A moment for my client....

It's not often I speak about work in this space, but I have to tell y'all how much I love working with the folks at Red Lobster. Been going to Orlando a lot and let me tell ya why...

I am working with the top chefs there to build a chefs blog and I am going back down on Monday night to video cast the two of them. They will cover all kinds of topics and they will be great at it. For those who haven't heard the names Michael LaDuke and Darryl Mickler before - get ready, they are going to be big on the web and beyond!

It's been a ton of fun getting to know the boys as well as Wendy Spirduso, Sally Setta and Bob McAdam. You are very lucky in life if you get to do something you like as well as work with good people. There's no doubt I am doing both with this group. Wendy always asks if the other brands are having as much fun as we are ... I doubt anyone can be as productive and have the fun we are having working on the brand.

And, if you can all sign up to be part of Red Lobster's Overboard Club - you will get a sneak peek at the videos before everyone else. Go to RedLobster.com and sign up!

Plus, when was the last time you ate there? You need to go see the Fresh Fish menu - you will be pleasantly surprised at how good it is.

Also - have you been to Season's 52? If you have one in your area - it is a must!!!!

OK - enough plugs ... Ducks and Sabres looked great last night. Of course, no shock in either game. Sabres series should be a tougher one - not sure how much the Canucks have in the tank after going seven in round one.

For those of you watching the Ducks game, check out my boy Billy Jaffe looking sharp on Versus. His Isles got bounced, but the Meee-Chhhigan alum still getting it done on national tv. That is for those who know where and what Versus is. BTW - did I mention that Gary Bettman did a great job on getting that TV deal done? Way to go - now is it time for you to go, please????

Mr. April continues his hot start

Alex Rodriguez hit two more homers last night, but the Yanks lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for their fourth straight loss. There is NO way this team will make it to October. Even if Roger Clemens comes back, they don't have enough pitching to get them in the mix. But it's amazing what a contract year does to people, no? ARod is a very good ballplayer, but this is the best start he has ever had ... coincidence? I doubt it.

Great 7th game in Vancouver last night - shame refs got to involved in the third period, but still a great hockey game. Congrats Canucks - enjoy your trip to Anaheim. Unless Roberto Luongo can score as well as stop the pucks, the Ducks should take this series in 5. Also like Buffalo over the Rangers in 6, Devils over the Senators in 7 and San Jose to knock off Detroit in 6.

Is anyone watching the NBA playoffs? If you are one of those people, answer me this, how do you stay awake?

Mark Prior about to have shoulder surgery. If the Cubs didn't have bad luck, they would have no luck at all. Oh well, at least ARod will look good in the Cubbie uniform next season ... after Mark Cuban buys the team. Something to look forward to.

Mississippi still reeling from Katrina

Morning all - I am in a cab on Hwy 90 heading from Biloxi to Gulfport, Mississippi. Here for a business meeting and to gamble and play some golf with friends.

I have been soapboxing with my Va. Tech stuff - and I have another soapbox moment coming on what I am seeing here.

Tons of places haven't been touched since the storm. While some might say I am on the coast and rich people live on the coast - the heck with them, I say shame on us Americans. We are sooooo caught up with New Orleans that we don't look here in Mississippi.

It's just sad to me to see this and know that all this time has gone by and what has been done. I know Iraq is a huge mess for the current Bush administration - but the overall Katrina cluster has to be a close second.

I didn't see the Gonzales hearings, but I saw snipets of him saying, "I don't recall." Three words this administration uses well and often.

Not sure if anyone is watching or cares about the Supreme Court - but they just made a huge decision in abortion rights and not in a good way. Ladies - I hope and pray for your sake that no other Justices die during the current administration. For if they do, you can kiss Roe v. Wade goodbye.

The day after ...

Now that the sweep of the Thrashers is done ... let's take a second and look back at a good season. They won a division when they weren't the best team. Don Waddell did almost everything he can - he made a major mistake in not bringing back Marc Savard at center and it showed during the playoffs. Heck the Thrashers should have declined the power-plays they got.

Don't expect any changes in the organization - the Atlanta Spirit, the most dysfunctional ownership group EVER, hasn't fired Billy Knight and Mike Woodson of the Atlanta Hawks. So, how can you fire guys that gave you a division title?

The funny part is with this ownership group, nothing would surprise me anymore. Right after the trade deadline, when Waddell made some moves, one of the owners was giddy as a school girl in the elevator taking credit for the deals. This owner who is from Atlanta originally is the most embarrassing owner in sports history period. I have met many owners, and this gentleman is just a buffoon.

Anyway - season over - time to figure out what will be done with the lineup for next year. In my mind, as long as Andy Sutton is not re-signed, we can all sleep better.

And more importantly, I can watch GOOD playoff hockey from now on... and even more important I can say those three words again.... "LET'S GO RANGERS!!" (Ranzman - that's for you baby!!!).

San Jose took a 3-1 lead on Nashville - but it ain't over yet...

New Jersey came back to win in OT last night - Tampa is a goalie away from winning the cup again. Where did Nic Khabibulin go? Think he was last seen in Chicago ... but not in the playoffs.

Three series can end tonight ... hope the Pens can pull one out, but don't bet on it ...

Thrashing around....

Some great stories from the day after a 7-0 rout:

E.J. Hradek - ESPN.com

Jeff Schultz - AJC.com

Lisa Olson - NY Daily News - back page headline - Magnificent 7

Larry Brooks - NY Post - headline - Taking Out the Thrash

On a totally different note - New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine wasn't wearing his seat belt and his car was going 91 mph when he got in a wreck on a way to mediate the Imus-Rutgers meeting.

How many ABSURD parts of that last sentence can you find???? GEEZ!

BTW - I think the Rangers just scored again .... think it was Jagr from Nylander and Avery

Can you say horrific?

Thrashers gave up a goal 32 seconds in - and are down 3-0 after the first period. Jaromir Jagr has three assists and Michael Nylander has two goals and an assist. At some point, the Thrashers might figure out they need to stop that 68 guy.

Gave up two more in the second - down 5-0 in a game you need to win. In the third period, Ilya Kovalchuk dropped the gloves to fight Sean Avery. Something you never see, but it shows the frustration of the team. Funny part is that Ilya, Keith Tkachuk and Eric Belanger all in the box for the last 16 minutes of the third. That's one line of offense - shortening your bench in a blowout won't help tomorrow's Game 4. Great stat from Darren Eliot - the Thrashers have 1 shot in the last 19 minutes and they just gave up goal number 6.

With 4:06 in the third period - Michael Nylander scores his third of the night to make it 7-0, To me it's not Kari Lehtonen's fault - he can sue for lack of support. For some reason, Rangers coach Tom Renney put Jaromir Jagr on the ice with five minutes to go in a blowout. He just got creamed on a hit by Garnett Exelby - that happened to be right before the 7th goal. If he sees the ice again, Renney should be shot.

Final - Rangers 7, Thrashers 0 - Andy Sutton minus-3 as was Nic Havelid and Marian Hossa.

I could have changed the channel but I like watching train wrecks.... and this was the absolute perfect train wreck.

Thanks for showing up boys. You have to wonder if Bob Hartley keeps his job if they lose in four games. He's the kind of coach that teams can tune out and according to my sources, the boys have tuned him out. Tough decision for Don Waddell - but he's got a ton of questions to answer with players as well.

Funny part to me is that after the first two games, the Thrashers were missing one piece of the puzzle to me. Hard to play what if, but it looks like they miss center Marc Savard more than anyone in the organization will admit. He was the guy that made the offense go and he took the money and went to Boston. Damn shame - would have been fun to watch.

Great night for me - kids in bed, I am in the basement with the big screen split in two - Thrashers-Rangers on left - Ottawa-Pittsburgh on the other. Now have Dallas-Vancouver game on one side and Detroit-Calgary on the other. Love this time of year!

More thoughts on Va. Tech

Got this note from one of my colleagues in Austin who is an alumna of Virginia Tech ... wanted to share her thoughts ....


Dear colleagues and more importantly friends,

I think unless you’ve been buried in client work, you’ve all been exposed to the shootings that took place at my beloved alma mater, Virginia Tech.

Even though my time there has been distanced by several years, the shock of this event is in a way as personal as if I had been on campus yesterday. Every college community has its own sense of pride and every student who attends shares in some way, the same love and memories from their institution. I have been blessed to share in the Longhorn-Texas pride here in Austin, but as many of you have seen during college football season, my heart belongs to the Hokies.

Founded over 130 years ago, Virginia Tech began as a military and agricultural university set away in the western Virginia New River Valley. The school later became known for its engineering and science curriculum and was more formerly named Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University – what we all now refer to as Virginia Tech and just “Tech” when you’re in Virginia. The original mascot was a turkey and to this day the “Home of the Fighting Gobblers” is still portrayed on our stadium, even though we now have all taken on the name “Hokie.”

Virginia Tech is home to over 26,000 students from across the globe; its campus is what you dream of a college campus to be. Set away from the everyday busy lives of others, nestled in the green hills in the small town of Blacksburg. The buildings encircle a large field called the Drillfield where every summer and spring you dodge Frisbee players and every winter you dodge a snowball or two. Each building is made out of “Hokie” stone, a beautiful granite that is mined up the road from the school. At the end of campus exists a Duck Pond and overall the campus, with its rolling hills, and farm land is straight out of a movie. The town does not possess a “6th Street” like here in Austin, we have but one street, Main Street, and only a handful of bars to visit, but we find a way to party just as hard with fewer options.

Virginia Tech has a motto that each student is held accountable for from day one; the Latin words “UT Proism” – “That I may Serve.” These words are ever present in all that we do as Hokies, from our first orientation to our last breath as alumni. It is etched in our brains and on our class rings. Our college, like Texas A&M, houses one of the last military programs of its kind outside of actual military institutions such as West Point, further proof that we as Hokies in all forms serve the community and the world around us living by those words: UT Proism.

It is easy to get a small glimpse of a college’s pride during football or basketball season, but the maroon and orange I display during these seasons is only a fraction of my deep love for this university and this is why I have shared the school’s history with you. Virginia Tech was my home for four years, the longest I as a military brat had lived anywhere. I stayed at West Ambler Johnson, the scene of the first shooting as high school senior in orientation, and lived two buildings over for my first two years and I had several classes in Norris Hall; the scene of the second shootings.

I have many, many memories from my time there, none of which include one scary moment or true moment of darkness; it truly is a safe and fun place to be. It is useless to try to make sense of this tragedy because you can never make sense out of complete nonsense. This event could have happened anywhere, yet it happened there, in one of the most unlikely places imaginable, at least to me.

In today’s convocation ceremony at the school, Hokies were graced by the presence of many dignitaries, to include President Bush, but it was professor and famed poet Nikki Giovanni that brought tears to my eyes as she repeated “We are Hokies.” It is a statement that is hard to describe the meaning to unless you’ve been there and shared the Hokie pride, but to us, those are the strongest words that could have been uttered because to us they are words of hope. To hear the auditorium chant: “Lets Go Hokies” after her speech shows me that while we as Hokies and we as a nation are still in mourning, we will recover and we will recover stronger.

I am not a parent therefore I cannot imagine the devastation felt by every parent in every community who sends his/her child off to school everyday. I am not a sister, nor do I have a brother and therefore I do not know what that loss could ever feel like, but I do know loss and I do sympathize with all involved there. My college mentor spent 2.5 hours yesterday locked in the building next door to Norris Hall with her students, watching them as they tried to make sense of what was occurring around them, in what, until yesterday was a peaceful community, no doubt her three young children were what she was focused on. Thirty-three students and faculty lost their lives in a tragic event and as we know those lives spiral outwardly touching, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends.

The Austin Chapter for the Virginia Tech Alumni Association has set-up a victim’s fund site. All donations received at this site will be given to Virginia Tech in memory of these victim’s and in hopes that it will help their families. The site can be visited here if you are interested in donating.

Many of you, many of our clients and many of our GCI colleagues from around the world have reached out to me in support of this event. Thank you for listening to my story and the story of my school, even now re-reading what I’ve wrote, I realize that this explanation is still only a small glimpse into how wonderful Virginia Tech truly is. I am blessed to have left Hokie Pride for GCI Pride and please know that all of your well-wishes to me have been passed along in my communication to those who are currently at Virginia Tech.

Forever I feel that this event will make me stronger and more grateful, and again I thank you for your support. All my best,

Christina

GO HOKIES!

Amazing Story from Blacksburg

In times of crisis, come incredible stories of bravery. Here's one that just blows me away from a man who was a Holocaust survivor named Liviu Librescu.

He had been through hell and back - from the story on FoxNews.com

"When Romania joined forces with Nazi Germany in World War II, he was first interned in a labor camp in Transnistria and then deported along with his family and thousands of other Jews to a central ghetto in the city of Focsani, his son said. According to a report compiled by the Romanian government in 2004, between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews were killed by Romania's Nazi-allied regime during the war."

And this man, who became a professor, blocked the door so his students could get out of the classroom. He gave his life to protect other. Just an amazing story to me ... to live through what he did and then to die the way he did... just wrong.

Color me Hokie and Hockey

OK - don't have your eyes checked, I changed some colors on my blog ... for those that don't know, I flipped to the closest color of Hokies red I can find in honor of the fallen.

My partner-in-crime from USA Today days - John Nunnally is a Hokie and he just emailed me from Sweden to tell me that, "he can't believe that Va. Tech is going to be mentioned forever in the same breath with Columbine and the Texas Bell Tower."

He's absolutely right is what is sad. The irony is that 3/4 of the people in the Atlanta office have most likely never heard of the Texas Bell Tower incident on August 1, 1966.

On to a totally different subject - one of my favorites, hockey!

For those who haven't seen a minute of the San Jose - Nashville series, I implore, beseech and beg of you to watch Game 4 on Versus (channel 608 on Direct TV) on Wednesday night.

It has been one of the most intense first round series I can ever remember watching. And I have watched a lot of hockey. Not only that - great goaltending - great hitting and just two teams that honestly don't like each other. It's on at 10 p.m. ET - make sure to take a nap and watch this classic battle.

Not feeling good about the Thrashers chances in the big city tonight ... hope Kari Lehtonen pulls one out of his behind ... problem is even if he does, if Marian Hossa and Slava Kozlov don't score, it won't matter.

Still feel like Sabres - Ducks will be the final ... the league will sell it as a good thing because of the L.A. market. Hey Gary - do you know the difference between L.A. and Anaheim?? Just wondering...

I would love to see an Buffalo - Nashville series - two markets that they league can't spin in a positive way no matter what they say!!

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie wow

Where to begin on this horrific day after tragedy on the Virginia Tech campus?

It's just makes no sense in a place that is just serene. Blacksburg is a true college town and I have many friends that have gone there. Just a day when as a parent, you kiss your kids, and are thankful they are ok. Yet, if you have kids in college or going next year ... You are shaken today thinking that this could be your child's campus.

I was speaking with a colleague yesterday and this incident shows how the digital world now dominates the news. CNN was running a students video from his personal camera. I haven't check yet - but there will be YouTube video for sure today. Google will have searches galore about Va. Tech and blogs will be loaded with info about it. Take 10 minutes today and check it out.

Wathed Geraldo on Fox News - he is just a buffoon these days. So sick of his act and Fox talks about no spin .... If that's the case someone tell Geraldo, please.

Just sent this to my colleagues and posted to the GCI Blog (only internal for now):

As one that used to work in a newsroom, the old saying that, “Bad news is good news for us” makes me a bit ill, but it’s true.

Problem these days in the 5-second news cycle is that newsrooms aren’t the only places to get information these days. If you go to YouTube and search Virginia Tech Shootings there are a few videos already up and more to follow.

Technorati says that there are over 15,000 blog posts from the incident and there are 444 tags out there on it including videos and photos.

If you have turned on your TV for five seconds in the last day, you couldn’t have missed it … never mind the fact that every famous news person from around the globe made it to tiny Blacksburg ASAP.

Make time to surf the web for 15 minutes and check out what’s going on … Facebook and MySpace I am sure are going to be lit up with this topic over the next few weeks as well.

And when you get home, I know it’s rare to take a second to be thankful for what we have, but stop and think about it. I was numb to all of it in my newsroom days, but these days I say often, “But for the grace of God go I.”

Here’s wishing for no more days like yesterday and that a wonderful college town gets back to where it was.

Thanks
Jon

Another good Friday

OK the Thrashers lost and I am upset about it, but we went to the doctor today and Barkan number three will be here in mid-October. Very exciting news ... E feels well and all looked good at the doctor.

Thrashers game two is Saturday at 3 and I am taking my dad - not sure who he is rooting for. The question is will Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk score a goal before I get a boy! I'd say the odds are usually favoring the Thrashers, but ya never know after last night.

Don Imus gets fired - which is not a great loss for most of us - BUT let it be said it wasn't for his comments as much as those comments took money out of his employers pockets. He's been saying this garbage for years - not because Rev. Al and Jesse complain, he's out. Rev. Al - don't make ANY mistakes on your air.

Have a great weekend all - hope it warms up for those of you in the snowbelt...

Imus or no Imus?

So - we have all had a few days to digest what Don Imus did. There's no question he was wrong in what he did, but my question is why now?

Why have people woken up and listened to what he has said THIS TIME and now want him fired over it? Has he not gone this far before? When I grew up he was the legend on New York talk radio on WNBC-AM. But he was crazy then and he is crazy now. He pushed the boundaries on a daily basis and this time I think he went over the line, no doubt.

My problem is the firestorm is being started by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton - two men who have made mistakes and have been given second chances. Why can't they give Imus the same courtesy? Heck, I can't believe Imus went on Sharpton's radio show ... talk about the blind leading the blind. Both men are nuts.

I feel bad for the women's basketball team because they didn't ask for this spotlight. They had a great year and were celebrating it when this happened. The great thing for them is the C. Vivian Stringer will make this a life lesson for these women and they will be that much stronger for it.

As for Imus, he's lost some sponsors quickly because of the firestorm. He's got two weeks off starting on Monday and he's meeting with the Rutgers women this week. Not sure if he's a goner or not, but it's probably about 50-50 right now in my mind, but that can swing if the sponsors pull the plug.

Maybe after all these years, it's time for Imus to ride off to his New Mexico ranch. He's made enough money and he's said his peace time and time again. And if he wants, I am sure his "close friend" Howard Stern can get him a gig on Sirius.

Met a gentleman by the name of Dan Greenfield today at a PRSA seminar about Social Media. He's a VP of Corporate Communications at Earthlink. When I read his blog for the first time this afternoon, he talks about Imus on his blog as well. Check it out at Bernaise Source.

There's a new sheriff in town ...

... and his name is Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL.

Pacman Jones is out for the entire 2007 season - suspended by the NFL. While I may have hated him for changing the direction of the 2006 New York Giants season, he's a very good football player. It's just that he isn't that good at life and using his brain. Then again, neither are most of the Cincinnati Bengals.

How hard is it for these guys to stay out of trouble? I have heard all the arguments for and against the way athletes were raised, my question is at what point do you have to grow up and take responsibility for yourself? These guys are making big dollars and getting paid to play a game. How many people would give their left arm to do what they guys are doing for one day???

What has been driving me nuts lately is Michael Vick came out and said that his water bottle was to hide his jewelery and that he doesn't understand the big ruckus. What he and the other rocket scientists haven't learned that Andre Agassi said years ago, "Image is everything." Yeah and when you image stinks, doing stupid things aren't going to help you.

Someone once told me if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its gotta be a duck, right?
Hey Michael, if you act like a punk and talk like a punk and walk like a punk, don't you have to be a punk? Why is that so tough for kids making millions of dollars to grasp and deal with this theory?

BTW - not to put him on a pedestal, but have you EVER heard of Tiger Woods doing anything dumb outside the ropes? MMMM.... NO - because he gets it, period. Now, I will say this, it cannot be easy being Tiger or Michael Vick for that matter because it's hard to go out to dinner like a normal person. But hey, once again, I will submit that people would kill for the opportunities these guys get for one day.

Anyway, back to my Pacman, Goodell stepped up to the plate on his first big at-bat as NFL commissioner and hit a home run. Just promise me one thing Commish - stay the course and stay strong....!!!

Passover is done - we did pizza and ice cream with the kids tonight ... funny as heck to see a 22-month old go at an ice cream cone. I think more ended up on her than in her mouth!

Mr. April strikes again

Many of you know how much I cannot stand George Steinbrenner. I think he's one of the people that has ruined pro sports. With the kind of payroll the Yankees have every year, shouldn't they win the title?

Well, there's one thing I have always agreed with The Boss about and that was a comment he made about Dave Winfield. In 1981, Steinbrenner made headlines by signing Winfield to a 10-year, $23 million contract, making him the game's highest-paid player. Winfield was one of the best players in the game throughout the life of the contract, but soon had a falling out with Steinbrenner.

He helped the Yankees to the 1981 American League pennant, but then had a poor World Series, and the Yankees lost in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. A bitter Steinbrenner derided Winfield by saying "I got rid of Mr. October (Reggie Jackson) and got Mr. May." The Mr. May comment lived with him for the rest of his career.

What a great line - my question is, can we call Alex Rodriguez Mr. April? He's following Winfield's past of having great regular seasons and folding like a card table in the playoffs.

Hey Yankee fans - enjoy his five homers while you can. We all know who will shop up when the real money is on the line and the answer is Derek Jeter.

Two days until the Thrashers first playoff game ever. I am rooting for them even though they are playing my childhood team in the Rangers. I know my pals in NY don't understand... but they will get over it, I hope!

If I had to pick my Stanley Cup Finals - I will take Buffalo and Anaheim. It's hard to pick against a team that will have either Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer on the ice for almost 50 minutes a game.

My hallergy to the fans....

For those who missed the Islanders shootout win for the last playoff spot Sunday, what were you watching? Some dumb golf tournament from Disgusta, GA - c'mon man, what fun would that be?

Actually, best to watch on a big screen and split screen it like I did Sunday in the basement.

But there's a huge issue for a lot of folks (including me) in Atlanta. The Thrashers made the playoffs for the first time ever and they start on Thursday night versus the New York Rangers.

C'mon - seriously. Couldn't the Thrashers win a few rounds before facing my childhood team? I know that I am not the only transplant in town that feels the way I do. I lived long enough and was at the Rangers Stanley Cup victory in 1994. It would be cool to see one in the South as well.

From the karma standpoint - Rick Comley and Michigan State won the NCAA hockey title Saturday night over BC. Could Thrashers General Manager Don Waddell played for Comley at Northern Michigan - maybe there's some mojo Rick can pass on to Don and the boys in Atlanta.

That being said - it's going to be a fun time in Hotlanta, but I would kill to go see Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh. What a great series that should be.

Very excited about the Soprano's and Entourage back on ... will comment on it Monday....

Happy Easter!

It's good vs. evil for the college hockey crown

Good Friday to ya ... to some in East Lansing and Chestnut Hill, it's a Great Friday.

Michigan State and Boston College won their semifinal match-ups and are going to battle it out on Saturday night for the Division I championship. FYI - if you haven't read about it, go to Inside College Hockey. It is by far the best college hockey site on the web - bar none.

As most of you knew, I spent some time in both cities. I have deep ties to the folks in East Lansing. One of the best times in my life was spent working for the Lansing State Journal. Every time I go back to visit, I get to see old friends and it's just a wonderful trip down memory lane.

The people and friends I made there are some of the best people I have been lucky to spend time with and MSU Athletic Director Ron Mason has been a great friend. He and his family always have been kind to me. Then there's assistant coach Tom Newton. We have a special bond that I can't go deep into, but he and his family were very kind to me. Funny part is that coach Rick Comley used to coach my old boss, Don Waddell. Maybe there's a link between the Spartans and Thrashers winning in the same year? Stay tuned.

I will always cherish my time "On the Banks of the Red Cedar..." It was an incredible place to live with incredible people. I am a true Spartan fan forever because of my time there.

Before I lived in EL, I lived in Boston. As a kid from the other side of the tracks (Northeastern) I have never liked BC. They have always acted superior and obnoxious. Now, I have liked some people from BC - but every time I hear the fight song ... I get sicker and sicker. Bad nightmares from losses of the past.

So with that being said I am hoping that the Spartans can kick the you-know-what out of the Eagles. For those in the South, they are the Florida of the Northeast. The fans are about the same type of attitude and when they win - totally insufferable.

SO - GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

And you thought Jersey was bad??

From the TSN.ca website.... classic!

Islanders' Ice Girls claim abuse by Rangers

Two New York Islanders Ice Girls were hoping to penalize members of the New York Rangers for slashing, spitting and verbal abuse during television timeouts in the first period of Tuesday's game at Nassau Coliseum.

The NHL says it has reviewed the incident and, as far as the league is concerned, the case is closed.

"We were made aware of the situation right after the game in question," NHL executive vice president Colin Campbell told TSN. "We investigated it, talked with the officials and both teams and we determined there were no grounds to pursue it any further. It's a closed matter as far as we are concerned. We don't have to respond to what's in today's newspapers because we've already responded to it."

A report in newsday.com reveals that the girls were cleaning loose ice in the blue-painted goaltender's crease when Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist refused to move and used his stick to hit the squeegee used to push the snow during the first TV timeout, knocking the butt end into her stomach.

"The tip of my squeegee kind of hit the tip of his stick," Kelli Higgins told Newsday. "I don't know if he thought I did that on purpose or whatever, but he took a big windup and slashed the squeegee pretty good. It startled me a little bit. It didn't feel great, but I wouldn't say I was injured or in a ton of pain. I was shocked."

During the second TV timeout, Higgins alternated jobs with another Ice Girl, Chanel Benson, who claimed she was spit on as she was leaving the ice.

"All of a sudden, my back got wet," Benson told Newsday. "I believe one of the Rangers players who was sitting along the wall spit on my back. It had to be on purpose because I wasn't directly in front of anyone to spit and not realize I was there."

During a third TV timeout, both referees and one linesman made Lundqvist move to allow Higgins to shovel the snow out. Higgins said both Lundqvist and Rangers forward Sean Avery were using curse words "that had to do with us going around with the squeegee."

Lundqvist told reporters on Wednesday before learning of the allegations that he prefers to remain in the crease to maintain concentration during breaks.
With files from Newsday.

Classic bites...

Found some classics in my email folders - check 'em out...


http://www.veoh.com/videoDetails.html?v=e107067WHhNhRh4

http://houserockbuilt.hipcast.com/download/6234cccd-66ab-f3bd-7407-6915acb69e9d.mp3

We're passin-over the game...

Whoever put the title game tonight need to check the Jewish calendar. Passover begins at sundown and while I won't be at the game, I guarantee you that many will be there in attendance.

Obviously it's up to the individual to make the decision on what to do, but as much as I would like to go, it would set a horrible example to my children. Plus, my wife would kill me. So, dinner with the family at my in-laws house and hopefully we will be done in time to watch.

Florida vs. Ohio State - if the refs let them play (unlike both games on Saturday) this could be a good match up. Florida killed OSU earlier this year in Gainesville. That being said, this isn't the same Buckeye team. They are no doubt better - but it won't matter except in keeping the game close. The Gators came back for this reason and they won't be denied. Probably be a double digit win....

Now the question I have is - who had the better Nike uniforms - http://systemofdress.com/ - check out the site and let me know. GCI is working with Nike and we put together this site for them.

Baseball season is back ... can't believe it. Can this be the Cubbies year? Finally? Please??? Well it started off on the right foot - the Tribune Company is being sold. Could this be a sign from above?

On the ironic part of my life ... is it me, or is it funny that the Rangers beating the Leafs last night in NYC clinched a playoff spot for the Thrashers. Their first ever...

Have a great week - let's be safe out there....

Breaking news in Georgia....

Uga VI to retire after 2007 season

This is BIG down here!

Check out this video of Kermit the Frog!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32067

Thursday thoughts...

Hey kids - sorry been slammed at work and be out every night this week.... so, been a bit out of it.

The pollen count is in the 5,000s in Atlanta and every car is yellow. It's just been brutal this week - everyone is getting hit by the pollen bug and it's no fun at all. Waiting for it to rain to wash the first shot of pollen away, might happen Saturday but I am not going to hold my breath.

Good story in the AJC today about car washes making money off of the pollen count being so high.

Final Four in town this weekend and this place is going to be a zoo. Traffic alerts are already at high and people are being told to stay away from the area by the Georgia Dome unless you have tickets. I am taking my father to the game on Saturday - it'll be fun. To be honest, if he didn't want to go - I would rather stay home and watch. We are in a sky box and it's a corner angle of the basket. Tough to judge depth and angles of shots. Unless you are in the first 10 rows down low, it's not a great place to watch a basketball game. But the NCAA doesn't care about that - it's all about how many butts can we put in seats and how much crap can we sell at the game. If it were at Phillips Arena, now that's a totally different story.

I like a rematch of the football title game in OSU-Florida. They played in hoops in Gainesville and the Gators killed the Buckeyes. But Greg Oden isn't the same player and OSU is a better team. Technically its a neutral floor - but the Gators will own the crowd and win back-to-back titles. Just hope Billy Donovan is smart enough to stay away from the Bluegrass State.

And for a new feature on the Barkan Dawg - it's called the Moron of the Month. This is the equivalent of the Mike and Mike Just Shut Up Award, just taking it to a proper level for this space.

The winner of the first Moron of the Month award is Michael Ray Richardson. The former NBA player was suspended for the rest of the CBA championship series for anti-Semitic remarks.

Check this out from the story on ESPN.com:

"I've got big-time lawyers," Richardson said, according to the Times Union. "I've got big-time Jew lawyers." When told by the reporters that the comment could be offensive to people because it plays to the stereotype that Jews are crafty and shrewd, he responded with, "Are you kidding me? They are. They've got the best security system in the world. Have you ever been to an airport in Tel Aviv? They're real crafty. Listen, they are hated all over the world, so they've got to be crafty."

And he continued, "They got a lot of power in this world, you know what I mean?" he said. "Which I think is great. I don't think there's nothing wrong with it. If you look in most professional sports, they're run by Jewish people. If you look at a lot of most successful corporations and stuff, more businesses, they're run by Jewish. It's not a knock, but they are some crafty people."

Go read the story - other great lines from him...

So congrats Michael Ray ... you win the first MOM award!!! Who will be next? Only time will tell - but have faith folks, there are a lot of morons out there.....

Monday, Monday ...

Happy Monday - back from Pittsburgh and boy are my arms tired....

Actually, good to see the family for 24 hours, but that's about my limit these days. My patience with my kids is great, but not so with my family.

Perfect example, I wake up on Saturday and go to meet my grandmother, mom and aunt for breakfast in the hotel - before I even warm the seat, my mom tells me that my shoes are dirty and my grandmother wants to know why no one answer her calls at my house or even calls her. Literally, I stood up and walked out to meet my dad to go get coffee elsewhere.

I know every one's family is nuts, but I will put my Seinfeld/Costanza group up against any of them out there. Mom's reading this and getting ready to kill me - but it's not like dad's group is any better. It is what it is and you are always better with what you know - I agree with that for sure, but I need it in small doses at this point of my life.

Anyway, trip was good - and now time for Final Four week in Hotlanta. It's going to be a mess here with those Gator people. The other teams travel well, but we have Gators everywhere in the area and that ugly orange is going to be all over the city. Let's just hope UCLA puts us out of our misery on Saturday, but I doubt it.

On the college hockey front, we have the Frozen Four set for St. Louis. Odds are the winner of the Boston College - North Dakota game will win it all. But watch out for those Spartys from Michigan State. They can lock it down with the best of them.

What else can I tell you ... was at a birthday party with Abbie at Chuck E Cheese Sunday. What a racket - kids birthday party's are making serious coin these days. Find the right business, you can make serious money.

Baseball season starts next week - wow, where has the time gone. Could this be the year of the Cubs? Tell ya what, when Northeastern wins the NCAA hockey tournament - it might happen.

Friday in Hotlanta

Happy weekend all. Hope y'all good.

Sitting on a Delta flight on my way to Pittsburgh for the night for my cousin's baby naming. Going by myself for the night. Always interesting to be around my family. Sure I will have a story or two next week.

Can't believe Texas A&M and Tennessee both blew games they should have won. Just great opportunities that don't come every day - tough way to go out as seniors.

The happy, happy, joy, joy of the day goes to Tubby Smith. Not that I am happy to see him in the Big 10, but I am ecstatic he told Kentucky goodbye! The guy is a winner, he is class and he deserved to be treated better than those people in the Bluegrass State treated him. Many schools would kill to win like Kentucky did under Tubby. Gophers AD Joel Maturi deserves big time praise in getting Tubby to the Twin Cities.

I guarantee you - Tubby will win in Minny and he will make Kentucky sorry that they treated him like they did. I only hope that the big coaches tell Kentucky no. Maybe there will be justice down the road for the Wildcats - you can always call up the road and see if Rick wants to come back?

Have a great weekend!

I'm going mobile ....

Hey gang - sorry I have been swamped at work this week. Just been fun times in Hotlanta.

That being said, I have found a new way to stay in touch with y'all on this blog. I am not able to shoot a post from my phone to the blog and have it post. It's just awesome technology that is going to make my ranting and raving from airports fun, fun, fun.

Anyway - hope all is well in your world. I lost Texas in my Final Four - but my other three are going strong.

The Atlanta Thrashers are heading down the backstretch and unless they don't show up to play the games, they should make the playoffs.

But the thing I still can't believe is that my old pal Jeff Jackson in South Bend, Indiana has turned Notre Dame into a legitimate title contender in two years. It's just wild. Imagine if he had a building and facilities? Scary what that man can do on a college campus. He's one of the best people, never mind, coaches I know.

That's it. More later - from my phone!

Four for the road....

Well kids - the Final Four is in Atlanta. NOT the Frozen Four ... the Final Four. Someday I hope to live long enough to host the Frozen Four here. Be one heck of a party!

Anyway - let's look ahead to April in Atlanta. Who is going to be here?

Well, I have the answers. It's very simple. Instead of Hotlanta - it will be Biglanta with one small exception.

The best three teams I have seen all year play in the same conference: the Big 12. I am taking Texas, Texas A&M and Kansas to get to the big party. The one outsider will be an insider in Atlanta. I may not like em, but I ain't dumb enough to pick against the depth of the Florida Gators. They should roll through the first two weeks of the tournament.

Once they get here, they will have issues with the Kansas Jayhawks and lose a tight semifinal. In the other game, it will be a backyard brawl between two great rivals. Kevin Durant is looking like Danny Manning in his senior year when he carried his team to the finals. Durant will match the effort and set up a fourth meeting of the year between Texas and Kansas.

Now mind you, the real reason I think Texas will be there is because Monday night is Passover and we cannot go to the games. My brother-in-law, the Texas alumni, is going to get himself killed for this one. My cousin, who can care less about the holiday, will go to the game for sure as will many other members of the tribe. But for the fact alone of family controversy - they will be here.

The last two times they have played, the games have gone to overtime. This game may not be any different. I like a tight, hard fought game with the outcome going Rock, Chalk, Go Jayhawk.

And if that happens, I will be winning the cash in the WIE pool for sure! Then I will be banned for life.....

No place in the game for it! BOTH of them!

For those of you who have not seen SportsCenter either last night or this morning, you have missed two stories that are making me very ill.

One is obvious to all that know me. N.Y. Islanders forward Chris Simon took his stick to the head of N.Y. Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg late in the third period of last night's 2-1 Rangers win. See the video of the hit from ESPN.com.

I want to make sure this is clear: there is NO PLACE in the game of hockey for taking your hockey stick to someone head. The act shows a total disrespect for the game and its players. Speaking of disrespect, this is just sixth headline on the ESPN.com site ... who was in charge of that site last night?

I don't care what Simon has to say, I don't want to hear it. All I want to hear is Colin Campbell suspending Simon for the rest of the year and playoffs. If they want to suspend him for more games next year, I am all for it.

The sport is in enough trouble between having game on a network NO ONE can find in Versus to having Commissioner Gary Bettman try and tell the Pittsburgh Penguins that it's OK to take less money to stay in a city. Hey Gary, tell ya what, write a check for the difference between the deals of Pittsburgh and Kansas City. You do that - then you can tell Mario Lemieux how to run his business. Right now, you are struggling running yours ... maybe you should try and fix that first.

Bottom line - send a message that the NHL won't put up with this! The irony was that yesterday was the three year anniversary of Todd Bertuzzi's hit on Steve Moore. There's a great story on Steve Moore trying to get back into the NHL that ran yesterday, as well as a good story from Damien Cox.

Other stories to see: John Dellapina from the NY Daily News , Larry Brooks from the NY Post, Wallace Matthews from Newsday, and Greg Logan from Newsday.

The other story is one that bothers me even more. According to ESPN.com, Pokey Chatman resigned as the women's basketball coach at LSU after the university became aware of an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship between Chatman and a former player on Chatman's team.

I know many of you don't follow women's basketball like I do, but I was totally shocked when I heard this. When the story first broke on Wednesday that Chatman would leave after the season, it didn't make any sense at all. I kept thinking why would you leave when things are going so well? Something had to be up. And unfortunately, it supposedly is.

Here's a 37-year-old woman who is running one of the most successful programs in the country. The Lady Tigers are ranked 10th and are 26-7. Chatman was 90-14 as LSU's head coach and was 15-5 as acting head coach during the end of the 2003-04 season, when longtime coach Sue Gunter left the team because of lung disease. LSU won SEC regular-season titles in her first two seasons as a head coach and made it to the Final Four both years. Chatman, a Louisiana native, has been at LSU as both a player and coach for nearly 18 years.

Read that paragraph again. This school has been her LIFE for 18 years. It's just sad that such a great coach would let herself get into such a horrible position.

Just sad.

Hate to end on a down note, so I wanted to throw in something I saw at last night's Thrashers game versus Montreal.

Midway through the 2nd period, Atlanta led 6-0 and were totally dominating the game. Once of the Montreal players tried to push and shove Ilya Kovalchuk around when out of nowhere came new Thrasher Keith Tkachuk to pummel the Canadiens player. He dropped the gloves and a building that was a little more than half filled exploded to cheer. Not only that the Thrashers bench rose as one to watch this. Read the AJC's Craig Custance story.

After all this time, last night, I felt as if Atlanta finally had a TOTAL TEAM. With that I am changing my opinion, not only will this team make the playoffs, they will win the Eastern Conference.

GAME ON!

Sorry.... not me

I know many of you are out there asking the question ... did Barkan win the Mega Millions? The winning tickets were sold in New Jersey and Georgia. Surely, he had to have one of the two tickets?

To quote Jerry Seinfeld, "Newman!"

Nope not me ... some guy in Dalton, which is about 90 minutes Northwest of Atlanta. I hate him/her already!

All's well here - been travelling and staying busy. What's new in your world's?

No one calls or writes anymore.... tell me tell me, whatcha doin' out there in TV land?

OK - that's it for now ... busy busy in GA when you don't win the money.

SHOW ME THE MONKEY!!!!

An absolute classic - anyone remember these from TBS???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7eEQQVnhc4

CYA - and we're not saying good bye just yet....

Many people want to know my opinion on what my former employers did this weekend.

My dear Atlanta Thrashers have been in a horrific free-fall for the last 30 days and it hasn't been pretty. They are hanging on by a thread to a playoff spot, but are still only a few points away from winning the division title.

So with that in mind Don Waddell went out and picked up Alexi Zhitnik and Keith Tkachuk for the stretch run. In return Waddell have up three picks (fourth one doesn't matter because they won't resign Tkachuk) and Glen Metropolit for Tkachuk. To be honest, that deal is fine with me... never know with draft picks and Atlanta hasn't been the greatest in drafting at this point in time. It was the Cover Your Ass weekend - at least he made the trades and did everything he could to help this team win ... the coach would go first then him.

The trade that bothers me is the Zhitnik trade where we gave up on Braydon Coburn. Bob Hartley is a tough man to play for, just ask Peter Forsberg why he told Philadelphia he didn't want to go to Atlanta? But how can you tell me that Coburn was given a fair chance?? I'd rather have him learning on the ice than to put up with Andy Sutton and his 2-million dollar shenanigans. This kid is going to be an All-Star in the league and I know Waddell is only concerned with his job know and he should be. If he and his staff gotten the right players before the season started, they wouldn't be in this position. Last year, the team started poorly and ended strong. This year, they started well and are finishing weak.

Here we are seven years into the franchise history and Waddell's tenure, and this team makes some of the same mistakes that a Curt Fraser team made. Different players, different coaches and the same sad results so far. That is just horrific in my mind and if they don't make it, Waddell needs to be held accountable. Which is why I think there's one more trade to be made. After all these years of sitting on the sidelines, if he doesn't make a move now, the next one will be out of the Atlanta area.

As bad as that is, wouldn't it help if we had an ownership group that wasn't a complete disaster? Maybe we are better with Steve Belkin? Not like the Hawks are any better under the "Spirit."

At the end of the day, the chemistry of this team was wrong before the trades and I don't see it being any better now. So, I only hope and prey that the Thrashers can sneak into the playoffs and find its mojo.

But if I were Charles Barkley, I wouldn't bet on it.

Happy Friday!

Here's a gross game for you to play - sounds make it better!

http://www.lilgames.com/acne_zit_popper_game.shtml

Also - Jeffrey Chodorow – from Rocco’s fame … has started his own blog after running an ad in the NY Times to talk about how he felt he was treated poorly by the NYT critics…

It’s an interesting way for a restaurateur to deal with this…

http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/pdf/Response_NYTimes.pdf

http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/blog/index.cfm?s=1

The train is on the tracks....

And the million dollar question is whether or not the Atlanta Thrashers will get off the tracks before getting hit by the train.

They started the season with their best start ever. But they just came off a 2-4 roadtrip and are now going to start playing a lot of games within the division. They are now in 6th place and they are tied with Tampa for the division lead. But they are also four points away from missing the playoffs.

ESPN.com's Scott Burnside wrote a great piece about my former boss and his murky situation if this team comes up short.

Unfortunately, I have seen the script before except it's backwards. Usually this team starts poorly and comes on strong at the end only to fall short. Well, this year they need to hang on and what's scaring me is that they are a better team that still plays many nights as if Mike Stapleton, Damian Rhodes and Ed Ward were still playing on the team.

As much as I like Andy Sutton as a person, watching him play is painful. He's making a nice living and looks like a deer in headlights many nights. Kari Lehtonen is no question going to be one of the best netminders in the game, but is getting beat on a lot of shots that don't even go in because of posts.

I don't have a good feeling on the ending, and I swear I hope I am wrong. The East is weak and the Thrashers should have enough talent to sneak in. But don't expect Don Waddell to pull off a big deal - with the ownership disaster of the Atlanta Spirit and his track record, Eric Belanger is as big as they come.

That being said, they are still a heck of a lot better than the Atlanta Hawks. They are fighting for title of worst franchise in sports.

From the funniest thing I have seen in a long time, the Atlanta Falcons are having a Leadership Training Camp. Is it me or is it an oxymoron for those guys to teach leadership to others when they can't even lead their franchise quarterback to stop smoking and carrying pot through airports? Just wondering if it's me???

Guys, tell Hallmark to kiss your ..

Many, many years ago, when I was a writer at the Lansing State Journal I wrote a point/counterpoint piece ripping Valentine's Day. I was the curmudgeon just ripping Hallmark for telling me I had to be nice to my girl on this specific day.

My problem then, and still, is that if you need a card company to tell you this once a year, then your relationship is screwed. You should be doing things for your significant other on a regular basis.

Perfect example - why buy flowers today? They are twice as much today as any other day. So if you do it on the other days when they don't expect and you aren't in the doghouse, the gesture means a heck of a lot more.

Anyway, bah humbug Hallmark! Just move on to St. Patrick's day and get over it.

OK - Anna Nicole still dead and still headlines on Fox and CNN websites. UGH! What's the over under until it's all over? Three months? A year?

Wanna send a Valentine's Day email - check this out from my mom http://www.careerbuilder.com/monk-e-mail/default.aspx?sc_cmp2=JS_MONK-E-MAIL

Classic. Happy VD to all!

The new era begins

For those of you buried in the snow, I am soooo sorry. NOT!

Ya know you can move South where it rarely snows and people are friendly. But if you do that, then I may have to move again to get away from all those Damn Yankees!

OK - so last night I was about to have dinner with the family when I sat in the home office to go through some things. Right before standing up to go eat, I checked ESPN.com and saw one of the greatest things these eyes have ever seen.

"Luke Petitgout cut by the New York Giants."

All I could do was smile. I was in total shock. Jerry Reese has done more in one day than Ernie Accorsi did in years for Giants fans. Now all he needs to do is fire Tom Coughlin and we are set!

I stood up and walked in the kitchen with a huge smile on my face. Wife looks at me and asks why the smile? I tell her the happy news and she looks at me and laughs. She is happy because she doesn't have to listen to me complain about 77 anymore taking false start or holding penalties.

Ralph Vacchiano talks about the Giant Purge in the NY Daily News.

Anna Nicole Smith is still dead - can't this story just go away! I don't care about her sleeping with some politician in the Bahamas or anywhere else for that matter. BTW - anyone think that kid of hers is going to need therapy?

For those of you hockey fans, BU beat BC in overtime of the Beanpot last night. In true Huskies fashion I was rooting for the roof to fall in ... KIDDING! Northeastern beat Harvard in the consolation game. I will go on record by saying I will see Northeastern win at least one more Beanpot in my lifetime.

Anyone watch 24? I was about to give up on it before the season started, but man have they got me back in with a passion! It's a must see even though you know that Keifer Sutherland gets in tough situations all the time and still can't die because he's the star. Great twists this season so far and I know there are more to come.

Going to the Circus this weekend with Abbie and some of her friends. Should be a blast ... I will give details on Monday.

Now this is a TRUE DIEHARD fan!!!

Check out one of the craziest things I have heard about in a long time ....

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/local_news/1021004.txt

Validation wasn't needed, but it doesn't suck....

While watching last night through the pouring rain, I could only laugh thinking about Peyton Manning walking out for the game and looking up at the sky and saying, "got any locusts to add to the flood?"

One of the greatest passers in NFL history when it's all said and done, period. Many folks questioned Peyton and whether he really was that good. After last night does anyone have any more questions? He is on track at this point of his career to break all the records, he's won two MVP's and now a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP. Mark Chappell from the Indianapolis Star puts the conversation to bed.

Now, he wasn't the best player(s) on the field last night, but he was the most valuable. He is a great leader and a team player. Listen to him after the game and tell me he wasn't humble and thankful? Peter King of SI.com sums up Manning very well in his Monday Morning Quarterback.

What about Marvin Harrison? What about Tony Dungy? Tell me you'd rather have guys like TO who is all about me?

Last night wasn't about validation of one man, it was the validation of the team. Tony Dungy was validated as one of the great coaches of the last twenty years. Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star talks about Dungy's victory being a milestone for Dungy more than anyone else.

And the one person that NO ONE has talked about being validated is general manager Bill Polian. The same Bill Polian who built the Buffalo Bills teams that couldn't get over the hump. He finally gets his due in building his second great organization and finally getting his ring.

The two best moves he made? Bringing in Adam Vinitieri. Most points ever in a playoff run this year and the best clutch kicker EVER. If he is NOT a first ballot Hall of Famer, then I don't know a kicker that is. The other move was letting Edgerrin James leave via free agency and bringing in Joseph Addai via the draft. How do you think Edgerrin felt last night watching the running game dominate the Super Bowl? Who would have thunk it possible? ESPN.com's John Clayton talks about the rookie and how he made a difference right away.

FYI - the last four teams to lose the coin toss have won the Super Bowl.

You can rip Rex Grossman all you want, but where was his defense last night? How many times did they have a chance to get the Colts off the field and failed to do so. The Bears had a great season and nothing should be taken away, but this team needed Trent Dilfer last night and got Tony Eason. Jay Marriotti of the Chicago Sun-Times talks about how the "Bad" Rex showed up and it's not what the Bears needed.

How would you have felt if you paid $2,000 and up for a ticket and sat in the rain all night? Heck Prince even sang Purple Rain last night... theme night in Miami.

In nine Super Bowl's in Miami, it's the first time it has even rained. What are the odds of that? Seems like it rains there every day for 30 minutes.

BTW - the Hall of Fame voting in the NFL is a joke. If Art Monk isn't a Hall of Famer, then I don't know why they have this place in Canton. On top of which, this secret society crap about not telling anyone what was said in the room is cowardly. If you had any guts voters, you would tell the public why people do or don't get in. This is one part of the NFL that needs to change, sooner rather than later!

The one thing I take away from last night, other than Atlanta should be able to get the Super Bowl again (it won't rain in the Georgia Dome!), is that I was happy to see a Manning win a Super Bowl. The New York Daily News even caught up with Archie Manning who thinks watching last night was good for Eli. Watching, that's what Eli is going to do until he gets a new coach!!!

PICK OF THE LITTER ...

Here it is, Friday before the big game and everyone is making their picks.

Why should I be different? I have an opinion, I think? Maybe I should ask my family what I think, they might know better.

Nah. I know this one. It's easy to pick this game.

For the last few years, the Colts have been the favorite and they have blown it. Well this time they won't. It's their time and Peyton has been average at best so far throughout this playoff run. His time comes on Sunday in the Florida sunset. Tony Dungy has spent many years in the NFL as a head coach and has never won the big one. He's endured professional and family issues over the years to finally get his due.

The one curveball for me is that the game is on grass, not turf. Hurts the Colts speed, but they will pull out a 34-30 win. So if you are going to bet the game, take the points and the Bears. I know it's not easy to bet on Rex Grossman coming through, but he's got a solid running game and defense. I just think that destiny on the side of the guys who wear the horseshoe on the helmet.

I know the folks in Baltimore are rooting hard for the Bears and I appreciate and understand it. Seeing an Irsay lift a Lombardi Trophy makes many ill, but it's not about them this weekend.

All I hope is that the game lives up to the hype and that we get some good commercials.

Enjoy the weekend and the game.

FIRST BIG RACE OF 08 TAKING SHAPE

It's not funny yet, but you know it's going to be fun to watch.

Al Franken is about to jump into the fun of the Minnesota 08 Senate Race versus incumbent Norm Coleman.

While I am a fan of Norm, I know many people aren't. Some even read my blog once in a while and some live in Minnesota.

It's going to be a race to watch in 08 as the Democrats will be going after Norm hard. A lot of money will be going towards this race and because of Al's name will be on national television often.

Still a distant second to the presidential race - but there are going to a bunch of races to watch.

If you don't know who Terry McAuliffe is, here's a quick wikipedia on him. He's been a major part of the Clinton machine for a long time and now he's jumping in with the Hillary machine for 08. You will see him on television for the next two years on a daily basis. He's one of the best fundraisers on the Democratic side, but when he ran the Democratic Party, he just didn't have the magic touch. Now that he is back with a Clinton, will be fun to see him work it.

Here's the laugh of the day - Frank Caliendo is a great impressionist and funny as can be -
http://www.frankcaliendo.com/index.php?page=video

Comparisons and talk

Over the next week, you will hear a comment from everyone in the world on the Super Bowl.

It's the biggest game in the world and everyone knows what they are talking about. Just ask anyone on the street and they will tell you. Odds are they will talk of Peyton or Rex and odds are they think they know what they speak of. But they are spouting off ... the question is which player is going to do or say the dumbest thing this week.

There's always one guy willing to do something dumb on the biggest game of their lives. Twice before when the game was in Miami major incidents have occurred. Stanley Wilson of the Bengals and Eugene Robinson became famous for off the field incidents and both teams lost the game.

So keep an eye for which team has the incident and bet on the other.

As far as comparisons - we keep hearing about Tiger and Roger Federer. Two great champions, but one great problem. This is not a conversation worth having, YET.

Tiger has dominated all over the world. If there's a golf course, he has conquered it. He is the best everywhere, every day, every way, period.

Federer has NEVER won the French Open. He's as dominant a tennis player as we have seen, but to be considered the best of the best, don't you have to win on all surfaces to be considered the best?? Pete Sampras never won the French, but is considered ONE of the best, which right now Federer is. But until he can win on the red clay of Roland Garros, the conversation isn't fair.

Tiger is the best we have ever seen. Conversation over.

The NHL All-Star game was seen on Versus last week in less than a half a million homes. American Idol killed it in the ratings. Why would the NHL put the game on a Wednesday night when there was NO FOOTBALL at all this past weekend??

Commissioner Gary Bettman needs to call ESPN and beg to be back where the NHL belongs with Barry Melrose. How many times can the NHL screw things up and survive?

Till daddy takes the T-Bird away...

Sorry I have been a bit remiss in blogging the last few days. The whole house has had the stomach flu and it's been rough. We're on the mend and back to a relatively normal household, for us anyway.

For those not old enough to remember, here's a classic of the 85 Bears doing the Super Bowl Shuffle. I know that my boy Berman in Chi-town thinks that this is his year ... and it might, but right now, it's fair to say that Rex Grossman is the second worst quarterback EVER to play in the big game. Only Miami's David Woodley was a bigger farce. In my mind, even Vince Ferragamo (not of the shoes, but of the Rams) was better than Rex. What a sad, sad statement.

And I know he's going to yell at me and tell me that the Giants lost to them and that they are still playing. Best I can say is, "good for you and your team Francis!!" But I still hope that Peyton kicks their ass.

Here's my hot topic of the day - and please let me know if you feel the same way - I think it's great that two great coaches happen to be facing off in the Super Bowl. I think it's great that they are the first black coaches to coach in a Super Bowl. BUT I think it's sad that NO ONE is talking about that it's 2007 and we are talking about this as a huge barrier breaker for black coaches. It's a farce.

There are 119 Division I-A jobs and there are only six black coaches. SIX? What the heck is that? Is that equality? Tell me there aren't more qualified black men to coach before you bring the retreads back again.

Don't get me wrong - I am very happy for Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy. There aren't two better men to represent the cause than them. I am just disappointed that we are in 2007 and we are a long way from when Dr. Martin Luther King "Had A Dream" and these two class acts have to answer this question of being a black coach. Just sad.

Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register wrote a great piece on this subject.

Anyone notice in the State of the Union how Bush and Cheney drank water at the exact same time? Very strange.

Is it time for pitchers and catchers yet?

Back in the saddle

Good to be back in Atlanta. Great trip to Austin, once I got there. Going to be a lot of great things coming from the Digital Media group of GCI. So keep your eyes and ears here to see the latest from Paul Walker and the gang.

Quick shots from the weekend.

Good for Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith - but is it me is anyone else scared that we still speak of this as a milestone moment in 2007? Sad that it took this long.

Anyone else see Peyton Manning with his head down as Tom Brady was about to lead the Patriots to a winning drive? Glad to see him win, but this time, it wouldn't have been his fault.

Reggie Bush pointing to the Bears as he ran by all of them on the way to the end zone was just "Bush" league. Rookie mistake that pissed the Bears defense off. Not saying it was what woke them up, but it didn't help. Nonetheless, a great season for the Saints.

FYI - Abbie forgave me for missing Dad's day at school and her teacher is letting me come by this Friday! Happy happy joy joy!

Hell freezes over? No, but Dallas/Austin sure has...

Howdy ho all. I am blogging from the Admirals Club at beautiful Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. I am trying to make it to Austin for meetings with our Digital Media team from GCI Group. I have made it further than the rest of the team at this point. People are stuck in New York and Chicago from this snow/ice storm hitting the area.

My flight on American was cancelled at 7:55 to Dallas - but Delta had an 8 am that I was able to get on. Sorta funny - one flight can get out and the other can't? Anyway - flying in was fine - Dallas looks very serene and pretty in snow. Problem is they don't have the proper equipment (like Atlanta) to deal with it. So the airport is jammed with people being stranded. The Admirals Club is 3/4 full and no one is going postal yet.

Have a 2:50 p.m. American flight to Austin, which has been dealing with ice storms for the last day. You'll like this one, they ran out of the de-icing fluid at Bergstrom Airport in Austin. Who would think they would need a ton of it, but don't you think every airport in this day and age should have a supply of it to last at least 72 hours? This way you are covered for a storm blowing through town without shutting your doors? Then again, I never knew that it snowed in Texas. Wonder if this is part of global warming wackiness or El Nino? Either way - it's not like it's the first time I have been stuck. Just the first time in Dallas. On the positive side, I can always stay with my friends in Fort Worth, the Diamonds. Already called and booked a room just in case.

The part that is killing me about all of this is that we have moved our meetings back to Thursday and Friday. Usually, wouldn't be an issue. I brought enough clothes because I knew better - PLUS I didn't check a bag. Getting wiser in my old age. What is killing me is that Abbie has a dad's day at her school on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. She was sooooooo excited about showing me everything in her room and seeing her friends. We talked about it in detail last night before going to bed. I tucked her in and gave her a kiss and she said, "I'll see you Friday. I can't wait to take you to school with me." Uggghhhh!!! Can a dad feel worse than disappointing his little girl?

Such is life, I guess. But as a kid whose dad travelled a ton and still made it back to most if not all of my games and special things, it just drives me insane.

OK - enough lament. What else can I tell you?

I can tell you that I am rooting for a Indianapolis-New Orleans Super Bowl. Wouldn't it be interesting to see Peyton finally make the big game to play his childhood and hometown team? I never like to bet against Bill Belichik - but man, if this isn't the Colts year, it never will be. Peyton will get the monkey off of his back with his best game of the playoffs and best game ever versus New England.

I think I am still in pain from watching the hit Reggie Bush took on the second play of the game.

I don't care how anyone spins it, Marty Schottenheimer is to blame for the San Diego loss. The Chargers blew two time outs in the second half that they could have used on that last drive. Plus the mistakes and fumbles come from not being prepared, period. Didn't Earnest Byner fumble on the goal line against Denver? Marty's teams just aren't playoff successes. If the Chargers want to go to the next level, it's time to find their next coach.

How bad are things with the Oakland Raiders? So bad that the team with the first pick in this year's draft can't even get Denny Green to interview for the job. Man that tells me everything I need to know. Randy Moss and Al Davis - no one wants to work with either.

Everyone keeps talking about the Democrats first 100 days. Have they done anything yet? Will they do anything at all during that time except to let us know about it?

Watched the first two nights of 24. Just when I was ready to give up on the show, they find a way to get me hooked again. If you haven't started watching - go get the first seasons and catch up. Keifer Sutherland is the man and Jack Bauer is like a bad penny - always showing up!

Muhammad Ali turns 65 today. Great story from Phil Taylor of SI.com. Ali is still the greatest.

FYI - from the past post - the only team I would put on the ice with the Canadiens of 78-79 are the Edmonton Oilers of 84-85.

The best hockey team EVER!

ESPN.com's George Johnson talks about what is without a doubt the greatest team EVER put on the ice.

You can tell me and George we are wrong, but I will argue there's only ONE team in the mix in my mind... can you guess who it is?