Twitter: making people worldwide think they are comedians.
How much rope does Brett Lawrie get? Worst batting average on the team and a whiner at the plate to boot. He's great in the field, but it's been over 30 games now and he is still hitting under 200. I think his ankle injury is the baseball gods way of punishing him for being a hoser.
So Wings coach Mike Babcock has never even been nominated for the Jack Adams award, yet he is already the consensus pick to coach Canada at next year's Olympics. He was the best coach in 2010 apparently and now 4 years later he is still the best but can't get nominated. Makes sense.
Ever notice that people driving too slow are idiots and people who pass you are maniacs?
Kick-ass slide guitar instrumental song by some Russian dude:
Masai Ujiri eh? Can he can do anything better/different than what Colangelo did? He's in a terrible position to start with considering the Raps have no draft picks this year, are in poor salary cap position, possess a non-playoff caliber roster, have very difficult players to trade in Bargnani, Linas Kleiza, Landry Fields (I could go on), as well as being a difficult place to attract free agents to play (even if they had cap room). If he doesn't like what he has to work with and can't pull off a miracle trade with Bargnani, then he will have to go the rebuilding route and then his plan rests entirely on draft picks and young players to pan out, which is not only a gamble, but a long term plan. This is somewhat similar to what Colangelo inherited when he signed on in 2006. It seems as though drafting hasn't been the primary downfall of the Raps - there is an impressive list of players T.O. has drafted, including Damon Stoudemire, Marcus Camby, Tracey McGrady, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Roy Hibbert, DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas (I realize there is also a list of terrible draft picks they've made as well, but that is true for just about any team). The bigger obstacle seems to be surrounding these good draft picks with other stars and a solid supporting cast - and you can't do it solely through the draft. So, is Toronto's situation caused by poor moves made by the GM or lack of quality options available to the GM - whoever he may be?
Here is a suggestion for the Toronto Raptors: Fold for 2 years. Re-start with a new name, logo, jerseys and team. Most people in Canada wouldn't notice anyway and the ones that would, would be happy with a fresh start.
At one time, when he was just a talented, young musician, Canada was proud of Justin Beiber. Yeah, not so much anymore. What a little tool.
See ya later John Tortorella. I have no sympathy for a guy who treats the media and players like he does but has no problem signing the fat contract that they help generate. How about you only get paid $100 and then you don't have to do any media at all? If you are going to coach that way you should never be surprised when you get canned. I think Tortorella and Babcock are complete opposites.
An excellent band to listen to if your brain is in slow motion is Six Parts Seven.
The Fan590 or TSN1050 radio should have a 2nd station that is strictly scores and updates. It would also read sports tweets as well.
What's the deal with NBA players trying to see who can dress the most ridiculous after games?
Remember the band Cake? They do a cool version of "I Will Survive". Cool guitar solo in the middle.
Tough end for the Wings this year. Even though losing to the Hawks in 7 games is nothing to be ashamed of, it still stings to lose after being up 3-1. I was actually disappointed in Datsyuk in this series. He played ok and did some things well, but not to the standards Wings fans are accustomed to. Not only did he not produce offensively, but he seemed to let Toews up off the mat once Chicago moved him away from Zetterberg, who had Toews completely off his game.
Speaking of Towes, I was surprised to see how poorly in control he was in that series. From his penalties to complaining to the refs and then complaining about the refs to the media, it was not what I expected or am used to from him. I always think of him as a reserved, calm and level-headed leader, but he showed very little of that against Detroit.
Detroit's season - The Good:
1. The kids are alright. Young players Brendan Smith, Danny DeKesyer, Gustav Nyquist and Damien Brunner all got progressively better this year and look to be good building blocks for the Wings going forward. It wasn't always a smooth process, especially since Wings fans are used to prospects going through growing pains in the AHL not the NHL, but there are several players who look like they should be good pieces for Detroit's future.
2. Howard is the real deal. He signed a big 6 year extension this season and showed without a doubt that he deserves it. He was their MVP during the season and right up there with Zetterberg during the playoffs as well. He was drafted in '03 and, as always, the Wings did the right thing and let him develop in the AHL until he was ready.
3. The future is bright. On top of the first two points, Detroit has a few good prospects in the minors and is in good shape with the salary cap going into this summer.
The Bad:
1. Wasted money. Last summer they signed Jordin Tootoo, Mike Samuelsson, Jonas Gustaffson and Carlo Coliacovo. Tootoo was a healthy scratch for all but 1 playoff game, Samuelsson didn't play 1 second in the playoffs (he barely played all year because of injuries) and Coliacovo was hurt most of the season (big surprise) and played the least of Detroit's 6 D-men in the playoffs. He might not have played at all if Danny DeKeyser didn't get hurt in the 1st round. Gustaffson rarely played and wasn't overly impressive when he did.
2. The end for Big Bert? Bertuzzi was injured most of the season and couldn't play his way on to the roster when he came back at playoff time. His contract runs through next season and at age 38 you have to wonder how much, if at all, he will play next year.
3. Darren Helm's bad back. Darren Helm is like a Kris Draper part 2 except with more physical play to his game. He is one of Babcock's favourite players and was a big loss for the team this year as he sat out the entire season with a bad back. At this point they still don't know if he will be ready for training camp next season.
The Ugly:
1. Ugly rumors. There were reports that Datsyuk would retire after next season to play in Russia and Babcock would leave to coach the University of Michigan. Both have denied these rumors and say they plan to stay with the Wings.
I'm convinced that decks were primarily invented to drink beer on.
Watching Roy Hibbert play in the playoffs for the Pacers and thinking about how Toronto traded him for Jermaine O'Neil was a tough pill to swallow. But watching Hibbert lumber up and down the court on his chop stick legs, both of which already have braces on them, makes me think he will be done or pretty much useless in about 5 years.
Anyone else worried that at some point we are going to find out that Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is taking PED's?
Poolside or beachside?
Enough already with the "end of the world" movies. Do we have to wait until every actor has done one before we can move on to a new concept?
One guy who has one of these coming out is Will Smith. Can't dislike the Fresh Prince though...
I also like how Bradley Cooper knew better than to throw out his white-guy dance during the song.
Searching For Sugar Man is a cool documentary and worth watching. Made me download a few of the songs already.
I couldn't agree more with Don Cherry's take on head coach Alain Vigneault being fired in Vancouver. That mess is 100% GM Mike Gillis' fault. He should have been fired for the Luongo debacle alone. If things don't turn around quickly and smoothly for the Canucks then the blame now has to include ownership for letting Gillis continue to drive the bus there.
Trying to catch up on Breaking Bad on Netflix and wondering why I wasn't watching it on TV from the beginning.
"Greatest thing since sliced bread"? Really? Is sliced bread that impressive? Kinda feels like we are setting the bar pretty low.
Cheers,
Bonesminded
