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

I've entered a number of different hockey pools for the playoffs and, since my Senators are long gone, gives me incentive to cheer on other teams and boo others. Wanting one team to win and the other to fall short no doubt adds a lot more enjoyment to watching sports.

The pool I want to win most involves turning a $5.00 entry fee into over $600 if you manage to come in first. As of last night (I check every two days after all four series' games have been played) I was in first place out of nearly 200 people. What I did was load up on players from teams that I didn't pick elsewhere and weren't favourites: The Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, and the NY Rangers.

Hardly anyone else picked from these teams, so I fared well, even though the Capitals failed to advance. If there's a Stars-Rangers final, hey, cha-ching!

But to make things easier (and since that outcome is hardly guaranteed with the Penguins up 2-0) it would help if other teams faltered, including Montreal failing to get by Philadelphia.

Now let me tell you right off the bat: I hate the Philadelphia Flyers. They are a bunch of dirty cheap shot artists and it's no small feat to be handed the most suspensions in the NHL this season. But, Montreal Canadiens fans drive me nuts, much like Leafs fans (maybe not quite as much). It mostly has to do with living in Ottawa constantly being reminded of who was here first before the Senators arrived. My days of being a level-headed hockey fan who'd be happy for any Canadian team to win the Cup is long gone (well, if it went to Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton, I'd be okay with that).

Add to the fact I have $600 to win in a hockey pool, a Flyers victory would eliminate a lot of players from the rosters of my competition.

But last night...watching Downie trip Carey Price...Richard punch Halak in the face...and to top them all, Derian Hatcher brutally elbowing Bouillon in the back of the head causing a 5 minute major and Montreal getting two goals on the resulting powerplay. How can I justify cheering for Philly with this type of play?

Money. It corrupts me. Go Flyers!

I think people go too far when they say high gas prices is good for the environment, as it will persuade everyone to seek out alternatives other than gasoline and thus do Mother Nature good.

Well, there is a bit of truth there, but for the moment, these environmentally-friendly alternatives aren't as readily available as we all would want.

It is completely unrealistic to think a family can get by without a vehicle. Yes, you can car pool (using another person's car, that uses gas) or take public transportation (a bus, that yes, also uses gas) to get to work, but to visit friends, family, go grocery shopping, drive little Kevin to soccer practice, pick up little Finn from daycare, etc, you need a car. And that's the thing...cities are getting larger and larger every day and to get to where we need, society has created a place requiring fast transportation.

Everything we consume is tied into oil in some way. Whether we actually burn it up after we fill up our gas tank, buy tickets for the right to be a passenger in a jet-fueled 747, or purchase clothes that were transported by large truck, we are dependent on fossil fuels every day. I don't think we like the idea that we are, but that's the way it is. And I feel rather powerless in a lot of these aspects, I mean, should I feel guilty that I bought plane tickets knowing full well my vacation is doing harm to the environment? If there was a non-fossil fueled plane available, I'd be glad to take it. But there isn't, and I don't really have another choice.

So, I personally believe the oil companies don't mind the "high price is good for the environment" rhetoric because they know no one is switching to any other alternatives anytime soon because there are none readily available. These companies are raking in BILLIONS of dollars IN PROFIT each year. Not revenues...profit. The oil market reacts to so-called "fears", whether some Sultan in some country we've never heard of kicks the bucket, or because some oil refinery shuts down for a whopping three days for repairs, by raising oil prices non-stop. It's crazy, and in my opinion completely artificial, but it still drives the costs up, and there's nothing we can do about it. We've read countless articles about how the prices of commodities such as wheat & rice are skyrocketing, and a lot of it is tied into the price of oil.

If I had a choice, I'd like to buy an electric car. I've seen prototypes of electric vehicles (the above is the Chevy Volt) but none seem forthcoming to purchase anytime soon. I've read they're "years" away. For me, they can't come soon enough.

Urban planners should make efforts to create communities that do not require an abundance of vehicle transportation, and instead make it more "green" with more sidewalks, bicycle paths and close access to places such as grocery stores and parks so we can regularly leave our car in the driveway. Again though, we are powerless here. How can I influence creating more eco-friendly communities? I have no formal education in this field, no contacts and for the most part, the majority of us live in communities that are decades old. Are we suppose to knock down our homes and start from scratch?

I'm going off on tangents I suppose, but I guess what I'd like to see is the government step in and mandate that corporations & the like do things such as sell only Energy Star compliant goods and appliances, have electric, hybrid and/or hydrogen-fueled cars make up the majority of new vehicles manufactured, and designate new communities to be built as eco-friendly. Corporations won't do these things voluntarily, and I think government is the only real power that can force these changes to happen.

Is this unreasonable?

I didn't make too big a deal of entering my latest poker tourney that, this time, wasn't in Las Vegas or Atlantic City but in the cozy confines of Ottawa. I thought, maybe if I just kept it low key, maybe I'll do a little better. There were just over 400 people who entered, I ended up in about 85th or so. John finished in 50th place, which was the first position to win anything, so he won a free buy-in to next year's Ottawa championships. When you think I finished 1/2 way through the field in my first tourney, 2/3 of the way through the 2nd, then this one about 4/5 give or take...getting better! (Just trying to find positives, m-kay?)

So the tournament: They didn't have enough volunteers when you checked in so it took about 30 minutes after the 1pm start before we actually played any cards. And they didn't have dealers: the players did the dealing. Not horrible, except they used a two deck system so as soon as a hand was over, there was a deck of cards ready to go. The 2nd table I was at, the guy in front of me said one of his fingers had a pulled tendon or something so I had to shuffle two times every circuit. Boo. It was just a pain to shuffle, then it was your turn to act and you'd have to put the deck you were shuffling down to play your hand. Kind of a nuisance.

The blind structure was great though, we started with 5000 in chips with blinds starting at 5/10. They'd last 30 minutes, but would go up in small amounts (next was 10/20, 15/30, 25/50, 35/70 <--- yes 35/70, 50/100, 75/150 and so on) so it wasn't an all-in fest. Marc Karim, the pro from Ottawa who finished in the top 5 in EPT events 3 or 4 times, he played and if you busted him out you'd win $250 which was neat. He lasted about 1/2 the field.

Some hands I played: It just seemed like there would be more bad luck than good today. I had pocket Kings...c'mon, Kings! It was raised, then I raised from the SB, then I got re-raised the minimum. Geez. I thought, well, he has A-K or pocket Aces, if there's an ace on the flop that's it, I'll fold. So sure enough, the Ace was there, I checked it down to the river, he bet out and I folded the Kings face up, and he showed me trip Aces. I guess I lost about the minimum possible so I should be happy about that, but, frick, still sucked.

I raised with jacks and got called by a clown holding 10-6 suited. He got a third ten on the river, but he didn't bet much when he made his full boat so I called a 5-1 odds bet knowing I was beat, but wanting to know what he was holding. I was sort of miffed by this sort of play, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes.

I raised with A-Q suited, and got re-raised again by the BB who was the same guy who had Aces on me earlier. I didn't have a good feeling about it so I folded, and he turned up A-J suited. I thought to myself: Man, this just isn't your day.

So my last hand I got screwed again with A-Q (A-Q was also the hand that busted me out in Atlantic City). The big stack raised with what would be revealed to be A-J suited, although I wasn't terribly worried about his raise since it was his 4th raise in a row. Another guy called, which left him with slightly more than 1/2 his chips which made me think why he just didn't push the remainder of his chips in? I decided to go all-in after much thought as the blinds were at 900-1800 and I had about less than 7,000 left (the highest amount I had was about 12,000 in chips, and I would go up and down between that and 4000 chips for most of the tournament). The big stack pushed in all his chips, so I thought, damn, he has a real hand, maybe Kings but as I mentioned he just had A-J. Then the other guy pushed all his chips in. Ugh. He had A-K suited and the best hand. But the flop came:

5-5-J

So the Jacks held up and knocked us both out.

I almost mucked my A-Q, but I couldn't do it. I felt desperate again. I guess that's something I have to work on, but, with other hands that I was just bullied out, I don't know, thought it was time to make a stand.

And that's the end of my story! I'm getting closer, maybe, just maybe, I can look forward to a money finish. When's the next tournament?

As I pause to reflect on the Washington Capitals-Philadelphia Flyers game 7, the decision by the referees to “put away the whistles” was a horrible idea and is an indication that the league is headed to the pre-lockout era, an era where hooking, holding and interference took over the NHL.

Referees should not have “discretion” when deciding whether or not to call a penalty. In my opinion, a penalty is a penalty, be it in the first five minutes of the game or the dying seconds in the third period. The Washington Capitals, had the officiating been consistent, might have actually won in regulation if the “tone” of the penalty calling set up in period 1 would have been maintained. Again, I’m not an advocate of the referees setting a “tone” when some calls will be made in some circumstances and not in others. The tone set at the start of game 7 was everything was getting called, like it should be. If there’s an infraction in the rulebook, there must be a penalty assigned to the offending player, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

It was obvious nothing was getting called in the third period. Off the top of my head, a Capitals player blatantly slashed Vaclav Prospal’s stick so hard it caused it to shatter and Washington regained control of the puck and got it out of their end. The lockout was supposed to address the need to increase offense and limit these sort of infractions by simply enforcing what’s already in the rules: in this case, you are not allowed to use your stick to slash an opposing player. But, there was no call on this play.

Philadelphia’s tying goal involved a forward pushing the Capitals’ defenseman right into goalie Cristobal Huet. Huet was helpless after he stopped the initial shot and the Flyers scored on a wide-open net. That’s goaltender interference, plain and simple. Again, no call. Why not? Simple: Because the referees decided that there would no longer be any penalties called late in the game, despite the fact they were calling everything in the first period. The old school logic is “Let the players play.” What about winning with honour? Does that count for anything? If you need to cheat to score a goal, as happened here, the players haven’t decided anything: The referees have.

So, when the game headed to overtime, both teams were playing with the assumption they could get away with anything. The Capitals were guilty of at least two blatant tripping infractions before Tom Poti got called for two minutes for his trip against a Flyers forward. Now what’s interesting about that call is not the debate on whether or not it was tripping, because it clearly was, but why all of a sudden, after letting everything go in the third period, did the refs decide it was time to assess a minor penalty to Poti?

Simple: Because the referees were “embarrassed.” See, the two trips prior to Poti’s were blatant, and should have been called, but the refs decided not to call anything. The problem though, is the unwritten rule not to make it so blatant multiple times that you force the referee’s hand to make a call against you. So that’s what happened...and the Flyers scored on the ensuing power play and moved on to round 2.

But these unwritten “rules”, “codes” etc, whatever you want to call it, needs to stop. And I thought that was precisely what started to happen after the lockout, but it’s reverting back to the days of trapping, clutch & grab hockey. The irony of “letting the players decide” the outcome of the Capitals-Flyers match ended up having the referee decide he’s been “embarrassed” long enough, in short, putting the outcome of the match in his hands and calling something that wasn’t called earlier.

In other words, doing a horrible job officiating.

It was absolutely embarrassing for Habs fans to see the citizens of Montreal celebrate the victory of their Canadiens by destroying the city their team represents. Some people wonder what it would be like if the Canadiens manage to win the Stanley Cup this year. Well, I wonder as well: How much of the city will still be left standing (and that's not a compliment)? The Habs should have dispatched the lowest Eastern Conference seed in 4 or 5 games but needed 7 before getting the job done. Not to mention this is just the FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS! Personally, if I was a fan I would have had no energy to smash things because I just would have been glad the team I root for wasn't embarrassed. Anyway, TSN has the best clips of the riot, here it is, runs just under four minutes:

Montreal Riot

I also took the time to watch the Flyers-Capitals game tonight and I felt pretty bad for Ovechkin and company. Their team had so much enthusiasm throughout & battled very hard, and I thought they were the better team tonight, but Philadelphia managed to sneak out a win in OT. On the upside for the Capitals, their future looks very very bright and they will be a contender for many years to come.

- I got two very nice compliments recently. A co-worker told me I've done a good job keeping the weight I lost over the summer off, while some friends told me I look still younger than my actual age. I complain about the negatives enough, so hearing some positives can really make your day!

- I'm glad Scott Niedermayer is getting fined $500,000 for not reporting to training camp. His arrival in December gave an unfair advantage over the rest of the league while subtlety stating the beginning of the NHL season isn't important

- There's been some articles in the media lately about getting rid of the Canadian penny. Do it. Australia got rid of them years ago and they simply round up or down if the final bill doesn't end in a zero or a five. You can't buy anything for one cent, and most people see them as a nuisance more than anything.

- Looks like New Orleans will have to be skipped as my budget simple doesn't allow me to take a trip after Atlantic City & UFC. However, I will be playing @ Lansdowne Park this Saturday in the Ottawa Poker Championships. Should be fun!

- I collected a $20 bet today made at the start of the season because Ray Emery did not go to jail or be charged with a crime.

- Is it me, or is this upcoming summer movie season seem underwhelming? There doesn't seem to be any "must see" flicks like previous years...although as much as I complain about an old Indiana Jones, I'll be seeing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

- Change at work: Rob is going to be my manager. Another possible change (but not that likely to happen): My work may move just one block away from where I live. More than likely though we'll just stay where we are.

- I won passes to the new Harold and Kumar movie from the Ottawa Sun! Too funny (that I won, not the movie itself which I guess we'll see how it goes)

I had a fantastic time. The UFC put on a good show, and the fans delivered as most Montreal crowds do. Even the weigh-in, which happened the day before, was attended by 5,000 people and they were enthusiastic throughout the whole thing. I mean, think about it: we're spending our afternoon watching guys step on a scale. When Matt Serra, hated opponent of local hero Georges St Pierre, tried to answer questions asked by a UFC interviewer, the crowd wanted no part of it and the chorus of boos drowned out his words. We could only imagine how fun the crowd would be at the actual event the next day.

I went to a very big Future Shop Saturday afternoon wearing my red Sens Army t-shirt, and two people asked me for assistance as they shopped. "Je suis desole, je ne travaille pas ici." Good times! But what was pretty bad, was this "young punk" (I pegged him at maybe 21 years old) started giving me the gears about the Sens t-shirt, which is okay if it's for fun but he was just being a real dick about it, with remarks including "your shirt is ugly, better burn it" ending with "you f*cking loser." I believe in karma, so when the Habs came out short last night, Montreal can point the finger at THAT loser if they're looking for a reason (outside of being outplayed) for why they lost.

Anyway, there were 2,000 people lined up before the doors opened 2 hours before the card started, which is interesting when you consider it's reserved seating. To pass the time (and since I was hungry), I went to that Stuby's castle right beside the Bell Centre. As we (we being my sidekicks Cindy and Neil who without them, this trip would not have been possible) were outside waiting to get into the Bell Centre, I saw Senator Mike Commodore making his way to an undisclosed area. Didn't try to get an autograph or anything...but hey, he was there!

The people I sat down beside were actually from Ottawa and liked my t-shirt to boot. I managed to score a free beer off of a drunk that sitting a few seats away from us...he had a tray of four beers and was stumbling trying to reach his seat, and when he got in front of me he almost fell over. I managed to hold him up and kept him from falling, so as a thanks in a glazed look only the intoxicated can give, he handed me a beer before getting to his seat. Sweet, because there was no way I was paying $12 for one beer!

The crowd was into it from the opening bell, cheering loudly for the first match featuring Quebecois Jonathan Goulet winning the opening contest, and the fans clearly siding with every Canadian that fought that night. Funniest though was when the crowd turned on B.C. native Kalib Starnes, who kept backing off and wouldn't tangle with Nate "Rock" Quarry for three boring rounds. Every time the camera turned to Starnes, the crowd started to boo and would cheer Quarry, who started to make fun of Starnes by pretending to punch himself and mocking his running away. At the end of the fight, Quarry was interviewed and said something along the lines of, "Before the fight, you booed me, but at the end, you started to cheer. So if I can change, and you can change, maybe we all can change!" The humour made me forget about the bad 15 minutes we just witnessed.

Anyway, the Georges St Pierre (GSP! GSP! GSP!) - Matt Serra fight lived up to the hype, the crowd remaining on its feet for the entire duration, and more importantly we got the result we wanted: Everyone in the building wanted GSP to just annihilate Serra and he did. I don't think Matt got any offense in, with the referee having to stop the fight near the end of round 2 when he could no longer defend himself from a flurry of GSP knees to the side and mid-section. Before the fight, the deafening roar of the crowd as GSP made his way to the octagon was perhaps the loudest ovation I have ever heard. The sight of GSP doing his trademark 360 backflip and his hoisting of the UFC welterweight championship belt after being declared the winner is something I'll remember for a long time. Aside from being a terrific competitor, he's just a down-to-earth good guy: In the post-fight interview, he asked the crowd, "Please don't hurt Serra, he's a good guy and I have lots of respect for him!" At that point though, the crowd already "forgave" Serra after he lost and acknowledged GSP as the better man, giving him polite applause before he left the cage.

Thanks again to Cindy and Neil for organizing and letting me tag along to Montreal for a really good time. GSP! GSP! GSP!

Forget the fact that the poster sort of looks like the cover for a gay porn video...Ultimate Fighting Championship #83 takes place this weekend in Montreal and I am really looking forward to it. Without question the crowd is going to be pumped, loud and into it like Montreal crowds usually are, and George St Pierre will hopefully thrive off of it and put on a show and win the UFC welterweight championship. You know, I'm sort of afraid of what will happen if he loses...I mean, this fight has been anticipated for months and everyone is expecting GSP to win. Our seats are located right near an aisle...we can beat a hasty retreat if the fans start charging the ring! (sorry...octagon).

I'll be back Sunday to let you know how it went. And believe me...even if you're not into UFC, if you can somehow sneak into a pub broadcasting the PPV, I guarantee it will be worth just for the crowd alone. So chant along with me: GSP! GSP! GSP!

No last minute heroics, no come-from-behind-goals, no miracle recovery from a 3-0 series setback and the season of the Ottawa Senators is now done. And I don't think anyone can question the better team had come out ahead and will be moving on to round 2.

The effort was disappointing. At least in game 3 I saw effort (well, for 40 out of 60 minutes) but there was none to be found this time, and the continuing parade to the penalty box continued. Another power play goal resulted (Pittsburgh has just been money on these man-advantages) and only two goals were needed this time to win.

Now without question, Bryan Murray will have to make some moves to improve the team for next season. Owner Eugene Melnyk (assuming he doesn't go to jail) is still a rich man with an ego and he still wants to bring a Stanley Cup to Ottawa, and this result is unacceptable to him. But what moves should be made?

It's easy to point fingers to the big guns who didn't deliver in these four games like Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza and demand this team be blown up, but you have to look at what they've done over their careers and not solely what's transpired in the last four months. Dany Heatley has been a consistent goal scorer, a multiple all-star and 50 goal scorer. Jason Spezza finished in the top 5 in scoring this year and, like Heatley, first in scoring in last year's playoffs. I believe they can rebound from this disappointing finish and come back to form next year.

If anything needs to be fixed, it's defence. Wade Redden will not be resigned, putting in back to back seasons which he underachieved at a staggering $6.5 million a year salary. Mike Commodore was a disappointment, Luke Richardson is likely going to retire (as he should), Andrej Meszaros had a horrible year. Brian Lee might turn out to be a good addition to the blue line, but he's only 21 and he may or may not pan out. Murray will have to figure out how to fill these holes as the free agent market is quite bare this year. Phillips and Volchenkov were solid and I think should stay.

This is the first time I'm actually pretty at ease with the loss, as they played pretty bad towards the end of the season and were expected to lose these playoffs. Past years they were usually favourites or at least expected to make it competitive, but it wasn't the case this time. That's okay...you can't always have a winner year after year. But I look forward to next season and will cheer on the Sens again, like I always do.

I said at the start Penguins would take it in five. If there was a game Ottawa could win though, it would be the first home game after dropping the first two in enemy territory. It almost worked in Cinderella-like fashion, with a sense of excitement from a loud Scotiabank Place crowd that captain Daniel Alfredsson was making an early return from his MCL injury. Save us Alfie, save us! It seemed to work...they were controlling the play for the first period. "Where was this the last four months?" I thought to myself. And hey, then they scored the first goal! I thought the stars were aligning just right. But, wishful thinking.

Penalties have been killing the Sens for a long time, but tonight took the cake. Hats off to Chris Neil for his trifecta of idiot plays. Finish your checks, play physical, fine, but be smart about it. His first body check was okay, but then he decides to punch the guy in the face! What the HELL was he thinking? Then he decides to cross-check a guy in the back after the whistle: Asinine. Then, once again for old time's sake, a punch to the face after the play is stopped. Brutal, selfish and costly.

Commentators Jim Hughson and Glenn Healy thought it amusing Shean Donovan was called for holding the stick when he ripped it out of the hands of a Penguins player. I wasn't laughing. I thought that was the stupidest, bone-headed penalty out of the bunch. And he actually argued to the ref about it! All this time you're getting sent to the box, you're not on the attack and you're on your heels in your own end. There's some penalties that are just bad luck, such as Dany Heatley's high stick in the third, but what was Cory Stillman thinking taking out Malone at the knees? That's laziness, plain and simple. Man, do I wish Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo were still here.

Ottawa made it competitive for two periods. But they shot themselves in the foot throughout the game but especially in the third, a story we've heard many times in the last four months, and being down 3-0 in the series, well, they aren't going to battle back from this deficit: It's going to be a sweep. And to think I actually was concerned I might miss game 5 because I'll be watching UFC in Montreal this Saturday.

So now I ask, end this series, please, spare me anymore pain. Let's talk about the moves they have to do for the summer to try to put together a competitive squad for the 2008-09 season. Let's start by bringing in Pat Burns as coach and go from there.

Forget whether or not this is a human rights issue: Torture me, and I'll tell you I'm Jesus Christ if you want:

Cheney, others OK'd harsh interrogations

By Lara Jakes Jordan and Pamela Hess / Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Bush administration officials from Vice President Dick Cheney on down signed off on using harsh interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists after asking the Justice Department to endorse their legality, The Associated Press has learned.

The officials also took care to insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA interrogation methods, including waterboarding, which simulates drowning, were discussed and ultimately approved.

A former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the meetings described them Thursday to the AP to confirm details first reported by ABC News on Wednesday. The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue.

Between 2002 and 2003, the Justice Department issued several memos from its Office of Legal Counsel that justified using the interrogation tactics, including ones that critics call torture.

"If you looked at the timing of the meetings and the memos you'd see a correlation," the former intelligence official said. Those who attended the dozens of meetings agreed that "there'd need to be a legal opinion on the legality of these tactics" before using them on al-Qaida detainees, the former official said.

The meetings were held in the White House Situation Room in the years immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks. Attending the sessions were then-Bush aides Attorney General John Ashcroft, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.

The White House, Justice and State departments and the CIA refused comment Thursday, as did a spokesman for Tenet. A message for Ashcroft was not immediately returned.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., lambasted what he described as "yet another astonishing disclosure about the Bush administration and its use of torture."

"Who would have thought that in the United States of America in the 21st century, the top officials of the executive branch would routinely gather in the White House to approve torture?" Kennedy said in a statement. "Long after President Bush has left office, our country will continue to pay the price for his administration's renegade repudiation of the rule of law and fundamental human rights."

The American Civil Liberties Union called on Congress to investigate.

"With each new revelation, it is beginning to look like the torture operation was managed and directed out of the White House," ACLU legislative director Caroline Fredrickson said. "This is what we suspected all along."

The former intelligence official described Cheney and the top national security officials as deeply immersed in developing the CIA's interrogation program during months of discussions over which methods should be used and when.

At times, CIA officers would demonstrate some of the tactics, or at least detail how they worked, to make sure the small group of "principals" fully understood what the al-Qaida detainees would undergo. The principals eventually authorized physical abuse such as slaps and pushes, sleep deprivation, or waterboarding. This technique involves strapping a person down and pouring water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning.

The small group then asked the Justice Department to examine whether using the interrogation methods would break domestic or international laws.

"No one at the agency wanted to operate under a notion of winks and nods and assumptions that everyone understood what was being talked about," said a second former senior intelligence official. "People wanted to be assured that everything that was conducted was understood and approved by the folks in the chain of command."

The Office of Legal Counsel issued at least two opinions on interrogation methods.

In one, dated Aug. 1, 2002, then-Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee defined torture as covering "only extreme acts" causing pain similar in intensity to that caused by death or organ failure. A second, dated March 14, 2003, justified using harsh tactics on detainees held overseas so long as military interrogators did not specifically intend to torture their captives.

Both legal opinions since have been withdrawn.

The second former senior intelligence official said rescinding the memos caused the CIA to seek even more detailed approvals for the interrogations.

The department issued another still-secret memo in October 2001 that, in part, sought to outline novel ways the military could be used domestically to defend the country in the face of an impending attack. The Justice Department so far has refused to release it, citing attorney-client privilege, and Attorney General Michael Mukasey declined to describe it Thursday at a Senate panel where Democrats characterized it as a "torture memo."

Not all of the principals who attended were fully comfortable with the White House meetings.

The ABC News report portrayed Ashcroft as troubled by the discussions, despite agreeing that the interrogations methods were legal.

"Why are we talking about this in the White House?" the network quoted Ashcroft as saying during one meeting. "History will not judge this kindly."

Thanks for the update Gamespot!

Last month, British rock legends Def Leppard appeared on Rockline Radio to promote their 10th studio album Songs From the Sparkle Lounge, slated for release under Universal Music Group's Mercury Records label on April 29. During the Q&A portion of the show, guitarist Phil Collen said that the band's hit singles "Photograph," "Animal," and "Rock of Ages" will appear in Activision's upcoming Guitar Hero IV.

As it would turn out, being a rock star in the '80s can have an addling affect on the brain. The band's label announced today that Def Leppard will indeed be lending several songs to Guitar Hero, but there's apparently been a venue and setlist change. Beginning on April 24, "Rock of Ages," "Photograph," and "Nine Lives," the upcoming single from the band's new album, will be available for download over Xbox Live for Activision's current rhythm game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The song pack for the PlayStation 3 edition will follow on May 8.

Def Leppard's publicist notes that the band will be the first to have "released a new single ahead of its traditional launch through a video game." Thrash-metal legends Metallica have reportedly been in discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games to take a similar tack by debuting the first single from their next album as a song download in Rock Band.

With "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages" accounted for, no mention was made of the other track Def Leppard confirmed would be appearing in Guitar Hero, "Animal." However, the band was quite adamant about being included in Guitar Hero IV, so it seems highly likely that this final song has been slated for Activision's follow-up to the wildly successful rhythm game, which is rumored to be shipping later this year. Activision had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

This is pretty sweet, although I own the PS2 version so I won't be able to download anything right away, but we'll see what's in store in SBP's future!

You know, a lot of people were asking, "So, is Ottawa coming back tonight?" I replied, "You know, they have been playing so horribly right now, I'm just hoping for one goal!" So when they went down 3-0 (pretty chincy 5-on-3 penalties called, but then again, Ottawa has two of those last game and couldn't score) it was just, "Here we go again!" But they managed to tie it up! They scored not once, not twice, BUT THRICE! And it was nice to see some actual ENTHUSIASM on the ice. I mean, did you see how excited Sean Donovan was when he scored the first one? And when rookie Cody Bass scored goal #3, it was like he just won an Academy award. This entire time you wondered if any of the Sens cared. And the third period I would say they were actually the better team. They gave up some pretty good chances to the Penguins in the final 20 minutes, sure, but most of the play was in the offensive zone, which indeed was a breath of fresh air.

It's unfortunate Martin Gerber's 50+ save performance was wasted tonight. He bailed out the Sens numerous times and really, Ottawa has no business being down just 3-2 after the second. But getting those two goals seemed to boost their spirits and give them momentum for the last 20 minutes. Martin Lapointe's high-sticking penalty that led to the winning goal for Pittsburgh was a bit of bad luck, but, at least they have something to build on and perhaps they can pull out a win on Monday back on home ice.

But, the end result is pretty justified. Pittsburgh was all over the Sens for the first 40 minutes, at one point outshooting Ottawa 20-3. The cliche too is that your best players have to be the best players, and when Dean McAmmond and Sean Donovan are your two best for the night, that is not a good sign. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza have been brutal these first two games, and I have a feeling Heatley is playing injured (when was the last time you saw his big wind up with a crisp slapshot on net?) while Spezza needs good players to exploit his play making abilities. Heatley, along with either a Randy Robitaille or Martin Lapointe isn't exactly going to set off fireworks. And to add to this, Spezza appears to have suffered some sort of injury as his playing time was cut down dramatically as the game wore on. Just what Ottawa needs...more injuries.

I tried to brighten my spirits after the game by firing up NHL 08 on the 360 with an Ottawa-Pittsburgh matchup, and at one point Wade Redden of all people got into fisticuffs with Ryan Malone (the punk who scored the game winner tonight) and knocked him out! Well, I ended up losing in a shootout so I didn't feel too much better. Nothing Sens-related seems to be going right, so I'm going to try to forget Sens hockey over the weekend, until of course game 3 starts.

Well, my Sens are the clear underdogs in their series against Pittsburgh and not too many expect them to come out on top. Interestingly enough, over at the Ottawa Sun, Bruce Garrioch and Chris Stevenson actually pick Ottawa to win; interesting because they have been throwing them under the bus since the New Year.

But still, as it gets closer to game time, I'm getting excited. And I'm also feeling more optimistic about my Senators. Like the cliché goes, it's a brand new season. Anything can happen. Is everyone so confident about the Sens demise that they would bet their life savings on a Sens defeat? No! So we try to keep the faith. Like that song...Keep the Faith! That's what has been missing since the Sens limped into the playoffs: the fun factor. It's all doom and gloom forecasted for Ottawa, even I don't think they'll come out on top. So why bother watching? I'm going to try instead to have as much fun as possible and not worry so much about the disaster that everyone has predicted for the Sens.

So for Sens fans everywhere, here are some more positives to think about as we cheer them on:

1) Karma. Pittsburgh took a knee on the last game of the season so they can play Ottawa. That's a big no no, and it'll do nothing but motivate the Senators to play their best.

2) Defence. There's skill, but no one scary on the Pittsburgh defence. No Chris Prongers or Adam Footes to worry about. Hal Gill is big but is about as quick as....er, Mike Commodore. Heatley and Spezza should be able to skate circles around them.

3) They're on the road. Just get a split in the first two games, and you're already ahead. Everyone expects Pittsburgh to win the first two games. Win game one, and all of a sudden Pittsburgh will start questioning themselves. Nice!

And for some advice for Ottawa, I'd recommend hitting the opposition at every turn. Ottawa has more players that get their nose dirty then they have in recent memory. Young and old alike, such as Cody Bass, Shane Donovan, Chris Neil, Martin Lapointe, Mike Commodore, Christoph Schubert...maybe it wouldn't be such a bad strategy to forget offense for game 1 and just keeping running your body at them. Guys like Malkin will quickly disappear if they're scared to get injured.

I'm in a good mood now. Now let's see if I'll be in just as good a mood once tonight's game ends.

Pro sports should be nothing more than a momentary diversion, an entertainment, something you can enjoy for a few hours before heading back to your everyday life. But sometimes it isn't, and you can end up like me, someone who talks about it, blogs about it, and revolves his schedule around the next game that's on TV. And we'll still do it even though it's no longer fun.

Two Saturdays ago, at a small party for infants, I turned on the radio to see how the afternoon Sens-Bruins game was going, and was quick to hear a 3-0 lead by the Bruins. As a "you got to be kidding me" thought ran across my brain, Boston scored another goal to make it 4-0. "What's the score SBP?" was asked. A flurry of f-bombs followed with the answer 4-0, not feeling too bad about my cursing as I figured anyone under the age of one didn't understand what I was saying. Then another question came forward, "Why do you bother watching, all you do is get stressed about it?"

I have been looking forward to this year's playoffs since Anaheim took game 5 last June. I thought to myself, now the Sens have taken the second-to-last step before going all the way. They now have the experience, GM Bryan Murray is savvy enough to know what tweaks need to be made to put together a Stanley Cup champion, the core group is still under contract and we as their fans can reap the rewards. But as we all know, what started off as a dream season has turned into a nightmare, where the Ottawa Senators have been one of the weakest teams in the NHL since the New Year, with no one reason emerging. It could be just one or the sum of these problems: The Ray Emery fiasco, the firing of John Paddock, the "Stanley Cup hangover", the revolving door injuries of Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza amongst other things. Bottom line, they're clear underdogs, and no one, myself included, thinks they'll get out of the first round.

But...this doesn't mean I'm still not a fan. And it doesn't mean I won't be watching. I'll cheer them on as I always do, but for the first time in years, they'll be expected to lose. So I'm going to try to look at it as optimistically as I possibly can, try to have as much fun as possible while I watch, and not get too upset if they lose. Look at this way:

1) The East is up for grabs. It's the weaker conference.
2) Ottawa is 3-0-1 against Pittsburgh this season
3) I have as much faith in Fleury as I do with Gerber in goal.
4) Everyone is expecting Pittsburgh to win. The pressure is all on them.
3) Playoffs are a new season; it's like a fresh start.

Penguins in five. Hey, I'm being realistic, especially with Alfie, Fisher and Chris Kelly out for at least a few weeks. But I want to be there when my Sens win that one game.

You know, if I ever getting chosen to be in any kind of hall of fame, I sure hope the audience is not so unimpressed with my legacy that they have to be prompted to get out of their seats and give me some applause. This photo was taken at this year's WWE hall of fame, and perhaps solely for their induction ceremony, it is somewhat appropriate.

There isn't a lot of nice things to say about the WWE these days (well, some might say there's never anything good to come out of the world of professional wrestling), but it has been magnified tenfold with the Benoit murders last year and the names of more & more past stars of the business surfacing as being found dead while still in their 30s and 40s. I certainly have voiced my discontent on the way the industry has made very little strides in trying to correct past errors to ensure current performers don't encounter the same fate as those who left us much too early. A "wellness" policy has started to be enforced, but whether it succeeds only time will tell.

So I guess when I tuned in to the last 15 minutes of Monday Night Raw last night, it was nice to see, well, a nice thing happen that was essentially a genuine display of emotion by the WWE roster as well as the fans in attendance when they said their final farewells to 36 year in-ring veteran Ric Flair.

Of course, in wrestling, "retirements" are a running joke. It is one of the few athletic professions where a 50 something past-his-prime star can return to the ring for another match. The allure of being under the spotlights and hearing the roars of the crowd can be hard to get away from for some. But for Ric Flair, at 59 years old, I really do think he had his last match this past Sunday at the "biggest spectacle of them all," Wrestlemania. So on Monday night, he came out in his suit to say a final goodbye to the fans, and all the wrestlers past and present came out to reciprocate. His family was also there to share the moment with him. He was one of the best in the business, and even in his 50s still had enough in the tank to put on a decent show.

I remember two or three years ago he had a tables, ladders and chair match against Edge (yes, a match where these objects are not only allowed but encouraged), and I just kept thinking to myself how crazy it is to see this guy in his mid 50s go through tables and get cracked over the head a few times with a steel chair, all in the name of entertaining the crowd with his crazy stunts. It's choreographed, but it hurts nonetheless.

Flair might be back in some capacity, maybe as a part of the creative team or something to that effect. But in any case, last night there was actually something nice to see about wrestling, one of the few last remnants of the 1980s wrestling boom saying goodbye with style, class and dignity: Three things that are usually absent when viewing a wrestling match.