And You Thought He Was Normal for Talking To the Goalposts

From ESPN:
Quebec Remparts goalie Jonathan Roy was suspended for seven games, and Remparts coach Patrick Roy -- Jonathan's father -- was suspended for five games following Saturday's melee between their team and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff.

As a Patrick Roy fan, I don't quite know what to think about this. Yes, Patrick was always a little strange, talking to the goalposts, not touching the blue line, and of course, battling it out with other goalies.
But this is a little too strange. The reports say, that Patrick signaled his son to go after the opposing goalie, while everyone else seemed to be exchanging pleasantries. Now, don't get me wrong, I love goalie fights, in fact Roy vs. any Red Wings goalie is in my top 5 NHL moments. What was great about those was the fact that both goalies were trying to pound the snot out of each other.
In the video of the younger Roy fight, it seemed as if fighting was the last thing on the opposing goaltenders mind. He did not even take a swing, he simply covered up and dropped to the ice. After that fight, Roy skated away, "saluted" the fans, and proceeded to pummel another player.
So is the 7 and 5 game suspensions enough? No way. If senior Roy did in fact instruct junior Roy to go after the opponent, it should be at least 10, and for mercilessly beating a unwilling opponent I say 20.

G.A.P. in the Championship

I hate to say it, but I was wrong. After being plastered on every sports magazine in the pre-season, the Celtics did indeed live up to expectations. "Dream Teams" full of all-stars don't often fulfill their lofty goals. But Boston, with their 46-12 record, is inching closer and closer to a NBA Championship.

My problem wasn't Garnett, who I think would do anything to win after 12 years of futility in Minnesota. I think Ray Allen wouldn't care if he had to share the ball with two other "super-stars". My problem was with Paul Pierce. The Celtics were, after all, "His" team. Could he co-exist with his new Boston All-Star team? The answer was yes. Even though they are below their career average for ppg , they are still just as good. The "leader", Pierce is the highest scorer, averaging 20 per game, the the other two are around 18. In fact, all three haven't had scoring averages like this since their first 3 years in the league.

The next problem with Boston was the bench. They did everything they could do in order to get the team that they have now. Including trade away their depth. Now, with their average 56 points coming from 3 of the starters, depth isn't as important as it once was. Eddie House, and Glen "Big Baby" Davis have both been solid off the bench, even though Davis is still a little streaky.

Finally, and possibly the biggest problem was the point guard. Who would deliver the ball to G.A.P.? The biggest question mark at the beginning of the season: Rajon Rondo. The answer today: Rajon Rondo. He has started in all 54 games this year, after starting in 25 last year. He ranks in the top 25 in steals, steals pg, and assists pg. It shows what playing with 3 all stars can do for a career.

So can three championship deprived all-stars work together and pull it off? Or will they end up like Gary Payton, Karl Malone, and the Lakers? My guess is no, they will not win it all this year. But hey, I've been wrong plenty of times.

Mentions of "Gunslinger" on Telecasts Are Now Down 92%

It is finished. Brett Favre is no longer a Packer. He is finished as a quarterback in the NFL. He was one of the best (a poll on Fox Sports had him ranked 1st all time with Joe Montana in second). It will definitely be different to see someone else at under center in green and gold.

I think he chose to leave at the perfect time. If he chose to leave a couple of years ago, when everyone told him to retire, his career would have been slightly tarnished due to the fact he was "playing past his prime". But now, with the TD record in hand, and just one year removed from a playoff run, he can retire on the top tier of NFL QB's.

Personally I did not care for Favre. I hated how I heard the MNF crew say the word "gunslinger" about 65 times in a half when the Pack where playing. I do realize that I was watching a great QB play. And I am glad I appreciated the legacy of #4.

Let the legacy of Aaron Rodgers begin!

Come on Larry

Larry Bowa recently said that he would not wear the now-mandatory helmet for base coaches. Even if he got fined for every single game. For this, I believe Bowa is even more of an idiot than when he coached the Phillies.

Major League Baseball didn't just come up with this rule in one night. They did it for a purpose. To protect the base coaches. Even if they are ungrateful.

Sure, it may be uncomfortable, and yes, it still doesn't look right, but it is now the rule. Give a little respect for the Coolbaugh family, just wear it.

Is this Guy the Next Mike Alstott?

With the NFL Draft upcoming I started wondering what the Tampa Bay Bucs needed. Of course they need to continue to bring in younger defensive players, get some WR's, and decide who their "Quarterback of the Future" is.

What I want to know is, who could replace the fan favorite Mike "A-Train" Alstott, who retired this year. Fans either had #40 (Alstott), #20 (Ronde Barber), #55 (Derrick Brooks), or #7 (Martin Gramatica) jerseys. Besides Barber and Brooks, who are at the tail end of their careers, the rest are gone. Who will rise up?

Gaines Adams, and Cadillac Williams are somewhat there, but they need a bruiser. Someone who isn't afraid of contact. Ladies and gentleman, I give you, West Virginia FB, Owen Schmitt. Take a look at the video below. Brings back memories, eh?

Yes, the Buccaneers have a FB, BJ Askew. But in 5 years with the Bucs and Jets, he has just 102 rushing yards and 30 receptions. Hardly a fan fav.

Now the question is, can they get him? ESPN.com predicts he'll go around the 4th-5th rounds. Tampa has the 24th pick in the 4th. Now, I just need a #35 Schmitt jersey.

Barry + Rays= ?

Such a simple equation, yet what is the end result? Yes, if rumors come to pass, Barry Bonds, with his steroid-enlarged head, will play in Tampa for the Rays. Let that soak in a little.
Now back to the equation. Sure to Rays will get a lot of negative publicity for the move. But for the Rays, any publicity would be good.
Secondly, any fans the Rays have, will resent the team for signing the hulk. But, they will show up. Yes, they may boo, but you have to have people in attendance to boo. The Giants, in the past 7 years have had season attendance above the league average. While the Rays, have one season (1998, inaugural season) above league average. The low points included under 14,000 "fans" per game in 2002-2003. Most of those in attendance where wearing other teams jerseys.
So yes, I think the Rays should go after Barroid, despite my heart. Because Barry + Rays=Exposure. So for the few Tampa fans can get some national attention.


Also, if you wanted to know what would have happened if the Rays got Bonds, a bit earlier, this is a good read.

Year of the Trade

The NBA season began with a bang, with the Celtics gathering up Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to propel them to a league best 41 wins. That must have gotten the other teams to try to find their own Garnett, to put them in position to make a playoff run. Phoenix shocked everyone by trading Shawn Marion to Miami for Shaq, Dallas got J-Kidd back, Kobe got some help in the form of Pau Gasol, and Bibby is now with the Hawks.
Well, it ain't over yet, news in now in that, like Kobe, LeBron will now have his sidekick. Yes, exit Larry Hughes, enter Ben Wallace.

Can Wallace, on his $15 shoes, help lift the load on James, after 2 horrendous years in Chicago? I have no clue. But this is gonna be an exciting second half.

Wow Miami, Just Wow

It hasn't been a good year for Miami in sports. The Dolphins showed just how bad a football team could possibly be, with just one win in the whole season. The Panthers are 24th in the NHL. And the Marlins just won't keep their proven players.

The Heat used to be the bright spot. It was only a couple of years ago, that Shaquille O'Neal was brought in from L.A. on a 18-wheeler, promising a NBA title.

Well, he did. But since then he has sat. A lot. While the Big Diesel had his pit stops, the Heat have just stunk. 9-37 is their record right now, bad enough for last place. Yes, worse than the Knicks.

So why is everyone starting to believe again? Shaq is gone. Although, it's not really that he is gone, but Shawn Marion is in. How they dealt a over-his-prime superstar to a team that had 3 potential all-stars, I do not know. All I know is that the Heat, thanks to a new sidekick for Dwayne Wade, are back in it. Because in the East, no one is ever really out of it.

My MVP

No offense to Eli, but I think the MVP deserved to go to Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Michael Strahan.

They held one of the NFL's all time greatest offenses to 14 points, a new low. Tuck added two sacks of Tom Brady, and a forced fumble.

I have never seen Tom Brady get hit so many times. He was constantly under pressure, and was out of sync for a large portion of the game. Without this pressure, Brady, with a clean jersey, would have had time to make the right decisions, and then win the game. The game was decided by the trio of Tuck, Umenyiora, and Strahan. So for the Most Valuable Player, I gotta go with those guys

Football is Over...

All of football is over. So now I can concentrate on other things. Such as hockey and basketball.