What is it about racing?

I understand there were thousands of people in Ottawa today running half-marathons/full marathons and achieving life goals in the process...

But I must admit that around noon today while driving downtown, I was not having positive thoughts at all as I was stuck in terrible traffic

All I could think was, "Just wanna get out of traffic, mash my foot 2 the floor and have some fun!", but then I thought to myself, "Really?"

It seemed like such a neanderthal way to think...much like clubbing my prey and making it food while dragging my woman around by the hair...

Now I'm watching the Coca-Cola 600 as I watch 43 cars drive around in a circle as fast as possible and I'm enjoying it...again, I ask why...

I think I ask myself because so many people ask me why I like watching auto racing or NASCAR...it's like I'm on a lonely island or something

Again, the speed is such a rush for me even though I'm just watching from my couch...I love the idea of being able 2 go around at 200 mph...

I love the sound of engines roaring as they accelerate through the different gears or the purr as they slow down or lift out of the throttle

I don't know minor parts of a car or have a lick of knowledge of how to fix a car, but if someone does, I'm all ears and want to learn more!

Much like Rosalie owning 10-20 purses and thinking that it's a girl thing, I've just learned to accept loving cars and racing as a guy thing

A Potpourri...

I haven't done one of these in a while, but there was just too much to talk about from Saturday's action, so it's potpourri time once again!

Of course, we start with the Stanley Cup Finals...who knew that Vegas should have an over/under for number of goaltenders to play in Game 1?

The biggest problem for the goalies wasn't even their play...it was less than "serviceable", but defense from both teams was poor as well...

Both teams crashed the net hard and both teams failed to protect the front of the net...you combine that with rebounds and you have 11 goals

Was anyone else just as frustrated as I was that Rampage was so tentative in his fight against Rashad? All that built--up hatred and nothing

I was hoping I would be wrong in a prediction of a boring Rashad Evans win, but it was the right gameplan....just control him and you'll win

The least surprising news of 2010...Hedo Turkoglu wants out of Toronto...doesn't have any effect when the city wants you to leave as well...

Jack Nicholson asked Jessica Simpson to dinner date at his place....hope I can make it to 73 years old and then be that confident...so funny

Rampage vs. Rashad

I can't wait for tomorrow night's UFC main event...Quinton "Rampage" Jackson returns 2 the cage to take on hated rival, "Sugar" Rashad Evans

This fight has everything for me...you have all this: 2 guys that hate each other/former champions/opposing styles/potential for a KO ending

But the biggest thing of all is that the fight is completely unpredictable...there are so many ways this fight can go and can ultimately end

Rampage is very heavy-handed and is strong as an ox, but how much does he rely on a one punch KO? What is his main plan of attack for Sugar?

We know Rashad relies so much on wrestling, but he's been criticized for that....does he try to be fan-friendly or stick with what he knows?

But it's a fight where emotion will be such a huge factor...both will try and prove themselves against the other, but one question is so key

Who can keep their emotions controlled the best? Whoever wins this battle will win the fight...a clouded head will deviate from the gameplan

You have 2 think Rashad will win the emotional war...combined with Rashad making it a wrestling match and he'll control Rampage enough 2 win

We have a race!

It's amazing to see how much the NHL combine day has grown in importance in such a short amount of time...that's a good thing for the league

One of the questions that people new 2 following the combine had was, "How much does the combine help/hurt the stock of top draft prospects?

Well, with the developments from today's exercises in Toronto, we could very well get our best test of how valuable the combine really is...

Most will agree that Taylor Hall had taken the lead for the race to #1 over Tyler Seguin by helping 2 win the OHL/Memorial Cup championships

But take Seguin's great combine day + Hall only participating in a couple of physical drills....now, we might have a side-by-side race again

Hall fans/defenders will say he had a long season and took a nasty shot in the opening game of the Memorial Cup, so his excuse is legitimate

That may be true, but I would counter that by saying that his teammate, Cam Fowler, played just as much and still managed 2 show up and work

It's simple: Seguin puts up awesome stats....Hall probably can't match Seguin even at 100% and can only lose by participating, so he sits...

By him sitting, his air of invincibility and #1 hype remains because the public cannot discredit his physical makeup with 100% certainty....

It's a sound decision by Hall's agent, Bobby Orr, and Hall was reminded again that hockey is not a sport anymore for him, it's now business!

What the hell was that?

So many reasons I asked myself that last night as watched Game 5 between Orlando and Boston...it was just such a wacky game in so many forms

First off, I asked that to myself and the referees for some terrible officiating....of course, there were missed calls and light-touch fouls

But how does Kendrick Perkins get called 4 a technical foul by slightly touching an opponent with his elbow in trying to help up a teammate?

And then 2 add, how do you call a second technical foul on him for showing a little bit of frustration in Game 5 of Round 3 of the playoffs?

Even if the referees didn't intend on shifting momentum 2 help determine the outcome of the series, they did so with last night's display...

Then I asked myself and Boston that question....After talking of not following the Boston Bruins 2nd round disaster...they're halfway there!

What happened to the hunger we saw last round against LeBron and the first 3 games against Orlando? They don't even beat the Nets last night

What happened to the domination that we saw against Cleveland and in three games against Orlando? All of a sudden, we got a series again....

Don't Crown Him Just Yet...

Lots of people in the Ottawa area were excited about the news of Steve Yzerman finally getting his shot as a GM with the Tampa Bay Lightning

And rightfully so since he's someone with so much success as a player and already a good amount of success in various front office positions

The common thing I heard all day from people is that Tampa Bay is now set to succeed since Yzerman learned in Detroit and led Canada to gold

Easy to say, but let's go deeper and think this through because this may not be as big of a slam dunk as some people are making it out to be

First off, he inherits a team that finished 12th in the East and has a salary cap problem with 40 million already alloted to only 13 players

Certainly not the easiest job to take as your first GM gig...how does he handle the pressure of a franchise facing a major fork in the road?

He'll have to make big decisions on guys like Lecavalier/St. Louis sooner than later...he'll also have 2 find compliments for Stamkos/Hedman

He did learn from Ken Holland and Co. in Detroit, so his GM education is legit, but much of a GM's success comes from a great scouting staff

How much weaker of a scouting staff will Yzerman inherit in Tampa as opposed to the scouts that have been so vital to the Wings for so long?

There is one thing that Yzerman has already done just by signing on with Tampa...he's given the Lightning a much needed boost in credibility

Chicago v. Philly in the finals...

Wanted 2 bang this out while the game was still fresh in my mind, but the game went as I thought it would when talking about it this morning

For selfish reasons, I wanted to be wrong and have the Habs win tonight...mainly 'cause I don't want 2 preview the Stanley Cup for four days

I was thinking that I could be wrong after the Habs took the lead so early into the hockey game....if only Halak got away with the 1 mistake

Tough break for Halak and Montreal on the shortie by Richards....any momentum gained by the early lead was gone and Philly was back on track

Jaroslav Halak really did a good job of keeping the Habs in the game with several saves off of breakaways...the Flyers had trouble finishing

But no matter how you choose 2 break it down, the Flyers won each game the exact same way and Montreal didn't make the adjustments needed...

The Flyers were better yet again tonight and it was due 2 working hard, frustrating the Habs at the blue line and were just more physical...

The Habs should be proud of their accomplishments, but what does the team learn from this run and what are the expectations for next season?

How 'Bout a Hockey Tour?

Just watching the Game 5 ceremonies before Montreal/Philadelphia and was so moved by the atmosphere just from the singing of the anthems...

Just seeing the sea of orange throughout the crowd made me want to be a part of that...feel sorry for the randoms that aren't wearing orange

Any time I see something like that and want to be somewhere, it always comes back 2 the massive trip from last year...what a life experience

Side note: I love the people who hate on me for taking the trip by calling it "lame" or anything else because it had to do with baseball....

Yeah...a cross-continent tour where hanging out in 35 different cities around the U.S. and Canada is such a terrible idea...so ridiculous...

I planned the football trip of a lifetime when the NFL schedule came out about two weeks ago and part of me wants to follow that schedule...

But the more and more I watch these playoffs, the more that a hockey tour has 2 be done eventually...I just wonder what months would be best

It's probably something that will be in the back of my mind forever until I actually decide to do it...so, how do I make it happen? LOL :-)

Do I have to get up that early?

Watching Game 3 of Suns/Lakers...I would much rather be pounding back a couple of drinks on a patio and taking advantage of the warm weather

But a wakeup call of 5 a.m. on a holiday is on the horizon, so I'll be headed to bed right after the game...that shouldn't be allowed at all

By living downtown, I will no doubt be woken up by random drunks or police siren/fire truck or the car alarm that protects the 94 Astrowagon

The crazy part is some people actually get up at that ungodly hour for a living....how the hell do you people do that? I would lose my mind!

Rosalie and I work together so well...one of the main reasons is that we both love sleep...she loves it even more than I do...she's awesome!

You know it's bad when my own parents (who listen to every single show) say to me today, "We'll be listening...well, maybe the last hour..."

There's a small part of me that wants to come up with ridiculous statements tomorrow morning just 2 test for any ripple effect whatsoever...

But I know that at least a few of you will be around tomorrow morning (please listen....), so I'll stick to the same gameplan as I always do

They didn't just sweep them...What? Really?

So much for the talk about how a 1-2 matchup was supposed 2 offer a long and drawn-out series...another example of wackiness this postseason

This is the most evenly-played sweep I can remember...I'm trying to jog my memory to find something as close in any league..help anyone? :-)

Found a list of all 7-game series results in the history of MLB/NHL/NBA, but I stopped after 2003.... http://www.whowins.com/tables/all.html

San Jose probably won't take solace in playing the Hawks tough every game, but instead will look to the 1 thing that cost them the series...

It has to be goaltending....simply put, Antti Niemi was better than Evgeni Nabokov and his play allowed the Hawks to steal a couple of games

I can be proud in being 1 of the few that didn't stick with the easy formula and join everyone else in saying Niemi would be their downfall!

My thoughts throughout were that the Hawks would be successful as long as they avoided the engrained idea of going defensive in the playoffs

Games that were 4-2/5-3 and so on would be perfect for Chicago and that stellar goaltending from Niemi in any game would be considered bonus

Hmm, lookie here....Chicago won 2 of 4 games in this series by 4-2 scorelines and the other 2 wins came from stellar performances from Niemi

What is this pain that I feel in my upper back? Must be the strain from bending my arm in an unnatural way to pat myself on the back so much

He did it to himself...

I wish I could get into the minds of some people and figure out the thought process for people who find themselves in the news for stupidity

I also feel this way when it comes to public figures who continually lie for so long and suffer for it, only to admit their lies later on...

I wondered this after the Marion Jones confessions 2 years ago and I caught myself thinking the exact same thing this week with Floyd Landis

The reason they lied was the protect the reputations they had built by getting to the pinnacle of their respective sport through cheating...

But why continue the lies once the evidence is out there? Could it be arrogance and believing their star power will lift them above the law?

Or is it something deep inside in which they won't admit to the public because they haven't take the time to ever admit guilt to themselves?

For Landis, he lost his reputation as an athlete, several months fighting a fruitless battle, millions of bucks in legal fees and a marriage

That's a huge price 2 pay when he could have just admitted guilt right from the get go...say what you will about cheaters, it's still sad...

You can't control stupid...

2 things...1) People will hear only what they want. 2) Team 1200 listeners are even quicker than I am 2 point out stupidity and it's awesome

If you didn't hear this morning, stupid callers were the theme for the show...we've gotta really do something about our call screener... :-)

One made the comment that the San Jose Sharks are a much better team than the Chicago Blackhawks because of Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley...

Pretty weak arguments, but as I said on the show, if you're gonna make a statement like that, you better be able to back it up or you'll pay

And within a minute or two, several e-mailers and callers were in to point out the fatal flaw of any bad caller: a complete lack of argument

Then another Hab fan decided 2 stick up for his team by asking/telling me...umm...hmm...well, I'm still trying to figure out what that is...

He also tried to put words in my mouth by suggesting that I said that the Habs should just give up...so ridiculous and won't stand for it...

People loved how I got all over the 2nd caller...but the fact is, I was just getting started and I never got a chance to fully erupt... :-)

NBA Playoff Thoughts

Much like we're seeing in the NHL 3rd round, the NBA conference finals are looking pretty one sided...looking like a Celtics/Lakers rematch!

I would love 2 see these storied franchises go at it again...the teams couldn't be any different and the cities couldn't be any different...

Everyone is asking what's wrong with the Magic, but I think the real question people need 2 ask themselves is, "Why did we overlook Boston?"

Yes, the Celtics are 2 years older now since their championship run in 2008, but that experience is something that was grossly overlooked...

Simply put, Orlando forwards (Matt Barnes/Rashard Lewis = 19 points) are being decimated by the Celtic forwards (Pierce/Garnett = 68 points)

In the West, the red flags are up already on the Phoenix Suns after the Game 1 destruction by the Lakers...right, it's only one game, but...

Much was made about pacing being such a key factor to this series...Lakers wanted to make it a half-court game and the Suns wanted run-n-gun

So, the Lakers played run-n-gun with Phoenix and still won by 21...curious to see what Phoenix does since they were beaten at their own game

NHL Playoff Thoughts

Hard to imagine, but after only 2 games in each semi-final series, it's seems a formality that the Flyers will take on the Hawks for Stanley

It was easy to believe that a 1 vs 2 matchup and a 7 vs 8 matchup would produce close, hard-fought outcomes, but it's only true for 1 series

The one series that still offers hope for a 7-game war to the end is Chicago/San Jose...as a whole, the two teams have played pretty even...

The difference has been goaltending....Antti Niemi is doing more to answer the critics...Evgeni Nabokov is doing more to appease the critics

San Jose can get back in this series if it doesn't get down on itself and continues 2 play the way they have in the first couple of games...

However, I see less hope 4 the Montreal Canadiens in coming back against the Flyers, but how many times have we been down this road already?

The big problem is the physical play of the Flyers is not only causing confusion and havoc for the Canadiens, it's deflating them as well...

And the person looking the most deflated is the guy the Habs need to be the most secure and confident, Jaroslav Halak...that's a big problem

One Word Themes for Game 1's

Philly and Chicago are that much closer 2 being in the cup finals with wins last night and both have one word reasons for their victories...

For Chicago, it's simple: Niemi, as he came up large for them by stoning the Sharks virtually every time they had a quality scoring chance...

At the other end, Evgeni Nabokov simply couldn't match Niemi save for save....the wrister scored by Sharp was weak and let the Hawks back in

Chicago now puts themselves in a position to not have to come from behind like they do all the time....winning Game 1? What a crazy concept!

In the East, Philly was able 2 make a big statement by dominating the Canadiens...so much for the 8 seed being the prohibitive favourites...

They dominated because of one thing: traffic...the puck was either being shoveled in by someone in the crease or Halak was being screened...

The Habs have 2 take back the crease area from the Flyers forwards by being more physical...this gives Halak a better chance of making stops

Who would have thought a 7 seed would dominate an 8 seed like that? But then again, isn't "unexpected" the one word theme of these playoffs?

A Little Reminiscing: Part 2

Just did a nice drive around downtown with my parents on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and got to thinking about how bad those games were. As I looked at all the beautiful scenery (and trees and flowers too), I thought to myself, "You know, for all the games I played, there were some great ones! There were even ones that I would run to the arcade and spend a bunch of my parent's quarters on..."

Here are some of my favourite arcade games of all-time, then it's back to the hockey talk with a rundown of what I liked/disliked about the two hockey games today...

5) Golden Axe

I don't even know why I would load in so many quarters to play this game...Like I said before, I like playing sports games, but I would wait all weekend to run to the arcade to try and beat this game...



4) King of the Monsters

In retrospect, this was a pretty stupid game to waste putting in a truckload of quarters, but there was something about being Godzilla or a giant version of Captain America that made it so fun to play over and over again...



3) WWF Wrestlefest

I swear I have arthritis in my thumbs because of this game...even though I beat it over and over again, I would still play it 'cause it was so much fun. Combine the game with the fact that I would rush home on weekends to make sure I watch every wrestling show possible and wrestling was a huge part of my life as a kid...



2) NBA Jam

This game single-handedly made catchphrases like "He's heating up!", "He's on fire!" and "From downtown..." so popular. I was just so bummed when I couldn't use Jordan for the Bulls. Damn you Mike! I also loved how you could find so many hidden characters, boosts and mini-games...just awesome!



1) NFL Blitz

You know it's a good game when a friend of yours makes it a point of buying the real arcade version of it and setting it up at home. Good ol' Dan Legroulx (aka Dirt McGirt) actually has the original NFL Blitz and we play it from time to time when I go hang out there. So much fun!

A Little Reminiscing Part 1

Rosalie and I got to talking last night about what we used to do as a kid on weekends. She loved to just spend time with her animals and hang out with her sister back in the countryside of B.C.

I was much different 'cause I didn't have any animals, I lived in a downtown apartment and my weekends as a kid were about three things...playing sports, watching wrestling and playing video games.

It got me to thinking about some of the weekends that I would spend renting different sports video games. Most people would write about the best video games they played, but I decided to go the opposite route and give you some of the worst sports games I played as a kid on NES.

In order of which I remembered how bad these games were:

5) Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball

Have you ever played something so bad that all you can do is shrug your shoulders and laugh before putting down the controller? That's what I did with this game...

For starters, Clemens didn't secure the rights to proper names for the players, so we were stuck using guys like D. Raspberry and M. Caldonado.

Then, the gameplay is just so boring and the way to play defense is just so awkward. What a pile of garbage!



4) World Championship Wrestling

Pretty much a glimpse into how bad WCW was at the time compared to WWF...Just trying to punch or kick your opponent was a difficult task.

I thought wrestling was supposed to be about the moves, but really, all you needed to do was master the art of kicking and you had the match won.

I vividly remember trying to play this with my sister one time and getting so annoyed that we just raced our guys across the ring to see who win in different sprints...



3) American Gladiators

I was such a big fan of the show that I couldn't wait to rent this game one weekend. I was gonna be Wesley "Two Scoops" Berry and take on those guys 1000%.

I remember doing really well with my sports teams that weekend 'cause I didn't stay up to play this piece of garbage. I played maybe all of 5 minutes and had enough of it.

There was nothing to this game...you just play events individually, get a high score and do it over again. What's the point? I wanted to take on a challenger and win the tournament!



2) Jordan vs. Bird: One on One

Should have realized that only being able to choose one of two players was a sign that this game was going to be just awful.

You had the choice of either playing 1-on-1 or the slam-dunk contest. Don't even try the slam-dunk contest since it's impossible to pull off a move.

Defending is pretty aggravating too...you have a choice of either jumping in the air or having your guy perform arm spasms in an attempt to steal the ball. What a waste of time...



1) George Foreman's KO Boxing

Remember when you would have sleepover parties with your buddies and you would stay up all night playing a certain video game to try and beat it? Well, I remember a had a party with four of my friends.

We all decided to rent a game and then bring it to the party. I was such a big boxing fan even as a kid, so I saw this game and figured I would give it a shot.

I convinced my friends to put it in first...needless to say, we moved on to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles within 10 minutes and the game was never picked up again until it was brought back to the store.

Conference Final Thoughts

I sat on this for a couple of days because it took that long to realize that it's just too difficult 2 seperate the teams in these series...

For Round 3, we don't get the David v. Goliath matchups...we'll just have to wait 'til the final round before we get that thread going again

It's a nice change of pace for me anyways 'cause I don't see a clear-cut favourite in either of these series....but again, that's just me...

You can even lump all 4 teams and there would still be lots of similarities despite the big gap in playoff seeding 4 the teams remaining....

All 4 teams head into the semi with goaltending that was questioned before the playoffs began...and 3 teams still might have those questions

All 4 teams have had one/two players emerge as the go-to guy...Jonathan Toews, Mike Cammalleri, Mike Richards/Daniel Briere and Joe Pavelski

I guess I do have to pick a winner though...I'll stick with picking against the Habs (which will make Hab fans happy) and take the Flyers...

And I think Chicago should get past San Jose...Like the Flyers combo of talent/physicality and Chicago's depth will prevail in a long series

Love Watching Trash TV!

Alright, I admit it...my guilty pleasure is watching Trash TV like Jerry Springer, Maury Povich and other shows involving cheating, sex, paternity tests, divorce and a whole bunch of yelling. I mean, you really can't expect me to watch sports all the time, can you? I would go absolutely insane if that were the case...but never mind the shows because the commercials entertain me just as much!

So, I decided to blog today about my favourite commercials during these different shows...most of them are usually national, but if you can get a locally-produced commercial thrown in, it's just pure gold...so here's my Top 5 list of commercials you're bound to see in just one hour of Trash TV:

5) Schools



4) Cable Companies



3) Products for Older People



2) Pawn Shops/Furniture Stores



1) Lawyers

Too much fun...

Oh god...I'm just having a riot laughing to myself about today's show...I'm such a button-pusher sometimes...as long as it was entertaining!

Gonna stick with my original thought...sports should not affect your everyday life...if your favourite team loses, it shouldn't be a problem

You shouldn't lose sleep or have a "bad day" at work because your team lost...you shouldn't take out your frustration on your family/friends

If your team wins, celebrate...but overturning cars or rioting or even fist-fighting with the opposition to prove dominance is a little much

Like I said this morning, I can give people a pass if their team is eliminated from the playoffs that particular night, but then, move on...

Maybe I've become immune to feeling bad about losing because I've become so accustomed to losing with my different teams that I cheer for...

The Buffalo Bills and the Toronto Maple Leafs are inadvertently battling each other to see who can be a worse-run franchise within the area!

But I don't think I'm immune to feeling bad...it's just that I've got many other things going in life that feeling bad is just not an option

It's all about emotion...

As all of you know by reading the blog or hearing me on the Team, I love put wagers on sports and I have no problems talking about it openly

I even put it in an entry on Friday talking about different values and numbers when it comes to betting on baseball...numbers are a big deal

But someone asked me over the weekend..."Are numbers the only thing you go by and are you someone that relies on various number simulators?"

And I vehemently said NO WAY! The one thing that those simulators can never adjust to or calculate is a player or a team's heart and emotion

Much like a fan base, a certain team or player will have the ups and downs as well...emotion is the biggest factor going in all of sports...

The best example for emotional impact this weekend was the Canucks...bad emotion led 2 a Game 4 loss and good emotion carried them in Game 5

Vancouver was so emotional and thought only of revenge for how Roberto Luongo was treated...they forgot about the series and it cost them...

Fast forward to last night and Vancouver's emotion was in-check, they were disciplined and because of that, they were full value for the win

A very special day...

Mother's Day is a very special day because of how close I am with my mother, but few know what our family has been through in the last 5 yrs

I mentioned it during my trip last year when Mother's Day hit, but my mom has been dealing with advanced kidney disease for the last 5 years

In the 5 years, we've also learned that she's dealing with arthritis of the lungs, diabetes and a blood disorder...ugh, just 2 many problems

It's been tough to see my mom go from being strong as an ox to someone so devastated by the disease that she's dependent on constant oxygen

At the beginning, it was very difficult for me to deal with...I lost just about all my willingness to succeed in life...I was very depressed

My mother was in hospital every week and I couldn't handle seeing her suffer so much...thought if only I could transfer that pain over to me

It's true about different stages when dealing with something like this....going from denial/anger/depression and then finally just accepting

The time for me to finally accept was when my mom told me she had finally accepted death, so really, I had no choice but 2 accept as well...

So I made a promise...she worked so hard to help me achieve my goal, so I promised her that I would work even harder to make her proud of me

So, all that said, every Mother's Day that I can spend with my mom means another year that she's fought 4...that's why it's so special to me

Machida/Rua Tonight!

Can't believe I just turned down a free ticket to UFC in Montreal tonight...but other things that I have 2 do in Ottawa instead...dammit :-)

It's hard 2 predict how the rematch between Machida and Shogun will go tonight...Shogun got robbed in the first fight, but can he duplicate?

Or can Machida make the necessary adjustments and prove why he's become a poster boy for the UFC and has the undefeated mark of 16-0 in MMA?

I get the sense (and so does Vegas) that Machida will win the fight...biggest adjustment he needs...has to be much more aggressive/assertive

For Rua, he can't simply rest on doing exactly what he did in the first fight...he's going to have to find another way to slay the Dragon...

The co-main event is an intriguing matchup as well...Josh Koscheck takes on Paul Daley in a title eliminator...winner gets next crack at GSP

It comes down to what fighter can impose his favourite style...for Koscheck, he wants a wrestling match...for Daley, he wants a stand-up war

But usually in the wrestler vs. "boxer" matchup, the wrestler will come out on top...Daley will have to show an ability 2 avoid takedowns...

Stepping up...

The regular season is 1 thing, but how often do we mention during playoffs something like this, "The playoffs truly define a player's value"

We saw Thursday with an amazing performance by Johan Franzen...hell, the people of Ottawa will talk about the domination by Sidney Crosby...

But in 1 night and 2 leagues, we saw superstars/unknowns step up at the ultimate time 2 lift their teams that much closer 2 the championship

We've all known Jonathan Toews 2 be a superstar in his short career, but he cemented himself as truly elite last night with his hat trick...

Everyone knows LeBron James 2 be the face of the NBA, but with people doubting his injured elbow, he single-handedly beat the Boston Celtics

We get 2 the unknowns...with the Suns looking to put a stranglehold on the Spurs, Goran Dragic has 23 points in the 4th to help Phoenix win!

With that 12-minute performance, Dragic just set himself up for life because he can always point to that outburst and his ability to step up

The world always asks, "What have you done lately?"...the playoffs are the 1 time memories can stick...kudos to those who served memories...

I feel dirty doing this...

I get a lot of questions about my various tweets on sports betting...I got a lot of comments about picking Detroit to win by 2 last night...

On that specific pick, I just figured that Detroit would play very desperate....combine that with San Jose playing with a lack of urgency...

But I get comments about how I take baseball teams to win by 2 instead of just winning the game...so people ask why I take the extra risk...

Here's the quick math of it...trust me, it's not that complicated, but really, if you don't want to look at numbers, just skip to the end...

The average MLB team will have about 20-30% of their regular season games be 1-run games and 20-30% of their total wins will be by 1 run....

Therefore, 70-80% of the total wins for a MLB team will be by 2 runs or more...and at times, a lot of these games might not even be close...

By betting the extra run, you'll be getting higher value, but taking on added risk....but if you're getting more than 20-30% better value...

For example, if I'm getting -160 to take the Jays by 1, but +110 by 2+, it's a value difference of over 5 bucks for every 10 dollars wagered

So...most games will end with a gap of 2+ runs...you'll get better value 4 betting a team to win by 2+...if they win by only 1, it's unlucky

Wow! Didn't realize how hard that would be to explain at 140 characters at a time...my head hurts! Well then...who am I picking tonight? :-)

Some people just can't win...

I've been asked several times about the Phillies fan getting a taser shot by a chasing cop earlier this week after running onto the field...

Why are people asking so many questions about the cop's actions instead of the kid's? Why as a society do we always let idiots off the hook?

It's not security's job 2 decide a person's motives...if you're stupid enough to go onto the field, there's already something wrong with you

What would people ask the policeman if the kid had attacked a player/umpire? It would have been, "Why didn't you use any force to stop him?"

The cop is really in a no-win situation there and it's all because of the stupidity of a kid who thought it would be cool 2 run on the field

Some people believe that the cop used excessive force in bringing down a harmless kid just running onto the field....what a load of garbage!

It would have been excessive if the cop used a real gun and shot a leg to stop the kid...the cop used a weapon designed to harm and not kill

So, I have no problem with the result...if anything, I hope it's a deterrent for drunken idiots 2 not interrupt the game for selfish reasons

But stupidity prevailed the very next night as another idiot in Philly decided to run onto the field to get his 5 mins of fame (shakes head)

Want a list of incidents involving fans/players/referees/coaches? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_violent_spectator_incidents_in_sports

My Favourite Baseball Announcers

Gonna ditch the twitter thing again today...it would just be a little injustice to the greats that I'm gonna talk about...

I mentioned in an earlier entry about the great play-by-play guys that made me wanna be a broadcaster, but in talking about the passing of the great Ernie Harwell like we did briefly this morning on Sportscall, I thought about the broadcasters that made me such a fan of the game when I was growing up.

A quick thought on Ernie Harwell: Growing up in Ottawa, I didn't have access to being able to listen to Harwell on Tiger broadcasts, but during the 2006 World Series, FOX aired a quick 2-minute piece talking about the city of Detroit with the voice of Ernie Harwell in the background. It was short, but it hits home and makes you want to be a fan of the Detroit Tigers. Such a powerful piece and I'll share that with you...

If this doesn't make you think about being a Tigers fan for just one second, you truly have no soul...



In hearing some of the e-mails on our show and the big amount being received on the Jim Rome show right now, Harwell certainly impacted the lives of a lot of people...and it got me to thinking about who impacted my life in that way...

The baseball broadcasters that gave me such a love for the game and really got me to where I am today include (in no particular order):

1) Jon Miller - Long time play-by-play man for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN alongside Joe Morgan

2) Harry Caray - Legendary voice of the Cubs...the butt of many a joke because of how things were towards the end of his career, but was just so beloved

3) Skip Caray - Former play-by-play man for the Atlanta Braves who passed away just a couple of years ago...had the southern drawl that you could listen to all day as he spoke of the Braves' greats like Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Justice, Pendleton, etc.

4) Dave Van Horne - His enthusiasm for the Montreal Expos was something that you could attach yourself to...in a time when the Expos were battling the Blue Jays for air time, I would always take advantage of the few times that TSN exposed the Expos to a national audience and Dave Van Horne was right there to call it

5) Vin Scully - Not too many guys can carry a baseball game on their own, but Scully is one of the few that not only can, but can make it look easy...

There's something about all of these guys that made them so great...I would sit at home as a kid and soak in everything they were doing...whether it was them talking about stats or telling a story. I would make notes about the pacing on which they spoke, the length it took, and so on...

I would look at all those notes and try to emulate what they were doing...I was just such a big fan...

There's gonna come a time that all of these greats will eventually pass the torch and move on, but I'll never forget how much they influenced my life and my lazy Saturday and Sunday afternoons... :-)

Other Sports Thoughts

We're so focused on the 4 NHL playoff series going on...but that led 2 me being called out for a perceived lack of knowledge on other sports

Everything in the end got resolved as I proved that I do follow something other than the NHL, but it got me to think about NBA, NFL and other

Huge win by the Celtics last night over Cleveland...after LeBron picked up the MVP and the Cavs dominated Game 1, no one gave Boston a shot!

Good win 4 the Suns in Game 1/Round 2 against the Spurs...the Spurs have had their number, but the big 3 of S.A is just not what it once was

The other story of interest was the firing of Vinny Del Negro in Chicago....you just can't go after the GM and get in a physical altercation

Darren Sharper goes back to the Saints after checking out FA offers...great veteran, but don't expect that same output two years in a row...

Especially with just having microfracture surgery to repair his knee...at his age and with the mileage on his body, he may never be the same

And I still snuck in some cartoon watching over the weekend...loved the Simpsons spoof of viral videos with their intro to this week's show!

They did it again...

After Friday night's 1st game of the series, who would have thought Montreal would have tied the series heading back to Montreal for Game 3?

The rope-a-dope being employed by Jacques Martin and the Canadiens worked yet again today to get them a split against the Stanley Cup champs

After a tough first game where he was pulled, Jaroslav Halak came in and had yet another outstanding game to steal a game from the Penguins!

Halak has been great, but give full credit to the Canadiens for taking advantage of every mistake and opportunity they get from the Penguins

Looking at it from the Penguins point, I see a lot of similarities in this series from what we saw in the opening round against the Senators

It's evident that the Penguins players know they have a big edge in talent over the Canadiens and they're playing down to the competition...

Perfect example of this was the shift that produced Montreal's 3rd goal...Sidney Crosby with two bad turnovers and uncharacteristic laziness

The Pens are playing with fire by toying with the opposition...they should get past the Habs, but they better get rid of this habit and fast

Busy Saturday

Big day Saturday and it was a day where so many different sporting events seemed 2 be working on the same sked, so I didn't miss anything...

Got a chance to get out to the range...I'm gonna try and play more golf this summer, but I don't really care about golf, so it's hard for me

After golf, I caught up on the Bruins/Flyers matchup....Boston scores 5 goals again yesterday? Where was this scoring in the regular season?

Then hung out with Rosalie and we watched the Kentucky Derby....I'm not a horse-racing guy, but watched just in case we talk about it Monday

I did enjoy the broadcast....I know zilch about the sport, but NBC did a great job of telling the stories behind the horses/trainers/jockeys

Thought about betting on the race after reading several articles, but decided against it...good thing I didn't go with the experts' picks...

Didn't see all of the Hawks/Canucks game as Rosalie and I went to see some stand-up, but seeing 5-0 as I entered the bar told me everything!

Cap it off with Mayweather/Mosely...Mayweather did really go for a KO, but Mosely held strong...too bad my bookie doesn't pay me for effort!

Mayweather/Mosely Tonight!

Been waiting so long for this...know a lot of you hate him, but I really like watching Floyd and Mosely is still 1 of my favourite fighters!

Anaylzing the fight, you can simply put it like this....you have Floyd, who is now the best P4P fighter vs. the guy who used to be in Mosely

This would be a much more even fight if they were able to hook up even 3-4 years ago, but at 38, how much does Mosely have left in the tank?

Mosely has admitted that he's not as fast as he used to be and for me, that's going to be the biggest downfall for him in a 1-sided fight...

Unlike 99% of the pundits who see Mayweather getting the easy decision, I see Mayweather dominating the fight 2 get himself the punishing KO

3 factors on why he wants the KO: 1) His ego can't handle anyone mentioning an opponent having a shot...he wants 2 make an example of Mosely

2) A KO allows him the chance 2 take back the best P4P spot...A KO of Mosely will look a lot better than Pacquiao's decision against Clottey

3) If he wants to fight Pac-Man and be in position to get a bigger share of the pie, he needs a resounding performance to get the big payday