FAVRE to retire...

Dude I'm serious...no really, it's all over the news...why would I make this up?...I'm not even a NFL fan...dude, why are you crying?...


Well, it seems like it's official...and he means it this time...Brett Favre is hanging up his cleats/spurs once and for all after 17 seasons in the NFL. And it only took what, 5 or 6 offseasons of suspense? The official reason given for why Favre decided this was the year to pull the plug? He's "tired". Good enough for me. I would imagine he is a little sore as well. And I'm not trying to be a smartass. He's earned the right to go out on his own terms.

You can pretty much count on SportsCenter being unwatchable tonight unless you happen to hail from Wisconsin. Of course, SportsCenter is pretty much unwatchable in the first place. On his radio show this morning Dan Patrick (who is no longer affiliated with ESPN) was taking calls and reading emails from distraught Cheese-Heads who had to "pull their cars over and burst into tears when they heard the news". Egads.

Yahoo sports has coverage here.

While Deadspin will have "more about this later". I can hardly wait.


Of course, I get most of my football news from The Guardian (UK), and you can find their coverage here.


John Madden is now expected to announce his retirement from broadcasting sometime within the next few days. At which point he will perform hara-kiri with a turkey leg.

Seriously though, today marks the end of an amazing career. Favre will go down as one of the all-time greats for sure. A supreme competitor, fearless, with a cannon for an arm and one of the most durable players of all time at his position. Perhaps the last of the wild-west gunslingers in the NFL. He, and his wildly entertaining brand of football, will be missed by fans and foes a like. Multiple MVPs and a Superbowl ring assure that a late summer trip to Canton, OH will be on his itinerary in the not too distant future.

Let the Aaron Rodgers era begin in Green Bay!!


-m

Hey Boston...

Thanks for nothing...and by nothing, I mean NOTHING.

Capitals 10
Bruins 2

How's that save percentage looking now Tim Thomas?

Even before watching last night's debacle, I was wondering to myself how the Bruins, who the Canes managed to dominate this season even when they were playing at their worst, could have possibly won 6 straight games and climbed as high as 6th place in the Eastern Conference? Had they been playing in the AHL for two weeks? That's all I can figure after Monday's debacle.

All props to the Capitals for absolutely pummeling an opponent who obviously had no interest in playing the game on Monday. And they did not even have to break a sweat to do so.

If there is any justice, the hockey gods will reward the Bruins for their lack of passion and lack of effort with a 10 or 12 game losing streak.

I'm not sure if this game can be used as an accurate gauge of how much the Capitals have improved with their trade deadline acquisitions, but they looked pretty darn impressive to me...at least we know they can find the net early and often when there's no defense to oppose them.


-m

...and the kitchen sink

Random thoughts on a spring-like Monday:

- The Tampa papers are awash with stories on the Canes diving to get penalties on Saturday night. What is it about Florida and sore losers? The bottom line from the rafters: Did the Cane's get the benefit of the doubt on a few calls? Sure. But when you are dominating the game the way the Canes were in the 2nd and 3rd periods, you are going to get the benefit of some calls. The Lightning were out-skated, out-hit and out-worked for the majority of the game. I noticed the difference in penalty calls, and was looking for a few make-up calls in the 3rd to even things out. But the fact of the matter is, the 'Ning did nothing in the 3rd to warrant a call. They basically rolled over like a team playing out the string. Big surprise. And now they want to whine about it. Whatever. When they are on their game, no one gets the benefit of calls more than St Louis and Levcavalier. They just didn't do anything on Saturday to deserve it.

- I've been really impressed with the contributions of the newcomers over the last few weeks. Has there been a better waiver wire claim in recent history than Sergei Samsonov? The River Rats have been amazing. Corvo, Ruutu and Eaves all got on the score sheet Saturday night. The energy and edge have been fun to watch. Let's hope they can all sustain it on the road.

= I'm bummed that I was unable to buy playoff tickets this year, but since I don't have a job at the moment, I was unable to make the commitment. Thankfully my regular season ticket plan was paid for before I became a "man of leisure". Unfortunately, my bank account is quickly approaching "unemployed". Here's hoping I'll be able to buy some playoff tickets a la carte when the time comes.

- There was a little speculation on Lord Stanley's Blog today regarding Ray Whitney's injury and status. Apparently a rumor was going around that Raymond had been to see a specialist regarding a possible infection in his leg. Coach Laviolette discarded these rumors, but would only say that Whitney was day-to-day (then again, aren't we all?).

- If Whitney is unavailable in Atlanta on Wednesday, the lineup is likely to remain as it was on Saturday night. I liked the pairing of Ruutu with Staal and Cole, and Patrick Eaves seems to be getting more and more comfortable with every game, playing on a line with Samsonov and Cullen. I was a little surprised with the defensive pairing of Corvo and Kaberle. Seemed a bit odd, to me at least, to pair up your two most offensive defensemen, outside of the power play. Especially when you are working with the minimum six man rotation. But once again Laviolette proves himself smarter than me. Go figure.

- Eric Staal has continued to improve his all around game. He's really stepped up in all phases since Brind A'Mour went down. Saturday he was rewarded with a three point night (1 goal, two assists). It was nice to see, but even when he has not shown up on the scoresheet, his effort has been there consistently of late and it really has seemed to rub off on his teammates. This guy is going to be wearing the "C" someday for this team, and it's nice to see him growing into the role.

- Since his arrival, Sergei Samsonov is tied with Eric Staal for total points on the team with 21. He matched Staal's three point effort on Saturday against the Lightning, with 2 goals and an assist of his own.

-m