Barca rules

I tend not to get too carried away with the "best of all time" talk that gets too easily thrown around, and Barcelona has been the subject of that talk for the last year or two with their dominant ways, but after Saturday's dominance of a pretty damn good Manchester United squad who played the right players and system to contain them and still lost 3-1, tough not to imagine there are too many better.   One bit of hyperbole I will subscribe to is that Lionel Messi is the most talented and electric athlete in the world.  Absolute freak.

At some point this week, the NBA and NHL finals will both get under way, contested by teams we can't remember by the time it rolls around.  For compelling though, I believe the NBA final blows the NHL away.

Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks is taking confidence to new levels.  He's vowing that if his squad loses the NBA Final, that he'll have the tattoo of that ugly trophy the NBA awards to its champion removed from his arm.  Ouch.  He best be winning then!

Top 50 best trash talk moments in sports, with video.

Hockey Canada is going to a place where the NHL hasn't had the sack to go: they're banning all head hits.  Period.  That said, the rules don't apply to the independently operated junior loops.

One of my fav website to follow is the page at Baseball Prospectus - updated daily - that forecasts teams' final records and their odds of making the playoffs.

Chicago White Sox starter John Danks is no fan of Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista, who he told to quit acting like a clown in slamming his bat down after a pop up with the Jays leading 9-1.  Will be interesting to see the react to that one.  If it were A-Rod, I'm sure Jays Nation Hamlet would be singing a different tune.

Be very afraid, NBAer, the league is said to be chasing a $45 million hard cap, a huge change from where they are today. 

Have a great Monday!