Only the Canucks

Really, does taking a run at LeBron James for his failings in the clutch ever get old?  Faced with a chance to put way the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday, LBJ came up small.  Again.

And speaking of small, then there are the Vancouver Canucks, who find new and impressive ways every year to choke the life out of their season.  If it isn't goalies letting in floaters from centre ice - looking at you, Dan Cloutier - or routine playoff disappointment, how about squandering a 3-0 series lead on the Chicago Blackhawks and turning it into a game 7, where they're not sure who plays goal?  Only the Canucks, and I'm pretty sure I mean that literally.

In other NHL play, the Nashville Predators finally won their first playoff series in franchise history yesterday when they knocked off the Anaheim Ducks.  If you missed Bobby Ryan's spectacular goal on Friday night, it is at the bottom today.  Philadelphia and Buffalo will play a game 7 tomorrow, as will the 'nucks/Hawks. They'll be joined by Boston at Montreal for their Game 6, with the Habs needing a win to stay alive after dropping the last three. Pittsburgh is on the road tonight trying to close out Tampa Bay, who crushed them on Saturday, and L.A. is at home trying to stay alive against the San Jose Sharks in their Game 6.

I thought it was in bad form for Joe Torre to be involved in a book that dished some dirt on teams he used to work with while he was still in the game, so it is in really bad form for New York Yankees fading captain Derek Jeter to be involved in a book that takes cracks at GM Brian Cashman and Alex Rodriguez. Those look like they'll be Jeter's hardest hits of the season.

Nice of the Toronto Raptors to be working so hard to fix their image as a joke of a franchise, leaving their GM twisting in the wind with his contract set to expire and a very, very important draft to get right.  I'm sure the rest of the league will look very favorably on that circus if they can do Bryan Colangelo like that.

Count soon-to-be-free-agent Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes among those not exactly thrilled with the thought of working in Winnipeg in the future.  Always thought the expression was "beggars can't be choosers" - silly me.

It might not be their year yet, again, but a Buffalo Bills veal chop sounds pretty good. 

Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista is looking like a star, but if he doesn't get somebody who can get on in front of him or protect him in the cleanup spot, he's going to have the closest to 1:1 ratio of homers to RBI in the history of baseball I suspect.

Warning: not for the weak stomached.  A horrible, horrible tackle in the Colorado-Seattle MLS tilt this weekend, with a worse result.  Won't even embed it here so nobody views it by accident.

It is getting close to a week out, but if you've not seen Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos drop the Copa Del Rey in a victory parade last week, only to see it get run over by the bus he was riding on, take a moment.  Word is Arsenal is interested in Ramos now, what with their love of guys who can let trophies slip through their fingers.


Bobby Ryan's wonder goal on Friday night...