A new work week is here, and whether or not you want my thoughts, here they are:
The Scotties wrapped up yesterday with a very well played game between Jennifer Jones and Amber Holland. As I stated last week, Linda Moore's repeated efforts at making Jennifer Jones out to be the greatest curler to ever grace a pebbled sheet of ice gets really old really fast, not too mention frustrating. At every point in yesterday's game all they talked about was what Jones and Co. did right and what Holland's crew did wrong. In the end that makes a home town victory that much sweeter, capped off by the coverage of Jones, victoriously raising her broom in the air only to see it quickly replaced with the realization that her reign as the Queen of Canadian curling had come to an end. Here is my question, why did Jones feel the need to throw that much weight on her final shot...it had to be hit absolutely perfectly with that type of weight. And to nobody's surprise Linda Moore sure didn't point that out. Irregardless that is three Saskatchewan victories in Canadian curling within a month. Here's hoping Pat Simmons can keep up the momentum of the 'green maching' in London, Ontario starting on Saturday.
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone with a fair amount of deals being completed. The bockbuster of the day if you will, Dustin Penner to LA for Colten Teubert, A first round pick this year and a second round pick next year. Will the Kings have to buy an extra airline ticket for that piano that Penner drags around with him on most nights????
Like most events that I once thoroughly enjoyed, the media has pretty much ruined the trade deadline. Every edition of Sportscentre or Sportsnet Connected over the past two weeks has been inundated with speculation over who is going where. There is nothing wrong with a little speculation but these guys totally kill it, especially when it is the same names everyday..Brad Richards, Ales Hemsky, Stephen Weiss...and what makes matters worse, how much do you think guys like Darren Dreger and Bob Mackenzie are getting paid to essentially text and twitter for the last month about who may or may not have a new 'office' as of today.
Sticking with the NHL, how annoying is John Tortorella continually blaming the officiating for his teams inadequacies? Yesterday his Rangers dropped a 2 - 1 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts scored the winner on a 5 on 3 power play which Tortorella referred to as horse feces and stated that he wished the NHL would stay out of it. So what John, are you saying you want the players to officiate themselves??? Come on..take the time to cool down and collect yourself before you squack off like that...it only makes you sound like an uneducated idiot. And for the record, he felt the Dan Girardi penalty, the first of the two penalties leading to the goal was a poor call. I am pretty sure that since then Tortorella has probably seen the highlight on TV and has a different opinion...it was the right call, just like Brian Boyle firing the puck over the glass is the right call also. If you don't want to give up PP goals in the future John, don't take penalties.
As I was sitting at home over the last week, my fondness for watching NBA basketball was all but eliminated. Not because the games aren't exciting to watch but rather because the league is full or primadonna's who want to make things all about them. It started this summer, when Lebron James couldn't do what every other self respecting individual who signs a free agent deal does; sign the deal and release a press notice. Rather he chose to make people hum and haw about his destination and then had the audacity to take over one hour of national programming to announuce his decision. If that wasn't bad enough, how about Carmelo Anthony...he made the entire first half of the season about him, and why??? So he could end up where he wanted to end up. The TSN Reporters had it right yesterday morning when they talked about how guys who are able to dictate where they will play is ruining small market teams, and they couldn't be more right. As if it isn's enough to get paid millions to play a game you love which everyone I am sure has dreamed of at numerous points in their life, now they are going to choose who they will accept these millions from??? Shame on you Lebron, 'Melo and whoever pulls similar antics in the future.
From Riderville, the Riders today cut ties with ten year CB Omarr Morgan. In my opinion, this was the right time to do this. Cut ties now, rather than during camp which could be embarassing for a guy like Morgan who has given a lot to the franchise. While he has 'bleed green' for the better part of a decade, it was time for this move. He really struggled last year with the open field tackle, can't cover anyone inside of ten yards from the line of scrimmage and had what I thought was a dreadful game in the Grey Cup. Jamel Richardson, who is very good, looked a lot better than he needed to look with Morgan covering him. All the best in the future to Omarr but I truly think the Riders are better without him in the secondary.
For you Junior A Hockey followers, Jamie Fiessel is catching a lot of the camera and attention in recent weeks, and not for the right reasons. Near the end of the regular season, he threw sticks on the ice and pretended to be blind, an obvious blast at the officials, after being ejected against Yorkton. That garnered him two games. Not that his actions over the weekend are deserving of a suspension but out on the ice, but following a play off victory over the Estevan Bruins, he was shown jumping around like a baboon and flinging his arms up in the air which I thought showed him to be lacking a little in class. Hey, maybe him and Tortorella are 'brothers from different mothers'???
Can't think of anything else that is 'burning' me today...See you tomorrow and by all means tell your friends about this place...