Friday, February 26, 2010

Do you believe in miracles?

NEVER SAY NEVER!!!
30 YEAR AGO TEAM USA SURPRISED THE SOVIETS AT THE 1980 OLYMPICS ON THEIR WAY TO A GOLD MEDAL…
IT STILL STANDS THE BIGGEST UPSET IN HOCKEY HISTORY…
BEFORE THE KICK OFF AT SUPER BOWL 3…THE BALTIMORE COLTS WERE FAVORED BY 20 POINTS TO BEAT THE NEW YORK JETS…
JOE NAMATH BACKED UP HIS GUARENTEE AND PULLED OFF THE BIGGEST UPSET IN SUPER BOWL HISTORY…
IN 1990…BUSTER DOUGLAS WAS A 42-1 LONG SHOT AGAINST MIKE TYSON…
IN THE 10TH ROUND…DOUGLAS KNOCKED OUT TYSON TO BECOME THE NEW HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD…
AGAINST THAT BACKDROP…IT IS SAFE TO SAY…
“ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE”…
IT ALSO HELPS TO EXPLAIN WHY HOCKEY FANS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE A LITTLE NERVOUS AS THEY PREPARE FOR TONIGHT’S SHOWDOWN WITH SLOVAKIA…
ON PAPER…THIS IS SHOULD NOT BE CLOSE…
BUT THEY DO NOT PLAY THE GAME ON PAPER…
TWO NIGHTS AGO…TEAM SWEDEN WAS EXPECTED TO ROLL OVER THE SLOVAKS…
INSTEAD THE DEFENDING OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS WERE SENT HOME…EMPTY HANDED…
IN THE WORDS OF HENRIK SEDIN...“WE WERE THE FAVORITES AND WE COULDN’T HANDLE IT”…
“I HOPE CANADA DOES A BETTER JOB”….
AMEN TO THAT!!!
IT’S THIS SIMPLE…
IF CANADA PLAYS THE SAME GAME TONIGHT…THAT THEY PLAYED WEDNESDAY AGAINST THE RUSSIANS…
THEY’LL MEET TEAM USA IN THE GOLD MEDAL GAME ON SUNDAY…
ON WEDNESDAY THE CANADIANS USED…THEIR SPEED TO TAKE AN EARLY 3-0 LEAD…
AND THEY USED THEIR SIZE TO PHYSICALLY ELIMINATE THE SKILL OF THE RUSSIANS…
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN WAS SHUTOUT…AND WAS MINUS 2 ON THE NIGHT
ACCORDING TO SIDNEY CROSBY…
THE SLOVAKS CAN EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME…
IN HIS WORDS…”WE STILL WANT TO COME OUT THE SAME WAY…WE WANT TO COME OUT HARD”…
SOUNDS GOOD…BUT…THERE IS STILL THE MEMORY OF 1998…
WHEN DOMINIC HASEK CLOSED THE DOOR ON TEAM CANADA…
CAN YOU SAY…”JAROSLAV HALAK”???
WHICH GETS US TO THE HARD REALITY OF SPORTS…”EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW…YOU NEVER KNOW”…

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Team Canada

DON CHERRY CALLED IT…
“WE’RE GONNA SMOKE ‘EM”
AND LASTNIGHT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT TEAM CANADA DID…
THEY SMOKED THE RUSSIANS 7-3…
IN MANY RESPECTS THE GAME WAS OVER…13 MINUTES INTO THE FIRST PERIOD…
THANKS TO GOALS BY RYAN GETLAF…DAN BOYLE AND RICK NASH…THE SCORE WAS SUDDENLY 3-0…
ACCORDING TO CHERRY THERE’S NO SECRET TO THIS SUDDEN TURN AROUND…
IN HIS WORDS…”THEY’RE HUNGRY LIKE WOLVES”…
NO WHERE WAS THAT MORE EVIDENT THAN WITH THE PLAY OF SHEA WEBER…
IN THE EARLY IN THE FIRST PERIOD WEBER NAILED ALEXANDER OVECHKIN INTO THE BOARDS…
AFTER THAT HIT…OVECHKIN PULLED A DISAPPEARING ACT…
HE FINISHED THE GAME WITH NO POINTS…AND A MINUS 2…
WHICH GETS US BACK TO CHERRY:
WHO SAYS THE PROBLEM EARLY IN THE TOURNAMENT WAS TEAM CANADA WAS NOT PLAYING BIG…
THEN WITH A LAUGH…HE ADDS…”THEY’RE PLAYING BIG NOW”…
NEXT STOP IS SLOVAKIA ON FRIDAY NIGHT…
AND ALTHOUGH NOBODY ON TEAM CANADA WILL SAY IT…
THE BIG PRIZE IS WAITING FOR THEM ON SUNDAY IN THE GOLD MEDAL GAME…
ANOTHER SHOT AT THE AMERICANS…
THE SAME AMERICANS WHO STUCK IT TO TEAM CANADA LAST SUNDAY NIGHT…
SO…HOW DEEP DOES THIS RIVALRY GO???
BEFORE THE GAMES…JACK JOHNSON OF THE L.A. KINGS OFFERED TO FLY OUT HIS 3 USA TEAMMATES…TO SEE THE OPENING CEREMONY…
BUT HE DID NOT EXTEND THAT OFFER TO DREW DOUGHTY OF TEAM CANADA…
ACCORDING TO JOHNSON…”IT WAS A SMALL PLANE”…
NOBODY IS BUYING THAT CRAP…
AND AS A RESULT…JOHNSON AND DOUGHTY HAVE NOT EVEN TALKED TO EACH OTHER SINCE ARRIVING IN VANCOUVER…
THEN THERE’S RYAN KESLER…
WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABOUT THE CANADIANS…HE FLAT OUT SAID…”I HATE THEM”…
IN THE WORDS OF DON CHERRY…“I CAN HARDLY WAIT”
HE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE…

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

crosby vs. Ovechkin

THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL…
THE RIVALRY BETWEEN CANADA AND RUSSIA HAS MORE HISTORY THAN PARIS HILTON…
BUT TONIGHT’S “SHOW DOWN” IS ALSO A “SHOWCASE” FOR THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN THE GAME…
SIDNEY CROSBY AND ALEXANDER OVECHKIN…
EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM IS IN CONTRAST…
CROSBY BELONGS ON A BOX OF WHEATIES…
OVECHKIN BELONGS AT THE “BACK BAR” AT THE ROXY…
BUT WHAT IS TRULY GREAT ABOUT THESE TWO…IS THE SIMPLE FACT…THEY HONESTLY DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER…
AND BECAUSE OF THAT…
THEY SEEM TO SAVE THEIR BEST FOR EACH OTHER…
THEIR FIRST MEETING WAS AT THE 2005 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS…
CANADA BEAT RUSSIAN IN THE GOLD MEDAL GAME…
IN THE FALL…THEY BROKE IN AS ROOKIES…
AND ON NOVEMBER 22ND…THEY WENT HEAD TO HEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME…
EACH SCORED AND GOAL AND COLLECTED 3 POINTS AS THE PENGUINS WON 5-4…
BUT BY THE END OF THE SEASON…IT WAS OVECHKIN WHO TOOK HOME THE CALDER…
IN THEIR FIRST 3 YEARS IN THE LEAGUE…
CROSBY HAS WON BOTH THE HART TROPHY…AND THE ART ROSS…
OVECHKIN HAS 2 HARTS AND 1 ART ROSS…
LAST SPRING…THESE TWO FINALLY MET IN THE PLAYOFFS…
GAME 2…DEFINED WHAT THESE PLAYERS ARE ALL ABOUT…
EACH SCORED A HAT TRICK…AS WASHINGTON WON 4-3…AND TOOK A 2-0 LEAD IN THE SERIES…
BUT CROSBY AND PENGUINS FOUGHT BACK…
IN GAME 7…CROSBY SCORED 2 GOALS AS THE PENGUINS BLEW OUT THE CAPITALS 6-2…
PITTSBURGH THEN WENT ON TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP…
THEIR LAST MEETING…WAS JUST A WEEK BEFORE THE START OF THE OLYMPICS…
IN FRONT OF A NATIONAL AUDIENCE ON NBC…CROSBY SCORED 2 GOALS TO LEAD PITTSBURGH TO A 4-1 LEAD…
ONLY TO WATCH OVECHKIN SCORE 3 OF HIS OWN…
AS THE CAPITALS BEAT THE PENGUINS 5-4 IN OVERTIME…
NO QUESTION…TONIGHT’S GAME IS ABOUT CANADA AND RUSSIA…
BUT IT’S ALSO ABOUT CROSBY AND OVECHKIN…
THE BEST RIVARY IN SPORTS…

Monday, February 22, 2010

Roberto Luongo

IT’S NOT LIKE CANADIAN HOCKEY FANS HAVEN’T SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE…
12 YEARS AGO IN NAGANO…IT WAS DOMINIK HASEK…WHO OUT PLAYED PATRICK ROY…
AS A RESULT…THE CZECHS WENT HOME WITH THE GOLD MEDAL…
TEAM CANADA CAME HOME WITH NOTHING…
IN A SHORT TOURNAMENT LIKE THE OLYMPICS…
IT IS NOT ALWAYS THE TEAM WITH THE BEST TALENT THAT WINS…
BUT OFTEN…IT’S THE TEAM WITH THE BEST GOALTENDER…
AND LASTNIGHT…RYAN MILLER WAS MORE PROOF OF THAT…
AFTER THE GAME…TEAM CANADA HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK WAS CAREFUL NOT TO THROW MARTIN BRODEUR UNDER THE ZAMBONI…
AT 5.30 THIS AFTERNOON BABCOCK WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE…AT WHICH TIME HE’S EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE…
THE JOB NOW BELONGS TO ROBERTO LUONGO…
LET’S BE CLEAR ABOUT ONE THING…
LASTNIGHT WAS NOT JUST A ROUGH NIGHT FOR BRODEUR…IT WAS JUST THE LATEST IN WHAT HAS BEEN A MONTH LONG SLUMP…
HEADING INTO THE OLYMPICS….BRODUER HAD LOST 11 OF 16….INCLUDING 4 OF HIS LAST 5 GAMES WITH THE DEVILS…
IN HIS LAST START BEFORE HEADING TO VANCOUVER…BRODEUR GAVE UP 4 GOALS ON 22 SHOTS TO CAROLINA…AND WAS PULLED…
BABCOCK KNEW ALL THIS…AND STILL WENT WITH BRODUER…
UNFORTUNATELY IN THIS GAME…YOU PAY FOR YOUR MISTAKES…
TO WIN THE GOLD…TEAM CANADA NEEDS TO WIN 4 STRAIGHT…
IT BEGINS TOMORROW WITH GERMANY…
THEN RUSSIA…
THEN SWEDEN…
AND IF THEY SURVIVE ALL THAT…
ODDS ARE…THEY’LL SEE THE U.S. IN THE FINAL…
IT WOULD BE EASY TO WRITE THEM OFF…BUT THINK BACK TO 2002…
IN THE OPENER…SWEDEN BLASTED CANADA 5-2…
HEAD COACH PAT QUINN REPLACED CURTIS JOSEPH WITH MARTIN BRODEUR AND CANADA WENT ONTO WIN THE GOLD…
SO HOW EXACTLY THIS MOVIE ENDS…IS STILL UNCLEAR…
BUT AS OF TODAY…THE STARING ROLE…NOW BELONGS TO ROBERTO LUONGO…

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tiger Woods

THIS MORNING WHEN THE FOLKS AT VANOC WOKE UP…
THEY MAY HAVE NOTICED THE SUN WAS OUT…
IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE…
AFTER ALMOST A WEEK OF MISTAKES…SOME MORE TRAGIC THAN OTHERS…
THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS HAVE BECOME TARGET PRACTICE FOR THE AMERICAN MEDIA…
FROM DAVID LETTERMAN TO ESPN…THEY HAVE ALL TAKEN THEIR SHOTS…
SOME EARNED…SOME NOT…
BUT TODAY…THE ORGANIZERS OF THE GAMES WERE GIVEN THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL…
TIGER WOODS…
ON FRIDAY WOODS WILL FINALLY SPEAK TO THE MEDIA…
ACCORDING TO HIS AGENT MARK STEINBERG…
“THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE NEXT STEP”…”HE’S LOOKING FORWARD TO IT”…
YEAH…RIGHT…
LIKE BERNIE MADOFF WAS…”LOOKING FORWARD TO”…SOME QUITE TIME IN PRISON…
HOW’S THIS FOR AN IRONIC TWIST…
THE PRESS CONFERENCE WILL COME DURING THE “ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP”…
AS YOU MAY KNOW…
ACCENTURE IS ONE OF THE COMPANIES THAT DUMPED TIGER OVER HIS SEX SCANDAL…
THE COMING OUT PARTY…WILL BE SHOWN LIVE ON SATELITE…AND ONLY A HANDFULL OF SELECTED REPORTERS WILL BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND…
WHICH IS A NICE WAY OF SAYING…”TIGER WILL CONTROL THE MESSAGE”…
WITH GOOD REASON!!!
EARLIER THIS WEEK A PORN STAR REVEALED…SHE WAS KNOCKED UP…NOT ONCE BUT TWICE…THANKS TO TIGER…
AND THEN THERE’S THAT “ALLEGED” SEX TAPE …WITH TIGER AND 2 OTHER WOMEN…
SUDDENLY A LACK OF SNOW AT CYPRESS…AND A BROKEN DOWN ZAMBONI…DO NOT SEEM LIKE SUCH A BIG DEAL…
WHO KNEW THAT 7 YEARS AGO…WHEN THE CITY OF VANCOUVER WON THE RIGHT TO HOST TO THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS…
THE PEOPLE MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR SAVING THEM…WOULD BE THE WORLD’S BEST GOLFER…AND HIS LONG LIST OF SKANKS…
BUT THAT’S THE KEY TO LIVING IN VANCOUVER…
WHEN SUN FINALLY DOES COME OUT…
DO NOT ASK WHY…SIMPLY ENJOY IT…

Monday, February 15, 2010

Team Canada

TODAY TEAM CANADA HANDED IN ITS 23 MAN ROSTER…
ON THE LIST WAS THE NAME RYAN GETLAF…
ALL THE QUESTIONS ABOUT GETLAF’S HIGH ANKLE SPRAIN WERE ANSWERED YESTERDAY WHEN HE COLLECTED 4 POINTS AS THE DUCKS DROPPED EDMONTON 7-3…
NOW COMES THE HARD PART…
FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE YZERMAN…AND HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK…THE BIG DECISION IS…
WHO WILL BE CANADA’S STARTING GOALTENDER???
TOMORROW WHEN TEAM CANADA MEETS NORWAY…MARTIN BRODEUR IS EXPECTED TO GET THE START…
THIS IS THE SAME MARTIN BRODEUR WHO WAS PULLED ON SATURDAY NIGHT…AFTER HE GAVE UP 4 GOALS ON JUST 22 SHOTS…
THE SAME MARTIN BRODEUR WHO HAS LOST 4 OF HIS LAST 5 STARTS FOR THE DEVILS…
HIS BACK UP TOMORROW IS EXPECTED TO BE ROBERTO LUONGO…
THE SAME ROBERTO LUONGO WHO WAS PULLED ON SUNDAY IN MINNESOTA…AFTER GIVING UP 5 GOALS ON 32 SHOTS…
THE SAME ROBERTO LUONGO WHO WAS ALSO PULLED AT THE START OF THE ROAD TRIP IN TORONTO…BY GIVING UP 3 GOALS ON 8 SHOTS…
THEN THERE’S MARC ANDRE FLEURY…WHO HAS STRUGGLED ALL SEASON…
BOTH HIS “GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE” AND HIS “SAVE PERCENTAGE” ARE CURRENTLY…24TH IN THE NHL…
ALSO KEEP IN MIND…HEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT…FLEURY HAS LOST 4 OF HIS LAST 5 STARTS…
IT’S NO SECRET…IN A SHORT TOURNAMENT LIKE THE OLYMPICS…
GOALTENDING IS CRITICAL…
JUST THINK BACK TO 2002…
TEAM CANADA STARTED CURTIS JOSEPH AND WERE BLOWN OUT 5-2 BY SWEDEN…
FORTUNATELY BRODUER WAS ABLE TO “COME TO THE RESCUE”…
8 YEARS LATER AND THIS COUNTRY IS ONCE AGAIN LOOKING FOR A SAVIOR…
AND THE HARD REALITY IS THIS…
TEAM CANADA HAS EXACTLY ONE WEEK…TO FIND ONE…

Monday, February 8, 2010

Peyton Manning

“WIDE RIGHT”…
TWO WORDS THAT DEFINED SUPER BOWL 25…
TWO WORDS SCOTT NORWOOD OF THE BUFFALO BILLS WILL TAKE TO HIS GRAVE…
JACKIE SMITH IS IN THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME…
BUT WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU HEAR HIS NAME…
THE DROPPED PASS IN THE ENDZONE IN SUPER BOWL 13…
ONE MISTAKE THAT COST THE DALLAS COWBOYS A CHAMPIONSHIP…
WHICH GETS US TO SUNDAY AND SUPER BOWL 44…IN MIAMI:
WITH LESS THAN 4 MINUTES LEFT IN THE 4TH QUARTER…
AND THE COLTS DOWN 24-17…PEYTON MANNING WAS PICKED OFF BY TERRY PORTER…
74 YARDS LATER THE SAINTS WERE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS…
IN A GAME THAT HAD MORE STORY LINES THAN A “SEINFELD RE-UNION”…
THIS IS THE MOMENT…THAT WILL BE TALKED ABOUT FOR DECADES…
KEEP IN MIND…MANNING CAME INTO THE GAME AS THE LEAGUE’S MVP…
THE 4TH TIME HIS WON THAT AWARD…
BUT ONCE AGAIN HE WENT HOME WITHOUT A RING…
PEYTON MANNING STILL REMAINS ONE OF 18 STARTING QUARTERBACKS WITH A SINGLE SUPER BOWL VICTORY…
THE LIST INCLUDES SOME GREAT PLAYERS…INCLUDING…
STEVE YOUNG…
JOE NAMATH…
KEN STABLER…AND BRETT FARVE…
BUT NONE OF THEM…NOT EVEN FARVE…HAD 4 MVP TROPHIES…
WHETHER IT’S FAIR OR NOT…
NFL QUARTERBACKS ARE JUDGED BY THE NUMBER OF SUPER RINGS…
JOE MONTANA AND TERRY BRADSHAW EACH HAVE 4…
TROY AIKMAN AND TOM BRADY HAVE 3…
JOHN ELWAY HAS 2…
THE SIMPLE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THIS…
YESTERDAY DREW BREES OUTPLAY PEYTON MANNING…
AND IT WAS BREES WHO WAS NAMED THE GAME’S “MOST VALUABLE PLAYER…
SO WHERE DOES ALL THIS LEAVE MANNING AND HIS LEGACY???
WELL TO START WITH…THE HALL OF FAME IS STILL A LOCK…
BUT IS HE THE GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME???
YOU CAN NOT MAKE THAT ARGUMENT…
NOT AS LONG AS HE HAS THE SAME NUMBER OF RINGS AS:
MARK RYPIEN…DOUG WILLIAMS AND TRENT DILFER…

Friday, February 5, 2010

Super Bowl

IT’S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL BUT THE NFL LIKES IT…
MORE IMPORTANTLY…THEY TRUST IT…
NO WHERE WAS THAT MORE EVIDENT THAN IN 2002…
JUST MONTHS AFTER 9-11…THE LEAGUE HANDED THE SUPER BOWL HALF TIME SHOW TO U2…
IT REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFULL AND EMOTIONAL PERFORMANCES OF ALL TIME…
THINK ABOUT THIS…
THE NFL…A CORPORATION WHICH DOES $8 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR WORTH OF BUSINESS…
NOW FIRMLY BELIEVES…
”ROCK AND ROLL” IS A DEPENDABLE BUSINESS PARTNER…
IT’S MORE PROOF THAT IF YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH…YOU WILL SEE EVERYTHING…
BUT IT ALSO EXPLAINS “WHY” THIS SUNDAY…AT THE SUPER BOWL IN MIAMI…“THE WHO”…WILL BE ON STAGE AT HALF TIME…
NOW IN THEIR MID-SIXTIES…ROGER DALTRY AND PETE TOWNSHEND ARE SEEN IN THE EYES OF THE LEAGUE AS…“NICE AND SAFE”…
IT WAS NOT ALWAYS THAT WAY…
LET’S GET IN THE “WAY BACK MACHINE”…AND SET THE DATE TO…THE 60’S
“THE WHO” WAS A BAND…SCREAMING ABOUT “MY GENERATION”…
THEY HAD NASTY HABIT OF TRASHING THE STAGE AND THEIR HOTEL ROOMS…
AND THEY LOST THEIR DRUMMER…KEITH MOON TO A DRUG OVER DOSE…
IN 1971…THE WHO RELEASED…”WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN”…
FOR THE RECORD…IN 1971…THE HALF TIME SHOW AT THE SUPER BOWL WAS
“ANITA BRYANT” AND THE GOLDEN EAGLES MARCHING BAND…
IN FACT IN THE FIRST 25 YEARS OF THE SUPER BOWL…THE HALF TIME SHOWS INCLUDED…
CAROL CHANNING…ELLA FITZGERALD…AND OF COURSE…”UP WITH PEOPLE”…
WHICH AT THE TIME WERE CONSIDERED…”NICE AND SAFE”…
IN FACT…IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1993…WHEN LEAGUE FINALLY STARTED TO EMBRACE A YOUNGER AUDIENCE…WITH MICHAEL JACKSON…
BUT THAT ALL CHANGED IN 2004…WHEN MICHAEL’S YOUNGER SISTER “JANET”…EXPOSED THE WORLD TO “NIPPLE-GATE”…
SINCE THEN THE JOB HAS GONE TO VETERAN ROCKERS…
SUCH AS PAUL MCCARTNEY…THE ROLLING STONES…TOM PETTY AND BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN…
IN THE WORDS OF THE WHO…”MEET THE NEW BOSS…SAME AS THE OLD BOSS”…