This And That

The usual weekly assortment of thoughts running through my muddled brain


--As I look outside and see nothing but white, I am reminded baseball's opening day is less than a month away.

--The Buffalo Bills are not going to come to Toronto for their annual game this year. They say they'll be back. I doubt it. Kiss the NFL goodbye Toronto. Its not coming anytime soon.

--It would seem as if the Stampeders aren't interested in signing Nik Lewis to a contract extension. Can you imagine Nik in green? In the CFL, never say never---remember that!

--Kevin Glenn wants to be traded. I don't blame him for that because the REDBLACKS certainly did not give him a fair shake, but if he thinks he's starter material he's sadly mistaken. Where is he going to go? There is some talk he could end up in Saskatchewan. With all due respect to Glenn, making him the backup would be an insult to Tino Sunseri. He could be next up in a couple of years and its time to start developing him.

--Here's a legitimate question. On Tuesday night after trading Roberto Luongo, the Canucks went with Pat Conacher Junior as a backup in Phoenix. On the same night, the Oilers went with U of A goalie Kurtis Mucha even though many wanted Canadian womens national team goalie Shannon Szabados to have the honor. What happens if for whatever reason the "backup" has to play? Has that ever happened before? In Mucha's case it would be alright, but what goaltending experience does Conacher Junior (yes, he is former Pat coach Pat Conacher's son) have? St. Louis went with some rec league goalie once that they had to fish out of somewhere. What happens if this guy or gal actually had to play.

--Speaking of goalies, the injury to Pats goalie Daniel Wapple is hopefully not serious, but it did not look good when he went down against Edmonton Wednesday night. When Wapple gets back in the lineup, I hope he is wearing Pats colours for pads instead of his old Medicine Hat ones. Those ones must be extremely comfy for him.

--The Red Wings retired Nik Lidstrom's #5 on Thursday night. There is no doubt he is the best defenseman the NHL has seen in the last 25 years. Where does he rank overall? I would put him 3rd behind Orr and Coffey. The only reason I put Coffey ahead of Lidstrom is he sort of revolutionized the position by making a defenceman an offensive force.

--A tip of the cap to CTV's Darrell Romuld for an outstanding feature on my friend and co-worker Phil Andrews. Its on CTV Regina's webpage. For those that don't know Phil, you will after this. Its a great piece!

--I keep thinking Roger Goodell is joking when he says he wants converts to be placed at the 25 meaning a 43 yard PAT. That's just dumb! Its beyond dumb! Baltimore's Justin Tucker may be right when he says Goodell is trying to eliminate the kicker from the game. If you want a longer convert, make it a 30 yarder, but 43 is dumb. It baffles me as to why Goodell keeps trying to ruin what already is seen as the best game in the world by many. I hope Marc Cohon is not as dim when it comes to this as Goodell is.

--I will admit to being very surprised Sam Gagner is still with the Oilers. I like Gagner, but I thought he was headed somewhere at the trade deadline.

--Brian Lawton is as good on TV as he was on the ice.

--Who was the guy who wrote the jet to the female WestJet pilot? WOWWWWWW!!!! Someone needs to join the decade currently in progress!

--For my money, TSN's Sara Orlesky is the best female journalist out there right now. That includes those you find south of the border. In fact, the gap between Orlesky and some of the women broadcasters south of the border is a large one.

--The CRTC won't give us ESPN or Fox Sports One and now they say Canadian porn channels need more Canadian content. Who monitors this and where does one apply? There's a beaver joke in here somewhere but I will reluctantly let it pass.

--For those asking, my debut behind the mike on High Impact Wrestling on Access 7 is March 25. It is on that date that HIW and likely my life changes. I watched the first edition this past Tuesday and it seemed as if my Locker Talk partner Pete Paczko wasn't missing me. Hmmmmmmmm!!!!

--Good luck to the Cougar womens basketball team in Edmonton this weekend as they try to bring home a Canada West title and a trip to the nationals. A win over Saskatchewan Friday night will accomplish the latter.

--Whoever takes Texas A&M  quarterback Johnny Manziel in the NFL draft is making a mistake. Manziel couldn't get it done against tough SEC teams like Auburn and Alabama who are monsters on defense. If he can't do it against them, what is he going to do against NFL caliber defenses.

--After being off my satellite radio since January, the Dan Patrick show has resumed. I would love the opportunity to have a beer or three with Patrick or Colin Cowherd. They are my favourites.

--Is there some kind of discount at Regina car dealers for cars that don't have signal-lights. It would seem as if many in Regina are driving those types of vehicles these days----especially when conditions are less than ideal!

--Have a great weekend!