Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Snark break...

Year-end lists and best-ofs are pointless busywork, that's why.

The NHL might hold its awards show in Las Vegas. You just know someone will end up winning the Phoenix Coyotes in a craps game.

James Mirtle's suggested lyrics for the Barenaked Ladies' version of The Hockey Theme:
Chickity China, the Chinese chicken
The TSN execs' brains stopped tickin'
Bought the song for a cool $2-mil
Didn't ruin it — but they soon will
You know what was most amusing part of taking in Russia's 8-1 World Juniors win over Slovakia? The Russians scored to make it 7-1 with 4½ minutes left and then there was a mass exodus for the exits. It was as if everyone still thought Slovakia might make a comeback.

The MLB Network launches today and it's already in more U.S. homes than the NFL Network. in Canada, thought, it's a shutout for football.

Mike Shanahan was fired by the Denver Broncos. It's hard to believe that could happen to a coach who has won one playoff game in the past 10 seasons.

Mats Sundin sure knows how to make a declarative statement: "I'm going to do what I can to help the team get into the playoffs." Ya, that will give the Canucks a return on their investment.

God bless Scott Burnside at ESPN.com for making a comparison you would never hear from a hockey writer in Canada:
"Early on, the (world junioor) tournament is reminiscent of the women's international slate, which features a small group of teams that are committed to the sport (and thus to producing competitive squads) along with a bunch of others that show up simply because the International Ice Hockey Federation tells them they must."
By the way, anyone who watched any of the third period of Canada's first two games is hereby obligated to start watching the next women's world championship. It's only fair.

"Not so much" is on the list of banished words and phrases. Wait, someone still says that?

(Personal opinion: "Race card" should have been retired long ago. Oh, it would be nice if your race was just something you pulled out of your pocket when it was convenient. Only white people could come up with race card.)

This post is worth nothing, but this is worth noting
  • Regina football writer Rob Vanstone has a book due out soon on the 1966 Saskatchewan Roughriders. That team was so special that the franchise decided to go another 23 years before it won a second Grey Cup, lest it crowd the legacy of the first-timers.

    (Right after Ron Lancaster's death this fall, CBC aired an old Life & Times profile of the Little General. He recalled an old joke. "They say in Saskatchewan, there are four seasons, and the wind blows in the winter, the spring and the summmer -- and in the fall, Lancaster blows playoff games.")
  • After reading this, you might want to make the Rice Owls your college football team.
Someone plans to rock the Tre Kroner today at the Sweden-Russia game at the World Juniors. See you in 2009.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Despite the fact that this "hockey mad" country draws lower ratings for Stanley Cup than it does Grey Cup, we are force fed hockey-hockey-hockey. Wasn't always that way, we enjoyed baseball just as much through the 80's early 90's when those sports were adequately covered (and had national radio networks - NOTHING like baseball on the radio). Now it seems to be more important where Daniel Alfredson or Mats Sundin are golfing in July.

MLB Network not being available is very disappointing, and why some of us will be purchasing US satellite dishes. I used to love hockey more than anything, grew to love baseball more, but had plenty of room for both, but the force feeding has turned me away.