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Thursday, April 1:
I keep waiting for the meteorologist to yell "April Fools!" But instead, we're being blessed with weather that would make late May proud. Wall-to-wall sunshine and warm temperatures -- right through the Easter weekend. I'll take it!
The Stanley Cup playoffs haven't started yet but tomorrow night's game in Denver might as well be one. Calgary plays Colorado, two points behind the Avalanche. A win and they're tied, a loss and they trail by four and are virtually out of it.
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Saturday, April 3:
With four days off this weekend, I had assumed we'd be heading to Brockville for the Easter weekend. But the bride, who puts in enormously long hours at work (I think she feels guilty because she works from home) decided that she just wanted to relax and soak in the sunshine and warm temperatures we're being blessed with. Can't argue with that. Even a short road trip was considered and discarded. Sometimes the best place to be is right here at home.
How I will enjoy the semifinals and Monday's final of the NCAA tournament without worrying about the games' effect on my bracket. Well, scratch that -- I'm almost always eliminated at this stage anyway. This year, I already have my first place money in my wallet. Yee-haw!
Colorado still holds all the tie-breakers -- more wins, superior goals for/against mark, better head-to-head record, and they have a game in hand -- but I'd still rather be the Calgary Flames today. Calgary's 2-1 win last night at Denver has pulled the Flames even with the Avalanche for eighth place in the NHL West. Calgary has the momentum and (especially being a Red Wings' fan) I've love to see Calgary overtake them!
On a sad note, it's because public knowledge that Pat Burns, superb hockey coach and good guy, is deep into his life's December. Lung cancer. I happen to think he's a hall-of-famer and some good folks have started a Facebook petition to get him into the place while he's still with us to enjoy the ceremony. It's something baseball should have done with the late Tom Cheek, but baseball folks are generally neanderthals and they haven't even voted Cheek in yet. At any rate, I encourage you to add your name to the Burns page 
while there is still time.
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Sunday, April 4:
Happy Easter! Not so happy for those of us who cheer for Manchester United. Their season may have, in effect, ended last Tuesday in Munich when star striker Wayne Rooney went down with an injury in the final minute of a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal. With Rooney out, United lost at home yesterday to Chelsea, so the English Premier League title race -- unless you believe in miracles -- will go to the Blues. This week, they play Bayern again in the Champions League return leg at Old Trafford. Yes, they scored an away goal in Germany, but they're also trailing. The offense has to come from somewhere. I just don't know where.
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Monday, April 5:
I’ve said this in the past but it remains true -- there’s Opening Day and then there’s opening day. The former is a Big Deal, always a day game, and in Cincinnati -- where the Reds, the oldest professional baseball team, always open at home -- they even have a parade. The latter is just another home game, usually a night game, the first of 81. Sadly, Toronto used to hold Opening Day, back when the Blue Jays played at Exhibition Stadium. These days, under the dome, it’s opening day (next Monday night, in fact, against the White Sox). Detroit still does it right, but teams that do seem to be few and far between.
I had to crash relatively early last night due to an early morning shift today, and when I went to bed, the Evil Empire had jumped out to a 5-1 lead on the bride's Boston Red Sox in the first game of the regular season. How nice to wake up this morning and find out the Yankees coughed it up, losing 9-7.
Two days ago, April 3rd, I put out the deck furniture (last year, it was early May). Flowers are poking out of the ground and it feels like early summer. It won’t last, but oh, what an Easter weekend for weather!
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Tuesday, April 6:
Awww. Butler winning the NCAA championship would have been a great, great story. And they came within inches of doing so. The fact they lost to Duke makes it even worse. Love Coach-K but I've always cheered for UNC in that conference.
OK, with the Tigers roaring back from 4-1 down against last year's Cy Young award winner and taking their season opener 8-4 in Kansas City, it's time to shut the baseball season down and declare them co-champions. I'd have a far better feeling about the 2010 season than I do about 2009 when they gagged away game 163 and missed the playoffs.
Seems Tiger Woods had a news conference yesterday. Somehow, I managed to miss it. Somehow, I'm not broken up about it.
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Thursday, April 8:
Nice day for my sports teams. Manchester United, down to 10 men for much of the second half, goes sailing out of Europe by failing to protect a 3-0 lead over Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. The 3-2 win wasn't enough to advance as they lose the 4-4 aggregate on away goals. The Detroit Tigers, a strike away from losing 1-0 at Kansas City, tie it, take the lead in the 11th only to cough in up in the bottom half on a home run, single, double and an error. Nice. In the NBA, I'm a Boston fan, but would like Toronto to make the playoffs. But once again, the Raptors are lighter than popcorn and get crushed by the Celtics. At least the Red Wings came from behind to win their game.
Today is a different Tiger day as Tiger Woods returns to the pro golf circuit on opening day at the Masters. And he arrives, fresh with a new TV ad from Nike, complete with a humbled Tiger and the voice of his late father. Creepy. And a new low for Nike, hard as that may be to believe.
I'll probably be cutting the lawn by mid-month (the first cut is usually early May). With this week's rain, everything is getting very green and I noticed the colour of the willow trees along the Don Valley Parking Lot on the way to work yesterday. Mind you, the low tomorrow is at the freezing mark. I'm not ready for autumn!
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Saturday, April 10:
Seems this Tiger fella can play some golf. Not only did Woods make the cut at the Masters, he may actually win the thing, based on round one and two.
OK, yesterday was more like March than April. I actually saw a few stray snowflakes drift by my window. But that's OK. We've been spoiled since the end of February. Actually, we were spoiled all winter, which is only fitting. We didn't get much of a summer in either 2008 or 2009 so it's time winter was the season that was "missed" for a change. Now, if we get a hot, dry summer than all will be right with the world -- OK, my world -- again!
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Sunday, April 11:
Broke bread yesterday with one of my old work colleagues and a treasured member of the "Indy Gang", the wild and crazy crew that used to attend the indianapolis
500 until marriages, children and Tony George came along. My buddy Don is one of those fellows who never seems to age and it was great seeing him again. Truth is though, we're not kids anymore. Between us, we consumed a pint and a bottle of beer, tomato juice, two cokes and green tea. We're definitely not kids anymore.
The Detroit Tigers are 4-and-1 to start the season and the loss was a blown save. Is it just me or is there a severe lack of quality closers in the majors? Every time I turn around there's another blown save somewhere and I'll bet there's been at least 10 so far in the first week of the season. That means two things, I guess -- less blowouts and more reason to stick around until the final out, no matter how long the two teams involved stretch the game out (which is a problem that's getting worse every year).
Nothing like waiting to the last minute to do it, but the Montreal Canadiens finally clinched a playoff spot with their overtime loss to Toronto last night, gaining the single point they needed to qualify. So now comes tomorrow, the Rangers at Philadelphia. Whoever wins gets in, and if it's Philly, they'll finish seventh ahead of Montreal. Should be quite the game.
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Monday, April 12:
It was going to happen some year -- a playoff berth was determined by a skills competition. The Philadelphia Flyers are in and the New York Rangers are out, thanks to the Flyers shootout win over the Rangers yesterday afternoon. Both teams played very conservative hockey in the five-minute overtime, both content, it seems, to reach the shootout. Here's a way out of that: regular season games should reward two points for a win, zero points for a loss, and if a game is tied, play the standard five minutes of four-on-four overtime. If neither team scores, then neither team gets a point. So, two for a win, none for a loss, none for a tie. I've yet to hear a good reason why this wouldn't work and it would sure open up the extra session.
A nice day for my Motown teams. The Red Wings won at Chicago to nail down fifth place in the west and a playoff date with Phoenix. The Tigers, down 7-1, roared back to beat Cleveland 9-8 to sweep the series and move to 5-and-1 -- the same record as the Blue Jays, who have done it all on the road.
Apollo 13, the ill-fated moon mission that ended in the successful return to earth of three seemingly-doomed astronauts, lifted off 40 years ago yesterday. How can so many years have passed? We marked the occassion by watching the movie (which is 15 years old, itself) last night.
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Tuesday, April 13:
Did some number crunching now that the Stanley Cup playoffs are at hand, and the one thing that jumps out at me is that the Montreal Canadiens are very fortunate to be taking part and the New York Rangers deserved a better fate. I took the final standings and applied them to three different scenarios: 1) the way it was before shootouts when five minutes of overtime were played and if the game was still even, each team received a point for the tie. 2) the way it was in my youth when only 60 minutes were played and you either won (2 pts.), lost (0 pts.) or tied (1 pt.) and 3) my formula, where overtime is played if needed, but if no one scores, neither team gets a point, same as a loss. Here's how it shakes out:
First, the final standings (OTR - overtime record; SOR - shootout record):
EAST
GP W L Pts OTR SOR
1. Washington 82 54 15 121 5- 7 5- 6
2. New Jersey 82 48 27 103 2- 2 6- 5
3. Buffalo 82 45 27 100 6- 4 4- 6
4. Pittsburgh 82 47 28 101 6- 5 8- 2
5. Ottawa 82 44 32 94 5- 1 5- 5
6. Boston 82 39 30 91 4- 4 10- 9
7. Philadelphia 82 41 35 88 2- 3 4- 3
8. Montreal 82 39 33 88 8- 5 7- 5
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9. N.Y. Rangers 82 38 33 87 1- 7 3- 4
10. Atlanta 82 35 34 83 2- 7 4- 6
11. Carolina 82 35 37 80 5- 5 4- 5
12. Tampa Bay 82 34 36 80 5- 5 4- 7
13. N.Y. Islanders 82 34 37 79 6- 5 8- 6
14. Florida 82 32 37 77 2- 3 6-10
15. Toronto 82 30 38 74 5-10 4- 4
WEST
GP W L Pts OTR SOR
1. San Jose 82 51 20 113 1- 5 7- 6
2. Chicago 82 52 22 112 6- 2 9- 6
3. Vancouver 82 49 28 103 3- 1 4- 4
4. Phoenix 82 50 25 107 5- 1 14- 6
5. Detroit 82 44 24 102 5- 5 6- 9
6. Los Angeles 82 46 27 101 4- 1 10- 8
7. Nashville 82 47 29 100 6- 2 8- 4
8. Colorado 82 43 30 95 2- 4 7- 5
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9. Calgary 82 40 32 90 2- 3 3- 7
10. St. Louis 82 40 32 90 3- 5 7- 5
11. Anaheim 82 39 32 89 3- 3 5- 8
12. Dallas 82 37 31 88 2- 4 7-10
13. Minnesota 82 38 36 84 5- 1 5- 7
14. Columbus 82 32 35 79 3- 5 2-10
15. Edmonton 82 27 47 62 1- 2 8- 6
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1) Overtime, no shootouts:
EAST
GP W L T Pts OTR SOR
1. Washington 82 49 22 11 109 5- 7 5- 6
2. New Jersey 82 42 29 11 95 2- 2 6- 5
3. Buffalo 82 41 31 10 92 6- 4 4- 6
4. Pittsburgh 82 39 33 10 88 6- 5 8- 2
5. Ottawa 82 39 33 10 88 5- 1 5- 5
6. Philadelphia 82 37 38 7 81 2- 3 4- 3
7. N.Y. Rangers 82 35 40 7 77 1- 7 3- 4
8. Boston 82 29 34 19 77 4- 4 10- 9
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9. Montreal 82 32 38 12 76 8- 5 7- 5
10. Atlanta 82 31 41 10 72 2- 7 4- 6
11. Carolina 82 31 42 9 71 5- 5 4- 5
12. Tampa Bay 82 30 41 11 71 5- 5 4- 7
13. Florida 82 26 40 16 68 2- 3 6-10
14. N.Y. Islanders 82 26 42 14 66 6- 5 8- 6
15. Toronto 82 26 48 8 60 5-10 4- 4
WEST
GP W L T Pts OTR SOR
1. San Jose 82 44 25 13 101 1- 5 7- 6
2. Chicago 82 43 24 15 101 6- 2 9- 6
3. Vancouver 82 45 29 8 98 3- 1 4- 4
4. Phoenix 82 36 26 20 92 5- 1 14- 6
5. Detroit 82 38 29 15 91 5- 5 6- 9
6. Los Angeles 82 36 28 18 90 4- 1 10- 8
7. Nashville 82 39 31 12 90 6- 2 8- 4
8. Calgary 82 37 35 10 84 2- 3 3- 7
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9. Colorado 82 36 34 12 84 2- 4 7- 5
10. Anaheim 82 34 35 13 81 3- 3 5- 8
11. Minnesota 82 33 37 12 78 5- 1 5- 7
12. St. Louis 82 33 37 12 78 3- 5 7- 5
13. Dallas 82 30 35 17 77 2- 4 7-10
14. Columbus 82 30 40 12 72 3- 5 2-10
15. Edmonton 82 19 49 14 52 1- 2 8- 6
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Note that the Flames gain eighth in the west by virtue of more wins than Colorado.
2) Sixty minutes only - win, lose or tie:
EAST
GP W L T Pts OTR SOR
1. Washington 82 44 15 23 111 5- 7 5- 6
2. New Jersey 82 40 27 15 95 2- 2 6- 5
3. Buffalo 82 35 27 20 90 6- 4 4- 6
4. Pittsburgh 82 33 28 21 87 6- 5 8- 2
5. Ottawa 82 34 32 16 84 5- 1 5- 5
6. N.Y. Rangers 82 34 33 15 83 1- 7 3- 4
7. Philadelphia 82 35 35 12 82 2- 3 4- 3
8. Atlanta 82 29 34 19 77 2- 7 4- 6
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9. Boston 82 25 30 27 77 4- 4 10- 9
10. Montreal 82 24 33 25 73 8- 5 7- 5
11. Carolina 82 26 37 19 71 5- 5 4- 5
12. Tampa Bay 82 25 36 21 71 5- 5 4- 7
13. Florida 82 24 37 21 69 2- 3 6-10
14. Toronto 82 21 38 23 65 5-10 4- 4
15. N.Y. Islanders 82 20 37 25 64 6- 5 8- 6
WEST
GP W L T Pts OTR SOR
1. San Jose 82 43 20 19 105 1- 5 7- 6
2. Chicago 82 37 22 23 97 6- 2 9- 6
3. Vancouver 82 42 28 12 96 3- 1 4- 4
4. Detroit 82 33 24 25 91 5- 5 6- 9
5. Phoenix 82 31 25 26 88 5- 1 14- 6
6. Los Angeles 82 32 27 23 87 4- 1 10- 8
7. Colorado 82 34 30 18 86 2- 4 7- 5
8. Nashville 82 33 29 20 86 6- 2 8- 4
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9. Calgary 82 35 32 15 85 2- 3 3- 7
10. Anaheim 82 31 32 19 81 3- 3 5- 8
11. St. Louis 82 30 32 20 80 3- 5 7- 5
12. Dallas 82 28 31 23 79 2- 4 7-10
13. Minnesota 82 28 36 18 74 5- 1 5- 7
14. Columbus 82 27 35 20 74 3- 5 2-10
15. Edmonton 82 18 47 17 53 1- 2 8- 6
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Note that Atlanta makes it in, while both Boston and Montreal are out.
Finally, 3) my radical approach of two points for a win (regulation or overtime), no points for a loss or tie:
EAST
GP W L T Pts OTR SOR
1. Washington 82 44 15 23 88 5- 7 5- 6
2. New Jersey 82 40 27 15 80 2- 2 6- 5
3. Buffalo 82 35 27 20 70 6- 4 4- 6
4. Philadelphia 82 35 35 12 70 2- 3 4- 3
5. N.Y. Rangers 82 34 33 15 68 1- 7 3- 4
6. Ottawa 82 34 32 16 68 5- 1 5- 5
7. Pittsburgh 82 33 28 21 66 6- 5 8- 2
8. Atlanta 82 29 34 19 58 2- 7 4- 6
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9. Carolina 82 26 37 19 52 5- 5 4- 5
10. Boston 82 25 30 27 50 4- 4 10- 9
11. Tampa Bay 82 25 36 21 50 5- 5 4- 7
12. Montreal 82 24 33 25 48 8- 5 7- 5
13. Florida 82 24 37 21 48 2- 3 6-10
14. Toronto 82 21 38 23 42 5-10 4- 4
15. N.Y. Islanders 82 20 37 25 40 6- 5 8- 6
WEST
GP W L T Pts OTR SOR
1. San Jose 82 43 20 19 86 1- 5 7- 6
2. Vancouver 82 42 28 12 84 3- 1 4- 4
3. Chicago 82 37 22 23 74 6- 2 9- 6
4. Calgary 82 35 32 15 70 2- 3 3- 7
5. Colorado 82 34 30 18 68 2- 4 7- 5
6. Detroit 82 33 24 25 66 5- 5 6- 9
7. Nashville 82 33 29 20 66 6- 2 8- 4
8. Los Angeles 82 32 27 23 64 4- 1 10- 8
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9. Phoenix 82 31 25 26 62 5- 1 14- 6
10. Anaheim 82 31 32 19 62 3- 3 5- 8
11. St. Louis 82 30 32 20 60 3- 5 7- 5
12. Dallas 82 28 31 23 56 2- 4 7-10
13. Minnesota 82 28 36 18 56 5- 1 5- 7
14. Columbus 82 27 35 20 54 3- 5 2-10
15. Edmonton 82 18 47 17 36 1- 2 8- 6
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The Rangers are fifth (!) in the east with Montreal all the way down in 12th while Calgary gets fourth (!!) and home ice advantage in round one against Colorado.
Crazy? Yep. But food for thought.
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Wednesday, April 14:
Here he goes again:
'Twas the night before playoffs, when I sat down to write
And I feared this would take me well into the night.
The deep pressure's on your forecaster, you see,
Fresh from his March Madness pool victory.
"But how to pick these?", Maybo said with a scowl
As he wiped off the sweat from his dome with a towel.
Sixteen teams in the playoffs and all with some flaws.
Even the best teams will force to you pause.
Can the Capitals' goatending win them a Cup?
San Jose. Another post-season hiccup?
So we start in the east, just 'cause it's a tradition.
We've always employed this unique disposition.
Jose Theodore faces his old club in round one.
His Caps will crush Montreal, four games to none.
Jersey and Philly. Is Broudeur nicely rested?
Doesn't matter. In six, Devils find themselves bested.
Buffalo-Boston. The I-90 series.
In seven, the Sabres will answer all queries.
Sid the Kid and the champs have a date with the Sens
And experience means triumph in five for the Pens.
To the west, where the Avs play in the shark tank.
San Jose wins in six, take that one to the bank.
Chicago and Nashville. That might be some fun.
But wind beats the music in a quick five-game run.
The west coast series features Canucks and the Kings.
Vancouver in five, on their way to Cup rings.
To tend goal in Motown you can't be a coward,
Wings over Phoenix, behind Jimmy Howard.
That set will go six, by the way, if you care.
The only west upset will be displayed there.
So, done. And hey look! It's not quite midnight.
Just a warning -- I'm wrong more often than right!
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Thursday, April 15:
April 15th is always one of my favourite days on the calendar as it's my official end of winter. But this winter died a long time ago. After work today I cut the grass for the first time this year. Usually, that task is performed during the first week of May. And the Blue Jays had the roof open at the Rogers Centre tonight in their fourth home game of the season, the earliest literal lid-lifter in franchise history. Unbelievable! And best of all, when the whistle blew to end work today, I started a two-week vacation.
OK, these Stanley Cup playoffs are going to be fun. All four favourites (and I include my Red Wings in that number, even though they're seeded behind Phoenix) lost their openers last night. Tomorrow, we're off to Pittsburgh to see if the Ottawa Senators can do it again.
The Toronto Raptors missed the playoffs, which is exactly what they deserved. This soft, sloppy team folded like cheap luggage, mailing it in repeatedly after Chris Bosh went down to injury. And I'll be shocked if he decides to turn his back on free agency and return next season. Frankly, the Raptors haven't had a player with some hair on his chest since the days of Charles Oakley.
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Friday, April 16:
PITTSBURGH -- And his legend lives on. All Sidney Crosby did last night was 1) score the tying goal in the first period; 2) Sweep away what would have been Ottawa's go-ahead goal with about nine minutes remaining, and 3) set up the winner with some dogged play in the Senators zone, by cycling the puck repeatedly and stickhandling his way out of trouble. Ottawa is doing everything it can to keep Crosby from being the difference. And he stepped up in game two and was the difference anyway.
My head must be the size of a pea. I forgot to pack my laptop's power cord. Hopefully, a generic one can be bought or updates on this trip will be few and far between. We'll be hitting Minneapolis next week to get a first peek at the Twins new home, Target Field.
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Saturday, April 17:
INDIANAPOLIS -- I packed my power cord after all. I had just taken it out of my bag in the car trunk whilst grabbing my camera last night at the Igloo. My head is still the size of a pea, though.
These may be the most wide-open Stanley Cup playoffs in memory. Not one of the top eight seeds managed to "hold serve" and win both of their home games this past week. And just like that, seeds nine to 16 all have home ice advantage now in round one. Incredible!
Thank you, satellite radio. Driving on I-70 today between Pittsburgh and Indy, I was able to switch back and forth between the Sabres playoff game and the Blue Jays game. It was just like being at home. And the miles flew by.
So Manchester United beats City and Chelsea loses to Tottenham. The race for the league title isn't over yet!
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Monday, April 19:
ST. LOUIS -- Well, St. Louis is on the way to Minneapolis. Sort of. But it was a chance to see the Mets and Cardinals last night and, as I did last year, enjoy the pre-game fun and banter over a cold one down the street at Hot Shots. And maybe the locals will welcome me back. The Cardinals finally won one before my eyes at their new digs. They had lost on my previous three visits.
I know the Mets played 20 innings the day before and were in the process of making some personnel moves but Frank Catalanotto at first base? Batting clean-up?? I quite like the guy as a player but that's desperation.
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Tuesday, April 20:
MINNEAPOLIS -- Gems. Sometimes they're a challenge to find. But the people of Minnesota have a gem in Target Field, the new home of the Twins. It`s not a bandbox in that it plays fair, but with a capacity of about 40-thousand, it's nicely shoe-horned between the Target Center (where the Timberwolves play basketball) and an expressway. The seats are a little cramped for a new building but the sight lines are excellent with upper decks that are closer to the action than most of the new parks. The lighting is superb and the area is packed with bars and restaurants. And here's the clincher: The parking garage I was in exited right onto a freeway on-ramp. It was on my way in no time!
Again, satellite radio to the rescue. You haven't lived until you've heard Mark Moser, radio voice of the Colorado Avalanche, call a game. Yes, he's a homer, but he gets worked up over face-offs and would probably get into a froth calling your neighbourhood garbage pick-up, he's that excitable.
Speaking of Colorado, since we're this far, we're going to keep heading west. We've posted pictures here on Scorepics from every major league ballpark except Coors Field (we packed a video camera on our one and only visit in 1995). So, we will rectify that this weekend and maybe take in game six of the Sharks-Avs series as well.
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Wednesday, April 21:
LINCOLN, NE -- Loyal Cornhusker fans will scowl at the sight of these blue letters. Sorry, Big Red Nation, that's just the way the dates fell. Memorial Stadium looks like a great place to watch a college football game and it's easy to get to -- just south of I-80 and just north of downtown Lincoln. But as a Michigan fan, it was jarring to see the Huskers list 1997 among their national championship years. Yes, the schools were co-champs but I still think the Wolverines' defence would have carried the day if Michigan had played Nebraska in a championship game. Maybe that's why these words are in blue!
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Thursday, April 22:
DENVER -- Gary Bettman likes to defend his stance on propping up failing franchises by saying the ultimate goal is to grow the sport across the United States. This is the same league that allowed its broadcast rights to escape from ESPN for the Versus network. Last night, my hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska had 100 TV channels including various shopping and food networks. Versus? Nah. Tonight, here in Denver, I have two channels carrying live coverage of the NFL draft. Versus? Nah. I guess some people here are watching their Avs playing in San Jose but whatever channel it's carried on isn't on my TV.
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Saturday, April 24:
DENVER -- You have to give the Colorado Rockies credit for caring about their fans. With driving sleet pasting Coors Field and the threat of snow looming, the Rockies wasted no time in postponing last night's ballgame against Florida, calling the thing off a good 15 minutes before the first pitch was to fly. Even better, they've re-scheduled it was part of a day-night doubleheader today, which is perfect for me. I can check out of the hotel, go see the ballgame and then head over to the Pepsi Center for the Sharks-Avalanche hockey game. It's an 8 p.m. Mountain time start, thanks to Ottawa's win at Pittsburgh the other night. So unless tonight's game goes into multiple overtimes, we'll drive east for about an hour after it ends and get a head start on the return home. It will likely be Sunday night before we get those pictures -- and the pic of the week -- posted.
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Sunday, April 25:
MANHATTAN, KS -- Where?! Why, it's the Little Apple, home of Kansas State University. We tried to get here before sundown to take a few pictures of Bill Snyder Family Stadium (I'm not making this stuff up), football home of the KSU Wildcats. But there's virtually no dusk here and our pics were all but useless in the twilight. So we're staying the night and will try again in the morning as we wind our way back home. In the meantime, we've found a nice college town to explore.
I received an added bonus yesterday. The Coors Field doubleheader was a traditional one, meaning two games for the price of one. So we watched the opener and caught three innings of the nightcap before driving over to the Pepsi Center for the Sharks-Avs playoff game. Normally, as a Red Wings fan, I would take great delight in seeing Colorado eliminated in person. But the Avs deserved a better fate in this series. I was impressed by their grit. As for the Wings, sounds as if they had the balance of play today against Phoenix but every mistake ended up in the net. So it's game seven back in the desert where anything can happen.
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Wednesday, April 28:
And back. The longest drive I've ever made but it was a blast!
I almost made it all the way out to Denver and back without once having to deal with those aggravating American gas stations that require you to punch in a zip code for your at-pump card authorization. Hello! Some people on this continent don't have zip codes. Worse, the station in question was just west of Detroit, the closest one to the Canadian border I attempted to fill up at. Needless to say, I drove away without pumping any gas and took my business elsewhere.
Kudos to the fine folks at Tony's Pizza (the best in the world, by the way) in London, Ontario. I strolled in at 9:40 p.m. last night. The place was empty, the staff had cleaned up and I was unaware that they had recently changed their closing hour from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. They could have told me they were closed, but didn't and I enjoyed the usual fine meal. And they have kept me as a customer for life whenever I'm back in my home town.
Finding a hockey game on TV stateside is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. This is why I have satellite radio, which rescued me for 11 days.
And it's a happy 64th today to Beverly Bivens, the lead singer for We Five in the mid-'60s. Her singing voice delights me to this day. She came out of a decades-long retirement last September to open a San Francisco museum and hinted that she might return to singing. Sure hope so.
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Thursday, April 29:
The wails of anguish are coming from midtown Manhattan, 30 Rock to be exact. The headquarters of NBC television are inside 30 Rockefeller Center and now the network has to promote the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs without Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's most exciting player. He and the Washington Capitals are first-round road kill, done in by goalie Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens. Unbelievable. I expected a Washington sweep (although I did go 6-and-2 in round one, and nailed the San Jose-Colorado series which went the predicted six games). It's karma, NBC. What if a network put together a series of historical moments in its radio ad campaign and didn't include Steve Yzerman? (although he did appear in the TV ads). But I have just spent 11 days listening to satellite radio where the questions directed to me all included whether or not Bobby could fly or whether or not Messier could make a promise and then back it up. But by not asking whether Stevie-Y could leap (game seven, double O/T, 1996 conference semifinal versus St. Louis) history was made -- just not the kind NBC wanted.
Only the best wife in the world wouldn't complain about a husband taking an 11-day road trip to fulfill his silly desire to see major league baseball played in every current ballpark and having photographic proof on this web site. And she celebrates her xxth birthday today. Best wishes, sweets!
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