and not use it?"
He says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed
to come with my wife, but she passed away.
This is the first Bears game we haven't been to together
since we got married in 1967."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone
else - - a friend or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?"
The man shakes his head. "No, they're all at the funeral.

"Go Bears....

My favorite baseball card set of all time is 1978 Topps. No, it's not the best designed set...nor the best looking. There's many years that are far superior. Heck I really like 72 and 77 more for their looks. But 78 had the game on the back. As a kid we would play the game on the back for hours on end.

No other sport lends itself to nostalgia like baseball. Baseball cards are a part of that component that fuels our memories.

"We have a healthy league" Gary Bettman during the all star game intermission.

This guy is clueless. Look I supported the owners during the lockout...because they
were right. However they promised a better league. He says more teams are healthy
financially. Well you know what? WHO CARES. What about the fans. The fans are
getting screwed. Teams are only financially better because of the cap, but that hasnt
translated to better hockey, or coverage.

And Ron McClean wants to expand to 32 teams? NO GET RID OF 6 TEAMS! He needs
to get his head out of the Canadian sand.

What is wrong with these people? No one cares about the jerseys! These guys are scrambling. They want to model themselves after the NBA and it wont/cant work.

Illitch sell the team if you know what is good for you. Get out of town now.

What's wrong with hockey in Detroit?

The Montreal Canadians came to the JLA the other day for the first time in 4 years.
The fact the Red Wings have to play Anaheim, LA, Vancouver, SJ during the playoffs when their fans have to sleep is ridiculous. Keep them in the eastern time zone.
The All Star game is on a Wednesday Night. Instead of using Super Bowl break week they do this...and its on Verses. What the hell is Verses?
Division rivalrys are crap when they are fabricated. I will never care about Nashville or Columbus, let alone 8 times a year.
The game may be faster, but there is less hitting. I'm glad the clutch and grabbing is gone, but the phantom calls for power plays is a joke. Where's the physicality? NFL understands.
Lackof respect by the NHL Commissioner to one of the top franchises in hockey. Typical east coast bias per usual.
No real characters on the team. Everyone is a model citizen and super happy. Not that this is bad, but it doesnt make you want to see who's battling for ice time, or who has a chip on their shoulder. It's not there.
Complacency of the fans...they've just won alot..the regular season doesnt mean much.
Who can afford to go to games at $50 plus a ticket, plus food, parking, and gas?
The economy has had an impact.
The lockout has had an impact.
The NHL needs to take note, if the Red Wing fans dont get it...it doesnt matter. Next will be Montreal and Toronto...ok maybe not Montreal.
Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, and Kovalcuk are hidden in the east. We never see these guys.
Lack of a real tv contract has hurt.
The slappy coverage of the Wings in the local papers has over dosed us on stupd crap. How many times can we read what Drapes eats for breakfast?
Compared to the Palace, Copa, and Ford Field...JLA sucks!
Ken Daniels spends more time talking during the play about things outside of hockey then the game action itself. It's enough to bore the hell out of you. Bob Cole is still the master, where every shift has you on the edge of your seat even in a lopsided game.
The DSR after the game on Fox Sports is annoying as hell. They broadcast from Seattle yet speak as if they are Detroiters. Who's buying this crap? Not me.
We've been fooled so many times about winning the regular season, we know the playoffs are all that matters - winning it all. President's Trophy mean nothing.

I long for the good old days of hockey.

Tony Baloney

Affirmation on idiocy

"There's no way the Lions fans would ever take back Barry Sanders" Tony Ortiz

"The Lions throw back jerseys are the worst in pro sports" Tony Ortiz

(paraphrasing)

Sunday Musings

According to today's Philadelphia Inquirer, there's an ad on craigslist.org from two "very attractive" grad students who will let you watch them have sex in exchange for Eagles-Giants seats. Even better, these kids will let you do more than watch. You can even script the plays. Interesting.

Saban is a sellout, but is anyone really surprised? Let's hope he fails.

I always encourage everyone to enjoy the finer things in life. For instance watching Notre Dame get crushed by LSU is good for the soul. Les Miles!

Did you feel bad Romo botched the hold? Yeah maybe a little. No wait...he's dated Jessica Simpson, and now is dating Carrie Underwood. So no, scratch that. It's very nice to see America's team lose.

I can't see the Colts doing much against the Ravens. The week off may hurt the Ravens, but once they get going that defense should do wonders. The Chiefs offense was Lionesque that's for sure. LJ was invisible.

There's news that Columbus Blue Jackets may move to the East if Pittsburgh goes to Kansas City. Why in the world do they get dibs, and the Wings have to stay in the west. Bettman...you got what you wanted with the lockout however this would be another bone head move. The Wings need to play Toronto and Montreal, not Nashville and Minnesota 100 times a year. Your sport is dying a slow death.

Overhyped: The persona of Steve Yzerman. Mr. wonderful. Captain Fantastic. blah blah blah. What a great marketing tool. The Pistons do the same thing with Dumars, and he can do no wrong. The same applies to the humble captain. Nice retirement ceremony, but I can't help but think the Wings organization feeds on this crap to help sales. If he really is that humble, then shut up. Is there a need to hear over and over how everyone else deserves the accolades but him? You all know I have a sore spot when it comes to Red Wings slappyville.

I love the first 3 rounds of the NFL playoffs.

I can't stand Michael Irvin. All the pregame football shows suck, with the exception of CBS. The only crew that doesnt sit there and laugh and talk over each other. It's rather annoying.

Can we start eliminating some useless bowl games?

Hey how about that former Lion Jeff Garcia? He could be mayor of Philly...along with coach Marty.

Big SEC Little Ten

Very nice that that OSU got jacked up by Florida. I could not root for either though since they are both part of the Axis of Sports Evil. I just wanted to see a good game.

I cannot stand the talk or the line of thinking that you need to root for the Big Ten. I find that absurd. I want all the Big Ten teams to lose when they play Michigan, so why would I want them to win when they don't? To strengthen the conference? Tell me what having OSU win the National Championship is good for Michigan? I'm a fan of Michigan...I never root for OSU! NEVER! If OSU wins, they get the benefit of the recruiting do they not?

I also don't believe in the fact that the SEC is better than the Big Ten. Big Ten teams did beat SEC teams this year...does that count? They may be better, but I don't see it as a factor in anything. Not until there is a true playoff system.