Good Morning America

Well hello out there in Blogland ... how the heck are ya?

Things here on the other side of the pond are just fantastic. Thanks to those who have commented and if you have any question - send 'em along. Good to know that someone out there is reading. Hope you are enjoying the pictures as well. We just added the Karlin's pictures to the site - so check em out... trying to load as many as I can to share. Haven't had the time to put taglines on them - but you can see we are loving it here.

We had the morning off and slept in until 10 a.m. - cannot tell you the last time I did that. Woke up, had breakfast in the Executive Club and then hung out until lunch. The group is down in Torah study right now and I am just burnt on sitting in a room with no windows ... so I am sitting on the balcony over looking the Old City and blogging away.

Funny thing happened this morning - I woke up and I was about to leave the room and I grabbed my kippot to wear. Don't know that I am doing it more for anything than spirituality during Shabbot but there's something to it. Couple friends even asked me about it at lunch and all I can say is that it just feels right. And isn't that what religion should be - what feels right. When talking to my new friend Avi from Tel Aviv - he told me what he thought was amazing during his time in the U.S. was that we have different levels of Judaism and here it's pretty Black Hat or not. He enjoyed seeing all the differences and how we all still love our base of Judaism. There's something to it - but still - we in America look at the Orthodox differently than we do the Reform folks. But here there's a serious disconnect between Secular Jews and Religious Jews. Just sad.

I have had a little time to digest last night's trip to the Kotel. Didn't say in the post last night - but I teared up when I got there. I was thinking about all of my ancestors and family that came before me to give us the opportunities we have.

I thought about my dear friend, Brian Fishman, that never had the chance to see what I have seen and it hit me hard then. He passed 8 years ago - I came to Israel for the first time 6 months after his passing. That trip was as emotional a trip as I ever have had. Since that trip I have gotten married (7 years as of tomorrow), had two wonderful children with a third on the way, done some great work in our community and have met some incredible people with whom Elizabeth and I have shared an awesome experience with.

As I stood there yesterday it came back to something that I said in my original writings from my trip to China, "but for the grace of God go I."

So here I am - living Brian's and my dream. Doing my best to live every day as well as I can for the two of us. I know that he's on my shoulder guiding me through this journey.

OK - off to class.... more later.

The Wall on Shabbat

Not to be redundant, but WOW! Just went to the Western Wall right before sundown here in Jerusalem and it was just incredible.

Seth got to see it for the first time and seeing his reaction to the Orthodox at the Wall was just awesome. For those that haven't been there - new photos are going up right now at Photoworks. The women and men are separated at the Wall. We gave sedukah and had an incredible moment at one of the most spiritual places on the planet.

We walked back to the hotel and are about to go have Shabbat dinner and Oneg at the hotel.

Funny part is that the original episode of Friends is on television here right now. I saw Elmo yesterday and guess what, he spoke Hebrew really well.

Hard to believe we have been here for five days already. Time flies when you are having fun - even more in the homeland. Get here soon...

Lila Tov.

Shabbat Shalom

Wow - hey Teaneck are ya listening? Mr. and Mrs. Witt - you there? Hi Abbie, Miriam, Morgan and Danielle - we miss ya!

Just another amazing day in Jerusalem.

We met with our groups of people from each city in Wexner and our Israeli friends from the Wexner Fellows group and had a great conversation.

After that, from 11 a.m. until 2:30 we walked around Jerusalem. We started by going schook - Mahane Yehuda - it's a huge outdoor market with all kinds of incredible things. From fruit to fish to meat to kippot, - you want it you can get it there. Elizabeth brought us to a wonderful bakery called Marzipan and it was awesome. Got a challah from there... oh man, it's awesome.

Seth Cohen and I went to a great store to by tallis' and found ones that we loved. The man who sold them to us was great and Seth asked him what he thought about Americans and whether we should make aliyah or come visit ... he said that if Americans came to visit once every two years - everyone would be very, very happy.

Side note - this is Seth's first trip here - my second. It's awesome to be able to watch someone so involved in our community (and one of my best friends) experience Israel for the first time. I know Elizabeth enjoyed taking me here 8 years ago and now I get to see what she saw through me. Hope. Life. Love. Amazement. Joy. It's something everyone should experience with mispaucha!

While walking around - the spirit of the city was hopping and just incredible. Don't listen to those morons on television - Jerusalem is alive and doing very well. Get off of your butts and come visit - there's nothing like being here. Tel Aviv is like New York - but this city is just incredible and so spiritual (for you Karlin!) I love it. I cannot wait for the day my girls will come here for USY or whatever they want. Elizabeth had a chance to study here for 6 months and loved it. I will do everything in my power to make sure that this city will be here and this vibrant for my girls to come to.

Got back to the hotel and Rabbi Goodman and Rae were in the lobby. They looked good and it was great to see them. Also ran into Tim and Sandi Wulinger from Cleveland who we know through AIPAC. Sad to say, Sandi broke her ankle here. But she was in good spirits nonetheless.

Ida and Irwin Haber - you are sorely missed and often thought of and spoken about. We hope and pray for your father's good health! See ya soon.

Tonight we are going to the Wall and to the Kotel. I am sooooo excited about it... going to be great. We have such a great group of people in Wexner from our sister cities and we have had a great time talking and learning with them. For those who want an incredible learning experience - check out Wexner and if it is coming to your town. I recommend this more than anything I have done.

So much so that when we get home we, along with Cohen's, have decided to look into finding someone to teach us Hebrew. With our girls starting day school, it's important for us to learn and we have decided to jump into the pool. Sure it won't be easy, but I would LOVE to come back to Jerusalem with my girls and be able to speak the language.

That's it for now ... about to clean up and get ready for a spiritual night. Good night and good luck from the David Citadel Hotel.

Awesome night in Jerusalem

Howdy ho campers - just got back to the room at 1 a.m. JST and we had an unreal evening.

We blew off dinner with Marci and Seth Cohen and two couples from Cleveland and walked to dinner in the German Colony for Falafel. We found a great little joint and it was just awesome. It was great to get out of the hotel and conference after being in meetings and lectures all day long.
We got to interact during the day with people from other cities and with Israeli members of the Wexner program that study at Harvard. My group had two great Israeli men names Baruch and Avi. They shared their thoughts with us as to why we as American Jews are so important to them in Israel. It was a great jumping off point to a great conversation as to why the Israeli's are so important to us and beyond.

Avi is an IDF officer and is married and lives with three children in Tel Aviv. He and I have hit it off and I can tell from just this one night that we are going to have a relationship of some sort after this trip. He is the type of man that in a few years time, I can see him making a major difference in the Israeli government if he wants to.

Then we went to dinner. We walked back and were treated to a concert from Israel's hottest band called Hadag Nahash. They were awesome and are well known for The Bumper Sticker song. People were up and dancing and the place was rocking. Sorry to say we have pictures to follow of Michael Karlin and Seth Cohen getting down and funky in the front of the stage. It was absolutely hysterical.

After that, there was a group of about 10 of us from Atlanta that went back to the bar at the hotel and talked about everything going on with our program. A few of us went out on the patio and I treated to some great Cuban cigars. We sat and watched the moon over the Old City as we talked about topics from A to Z.

It has been a great trip and tomorrow we go to the Kotel for Shabbat. It's going to be an awesome night tomorrow that I know I am going to be emotional at for so many reasons. Most likely for the fact of who has walked these streets and have been in these areas. We are beyond fortunate to follow in their footsteps and it's just something that everyone should experience. So if you haven't been to Israel - no matter what religion you follow - what the heck are you waiting for???

More tomorrow - good night and good luck from Jerusalem!

Thursday Thoughts

Great day again. Been having a great group discussion of folks from each city and from Israel about Jewish life. The conversation was just awesome. We will meet again after lunch and another great speaker.

Ruth Calderon spoke to us. She is the founder and head of Alma College in Israel.

Ami Ayalon is here with us and is on his phone during the introduction. Classic.

She has us reading a poem called Rabbi Love - very interesting text and we are discussing it meaning. Just like we do in our Wexner classes.

Rav Rahumi used to sit
In front of Rava in Mehoza
He used to come home (wife)
Every Yom Kippur eve
One day the shma'ata attracted him.
His home (wife) was waiting:
Now he is coming, now he is coming.
He did not come
Her mind weakened.
She dropped a tear from her eye.
He was sitting on the roof;
The roof collapsed under him,
And his soul rested.

She says the words "used to" in text means someone will die in a few lines....classic.

In Aramaic - Woman means home. If you aren't married - you are homeless to them. She then quotes REM - "it's the end of the world as we know it." All from context of poem.

She is comparing Israelis to American Jews and asking who is the house and who is the man sitting on the house.

It's a great conversation that will lead to better discussion later in our group.

Until later....

Thursday morning

Boker tov - sitting listening to President-elect Shimon Perez. The twice former Prime Minister is addressing us on Jewish leadership.

The man looks incredible - must be in his mid-80s and is sharp as well. Great opportunity to hear from one of the greats of Israel.

He's talking about how he never thought race issues would get solved in U.S. - now Oprah and Condi are so powerful.

The Israeli economy is booming according to him. Changing to individuality and it's working. Says terrorist scary because doesn't matter if the live or die - paradise either way.

Scary. Talked about changing to hybrid cars. Global warming big issue. He spoke about not looking back but look forward and be curious about the future.

Stayed to take questions and was great.

Great speaker - great man.

More later.

Back in Jerusalem

Great day again ... I know you are shocked. Went to a pre-army academy that was just awesome and then we went to Ariel. Met with Ron Nachman the Mayor of Ariel and the founder of the settlement.

Some of the pictures you will see are how close we are to Ramallah from the Gush Emunim settlement. Just wild - not at all like you see on that Crappy News Network based in Atlanta.

Have a bunch of pictures from today online at Photoworks. There are photos from me and Seth Cohen - downloading as many as I can to share with y'all.

That's it for now - have more later but off to another group meeting and then dinner with family friends in town.

By the way Mr. and Mrs. Witt - Marci and Seth are doing well and eating properly.

Out and about....

While you are sleeping on the other side of the pond ... We are out seeing Settlements.

Just went to Psagot to the Settlement of Gush Emunim. It is 30 years old and it overlooks El Bireh and Ramallah. Literally as you will see from the pictures later - it's a stones throw away from Ramallah.

We met with one of the founders of Gush Emunim, Aryeh Felheimer. He let his know that he is about to celebrate his 60th wedding anniversary.

The settlement is very pretty with nice homes and a beautiful shul.

Now driving up Route 60 to see more Settlements. More later....

Boker Tov!

Happy 4th to one and all. Off to see the Settlements today - very interested to see what we see.

Pictures up from yesterday's visit to artist/poet Rivkah Miriam's house and she was very interesting. Look at her house - very old school. Drawings on the walls - wild stuff. The dogs wouldn't leave us alone. One is just hideous looking. The other was licking the floor.

Got a great picture of Steve Koonin listening to her and working at the same time. Classic.

Ami Ayalon spoke to us last night was very good - only issue was his voice was putting us all to sleep. Finally got a good night sleep.

OK - off and running the way we always do.

Sunrise on the Old City

Boker tov campers ... woke up at 4 a.m. time here in Jerusalem. Was going to take an Ambien and then decided to try it drug free. Boy did I mess that one up.

Have a breakfast meeting at 8:15 and then some things in town we are doing before free time around 3 p.m. For my wife, probably means shopping. But for me it probably means afternoon nap time.

The sun is just starting to rise on the Old City and I will take picture later from the room and post them on my Photoworks page ... stop by and see what we are seeing as we go. It's been eight years since I have been here and it feels like a lifetime ago.

There's no doubt that no matter what your religious beliefs are - you must come to Israel once in your lifetime. It's a life altering trip for sure.

Until later ... enjoy.

A league of their own

I used to love to watch highlights from the old days of sports. One of my favorites is a Vince Lombardi scene when he was pacing the sidelines for the Green Bay Packers. He's walking back and forth and sees another horrific mistake made by his team and screams out, "what the hell is going on out here!"

Right now, I'd like to borrow that line and give it to Gary Bettman and the NHL after the first day and a half of free agency,

I am trying to figure out why the NHL sat out the season two years ago only to cry poverty and explain how the league cannot go on the way it has. They need a new economic system was a rallying cry for owners. Hey Gary, after the NY Rangers spent 80 mil on two plays, what do you say about that great new system of yours?? Now that the Atlanta Thrashers and Nashville Predators are going to keep it to the lower end of the payroll scale - how's that going to sit in those cities? And if you are in the city of Brotherly Love - your suffering looks over soon thanks to a bunch of moves and spending some serious coin.

The NHL is a great product since the lockout. The rules changes are awesome for the game and the fans. But they have no real television contract and that won't change anytime soon. So unless you are a die hard fan - why would you even know or try to find Versus?

We are heading down a bad path again for the league as far as financials are concerned. And Gary, don't gimme the economic crap anymore. These owners and general managers know exactly what's up. Some can make the money with the higher payrolls and others can't and adjust to it.

So it's a league of haves and have not's once again. Glad we wasted a year to solve this problem.

Wow

Sitting poolside at the David Citadel Hotel having dinner with everyone from Atlanta, LA, Cleveland, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston.

It's a picture perfect evening - if I tried to draw it up - couldn't even come close. View of the Old City right behind us - and our room over looks it as well. The picture attached is from the balcony of our room. Just awesome.

To know that we are fortunate is one thing .... Must give back to make it mean something.

Until later .... Toda raba

Live from Israel...

It's 6 pm here and we are on the bus on the way to Jerusalem. Got here an hour early on Delta ... I know you are shocked as we are to hear that.

Absolutely beautiful here - been eight years since I have been here and it's as pretty and scenic as ever. We are sharing a bus with our bretheren from Houston and singing in Hebrew as we drive to hotel.

Weather is awesome - mid 80s and sunny. Will update as we go.... Shalom!

Off to Israel

At the Crown Room on the E concourse - wife is driving me nuts already asking if I am scared we are flying together with the girls here. Answer is I hate flying any way, shape or form.... I just try not to think about it.

Anyway - should be a great trip. Will update daily so stay tuned for wild, fun stories.

36 hour layover

Home sweet home ... nice to see ya, at least for a short while.

What the hell is going on in the UK? Lots of scary things going on in the world and people blame the U.S. for all of their issues. Look, there's no question the man sitting in the chair right now isn't a wonderful example of diplomacy, but when he leaves, do you really think this crap ends?

It's been going on for thousands of years and it's not going to stop because Bush leaves the White House. Sad but true statement.

OK for those of you who need a good laugh ... and I think the boys in the world will like this a heck of a lot more than the girls. Check out one of the funniest people on the planet - John Valby - known as Doctor Dirty. He's a singer/songwriter of songs for drunken idiots and I used to go see him with friends in college. While searching iTunes - found him again.

While in Boston, I was thinking back to my days of stand-up comedy - one of my all-time favorite people is DJ Hazard. Best line of his was, "this is off my album if an octopus had a big dick, how would he know? Would it be step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, ouch ...?

That's it for now ... off to bed and then fun with the kids tomorrow before catching the late flight to the homeland. Should be a great trip.

Fenway baby!!!

Sitting behind home plate at Fenway - went to the Cask and Flagon - life is good!!! Had a great day on a coast guard cutter for our Red Lobster SMT.

Now enjoy a beautiful night at the ballpark and then a 715 am flight home to unpack and repack for the homeland.

Drove by Northeastern and stopped by Newbury Pizza (twice!). Always good to come back to Boston.

Boston sunrise

Morning all - watching sunrise In Boston from the the USS Seneca on Boston Harbor. It is a beautiful day at 5 am and the sunrise is spectacular.

The Red Lobster team is rocking and rolling - smt to start at 545. On in Atlanta and round the county on WB and local morning show - look out for chef Michael LaDuke.

More later... Fenway tonight!

Have you ever noticed...

Walking to use the facilities on the flight, I noticed that most folks are either on their laptops or on PDA's playing games.

Also noticed about 40 percent of the plane has an iPod or some sort of music gizmo.

By the way - my streak is in tact - baby sitting right behind me. There's always one within two rows.... Have 5 more segments in three weeks. I'd bet on 3 of the 5 having it. Not sure about Israel flight, in the front of the bus.

Very cool to be back in Boston ... Nothing better than flying in and seeing the Prudential Building.Off to work and to drive in a town built for doing everything but that.

Off to Beantown

Well - here goes nothing... Off to my SMT for Red Lobster and it takes me to my college home. Very excited - been a while since I have been there. Hard to believe it's been 21 years since I went there to check into Stetson Hall West.

Standing in line at Hartsfield Airport security. Line goes all the way back to baggage claim. Good to see they have got this figured out by now. Good thing I am here with 90 mins to spare.

That's all for now. I am sure I will have a good travel story later ... I am flying Delta. And most of you know what that stands for ... Don't Ever Leave The Airport.

Hasta manana...

Now that could be a great hole in one...

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070626/NEWS/706260335

Been a while for a great story of the day.... this is a classic.

And then I was reading USA Today and found this one...

Sweden OKs prison porn for rape convicts

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Convicted sex offenders are free to read pornography in their cells, a Swedish court ruled, saying the country's prison system had no right to deny an imprisoned rapist access to his porn magazines.

Officials with the Swedish Prison and Probation Service had argued that reading porn would interfere with the man's rehabilitation program. They also said the magazines posed a security problem for staff and other inmates because they could increase the risk of the man relapsing into criminal behavior.

But the Supreme Administrative Court in Stockholm, whose ruling last week cannot be appealed, said the prison service failed to prove that the magazines could "jeopardize the security of the institution."

Prison officials said they had asked the government to change the law so that they could continue to ban porn magazines at the Nordic nation's prisons.

"It increases the risk of assault for other inmates and it is provocative for personnel," Elisabeth Kwarnmark, a prison service psychologist, said in response to the ruling.

Kwarnmark said that other pornographic material, such as adult movies, channels and websites, is not permitted in Swedish prisons. Child and violent pornography are also banned.

Why NASCAR is so smart

So Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants his number 8 to come with him when he changes teams next season. Sounds good right? His new employer Rick Hendrick was going to offer his old employer and his stepmom Teresa money to buy the number. Heck, Hendrick was going to trade his number 25 to them for the 8 and money. Not bad - no issues right?

Wrong.

NASCAR told the Charlotte Observer that numbers aren't for sale and belong to NASCAR not the driver or owner.

Wow. All I can say is brilliant. Totally brilliant.

Why you may ask do I say that? Why is it so important that NASCAR has this on the books as a law and why it's important.

Simple ... let me steal the line from Jerry Maguire and Cuba Gooding, Jr., "Show me the money!"

Does anyone have a clue how many fans Dale Jr. has? Does anyone have a clue how many of those folks already own EVERYTHING with the number 8 on it? Heck folks even have tattoos of the 8.

So imagine when Dale Jr. gets his new number. Think any of those people will spend money to buy his new stuff? Heck yeah. And by the way, does NASCAR get any of that money? You betcha.

When the release the new number, color and car sponsor - the money will just fly in and NASCAR knows this and that's what this law has been on the books for a while.

Not bad for a bunch of "good ol' boys."

Monday thoughts and ramblings

Happy happy all! What's new in your world? You know you could leave a comment once in a while and make this thing interactive from time-to-time.

Oregon State won the NCAA baseball title last night for the second straight year. First time done since LSU 10 years ago. They did it after barely making the tournament and with only two position players starting from last year's team. Nice job Beavers!

The Atlanta Braves can't score in a whore house with a fist full of 50s. They have scored one run in five games and just got swept by the Detroit Tigers. Elizabeth and I went Saturday afternoon and it was the hottest day I have ever spent in a sporting event. Thanks to Fox for moving the game from 7 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Felt like an egg in a frying pan for the first six innings when the sun went down.

Who in their right mind is going to give Andruw Jones $15 mil a year when he is hitting .200? You know that someone will do it ... just a matter of which big market team will do it.

Hey the Cubs just swept the White Sox ... they are only 7.5 back of Milwaukee. Still a chance baby!! Don't give up Cubs faithful ... weirder things have happened.

And how about a shout out to my pal Andrew Silver in GCI's NY office ... as of today, the Red Sox are up 11.5 games on the Yankees. We have dinner at the Palm riding on the Yankees making the playoffs - they are still 4.5 out of the wild card. As far as I am concerned, he can keep the food, I just want all Yankee fans to suffer.

Then on the other side of the office in NYC is Steve Bonsignore who is one of them Met people. They are going to win their division by default because everyone sucks unless the Phillies wake up and I am not sure they can.

One week until NHL free agency - should be interesting to see how teams like Buffalo will deal with Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. I think they should focus on Briere as Drury will likely land with the Kings, Rangers or Sharks. Before the draft, I would have said the first two - but now that Doug Wilson cleaned out some salary - he's going to take a hard run at Drury.

By the way - be interesting to watch the Atlanta Thrashers situation. If I were a gambling man, I would bet on them missing the playoffs. And speaking of betting, how's Roger Federer look to you on the grass at Wimbledon? Yeah ... I like him too.

Back-to-back in the NHL Draft for USA

Somewhere Herb Brooks is smiling today.

For the first time ever, American born players were taken 1-2 in the NHL Draft. Not only that for back-to-back years Americans were taken number one. It's the first time that has ever happened. There were 10 Americans selected in the first round for back-to-back years. The most ever.

When the USA National Team Development Program was started in Ann Arbor about 10 years ago - people laughed and didn't think it could work. Since then the U.S. Junior team has won gold and more Americans are drafted higher and becoming better hockey players. Great job being done by Scott Monaghan and Ron Rolston. Have to give props to Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson and Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves that put the program on the map.

Funny part was that one of the Americans kids, who wasn't even born yet in 1980, idolizes Herb Brooks.

Somewhere Herbie is smiling.

By the way - if you ask me who the big winners were last night in the draft, I have three.

Third is San Jose. Doug Wilson came into the draft with NO first rounders and leaves with two - while trading away Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell. Great day for the Sharks.

Second - I love what St. Louis is building. They came away with three first round picks to add to Erik Johnson from last year. Hey St. Louis fans - you aren't far off from saying something that your President John Davidson made popular on MSG for the Rangers broadcast, "Oh....Baby!"

And to me, by total twist of fate and good fortune, the Pittsburgh Penguins ended up with Angelo Esposito. He's was the pre-season top player by Central Scouting and he was ranked eighth on the final list. Dave Molinari of the Post-Gazette with the story of how Espo got to the Burgh. Give him some time with Sid the Kid, Malkin and Staal - wow, the firepower is insane.

By the way, anyone see any of my former cohorts from the Thrashers? No first round pick and barely any television time. Saw the backend of the table once as someone walked by on the way to making their pick. Don Waddell should have been the TSN commentator just to show us that he was there.

Still the one

Got to watch AFI's Top 100 movies of all-time last night. It had been updated from 10 years ago when the first did the list.

There were many things that I questioned on the list - like why 12 Angry Men and the Shawshank Redemption weren't higher. But I will not, cannot and never will argue with the top three chosen:

1 CITIZEN KANE
2 THE GODFATHER
3 CASABLANCA

To me - you can throw them all in a mixer and I would have no issues any which way. These are by and far the best and I watch them every time they come on the dish. Matter of fact, I think I can say that about all of the top 10. I can't help myself.

The list is very interesting and it's wild to see the new additions and what fell. Some of it shocks me. To check out the full list, go to the AFI website .

Also - did anyone notice that Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run last night? He might be a Hall of Famer - but he won't be on the first ballot for sure.

Best video of the week - Mike and Mike in the Morning - Mike Greenberg milking a cow from Stew Leonard's on set. Just classic.

Getting older, wiser

OK - so I went back to walk at Chastain Park this morning and they did it again. All of these people say good morning ... haven't even had my coffee and I have to talk to them. Crazy.

Anyway, as I was walking I realized that today is the 26th anniversary of my bar mitzvah. Which means I am getting old, but it made me laugh to think about what a pain in the butt I was back then. I was 13 and I knew it all - all of course except my parsha for my bar mitzvah. As I was walking, some of it came back to me. I remembered the opening lines and laughed that all these years later I actually remembered something.

I am leaving for Israel in 11 days and I am very excited to go back. For those of you who read my blog, I will be writing daily from Israel and I promise not to go to crazy on the soapbox. I know I have a tendency to do it in these kinds of situations, but I will fight the urge as best I can.

It has been eight years since I have been there and it was six months after the loss of dear friend Brian Fishman and I was a bit emotional. It's funny, but I was thinking about Brian yesterday and I got emotional again thinking about going back to Israel because it was one of the places we spoke of going to. It's been eight years since his passing and I still smile and think about him often. I miss him and wish he were here.

OK - so I have set the table for a solid 12 days of blogging from the homeland. Make sure to share them with people. Have a great day.

Southern Differences

OK - so how many of you have ever been to Central Park? Cool place - but not the friendliest place in the world. People don't stop and say hello to strangers. It just doesn't happen and if it does, you look at the person like they have five heads.

Which brings me to today when I went to walk with my friend, Harris, at Chastain Park. Started for a 45 minute walk around the park and along the way passed a bunch of people. Almost everyone of them said good morning to us. Half even did so with their iPods on.

Harris and I laughed about it - but it's one of the best parts about living in the South.

Y'all need to try it out ... weather ain't bad either...

NHL thoughts and ramblings

So - there's a hot rumor coming out of Ottawa that John Muckler is out as GM and that Bryan Murray will be GM/coach of the team. It's interesting considering the team made the finals and Muckler has done a great job putting the pieces together. Hey Muck - wanna blame Ted Nolan for this one, too???

Still trying to figure out what they are doing in Boston after firing coach Dave Lewis after his first year. Why wait till mid-June to do it?

And speaking of nuts, the Canadiens found someone to take Sergei Samsonov's contract off of their hands. Hey Chicago - good luck with that one.... let me know how it works out for you.

Happy Father's Day!

Good day here - had fun with the kids and went to the in-laws for dinner and to watch the end of the U.S. Open.

Interesting to see Tiger struggle down the stretch with the putter and yet only one shot back. Still wondering why Jim Furyk pulls driver on 17 - think he does too.

Can't believe we are going to Israel in two weeks. Been eight years and a lifetime ago since we went in 1999. Should be a great trip.

Quiet time

So since Sunday I have been a bachelor. The family went to the beach for the week and I have had complete silence in my house.



Insane thought isn't it? Haven't had silence like this in a while and it's interesting.



Sunday afternoon I kicked back sat by the pool, read, drank a beer and smoked a cigar. Did all of it without interuption. Scary. Can't even tell you the last time I did that.



Now, while I joke that it has been great - it's a little strange to be all alone. I am so used to having a rugrat around me or my wife near by.

Sopranos ending

Well - I have watched it twice and I am still torn.

Love the way Phil went out - but the rest of it, not sure. Paulie with the cat was great. Almost as funny as when he sat with the kids at Bobby's funeral and unzipped his pants. Classic.

A.J. is great too - just when the kid has a shot to get a hot girl - the car catches on fire. Just funny.

I still think there's a movie coming. With Carlo flipping to the feds - it can center around the trial of Tony and have flashbacks.

Could be good. What do you think?

Quacking up!!

OK - tell me you watched last night???

Tell me you saw Scott Niedermayer pass the Stanley Cup to his brother Rob? Every kid that plays this game and has a sibling doing the same dreams of that moment.

Tell me you saw Teemu Selanne crying with his wife on the bench embracing after he realized his dream? A kid from Finland - where they dream of winning Olympic medals first and foremost, raising the cup over his head with a smile wider than the Pacific Ocean.

Tell me you saw the Cup skated around the rink and you don't realize why this is the GREATEST trophy in sports.

Scott Niedermayer was the only Duck to have won before so it was great to watch all the newbies with the trophy. By the way, great story on SI.com on the brothers with the cup.

As my loyal readers know, I picked the Ducks to win the cup in August. I put some money down in Vegas and it came in nicely. I then picked the Ducks to win the series in five against Ottawa - heck, I even called scores for most of the series and described the games. No, I don't have any mighty powers that gave me the vision to see the future. I did have the vision to see one thing - Brian Burke built a team based on goaltending, defense, speed and strength. And they were too big, too strong and too much for Ottawa's finesse team.

Burke is a brash man with incredible vision. I can tell you that he went into the 1999 NHL Draft with Vancouver with a few picks and he was brash enough to tell all his fellow General Managers that he was "the only one who was going to walk out of the draft with the Sedin twins." Know what - he was right. He was the only one with enough players and picks and the smarts to get the deal done with the Edmonton Oilers for Chris Pronger. Heck he stole Francois Beauchemin from Columbus (and don't think Beauchemin won't thank him forever for getting him out!).
Asst. General Manager David McNab found college kids along the way like Andy MacDonald and Dustin Penner and thus a solid Cup contender was born.

Oh by the way, how the hockey world could have been different. The three finalist for the Atlanta Thrashers GM job - Don Waddell, Dallas' Les Jackson and Burke.

Obviously you need breaks along the way and the Ducks got most of them. Twice they had to play without Chris Pronger due to suspension and they won both of those games. They have never lost a Stanley Cup Finals game at home and they clinched every series this year at home.

Now Burke will be the first to say that his predecessor, Bryan Murray, left him an incredible team when he went to Ottawa. If you saw Murray's post game interview, he knew that he got beat by his own team after waiting his whole career to get to the finals. Sorta unfair.

As great as it was to see the Ducks win, I felt bad for Murray. One of the class acts in the sport and when his own team knocked a puck in their own net they cut to Murray and it was if he was going to start laughing because he couldn't believe what he saw. Hopefully he will have another kick at the can, but if he doesn't bring a tougher, more physical team ... the same result will happen.

And by the way, I keep hearing folks talking about the rest hurt Ottawa and that a bunch of them were hurt. Last night, Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe trophy, played a ridiculous amount of minutes throughout the playoffs and did it all with supposed hairline fracture in his foot. Odds are he had one for a while and it looked like it hurt him at times ... but hey, somehow he got through it. Why now in losing to I have to hear from the Canadian writers about injuries to their team. Heck - last night, Pronger separated his shoulder DURING THE GAME and he came back to play well in the second and third periods. It's the playoffs, everyone is hurt and banged up. Get over it.

Sorta like I have to get over the fact that the season is over... have to wait till September to see more hockey... ughhhhh!


For the best coverage of the cup post game - TSN.CA and ESPN.COM

Great story on my pal David McNab...

From CBC Sports.com

Going to school
Smart scouting paying dividends for Ducks

Doug Harrison, CBC Sports
Seeking another diamond in the rough, Anaheim Ducks assistant general manager David McNab packed his bags early in the 2003-04 hockey season.

He wasn't heading for the junior leagues in Canada, or to scout elite squads in Sweden, Russia or the Czech Republic. Instead, he was leaving for the University of Maine, one of a host of U.S. colleges McNab sees as fertile ground for future stars.

While scouting the Black Bears, McNab was intrigued by the play of six-foot-four, 230-pound freshman Dustin Penner. After the game, McNab picked the brain of old friend Grant Standbrook, an assistant coach at Maine.

"Grant told me about Dustin, that he found him at a summer evaluation camp in Saskatoon in 2002," McNab told CBC Sports Online. "I said, 'he's a pretty good player.' I think he wished I hadn't said as much, but I was actually there looking at someone else."

McNab returned to Anaheim and raved to then-Ducks GM Bryan Murray about Penner, a left-winger who went unnoticed in the NHL Entry Draft a few years earlier.


About three months later McNab signed Penner, one of 11 players to skate for the Ducks this season who had played some U.S. college hockey.

In his first full NHL season this year, Penner scored 29 goals and 45 points skating on the Ducks' second scoring line alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. He has added five points and a plus-2 rating in 18 playoff games.

While Penner has been the poster boy for Anaheim’s philosophy to sign undrafted college players, linemates Chris Kunitz and Andy McDonald have made key contributions in the team’s run to the Stanley Cup finals.

Lesser-known types such as Ryan Shannon and Ryan Carter, whom the Ducks also signed out of college in 2005 and 2006, respectively, have also been valuable additions.

Anaheim certainly isn’t the only team to go the college route, as 17 of the 30 players to play at least one game for New Jersey in 2006-07 were former collegians.

But the Ducks are gaining notoriety for scouring the college ranks, with three of their top six forwards entering the 2007 post-season having spent time in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

"We decided it was an avenue for us," said McNab, an original member of the Ducks who began his tenure in 1993 as director of player personnel. "There were always college free agents over the years – Ed Belfour, Mike Johnson and Curtis Joseph.

"We thought maybe it was a good way to get players. The draft is such a long process. You have to watch the top players and there is so much pressure to do it right, especially in the early rounds.”


In 2000, McNab and company targetted McDonald, a speedy five-foot-10 centre at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y.

McNab hadn't seen the native of Strathroy, Ont., play until his senior year when he scored 25 goals and 58 points in 34 games.

"In 2000, I think Andy McDonald was not only the best free agent but the best player in college hockey," said McNab, a former goaltender at the University of Wisconsin.

McNab said NHL teams that have been successful over the years had homegrown players, a core group they developed together.

“But we didn’t go into [the college ranks] thinking, ‘let’s sign five guys and hope one makes it.’ We really didn’t feel we had to sign somebody every year,” said McNab. “If we didn’t get the player we wanted, we didn’t sign anyone.”

Alain Chainey, Anaheim’s director of amateur scouting, told CBC Sports Online that college players are attractive to teams because of their maturity.

“They go to school, practise every day within a good system and work hard off the ice,” he said.
Shannon, who collected 45 points in 38 games in his senior year at Boston College, had 11 points in 53 games in his rookie season for the Ducks.

And Carter dressed for Games 4, 5, and 6 of the Western Conference final against Detroit after posting 36 points in 76 games this year for the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
"[Ducks coach] Randy [Carlyle] had no problem putting him on the ice [in must-win playoff games]," Chainey said. "The fact he put Ryan out there, he thought he was good enough to play [in the NHL].”

Like McDonald, Kunitz, Penner and Shannon before him, Carter wants to play for the Ducks.

"What I'm happiest about with these [college] guys is that they chose to come here," said McNab. "Anaheim wasn't their favourite team growing up, they weren't drafted here, they didn't get more money from us. They were getting the same offers from other teams.

“It was their decision and I'm happy they have had success here.”

Tonight is the night

The title is stolen from one of my all-time favorite movies, Midnight Run ... and it's changed so that it's not with the curse word that Dennis Farina added.

But NBC tonight will have Lord Stanley's cup will be skated tonight after a dominating 5-2 win by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. If Andy MacDonald does anything great, he could have a shot at the Conn Smythe, but I will take J.S. Giguere in the pipes for that honor.

If you don't like hockey, I would ask you to Tivo the game and add an hour past the time slot so you can see the greatest trophy in sports skated and see how grown men turn into little kids around it.

I only wish I have the Canadian coverage for tonight - CBC and TSN do it by far better than ANYONE ELSE!!!!!

Tuesday sing-a-long

C'mon - you know you want to sing it with me...

Andy MacDonald scored two goals ... E I E I O!!!!

Can't you just hear Chris Berman doing the highlights and singing that???

Which by the way, you want to know what the NHL sucks??? NHL diehards like me are DYING to watch post game coverage and we get ZIP, NADA, NOTHING!!! I know I am nuts, but I am not the only one wanting to wind down after a great game with some anaylsis and interviews. Mr. Bettman - please for the love of God, step down after this year. Owners - don't let Bill Daly take over - just be the same old same old...

OK - not to say that I know my hockey, but I have this thing pegged dead on. The Ducks are 7-0 in closeout games of a series at home. Plus Chris Pronger is back in the lineup and don't you think he wants a little redemption. I am sure he was thanking J.S. Giguere last night something fierce after the game he played.

The game was over after the first period when Ottawa couldn't muster more than a goal and they got that with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. Anaheim stepped up and just played their game - kept it simple and physical and took advantage of their opportunities.

On the game winner, it was a nice play by the Ducks, but the Sens got caught with three men in the offensive zone - two trying to make a hit and missing the puck. As if that weren't bad enough Wade Redden made a horrible read and turned to the boards and got beat by Teemu Selanne, which set-up the odd man break for the Ducks and the Dustin Penner goal.

The only issue I had with the game is that there was no penalty called on Daniel Alfredsson on his bush-league shot at Scott Neidermayer at the end of the second period. If you saw the overhead NBC had, there was NO way to dispute he changed his shooting angle in his back swing. The league better look at it and think about suspending him for the next game - there is NO PLACE in the NHL for that kind of behavior and needs to be dealt with quickly. Just a farce if he, or anyone who would do this, gets away with it.

For the first time in NHL history, the Cup will be skated in the Pacific time zone and more importantly in California. And this time Giguere can win the Conn Smythe on the winning side of the ledger.

Let me close with my song of the day ...

Anaheim will skate the Cup on Wednesday night ... E I E I O.... (my dear friend Anaheim Asst. GM) Dave McNab will be drinking from it all night ... E I E I O.

Happy Monday

Hope ya had a good weekend. All good in Barkan household, but hey give me time to mess it up.

Went swimming with the kids yesterday and it was just fun hanging with them. Abbie and I played croquet - someone gave her a kids set for her birthday. Was classic.

So weekend news and notes - LeBron is going to the NBA Finals. No one should be rooting for him more than David Stern. If the Spurs win, the MVP should be Stern and the league for the Suns series. Just a joke.

Chris Pronger got suspended from game four for an elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond. Call was close - but fine, suspend him. The last time the league did so, the Ducks won and they will do it again tonight. Jean-Sebastien Giguere won't have two bad games in a row and he will win the game for the Ducks, 3-1.

Yanks took two out of three from the Red Sox and still look no better. Roger Clemens may look good in the pinstripes, but he cannot help the problems this team has. Hey, does anyone remember the April A-Rod had? It was good, but not as good as the blond he was with in Toronto that everyone is speaking of now.

So Billy Donovan wants to go back to Florida? Gee what a shock. What is wrong with these power hungry moron college coaches that think more money will make they happy? Donovan has a great gig and can call his own shots at UF. The Magic are an OK team - but they will never be his. They will always be Dwight Howard's team and if Donovan goes there, when they win it won't be because of Billy, but if they lose it will be.

Story of the day - the Yankees could get out of the Roger Clemens deal if they want to. Might be worth saving the money at this point George.... or maybe you can deal him to Houston for Roy Oswalt. NOT!

Has anyone decided who they are voting for in the 08 Presidential election? If you have, how and why have you chosen that person? I keep looking and watching and wondering

Of all the gin joints in all the world....

Why do I have to be in Orlando today?? I mean seriously.... I have to be here on the day that the Orlando Magic hire Billy Donovan. It's front page news on the Orlando Sentinel.

And while friends of mine who are Gators and will remain nameless, send out emails of how it will be "OK" - I sit back and laugh at them. It's going to be interesting to see who they hire next - do you stay in the Donovan family of coaches or go outside. You never want to be the coach to follow the great coach - you want to be the one to follow the man who followed the great coach.

I can't get away from these damn Gators ... even on a business trip, geez.

OK - back to the more important subject - Stanley Cup Finals! Tomorrow night 8 p.m. on NBC - prime time ... YEAH! Even better - Don Cherry will be on the NBC broadcast. For those that are used to watching him on CBC I am sure he will be more tame on American television ... I hope not, but I am sure he will be.

Back to game 2 for a moment - every broadcaster has said the same thing about it, they have never seen a more dominant performance in a 1-0 win and they are soooooo right.

Ottawa's Bryan Murray is going to have to do something with his lines to get some kind of sustained offense going. But I don't think he has the team to pull this one off. Anaheim is just to big, too strong and with the best goalie. I think Ottawa will get an early lead and then hang on to survive a 3-2 win.

I will say this, if the Heatley, Alfredsson, Spezza line doesn't get a goal they could very easily go down 3-0. I think they break out a little and keep the series alive for another day or so...

Still say Ducks in 5 - won't give it up.

Sad day in St. Paul

In life there are a handful of days that you will never forget. Some that we all share are the day you get married, the day your children are born and when you lose a loved one.

As the city of St. Paul morns the loss of one of their own, restaurateur Nick Mancini, I can remember when I met him for the first time like it were yesterday.

It was the spring of 1989 and the Frozen Four was being held in St. Paul. My dad gave me some miles on American Airlines and I took off to do some writing for College Hockey Magazine. I knew nobody. I was wide-eyed and looking to watch some great hockey and meet some new people.

Four great teams were left. Shawn Walsh's Maine Black Bears, Ron Mason's Michigan State Spartans, Doug Woog's hometown Minnesota Golden Gophers and Bill Cleary's eventual champion, Harvard Crimson. TRIVIA time - who scored the game winning goal for the Crimson and what happened to him the next year?

I shared a cab with Notre Dame hockey coach Lefty Smith to the Radisson Hotel in St. Paul. I had met Smith in the Chicago airport as we were both on the same flight and delayed. We got to talking and having a good conversation that lasted the entire flight. When we arrived, Smith introduced me to Steve Klein and Neil Koepke. He told them that I was a good kid and they should get to know me. So the two men looked at this young kid and each other and then invited me to join them for dinner that night at Mancini's Char House. Being me, of course I accepted their kind invitation.

So I meet them in the lobby on March 29, the night before the semifinals, along with some other folks that night and head over to Mancini's for dinner. Standing at the door was Nick as if he knew we were coming and as if he had known all of us for 1,000 years. He sat us and then joined us for most of the evening on and off to talk hockey. He bought us a few drinks and we had an incredible night. The food was very good and the place was packed with people. It looked like a steak house out of the 50s in Vegas or New York City. He gave us hats and shirts and all kinds of trinkets to say thanks for coming in.

He was a great host and an even a better man. Every time I have gone back to St. Paul, I have made it my goal to go their as often as possible. I will continue to do so, but it just won't be the same.

That night was part of a trip that changed my life forever. I met people that weekend that have become lifelong friends and one in particular in Steve Klein who hired me for jobs that I can never repay him for. Klein's friendship, guidance and love are the reasons why I ended up in Atlanta and why I have all of the wonderful blessings in my life that I have. Not sure I say it enough Steve, but thanks.

And those relationships started that night at Mancini's.

Thanks Nick for being a great person who just got it. No question we need more of your kind on the planet. You will be sorely missed.

Observations on the Opener

Had some time to think about the opening game of the Stanley Cup finals and I have to tell you that I feel good in my original assessment of five games.

First off - I am sick and tired about the layoff talk. Both teams sat for five days ... and Ottawa had nine total days off and they still scored the first goal. The reason they were tired at the end of the game was because the Ducks beat them silly physically. Ottawa hasn't played a team as strong as Anaheim and it showed last night.

That being said, can someone tell me why Ryan Getzlaf looked puzzled on his cross checking penalty? He hit Mike Comrie SIX times in the back with no call and then on the seventh one a penalty gets called. Hey Ryan - be thankful you are a good player otherwise they would have gotten you on the second one.

Wade Redden was a minus-3 last night. He's not used to the physical style in front of the net that is typical in the West.

One thing to watch and I have noticed this all throughout the playoffs - Scott Niedermayer isn't right. Either he is really hurt and fighting through it or he is getting old. He's gotten caught for a lot of penalties because he isn't using his feet and not skating the way he used to or can. So as great as he is, he's a step behind. Watch him and you will see what I mean.

How ironic is it that Buffalo's Ryan Miller is in the stands to watch his brother Drew play in his first Stanley Cup final game. Drew had played two minutes all season and on his first shift causes the turnover that resulted in the Ducks first goal. Just a solid effort from a kid no one expected to be playing.

Memorial Day thoughts...

Howdy Ho all ... sitting in the basement watching the Stanley Cup Finals and just relaxing. Had a great weekend. Played golf twice - did a bunch of projects around the house. Including finally getting around to loading all our music onto ITunes. That was insane... over 6,000 songs now loaded up.

Anyway, have heard many folks speak about Memorial Day and the things and people we should be thankful for. I am sure that Saving Private Ryan is on someone where right now and I have to tell you, if you watch the first 45 minutes of that movie and it's impossible not to think about the sacrifice those men made for our country and for us.

Whether you believe in Iraq or not, the bottom line is that our men and women are doing great work on behalf of all of us. So for those of you who travel, when you see one of them, say thanks. If you are sitting in first class, give them your seat. Don't ask - just do it. Just remember, they sit in a seat you would most likely never, ever, ever want to sit in.

Have a great week. Abbie's birthday party is Wednesday at 11 a.m. at a bowling alley in Atlanta. This should be a trip. Can't believe she is five and her sister will be two. Time flies when you are having fun.

Hey runners - help a client out ...

For every new runner that joins the training runs on nikeplus.com between May 28 and June 28th, Nike will donate a pair of running shoes to The Atlanta Track Club youth organization in Atlanta. Nike is expecting 1,400 new runners for the race, so it will work out to be a nice donation back to our local community and help kids get involved in running.

JUST DO IT!!!

Quest for the Cup down to two

Was actually out last night watching Roger Waters in concert at Philips Arena. A great show. If you are a Pink Floyd fan and he comes to town, the music is awesome. Second half of the show was the Dark Side of the Moon album. Only thing I didn't like was the political message from him. Don't totally disagree with all of it - but don't like going to pay for music and getting political views.

So as I am listening to Us and Them, I checked the score of the game and the Ducks were up 3-0 in the second. Figured, that it was over and done, but by the time I got home, the Red Wings were down 4-2 with about four minutes to go and they are heading to the power play. Eight second later, it's 4-3 on a Pavel Datsyuk goal. Next thing you know, 12 seconds later, Travis Moen takes another penalty and send the Wings back to the man advantage. And while they had some great chances, Detroit couldn't get it done, sending the Ducks to the Finals.

Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press says that the Ducks weren't "lucky."

Hey, if you were watching the end of the game, did you see Chris Chelios skate over to the Ducks bench to shake Randy Carlyle's hand and then leave the ice? He didn't go through the line of handshakes that is customary after a playoff series is over. Hey Chris, way to show your younger teammates the right thing to do. For a great player, that is disgusting.

The line of the week and the series goes to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, on the Red Wings failing to sell out their first eight home playoff games: “If Detroit is Hockeytown, then Anchorage is the Bikini Capital of the World.”

A friend of mine was in Vegas in October and he asked me who we should put money down to win the Stanley Cup. I told him to put 20 down on the Thrashers as a long shot, but I also told him to put money down on the Ducks at 9-1. He did and now we have a shot to cash in. They were close to getting their last year, and then picking up Chris Pronger put them atop the Western Conference.

Now they get a shot at the Ottawa Senators, who have gotten to the Finals without playing a real physical team like the Ducks.

Ottawa has two very good defensemen in Chris Phillips and Wade Redden, but they are not the tandem of Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. I would expect that the Ducks duo will be on the ice every time the Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson jumps the boards. I like that match-up for the Ducks. Alfie has had an incredible playoff run, but he hasn't been hit like the Ducks are about to hit him.

The Sens will be coming off nine days of rest and I think that, along with the physical style of the Ducks and J.S. Giguere will put them in 2-0 hole heading back to Ottawa from which they won't recover.

Brian Burke and my pal David McNab will have their names etched on Lord Stanley's Cup after winning in five games. Wow - a California based team winning the Cup? Brings back the memories of the California Golden Seals.

BTW - a funny thing happened to the Atlanta Hawks last night. They finished third in the NBA draft lottery. Why is that funny you may ask? Well, let's see, if they finish in the top two picks they would get to pick one of two great players. If they finished fourth, they would have to ship the pick to Phoenix as part of the Joe Johnson deal. The Hawks also have the 11th pick in the draft, so they should be in good shape, no? Jeff Schultz of the AJC breaks all of the possibilities down of how the Hawks past history isn't helping the Atlanta faithful believe in them.

You think it's bad here? Check out Bob Ryan in Boston talking about how the Celtics lost Greg Oden and the continuing bad luck of the Celtics.

Rocket scientist of the week

Just when it was too quiet, a lot of stupid things got said this past week. From Jason Giambi to David Stern it was a busy week for foot-in-mouth syndrome.

But there was clearly a winner this week. Someone who stepped up to say something so stupid, we love him. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis.

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog," Portis told WAVY-TV in Virginia. "If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business."
When told that dog fighting is a felony, Portis replied, "It can't be too bad of a crime."

Hey Clinton, I know at the U they give classes in crime and lack of punishment, but you live in the state where this is going on and you don't know the laws. What a shock!

Anyway, thanks to Clinton for his winning statements ... Giambi was a distant second, but in other weeks, it would have been a lot closer!

Passing thoughts on a Sunday evening

First let me start with a big congrats to the Ottawa Senators for making their first Stanley Cup finals.

It's hard for me not to watch and cheer for the Ottawa Senators.

Sure, there's Bryan Murray who is getting his first shot at Lord Stanley's Cup behind the bench. Murray will face one of his former employers in the finals - he coached the Red Wings and was the GM for the Ducks. But I root for them because of Dany Heatley. He's a good kid that had an unfortunate incident that he will live with for the rest of his life. The positive side is that his life has gone on and gone on well.

I know that the Stanley Cup has winners names on it. If Ottawa wins, right next to Heatley's should be Dan Snyder. Only fitting to me.

Anaheim stole game five from Detroit. Got outplayed and then got a lucky bounce and a bad turnover in overtime. I said all along we go seven here ... sticking with it. How great will a seventh game be between these teams?

Did anyone see the overtime of game five of Ottawa-Buffalo? If you missed it, NBC flipped it to Versus network because the Preakness pre-game show was about to start. Hey Commissioner Bettman - how many more stupid television contracts will you sign before getting back in bed with ESPN/ABC where it belongs.

And the Preakness, while I mock the pre-game, it was another great horse race. Street Sense came from behind again. They were about to hit the turn for home on the backstretch and all of a sudden from 12 lengths back comes Street Sense. He was awesome and if you haven't seen it ... must watch! But Curlin and Street Sense don't show up on the screen until the turn for home... and the all of a sudden whoosh ... there they come. So Street Sense has the race won when Calvin Borel turns to look behind him and here comes Curlin. By the time he turns to go to the whip - it was over ... Curlin took Street Sense by a nose. Another great race.

The question is am I the only one who watches or cares?

More Carter Crap

So Jimmy Carter went on record to say that he thinks that George W. Bush presidency is the worst in the history of the office.

Still laughing from the comment. It's just classic. Goes back to when you were a kid and came back with the retort, "I know you are but what am I?"

If he can get it to stick, maybe his tenure will be the second worst in history. But it's going to take a lot to unseat Carter's horrific four years.

Hey Jimmy - you are so wrong on so many counts these days - at what point will you just shut up and go away. You are no good for anyone including and especially you and your legacy, what's left of it. Sit on your porch and enjoy life ... but stop trying to act useful.

BTW - how do you think the Democratic front runners for President feel about Carter?
They will try and bury him in an afternoon session at the convention, but I am sure he will go along to get along ... he's so good at it.

Patrick gets a Stern lecture

For those who have missed the hub-bub in the NBA this week, man has this been funny.

I am speaking about the suspensions from game four of the Suns-Spurs series where the Suns got screwed by the league because they are too stupid to get out of their own way. Anyway, if you haven't heard or seen the video, go here and see and read everything you ever wanted to know.

Anyway, Dan Patrick had NBA commish David Stern on his show Wednesday and it was just outstanding radio. Stern was a complete ass on the show as he talked down to Patrick and was flat-out obnoxious and rude. Listen to it here (have to sign up as ESPN insider to hear it).

After hearing the interview, I have to tell you that Stern has now jumped the shark. It's time for him to go. While he is no worse than Gary Bettman and Bud Selig, he is now just another joke of a commissioner. In the past, he was one of the best of all-time, but his time has gone and it's time to pass the torch. I am sure like the other two rocket scientist of their sports, he is too egotistical to let go. And when you hear him in the interview, you will understand why I am so over him.

Chris Pronger is lucky he only got one game for a suspension - should have been more. Bad hit and just dumb.

Can the Bulls come back and force a seventh game??? How tight would Flip Saunders collar be for that one...????

Sorry slackin' this week - wife is ill and can't really take meds because of pregnancy.... fun fun fun at home!!!

Monday ramblings...

Happy, happy, joy, joy.... hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Great hockey going on - are any of you watching? Does anyone care?? Buffalo cannot catch a break and are down 2-0 heading back to Ottawa. I think they are going to steal one tonight and make this a series.

Heading back to the left coast tied at one game a piece, the Anaheim Ducks look solid. They are throwing the body and getting to Dominek Hasek. Still trying to figure out why Hasek got away with throwing his stick in the first period as one of the Ducks came in on a breakaway. I am also trying to figure out how Rob Schick is calling games this late in the year. He's a hack. Still thinking this series is going seven - if the Ducks can hold serve at home, might only go six. Still great hockey that has got to be watched.

Lefty played great at the Players - but man, how sick does Sean O'Hair feel? Everyone is talking about 17 and it was a mess, but if the kid makes the putt on 16 and gets within one of Phil - does he go for the pin on 17? The putt was the key - O'Hair even said afterwards that if he makes it, he goes for the center of the green on 17. Should have done that anyway ... but you have to love the kid for going for it. It was only 700K he gave back... no biggie.

Best Sopranos of the year last night. It's finally getting good - three to go.

Happy Mommy's Day!

Hope everyone had fun.

Dumb and Dumber

The sad part is I am not talking about a movie in my headline. I am talking about Pacman Jones and Michael Vick.

Comes out that the night before Pacman went to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he met with some NFL players that told him he needed to get his stuff straight and fly in formation. After that meeting, Pacman went to a New York City strip club. Usually, I wouldn't give a flip about it, but in the circumstances we are talking about, this guy is a clown!

And then there's the guy that wears No. 7 and plays for the Atlanta Falcons. Forget the fact of the dog stuff - here's my question, why not put the house in someone else's name? I am sure the commish will be on the phone and get a close up-and-personal with Vick soon. Hey Bobby Petrino, bet the Louisville job looks pretty good right now, huh? Should have talk to your predecessors before taking the job. Arthur Blank sold you a bill of goods that start and end with this guy as your franchise quarterback. Right now, I bet you would settle for a serviceable quarterback that stays out of trouble. And one last thing Coach Petrino, maybe you would feel better if Matt Schaub was still your backup instead of Joey Harrington. But hey, Joey is a GREAT piano player.

Here's my issue with all of it, has no one shared the Mike Tyson story with them? Do they not have ONE PERSON with a sense of intelligence in their ear telling them that if they don't get it together they will wake up in their 40s and broke? But hey, I am sure all of the hangers-on will still be around if you guys don't have money.....NOT!!!

Please boys - just cut the garbage out! You are getting paid millions to play a game. It is not your "God given right" to play in the NFL it is a privilege. One that the commish will take away forever if you continue down the path's you are on now.

Abortion not only thing to get Rudy

For you political junkies like me, the fun is just starting for '08.

Mike Lupica, a man for all seasons, writes a solid piece about what will really get Rudy Giuliani in trouble. Besides his son not shutting up!

Things that make you go - wow.

Now this is how to fundraise...

Vienna City Hall Starts Sex Hotline to Fund Library

VIENNA, Austria — (FOX News) -- This isn't the typical whispering you might expect to hear at a library. Vienna's City Hall has launched a "sex hotline" to raise money for the capital's main public library, officials said Tuesday.

It's unusual, but it's not particularly raunchy: Callers pay 53 cents a minute to listen to an actress read breathless passages from erotica dating to the Victorian era.

City Hall set up the hotline earlier this month to help the library raise cash for planned remodeling and expansion, Austrian media reported.

Anne Bennent, a famous Austrian stage and film star, reads passages from the Vienna library's collection of 1,200 works of erotic fiction from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the library said.

Officials said the hotline would be operational through May 31.

Finally, a smart Duke alumn!!!

I usually pick on Dukie's. For no other reason than it's just fun to do.

But this morning - one Dukie (Jonathan Ganz) sent me an article that another Dukie wrote about the NHL Playoffs.

Usually, I would question a Dukie writing about the NHL playoffs, because it's not like they have a hockey team at Duke. But John Feinstein wrote a solid piece in the Washington Post about the best part of May.

I will say this - the two best sports sections on a consistent basis in my mind have always been the Post and the Boston Globe. I know there are people in Chicago and New York up in arms about that statement, but I will put those two sections up against anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Couldn't have said it better...

In the New York Times, veteran baseball writer Murray Chass wrote a solid piece about drinking in baseball and how it is as important to deal with as the steroid issue.

Roger gets Yanked from Texas

Morning all - hope weekend was good for y'all. Obviously it was good for Roger Clemens and his family. The funny part is that people are shocked by this.

First - it's the Yankees, this is what they do. Did you really think George Steinbrenner wasn't going to spend the money?

This year's squad are as overpaid and horrific a pitching staff as we have seen. They can't decide whether they want old guys or young guys ... and now because of injuries it's a mix. How can you not go spend the money to go get the greatest pitcher in the last 30 years? Plus, most of it the Yankees had set aside when they dumped Randy Johnson back to the Diamondbacks.

Second - Clemens is an ego manic who is ALL about the money. Don't sell this any other way to me. The Red Sox offered him 10 million and the Astros offered 11 million to him according to ESPN's Buster Olney. If he really wanted to stay home, 11 million ain't chump change. If he wanted to close out his legacy and really go out in style he would have gone to Boston. He went to New York because of the money, period.

Don't try and sell me that this team has a better chance to win the World Series than the Red Sox. It doesn't. You can say whatever you want about the batting order, even with Clemens, they are shaky in the pitching department. Their best pitchers are older than me and the young guys are really young. The bullpen is already exhausted and it's not like Clemens is going nine innings every time out.

Wasn't it great the way he announced it and how all those knuckleheads in the Bronx are buying into this? It's unreal how every paper in NY, Boston and Houston (as well as everyone else) has covered this too. Mike Lupica says that it's "business as usual in the Bronx." Gordon Edes in the Boston Globe quotes Curt Schilling in his column saying that, "we don't need him." The Houston Chronicle article quotes Astros owner Drayton McLain saying, "we can't live with this uncertainty year after year." But the best is Dan Shaughnessy's column in the Boston Globe - basically saying that this year for the Sox just got a heck of lot more interesting.

They are all correct. The question is at the end of the day, is it money well spent? I say it's not and actually nothing would make me happier than to see Clemens and the Yankees not make the playoffs. For years both sides have pulled this garbage - I am over it and I cannot wait to see Clemens go to Boston and get shelled.

Not only from the Red Sox lineup, but from the fans that he has totally insulted, mistreated and ignored for many, many years. Hey Rog, when you go into the Hall of Fame, go in as a Yankee ... after all, you are one of them for sure.

On the other side of the New York, the Rangers gave it everything they had but the Buffalo Sabres are just a better team. The Eastern Conference finals will be a war between Buffalo and Ottawa. The two teams had a brawl earlier in the year with Ottawa goalie Ray Emery getting into it with forward Andrew Peters. These teams don't like each other and it will be great up and down the ice hockey. SI's Richard Deitsch says, Sens, Sabres bring real venom to East finals.

Had Abbie's ballet recital yesterday - was absolutely the funniest thing I have seen. Her class was good - but not totally focused ... to be expected. But there was a 3-year-old class that was all over the joint. Kids staring into space and just dancing and smiling. It was very, very cute.

The first of many of these that I am sure I will be attending...

Worst to first at the Derby

If you like sports in the least bit, Saturday was one of those days with great events.

The NHL Playoffs had two games with the Ottawa Senators sending the N.J. Devils home for the summer. Lou Lamorillo is as good a general manager in the NHL, but this year he made a huge mistake in firing his coach before the playoffs. I know it has worked for him before, but sometimes you have to trust the folks you hire. Mmmm... sounds like advice for another GM I know in the Southeast. ESPN's E.J. Hradek has a good piece on Canada's last hope.

In Detroit, the Red Wings took a 3-2 lead over the San Jose Sharks but lost Mathieu Schneider for the rest of the playoffs with a broken wrist. The Detroit Free Press' Mitch Albom took aim at one mistake changing the game in the Wings favor.

On the hardwood - the Detroit Pistons killed the Chicago Bulls in the first game of what should be a hard fought series. And my neighbor, Matt Harpring, and his Utah Jazz continue their playoff run after knocking off the Houston Rockets on the road in a game seven.

It's always a good night when there's a big fight. Not many of them anymore. It was a good one, not a great one. Neither Oscar De La Hoya or Floyd Mayweather hurt the other - but it was a chess match - waiting for the other man to make a mistake. It went 12 rounds and the decision for Mayweather was fair in my eyes, but neither man stood head and shoulders above the other. Not sure that I would pay for a rematch of the two men - but it at least went past two rounds. That is what happens when I buy a fight. SI.com's Chris Mannix says that no matter what the talk was after the fight, a rematch will probably happen.

Now for the highlight of the day, this year's Kentucky Derby not only had 20 horses, thousands of stars - it also had the Queen of England in the stands.

Street Sense pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in racing history. The Derby winner came from 19th place on the backstretch to win the race. If you have seen the race, did you even see where Street Sense came from? The overhead video is spectacular and you can see how Calvin Borel pulled off the ride of his life.

What is amazing to me is that Borel stuck to his game plan of riding the rail almost the entire race. ESPN's Pat Forde talks about how Borel is one of us and he is now one of the greats.

On the turn to the homestretch, Borel stuck to the rail and passed 13 horses in about 5 seconds... watch the video again and count them. It was remarkable that NO ONE boxed him out on the rail - the seas parted and Borel pulled Street Sense to third as they turned for home. The next thing you know, Street Sense found a new gear and was gone.

It will be fun to watch the Preakness to see if Street Sense can go 2-for-2. Hard Spun had the lead until the turn for home and hung on for Place. Curlin got off to a bad start and finished Show. With less horses in Baltimore, these three should fight it out again.

Sunday looks to be good with Tiger in the hunt at the Wachovia and the Rangers looking to fight off elimination. More importantly, Abbie has her first dance recital. This should be a trip!

Pick of the litter

Opinions are like butts - everyone has one ...

I have always loved the pony's - for years friends and I have picked the Triple Crown races and see how we do.

This year - with my own blog, why not throw it out there to be either brilliant or dumb. Either way, I am used to the tag thrown on me.

For the record - I love going with jockeys that know how to win and have won big races - with that as my caveat here's what I am going with for the Queen's visit to Churchill Downs.

Win - Circular Quay
Place - Nobiz Like Showbiz
Show - Street Sense

Upset special pick – Stormello – 30-1 - There's something about this horse that is screaming at me as a Barbaro type of horse....

As for the big fight, and it's been a while since we have had a good one. My heart tells me Oscar De La Hoya can win, but my head tells me to pick Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

I like him to win in 7 by TKO. He's got a lot of built up tension from family garbage and I think he takes it out on Oscar.