The Ned Braden of the 2011 NHL...

Most if not all of you know who Ned Braden is. He was the star player in the greatest sports movie ever made, Slapshot. Ned had a small problem. He was an outstanding skill player on a team of goons. And he refused to play the goon game. Despite being their best player, coach Reggie Dunlap benched him until he played a 'team game'.

 May I introduce you to Mr Tyler Seguin. The modern day Ned Braden. The #2 pick behind Taylor Hall has been a healthy scratch more often that not. Including every playoff game except the last two. Coach Julien says he "has not learned the Boston style of play" and... " he will not play the Bruin way." What he means is that Tyler....

 will not play like this. Dr Hook Tim McCracken.

 His hand forced by injuries, Julien hasa let Seguin play despite his lack of goonery... and Tyler has responded by scoring 3 goals and 3 assists in 2 games. By far Boston's most talented player, Tyler electrified the home crowd during a 4 point second period tonight on route to a 6-5 win over Tampa Bay.

Coach Julien has said with Patrice Bergeron returning for game 3, it's no guarantee that the inexperienced youngster will play.
He better.
If Boston wants to beat the more talented Lightning, they had better play Seguin, and they had better ride him the whole way.

Because if Tyler gets tired of the zoo.... it can only lead to this....

and I'm just not ready for that.

Call of the Year so far.......

It's Game 7 in the AHL between the Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal's affiliate) and the Manitoba Moose (Vancouver's affiliate) The winner takes the series. It goes to one overtime. It goes to a second overtime. It goes to a third overtime........



Dustin Boyd of Hamilton ends the game and series 6 seconds into the third overtime period. Awesome.

Gus Johnson, eat your heart out.

Mr Smith goes to...... Dallas!

 As most of you know, the 2011 NFL draft began last night with the 1st round in primetime.

A few surprises took place, but with the Cowboys, they did nothing stupid. They didn't trade up or down, just stood pat and drafted the best and meanest Offensive Lineman in the draft. Meet Tyron Smith from USC.

Tyron is a wee undersized for the Cowboys line at 6'6" and 315 pounds. But I'm sure the training staff will have another 20 lbs of muscle on him by Week One.

Mr Smith, meet Mr Romo. He is the reason you exist.

 Mr Smith, no one... no one, may touch Mr Romo. Got it?

 Good boy... now the buffet...

 ... and the weight room are to your left. Help yourself, See you in three months.

Tommy Hanson....

Tommy Hanson once threw a no-hitter... with a bowling ball.

Tommy Hanson can win a game of Connect Four in three moves.

Behind tommy Hanson's beard is not a chin, but a 102 mph fastball.

Tommy Hanson is the reason Waldo is in hiding...

there once was a street named Tommy Hanson, but they had to change the name. No one survives after crossing Tommy Hanson.

And for the ladies....

Edward can't read Bella's mind because Bella is always thinking about Tommy Hanson.

It's been officially decided... and the winner is....

the voting is over. You the people have spoken. Although to be honest, some of you need professional help.

Our friend Night Owl needed a new Dodger Girl. And with the results of your voting, one has been chosen.

In third place, Audrina Patridge.

 In second place, Shawn Johnson, seen here with her cousin. Apparently that side got all the height.

 And the winner is........ Lauren Conrad. Although Owl himself may have influenced the voting early on. But it's his babe, not mine... so we'll let it slide.

Congrats Lauren There are no prizes, although if you contact Owl through his blog, I'm sure he'll buy you lunch to celebrate. I hope you like tacos.


Now for those of you still with me... I need to talk about the 8 of you that chose Kim Kardashian. This was a serious poll to help out a friend, and joke voting nearly threw the results out of whack.
And if you seriously voted for her.... seek help immediately. I can put you in touch with a counsellor if need be. You're sick. Sick and in need of help.

One card kindness....

I was at this month's trade night at the old card shop the other night. And while these nights are always dominated with hockey, there are 2 or 3 of us that dabble in the lesser sports. While I was at one end of the store, apparently there was some busting going on at the other end. Well wouldn't you know that my friend Jamie walks over and hands me this beauty...

Tony and Dez delight! /50. Free. Gratis. I miss football already. When is training camp?

My friend, Mr Night Owl, is in trouble. Please help.

For those of you who read Night Owl's blog, and I think you all do... you know by now that he is in crisis. He is facing reality that he must take down the picture off of his blog of his beloved Alyssa Milano. Now me, I'm not that into her. But I ain't into the Dodgers either.

However none of that matters as Owl is my friend, and he needs help.

 This is where we come in. I'll have a poll up on the sidebar to help Owl choose his new Dodger Girl. And you, the voters, will help decide.
Here are the potential candidates, in alphabetical order, so no favouritism.

Audrina Partridge, wearing number 59. Who wears 59 for the Dodgers? No idea. Ask the Owl.

 I think Joe has cast his vote.

 Kim Kardashian wearing number 25. Please god, no one choose her.... maybe for the Mets...

 a benefit for Kim is you not only get her, but her whole family as well. Take that as a plus, or a minus.

 Lauren Conrad wearing number 7. Very cute.  Leader of the pack so far....

 Shawn Johnson wearing number 10. Now this one I know. Night Owl's favourite player wore number 10.
and it's Shawn Johnson. We all know what she can do. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

 Victoria Beckham in a '70's warm up jacket. Very retro. And she's married to an athlete far more skilled than any baseball player. Owl may not want to hear that. So she may not do to well in the vote. But it is up to you!

 Whitney Port wearing the old 00. Nice.

 If it matters, her first pitch was actually a darn good throw. All of the others, not so much. So she gets the athletes vote.

There you have your finalists for Night Owl's new Dodger Girl. Google them if you must for further, uh.... research material. It's all in the name of science. And helping a friend.

Right?

Now vote!

Hey Look! A Contest!!!

It's playoff time peeps, and that means it's time for the third annual Waxaholic NHL Playoff contest.

only it's not here, it's going to be over at Just A Bit Offside this year. So go there. Now. Don't worry, Meagan will still be here when you get back. Go!

from out of the Blue, some Orange!

now that blogger is working and I can actually post images again, we'll try this posting thing again.

One of the things that really sucks about the horrible crap that Topps is putting out baseball wise is that I haven't bought much of any baseball cards in over a year. And what really sucks is that means a massive cutdown on trades. I trade a lot of hockey, but most of you are baseball only.

But a few days ago, I got a package from an address I remembered. Inside were about 25-30 Braves, including Mr Hanson Orange border refractor

 A Yunel orange refractor (one of the worst trades we've made btw)

 Brandon Hicks RC super xfractor thingie

 and one of our CF by comittee members, also a superXfractor thingie.

there was no note or anything, but I knew the address to be of Marie from A Cardboard Problem. Apparently these Braves were just gathering dust on one of her shelves.
Thanks Marie! I love this hobby! Troll out!

oh.... wait... wrong blog....

You're not quite ready for baseball season yet!

So the baseball season is finally upon us. I've helped you choose which team to root for HERE, but I already hear some of you complaining that the baseball season is too long.

And it is. 162 games is ridiculous. 80 would do just fine. But then the players and owners wouldn't make as much money, now would they?

So in an effort to help you out, (I'm always here for you) I give you this calendar/chart. It will show you just how long you really have to pay attention during the season.

If you have ADD, may I suggest the Pirates or the Royals?

click to enlarge if necessary

good luck, and enjoy your (partial) season!

Too true...

Well I'm back and I'm alive. Mostly. But while I was away for work, my scanner decided to take a vacation. As soon as I find my hammer, we'll be back in business. Until then, let's just enjoy this screen cap

courtesy of Rowland's Office.

Promoting a good cause...

Okay, so I don't normally do these types of things, but I've had a couple of requests. And you know I can't say no to beautiful women. Well, I assume they're beautiful. Email can be tricky sometimes. But one thing is for certain... the videos they are pimping have beautiful women in them, so there's that. On with the promoting.

The New York Jets Flight Crew are having auditions this April 1, 2, 3. But to jump right to the finals, and avoid any preliminary tryouts, just send them a video of no longer than 60 seconds. Introduce yourself, and bust a move. Do the kids still say that? Anyways, here's Waxaholic favourite Jessica to show us how.


once again, send those videos to flightcrew@newyorkjets.com


If you're a sothern gal, you'll maybe want to try out for the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders. Better hurry though, tryouts are in person and are coming fast. March 20, 2011.


for more info, go to www.atlantafalcons.com/cheerleaders/auditions/

Coincidently ladies, those videos can also be sent to me as an audition to be my next ex-wife. Just sayin'.

And that's it for me folks. I'll be out of the city for a week for work. Not much if any internet time. If I miss anything good, leave a comment and I'll get to it when i get back.

I'm here to help you....

With the beginning of spring training and the real baseball season looming on the horizon, I know several of you are torn on who to cheer for.

Well ole Canuck is here to help. Just take a look at the handy dandy flow chart below, and follow the simple instructions.

The chart should enlarge if clicked on....

Wasn't that easy? Now tell me, who are you cheering for this year?

TTM success, Casey Daigle's wife!!!

Leave it to the Canuck to write to a ball player's wife, instead of to him. That's just the way I roll. Besides, as Casey tries to catch on with the Giants this year (good luck with that) his wife may be a better pitcher than he. At least, underhanded, anyways.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am speaking of Team USA's Ms Jennie Finch. Yeah, the one with 235236346636 no hitters. That one.

 Mrs Daigle was kind enough to sign two photos for me.

Sweet hey?

oh yeah, and if you want the chance of free cards, go here and follow the instructions, like I did.

and so it begins again...

Wish I was in Daytona right now.... but I guess watching the 500 in -22 weather in Calgary is good too......

No. No it's not.

If Calgary could be summed up in a paragraph...

This would be it.

LINK


Yep.

Blame Jason Heyward

so at last year's spring training, Braves phenom Jason Heyward put on a batting display lasting several days. His home runs would be hit so far, they would leave the field of play, cross a smaller field, and land in a parking lot across the street. This parking lot held the cars of Braves execs and managment. In all arbout 14 cars were damaged over the course of the week.

This year?

Well, you can't say the Braves don't adapt and learn from past mistakes.

Busy day...

If anyone needs me, you can find me HERE.

I'll be gone some most all of the day, so please leave a message in the comments and I'll get back to you... eventually.

Just in case you haven't seen it yet...

I've seen it a million times already, and it still gives me chills. In front of 76,000 people, Wayne Rooney proves why he's still the best. (you'll want to click it up to 720p HD)

EDIT: okay, I've tried 5 different videos now, Youtube keeps taking them down faster than I can put them up. This goal highlight must be loaded with government secrets or something. I'll try again later...


Suck on that City!

You think you're fancy...

with your Peyton Mannings and your Tony Romos and your Black Eyed Peas half time shows. Well, for the second straight year, the Grey Cup has had a better half time show than the Super Bowl.
111 million people watched the 2010 Super Bowl. 11 thousand people watched the Grey Cup. But they missed a helluva halftime show.

We may do things smaller and simpler, but they still rock, even at 70+ years old....

oh, I kinda have to apologize for the 'Pepsi Max Dancers' that appear at around the 6:25 mark.... youhave to remember that the city of Edmonton doesn't have that many good looking women.... kinda like why Green Bay doesn't have cheerleaders. That, and it's -30 out.

It's time....

Actually, I think the pregame shows started about an hour ago. The game itself starts in 7 and 1/2 hours.

Since this is the very first Super Bowl without cheerleaders, I had to recycle the Steelers pic. A Super Bowl without cheerleaders...............

 vs

Who do you like?

Chew on this... NOT 2011 Topps related.

Okay, so if you need salvation from 2011 Topps, Stick around and chew on this. Awhile back, I won a contest on Community Gum. No surprise there, he hosts contests every other day it seems. Well, let me correct myself. I participated in a contest.... I ended up answering something like one question right out of 10 or something, and Jon took pity on me and sent me a prize regardless. Kind of like one of those pathetic participation ribbons you see kids get at school nowadays.

But in this case, that means more cards for me....

A Tommy Glavine #/25

 Smoltzie! #/150

 and a Josh Anderson auto.

Thanks for the cards Jon! Check out Community Gum and maybe win some of your own cards. These are mine.

2011 Topps - Canadian Edition! Venez voir à l'intérieur!

While I was at the card store yesterday, look what arrived! 2011 Topps! Canadian Edition! People were lined up outside his door! (okay, everybody waiting, 3 people, were waiting for 2010/11 UD SPx Hockey, but that's not important.)

I managed to grab the first pack in the onslaught. Let's crack her wide open and see the difference from the U.S. edition.

The next Yankee DH, Albert Pujols.

 Hey! My first Brave! Omar Infante! Wait. Omar was traded at the beginning of November. Seriously, when were these printed?

 In fact, a closer look at the checklist, thanks tungaska, shows that 4 out of 12 Braves in the set were cut or traded months ago. 4 out of 12! That's, uh... 1 carry the 2... 33% of the team set!!! Way to stay current Topps! Don't rest on that monopoly. Keep on the cutting edge!

A Rod....

 History of Topps insert. Seriously? Keep this crap out of my pack.

 The closest thing I got to a real Brave, the back of Brian McCann on a Brett Wallace card.

 Topps 60 Felix Hernandez insert crap thingie that no one cares about.

 A Cory Luebke rookie. I know it's a rookie because it says so three times on the card. Me smrt like dumptruck.

 and a really cool shiny card! It must be a hit! It's.... a Matt Garza of the Rays Toppstown decoy waste of cardboard. Wait. Matt Garza of the Rays? Ain't he a Cub? Good job again Topps.

All in all, I could like the base set. After all, it's the Topps base set. And if I were to collect a baseball set this year, it would be Topps. Wait. What choice would I have? Nevermind. My problems with this set are the antiquated checklist and the overabundance of useless inane inserts. What worries me is that I know there are more, but I just didn't get any in my pack.
My grade of the day, a C+



Oh, yeah, you were wondering about the whole Canadian/U.S. differences.... well there aren't any. I just made that up so you'd actually read this among the 33,265 different 2011 Topps blog posts out there.
Hey, it worked, didn't it?

Card O' the Day

I got nuthin'. Wow. No sports on tv. No football, no hockey, nothing. Nascar hasn't even started yet...

So until I see sports (and the All Star game and the Pro Bowl do not count) You get a Card O' the Day.

Today's card is courtesy dayf.

A sweet Topps decal edge Felipe Alou somethingorother that I'm too lazy to look up in my Standard Catalogue.
Thanks bud!