Random Thoughts

Did I think the New Jersey Devils would beat the L-A Kings in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday night. NOPE! Do I think the Devils extend this series back to L-A? NOPE! Do I think the Devils have had their opportunities. YUP!

One could argue that New Jersey could have gone to Hollywood up two games in the series since they were just one shot away from winning both Game 1 and 2 in overtime. They did not deserve to win Game 3 even though the refs made a horrible call on L-A's first goal to blow it dead thus giving the Kings the ability to play their game. The Devils have been a tough team to beat when their backs are against the wall, but L-A has had a Game 4 stigma this year and they have rebounded each and every time. I suspect this one will be no different.

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The Summer Olympics begin in a couple of months. Do you believe? Do you care? There is considerably less excitement over the London games than the Vancouver ones for many obvious reasons.

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The Dwayne Jarrett era has come and gone in Saskatchewan. I have to wonder if Jarrett thought the road to football employment would be easy and that he had no idea what he was getting himself into until he saw the competition at Riders camp.

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One player not getting a lot of attention at Rider camp this week, but a guy I have noticed is 2nd round draft pick Sam Hurl. I like what I have seen. I also really like what I have seen of linebacker Devonte Shannon out of the University of Buffalo.

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I have always praised the L-P Sports staff led by the rumpled scribe Rob Vanstone, but I keep waiting for the Drew Willy-Danny Barrett story. Willy was the quarterback for the University of Buffalo when Barrett went there following his dismissal from the Riders. What was that relationship like and did Barrett ever talk about Riderville with his former QB who could be the number two guy.

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Premier Brad Wall says "lets do it" when it comes to building a new football stadium in Regina, but he wouldn't say how much the provincial government will come through with. Can we call that a first down?

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When I see the stadiums that they will contest Euro 2012 in, I say if they can have stadiums like that in Poland and the Ukraine, they can have that in Regina as well. How much did those facilities cost?

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Speaking of Euro 2012, the tournament opens this morning with Poland playing Greece. Word has it 4 Seasons head honcho George Yannitsos and many of the Greek community will be gathering there. I would love to see Access 7 LockerTalk co-host Pete Paczko take his Polish self to the 4 Seasons to either heckle or get heckled at. Regina would have its own little international incident.

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Lakers great Magic Johnson gets it. After taking ownership of the Dodgers, he presented not one, but two autographed jerseys to each member of the team. He told the players to donate one to their favourite charity and to keep the other one. With the players all happy and smiling, Magic then told the players to remember how happy they are because that is how happy they make kids and others who want their autographs before and after games. I love that.

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Happy Birthday to a first ballot all-Scruffy hall of famer Anna Kournikova. The lovely Ms. Kournikova turned 32 on Thursday. Who cares if she can't play tennis!

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Congrats to former Pats head scout Todd Ripplinger. He won 20 grand by hitting a hole in one at the Shooting Stars tournament on Thursday. Well done Ripper!

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I find the results of the latest poll interesting. What don't you like about the way Sportsnet does hockey? I thought CBC or NBC would be last, but not Sportsnet.

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I also find the acquisition of Tomas Vokoun by the Penguins to be interesting. What does this mean for Marc Andre-Fleury. Fleury obviously didn't have his "A" game in the playoffs. Is Vokoun that much of an upgrade? One of these guys will be going, but where.

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The Toronto Marlies lost Game 3 of the American Hockey League final in Toronto on Thursday night. I am guessing this is the first time that a pro hockey game of meaning has been played in Toronto during June.

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Can we put Brandon Morrow in the discussion for Cy Young candidates? His performance against the White Sox this week was pure magic. How good would his numbers be if it weren't for that outing in Texas where he lasted just two thirds of an inning.

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That sick freak who is mailing body parts all across Canada apparently was a poster on the hockey sight hockeyforums.com and that he wrote a rather chilling tribute post on Sergei Fedorov. I wonder if he went by the name "Bingo Arms".

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When did Regina became wandering moose capital of North America. Three in the past two weeks?

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High Impact Wrestling returns to Regina tonight with an appearance by former WWE star Gangrel. The opening bell is at 8. Will King Kash be there? He is waiting patiently for a little King or Queen to enter his world and the due date has long passed. Here's hopin'. Of course with it being a HIW night, it means more interaction with Rex Roberts. He's such a pleasant individual even though he loses every month. Fun will be had by all.

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Enjoy your Friday!