Saturday, May 27th

1 - One month to the day since the last post. New Brunswick was good. Got to see Minneaplis too after our flight had to make an emergency landing. U.S. customs were surprisingly quick considering most passengers didn't have their passports.

2 - Rex Murphy's "Point of View" commentary on The National a few days ago was the most insightful and articulate defense of the mission in Afghanistan I've heard so far, which begs the question, why aren't we hearing this kind of explanation from the Prime Minister, instead of the national media. Whether you agree with Mr. Murphy or not, you can't really argue that he hasn't thoroughly thought this through (how's that for a tongue twister).

3 - I've spent the last two days down at the University of Regina watching the Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp. They look okay, but I'm going to reserve my praise/predictions until they accomplish something this season. It's depressing to start talking about the possibility of a home play-off game only to see the Riders wallowing around the five-hundred mark. It's also depressing to hear other teams talking about heading to the Grey Cup, while we're happy with a winning season and a home play-off game.

4 - Another reason I refuse to throw in my amatuer analysis/two cents worth is because I'm still smarting from the first round of the NHL play-offs. So without further ado I will now examine what went wrong with my predictions:

Detroit (1) vs. Edmonton (8)

What I said: Detroit in six.

Why I said it: Oilers breakdown at bad times. Their emotional style of play works against them.

What really happened: Edmonton in six.

Why: Dwayne Roloson did his best Mikka Kiprusoff impression and the Red Wings self destructed.

Dallas (2) vs. Colorado (7)

What I said: Dallas in four.

Why I said it: Theodore will self-destruct. Dallas is on a roll, and Colorado is stinking the place out.

What really happened: Colorado in five.

Why: I have no idea. I didn't see a single game. From what I've read it sounds like Theodore found himself.

Calgary (3) vs. Anahiem (6)

What I said: Calgary in seven.

Why I said it: Calgary has Kiprusoff. Case closed.

What really happened: Anahiem in seven.

Why: Kiprusoff can't score goals, he can only stop them. I don't feel bad though because it looks like the Flames didn't realize that either. I think Calgary was a better team with Oleg Saprykin, Craig Conroy, and Martin Gelinas in the line-up than they are with Darren McCarty, Roman Hamerlik, and Tony Amonte. Too bad, cause I was looking forward to the Battle of Alberta.

Ottawa (1) vs. Tampa Bay (8)

What I said: Tampa in seven.

Why I said it: Intangibles (I should know better than to pick a winner based on 'ifs').

What really happened: Ottawa in five.

Why: Ray Emery was unbelievable for Ottawa, while Burke and Graham were average for Tampa Bay.

Carolina (2) vs. Montreal (7)

What I said: Montreal in seven.

Why I said it: Montreal is younger and faster, while Carolina peaked too early in the year (boy it pains me to admit I wrote that).

What really happened: Carolina in six.

Why: Cam Ward got hot. End of story. Carolina is a lot faster than I thought too.

5 - While in New Brunswick I had the chance work with some soldiers from the nearby military base in Oromocto. As we talked I asked them what they thought about the flag crisis and the media ban. There response, we don't really care either way, but the fact that the debate is taking center stage over the sacrifices of Canadien soldiers is outrageous.

6 - For what it's worth, Jim Kelly of Sportsnet thinks the Edmonton Oilers should start Jussi Markkanen in game 5 against Anahiem and give Dwayne Roloson a rest. "The Oilers have nothing to lose," Kelly says. It didn't sound like a bad idea at the time, but as I write this Edmonton is up 2-1 and Roloson has stopped 25 of 26 shots.

Man on Fire