Author: Vin

Vin is a Philly boy who shouldn't be invited into your house because he'll judge you on your book and music collection. He owns Dawkins, Utley, Iverson, and Lindros jerseys, which is all you really need to know about him. He can be reached at [email protected].

Categories
NHL General

NHL Power Rankings Roundup Feb 7 2006

Here are the latest power rankings by top sites. A couple of new teams in the mix this week as the Oilers and Ducks make the list.

Here are the NHL Power Rankings by top sites this week.

Rank TSN.ca ESPN FoxSports Sportsline SI Yahoo
1 Senators Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes
2 Red Wings Red Wings Senators Red Wings Red Wings Senators
3 Hurricanes Stars Red Wings Stars Senators Red Wings
4 Rangers Senators Stars Senators Stars Stars
5 Stars Flyers Sabres Sabres Predators Flyers
6 Predators Sabres Predators Rangers Sabres Sabres
7 Sabres Rangers Rangers Oilers Rangers Predators
8 Ducks Flames Flyers Canucks Flyers Avalance
9 Lightning Kings Flames Predators Canucks Devils
10 Oilers Predators Canucks Flames Flames Flames
11-30 more more more more more more

Categories
All Other Sports

Don’t hate me cause I’m FABULOUS!



Roll up bitch! Roll up!

I’m not even sure where to begin with this story. It seems the “bad boy” of ice skating, Johnny Weir, is trying to attract some of the media spotlight… by saying exactly what he wants, mister!

On the lodgings at the Olympic Village:


I am very princessy as far as travel is concerned and having a nice room and things like that. It’s a little dusty, very underdecorated, the beds aren’t very soft but I’m enjoying it!

Bode Miller, you know, huge props to him for saying what he wants to and not being sugarcoated. [Such an attitude] makes me interesting for figure skating and makes him interesting for skiing. … I assume he and I feel very similar.

I’m not sure but I think Bode Miller just got a dinner invitation.

[MSNBC]: Weir says he won’t stop being ‘princessy’

Categories
General Sports

Nightly Sports Roundup for Feb 7 2006: Super Bowl sets records

It’s ironic that the officials chose the highest rated Super Bowl to screw up for the entire world. And not to mention a huge swing either way in gambling winnings and losses.

[Yahoo]: Super Bowl helps Nevada sports books set wagering record

[1soapmaker]: Rolling Stones say censorship at Super Bowl was ridiculous

[SI]: Jim Plunkett’s son not very valuable

[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]: 250,000 attend Steelers victory parade

[Fox Sports]: What was the over/under on arrests in Pittsburgh?

Categories
NFL General

NFL says officials performed well throughout playoffs

Talk about doing your best ostrich impersonation. On Monday, Greg Aiello, NFL’s vice president of public relations, said the league is satisfied with the performance of the officials during the postseason.


It was a very well-officiated playoffs, including the Super Bowl.

Now I realize that is about all he can say given the outrage and the talk of conspiracies, but how could he even keep a straight face while telling such a lie. And if the NFL honestly believes the officials were satisfactory, then they have more problems than we imagined. This is the most egregious case of being unwilling to see or admit the truth since MLB owners denied there was a steroid problem in baseball.

Seattle fans will never get the satisfaction of an apology from the NFL for jobbing them in Super Bowl XL*. Come on Tags, just because you tell us the officials didn’t shit the bed doesn’t mean we can’t smell it.

[Washington Post]: NFL Stands Behind Its Officiating Crew
[FoxSports]: Top 10 worst calls of the postseason

Categories
High School Sports

Girl wins Alaska State Wrestling championship


I know I promised that we’d never blog about wrestling again but that was just the NFL WWE. High school wrestling is still firmly on our radar. Wait, that didn’t sound exactly right.

Anyway, Michaela Hutchison became the first girl in US history to win a state title when she defeated Aaron Boss (that’s a trivia question you don’t want to be the answer to) in the 103 lb finals of the Alaska state championships. The final score was 1-0, which means that she managed one escape and her opponent managed nothing. High School wrestling being in the national spotlight has got me all nostalgic. I think I’ll go dig out my old singlet. It’s 2 sizes too small now but I’m pretty sure the neighbors won’t mind when I go outside to get my mail.

[Anchorage Daily News]: Michaela Hutchison steals tourney thunder
[KC Star]: Female wrestler wins state title in Alaska
[Goddess Musings]: Escape…1 point

Categories
NFL General

Everyone agrees the officiating stunk-part 3

More columnists are weighing in on the poor officiating in Super Bowl XL. And we actually found someone who defends the crew from Sunday.

[Star-Telegram]: Randy Galloway “The Seahawks got jacked. Many a Super Bowl has had a bad call here and there. But this was by far the worst start-to-finish performance by an officiating crew in 40 years.”

[NY Daily News]: Gary Myers “it wasn’t a fine night for the zebras, either. They made four questionable calls – all against Seattle.”

[Seattle PI]: Ted Miller “Here’s the rub: No intelligent person, and that includes Pittsburgh fans, watched the Steelers 21-10 “victory” and believed it was well-officiated. Period.”

[NY Daily News]: Mike Lupica “It doesn’t change the fact that after a year of blown calls by Paul Tagliabue’s finest – even though finest has become a rather relative notion with even Tagliabue’s top officiating crews – there were more blown calls in the Super Bowl.”

[Boston Globe]: Dan Shaughnessy “No league is better run than the NFL, but its part-time officials had an abysmal postseason and took the Seahawks right out of their first Super Bowl.”

Categories
Seattle Seahawks

Your son was murdered last Super Bowl? Go Seahawks!

I’m not sure what the curriculum is in law school but I don’t think sensitivity training is part of it. It’s understandable that Seattle folks were pumped up on Friday for the Super Bowl but a judge in Tacoma took it a little too far when she requested that everyone in court say “Go Seahawks”. When few people responded, she made everyone do it again.

Now, civic pride is great but not when the case before the judge is a murder trial of a guy killed last year on Super Bowl Sunday. The best part of this story is the non-apology apology issued by the judge. She must really be an avid sports fan because it’s right out of the athlete’s handbook:

Judge Beverly G. Grant said she didn’t mean to offend anyone and “if the prosecutor and the others took it that way, as far as I’m concerned, it’s trite.”

[Seattle PI]: Judge upsets court with ‘Go Seahawks’ request

Categories
Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns gets Bill Leavy’d



Suns get robbed?

Wow, we thought we were the only ones who thought the officiating was less than fair in Super Bowl XL*. But it turns out that even Steve Nash (who’s from CANADA!) referred to it when he felt the Suns got ripped off on Monday night:

 I feel like the Seattle Seahawks. It’s remarkable. There’s like five games this year where we’ve not gotten a call in the last 30 seconds. After awhile, you realize you don’t get those games back, and it’s tough to take.

The Suns protested a last minute goaltending by Garnett but the officials ruled it a clean block.

[SI]: ‘Tough to swallow’

Categories
College Basketball

Refs suspended for wrong call

You were hoping I meant the Super Bowl XL refs right? Sorry, the refs in question were the crew that called an unnecessary technical foul on on a Florida State player during the Florida State-Duke game on Saturday.

After a hard foul, Sheldon Williams got into the face of Alexander Johnson. Johnson backed away immediately and the crew gave both Johnson and Williams technicals. Today, the ACC suspended Mike Eades, Ray Natili, and Ed Corbett for one game.

Imagine that. Refs who blew a call were actually disciplined by the league. I’m not sure where else this would be a good idea. What sport could possibly benefit from better refs? Mr. Tagliabue?

[Reverse Peephole]: ACC Suspends Duke-FSU refs
[Yahoo]: ACC suspends crew for call in Florida State-Duke game

Categories
Seattle Seahawks

Will the NFL fine Mike Holmgren?



Ripping the refs

At a Seahawks welcome home rally today at Qwest, Holmgren remarked on the officiating in Super Bowl XL.


We knew it was going to be tough going against the Pittsburgh Steelers — I didn’t know we were going to have to play the guys in the stripped shirts as well.

Now, the NFL has a problem here. It can’t come out and say the refs made numerous mistakes
during the Super Bowl, yet, to fine Holmgren would create an even bigger uproar. But if they don’t fine Holmgren, then they are implicitly saying that he has a point. This is worse than the Joey Porter situation where he claimed conspiracy.

[KOMO]: Welcome Home, Seahawks!