The Cups runeth over

Where's the arena to the left, you wonder? That's what Jim Balsillie is hoping to shape Copps Coliseum into. More here. And nice touch here having the hot ladies ogled by the creepy looking dude in the shades...the Toronto Blue Jays stopped their losing streak from reaching double digits with a 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Mix in a New York Yankees win over Cleveland and the Bronx Bombers are alone in first place for the first time since the last day of the 2006 season...the LA Lakers are back in the NBA Finals after dispatching the Denver Nuggets. Have to say, I'm a bit surprised they turned it around as they did. They'll await the winner of Orlando and Cleveland's series, which sees game 6 tonight at the O-rena, or whatever they're calling it these days...Setanta Sports is carrying the FA Cup this morning, with Chelsea facing Everton at London's Wembley Stadium. Can't imagine Chelsea doesn't win this one comfortably. I'm in on the split line of -0.5 -1 -110 on Chelsea...Toronto FC star Dwayne De Rosario visits his former team - the Houston Dynamo - tonight. I'm guessing a very motivated DeRo puts on a show and TFC take three very key points on the road. Kickoff is 8:30 on SportsNet. I'm in on TFC at a great-value +383..not only is the Real Madrid at Toronto FC game happening, it will not be offered to season ticket holders as part of their one international friendly, for which they're already holding tickets. Ticket prices have not been announced, but my guess is MLSE is consulting with the New York Yankees about appropriate pricing models, starting with arm/leg and moving up to first born child and so on. Nice of MLSE to put a grass field in to accommodate Real, that has to make Toronto FC's players who've been begging to have grass installed for years feel great that it is good enough for an exhibition game, but not for the guys it pays every week. MLSE sucks, and we the fans swallow it all...the Stanley Cup starts tonight, and hard not to like the Pittsburgh Penguins at +134 for the series, I'm in on that too. Get down at Pinnacle. Pitt in 6 is my call, against the odds..today, I have gambling issues...have a great Saturday. May the winners be ours, and if not, at least mine.

Gretzky would pocket $22.5 million if Coyotes sold

The bad blood is starting to flow in the Houston/LA Lakers series, one evened up by the Lakers yesterday. The Tru Warrior got into it with Kobe Bryant after The Rapist flicked an elbow at Artest's mellon, leading to the rather unfortunate haircut at right, and Artest's ejection...it took until the dying minutes of injury time for Barcelona to generate their first real chance of the game, one which they trailed 1-0, but Andres Iniesta dropped a dagger into Chelsea's hearts with a killer shot from the top of the box to even the score, and put Barcelona into the Champions League final against Manchester United. And really, could there be a more appealing final? Those two have been the best all year, with United also doubling as the defending champion. Develop a cold on May 27th, this is gonna be a great one...on the heels of Arsenal bowing out of the Champions League on Tuesday, one fan figured that was enough, and decided to hang himself, wearing his jersey no less. Good thing he's not taking things too seriously...Derek Jeter isn't even looking to pull an employee discount in renting a private box for the season at Yankee Stadium. The cost? A mere $850,000. Word is the box is even equipped to not show replays of balls going past him to his left side...shame for Manchester United that Chelsea flamed out. After all, with the Blues having Michael Ballack in their side, it would have guaranteed a win for United with the perennial bridesmaid on the other side...Charles Barkley has the Denver Nuggets to win the NBA's ugly trophy. If that happens, can you think of a more important trade in any sports history than the Nuggets acquisition of Chauncey Billups?...Memo to New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman: go get Huston Street or somebody that can work out of the bullpen other than Mariano Rivera or Brian Bruney. Then purchase a gun and shoot Phil Coke...the nicer the weather gets, the less I care about the NHL playoffs, but for what it is worth, Pittsburgh won to get to within a game of their series with Washington, and Carolina surprisingly leads Boston after a 3-2 win...think Wayne Gretzky wants the Phoenix Coyotes sale to Jim Balsillie to happen? He stands to pocket $22.5 million if it does...Toronto FC won the opening game of the Canadian Championship, 1-0 over the Vancouver Whitecaps...back with the PTP later.

Alone, the terms "Pittsburgh Steelers fan", "gynecologist" and "The Price is Right" aren't that funny, but when you put them all together and the guy doesn't go with the traditional $1 bid when he thinks the rest have overbid, well, that is worth a look.

Cinco de Mayo

Whatever happened to Geddy Lee at Toronto Blue Jay games? Maybe he's one of the average of 6,428 fewer fans attending Jays games on average this season, the third biggest decline in baseball...and what about the voice of Geddy Lee, how did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy?...a pair of hat-tricks from Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in a series that so far is living up to the hype. The Caps managed another goal, however, and held serve at home to lead the series 2-0. Hilites below. Those lit UPS ads on the the rinks boards in Washington and elsewhere have to go...anybody figure the KC Royals would be first in the AL Central in May? Granted, hardly the best division but still. Zach Greinke is now 6-0 with another complete game shutout registered...Buster Olney, maybe the most informed voice in baseball in my opinion, was on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike Show yesterday and called most of the evidence in Selena Roberts book "A-Rod" "circumstantial" at best, and notes he knows plenty of guys who gain 25lbs in a year in high school, as I'm sure most do. Doug Mientkiewicz, a high school teammate of A-Rod's, said there it was "99.9% impossible" he used then without D.M. being aware of it. Olney said there is absolutely no smoking gun telling us any more than what we've already had confirmed. He called the book "wanting, badly" and lacking in attribution of even the simplest details. On pitch tipping, Olney said what was presented was a hypothetical and that when his former teammate and second baseman Michael Young says the allegation is "ridiculous", you have to believe that. His manager at the time - Buck Showalter - also said there was no way he tipped pitches, and if he had, it would have been addressed immediately in the dugout. Showalter is a hardass, if you didn't know. But at least Roberts had named sources for the notion he only tips 15% at Hooters, which puts him about 15% ahead of Tiger Woods and Scottie "No Tippin'" Pippen. Ought to get interesting this weekend when A-Rod returns. He'll get booed, sure, but he'll resume slamming the ball off walls and out of the yard, same as always...Megan Fox video. Enough said. I swear to you it is the real deal or may my Yankees never win another game...SI.com's Jon Heyman looks at the contenders and pretenders among the early season surprises. Jays fans - don't expect to be impressed...New York Yankee pitcher AJ Burnett must be some kind of movie buff. How else do you explain this swank theatre in his home? Scroll down for more pics here at the right of the page. Burnett's Yankees have got a load of pressure on them tonight as they try not to get swept in a two-game series at home that would leave them 0-5 against Boston on the year after last night's 6-4 loss...hands up, who had the LA Lakers losing Game 1 at home to Houston and the Boston Celtics losing at home to Orlando?...the latest on RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie is he's looking to bring an NHL team to Burlington. Burlington?...Arsenal hosts Manchester United today in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. United won their home leg 1-0 last week, and can advance with a win or tie of any score. A 1-0 loss and the game head's to overtime. My bet is United advance whatever the case, they simply won't be shut out today and with Rio Ferdinand healthy, their defence will be strong. Can't wait for this one...RMer J.C. asks what's the most shocking Tampa Bay Ray stat: Carl Crawford has 18 steals, Evan Longoria has 31 RBI, Carlos Pena has 11 HR, or that Tampa is 11-16?...back with your PTP later.


Caps vs. Pens hilites...

A 4,800 calorie burger?

Check out this 4,800 calorie beast a minor league baseball team in Michigan is conjuring up: 1 pound of bread, five patties totally nearly two pounds, five slices of cheese, and a dollop of salsa, nacho cheese and Fritos. God bless America. Please, watch this video to see how it is made...either the entirety of the United States is terrified of the power of Barack Obama, or he's playing people to see if they take a joke seriously. After all, he couldn't have been serious about Congress looking at the Bowl Championship Series. What's next, have them tackle the NFL's overtime rules? The NHL shootout? I'm continually amazed at what is seen as a valuable use of time in an environment where the economy is crumbling globally...not only could the NFL move to 17 or 18 games, they might do it as soon as the 2011 season with the season starting in August. Now if only the NHL and NBA could trim their pre-season's to get things under way sooner and ending sooner. The world doesn't need NHL playoff hockey in June...it only took about a decade, and enough votes that it could've funded at least the lower bowl, but the Florida Marlins are finally getting their stadium, and it'll sit at the site of the now-imploded Orange Bowl...now that he's been accused of being a deadbeat dad, wonder if Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh is thinking of skipping town? Or maybe he's just looking for a disguise. I suggest he go under cover as RuPaul...so Cleveland Brown Donte Stallworth had enough time to flash his headlights at the man he ran down and killed last week, but not hit the brakes. Talk about a guy committed to running his routes...Stephen Brunt of the Globe & Mail told Prime Time Sports that Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett was in Waterloo recently, the same place a certain Jim Balsillie resides. Very interesting...further proof that fools never learn and that Isaiah Thomas can always fool somebody, he's being looked at for a front office job in the NBA. With the LA Clippers. Right, because that'll change things...next up in the "People I Hate" series: People Who Say "I could care less." Listen closely: if you're saying that without obvious sarcasm, that means YOU DO IN FACT CARE because it is possible for you to care less than you do. I'm continually amazed how often perfectly intelligent people get that one wrong in everyday life, on TV, in movies - wherever. Write that down, clown, does it look like that means you don't care?...March Madness resumes tonight and you can look forward to Duke going out to Villanova...have a great Thursday, back with your PTP later.