NHL All-Star Balloting Hits Homestretch

Voting for the 2009 NHL All-Star game in Montreal ends Friday, January 2, 2009 at 9 a.m.

The leading vote-getters for the Eastern Conference at forward are a couple of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Kovalev of Montreal. I wish Washington's Alexander Ovechkin would sneak into Kovalev's spot, but that looks like a ridiculous longshot at this point.

Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov and the Penguins' Sergei Gonchar are leading all vote-getters from the blue line in the East. Gonchar hasn't played a game yet this season. He probably won't until at least March. Surely someone will be appointed to start in his place (rather than take the player with the next highest vote total). Ryan Whitney will not have played the required minimum of 20 games by the time voting ends, so he is not eligible. Because of that, I guess I hope Zdeno Chara from Boston gets the nod. He has earned it.

In quite the amazing comeback that nobody is talking about, Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury has gained the lead among Eastern Conference goaltenders from Montreal's Carey Price. Either one would be worthy of the start, but only because New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur is injured.

I was going to write about the Western Conference, but I'm too interested in this Canada vs. Czech Republic game from the World Junior Tournament I am watching on the old DVR.

Good game. Bruins suck.

McConaughey Sluts Around Sidelines

So, remember when Ohio State played at Texas back in 2006? Remember how Matthew McConaughey was slutting around the sidelines rooting for the Longhorns?

Well, because OSU will take on Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, I did a google image search of 'Matthew McConaughey Texas Longhorns' and found out that he parades around the sidelines regularly.

Here are some of those pics:







Yes, that is Lance Armstrong with McConaughey in the last picture.

In all honesty, I am just suprised that Matthew has a shirt on in all of these pics. He'll slip up eventually.

And yes, I now hate Lance Armstrong, too.

Go Bucks.

The Return of Mario - December 27, 2000

Thanks to Empty Netters for reminding us that today marks the eighth anniversary of Mario Lemieux's comeback on December 27, 2000.

Thinking back, I have to laugh at my slightly moronic decision.

My friend Brent and I had heard rumors for weeks about Lemieux's possible comeback and we were waffling on buying tickets for the Toronto game or the Ottawa game a couple of nights later.

We wanted to make sure we saw Mario play, so we decided on Ottawa and missed the comeback game against Toronto. We did, however, get to see Mario notch his 1,500th career NHL point and Jagr get his 1,000th career point. That was pretty cool.

So I guess we didn't totally miss out, but it would have been awesome to be at that Toronto game.

Pens forever, Maple Leafs never!

Reds Add Centerfielder Willy Tavares

Continuing their effort to finally bring Cincinnati Reds Fans a winner, the front office has come to terms with free agent outfielder Willy Tavares.



We assume the Reds are hoping Tavares will be able to put it all together; in 2007 he hit .320 with 33 stolen bases while in 2008 his average dipped to .251 but he stole 68 bags.

If he can hit .320 with 68 steals, the Reds will be sitting pretty come September.

Projected 2009 Reds:

C R. Hernandez
1B J. Votto
2B B. Phillips
3B E. Encarnacion
SS A. Gonzalez
LF C. Dickerson/N. Hopper
CF W. Tavares
RF J. Bruce

SP A. Harang
SP B. Arroyo
SP E. Volquez
SP J. Cueto
SP M. Owings/D. Thompson

LHP B. Bray
RHP J. Burton
LHP A. Rhodes
RHP F. Cordero
RHP M. Lincoln
RHP D. Weathers??

Whitney Returns, Battered Penguins Still Lose

Even the return of defenseman Ryan Whitney couldn't stop the recent slide of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, among the worst teams in the league according to the standings, waltzed into the Mellon Arena and skipped out with a 2-0 victory.

Where does that leave the Penguins? 18-12-4, 40 points, fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Yuck. Happy holidays.

Under normal circumstances, I would be pissed. However, this season's circumstances can be perceived as anything but normal.

Take into consideration that Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque, Ty Conklin, Marain Hossa, and Adam Hall (...is that everyone?) left via free agency after last year's playoffs. Those guys added a lot of grit and filled some significant roles. By August we knew this had the potential to be a frustrating season.

That's when things got worse. Whitney needed surgery and would miss 3 months. Gonchar is out until March after a pre-season cheap shot. Tyler Kennedy is currently missing in action, and Marc-Andre Fleury just got back from an extended hiatus. Oh yeah, and defenseman Kris Letang is now out with an undisclosed lower body injury.

What does this all mean? Well, it took a while for this year's Penguins to get rolling. Once they did, the injuries began to mount. If they can survive until Gonchar comes back without having any other stars go down, the Pens will be tough to deal with.

As Penguins fans, this is just something we are going to have to learn to live with. Not only is there a whole new class looking to cash in on free agency next off-season, but it will happen on a regular basis with Crosby, Malkin, Orpik, Whitney, and Fleury locked into big-dollar, long-term deals.

Ain't it great being a fan?

Let's go Pens.

Sidney Crosby Passes Jagr For All-Star Vote Record

This isn't real news.

Sure, current leading vote-getter Sidney Crosby DID break Jaromir Jagr's record for single season all-star votes set way back in 2000.

Jagr finished that voting session with 1,020,736 votes.

But, things are different these days.

The exclusivity of internet-only voting has left the elderly hockey fan out in the cold. Grandparents simply don't go to NHL.com to vote. Just kidding about the elderly fan thing, but seriously the fact that you can only vote on the internet gives net nerds like myself an advantage.

Online communities have united people with similar interests. Years ago, chat rooms were all the rage. These days people go to blogs written by regular people (like me!) who like the same things they like and post comments, which builds a 'we' environment. It's like the democrats having unions on their side. These people can vote in blocks again and again. Remember, there is no limit on how many times you can vote. Net nerds unite!

So, congratulations Sid. You earned it.

Jagr sucks.

Need To Go To The Bathroom On The Golf Course?

I got an email from my dad yesterday with a link to this:

Is this serious? There's no way this is serious. If it is for real, then I feel sorry for the first guy who pees into the end with the handle and consequently puts his club back into his bag. There will be massive amounts of urine streaming out of the opening, because you know it won't seal tight. He would be the jackass on the golf course with a bag full of piss.

Rangers suck.

Sundin Signs With Vancouver, Linden's Number Retired

After it looked like Mats Sundin would sign with the New York Rangers, he pulled the old number six on them and decided on the Vancouver Canucks.

He ought to make an impact on a team that could use a center. Let's hope he does. I have about 5 of his 1990-91 Upper Deck rookie cards.

In other Canuck news, Vancouver retired Trevor Linden's number 16.

We at the SHSB remember him as the fifth best forward on EA Sports' NHLPA 93 for the Sega Genesis. He is behind only Lemieux, Jagr, Gretzky, and Roenick on that game. Remember, he had Pavel Bure on one wing and Geoff Courtnall on the other. Kirk McLean in net. That game was freaking awesome.

So if you're a Canucks fan, you should be pretty damn happy.

Flyers suck.

Roger Clemens' Ex-Hussy Attempts Suicide

Former popular country music singer Mindy McCready was hospitalized early Wednesday, December 17th. The story goes that her brother found her in her bed, bloody from cuts to the wrists and with a belly full of pills. I would bet that if she had more than one hit song way back in 1996, she wouldn't be trying to kill herself.

Anyway, the only reason anyone heard the name 'Mindy McCready' in the last 10 years is because she admitted to having a sexual relationship with former Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. Even though everyone else on the planet thinks Clemens is an asshole, McCready refers to him as "one of the most wonderful men I've ever known." I wonder if he is going to visit her in the hospital? Nah, he'll probably just give her a text.

YouTube Video: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Atlanta Thrashers

This video is of a goal Sidney Crosby scored last month against Atlanta. Enjoy.

Thrashers suck.

Cincinnati Reds Continue Shaping Roster For 2009

Times are tough for everyone.

For Cincinnati Reds fans, times are just a little bit tougher.

The Reds haven't had a winning season since 2000 and haven't made the playoffs since 1995.

However, things are beginning to change.

The Reds biggest acquisition last season may have been former St. Louis Cardinals General Manager Walt Jocketty. He has the ability to shape a winning baseball club. Bonus.

Before the trade deadline, Jocketty sent outfielders Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. packing. See ya, bye. Trim that money off the payroll.

The starting rotation looks better than it has in many, many years.

Harang, Volquez, Arroyo, Cueto, and whoever else in the fifth spot will keep the Reds in games. Maybe Micah Owings? At least he can swing the wrenches.

The bullpen is decent, with Francisco Cordero ready to come in and shut the door. Go team.

Jocketty just picked up a bona-fide big-league catcher in Ramon Hernandez. He should help out. People say that Ryan Hanigan is the catcher of the future, but they don't realize he is already 28 years old. It is hard to be the catcher of the future when you're that old.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips and first baseman Joey Votto are locks in the infield, and the left side will be occupied by two of the following: Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez, Jeff Keppinger...and maybe Jerry Hairston?



The biggest hole for the Reds is in the outfield, with Jay Bruce being the only lock at starter. The only other outfielders currently on the 40-man roster are Norris Hopper and Chris Dickerson. Jermaine Dye, perhaps?

Altogether, I think this team is shaping up. If they can acquire Dye, Hairston, and a left-handed starter, the Reds could be dangerous. Then again, maybe not.

What do you think?

Today's Video - Malkin vs. Devils

Because the Pittsburgh Penguins are taking on the New Jersey Devils tonight, here is a YouTube clip of an unbelievable goal by Evgeni Malkin against the Devils from his rookie season of 2006-07:

Devils suck. Go Pens.

NHL 09 Jersey Code Released

Finally!

After a ridiculously long wait, the NHL 09 alternate jersey code for ps3/xbox 360 has been released.

Just go to NHL 09 code entry in the game's menu and enter it in order (with no spaces).

The code is a combination of 16 digits and letters: xe6377uyrwm48frf .

Enjoy all of the alternate/third jerseys and let us know if you found this helpful!

2009 Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs. Ohio State

Texas is the one school that has a legitimate gripe about this year's BCS standings. The Longhorns beat Oklahoma, lost to Texas Tech, and find themselves out of the BCS National Championship Game and preparing to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl. The two teams last played each other in 2005 and 2006 with each team winning on the road. Time for a tie-breaker. Thanks, BCS.

The complaint Texas fans have about not getting into the title game is the same one Notre Dame used back in 1993. That year saw the Irish beat Florida State and later lose to Boston College. The Seminoles then played for the national title. Sorry, Irish fans.

Nonetheless, Texas is stuck in the Fiesta Bowl.

Let's hope actor Matthew McConaughey isn't hogging the camera again this year.

Ohio State, on the other hand, has to be very excited about their trip to a BCS game. Their season seemed lost after being blown out by USC. Thanks for picking me up, Terrelle Pryor.

Many people, including Fresno State coach Pat Hill, don't think the Buckeyes deserve a spot among the BCS elite. He thinks that Boise State would beat Ohio State, although he doesn't exactly have the balls to say it. Weasel.

What do you think? Does Ohio State deserve to be in the Fiesta Bowl? Would you rather see Texas take on Boise State?

Please let us know with comments!

Confirmed? Reds to Trade Homer Bailey to White Sox for Jermaine Dye

We told you about this one a couple of weeks ago. Of course, back then it was nothing more than an unconfirmed rumor. Actually, it still is. Just not when you have an extremely reliable source. Mine happens to be Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News.

One would think that most Reds fans will be happy if their team trades Bailey to Chicago. They would get a quality right-handed hitting outfielder for an underachieving right-handed pitcher.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for this one, it may be picking up some steam. More later.

Hockey Fight of the Day: Chris Neil vs. Eric Godard

Here's a great fight from the Ottawa Senators 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier today. Enjoy.

Hockey Links: Barry Melrose Re-Hired By ESPN?

- Although there has been no official word, Barry Melrose is expected to be back at ESPN as an analyst with a three year deal. Strong move. Barry is good peeps. Watch the video of Barry's going away party at Sean Leahy's Going Five Hole. EJ Hradek = Wasted.

- In case you weren't aware, the Pittsburgh Penguins 2008-09 Media Guide is available online in .pdf format. You will now spend hours there. Sorry.

- Sean Avery apologized for his comments about Dion Phaneuf and Elisha Cuthbert, his ex-girlfriend. Matthew Barnaby of ESPN thinks Avery's days are over in Dallas.

- The NHL All-Star voting gap has tightened. Sidney Crosby now needs less than 3,000 votes to break into the Montreal top three. Vote here.

You're Fired. Get It.

It seems like 20 head coaches were fired today in the world of sports.

First, the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes fired head coach Peter Laviolette. No big deal. He forgot how to set his lines after they won the cup, or so it seemed.

The Hurricanes re-hired former coach Paul Maurice to run the show. Former Whaler, Penguin, and Hurricane Ron Francis was moved behind the bench as Maurice's associate head coach.

Next, the NBA's Toronto Raptors fired head coach Sam Mitchell today after they lost by 39 points to Denver. We're not sure anyone still cares about the NBA, but it is a firing nonetheless.

Finally...



College football coach Tommy Tuberville has been fired by the Auburn Tigers. Whatever. He'll have no trouble finding another gig.



What surprises us the most is that Charlie Weis still has a job at Notre Dame. His team is awful despite having highly rated recruits. If it keeps up, he won't be at ND much longer.

Of course, if the golden domers finally pull the trigger on Weis, he'll always have a job at McDonalds.



Thank you and goodnight.

Sean Avery = Idiot/Chick Magnet

Thanks to Empty Netters for bringing up Sean Avery's suspension.

Avery, currently a forward/agitator for the Dallas Stars, was suspended for comments he made about Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend, who is Avery's ex-girlfriend. Read the comments Avery made here.



If she looks familiar, it is because she banged our friend Mitch on the movie Old School and was a porn star in The Girl Next Door. She is actress Elisha Cuthbert.

I know what you're thinking. Why would any semi-hot chick want to get it on with the widely despised Avery? The only solution we could come up with is that women like bad boys who design clothing.

Anyway, this isn't even the first time Avery and Cuthbert have been linked in a story since their break-up. Apparently he slithered his way into Mary-Kate Olsen's panties too. Then he cheated on her...with Cuthbert.

This story is just further evidence that Sean Avery's on-ice persona is a mirror image of himself off the ice. He is a first-class jackass.





And the Stars are in last place. Suckers.

Still No NHL 09 Jersey Code

NHL 09 (available on the PlayStation 3/PS3 and Xbox 360) is the greatest hockey game ever, in case you haven't heard.

The 'Be A Pro' mode is especially awesome. Flyers suck.



When will the third jersey code be released for NHL 09? For some reason, they still haven't released it.

It could be that the EA Sports people got together with Reebok and decided to screw with people.

The fact that we have had to wait this long just goes to show that they really don't care about us. They already got their money.

Dicks.

That said, I can't blame them for taking their time. They practically have a monopoly on the hockey video game market and people are going to buy the product regardless.

Go Pens.

Circling The Bowl: The 2008 Cleveland Browns

Things just keep getting worse for the Cleveland Browns this season.

First, a slow start lead to replacing starting quarterback Derek Anderson with the untested Brady Quinn.

Quinn played fairly well, but his season ended early with a broken finger.

So it was back to Derek Anderson at QB for Romeo Crennel's troops.



Ouch.

Anderson hurt his knee during the fourth quarter of today's 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Word is that he is now out for the season.

Yeah.

So the Browns are now stuck with former Miami Hurricanes QB Ken Dorsey and kick return specialist Josh Cribbs, a college QB at Kent State, as their only current options for next week's game at Tennessee.

If that weren't enough, tight end Kellen Winslow was injured again. No big surprise there.

Finally, ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that Browns head coach Romeo Crennel will need a miracle to keep his job into 2009. Good luck with that.

Remember that old saying, "If it's brown, flush it down"?

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 Cleveland Browns!

Bring back Bernie Kosar!

Sidney Crosby Almost Fights Again, Instead Scores Hat Trick

It was a pretty good November for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They finished the month with a record of 9-2-1, well enough to see them rise to second place in the standings behind the New York Rangers.



Sidney Crosby finished November playing like a beast with 9 points in 3 games, including his second career hat trick. He saw himself and teammate Evgeni Malkin begin to pull away from the pack in the NHL scoring race. Sid also got a little feisty and scrapped a little with one of the Devils. If he would have dropped the gloves, he would have collected his first "Gordie Howe" hat trick. Instead, he just flexed and kissed his bicep.



The Pens next play on Wednesday, December 3 at the New York Rangers.

Good times.

Baseball Trade Rumor: Jermaine Dye to Reds?

After finally getting rid of Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, and their salaries, the Cincinati Reds are rumored to be seeking a trade with the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Jermaine Dye.



Really?

Wasn't he supposed to be good in like, 1995?

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of trading Homer Bailey. His career has been going nowhere ever since my co-worker and I kicked him out of the bar where we work when he was a member of the minor league Dayton Dragons (A). Why did we kick him out? He was 19. How did he get in? He had a pretty good fake ID. He was actually pretty cool about it.

Fans like myself have been hoping for years that the Reds would get rid of their high-priced dead weight. They finally do, and now ownership wants to pick up a 35 year-old outfielder who has an 8-digit salary ($11.5 million).



Grab the nose, Mitch Kramer. I can't believe it either.

Hand Collated has some thoughts on the Dye rumor and more.

Personally, I think the Reds should avoid temptation and tough it out with the young kids. Decent outfielders are a dime a dozen. You can always find one to hit .280 with 20 home runs. They need to concentrate on the bullpen and solidify the infield. How should they do that, you say? Dump Edwin Encarnacion and figure out who will play shortstop and third base.

Get it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

"Badger" Bob Johnson, 17 Years Later

Thanks to Going Five Hole for reminding us that today marks the 17th anniversary of the passing of former Penguins Head Coach "Badger" Bob Johnson. He was 60 years old.

If you didn't already know, "Badger" Bob Johnson is the inspiration behind the Pittsburgh Penguins' marketing campaign: "It's a great day for hockey."



Bob's only season with the Penguins resulted in a Stanley Cup championship.

I remember when he died, I was 14 years old. I cried.

Here is a Post-Gazette recap from the 10th anniversary in 2001.

The Penguins wore this patch during the 1991-92 season in honor of "Badger" Bob Johnson:



It's a great day for hockey.

Islanders suck.

Go Pens.

YouTube Video - Matt Cooke

Because the Pens haven't played since, I don't know, Halloween, here is a Matt Cooke compilation video from his days with the Canucks. Enjoy.



Flyers suck.

Avoid www.freecandy.com at Work

One of my favorite blogs is affectionately known as the Pensblog.

Those guys are awesome.

As you may already know, they (and their loyal readers!) have given Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik the nickname 'Free Candy'.

I guess someone thought he looked like a child molester in last year's team photo.



He did.

Anyway, I promise that this story is going somewhere.

Being a hardcore Penguins fan can be both exhilirating and exhausting.

Speaking of hardcore, I was wondering if someone had started a Free Candy website in honor of Brooks, so I typed in www.freecandy.com.

Mistake # 1.

Apparently that magic combination, www.freecandy.com, is the perfect web address for a porn site.

Great.

So a porn site is preventing someone from starting a 'Free Candy'/Brooks Orpik fan site.

Not that I wanted to do it, but it would be nice for someone to have that option.

And with that, here is the greatest defensive shift of all time:



Thank you Free Candy, and goodnight.

Times Are Tough, But Not For My Fantasy Hockey Team

First of all, sorry about the small pic. I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this. Here are the current standings:

Team W-L-OT PCT PTS
1. Willow & Mr. Giggles 38-16-6 .683 82
2. Mifftown Isotopes 35-17-8 .650 78
3. Nothing Clever 32-24-4 .567 68
4. Whammy! 29-22-9 .558 67
5. milk me baby 29-25-6 .533 64
6. Bon Malkin 25-30-5 .458 55
7. Slump Busters 23-32-5 .425 51
8. Slightly Stroopid 19-31-10 .400 48
9. The Peacemakers 20-34-6 .383 46
10. Bling Bling 16-35-9 .342 41

My W & Mr.G squad continues to pace the league with 82 points. I realized this week that if I hadn't traded Malkin, I would have had the top 4 scorers in the league. Oh well.

As you can see, it really is a two team race right now between my W & Mr. G and Steve's Mifftown Isotopes.

My wife Amanda wants it to be known that her team would be challenging for first if not for the injuries: Brodeur, DiPietro, Kariya, etc.

I think the biggest move of the week was Amanda picking up Marian Gaborik off waivers. Lucky girl, if he ever plays.

Through Friday, Willow, Slump, Mifftown, Bon Malkin, and Whammy are absolutely dominating their games this week. Go team.

Oh yeah, and the Canucks beat the Penguins today, 3-1. I don't want to talk about it, but check out the clip of the huge fight from the game. Good times.

Deactivated: The Chad Johnson Story Continues

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson has been deactivated for tonight's game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers for violating a team rule.



Sorry, Chad. Times are tough.

We at Second Hand Sports tried desperately to find out exactly why # 85 was scratched from this installment of the Bengals-Steelers rivalry.

Cincy Jungle provided the only explanation. Chad Johnson overslept.

Not that any of this really matters. The Bengals are 1-8-1 and, even with Mr. Johnson, they aren't going to beat the Steelers tonight.

Here's our favorite Chad Johnson moment:



Way to beat that horse, Chad. Sweatpants.

Trading Places: Ohio State vs. Michigan

Remember way back when, when Ohio State couldn't beat Michigan...ever?

We do.

We also remember all those childish Michigan fans (who weren't really Michigan fans, they just were anti-Ohio State fans) giving downtrodden Buckeye fans a hard time.



It's payback time.

Ohio State is favored by 20 points.

20.

That's right, 20.

It is fair to say that most of us never expected to see that against Michigan.

20. (Check USA Today for the current odds here)

That said, this is still a great rivalry for one reason: Michigan has the ability to beat Ohio State this weekend.

Sure, it would be near-miraculous. Pretty much everyone expects the Buckeyes to roll on Saturday. Thanks to The Buckeye Blog for alerting us that even Rich Rodriguez is hedging his bets for the game.

Dave over at Maize n Brew finds some positives in being 3-8 heading into the Ohio State game, and makes some excuses too.

Our prediction: Anything can happen, but Ohio State should roll at home. If the Wolverines win, consider it the biggest moral victory of all-time. Go Bucks.

How to Kiss Your Sister, NFL Style

(Sigh)

Today's game against the Cincinnati Bengals was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, it was...a walk in the park with your sister that turns into one passionate kiss.



4 hours of your life that you will never get back.

No, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles did not destroy the Bengals. It was much more difficult to watch than that.

In a blistery Paul Brown Stadium, each offense stunk up the joint. So much so that neither team could score during the sudden-death overtime. That means that the defenses looked good.

Awful.

Every person who sold his/her ticket for this game should thank those proverbial lucky stars.

This was the first tie game in the NFL since 2002.

Isn't it about time for the NFL to adopt an equal opportunity overtime policy, such as the one in NCAA football?

Hooray! Fantasy Hockey Saturday!

In an attempt to avoid discussing the Barry Melrose firing for another day, I'm going with Fantasy Hockey talk. Here's the story: I'm only in one league. I know everybody in the league. I dominate. Not really, but I am in first place. Yahoo! rocks.

Here are the up-to-the-minute standings of the Whack It Fantasy Hockey League:



My boys, Willow & Mr. Giggles, currently reside at the top, followed by this league's version of the Tampa Bay Lightning (because Adam, the owner, is clueless), and W & Mr. G's biggest rival the Mifftown Isotopes.

As you can see, W & Mr. G have the luxury of taking on Blake's last place Bling Bling squad. Easy street.

I would like to note that Sidney Crosby, Alexander Semin, and Marc Savard are largely responsible for W & Mr. G's success. Thank you and goodnight.

Random Video of the Day

Yes, he was exiled to Siberia when he was moved from his television play-by-play gig to the radio side, but Mike Lange remains a Penguins icon. Here are some of his legendary calls:

Penguins 7, Red Wings 6 OT

Thoughts while watching the Pittsburgh Penguins come back from a 5-2 third period deficit to win in overtime, 7-6:

Good God almighty. The Rattlesnake is back.


Hockeytown? does anybody in Detroit even care? The Joe is down to half capacity by the end of the night.


Detroit gets all the calls. Unbelievable.

The Pens have been their own worst enemy. Too many bad penalties early.

Where was this Penguins team on that NYR-SJ-PHX-STL road trip? These guys seem to care.

Finally, a 5-on-3 ppg against the Red Wings.

I hate the Wings not only becuase of last year's Finals, but also because every fringe hockey fan claims to 'love' the Wings and they talk smack without knowing anything about hockey. Morons.
Whore.

The loss of Rob Scuderi is going to hurt.

These are two very good teams, when they want to be.

Jordan Staal will be an absolute beast some day very soon...

I used to like Swedish Fish, but then I remembered that the Wings are something like 1/2 Swede, and now they make me puke.

Versus' announcers are terrible. Emerick is the only one worth listening to. Their studio guys suck too. Yes, even Engblom. But, at least you can still enjoy the video:


Evgeni Malkin might have the best slap shot of any forward in the league.

That Ryan Malone commercial is horrible. And it's for next week's Penguins game on Versus.

Thank you and goodnight!

Sports Greatest Mullets

Here are some of my favorites!

The Midget Basketball Mullet


The "Wild thing" Mullet


The "Hockey Star" Mullet


The "Bird Killer" Mullet


The "Stone Cold" Mullet


And last but not least "The Rocky Top"

Athlete Profile: Paul Bissonnette

Paul Bissonnette, aka 'Biz Nasty', is a forward/defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.

He hits people.

Hard.



A fourth round pick of the Penguins in 2003, Bissonnette spent a lot of time in the Minors.

He knows the route between Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton like Clark Griswold and the family truckster know the way to Wally World.



Good times.

Our Opinion: Biz Nasty has worked his way up through the system and earned his spot on the team. His contributions are mostly going to be in the physical aspect of the game. That said, I would like to see him in the lineup more often. He has zero points and 10 penalty minutes in 6 games. For his complete stats, click here.

MVP #3?

Is Kurt Warner an MVP candidate?

I used to wish for his deal with the devil to expire. It apparently hasn't.

Truth be told, I drafted Warner in one of my fantasy football leagues this year (for the first time).

After realizing that Matt Leinart has no chance of becoming a good NFL QB, I stole good ol' Kurt in the last round of the draft.

After my backup defense.

People laughed.

Remember folks, those late-round picks in your annual FFL draft are the picks that help separate 'just-in' playoff teams from 'out'. Right now I am sitting at 'barely in'. I would hate to see my team's record without Warner, the guy who is in kahoots with Gozer, er, his wife Brenda.

Somebody please call Vince Clortho, Keymaster of Gozer.

Here's the Keys, Son

As you probably know by now, the Cleveland Browns have pulled the plug on starting quarterback Derek Anderson and replaced him with marketing sensation Brady Quinn. His sister is the least attractive 'hot chick' known to man. Ever.

Cleveland's loss to Baltimore on Sunday forced coaches and management to pull the trigger.

They panicked, says ESPN's Trent Dilfer.

The way we see it, the Browns could have Brian Sipe under center and it wouldn't really make a difference. This team is going nowhere until Braylon Edwards learns to catch the football and Romeo Crennel learns how to deal with Kellen Winslow. Whammy.

Lovable Loser

Golf's drunken son strikes again. John Daly was found passed-out drunk in front of a Hooters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was arrested and held for 24 hours before he was released sober.

John Daly has been a train wreck for years. But for some reason golf and sports fans seem to think he is a likable guy.
Yes, I admit it is cool to watch him crank the hell out of a golf ball, but John has ruined his full potential professionally and more importantly his family life because of his addiction to alcohol.
When athletes like Darryl Strawberry, Lawrence Taylor, and Steve Howe continued to have substance abuse issues, the court of public opinion wanted to dump them from their respected sport.
So why doesn't the PGA do anything? Really, ANYTHING?
Suspend him from tournaments! Fine him! Make an example of him!
This is way overdue and I am ashamed for golf.
Golf, the gentleman's game?
Not in my book.

Everyone's #1 Target

CC Sabathia is a big free agent in more ways than one.



It will be a shock if he stays with the Brewers, no matter how much money they offer him.

Yes, the Yankees are probably the front-runners. They have more money than Tiger Woods.

But there is one team in particular that could use him more than any other.

Hold tight...

Get ready...

The Cincinnati Reds.

Just bear with me.

They have 4 good/great-potentially good/great right-handers already in the rotation (Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Volquez).

Adding a dominant lefty, bona fide ace would seal the deal.

The young position players on the roster would feel a sense of urgency to win 'now'.

Seriously, if the Reds ever want to get out of their decade-long slump, they will sign Sabathia to a HUGE contract.

And Then There Was One

The Cincinnati Bengals were victorious for the first time this season.

They withstood a 16-point, fourth quarter flurry from Jacksonville to hold on for the win.

Against the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions were not so fortunate.



The Lions had scored 23 points in the second quarter to take the lead into halftime, 23-13. It would not last.

Chicago backup quarterback Rex Grossman, subbing for injured starter Kyle Orton, scored the go-ahead TD with just over 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. Bears win 27-23.

If you're like my wife, you're probably asking yourself, "Where the hell is he going with this?" Well, I'll tell you.

The Cincinnati win coupled with the Detroit loss leaves the Lions as the front-runner in the Chris 'Beanie' Wells sweepstakes (unless you can think of a WR they should draft #1...kidding).

But seriously, the current standings would leave the Lions with the number one pick in the draft next April. They would probably take a QB, if one worthy of the top pick is out there. Otherwise, Beanie Wells looks to be a pretty good alternate, if he is healthy.

Any thoughts?

The End of an Impressive Streak

40 consecutive years of making it to a bowl game, and the Michigan Wolverines streak is over with little more than a whimper.

Today's loss to Purdue dropped Michigan to 2-7. Nothing like suspense to add to the drama, right?

Truth be told, a few people saw this coming. The only thing that suprised us was the embarrassing loss to Toledo.

Who Ya Got?

Sid or Alex?



Or maybe Geno?



After reading Empty Netters, we at Second Hand Sports have decided to keep the debate going just a little further.

Sure, the Pittsburgh Penguins are struggling right now, but having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin has to be a huge advantage. They just need to tweak the system to adapt to some new players. Remember Pens fans, they have also started slow the last two years. Either way, no one that actually watches the NHL can keep these two out of the 'best of' conversation.

Okay, so Alex Ovechkin is in Russia tending to his ill Grandfather. Good move. Maybe he isn't always the bad guy. We already know that he is the most dynamic player in the league. Now if he would only quit worrying about rivalries for a while, he could own the hearts of everyone.

The Verdict: All of that said, we're sticking with Sid. He's just too valuable with the puck and along the boards. He's a playmaker with the peripheral skill set of a grinder. There aren't too many of those around. It was a fairly easy choice because of the fatal flaws of the other two (Malkin and his unique ability to disappear on the ice and Ovechkin not being able to focus on the game when another Russian is around).