New Years

Some people have asked why I seem so bitter about New Year's Eve / Day when it's supposed to be a simple time to get together with some folks and get looped and celebrate the arrival of a new year and tell the old year to kiss off. And wake up fuzzy tongued and wondering who you kissed the night before and turn on some football and sleep off a hangover.

But much like birthdays and other 'rituals of survival,' I find them usually depressing. If one could wipe your memory [like wiping a hard drive] or shred all your memories or burn them off, then maybe I could get into them a little more. Maybe I'd have a smaller pile of regrets and 'should haves'

But I find with New Year's Eve I wind up places where I know one or three people and room full of strangers [not my element] and I am trying NOT to drink so much because I have to drive and when the New Year arrives all the people pair off with their significant and it just drives home how incredibly single I am.

But it's been that way forever. One NYE I spent with a pretty lady in an apartment in Arlington, once I kissed my sister's best friend, a couple New Years I spent huddled under blankets in snowed / iced in in Wichita after getting tattooed... one year Deb came here and got snowed in and sat of the tarmac at DFW for four hours. One recent year I went to some friends one a snowy NYE and we played cards and drank and missed midnight. One year I went to a friends and watched Saw... that was weird. A couple of my last NYE were spent at home, having a shot at midnight and going to be because I had to work at 800 the next morning.

Strangely, I don't think we ever spent a NYE at Jim's apartment, where we hung out through most of the 90s - I guess someone always had a party going and we went there. And Jim, gentleman drinker that he was, would not touch a drop - 'amateur night,' he called it.

Of course, as I have gotten older and killed more brain cells, I can't remember some NYE - was the night Kim hit the car on the 408 / 20 on ramp in the ice a NYE? How about those NYE in the 80s spent at my cousin Sherri's? [Well, I KNOW why I don't remember those... we were young and we drank A LOT.]

Anyway, that's my stories...

Not So Bitchy Stuff...

I took my sister, bro - in - law and nieces to see to production of A Christmas Story in Arlington yesterday [closes today, sorry you missed it]. Very well done, too. I was never a BB gun kid - even "an official Red Rider 200 shot carbine with a compass and a thing that tells time built right into the stock."

But there was a minor character that caught my attention - Esther Jane, the little girl with the crush on Ralph. I won't speak for the girls out there, but I am sure every guy had one of those girls who had the crush on him, maybe some friends sister or one 'homely' girl in the class. I had Claudia Soto back in the fifth grade. A little gangling and buck toothed. Which means she became supermodel hot in high school after the braces came off. But I liked the brassy tomboy Renae Childs [R.I.P.] and so...

I often rue openly about 'missed opportunities' and 'shoulda / woulda / coulda' and wonder about 'if I knew then what I know now.' Especially in winter, when the long nights just seem to open up the back pages in my mind. I just wonder sometimes if anybody else sees things like that and remembers someone, their own Claudia Soto or even me.

The NHL Again

I watched the Stars - Sharks game after we got home... I am one of those people who thinks the Sharks are a better team than they are, but they seem to go into 'going through the motions' too often to be a real dangerous team. And not like the 95 - 96 Red Wings where they just steamrolled through the regular season like the old Cincinnati Reds 'Big Red Machine.' The Sharks just seem to have no emotion to their game. Yeah, they have a great set up guy in Joe Thornton, but one guy does not a team make.

Scott Neidermeyer returns to the defending Stanley Cup champs, probably today, but in order to make room under the salary cap, the Ducks had to ship center Andy McDonald to the St. Louis Blues for Doug Weight. And I wouldn't trade three broken sticks for Doug Weight. I think he is the most over-rated player left in the league, since Curtis Joseph is not playing [though not officially 'retired.'].

CRANKY OLD DUDE STUFF

The NFL / NFL Network's Strong Arm Tactics

My Comment: The NFL wants the Texas State Legislature to FORCE private businesses [i.e. cable companies] to offer a product. This is TERRIBLE for the free market and indicative of the power a billion dollar industry thinks it has. But I am inclined to agree with the cable companies on this one: let those who WANT the NFL Network PAY for the NFL Network. I have about a 1% desire to see the NFL Network - I get P-L-E-N-T-Y of NFL talk on every other stinkin' sports channel I all ready get and I have no desire to watch team press conferences, team practice reports and/ or archived games, even the Steeler Super Bowls [blaspheme, I know Uncle Rich]. I think the NFL is highly overestimating the [quote] demand [end quote] for its product, especially when the season is over.

On the flip side, however - if the cable companies are forced to carry the NFL Network on the basic tier, then they should also be forced, in the name of fair competition, to carry the NHL Network [yes, it's out there] and whatever cable outlet the NBA, NCAA, MLB, MLS, etc. will surely throw up there, too. I would LOVE to have access to the NHL Network, but my carrier does not provide it. I would pay a premium price for something I am going to enjoy - let football fans couch it up like they all ready do for premium packages to worship a wall of televisions with access to [almost] every game on Sunday.

by John Moritz / Fort Worth Star Telegram 12/11/07

AUSTIN -- Two of the most powerful figures in pro football slugged it out with some of the titans of the cable television industry Monday over who was best equipped to protect the armchair quarterbacks of Texas.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared before the Texas House Committee on Regulated Industries seeking to force large cable companies to offer the fledgling NFL Network to subscribers who opt only for basic service. Cable companies such as Time Warner and Charter want the network that carries some of the league's must-see games along with other football- related programming to be reserved for viewers willing to pay for a premium package.

Some cable subscribers are upset because they can't see some games in the comfort of their homes. Five games in the last three weeks are on NFL Network, including the Cowboys' game at Carolina on Dec. 22 and New England's game at the New York Giants on Dec. 29 in which the Patriots could finish a 16-0 regular season.

Fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area can see the Cowboys' game on KDFI/Ch. 27, but the rest of the state and nation, will be out of luck unless they have NFL Network.

"As America's team, the Dallas Cowboys have millions of fans outside the home market who are being kept in the dark by Big Cable," Jones said.

For some members of the House committee, including chairman Phil King, it sounded like an argument best settled in an arena outside of state government.

"I have serious reservations over whether the state has jurisdiction over this," King, R-Weatherford, told Jones and Goodell.

Todd Baxter, vice president of the Texas Cable Association, urged the panel to resist legislation that might give a state agency the authority to regulate what programming cable operators must provide.

The state would have jurisdiction, Jones and Goodell said, because cable companies are effectively public utilities and generally operate with little or no competition.

Baxter pointed out that viewers in some markets have a choice in cable providers and nearly all could opt for a satellite TV service.

Under a proposal backed by Jones and Goodell, state regulators would arbitrate the dispute. State Sen. Kim Brimer, a Fort Worth Republican who was not at Monday's hearing, has said he plans to file a bill requiring the two sides to submit to arbitration.

Lawmakers can't act on proposed legislation until the next legislative session convenes in January 2009.

In addition, Baxter said, the NFL decided to establish a cable-based network when in the past the vast majority of regular-season games were available on broadcast channels.

"If they want [the fans] to see all of the games, why did they take them off free television?" Baxter said. "They need to be intellectually honest and stop blaming local cable companies for a problem they created."

The Federal Reserve's Job

I don't know why ANYONE is looking to the Federal Reserve and/or reductions in interest rates to save their homes. Yes, 'The Fed' is the driving the economy as a whole - and yes, they want to preserve growth and yes, they dictate monitary policy. But this hiccup is also their doing.

When the Fed saw that banking was making questionable loans, Alan Greenspan spoke up, but he was shouted down by Congress, who said "We need to make money available to those with little, no or questionable credit histories to enable them to participate in The American Dream." Well, guess what - those folks who got that money at low [quote] introductory [end quote] rates, not bothering to notice [or ignoring] the "Escalator" clauses took that money, ran with it and mortgaged themselves up the the eyeballs in houses they COULD NOT AFFORD.

Now the banks are wringing their hands and crying and Congress, in their infinite wisdom and penchant for forgetting what they said yesterday, is asking "Why did you make such questionable loans?"

Congress has not been able to live within a budget for how many years? We are looking at a debt right now of 5.1 TRILLION dollars and Congress keeps raising the debt ceiling, basically saying to itself "you're good for it, we're going to raise your credit limit!" And now the Congress is going to call private banking into question for their lending practices?

Look, The Fed did not tell home builders to keep cranking out their McMansions to sell to people who couldn't afford them for the last few years. The Fed nor Congress nor any other regulating agency interfered with private business when the banks were making the loans. So personally, I think it's ridiculous for the Federal Government to step in now and make concessions to private industry to save the banks and allow people to keep living in homes they can't afford and never could. ESPECIALLY A REPUBLICAN / CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT. I think it sets a dangerous precedent of "The Government Safety Net." Now more than ever, this sets The Government as the Big Brother / Father Figure to run to for a bailout when 'You' get into trouble. [Next up: National Health Insurance - just say no! See Milton Friedman's Free To Choose for my reasoning.]

What should The Fed do? Well, they're lowering short term interest rates in an effort to keep the economy growing, moving forward, basically, trying to get more money out there to allow people to borrow and spur growth and spending. BUT, the masses are scared now, and they should be! They don't WANT to take on more debt, concerned about the debt they have right now [unlike Congress] and what will happen to their credit card interest rates and home laons over the next couple of years. So consumer confidence is low and that keeps them from buying new homes, new cars and the economy is going to grind to a halt. And we may even see contraction shortly. As predicted, when he was out touring his boring autobiography, by Alan Greenspan [who really need to write the next definitive book on Economics, ala John Maynard Keyes and Milton Friedman]. One hopes we don't see numbers like the end of the Carter years, but it may get worse before it gets better again.

The Omaha Kid

I will not mention his name because he wanted to 'be famous.' Which he is not, he is INFAMOUS. Big difference. But the suicide notes says "... I don't want to be a burden on the ones that I care for my entire life."

I still don't understand why the moron had to take other people out. That's just sadder than sad. If you're miserable with your own life and want to end it, fine, but to take out people who had nothing to do with your problems...

I think the opposite of what he hoped is true now. He is infamous and his friends and family will forever have to live with the shame he brought on them.

The Conference on "Global Climate Change"

Let's host the Green Party[ies] of the major industrial nations at a conference on [quote] Global Climate Change [end quote] on a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean which they [the conference attendees and various worldwide news agencies] will all have to fly to on massive pollution, excuse me [quote] Carbon Footprint [end quote] causing jets and have them stay for two weeks in air conditioned hotels and conference rooms where the expulsion of [quote] Greenhouse Gasses [end quote] i.e. hot air, will be enough to power a wind turbine that can generate enough electricity to run 300,000 homes for two weeks.

I have a better idea: Why not just cut down another three square miles of Amazonian rain forest and call it even.

NYTEX

I went to the Texas Brahmas game at NYTEX arena last night. One heck of a game even though the referee sucked ass - how does a team get a 3 minute power play? Anyway, the Brahmas are harder to support and get to way up in North Richland Hills there - basically at Precinct Line and Mid Cities - just to the east of Birdville High there.

This is TINY place - it was originally built I guess for high school and rec leagues. I sat on one side and they only had 12 rows of bleachers on that side , another ten or so over the far goal, the same 12 rows and and additional 8 on a second tier. I guess this is what would be a Junior hockey arena in Canada. Nice sight lines though, you are right up against the action. But if it holds more than 2500 people, I'll eat my hat.

The Brahmas won in a shootout, by the way. Blew a 4 on 3 power play in overtime with one fender missing a stick - and he laid on the puck for a good five seconds just off the left of the crease - NO delay of game penalty. As I said, the referee sucked ass.

My Hard Drive Adventure

I had taken some time off moving all the files from the Great Transfer, copying the stuff I wanted to keep into my [anal retentive] organizing, logging and rating albums onto Rate Your Music and deleting trash, but I got into it again this week.

I found some really eardrum destroying things I will have to send to Marty in Nashville, like Arch Enemy, Cradle of Filth, Disturbed and the Suicide Machines [along with 7 Slayer albums]. Did anybody else know Robert John 'Mutt' Lange [Def Leppard / Shania Twain (his wife) / Highway to Hell] produced / over produced the Corrs 2000 album In Blue? I thought I'd like the Corrs, but I didn't. Found a British 'blue eyed soul' thing that was okay - the Blue Nile. Kind of a low rent Simply Red. Some kind of Celtic Pop / New Age-y / Enya-ish thing called Capercaillie. I found a great album by a band called the Sensation Alex Harvey Band called Framed [1973] which sounds like the blueprint for Bon Scott and AC/DC. Will check out some more of this.

I also managed to throw together a couple tapes for my Mom [she listens in her truck when she leaves the house], one a fantastic Smokey Robinson collection [solo], the other a collection of off the wall 70s soul stuff [Staples Singers, Three Degrees, Major Harris, Bobby Womack, O'Jays, etc...].

Incredibly wired, all caffeined up and no place to go but here and there back and forth to the restroom, draining the instrument of the wiring, the wrung out coffee, cola and iced tea. ICED TEA?!? On a day like this? It’s freezing outside, threatening freezing rain and/ or snow and you are drinking iced tea? Alas, yes, it comes with a complimentary meal arranged by our employer[s] for the dedicated [or poor, depending on one’s perspective] employees who must man this 24 hr / 7 day / 365 per year operation. The meal was much more satisfactory than last year’s dry bird and bland stuffing to be sure.

The paper, such as it was, was done at 4 o’clock. Five thin sections of news and the comics, then the classifieds and then a sections of autos for sale. The remainder of the nine pounds of newsprint I found on my lawn this afternoon dedicated to sale circulars, fodder of the retailer trying to entice me out of my bed at ungodly hours the day after Thanksgiving, hours just as I am retiring to my bed at 4 or 5 a.m., trying to get me to part with my cash that I earn at 2.5 times my normal rate for being here on the holidays; trying to beguile me to feed the monster that I loathe, that crass commercialist / capitalist feeding frenzy known as Christmas. I laugh at the retailers and I scoff at the poor slaves to consumerism who will brave rain and sleet and snow and dead of night to ‘save’ a few Yankee greenback dollars. They’re going to huddle together for warmth in the night, waiting for the opportunity to crush each other and run each other over trying to get to a limited supply of ‘deals.’ Do you NEED that 41 / 50 / 56 inch high definition television? Do your children ‘need’ the ridiculously overpriced latest greatest gaming console to replace the perfectly good and functional last generation one still hooked to your tiny 27 or 31 inch television? DVD players for the car? Back in my day, we barely had a the Sony Walkman to listen to music while on those character building. Clark Griswold-ish long distance drives all over this great land. Make those kids read a book like I had to! Make them look out the window bored at the miles.

I have a lunch break in a few minutes – even though they’ve all ready fed us and there is no place open to explore – no book stores to pick up something new to read; no Best Buy to pick up new sounds for the CD player. No, I’ll try and reach someone far away by dialing out on my calling card. If no one is found, I guess I’ll stare at the news channel spouting on and on about the Primary elections and polling data and all the political B.S. trying to get my interest for an election just under a year from now. I swear I wish there was some incumbent to take the heat off one of the parties, but this election being wide open is making every horse’s rear and his brother throw his hat in the ring. After hearing all this crap for a year all ready and a year to go, I am tempted not to vote for President – just leave that one blank and only vote for Congress, Senate and state offices. Of course, I didn’t vote for anyone for Governor in the last state election and that turned out to be the no-win I suspected. I did have to go vote in the recent bond elections to vote against Prop 15 where Texas will authorize$ 3 BILLION in bonds for cancer research – not the state’s job! – but that passed anyway.

And all this talk of toll roads crisscrossing the Metroplex and of higher tolls at peak hours… Jiminy Christmas! Raise the gas tax and flipping PAY for the road improvements and new roads! Don’t give me this ‘Get there faster by driving in our privatized lanes for .75 for five miles [1.25 at rush hour].’ Infrastructure IS the job of the state! How about $ 3 billion in bonds for road construction?

I get so much, yet so little really done on days like this. Having been in the business a while I know holidays are inherently slow – downloading a little more busy due to trying to arm and disarm systems people have left and not armed or armed with Fido or Socks the cat locked in while stuffing themselves at Grandma’s – that 120 pound Rottweiler will set off the motion detector? But I still grab a couple of books and either load up the MP3 player or the CD player. This year I brought the CDs, figuring I can keep them quiet and not run around with a bud sticking in one ear all night. Curious selections that grabbed my attention: R.E.M. Reckoning [80s garage / alternative/ college radio], Eric Johnson Tones [guitar heroics, but tasteful, not the wanking of a Joe Satriani], Rory Gallagher Tattoo [70s blues rock – wanted another title I only have on vinyl], Joe Jackson [80s Brit pop] and Joe Ely [Texas country rock] collections, Elton John Madman Across the Water [good gloomy day music], Queen Sheer Heart Attack [over the top 70s progressive pop] and Cocteau Twins Milk and Kisses [ethereal]. I still have Lolita in my briefcase [only 50 pages from the end of the sad tale of the twisted Humbert Humbert], but I also grabbed a collection of Truman Capote’s short stories, which will probably be next in the briefcase for daily toting until finished and the 50 pound monster on the LBJ biography I have attacked at various stages of the last few months. I can only take the dry read of politics for a hundred or two hundred pages at a time. So LBJ is now President, and I am just at the halfway mark of the book, but I will go for a week or so, and then put it down to digest it. Of course, I’ve also been distracted from it by Capote and Terry Southern and other tons of light reading…

The one year I wrote the Lester Bangs piece on one long, boring Thanksgiving Day at work. Right now I am only writing the one long piece form my own amusement, an imagined tale of love and lust loosely based on one of those ‘What if…’ questions that dog one in the wee hours.

Why do I dream so much when I am warm under the covers? Since the evenings have turned cooler and I am sleeping under blankets, I am having more dreams – or perhaps I am remembering them more. The other morning I tasted kissed from the improbable female and I felt my blood boiling with each meting of our lips. The intensity of that and then waking up to… I don’t know, my life, I guess. Strange dreams working with old bosses at mixes of old jobs and being lost in one's town and much Heineken drinking and jam sessions at a house that look suspiciously like my Uncle Lou's but in Toronto and getting the girl who looks a lot like Robbie Siegler.

Oh wow, I have has WAAAAYYYY too much caffeine. Ever read Hunter Thompson's First Visit with Mescalito [Songs of the Doomed] where he desribes everything suddenly taking on a sheen and the indicator ball just seems to dance across the typewriter? That's how I feel. It seems a little calmer since I got home - maybe it was just sitting at that work station, read a few pages, check the ques, maybe do a download, back down to the book... A couple hours on the couch, couple glasses of water and I'll be okay. Just remember not to do that again tomorrow...

Shout Out - Dallas Stars Do It Right

Tonight the Dallas Stars honored Mike Modano [aka 'The Pretty Boy'] with a 15 minute ceremony for becoming the top scoring US born player in NHL history and it was a nice, classy ceremony, especially bringing Mike's parents, wife and two other great American hockey players in Joe Muller [first American to score 500 goals] and Phil Housley [former points record holder]. Very well done, very classy.

One other quick Stars note: Why the 'Co- GM?' If you want Brett Hull to learn how to be an NHL GM, why not give the more experienced and groomed for the position Les Jackson the nod and name Hull Assistant GM and let him learn the ropes for a few years? What's in a title? Perception. Power.

Shout Out # 2 - 2nd Best Money Goalie Ever

Wayne Gretzky said he would rather have Grant Fuhr in net for any game seven he ever player - I'd like Patrick Roy myself. But a close second for me would be the New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur, who became only the second goalie ever to win 500 games in a career. Yes, he's played in extra stingy, boring, defense happy New Jersey, but he's still won them. Way to go, Marty.

NHL at the Quarter Pole

With [American] Thanksgiving, most of the teams in the NHL have played about 1/4 of their games this year - let's look at the pluses and minuses.

PLUS: Ottawa is steamrolling through the East. The NY Hockey Rangers seem to have found their chemistry after a slow start. And it's super pest / glue guy Sean Avery returning that gives them a shot in the arm, same as when they acquired him last year. When Martin Straka comes back next week, look for the Rangers to start a roll of their own. The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks are playing well and bringing respectability back to a couple of Original 6 franchises that have been on the rocks the last few years. And the Detroit Red Wings - hell, the whole Central Division is playing good tight hockey, much like the Northeast did last year and like the Pacific division was for the seasons before the lockout. St. Louis has lept back into playoff contention after a couple years in the cellar and Nashville appears to be righting the ship after a horrible start. And MAJOR KUDOS to Ken Hitchcock for making the Columbus Blue Jackets play a system and start winning after 6 years in the basement. They might not make the playoffs, but they're not an easy two points anymore. Hitch's old team, the Philadelphia Flyers look like contenders again, but I still think they need to dump one of their big, tree-like defensemen.

MINUS: The Buffalo Sabres have fallen off the table worse than I expected. So have the Washington Capitals - I think it's time to shake hands with Olaf Kolzig and part ways and bring in new blood in the net. Former MVP Jose Theodore will be available this summer... The Anahiem Ducks are suffering terrible Stanley Cup hangover. One game over .500? But no one else seems overly interested in winning the Pacific, though the Sharks look to have found a good mix [but also seem to coast through too many nights]. The Toronto Maple Leafs started off okay but have found new levels of mediocrity - yes, they've had defensemen Bryan McCabe and now Pavel Kubina out, but [dropped in all my fantasy leagues - more on that in a minute] Veska Toskala who was brought in to shore up the nets has been ANOTHER disaster - 3.25 goals against per game and a .894 save percentage. Curtis Joseph is still out there! Eddie Belfour can be called back from Sweden! Does anybody want to win in the Southeast? Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay are mired in .500 streaks and playing streaky, streaky hockey [win 3, lose 3], the Caps are free falling at 1 - 8 -1 ion their last ten and the left for dead at 0 - 6 Atlanta Thrashers are back in the race on an 8 - 2 run! Colorado is 2 - 7 - 1 on the road?

Reaching for the Panic Button: Are the Pittsburgh Penguins panicking yet? I HOPE not! True, they have no second line scoring and their defense is as shaky as ever, but let's look back in history: The 87-88 Pens made the playoffs and them missed the next year - then the won back to back Cups in 90-91 and 91-92. Yes, there were a couple of monster trades in there - raping the Hartford Whalers for Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson being the major one. Don't panic, Pens fans - ride this one out. Calgary was supposed to ride Mikka Kiprusoff and stingy defense to another playoff run, but 'Iron Mike' Keenan hasn't found the right button to push yet. The Flames still need someone on their second line to score, too. The New Jersey Devils got a shot in the arm from Jamie Langenbrunner returning from injury, but the Devils long predicted decline seems to have finally taken root. While probably not shopping Martin Brodeur, I am sure they are looking for a puck moving defenseman - look for Marc-Andre Bergeron te be available with the emergence of Bruno Gervais and Bryan Berard returning from groin issues. Is ownership in Nashville regretting signing Radek Bonk yet? Probably. But there wasn't a whole lot left in the cupboard when management finally got around to signing a second line center. Could Edmonton be talked out of Jarret Stoll?

Watch For: Watch the line of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Tuomo Ruutu work in Chicago. They are amazing young men. Hell, the second line of Robert Lang, Jason Williams and Patrick Sharp isn't too bad either. The Tampa Bay line of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Vinnie Prospal is pretty hot, too, but the Bolts Brad Richards is not earning that $ 7+ million. The San Jose Sharks have been rumored to be looking to dump 2nd line center Patrick Marleau for a while now and the Sharks have cap room... or how about Richards to Calgary for Craig Conroy and Kristian Huselius?

My Fantasy Teams: I am languishing in the basement of two of my three leagues and in 10th in the third. Streaky teams are killing me. Eric Staal, Paul Statsny, this means you! Also Jaromir Jagr only having 4 goals... also my + / - is atrocious. Standard line [today] 7 skaters playing [out of 10] 1 goal, 3 assists, -2 [but 4 power play points]. My goaltending is coming arounf, but hanging on to Toskala killed me. But this is a marathon, not a sprint.

The Fall

Finger length photosynthetic cells
And thumb sized reproductive pods
Falling from the mother tree
Aged, withered, dried and dead
Littering the lawn
Itself brown and readying
For a snooze that will last winterlong

A switch unseen by man is turned
And a sprinkle of leaves
Turns from a shower to a blizzard
And pecans bomb the roof, yard and car
Night and day
And the yard is suddenly ankle deep
In things that crunch and crackle
When walked upon

I was Close....

DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars fired general manager Doug Armstrong on Tuesday after a disappointing 7-7 start following last season's first-round exit from the playoffs.

Armstrong, the Stars general manager since 2002, left the team headquarters in suburban Frisco without comment.

The firing came three days after the Stars blew a four-goal lead in the third period and lost 6-5 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings.

"I thought that the team needed a change in direction," Stars owner Tom Hicks said. "I know that change can be healthy, and it was my determination that this move needed to be made."

Armstrong had been with the Stars for 17 years, serving as assistant general manager when the Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999. One of his first moves as GM was hiring coach Dave Tippett in 2002.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

And One More Thing About Hockey...

Since he has formally announced his retirement, the hockey sites at ESPN and The Hockey News are ablaze with debate over whether Eric 'Big Baby' Lindros should be elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Like debates for the baseball hall of fame, this is primarily a debate about numbers. Lindros, in 13 injury plagued seasons, potted 375 goals and 865 points and was league MVP in 1995. Lindros played in about 3/4 of his teams games in those 13 years. If you project his numbers out for 80 games a season, Lindros theoretically should have about 515 goals and about 1195 points - not bad totals. More than the great Bobby Orr [270 g / 645 a = 915 pts] and more points than hall of famer [and injury plagued] Cam Neely [ 395 g / 299 a = 694 pts - in 13 seasons]. Neely also only played about 3/4 of his teams games in 13 seasons - his projected numbers would be about 501 goals and 884 points, far short points wise, but in the 500 goal club.

So, the argument says "If Cam Neely is in, the Lindros should be in." But hold the phone here - I am on record saying Cam Neely is no hall of famer. The same way I do not see Mark Recchi as a hall of famer - 500 goals or not. Pat Verbeek, the 'Little Ball of Hate' has 522 goals, but he is not a hall of fame guy. Dino Ciccerelli has 608 goals, but I don't think he is worthy of hall of fame induction. Peter Bondra finished with 503 goals, but in no way is he a hall of fame guy.

On the opposite side, some player still active who will be in the hall of fame: Joe Sacik [610 goals] Brendan Shanahan [627], Jaromir Jagr [621], Mike Modano and Jeremy Roenick. PROBABLY Mats Sundin [523] because he will be the highest scoring Swede and he is a classy individual. These others will be in because they have shown leadership and dedication to the game and dominated it at times. The same reason Bobby Orr is in the hall of fame with his numbers - Orr totally dominated the game in his time.

Much like the baseball hall of fame, 500 used to be a magical number - automatic ticket punch to the hall of fame. And much like baseball, I think this 'magic number' thing has fallen by the wayside of our times. Athletes now are better trained, train year round and have access to remarkable medical assistance [not steroids, you jerks!]. Can one how long Bobby Orr could have played if he had access to today's microsurgery techniques?

I think now more than ever, the issue of character should play into consideration for the hall of fame. Pat Verbeek is a competitor for being as short as he is and still getting all those goals, but is there any talk about Pat Verbeek being one of the game's "All Time Greats?" Do people talk about Pat Verbeek or Dino Ciccerelli or Peter Bondra in the breathless amazed way they talk about seeing Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, Rocket Richard or Gordie Howe?

If Sergei Fedorov and Keith Tkachuk reach 500 goals for their careers, will they be automatically in? Fedorov possibly, as he will be the highest scoring Russian ever - but his numbers have fallen off dramatically since he left Detroit - he was in the right system for his style of play for a short time. Tkachuk, like Ciccerelli, I don't think so. Scoring 'garbage goals' by being in front of the net takes balls but neither dominated the games, neither had the ability to take a team on his back. Teemu Selanne at this time has 540 goals and 1135 points, 2nd most by a Finnish born player in the NHL [Jari Kurri - 601 g / 797 a = 1398 pts] but is he really a hall of famer? That's borderline, because the 'Finnish Flash' could be exciting to watch... but so could 'the Russian Rocket' Pavel Bure [702 games, 437 g / 342 a = 779 pts in 13 NHL seasons]. But dominant? Should those guys be in because they were fast?

All I am saying is that in this media driven and medical miracle age, it's going to take more than numbers for players to be considered outstanding. Rafael Palmiero, Sammy Sosa and 'The Jerk With the Giants' have great numbers, but there are whispers and accusations about the way they got them, calling their character into question. Much like the vaunted 3000 hits / 500 home runs in baseball, there will be players who reach that mark who really do not belong in the hall of fame - Wade Boggs [3010 hits], Craig Biggio [3060 hits], Mark McGwire [583 home runs], Frank Thomas [513 HR], Jim Thome [513 HR] - were any of those players great ON THE FIELD or were they just spare parts at a position who could hit? Biggio I think is the best of that group and a classy person as well.

It's called the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of the Very Good or the Hall of People Who Put Up A Lot of Numbers. One can be famous for a lot of things, especially with all the media now. To me, that means we should hold the 'Best of the Best' to a higher standard.

A Good Week for USA Hockey

Two of the game's great Americans busted through a couple of milestones this week. On Wednesday night in San Jose, Mike Modano passed former Buffalo Sabers / Winnipeg Jets / St. Louis Blues / Calgary Flames / New Jersey Devils / Washington Capitols / Chicago Blackhawks / and for one game, Toronto Maple Leafs [sic] defenseman Phil Housley of St. Paul, Minn for the most points ever by an American in the NHL at 1233.

Now I have stated on lots of aoccasions that I think Modano [Livonia, Mich] is a pretty boy and appreciated more by the fans in Dallas for his boyish good looks than his hockey skills. And I stand by that - I hope that is more of a statement about the Dallas fans than a slag on Modano. But MM is a very skilled hockey player - one on the downside of his career, but still one who plays a smart two way game and who can still wire one. Luckily, the tying and passing points were on goals by Modano, the latter a shorthanded breakaway that seemed more like it slipped off his stick betweeen the goalie's legs than a real shot, but they all look like slap shots in the paper the next day. And, unlike in Nashville where there was controversy in the game leaving fans booing when he passed NY, NY's Joe Mullen for most goals by an American last year [at 503], the fans in San Jose applauded long and loud for both the tying and passing points / goals. Much like fans in Dallas gave Pittsburgh's Mark Recchi an ovation for scoring his 500th here.

I was at the game last year versus LA where Modano scored number 499 on a wicked wrister from the slot to the cookie jar, high on the glove side. And I was at the game where Modano was honored for playing his 1000th game. So my hockey, because I am here in DFW is tied to Modano, sort of. He's not a numbers guy like he was in years past, but he was feeling the pressure going into this record - now that it's over with, maybe he can loosen his grip on the stick and get back to just playing hockey. He wired on in the last minute last night versus LA...

And the mouth of the NHL [since Brett Hull retired], former Chicago Blackhawk / Phoenix Coyote / LA King and current San Jose Shark scored his 500th goal Saturday night, taking a couple of victory laps with his son on his shoulders, I hear. JR has been a controversial figure in the NHL, but that's because he just says what is on his mind. Sometimes his thoughts just run straight to the mouth, skipping the brain. He was interviewed between periods Wednesday and had nothing but great things to say about Modano, a frequent team mate in international play. He's playing more and talking less this year, having really been coaxed out of retirement by Sharks coach [and his former Hawks team mate] Ron Wilson. I think he has added a much needed veteran presence in the locker room and on the ice. And he's playing cheap.

So congratulations to two of the US's best hockey players ever. And Mikey Mo better watch his back on that goal scoring list - he only has 512 right now...

While on the Subject of the Stars...

Dallas blew a 4-0 lead Saturday night, letting the LA Kings score 5 goals in just over five minutes to go 2 -1 -1 on their four game road swing through the Pacific division. If I hadn't seen it , I wouldn't have believed it either. They tied it on Mo's goal, but Anze Kopitar, the Kings young center who looks like a Mats Sundin starter kit, but an absolutely SICK backhander through Marty Turco's pads to win in overtime. The defense looked like PYLONS out there when he came off the wall...

The Stars beat two good teams in Anaheim and San Jose and they lose to two bottom dwellers like Phoenix and LA. I had predicted that the Stars needed a .500 road trip to save coach Dave Tippet's job, but the losses may just have been the straws that get Tip axed. Maybe not tomorrow, but I am saying now that if the Stars are at .500 or worse come Thanksgiving, Dave Tippet will be the next NHL head coach on the unemployment line.

More Music Notes...

All Blink - 182 albums sound EXACTLY the same... Why don't I like Everclear more than I do? They have good albums but nothing that just jumps out and demands repeated playings. Blues Traveller - *sigh* harmonica solos on one or two songs on an album are okay, if you must, but a whole band based on them? Jeez, I have a hard enough time with a whole Little Walter album and he has more than one tone. John Popper's solos all sound the same. And he doesn't have enough gravel to his voice like a Howlin' Wolf or John Lee Hooker for me to take him seriously. Coldplay - this needs more in depth investigation. Travis and Coldplay seem like two good explorers of the post modern darker edge of British pop - not too hard, not too out there.

Bought Deep Purple In Rock on vinyl today on Michael Leone's recommendation. It rocks hard, though I still say Machine Head is their masterpiece - not unlike comparing the first Black Sabbath to Paranoid.

It's 12:28am when I hear the first shot. It's loud. It's close. It echoes around in my head for a second. Of course, my first thought is "What the fuck was that?" but I knew. It's close and it sounds like a big gun, somewhere off to the left, which is east from whee I am sitting watching the tube. I look through the blinds but the street is empty; no cars, no pedestrians, no one running like they've just shot somebody. It's probably on the block behind me. I make sure both locks are done on the door and go hit the head and into the kitchen for another glass of water. I am just walking back into the living room when I hear the second shot - 12:32. It's not as loud and it sounds a little to the right, but really who can tell?

I've been in this house a little over a year. Occasionally over that year you'll hear a few pops like gunfire off in the distance. Sometimes they sound like firecrackers, but I know they're gunshots. I am waiting this time for the familiar sound of the cops tearing through the neighborhood - the street I live on is a semi major thoroughfare and every couple of weeks you get the sirens and the sound of really speeding [as opposed to the normal idiots speeding] through. There's a fire station about a mile down, too, so I often get the fire truck or ambulance going by. But tonight there's no sirens.

It's about 2:45 when the next shot breaks through the neighborhood. It's the big gun again, off to the left. There's no reply this time. My neighbor two doors down told me last week someone took his aluminum ladder off his garage from inside his fenced yard. He only paid about $ 15 at a pawn shop for it, but it's the principle. Are you going to get $ 10 at the pawn shop again for an 8 foot used aluminum ladder? But then Danny tells me you can get better money at the metal scrapyard for them. Aluminum, copper wire scraps - I gave Danny some old aluminum framed windows that were in the garage to take to the scrapyard earlier this year. Is someone defending their property or just a drunk who likes to shoot his gun?

I am dog tired, but I can't get comfortable when the last shots of the night ring out. It's about 4:30 and again, one big bag off to the left - this time a few seconds later, there's a string of about four shots reply from the right - Pop! pause... Pop! Pop! Pop! I wonder if I should call the cops. But I don't know where the shots are coming from or anything. I wonder for a second about a stray bullet plowing in through a window, through the back of the couch and into me. I suppose it could happen. What do I want to do, put up plywood to protect the back of the couch? Put a defensive array of strategically placed bricks in my living room window to protect my back? It's just one of those crazy thoughts - worry about it when it happens.

Forgotten Band of the Month

After seeing the Classic Albums - Machine Head for about the 25th time, I finally broke down and bought the remastered Very Best of Deep Purple [ON SALE for 9.99] which is kind of like the old Deepest Purple best of, one of the quietest but longest vinyl records I ever had. It has those 12 tracks plus the pre- Gillan/ Glover [Mark II, best known version] Kentucky Woman and Hush and the Mark II reunion 'hit' Knockin' At Your Back Door.

Now Machine Head is a fine album, probably the only other Purple to own besides a good hits album. The group is really really tight and at the peak of their power here, especially the non-radio songs like Maybe I'm A Leo, Pictures of Home and Lazy, and of course the trio of AOR staples, Smoke on the Water, Space Truckin' and Highway Star. But the 'Best of' reminds that this was not a band to be taken lightly. How can one forget the drawn out majesty of the sections of Child In Time, the rapid fire fun of Speed King, the heavy riffing of Strange Kind of Woman and Fireball. Then there's the Mark III killer [David Coverdale / Glenn Hughes] Burn. Okay, Stormbringer sounds like Coverdale doing Ronnie James Dio, with whom Blackmore would form Rainbow shortly after Stormbringer's release. Okay, I lied, Burn [the album] is also worth having, or the Mark III live release Live In London, for that version's smoking songs Burn, Might Just Take Your Life, Lay Down, Stay Down and Mistreated. Why a second song from the release wasn't added, I do not know. Well, I do; so they could add the Mark II reunion hit. Now that I think about it, Perfect Strangers WAS a good album.

Purple though is a band that refuses to just go away, long after they probably should - they've lost Richie Blackmore and Ian Gillan again, replacing them with ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lyn Turner and ex-Dixie Dreg and Kansas guitarist Steve Morse. And now the brilliant under-rated keyboardist Jon Lord has retired from the road. *sigh*

Still, Deep Purple was one of those bands famed for loud and long concerts in the 70s - and probably one of those bands that slides under the radar - almost a one hit wonder for only having one really huge album. Much more interesting than other 'Progressive Rock' bands like Yes, Genesis, ELP and sometimes King Crimson, it's a little bit of a shame that people don't know what a great drummer Ian Paice is or what a fantastic keyboardist Jon Lord is. But that's the way it goes sometimes, I guess.

30 years of punks

As I was grabbing the latest issue of Mojo last week I also managed to pick up the latest issue of Spin, with Sid [Vicious] on the cover [Mojo having the late Syd Barrett on their cover]. The head line screams out BOLLOCKS TURNS 30.

Since I lambasted U2 on the 20th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, I feel okay making a few remarks about Rotten & company's 30th anniversary.

First of all, I never heard Bollocks until 1988.And I only heard it because Chris Cottrell [?] brought in his copy one Sunday. I was shift managing at Sound Warehouse at the time and though Sundays were short days [1200pm - 600pm], no one wanted to work them. So, since they were slow days that we caught a lot of our inventory sheets up. I made them a little brighter by allowing people to bring in their own CDs.

Understand, that your usual 'Play Stack' at the time was a lot of stuff from the last 6 months and you hear a lot of the same things over and over and over.... and over. AND over. Did I say over and over? It kind of becomes second nature to tune it all out after a couple of weeks - even great stuff like the Smithereens and R.E.M. and all. And I figured we sold all kinds of music, so why not bring in something a little older or a little off the wall, trying to remember that it's a FAMILY STORE. So I might bring Toys in the Attic or Rocks, someone would bring Kate Bush or the Cure- Chris brought the Pistols and the Ramones.

Now by this time, I was well into the Clash's London Calling, and I am sure I would have eventually found or forced into hearing the Pistols. I recall I liked Holiday in the Sun, Anarchy and Queen [of course], Bodies and Pretty Vacant but overall, I was 'It's okay.' But I bought it.

In the 20 years since, I've had times where I like the record more than others, and I am not about to start knocking the Pistols for the influence they had - but I still think it's 'okay.' I'd usually much rather hear the Clash or the Jam or X or Buzzcocks or Dead Boys or Damned or the Ramones or something else when I feel 'punk.' The No, Thanks box doesn't have a note of the Pistols on it, which is okay by me.

VH1 Classic has run their Classic Albums on the Pistols and I've seen it a few times after 1am - Steve Jones talking about how Glen Matlock had all these songs with 'Beatles chords,' "and I kept telling him 'I can't play Beatles chords.'" ranks right up there with Joe Strummer's Behind the Music claim that [after they fired Mick Jones] "It would never have that BUUURRRRRN again."

So, I found the Pistols at age 21 - probably a good age if I hadn't been working in the record store tracking down the Stooges, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Winter, Rolling Stones, Clash, Aerosmith, Fishbone, Smithereens, R.E.M., Replacements, etc. I was too young when it hit the racks and that stuff didn't get played - except on George Gimarc's Rock and Roll Alternative between 1030 and midnight on Sunday night [on the late great KZEW] - but I was listening to Doctor Demento [on Z-97, later The Eagle] at that time in 1977 - well, 78-79. And besides, can you make the jump from Kiss right to the Pistols? [Maybe.]

I draw distinctions though. I see Blondie and Television and Talking Heads as part of Seymore Stein's NEW WAVE. The Cars could have been considered New Wave. Because they could play more than barre chords and used synthesizers? Maybe. But I think the Pretenders fit in there, too and they didn't use synths... but I don't think the Replacements were 'punks,' either, not Husker Du nor Minutemen nor Cramps... Dead Kennedys, you betcha. Flipper - YES! Fear, yeah. But a lot of those bands took that 'Those idiots are doing it? I can do THAT...' and really DID it. And ultimately, that's what makes the Sex Pistols one of the most influential bands ever.

I think Johnny Rotten / John Lydon did some great stuff with Public Image, Ltd. - especially their mid 80s run of Album, Happy? and 9.

So go gobb on yer old vinyl copy of Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols in celebration of 30 years of Johnny Rotten asking "Do you ever get the feeling that you've been cheated? Ha ha." Well... do ya, punk?

Breakdown

Did anybody else catch a glimpse of this? Sundance this evening ran a 4 hour Peter Bagdonovich directed documentary on... Tom Petty and the fucking Heartbreakers. I caught about 45 minutes of the first hour before flipping over to the hockey game and went back on commercials and stuff, but 4 fucking hours?

Okay, this was not VH1 Behind the Music boiling down your career and the low points and almost breakups and firing and hirings and death [Howie Epstien, R.I.P.] into a 50 minute feel good story. And there was a LOT of footage from the early years [BBC and German or Swedish TV] but 4 hours? The Heartbreakers are a good band and all and Petty's somehow walked the line between popularity and relevance for a lot of years [something that eludes Neil Young, Jackson Browne, et al] - but I mean 4 hours?

Dylan, Beatles, hell they did the first 25 years of the Rolling Stones in 2 - 2.5! Elvis. Maybe Neil because he has a decade more in the biz than Petty... of course, Neil has all that archival footage locked up in a vault in his front yard... but I don't think TP & H are worthy of a 4 hour documentary. Cut it 2 or 2.5 and then give us the 4 hour director's cut on DVD.

PS: Just when you think the ugly can't get any uglier, Mike Campbell [lead guitar] grows DREADS and a beard, now putting himself at the top of the list for Ugliest Man in Rock and Roll - yes, uglier than Neil Young!

Wilco Revisited

It has been pointed out to my by someone in the industry [Hi Amanda] that I was being a music snob and a fuddy duddy about the Wilco thing. This [probably] wasn't Tweedy making a money grab as

a) some Wilco fans trying to get some more people to listen;
and / or b) Tweedy making a marketing decision since he can't get his stuff played on the radio.

So I am an old fart who over-reacted. Bad me. No pudding for me.

Volkswagen and Wilco

For the last week or so I've noticed [which means it may have been longer, but I don't really pay attention] these Volkswagen commercials using new songs I was vaguely familiar with. It hit me a couple of days ago that it's Wilco - not OLD Wilco [A.M., Being There] but the songs of Wilco's new album - Sky Blue Sky - released at the start of the summer.

Okay, most commercials use off the wall semi obscure songs [Iggy Pop's Lust for Life, T.Rex's 20th Century Boy] or old washed up acts [Bob Seger, John 'Cougar' Mellencamp], but I am disturbed a little by this sell out by Wilco / Jeff Tweedy.

I know, being a critic's darling band and trying to get by selling a mere 500,00 units [one of which you got paid for twice - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot] is a tough life. But I am sure Tweedy and Co. make that money up by doing the touring thing and selling videos of Jeff's solo tour and I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. And yes, Jeff did have to pay for rehab out of his meager songwriting royalties [hard to get big bucks if radio won't play you, but that's another rant]. But selling out your brand new disc less than a year into the cycle smacks of ... desperation?

I don't know what it took - maybe VW just offered a wad of cash that would choke a horse. Maybe Jeff said "Five mil" as a joke and VW said "All right." Maybe the album stalled after a couple of months and some suit talked Jeff into this and he's been kicking himself ever since. Maybe Jeff's back on drugs [though I sincerely hope not].

Maybe it will bring some more people around to the most accessible [less weird] Wilco album since Being There. I think it's a good record, not as great as Being or Yankee. It has some really good moments but it's WAAAYYYY more laid back than I think necessary. It doesn't have a really great pop moment like Heavy Metal Drummer or I'm Always In Love. But that's just me. It's a slightly better than average album for me - like 3.75 stars out of five. But I could see how a lot of people would dig it, especially out of the wall of noises that A Ghost Is Born was [or "Music to Enhance Your Codeine / Vicodin / Soma Buzz"], although I thought that record has some great moments like That's What You Said and Spiders [Kidsmoke].

But, to sell out your art so soon after torturing yourself through it for 2 years? I don't think Jeff is Ryan Adams [5th album in two years now in stores near you!] or a hack like Randy Newman who writes music by the yard. Maybe I am wrong and Jeff is rivaling Prince, Frank Zappa and Neil Young in the "In the Vault"category and he can just drop album after album on the market. I just don't get that part of it. That's all.

First Flash of Fall

The humidity is finally gone and it's a crystal clear night and the temperature is dropping by the minute - supposed to be in the low 50s tonight. Good weather for hunkering down under a blanket [with the windows open] and sleeping like a log. Driving past closed barbecue placed, the aroma of mesquite smoke and cooking meats fill the nose and ignite the taste buds and then they're lost on the crisp night air.

I get into the car and start down the highway - with the window down even a quarter of the way, it's chilly. I crank up the heat just to make sure it's still working [it is] and then turn it back down. I'm playing The Flasher Backer CD I am sending to Marty, probably a waste of CD because Marty refuses to play the Nostalgia Trip, but I'm sending it anyway. Suddenly, there is Heart - quick runs and staccato bursts of chords from Nancy Wilson's acoustic guitar and the roundness of Ann singing about keeping our love alive... then it's the fat golden chords of Jeff Lynne and ELO, double tracked attacks on a Les Paul gold top and Jeff is gravelling on about his Belle... whooooo!

This is the kind of night I like sometimes - me and the car and the radio in harmony, a nip in the air and 3/4 of a tank of gas. This is the kind of night I could stay on the road and just drive. Let the road and music and the cool night air erase the cobwebs and troubles from my head. Just stay on the interstate for an hour or two, just run out to Eastland [Tx] or up to Ardmore or Paul's Valley in Oklahoma, just to get some miles under my wheels...

Am I the only one?

Hour after hour
Night after night
This cathode ray babysitter
Blessed by its noise and light
Not quite alone
Not quite

First Week NHL Review

Okay, my regular blog flippers know that in addition to being a music snob, Chaz is also a hockey nut. As if the 8 pages 1.5 spaced season predictions weren't a clue also. But a few things that caught my eye.

Can I Take back the Ducks as Champs Again? After going to London to [quote] Open the Season [endquote] (although there were pre-season games going on back in the States - go figure) and splitting with the improved but still low in the Pacific L.A. Kings, they've come back and put up three losses. Including a blanking by the Columbus Blue Jackets. I understand that it's harder to defend the Cup and all, but jeez!
I am blaming the Ducks not having their number one... goalie. J-S Giguere will be back soon. I think when Mathieu Schnieder comes back on D, then the back end will stabilize. But they look as bad a Carolina did coming off their Stanley Cup in 06-07.

New Jerseys - BLEH. Especially the Dallas Stars home jerseys - they're a fucking plain as high school PRACTICE jerseys. The straight lines of these jerseys are just plain unimaginative and boring. And lettering? Give me a break. Langenbrunner is going to run from elbow to elbow.

Surprised? The Islanders have shot out of the gate and so have the Capitals [who actually do have a better looking new jersey] and Nashville looks like they will try and outwork teams instead of out pretty-ing them. But hey it is only one week into the season, right?

Why Haven't You Downloaded the New GLOSSARY?

I found Murfreesboro, Tennessee's Glossary on Undertow Music's web site while I was checking out some Will Johnson / centro - matic / South San Gabriel titles. I checked out their My Space page and fell in love with their low-fi rock and roll, specifically The Devil's In the Details and Breathe Life Into Me ... so much so I immediately ordered their For What I Don't Become and played it non stop for about three days absorbing it.

So, now the gang has a new slab out - The Better Angels of Our Nature - and they're flippin' GIVING it away on their web page. Free. Gratis. No charge. Okay, they ask you to sign up for their email list, but the promise not to sell it to anyone.

I downloaded it Weds evening and burned it to CD for my car and I've been playing it non stop for two days. Of course, I'm going to buy a hard copy to support the band, but that's me.

Why do I think you should download it and then go see this band if they come to your fair burg? If I say it sounds like The Basement Tapes [the Band playing, not necessarily Dylan] if the band was from say Macon Georgia and had Garth Hudson on a pedal steel instead of a Lowery organ [not a Hammond B-3!]. And John Hiatt and Billy Bragg on vocals. With sweet harmonies by Sheryl Crow. And maybe Dan Baird on guitar rather than Robbie Robertson's minimal approach.

Don't believe me? Check out the uptempo Bitter Branch or the rollicking Almsgiver on that My Space page.

Okay, I am a self admitted music snob and I have an odd pallet, but I am telling you this a GREAT GREAT record if you like Rock and Roll. Does anybody remember Rock and Roll? All I'm asking you to do is invest ten minutes and check this out.

CREDITS posted today on Glossary.us :

Now that many of ya’ll are enjoying The Better Angels Of Our Nature I want to take a moment and let you know who is responsible for those sweet sounds.

All songs were written by Joey Kneiser except “Bitter Branch” which was written by Todd Beene and Joey Kneiser.

Bingham Barnes played bass guitar.
Todd Beene played guitar, pedal steel guitar, and sang a tiny bit.
Eric Giles played drums.
Joey Kneiser sang and played guitar.
Kelly Kneiser sang and played percussion.
Matt Rowland played piano and organ.

The record was produced by Glossary.

It was recorded by Brian Carter of Paradox Productions in Murfreesboro, TN. Brian tracks on “Emma,” a beautiful 16 track 2 inch Ampex MM-1000 tape machine.

Mixing and mastering were performed by Matthew Louis Pence at the Echolab near Denton, TX. Matt is in Centro-Matic, one of the best rock bands in the world.

Music Blues [and Some Blues Music, too]

I 'acquired' [not by file sharing exactly, if you work for RIAA] a pile of 1000 +/- MP3 'titles' [I would say records or albums, but they're not - but they're not CD's really either - so we're going with 'titles.'] and for the last 10 days or so I have been trying to weed thought some of the things worth keeping and those that just need to be lost. Like 14 of 16 Chicago titles [sorry j. Michael, but those horns just grate after about five minutes] - I kept the two 'Best of' titles and pulled a handful of album tracks to make 1 great anthology CD. 7 of 8 Dio titles, though I did combine the two 'Best of' into one file. 6 of 8 Jethro Tull, keeping only Aqualung and Thick As A Brick. And the song Bungle In the Jungle. Piles of Genesis - sorry, the 81 - 85 albums Abacab, Duke and Genesis are all you REALLY need, though The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and A Trick of the Tail are good if you get them cheap... 4 of 8 Blue Oyster Cult, but I found a fairly good title from 1998 [Heaven Forbid] that I never would have heard. Yes - good God, I hate Yes! How many albums has Sting made? More Van Morrison than I can shake a stick at, but not the great Hymns to the Silence? And just a clue - if you have Bob Seger's Night Moves, Stranger In Town and Against the Wind, you don't need Greatest Hits except for the Live take of Turn the Page - but you probably all ready have Live Bullet, too, don't ya? That is unless you like Like A Rock. Because Greatest Hits doesn't have the great Shame on the Moon from The Distance.

Well, let me back up here - I am not listening to every title. I am scanning those I have not heard before, about 45 seconds of each song and marking the ones that seem interesting in the back of my mind and loading them into my MP3 player for further listening. That BOC, Springsteen's Lucky Town and The Ghost of Tom Joad, UFO Strangers in the Night [actaully, I'd only heard Lights OUt before - there's a really good collection I'm grooving on, too]. Stone Temple Pilots last one, Shangri -La Dee Da... loads of Roy Buchanan! The Blue Man Group's The Complex - who knew they were musical, too? But it's interesting enough for repeated listening. Gary Numan's The Pleasure Principle - yes, the one with Cars, but why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner? Prince - The B Sides!!!!! The Jeff Lynne led ELO 2000 album Zoom - it's pretty good if you like ELO. It's better than Jeff trying to make Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and George Harrison sound like ELO...

But I also got some off the wall compilations [hits] like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Jophn Lee Hooker, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Commodores, Spinners, Earth Wind and Fire, Joe Tex and Barry White I probably would not have bought, but am thrilled to have.

I've also re-acquired titles I'd traded in and deleted from my hard drive before - the Counting Crows catalog, some Metallica [come and get me, Lars!] and the Kiss catalog through Dynasty. And I've got a lot of titles not on digital that I only had on Lp before saving myself a lot of time in my conversion project.

I've 'Recycle Bin'-ed a lot of stuff - some people will buy anything with the name Jimi Hendrix or Elton John on it - box sets by Eric Clapton, Elton, Jimi, Aerosmith - all those things that just repeat song after song. Piled all the Stones best off '71 - 2004 into one folder - how many times do I need Brown Sugar and Miss You and Start Me Up? [answer: 1 20 bit remaster each at 160 or 192 KpS]

The persons who did this also compiled the Billboard Top 100 singles for every year from 1950 - 2002. No, I don't know if they use the AM 'safe' edit of Good Girls Don't by the Knack. [On the Lp, she's 'sittin on your face' on the single she 'puts you in your place.'] Interesting to load those onto my Windows catalog and just hit random.

But even doing this like 2-3 hours a night, I find myself burnt out. And I love music. But that's about the limit. And I have a lot to go. I hope I find some more cool things to keep this interesting.

Pre season picks 2007

The scores after each team are an average score of the rating from the Hockey News and Sporting News yearbooks. Generally, they were pretty similar, but there were a couple of major discrepancies, most notably SN giving the Dallas Stars a 90 and picking them 2nd in the Pacific and the HN giving them a c- [72] and picking them 11th in the West. The predictions for finishing position in their division and the comments are mine and mine alone, so I guess I am either the genius or the target for your 'tar and feathers' depending how I rated 'your team.'

EASTERN CONFERENCE

OTTAWA SENATORS - 92 1st NE

The Senators, last year's finalist from the East are picked by the Hockey News to come out of the East again. I'm not so sure, but they should win the division again fairly easily. They might miss Tom Preissing on the back line, but their D is still pretty solid and their forwards are still dangerous. They have shown they can be manhandled, but few teams in the East have the size to do that like Anaheim did.

BUFFALO SABRES -85 2nd NE

Critic's darlings the last two years, the Sabres took well documented hits, losing their top two centers and playmakers. And once again, they have not added that big gun from the blue line, though their defense remains serviceable. But before people write them off as a flash in the pan, check in the net – yep, Ryan Miller is still there. This team will not score like they have been the last couple of years, but having Tim Connolly for a full year [if he can avoid another concussion] will fill some of the void left by Briere and Drury jumping ship, and Andre Roy is a capable, if streaky scorer. Could surprise many before it's all said and done.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS - 80 3rd NE

The two publications seems split about who is going to be the bottom of this division and just miss the playoffs, but I am going out on a limb here and say Toronto is going to be the 8th seed out of the East. I think adding Jason Blake to play wing with Mats Sundin finally gives the Leafs [sic] the attacking winger they have needed for years. They have some youth with Kyle Wellwood, Matt Stajan and Alex Steen, grit with Darcy Tucker and Mike Peca and Bates Battaglia and Jeff O'Neil can chip in goals. And there's still the massively under-rated Tomas Kaberle, the over-rated Bryan McCabe and the overpaid Pavel Kubina on the back end. If they can play decent in front newcomer of Veska Toskala, the Leafs should be in a position to make their first playoff since the lockout.

MONTREAL CANADIANS - 68 4th NE

Why both magazines are picking Montreal to be fighting Boston for the last spot in this division, let alone the conference is beyond me. They lost the elephant gun of Sheldon Souray from the point, but he was a defensive liability – Roman Hamrlik will make up some of those points bu NOT being caught out of position defensively. Bringing the previously 'run out of town on a rail' Patrice Brisboise will make the Boo-Birds at the Bell Centre happy. Bryan Smolinski is an upgrade over the invisible Radek Bonk as 2nd line pivot. The wild card remains the ever mercurial Alexei Kovalev. If Guy Carbonneau and Bob Gainey can find a way to make Kovalv at least seem interested in playing, he can return to the 30-35 goal and 90 point level. If he plays like he did last year, the Candiens may be the doormat of the division.

BOSTON BRUINS - 73 5th NE

Manny Fernandez is a fine goaltender, but he cannot play defense and goal. Andrew Alberts is big, but he's too slow; he's a pre-lockout kind of defender in a post lockout NHL. How did Mark Savard get 96 points last year? Who was finishing for the Bruins? Building for a future, but not out of the cellar yet.

NEW YORK RANGERS - 88 1st ATL

The Blueshirts additions of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury assure they are solid down the middle for the next few years. And the Rangers still have Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shannhan and Martin Straka [oh! What a power play that should be to watch!] plus youngsters Marcel Hossa and Petr Prucha on the wings [Pucha should pot 30 if he gets any significant playing time] and superpest Sean Avery, who can also put up some points. Some are moaning about the lack of a true power play QB / first pass defender ala Brian Leetch, but the Rangers play good enough defense. Much like Pittsburgh, they're going to try and outscore you instead of grind you down ala New Jersey. The Rangers need to be wary of wearing Henrik Lundqvist down – look for a possible trade for a veteran back up now that Kevin Weeks is gone.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS - 89 2nd ATL

The Sporting News is predicting the Pens to win the Cup over Detroit, but I don't think the Pens are there yet. Adding an outstanding dedicated defenseman who is not afraid to block shots in Daryl Sydor improves this defense tremendously. And defense remains the Penguins weakness. They can get hemmed in their own end for extended periods, forcing Marc-Andre Fleury to make 29 saves a game. While it's made Fleury work on his positioning [he gives up many fewer weak goals than even 05/06], that number still need to be cut by about five a game. As the young kids learn the finer points of positioning, that number will come down. And consummate pros like Sydor, Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi will instill a sense of pride and work ethic into this young group. Should challenge teams, but not Cup contenders – this year.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS - 81 3rd ATL

What can a few new faces do in Philadelphia? Plenty. After fleecing Nashville TWICE, adding defenseman Kimmo Timonen [overpaid for him, but will put up points] and forwards Scott Hartnell [gritty and can score] and Scottie Upshall [scorer of the future] and then adding Joffrey Lupal [hoping he can regain his 05/06 form] and Jason Smith from Edmonton… oh, and that set up guy from Buffalo, Briere and losing only fringe players, the Flyers look to rebound from an abysmal 06/07. And they look to be in good shape to do so. The Flyers could sneak up and make the playoffs, but I'm guessing they'll just miss…

NEW YORK ISLANDERS - 69 4th ATL

I'm going against my brain here and picking the Islanders to finish ahead of New Jersey in this hotly contested division, but only because I believe New Jersey hasn't added anything to replace the players that are gone. Yes, the Isles lost 'rental player '06' Ryan Smith to Colorado, 40 goal man Jason Blake to the Leafs, # 2 defender Tom Poti and 25 / 26 man Viktor Kozlov to the Caps – and only brought in the aging Bill Geurin and last year's underachiever [Tampa Bay] Ruslan Fedotenko and undersized Mike Comrie. But I think the Isles have more in the tank than NJ because of the man behind the bench. Ted Nolan took a bunch of nobodies in Buffalo way back in 96/97 and made them contenders and he took a bunch of spare parts [and the underachiever of the decade Alexei Yashin] and made them playoff contenders last year. Now I'm not looking for the Isles to make the playoffs again – not out of this division, but they're not going to fall to the depths of last year's Flyers, either.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS - 82 5th ATL

I'm going with my guts here and picking the Devils to fall out of playoff contention – IN SPITE of Marty Brodeur in net. Marty can still steal games – probably flat out steal 5 games a year, but with their one offensive sparkplug / set up guy going across the river, this team will rely even MORE heavily on grinding teams down with ['ho-hum'] defensive responsibility and positioning. Faster than Sominex for the insomniac crowd. Watching the Devils this year will be SLIGHTLY more interesting than watching grass grow or water freezing. But only slightly.

CAROLINA HURRICANES - 84 1st SE

Winning the Southeast is still winning a division and a 3 seed, even if you're only the 6th best in the conference. And Carolina hopes to rebound from an injury plagued year to return to the top of the heap. Having Cory Stillman and Frank Kaberle for a full campaign should add 30 goals and help keep them out of the shootout, where they were just awful last year – scoring only 1 SO goal in 17 attempts. This from a team with Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Justin Williams and Rod Brind'Amour. Staal put up a 30 goal / 40 assist campaign last year and a lot of people [me included] thought he had an off year. Cam Ward needs to improve on a mediocre .897 save percentage. The Canes are a little long in the tooth on the blue line with aging and almost retired [due to hip issues] Bret Hedican and Glen Wesley back there, but Dennis Seidenberg and Tim Gleason should have better years. But the Canes lack depth on the blue line – one injury could derail them for a while – just like last year.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING - 82 2nd SE

Tampa, with their best four players eating up half of their spending cap, has no room for errors. Vincent Lecavalier is coming off a 52 goal year, Martin St. Louis returned to his MVP form with a 102 point campaign and Brad Richards did okay with a 70 point season [but was a – 19]. But Dan Boyle really opened eyes with a 20 goal, 63 point year. Unfortunately, all the supporting cast arounf these four was merely pedestrian. Vinny Prospal was an abysmal -24 and only put up 14 goals. Ruslan Fedotenko had an abominable 12 goal / 32 point year and was allowed to move on to the Islanders. Ryan Craig showed flashes in a 14 goal / 27 point season, but was – 11. A lot of this blame was / is put on goaltending – Marc Denis was supposed to plug the hole left when John Grahame couldn't replace Nick Khabibulin and then Denis was supplanted by Johan Holmqvist, but all the Lightning goaltenders together managed a 3.11 goals against and a .884 save percentage – 24th in the league, which tells one that either the Lightning have bad goaltending or need someone to play defense in front of their mediocre goaltenders. Unfortunately, they can't afford any. Still they should be in the mix for a playoff spot.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS - 76 3RD SE

Both publications are picking Washington to be in the South – least division cellar, but I am going against 'conventional wisdom' and picking the Caps to pick up the pace. Alexander [Alexander the Great] Ovechkin will be in his 3rd season and I look for him to charge hard for Rocket Richard trophy for most goals, especially with a sweet table setter like Michael Nylander coming to the team. Add future stud Nicklas Backstrom to set up super sniper Alex [The Other Alex] Semin and Victor Kozlov to slide up and down the left wing and the 'Moscow Dynamo East' should play some real fire wagon hockey, especially if Chris Clark can put up 30 goals again. The weakness in Washington is the same as the weakness on the other fire wagon team in the East [Pittsburgh]: defense. But the Caps brought in Tom Poti from the Isles to run their power play, and I think he's a better PP QB [or at least more defensive] than say Sergei Gonchar. Yes, the could use one more veteran defenseman – and Danny Markov is still out there. Could A.O. try and help him land in Washington? Olaf Kolzig remains a rock in net – I expect these kids to look to their aging goalie for wisdom and have them rally around him to 'win one for Ollie the Goalie' in the next couple years. I think Ollie's decision to remain in Washington when he could be traded to a contender shows the youngsters a lot about character.

FLORIDA PANTHERS – 74 4th SE

Florida has the opposite problem of the Capitals and it will continue to bite them in the rear. Florida has a wealth of young defenseman, good young players like Jay Bouwmeester/ Mike Van Ryn and the up and coming Noah Welch. But Florida is a one line team. As goes Olli Jokinen, Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton, so go the Panthers. After trading goaltending stud Roberto Luongo for Aelx Auld and running Auld and the enigmatic Eddie 'The Eagle' Belfour last year, the Panthers sucked up and traded for Tomas Vokun from Nashville's fire sale. Vokun should be solid and the defense will be okay, but expect this team to lose a lot of 3 – 1, 4- 2 games.

ATLANTA THRASHERS – 77 5th SE

A lot of people think that Atlanta is a team on the rise after making the playoffs last year, but I am not one of them. This team got 'thrashed' by the Rangers in the playoffs last year and they know they have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, their defense is all a bunch of spare parts and they are another one line team. At least Florida has a good young core on the blue line and something to build on. Atlanta will occasionally blow teams out, but they're going to take that 'one step back' after two steps forward this year.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ANAHEIM DUCKS – 91 1st PAC

Even losing their best scorer [Teeemu Selanne] and possible their best defenseman [Scott Neidermeyer], the Ducks are still loaded for bear with Chris Pronger, Sean O'Donnell and the up and coming Francois Beauchemin [and adding Mathieu Schneider, who may now miss the first month of he season] on the blue line and enough scorers to go around, even if Todd Bertuzzi doesn't pan out. Defending the Cup is harder than winning it, but this is a team that might be able to win 3 Cups in 5 years.

SAN JOSE SHARKS - 87 2nd PAC

San Jose has maintained the status quo on a team that SHOULD be a major player in the West, if not for those pesky Ducks down the coast. Bringing in Jeremy Roenick to fill a fourth line spot and be an insurance policy in case someone get hurt or goes into a prolonged slump is not a bad idea. This team needs more focus – at times in the season [and I see them the 8 times a year they play Dallas] they looked disinterested [at best].

DALLAS STARS - 81 3rd PAC

The magazines are split on this, SN rating the Stars high and giving then 2nd in the division, HN ranking them at a c- and 3rd in the division. Solely on the strength of defense and goaltending, I am putting the Stars 3rd. Dallas has a dedicated group of defensemen and defensive forwards, but still one has to wonder who is going to score goals. The Stars would love to see Brendan Morrow and Steve Ott play more than they did last year [injuries] and pot some goals and hope Loui Eriksson or Joel Lundqvist clicks with 2nd line center [and true find for the Stars last year] Mike Ribeiro. But they have a long row to hoe. Having Phoenix and LA on the schedule 8 times each will keep them above average.

LOS ANGELES KINGS - 69 4th PAC

The LA Kings didn't take last years egg laying lightly. They went out this summer and added size and skill in Michael Handzus [limited to 8 games last year due to knee issues] and defensemen Tom Priessing from Ottawa and Brad Stuart from Calgary to inject some youth behind aging Rob Blake and Jaroslav Modry. The question will be is "how far can LA's youth take them?" Former Canes # 1 Jack Johnson only played 5 games last year and will be given every shot to make this team and learn from Blake. Wunderkind Anze Kopitar appears to be an offensive wizard in training, Michael Cammalleri is coming into his prime and Alexander Frolov stands ready to become the most enigmatic superstar since… Anyway, they also have a great checkers in Dustin Brown and Scott Thornton. But who's going to play goal? Today, they appear to be running Dan Cloutier through waivers and he was 'supposed to be' the goalie of today for the Kings. If they don't get solid goaltending, it will be another long year in LA.

PHOENIX COYOTES - 63 5th PAC

Everyone expects this to be a bad year for Phoenix. They will be right. But look out in, oh, 2011 – 2012 when they cash these early first round picks in.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS - 85 1st NW

Vancouver now has a goaltender who can steal games – I guess taking 45 shots a game in Florida teaches one how to stop a lot of rubber. The Canucks though desperately need Markus Nasland to return to a 45 – 50 goal plateau and take the pressure off the Sedin twins. Why they didn't invite Anson Carter back, I just don't know.

MINNESOTA WILD - 87 2nd NW

Both publications rate this group better than Vancouver, but that depends on Marian Gaborik playing a full year, which he hasn't done yet in his career. Trap master Jacques Lemaire finally has front end talent to allow the Wild to play a really good speed and forechecking game. Goalie Niklas Backstrom is being thrown into the fire with Manny Fernandez being traded to Boston. If he goes down, all bets are off.

CALGARY FLAMES - 89 3nd NW

HN rates these guys as the best in the NW, but I don't see it. Calgary hasn't ADDED anything, not have they really subtracted anything. If Owen Nolan can chip in 25 goals and help take some pressure off the first line of Craig Conroy – Alex Tanguay – Jerome Iginla, this team may rise to a 6 seed. But this is also a team that went through streaks where they didn't come to play last year and only made the playoffs by ONE POINT and I don't think anything 'Iron Mike' Keenan will do can fix that. If Mikka Kiprusoff falters or gets injured at any point this year, this team could collapse in a hurry.

COLORADO AVALANCHE - 78 4th NW

My heart tells me Colorado will be better than Calgary. Put Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth on the first line and Paul Stasney and Milan Hejduk on the second and I think the Avs have two great scoring lines and a power play that will make people sit up and take notice. But their defense is pedestrian and a bit small and unless Jose Theodore regains his 2005 form, goaltending is mediocre.

EDMONTON OILERS - 68 5th NW

The Oilers hit bottom losing 18 of their last 20 last year after being decimated by injuries. But they've made some steps, signing Sheldon Souray [needs to be more defensively responsibe] and brining Dick Tarnstrom back from Europe. But they still lack grit and snarl in their forwards and teams like San Jose and Anaheim will push them down like bowling pins. Having a sparkplug like Ethan Moreau for more than 7 games will help. Another fast, hard forechecking team, entertaining to watch, but lost in the shuffle in the West.

DETROIT RED WINGS - 93 1st CEN

Those who though a salary cap would end Detroit's dominance in the West were partially right. They're not the number 1 team in the West anymore, but with the pressure off, they found ways to win games with aging warriors like Chris Chelios and Dominik Hasek. They cast off Robert Lang who looked disinterested every time I saw the Wings play and lost their 2nd best puck mover [Schnieder] to the Ducks, but plugged in Brian Rafalski from the Devils. Who will play along the ever graceful Nick Lidstrom is up in the air with the Wings allowing Danny Markov to walk after a good year in Motown. Still, there's really no one in the Central who can challenge Detroit – yet.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS - 83 2nd CEN

Watching a team fall to pieces before your eyes is never pretty and it looks on paper like Nashville lost a lot in the last 6 months – Peter Forsberg is in limbo with continuing foot and ankle problems; Paul Kariya goes to division rival St Louis;, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall to Philadelphia; Tomas Vokun to Florida. Adding Shane Willis [Carolina], Radek Bonk [who could not make it in Montreal], Martin Gelinas [Florida] and Greg de Vries [Atlanta] are not going to make anyone forget the players now gone. But David Poile still has a fountain of youths and Nashville has one of the best young blue lines in the game in Ryan Suter and soon to be defensive stud Shea Weber. They have good young scorers in Alex Radulov [who was apparently a protégé of Peter Forsberg during his short stay in Music City – I can think of few people better to school someone on the ins and outs of the game], Vernon Fiddler, Martin Erat and David Legwand appears to be comfortable [FINALLY] with his position. Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont continue to be threats and if Steve Sullivan can remain healthy when he comes back in December could add exponentially to the mix. But this is not the team that held the lead in the Central division over Detroit for most of last season. They remain a bit small and teams like San Jose and Anaheim will continue to push Nashville around until they show they can stand up for themselves. And unless they quit taking mindless, idiotic penalties in the playoffs, it will be another long summer for the Preds.

St. LOUIS BLUES - 76 3rd CEN

Give the Blues credit – they have players they like and who like playing there and they keep brining those people back. Last year it was the over-rated Doug Weight after he won the Cup in Carolina. This year it's underachiever Keith Tkachuk. The Blues showed life and fire after Andy Murray was brought in and I expect them to continue that this year. The Blues defense is all 31 or uinder and they play hard. But with Detroit and Nashville in this division, the Blues are still an also ran.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS - 69 4th CEN

A lot of people are picking Chicago to again be the league doormat, but I think the Hawks are barely better than that. They ran into unfortunate injuries to their two best players last year; center Michael Handzus, now in LA played 8 games, but had 8 points in 8 games] and winger Martin Havlat missed a chunk of the first 20 games with a groin issue, but also has 57 points in 56 games. The Hawks added faceoff ace Yanic Pereault and hope Robert Lang can relight his competitive fire in the windy city. They traded the underachieving Adrian Aucoin for Andre Zyuzin, so maybe that will be a wash. And the Hawks have a good group of young defensemen forged by the fire last year – Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith look tio be on the Hawks blueline for a long time – or until Bill Wirtz decides they make to much money. If the hot prospects Jack Skillie and / or Jonathan Teoweshave any impact, the Hawks could be this years Penguins – a high flying, high scoring bunch. Having a decent backup [Patrick Lalime] behind the oft injured Nick Khabibulin will help, too.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS - 67 5th CEN

Columbus hasn't added anyone to take the pressure off the aging Sergei Fedorov and Rick Nash. They will have a system in effect with a full camp with Ken Hitchcock, but they just don't have anyone to score or defend. But they are the only game in town after Ohio State's football season is over.

EAST FINALS - OTTAWA SENATORS over NEW YORK RANGERS

WEST FINALS – ANAHIEM DUCKS over SAN JOSE SHARKS

CUP WINNER – ANAHIEM DUCKS