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…

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”…

Burkie!

THE BEST…OR THE WORST RIVALRY IN HOCKEY…IS NOT FOUND ON THE ICE…
IT EXISTS BETWEEN THE FRONT OFFICES OF THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS…AND THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS…
AND IT ALL CAN BE TRACED BACK TO MAY OF 2004…
THE CANUCKS CHOOSE NOT TO RE-NEW BURKE’S CONTRACT…
IN THE WORDS OF DONALD TRUMP…”YOU’RE FIRED”…
4 YEARS LATER…HIS RIGHT HAND MAN…DAVE NONIS RECEIVED THE SAME TREATMENT…
THAT DYNAMIC DUO NOW IS RUNNING THE LEAFS…
BUT THAT’S JUST THE START…
IN THE FALL OF 2004…FRANCESCO AQUILINNI BOUGHT THE CANUCKS …
IT WAS THE START OF A LEGAL FIGHT BETWEEN AQUILINNI AND HIS FORMER PARTNERS…
TOM GAGLARDI AND RYAN BEDDIE…
THE BATTLE WAS UGLY AND IT “DRAGGED ON” FOR OVER 3 YEARS…
AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT…GAGLARD AND BURKE WERE AND STILL ARE…GOOD FRIENDS…
AND THE WORD ON THE STREET WAS…IF GAGLARDI AND BEDDIE HAD WON…
BURKE WOULD HAVE BEEN RE-HIRED AS PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CANUCKS…
IT ALL HELPS TO EXPLAIN WHY…IN THE FALL OF 2008…WHEN THE CANUCKS RETIRED TREVOR LINDEN’S NUMBER 16…
BURKE WAS NOT INVITED TO THE CELEMONY…
KEEP IN MIND…
IN 1988…IT WAS BURKE WHO WAS AN ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CANUCKS WHEN LINDEN WAS DRAFTED…
AND IN 2001…IT WAS BURKE WHO TRADED TO BRING LINDEN BACK TO VANCOUVER…
WHEN TOLD OF THE SNUB…BURKE STATED…”I’M EXTREMELY DISSAPPOINTED”…
LAST SUMMER HE GOT A LITTLE PAY BACK…
THE LEAFS POSTED VIDEO ON THEIR WEB SITE OF BURKE SAYING THE CANUCKS WERE SHOPPING ALEX BURROWS AND KEVIN BIEKSA…
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE…THE CANUCKS WERE OUTRAGED WHEN THEY SAW IT…
THEN IN LATE JUNE…HEAD COACH RON WILSON WENT ON A LOCAL TORONTO RADIO STATION AND TALKED ABOUT HOW INTERESTED THE LEAFS WERE IN SIGNING THE SEDINS…
THIS WHILE THE TWINS WERE STILL UNDER CONTRACT TO THE CANUCKS…
WILSON WAS HIT WITH A $25 THOUSAND DOLLAR FINE FOR TAMPERING…
IN THE LIGHT OF ALL THIS…IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY…TOMORROW NIGHT IS MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER HOCKEY GAME…
LIKE THE MAN SAID…”REVENGE IS A DISH…THAT IS BEST SERVED COLD”…

Road Trip

LIKE THE MAN SAID…
“THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF”
AND OF COURSE…”A 14 GAME ROAD TRIP”…
LAST SUMMER WHEN THE NHL RELEASED ITS SCHEDULE…
THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS TOOK ONE LOOK AT IT…
AND KNEW THESE 14 GAMES HAD AS MUCH POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER…AS TIGER WOODS IN VEGAS…
AT HOME THE CANUCKS ARE GOLD…
THEY’VE ALREADY WON 23 GAMES…THE MOST BY ANY TEAM IN THE NHL…
HOW MUCH THE “ROXY” AFFECTS THE VISITING TEAMS IS STILL AN ISSUE FOR DEBATE…
BUT…AWAY FROM GM PLACE…WELL THAT’S A DIFFERENT STORY…
THEY ARE 1 GAME BELOW .500…
YES…THEY’VE WON 4 OF THEIR LAST 6 AS THE VISITOR…
BUT STILL…NAPOLEON WAS BETTER ON THE ROAD THAN THE CANUCKS…
FORTUNATELY THE CANUCKS HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SERIOUS BREAK…WITH TIMING OF THIS TRIP…
IT STARTS ON SATURDAY IN TORONTO…
THE LEAFS HAVE LOST 4 STRAIGHT…AND ARE IN 28TH PLACE IN THE NHL…
IN FACT…IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY…
OF THE 8 TEAMS THE CANUCKS WILL VISIT…ONLY 1 OF THEM WOULD QUALIFY…
THAT’S OTTAWA…AND THAT’S NEXT THURSDAY…
WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE FACT THE CANUCKS HAVE 3 OF THEIR TOP 4 DEFENCEMEN ON THE SHELF…
THEY REALLY COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE…
ADD TO THAT…ONCE THE OLYMPICS ARE OVER…AND THE CANUCKS RESUME THEIR ROAD TRIP IN MARCH…
BOTH SAMI SALO AND WILLIE MITCHELL ARE EXPECTED TO BE THE LINE UP…
THERE IS ALSO ONE OTHER PIECE OF GOOD NEWS FOR THE CANUCKS…
IT COULD BE THE MOST PROFITABLE ROAD TRIP SINCE “THE BIGGER BANG TOUR” BY THE STONES…
DURING THE OLYMPICS …GM PLACE WILL TURNED INTO…”CANADA HOCKEY PLACE”…
FOR THAT CANUCK OWNERSHIP WILL BE PAID…
ARE YOU READY FOR IT…$24 MILLION DOLLARS…
LIKE THE MAN SAID…”THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR”…

NHL Drama

THESE DAYS…THE NHL HAS MORE DRAMA QUEENS THAN AN EPISODE OF “JERSEY SHORE”…
HERE’S THE LATEST…
FRIDAY IN TORONTO…THE CANUCKS AND HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA WILL TRY AND KISS AND MAKE UP…
A MEETING HAS BEEN SET UP BY CBC…IN AN EFFORT TO PUT AN END TO ALL THE…HAIR PULLING…OVER RON MCCLEANS 11 MINUTE “CHARACTER ASSASSINATION” OF ALEX BURROWS…
AS YOU KNOW…LAST SATURDAY THE CANUCKS REFUSED TO ALLOW ANY MEMBER OF THEIR ORGANIZATION TO BE APART OF THE BROADCAST…
IT WOULD APPEAR “THE BOYCOTT” HIT A NERVE…
ON TUESDAY…ON THIS SHOW…GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS MADE IT CLEAR HE IS NOT LOOKING FOR AN APOLOGY…
WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE…IT DOES NOT LOOK AS IF ONE IS COMING…
BUT HE ALSO MADE IT CLEAR…HE WANTS THIS NONSENSE TO STOP…
IN OTHER WORDS…GILLIS HAS ALSO NO INTEREST IN TURNING THIS WHOLE MESS INTO A SHOW FOR DR. PHIL…
HERE’S WHY!!!
AFTER TONIGHT THE CANUCKS WILL PLAY THEIR NEXT 14 STRAIGHT GAMES ON THE ROAD…
8 BEFORE THE OLYMPICS…6 AFTER…
THEIR NEXT HOME GAME IS MARCH THE 13TH AGAINST OTTAWA…
IT IS QUITE SIMPLY THE LONGEST ROAD TRIP IN FRANCHISE HISTORY…
AND IT WILL EITHER MAKE…OR BREAK…THEIR SEASON…
THAT’S WHERE GILLIS WANTS THE FOCUS AND ATTENTION OF HIS PLAYERS AND COACHES…
NOT ON ALL THE “CAT FIGHTING” GOING ON IN THE MEDIA…
ONE LOOK AT THE CANUCKS ROAD RECORD IS ALL YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HIS CONCERN…
THE CANUCKS ARE CURRENTLY…1 GAME BELOW .500…
SO ON FRIDAY…WHAT GILLIS WILL BE LOOKING FOR IN HIS MEETING WITH HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA…IS A GUARENTEE THAT ALL THIS “DRAMA” COMES TO AN END…
BECAUSE IN THE PLAYOFF RACE IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE…NO TEAM…NEEDS A RUN-IN WITH “SNOOKI”…

Hockey Night in Canada

ELTON JOHN WAS RIGHT…
”SORRY” IS THE HARDEST WORD…
ON SATURDAY NIGHT THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS PLAYED PERHAPS THEIR BEST GAME OF THE SEASON…AS THEY DROPPED THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 5-1…
ROBERTO LUONGO WAS NOTHING SHORT OF BRILLIANT AS HE MADE 43 SAVES…
FOR HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT…
AFTER ALL…THE CANUCKS ARE THE ONLY CANADAIN TEAM…THAT HAS ANY REAL SHOT…AT TAKING A DEEP RUN INTO THE PLAYOFFS…
INSTEAD THE NETWORK WAS SHUTOUT BY THE CANUCKS…
NOT ONE PLAYER…
NOT ONE COACH…
NOT ONE PERSON IN MANAGEMENT WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE BROADCAST…
NOT ONE…
THE BOYCOTT WAS PAYBACK FOR THE “11 MINUTE SEGMENT” ON ALEX BURROWS…FROM THE PREVIOUS SATURDAY NIGHT…
WHICH GETS US TO THE NEXT SATURDAY NIGHT…
THE CANUCKS ARE IN TORONTO…
BUT WHEN GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS WAS ASKED ABOUT LIFTING THE BOYCOTT…
HIS RESPONSE WAS ONLY…”WE’LL SEE”…
ON SATURDAY BEFORE THE CANUCKS GAME…RON MCCLEAN AND THE PANEL DEALT WITH THE ISSUE ON “THE HOT STOVE”…
THERE WERE NO APOLOGIES…
IN FACT…MIKE MILBURY DEFENDED THE ATTACK ON BURROWS…
AND WENT SO FAR AS TO PLACE THE BLAME ON THE CANUCKS…
AS MILBURY PUT IT…”I THINK THEY MISSED THE POINT”…
IN MEANTIME THE CANUCKS ARE STILL UPSET WITH REFEREE STEPHAN AUGER…
LAST WEEK MIKE GILLIS MET WITH NHL VICE PRESIDENT COLIN CAMPBELL…
IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT WAS SAID…BUT THE CANUCKS DID MAKE THEIR OWN VIDEO PRESENTATION…
IN THE MEANTIME AUGER CONTINUES TO WORK NHL GAMES…AND HAS YET TO BE PUNISHED IN ANY WAY…
WHAT’S CLEAR IS THIS…
BOTH AND THE NHL AND THE CBC WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE…THAN FOR THIS WHOLE MESS TO JUST…GO-AWAY…
BUT UNTIL SOMEBODY IS WILLING TO “MAN UP”…THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN…
HOW HARD IS IT TO SAY…”I’M SORRY”???

David Backes

THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE OF CONAN O’BRIEN AND JAY LENO GOING OUT FOR A BEER TONIGHT…
THAN THERE IS GETTING THE CANUCKS TO ADMITT…THEY’RE NOW TALKING TRADE…WITH THE ST. LOUIS BLUES…
BUT IT APPEARS…THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING ON…
THANKS TO SOME SOLID DETECTIVE WORK…BY MATT SEKERES OF THE GLOBE AND MAIL…
HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW…
WEDNESDAY NIGHT GENERAL MANAGER MIKE GILLIS AND ASSISTANT GM LAURENCE GILLMAN WERE IN MONTREAL TO CATCH THE CANADIANS AND THE ST. LOUIS BLUES…
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOOD REASON TO BE THERE…TO SCOUT DAVID BACKES OF THE BLUES…
THE SAME DAVID BACKES…THE CANUCKS SIGNED TO AN OFFER SHEET...BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2008…
THE BLUES MATCHED…AND BACKES STAYED IN ST. LOUIS…
BUT CLEARLY…THE INTEREST HAS NOT GONE AWAY…
THE CANUCKS ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF A THIRD LINE CENTER…
DESPITE SCORING LASTNIGHT…KYLE WELLWOOD IS CLEARLY NOT THE ANSWER…
IN THE MEANTIME…BACKES HAS ALSO STRUGGLED THIS SEASON…
AFTER SCORING 31 GOALS LAST SEASON…HE ONLY HAS 10 THIS SEASON…
WHEN YOU CONSIDER…THE BLUES ARE 27TH IN NHL ATTENDANCE…
THE MATH IS SIMPLE…THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO SPEND $2.5 MILLION A YEAR…ON A THIRD LINE PLAYER…
WHAT ADDS TO THE SPECULATION IS THIS…
A FEW DAYS AGO…ST. LOUIS GM JOHN DAVIDSON WAS IN WINNIPEG TO SCOUT THE MOOSE…
IT’S NO SECRET THE BLUES ARE LOOKING FOR A GOALTENDER…
AND IT’S NO SECRET…WITH ROBERTO LUONGO SIGNED TO A 12 YEAR CONTRACT…
CORY SCHNEIDER NO LONG FITS INTO THE CANUCK PLANS…
COMMON SENSE WOULD SUGGEST…
IT’S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CANUCKS TO PULL OFF THIS DEAL…BEFORE THE OLYMPIC TRADING FREEZE…
BECAUSE STARTING NEXT SATURDAY…THE CANUCKS PLAY THEIR NEXT 14 GAMES ON THE ROAD…
IT WOULD BE A BIG HELP TO HAVE A 6 FOOT 3…225 POUND FORWARD IN THE LINE UP…
RIGHT NOW…ALL THAT APPEARS TO BE HOLDING UP THIS DEAL ARE SOME HEALTH ISSUES…
BACKES HAS A SORE HIP…AND WILL NOT PLAY TOMORROW NIGHT AGAINST ANAHEIM…
IN THE MEANTIME…IT DOES APPEAR…
DAVID BACKES…LIKE CONAN O’BRIEN…IS ABOUT TO FIND HIMSELF A NEW HOME…