Take Me To The Edge of Seven

The Stanley Cup Final is going to a seventh game after the Pittsburgh Penguins continued the home ice dominance in this series that has seen all six games won by the home side. Game 7 goes Friday night in Detroit. Guarantee? There is going to be a serious riot regardless of the outcome in The D. But seriously, I'm sticking with the Pens...the Orlando Magic shot a record 75% from the field in the first half last night but even that only gave them a five point half-time lead over the LA Lakers. The Magic did, however, win the game to leave the series at 2-1 Lakers with game four on Thursday...two of the final four point guards in the NBA were one time Toronto Raptors: Rafer Alston of Orlando and Chauncey Billups of Denver...Toronto FC are finally making some moves, ditching the overpaid stiff that was goalie Greg Sutton, and trading for Canadian striker Ali Gerba and defender Nick Garcia, whom Google and Wikipedia might struggle to know anything about. Good to see GM Mo Johnston isn't entirely asleep at the controls...AJ Burnett was nearly bulletproof last year against AL East opponents, and entered last night 5-0 in his career against the Boston Red Sox. This year? Not so much. He's issuing more free passes than his former teams on a Tuesday night and was out early in a 7-0 New York Yankee loss to the Red Sox. Show up anytime, A.J., and maybe you can fix that two start record against Boston of 7.2 innings, 13 hits, 11 earned runs and a 12.91 ERA, and leave the pies in the face routine for when you're contributing. The thought that Chien-Ming Wang is going tonight isn't exactly inspiring...RM is doing it, and taking Bukkake's suggestion that this become a Brett Favre free zone. There will be no more Favre "unretirement" talk, but I will occasionally make mention of anything bad that happens to him - delightfully. Now where's that voodoo doll?...Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Litsch is going to be out 12-18 months as he's now scheduled for Tommy John surgery. He might need his own area code after being laid up that long with his nutritionally overachieving ways...Dany Heatley has asked for a trade from the Ottawa Senators...and yes, that was a Wham! reference in the title today. No clue why...have a great Wednesday.

Do or die

Brett Favre has apparently been told the Minnesota Vikes need an answer this week. Knowing Favre, he'll treat that request with all the respect he's given everyone else which is to say, none...the new Yankee Stadium is now on pace to set the home run record in a season, aided greatly by the Yankees four bombs last night in a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. One thing I don't understand about the new stadium: given 9/11, doesn't it seem a bit strange they play air raid sirens when the Bronx Bombers go yard?...everything that is wrong with HiDef can be summed up in two words: Vicki Guerrero...Brazilian all-world midfielder Kaka has jumped ship from AC Milan to Real Madrid, for a record fee of $92 million (U.S.). Is Cristiano Ronaldo up next for Real?...speaking of Real, ticket prices for their friendly in Toronto on August 7th were announced and they're a real un-friendly, recession-be-damned range of $140-$215. The first figure is for the south end bunker seats where the hardcores sit. Those same seats go for a season ticket price of $230. Just sayin'...the Orlando Magic are a perfect 0-6 in their history in the NBA Finals. Not much to believe in if you're the Magic...on Morency, Gabe Morency and Cam Stewart talked of how they hit a Toronto Blue Jays game on a Junior Jays day in the last week. In the gift bags to kids, there was no Jays merch but posters to a new Eddie Murphy movie, movie promoting pencils and erasers and so on. Interpret that as you will, but Morency concluded that if Rogers weren't the owners looking to promote its stores and services, that team would be on the "move" list with the way it is otherwise supported...it will be the last game at the Igloo in Pittsburgh tonight regardless of the result in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals. Detroit could hoist the Cup for the second straight year in Steeltown. Between 21 active Red Wings, they've got 40 Stanley Cup rings...word from ESPN Baseball Today's resident curmudgeon Peter Pascarelli is that Manny Ramirez is in the best shape of his life and was anihilating balls at a recent workout. ManRam returns July 3rd...one of sports best rivalries - Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees - resumes hostilities tonight in Beantown, the first of three...the MLB Draft starts today, and if you haven't heard of soon to be top pick Stephen Strasburg, you will soon. He's been called once-in-a-lifetime talent. Shame he's going to the Washington Nationals who can't seem to get anything right. Maybe Strasburg's 100mph heat turns them around?...have a great Tuesday.

Federer takes 14th Grand Slam title

Roger Federer finally won the French Open - his first - and has now tied Pete Sampras with 14 Grand Slam wins. Great stuff for an all-time great. Next stop is the grass at Wimbledon where he'll be shooting for #15 as the top seed...Toronto Blue Jay Roy Halladay is the first major leaguer to reach 10 wins, and went the distance to get it done, a 4-0 shutout of the Kansas City Royals. Getting to 10 is a lot easier when you've not pitched against the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees once, however...Toronto FC is plummeting down the Eastern Conference table, tied for third in points but 5th when tie-breaks are worked in, and having played more games. Not good. The Toronto Sun's Gareth Wheeler lays the blame, rightly, at the feet of GM Mo Johnston...the L.A. Lakers needed overtime to grab a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. The series now goes to Orlando for the next three. I'll never understand how the NBA goes 2-2-1-1-1 in every round until the finals. A split in L.A. would've seriously hurt the Lakers in that format, no?...Jerry Jones is entertaining the idea of bringing back Adam "Pacman" Jones to the Dallas Cowboys. If you're going to do it Jerry, do it now. That guy needs work, not to be brough in in August and then expected to be up to speed...here are the 10 biggest jaw dropping moments in pro wrestling history. Can't believe that Roddy Piper cracking Jimmy Snuka with a coconut didn't make the list...Cristiano Ronaldo interviews Cristiano Ronaldo. Seriously...game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals goes tonight. I think...have a great Monday.

I don't know who Cristiano Ronaldo's agent is, but this guy has Scott Boras and Jerry Macguire whipped. He's negotiated a deal with Real Madrid that will see his client collect £26m (about $46 million Canadian, $42 million U.S.) if Real fail to complete his transfer from Manchester United by the end of June - just two weeks away. This is the greatest no lose situation I've ever seen an athlete in: go to Real, probably get a huge raise. Stay at Man U, pocket enough money from the failed deal that the raise you would've had looks like pocket change and as an added bonus, you get to play on a great team. Yes, that was a none-too-subtle dig at Real...continuing a busy month in MMA, WEC has a card on the go tonight, on Versus if you've got it at 9pm. Mike Brown will fight Urijah Faber in the main event, a rematch of their epic 2008 fight. The rest of the card here...Fork? Meet Marco Velez. The Toronto FC player is the single worst defender I've ever seen that collects a pay cheque - anywhere - and was beat on both LA Galaxy goals as TFC lost 2-1...nice play by Toronto Blue Jay Alex Rios, responding with "who gives a fuck?" repeatedly when a fan cracked him on the streets for his five strikeout performance on Thursday night. Rios, you're a loser. Period. End of. Catch his act here. Thanks to GBVH for that one...Miami Dolphin Joey Porter says his team are "the champions until proven otherwise." Seriously. I didn't realize winning the division was such a big deal...if the old maxim that "it isn't a series until somebody loses at home," then the Stanley Cup finals is yet to be a series. That said, in a 5-0 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings sure made it seem like it is about to become a series with game six in Pittsburgh. The Wings are up 3-2 and eyeing their fifth Cup in 12 years...have a great Sunday.

March of the Penguins in The D

A huge day of World Cup qualifying around the globe but as always, the focal point remains Europe. Some impactful matches: Ukraine at Croatia battle for second in Group 6, and Portugal and Sweden badly need wins to get back in the Group 1 mix...game five of the Stanley Cup finals goes tonight and the momentum seems to have moved towards the Pittsburgh Penguins anytime the pace picks up. But, this one is in Detroit and the home teams have held serve throughout so far, but something tells me the Pens are going to grab the series by the throat tonight, even with Pavel Datsyuk returning for the Wings...Toronto FC host the LA Galaxy who last year scored and conceded goals by the boat load. This year, they've tightened up considerably but are a crazy 1-1-9. Yes, one win, one loss and nine draws. Both teams will be minus some key players as a result of World Cup qualifying - Marvelle Wynne and Amado Guevara for Toronto, Landon Donovan for L.A. - but soldier on they must. Looks like TFC rookie 'keeper Stefan Frei is out with a foot infection...on The Score tonight (Showtime in the U.S.) starting at 9pm, Strike Force present their latest card, with Robbie Lawler facing Jake Shields in the main event. Nick Diaz and Scott Smith should be the fight of the night for my money. See the rest here..Stewart Cink on the PGA Tour tweets while playing. If you can tweet, email or anything resembling that while playing, how much of a sport are you playing, really?...Toronto Legacy as an expansion NHL franchise? Not with that name that makes the Minnesota "Wild" seem like a good idea. I'm sure the NHL would rather deal with that ownership group than Jim Balsillie, given how commissioner Gary Bettman - a former NBA man - operates. After all, the NBA once granted ownership of the Toronto Raptors to John Bitove when there were more suitable options (Dave Perkins)...the Toronto Blue Jays were the first to score on Zach Greinke this year, and now are the first to pound him without mercy. The Jays were 9-3 winners over Kansas City last night at Rogers Centre...the women's French Open final between Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova goes this morning. Don't imagine anyone cares much...playing the Florida Marlins today at -128, England -2 -128 over Kazakhstan, Croatia -.5 -1 -103 over Ukraine (LOVE that line) and the New York Mets -1.5 +133 over the Washington Nats...have a great Saturday.

Lakers draw first blood

Nice to see the Pittsburgh Penguins fans take a page out of the Toronto Raptors fan playbook and dress in the colour of the visiting team. The Penguinos downed the Red Wings 4-2 to even the series and to answer yesterday's question, no, the Wings couldn't continue to hold Sidney Crosby down...as if the NBA's championship trophy wasn't ugly enough, did they really need to have it covering half the floor at the Staples Center in L.A.? You can see the bloody thing from the moon. The Lakers opened the series with a 100-75 beatdown of the Orlando Magic. Awaiting word whether Pau Gasol hurt his hand when Kobe slapped it in the picture to the right..nice touch on the part of The Mandarin restaurant having a TV spot in which two young girls, maybe 10, are declared as being "crazy about chicken balls". Me? I'm crazy about Chickenfoot, in stores today...if Rachelle Leah was hosting a UFC All Access to the worst fighter in the world, I'd watch. She's that smokin'...Toronto FC's season ticket holders will indeed have first crack at their own tickets - weird as that may sound - for the August visit by Real Madrid...Randy Johnson finally completed his journey to 300 against one of the worst teams in history in a virtually empty stadium. Almost fitting for one of the games most miserable guys...Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis gave up five runs without allowing a hit. Five walks and a hit batter will help that along...a great piece on athletes and their wives that shows the athletes are usually getting the better end of the deal. Yes, I'm talking about you Marko Jaric, Jeff Garcia and Scott Podsednik, among others...good of the NBA to wait until the opening of its championship series to announce that LeBron James was being fined $25,000 for skipping out on the media a week ago...you cannot make this up. Boston Red Sox one-time slugger David Ortiz is having his eyes checked. What, it took two months of hitting .187 for the Sox to figure that might be an idea?...Toronto Star journo Dave Feschuk took apart Chris Bosh in this fantastic piece. That Bosh thinks he deserves the same money as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade - multiple time playoff round winners and MVP's of the regular season and playoffs, respectively - is downright comical. Bosh is intent on reaching free agency after the next season...have a great Friday.

Final-ly

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is broke? Well, not quite, says one report coming out of Dallas, but he's sure making money matters a topic in each decision, something hinted at in these parts as why he might be retaining Wade Phillips instead of turfing him. Not going to be a great year for the Cowboys I suspect...the NBA Finals finally get under way tonight. Many have discounted the Orlando Magic to their own detriment the last couple rounds, but I have a real hard time believing Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson allow the LA Lakers to lose the final two straight years. Lakers in 6...it doesn't always end well in sports, even for good guys like Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves, released by the Braves yesterday and surely done. The Tommy Hanson era should begin in Hotlanta momentarily...Kaka may be heading to Real Madrid, or is it Chelsea? Both clubs have record breaking bids in on the midfield ace, though it sounds like a Madrid deal has been agreed upon. The soccer silly season is crazier than any other...hard to believe it has been 20 years since the SkyDome/Rogers Centre opened in Toronto. One review of all major league parks had it ranked 29th, ahead of only Tampa Bay. Ouch...David Ortiz could be bench bound in Boston for good. Guess that's what happens when your designated hitter stops, you know, hitting. Expect the Sox to make a bold move to shore up their offence - Matt Holliday, Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn have been mentioned. GM Theo Epstein is too good to sit idly by...Randy Johnson's quest for 300 wins was pushed back to today thanks to rain in Washington...a day after using Mark Teixera for target practice, the Texas Rangers tired of Vincente Padilla's bean ball ways and putting his own players in the firing line and released him...Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals goes tonight. With one point in three games, you have to figure the Detroit Red Wings can't hold Sidney Crosby down forever, can they?...have a great Thursday.

Big Unit goes for 300

Randy Johnson will go for his 300th win against the Washington Nationals. Fitting, given he started in the majors with the Montreal Expos who of course degenerated into the Nats...Dana White and the UFC have announced that Kimbo Slice will be a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 10. White says the only way Slice will fight in the UFC if he wins the competition. Question is whether Slice takes someone out in the yard as he is known to do and gets booted from the show first...Roy Halladay had 14 k's last night, a career high, and picked up his 9th win, five fewer than the Washington Nationals. The Jays will next face a divisional opponent June 29th in another scheduling quirk. If the Jays fall out of it, what are the odds they package Vernon Wells horrible contract with Roy Halladay's very pallatable one to clear salary and net a boat load of talent?...Toronto FC just cannot close things out, whether it be late leads or in last night's case, the Canadian Championship. In losing 2-0 to Vancouver, they now need to beat Montreal 4-0 to take the title. Not happening...Roger Federer is a perfect 35-0 against the remaining opponents in his bracket up to and including the final at the French Open...during the New York Yankees errorless run, which ended last night when Jorge Posada launched a ball into centre field, the Yankees were 14-4 with an ERA of 3.60. In the game before the streak, they were 16-17 and had 20 errors and a 6.06 ERA. They're also 13-15 minus A-Rod, 18-6 with...ever wish you had someone that could do your dirty work for you? Someone to pick up a box of beer when you need, get your car fixed, maybe dump your girlfriend for you so you can focus on more important things, like your soccer career and which bar you're going to hit? Turns out that such a thing does exist, and Manchester United has such a man in Barry Moorhouse. Hilarious dig at Dimitar Berbatov here, too. Maybe the greatest thing I've ever heard...in the Stanley Cup finals, 44 times a team has had a 2-0 lead. 41 times said team went on to close it out, with the last to blow it in 1971. That said, the Pittsburgh Penguins at least look like they're willing, and we'll still assume able, to reverse that trend, thanks to a nailbiting 3-2 win last night...the Orlando Magic's players are saying that Jameer Nelson will play in the finals, which start tomorrow, after being on the shelf since February 19th. Bad idea. Doesn't matter who your are, coming back after that much time off and thinking you're in game shape isn't possible, nevermind it'll mess with the team chemistry. Dress, high five, cheer the guys on. Play? Bad idea...word is Kate Hudson, A-Rod's current flame, was in the same venue as his former flame Madonna, and Kate was stearing clear. Good move, Kate. You wouldn't want her catching you between that ever widening gap in her grill while she blasted you in a faux-English accent...NBA Commissioner David Stern isn't happy that LeBron James refused to shake hands or talk to the media after his Cavs were eliminated on Friday night. Look, I get that some view that as being classless or lacking in sportsmanship - and I'm not even sure it is - but you know what is more classless or lacking in sportsmanship? Shaking hands because you're forced to when you don't mean it. Stern is looking to talk to LeBron at which point he will make his judgment clear. Judgment? Not for you to police, Stern...Real Madrid has confirmed on its website that it will indeed be visiting Toronto on August 7th to face Toronto FC...have a great Wednesday.

Chelsea boys play with each other's peckers. Seriously.

Jobamania!

Canadians Jason Bay and Justin Morneau are 2nd and 3rd in the American League in RBI...still have a bit of a chuckle when I see the Cleveland Indians home is called Progressive Field...seems a bit odd that the Montreal Canadiens would hire Jacques Martin to coach. Martin is a notorious defence first coach on a team that looks to attack, and hardly a playoff performer on a club where playoff success is all that matters. That said, Carey Price fantasy owners will be thrilled...the New York Yankees have set the MLB record for games without an error at 18 in downing the Cleveland Indians 5-2 to open a lead of a game on Boston. Of all the things this Yankee fan hoped for this year, that's one I would not have expected. What's that line about defense and championships?...UFC 99 will see the return of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Maybe he'll finally live up to the hype that preceded his very uninspiring fights in his previous UFC outings? He'll take on the mammoth Mustapha Al-Turk...not sure how much experience Alvin Williams will bring as a Toronto Raptors assistant coach but if he can give that team even a small percentage increase in playing with heart - which the guy known as "The Raptor" is better suited than anyone - that will at least give them, you know, some...Toronto FC are in Vancouver to face the Whitecaps tonight and need only a draw to take the Canadian Championship, making up for last year's debacle...Chris Bosh has a DVD due in the fall featuring his many online characters. If you buy this, you're a loser...one reason why the LA Dodgers might not be as great as they appear: they're 23-9 against the horrific NL West, and a still respectable, but nowhere near as dominant 12-9 against the rest...Jim Balsillie has filed a formal application to move the Phoenix Coyotes. Me and a few long-time Leafs sufferers - err - fans have always said if a team gets closer than Toronto, we're freed from our obligations so really, really hoping this comes true, though the idea of Hamilton is something less than ideal...tonight, bet the San Francisco Giants on the run line at -1.5 +116 at the Washington Nationals. Enjoy.

Wings Top Pens Again

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a world of trouble. Down 0-2 in the series after another 3-1 loss, it appeared they would also be without Evgeni Malkin for game three - which some might say would be his third game out - after he drew an instigator penalty late in the game for jumping Henrik Zetterberg. Guess if you can't beat 'em, try to beat 'em. The NHL has said he won't be suspended because they want to avoid a sweep (okay, making the last part up there). Does anyone believe that the Pens can take four of five over the Wings now? Can't say I do really, not when Marc-Andre Fleury is giving up howlers like he did on the third Wings goal last night. Hilites below...Rafael Nadal lost for the first time at the French Open. Ever. Four tournies and four wins leading up to this year and it is "adios" in a four set loss to somebody named Robin Soderling. Roger Federer was taken to five sets this morning against Tommy Haas, but survived..10 of the 14 earned runs given up by Toronto Blue Jays rookie Ricky Romero have been homers. That's how she goes sometimes, Ricky. Wonder how his neck is feeling? The Jays took two of three from Boston on the weekend...Joe Nieuwendyk is off to Dallas to become the Stars new General Manager. If all the reports are true, the Stars got themselves a good one...Liverpool star Steven Gerrard offers these tips on picking up the ladies: "go ugly, avoid the rush"...no, I didn't miss the Toronto FC game on Saturday, a 3-0 ass whipping at the hands of the Houston Dynamo, I was just so infuriated by rank amateur defending I chose not to talk about it. That said, where's the designated player, said to be a defender, we've heard so much about?...Florida State hammered Ohio State 37-6. No, this wasn't a football bowl game, but the longest baseball game in NCAA history, and 17 other records tied or broken by Free Shoes U...after two months of playing well below his lofty standards, the Cleveland Indians figured something was off with Grady Sizemore, and he's now on the DL...the Chris Bosh trade rumours remain. The latest has him dealt for Carlos Boozer, in what would have to be a sign and trade for the free agent Boozer, and would immediately result in me purchasing a Raptors jersey, or in a package including Luol Deng from the Chicago Bulls. Ominous words from the NY Daily News: "the Raptors privately, are acknowledging for the first time that they might need to trade Bosh, rather than risk losing him to free agency in 2010"...have a great Monday.

The King Is Dead

Have you ever seen a team go from total dominance through two rounds of the NBA playoffs to a no-show in an elimination game than the Cleveland Cavs? The Cavs lost 103-90 to Orlando last night, and it wasn't even as close as that score. LeBron James wasn't talking post-game. Also something I haven't seen: the Eastern Conference trophy. Seriously, don't recall ever seeing that in the decades I've watched hoops...Everton opened the scoring in the first minute, but Chelsea proved to be the far stronger side as they lifted the FA Cup with a 2-1 win that seemed unlikely when forever the bridesmaid Michael Ballack came on for Chelsea...told that pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is upset that he isn't back in the starting rotation, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman got off this gem: "his contract says 'baseball player', not 'starting pitcher'"...LA Dodgers manager Joe Torre says Manny Ramirez shouldn't go to the all-star game if he gets voted in. He also once said those still involved in the game shouldn't write books on the game, so there is that...Kansas City Royals stud pitcher Zach Grienke - only the third starting pitcher in the live ball era to have an ERA under 1.00 after his first 10 starts - gives great quote. Note the title of this piece here and you'll know what I mean by "great"...Chicago Cub Carlos Zambrano received a six game ban for his meltdown a few nights back. Does anything less than 10 days really mean much to a pitcher?...the NHL is expected to announce the Winter Classic is heading to Fenway Park. Also said to be in the works is a November date between the Montreal Canadiens and a visiting Toronto Maple Leafs team at Olympic Stadium. Awesome idea...tough day for #4 seeds at the French Open. Novak Djokovic is out on the men's side, while Elena Dementieva bowed out of the women's draw...the Washington Nationals are on pace to win 43 games this year. Soon to be #1 draft pick, flamethrower Stephen Strasburg, better be as good as advertised if they're going to ever turn it around...in the playoffs so far, Sidney Crosby and Gino Malkin have combined for an astounding 26 of the Pittsburgh Penguins 66 goals (39.4%) but the Detroit Red Wings shut them down last night and that was enough to give the Wings the opening game in the Stanley Cup finals with a 3-1 win...how to spend $1.5 billion in two minutes. Well, covering almost three years in two minutes of the construction of Cowboys Stadium in Dallas...the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons outlines what the Toronto Maple Leafs off-season should look like. Well worth a read...have a great Sunday.

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.

Cavs stay alive

Miracle of miracles, the NHL is not going to wait until June 5th to get the Stanley Cup Finals on the go. Instead, they'll start tomorrow at 1pm to accommodate NBC. Kidding. It'll actually be 8pm, but are any of you thinking an afternoon start would've been unthinkable in Gary Bettman's NHL? For those left that care, the schedule is here, and of course, today's poll questions is who do you like to hoist the cherished mug. Me, I'm liking Pittsburgh...Manny Ramirez is fourth in NL all star voting among outfielders which shows once again how ridiculous fan voting is, and how much people really care about performance enhancing drug use...the Cleveland Cavs, with A-Rod and CC Sabathia in the front row, raced out to a 22 point first half lead that they blew, and took another lead in the second hald to win Game 5 112-102 and stay alive in the Eastern Conference final. Game 6 goes tomorrow at 8:30 in Orlando...Toronto Blue Jays stud pitcher Roy Halladay has gone 7+ innings in each of his 11 starts this year. Shame he's not available this weekend as the Jays host the Boston Red Sox. That Jays bandwagon has emptied quicker than a Belgian weight lifting competition when the drug testers show up...GBVH has passed on a rumour that Real Madrid may be playing a friendly in Toronto against Toronto FC. Hard to imagine, but this season seat holder would reli$h that vi$it...the more I watch The Ultimate Fighter reality series, the more I love Michael Bisping. The guy is hysterical...have a great Friday.

Chaaaaaampionnnnns!

Hard to call Barcelona anything but a worthy champion after yesterday's performance. Manchester United came out a house of fire in the opening 10 minutes and easily could've scored on three occasions, but against the run of play, Samuel Eto'o turned the Man U defence inside out to open the scoring and from there, it was an impressive show of midfield dominance from Barca. What I cannot for the life of me figure out is how Man U manager Sir Alex Ferguson sends out his team for 60 games or so playing a 4-4-2 formation and then in the biggest one of all goes 4-3-3. The lack of midfield depth was exposed badly on many occasions. Kudos to Cristiano Ronaldo, about the only Man U player who had a good game. The rest were largely passengers and ineffective. How good was Lionel Messi's goal to put it away? Incredible. Iniesta was the man of the match for my money. Sir Alex Ferguson, among other United members, said Barca was a worthy winner, though I'm guessing Chelsea supporters wouldn't agree after they were robbed in the semis...it took overtime, but by knocking off the Chicago Black Hawks 2-1, the Detroit Red Wings are going to put NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to work to not have the Stanley Cup Finals start next weekend...the Chicago Cubs are taking on manager Lou Piniella's personality. First Milton Bradley had another of his trademark meltdown's and of course, then talk of how umpires are conspiring against him, as though that'll smooth things over, and yesterday, Carlos Zambrano went wild after a disputed call and whipped the ball into left field, threw his glove, and went Paul O'Neill on a water cooler on the way out. The Friendly Confines? Not so much...New York Yankee Mark Teixera went yard again for the now first place Yanks to continue a smoking hot few weeks. He's now hitting .275 with 15 homers and 39 RBI...so what is worse this week, blowing a 10-0 lead like the Tampa Rays did Monday or blowing an 8-2 lead and then blowing a 10-8 extra inning lead like the Blue Jays did yesterday in dropping their 9th straight? That's your new poll question...the LA Lakers may have won game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, but one unnamed Denver Nugget isn't sure all was on the up and up, claiming the Lakeshow "paid" for the game. Somewhere, NBA Commissioner David Stern just went Carlos Zambrano...rather annoying that "OTA" has become a part of everyday discussion when it comes to the NFL. Why not call it "Spring camp" or something? The world needs no more acronyms...have a great Thursday.

Champions League Final goes today

I don't think there is anyone that can argue that today's Champions League finalists aren't the two best clubs in Europe/the world this past season. Champions of their own leagues who both look to score and win with style, it ought to make for a great finale as Manchester United look to defend the title against Barcelona. I'm pulling for United, and made a wager on them at +172 to win in regulation and +106 to lift the trophy as a bit of a hedge if it goes overtime. Wouldn't shock me at all if I lose both ends of that, but I really suspect United's physical strength will rule the day. Question is can John O'Shea contain all universe player Lionel Messi when Messi comes down United's right side. I'm saying United win 3-1. United will wear all white for this one, and in discussing it, Sir Alex Ferguson of course took time to throw dirt on Real Madrid, 6-2 losers to Barcelona earlier this month, who wear all white. Awesome..next time you're crossing the border into Buffalo for a Sabres or Bills game, you'll notice the old Auditorium is coming down. Check it out here, you can watch it happen piece by piece...the Edmonton Oilers are about to become one super exciting squad to watch. Mix in young talent, great ice, and now an offense first coach in Pat Quinn and they'll be going places next year. Amazed it took Quinn so long to get a job, thrilled he landed in Edmonton...the Toronto Blue Jays - now losers of eight straight - haven't hit a home run in 67 innings...the LA Dodgers have won three games by drawing a bases loaded walk. The rest of MLB has pulled that one off twice combined. Hard to believe how well they Dodgers are getting it done minus Manny Ramirez...so, about Cleveland Cavs Mo Williams guarantee the Cavs would win the series: nevermind. The Cavs were overtime losers last ...the Pittsburgh Penguins completed the sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes, no doubt to great sadness at the NHLPA. The Detroit Red Wings are aiming to finish off the Chicago Black Hawks tonight...if you haven't seen the Jose Canseco fight on the weekend, check it out here. I haven't seen a guy run like that since Jack Tripper got in the ring on Three's Company...and then there is this Black Sabbath fan. Freaking awesome...have a great day. Enjoy the final.

"Enis" Kroenke doesn't rhyme with "genius"

In the NHL last night, oh, wait, another night with no action. Moving on...here's what a small sample size can do. Going into play yesterday, A-Rod was hitting a brutal .189, albeit with 7 homers of his 15 hits. Mix in a 5 for 5 day yesterday and he's a more reasonable .259. Not a bad return to Texas, site of his drug usage days...if the Toronto Blue Jays were a song, right now they'd be Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "Free Fallin'". Losers of 7 straight, and dropped to third place in the AL East. The Jays are 8-11 against teams north of .500; 19-10 against teams sub. 500...Cristiano Ronaldo says he only cares what happens with Manchester United next year and his heart is in Manchester. Of course, only a year ago he was said to be thinking Madrid and Real Madrid so who knows what is real other than this: he's very likely playing better than last season, at the key time too. Cannot wait for tomorrow's Champions League final...the most unlikely winner of 10 straight in the MLB - the San Diego Padres - just won 10 straight...frankly, I figured Vince McMahon et al would be a lot more biting than they were last night in their skewering of Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke...Jeremy Shockey was taken from a pool party in Vegas on a stretcher after being "dehydrated". Isn't that code for "partied way too hard"? Is there a guy whose career has had more ink but done less than that guy?...Cleveland Cavalier Mo Williams has done what the NBA and NHL playoffs were not missing so far: he has guaranteed a win in the Cavs series with the Orlando Magic. Nice of him to make that guarantee when he and his teammates have done about nothing so far to help LeBron James, and if not for that last second prayer LBJ hit, they're down 3-0...not only was I off in suggesting that it would be brutal if the Stanley Cup Finals started this Saturday if the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings wrapped up their series in the next couple days, that would have been the best case scenario if it were a case at all. The series is slated to start June 5th. Way to go, Gary Bettman. That could mean nine days off for the Wings...have a great Tuesday.

Raw is War

Bukkake passes on this great football helmet from the Van Horn Eagles in Van Horn, Texas. I've seen a lot of logo theft among football teams, but lifting Van Halen's logo is sheer genius. Loads more here...in honour of the French Open, here are the 26 hottest ladies there, or at least in one person's opinion... did I hear right? Toronto Blue Jays cleanup hitter Vernon Wells has gone 16 games without an RBI. Somebody alert Elias Sports Bureau, there's got to be a record threatened if not set here for guys batting 4th making over $15 million sans RBI. The Jays have lost their 6th straight and are in second place with Boston a half game up. The New York Yankees sit a game out...Chicago Fire beat New York Red Bull to jump past Toronto FC for first in the MLS East...the Windsor Spitfires scored on their first three shots en route to a 4-1 win over the Kelowna Rockets to take the Memorial Cup. Word is there are plenty of cars being offered for the parade, and nobody will have to miss work for the occasion...the David Price era - if you don't count last fall's couple starts and stellar relief through the playoffs - starts today for the Tampa Bay Rays. Price will face the terrible Cleveland Indians...the English Premier League season is over, and relegated to the lower league are Newcastle United, Middlesborough and West Brom. For those not awares, that is the equivalent of the bottom three in the NHL getting sent down to the AHL with the top three from the AHL coming up...hard to believe - meaning not hard to believe at all - that the Washington Redskins are being investigated for possibly tampering with Albert Haynesworth. Right, because teams and agents work out deals five minutes into the opening of free agency legitimately...nice month for Helio Castroneves. First, the IRS got off his back for tax evasion charges, and then he won the Indy 500 yesterday...the still slumped/finished David Ortiz doesn't want to sit out. Of course not, why let everybody know if they already don't that they'd be better off without you...don't forget, Monday Night Raw goes tonight, and expect the Denver Nuggets to take plenty, especially with the LA Lakers up 2-1 in the series and Raw being moved from the Nuggets home to the home of the Lakers...as headlines go, tough to beat "Porn Star Blows World Record Bid"...with a Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup final looking to be all but a lock, the best we can hope for is Gary Bettman won't wait until Saturday afternoon to start the final series...have a great Monday.

TFC curbstomp Revolution

The Pittsburgh Penguins look like they're getting stronger by the game and round as they went to the road and hammered the
Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 to go within a game of the sweep and another shot at the Stanley Cup...the final day of EPL action goes today, and we'll soon know who is out for next year. Setanta Sports features Newcastle United against Aston Villa, where Newcastle is desperately trying to hang on in the top tier and need a win. The Score will see champions Manchester United at Hull in HD at 11am...ESPN's Peter Gammons told The Michael Kay Show that New York Yankees Mark Teixera and A-Rod are to the middle of their order what Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz once were for the Boston Red Sox. That's some high praise. He also says A-Rod's performance with essentially 10 games of spring training shows how incredibly talented he is, and when he starts hitting to right field he could well end up leading the AL in home runs and RBI. A-Rod went deep in the 9th to tie yesterday's game with Philly, and Melky Cabrera won it later that inning to put the Yankees a half game out as the Toronto Blue Jays lost again. Boston lost and are a half game out as well...the Indy 500 goes today. I remember how big a deal that used to be but it now seems to sneak up on me. Hard to not get an entertainment sprinkle on the field at +768 at Pinnacle with Tomas Shekter and Paul Tracy among those in my favour...not sure why I find it so funny seeing guys whose second language is English swearing to themselves mostly in English, like Evgeni Malkin last night after getting kicked in the head accidentally and rubbing his jaw dropping F-bombs...Toronto FC finally broke loose at home and stomped the New England Revolution 3-1 after trailing for less than a minute. Fantastic win. Danny Dichio played arguably his best game for TFC and had a hand in all three goals, as did Amado Guevara in scoring a pair. And then there's Carl Robinson, money game in and out. The best sporting event in Toronto (Canada?) this year will be when TFC hosts a playoff game...Matt Hughes downed Matt Serra at UFC 98, and Lyoto Machida crushed the previously unbeaten Rashad Evans to take the light heavyweight title with a second round knockout. No fight was better than Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar in the first fight of the televised card, won by Edgar in a decision...the French Open is under way. Didn't know it started on a Sunday, or maybe I just forgot...have a great Sunday.

King James And The Friendly Timekeeper

Is there anyone that thinks that was a legit shot by Lebron James to win the game last night? One second and he can stop, pop and get a shot off, says GBVH? Not bloody likely. Of all the sports out there, do any seem more easily manipulated than hoops? The Cavs evened the series 1-1...the real winners of the Denver Nuggets and WWE double booking is, as always, Ticketmaster. They're charging an $8.95 service charge for RAW and that is non-refundable, a pretty healthy charge when tickets range $20-$70. With 11,000 tickets sold two weeks back and surely more since, Ticketraper are earning their name. You'd think they might have noticed they were selling tickets to the same venue on the same night, no?...the New York Yankees win streak is done at 9. Good thing for the Yankees that the Toronto Blue Jays lost again, as did the Boston Red Sox, though Tampa Bay won to get to 4.5 out in the tightening AL East...AJ Burnett has pitched well in spots but remains winless since April 14th...it sure sounds like Jake Peavy is greasing the skids for a move to the Chicago Cubs...guess the Chicago Black Hawks carrying two big ticket goalies all year wasn't such a bad plan after all. They went to Cristobal Huet for game 3 and he carried them to a 4-3 overtime win after Patrick Sharp scored early in the extra frame to make the series 2-1 for Detroit...mark July 12th on your calendars. That's when Entourage returns...the upside of the Blue Jays sending Travis Snider to the minors is it may impact his service time enough to keep him under team control for another year through 2015. That said, if he doesn't stop resembling a human air conditioner, it won't matter. Snider had 48 whiffs in 172 at bats with the big club until he got shipped to AAA...Jeremy Roenick is one of my all-time fav athletes just for speaking his mind. But saying Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has something against Americans as the explanation for him not playing Chris Chelios is just wrong, J.R. If you're hunting for theories, maybe take a peak at Cheli's age and effectiveness. American and Red Wing Brian Rafalski had this reaction: "Yeah, sure, he doesn't like me. He only lets me play with Niklas Lidstrom."...here is a quote, can you guess the source? "I don't watch ESPN. I don't believe half the [expletive] people on the channel personally - no disrespect." The source is new ESPN Monday Night voice Jon Gruden, just a couple years ago. Hoping Tony Kornheiser left him his notes, Gruden does a lot better riding the coattails of guys named Tony...good of the Calgary Flames to finally get around to firing Mike Keenan...Toronto FC host DC United today at BMO Field, and I'm calling for a win. Kickoff is 4pm, coverage on CBC...UFC 98 goes tonight. Rashad Evans defends his light heavyweight title against Lyoto Machida in the main event, and Matt Serra and Matt Hughes finally tangle after years of talk. I'm riding Evans and Serra in this one. Watch online here...playing the LA Dodgers today at -124. Enjoy...have a great Saturday.


LeBron James last second bucket...

Hurricane Gino

Evgeni Malkin led the way for the Pittsburgh Penguins with a hat-trick in Game 2 of the Eastern finals - the backhander was disgusting! - and the Pens downed the Carolina Hurricanes 7-4 to take care of business at home...so, Toronto Blue Jays fans, is the term "dry hump" front and centre yet? 1-5 against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees now after getting swept in Beantown and the noose - err - lead is getting tighter at the top, down to a half over Boston and a game and a half over New York. Good thing for Roy Halladay, or it might well be 0-6...is it just me, or is anyone you see rocking "Tap Out" gear that isn't a fighter a loser?...engineers say that when the original Yankee Stadium comes down in July, they're expecting the wind patterns to change and the propensity for balls flying out of right field will slow...I'll never understand how teams give no-trade clauses to players and I'll also never understand how a player invokes that clause when he can go to a team far better than his own, the way Jake Peavy has in opting to stay with the San Diego Padres instead of moving to the Chicago White Sox. How he ignores the Pads don't want him now is beyond me, and saying you want to stay in the NL only makes you seem weak and scared. Shame on you, Peavy...no sooner did I crack on Travis Henry yesterday than along came word from RM reader TS that he'd been arrested again, this time for violating conditions of his bond after his April conviction of cocaine trafficking. This is now way to pay for over a half dozen kids...it is the final weekend of the English Premier League and of course, that means teams at the relegation end are sweating what others are doing. In this case, there is talk of pending lawsuits over Manchester United's likely playing a sub-standard team against relegation threatened Hull, possibly helping Hull stay up if they get a result. I might be wrong, but what responsibility is it of United's to help anyone but themselves heading into the Champion's League final? Why didn't West Brom, Newcastle et al take care of their own business? That said, United's got more than enough to take care of Hull...another result of the conclusion of the EPL: a bevy of cancellations of Setanta Sports coming to Rogers and ExpressVu on Monday...how about all-time NFL draft bust Ryan Leaf? Busted for drug and burglary charges. He's a couple illegitimate kids from being the all-time loser...the LA Lakers again charged out fast but let the Denver Nuggets hang around, and this time they paid for it as the Nuggets evened the series. That's good news for the Nuggets, as only 7% of teams that go down 0-2 in the NBA playoffs historically bounce back to win the series...the Detroit Tigers are 10-0 on weekends this year...before catcher Joe Mauer did it yesterday in a 20-1 Minnesota Twins win over the Chicago White Sox, the last Twin to have 6 RBI as a DH in a game was named Jose Morales, who pulled off the feat in July of 1980. Strangely, the ChiSox catcher yesterday was named Jose Morales (no relation). What comes around, goes around...interleague baseball starts this weekend and I'm still a fan, though it isn't perfect. Each division should at least play the same teams to balance things out, and I'd like to see the home teams using the opposite league's rules to give the fans a taste of what the other offers...Minnesota Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson on the Brett Favre story: "I don't think it matters who you are. Eventually, you get tired of watching re-runs." Awesome...since opening 11-1, the Florida Marlins are 8-22...have a great Friday.

Masters Of Panic? Not Last Night

Now that Michael Vick has left the crow bar motel, you can start the rumor mill on where he lands. First up? The Buffalo Bills. And why not? There are guys who have done worse things in life still playing sports, and he's at least done his time and expressed remorse and hey, it isn't like the Bills haven't had some bad seeds in recent years. For the record, the "seed" comment is not related to Travis Henry - his seeds are potent...the UEFA Cup was an incredible final, won by Shaktar Donetsk with an overtime goal, 2-1, in a game dominated by Dario Srna. Shame there were no live Canadian feeds, except for those working free to air packages...trivia answer: Brett Cecil. Question: who served up David Ortiz first homer of 2009? Cecil gave up 5 bombs in 4 2/3 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays lost 8-3 and the AL East lead is evaporating fast...after one quarter, you had to be thinking that not only did the Cleveland Cavs not come out rusty after a long layoff, but they were looking stronger than ever after a 33-19 opening frame over the Orlando Magic. But it didn't last, and they found themselves in a knife fight that finished 107-106 for the visitors. Looking like there could be more to the Eastern Conference final than initially thought...after "Grease Gate", UFC fighter BJ Penn says he doesn't want to fight in Las Vegas anymore. Good thing, Prodigy, they tend to like big names there, not guys exposed as has beens...have to admit I find it funny that the entries are shorter when I'm not doing parts of them at the office...Vince McMahon and the WWE will be moving Monday Night Raw to the Staples Center in L.A. after the double booking at the Pepsi Center in Denver. You can bet your bottom dollar that the WWE will be taking several swipes at the Nuggets all night long. Here's betting one involves describing a nugget as something that gets left in the toilet after flushing...if you haven't seen Terrell Owens doing the Channel 7 Buffalo sportscast a few nights back, it is worth a peak here...speaking of sportscasters, one of my all-time favs is worth revisting. Just skip to about 2:20 and wait til 2:30 for your fix...have a great Thursday.

Mr. McMahon speaks on the moving of Monday Night Raw...