I had thought about going with Chicago colors again since ‘da Cubs clinched the Central Division of the NL. Then again, I’ve never liked them, they were bums when I lived in Illinois and they’re such lovable losers, I think the universe would unravel if they won the World Series. I do sympathize for my friend Helen who had her 2003 birthday ruined by Paul yelling at the top of his lungs over the Steve Bartman incident. She was also on the phone with a friend in Chicago so she heard the collective screaming over the line. I’ll try to stay neutral as I don’t really have much invested in baseball anyway, I’m just critical of Cubs fans for their poor sportsmanship and as the Bartman incident proves, they’re not rational. The Cubs were a fragile team if they came undone by one foul ball.
Nah, I decided to use the (relatively) new colors of the San Jose Sharks, the current team for my favorite player, Jeremy Roenick. Oh the Canadian and ESPN hockey pundits have talked trash, saying he should retire, blather, blather. It’s a shame he had a falling out with the Coyotes but that team disentegrated after Christmas and the trade deadline sealed their fate for another crappy season. The only factor saving them from absolute shame was Philly having a worse season which began after Buffalo humiliated them. I feel the Sharks will be a solid fit. Sure he won’t get the amount of ice team he wants at age 37, unless he transforms into a defenseman or goalie. However, the objective is to score five goals, break the 500 mark and be the third American player to achieve this. I agree he’s a cinch for the Hall of Fame, probably not on the first round due to the Canadians’ grudge holding. Scoring at least 500 goals will improve his chances and grant him another distinction. Can he beat Joey Mullen’s 502, maybe. He does have a great shot with Thornton’s great passing/setups and additional assistance from Marleau and Cheecho. Will he catch up to Mike “Lady” Modano’s 507 (and climbing)? Probably not. If it weren’t for the recent lockout partially driven by Dollar Bill Wirtz (whose funeral was today), I can only imagine how much better JR’s stats would’ve been with the Flyers.
Oh well, life and hockey go on. The Onion said EA’s NHL 08 is actually pretty good which was a surprise, they’re usually ridiculing the sport over its “obscurity.”
In other hockey news, the Flyers waived Gauthier. He’ll probably clear and end up on the Phantoms. I think they should dump Downie because that kid has been nothing but trouble every season, especially when he was in juniors (the hazing incident leading to his trade in the OHL). Unless this punk has amazing stick-handling skills, he isn’t worth the effort. I’m also very, very pleased over Jason Smith being awarded the captain’s C over Simon Gagne. I would’ve preferred Sami Kapanen over one of the acquisitions but the Philly press said Smith stepped up to the plate in pre-season to lead and he was Edmonton’s captain. Finally, the coach and GM decided to go with a Primeau-like player to lead, not an unreliable “star” a la Forsberg or Lindros, both of whom are absent this season. The opener will be in Calgary this year which is good. I can rush over to the Tilted Kilt for the face off at 9 PM, after I call them and make sure they have the Center Ice package. I will miss having Dish for this, especially with how much more interesting they’ll be. I didn’t get to make my future bet on them to win the Cup neither. I’ve already written them off this year to be in rebuilding mode with the objective to returning to the playoffs, nothing further.
Next month, I promise a more personal set of colors. I’ll warn you though, they’re pretty ugly yet they were appropriate for the Eighties.