A side of Chris Berman we've never seen

Pure Hilarity: Bird poops on reporter

Way to go Ray!

I think this is my 3rd posting about Ray Emery and his overall lack of intelligence throughout this season. The latest fiasco has ended up costing him a day's pay. Granted, it's a measly $14K out of his $2.75 million that he'll earn this year, but it's about all the Sens can do without sending him packing either on waivers or trading him for a bag of hockey pucks. There have been plenty of fans, media-types, and bloggers who have voiced their displeasure with his foolishness and even tried to come up with solutions to this on-going problem. I always enjoy what my fellow Sens Army soldier has to say over at Scarlett Ice. We're talkin' bout practice?! Yes, Allen Iverson. We are. But we're also talking about an underlying issue that has surrounded Ray over the last few years that he's been in O-Town. After all, he was returning from a binge weekend in Las Vegas when he decided to pop by to see if his team needed him around. Nah, that's OK Ray, we'll just throw up a Mr. Siv so you can shake off your hangover. I do recall a few Facebook groups from last year's Cup-run that went something like, "Please Ray, don't do drugs during the playoffs" or, "No drugs 'til after the playoffs". I don't think his tardiness has anything to do with a faulty alarm clock. Maybe he's been hanging out with Redden for too long, but there seems to be a deeper problem at the heart of this issue. He's got his contract, guaranteed cheddar, groupies, and all the accessories that goes along with living the dream. Good for you, Ray. You're what becoming a professional athlete is all about.

Go figure: Tiger loves the Buick

Surprise, surprise. Just another win at the Buick Invitational for Tiger Woods...by 8 shots! And he's now won this event 6 times! Hey maybe he gets a big bonus for winning his sponsors tourney..? He also tied Arnold Palmer for 4th on the career PGA Tour wins with 62. Funny thing is, he didn't even play all that well in the final round. Well, for his standards anyway. He was kind of all over the place. Making remarkable flop shots and rolling it decently with the flatstick, he still managed to make 3 bogies in a row on the back 9. Didn't really seem to matter much, as only 7 players broke par on Sunday (Tiger was one of them with a 71). If this is what happens when Tiger comes back after taking months off at a time, then the Tour is in for a long season. Especially when Tiger says he's playing better than he was in 2000 when he had the Tiger Slam. Good thing 2nd place pays pretty well...

East team takes All-Star Game, Snoop Dogg on skates

Thankfully, tonight's All-Star game in Atlanta was a better showing than last night's skills competition. For some reason, the skills comp just doesn't have the allure that a slam dunk contest has (obviously). But I think the NHL needs to figure out a way to develop a more entertaining show. Moving targets? Relay race? Maybe take a lesson from the WWE and have a Royal Rumble scrap? That being said, I enjoyed the actual game tonight. Some nice dangles and goals. Columbus' Rick Nash got a hatty with a few beauties, but Carolina's Eric Staal snagged the MVP honours with 3 points. There were some nice saves, like the one San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov made on Atlanta's own Ilya Kovalchuk. In the end, it was former Thrasher and current Bruin Marc Savard who potted one in the last minute to win it for the East. Alright, let's get back to the season...

The Snoop D-O-Double G will hit the ice with the Anaheim Ducks tonight on his E! reality show, "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood." The show features Snoop's son and friends saucin' it around (aka: doing their best to not fall flat on their faces while ankle-skating around the Honda Center) with Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Pronger, and George Parros. He likes the game so much, he's even considering starting a minor hockey league in SoCal! Oh, before I forget...Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella? Fo Drizzle. Boooooooooooooo.......

The ability to carry his team like no other

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, then you'll know who I'm talking about. Since I launched this site, I think I've made it pretty evident that I'm avid supporter of Daniel Alfredsson. He put his heart on the line during Ottawa's magical run to the Cup last year. But this season has brought a variety of challenges to the Ottawa Senators. Well okay, maybe not the first 15 games of the season when they were unbeatable. But, to go unbeatable, you need your goaltender to be above average (something that's been lacking). You also need players to pick up the slack when others are faltering. There have been stretches where the Senators have been nothing short of awful. Case in point: a 7-game skid in November and the first few weeks of the new years have definitely shown their vulnerabilities. Throughout this time, there's been one player who has single handedly carried this team. He goes by the name of Alfie, and he's a living legend in the city of Ottawa.

Remember when he put the team on his back during last year's post-season? I do. And if you're a hater or you simply just forget (shame on you), the Sens' 8-4 beat down in Tampa tonight is a prime example of how good he really is. A 7-point night to propel himself up from 7th to 1st in league scoring with 67 points over Vinny Lecavalier's 66. Keep in mind that Alfie's been out of the lineup with injuries a few times this year. But even with the firepower of Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, the Sens are nothing without their captain. I said it, dare to disagree? I didn't think so. I'll even go as far as saying he's the best player in the NHL. Drop me a line if you would like to dispute that claim. Oh, and stay tuned for a formal mid-season recap on the state of the league and other random thoughts I have.

JFJ gets cut loose

I'm not a John Ferguson Jr. fan by any stretch. In fact, I've found the epic failures of the Toronto Maple Leafs quite amusing. To get an idea of where I'm comin' from: a Leafs loss is just as good as a Sens win (of course, these days, the Leafs are expected to lose). But the latest debacle in The Big Smoke has to be one of the biggest management blunders in the history of the NHL. Not only did Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (aka, the doorknob Richard Peddie) publicly admit they had made a mistake by hiring JFJ, but they openly searched for his replacement...while he was still the GM! You gotta feel for him. Of course, he's brought it on himself. He can recognize talent, but he has built a brutal history of signing average hockey players to ridiculous contracts. $6 mill for Bryan McCabe?! How 'bout Pavel Kubina who makes $5 million...Darcy Tucker somehow scammed his way into a $3.5 mill per year deal. I could go on...

What many people fail to recognize is the fact that he was brought in with NO experience. Not only did have a lousy resume, but he was thrown into the fire we call the Toronto media. MLSE's management strategy has been exposed and everyone now knows that JFJ had no choice in signing those players. He was essentially a puppet to the boys at the top. For the Leafs to ever regain any kind respect in the NHL, they need to clear out all of the idiots who have driven their team into a bottom-feeding disaster and not hire Cliff Fletcher, a GM they fired a decade ago for being useless. But hey, as long as they're making millions of dollars from ignorant Leaf fans who keep showin' up, all is well.

No wonder he looked awful

I've never thought of San Diego Chargers' QB Philip Rivers as a 'franchise player'. He didn't look very good in the Bolts' loss to New England Sunday either. My buddy Pindawg thought his throws looked like he was throwing (pushing?) a shot-put. I said, "really?" Then Rivers made a 'pass' and I was convinced. We laughed. You shoulda been there cuz it really was a good time... But I digress.

Apparently Rivers went under the knife last week in order to even play in yesterday's AFC Championship. Though his knee was still a mess, he decided to play anyway. His ACL was, and I quote, "totally gone." That's what being a gamer is all about. But this begs the question: what's the better scenario? A starting quarterback at less than 50%, or a back-up quarterback at 100%?

He was visibly limping throughout the game and will be going back under the knife and will be back for training camp. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

That was disappointing...wasn't it?

Does anybody else out there agree with me about the outcome of last night's NFC Championship? The New York Giants weren't supposed to win that game. Hell, they weren't supposed to win in Tampa 2 weeks ago, nor were they supposed to win in Dallas last week. But to beat Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau and head to the Super Bowl just sounds down-right silly. Let's be honest people, Eli Manning isn't that good.

Favre was supposed to cap his career off with at least a trip to Phoenix and a shot at de-throning the all-mighty New England Patriots. At least that game would be half-worthy of watching. I know, too many hyphens. Deal with it. On another note, how many chances were the Pack gonna give Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes? (who, by the way, set a playoff record for being the first kicker to make a 40+ yard field goal at Lambeau Field) Obviously, too many. (Washington Post) Apparently, nobody loves Lawrence Tynes anyway. (Sports Illustrated) There's no photos of this, but after the winning kick, Eli looked like a disgruntled 5-year old looking for his tricycle. In reality, he was looking for his fiancee who he made sit outside with the Cheesehead-faithful in 30-below temps. She likely bolted to the nearest airport after realizing that it was colder than a witch's titty...and that he's kind of a douche.

On the links: The Palm Springs Poolsider reports back from The Bob Hope

67 degrees and sunny!

Picked up the action with John Daly, Luke Wilson, George Lopez and Samuel L. Jackson on the 10th tee. Funny group, especially Lopez who said when someone yelled, 'nice day', he replied yes, 'mail order...just like my wife'. Daly dropped a 20-footer for bird, and then dropped to his knees to thank the Lord. Jackson picked up, saying "I didn't want to embarrass myself." Watched Chad Campbell birdie the hole. He was with Cheech Marin and Don Cheedle.

Then we backtracked to #1 to pick up Weir (his 10th). I think made the turn at -3 for the day. We joined him on #2 as he was eagling the hole (his 2nd of the day). Then he went par-par-birdie before starting to implode. On #6 he sliced one to behind a tree, and made the shot of the century (Shell and I were 10 feet away), hooks it around the tree to put it on the green 220 yds away, and 10 feet from the pin! But...then in true Weir fashion, he 3-jacks it for bogey! That's how the rest of his round went...couldn't putt today. If he made some of those birdie putts, he might be at -12 today because his tee-to-green stroke play was pretty good. Weirsy played with Kevin Nealon (not particularly funny) and Kevin James (silent too). Both were hacks. Weir had about 300-350 Canadians wishing him well, groaning on every missed putt, and screaming on his eagles. He really is one helluva player, but won't win this one.

Finished the day off watching Justin Leonard, the 3rd round leader, and Jesper Parnevik, who is close to being washed up. Parnevik was playing with Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper, both pretty good golfers.

Sidenote: Roger Clemens backed out this week...likely preparing for his lies to Congress next month.

My gimp leg held up till the end and so Shell's driving home. Enjoy your snow :-(

Palm Springs Poolsider

Golfweek editor gets hung out to dry

I was getting tired of hearing about this story...until...Golfweek decided it would be a good idea to put a big picture of a noose on their cover. I mean, com'on, it's a big photo of a noose on the cover of a golf magazine. Put 2 and 2 together and you've got an absolute bonehead of a move.

Since when did Golfweek turn into a tabloid, anyway?

In the end, editor Dave Seanor was sent to the gallows and was replaced by Jeff Babineau. Kinda feel bad for the guy, since the entire golf industry has pretty much kicked his feet from underneath him. Ok, I'm sorry. Seriously though, this slip up could have some costly repercussions for the golf rag. The PGA Tour has considered pulling expensive ads and don't expect to see any Nike or Buick ads in there any time soon. (Palm Beach Post)

Obscure Jersey Thursdays: Jose Canseco

Jose Canseco was the first ever baseball player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. He was also the first player to hit 30 jacks for 4 different franchises. But, his 2005 book detailing his use of steroids puts a permanent asterisk next to his name and every one of his achievements. The book, titled Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big also lists former teammates like Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, and Rafael Palmeiro as frequent users. Com'on now, nobody likes a rat. At the end of '07, Canseco apparently reached a deal for a sequel to his New York Times bestseller.

So let's recap his career: he was the AL Rookie of the Year in '86, AL MVP in '88, was a 6-time All-Star, hit a total of 462 long bombs, got married and divorced twice, and has 2 World Series rings (Oakland '89, Yankees '00). Regardless of all his accomplishments, Canseco had some talent but he cheated. End of story. For the record, Canseco played the '95-'96 campaign in Beantown. Kinda feel for the guy sportin' his jersey. It's like wearing a jersey that says 'Douchebag'. (Photo: Straight Cash Homey)

The Hope kicks off in Cali, O.J. gets scolded, Jailtime? Go on Oprah, Minor hockey goonery

Today kicks off the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Desert. A different format from regular tournies on the schedule, The Hope has 5 rounds, including several with a bunch of C-list celebrities like Michael Bolton, Meat Loaf, and Taylor Hicks. My dad will be there for most of the rounds (he bought the weekly pass, so I hope he'd get his butt outta the pool for a few hours a day to watch) and he will be reporting back with daily updates. Here's hopin' Mike Weir plays half decent for my pool's sake. He won the thing in '03.

Speaking of scoldings. O.J. Simpson got ripped by a Las Vegas judge today for trying to contact a co-defendant in his sports memorabilia armed robbery case. “I don’t know what, Mr. Simpson, what the heck you were thinking. Or maybe that’s the problem. You weren’t..." Sounds about right. Simpson has spent the past 5 nights in a Sin City jail cell and his bail's now up to $250,000. (New York Times)

I love the society we live in. Ok, maybe I don't. Actually not at all. Not only did Marion Jones disgrace herself, her family, and her country for using steroids to win 5 Olympic medals and then lying about using the steroids, but now she gets to go on Oprah before she serves her slap-on-the-wrist 6 months in jail. I can't wait until she's out of the headlines. Even if it's only for 6 months... (Reuters)

Here's a Todd Bertuzzi-esque story coming outta my neck 'o the woods. A 21-year old minor hockey linesman was blindsided by a player while trying to break up a fight between two teams of 16 and 17 year olds. He suffered a broken jaw from the incident. (Ottawa Sun)

Fuzzy offers his 2 cents...not worth much

1979 Masters and '84 U.S. Open Champ Fuzzy Zoeller has been busy dishing up 'advice' to the recently suspended Golf Channel announcer Kelly "Lynch" Tilghman: "Just keep smiling and kill people with kindness. And remember, the sun will come up tomorrow...Time heals all wounds."

Way to go Fuzzy...

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Fuzzy and how he fits into this equation, consider these remarks he made after Tiger Woods DESTROYED the field at the '97 Masters:

"That little boy is driving well and he's putting well. He's doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year, or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve. Got it?"

This is a dead story if you ask me, but I find it pretty funny that Fuzzy felt the need to stick his nose into it. Tiger's camp has already dismissed the remarks and have moved on. It also helps that Tiger is friends with Tilghman.

Zoeller Has Some Advice for Tilghman on How to Rebound From Making Offensive Remarks (FanHouse)

Crayton's useless...G-Men take down Cowboys

I guess the theme today was 'Upset Sunday'. That's what you get when your receivers can't make a reception. Case in point: Dallas' Patrick Crayton couldn't catch a beach ball. Maybe that's why the New York Giants held on to their 21-17 lead and have a date with the Green Bay Packers next week at Lambeau Field.

It was mission critical at the end of the Dallas/New York game tonight, and nobody could catch a cold. Terrell Owens made a couple drops throughout the game, but none were as obvious as Crayton's lack of effort in the dying seconds. In fact, the Cowboy faithful even booed their team off the field. I'm still not convinced that the better team won the game today. And I'm shocked that Eli Manning has been able to lead his team this far into the postseason. I think his success may be a result of the shotty Bucs secondary and an overall poor effort by the Cowboys......And even with Jessica Simpson staying home, Tony Romo was still unable to get much going. Most of his passes were either off balance, or were just downright brutal spirals...I like to call them blueberry muffins in flight. Stay tuned for next week's predictions...San Diego @ New England, New York @ Green Bay.

Old man Favre keeps on rollin'...Bolts beat the Colts!

I'm thoroughly enjoying this year's NFL post-season. Mainly because we have the pleasure of watching the New England Patriots, who went undefeated this year. I'm loving that Brett Favre is setting records at the same time as winning games and leading the Green Bay Packers to the NFC Championship. Seattle didn't seem like much of a challenge yesterday, losing 42-20 in the snow at Lambeau. Favre became the second quarterback to pass for more than 5,000 yards in the postseason, joining the legendary Joe Montana.

Update: San Diego beats Indianapolis in Indy today 28-24, upsetting Peyton Manning and company. I was surprised not to see a late touchdown from the Colts, since they've done it so many times in the past. Should be an interesting one next week, even though the Pats will likely win.

The Beasts of the East

Let me start off by saying what a great hockey game that was last night. The energy in Scotiabank Place was electric, and resembled a playoff game. Although the Ottawa Senators managed to give up another 2-goal lead, they still hung on to beat the best team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings. Not without a price, though. Dany Heatley left the game early in the 3rd with a separated shoulder after colliding with Wings' forward Dallas Drake. Disappointing considering he's played every game since becoming an Ottawa Senator a few years ago. He was also on pace for his third straight 50-goal season, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Pavel Bure did it almost a decade ago.

I gotta give Detroit credit for making a game of it, especially after being outplayed and outworked in pretty much every area of the rink for the first 2 periods. They showed just how good they really are. It was a game full of Swedes, but none stood out as much as Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson. He opened the scoring with a hard clapper early in the 1st frame and scored the game winner with another bullet. This game was more than your average regular season game. We all love storylines...the return of former Sens netminder Dominik Hasek, all the Swedish point-getters, and of course the biggest matchup in the NHL this season. After witnessing such a good pairing last night, there is no doubt these 2 powerful teams would put on a show come June.

Ovechkin gets 9 figure cheddar

Talk about a good multi-tasker. Alexander Ovechkin not only deposits an obscene amount of pucks in the back of the net, but apparently he also negotiates $124 million contracts. That's exactly what happened today as he signed a 13-year extension with the Washington Capitals without an agent, signing on his own terms with owner Ted Leonsis and GM George McPhee. It's also the richest contract in NHL history.

That's A-Rod money. Well, not quite, but he could probably buy a small African country with amount of cash he'll be acquiring over the next decade. The contract averages out to roughly $9 mill a season - more than Sidney Crosby. Either way, ridiculous money. But hey, that's the name of the game these days. First it was Rick DiPietro's 15-year deal on the Island, then Mike Richards' 12-year deal in Philly, and now this. I'm still waiting for someone to sign a 20-year deal. Something along the lines of, "spend your entire career with us, and we'll give you a dumptruck full of money." Where do I sign?

Caps' Ovechkin signs $124M extension (Washington Times)

Ovechkin agrees to extension with Capitals (TSN)

Obscure Jersey Thursdays: Doug Flutie

Long gone are the glory days of seeing former Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie on Wheaties boxes. (Well, actually, he has his own brand called Flutie Flakes, but that's besides the point) Now the only press mention he receives is when schlubs like myself post a photo of some other schlub rockin' his jersey. Talk about a great career though, especially for a relatively small quarterback (5'10, 180). After completing the legendary "Hail Flutie" pass in a 1984 Boston College game vs. Miami, Flutie went on to win the Heisman for best college player. After playing a few seasons in the NFL, Flutie came up north to the CFL and set almost every quarterback record along with being named the best CFL player of all time and being the first non-Canadian to be inducted into the Canadian Sports HOF. He made his return to the NFL in '98 and played with Buffalo, San Diego, and New England before hangin' up his helmet in May 2006. (Photo courtesy of Straight Cash Homey)

Gotta love the Jason Varitek t-shirt in the background.

Shame on you Bobby Clarke

Philadelphia Flyers Senior VP Bobby Clarke justified and pretty much endorsed Steve Downie's vicious leap at Dean McAmmond in the preseason and his cheap shot punch (left) on Jason Blake. "When he went after Blake, I loved it."

On one hand, we have just about everybody in the NHL saying cheap shots like those should be strictly punished, and on the other, we have Bobby Clarke, who was a straight-up goon in his days with the Broadstreet Bullies of Philly saying that both players are at fault for their injuries. You're ridiculous Bobby.

I'm not defending Jason Blake by any stretch, in fact, I think he's a yappy punk who's overrated and overpaid. On top of that, he's a Maple Leaf. But to sucker someone in the face while he's tied up by a linesman is just gutless. Almost as gutless as jumping 4 feet in the air to try to end someone's career. I think it's safe to assume that this is just the beginning of some troubled years ahead for Downie, and bloggers like this drive me nuts and should have their heads checked. Sure he's a talented hockey player. He wouldn't be in the NHL if he wasn't, but he already has some baggage and will likely get his face filled in soon...then he's of little use.

Leafs not surprised by Clarke's comments (Globe & Mail)
League investigating sucker-punch on Blake (National Post)

Kelly Tilghman's an idiot, gets suspended

Hear about this one? Maybe it's because he's just TOO good that brings out the worst in some people. Remember the '97 Masters where Tiger Woods obliterated the rest of the field? Now, do you remember how sunglasses-with-necklace-wearing old timer Fuzzy Zoeller suggested that Eldrick would be serving fried chicken and collard greens at his Masters dinner? Pretty racist eh? Here's the latest brutal outburst: last Friday at the Mercedes after on-air partner Nick Faldo suggested that the others "gang up on Tiger to slow him down", Golf Channel commentator Kelly Tilghman went above and beyond and suggested that "they should lynch him in a back alley."

Scuuuuuuuse me!

I'm guessing she was just trying to come up with a proper analogy to reference Tiger's complete and utter dominance of the PGA Tour, but when you use the word 'lynch' when talking about an African American, you're gonna be seen as a pretty big racist. Lucky for her, Tiger has accepted her apology, she's been given a 2 week hiatus from the network, and things appear to be blowing over without causing too much damage. Either way, an interesting way to start off the '08 campaign.

Golf Channel Suspends Anchor for Remark (Golf Channel.com)

Announcer Idiocy: Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman (The Big Lead)

Tiger shrugs off TV commentator's lynching comment (Yahoo News)

Tiger's agent says comments were a 'non-issue' (Newsday)

Row faster! Ohio State plays Big 10 doormat...again, Cowboys fans have reason to worry

Isn't this one of the craziest photos you've ever seen? Hopefully it hasn't been altered. What would you be thinking if it was you sitting in that plastic kayak off the coast of South Africa? "I wonder if Sears has a special on new boxer shorts?" (Daily Mail)

Yet again, 'The' Ohio State Buckeyes were beat up in the BCS Championship game. Last year, it was Florida laying a 41-14 pounding. Although trailing this year's game early, LSU was able to rack up a whole wack of points en route to a 38-24 win. Now that the overly-hyped and painfully uneventful Bowl Season is behind us, the discussion will begin as to whether there should be a 'playoff' to determine the best college football team. Too bad greed will prevent it from happening, ever. Especially if the competing teams are making $40 mill to show up. (New York Times)

Dallas Cowboys fans have plenty of reason to worry about their upcoming matchup with the New York Giants. Apparently, Jessica Simpson is poison for Tony Romo. Shouldn't the shaky ankle of Terrell Owens be more of a worry? .....After one hell of an emotional season at the helm, Joe Gibbs resigned as head coach of the Washington Redskins. (Washinton Post)

After playing a lil Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare yesterday, I was thinking my buddy Ragbone needed to get one of these to make the game even MORE realistic. (Bits & Bytes)

Salad's got nuttin' on this mutton

Some random stories to peruse while you're chewin' the fat........

Hey fellow PR graduates or current students, still looking for a job? How about a public relations internship with the amazing New York Islanders? Long Island...where the excitement never ends. Umm... I got nothin'...

The Ottawa Senators are (obviously) the early favourite to come outta the Eastern Conference.

A lil' outdoor puck in downtown Minneapolis? It's about the only other hockey market in the US where it would be a success. Plus, the new TCF Bank Stadium would be a perfect venue...when it's completed of course.

13 years ago former NBA player Isaiah Rider kicked a female bar manager, and now he's packin' (illegal) heat.

Emery stays sharp...fights McGrattan

This is what you get when you have 2 guys spending too much time together with too much testosterone (steroids?) flowing through their systems. Thanks to my boy Hambone and his keen observations, it's being reported today that Senators goalie Ray Emery and Sens' resident tough-guy Brian McGrattan had a little dust-up in practice this morning. (Ottawa Sun) "I've got to keep him sharp. You never know when he's going to fight again," said McGrattan, who's also one of Emery's good friends. Still, that's not the smartest thing to do considering the recent amount of negative media attention towards the Razor, but hey, sometimes you just gotta chuck'em. Looks like Emery landed a nice right, but McG's right fist doesn't look like it's a happy camper.

Monday morning melancholy

Welcome to Monday, folks. Ok, so even though I wasn't able to post my picks for yesterday's wild card games (mainly because I was too lazy to open up my laptop) , I would've taken the Buccaneers and the Chargers. So, with the Redskins losing to Seattle and the Jaguars beating the Steelers (twice!), I'm officially 2-2 in the post-season. Woulda been 3-1, but let my loyalty to Tampa get in the way. I know he doesn't have the strongest arm, but how come Jeff Garcia couldn't throw the ball more than 15 yards? Combine that with Eli Manning picking apart the Tampa secondary, and you've got yourself an early exit. (New York Post) ........ 13 years later, Ladainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers win a playoff game. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Neat, scary: a blogger ran into the man who is accused of allegedly abducting and murdering the hiker in the Georgia mountains. (Atlanta Sports Fan, CNN)

130th-ranked Mr. Clean...er...Daniel Chopra defeated Steve Stricker in a 4-hole playoff yesterday to win the Mercedes Championships in Maui. Canadians Stephen Ames and Mike Weir finished T-3rd T-4th respectively. (Honolulu Advertiser)

The Buffalo Sabres continue to lose as Marian Hossa's 2 goals power Thrashers to 5-2 vic. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

On the heels of a highly-publicized appearance of CBS' '60 Minutes,' Roger Clemens has reportedly sued his former trainer, Brian McNamee. (Houston Chronicle) Who do you believe, Rocket Roger or McNamee? (All on the Field)

Isiah Thomas says he's confident the Knicks will win a title with him at the helm. Unfortunately, the title in question is "Biggest Disaster." (FanNation)

Weir and Ames lead Mercedes, Sens hold on in Buff, Saturday = sports, Vote for CB4

A good start for the Canadians at the PGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes Championships in Kapalua, Maui. '03 Masters Champ Mike Weir fired a 6-under 67 in yesterday's 2nd round to post a 1 shot lead over Calgary's Stephen Ames. 3rd round continues today with coverage on The Golf Channel at 6pm.

It's a good thing Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson are natural-born lamplighters. Both scored late in the 3rd to stop a Buffalo Sabres rally helping the Sens win 5-3. Bufftown has now lost 5 in a row. Sens D Anton Volchenkov made his return to the lineup after missing a month with a broken index finger, and made his presence felt almost immediately as he flattened Daniel Paille. Paille left the game with a broken everything. Atta boy A-Train.

The NFL playoffs get kicked off today at 4:30pm with the Washington Redskins visiting Seattle. This is a tough one to pick. The Redskins are riding a huge wave of emotion for fallen teammate Sean Taylor, and the longer they stay in the game, the better their chances for an upset. If they can't ride it, expect the potent Seahawks offence to send'em packing....I'll take the Redskins in a squeeker...... At 8pm, we've got the Jacksonville Jaguars in steeltown to see if they can beat Pittsburgh twice at Heinz Field this season. Expect the Jags' RB Fred Taylor to pound away at the Steelers' defence with a steady run. QB David Garrard will also be looking to prove he can win in the post-season. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will be throwing often against a shaky Jags secondary. Should be a good one.....I'm taking the Jags to beat'em again....... It's Saturday so obviously the NHL has a slew of games...Some of the leagues best gunners are in Ottawa tonight. NHL point leader Vincent Lecavalier along with linemate Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Sens' Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza.... should be some HON candidates for SportsCentre tonight.

Oh, before I forget...By the numbers, Leafs are in trouble. (TSN)

Sean Avery – A pioneer in the field of douchery since inception. (Food Court Lunch)

Don't forget to vote for Chris Bosh...apparently he really wants your votes. His buddy Bubba makes this video worth watching.

Tucker and Leafs beat up in Pitt, Oakland loses 2 of their best, Anaheim/Beantown swap ex-Sens

If the Pittsburgh Penguins were exhausted after the Winter Classic on Tuesday, it didn't show tonight. Evgeni Malkin got his first career hatty beating down the struggling Leafs 6-2. Of course, the way Toronto played tonight, a house league team coulda beat'em. They're in some serious trouble, hitting the midway point of the campaign at 16-17-8. When are things gonna change at MLSE? Just brutal. (Globe Sports)

Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp announced his retirement today, ending his 13-year career in the NFL. The '99 NFL Defensive Player of the Year earned a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2002 and has played in 7 Pro Bowls with the Bucs and Raiders. Apparently, he's considering becoming an analyst "of some sort"...because we don't have enough of those. Seriously though, I was always a fan....... Another blow to Oakland sports as the A's dealt outfielder and fan favourite Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for 3 prospects. It's clear that GM David Forst is writing off the '08 season and most likely '09 as well in an effort to rebuild the franchise around prospects. He picked up a few more a few weeks ago when he dealt his ace hurler Dan Haren to Arizona. It'll be a while A's fans. Sit tight. (Oakland Tribune)

Here's a story out of the 'who cares' file: Anaheim dealt Shane Hnidy to Boston for Brandon Bochenski and a 6th rounder. Both former Ottawa Senators who couldn't cut it in the Capital. (Boston Globe)

Obscure Jersey Thursdays: Jeff Garcia

In honour of this weekend's New York/Tampa Bay NFC matchup, I thought a rare Philadelphia Eagles Jeff Garcia jersey would suffice for Obscure Jersey Thursdays (OJT). This proves once again that it's always a gamble when you rush out to get the latest player's jersey.

After bouncing from San Francisco to Cleveland to Detroit to Philly with a series of 1-year contracts, the former CFL-er is looking to lead the Bucs to their first playoff win since Super Bowl XXXVII. Should be a good game, and if T-Bay can lock down the secondary, the Giants will be in for one helluva tough time scoring. (Photo courtesy of Straight Cash Homey)

A true classic belongs north of the border

The Winter Classic was nothing less than a spectacle for hockey fans. Especially hockey fans like me who were raised by an outdoor sheet of ice. I was impressed by the 70,000+ fans who showed up at Ralph Wilson Stadium and enjoyed themselves in Buffalo yesterday. It would be hard not to enjoy yourself. Sure it snowed a whole helluva lot, but it certainly wasn't that cold (especially if you're 12 pints deep by the end of the 1st frame).

But compared to the 2003 Habs/Oilers outdoor matchup, this game was lacking something. Maybe because it was played in the US. Maybe because the ice crew had to come onto the ice to fix the same hole every 15 seconds. Maybe because the score (2-1) didn't truly reflect what a real game of shinny should be. Especially after Sid the Kid's Penguins opened the scoring in the first minute. With the amount of raw danglers on both teams, I thought this would be a high-scoring affair. There are some bloggers and media-types alike who have continuously stated the obvious all day long. Yes, there was lots of snow and the zambonis needed to flood every 10 minutes. But hey, it's winter. And yes, the game went on forever, but how many time-outs are called in the last 3 minutes of an NBA or NCAA basketball game? Sure it may say 3 minutes on the clock, but in reality, you're committing the next hour of your life to watching a bunch of flagrant fouls and free-throws. Excitement much? Negatory. Listen, the NHL can't play mother nature, and in reality, it was a pretty fun to watch a different kind of hockey game. It sure beat the hell outta watching the Senators lose again to the lowly Capitals in front of 3,416 Verizon Center fans (OK, so maybe there were more fans than that, but you get my point).

Overall, I'm happy with G-Betts the Commish taking the initiative and trying to spark interest in a football-saturated US marketplace, but let's hope next year it's north of the border where the game was born and where it belongs.