Video: The 2007 World Juniors Shootout Between Canada & USA

USA vs. Canada Tonight At World Juniors

If this year's New Year's Eve match-up is half as good as last year's, we're all in for a treat.

From TSN.ca:

The New Year's Eve match tonight brings back memories of last year's Dec. 31 game between the same two teams. Playing in Ottawa, the U.S. raced to a 3-0 lead before John Tavares led a Canadian comeback with a hat-trick and an eventual 7-4 victory. The game, considered one of the best round-robin games in tournament history, is also remembered for Dustin Tokarski's point-blank glove save on American Colin Wilson.

At the 2007 tournament, Canada and the USA played a dramatic semi-final game that was extended to a seven-round shootout. Behind Carey Price's steady goaltending and Jonathan Toews' three shootout markers, Canada captured a 2-1 victory to advance to the gold medal game. The Canadians went on to win the title by beating Russia 4-2.

But go back a little further to 2004, and it was the U.S. who got the better of the Canucks. Facing a Canadian team that featured Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, and Brent Seabrook, the Americans came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in third period. With less than six minutes to play, a Patrick O'Sullivan shot bounced off Braydon Coburn's skate and past Fleury, who had come out to play the puck. The goal stood up to give the U.S. their first and only World Junior gold medal in a 4-3 win.

VIDEO LINK

VOTL.com Ball Drop Bash Books Big Act

I've booked a surprise performer to take the stage here at midnight.  Be sure to check TheVOTL.com when the ball drops to see the performance of a lifetime.

Suddenly a Curling Fan

I came across this pleasant picture while scanning Google's image search engine for a photo to accompany a post on the USA-Canada hockey game tonight.  This is Jenna Loder.  She plays (?) curling.  I am a big fan.  There shall be many Jenna Loder updates on TheVOTL.com in 2010.

Nightman Cometh

For over a year now, I have been tormented by the fact that there is one -- just one -- episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that I have yet to see.  Today, I found it.  In my quest to reach 367 posts for the year by 11:59 p.m., I am embedding it here for all to see.  I give you, Nightman Cometh:

Oswego State's Musselwhite Profiled in Today's Post-Standard

From Syracuse.com:

Whenever the Oswego State penalty kill unit is set to fly over the boards, Lakers coach Ed Gosek delivers a little message.

“Coach always reminds us, if you have a chance to go (on the offensive), attack,” said senior forward Neil Musselwhite. “He wants to make sure it’s in the back of your head.”

In the case of Musselwhite, that’s like reminding a starving wolf that a pork chop would make a tasty snack. Few players in the country can put an opponent with a manpower advantage on the defensive as quickly as him.

Read the full article

Fenway Park Winter Classic Webcam

Check out the rink on this live webcam from NHL.com.

Monday Night Wars 2.0: WWE & TNA Going Head-To-Head

The Monday Night Wars of professional wrestling have returned, but instead of feeling the competitive heat of Ted Turner's WCW, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is squaring off with a new enemy -- TNA Wrestling.  The seven-year-old company, backed by the hefty wallet of Panda Energy International, will air their first Monday night program on Jan. 4 after years of being exclusive to Thursdays on Spike TV. Not only will TNA intrude on WWE's prized timeslot, they'll be led by WWE's prized icon -- Hulk Hogan.



Multiple rumors have TNA trying vehemently to sign Ric Flair and Jeff Hardy prior to the Jan. 4 show as well.  McMahon appears to be taking note of TNA's aggressive maneuvering, as he's signed a real-life rival to guest host WWE's Jan. 4 edition of Monday Night Raw in Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Hart was last employed by McMahon in late 1997.  He was the company's champion right up until his final match, when McMahon infamously altered the plan of having Hart leave the company as champion without Hart's knowledge.  Shawn Michaels, another real-life rival of Hart's, wound up defeating Hart in front of his Canadian countrymen.



Hart, now 52 years of age, spent the next two years wrestling in WCW before suffering a career-ending injury in the ring.  He has since made some appearances involving WWE, most notably during his induction into their Hall of Fame in 2006.  But Monday night will mark the first time he has appeared on live, episodic WWE programming since November of 2007.

USA Network has given McMahon an extra hour for this Monday's show, meaning it will start at 8 p.m., the same time TNA's Impact program takes to the airways on Spike TV.  However, Raw will run until 11:05 p.m., while Impact signs off at 10 p.m.

Video: Nets 114, Knicks 105

Video: Flyers 6, Rangers 0

Tumbling Again

I leapt onto the Tumblr bandwagon a few months ago, and then promptly jumped off.  Now, for no particular reason, I'm at it again.  If you'd like to check out my Tumblr page, please do so here.  What is Tumblr?  I'm still trying to find that out for myself.  Enjoy.

Former Orange PG Jason Hart Traded To Phoenix

The Minnesota Timberwolves' website announced two trades involving former Syracuse point guard Jason Hart yesterday.  One of the deals actually went through.

From the AP:

Hours after mistakenly letting a release leak on the team Web site announcing a trade with New Orleans that never came to fruition, the Timberwolves did ship Hart out after all, to the Suns.

Instead of ending up with Devin Brown from the Hornets, the Wolves landed Alando Tucker, a second-round pick and cash considerations from Phoenix.

Timberwolves president David Kahn was in talks with the Hornets about acquiring Brown, a 6-foot-5 guard shooting a career-high 41 percent from 3-point range this season. The Hornets were looking to dump Brown's $1.1 million salary and the Wolves needed perimeter shooting.

Kahn went so far as to prepare a statement for the deal.

"Jason has been the consummate professional during his time with us, but it was a rare opportunity to add a proven player with 3-point shooting capabilities that will help our offense," Kahn said. "Devin should be a nice addition to our team defensively, as well. He has a reputation as a tough kid and hard-nosed defender."

Just one problem - the deal wasn't done. The release somehow found its way into cyberspace, and the trade never materialized. So it was removed from the site and the Wolves eventually announced a deal with the Suns for Tucker, a 6-6 forward that has had trouble finding playing time in three seasons in Phoenix.

So rather than go from the worst to the 12th-best team in the Western Conference, Hart goes from the worst to the 4th-best team in the Western Conference.  Not a bad deal for the Syracuse University All-Century Team member.  This marks the ninth different team that Hart has played for in as many seasons in the NBA.

The Crunch Will Send One To AHL All-Stars

Dan Fritsche has been one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dreadful Syracuse Crunch team this year, and now he's being recognized by the AHL for his efforts.  Fritsche will skate for PlanetUSA after potting eight goals and tallying 11 assists in 31 games for Syracuse.  The 2010 AHL All-Star Game will take place on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. in Portland, Maine. 

This marks the first time since 2006-07 that Syracuse has sent just one player to the All-Star Game.  Filip Novak was the lone representative that season as the Crunch wound up missing the post season.

Image - EPA/Peter Klaunzer (NYTimes Slap Shot Blog)

Knicks Wants McGrady, Let's Go To The Trade Machine!

One of my favorite features over at ESPN.com is their NBA Trade Machine.  It gives you a very sour taste of just how frustrating life as a GM in the NBA can be.  Between the salary cap and the various amounts of restrictions on trading newly-acquired players, deals can be tricky to pull off, especially blockbusters.

Today, I am inspired by this article in Tuesday's New York Times -- which confirms the Knicks' interest in Houston forward Tracy McGrady -- to make my way back over the the trusty trade simulator.  McGrady was recently sent home by the Rockets so as not to cause a distraction to the franchise.  The former All-Star has been very vocal about his displeasure with the lack of playing time he is getting from coach Rick Adelman now that he is completely healed from micro-fracture surgery.

The Knicks are no stranger to the disgruntled athlete who feels entitled to more minutes, yet is confined to Mike D'Antoni's bench.  They have two of them riding the pine on a nightly basis, Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson.  Curry has never been the type of player that D'Antoni likes to run with.  He is overweight, slow to make decisions with the ball, and slows down the uptempo style that D'Antoni had success with in Phoenix.

Robinson seemed like a perfect fit for D'Antoni's offense at first.  He has lighting-fast speed and can shoot the rock.  However, his outward displays of emotion quickly wore thin on the coaching staff.  The team has gone 9-5 over the past 14 games.  Robinson sat for the duration of the last eight of those victories and played just 11 minutes in the first -- the only minutes he has played for the entire month of December.

So, there you have it.  McGrady for Curry and Robinson, right?  Let's hit it!

Rats!  As you can see, the trade doesn't work.  The Knicks need to give up more in salary, as McGrady is bringing a $22 million price tag with him.  Curry and Robinson's salaries combine to equal $14.5 million, not quite enough.  You see, with both teams being well over the salary cap, the salaries they are giving up must be pretty close to equal to the salaries they are taking on.

The trade machine advises me to cut $7 million from the Knicks incoming trade value.  No can do.  It's all on one player, and removing McGrady from the deal defeats the whole purpose.  We don't want anyone else.  So what we need to do is actually add that amount to New York's outgoing trade value.  Let's see, I'm almost afraid to ask, but who on the Knicks roster is making $6-$9 million this season?

Darko?  Really?  Well, he's got to be Donnie Walsh's first choice to move.  The guy doesn't play more than nine minutes a game and has been talking about going back over to Europe.  Let's send him to Houston instead!

By god, it works.  The salaries are both right around $22 million, all four contracts are off the books for their respective teams at the end of the season, and four miserable souls get a change of scenery.  But wait, who is left to back up David Lee at the center position?  F#@%!  Back to the drawing board.

Lee is next on the list of guys making $6-$9 million, but he's a big reason for New York's success as of late, averaging just under 19 points and 11 boards a game.  We like him, we need him, we'll keep him.

Chris Duhon has been a steal of a deal for New York.  The former Blue Devil is eating up 35 minutes per game as the floor general, and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 3.5-to-1.  He's also capable of putting the ball in the basket, accounting for little less than ten points an outing.  Plus, with Nate on the way out, he's the only true point guard left.  He stays.

That brings us to Jared Jeffries.  A leftover from the Isiah Thomas era and a guy who I always felt was brought on just because he and Thomas shared the same alma mater.  What is it with former superstars who become executives and their fondness for marginal players from their alma maters?  So you strolled the same quad and left upper-deckers in the same toilets, get over it.

Jeffries plays about half a game each night out, but at 6-11 he's only pulling down 3.7 rebounds per game.  McGrady averages nearly twice that much for his career.  Not only does Jeffries not rebound, he also does not score.  His 4.1 points per game this season is only a point below his career average.  He blocks about a shot per game, but again, so does McGrady.  And I think the Knicks could do without his 56 percent success rate at the charity stripe.  Yes, Jeffries is the guy.  Let's make it happen!

Another success.  And this time you're not really leaving any positions the worse for wear on wither side.  Houston gets the big body center in Curry that it lost with Yao's injury.  New York still has Darko to give Lee a breather every night in the post.  Houston also gets a point guard who can give them an instant jolt on offense in Robinson.  Jeffries stinks, but he makes the deal work and allows the Rockets to unload the disgruntled McGrady.  McGrady comes to New York and leads the Knicks to their first NBA Championship in 37 years.  Works for me.

Wes Johnson's All-Around Game Leads 'Cuse Past The Hall

Wesley Johnson pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds in last night's 80-73 Big East win at Seton Hall last night to go along with his team-leading 20 points.  It was a performance that may remind fans of Paul Harris' 27 point, 22 rebound performance in last season's six-overtime Big East Tournament victory over Connecticut - but this was better...a lot better.

Many of Harris' rebounds that night came at the offensive end (10), and the majority of those (6) were from recovering his own missed layups or dunks.  And don't forget that Harris spent 56 minutes on the hardwood that night, nearly a full half more than a regulation game.

But Johnson's performance was the result of a sound all-around performance at both ends of the floor from tip-off to buzzer, or at least from 30-seconds in until buzzer.  Johnson was whistled for fouling Seton Hall-'s long-range specialist, Jeremy Hazell, in the game's first minute, resulting in three made free throws from the junior to start the Pirates off on a 3-0 lead.

But from that point on, Johnson was fundamentally-sound and showed the Prudential Center crowd why they may be seeing him back before their eyes next season in an NBA uniform.  Johnson shot 8-for-16 from the field, his 12th game shooting 50 percent or better in 13 outings.  The one game in which he failed to make as many shots as he missed was his Syracuse debut on Nov. 9 against Albany.  He went 5-for-11 that night.

And we're not talking about a guy who camps out in the low blocks on offense then makes a variety of five, six, and seven-foot shots.  Johnson is a triple-threat who's first made basket came from beyond the arc last night -- after two Harris-esque missed layups to start.

He also has a flash for coming through when the team needs him.  The Orange found themselves trailing in the second half in a tough Big East Conference road environment last night.  Midway through the second half, Johnson hit a jumper and two layups over the span of 2:47 to help the Orange from a 53-57 deficit to a 61-57 lead.  He also had a blocked shot during that time -- one of his five on the night -- to help keep the Pirates off the scoreboard for more than seven minutes as the Orange went on a 15-0 run.

Like Paul Harris, Syracuse fans likely won't see Wesley Johnson in the orange and blue for a senior season.  They also won't see him in the red and white of the Maine Red Claws.

Image - Associated Press

Carrier Dome Hosts WWE Tonight

Tonight marks the much-anticpated debut of Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment inside Syracuse University's Carrier Dome.  As of the writing of this post, there are $15 and $25 tickets still available at Ticketmaster.

WWE has advertised the following Superstars to appear: John Cena, WWE Champion Sheamus, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions DX (Triple H and Shawn Michaels), Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, The Big Show, Batista, ECW Champion Christian, John Morrison, MVP, United States Champion The Miz, Kofi Kingston, the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, Women's Champion Michelle McCool, and Elmira, NY native Beth Phoenix (pictured).

As is always the case in shows like this, that lineup is subject to change.  The event starts at 7 p.m.

VOTL Web Viewing: Dec. 30, 2009

AHL: Syracuse @ San Antonio, 8 p.m. 

The Crunch finish off their three-game Texas road swing with one of the worst teams in the Western Conference.  That's good news for a struggling team looking to successfully take at least a point from all three of their Lone Star games.

Syracuse lost to Houston 5-4 in overtime Monday night before defeating Texas 4-3 in last night's shootout.  Unfortunately, even a win tonight can't prevent the Crunch from entering the New Year as the East Division's cellar-dwellers.  GAME LINK


NHL: Flyers @ Rangers, 7 p.m.
Neither of these Atlantic Division foes has lived up to early-season expectations.  Yet each club has shown glimmers of hope lately: Philly has won three straight and the Rangers four of their last five.  New York took the last meeting between these two on Dec. 19 by a score of 2-1.  It took a 36-save effort from Henrik Lundqvist to overcome a 37-24 shot difference in favor of the Flyers.  GAME LINK


Knicks @ Nets, 7:30 p.m.
The 2-29 Nets get their third crack at the Knicks tonight as they try to stop another double-digit losing streak.  New Jersey is just 2-11 after starting the season with 18 straight losses and getting coach Lawrence Frank fired in the process.

Meanwhile, Mike D'Antonio's Knicks are turning things around in the Big Apple, winning 9 of their last 14 games, including four of their last six.  They are 2-0 against their neighbors in the Garden State and there shouldn't be much keeping them from making it 3-0 tonight.  GAME LINK

CoverItLive: No. 5 Syracuse at Seton Hall

Ben Cronin May Never Play Basketball Again

Ben Cronin always struck me as that really tall kid who was forced to play basketball because of his size.  I'd see him at the OCC high school basketball fall camp when he was probably only 15 years old, but already of gargantuan stature.

He was awkward, as many overgrown kids are.  He didn't seem to have much talent, yet you knew the coaching staff at Henninger High School would be doing their best to turn him into a Section III standout.

And that they did.  Cronin averaged nearly 20 points per game by his senior season with five outings with 27 or more points.  He received a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Michigan.  But it doesn't look like he'll be doing much more of that.

After just 26 minutes of playing time spanning over two seasons, his collegiate career -- marred by injury -- may now be terminated by injury.  Cronin had surgery to repair an injured hip in January.  Having played just two games as a freshman to that point, he was given that year of eligibility back by the NCAA.

Now five games into his redshirt freshman year, he's still bothered by the same hip.  So much so that his career looks to be over.  There aren't many seven-footers in college basketball today.  Cronin was a legitimate 7-feet tall and weighted in at nearly 270 pounds.  That type of body could have done some damage in the physical Big Ten Conference.  Now Michigan fans will never know exactly how many NIT titles Cronin would have brought them.  It's a sad end to what could have been a very promising tenure in the maze and blue.

Image - Syracuse.com

No. 5 Syracuse Starts Big East Play Tonight At Seton Hall

Things got a bit heated the last time Seton Hall and Syracuse met on the hardwood.  Their match-up in the 2009 Big East Tournament this past March produced four technical fouls and two skirmishes over the span of one minute.  Even the fourth official, who sits behind the scorer's table, had to run out onto the court at one point to help restore order.

Arinze Onuaku was among the members of the Orange squad that found themselves involved in a tussle that night (pictured).  He'll be back on the low blocks tonight, as will Seton Hall senior John Garcia -- the man whom Onuaku got into it with nine months ago.  Keep a close eye on the elbows tonight when these two giants get near each other in the paint.

As for the actual game, it's a bit unpredictable as to how things will shake out.  Syracuse is 12-0 and ranked fifth in the nation, but you can throw a lot of momentum out the window once you're in a conference road game, especially after a holiday break.

Seton Hall seems like a formidable squad thus far.  They took a highly-talented West Virginia squad -- ranked sixth in the nation at the time -- to overtime in their last outing on Dec. 26 before losing 90-84.  They also earned a ten-point decision over Cornell on the road back in November.  The Big Red may only be an Ivy Leaguer, but they are expected to make some Cinderella noise in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. 

On the year, Seton Hall is 9-2 and received two points in the latest AP Top 25 poll.  An upset over the 'Cuse tonight would serve as an announcement to the rest of the Big East that the Pirates are legit.  Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.  The game will be televised in Syracuse by Time Warner Cable Sportsnet.

Mike Waters' Orange Scouting Report PDF

Kris, Andy, and Scoop on the Big East

I'm The King Of The World

The Boltcheats tore through the 2009 regular season of the Caw NFL.com Fantasy Football League with just one blemish on their record. It came on my watch, as team VOTL sent the 'Cheats to the bowels of defeat back in week 9 by a score of 93-79.

Unfortunately, VOTL went onto lose four of their last five regular season games and barely won the West Division title with a record of 9-5. Burke's Ballers, the team owned by first-year Oswego State Sports Information Director Adele Burk, finished two games behind me and out of the playoffs.

I was not looking forward to the playoffs, as team VOTL was sputtering down the stretch. And in the semifinals, it looked as though the Blumpkins (logo - NSFW) were going to put me out of my misery, taking a 19-point lead into the Monday night game between the New York Giants and Washington.

The Giants defense was the last "player" left that could gain points for VOTL, the Blumpkins had exhausted all of their playing time the day before. Thankfully, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew showed up in a big way and domiated the 'Skins 45-12, recording a defensive TD in the process. VOTL was onto the title game with a 110-106 victory. My opponent would be the dreaded Boltcheats.

The 'Cheats had a bit of an easier time in their semifinal match-up, as team Joepa managed just 80 points in an 11-point loss. The Boltcheats were now 14-1 and riding sky high. Team VOLT had still lost four of its last six and got into this game by the skin of their pearly whites. It looked to be a battle of two franchises going in opposite directions.

However, team VOTL went back to the videotape (formerly referred to as "movies" in certain SUNY Oswego athletic offices) and saw what worked in week 9. The key to victory was to keep the ball in the hands of Tom Brady.

The New England signal-caller heaved four touchdowns in a 35-7 rout of Jacksonville and racked up 34 fantasy points. That effort coupled with touchdowns from both VOTL running backs (Thomas Jones & Rashard Mendenhall) was more than enough to give me the Caw NFL.com Fantasy Football Championship by a score of 107-87.

Suck it, world.

Reader Beware: Fighting The 'Chitis

It has been brought to my attention that my writing is retarded has been a bit off lately -- even more so than it usually is.  I'm on a lot of drugs, people.  Four prescriptions -- at a cost of $60 (horrible health plan) -- to fight off this rare disease known in the West Indies as bronchitis.  Doctors tell me a lesser man would have died weeks ago (horrible health plan only allows me to see doctors with GED's).  Somehow I soldier on.  Bear with me.

Image -Jared Crast's Facebook Self-portrait from the Urgent Care bathroom while waiting 90 minutes wearing a swine flu mask.

Gruden & Jaworski Bringing "Tension" To MNF Booth?

I didn't see the open of this week's Monday Night Football on ESPN, but I was made aware of a heated exchange between commentators Ron Jaworksi and Jon Gruden via Deadspin scribe Drew Magary's Twitter account.  Thankfully, someone had the good sense to upload said exchange onto YouTube.



Are the MNF producers encouraging Jaws and Chucky to bark at each other, or is there some legitimate animosity?  It's hard for me to tell from that clip alone.  But there have been multiple tweets popping up with claims that the tension has lingered throughout tonight's broadcast of the Minnesota-Chicago game.  My opinion?  I don't know, I'm hopped up on antibiotics and steroids and watching wrestling.  My Giants are eliminated, it's hockey season.  Leave me alone.

A Look At What Columbus Is Losing

Referees are Jason Chimera's kryptonite.

Officially Endorsing Brett Leonhardt For Caps' Captaincy

Former Oswego State goaltender and Washington Capitals web producer Brett Leonhardt tweeted about a half hour ago that his Vegas odds for becoming captain of the Washington Capitals now sit at 100,000-to-1.

You may remember Leonhardt as the 6-foot-7 behemoth who sprang into action for the Capitals last season when the backup goaltender who had been called up to the roster had his flight delayed.  Leonhardt spent about ten minutes -- enough time to have his Twitter picture taken -- on Washington's bench as the backup netminder before the call-up arrived.

I'm not going to bother doing any research on this, but I believe those ten minutes as the kind-of backup goalie last season make him eligible for the C this year.  Fingers crossed.

CBJ Acquire Clark & Jurcina From Caps, What Does That Mean For Crunch?

A deal was made today between the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets -- and it did not include Nikita Filatov.  Instead, Washington Captain Chris Clark (pictured) and defenseman Milan Jurcina were shipped to Columbus in exchange for forward Jason Chimera.

With two bodies headed to Syracuse's parent club in exchange for one, there is an assumption that the Crunch will be getting an addition to their roster pretty soon.  From Lindsay Kramer:

Who will those trickle down players be? No word yet, but how about some combination of Roy/Picard/Blunden eventually?

I guess in a perfect world Columbus might have picked up a minor-leaguer to help Syracuse right away, but in this instance it's hard to blame the team for trying to douse its own fire first.

The Jackets are not living up to the lofty expectations many had for them coming off their first playoff appearance last season.  They just hit the halfway point of the season (41 games) and have won only 14 times.  They sit in the basement of the Central Division with 35 points, 10 points shy of the final playoff spot in the West.  Injuries have played a role in slowing the progress of the franchise, and that has in turn affected the Crunch.

Syracuse currently has the worst record in the American Hockey League; they've also given up more goals per game than any other team.  Their struggles on defense have been well-documented by Chairman How's Glorious Army all season long, yet not much has been done about it.  If the names on the Syracuse blue line remain the same, the Crunch may miss the playoffs for a second straight season, something that has never happened in the franchise's 16-year history.

In case you were wondering, Clay Wilson's Rochester Americans currently sit atop the Western Conference; hey finished dead least just a season ago.  Jason Williams, the forward whom Scott Howson traded Wilson for, is no longer with Columbus and sits on the injured reserved list for Atlanta with a fractured fibula.  But hey, at least he helped CBJ to that first-round sweep out of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Image - Washington Capitals Club Scarlet

J-Mac Sighting At The World Juniors?

A hockey writer friend of mine was watching the World Juniors today and texted me say that I should watch Taylor Hall of Team Canada, as he is projected to be a top draft pick in 2010.  He then added that Hall looks like former high school basketball legend and autism poster boy Jason McElwain.  Let's go to the side-by-side:

We have a winner.

Wrestler: WWE Fines Thousands For Marijuana Use

Note: A few days ago, I told you I'd write about anything to get this blog up to 367 posts for the year.  That was five days ago.  I've had bronchitis.  I'm on a lot of drugs.  So now I really do need to blog about ANYTHING to reach the goal.  So here's this:

Long gone are the days when Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Iron Sheik could spend 20 minutes grappling in the squared-circle, snort a line of coke off the palm of their hand, take a swig of Jack, and drive onto the next town.  An abundance of bad press -- stemming from an alarming number of early deaths for pro wrestlers -- has caused Vince McMahon to make drastic changes to the way things are done in World Wrestling Entertainment.

During an appearance on the Opie & Anthony satellite radio program this week, WWE wrestler Alvin Burke, Jr., who wrestles under the name MVP,  admitted that he used to smoke pot on a regular basis. But Burke claims he has been forced to quit the habit as the company now fines its wrestlers $2,500 the first time they test positive for marijuana.  Not only that, Burke says the fine increases for each additional positive test.

That may explain why Rob Van Dam went from WWE Champion to an exit from the company within a one-year span.  Below is a video from one of Burke's previous appearances on Opie & Anthony.

Great Moments In Premature Jocularity: Tom Benson

Tom Benson cut longtime kicker John Carney just before Christmas in favor of the much younger Garrett Harley. Hartley missed a late field goal today against Tampa Bay that would have won the Saints their 14th game of the season.  Benson was the last person in the stadium to realize the kick hooked wide.  Actually, second-to-last next to that gold-digger woman on his right.

The Incident With My Announcer

For two solid years, the patrons at the Max Ziel Gymnasium heard the smooth, dulcet tones of public address announcer Adam Evans during the majority of Oswego State basketball games.  For one solid night, the Voice of the Lakers felt the smooth, dulcet bottom of Adam Evans on his crotch. 

Roll that beautiful bean footage...

Post No. 900: The March to 367

I don't know what you were doing on Valentine's Day 2007, but I was blogging about Don Mattingly's mustache, the perverted athletes at Plattsburgh State, and Chris Lerch's USCHO NCAA Division III men's ice hockey blog.  That's how TheVOTL.com -- then known as the WNYO Sports Blog (www.wnyosports.com) -- got it's humble beginning.  And now here we are at the 900th post and counting.

The blog's original intention was to give the SUNY Oswego campus radio station an online presence for its sports department.  During my time as Sports Director, WNYO grew from a small-frequency radio station that broadcasted around 10 men's hockey games a year to the voice of Oswego High football, Oswego State basketball, baseball, women's hockey and the home for each and every Oswego State men's ice hockey game. 

As the station's sports coverage grew, so did the sports blog.  What started out as a couple of guys screwing around quickly blossomed into the go-to web blog for all things Oswego State athletics.  It has now regressed to one guy screwing around, but I'm glad a decent number of readers are still here despite the drop-off in posts-per-day.  That's actually what I'm here to address -- the drop-off. 

That first year, we made 309 posts at WNYOsports.com.  That number grew to 366 year two.  The count for the current calendar year is at 226 (including this one).  Though I had some help from other authors in the past whereas I am now going it alone, I'd still like to top that total of 366.  Therefore, from this moment right up until 11:59:59 PM on Dec. 31, I am going to blog about anything and everything.  If I feel like blogging about Jersey Shore, I'm going to.  If I feel like writing about girls who verbally attack me after I kindly tell them, "I don't think you're my type," I will.  If I simply want to share my favorite YouTube or Facebook videos even if they relate to absolutely nothing, it's going to happen.

In fact, I'm going to start with the greatest video ever posted on Facebook...stay tuned.

Fatal Plane Crashes = Comedy Gold

Pittsburgh Penguins television broadcaster Paul Steigerwald marked the 91st anniversary of hockey legend Hobey Baker's death last night -- by making fun of it.

Baker was killed in a plane crash while serving in the U.S. Army on Dec. 21, 1918.  He had attended Princeton University and led the Tigers to National Championships in 1912 and 1914 as a member of the ice hockey team.  He is now the namesake for college hockey's most outstanding male player award.

Late in the third period of Monday night's game, FSN Pittsburgh aired a replay of a hit that Pittsburgh's Craig Adams laid on New Jersey's Mike Mottau.  Pens color-commentator Bob Errey said of Mottau, "the Hobey Baker winner went down real hard."  Steigerwald quipped, "not as hard as Hobey Baker went down though...he went down in a plane crash."

YouTube users have been quick to point out that the joke is funny because of the length of time that has passed since Baker's accident.  I'm going to propose that the "statute of too soon" be set at a minimum of a full century on this one due to the fact that: A) the accident occurred while Baker was in the service and B) It should always be "too soon" whenever anyone associated with that franchise attempts to make light of a tragedy.

New Jersey eventually won the game 4-0, securing an NHL record for career shutouts for goaltender Martin Brodeur.  The Pens return to action tomorrow night when they host Ottowa.  That day will also mark the 11th anniversary of the death of Michelle Thomas, best known as Steve Urkel's girlfriend on Family Matters.  That should provide sufficient ammunition for such zingers as, "that hit on Alfredsson was awfully aggressive, but not as aggressive as the intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor that ravaged the stomach of Myra Munkhouse...she died from an intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor."

Here's the clip:



H/T Gladdy

Melk Man Delivered To Atlanta

The New York Yankees have shipped Melky Cabrera to Atlanta in an effort to bolster their pitching rotation.  Right-handed starter Javier Vázquez returns to the Bronx as part of a deal that also sends Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino to the Braves according to the Daily News.  The Yankees also receive lefty reliever Boone Logan to complete the transaction.

This will mark Vázquez's second stint in New York.  He won 14 games for the Yankees in 2004, but his ERA was only a shade below 5.00.  He is a model of durability though, making at least 32 starts in each of the last 10 seasons.  Vázquez went 15-10 for the Braves last season with a 2.87 ERA.

Cabrera, 25, departs from the franchise that signed him in 2001 when he was just 17 years old.  He continued to show improvement in 2009 despite failing to solidify himself as the clear-cut starter in center field.  Caberera reached career highs in doubles, home runs, and hits as he played in all but eight games while splitting time with Brett Gardner.  The Yankees recently acquired All-Star center fielder Curtis Granderson in a trade with Detroit.

Junk Punch!

Uh Oh...

Here's an image from today's Curtis Granderson Yankee introduction to the media.  I foresee a rocky 2010 for the third baseman.

Photos - Sabathia, Rodriguez, Granderson (Daily News), Hudson (Glenn Harris)

Oswego State Seperates From Pack in USCHO.com Poll

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team finds themselves atop the USCHO.com Division III national poll for the third straight week.  Monday's ballot shows that an increasing number of the 20 pollsters believe the Lakers to be the nation's top team, as 75 percent of the first place votes were sent Oswego's way.

Plattsburgh lost all five of their first-place votes from the week before, despite the fact that they have been idle since their 3-3 tie with Potsdam on Dec. 4.  The Cardinals won't play again until New Year's Day.

Besides arch-rivals Oswego State and Plattsburgh, no other SUNY Athletic Conference schools appear in the top 15.  Fredonia did receive a single 15th-place vote after winning six of their last seven.

Oswego State Wins In Historic Sage Rink, Extends Streak

Behind four goals and two assists from Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) and Eric Selleck (So., Spencerville, Ont.), the top-ranked Oswego State men’s ice hockey team defeated Hamilton College 8-2 on Friday night in Clinton, N.Y. The Lakers faced a 2-1 deficit after the first period, but scored five goals in the second to take control of the game. Oswego State goalie Paul Beckwith (So., Cleveland, Ohio) recorded 21 saves on 23 shots, while the Lakers moved to 12-1-0 overall. The Continentals fell to 3-3-1.

Senior captain Tyler Lyon (Sr., Foxboro, Ont.) started the scoring for Oswego State with a power-play goal at 13:28 in the first period, as Paul Rodrigues (Fr., Etobicoke, Ont.) and Luke Moodie (Fr., Burlington, Ont.) received assists.  Hamilton responded in the latter stages of the stanza with a pair of power-play goals from Andrew White and Chris Lorenc to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

The Lakers quickly tied the contest at 1:06 in the second period when Fox scored his eighth goal of the season with 25 seconds remaining in a 5-on-3 skater advantage.  Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y.) and Jon Whitelaw (Fr., Huntsville, Ont.) were credited with assists on the goal.  Two minutes later, assistant captain Neil Musselwhite (Sr., Burlington, Ont.) netted the eventual game-winning goal as Kevin Huinink (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) and Lyon earned assists.  Before the end of the frame, Oswego State received two goals from Selleck and another score by Fox to gain a 6-2 advantage with 20 minutes to play.

Head coach Ed Gosek’s squad tacked on two more goals in the third period as Tyler Leimbrock (Fr., Bolton, Ont.) and Moodie scored their third and seventh goals of the season, respectively, to cruise to the 8-2 win.

The Lakers fired 49 shots on goal compared to 23 shots for Hamilton.  Each team finished the game with two power-play goals as Oswego State went 2-for-7 and the Continentals were 2-for-6.  Calvin Bartel compiled 25 saves in 36:56, while Scott Hefferman made 16 saves in 23:04 for Hamilton.

The Lakers wrap up the 2009 portion of their schedule at the Campus Center Arena in Oswego against 2009 NCAA Final Four participant Hobart.  The puck drops at 7 p.m.

Box Score

(Press release via Oswego.edu/athetics)

#BeatFlorida, Because Gators Wear Jean Shorts

H/T Gladdy

Sources: Not Bob Stoops Will Be Next Notre Dame Coach

Turns out Bob Stoops was telling the truth all along.  The South Bend Tribune is reporting that Cincinnati's Brian Kelly will be named the next head coach of the Notre Dame football program.

Kelly led the Bearcats to their second straight Big East title this season and a perfect 12-0 record in the regular season.  The end-of-season banquet for the Cincinnati program is tonight, and the media was just told that they will be banned from the event.  Cincinnati has already accepted a BCS invitation to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Oklahoma's Stoops had been rumored to be Notre Dame's first choice to replace Charlie Weiss, who was fired after five seasons.  Stoops had gone on record as saying he would not be the next coach of the Fighting Irish.  But you'll have to forgive the media if they remained skeptical.

Oswego State's Jared Anderson Done For The Season

A source close to the Oswego State Lakers hockey program says that sophomore defensemen Jared Anderson will not play again this season.  The former Wellington Duke injured his shoulder in the first game of the season, a 7-3 win over Elmira, and has not dressed in the 11 games since.  He played in 20 games as a freshman and accumulated four assists.

The Lakers have managed to play well thus far in his absence.  They are the top-ranked team in the USCHO.com national poll with a record of 11-1-0.  Oswego State returns to action this weekend when they visit Hamilton College on Friday night and host Hobart on Saturday.  Both games have a scheduled start time of 7 p.m. and can be heard online at wnyo.org.

Can The NY Rangers Offense Please Come To The Customer Service Desk? Your Fanbase Is Looking For You.

Remember mid-October?  The New York Rangers, two weeks into the 2009-10 NHL regular season, were tied for the league lead in scoring.  Honest to God, Google it.

The mid-December Rangers have not been so fortunate.  Last night's 2-1 OT loss to Chicago marked the sixth consecutive game in which the blue shirts have been out shot.   The largest deficit in the previous five games had been eight SOG, but last night's tally blew that out of the water.  The Blackhawks fired 41 shots on Henrik Lundqvist against New York's 18 shots on net.

Wednesday was also the third straight game in which the Rangers failed to convert on the power play, though they only got one crack at it.  Dating back to the Nov. 30 loss to Pittsburgh, the Rangers are 0 for their last 8 on the man advantage.  Since Nov. 7, New York has just five power play goals in 39 opportunities.  My calculator tells me that's a conversion rate of just under 13 percent.

What's going on, Torts?

"“Forget about offense," said the second-year bench boss after the game (and it appears that they have, John).  "“My concern tonight is the level of competing, which was void as far as I’m concerned. … If guys thought they were trying tonight they were in for a rude awakening.”

You can't blame the guy for questioning the grit of his team after they mustered one shot on net over the final 20 minutes of regulation in a game that they were very much in contention to win.  Of course, Daily News scribe Michael Obernauer reminds us of the last time that happened:

The Rangers were outshot 41-18, including one single shot for the Blueshirts in the third period. (Does it remind anyone else of Game 7 against the Capitals back in April, when the Rangers, their lives on the line, managed one shot in the third period and 15 in the game and lost it late, 2-1? Different stage, I know, but similar show.)

Similar show, yes.  One that met a late April cancellation last season, and is headed towards an earlier finale in 2010.

Bye, Bye, Matsui and Damon. Hello, Versatility.

The New York Yankees didn't even wait for the champagne-drenched clubhouse to dry before they made an addition to it.

The Seattle Post-Intelligence reports that the Yankees gave up prized prospects Ian Kennedy (pitcher) and Austin Jackson (outfielder) in addition to reliever Phil Coke to get All-Star centerfielder Curtis Granderson from Detroit.

The move is part of a three-team deal that includes Arizona.  Kennedy is the only Yankee headed to the Diamondbacks.  Coke and Jackson will join the Tigers.

Granderson, 28, hit 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 homers, drove in 74 runs and stole 26 bases in 2007.  That made him the first player in 96 years to have at least 30 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases.

He has struggled in the two years since then, hitting just .249 last season despite being named to his first All-Star roster.  Granderson is also notoriously pitiful against left-handed pitching, batting just .210 for his career.  Surely, Yanks GM Brian Cashman is hoping for the kind of turnaround in Granderson that a move to New York brought Scott Brosius in 1998 and Nick Swisher in 2009.

#1 Oswego State Travels To Utica Today

The last time the Oswego State men's ice hockey team made the 90-mile trek to Utica, they left a 17-game unbeaten streak behind.  The Pioneers beat the top-ranked Lakers 5-2 on Jan. 23, 2007 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium to hand the eventual National Champions their first loss of the 2006-07 season after a 14-0-3 start.

For many Oswegonians, the 2008-09 edition of coach Ed Gosek's Lakers have conjured up memories of that squad from three years ago.  Their hot start - 10 wins in their first 11 games, including a victory in each of their last nine contests - have earned them the nation's top ranking for the third time in four seasons.

Gary Heenan's Pioneers (4-5-2) also bear many resemblances to the team that last took their home ice against the Lakers.  Utica has been inconsistent.  After stating the season with a 2-0-1 mark in their first three games, they've gone winless on six of their last eight, a streak that started with a Nov. 14 loss in Oswego.

The Utica team that beat Oswego State in '07 were 7-6-3 and had just gone winless in a two-game series with Elmira.  Their victory over the Lakers started them on a stretch in which they won six of seven games.  The 2009-10 Pioneers are in need of a similar jump-start.

Senior Anthony Luckow has been shaky for the Pioneers in net (4-4-2, 3.13 GAA, .894 save percentage).  Utica had reached out to former Oswego State goaltender Tim Potter in the off-season, but to no avail.  Luckow's backup, Justin Bolla, has been even worse.  The junior has stopped less than 84 percent of the shots he has seen while allowing four-and-a-half goals per 60 minutes.

As for the offense, three young forwards are averaging better than a point per game: Tim Coffman, Brian Gibbons, and Evan Chlanda.  Coffman, a sophomore, has seven goals - five of which have come on the power play, third-most in the nation.

As a team, Utica has been lights-out on the man advantage.  They've accumulated 23 goals on just 77 chances - the sixth-best conversion rate in the country (29.9%).  Only Adrian has scored more power play goals this season (25).  The Lakers would be wise to cut down on their nearly 16 penalty minutes per game average tonight.

IF YOU GO:
Be sure to take in the venue.  The Utica Memorial Auditorium is unique in that it is not on Utica College's campus.  Instead, it was built on the site of the old Erie Canal.  The arena is in it's 51st season of use and served as the host to the 1962 Frozen Four.  It can hold a crowd of 4,000 and was used to film scenes for the 1977 film "Slap Shot."  The arena also served as the model for the 1968 renovation of Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Face off is scheduled for 7 p.m.  Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for students, free if you're me.

Photo - Utica College Athletics

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On the left is New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni.  On the right is Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio.  I post this in an effort to get myself to stop calling the basketball coach "Mark D'Antoni" on this blog.

Break Up The Knicks! Hughes, NY Continue Hot Streak

The Knicks allowed a season-low 84 points Monday night in a 93-84 victory over Portland at The Garden.  Larry Hughes scored double figures for the third straight game, and topped 20 points for the second time in as many nights, finishing with 21.

David Lee put in another solid effort for the front court, recording his ninth double-double of the year with 17 points and 10 boards.  The former Florida Gator fell just a minute short of playing 40 minutes for the third consecutive game after averaging less than 33 minutes a game in November.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni benched point guard Nate Robinson for the fourth straight game.  In "Lil' Him's" absence, Chris Duhon ate up 37 minutes as the floor general and dished out nine assists while committing only a single turnover.  The Knicks are now 3-1 in the second prolonged Robinson benching of the season.  He played just 11 minutes in his last appearance on Dec. 1.  The Knicks won that game as well.

Portland was without many key players, as a rash of injuries have hit everyone from center Greg Oden (out for the season) right down to the coaching staff.  Bench boss Nate McMillian did not make the trip as he was having surgery on a torn patella he suffered in practice.  He took the floor with his squad at Friday's practice due to the lengthy disabled list and lack of available bodies.

Syracuse Improves One Spot In AP, Coach Polls

The unbeaten Syracuse Orange (8-0) moved closer to the top five in Monday's NCAA men's basketball polls.  Jim Boeheim's high-flying, high-scoring crew was ranked seventh in the country by the media and sixth by the coaches.  That's a one-spot improvement in each ballot following a 46-point victory over Maine on Saturday.


Syracuse's Thursday night opponent, Florida, moved into the top 10 in the AP poll and to No. 11 in the ESPN/USA coaches poll.  The Gators are also 8-0 and will meet the Orange in the SEC/Big East Invitational.

For Oswego State, #1 Is (Finally) The Loneliest Number

I was none too pleased when USCHO.com released their NCAA Division III men's hockey poll last Monday.  My Oswego State Lakers were tied with arch-rival Plattsburgh for the top ranking in the country, despite the fact that they had defeated the Cards by three goals on the road last month.

This week, I'm still miffed.  The Lakers went 2-0-0 over the weekend with conference victories over a pair of schools tied for fifth in the SUNYAC standings.

No big deal, I know.  You'd expect the top-ranked team in the country to beat teams ranked fifth in their conference at home.

You'd also expect the top-ranked team in the country to beat the fourth-place conference foe at home.  But that was asking too much of Plattsburgh.  The Cardinals blew a 3-0 lead, allowing a trio of third-period goals and entering a long break with a tie against Potsdam.

Yet still, there are five voters who placed Plattsburgh first on their ballot.  Five pollsters believe that the Cardinals, despite the three-goal loss to Oswego State on their own ice and two consecutive ties - one to a team with a losing record in conference - are the best team in Division III.  To that I say, "WTF!?  Seriously, WTF!?!?"

The five first place votes that Plattsburgh received were just three less than they earned the week before.  Meanwhile, Oswego State picked up five first-place votes for a total of 12.  That increase is enough to give them a 20-point lead in the standings over the Cards.

The Lakers will return to action tonight when they visit Utica.  Yours truly will be in attendance.  See you at The Aud.

Photo - Jared Crast/Facebook