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

- I don't want to hear anyone complain about having a bad day after reading about the passenger in his early 20s/late teens who got stabbed multiple times in the neck while taking a Greyhound bus in Manitoba. He was sleeping, minding his own business, then what appears to be a complete stranger stabs him, then DECAPITATED him. Passengers got off the bus screaming in horror to something you only see in slasher movies. Are people going to stop taking the bus now? People shouldn't overreact, I mean, from this you could conclude you'll get stabbed on your bike while waiting for the lights to change.

- Antoine Vermette resigned for what I thought was a reasonable 2 year deal worth $5.5 million. Vermette has tons of upside, but at 26 years old, it's time for him to take the ball and run with it when he's given the chance. He's not a game-breaker, hasn't shown he can be on the #1 line so when I heard he asking for something in the $4 million per year range, it made me think he wanted to be traded.

- Tuesday was perhaps one of the most uneventful days I could recall in recent memory. I mean seriously, I was so BORED! What do you do when you're find yourself bored out of your tree?

- I'm taking a bath on those Buffalo Bills tickets I picked up. The pre-season game I'm hoping I might be able to sell for 1/2 off after seeing what's been happening on Ebay the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure if any markup on the regular season tix will make up for it, but man, sucks.

- Have you seen those plastic shoe/sandal things (what are they called: crocs?) that come in solid colours like yellow, red, blue, green, etc? What's up with those, I mean, they're so UGLY. Why would anyone wear them? And how comfortable can plastic be?

- The work lunchroom got excited when someone mentioned Rambo V is being released next year. The plot? Rambo has a daughter he didn't know about and she gets kidnapped. Looks like I'll be dragged to the theatre one more time.

From hockey columnist Howard Berger, who reported having seen most of the new NHL third jersey designs that will be unveiled for the upcoming season. Here's what he writes about the Sens design:

A dramatic change in the Senators’ third jersey will see a predominantly black uniform with the word “SENS” angled upward on the front. A fashionable red stripe will run from the arm pits, down the side of the jersey, to its base, where the stripe turns inward. A pair of narrow red and white stripes will adorn each arm, and the very bottom of the jersey. It’s quite a sharp design.

Maybe it will be a good design, it's hard to tell when you don't see the finished product in front of you, but I don't know, I'm not a fan of the "lettered" jerseys like the Rangers and Avalanche, they just look too plain. On the other hand, it's still possible to conceive a very bad logo for the third jersey (like that "snail" the Buffalo Sabres unveiled).

Anyway, I plan on getting Alfie on the back of my white jersey I picked up this year when the season starts and will hold off on a new jersey acquisition.

Reboot...heard the term, as it applies to films, recently? If you haven't, you probably don't go to films too much (not necessarily a bad thing) but get used to it, because it's something that's going to be sticking around for a long time.

There are two reasons to "reboot" a movie: The first reason is that there was a good idea that was somehow lost in the original film project and a good artist (director, screenwriter or combination of the two) can bring it out the way it should have been the first time around. I don't really know of any film released that falls into this category (although I do know a few films that should have a reboot for this reason).

The second reason is that there is a huge franchise with a built-in fan base that is willing to pay money to see another sequel or interpretation of a popular classic. In some cases, the franchise in question might have consistently attracted audiences but the latest versions were so terrible, no one wanted to revisit it. In others, it had just been a very long time since a movie sequel has been made, so why not give it another shot? This is so far the only reason why movie studios are "rebooting" past film ideas.

Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are a good example of a reboot. The sequels were so bad that even despite a guaranteed #1 spot for ticket sales in its opening weekend, no actor or director wanted to align themselves with a Batman project because it was painfully obvious it was just for a quick paycheque. The 2005 and 2008 versions of Batman ignored the previous versions and it made an origin story, took a more serious, darker tone, a good director (Christopher Nolan) and a solid and respected actor (Christian Bale) and, perhaps more importantly, took the time to write a decent script. Fans of Batman flocked and continue to flock to see these new movies, as they have delivered the goods that were promised.

James Bond is another good example. I enjoyed GoldenEye when it was released in 1995 and Pierce Brosnan was a good 007. But it got quickly stale: Can you tell me the plot differences between Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough or Die Another Day? It was routine, boring, and the backlash started. So with Casino Royale, they made it an origin story to give something slightly different for loyal fans, made it edgier, more serious (I see a pattern), took the time to write a script and delivered the goods it promised. Casino Royale was very well done, and even if the upcoming Quantum of Solace is bad, at least they gave Bond fans a decent flick for the first time in over a decade.

So coming up next summer is another project worthy of being deemed a reboot, the 11th Star Trek movie. Another reason why studios are getting into the reboot phase is that it's hard to come up with new characters that audiences will like and pay to see. There is a huge financial risk when films cost hundreds of million dollars with no guarantees anyone will go see them, not to mention a general lack of creativity in Hollywood. So Paramount knows audiences love Spock and James T. Kirk, but they are senior citizens now and it's fair to say it's kind of hard to buy a 70 year-old Kirk trying to save the day one more time. So how do you bring them back? Show them when we didn't see them: when they were young. It gives them an excuse to cast new actors, you can create new adventures and tie them in to the stories fans have grown up with and more importantly for studios, you aren't too nervous about how audiences will responds to these characters as you know they are already well-liked. And really, who doesn't want to see how Kirk got chosen to be the Captain of the Enterprise?

Reboots: Coming to a theater near you!

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I'll probably get rid of my stove and hood fan to match my fridge and new dishwasher (that arrives next week), and perhaps give it a new paint job (light gray?) later. In any case, it does look a lot better, even the kitchen sink is new and does make a difference even though I don't care much for that sort of thing. Thanks again to Rob for the sink & faucet installation yesterday, WOULDN'T have done it without ya!

CTV.ca News Staff

Regular municipal police in Saskatchewan will no longer be using Tasers in the wake of several high profile deaths in other parts of the country, the province's police commission announced Friday.

"After questions about the safety of the equipment arose, accompanied by the public inquiry in British Columbia ... the commission believed it was not prudent to move forward with the authorization of conducted energy weapons for general use," Michael Tochor, chairman of the Saskatchewan Police Commission, said.

RCMP and municipal tactical teams will continue to use the electronic stun device in the province.

The decision comes days after a 17-year-old boy brandishing a knife in Winnipeg died following being shot with a Taser by police.

Michael Langan was the 22nd Canadian to die from the Taser in the last five years.

Tocher did not make direct reference to either Langan or Robert Dziekanski, who died after being Tasered at Vancouver International Airport last October.

"There is a general feeling that it hasn't been established one way or the other that Tasers ... are safe, so we would like more medical and scientific information on that," he said.

"There is also the question of when is it appropriate to use a Taser? Do you use it because a 16-year-old girl in Manitoba isn't doing what the police are telling her to do? Or do you use it when someone is swinging a sword at you?"

The decision comes on top of more allegations about police misuse of the Taser.

Another Taser victim talks

A rural Manitoba family is coming forward with what happened to their teenage daughter. Their identity cannot be revealed because of the girl's age.

The teenage girl claims she was Tasered after being taken to an RCMP detachment in Selkirk, Man. for being intoxicated last November. She admits to being drunk and obnoxious and even jumping on the back of an officer in the holding cell.

That's when she says four male officers -- one for each limb -- held her on the ground and Tasered her.

"They kept telling me 'stop screaming and we'll stop Tasering you,'" the 17-year-old girl told CTV News. "That's when I thought I was gonna die cause there's no way I was going to stop screaming."

The family showed CTV News pictures of burns to her body.

The girl, who was 16 at the time and never formally charged, now goes to trauma counselling.

The family's lawyer is preparing a public complaint and lawsuit against the RCMP.

"You don't treat a 16-year-old girl who weighs 130 pounds in the way in which the RCMP did," lawyer Catherine Dunn said.

The RCMP would not comment on the case but in letters to the family the force said that "statuary offences had not been committed" by the officer using the Taser.

The girl is Métis, just like Langan was. The Manitoba Metis Federation has spoken out against the use of Tasers.

"The use of Tasers is getting totally out of control," the girl's mother said. "Something needs to happen."

With a report from Murray Oliver

- Can't get over the extremely low prices of DVDs. While a new release still runs over $20, I picked up Starsky and Hutch for $4.00 and I saw a DVD that contained all four Lethal Weapons for $12.99

- I'm moving work locations next year, and the new building will be located right across the street from my apartment. I won't even need to buy a winter jacket anymore

- New kitchen counter has been installed, and looks nice, even if in the end it's just a counter. But what they don't tell you is what they remove they don't put back: my sink and faucet are on the floor right now until I get them re-installed. I also bought a new dishwasher (Canadian made, Energy Star compliant, and on sale for $249 with no PST! Can't go wrong) and, well, that will need to be installed when I get it.

- Here's a really good article that freezes scenes from the Terminator 4 teaser trailer and analyzes what's in them, including a look at one of the first terminator models (T-600?). Check it out here

- I signed up on Lavalife yesterday, but deleted my profile in 24 hours. I had three messages in the first day. "Hey", I thought, "quick results!" Except all of them weren't, uh, "local" (one from Russia, another from the USA, another from B.C.) all of them were 5"2 with long hair, and insisted that I write back to their personal email and not on Lavalife. I should probably be more patient with it, but for now I can't be bothered.

- So two new Major League Soccer teams will be added and Ottawa is in the running, along with Montreal, Vancouver, Atlanta, Portland, Las Vegas and St. Louis. If Ottawa can get a new stadium (or modernize Frank Clair) and land a franchise I think it would be great for the city and a good chance to show Ottawa isn't just a hockey town.

- You may not know him, but UFC fighter "Rampage" Jackson, well, went on a rampage driving his vehicle like a maniac onto sidewalks and hitting several other cars while being chased by police. He was checked into a mental hospital, and UFC president Dana White commented, "I think it's going to be a while before we get him back." Apparently Jackson it's not much of a drinker and doesn't use drugs. So what can it be? My guess is post-concussion syndrome. After losing his light-heavyweight championship to Forrest Griffin, he went into depression which is odd because although it's normal to be upset, most would be fired up to try to win it back especially since he lost it only by decision. It's not hard to find cases: Just look at Chris Benoit last year at what he did to his family. Look at Muhammad Ali and the state he's in. Several shots to the noggin has consequences, and my gut tells me Jackson's health might be the result of that.

CTV.ca - Winnipeg police say that a 17-year-old boy died after being shot with a Taser while brandishing a knife at officers.

Const. Jacqueline Chaput said Wednesday the boy refused to drop the knife despite numerous commands to do so from officers before being shot by the electronic stun gun.

She said that an ambulance was called immediately. The boy was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died.

Chaput did not say how long it took from the time that the boy was hit with the Taser until he reached the hospital, other than it was "quick."

The incident occurred shortly before 3:50 p.m. Tuesday when two citizens alleged they saw the youth take property from a vehicle. The citizens followed the boy and flagged down two uniformed police officers, Chaput said.

The officers encountered the youth at the back lane of a residence, where the incident occurred. Chaput said it's the first fatality following the use of a Taser by a member of the Winnipeg Police Service.

Police did not release information on the victim and did not disclose any information on the officers involved other than they are on administrative leave, which is following normal protocol.

The cause of death has yet to be determined and autopsy results are pending.

Undetermined? Really? I think I figured it out all by myself: HE DIED BECAUSE THOUSANDS OF VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY SHOT THROUGH HIS BODY!!!!

Someone ban those stupid guns. Now.

The other day I saw something that I thought was rather out of place for a somewhat stuffy town like Ottawa. Walking along the sidewalk, two men who looked like they were in their 30s held hands together as they observed their surroundings and talked. I thought to myself, "Good for them." While most gays are generally discreet in this city (how many times do you see men holding hands in Ottawa after all?), here they were for all to see and they didn't give a crap about what anyone thought of them.

This senior citizen seemed a little frazzled by their open display of affection. While driving his vehicle, you could see him looking in his rearview mirror with a slight snarl on his face, obviously not sure what to make of the couple. He wasn't paying much attention to the speed bumps on the road, and would have to brake suddenly so that he wouldn't damage his car.

Just today, I read an article about how a group of residents who live on the Greek island of Lesbos tried to have the word "lesbian" banned from being a reference to gay women, citing that it insulted their identity. It was thrown out of court; not that a small court in Greece could control the rest of the world's use of a word.

My point about this: People worry too much about things that don't affect them. They make a big deal about things that do not make the world a better or more worse place to live. So there's gay people in this world?

So what?

I sort of wish this movie had no hype, because it might be possible to enjoy it that much more. But that's being really nit-picky: The Dark Knight matches the hype that has come with it and I was thoroughly riveted for the approximate 2 1/2 hours of the fight between Batman and The Joker. Well that's a rather crude summary, as it's so much more than a battle between a good guy and a bad guy.

When you see a professional sports team win a championship, that team has to have the right chemistry to be the best, and usually that involves the coaches and best players making the lesser players play beyond their normal skill. This is very true with the cast of The Dark Knight; I look at a guy like Eric Roberts, who plays a swarmy mobster, do a really job in his role. I mean, who in their right mind says, "Hey, that Eric Roberts played his part great." But here I am doing it, and he SUCKS!

Heath Ledger, whom when I first caught on screen made me feel a little sad as you remember he's no longer with us, of course does the best Joker possible. It's not Jack Nicholson's fault, but since this feature took a darker, more serious side than the 1989 (damn, has it been that long?) version, Ledger has a lot better material to work with, and I spent a lot of time wishing he had more screen time. He's a lock for an Oscar, and it's not just for sympathetic reasons: I don't think I'll see a better performance this year.

The pacing of The Dark Knight is what sets this apart from the previous installment. I liked, but didn't love, Batman Begins because I thought it took a while before it got going, and I didn't think the ending was all that climatic (It didn't give me a great villain in my opinion either). Here, The Joker is always one step ahead, so just when a problem is resolved, a new one presents itself and everything is sent into disaray. Director Christopher Nolan (who was responsible for one of my top 25 of all-time favourites, Memento) does a incredible job of keeping a frantic and chaotic pace to the movie. I thought to myself how scary it would be to be a citizen of Gotham City; thank God it's only fiction.

Supporting Batman in his efforts are Lt. Gordon and D.A. Harvey Dent. In most films, they would usually be portrayed as cheap villains or just plain incompetent, but here, they are portrayed intelligently and add a great deal to the plot of Batman trying to bring the Joker down. There's no black and white in Batman's efforts, all three realize there can be harsh consequences, even if they have the best intentions, whenever he tries to help their city. Their decisions have important implications to the story, none of their parts are there for simple filler. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart are, without surprise, excellent and well cast.

I plan to see this a second time, likely on an IMAX screen. It's really that good. The hype is worth it, go out and see The Dark Knight, but I have a feeling you knew that already.

Grade: A

Chris Rock has kept a fairly low profile in recent years, lending his voice to a couple of animated features and appearing in the odd movie (usually horrible) but his strength is stand-up and seeing him appear in front of a live audience right in my backyard of Ottawa was definitely welcome. He didn't visit Montreal or Toronto for some reason; perhaps he heard of the record sellout times for Jerry Seinfeld's appearances a few years back but regardless, I was glad he came and he delivered the goods that I thought he would.

Rock actually started off quite tame and wasn't all that raunchy, but that changed quickly. And to be honest, that's when he was at his best. I love his profanity-laced tirades. I loved the fact he used every four-letter word you can think of. I was laughing so hard, there was a span of about 10 minutes where my throat was sore and tears were coming out of my eyes. The crowd ate it up. He was usually at his funniest when he made fun of sex and relationships, and also when he set up a 10 minute joke discussing if it's okay for a white person to use the word n*gger (Answer: Not really. Except under these conditions: it's Christmas Eve, between 4:30 and 4:49 am, after your Transformers toy you got your kid was stolen, you were beat up and pissed on...ah, maybe you had to be there!). He of course got audience approval when he discussed Barack Obama and threw George W. Bush under the bus for being the worst president in history (Think about it, now our money is worth nothing! I came up here to your country, gave the bank $3,000 to convert, and the teller gave me back a loaf of bread!).

Anyway, I had a really good time. Chris Rock, at age 43, still acts and looks like his 20 something self from back in his SNL days and had tons of energy. I hope he comes back on stage again...instead of assaulting us with Head of State 2.

- The last time I went for a stroll downtown, I was stopped by three different people asking for directions. What does that mean?

- The World Series of Poker main event final 9 participants have been set. So now the champion won't be determined until November 9 after four months of publicity & promotion to follow this new format for determining a winner. They're all unknowns, but it's pretty easy to pick who I want to win: Scott Montgomery, from Perth, is one of the final nine and sits tied for third in chips.

- I already got my tickets to see The Dark Knight this Friday. Hopefully the quality will match the hype, although I'm not too worried

- Nobody talked too much about Ray Emery's interview on Off the Record this week. Michael Landsberg was the first person to directly ask Emery if he had a drug problem or if he "partied" too much. Aside from that, it was a pretty safe interview and I think most Sens fans have moved on and have already thought of him as gone a long time ago.

- Moxies has some decent grub and nice decor, and I was never blind to the fact all the waitresses were all 21 years old, about 100 lbs and had blonde hair. But yesterday was the first time I paid attention to their outfits. I mean, if they were walking along the street someone might offer $50 for their services. They were all falling out of their dresses and were cut super low. I thought it was a bit much. Oh...just by coincidence I'm going back there tonight.

- The last time I played poker I made four of a kind with pocket Kings; the odds are 4,164 to 1 of that happening. I wanted to take a picture of it but for some reason no one wanted to get their camera out.

- Dion Phaneuf is going to be featured on the cover of NHL 09. Over in Europe, Daniel Alfredsson will be featured on the cover for the Swedish version. I hope they might make that available in Ottawa (no disrespect to World Championship no-show Phaneuf)

- A new form of rejection in the 21st century: Being deleted as a friend from Facebook 24 hours after your last date (Just saying).

I guess we all have a need to be good at something and maybe even better at it than everyone we know. It' s nice to get a little recognition & kudos for whatever skill that is by our peers, even though these accomplishments might not exactly make the world a better place.

With that, a movie about two grown men battling for supremacy in a 1980s video game is surprisingly compelling. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters was a movie I only discovered after Steve gave me a solid recommendation for it. I guess my adoration for video games certainly helped, but this documentary moves along quite well as it interviews different individuals about their quest to have their name inscribed in the Guinness Book of World Records for acheiving a top score in Pac-Man. There are so many unintentional laughs as they compare the challenge to an Olympic Event or preparing for the finals of the Stanley Cup. All those guys we stereotype as nerds and 40 year-old virgins: well, they're here in plentiful supply.

The "good guy" is Steve Wiebe, a family man who submitted a videotape of his new world-record score for Donkey Kong but it was deemed ineligible. Current record-holder Billy Mitchell, a relic of the 80s with his mullet hairstyle, a narcissist who has no right to be one, says a true champion should be established live and in the public eye. Wiebe obliges, travelling the U.S.A. to try to establish his new live record. But Mitchell never shows up, never plays heads up against him, instead submits a videotape of his newly recorded high score that for some reason is accepted as legitimate. Is there a conspiracy? Is the video game industry's points watchdog Twin Galaxies "protecting" Mitchell? It certainly does seem so. In the end, you root for Wiebe, more so because out of all these real characters, he's probably the only one who's somewhat normal in this film.

Definitely check this title out next time you're up for a DVD rental...or for some, an internet library check-out. I had the urge to play Donkey Kong after it was done; that's definitely a good sign!

Diagnosis: delicious!

Final Brad update: Unfortunately his big hands always ran into a bigger hand that would cost him lots of chips. Playing his first day after several hours, he was steadily building his chipstack until a key hand where he held pocket Kings and was up against one caller after his pre-flop raise. With a board reading 7-6-2 he figured he was going to pick up some chips; instead, he ran into a set of 7s that crippled him and was out soon after.

He tells me though he'll be back next year and I don't blame him. Once you get a taste, it's hard not to want to go back.

Only SBP can still blab on about hockey in the beginning of July.

Doing some everyday net surfing, I came across this pic of a potential new Sens 3rd jersey that was apparently rejected for one reason or another. Perhaps that is just a red herring and it's actually being considered, but nonetheless, it's inevitable third jerseys will hit the market. I thought they might actually wait a few years since they just introduced the new Reebok Edge uniforms this past season and they might just want to try to milk that a little first before giving fans another option, but again, rumours have stated they might come as early as next season. I like the old school "O" jersey and definitely would pick one up. The only thing missing is some gold but that can be fixed pretty easily.

Now let's start the jokes that the "O" stands for ZERO Stanley Cups...

You know, I was actually thinking about the possibility of Bryan Murray signing Jason Smith as the crop of free agents started to shrink. And I was actually thinking he would have been a great pick up to load up for the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs: a tough, character guy who gives 100% each shift. There's a reason why he wore the 'C' in Edmonton and Philadelphia.

I think he'll be a great person for rookie Brian Lee to be partnered with. Aside from their playing styles: Lee is (in theory) the better skilled puck-mover, while Smith is a more solid, physical stay-at-home defenceman. (I should also point out he's one of the league leaders in blocked shots). I really think he can mold Lee into a better all-round player, maybe even rubbing off a bit of his leadership abilities.

So I like this signing. But the Sens defence will have a lot of question marks: Will Lee step up like he's projected to? Will relative newcomer Lawrence Nycholat (on a one-way contract from Binghamton) be able to contribute? Will Andrej Meszaros rebound from a poor season? At least there's one thing Sens fans can say: Smith will make things a lot more difficult for the opposition.

Is Canada that horrible a place to make millions of dollars and play NHL hockey?

Why is it hardly any of the star Canadian players decide, on their own, to play on a Canadian team?

If you think about all the Canadian stars that DO play for a Canadian franchise, they have either been drafted or acquired via trade: Jarome Iginla, Roberto Luongo, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza all fit that label. Generally speaking, most of the players seem to enjoy their time with their respective team, as many have signed extensions, sometimes even at a so called "discounted" rate.

But think about it, when was the last time the last time a major unrestricted free agent, from Canada, signed to play with the Edmonton Oilers?

Or maybe I shouldn't restrict this argument to only Canadians. The last few years though, it has been Europeans that have been the face for Canadian hockey: Markus Naslund, Daniel Alfredsson, Mats Sundin, Saku Koivu, even while the loonie was at 63 cents US, still suited up north of the border, and (at least to me anyway) seemed to like it.

I know Marian Hossa signed a one year contract with the Red Wings to try to win a Stanley Cup. But the Oilers offered reportedly $8-9 million a season for the rest of his playing career to suit up for them. The Oilers are a team on the rise: they have a good nucleus of talent that will contend in the near future. But no thanks, he said: I'll take Detroit.

It's a trend I've noticed that I don't like. It's starting to change a little: even Sydney Crosby said before he was drafted he'd love to play for the Montreal Canadiens. But, that's an exception. Why can be done to lure top stars to play in a country that actually cares?

Is the pressure really that too much to take?

All the preliminary event in the World Series of Poker have come to an end, and the $10,000 buy-in main event has started, the first day commencing this past Thursday.

They are expecting roughly just under 7,000 players, and it will be a gruelling 11 days...before they decide on the final nine players. The WSOP producers are going to experiment a little when the final table isn't played until November 9th. You read that correctly: November. They're planning to feature the WSOP main event almost like a TV show, where they'll have a new episode each week up until November, where they'll have the main event table running live (supposedly on pay per view), and by then the viewers will have gotten a chance to know the players and pick their favourites. It's an interesting idea (although you could argue after the four months between playing can significantly change the player you are) and I think it's worth seeing how it will pan out. If anything, it gives a real "Superbowl" feel once the actual final table is played.

A Brad update: Out of about 2700 players, Brad figures he finished in the top 500 (270 is a money finish) on Monday's event. With a starting stack of 3000, he brought up to 15,000 before it started to slide. He mentioned a key hand where he lost a fair amount of chips...the dealer had accidentally revealed a Queen while dealing to the players and it became the burn card. One small stack pushed all-in and a slightly bigger stack called it. Brad looked down at Jacks, and although he wasn't desperate, felt the need to accumulate chips. Figuring the likelihood of facing pocket Queens or Ace-Queen was low as a Queen was already exposed, and the other stacks could have felt desperate enough to call with a medium pair, he pushed with his Jacks but unfortunately he was up against those ladies ("That's the second time you played the b*tch of spades on my ass!" - Rounders). It was survival mode from there and he busted out. Overall, he's happy with his play and is looking forward to the main event which for him will start on Monday.

I'll take the time now to quickly send my thoughts and well wishes to Kerri, Alex and Finn as they say goodbye to Kerri's dad Dave who died of cancer Thursday night. I've played cards with Dave a few times, and whenever he decided to continue on with his cards he'd remark, "I'm a player!" before putting some chips in. It started to enter my poker lingo not after, although I stopped since I think it may have annoyed some others. But I think I should take it up again.

I was going to write about how at least Eddie Murphy, who signed to do a sequel no one cared about (Beverly Hills Cop 4), at least was honest on his whole approach on doing the picture. "The third one was horrible, so I didn't want to do another one. The producers wrote some s**t down on paper and I said, 'Is this your phone number?' and they said, 'This is how much we're going to pay you.' I said, 'Let's go shoot it! I don't care if the script isn't right.' " ('Is this your phone number?' That's classic!)

So anyway, he went on to say he'll likely be done with films and is thinking about going back to stand up (which I actually think is a good idea). But then he spoke to MTV and had this to say:

“All I know is that it’s gonna be something that’s special. I’m not doing just, hey give me some big cheque and I go off [does the Foley laugh] and shoot the gun and jump over cars, like, that’s some bullsh-t. If I do it, it’s gonna be some sh-t that’s right!”

I really think Eddie Murphy is a talented guy, and after receiving an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls, I thought he might decide to do more serious roles and actually try to win one (something Harrison Ford should also consider). But alas, it isn't meant to be.

He admits to not even seeing a script. Another strike against this whole project is that Brett Ratner is directing (he managed to make the worst of the X-Men films The Last Stand). But I guess I'm mentioning all this is that we're all pretty sure this movie will be a steaming pile of dogsh-t, but at the same time I'm trying to keep the faith the fourth Terminator movie will be good.

Go figure.

We all know this already: The NHL lockout did nothing did keep salaries from spiraling out of control.

And since the number of quality free agents wasn't too high this summer, it wasn't much of a surprise that many players were overpaid for what they've accomplished. Many teams are trying to demonstrate to their fans they are committed to winning by overpaying for these players, but there are long term consequences when these big contract players fail to perform. Look no further than players like Alexei Yashin and Pavel Kubina; these teams won't be able to contend for a few years.

Some of the contracts that stand out in particular include Mike Commodore's 5 year, $18.75 million dollar deal (a 5th defenceman at best), Wade Redden's 6 year, $39 million contract (if Ottawa is tough to play in, how is New York is easier? And didn't his play diminish after his first $6.5 million a year payday?), Brian Campell's 8 year, $56.8 million contract (simply too long a contract) as well as Mats Sundin's non-signing. I have no idea what is going on this guy's mind: If you want to play for a contender, you could have signed with Detroit. If money was the issue, Vancouver's obscene $20 million 2-year deal made you the highest paid player in the league. Loyalty? The Leafs don't want you back so you owe them nothing. Maybe he thinks he's bigger than he actually is.

As for my Sens...well, I wanted Campbell. With Redden out, they have to put Christoph Schubert as their #6, a guy who hasn't played defence regularly in the last 2 seasons, and ideally I would have liked to have seen rookie Brian Lee play no higher than a #5 as he needs time to develop. Having Philips and Volchenkov as your top pairing would leave a spot beside Meszaros as the #3 or 4 guy, and unless they make a deal most of the experienced D are already taken.

The Sens did sign Jarkko Ruutu today, and while he's a good agitator there are simply too many 3rd and 4th liners on the team. Their forward lines looks like this (nothing confirmed, but this is the best I could come up with):

Alfie-Spezza-Heater
Foligno-Fisher-Neil
Winchester-Vermette-Kelly
Ruutu-McAmmond-Donovan

That would leave Cody Bass as a healthy scratch depending on how the others play. And looking at that lineup, after the Pizza line can the others put the puck in the net? I wouldn't count on it. I really think Ottawa needs another top 6 forward...perhaps one of the prospects are ready, or maybe there's someone they could sign (Markus Naslund?) that could help fill the void.

Anyway, we'll see how the rest of the summer pans out, but for the first time in a long time I'm not so confident on how the Sens will do next year (no, this doesn't mean I'm cheering for the frickin' Habs or anything. It's Sens 4 Life!). I hope Bryan Murray and Craig Hartsburg have a few tricks up their sleeve.

Would have been nice to celebrate a free agent signing (Alex Auld doesn't count), but oh well, not much you can do!