Hockey (Playoffs!) & A Bit About My A's!

I've been so very obsessed with my dog & my life lately that I haven't had much inspiration to write about my love of hockey & baseball as I intended when I started this blog. Sorry to my one fan who also loves hockey & to my other fan who loves baseball.

Here's the jist of how I'm feeling about my Ducks right now...

I found that over at one of my favorite hockey blogs - The Battle OF California

As for my A's - they've been great on the road (6 & 2) & they're coming back tonight to battle the Seamen at home. I can't hardly wait for them to win so I get to start bragging to my buddy Sofia up in Washington!

Vacation Time!

Off to see my sissy & my darling niece... Then to see the Ducks hopefully beat the Bruins in their home opener! Woo-hoo!

Miss me terribly please!

Tradegy Among Anaheim Duck Fans...

From Yahoo! Sports: LOS ANGELES - The Anaheim Ducks cut ties with Dustin Penner on Thursday when the team opted not to match a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers for the 24-year-old left winger.

The Ducks will receive picks in the first, second and third rounds of the 2008 draft from Edmonton as compensation.

Penner, who was a restricted free agent, will get a huge raise from the Oilers, earning $4.25 million in each of the next five seasons. He made the NHL minimum of $450,000 last season, when he scored 29 goals for the Stanley Cup champion Ducks.

Anaheim had a week to match Edmonton's offer and waited until Thursday's deadline had passed before announcing it was letting Penner go.

"We don't believe these salaries make sense," Anaheim general manager Brian Burke said on a conference call. "If I believe these salaries don't make sense and I match then I'm just as dumb as the team that extended the offer."

Burke was incensed by the terms and amount of last week's offer, and at the time he had especially harsh words for Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, saying, "Edmonton has offered a mostly inflated salary for a player, and I think it's an act of desperation for a general manager who is fighting to keep his job."

Burke made it clear that his hard feelings didn't extend to Penner. "Dustin is a good kid and a good person and he played well for us," he said.

The Ducks don't have much room under the salary cap. They are around $5 million below the $50.3 million maximum for next season, although a team is allowed to be over the salary cap by 10 percent until Oct. 1.

Anaheim is still waiting on defenseman Scott Niedermayer and winger Teemu Selanne to decide whether they will retire or play next season. Burke said nothing has changed with their status.

Besides his 29 goals, Penner had 16 assists in his first full NHL season. He had three goals and five assists in 21 postseason games.

Good luck to you Dustin - & thank you for your part in the 2007 Stanley Cup Championship.

UPDATE - You have to read this Rags to Riches story sent to me by Ken

Friday... The 13th!

So everyone seems to be mentioning something about Friday the 13th. I don’t feel anything particularly different or weird so far though. I did wake up with a headache, but I think that’s just cause I didn’t sleep well, & a couple of Advil seem to have taken care of that so far. I haven’t been looking out for things falling on my head or worrying that the world will end, but I also wouldn’t walk under a ladder or let a black kitty cross my path if that should arise. How ‘bout you?

The last Friday the 13th, in October, BetUs.com actually generated some odds on lucky and unlucky events for the day. These guys also had odds up on whether the world would end on 6/6/06. People were reportedly ‘flooding the site’ to wager on what may or may not happen as a result of the unlucky day. I couldn’t find any evidence of that toady, but here’s what their odds supposedly were:

The World to End: 1,000,000/1
You lose your job: 100/1
Your spouse leaves you: 500/1
You throw out your back: 250/1
You go bankrupt: 500/1
You get a flat tire: 50/1
You break your leg: 100/1
A bird will poop on you: 100/1
You will get sick: 50/1
You will get locked out of your house/apt: 50/1
Your car will get towed: 100/1
You will get a ticket (speeding, parking, etc.): 50/1
You will lose all your hair: 250/1
Your car will get stolen: 100/1
You will place a winning bet at BetUS.com: 1/1 EVEN ODDS
You will hit a Royal Flush at BetUS.com poker site: 250/1
You will find money: 50/1
You will slip on banana peel: 100/1
You will win the lottery: 500/1

Oh & Bits & Pieces found this:

"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

So far it’s been a rather quiet day at work though, so, so far, so good! I guess I’ll let all of you know about that on Monday?

I just really hope it isn’t an unlucky day for my Ducks tonight. They face the Wild tonight for game 2 of the playoffs & so far they’ve had a rather lucky week. As you may know, Giggy’s been off for a bit dealing with a medical issue with his newborn son Maxime. He & his wife did get good news about his condition yesterday, so hopefully he’ll be back soon & with a light heart. Either way, he’s got a great back up & Ilya Bryzgalov would do a fantastic job if he gets a chance at his second start tonight. I have trust & faith & zero superstitions about this game! GO DUCKS!

Oh & the A’s begins their first series against the MFY’s tonight too. I’ll make at least one of these games so keep your fingers crossed that Igawa, Pavano & Pettitte all get into a gay lil Spankee style love brawl where they all three strain their arms & can’t pitch this weekend. Yankees still suck.

Ducks Win Game 1!

Today I'm loving Dustin Penner!


Oh & the Sharkies won the first of their series too... How terrific is that?

Although I don't agree with his veiws, here's a link to The Copyranter's Playoff previews, (Western & Eastern) pretty fun actually.

GO DUCKS!

Todd Walker and Mark Ellis were fantastically clutch lastnight & it looks like Ellis is right on track for his banner year!

The G’s picked up their 2nd win last night too, although by the opinions on the patrons of the bar I went to watch it in, you’d think this was August & they were playing under .300. I came in & asked someone if the score was really 5-0 Giants cause I couldn’t quite make out it on the tiny screens they had the game up on (I didn’t say it was a sports bar). Someone responded that that “couldn’t possibly be correct, that the scoreboard must be transposed; the G’s couldn’t possibly be ahead this deep in a game right?”

Not that I haven’t been completely discouraged by the level of my own Giants loyalty, but jeez, it’s only the first week people! I’m trying hard to stay a fan but the truth is that I don’t ‘get’ National League ball like I do American League ball. And the A’s are just plain more fun to watch. They’re young & hot & really enjoy their opportunities. The Giants seem to act more like football players, at war on the gridiron, as George Carlin would say. Not to mention the Green Monster’s transition to a worldwide market. There's exciting stuff in the AL. I wish someone would show me something similar in the NL.

But not just yet please.

Today & hopefully for the next few weeks, I’m focusing on hockey, & on my Ducks particularly. They begin their playoffs with the first series up against the Wild. This has to be one of the best match ups for the playoffs. The Ducks played the Wild 4 times in the regular season & both teams took 2. Only 6 points separate them with my Ducks coming out on top. So long as they can manage to hold Rolston & Gaborik in check they should do just fine! They’ve got new owners, a new look & a new hunger that should keep them as mighty as ever!

DUI: The Thing To Do?

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was arrested Thursday on a drunken driving charge after police said they found him asleep inside his running sport utility vehicle at a stop light. Click here to view the Sheriff’s Booking Report. Undercover officers saw La Russa's SUV sitting partially in an intersection around midnight and not moving despite two green lights, police said. Officers knocked on the window and La Russa did not initially respond. The SUV was in drive and running, with La Russa's foot on the brake, police said. When he woke up, the officers asked him to get out of the SUV. La Russa was cooperative during his arrest, police said. La Russa gave two breath samples and had a blood alcohol content of 0.093 percent, Jupiter police said in a statement. Florida's legal driving limit is 0.08 percent. La Russa declined to comment while he was outside the clubhouse in uniform hours later at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, where he planned to manage a spring training game against the Marlins. La Russa walked onto the field before the game, many fans stood and applauded.

There’s where my problem begins. What are these people applauding for exactly? Credit is to be given to a player or manager when they do something worthy, right? How is it that in today’s society, getting a DUI & still managing to keep your job is applause worthy, or worse yet, simply the norm.

To make matters worse, about 5 minutes after I read a few articles about La Russa, I see that also just lastnight, Vivica A. Fox was busted for a DUI as well! Her career will probably seriously take off now…


So I’m wondering, is going to rehab or being arrested for DUI the ‘thing to do’? Think of all the household names you know that you’ve heard were arrested & felt no sense of surprise whatsoever. Here’s the one’s I came up with:
Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr., Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Tracy Morgan (twice), Mike Tyson, George Michael, Nick Nolte, & Diana Ross

Now think of the ones you heard about that you were truly shocked to learn of:
Ray Liotta (okay, so maybe he should have been on the previous list), Anneliese van der Pol (the lil girl from That’s So Raven), Rip Torn (he seems only crazy, not drunk & crazy), Haley Joel Osment (when did he even get old enough for a license?), John Michael Montgomery & Mindy McCready (the country stars always shock me), Tracey Gold & Michelle Rodriguez (both seemed so innocent), Lane Garrison (A semi newer actor from Prison Break who’s DUI crash killed a 17 year old boy who was excited to have even met him.)

But back to La Russa. I’ve always had a soft spot for the guy. He’s a ledgend in his own time & responsible for pulling teams together & winning multiple championships. How is this hugely egotistical man going to stay the same leader now? Professional athletes being arrested often ignite harsh public outcry, & those involved have to face such scrutiny afterward. Could you imagine being busted & having to go out & play a nationally televised event the next day! Do these guys feel shame when they see little kids wearing their jerseys who are so disappointment at finding out their hero is a criminal? Or does the remorse only set in after they get traded & their lifestyle is a bit uprooted. I wish I could ask some of the one’s I could remember from the not so recent past who’ve gotten popped:

NHL –
Hurricanes Jeff O’Neill
Sharks - Mark Bell
Panthers Peter Worrell
Blackhawks Captain Alex Zhamnov

NBA –
Magics JJ Redick
Kings Coach Eric Musselman
Suns Stephon Marbury

MLB -
A’s Esteban Loaiza
Marlin’s Dontrelle Willis
BJ’s Gustavo Chacin

NFL -
Titans Steve McNair
Raiders Sebastian Janikowski
Seahawks Jarramy Stevens
Niners Antonio Bryant
& pretty much all of the Cincinatti Bengals –
Marvin Lewis, the coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, has reportedly attempted to stop the dramatic series of player arrests by flashing police mug shots of NFL players who have been arrested and bringing in police to teach a "DUI 101" class to the players. Most of the players arrested were team rookies. Johnathan Joseph was the ninth player to be arrested, while other rookies Odell Thurman, Frostee Rucker, A.J. Nicholson, and Reggie McNeil have been arrested for everything from DUI to domestic violence. After the team's ninth arrest, Jay Leno remarked on his Tonight Show monologue, "Know what the Cincinnati Bengals call sign on bonuses? Bail money." While the Bengals have the largest number of player arrests of any NFL team, a total of 35 NFL players were arrested in 2006 for a wide variety of offenses.

MLS -
Now I don’t know much about soccer (yet), but THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT GIVES ODDS ON THE FUTURE DUI ARREST OF DAVID BECKHAM!!!
Intertops.com, a Caribbean-based sports gambling site, has posted 10 to 1 odds that the former soccer star will get a DUI after he moves to the United States. Beckham is married to former Spice Girl "Posh Spice" (Victoria Beckham), now a clothing designer, and the couple will be moving to the U.S. after David signed a multi-million dollar soccer deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Interops.com has also issues odds (10,000 to 1) that Beckham with divorce "Posh" to marry Paris Hilton in 2007. Hilton recently accepted a plea deal with three years probation for a DUI last September.

I suppose celebrities & sports personalities are truly no different than you & I. I do, in fact, know a few people close to me who’ve had to face this embarrassment & I seriously have no idea how they would have dealt with it being broadcast throughout tarnation. But somehow I sense that because all these persona’s arrests are so widely publicized, everyday people like us seem to become accustomed to thinking this behavior is okay. Now I’m not going to deny that I’ve ever been behind the wheel with a bit of a buzz on, but I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to encourage my behavior had I been caught. And I try to be a good advocate of sober driving only whenever I can. But I seem to be chastising loved ones constantly after discovering that they’ve done it yet again. And knowing they do (& I have) and doing the job I do makes me feel like a hypocrite. I don’t like feeling like a hypocrite so please, if you’re a friend or fan of mine, don’t put me in that position. And if you can’t seem to control yourself, do the rest of the world a favor & sign up below:



https://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/register/

Sharks-4 Ducks-7 2/6/07

My buddy Roy hooked me up with some sweet Ducks tickets for Tuesday's game in San Jose. He's a loyal Sharks fan & I think a part of him suffered greatly to have to give up four of his season tickets to a Duck girl. But he's a loyal friend too, so I totally scored!

Now this time of year my household is semi-dominated by hockey so I figured my boy roomies would jump at the chance to go with me. And they kinda did, all except Kev who a Redwings fan & never really excited about anything unless he's at least a 6 pack deep. Only one of my roomies is actually a Sharks fan (you'll see a pic of him pouting below) & then Kenny a Penguins boy. Kev ended up flaking the morning of the game so it ended up with just 3 of us & a dude B-Rad works with:

The seats were fairly fantastic. I can tell there was some time spent picking the right spot cause if I look straight ahead, my seat is right at the Sharks goal line. As they’re singing the National Anthem, I make a mental note that I haven’t seen a single other Duck fan anywhere in the building. And there must be close to 20,000 people here – It’s an obvious sellout! This could get interesting… Yay! Game on!

Almost immediately the Ducks were on the board. Which is about the moment when I realized that I was jumping up & downing & celebrating... completely alone. The place was dead silent. People seemed to be a tad annoyed in my section that I was so happy & were not timid about letting me know this. I got to repeat this experience several times, much to their dismay. I even had a lil 4 year old kid tell me to sit down! I did at this point hear a distinct Duck call to my left and another cheering-like-crazy fan way down to my right.

Well, I could go on with the details of how much the Ducks dominated the Sharks in the first two periods, but lets just let these shots showing the scoreboard do the talking:

I'm not actually sure that Kenny was really smiling so big because My Duckies were kicking ass or if it was the generous level of talent present:

The ladies did not impress B-Rad at all. He was deep into a pout even though IMHO he should be grateful it wasn't a shutout at this point! He kept giving me the bird so I took the opportunity to demonstrate the human scoreboard:

During the intermission I did meet another Ducks fan - all clad in his crisp new black & gold Duck jersey & just plain old hotness. He was even a tad flirty! Too bad I didn't have my camera out there!

Did I mention the great seats? Check out the perfect view:

Chris Pronger is huge up close! Here's another score update for ya.

The Sharks put up a rather impressive fight in the last 10 minutes or so. And in my defense I barely celebrated the Ducks goal on the empty net near the end! Here's a shot close to then:

After we got outside I found another Ducks fan! He of course wasn't nearly as hot as Mr. New Duck Jersey Guy, but I did have my camera this time! (Poor kid musta thought I was a freak!)
Super long drive home with mostly snoring boys. I had to share this interesting find from a gas station though. See the red on the door?

I had to zoom to get up close enough for you too see it:



That's right - No Robbery Zone!
Someone shoulda told the Ducks that before they destroyed Toskala that night!