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

"...as the saying goes, out with the old, in with the nucleus."

- The Simpsons

The older I get, the shorter the days are and the quicker time passes. Remember in elementary school when we'd take all that time to put on our boots, jacket, gloves, hat and scarf so we could enjoy fifteen minutes of recess? Those fifteen minutes seemed to last forever. Crazy.

Anyway, I digress. 2008 is about to end and 2009 is about to begin. I decided to compile a list of things that I hope 2009 brings, for myself and for others:

For SBP:

- a World Series of Poker bracelet
- a fourth Terminator movie that's actually good
- a visit by The Killers @ Scotiabank Place

For M-C:

- a full return to health

For the Ottawa Senators:

- Jay Bouwmeester and John Tavares. I'm being realistic by not asking for a Stanley Cup

For Eugene Melnyk

- The above, plus an Ottawa MLS franchise

For the Canadian World Junior hockey team:

- a gold medal

For the city of Ottawa:

- an end to the bus strike
- a CFL franchise with a revamped Frank Clair stadium, stable ownership and a strong fan base
- a new owner for the Ottawa Rapids (not with a "Z", zip.ca bailed on the team)

For WWE:

- A year with no premature wrestler deaths.

For the economy:

- an end to the recession

And of course, to all my friends & family and loyal readers of my blog, a safe, healthy, happy & prosperous New Year!

Cheers!

Every NHL players has one goal in mind besides cashing in a big pay cheque: immortalizing themselves by winning a Stanley Cup at some point in their career.

The unfortunate reality is that not every player can achieve that ultimate prize. And even the most skilled guys, Hall of Famers even, never get to experience the thrill of victory. Cam Neely, Darryl Sittler, Dale Hawerchuk...a few top players off the top of my head who have never won a Cup. Seems like a crime when that happens, especially when meatheads like Andre Roy can claim to have their name written on Lord Stanley.

So I've decided to compile a list of skilled, high-quality players (maybe they've slowed down in recent years) who, hopefully before their career ends, they can enjoy the thrill of winning a Stanley Cup before their careers are over. I think such players are truly gifts to the sport of hockey, and it would only be justice for them to win it all: at least once. In no particular order, and there might be personal bias for some omissions. I'd be interested in hearing anyone you think I missed. (I should also point out there are some younger guys out there, such as Alexander Semin & Steven Stamkos, that I think need more time in the NHL to show they are true stars):

Ilya Kovalchuk
Marc Savard
Zdeno Chara
Teppo Numminen
Jarome Iginla
Dion Phaneuf
Mikka Kiprusoff
Patrick Kane
Jonathan Toews
Rick Nash
Michael Peca
Ryan Smyth
Brenden Morrow
Marian Hossa
Jay Bouwmeester
Anze Kopitar
Saku Koivu
Zach Parise
Markus Naslund
Henrik Lundqvist
Daniel Alfredsson
Dany Heatley
Jason Spezza
Mike Richards
Jeff Carter
Simon Gagne
Olli Jokinen
Shane Doan
Ed Jovanovski
Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
Joe Thornton
Jeremy Roenick
Paul Kariya
Olaf Kolzig
Curtis Joseph
Mats Sundin
Roberto Luongo
Alexander Ovechkin

- Another Christmas has come & gone, and like so many other things, it has went by too quickly. It is truly my most favourite time of the year. My sister and mom splurged and got me a Blu-Ray player which was super nice of them. You can really notice a difference in quality with with the newer movies: older movies perhaps not as much but still improved. Anyway, can't wait for Christmas 2009!

- What do you do with all the Christmas cards you get in the mail? I've kept most of them, but I'm not sure why. It's rare that I look at them again, but I do appreciate the time my friends took to send me a card. Do you throw them out?

- Tell me if I'm getting a little grumpy: My job involves a few "walk-ins" and when I first started, I'd immediately go out and see them when they arrived. Now perhaps because of my colleagues around me, I'm starting to think to myself, "What, they weren't courteous enough to make an appointment? They expect me to drop everything and see them right away?" So sometimes I'll make them wait another five minutes before I see them. Is this right?

- The lowest gas price I've seen in what feels like forever: 61.7 cents per litre. Hard to believe it was just a few months ago we were literally paying double that or more. I complain about gas when it's high, so I felt the need to acknowledge the cheap petrol we've been getting.

- I'm heading out with Steve to see Canada take on the Germans at the World Junior Championship Monday night. After the 15-0 spanking Canada dished out to Kazakhstan, I can't wait to see how they'll crush the Germans! (Did I jinx anything?!)

A quick SBP Merry Christmas to you and all your friends & family! I'll be taking a couple of days off and will blog again shortly.

All the best.

In trust,

The ol' SBP!

Sportsnet conducted an online poll asking its visitors to vote for Canada's best athlete for 2008, and receiving a whopping 89% of the vote was Ultimate Fighting Championship's Welterweight champ, Georges St-Pierre. Now these online polls need to be taken with a grain of a salt. It's very easy to stuff the ballot box, and GSP's competition was pretty thin (ever hear of Chantal Petitclerc?). But still, who would have thought as little as two years ago a mixed martial artist winning such an award, much less being considered for a nomination? GSP has the charisma, class and skill that may be one of the many parts needed to help UFC become more accepted in the mainstream.

I can fully understand why many would be turned off by the sport, primarily it can be quite bloody and extremely violent. And surprisingly, some fights can actually be very boring. Unless you're educated to appreciate the different holds and submissions the fighers execute, you might find it as about as exciting as watching a game of checkers. But I believe UFC will be the sport to take over the lull boxing has given its fans. The latter sport is on the decline, and there are few fighters with the star power guys like Mike Tyson had in their heyday to carry it.

UFC has a big star in Brock Lesnar who will need to garner more victories to show his title win wasn't a fluke. But aside from that, UFC needs a strong undercard of fighters the public can cheer for and admire. GSP fits that bill perfectly, and is truly a "good guy" in the world of MMA.

And I am proud to say he is a fellow Canadian.

Have you ever noticed sometimes we doubt the ones we love?

Think about it. Of course, I'm talking about things that, for the most part, are very trivial. But when you boil it down, we don't always believe/listen when we ask our better half for some advice or an opinion. Let me explain what I'm talking about.

I was at the Sunglass Hut. There was a couple nearby, and the girlfriend was trying on these different sunglasses. She had this pair on that looked pretty good on her. She asked her boyfriend what he thought about the pair and he liked them, too. She switched to this other pair and she seemed to prefer that pair instead, but the boyfriend was trying to talk her out of it. I sided with him: they were way too big, and the first pair were so much nicer.

Not sure what got in me, but I needed to give my 2 cents on the situation myself. I said to this girl, "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. You know, the first pair of sunglasses looked really nice on you, I think you should go with those." "Really?" was the response, with a big smile on her face. And then just like magic, she was completely convinced and bought the shades. She never met me before, didn't even ask my name, and for all she knows I could have been on my way to visit my parole officer. But she valued my opinion, that of a complete stranger, even though her boyfriend told her the exact same thing but she wouldn't listen to him.

Weird how humans work sometimes.

...made from cupcakes! Literally SWEET! Hey McCain, eat me! Thank you, I'm here 'till Friday.

- The Mats Sundin saga finally has come to a close, and he's playing for the Canucks. Apparently the NY Rangers were his first choice, but GM Glen Sather couldn't make a deal with another team to move one of his players to make the cap space. And I was thinking to myself: What team in the East would make a deal with Sather, aiding a team that would be much better with Sundin in the lineup, when they have to play the Rangers on a future date or dates? So that limits 1/2 the teams in the NHL to make a deal with him so his options were limited. Sundin though certainly isn't complaining about his $10 million per season pro-rated salary. And I also thought it was cool a Canadian team won a free-agent war for a change.

- Woohoo! Christmas vacation time. I put in my last 9-to-5er (well, more like 7:30-to-3:30er) today and I'll be off for two weeks. So what will SBP do to pass the time? Sleep? Xbox? DVDs? Hockey? Food? I'm thinking a little of all of the above :-). Who says you need to be out of town to enjoy a vacation?

- Blogger Championship update: I qualified for the finals Sunday which is sweet! I played a tournament I've never tried before, 8 game. You would play these games in the following order for six minutes before it gets switched: 2-7 triple draw, Limit Hold em, Limit Omaha hi/lo, Razz, Stud, Stud hi/lo, No limit hold em and Pot limit Omaha (yes, there are quite a few different poker variants!). So I finished 25th (needed to be in the top 72) out of 450 players tonight and the final looks to have about 400 players. First prize is a trip to the Caribbean to play in a poker tournament...what else can you say except: NICE! And the best part is that it's all free to play!

- So the Sens blow another game in embarrassing fashion by getting spanked 5-1 to the Devils tonight. That's it...this team isn't going anywhere this year: No playoffs, nothing. I'm still going to watch them and actually tomorrow I got tickets for the Dallas Stars game (ride beside the bench! sweet!). Like a marriage, it's through thick and thin! For richer or poorer! In sickness and in health! And right now my boys are very, very sick. If they tank this year, but land Johnathan Tavares in the draft...maybe that will help ease the pain of the season.

I won't dwell too much on the abysmal 4-1 loss the Sens dropped to the last place Atlanta Thrashers that I witnessed in person last night. But the evening ended on a high note as a young 8 year old fan showed me you can find the good in almost anything.

Once the final buzzer sounded, I got up and put my jacket on, dejected as most of the other Sens fans were. But, this young kid sitting behind myself and M-C made me feel all better. He just looked at us and said, "Isn't it great, we scored a goal!!!"

Wow. Maybe as I'm getting older I'm getting a little softer, but that kid just melted my heart. He was so genuinely happy his team managed to tuck a goal past Ondrej Pavelec (yeah, I have no idea who he is either but apparently the Senators want him to win the Vezina trophy) he didn't care about the final result.

I sure wish that's all it took for me to be happy at a Sens game, because for a few moments I felt the need to punch someone in the face!

I'll likely get a little grief about posting something WWE-related that has nothing to do with a steroid scandal or death, but the story of Jeff Hardy winning the WWE title at last night's Armageddon Pay-Per-View was a reminder of why I used to tune in in the first place. I can't remember the last time I watched a full episode of RAW or Smackdown and now the only PPV I consider watching is the annual Wrestlemania show. But I still do check in weekly to see what's going on in the world of wrestling, mostly in the hopes the show can turn around and be as fun as I once remembered it.

Anyway, Jeff Hardy had been booked by WWE creative as the fan favourite underdog, so close but so far away from winning the big one. In real life, he has battled personal demons and has twice been suspended by WWE's "wellness" policy for reasons related to substance abuse. Because of this, no one thought Vince McMahon would ever give him the chance of being the #1 man in the business. But, at what is usually a throw-away PPV just used by WWE to make a few bucks before the fiscal year ends, the company gave the fans a treat by having Hardy win the title after chasing it for over a year. It may be hard for the non-fan to understand what the big deal is when at anytime the creative team can hand the title to anyone it chooses. But knowing what Hardy has dealt with and his dedication to getting his life back on track, it was nice to see the underdog, in both the real and fictional world, prove everyone wrong and show he can be trusted to be "the man" for WWE.

Well, it might be too early to make a statement like that, but it was nice to hear a feel-good story like Jeff Hardy last night in a business which has had too many tragedies to speak of. Here's hoping his happy ending will continue for a long time.

I wasn't ready to give up the season yet on my Senators, perhaps naively so. The first part of the season, all fingers were pointed at Martin Gerber and his horrible goaltending. After letting in softie after softie, the Sens gave Alex Auld the proverbial ball and he did a better than expected job in net.

But since then and for the first time in who knows how long, the Sens can't score a goal to save their lives. At their current pace, they'll score less goals than they did in their inaugural season. You know, when Sylvain Turgeon and Norm Maciver led the offensive charge. So when a problem seems to have been corrected, another presents itself.

It looks like I should probably just give up on the rest of the year and cheer on the Sens to win a Cup...the Tavares Cup. It was announced in the paper today Sundin won't be signing with Ottawa. GM Bryan Murray was quoted as saying, "I'm sure it had something to do with the standings....and obviously with him wanting to sign with a team that will be a finalist, if nothing else." "Finalist" is an interesting choice of word, isn't it?

And how about this comment by coach Craig Hartsburg about Ottawa's defensive corps: "I'm not criticizing our back end because they are what they are..." They are what they are? Why not just say they stink and throw them under the bus like Murray has, too?

How confident can the players be when comments like that come from coaching and management? I guess I am just an idiot, thinking the Sens could turn things around and get back on track. I looked at this way...they were tied for last place a little while back, now they are in twelfth. If they can win their next two games, they'd be tied for 9th. Slowly but steady, climbing up the ladder to the playoffs. It won't be easy, having to witness disasters like a 5-1 spanking to the Capitals as well as a painful 2-0 win Saturday against the worst team in the league, the Tampa Bay Lightning, but still, it was possible.

But forget it. If the team itself doesn't believe it can, why should I?

Because you're tired of seeing your Sens lose and your pool rankings fall (save for Stubie's cup...that title is coming home baby!), you sometimes just need to laugh.

....because I can't support the OC Transpo strikers?

Is it okay that I think the picketers go too far when they block the entrances of City Hall? I mean, they've already screwed up everyone's lives enough in this city by timing this strike (and don't kid yourself, the strike date was all strategic) during Christmas rush, the beginning of winter, student exams, etc. but can't they accept the fact that people's lives do still have to go on? Just take a look before and after work hours to see the painful drive commuters are making for the privilege of going to their cubicle hell. At 6:30 outside my apartment, it was still near bumper to bumper traffic.

Someone told me (and this is unconfirmed) that Carleton University set up a shuttle service for students so they could still get to class. Remember, exams are not being canceled so they are still required to attend. Anyway, apparently picketers have shown up at these drop off/pick up points! You got to be frickin' kidding me! What the hell is wrong with people when they want to get in the way of someone trying to get an EDUCATION? I really hope it isn't true, but it wouldn't shock me if it is.

Anyway, as is the case in most contract negotiations, no one wanted to start talking about reaching an agreement until the last few weeks when they could have started as early as Spring. But no one looks out in the best interests of the public in these cases; one or both parties drag their feet for leverage to get whatever it is they want.

I'm not affected at all by this strike and I'm annoyed. I just hope an agreement is reached soon so Ottawans' lives can return to normal.

DADA, DA, DADA!

I just hope a movie directed by a guy named McG can actually turn out okay. Christian Bale is featured prominently in this trailer (smart move) and that's a good a sign. Please please please be good!

The greed held by the company Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment is, in my view, the one thing holding back any chance of a second NHL team in Toronto.

But a rumoured proposal to quell the concerns of sharing league revenues with a second team was posted on the website Hockeybuzz and to me, on the surface at least, sounds very interesting.

Basically, this unidentified group lead by a wealthy Canadian (Jim Basillie?) wants to build a new 35-40,000 seat arena to open in 2015 that would be shared with the Leafs. It would have 75% more suites, a hotel and obviously be the largest arena in the NHL. Another selling feature is that 30% of the building seats would sell for just $10 a ticket. Of course, that's not really the motivation behind this scheme: this group is trying to sell MLSE on the idea that they can make more money by having a second team, and a rink twice the size with more suites is something rather appealing to the suits running the Leafs.

So this would mean instead of 41 games with about 19,000 attending each game, Toronto would now have 82 games with 40,000 in attendance. That's about 4x the amount of tickets that could be sold, and in a league that is gate-driven, this certainly sounds like a good idea.

Would it saturate the market? Would Leaf nation actually consider embracing a team not called the Leafs? Hard to say. But this idea certainly has some merit.

- Are you excited for Christmas!? I'm a big fan of this time of year. I like the Christmas lights that adorn a good part of the city, the general upbeat mood everyone is in and while some might be stressed out, getting together with friends & family over the course of the holidays is something I always looks forward to. I also like bringing out my three foot fibre-optic tree for all to see!

- I completely forgot that yesterday was the day the Buffalo Bills made their regular season Canadian NFL debut losing 16-3 to the Miami Dolphins. Apparently 2,000+ tickets were still available (not including the free tickets given away as game day approached) and it's considered a huge step back for any chance of an NFL team in this country. I think it just boils down to one thing: charging 3x the average price of an NFL ticket to watch it in Canada. Buffalo is just a stone's throw away from the Big Smoke, so it looks like anyone wanting to go see the Bills play just decided to make the trip at a reduced price instead.

- A new electronic gizmo I have my eyes on is a "Netbook", a portable laptop with screens that range in size from 9" to 13". With built in wi-fi, 120-160G hard drive, pre-loaded Windows XP, etc, how can you go wrong? I guess I mostly like the idea of playing PokerStars in front of my TV during a Sens game without the bulkiness of a regular laptop...

- I am considering going back to Vegas in the summer to play another World Series of Poker tournament. The main thing holding me back is, well, money (the crappy exchange rate does not help things, either) but there's a good chance if I go it might be a solo effort. Not sure how much fun it would be if I went alone.

- Picked up some World Junior tickets after waking up one day and thinking, "The World Juniors are in my home city, there's a good chance it won't return again in my lifetime, and I'm not going?" Craziness, yes! So I tracked down a pair of tickets in the 300 level, row A from a guy on Kijiji for the Canada-Germany game at face value. Most were overcharging for them, but I got lucky here. I predict good times!

A lot of people were happy Sean Avery was handed a six game suspension from the NHL for his recent comments regarding ex-girlfriends and opposing players. I don't think too many people were shocked a guy like Avery made comments like that, but perhaps he crosses the line on what you can and cannot say in front of a camera for the rest of the world to hear. A panel on TSN's Off the Record concurred much worse is said on the ice, but for the public to hear, it's taking it too far.

I'm not doing to disagree with that. But, if the NHL is really keen on cleaning up their circus, then do yourself a favour, and don't bring out the clowns.

How many times have we heard hockey journalists and "experts" go on & on about how you need guys like Avery on your team to help you win? "You hate to play against him but you'd love to have him on your side." I remember last year when Steve Downie launched himself like a ground-to-air missile and knocked out an unsuspecting Dean McAmmond, almost ending his career. After the hit, many said a suspension was merited, but too many "analysts" would follow that up with a "he's a good kid, lots of heart, I like him." I was even dumbfounded to hear former Sens coach John Paddock say he'd want him on his team: I guess taking out other players with dirty hits is a way to show heart so let's suit him up and call him a pro.

So when a guy like Downie hears comments like that, why would he even stop to think about showing some respect for the other players on the ice? And how often has Avery been told by the media he's one of the best agitators in the game? Avery, in my opinion, has done nothing that doesn't surprise me at all what he would do. He was signed to a 4 year, $15 million contract to "get under the skin" of the opposition. So when he gets the camera's attention with statements like the one above, he is doing what he is paid for and what he is told he's best at: being an asshole. The NHL doesn't have a problem with that per se, but, don't be THAT much of one...maybe just a quarter or semi-asshole.

If the NHL is serious about earning respect as one of the top sports leagues in the world, they can start by not giving guys like Avery a job. As long as they're employed, as long as the media hypes them as a necessary cog in a team's lineup, this certain won't be the last time a suspension will be handed out for pre-game interview.

Without even seeing this 37 second clip, John just described it to me in person and I was already laughing! Think Price is Right as you watch...

Have I written this much? It's true, oh, it's true...this will be post number one thousand on my blog. Maybe not a reason to celebrate or anything, but still, I just felt the need to alert my loyal readers of this.

Giddyup!

I was listening to a work colleague go on about the great deals in the United States she's been getting by frequenting many of those outlet malls. Outside of groceries, almost all of her purchases of clothing, furniture, electronics, etc. are made south of the border. I joked to her she should just move to the USA. "Oh no, I can't do that, I wouldn't be able to stand living there!" She appreciates things such as free health care that Canada provides. But I was thinking to myself, if she spent as little money as she does towards Canadian businesses, is she getting a bit of a free ride? It's not like I've never made a purchase in the United States; sometimes you can get a great deal that otherwise your hometown can't provide. But should I feel guilty about it because I picked up in an Ipod in an American store?

Are we harming our economy when we actively decide not to give our money to a Canadian-based store? Don't we need to do so to make sure we have enough jobs for everyone, that enough taxes are collected for our schools & hospitals by shopping at local area merchants?

Maybe it's not such a big deal, and with the lousy exchange rate I doubt many people are contemplating a Christmas shopping spree in Syracuse any time soon. But still...should I feel bad for looking for the best deal for stuff at an international level?

If cake is my kryptonite, then chocolate milk is my...uh...similar kryptonite (maybe that synthetic kind from Superman III that turned Supe into an evil version of himself). Every morning, most people head to a Tim's or Starbucks for a double double or latte. Not me. I grab 500ML of chocolate goodness.

My last year of high school, I used to buy those small 1 litre plastic containers of chocolate milk from Becker's. It was so thick it almost tasted like cream! I had one every morning during Calculus class. I never bothered to return the plastic container to get the 25 cent deposit back and just threw it out in the garbage. So aside from being a glutton, I was also an environmental menace.

On a positive note, I recently read this beverage is actually excellent after a round of exercise...the combination of a high carb/high protein drink is perfect for recovery after running a few miles; better than a standard sports drink.

So the point of all this?

I love chocolate milk!