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.