Friday, December 8th

1 - Austin is in, Cortez is out, Fantuz and Congi, locked up, along with Kitwana Jones and Maurice Lloyd. Somewhat surprised Fantuz signed at all. I was under the impression he was going to give the NFL a shot. Not that I'm complaining. The Riders can bring in a couple of punters if they want, but I think Congi should get another look. It's common for rookies to teeter off towards then end of the CFL season, because they're not used to playing that many games. Unfortunately Congi did more than just teeter off, he fell off the face of the earth, but I think he will make a fine punter, assuming he's given the chance. Meanwhile Austin is saying all the right things in Saskatchewan. Will words translate into wins? Tune in next spring to find out...

2 - Contact Irks Brodeur

Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur e-complained to director of hockey affairs
Mike Gartner concerning the contact being made with goaltenders during the
shootout. The genesis of Brodeur's email stemmed from an incident that took
place in Tuesday night's game between Minnesota and Chicago.

What is the world coming too? Since when do we use the word 'genesis' when talking about hockey? I'm shocked, and somewhat impressed, although I'd be more impressed if the word was used correctly. I think the term Sportsnet is looking for here is: "The concerns addressed by Brodeur's email stemmed from..."

Sportsnet's Artistic Impression Marks:

Canadian Judge: 5.8
German Judge: 5.8
Japanese Judge: 5.9
Russian Judge: 5.8
French Judge: 5.9

Sportsnet's Technical Merit Marks:

Canadian Judge: 1.1
German Judge:1.0
Japanese Judge: 1.2
Russian Judge: 5.7
French Judge: 5.8

I smell a scandal here...

3 - One month ago, Oprah experimented with buying happiness (#8). Today, Avi Shaked is trying to buy peace in the Middle East. Shaked (pronounced sha-ked) has a realistic view of human nature, and by catering to greed, that makes the situation worse. Sure they'll be happy with their money for a while, but eventually they'll want more. Remember back in the day when the British signed away half of Czechoslovakia to the Nazi's in treaties and peace deals prior to World War II? Shaked has good intentions, but they're extremely naive.

4 - Jarret Stoll of the Edmonton Oilers provides the answer to the age old question 'what is worse than getting drilled in the foot by a 100 m.p.h. slapshot from point blank range. The answer: getting drilled in the foot by a 100 m.p.h. slapshot from point blank range twice. At least Edmonton won. I'd hate to see Stoll go through all that effort for nothing.

5 - This has got to be some kind of record.

6 - Stephan Dion is in as Liberal leader, in a race that defied Paul Wells' default Canadian political prediction. Dion came roaring back from 4th place, and could not be defeated by Harvard Prof. Michael Ignatieff, or The Rt. Hon. Sir Wilfred Laurier. Dion was a good choice. Several noted scribes think Dion vs. Harper has the makings of a very different campaign, and I'm looking forward. Although I'm clearly not the first person to notice this, it is also worth noting that Dion and Harper are cast in a different mold compared to your typical politician. Are we seeing a change in the way people view our political leaders? Are expectations rising? We can only hope.

M.O.F.