That's all that needs to be said really. I'm so glad my cable provider carries CBC, or else I'd be stuck watching game seven on NBC. NBC doesn't do a bad job, but it can't even begin to hold a candle to Don Cherry and CBC.
One last thing:
GO OILERS!
Now that it has reached game seven, I've changed my mind again. I've always wanted the Oilers to win the Cup, but I changed my mind after Roloson got injured. I'm back to where I started, and I hope the Oilers win tonight.
That is all. Good day, sir.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
Big Ben seriously hurt in motorcycle accident
When I first read that headline, I thought they were talking about Ben Wallace. But then I remembered that black guys don't ride motorcycles. Here the full story (click the title to read from the original source):
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash Monday in which he was not wearing a helmet.
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital said before surgery.
The player's agent, Leigh Steinberg, described the injuries to The Associated Press and said he did not know if there was further damage.
"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."
Roethlisberger's mother, Brenda, was crying as she arrived at the hospital.
Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team was "encouraged by the early reports from the medical team" at the hospital. "I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery."
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger was without a helmet, police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.
Roethlisberger was on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa - the company calls it the world's fastest bike for legal street riding - and heading toward an intersection on the edge of downtown. A silver Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left turn and collided with the motorcycle, and Roethlisberger was thrown, police said.
The other car was driven by a 62-year-old woman, police said. They didn't immediately release her name and no charges were filed.
Witness Sandra Ford was waiting at a bus stop when she said she saw the motorcycle approach. Seconds later, she said she heard a crash, saw the motorcyclist in the air and ran toward the crash scene.
"He wasn't moving and I was afraid that he had died. ... He wasn't really speaking. He seemed dazed but he was resisting the effort to make him stay down," said Ford, who didn't realize the motorcyclist was Roethlisberger.
Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were leading the investigation, a standard practice when there is an accident with critical injuries.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger helped guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl title in February at age 23. Training camp for next season begins at the end of July.
Several teammates, including backup quarterback Charlie Batch, linebacker Joey Porter and safety Mike Logan, arrived at the emergency room.
Some fans also gathered at the hospital, including Juanita Clark, who sells Steelers paraphernalia.
"I just feel like he's a family member," said her daughter, Loretta Clark.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding his motorcycle. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's state law requiring helmets to be worn was repealed in September 2003.
In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire.
Okay, let me get this straight. He is glad to wear a helmet on a football field, and yet, he isn't willing to wear a helmet while he's riding a motorcycle? Does that make sense to anyone else? I mean, more people die annually in motorcycle related crashes than in football related crashes. So wouldn't it make sense to also wear a helmet while riding your motorcycle? In his case, I guess not....
Better yet, as a professional athlete, how about not riding a motorcycle at all? Professional athletes, even the mediocre ones, stand to make millions of dollars throughout their career. I mean, even the twelve man on an NBA team makes decent money, just for sitting his ass on the bench all year. If I was gifted enough to play professionally, I would try my damnest to protect my potential earnings. I'd never engaged in any activities that could jeopardize my career. Motorcyle riding would top that list, followed closely by drug related activities, among other things. I believe Terry Bradshaw said it best: "Ride it when you retire." Oh, and Michael Irvin too: "Smoke it when you retire.... Shit, smoke it during halftime."
Do professional athletes think that they are invincible, or are they just stupid (or both)? Does thinking that you are invincible and being stupid go hand in hand? Well, not that this is an accurate sample or anything, but I know a few people who think that they are invincible. To me, these people seem pretty stupid. That's not to say that I'm a genious or anything, I'd say that I'm of average intelligence. If you can at least give me that, then it follows that people who are dumber than me are just plain stupid. I'm not trying to pigeonhole anybody here, but I think that my assumption holds true, for the most part. The dumber you are, the more invincible you feel.
Well, I've been blogging an awful lot about sports lately. Nobody seems to be reading any of it, but what else is new? Okay, that's all for now. Good day, sir.
I SAID GOOD DAY.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash Monday in which he was not wearing a helmet.
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital said before surgery.
The player's agent, Leigh Steinberg, described the injuries to The Associated Press and said he did not know if there was further damage.
"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."
Roethlisberger's mother, Brenda, was crying as she arrived at the hospital.
Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team was "encouraged by the early reports from the medical team" at the hospital. "I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery."
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger was without a helmet, police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.
Roethlisberger was on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa - the company calls it the world's fastest bike for legal street riding - and heading toward an intersection on the edge of downtown. A silver Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left turn and collided with the motorcycle, and Roethlisberger was thrown, police said.
The other car was driven by a 62-year-old woman, police said. They didn't immediately release her name and no charges were filed.
Witness Sandra Ford was waiting at a bus stop when she said she saw the motorcycle approach. Seconds later, she said she heard a crash, saw the motorcyclist in the air and ran toward the crash scene.
"He wasn't moving and I was afraid that he had died. ... He wasn't really speaking. He seemed dazed but he was resisting the effort to make him stay down," said Ford, who didn't realize the motorcyclist was Roethlisberger.
Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were leading the investigation, a standard practice when there is an accident with critical injuries.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger helped guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl title in February at age 23. Training camp for next season begins at the end of July.
Several teammates, including backup quarterback Charlie Batch, linebacker Joey Porter and safety Mike Logan, arrived at the emergency room.
Some fans also gathered at the hospital, including Juanita Clark, who sells Steelers paraphernalia.
"I just feel like he's a family member," said her daughter, Loretta Clark.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding his motorcycle. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's state law requiring helmets to be worn was repealed in September 2003.
In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire.
Okay, let me get this straight. He is glad to wear a helmet on a football field, and yet, he isn't willing to wear a helmet while he's riding a motorcycle? Does that make sense to anyone else? I mean, more people die annually in motorcycle related crashes than in football related crashes. So wouldn't it make sense to also wear a helmet while riding your motorcycle? In his case, I guess not....
Better yet, as a professional athlete, how about not riding a motorcycle at all? Professional athletes, even the mediocre ones, stand to make millions of dollars throughout their career. I mean, even the twelve man on an NBA team makes decent money, just for sitting his ass on the bench all year. If I was gifted enough to play professionally, I would try my damnest to protect my potential earnings. I'd never engaged in any activities that could jeopardize my career. Motorcyle riding would top that list, followed closely by drug related activities, among other things. I believe Terry Bradshaw said it best: "Ride it when you retire." Oh, and Michael Irvin too: "Smoke it when you retire.... Shit, smoke it during halftime."
Do professional athletes think that they are invincible, or are they just stupid (or both)? Does thinking that you are invincible and being stupid go hand in hand? Well, not that this is an accurate sample or anything, but I know a few people who think that they are invincible. To me, these people seem pretty stupid. That's not to say that I'm a genious or anything, I'd say that I'm of average intelligence. If you can at least give me that, then it follows that people who are dumber than me are just plain stupid. I'm not trying to pigeonhole anybody here, but I think that my assumption holds true, for the most part. The dumber you are, the more invincible you feel.
Well, I've been blogging an awful lot about sports lately. Nobody seems to be reading any of it, but what else is new? Okay, that's all for now. Good day, sir.
I SAID GOOD DAY.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Happy Beast Day
Well, it looks like I spoke too soon about the Oilers. With Roloson out for the series, they have no chance. Their instability at the goalie position was the reason they traded for Roloson in the first place. Now, with Roloson injured, Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen will have to step up. Chances of that happening? Not likely. Conklin was obviously rusty last night, and I can't say that I blame him. He last played almost two months ago, on on April 17th, in a meaningless game against the Colorado Avalanche. With that in mind, I'll have to revise my prediction:
Hurricanes in five.
That's all for today. I'm off to listen to The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. Have a wonder 6/06/06 everyone.
Hurricanes in five.
That's all for today. I'm off to listen to The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. Have a wonder 6/06/06 everyone.
Monday, June 05, 2006
666
If the Apocalypse happens tomorrow, I'll blog about it. Because you know for damn sure I'll be one of the people left behind. I wonder if they have the Internet in heaven? If they don't, I'm sure Al Gore will be there to invent it. He's such a clever fellow. I hear he also invented sliced bread, the whoopie cushion, and the rusty trombone.
That is all friends, until tomorrow.
That is all friends, until tomorrow.
Stanley Cup Finals
Before the playoffs started, if you would have told me that the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes would be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, I would have called you crazy. Well, it just goes to show you how unpredictable the NHL playoffs are. Unlike the NBA playoffs, where the top seed wins more often than not, the NHL playoffs are a crapshoot.
I didn't think the Edmonton Oilers would make it to the second round, let alone to the Stanley Cup Finals. That was partly because they were playing my Detroit Red Wings, and partly because I forgot what it takes to win in the playoffs. In the NHL playoffs, grit and determination, mixed with some youth, speed, and a hot goalie, all add up to playoff success. This is still true in the so-called "new" NHL.
Both the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes deserve to be in the finals. The Carolina Hurricanes had a great regular season, but that seemed to go unnoticed by most coming into the playoffs. They were the team that no one talked about, with favorites like Detroit, Dallas and Ottawa getting most of the limelight. Well, everyone is sure talking about them now. The same is true of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers opened up the season in a way that typified their entire regular season campaign. They rattled off three straight wins to open up, only to lose their next seven, and then proceeded to win five straight. It has been an up and down season for the Edmonton Oilers, but they have reminded us all that it's not how you start, but how you finish.
Even if the Oilers lose to the Hurricanes, the Oilers can call this season a success. Sure, they will be disappointed if they lose, but not too often does a number eight seed advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, the Edmonton Oilers are the first eighth seeded team to make it to Finals since the current playoff format was instituted in 1994. With that in mind, here is my prediction:
Oilers in six.
I didn't think the Edmonton Oilers would make it to the second round, let alone to the Stanley Cup Finals. That was partly because they were playing my Detroit Red Wings, and partly because I forgot what it takes to win in the playoffs. In the NHL playoffs, grit and determination, mixed with some youth, speed, and a hot goalie, all add up to playoff success. This is still true in the so-called "new" NHL.
Both the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes deserve to be in the finals. The Carolina Hurricanes had a great regular season, but that seemed to go unnoticed by most coming into the playoffs. They were the team that no one talked about, with favorites like Detroit, Dallas and Ottawa getting most of the limelight. Well, everyone is sure talking about them now. The same is true of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers opened up the season in a way that typified their entire regular season campaign. They rattled off three straight wins to open up, only to lose their next seven, and then proceeded to win five straight. It has been an up and down season for the Edmonton Oilers, but they have reminded us all that it's not how you start, but how you finish.
Even if the Oilers lose to the Hurricanes, the Oilers can call this season a success. Sure, they will be disappointed if they lose, but not too often does a number eight seed advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, the Edmonton Oilers are the first eighth seeded team to make it to Finals since the current playoff format was instituted in 1994. With that in mind, here is my prediction:
Oilers in six.
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