The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

With the season just over 1/2 way done, it's time to grade my Sens as they get closer and closer to April and the Stanley Cup playoffs. If this was done in November, everyone probably would've gotten a D, but they've rebounded nicely since their early season slump:

Forwards

Dany Heatley: I've seen a new side to Dany Heatley the last six weeks. Before he'd rely purely on his skill and Jason Spezza to make plays & score goals. Now, his work ethic has improved tenfold. I see him grinding it out in the corners and working hard for puck possession. Murray has been impressed enough with his all-round game that he has him out killing penalties. Here's hoping Heatley is a Senator for life. Grade: A+

Jason Spezza: Over the last year, can you say he's improved? Probably not. He still has the great vision, hands and playmaking ability. But of course, there's no way you'll put him on the ice when you're trying to prevent the other team from scoring, but it'll be interesting to see how he plays now that he's back from injury and the team is playing a different type of game. Regardless of many Sens fans opinions, Spezza makes the team better and will be needed come playoff time. Grade: B+

Daniel Alfredsson: He struggled early, like the rest of the team, but he's back to his old self. He's starting to find the net again and has found great chemistry with Heatley and Chris Kelly in Spezza's absence. Still plays hard in the corners and can be put out on the powerplay and penalty kill. We'll see that #11 in the rafters of Scotiabank Place one day. Grade: A-

Mike Comrie: Lots of natural talent, but I'm not 100% sold on this guy. He's excellent for depth at center, and can be used on the powerplay on the first or second unit. I just wonder about his work ethic. Sometimes I see him mucking it up and getting into other people's faces, other times I see him floating and playing indifferently. Jury is still out on him. Grade: B

Peter Schaefer: Same old same old can be said about him: Works well along the boards, can cause plenty of opposition turnovers and is a decent penalty killer. He was invisible to start the season but the story was he was injured. I still think he needs to put on 15 pounds or so so he can play more physical. Grade: B-

Mike Fisher: He was supposed to be the #2 centre after a great pre-season, but he simply doesn't have the scoring touch to completely justify that slot. Last season's Selke nominee always brings a strong worth ethic and he's my first choice to be on the ice to kill penalties, but his style of play has also causes him to miss time due to injury. Probably played his best hockey last year but hasn't matched it yet this season. Still, this guy puts on the hard hat every night. Grade: B

Antoine Vermette: Rarely takes a shift off. This guy has some good scoring ability and may crack the 30 goal mark. Extremely quick, he was one the boys who stepped up when Spezza was out of the lineup. Has the potential to be a career 2nd line scorer, but for the moment still has to prove himself with third liners. Grade: B

Chris Kelly: Kelly has hands of stone and seems to always miss the net, but this guy answers the call when called upon. He might just look good because he gets to play with Heatley and Alfredsson, but I also think his effort is clearly evident in his play. I like the way he drives to the net and is also a very responsible backchecker. He doesn't have the natural ability to be a true #1 centre, but with the balanced attack that line provides, there's no sense in shaking it up. Grade: B+

Patrick Eaves: He's been somewhat of a disappointment this season. He's started to score some goals in the last 2-3 weeks, but otherwise he's suffering from the sophomore slump. You wouldn't count on him to shut down the opposition and you're not going to slot him on the top powerplay unit, either. He's the type of player that may have the potential to be top-scoring winger, but compared to last year, it's still just potential. Grade: C

Chris Neil: 20 points in over 50 games isn't anything special, but that's not why he's on the team. Leading the NHL in hits, he can motivate his teammates with his physicality and still drops the gloves when need be. A good guy to park in front of the net to get a garbage goal as he's not afraid to get hacked and slashed for his team. A true character guy. Grade: B+

Dean McAmmond: He played a lot better when the team was felled with injuries, but he's not much more than a third liner, and with the depth they now have he'll likely stick to the 4th line. Nothing special, but he's solid enough that he won't cost you a game and just might chip in with the odd point to make a difference. Grade: C+

Christoph Schubert: He's played more forward than his natural position as a defenceman this season, which makes him an invaluable commodity. In case of an injury that occurs in the midst of a game, you can move him to his alternate position. He's been seen killing penalties as both a forward and d-man and throws decent hits. Has a booming slapshot that unfortunately misses its target more times than not. I also happen to like this guy's sense of humour. Grade: C+

Brian McGrattan: His teammates really like him, perhaps the glue that binds them together. He has the reputation of being the toughest fighter in the league, but when it comes time to score a winning goal or shut down the opposition, you'll find him on the bench playing the role of spectator. If fighting was banned, he'd be unemployed. Still, he does what he's paid to do very well. Grade: D+

Denis Hamel: I feel bad for this guy. He hasn't really been given a chance to show why he led the AHL in scoring with 56 goals last year. He's not going to score when his linemates are McGrattan & Schubert and when he only gets about 5 minutes of ice time each game. Perhaps on another team, he could really show everyone what he can do. Grade: C

Tomorrow, I'll rate the defencemen and goalies.

Hearing the news Steve Yzerman will be the General Manager for the 2007 Team Canada World Championship team makes you think he just might hold onto that GM job for the 2010 Olympics.

One of the finest players ever to don the skates in the NHL, it makes sense for him to take his knowledge from his 20+ years of experience in the league and mold together what he would think would be the winning formula for Team Canada. Only thing is, where does this leave Wayne Gretzky?

Gretzky orchestrated the 2002 Team Canada gold medal, and perhaps the man most directly responsible for their victory who didn't actually play a single game. The 2006 Olympics, however, were a huge disappointment for Team Canada, mustering out a 6th place finish when it was expected (and rightfully so) Canada would defend their gold successfully.

It was noted Canada elected not to ice the best players, but rather reward those who played on previous teams. Gretzky and the coaching staff picked players like Martin St Louis & Todd Bertuzzi who were having sub-par seasons, and leaving guys like Eric Staal and Jason Spezza off their roster simply because of their age. This was not an issue in 2002, where Gretzky put Iginla on the roster because he played himself onto it. Simon Gagne was creating waves Philadelphia and allowed to play even though he was only 22 years old. These moves all made sense, but were thrown out the door in 2006.

Yzerman in a GM role has the advantage that he would not feel he "owes" anybody a roster spot, the exact opposite of the way perhaps Gretzky feels. It's entirely possible Gretz could go back to his 2002 thinking to create a strong Team Canada, and maybe the two will work together (and maybe throw in Mario Lemieux for good measure. I don't think a management team comprising of Gretzky, Yzerman and Lemieux could have much more prestige & hockey knowledge). It will be interesting to see how Yzerman does in the this Spring's World Championships, because make no mistake, this is pretty much an audition for the 2010 job in Vancouver.

CUT THE CAKE-
give me a little piece
let me lick up the cream
CUT THE CAKE-
well, just a little piece
baby you know what I mean
CUT THE CAKE-
give me a little piece
a little lovin' on the side
CUT THE CAKE-
I need a little piece
just to keep me satisfied
Chorus
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme that cake
Well it tastes so good don't pass it all around
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme that cake
You got to cut it-down!
CUT THE CAKE-
just a little piece
of your sweet love
CUT THE CAKE-
don't you know that I
can't get enough
CUT THE CAKE-
want you to know that I
ain't a greedy man
CUT THE CAKE-
don't you know that I'll
do the best I can
Chorus
CUT THE CAKE-
give me a little piece
let me lick up the cream
CUT THE CAKE-
well, just a little piece
baby you know what I mean
CUT THE CAKE-
give me a little piece
a little lovin' on the side
CUT THE CAKE-
I need a little piece
just to keep me satisfied
Chorus
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme that cake
Well it tastes so good don't pass it all around
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme that cake
Never knew you cooked the way you do
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme that cake
Tastes so good don't pass the recipe around
gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme,
gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme that cake
You got to
cut it-DOWN
cut it-DOWN
cut it-DOWN-cut the cake-please
______________________________________


Man...I could really really use a piece of cake now!!!

After I have a losing night playing cards (and it will happen), I look back at some key pots that I lost and work out if I played them poorly or if it was just plain bad luck that caused me to lose all my chips. When I first started out playing poker, sometimes I'd look at my Aces being outdrawn and wonder if I should have entered the pot in the first place. You can't second guess yourself on these sort of hands when another player catches their lucky card to take the pot away from you. If you won't play Aces, why are you bothering to play to begin with?

I've had a number of bad beats the last few games I've played. My pocket tens were outdrawn by someone holding pocket sevens when they caught a seven on the turn to make a set. My flopped two pair couldn't hold up when my opponent caught his runner-runner flush on the river. My Ace-King was outdrawn by Queen-Eight suited when they made a runner-runner straight. Let me tell you something about these suckouts: I would not change at all the way I played these hands. The reason why they have a name for these events (bad beats) is because it happens a lot. I put my money in the middle with the best of it, and in the end, that's what you are supposed to be doing to win.

Today, we tried playing a "deep stack" tournament, with a higher amount of chips (5000 instead of our usual 800 with 30 minute blinds instead of 20) to work with so you can be more speculative and try different things. Looking back, there were some key hands which I did NOT play well. I overplayed some marginal hands and tried taking away pots when I clearly had no business being in them to start with. There was a point when I more than doubled my stack and could have had a chance to win the game, but I threw away the KISS principle (Keep it Simple Stupid) in a couple of situations. I lost about 7500 in chips in two hands where if I kept it simple, i.e. folded, I might be talking to you now about how I won.

So looking back and recognizing mistakes you've made should prepare you for your next game. In some instances where I've lost, it was the poker gods turning their back on me. In others, it was a case of overplaying hands and making bad decisions. Recognizing which situation is applicable to you will make you a better player in the long run.

Yup, it's a pretty lazy post, but here's to my OTHER country!

- If you're looking to put money down on the Oscars, I'd bet Little Miss Sunshine to take Best Picture, Martin Scorsese to take best director for The Departed, Forrest Whitaker for best actor in The Last King of Scotland, Eddie Murphy for best supporting actor in Dreamgirls and I'm unsure about the actress categories. The Academy seems to love Judi Dench, though.

- I'm glad Dreamgirls didn't get a best picture nomination as many thought it would. It was a safe, unchallenging film with scenes that are embarrassing to watch (anything where they "sing" a scene instead of playing it out seriously). Eddie Murphy will win his Oscar more for his life's work, not so much for his 15 minutes of screen time in this film.

- A family friend had surgery to remove a brain tumour and it was successful. It came out of nowhere, but was beaten just as fast.

- Last week was pretty busy. This week...not as much. Aside from Ultimate on Monday night, I watched poker and some all-star crappy hockey for the rest of it. I'm planning on playing more cards tomorrow, Saturday and if I last, Sunday.

- Speaking of Ultimate...after five seasons, Ultimate Crisis is now finished :(. Taking its place is a new team that may be called Frank the Tanks (that's what I voted for, anyway).

- My great uncle's WWI diary lacks detail, but when I read the words "Pure Hell" when describing the previous night's shellings, it hit me pretty hard. He was only 22 when he died.

- For only the 2nd time in the 7 1/2 years of my current job, I hung up on a client because of his potty mouth

- Finally did some grocery shopping, but the final bill only came to $18.36. I need to do more.

- I have a new TV I'm interested in getting...sometime. Click on "Big TV!" to see it!

- Decided to go through my old hockey cards on Ebay and found out most of them are pretty worthless. I have one good find: A mint/near mint Pat Lafontaine Rookie card. If I pay $8.00 to get an official grading of it, I could sell it for about $90, and that's in US dollars baby!

- I got one more sponsor for my World Series tournament. NICE! I just might make 1/3 of my buy-in.

- I spent my time converting my Itunes music from AAC to MP3 last night thinking it would take up less space, but it's still about the same, from what I remember.

- A bracelet and a Stanley Cup in 2007 would make this year about as perfect as SBP could ask for.

There are a couple of things wrong with the current NHL schedule:

1) Too many games. There are 82 over the course of a regular season. It's hard for the players to get up for each and every game when you play four games in a week. The NFL has each team play only 16 games in their season. I don't watch football, but that format allows for every game to be exciting and meaningful. I don't think NHL teams should only play once a week, but the reducing the amount is the way to go.

2) Too many interdivisional games. Nothing gets my blood going like a Leafs-Senators tilt, but some of its luster is lost when you play the same team eight times. The NHL compounded the error with Ottawa and Toronto playing each other four times in the same month. I understand they want to increase the rivalries between teams, but I think five or six games could accomplish the same goal.

I would really like to see Ottawa face Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary every year, but the current scheduling allows them to face each other only 2 out of 3 seasons. We won't see these matchups for the 2007-08 season as it will be the third part of the "rotation" where they don't play each other.

The NHL Board of Governors discussed a proposed schedule change to fix problems like that and was a vote or two away from changing the current format. Guys like GM Brian Burke of the Anaheim Ducks was quick to say, "We can't automatically give the fans what they want." Excuse me? Joe Thornton said he likes the current schedule because he can "rest" better. These guys are hardly looking out for the fans interests, which every person associated with the league needs to make as their TOP priority.

The NFL, again, does it right. They're flexible to the point they'll make contests fans want to see. Imagine that! I have a feeling, regardless of the outcome of the Superbowl, a Colts-Bears matchup will be scheduled for next year. If Ottawa plays Calgary in the Cup final, no regular season matchup for next season is possible, because the fans want it and the GMs don't. Does that make ANY sense? Of course not. But they are so rigid with their rules, the only thing they are concerned about is how much money they can save by taking a bus instead of a plane.

Anyway, it's unrealistic to think the NHL will reduce the number of games since gate revenue is their #1 source of income (they are getting practically no TV money), but they can still address other areas to improve the game. But they choose not to.

Other NHL thoughts: I tried really, really hard to watch the Young Stars game but couldn't do it. It was so boring and meaningless, I had to change the channel. Even the skills competition didn't have much flow to it like I remember. I'm going to try to watch the regular All-Star game tonight, again, and will likely change the channel, again. Having said that, it was pretty embarrassing to see all those empty seats in the Dallas arena, home of the 1999 Stanley Cup Champions. NHL logic is moving teams from hockey hotbeds where people are passionate about the game, like Winnipeg & Quebec City, and literally bury them in the desert in places like Phoenix where no one goes to watch the games. (However, they still go out to see one top Canadian athlete play: Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns). The Nashville Predators have one of the best teams in the NHL and are a Cup contender, but only 12,000 fans turn out to watch. Sigh. I would definitely run things differently if I was in charge.

Just to show that I do recognize some of the things the league does right, they awarded the 2009 All-Star game to Montreal to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Canadiens. See? That DOES make sense! Is that so hard?

The Oscar nominations were released today, but I had more fun reading up on the 27th Annual Razzie nominations, which honours the worst 2006 had to offer filmgoers. The award ceremony takes place one day before the Oscars are handed out and while all who are nominated can attend, few come out to accept their $4.97 gold-spray-painted trophy.

Leading the way with 7 nominations apiece are Basic Instinct 2 and Little Man. In a quote I will remember for a long time, the Razzie press release noted Little Man was "a comedy nearly as devoid of laughs as Schindler's List".

It's easy to target bad films, but what I also enjoy is the way they find the truly horrible in good or average fare. Kate Bosworth was nominated for worst supporting actress for her stint as Lois Lane in Superman Returns.

I've felt that there have been too many family pictures this past year, and I share the same sentiment with other media who are getting sick and tired of the animated, dancing animal fare that offer zero originality and blatant stealing of past ideas (Happy Feet...March of the Penguins anyone?). So they make my day by creating a Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment category, nominating Deck the Halls, Garfield 2: A Tale of Two Kitties, RV, Santa Clause 3 and The Shaggy Dog.

One more thing I enjoy is that, unlike the Oscar nominations that sometimes causes voter split when an actor puts in a good performance in more than one film (such as Leonardo DiCaprio getting an Oscar nomination for Blood Diamond but not for The Departed), the Razzies just lump all the s*** you've done together. Tim Allen gets three for worst actor for Santa Clause 3, The Shaggy Dog and Zoom (what is Zoom anyway?) while Rob Schneider gets a pair for The Benchwarmers and Little Man.

M. Night Shamalyan, the mind behind the box-office bust Lady in the Water, may walk with two razzies as they also have no fear in pointing out if you're doing a lousy job more than once in the same movie, getting nominated for worst director and worst supporting actor.

You can see all the nominations below. Awesome!

The 27th annual Razzie Award Nominees

You don't realize how much you miss something until it's gone.

In my case this weekend, it was hot water.

Nothing wakes you up more than a frigid douche first thing in the morning. It can get pretty frosty with nothing but cold water shooting out of the taps. So my day today was spent calling & waiting for the nice service people to come by and fix it. Turns out, I needed a brand new water tank as it's 20+ years old. About an hour later, they installed my new one.

And that has been my day so far.


Hmmm...looks strangely like my old one

Who's that guy in the middle?


Who launched a fusil?


Marta shows how it's done


Patti enjoying a refreshing beverage


Pretty ladies are always welcome!


Freeze lets us know who's #1...the Senators. And of course, Steve. Happy birthday big guy!

I'm really getting sick of all the praise the Habs' Sheldon Souray has gotten lately. He was voted to the all-star team by the fans, and I've read an Eklund report where he says if he could hand out the Norris trophy now (the award for top defenseman in the NHL) he'd give it to Souray. No one is having a better year than he is, apparently.

Despite the fact that nearly every self-respecting hockey journalist would take Chris Pronger over Souray in a heartbeat for the award, one of the traits a defenseman should have is the ability to PLAY DEFENSE!

Some people are just plain lazy and look at nothing but point production when deciding who's the best blueliner in the league. I'll give Souray this: he does have tremendous offensive upside. He has a killer shot from the point and is crucial on the powerplay. But when it comes down to shutting down the opposition, forget it.

This guys is currently a -8 in his stats. How can you say this guy is the top defenseman, when that stat shows he's on the ice more times when a goal is scored against that when his team scores a goal, in standard 5 on 5 play?

Scott Stevens was a bruising checker and captain of the New Jersey Devils, winning multiple Stanley Cups. He never won a Norris trophy, because he didn't score goals. So what? Not one player looked forward to going up against him; just against Eric Lindros' neurologist.

Point production from your blueline is a good thing. But for those responsible for handing out the awards, keep in mind it isn't the only thing.

I rarely talk about the WWE on my blog, and when I do, it's usually because someone died. Well, here I am again. Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow was found dead in his Florida home this morning at the young age of 45. His cause of death is unknown at this point, but more details will be released once the autopsy is performed.

Some of my friends have told me I should have tried out to become a professional wrestler. I'm not sure if I have the athleticism to do it, but being in front of a huge crowd and entertaining the fans would definitely be an alright profession. But looking at the number of wrestlers who have passed away during or after their respective careers, makes me think more and more it's imposing your own death sentence if you decide to make a living out of it.

Anyway, when I was little, Bigelow was an awesome athlete. This guy weighed over 300 lbs and he would do cartwheels and leaps off the top rope that were simply amazing to watch. I remember all my Grade 7 friends, when EVERYONE use to watch wrestling, thought he would become the next champ. And why not? Size, speed & strength, and with those scary tattoos, yikes, you don't want to step into the squared-circle with this guy!

Of course, I thought it was all real at the time. Truth was Bigelow was held back for one reason or another, my guess is Hulk Hogan did not want him to take the spotlight and Vince McMahon obliged. Regardless, he had a 20 year career and travelled the world many times over. He entertained many fans along the way, and left a lasting impression on the world of "sports entertainment". Here's hoping there was at least no foul play, drugs or whatnot that cause your death Bam Bam, and that you're in a better place.

Borrowing a format from KKP's blog:

- I had only gone to one Sens game this season before last week. Now I've gone to three: Saturday's tilt vs Montreal, and tonight vs the Canucks. Thank you Kim for the Habs ticket, thank you Steve & Janice for tonight's ticket. Both were entertaining for their own reasons.

- I have chosen World Series of Poker event #27, Satuday, June 16, 2007 as my poker tournament date. It is Holly's birthday that same day, so hopefully there will be a nice present to give to, uh, me!

- I'm starting to get sick & tired of coworkers commenting about my volunteer stuff at work. They have time to complain but no time to help out.

- I am planning to transcribe a World War I diary this year and turn it into a novel

- It has been very cold some days this week, which gives me some hope the ice caps won't melt just yet

- I am starting to feel most of my friends are growing up and I'm not, but it's something that I have to fix myself


- Scott had an X-Box night and one of the funnest games we played was a 1980 title called "Warlords". You moved a coloured cursor to deflect a dragon's fireb...er, cursor, to defend and attack other "Warlords" castles. Simple sound, graphics and controls, but so much fun!

- I've been eating chicken salads from Subway instead of footlong chicken caesar subs thinking it is healthier

- I disappointed myself tonight by getting my first poutine in about a year

- Grocery shopping hasn't been done in about three weeks and I need to go!

- Still want a big TV, but I'm thinking it'll be better to wait until after Vegas

- Mom told me today that Geraldine's best friend was forwarded my blog entry about her and read it. That made my day.

Go ahead...click on "comments", and ask SBP your inner-most questions....

I've been sleepy all day, after being wired from the previous night's Ultimate. I got an invite tonight to play some poker with some of Rick's work friends. The blinds were moving pretty high, we managed to get two games in about 4 hours time. Fate was mocking me tonight. First game, my tens get cracked when my opponent's pocket 7s catches a set on the turn. Next game, this time I have pocket 7s, but Rick has 10s. We were playing three-handed at this point, he wasn't supposed to have anything! Do you think it's my turn to get a suck-out? Of course not, the classic SBP screwjob. The blind structure moved so fast, it pretty much turned into an all-in fest towards the end. Oh well....thaaaaat's poker!

Time to go to bed.

The photo you're looking at is that of Paddy Mitchell, dubbed my many as the Gentleman Bandit, born and raised in my town of Ottawa. He was the leader of a group called the "Stopwatch Gang". All of his bank robberies were done with skill, precision & timeliness, and not one person ever got injured or killed. He stole millions of dollars during his career as a criminal, and yesterday he died of cancer behind bars where he was serving a 60+ year sentence with no chance of parole. He tried to get extradited to Canada, but that didn't happen. He successfully escaped from prison more than once in his lifetime, and I'm sure that may be one of many reasons he didn't get too many requests granted.

Anyway, I'm reading a couple of articles about his death, and to me it was quite alarming how many people think this guy is the cat's meow. I mean, HE'S A CRIMINAL! He STOLE! "But he didn't hurt anybody!" you might say. So what? I'll agree if someone is going to turn to a life of crime, it'd be nice if no one got hurt along the way. But the bottom line is, he deserved to be in jail and his actions should not be glorified. He took things that didn't belong to him. That's a crime. Disagree with me? Well, I'll come by your house with a large sack and take everything of value to you, but I'll be sure to shake your hand & say thank you when I'm done. Would you hold the door open for me as I leave? That sack I'm carrying is pretty heavy.

His son called him a hero. A hero?! What for? How does stealing give you the "hero" label? His son also went on to say that Paddy viewed banks as evil because they foreclosed people's houses and destroyed futures, so he was justified in stealing from them. Maybe there's some truth to that, but it's not like he was taking from the rich and giving to the poor. He wanted to live a millionaire's lifestyle but didn't want to hold down a job. He wanted the money without putting in a hard effort. So it took the shortcut called crime, pocketed every cent he stole and definitely didn't help anyone who got foreclosed on their mortgage.

We have a fascination with the famous. If they've been on TV or in the newspaper, we hold them in a different light and think of them as God-like or whatnot. It doesn't make any sense. They are people just like you & me, the only difference is that their face has been splashed across a magazine cover. They are not above the law, nor do they have some form of higher thinking that will bring society to bliss.

This is a criminal who politely stole money. It's an interesting story, but he's no hero.

I never quite understood the 1960s and its paranoia of communism during that time. It seemed that everyone thought the "Russkies" were taking over and somehow our democratic processes and rights & freedoms would be taken away. And anything that, in my opinion, did things such as protect worker's rights or offer assistance to the poor, well my friend, you are a COMMUNIST! How dare you help the less fortunate! How dare you try to guarantee minimal standards for which your fellow man can live! With that thinking, I wonder if a donation to the church's collecton plate was ever made with suspicion...

Anyway, you might recall when the CBC had a "Greatest Canadian" poll a couple of years ago, and Canadians voted for Tommy Douglas as the #1 choice. Douglas was the man most directly responsible for advocating public access to health care. He had this crazy idea that you should not have to worry about losing your home, job and family because you can't pay your medical bills. A radical idea at the time; now I don't think any Canadian can imagine our society without it. We are very proud of what Douglas did for Canadians, and rightfully so. But others weren't so happy about it.

It was just found recently that the RCMP kept extensive files on Douglas' activities for over 30 years. They analyzed speeches he did, articles he wrote and any contacts he may have had with peace organizations. Could you imagine what the orders for putting surveillance on him were like? "Uh, we have a problem here. Apparently this Douglas fellow doesn't think we should kill each other and instead rely on diplomacy to resolve complex issues. Better see what commie he's talking to next."

The weird thing is, post 9/11 laws almost advocate these type of Gestapo tactics. We can look back and be somewhat disturbed about how the RCMP treated its own citizens, but at the same time not be too shocked. The FBI had a problem with John Lennon. The Maher Arar case also shows how rights & due process can be quickly trampled on.

My point is, we still have a long way to go before we are truly free, even you think you're helping out your fellow man.

There is only one hand you can hold pre-flop in texas hold 'em that you are 100% sure is the best hand: pocket rockets; Aces. No matter what the other players do, whether they limp in, raise, or go all-in, you're putting your chips in the middle with Aces every time. (There are limited exceptions. See Johnny's blog for more details!).

Most of the time (219 times out of 220) you will NOT get Aces. And that rings true for every player. Suppose you're looking down at pocket Kings, you raise and then get re-raised all-in. If you call that hand and you end up being up against Aces, more power to them. Running into that predicament is just extremely bad luck. If someone told me they went broke with pocket Kings in that fashion, I would NOT think of them as a bad player, just a very unlucky one.

Of course, this is a different situation than if you see a flop with an Ace on board. If they bet into you with an Ace showing, there is a good chance they DID make a pair of aces in which case you can't feel too bad for folding. You cannot get too stubborn and say to yourself, "Well, I got pocket Kings so I'm calling bets all the way to the river". If you lose all your chips that way, that's just bad poker on your part.

I've folded strong hands pre-flop before: Ace-King for example if I didn't want to race. Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack...into the muck they have gone depending on the circumstances (usually a raise followed by a re-reraise, or if I'm jeopardizing too many chips if I think I'm in a coin-flip situation). I have never, ever, folded pocket Aces or Kings. I don't think I've ever let go of Queens, but I have folded Jacks when I thought I was beat.

My point is when you get good hands, play them. So many times I've seen someone lay down a big pocket pair because they thought they were against Aces, but it really turned out they were folding to Ace-King or pocket tens. 1995 Main Event bracelet winner Dan Harrington even said, despite other players who may claim they can see into your soul, no one is savvy enough to know whether a player truly has Aces while they're holding Kings. Even if you're wrong once in a while, more times than not, you will be holding the best hand thus winning more chips.

Sens 1st priority is no longer a 2nd line centre... After watching last
night's 3rd period, it is obvious that Emery is not your #1 net minder

**********************************

If Sens don't change the make up of this team and get a new coach and
couple of new players via a trade before Dec 10th. THEY WILL NOT MAKE
THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!

**********************************

It's disappointing to see that you are in the majority of Sens
supporters camp who are in complete denial of the obvious shortcomings of your
team...As a friend may I offer some advice, take a step back and assess the
situation as a hockey expert and you will come to the conclusion that
the sky is REALLY falling and it's a shame the owner of this team has yet to
step in to try to prevent this ongoing disaster... On paper I used to
conceed the Sens had a better team that the Habs. Not anymore. So please
save this email and read it to me in April when the Habs will be looking
down on the Senators in the division and and conference standings. (well, that may come true! - SBP)

**********************************

I am predicting no changes in gm or coach for next few months or
possibly end of season. Too bad, I really think Muckler has fallen asleep at the
wheel and the good ship Senators is heading towards one giagantic
iceberg. Mayday Mayday ....

**********************************

Top 5 reasons Sens won't make the playoffs:
1) Your Captain has been a no-show since Oct and is playing to get traded to a real hockey team...
2)You have no goalie that can consistently make key saves to win games...
3)Your GM is 7000 years old and senile and is currently working on deal to
sign Johnny Bower, Jean Beliveau and get Toe Blake to coach...
4) Your $6.75 M supposedly #1 defefenceman has the pain threshold of a 3 year
old girl and is more interested in snorting the white snow instead of
earning his jack...
5) Your team has no concept of how to play defence, clog the
passing lanes and prevent the oppostion from scoring tap in empty net
goals.

The truth stings doesn't it.

****************************************************************************

HA! GO SENS GO!!!!!

I've been checking the World Series of Poker website almost daily in anticipation of their schedule announcement after they initially mentioned the tournaments will start June 1st with the Main Event commencing July 6th. I've got some friends who are going to Vegas with me, and I also have a wedding in-between that I absolutely cannot miss. It's early to plan for it, but I want to make sure all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted before I head down.

So the bad news is the $1,000US buy-in tournament has been dropped, and there is nothing I can enter for less than $1,500US. Lots of coin for sure, however, a pleasant surprise is the number of people who told me they'll back me in my bid for a bracelet. If they all come through, I'll have at least $450US towards my entry fee, which is fantastic. I've already raised about $900 with my Ebay sales. So things are definitely looking good! Once again, it's great to see so many people who see my excitement in wanting to play, and want to be a part of it.

There are six no-limit tournaments, all three-day events, that I'm looking at to play. Looking at the schedule, I imagine there will be some with lots of pros, some with not as many with bigger buy-in tourneys occuring around the same time, so I'll likely try to AVOID playing the pros as much as possible to increase my odds. It'll still be cool though to have a pro sit at my table, and if Daniel Negreanu busts me out, hey, I can say it took the best to take all my chips.

I'll post more updates as they come, and remember, if you wanna buy a stake...let me know! :)

Despite some bad news today, I'll try not to be grim. This morning, my mom got the phone call letting us know our cousin Geraldine passed away after battling cancer for just under a year. The last few weeks have been especially tough for her family who have been taking care of her at her home. Tough in a sense that they could see what was happening, and there really wasn't anything you could do about it. You see someone close to you deteriorate, and you want to help stop it, but there is nothing you can do, except try to make the most of the time you have left together.

When I visited Australia in 1998-99, Geraldine took me out a few times during the time I was working at a movie theatre, trying to get some money together to get to New Zealand. She lived in perhaps the best place you could in Sydney, in a condo overlooking Bondi Beach. Geraldine would take me along the boardwalk and introduced me to the best chocolate mud cake on the planet, and just before that tasty dessert, got to sample my first kangaroo steak. Mmmmm! We got to go out together a few times, and what I liked most about her was her spunk, her quick sense of humour and big smile.

My last day before I returned home to Canada, I spent it with Geraldine. We went back to the same restaurant with the 'roo steak & mud cake, and after dinner she asked me what we should do next.

"Do you play pool?"
"YOU PLAY POOL?!"
"Yes, Benjamin, a woman my age can still play pool."

I'm pretty sure she cleaned my clock when it was all said and done.

It was a weird night for me, knowing that after being away for so long, I'd be back home in 36 hours. I grabbed a coaster from the bar just as I was leaving to remind me of my last night in Sydney, not knowing if I'll ever get the chance to return, and of course as a keepsake reminding me of my fantastic time away.

It's been almost 8 years since I've seen Geraldine in person, and my only regret is that I didn't put any effort in to keep in touch with her once I got back. It took cancer for me to do so, and luckily I was able to send her some emails and have a few phone calls before she passed on. In all honesty, she was much more close to my mom and not as much to me, but still, I have fond memories of Geraldine and I will miss her.

Cancer is like our present-day version of The Plague. So many have been affected, and many have died. Almost every person I know knows someone who has died from it, someone who is battling it now, and someone who has battled back from it. A friend of mine told me one in every three men will develop cancer, and the number increases to an alarming one in two women. I believe it.

Forgetting the final result when the Sens hosted the Boston Bruins tonight, it was great news to hear 19 year-old Bruins' forward Phil Kessel played his first NHL game since having surgery for testicular cancer last month. The last thing that worries a 19 year-old athlete, or any teenager for that matter, is their health. And they shouldn't have to. The surgery was successful, and early indications are that it hasn't spread. Knock on wood, looks like he beat it.

We need to celebrate victories like these everytime we hear them. Way to come back, Phil!

Losing Jason Spezza has been a blessing in disguise.

Even when the Sens struggled earlier in the season, Murray never considered separating Spezza and Dany Heatley. Through thick and thin, every player on the roster would not be considered inseparable from any one teammate, but no. 15 & 19 would always be kept intact.

Spezza got injured, and they needed to adjust. Chris Kelly was a 4th line centre last season and this year was moved to the wing to give Heatley and Spezza the defensive "responsibility" that was lacking (and to cover up for Spezza's turnovers, althought he doesn't do that as much as before...). So Murray decided to challenge Kelly and give him the #1 centreman role, and to give him even more support, Daniel Alfredsson was put back on the top line and they were counted on to provide the offence.

They answered the call.

The knock on the Sens has been they can't win close games and they can't come back when they are trailing behind. But the way they have played in their last 7 or 8 games have shown a new side to them. A good summation of their recent play would be their victory over the Maple Leafs last Saturday. It looked like it was over when Toronto got the 2-1 lead with 6 minutes left in the third. Lo and behold, Kelly drives to the net with 2 minutes left and ties it up. Overtime comes, and Heatley finds a charging Chris Phillips and they take the win OT. Kelly had 1 goal and 2 assists that night and probably played his best game as a Senator.

Heatley has averaged about 1.5 points since Spezza left. He can sometimes be accused of floating a little, depending on Spezza to pick up the puck and set him up for the goal. But I'm sure Murray has told Heater he'll need to drive to the net and work harder for puck possession in his absence. Heatley was named 2nd star of the week today as a result of his improved play.

So when Spezza returns, along with Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette, Murray can experiment with the lines a little. Maybe Spezza can find chemistry with Schaefer or Comrie and make another line a legitimate scoring threat. In any case, because the injuries have forced a stronger work ethic in Ottawa, we are seeing a far better hockey club than the one we witnessed just before. They had the talent already, but the determination inside them has been tapped into.

One of those random personality tests on the web, but it sums you up in MOVIE FORM! Fun! Above is the movie I am. Click on the link below and let me know what movie you are:

What movie are you?

I'm going to come across as anti-Canadian to some, but this past year's World Juniors in which Team Canada won the gold wasn't terribly exciting for me. First, it's still a fantastic accomplishment for the players and they had to work hard to get the gold medal. But if they lost, it probably wouldn't have bothered me all that much.

Well, that's not entirely true. Because the medal-round games were on during the work day, I missed all of them and got updates from the web or co-workers. Despite knowing the outcome of the Canada-USA semifinal, I watched the third period, OT and shootout during a TSN replay and it was great hockey. The multiple rounds of the shootout made for some great drama and action.

This was probably the only time when a Canada loss was actually possible. The USA played just as well as Canada but came out on the short end of the stick. But for every other game...was there any doubt?

Canada was up 4-0 against Russia and looked like it would be a blowout. It wasn't, the Russians managed to score a pair of goals to make it somewhat interesting but was there really any tension in that game? It just seemed like the inevitable was coming: Canada winning gold.

I probably feel this way because Canada wins most of the important hockey tournaments all the time. Canada losing in the 2006 Olympics was in some ways perhaps a good thing, as this will provide for more drama when the team tries to recapture gold on home turf in Vancouver in 2010. Yesterday's win against the Russians made it eighteen straight World Junior victories over the last three years.

The outcome of the 2006 Olympics gives Canadian fans a little drama when 2010 comes around: Canada just might end up losing.

This is a picture Ingrid gave me of myself with my Godson, Darren, which I thought was a rather nice pic. Unfortunately, I do not have a scanner so we are getting a picture of a picture:



I'll take this time to mention Johnny has finally updated his blog after a 1+ month hiatus. Go ahead and click the "Johnny's Blog" link to read!

Kylie has also decided to enter the blogging world. "Kylie's Blog" has been added to my links. Enjoy!

May 2008. That's when the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones movies are coming to theatres, and will undoubtedly make tons of cash and will allow George Lucas to continue making "expensive" movies (wink wink to those who get that remark).

There's just one problem....HARRISON FORD IS 64 YEARS OLD!!!

When Last Crusade was released back in 1989, Sean Connery, who played Indy's dad, was actually younger than Ford is now.

Talks of another Indy film started as early as the mid-90's. At the time, hey, who didn't want to see another Indiana Jones flick? Ford was just coming off of making The Fugitive and was on a roll. Steven Speilberg just got an Oscar for Schindler's List. The public would certainly pay money to see Indy on the big screen one more time.

But, for me at least, it's too late. Lucas, Speilberg and co. couldn't get together a script for years and other projects distracted them. In the meantime, Ford made many forgettable movies and isn't the star he once was. Think about it: Sabrina, Six Days, Seven Nights, What Lies Beneath, Firewall...do you talk to your friends today about these pictures? And Ford turned down top scripts like Traffic. If he accepted the role to play the Michael Douglas character, I would have guaranteed an Oscar win for Mr. Ford. The Academy WANTS to give him one, but there is nothing he's done that could justify it. And Indy IV isn't going to win anything.

How are they going to make a story with the action Indy fans like myself expect without becoming a parody of itself? Imagine a senior citizen being dragged under a Mercedes like Indy was in Raiders. I would probably laugh. And it would probably be done for laughs. BUT I DON'T WANT TO LAUGH! The Raiders and Crusade movies took our imaginations with tremendous stories (going after the Ark and Holy Grail? Could there be greater quests than that!?!) with the occasional DASH of humour, but nothing more. I think we are going to be disappointed, unless they CGI Ford to make him look like he did in 1981.

I really think these guys are grasping for the limelight that has long eluded them. Stallone returned for a sixth Rocky movie. Sure, it was pretty good, but mostly because of nostalgia. I can't imagine a movie world without Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I can imagine one without Rocky Balboa. Remember when Guy Lafleur came back from retirement to play for the Nordiques? It wasn't the same. You got a warm fuzzy watching him play, but he wasn't the same dominant player he was in the 70s and early 80s. Today, I see a Hulk Hogan in his 50s returning to the ring to wrestle (and to make it more realistic, beating up guys 30 years his junior) trying to recapure the glory he had in his heyday. People seem to like him coming back, but I just see a guy who looks old and should gracefully exit the spotlight and let someone else have it.

This what I think we'll get when Indy IV comes to theatres: A warm fuzzy seeing Ford crack his bullwhip and don his fedora. Fond memories of the past Indy flicks. But a film that will be a shell of its former self.

I was going to discuss the next Indiana Jones installment but that will wait until tomorrow. My Sens made a trade, and a good one at that.

Alexei Kaigorodov, who refused to report to the Binghamton Senators and set sail for Russia, has been sent to the Phoenix Coyotes for centre Mike Comrie.

The talk around the office was positive, and rightly so. Kaigorodov was pretty much done as a Senator the minute he stepped on a plane back to play for Magnitogorsk. None of the current roster is sacrificed to acquire Comrie, who this year has 20 points in 24 games playing on a struggling Phoenix team. With Spezza, Fisher and Vermette out, this gives Bryan Murray some much needed depth and when everyone is healthy, provides another potent weapon on the forecheck & powerplay. Comrie is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year, so there is no huge financial commitment for him next season if he doesn't pan out.

Funny how a lot of people were disappointed the Sens missed out on picking up Petr Nedved who was put on waivers yesterday. It was probably a good thing that happened, as Comrie is head and shoulders above a washed-up Nedved.

I always felt Comrie was put under way too much pressure when he played for Edmonton at the start of his career. Being a local boy, he was expected to perform miracles for an Oilers team that paled in comparison to the 80s dynasty they once were. At the same time, there are questions about his attitude, and whether or not he is a locker room cancer. Only time will tell, but for the moment, I'm optimistic this will turn out to be a great acquisition for the Senators.

Steve Yzerman is nothing but class.

A moment that will be remembered forever in hockey history, Steve Yzerman practically apologizes to the Anaheim Ducks for his jersey retirement ceremony and thanks them for their patience.

A fond memory of Steve Yzerman I have goes back 22 years to the late summer/early fall of 1984. The Canada Cup was taking place, and Canada was playing host to West Germany at the old Montreal forum and spanked them 7-2. I don't remember much of the game itself, but before it started, carrying only a piece of lined paper and a pen, I got the opportunity to get autographs from my NHL idols. "There's Stevie Yzerman!" said my pal Steve. It's a blur for the rest of it, but you just knew you were meeting someone truly special.

I can only imagine how much different the hockey world would be if the rumoured Yashin for Yzerman deal in the early 1990s happened and Stevie Y became a member of the Ottawa Senators. Probably it was just all rumour and nothing would have come of it, and although selfishly I would have loved this move, an Original Six franchise and the hockey world would have suffered.

There's not one hockey fan in the world who doesn't like Steve Yzerman. He played tough without being dirty, he played through pain to bring his team Stanley Cups, he racked up points and was still a superb penalty killer & shot blocker. He would pay the price, and the fans loved him for it.

We knew it was inevitable, but still, hearing that he was going to retire still left a sting. Seeing #19 get raised to the rafters tonight at Joe Louis arena is the ultimate honour the Red Wings could bestow. 22 pro seasons, all with the same club. Come to think of it, that was the least Detroit could do for Stevie Y.

He is truly the man.

A good time was had last night, with the only drawback being a 90 minute wait for a cab, so by the time I got home it was about 4:20am or so. Can't believe the holidays are now done and tomorrow it's time to go to work. Oh well! It was fun while it lasted....