All down hill now

It might be all down hill for me from here on in..... A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to play a couple pick-up hockey games at Joe Louis Arena.  This dream-come-true trip started with box seats (The Bud Light Suite no less!) to the Wings/Flames game where Chris Chelios and Tomas Holmstrom stopped by to take pictures, sign autographs and have a couple beers, which were free by the way.  Next was the pick up games the next morning where we got to use the visitors dressing room and basically have a free pass anywhere in the arena other than the Wings dressing room.  We had two guest coaches - Chris Osgood and Kirk Maltby, who joined us for lunch up in one of the suites after our games.  Ozzy and Maltby were great guys and very down to earth.  The Wings practiced while we had lunch so we got to watch that as well.  Oh, did I mention that Ted Lindsay was there hanging out and telling stories as well?  It was by far the coolest thing I have ever taken part of.

The Leafs should fire Carlyle and trade Kadri.  This Leafs team so far is not the team I have enjoyed watching over the past 10 years... all this winning and nobody to really dislike?  This is no fun.

Wouldn't it be great if just once one of the nominees for an award didn't applaud when they lost and got pissed off?  That would be entertaining.

Russel Martin, a mid-level MLB catcher, backs out on Team Canada 2 weeks before the World Baseball Classic because they won't let him play short stop, despite the fact that he has never played SS ever in his career.  Enjoy Pittsburgh, Russel... and don't wait by the phone for your next invitation from Team Canada.

This goat stuff is pretty funny.  I might have to get a goat and I might listen to this kind of music if it was done like this...

Enjoyed Seth McFarlane at the Oscars.  Not sure why anyone would have expected much different from him.

I previously wrote that I hoped Dwight Howard would get hurt and the Lakers would win without him this season.  Well, part 1 has happened but part 2 of my plan ain't going so well.  What a disaster of a season and with no clear signs of turning things around I wonder if Nash is second-guessing the contract he signed.  Nash was offered a 3 year deal by the Raps in the offseason, which would have made little sense for him at the time other then the bonus of retiring in Canada, but now with the addition of Gay what would the Raps look like if Nash was on board?

Whether this new proposed version of the NHL re-alignment holds up or not, it looks like the Wings are headed back to the East, which is great news.

Funniest tweets I have read lately:
-Fun Fact: 100% of people don't know what to do with a dirty dish at someone else's house.
-What kind of emotional tailspin causes people to "like" Lysol on Facebook?
-Just whispered to a 6-year-old, "I can eat cookies whenever the fuck I want" when his mom wasn't looking. Small victories in life
-Sometimes, when I talk to a woman I'll say things like, "that makes sense" or "interesting." But I know the truth
-My kid asked me if I "do the sex." I asked how long he's been talking like a Russian immigrant. Then we stared at each other for a while

I like these Harlem Shake videos and here is the Miami Heat version:

My hockey season ends soon and I am already starting to get the golf itch.

Finally went to see the Tragically Hip for the first time and it was as good as I hoped it would be.  I knew Gordie was nuts, but he was far more bizarre then I expected.  He was singing to his hand for quite a while and was also barking at one point.  I loved it.  I guess after playing New Orleans is Sinking every night for over 20 years you would start to go a little goofy.

I have to admit that I wasn't 100% sold on Rudy Gay when the Raps made the trade.  I thought the same as what the Grizzlies did - that he was just an 18pt, 6 rebound kind of guy who couldn't make that next step.  It's still early, but so far I have been wrong - and very happy about it.  He seems very capable of being a perennial all-star and a bona fide closer.  Possibly best of all is that he seems to have his head on straight and isn't an ego maniac like the majority of NBA stars.


Stick it in your ear:  "When My Train Pulls In" by Gary Clark Jr:

The electric version is pretty cool as well.  You Tube it.

It has been weird to watch the Wings play this year.  They have been very inconsistent and definitely not as deep as they once were.  They have some promising young players on their way but none of them are impact players yet.  Damien Brunner has been excellent and Zetterberg has been as good as ever.  Their D is much worse and coupled with injuries it has looked really poor at times.  Brendan Smith should be really good and now that he is back from injury it will be interesting to see how he does the rest of the season.  Howard has been playing well and with Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kronwall and now Brunner they should have enough to be a playoff team but it's not the sure thing that I am used to.

Facebook: 2% useful/interesting, 98% useless/annoying.

If the Jays had a chance to trade for Roy Halliday, do you think they would?

They can stop jumping over people at the NBA dunk contest any time now.  You guys can jump high, we get it.

There is a rumor that the Raptors can/could have had Carlos Boozer in exchange for Andrea Bargnani any time they want(ed) to pull the trigger.  I do this deal in a heartbeat.  I'm done with Bargnani and to be honest I am surprised there is even an offer this good available.  The downside is that Boozer has a heavy contract (2 more years at $16 mil/yr) and after acquiring Gay, the Raps would be in tight with the cap to do this.  Depth is obviously important but TO would not be the first and only team to have the majority of their salary soaked up by a small % of the roster (Heat, Spurs, Knicks, Nets).  Plus, Boozer and Amir Johnson - neither of whom needs to have the ball to be effective - would be a great frontcourt to compliment the perimeter guys of Gay, DeRozan and Lowry.  The trick would be to unload some anchors from the payroll and Bargnani's would be a good start with Kleiza and Fields next to get the boot.  I'd also like to see the Raps bring Calderon back in the offseason as a free agent if he can be had at a better deal than his last contract.

Nazem Kadri has played very well for the Leafs this season and many, notably Don Cherry, are suggesting the Leafs should have had him up with the big cub all along rather than down with the Marlies.  From watching the Wings system for years, I say it's because he was down there grinding it out with the Marlies that he is playing the way he is now.  Rushing and ruining prospects is the Leafs way though.

No matter where you are, if a kid hands you a toy phone you're gonna answer it.

The 2014 Winter Olympics are only a year away, so when Stevie Y calls me for advice, this is what I'm gonna tell him:

Forwards:
1. Sidney Crosby
2. Claude Giroux
3. Jonathan Toews
4. Steven Stamkos
5. Martin St Louis
6. Rick Nash
7. John Tavares
8. James Neal
9. Patrice Bergeron
10. Patrick Sharp
11. Ryan Getzlaf
12. Jason Spezza
13. Jordan Eberle
*It's in Russia on the bigger ice so I went with a smaller group but still think there is enough size with Nash, Neal, Getzlaf and Spezza.  St Louis (37) and Sharp (31) are the only guys over 30 but there is still enough experience with 6 Cup winners among the group and plenty of leadership in Crosby, Toews and St Louis.  On the bubble: Perry. Iginila, Lucic, E. Staal, Skinner, Thornton, Marleau, Seguin, E. Kane, Duchene, Benn, Ryan, M. Richards, B. Richards, Huberdeau.  That's 15 guys on the bubble that could easily make a gold medal team on their own.

Defense:
1. Shea Weber
2. Duncan Keith
3. Alex Pietrangelo
4. Drew Doughty
5. Marc Staal
6. Kris Letang
7. Dan Boyle
*There are some good young d-men coming up but the Olympics is a pretty big stage and it's hard to expect repeat performances like what Doughty did in 2010.  On the bubble: Hamilton, Schultz, Hamhuis, Brewer, Girardi, Green.

Goalies:
1. Carey Price
2. Roberto Luongo
3. Cam Ward
*Who the hell knows?  I'm not 100% on any of these guys and if, say Corey Crawford or Mike Smith were lights out going in next year, I wouldn't have a problem taking one of them instead of any of these guys.  I guess Fleury should be in the mix but he scares the hell out of me.  This is the most worrisome position for Canada in my opinion.

This list was fun to make and I'm sure I will change it 5 times before the Olympics, but right now this would be my group.

Winter is like that guy at the party that hangs around too long and won't go home. Beat it already!



Cheers,
Bonesminded

Has baseball started yet?

So the NHL is back and I am hearing many people say they could care less and would be happy if they just scrapped the entire season.  I am not one of these people.  I love watching hockey and did miss it the last few months.  Daily highlights, Hockey Night in Canada and all the crazy stories that come with every season are something I love.

The only downside to the lockout ending was that I had to come back to the realization that Lidstrom is still retired.... and that the Wings replaced him with Carlo Coliaccovo.

Zetterberg is the new captain of the Wings.  I'd say having been groomed for the position by Steve Yzerman and then Nick Lidstrom is a pretty good way to learn the ropes.

I'm not having much luck so far this year with sporting events.  My tickets for game 5 of the Tigers/Yankees ALCS got washed away (almost literally) when game 4 was rained out and cancelled, delaying game 5... and then the Tigers swept them anyway.  Plans for an NFL roadtrip were put on hold for the ball game and have since fallen through, and my tickets and hotel room for the NHL Winter Classic ended up having as much value as an apple on Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, there was a report that a kid in London found a razor blade in a candy.  Once they find the guy who did it they should hand him over to the kid's father, with no time-line or consequences for the father.

Egg nog and clamato juice... no use for either of them without booze being involved.

A good waste of a few minutes each day is the "Top Shelf" on www.mandatory.com.  Pretty funny stuff.

I watched The Hunger Games and it was good, but I still don't understand how a weird movie like that had such huge mainstream success.  Maybe there are more nerds out there than we think.

I was at 2 Christmas parties that had that stupid fireplace tv channel playing ..... the tv's were on the wall ... above a real fireplace.

I like this commercial with Tiger and Rory....

 

But I think I like this one with Jordan and Bird better.... mostly because of MJ's shirt....

So the Raps signed DeRozan to a 4 year extension earlier this season.  I think he's a good player and he has improved every year with the team, but is he the answer as the "scoring wingman"?  If he's not your all star and the go-to guy at the end of the game, then that means Bargnani has to be and that might not work out so well.

Breakfast Pitas might be the best food on earth... and one helluva great hangover meal.

New Year's Eve party was a lot of fun, but I could have cared less for the actual countdown at midnight.  It just seemed to interrupt every one's conversation and forced lots of unnecessary handshakes and hugs.  Also, Times Square in New York seems like my worst nightmare.

I can't believe I'm about to say this but I think Phil Kessel and Brian Burke get a raw deal.  Why do people hate Phil Kessel so much?  It's because he's dumb right?  If you are expecting him to be Johnathan Toews or Pavel Datsyuk you are in trouble, but if you expect him to be what he is - a consistent 30+ goal scorer (at the age of 26), then what's the problem?  Tell me how many players scored at least 30 goals in 4 of their first 6 seasons?  I don't know either but it's a short list.  As for Burke, I think people forget how badly buggered up the Leafs system was when he took over from JFJ.  NO prospects, draft picks, cap room, decent roster players.  Nothing.  That takes time to fix.  Not every move Burke made was great, but he did make quite a few good ones (including a couple that involved getting rid of some of the bad moves - see Francois Beauchemin), not to mention their farm system is in good shape now and they have lots of cap room.  I guess all of that was trumped by being a big jerk-bag.

Stick it in your ear: Eddie's Rush by Ultimate Spinach.

You gotta love Duck Dynasty.  I know it's mostly scripted or staged but it's still funny.  I can't help but talk like them after watching it for a while.  Hey, it's just good stuff, Jack!

I think you should be allowed to throw people out of your way when you are Christmas shopping.

What's next Anthopolous?  Gonna slash beer prices at the Dome 50% this season too?  Wow, what an offseason!  I mentioned a year ago that the Jays needed to make a big move to take advantage of the MVP type seasons that Bautista has been having.  Well they have definitely done that and I really like how they made it happen.  Yes, it sucks to give up d'Arnaud and even Syndegaard, but well worth the risk in my opinion.  Those guys are great prospects - but they are still just prospects.  There was a time when it would have seemed crazy to trade Alex Rios, Travis Snider, Brett Cecil, Dustin McGowan and even Russ Adams when they were all top gems in the Jays farm system.  The point is prospects are risks as well and the timing and price for acquiring Dickey is well worth it in my opinion.  If they had hung on to all of their prospects and waited for them to turn into stars, then the window for Bautista and other veterans would have closed.  With all the change to the Jays lineup, what does it do to guys like Romero, Lawrie, Arencibia and Rasmus now that they basically have no pressure to carry the load?  Either way, I can't wait for the season to start.

A cool app to get for your iphone or ipod is Songza.  It's free and offers tons of playlists to stream for any occasion, mood or music style.  Looks like a lot of fun to play with and I have already found a couple new tunes with it.

How many people woke up January 1st and decided to postpone their New Year's resolutions until at least January 2nd?

Too bad the World Jr's were in Russia this year.  I love watching that tournament every year, but you're drunk if you think I was gonna get up at 4am to watch any of the round-robin games... unless I'm still up at 4am, but then I would be the drunk one.

Once Canada got smoked by the US and had to play for Bronze it might as well have been for 10th place.

Why is it called a "round-robin" anyway?  Who is robin?

I have always been up before the kids on Christmas morning and had to wait for them.  Well my kids took care of that streak in fine fashion this year... 1st one in at 4am, 2nd one at 5am and then we finally gave in at 6:30am.

"Hey, that not-winter, but not-nice weather was great!" - signed nobody.

I wonder if people are ready to give up on Colby Rasmus because they don't believe he has the talent or because he's weird?

This Zeppelin interview on Letterman is really cool, but I have no interest in the new Celebration Day box set.  Every song on there is one I have already heard an older live version of and from the original album, so to pay just to hear how they sound at age 63 doesn't seem very enticing.

Did anyone else think Dave Nonis looked like he just $hit his pants when he was being introduced as the Leafs new GM?

Here is something I haven't been able to say in almost 20 years:  The Jays may have just as good of a chance to make the playoffs as the Red Wings.

Ugly sweater parties are underrated and funny.


Cheers,
Bonesminded

Say it with me now

Clint Eastwood has a new movie out where he plays a crotchety old tough guy with a heart of gold and ends up helping a young lovable character.  What a stretch.  I think it's called Gran Torino... no, it's Million Dollar Baby... no wait, it's just about every movie I have ever seen him in.

I love rediscovering old albums I thought I knew and finding cool tunes on the album I forgot all about.  Most recent 2 albums this happened with was Alice In Chains - Jar of Flies and Tragically Hip - Trouble at the Henhouse.

ESPN's ranking of the 4 main pro sports franchises was interesting... and not just because the Leafs were dead last among 122 teams (although I did really enjoy that).  I thought it was a cool way to look at how each franchise rates according to fans.

Good intentions turned bad.... apparently there is an age that is too young to explain to kids what calling 911 is for.  Turns out all of the reasons you would call 911 scared the bajesus out of my 4 year old and she couldn't sleep all night.

Seems like it's been a while since I have had enough new songs to put together a mixed disc or playlist but I finally filled one out.  Here is the track list in case you are looking for some new tunes as well:
1. Are you gonna waste my time? - Zeus
2. Hold on - Alabama Shakes
3. Buttons - Weeks
4. Radio - Rival Sons
5. Little back submarine - Black Keys
6. Right on - The Sheepdogs
7. Daniella - John Butler Trio
8. Thin line (live) - Graveyard
9. Transformation (live) - Colour Haze
10. Costa verde - Rotor
11. Wild goose - Sungrazer
12. Castle keep - Wolf People
13. Cucumber jam - Tommy Bolin
14. Slow train drag - Steepwater Band

TSN replayed the '87 Canada Cup vs Russia and it was great.  The 3 things that stood out the most to me were, #1 - It was really cool to watch Gretzky play in his prime.  He was easily the best and most noticeable player every game and was doing stuff with the puck and making plays that no one else was.  He was also a lot faster than I expected or remembered him to be.  #2 - The Russians were really skilled and fast.  They looked like they were ahead of the curve in regards to puck movement and skill plays with the puck.  Except for Gretzky and Lemieux, the Russians were the more skilled group.  #3 - Canada was dirty.  Hooks, cross-checks, slashes and trips on just about every shift... plus an elbow to the head by Messier just about every time he was on the ice.

I think I will stop at The Beer Store tonight and grab a 17 pack.  They come in that size now right?  I don't even ask for a certain quantity anymore, I just ask what the deal is - which is likely their objective.

New Wolfmother song: "Keep Moving".  Not a bad tune.  Sounds familiar though.

An annoying habit I have developed is that I start golfing better (not great, just better) at the end of the summer when it's tougher to get out and people don't want to play as much anymore.  Lousy career and Canadian weather.

Ice fishing trip is booked. I might start drinking a couple beers for breakfast every day to prepare myself for it.

Another Greg Giraldo bit: Katrina.  Too funny.

The poor NFL replacement refs eh? Everyone (including them likely) knows they suck, but what are they supposed to do?  The ones that weren't high school gym teachers were reffing flag football last year.  The shot of the two refs standing beside each other making two different calls in the Packers/Seahwaks game was priceless.  I don't have a favourite team so I am enjoying the reffing debacle each week.

I hope that the new Windows 8 smart phone, tablet and PC software that is coming out soon is as good as anticipated.  Seems like the perfect way to combine all 3 and have every digital thing you do all available through 1 source.

Say it with me now... "F*ck Gary Bettman".  I don't care how the economics work or whether the players or the owners "win" the negotiation.  In my opinion both sides fail when they have to cancel any of the season.  Imagine your boss telling you that they have run their business like hell for the last few years and they want you to give some of your salary (that they agreed to) back to try and fix things.  The smartest thing I have heard so far is that the new CBA should include a clause stating that negotiations for the next deal have to start at least 1 year prior the deadline.

Stick it in your ear: 22 Days by the 22-20's

It amazes me what some people will do to find a gas station that is even marginally cheaper.  Makes perfect sense to waste more money in fuel by driving all over town, then pump it yourself and waste your time to save $0.34.

Detroit signs Carlo Coliacovo (I don't even care if I spell his name right) for 2 years.  I haven't heard a good, hockey-related piece of news in a long time.

I wish old classic rock bands and artists would stop making new music.  I am a big Neil Young fan and thought about going to see his upcoming show... until I checked out a couple of his recent set lists and realized most of it is from his latest couple albums.  No Heart of Gold, or Old Man or Down by the River or Southern Man or barely any of his great old tunes.  I saw Bob Dylan a few years ago and it may have been the worst show I have ever seen.  We couldn't understand a damn word he said, he faced the side of the stage for most of the show, didn't play the guitar once and there was only a few songs we recognized.  Luckily the Foo Fighters opened with an amazing all-acoustic set so it wasn't a complete waste.

I guess with no NHL hockey this year I might actually find out who plays for the Raptors this season.

I'm not usually a big fan of female comedians, but I caught Amy Schumer on the Comedy Network and she was pretty funny.  Her show was called "Mostly Sex Stuff" and it's worth checking out.

I threw out our phone books at work because we haven't used them in 40 years and within 5 minutes I had 2 people ask me if we had a phone book they could use.

It's hard to believe that David Branch and Gary Bettman are both commissioners of hockey leagues.  Branch actually seems like he cares about the league and the game.



Cheers!
Bonesminded

Old Man

Banking request:  If you have 2 hours worth of transactions to do - take it to the teller.  Bank machines are meant for quick withdrawals and/or deposits.

Watched The Dark Knight Rises and was not as impressed as I was with the first two Christian Bale Batman flicks.  Still decent, but it seemed predictable and not near as cool or interesting.  The bad guy, Bane, is hard to understand and Catwoman wasn't great either... hard to follow up on Halle Berry though.

More often than not singers ruin a song or band for me.  It's a curse.

Are there any true superstars in baseball right now?  There are lots of great players, but I mean real superstars who are marginally better than the rest.  Nobody is on pace for anything special at this point and if you look at the stats leaders the names Jared Weaver, Adam Dunn and RA Dickey don't exactly conjure up thoughts of domination.  Maybe it's just a changing of the guard and I have to get used to stars like McCutcheon, Trout, Braun and Votto being the cream of the crop.

Stick it in your ear: "I'm Waiting For the Man" by David Bowie.  Easily the toughest Bowie song.

Perfect example of how the golf gods are always in charge:  Finally get my driver figured out and start hitting it well consistently (for a few rounds anyway) and then it breaks.   Demo a couple new drivers and can't hit them at all.  I'm reminded by the club pro to "blame the Indian not the arrow".

Cool classic rock music connection... The band Free (who I mentioned a few posts ago) formed in 1968 and one of their popular live songs was "The Hunter", which was originally written by Booker T & the MG's and released by Albert King in 1967.  The lyrics to this song were also covered by Led Zeppelin on "How Many More Times" on their 1969 self-titled album.  Free disbanded in 1973 and half of the band went on to form Bad Company - the first band signed to Swan Song Records which was created and owned by Led Zeppelin.

What a jerk... can't believe he does this to a kid:

I've always wondered what the process is for deciding which song from an album is released as a single and how much say the band has in the choice.  There are lots of songs that seem like they would be very popular and get lots of radio play if they were released.  Maybe I should have my own radio station.

Cool new show on HBO is The Newsroom. Not sure exactly what it is I like about it, but I have seen every episode so far. Jeff Daniels stars in it and there are some scenes where all I can think of is Harry from Dumb and Dumber.  Speaking of Dumb & Dumber, Daniels says they are working on a sequel for him and Jim Carrey and he can't wait to do it.

Do Jays fans truly appreciate Jose Bautista?  He has already been out over a month and if he comes back and is healthy he could still win the homerun race.

New Sheepdogs album coming out in September.  They released the single, The Way It Is, and it's pretty good (sounds like Black Keys).  I am really hoping that their recent rise to fame doesn't change their music approach.

Another band with an album coming out in September is The Tragically Hip.  I have never seen The Hip live and it is one of my biggest regrets.  I had the opportunity to see them at the New Years' Eve show 2000.... at the ACC... in a luxury box... and I said no so I could go to a house party in London. I-D-I-O-T.

I hope Dwight Howard blows out his knee and misses the entire season.  And then Nash and the Lakers win without him.

Sign you are getting old #1: You are just as excited for the weekends when you have nothing to do as the ones where you have big plans.
Sign you are getting old #2: You have traded in your ball spikes for golf spikes and retired from basketball to take up curling.
Sign you are getting old #3: You have lists of ways you are getting old.

Ever notice that MLB catchers don't wear the hockey style masks anymore?  Apparently Wilson Equipment bought the rights to that style of mask and the one they make is a piece of junk.  They also wouldn't let catchers paint them, so, despite most catchers wanting to wear the goalie mask, they all said f*ck it and switched back to the old style.

4 out of 3 people are bad at math.

Why does the NHL and NHLPA wait until August to begin negotiations for a new CBA?  Why wouldn't they start talking a year ago?  I know it's just posturing but it would be nice if either side at least tried to make it look like they are attempting to work with the other side.  If Bettman and Fehr are supposed to be master negotiators and good at their jobs then there is no way another lock out would happen.  This would make 3 lock-outs/strikes since Bettman has been commissioner, which should be unacceptable.

New Colour Haze album, She Said, is finally going to be released in the next few weeks.  It was originally scheduled for release last fall but they ran into technical recording issues and had to completely start over. 

I watched a show on TV where people got attacked by sharks.  It was all morons who were provoking the sharks and deserved to be bitten (nobody was seriously hurt).  I haven't cheered for a shark that much since Pat Falloon played for San Jose.

Cheers,
Bonesminded

What now Kenny?

I think it's safe to say this summer has not gone according to plan for my Red Wings.  They struck out on their big 2 free agency targets (Parise and Suter).  They had been setting things up for over a year to make some big signings this summer and it didn't work.  They were apparently interested in trading for Rick Nash, who would be a great fit, but it would have been almost impossible for Columbus to resort to dealing with Detroit (figured they would take less from New York or Philly but still thought they would get more than what they did).  The Wings also made trade offers for Shea Weber but, again, the Preds likely had no interest in dealing with the Wings as well.  So, next in line was Bobby Ryan, Shane Doan or Alex Semin as the next best forward options.  With Semin signing in Carolina and Doan likely to stay in Phoenix, they are left with Bobby Ryan and I am guessing the asking price will be sky-high now that he is the last big fish still swimming around out there - if he even is out there (unless Howson's awful Nash trade lowered the bar a little bit).  I think Detroit can get 69+ points (Parise's total from last season) out of Ryan for less in trade assets than what Parise required.  Suter and Weber were the big misses for sure though.  The Wings D is definitely in need of a top 2 d-man and the only guy that I like that may be available right now is Keith Yandle.

The Wings have made a few moves though and here is my take on what they've done so far:
- Darren Helm.  Good deal re-signing him for the next 4 years.  Helm is one of the fastest players in the league and, despite his size, one of the better hitters on the team.  Great 3rd line center.
- Jordin Tootoo.  Don't like it at all.  Too much money and too many years.  I can understand the need for some grit in the bottom 6, but he would have been my last choice.  Wonder how long it takes before he does something stupid that costs the team... or before Bertuzzi knocks him out in practice.
- Mikael Sammuelsson.  Meh.  Didn't really mind when he left.  Don't really mind that he's back. Cheaper replacement for Hudler I suppose.
- Jonas Gustavsson.  I can only hope that he is another decent player that was ruined by the Leafs and their brutal handling of young players.  The Wings seem to have a knack for rejuvenating lost players, but I'm not holding my breath on this one.
- Kyle Quincey.  Re-signed for 2 yrs, $7.5 mil.  I must be missing something here.  Wings drafted him and ended up putting him on waivers.  He's been in the league for 5 years and changed teams just as many times.  Detroit traded it's 1st round pick to get him at the last trade deadline and he didn't play well after he came over.  Now he gets this deal?  What am I missing or is the options for D-men that slim?

Not a very glowing take on the Wings summer moves.  At this point the Wings are a worse team than last year and that was a team that went pretty quietly in the 1st round.  Kenny Holland is a great GM so he should get the benefit of the doubt here, but it's puzzling and worrisome for Wings fans so far.

On to something more positive... after I watched my daughter go tubing on the lake for the first time I was reminded that proudness is an underrated feeling.

I got to watch a Jays game from one of the hotel rooms in the outfield at the Skydome and it was really cool.  Having a fridge right beside you with your own beer (that doesn't cost $12 each!) in it, a TV to watch the replays and listen to Jerry Howarth call the game (for some reason they use Howarth instead of Buck Martinez for the audio) as well as your own washroom is a great way to experience a ball game. I am definitely going to do that again some day.


Pretty cool video of 100 rock riffs in 1 continuous take:

I like my BlackBerry Torch but every time there is a little glitch (and with the continuous Titanic-like news coming from RIM and their delay of the BB10) I wonder if I should just get an iPhone and stop avoiding the inevitable.

The Raps made Steve Nash a 3 year, $36 million dollar offer.  Although it would have been nice to see him play for T.O., and as much as I dislike Kobe, I would rather see him win a championship.  My guess is Nash's old pal Colangelo made the offer to drive up the price for Nash to help him get better coin from the contenders that were making offers.


Another sure sign you're getting older - enjoying cutting the grass.

I mentioned Godsmack's cover album in my last post and here are 10 more cover songs you should check out if you haven't already:
1. Dear Mr Fantasy (Traffic) - Big Sugar
2. Band on the Run (Paul McCartney) - Foo Fighters
3. Daytripper (The Beatles) - Jimi Hendrix
4. No Quarter (Led Zeppelin) - Tool
5. Have a Cigar (Pink Floyd) - Primus or Foo Fighters
6. Children of the Grave (Black Sabbath) - White Zombie
7. Voodoo Child [Slight Return] (Jimi Hendrix) - Stevie Ray Vaughan
8. Paint it Black (Rolling Stones) - Gob
9. Good Times Bad Times (Led Zeppelin) - Godsmack
10. Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) - Red Hot Chili Peppers

I wish I had never heard Lebron James speak.  I love watching him play (incredible performance in the playoffs) but the complete shitshow he put on when he left Cleveland ("taking my talents to South Beach", "We're gonna win not one championship, not two, not three...", etc) doesn't go away when I think about him.  Is jack-assedness a word?

Anyone else get a kick out of these pompous fancy-boy types who think drinking a different kind of beer all the time makes them look sophisticated?

I don't think I could cut it at being a truck driver, but I really enjoy driving by myself and spending some quality time with my iPod.

Roger Clemens found not guilty.  Well done Congress, well done.  Insert slow, sarcastic clap here.

I like Eric Karlson and the Ottawa Senators so I hope that shiny new deal they gave him for the next 7 years doesn't blow up in their face.


Stick it in your ear: Daniella by The John Butler Trio

If you like that tune then watch this cool live performance of Funky Tonight...

The Raps had a presser to introduce new acquisitions Landry Fields and Kyle Lowry (hold the fireworks, I know). Good teams don't introduce role players like this, they just sign them and worry about the actual star players.


I recently moved and as our old house began to empty out it started to look the same as the first year or so we lived there when we didn't have enough furniture or anything on the walls. Apparently you can accumulate a lot of stuff after 9 years and 3 kids.

I had an opportunity to meet Drew Doughty at a corporate function and declined.  That kind of thing does nothing for me and I would just feel bad for Doughty (who seems like a cool guy) knowing he doesn't want to be there at all.

Summer Olympics?  No thanks.

Cheers!
Bonesminded

Dipped into the water

I started this blog post quite a while ago and got too busy to finish it, so some of the ramblings are a bit outdated now but I'm gonna leave 'em in anyway.

I'm liking The Sheepdogs more and more.  There is a cool track called "The First Year" from their 2008 album, The Big Stand and you can download the album for free from their web site: www.thesheepdogs.com.

Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story was on CBC again and it was still just as good as the first time I saw it.  Keeso does a kick-ass job in the sequel as well.  Hopefully this series gives him a good opportunity in the biz.

The 4 most annoying words in February: Scotties Tournament of Hearts.  Get off my TV.

A cool and funny performance of "Where It's At" by Beck...

That video is from a show at "Live at the Rehearsal".  Beck also does a song called "Clap Hands" where the band plays rhythm with kitchen utensils.  Pretty cool and worth watching.

A conversation came up recently that included Rafael Araujo.  The thought of that useless plug still makes me angry to this day.  I'm more upset with then Raps GM Rob Babcock, who passed on Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson and JR Smith among others, than I am at Araujo... but I don't like him either.  Hot tip: Hey NBA GM's: if a guy looks retarded and can't jump off the ground then he probably won't pan out real well. See Bryan "Big Country" Reeves for further proof.  Babcock is the same genius that traded Vince Carter for a dirty diaper and a flat basketball.

In one of my posts I wrote about one of my favourite comedians, Greg Giraldo, and I just found that he has two albums: "Midlife Vices" and "Good Day to Cross a River".  Both are available on iTunes if you can't find anywhere to download them for free.  Either way they are worth getting - I was laughing out loud by myself listening to them.  Here is a track off of his Good Day to Cross a River album: "Getting Old"

Why do so many bands play heavier and jam out more when they play live than they do on their album?  If that's the way they like to play and if that's what they think people want to hear at their shows, then why wouldn't they record their album that way?

The weather this past winter was nuts.  Doing stuff in the garage with the door open, spending the day in the yard and BBQing on the deck doesn't usually happen in February, but it was just fine with me.

You may know the band Three Dog Night from songs like "Joy to the World" and "Mama Told Me Not to Come", but most people probably don't know the interesting story of singer Chuck Negron. He was attending California State University on a basketball scholarship when he joined a band which very quickly became successful. As he tells it, he went from being a clean cut university athlete to sitting at a party with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and other rock stars where they were passing around heroin. Negron became a serious drug addict and was living in a box in an alley before finally getting cleaned up. My source on this: The Oprah Winfrey Show of course.

Watched Moneyball recently and really liked it.  Beane maybe shoulda taken that offer from the Red Sox.  Wonder how they decided on Brad Pitt for that role since he looks nothing like Beane.

Anyone who likes Metallica or heavy music should check out the band The Sword and specifically their Age of Winters album.  The song "Freya" is fantastic.  Have a listen...

So it's official, the next Winter Classic is going to be at The Big House in Michigan.  I guess that wasn't enough to convince Lidstrom to stick around for another year. 

There was a lot of different opinions on where Lidstrom ranks all time as a D man now that he has hung up the skates .  Having never seen the older guys (Orr, Harvey, etc) play, I think it's only fair to say Orr was the best of his generation and Lidstrom was the best during his era.  Clearly Orr was at a completely different level than anyone else for about 7 years, but he only played 9 seasons (I don't count his last 3 since he barely played during those seasons).  Lidstrom played at a Norris Trophy caliber for almost his entire 20 year career - and was still considered one of the top defenseman in the league as he retired.  I think something should be said for being able to be that good for that long.  Gretzky wasn't just incredible for 7 years.

Speaking of Gretzky, it was really cool to listen to him do interviews during the Cup Finals.  Such a well spoken, classy dude.  Seems like a cool guy to have a few pints with.

Stick it in your ear: Mature Fantasy by Drummer.  Drummer is/was actually made up of a bunch of drummers from different bands that happen to play other instruments as well.  The band was formed by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, who plays bass on the album.  I guess the old joke, "What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians?  A drummer."  doesn't apply to these guys.

I bought a BlackBerry Playbook a while ago and have already sent it back.  Twice.

Don't like wearing a mouthguard or a visor during hockey so I tried a cage and it sucks as well.  But losing some teeth or an eye sucks a lot more so I guess I will just have to get used to it.

Never ever fly with Spirit Airlines.  Both flights on a roundtrip ticket were cancelled at the last minute leaving us to scramble to find another way.  No explanations, no assistance, just an angry mob in the airport.  On the plus side, I finally got to see the Houston Airport (note: extreme sarcasm intended)!

I'm finding it hard to gauge the Jays so far.  They seem very inconsistent and short on enough talent to take the next step.  Having said that, if the new bullpen had saved even 50% of the saves they have blown, the Jays would be in terrific shape in the standings.

Speaking of the Jays, I haven't made it down to a game yet this year.  Hopefully soon.

With all due respect to people who disagree, I absolutely do not want a traditional funeral and visitation when I die.  It is so hard on the family and the people who want to show their support to do it that way.  Get together (somewhere fun and comfortable), have a beer (or several!), listen to some Led Zeppelin and tell some stories. 

Godsmack's latest release is called "Live and Inspired" and the second disc is 4 cover songs (Rocky Mountain Way, Come Together, Nothing Else Matters and Time), which are all really good.  I also recently found a cover of Born on the Bayou by the Foo Fighters, which is excellent.  I wish more bands would do this.

There are a bunch of TV series that seem like they would be good but I just can't find the time to get into more TV.

How do you top a beautiful, water-front cottage?  How about a beautiful, water-front cottage with a full fridge hooked up - outside! 

Cheers,
Bonesminded

The Great 8 or The Great Big Baby?

Ovechkin skipping the all-star game is such a cry-baby move. I think my dislike for him just went up 8%. He said he "doesn't deserve to be there" and he's right, it just shouldn't have been his decision.  It's one thing for Lidstrom and Selanne to pass on the event after going a hundred times each, but Ovie is clearly just being a bitch because he was suspended, which was absolutely warranted.

I went to St Catharines to watch a Niagara Ice Dogs game recently and it was great. They play in a super old barn which feels like you're either in 1978 or Lucknow. It was the first game back for Mark Visentin, Ryan Strome, Freddie Hamilton and Dougie Hamilton after the World Jr's and all 4 of them played very well. Both Hamiltons got in scraps and Dougie layed a pretty good beatdown on the kid he fought.

I know it's called Superbowl Sunday, but wouldn't it make way more sense if the game was on Saturday?

Check out this video of a young Canadian guitar prodigy - it is incredible. 15 year old Ben Lapps...

Yeah, I got distracted from the guitar for a second too.

Wow, didn't see Prince Fielder going to the Tigers... guess he wanted to make papa Cecil proud.  At least he's not in the AL East I guess.

Interesting interview... The Black Keys vs Nickelback. 

Speaking of Nickelback.... this will likely surprise people who know me, but I don't understand why everyone hates Nickelback so much. I'm not a fan of theirs and I don't have any of their music, but people really don't like those guys for some reason. They sell out arenas so obviously somebody likes them.

The Toronto Raptors are pretty much unbearable to watch right now.  And I like watching basketball.  On the other hand, apparently one way to make Andrea Bargnani look better is to surround him with complete poop.

The best mellow tune I have heard in a long time: How Low by Jose Gonzalez

Here is my Red Wings trade deadline wishlist, although it wouldn't surprise me if they do very little:

Jarome Iginla

Ales Hemsky

Brendan Morrow

Ryan Getzlaf

Shea Weber

Bobby Ryan

Mike Cammalleri (oh wait, the Habs already gave him away!)

I really hope that this mild winter so far doesn't mean that we're going to pay for it in April and May.

Stick it in your ear: Work by Gang Starr.  An oldie but a goodie!

I know it's easy to say this now but I said last summer that the Ducks should have traded Corey Perry after he won the Richard and Hart trophies.  Good player but that level won't be matched again.

I was never a big fan of Jimmy Fallon but his music skits are actually pretty good.  His "History of Rap" with Justin Timberlake is pretty cool and his Neil Young impression is amazing... even when doing Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair".

The NHL All Star Fantasy Draft was kinda cool but they need the players to loosen up a little bit and have some fun with it.  Have some trash talk, pick a teammate of the other captain, etc.  Also, I think they should set it up in a bar so it resembles most hockey drafts!  It would be real interesting if they all had some drinks while they are doing the draft!

Why can't an NBA player dunk the ball without making a stupid face after or posing for the crowd and cameras?  You should be allowed to punch a guy if he stops to do that crap after a dunk.  Blake Griffin is simply ridiculous.  Check out his throw down and notice his "no big deal" reaction after the dunk.  Hopefully he doesn't become an arrogant thug after a few years like everyone else seems to.

So, that dunk was awesome but is it better than this one by Lebron?

A couple disturbing Facebook facts:

- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly worth approximately $25 billion.  And Facebook is about to go public.  And he's 27.  F*ck me.

- Bono, the U2 frontman, paid $120 million for Facebook stocks in 2010 to own about 1.5 percent of the company. After the company goes public, he could see his investment rise to over $1 billion.   The good news: hopefully this means he will quit making music.

It's too bad the Bruins and Canucks don't play again this year.

Manny Ramirez is trying to make a comeback and it would be great if nobody offered him a contract.

A decent band worth having a listen to is Wellwater Conspiracy.  The band was formed by Matt Cameron - drummer for Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.  After Soundgarden disbanded in '93 he formed WC with Soundgarden bassist Matt Shepherd and Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain.  My favourite track of theirs is Declaration of Conformity.

If you type in "Does Eli Manning" on google the third suggestion is "Have down syndrome".  Ouch!

Cheers!

Bonesminded