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

Ya miss me? One week without home internet...it was really weird at first not being able to check email as soon as I got home from work or, obviously, post my latest thoughts on whatever I felt like. And I started to get used to it, but I have to admit, the inability not to look up information immediately as soon as I wanted it was annoying. I'm just so used to getting "instant access" to whatever I want to look up. Anyway, it's nice to have it back.

Rogers has a hold on me. My phone line is digital, so getting DSL internet isn't possible, so that eliminates pretty much every other internet provider out there, including Bell Sympatico. I could subscribe to dial up, but that would eliminate being able to play Pokerstars since you have to be really quick to sign up for their freerolls before all the spots are taken. And really, at the speed picture and video downloads through dial-up is pretty weak regardless now that I've gotten accustomed to high-speed. I could only find one other company that provided cable internet, but that was only for commercial use. So internet for me consists of Rogers and Rogers only.

They wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to deal with their frickin' voice prompting system. It drives me crazy to no end, especially when you punch in the numbers on your phone, tell the "computer" or whatever the hell else you call it what you want, then when you finally reach someone live they ask you every question all over again. What was the point of going through their automated system in the first place? Annoying.

So I'll be resuming my regular posts and so you can enjoy once again your daily visit to my site, The SBP Archive: Your Daily Dose of SBP!

For the third time in three weeks, Rogers arbitrarily shut down my internet access because they say one of three PCs in my home got a virus. They couldn't tell me from where or what application was used to get it, all they could tell me was that we're taking you're internet access away.

So I'm going to be trying to find another internet provider in the interim. I should be back to blogging shortly.

Rogers Cable is driving me crazy.

Ever since I got HD, I've had two technicians visit, two internet shutdowns and HDMI cables rendered useless.

For some reason, the two OMNI channels that are available in HD would not come up on the screen. Every other channel was fine, but not those ones. The first tech guy told me to exchange the HD box. So I did that, but they still wouldn't come up. They sent another tech guy in, who told me he didn't think anything he did would work, but simply changed the coaxial cable and that seemed to fix things.

Occasionally now, when I'm watching standard definition channels, a faint line runs down the middle of the screen that is really annoying. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it goes away. It isn't my TV because my other peripherals don't show this line. I tried changing the reception to HDMI from the component video connection, but that didn't change things. Now every three or four days, I get a message when I turn on my TV and the HD box that my TV doesn't support HDMI. If I cut the power off from the HD box to reboot it after waiting for a few minutes, HDMI then starts to work, but today the reboot procedure didn't do anything, so it's back to component video.

I also discovered Rogers doesn't carry every HD channel available, such as RDS HD. I got HD mostly for hockey games and RDS shows every Montreal Canadiens games in HD. But for some reason Rogers just has the standard definition RDS channel, and after emailing them they have no idea when they might get the HD version.

I'd rather just go to Bell or Starchoice but there is no line of sight at my condo to get satellite television. There was a flyer going around from Bell that said "Get Expressvu through your phone line!" Now doesn't that sound like they can send television signals through your phone jack? Well it doesn't. All that ad meant, after talking to a Bell representative, is that you can place orders for pay-per-view through your phone. Who cares? How is this a selling feature to switch to Bell? You still need a dish and receiver.

So I'm stuck with Rogers until I get a house. Guess I could go without cable altogether...nah, that's not going to happen.

Look at that ring. Big, gaudy. Kinda like those rings they hand out if you're on a team that wins a Stanley Cup or Superbowl.

I think they're sweet!

There is no way I can ever play for the Red Sox trying to win a World Series, but playing in a World Series of Poker Circuit Event gives an average joe such as myself the opportunity to get in on the big, gaudy ring experience. I remember seeing a picture of former Red Wings and Hurricanes defenceman Aaron Ward proudly wear all three of his Stanley Cup championship rings on his fingers. I can only imagine the feeling of getting one.

So the thought of winning a lot of money at these poker tourneys is certainly appealing, but winning first place, and getting that ring, is what I'm really interested in.

Plans to go to Atlantic City in December are sort of in the air now due to unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances, but within the year I'll compete at one of these tournaments, all in an effort to get a ring big enough for three fingers.

Go SBP!

$160 for a ticket to a hockey game is very, very expensive. So instead of paying that amount, I looked at Ebay to see if they could help me out with getting 100 level seats close to the action. I managed to get a pair of club tickets against the Florida Panthers tonight for about $65 each express shipping included so no complaints. They aren't the best team in the NHL, but really, I just want to see my Sens play.

I was happy to see Ray Emery got the start and he was fantastic stopping 31 of 32 shots. And Alfredsson weaved his magic once again, being the overall best player (even though he didn't get a star) potting a goal and killing penalties for his team. He just gets better as times goes on, and I can only hope he might be like a Chris Chelios and find a way to keep playing until he's 50.

Anyway, I was not impressed by the crowd after Volchenkov boarded the Panthers' David Booth. He was assessed a five minute penalty and a game misconduct (completely deserved), and as soon as that was announced over the P.A. the entire rink booed. Booth was lying on the ice for at least 10 minutes before the stretcher came out to take him to the hospital. So we have a player, who could be dead for all we know, and the fans boo because one of their players got a match penalty. Look, you don't have to like it, but booing should be your last option. I thought that was pretty classless to what was otherwise a good night for the Senators.

There's simply too many people on this planet who know how to take my money. Anyway, if I ever own a home with a nice-sized basement, I'd pick one of these up at Costo for the mere price of $2399.99 (shipping included!). Has about 125 or so games on it and apparently they also sell expansion packs to put even more games on it. What more can a big kid ask for!?

I made my way to Scotiabank Place tonight to take in my very first regular season game of the year as my Sens took on the Montreal Canadiens. If there's anything I can't complain about, it's the entertainment value. The crowd was lively, not as many Leafs fans in the stands so it made the Habs fans somewhat tolerable. Seeing Nick Foligno score his first NHL goal was special, doing his father's trademark jump after getting it, and Dany Heatley collecting his 400th point at the young age of 26 was nice to see, too. On the downside, sitting beside this overweight old guy, who insisted on spreading his legs wide open so that I was cramped up in my seat was barely tolerable. I really hope he's not a season ticket holder and I won't have to see him again. And getting out of the parking lot, aside from being long as usual, was dangerous as so many cars were trying to chintz their was out, I almost hit a car that was trying to turn in front of me even though the car ahead of him had already barely squeezed in to get to the pavement.

On another hockey note, yesterday I took a little time to watch the NHL network and they showed an old playoff game from 1979 featuring the Canadiens against the Leafs. Now some columnists and traditional hockey fans say the best hockey the NHL has ever seen was 1970s hockey, and I have no clue why anyone would say that. I watched just two periods of it and it looked like shinny. The players looked slow and plodding, the passes were missing, the shots were off, and there was surprisingly a little amount of hitting which sort of goes against the Broadstreet Bullies style of hockey I thought the 70s encompassed. Blatant hooking and tripping were never called. The players today are so much faster and better skilled, I can't help but wonder how well the Canadiens of yesteryear would fare against a current NHL club.

It is really interesting to see some of the minor acquisitions GM Bryan Murray has signed to the Ottawa Senators roster.

It is rare that a player, raised in a city with an NHL team, actually gets to play for his hometown NHL club. It does happen, once in a while, but with today's signing of 32 year-old journeyman Randy Robitaille, Ottawa now has three hometown players: Luke Richardson, Shean Donovan and now Robitaille. There are characteristics that all of these players possess, outside of the hometown connection:

1. They are all over 30
2. They are not goal scorers
3. They play gritty and physical styles

You're not going to put these guys on during the final minute of play when your team has to score a goal. But...maybe you'll put them on to prevent a goal if they're trying to protect a lead (well, maybe not Richardson as much). The cliché of being an "energy" type player: limited minutes with numerous bodychecks, seems to be spoken in many circles as the final variable for a team to come out on top a winner. We saw it with Anaheim last season...they were the most physical team in the playoffs, and they won.

I have a theory that playing in front of your hometown gives you that extra jump and edge that just may help get their team over the top. Every kid who's played hockey always dreams of hoisting a Stanley Cup, but to do it in front of your city...that's icing on the cake. How jacked will these guys be come playoff time? Speaking for myself, I'd be ecstatic.

These moves are subtle, but I like them. And it wouldn't it make for a nice photo op to have Richardson, Robitaille and Donovan hoist Lord Stanley together if they won?

All Ottawa needs to do now is trade back for Todd White. :)

"You cannot come to an agreement with a group that doesn't want to negotiate. The players' union was given enough time to accept the proposal and meet the deadline."

- Toronto Rock President Brad Watters

The news that the National Lacrosse League cancelled the 2007/08 season after the owners imposed a midnight deadline to accept their proposal caught my eye with Ottawa's past involvement with the league. I thought it was unfortunate the Ottawa Rebel didn't survive here despite setting attendance records opening night (sounds a bit like the Ottawa Lynx, doesn't it?). They never won too many games, but it was a cheap night out and I thought the action was decent. Even the occasional fight broke out and no one got thrown out of the league a la hockey. What more could you ask for?

In league where the average salary amounted to $15,000 a year, it's funny how the owners' still cry poor and claim they've made no money and are just coming close to "breaking even". What about that quote from Brad Watters above? Sounds like the owners weren't the ones that didn't feel like haggling: it was pretty much take our deal or you're done.

It's hard to feel bad for the owners when they pay millions of dollars for their franchises and claim they can't meet costs. Why did you get involved in the first place? If it's nothing but a money pit, why not just invest in real estate?

Anyway, I don't know enough to figure out who's right or wrong, but once again, it's the fans that are screwed and forgotten. Doesn't this all sound familiar to NHL fans?

Unfortunately I forgot my camera when I headed over to Alex & Kerri's for Finleigh's 1st birthday, so I stole this pic which is my favourite: On her toes like a Rory Calhoun! :) Lots of kids, lots of adults, and lots of good times. No matter what the reason, any excuse to bring good friends together is a good one.

I haven't forgotten about Ellie this past week amongst everything else that has happened. I'm sure she's watching over Finn and is smiling down on her twin sister as we speak. The past year has gone bye so quickly, and Finn is growing up just as fast.

I guess if the worst thing to happen in your life recently is that your internet access goes down while playing in the middle of an online poker tournament, well, life ain't so bad.

I was really looking forward to the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker today, an annual event that gives out $40,000 worth of prizes, which isn't bad at all considering it's a freeroll. So 1337 entrants signed up, which is just over 1/2 the participants that signed up last year. Still, a big enough field nonethless. If you managed to finish 81st or better, you'd be in prize territory.

So to make a long story short, I was over at my mom's to play and the internet connection would go in and out and wouldn't stop. I would get disconnected in the middle of a hand which did not let me play optimally, mostly because I was cursing non-stop and just get really frustrated with it. I was disconnected for about 5 minutes and got in again, playing like normal until the connection would fail back & forth as before. It got to the point where when I was in 115th or so place with just over 400 players remaining, the internet connection went down entirely. John was playing in the same tourney so I couldn't drive back to use my PC at home. About an hour passed before it started up again, and my last hand already had more than 1/2 my chips posted in the big blind and I got busted out in 176th place.

It was just so frustrating because I was doing really well and had an excellent chance to finish in the prize brackets. But, didn't happen.

SBP screwjob!!!!

It's been a poker-riffic time for me the last week.

On Tuesday I played the Daniel Negreanu freeroll for a chance to play in the Bahamas at a prestigious poker tournament. It's a long shot, but basically you enter a field of 7500 players and the top 200 advance to round 2. About 2500 play in round 2, and if you manage to win that you move on to round 3 to play a final table against Daniel Negreanu. It's all free, and they give out cash prizes along the way. So I managed to finish 94 out of 7500 in round 1, and got a whopping $3.50 US for my efforts. NICE! Today I played round 2 and was doing very well. The cards went dead once I got to 14,000 in chips, and I ended up finishing in 164th place but still took home $2.70. Now if this was a $1,500 buy-in tournament like the one I played in June, let's just say I wouldn't have had to put the big TV on the Mastercard!

So let's hope the momentum continues for tomorrow's World Blogger Championship. Wish me luck!

I couldn't tell you one thing Al Gore accomplished while Vice-President under Clinton.

Once he lost the 2000 election (well, he didn't really lose it, but you get my meaning) and left politics, his worldwide crusade to educate the world about global warming successfully alerted the planet that time is running out. He has his critics, for some reason, but luckily for the sake of our earth, the majority believe him and want to change things to make the world inhabitable for future generations. And for his tireless efforts, he was given the Nobel Peace prize.

It might seem odd to win a "peace" prize when he isn't directly involved in halting war for instance, but it does make sense. Solving the climate change problem is an effort that requires the entire world to co-operate, in essence, for peace between countries so that they can work on treaties such as the Kyoto agreement to reach the objective. Not everyone is on board, but the groundwork has been set. And more importantly, as Gore has mentioned, resources & land will become more & more scarce which will undoubtedly lead to hostility and conflict. Working on preventing global warming will help achieve peace that may otherwise lead to war.

You know there's an election coming up in the States, and I realize my opening statements may same contradictory, but wouldn't it be nice if he was President? Americans don't realize how fortunate they are to have him as a citizen of their country. This world would definitely be a better place with Gore in power.

Last year, everyone was cursing his name.

Now, the bandwagon for backup goalie (that's right, backup) Martin Gerber is piling up so high, it may collapse under its own weight. Now everyone talks about how Emery was (is) an average goalie, isn't worth the new contract he signed, he should be traded and I even heard many say Emery will have criminal charges filed against him before the season ends. (I bet a co-worker $20 this wouldn't happen. Frank, if you're reading this, you might as well write me a post-dated cheque for mid-June 2008).

Doesn't anyone remember where Martin Gerber was when his teams were in the Stanley Cup finals? He was sitting on the bench, the best seat in the house for sure, but there no way he was seeing a minute of ice time. Both Cam Ward and Ray Emery proved without a doubt who the #1 was before each of their series even started.

Now Gerber isn't horrible. He's a good positional goalie, he can be counted on to make the first save and if he's in nets, if you have an average or above team you'll have a chance to win. But compared to Emery, he's the #2. Position was Emery's weakness when he started out, but he worked on it last year and it showed. You can teach position, but you cannot teach athleticism and reflexes, which is what Emery has over Gerber tenfold. Emery is a young 24 years old and will only get better. Gerber is 32 and has reached his prime. He may have 3 or 4 years left, but Emery has at least a decade of hockey left in him.

Another thing to remember about Emery's season last year, was that he played with an injured wrist all season long and during the playoffs. It was revealed during the post-season he never took any practice shots on his glove hand so it would be ready for game time. Can you imagine just how much better a healthy Emery would be? There's no need to rush him back, and when he starts he'll have some "rink rust", but when he's 100% and ready to go, Emery is the #1 goalie in Ottawa.

I just noticed that this marks my 700th post as a blogger. Do I get a prize? No, but, it reaffirms my enjoyment of blogging and despite posting daily, I haven't gotten tired of it and will continue to do so until the day comes where I...do...get tired of it.

So...no surprises at all with this Ontario election. Despite Mcguinty's track record on not delivering the goods he promises, Ontarians seem a little bit scared to change things up. I think many feel a vote for the NDP would be wasted and might allow a Conservative government to slip through the cracks. I did vote NDP as Howard Hampton impressed me the most and comes across to me as the person I'd want to represent Ontario. He's very down to earth and isn't afraid to speak his mind. My vote had no basis on my local candidates because to be honest, I know so much more about the Party leaders than anyone else so I vote that way.

I also voted for the mixed representation system as although it would mean more MPPs, the idea that say, the Green Party earned 10% of the vote so they would get that representation at Queen's Park, seems like a very progressive form of democracy. I could be naive about that, but it fell through so it doesn't matter.

I do hope you took the time to vote and if you didn't you feel much shame!

So I don't watch baseball. The last time I watched MLB with any regularity was back in the day when the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series. I guess at that point every Canadian was watching it. Afterwards, lost interest, and after tuning in to it later, Homer Simpson sums it up best: "I never realized how boring this game really is!"

BUT...I still had time to learn to hate a team. And that team is the New York Yankees. It seems every professional league has a team with unlimited payroll and obnoxious fans combined with numerous championships (Yankees, Manchester United, Toronto Maple Leafs, well, minus the championship part). I guess what gets me is that these teams have a huge advantage against these so-called small market teams that has nothing to with good drafting or management. And if the franchise plays under a cap system, then it's the bandwagon fans that choose to follow a team until they lose and they find someone else to cheer for. How many New England Patriots fans have surfaced over the last few years? What kind of sports fan is that? I'll tell you what kind...the kind I hate!

So when $200 million can't buy a World Series, that's fine with me. Way to go Indians, the Yankees SUCK!

Ok, so I know a lot of you after seeing my 56" screen that you're salivating at the thought of getting your own. Now whatever TV you decide to get, as long as it's High Definition (HD) compatible, it will have one or several HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) ports to connect your various devices to your TV (mine has three!). Instead of the old school red, yellow and white A/V cables you might be familiar with, one HDMI cable carries all the audio and visual information and is capable of carrying the HD signal with it. Whether it's your HD cable box or your brand new Xbox 360 (no, I don't have one...yet!), HDMI is the choice connection for these items.

You may notice though, that if you shop for said HDMI cable at your local Futureshop or Best Buy, it seems they only have one brand for sale: Monster. And to make matters worse, they charge obscene prices for them, too. A standard 6 foot long cable can run you a couple hundred dollars. Thing is, you don't need to pay that much.

Because the signal carried is digital, as long as the cable itself works, there is no way one cable's signal can be better than the other. Put another way, you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on Monster cables when you can go to Ebay and pick one up for $19.99 U.S. shipping included.

Why do I tell you this? Because I don't want you to start adding up the other expensive accessory costs when you decide, "Yes! I'm getting me a BIG TV!" and then decide, "Gee, it's going to run me about $600 just for cables, I'll hold off on the TV." Monster Cables are a huge ripoff. Get a no-name brand and you'll be okay!

Now go get that TV!

Sleeping in, enjoying some turkey, it must be a Thanksgiving long weekend! Alas, it was a gray weekend. Thursday night I put the hard top on the Jeep, which is my official sign that summer is over. It was a beautiful 24C the next day...perhaps it was put on too early? Not at all. The sun hardly shone the next day and it started to rain, and it's supposed to do so for the next few days. No more Indian summer weather, as we'll get the Fall temperatures kicking in permanently now. And it all started with my Jeep hard-top installation. Now wait a second..what's this post about: Thanksgiving, Fall or my Jeep? I don't know anymore. Anyway, SBP will close by hoping you had a fantastic long weekend!

Look at this guy. The best basketball player on the planet, Lebron James. He's born and raised in Cleveland, which is unique in a sense that his hometown NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, was able to draft him. It's a script that only Hollywood could write, and it's expected Lebron will help bring NBA championships to his city that hasn't had one in the 37 years it has been in the league.

So, while baseball's Cleveland Indians are currently battling the New York Yankees for the right to play in the World Series, James announces he's a Yankees fans and has proudly displayed his Yankees cap whenever he's at the ballpark.

Blasphemy!

This kid is FROM Cleveland! His city could enjoy a World Series championship it hasn't enjoyed since 1948. But Cleveland's most famous athlete it has ever produced is rooting for a team its playing against!

This is too weird...what if the Prime Minster of Canada high-fived Carl Lewis as he won a gold medal? It just wouldn't be right. And maybe it's nothing worth talking about, but if I lived in Cleveland, I wouldn't definitely take insult at Lebron's insistence on my home team losing to the New York Yankees.

We put so much blind faith in our doctor's advice.

There is no other profession that perhaps we feel most practitioners have equal skill.

I remember getting that Lipitor prescription three months ago. The doctor compared my cholesterol levels to what's considered an acceptable level and told me it needs to go down. To help me out, he filled out a prescription. Interestingly enough, a lot of my friends wondered why I didn't ask more questions. For example, is it good or bad cholesterol in my system that's high? Are drugs really necessary? Is there alternative therapy I can take?

These thoughts never crossed my mind. Perhaps because I hadn't seen a doctor for about 1/2 my life, I didn't know what questions I could ask.

But my initial reaction was the doctor is doing what's best for me. Why would he tell me to take a drug when I don't need it? I trusted him 100%, even thought it was only the 2nd time I had seen him.

Perhaps I'm naive, but I'll carry on blindly when taking my doctor's advice. Maybe this needs to change.

Certainly tonight's season opener featuring a Sens victory in OT against the much hated Maple Leafs made for a good evening. Hey, it was a fun game, and we even saw Wade Redden drop the gloves not once but twice! But what made it even better was hearing that, before the game started, the Ottawa Senators and Dany Heatley agreed to a six year contract extension that will pay Heatley $7.5 million a year. Is it an outrageous sum? Of course it is. Does it matter to the average person that Heatley could have gotten an extra million or two a season (perhaps more) if he waited to become a free agent at the end of the summer and is demonstrating loyalty by taking this "pay cut"? Probably not. But in the world of pro sports, where many athletes seek nothing but the highest payday possible, Heatley traded the extra cash for security and a chance to play for a contender.

Every Sens fans should be very excited that Heatley is going nowhere for the next six years. Barring some major falling out between management, it's entirely possible he'll finish his career in Ottawa. And in addition to Heatley taking a $7.5 million a year salary, this opens the door to keep Jason Spezza long-term in Ottawa as well. While many were predicting the door was closing on Ottawa on its chances to win a Stanley Cup, the last four months have produced new contracts for Ray Emery, Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, Mike Fisher and now Dany Heatley. The Sens will still be in the hunt for some time.

The best quote of the night from one of the TSN commentators after Heatley tied the game to make it 3-3: "The bad news for Leafs fans is that they have six more years of this to look forward to."

Pretty sweet. This helps my decision for the name on my jersey that much easier!

First, I know you all missed me yesterday. Technical difficulties prevented me from doing my usual post as I couldn't get the PC to react to the cordless mouse & keyboard on John's computer that's set up with my big TV (definitely a nice feature...I can use my TV as a 56" monitor). That's ok, now I'm using my usual desktop to write this.

I'll just say a few words about what I think about the Sens chances for the season which starts tomorrow against the Leafs (and will be witnessed in HD, NICE!).

First, the team is pretty much the same from last season except for the departure of Peter Schaefer, Mike Comrie and Tom Preissing. In their place, we have Shean Donovan, rookie Nick Foligno, and Luke Richardson. I'll just say that usually at least one rookie gets a shot to crack the lineup, and Foligno played very well after being called out by coach John Paddock before the pre-season started. I really like what I've seen of Donovan, he may not be as skilled as the departed Schaefer but he's fast and he isn't afraid to get physical and play with an edge. His penalty killing looks to be a valuable asset for the Senators. Finally, it's disappointing 2005 1st round pick Brian Lee couldn't step up as he was likely thought to be ready to play in the NHL, because now a 38 year-old past his prime defenceman (who was a healthy scratch last year playing for the Maple Leafs if that doesn't sound off alarm bells in your head) is going to be in the starting lineup tomorrow. Maybe when Dean McAmmond comes back (hopefully his career isn't over), they'll put Schubert back on D and scratch Richardson. But who knows? Maybe playing for his hometown Ottawa will give Richardson a 2nd life to a career that's winding down. He's currently the longest-serving player in the NHL who's never won the Stanley Cup or appeared in the finals.

I really wish Ray Emery was good to go, but Gerber played well in the pre-season so it shouldn't be too much of a setback having Gerber start. If he can put together some decent games, it'll help Ottawa trade him to free up some cap space.

I'm guessing the final four in the East will be Ottawa and the NY Rangers, while in the West we'll have Detroit and San Jose (I think Anaheim will suffer the Stanley Cup hangover and not repeat as Champions). In any case, tomorrow we start the season, and I can't wait! GO SENS GO!