My Integrity is Impuned

Hah. I knew I would push his buttons. First off, don't accuse me of not being a hockey fan. I like hockey a heck of a lot more than your average Joe. (Last year's Stanley Cup match-up was about exciting as anything in sports.) I may not follow the player stats, team rosters and trivia like a 13 year old fanboy, but there are fewer sports that can be played with grace, speed and power as hockey. So can the "you're not a fan crap." What, I can only be a fan if I like "the fight?" (Besides, blogs are about opinions.)

The point about McSorley is well taken and supports my dismay of the game. Now, teams have to hire guys to protect the premium players from the enforcers. (Soon, the hockey line will consist of one good player, his protector, the enforcer, the enforce against the other teams' protector and the enforcer's protector, there to enable the enforcer to do his job.) And the only example you can come up with in football is one guy in COLLEGE? Jeez! The fact is that the NFL is extraordinarily disciplined for the amount of violent contact. It is not personal, it is business. Which is it in hockey? Business or personal?

Ah, the good old days of hockey. Before ESPN. I am not sure your point should be about the good old days, because that is exactly where the league does NOT want to go. Hockey is looking for a broad national appeal, it is not interested in being popular with a few guys from New England and the upper Midwest.

This back and forth is not about whether hockey is a great sport (it is), it is about what is ailing the league; how the league cures its woes and what might the future hold. So what started this? I am with the players on this.

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Pavano to the Yankees. Wells to the Sox. I can't WAIT until April.

Obviously a good deal for the Yankees. Pavano for under $10 million per year. I am a little surprised, only because he was the obvious pitching star. (Especially, with Wright failing his physical.) Assuming Wright is a Yankee, the lineup could be Mussina, Pavano, Vasquez and Wright with El Duque as a fifth starter. I'll take that.

Depending on what happens to Martinez, Wells is a great add for them. Not only a good personally fit, but he still has a season left in him. He is also been fairly clutch in the post-season (his last game a notable exception). Schilling, Martinez, Well, Wakefield, with Lowe a possibility depending on the arbitration situation. But if Martinez leaves, Boston needs a number 2 guy in a bad way.

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Jeez. What has happened to the PAC-10 in college Hoops?

Congratulations to Lute Olsen and Coach K on their milestones this past weekend. I may not be a big fan of Arizona and Duke, but each program is competitive year in, year out and you can't do that without a hall of fame coach.

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I have not commented much on the football season. Frankly, because this is a boring year. The AFC seems to be loaded and there are 4 teams that seem to be the class of the league - New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Philadelphia. It is hard for me to envision a Super Bowl that is not NE v. Philly. Ben RoethIfreakingcantspellhisname is still too green to get past the title game and NE owns the Colts - something Peyton Manning has yet to come close to changing.