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

Have a terrific New Year's Eve everyone, regardless if you're heading out or opting to stay indoors and enjoy it with friends and family. Don't be stupid by having a few pints then wrapping your car around a telephone pole.

Any New Year's resolutions? I have one...but, I'll keep it to myself. Someone told me it may not come true if you tell others. We shall test this theory.

Unfortunately, this is the only pic that turned out and you can't even make out the tree trunks and branches that hold up the lights (although I think it has a neat "fireworks" effect to it...we'll attest this picture taking effort to the pursuit of art). The point of taking this picture is that I noticed Ottawa has made a real effort into making the downtown area look very Christmas-y this year. They put up a lot of lights, more so than any year previous to the best of my memory, and it looks very nice downtown. If you have a chance, you should make an effort to visit the City Hall area to take it in. Maybe they'll still be up when Winterlude comes around and you can see them if you decide to have a skate out on the canal.

In other news, I finished Halo 3 and Quake 4. Staying up until 2:30am playing these games allows you to do this. Still can't get over how incredible the graphics are. Tonight I might take a break from the 360...ah...that probably won't happen!

I'm not one to look at a person's short term efforts when deciding if a player can be a valuable addition to a team's roster. In the case of Ray Emery, where he left practice early Friday because he was "sick", everyone of course is wondering what's wrong with Ray and if he's a "tired act" on an elite team with a goaltender that has regained his form, Martin Gerber.

So at practice Ray break his stick, knocks over some water bottles and everyone wonders what's wrong. Well, this is what likely happened, even though I wasn't there: Ottawa played back-to-back games, he expected to get the start against the Islanders, and was told Gerber is getting the start. He got upset as a result.

Then at practice he showed up 15 minutes late and was told to go home. He wasn't "sick" as the team reported to the press, but after being repeatedly late for practice and failing to show up for some other optional practices (the unwritten rule being if you're the backup goaltender, you show up for these practices) Ray was told to head home and think about what he's doing. He may still think he's the starter and hasn't been given a fair shake because of his off-season surgery, but really he had a chance to take over the number one starter's job after playing four games in a row earlier this month. Then he got a "hip" injury...but was still capable of being the backup when Gerber was again given the starter's job.

So what's the point of my diatribe? Emery is not the crazy "distraction" everyone says he is and isn't locker room poison like Tyrell Owens. He has one problem: sleeping in. He wasn't punished at all for it in the past but since the Sens have Gerber, they can afford to do things such as send him home early to make him get his act together. It's really up to Ray if he wants back in. GM Bryan Murray still would like to add another forward before the playoffs start and Emery looks to be the man to be dangled for trade if he doesn't bring up his work ethic and demonstrate he wants to regain the #1 spot.

I will never forget Emery being a part of the team that brought the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup final. Maybe that's why I still have a soft spot for him and I'm quick to defend him while others quickly throw him under the bus. But really, he controls his own destiny now and it's up to him to prove just how bad he'd like to prove his critics wrong.

Can you imagine if someone is telling you your fortune, and the in the cards it read, "On Christmas Day, you are going to be mauled by a tiger and die."

Thanks.

Well, that's exactly what happened in San Francisco. A tiger by the name of Tatiana manged to leap over the fence it was enclosed in and attack alarmed pedestrians who thought they were going to enjoy a nice day at the zoo for their holiday. Originally, the zoo director said the fence the tiger jumped was 18-feet tall, but when everyone started to question how a tiger can jump that high, he retracted his statement and said it was 12 1/2 feet tall, which is below recommended guidelines.

A 17 year old boy was killed and two others injured before police showed up and managed to distract the tiger with their police lights before having to kill it when it approached them.

And in a somewhat related story, a tiger was found shot to death in Dallas (Americans aren't just killing each other) near an apartment complex. She had a collar on and was declawed so it was obviously someone's pet...someone who thought they sure look cute when they're kittens, but forgot they eventually get to be all grown up (aside from, of course, it's illegal to own a tiger).

Perhaps it's best tigers be left in the wild where they belong, and we can all enjoy a much Merrier Christmas.

Okay, it was nice spending Christmas with family and friends, decorating the tree, having delicious meals, taking time off to stay up late and sleep in. It was also fun finding the perfect gift for said friends and family and seeing their enjoyment as they unwrapped their goodies. But, the materialistic bone inside me was screaming the word "Sweeeeet!" as the Xbox 360 was unopened. I actually hoisted it over my head like it was the Stanley Cup or something. My whole family pitched in to get it and it's AWESOME! Let me tell you something as I've already told a few others: Video games in widescreen, high definition make the world a better place! Well, at least a better living room. Today I spent about 5+ hours playing Halo 3 (have to enjoy it now until I go back to work on the 7th), and it's amazing to see how far games have come since the early NES days. The graphics are simply unreal and the gameplay is very intense.

Anyway, hopefully no one will think I'm a jerk for liking Christmas just a little more because of said Xbox. It really made a great holiday just that much better!

I hope you and your family & friends have a fantastic holiday and Santa is good to you. I'll be taking a couple of days off from the blog to enjoy a bit of the Christmas holidays, and if you'd like to hang out with SBP at all I'm sticking around O-town for the next couple of weeks away from work so get in touch if you're up to taking in a Sens game or maybe SOME GAMES ON THE 360!!! (We'll see about that!)

Take care,

Ben

Outside Ottawa today, you have to wonder how much crack the human population is providing Mother Nature in the form of pollution, CO2 emissions and forest burnings. Yes, with the last couple of weeks providing cold temperatures and heaps of snow, today's high of 9c with 15mm or so of rain is a not-so-subtle reminder global warming hasn't gone anywhere, and it's a problem that still needs to be solved.

So, without much reason to venture outdoors (much like last week where there was so much snow everyone was advised to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary), it does make for a perfect movie watching day. I have a collection of over 200+ DVDs so today I fired up the 56 incher to take in some films.

I put in American Beauty which I have not seen in some time, and it hasn't lost it's appeal. I also put in the 3 hours of Schindler's List, where a black & white film definitely is more fitting for a dreary day like today. Last week, I watched Wrestling with Shadows as well as Fargo with the snowy backdrop of North Dakota & Minnesota setting a good mood to take it in. You can't watch something like that in the middle of summer while it's 30C outside.

So you might be thinking to yourself: "Wow, what a brutal post! This is pretty boring." Maybe you're right, but, I was inside pretty much all day. It can get somewhat boring when you're by yourself, but good films definitely make the time go by tolerably. Some other good movies I like when the weather is crappy outside:

1. Raging Bull
2. Amadeus
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
5. Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade

As part of my Christmas gift from my sister, today I met one of her friends, Hazel, who has the ability to pick up an ordinary deck of cards and see what's going to happen or what is currently happening for the person she's interviewing. The basics of it were she'd hand me the deck of cards, I'd shuffle them up and then hand her the top three cards and the "reading" would begin. From there, I'd pick one of those three cards I just handed to her and another pile would form, and we'd keep going until the deck was gone. We'd go to the discarded pile to do the rest, then we'd take the whole deck again and shuffle, make separate piles and the reading would continue.

It was a lot of fun. And before we started, it was revealed she told Kylie at a prior session that she saw me go to the hospital, but I'd be alright and wasn't anything too serious. Another time, she told Kylie she envisioned my roommate (Hazel did not know I had one) and said he was leaving soon (at the time, he was moving out in a month). What can you say? CREEPY! But, she explained that it's mostly for fun and not to lose sleep over anything she said. At the end, she said my cards were easy to read as I had an open mind and was having fun with it, and would be glad to do it for me again. So here's a rundown of some of the things she told me:

- I'll get a "large" cheque, not from work, as a surprise shortly

- There will be a passing of someone myself & Kylie don't know too well over the holidays, but enough that it would make us somewhat sad. Remember, Hazel told me to have fun but she threw this at me!

- A couple I know is getting a divorce, it will come as a complete surprise to everyone. The dude in the relationship apparently initiates this divorce. Again, I'd like to point out the word "fun" she had previously discussed!

- I'm going to take a trip, might be work related, that comes up somewhat unexpectedly. It was explicitly stated I would not pay for this trip, and it will be beneficial to my career.

- Christmas is going to be a happy time, and certain people "have been listening" and I will be pleasantly surprised this Christmas

- She cautioned me not to drink and drive, not even just one drink, as I'll get "nailed" for it (I never drink & drive FYI!)

- That girl I want to ask out NEEDS ASKING OUT! Apparently said girl that I've been wondering about what she thinks of me is waiting for me to do something. I'll also apparently get engaged within a year

- She asked me to wish for something, I wished for something related to Atlantic City and she said it will happen. I'll leave it at that.

- Someone with "dark hair" is going to surprise me with a gift that is going to take me aback for how thoughtful it is.

That's about all I can remember, and other things I'll keep to myself. Oh yeah...I had planned a ladies poker night, and Hazel mentioned on a Friday, I'll "be at a social gathering...around people...yeah, they're all around you...do you know what I'm talking about?" I sure do...POKER! Friday the 28th is indeed a planned ladies' poker night. Too funny. I guess we'll see if any of this stuff comes true!

On Monday, I was curled up on the floor, in the fetal position, lying in front of my bathroom toilet with the sensation I was going to hurl as the pain was just too much. Twenty minutes later, just after my good friend Cara arrived to drive me to the nearest medical facility and after speaking to one of the Telehealth nurses, I felt okay again. No question about it: a kidney stone. This struck me before a few years ago, and if a thousand knives of fire sticking in your side didn't absolve you for your sins the first time around, no question a second bout would.

Well, that was until today when it struck again. It came on more gradually this time and recognized the sensation right away, so I asked one of my co-workers to drive me to the clinic and they were kind enough to do so. This is actually where it starts to go downhill. See, the clinic downtown was closed, so their website listed all of the other locations with waiting times varying between 20 minutes to an hour & a half. BUT...the Nepean location stated "No wait times" so that's where I thought we should go. About 1/2 way there, with the driver going 10 km/h under the limit (I couldn't say anything though. He drove me and didn't have to. But why is he going so frickin' slow at this moment? Why? WHY!?) the full blown pain came on. When we got to the clinic, the receptionist told me "No wait times" means "No walk-ins" and there aren't any doctors available. Thanks. How didn't I pick up on that? Luckily the Queensway-Carleton hospital was just up the street but I thought indeed I was getting punished for asking my sister why she is serving dinner at 8pm when @ 7pm the Sens play the Blackhawks Saturday (I keed! I keed!). 30 minutes later after still in excruciating pain, I had to think warm thoughts after being given pain killers and had x-rays done. Nothing special, no abnormalities or anything. In a few days the stone should pass and that will be that.

I actually went back to work but my manager told me to go home, saying I should just relax, so I did. I feel great now more or less, got my prescription painkillers if need be and a note to not go to work for seven days (which won't be exercised) while in the interim, I pray this will never, ever happen to me again!

You're the New England Patriots. You're the best team in football. There's three minutes left in the game and you're up 46-10. It's the third down and you have 20 yards to go. Field goal...or do you go for the TD?

Lately, the Patriots have opted to go for the full 7 points (and they usually get it). And it's not just football...hockey has had it's share of one-sided affairs where the opposing team is racking up the points, almost just to rub it in the face of their hapless opponents. Is it going to far...or is the losing team just getting what they deserve because they just plain suck?

Last week, my Ultimate team was annihilating the competition and we ended up winning something like 28-9. For the last point, I said to a teammate "I'm easing off this one." He responded, "I'm not!" Fair enough. I just thought I'd let up and give the other team an easier chance to score without being too obvious about it so they can leave the game on a somewhat happier note.

It's different when it's pro sports though. Is it a good idea to run up scores? Will it bite them in the ass later? Do you risk injuring your star players if the other team seeks retribution? Hard to say, but if it was up to me, I'd probably lay off a little and not give the other team a reason to want to play me harder when we meet again in the future.

For a movie I have doubts will be any good for the sole fact that Harrison Ford is in his mid-60s...here's the new Indiana Jones poster for the next installment, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which opens the same day as Ottawa starts off the baseball season, May 22nd!). Kinda hard to see here (click directly on the poster for a better view), but on the bridge of the nose on the skull in the background there's some sort of alien-face thingee drawn in. What does it mean? The internet is dying to know!

This was a pretty dead week for me at work so I had a little more spare time on my hands than usual. One of the things I do is take care of an office lottery pool where I collect $10 from about 25 people and every Friday I pick up some lottery tickets for either Lotto 6/49 or Super 7 depending on which has the bigger jackpot.

If we defy the odds of getting struck by lightning, maybe we'll be lucky enough to have the winning ticket. It's fun to think of what you'd spend it on if you won, but another thing I like to do is figure out how to share it.

I would do things like pay off my morgage, my car and other debts, but I also drew out a list of people: friends & family, who would get a percentage of SBP's winnings should I win the big one. Hard to say how much I'd give, but, I'd definitely have to share it with others.

So if you know me real well, consider being a little nicer to the ol' SBP. It just might pay off!

An over 300 page report details how Major League Baseball has failed to contain the use of performance-enhancing drugs was released today by U.S. Senator Mitchell and attempts to lay out a plan to stop there use in the future. Included in this report are names of several baseball players, including major stars such as Roger Clemens & Eric Gagne, who have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs (but without being formally charged).

So will this stop steroid use?

It all depends on how seriously this report is taken. On the surface, throwing out a few names to the public is done almost just for shock value. Are they going to follow-up and maybe erase baseball records or take back championships because of their cheating? Will the players have to return salary or perhaps be charged formally for using and/or distributing? Will the penalties levied by the league be tougher and more vigorously enforced?

I'd like to think that one or more of the above will take place, because if nothing happens, this was nothing more than a smear campaign and all of the accused will forever have their reputation tarnished, regardless if they are innocent or guilty.

Call me cynical, but I just don't see anything coming of this. There has been nothing but talk for years and athletes continue to cheat at all costs. The culture of drug use seems to be accepted, and when designer drugs and human growth hormone are widely available that is impossible to detect (from what the little I understand), the money and fame are just too much for people to do the right thing and play clean. It's sad state of affairs, but that's the way it is now. I guess only time will tell to see if anything will come out of the Mitchell Report.

Juno is one of those movies that, while in production, there is little fanfare, little buzz and just the hope audiences will discover its charm and spread the word to other movie goers. Fox Searchlight has been aggressively pushing this movie by holding advanced screenings throughout North America, including multiple viewings here in Ottawa. Sometimes, a movie premiere never makes it to Canada's Capital even once so obviously this grass roots campaign has been well thought-out by the financial backers of this movie. It's not really a film that can conveyed well in a trailer, because it would likely come across as too conventional. But having film-goers see it for free so they can spread the word to their friends on how good this movie is, is probably the best way to promote it.

So here I am to tell you just how great Juno is.

It's the story of a 16 year-old girl who gets pregnant and finds a couple to give it up for adoption. Doesn't sound like anything special, but what makes this film so charming is the character of Juno MacGuff superbly played by Ellen Page. I really hope she's going to get consideration for some awards. At first you're not sure what to make of her as she initially comes across as tough and very offbeat, but you end up just loving her to death. Despite her accidental pregnancy, if you were her dad you'd still be proud of her. If you were at her high school, it'd be awesome to have her as your girlfriend. Her humour and wit go a mile a minute in the movie, and I can't give it justice unless you actually see it. Despite her strong front and tomboy tendencies, as the film progresses you see her soft side, and you feel for her. That's what makes a good movie: When you actually care about the characters and hope everything turns out okay.

The supporting cast is great. Nice touches like casting Superbad's Michael Cera as the father to Juno's unborn child, or Jason Bateman as the adopting father make for a wonderful cast. I bet they had a blast filming this movie.

I really hope word of mouth picks up for this movie, because with a plenty depressing lineup of pictures coming out this Christmas including the no-one-asked-for-it sequel to National Treasure and Alvin & The Chipmunks, it's easy for mass audiences to get distracted. Make an effort to see Juno, you won't regret it.

Christmas is a much-anticipated holiday for most. The decorations, shopping, visiting family and the look on children faces when they talk about Santa coming to visit on Christmas Eve is something truly special. The unfortunate thing is that, when things aren't going as well as you'd like during this time of year, whatever problems you're dealing with seem to be that much worse. You're supposed to be happy. You're supposed to be seeing family and friends and having good times together. So when things are going the opposite, it can get to the point where you feel guilty to try enjoying your holidays despite the setbacks that are thrust upon you.

I won't say who, because I tend to drop names much too quickly and I'm not too sure whether or not they want their problems broadcast for all to see, but I'm thinking of some friends I have who are going through a difficult time right now. And I hope they can still find some happiness, and more importantly, some good news will be waiting for them as we get closer to December 25th. Getting bad news is never fun, but at this time of the year, it feels like you got an extra kick in your side when you've already got the wind knocked out of you.

In these circumstances though, I think the best thing for everyone is to try to enjoy their holidays as much as possible and remember if you have a loved one you're concerned for right now, they would probably want you to try to be as happy as much as you can.

Count your blessings everyone. I haven't recently until now.

Most of you know that when it comes to employers, I feel you should always be looking over your shoulder and be mindful of what their true intentions are. If they can some how take advantage of you, they will. You have to have your guard up at all times.

So it comes as no surprise that Scotiabank has been sued by thousands of current and former employees for unpaid overtime; CIBC also had a suit launched against them this past summer. The reason is simple: You got labour provided to you that wasn't compensated.

Haven't we all had a job where we worked an extra 1/2 hour, worked through our lunches & breaks or covered for a co-worker who didn't show up and were expected to do so for free? Some might calling it paying you dues, or building character. Whatever. Employers are simply getting a free ride. It is noble to work hard and put in that extra time. But why is it no longer noble when you asked to get paid for that extra effort?

Banks are the worst because tellers and other front-line staff don't get paid very well. Despite the fact banks are raking in BILLIONS of dollars of profit each year (not revenue...PROFIT) they won't adequately pay their employees. And to add salt to the wound, they expect them to work longer for zero extra pay.

I hope these employees take their employers, well, to the bank.

A recent trend with movie and TV heroes reveal that good guys who need to save the day are usually out-muscled and out-classed by their bad guy counterpart. When the good guy wins (as most movie formulae require), it's usually due to good luck or some chance event happening that cause the evildoer to fail. And I think it's stupid.

To make a compelling story between good & evil that includes a final showdown, you must (as least as much as possible) make it seem to the audience it's possible either entity could win. In other words, you make the good guy seem invincible, you show the bad guy kick some ass seabass, so that when they tangle against each other you look forward to the outcome. It's hard to pull off, especially when it's usually a given the good guy will win, but you can't still make for exciting sequences until you reach that conclusion.

But that's not what has been happening lately. Let's take the film The Transformers as an example. You see the evil head robot dude, Megatron, destroy everything in its path and it's easily conveyed it's not someone to mess with. Then Optimus Prime, the head of the good guy robots, shows up and doesn't really do anything special, but since he's the leader you think he can hold his own. Well, that didn't happen (spoilers ahead, but who cares, the movie sucked so I'm likely just saving you time) and instead Megatron beat on Optimus Prime like the proverbial red-headed stepchild. Optimus got practically zero offense in, and they only reason why Megatron lost the battle...actually I don't remember exactly what happened, but it was as ridiculous as him slipping on a banana peel before he was about to deliver the fatal blow to Mr. Prime. So the good guys eek out a lucky escape...is that a satisfying ending?

Don't we want to see the heroes we're rooting for show a little moxy and dish out a little punishment to the deserving villains? I do. I think it makes for a better viewing experience. Let the good guys HTFU a little!

You may not laugh out loud, but I imagine you'll muster a smile. Runs just under three minutes. I tried doing one of those "direct" Youtube posts where you can just press the play button on the screen right on my blog, but I kept getting a "bad request" message so I just have the link below you can click:

White & Nerdy

Check out this lyric scroll-thingee I found!:


Weird Al Yankovic Lyrics

I know a lot of you are thinking, "That SBP, what a great guy! How do I show my appreciation...and with Christmas just around the corner, boy, this is the perfect time!" Well, it's really quite simple: Just send me to Barbados!

Oh yes...visiting the Ottawa Senators website today made me alert to a "Sens Army: Operation Barbados" holiday package, where 200 Sens friend will head down for four days and three night to take in the Sun & some Sens action with Eugene Melnyk at Bert's Bar. Oh yeah, what can be sweeter than that? Hotel, flight, free gifts & apparel are all included. The cost...hmmm...well, it isn't free! $1,550 taxes included. Okay, so buying a big TV and doing renos sort of handcuffs me from going at this time. However, if you wish to donate to the "Send Ben to Barbados" fund, my Paypal account is photograph17@hotmail.com!

Operation: Barbados

You have to be very careful when you're deciding what to eat. A lot of the time, when you think you're eating something "better" and choose one product over another, you might be surprised to discover you ultimately made the wrong choice. For example, I used to enjoy a chocolate chip muffin in the morning at work almost every day. I chose this over a doughnut because, for some reason, I just assumed a muffin would have less sugar and calories than a sugary doughnut. Well, when I took the time to research the actual calorie content, it was surprising to discover that my "better" chocolate chip muffin had 430 calories and 16 grams of fat. A chocolate dip doughnut had about 1/2 of those numbers (I should point out now I actually don't have either).

It's been cold lately, so why not enjoy a nice Tim Horton's hot chocolate? I haven't had one in ages. And while taking a sip, I decided to visit their website to check in on the calorie content. Turns out it wasn't the calorie count that was surprising, but I was shocked to find out this one cup of hot chocolate had two grams of trans fat in it! This may not seem like much, but there's legislation getting pushed to ban trans fat in everything as these small amounts of trans fat in your food can quickly add up. Trans fat is an artificial cooking lard/oil that helps with shelf life and taste, but provides no nutritional value whatsoever. It also increases the risk of coronary disease amongst other health problems. So no longer will I order a Tim's hot chocolate and I'll be sure to check to see if the trans fat content is the same for other places.

This also shows how important providing nutritional information is. Every time I go grocery shopping, I always check the label for calorie, fat and trans fat content and make better decisions. If it has trans fat in it, I put it back on the shelf automatically. I think it's definitely helped with my recent weight loss.

I could try to find positives to tonight's contest, but I don't feel like talking about it. SEVEN IN A ROW! Add to the fact the Leafs managed to win tonight...they own a winning streak now! TSN said it right: Things were going so well for Toronto tonight even Wade Belak scored. (Interestingly enough, Ottawa's meathead Brian McGrattan had a wide open net but he missed and crashed into the boards).

Emery was great. Alfie was great. The D were brutal. Redden made amends after that awful turnover that gave Tampa the 1-0 lead. Oh wait, I didn't feel like talking about it. Sigh. Just win tomorrow...it's the frickin' Florida Panthers. They SUUUUUUCCCCCK! Stop the bleeding, please.

I'm I the only sick of the act of the Philadelphia Flyers?

Riley Cote (Ever heard of him? Me neither) was suspended three games for elbowing Dallas Stars' rookie Matt Niskanen in the head on Saturday.

So let's tally up all the games that players of the Philadelphia Flyers have been suspended:

1. 20 games for Steve Downie's hit on Dean McAmmond
2. 25 games for Jesse Boulerice's cross check on Ryan Kesler
3. 2 games for Randy Jones' head shot on Patrice Bergeron
4. 2 games for Scott Hartnell's hit on Andrew Albert

And now 3 more games for Cote.

I like to watch the TSN show Off the Record where they bring in current and former pro athletes to offer their opinions on a variety of topics. And every time when they discuss a suspension for one of these intent-to-injure hits, 95% of the old-timers usually blame the player for "admiring his pass" or "looking the other way" or "not protecting himself." I forget who it was, but when the panel of retired players was asked if Downie should change up his game, they all said no: He shouldn't change a thing.

I guess launching yourself like a scud missile at someone's head, where charging, elbowing and leaving your feet are illegal, is "okay" because it shows you play with an edge.

I'm sick of seeing the stretchers. I am not entertained by these mediocre players with no skill purposely hurting other players because they don't know how to score goals.

So is it a coincidence these five suspensions are all handed out to the Philadelphia Flyers? Absolutely not. There's a culture there, ingrained by the likes of Bobby Clarke (he's no longer GM, but he's still employed by the team) that thinks it's okay to run around the league like this and play dirty. I'm sick of it, and I think the Flyers as an organization should somehow be held accountable for the actions of their players.

Perhaps I should be worried. Perhaps I should be proclaiming the sky is falling while hiding in my nuclear fallout shelter. Hey, six losses in a row for my Sens...can't get much worse than that. If they lose the next one, they'll equal a seven game losing streak that occurred back in 1996, the first year Jacques Martin was the coach. That is definitely an eye-opener to consider.

But, perhaps because I'm a little battle-hardened after last year's disastrous slow start where the Sens didn't even hit the .500 mark until December, I'm not calling for the team to be blown up or for management to be fired. It certainly helps the team is still in 1st place in the East while this losing streak is happening. But to me there is just too much talent on this squad to make me think they'll continue losing and be a bottom-of-the-barrel team in the NHL.

I'm going to ask if there's anyone out there who still thinks the Sens should trade Emery and have Gerber be the man? Guess what, Razor will get the start Tuesday and if he wins that game, there is no question Gerber is going to be riding the pine the next little while. (Imagine that: a guy who has wrist surgery & misses most of training camp isn't playing to 100%!). Gerber, who I thought might be an all-star candidate, has been absolutely brutal and has let in too many pucks he should have stopped. It's time for Emery to show he's the same guy that brought the team to the Stanley Cup final.

What's killing this team isn't the play of their top line of Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza. They're still scoring and keeping opponents on their heels (kind of amazing during this slump that Heater actually leads the NHL in plus/minus). Their secondary lines and defence have been pretty bad. I can't recall a time before where I've said, "Hey, Mike Fisher is playing horribly." He usually brings it every night, but he's been invisible lately. And the turnovers served up by Ottawa's D have been quite amazing. The lowlight was definitely Meszaros' play that had him kick the puck in his own net against Nashville; that guy needs to get better.

I'm confident though, they'll get out of their rut and they should be able to come out on top against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. But the bleeding needs to stop...I'm getting sick of my team losing.

- Only at work, if I've engaged in a somewhat medium to lengthy conversation with somebody, I'll say goodbye by giving the peace sign and announcing, "Peace out!"

- If I get annoyed with something going on the TV or if I'm mocking someone who said something I think is stupid, I'll blurt out an annoying, "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

- I'll frequently turn everything into a Simpsons reference, even if the person doesn't watch the Simpsons and has no idea what I'm talking about

- I'll do play-by-play commentary while playing poker

- If someone asks me if I want something that I obviously would want (such as cake) I'll respond, "Uhhhh....yeah!"

- I'll threaten to raise the roof, and sometimes raise the roof anyway

- Sometimes I'll have my tongue slightly sticking out if I'm concentrating on something intensely

- And of course, as you know from previous posts, "You're a (insert last thing you mentioned here)" and "Good times!" still dominates conversations