Snap!

I was watching the Carolina-Florida game tonight, and in the third period I saw Martin Gelinas of the Panthers lose a scoring chance when his stick shattered about one-third of the way up the shaft.

By the way, he was taking a wrist shot.

I hope he gives his stick manufacturer some Hell about it.

The Thrill Of The Hit (Part I)

Here's Mark Cuban on playing Rugby:

I played till my body wouldnt let me and I loved to hit and be hit. Getting mad helped me play. It takes a lot to get kicked out of a rugby match, but I managed to get booted for fighting playing for the Pittsburgh Harlequins.

This is something only people who have played contact sports can really understand. And yes, getting hit can be fun too. In fact, the one time I really got knocked ass over tea kettle was one of the highlights (albeit a humorous one) of my hockey career.

I was near the right wing boards trying to hold the puck in the offensive zone. I was parallel to the boards, and I distinctly remember trying to stop the puck on my backhand. It was then that I took a tremendous shot to my left shoulder than sent me cartwheeling into the air.

I know, I had my head down and I deserved it.

Funny enough, the hit didn't so much crunch me (though I'll never know why) as launch me. And, as others have observed in times of peril, time did seem to slow down.

By the time I'd reached 170 degrees on the rotation, and was starting at the lights on the ceiling of the rink, I thought to myself, "Hey, this is pretty cool. I wonder how it's going to turn out."

It didn't take long to get my answer. Luckily, everything important that hit the ice was protected by a combination of padding, leather and hard plastic. I got up, took two strides, and then all of a sudden was overtaken by a feeling of astonishment that I wasn't lying in a quivering heap.

Best game on earth.

Burn, Baby Burn

Following a post about the riots in Paris over at Chicago Boyz, one commenter left some remarks that struck a chord with me:

I'd have to say that every single rioter I ever helped put in jail was doing it because they thought they could get away with it, and because they thought smashing and burning stuff they didn't own was fun.

The arguement might be made that I'm missing the broader picture and ignoring the underlying motivations of 2nd or 3rd generation welfare recipients. People raised in their environment, subject to the unique pressures they have to live with every day, would be so alien to my experience that I would miss the nuance.

That might well be true, since the rioters I was helping put away were affluent college kids who were acting up after football games. Still, I note that their actions were remarkably similar even though their motivations, environment, future prospects and upbringing were completely different.

Smash stuff, burn stuff, steal stuff. It's fun!

For further reference, check out Point #10 of the Manifesto.

Nice drop pass from Instapundit.

Carnival Of The NHL #12

Thanks to the Acid Queen for a fantastic job on the latest Carnival.

The next question: Who wants #13?

UPDATE: Christy from Behind The Jersey has stepped up and taken on the challenge of #13. See her blog for details.

Be Sure To Come Back After Lunch...

As I've scored a ticket to the National Press Club luncheon with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. I'll have a recap later.

UPDATE: Press club appearances have a dog and pony show quality about them, and are often used to buff the reputation of the person on the podium. It was pretty clear that's what Bettman's appearance is about, as he recounted the lockout, its resolution and the effort to win back the fans.

In other words, Bettman and the league took an absolute beating in the press last year, and he's trying to frame league comeback storied for the like of Business Week, Forbes and Fortune.

Some other points:

* Said the league was very happy with OLN, and that they were able to pull together a broadcast team as quickly as they did. Added that over the long run, the NHL would be a more prominent placement on the network, and would help grow the game. He also added that fans shouldn't judge the success of the partnership right now, as its simply too early to fairly evaluate it -- something that seemed to be a mild acknowledgement of ire over the quality of the OLN telecasts.

NB: The Press Club official moderating the event actually admitted that he liked the combination of Bill Clement and Keith Jones on the OLN studio show. I'm thinking he's the only one.

* Mentioned plans for an online real-time scoring system that would provide details like the speed of the puck, or a graphic analysis of a goalie's strengths and weaknesses.

* Acknowledged that it was in the plan from the beginning to completely engage the fans over the course of the lockout, which was what led to their work with NHLCBA.com.

* Said HDTV would be good for the game, but would probably do more to appeal to new fans rather than the hardcore types.

* Denied the Buffalo Sabres were going to move, and that the league was committed to keeping all 30 franchises right where they are. Ruled out expansion for the forseeable future (Sorry Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hamilton).

* Said that sudden death OT was an integral part of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that the shootout will never be used in the postseason. Despite this, he said that it was clear that the shootout has been an unqualified success.

* Talked up the new "sleeker" uniforms, and added something about protective equipment that would be more comfortable. He seemed pretty pumped about this.

* Got a big laugh from the crowd when in answering a question about the drop in fighting. After being asked if goons were being pushed out of the game, Bettman said, "It's a bonus if you can fight," but that the league now puts a premium on skill.

* Said "Congress decides to regulate, we will cooperate," on the question of steroids, but admitted that he doesn't think the league has a problem, and that implementing such a plan would be a unique burden on a league where one-third of players are based in Europe.

All in all, not a bad way to spend two hours for members of the busienss press who cover the NHL a few times a year; but not terribly revealing for those who follow the league closely.

POSTSCRIPT: I handed a pair of question to the head table, but they didn't manage to get answered. They were:

"Are you concerned with Trent Klatt's legal fight with the NHLPA?"

"Who is Eklund?"

If he ever got the first question, he'd probably shrug it off with a statement that it's the business of the union to pick its own leadership. But on the inside, I have to wonder if he and the rest of NHL HQ might be worried. Better the devil you know, right?

One questioner pointed out that the Washington Post was giving significantly less attention to the post-lockout Caps. Bettman made a joke about begging for attention, but as I've said before in other contexts, what your local paper does just doesn't matter anymore. I get so much hockey news and commentary that I could care less about the Post's coverage.

Now In The Cross Hairs, Joe Paterno

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno has waded in where once only Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry feared to tread. Here's the word from Happy Valley:

"You have to be careful the way you say things sometimes," the Penn State coach said. "Poor [Air Force coach] Fisher DeBerry got in trouble, but the black athlete has made a big difference. They have changed the whole tempo of the game. Black athletes have just done a great job as athletes and as people in turning the game around."

In other words, college football became a better game once it was integrated -- just like every other sport. Which is only something I've been hearing ever since I started watching Greatest Sports Legends as a kid.

Here's what I seem to remember: Countless documentaries would tell the story of Jackie Robinson, and they would usually include a photo of Robinson signing his Dodgers contract with a beaming Branch Rickey over his shoulder. And then, invariably, we'd see footage of Robinson driving opponents insane on the basepaths.

Oh, and the soundtrack usually was accompanied by an up-tempo jazz tune.

And then there's the quote from Paterno that: "[T]he black athlete has made a big difference." Which last time I checked, was essentially the point of Arthur Ashe's history of African-American athletes.

But you know there's no way Paterno is going to be let off easy. When I found this story on the front page of ESPN.com, the hyperlink read, "Paterno links black athletes to increased scoring." And that's a quote that doesn't even apear in the ESPN.com account of Paterno's Big Ten Conference call.

When will the insanity end?

If you're looking for a real travesty in college athletics, you'll find it in a system of rules promulgated by the NCAA that wind up treating all athletes -- no matter what their race -- as nothing more than a commodity. A commodity traded in a marketplace rigged by the member schools of the NCAA.

UPDATE: ESPN has changed the headline of the story to read: "Penn State coach offers his take on black athletes."

Always Think Before Hitting Send

Here's an interesting story that broke this morning:

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson says he will not return to Baton Rouge for his hurricane-displaced team's games for the rest of this season and next year, according to an e-mail obtained by a newspap