The Trippers...

It just doesn't matter! It just doesn't matter! ...

... what thinking is behind people in Toronto jumping for joy that Leafs defencemen Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina have waived their no-trade clauses so they can be dealt away. Southern Ontario folk are not sentimental; they barely give a thought to Maple Leaf Gardens, and it's still sitting there.

... that recycled NHL coaches (morning, Michel Therrien) are getting booted to the curb for younger men who have been in the minors learning to be teach and coach. Only journalists would be shocked to learn you can get ahead by working on your craft instead of schmoozing.

... that there is some major facts-plus-fiction in any contention that Canadian Michael Janyk's World Cup bronze in a predictor of Olympic medals. Downhill skiing is random. Miss a gate, catch an edge, you're out of the medals. Please look up how many World Cup medals Kerrin-Lee Gartner during the 12-month build-up to her gold in Albertville in 1992. (Zero, although she had eight top 10 finishes.)

... that having two players share an award, even in an all-star game, should never happen in sports. It is a total dodge to say two people were exactly as worthy. That said, the NBA All-Star game was perfect for Shaquille O'Neal, since it's played at half-speed.

... if a Vancouver columnist writing about the UBC Thunderbirds basketball team forgets the CIS Final 8 is in Ottawa ("all this talent is threatening to meld into a unit capable of hacking through the horror of Halifax," emphasis mine).

... that Elgin Baylor's lawsuit against L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling is about the difference between tolerance and respect.

... that rainy weather did not put a damper on the Daytona 500. The U.S. economy is doing that quite well already.

... that the Kitchener Rangers looked more like a team headed in a positive direction losing to the London Knights in overtime than the Kingston Frontenacs did when they beat London. (A two-game win streak did little to pacify Save The Fronts.)

This post is worth nothing, but this is worth noting:

• Former major-league closer Byung-Hyun Kim is going to miss the World Baseball Classic after his passport went missing. The other 27 players on Team Korea are all suspects.
  
• There should be a rule that forbids sports columnists from using children or family members as a crude writing device. If you go there, you've lost already.
  
• LeBron James is better than Kobe Bryant. So it is written, so it is done.
• OK, so Tim Raines and Andre Dawson aren't going into Cooperstown this summer, the late Tom Cheek and Sun Media's Bob Elliott just missed going into the media wing ... but the newest member of the writers' wing, Nick Peters, is married to a Montrealer. So Canada at least some representation at Hall of Fame induction weekend, really.

The Trippers...

... once again, the familiar refrain: "It just doesn't matter! It just doesn't matter ...

... how the steroid saga plays out with Alex Rodriguez since, "He is in the same boat with Barry Bonds – people want to think the very worst about them since it makes them feel better about themselves." (John Brattain, Baseball Digest Daily.)

... that someone can work as a sports columnist in Boston, birthplace of the American Revolution, and completely misunderstand the United States Constitution. The First Amendment doesn't cancel out the ones which come after it, Bob Ryan.

... that people are brazenly dropping Al Michaels/Miracle On Ice references all over the place, even in in the coverage of a small-town swim meet. Far be it to say using it just confirms you're small potatoes. (In that particular example, it was used by a coach, but that makes no difference. Sometimes you don't use a silly quote, just save people public embarrassment.)

... that people in Southern Ontario who say John Tavares would look good in blue and white don't specify that they mean the New York Islanders or St. Louis Blues.

... that Kingston hockey player Kip Brennan got to date one-time supermodel Amber Smith (she was once on Red Shoe Diaries, don't play dumb) and then wasn't very nice to her. No one in Kingston would be surprised to hear Kip Brennan can be a bit of a cad.

... that Conan O'Brien had the best line about Michael Phelps: "I think there’s an important lesson to be learned here: Kids, never share your pot with someone who has the lung capacity of a dolphin.”

... that Lloyd Eisler's cell phone went off during his and Kristy Swanson's wedding ceremony. He has better luck with cellphones than with e-mail.

This post is worth nothing, but this is worth noting:

• NFL mock drafts have to be taken with a grain of salt, but Next Season Sports did one with a blogster from each team. The Daily Norseman has the Vikings taking Mark Sanchez from USC.
  
• The original Ottawa Can-Am League manager, Ed Nottle, is back in the league as a bench coach for the Brockton Rox.
• Frozen River is getting Oscar buzz (and it's set in northern New York state, so that's an excuse to mention it). Its lead, Melissa Leo, did a Q&A with the Huffington Post.
  

The Trippers...

Remember, "It just doesn't matter! It just doesn't matter." ... items of a sporting interest you should not get bent out of shape over...

... the Senators possibly waiving Martin Gerber. It's not the goaltending. Sens GM Bryan Murray has reiterated the need for a "puck-moving defenceman" so often the hockey writers in Ottawa could get away with just typing PMD. The Sens will find a PMD right around the time Bush and Cheney find the WMDs.

... all-star shortstop Michael Young asking for a trade at a time when his first organization, the Toronto Blue Jays, are in austerity mode.

... The Atlanta Thrashers putting the "C" on Ilya Kovalchuk. It's not like it stands for "checking."

... Vancouver being up a creek over paying for the 2010 Olympics. It will fit right in with their new tourist slogan: "Vancouver: Montreal with milder weather."

... college football not having a playoff. The NFL has it all wrong by taking the chance of ending up with the No. 4 and No. 6 seeds in a championship game. It's better to pick two teams at random and say "Screw you, Utah."

.... Tim Tebow returning to Florida for his senior season. He probably won't play quarterback in the NFL and it's much more interesting to keep an eye on Ball State's Nate Davis.

... Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington being named NFL Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons. Chris Rock hasn't had as many good comebacks.

... Liverpool tying Stoke 0-0 on the Premiership (yes, if forced to swear soccer loyalty, it's the Reds).

This post is worth nothing, but this is worth noting

• The AHL's Rochester Americans want to host an outdoor game next season. Good luck to them, although a Rochester Americans-Lake Erie Monsters game would strain the definition of "Winter Classic."
  
• That picture of our favourite funny bastard is not original, but no one ever said it was. That's the difference, WTVH Syracuse.