http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80b27f55&template=without-video&confirm=true

After a nearly two-month dry spell of not posting on my blog, it took the annual Arsy-Wall Yahoo Football Pool to break my silence.  This pool is now into it’s 8th year, but for the first time ever, money, and not just bragging rights, will be on the line!  It should be noted that I’m the defending champion (ending my Phil Mickelson-like drought of not being able to win the big one!!).  The 12 competitors all ponied up $20 to enter, and there will be a prize for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  The online draft is and will always be the best part of the pool.  We all get to make fun of each others picks, oooh and ahhh some great dark horse selections, and see each others teams develop before our eyes over the course of the 2-hour draft.  Every year there are a couple of guys who end up picking a real dog team.  This year was no exception.  One participant thought it would be a good idea to take two quarterbacks with his first two selections.  Not out of the ordinary if we actually dressed two QB’s each week, but since we dress only one, wasting a great pick that could have been a running back or wideout is mentally insane.  So this guy now has Drew Brees and Tony Romo as his pivots, but little else frontline help.  Most take a back-up QB later in the draft, so he basically donated his $20 to the cause, and I thank him for it!  My team on the other hand is solid (but I’ll let you the faithful reader(s) decide:

QB – Matt Hasselbeck, David Garrard
RB – Darren McFadden (R), Ronnie Brown, Fred Taylor, Chris Johnson (R)
WR – Randy Moss, Andre Johnson, Laveranues Coles, Ted Ginn Jr., Antwaan Randle-El
TE – Jason Witten, Kevin Boss
K – Phil Dawson
D – Patrick Willis, Marcus Trufant, DeMeco Ryans

I had the 6th overall pick out of 12 (which is not a selection spot I usually prefer), and used that first pick to select Randy Moss of the Patriots.  Another guy in the pool, known only as “Meat”, who is very good with numbers, has me pegged to be one of the top 3 teams heading into the season.  Obviously injuries and poor play by your players come into effect once the first snap of the NFL season occurs, however I’m exited to know that I’m not the only one who thinks my team will compete for the cash.  The commisioner, Ryan Arsenault, has a team that will compete for a playoff spot, but he is running back rich, and we only have to dress two RB’s, so he will have to lean on his wheeling and dealing skills to round out his team.  Josh Shank, AKA Turk, is going to struggle yet again in a Yahoo pool.  His team quickly deteriorated soon after the third round.  As for the other teams, we will see how it all plays out, but my prediction is this.  My team, Scoots, Screaming Meanies and Meat will compete for the money.  Look for further pool updates and musings througout the 2008 NFL season. 

My performance keeping this blog up to date has been nothing short of disgraceful.  I have no excuses.  I spend at least 2-3 hours on the computer per day, and still I can’t find 10 minutes or less to do a blog update each day (or at least every 2-3 days).  So for now, the blog is on hold, until I can come up with some fresh content.  For my devoted readers, I apologize.  See you soon!!

Apparantly so, as found on this rather cool YouTube video.  There are other parts found in the related video section.  Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=O9OZSYfaDJU

Cito Gaston is back!  Yes that’s correct, the manager of both Blue Jay World Series teams, is back with the club for the first time in nearly 11 years.  Gaston has been hired as manager for the remainder of the 2008 season, along with former coaches Nick Leyva and Gene Tenace, as well as roving hitting instructor Dwayne Murphy.  Former skipper “Stutterin’” John Gibbons was finally axed by moron GM J.P. Riccardi (who is on his own death watch) today, after the Jays bottomed out in Milwaukee, getting swept, and falling into dead last in the American League East.  The first time Gaston took over the Jays was back in 1989 under similar circumstances — fledgling last place team, under-achieving into oblivion.  That team went on to win the AL East, and eventually the 1992-93 Fall Classic’s under Gaston.  This could turn out to be a really ugly turn back the clock experiment, or this could light a fire and turn the Jays season around.  One thing is for sure, the saddest man in Canada is Cliff Shank (inside joke), for he has been passed over yet again for Blue Jay boss!!

After nearly two months of Pittsburgh Penguin playoff re-caps, my brain needs to adjust to life without hockey, as well as come up with new topics for this damn blog!  To be honest, I needed a few days following the Pens’ season ending loss to compose myself, and it was hard to be sure to post pictures of the Red Wings celebrating a Cup victory on Mellon Arena ice.  But that is over now, in the history books.  This blog will continue on in the coming months with old staples (Springsteen Lyric Of the Week, Temper Tantrum Moments), and will hopefully feature new topics which are on my mind, and in the news.  So once again I open up the suggestion box, and ask my devoted readers (all 8 of you!), to let me know what you would like to read. 

My brain hurts just thinking about the next blog topic!!

I’m drained from the two-month playoff journey, and a tad ticked off that the Pens’ lost the Stanley Cup to Detroit in six games.  So I’m gonna keep this short and sweet (not to mention three days after the fact!).  The Wings were the better team throughout the series, however, the Pens’ were starting to show life in the later half of the Cup final, but it was too little too late.  The Wings claiming their 11th Stanley Cup (4th in the past 11 years) with a 3-2 win at Mellon Arena on Wednesday.  Henrik Zetterberg was named the Conn Smythe trophy winner for playoff MVP, finishing tied with Sidney Crosby in total points with 27.  So it’s wait ’til next year for the Penguins, but a great season to be sure.  The future is bright in the Steel City!!

I was there, I saw it in person!  Game #5 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final may well go down as one of the best games in playoff history, as the Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination to beat the Wings 4-3 in triple overtime, to cut Detroit’s lead in the series to 3-2.  The game had it all (not even to mention the Stanley Cup was in the building):  raw emotion, blown leads by both teams, injuries, blood, amazing crowd and goaltending, last second heroics, and a Penguin win for the ages!  My girlfriend and I survived the hostile environment at Joe Louis Arena, sitting through the over 4 hour roller-coaster ride of emotions from section 217A.  I was even taking a video of the final minute of an expected Detroit win (for a piece of history) when Max Talbot http://www.myxer.com/ringtone:505118/ saved the Pens’ season with less than 35 seconds to play, and the champagne chilling on ice in the Wings locker room.  The Joe went from insane loudness and joy, to total silence and horror.  The Pens’, who blew a 2-0 first period lead, were totally dominated in the 3rd and most of the three overtimes, and if not for the un-real goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh’s season would have ended, and the Wings would have Cup #11.  But sports is a funny animal sometimes.  The guts the Pen’s showed to stay in the game with the late tally, and Petr Sykora’s 3OT winner http://www.myxer.com/ringtone:505117/ were true testiments to how great this bunch of players are.  So it’s back to Mellon tonight for Game #6, and if the Pens’ can pull it out, there will be a game for “all the marbles” in Motown on Saturday night!  I can’t wait to see it happen.  Let’s Go Pens’!!  Oh, check out the pictures I took at the game using the link below.

http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg38/darthwall/game5pensvswings/

OK it’s been about 24 hours since the Penguins lost to Detroit, to trail 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Final, and I’ve now calmed down to point out some things.  First of all, the better team is winning this series to be sure.  The Wings may not be the greatest team to ever win (or going to win) the Cup, but they deserve full marks for the lead they’ve earned.  Second, the Pens’ have had a super season, one that not many true fans of the team thought to be possible this soon in the “Crosby Era”.  It’s never easy to have your team lose so close to the ultimate prize, but I’m fairly confident that even in this salary cap NHL, the Penguins will be playing for Lord Stanley’s mug several more times with this current core.  The reason I’m posting this quasi-post mortem on the series, is because I will be in Detroit tomorrow night for Game #5, and will not be back to post until Tuesday evening.  So my girlfriend and I will either see the Pens’ extend the series and their season, or we will witness one of sports greatest moments, the awarding of the Stanley Cup.  I guess it’s win-win no matter what.  But I would really rather skip out on the history part! 

Not really going to say much, because I’m seething right now.  What a pathetic effort by the Penguins with their season on the line, losing 2-1 to the Wings in Game #4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Pens’, who now trail the final 3-1, showed no heart, no jump, and ultimately will not be winning the  Stanley Cup this season.  In fact I will have the priviledge of watching the Wings hoist the Cup Monday night at the Joe.  Can’t fucking wait.  Oh and if any of you see Evgeni Malkin in the next day or so, can you have him report to the team, he’s been missing for a week now.   OK I’m going to beat the cat and smash something Chet Greenslade style (inside joke).