Western Conference No-Star Team

Just yesterday, I posted the Eastern Conference No-Star Team, and it appears that someone in the NHL was reading, as one of my starting forwards, Marc Savard, was named as a replacement for the injured Danny Heatley. Well done on that one Gary. I suppose since I am now short a player on the Eastern side, I'll need to find a replacement, I'll take...ohhh, I don't know...Jaromir Jagr....

Today we look to the more interesting conference out West, were there were there is arguably less Star Power, but far more depth of solid players. So without further ado, here are my starting 5...

Forwards

Mike Riberio
Dallas Stars

Credentials: I was thoroughly shocked that Riberio did not make the cut. He is in the Top 15 in the NHL in points, and is a strong candidate for this years Most Improved Player. While it may be frustrating to Habs fans to see Riberio explode AFTER being traded from Montreal, in what I call "John LeClair Syndrome" (henceforth referred to as JLS), he has played very well this season, and is well deserving of the prestigious starting centre position on this roster.


Kristian Huselius
Calgary Flames

Credentials: The answer: Anze Kopitar, Henrik Sedin, Marian Gaborik, Rick Nash and Shawn Horcoff. The question? "Who are 5 All-Star Forwards who have less points than Huselius?". I'll admit, I was convinced that Huselius would be the first one shipped out of Calgary on the Mike Keenan express, but I was totally wrong! The talented left winger has shown remarkable growth this year and has gelled impressively with Iginla and Langkow as one of the league's dominant lines.

Corey Perry
Anaheim Ducks

Credentials: He 24 goals and 75 penalty minutes in his first 47 games. Perry has excelled this year, easily filling the scoring gap that Selanne left. He and Getlzaf are a remarkably solid duo at both ends of the ice. Make no mistake about it, Perry will be one of the leagues dominant power forwards for years to come.

Defensemen

Brian Rafalski
Detroit Red Wings

Credentials: He really is a victim of circumstance here. With teammates Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Niklas Lidstrom, and Chris Osgood all making the trip to Atlanta, it would be hard to justify sending a 5th Red Wing to the big dance. None the less, he has posted All-Star numbers, as he is trailing only teammate Niklas Lidstrom for the lead in points by a d-man, and has been as solid as usual in his own end. So he really is a no-brainer for this squad!!!

Marek Zidlicky
Nashville Predators

Credentials: While Rafalski is on this team as a victim of circumstance, Zidlicky makes it by being in the right place at the right time. Last season Kimo Timonen left the Predators, and then early this season, heir apparent with the man advantage, Shea Weber, went down with an injury, enter Mr. Zidlicky. While the Predators have had their struggles this season, Zidlicky has done very well quarterbacking their powerplay, and so he gets to be surprising starter for the No-Star Team.

Goalie

Pascal LeClaire
Columbus Blue Jackets

Credentials: This man is EASILY the biggest snub for either All-Star Team. Back when Troy and I tried to predict the All-Star team, I had this man as my starting goalie (mind you that was before Luongo went on his huge tear). He currently leads the league with 7 Shut Outs, and his .927 Save Percentage is better than any goalie playing that got the call. Two thumbs down for messing up on this one.

And now for the warriors from the bench...

Forwards

Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) - Daniel must feel a little left out, as his twin brother Henrik got the invitation, but he didn't, despite posting similar numbers, so I'll gladly take the prodigal son for my team!

Brad Boyes (St. Louis Blues) - It was a tough call between Boyes and his linemate, Paul Kariya, to represent St. Louis on this team, but I decided to go with Boyes, as a feel good pick. After being shipped from Toronto, to San Jose, to Boston, he appears to have finally found a home in St. Louis as he is currently on pace to break the 40 goal plateau for the first time in his career.

Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) - The surprising leader in rookie scoring gets the nod here. I understand the league not picking him for their team, as they need to give a bit of prestige to the usually dull Young Stars Game, but I would love to see what the 19 year old phenom could do with the quality linemates that he would get in this game.

Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks) - Raise your hand if you know that Patrick Sharp has more goals than Sydney Crosby. Now keep it raised if you expected that to happen. Everyone with your hand up, you are a filthy liar. Sharp has been one of the most surprising success stories of the season as the 3rd year winger has already set a career high in goals, and has played no small part in the rejuvenation of the Blackhawk franchise.

Ales Hemsky (Edmonton Oilers) - If it wasn't for a pesky injury, Hemsky could very well have his team lead in points, and be playing in Atlanta right now. He has played very well, and his smooth skating and passing mesh so well with Horcoff's heart and grind game.

Daymond Langkow (Calgary Flames) - Langkow has had a fantastic year playing with Huselius and Iginla, as he even lead the league in goals for a while at the start of the season. He has always been a solid hard-working player who I really didn't think could make it as a number one centre, but I guess I was wrong on this one.

Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings) - He joins Corey Perry in the "Future Dominant Power Forwards to Play in California" Club. He is on pace for 40 goals and can throw a big hit when needed.

Marek Svatos (Colorado Avalanche) - He is on pace for 38 goals and 4 assists. Now I don't want to bother looking threw the plethora of statistics, but I don't know if there has ever been a player with such a lop-sided goals-to-assists ratio. While he needs to work on his ability to move the puck, he must be doing something right to be able to score so well.

Brendan Morrow (Dallas Stars) - He joins his teammate Mike Riberio in the list of Stars forwards that were somehow omitted. Before the line up was announced I was convinced that one of them would make it, but I am shocked to see neither of them make the cut. After a nasty wrist injury limited his play last season, he has bounced back with a solid campaign thus far, and not coincidentally, his team is surging as well.

Defensemen

Lubomir Visnovsky (Los Angeles Kings) - I had started a write up to make him one of my starters, but I just couldn't ignore Visnovsky's brutal -14, and Zidlicky's great success story. Despite his defensive liability, Visnovsky has done well as a power play quarterback, yet again, as he is near the top of the league in scoring from the blue line.

Ron Hainsey (Columbus Blue Jackets) - Like many players in Columbus, Hainsey has been quietly successful all season. He has done wonders for Columbus's powerplay, and is a solid +6 on a team where most players are in the minus ranges.

Brent Burns (Minnesota Wild) - Has done well in making the adjustment from Right Wing to Defenseman, a very rare and impressive feat. Much like Hainsey, he has been solid at both ends of the rink, and been by and large unheralded for his successes. Don't worry boys, I noticed!!!

Craig Rivet (San Jose Sharks) - He is my "Yanic Perault" selection. His 12th season is on pace to be his most prolific, as he has succeeded in leading the Sharks powerplay where Carle has failed. And to be honest, I need a Shark on this team, and I couldn't justify putting the disappointing Marleau or Mihalek on my roster, so here we are.

Goalies

Ilya Bryzgalov (Phoenix Coyotes) - After Bryzgalov's clutch, and seemingly forgotten, performance in leading the then Mighty Ducks to the Conference finals in 2006, I was convinced that the Ducks would ship out Gigure and put their faith this guy, as he had starter written all over him. One of the biggest surprises this year was watching Bryzgalov go through waivers and land in Phoenix. I am simply shocked that no other team could have offered the Ducks something for this guy. Even a late round draft pick would have enabled Pittsburgh, Atlanta, or Tampa to not have to worry about their goaltending woes for a very long time.

Mathieu Garon (Edmonton Oilers) - Another last minute addition, as I just deleted J.S. Gigure from the list. While this may seem like a bad decision on my part, Garon has a better save percentage, an equal goals against average, and more shut outs than his California Counterpart. Also keeping in mind that Garon has played less games, and well...he plays for Edmonton, a team that currently sits 13th in the Conference.

So there is the Wild Wild Western No-Star team, as usual there are a number of players that missed this cut including, John-Micheal Liles, J.S. Gigure, Paul Kariya, Alexander Frolov, Martin Erat, and Piere-Marc Bouchard, among others.

Now I wonder which player from this team that the NHL will take for their team when a player goes down....

Until next time,

G

Eastern Conference No-Star Team

Earlier this week, the NHL Announced the two All-Star Teams, and there were many obvious choices (Crosby, Zetterberg, LeCavalier) and a few surprises (Keith, Osgood). But more importantly, there were many glaring omissions. As such, I proudly present you with the first ever Glenergized No Star Team. Where I take another All-Star team out of the players that were omitted from the mid-season classic. I will follow the standard All-Star selection rules, that every team needs to have at least one player represented at the game. Today I kick things off with the Eastern Conference, and I'll chyme in with the Western Conference No-Star Team tomorrow.

For the starting line-up we will have:

Forwards

Mats Sundin
Toronto Maple Leafs

Credentials: Regular readers of this blog will know how much I loathe the Toronto Maple Leafs, but even I will admit to being impressed with their Captain this season. He is getting older, and has next to know supporting cast (as he has for much of his career) yet he continues to sit in the Top 15 in NHL Scoring, yet again. If the Leafs somehow make the playoffs then Sundin deserves the MVP, hands down. So I begrudgingly make him my starting Centre for the Eastern Conference.


Evgeni Malkin
Pittsburgh Penguins

Credentials: The NHL missed a golden opportunity to have a Crosby-Malkin-Ovechkin line. It would simply be a thing of beauty and no doubt create some All-Star memories to last for years. Like Sundin, he sits in the Top 15 in scoring, but he brings something that the Leafs Captain can't bring, style. Malkin would be pretty damned impressive to watch in the skills competition, and in playing in a game with next to no checking or defense played. The league really missed a chance to market one of their future stars by having him sit this one out.

Marc Savard
Boston Bruins

Credentials: Perhaps the most underrated player in the NHL Today. Savard is once again in the Top 10 in the league in assists, and he does it quietly, game in, game out with very little fuss or attention. While I took Malkin because he is all style, Savard, eager to deflect the attention, would be the perfect player to feed to him.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Original picture of Patrice Bergeron has been updated, many thanks to Doug for pointing that one out...I guess it shows just how underrated Savard is if Google Images doesn't even have pictures of him. SECOND EDITOR'S NOTE: I took a picture straight from tsn.ca/nhl from the article where they discussed Savard's addition to the All-Star team and gave it no thought...it turns out that was a picture of Jiri Slegr. I guess the third time is a charm)

Defensemen

Tobias Enstrom
Atlanta Thrashers

Credentials: While there may be a few omitted Eastern D-men who deserve the start more than Enstrom (barely mind you), I do need to remind you that the game will be held in Atlanta this year, so this gives a great opportunity for a rousing hometown ovation. This is far from a sympathy pick, as Enstrom has evolved into a Top Power-Play Defenseman this season, and is totally deserving of a spot on the No Star Team (if not the actual All-Star Team)

Mark Streit
Montreal Canadiens

Credentials: Quick who is the highest scoring defenseman that won't be playing in the All-Star game? The answer (if you didn't figure out by the heading) is none other than Mark Streit, who is currently 10th in scoring among blueliners. Surprsied? I know that I am! Streit has been an excellent compliment to Markov on the powerplay, giving the surprising Canadiens another weapon with the man advantage. He deserves a ton of credit for their success this season.

Goalie

Henrik Lundqvist
New York Rangers

Credentials: He is easily the most glaring omission on the Eastern Front. While his play has slipped a bit this past week, before that it was nothing short of spectacular. He is currently second in the NHL in Shut Outs and near the top in Wins and Goals Against Average. On top of that, he has helped take a team that has struggled offensively and kept them competitive. I really don't understand how the league went with DiPietro over him, for shame Bettman, for shame.


And now for the reserves....

Forwards

Alexi Kovalev (Montreal Canadiens) - Showing a career rejuvenation this season, as the talented, but enigmatic, forward has been posting some surprisingly solid numbers for the Habs.

Oli Jokinen (Florida Panthers) - Jokinen has been posting solid numbers for the struggling Panthers, yet again. I was really quite shocked that he didn't get the nod for this game, but I guess Vokoun has been playing well enough.

Ray Whitney (Carolina Hurricanes) - Another player, like Sundin, who seems to defy the odds and post solid numbers year after year.

Vaclav Prospal (Tampa Bay Lightning) - It's a contract year for him, so he's playing well. Do not expect the same out of him next year, but for now, well done!

Mike Comrie (New York Islanders) - I guess the real reason that DiPietro edged Lundqvist for the All-Star game is because Comrie was the next best choice to represent the team. The little guy has done well on the Island, so we'll be happy to take him!

Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils) - The young forward's emergence is a big reason why the Devils don't seem to be missing Scott Gomez this season. Plus he can play the other end of the ice quite well to.

Daniel Briere (Philadelphia Flyers) - The reigning All-Star MVP was narrowly edged out by teammate Mike Richards to get his team's nod in the big game. Briere, is having another great season, despite injuries to his linemates Gagne and Lupul.

Jason Pomminville (Buffalo Sabres) - Someone has to make it for lousy teams and Campbell made it to the other game...

Cory Stillman (Carolina Hurricanes) - Now I had already started a right up for Jaromir Jagr, joking that I wanted to hav him on my 4th line, but then I noticed just how well Mr. Stillman has done, so Jagr gets bumped. Like teammate Whitney, Stillman seems to be drinking from the fountain of youth yet again this season, as he has been posting career numbers, so he definitely deserves a spot here. Sorry Jagr...

Defensemen

Michal Roszival (New York Rangers) - He has been a solid power play specialist yet again this season, sure he's a defensive liability, but that's the fun of All-Star games!!!

Wade Redden (Ottawa Senators - Recovered from a fairly sub-par season to resume his usual solid play at both ends of the ice. Sure his contract is once more up for renewal this year, but I guess we can leave the cynicism elsewhere for this game....

Mike Green (Washington Capitals) - I'm not going to lie, there are two main reasons for him to be on this list. First off, he has scored 8 points in the last 5 games, and secondly I needed a Capital, and there wasn't quite enough room for Nylander up front. But to his credit, the sophomore d-man has already doubled his totals from his rookie campaign, and has shown a tremendous upside this season.

Paul Ranger (Tampa Bay Lightning) - Freak injuries to Dan Boyle have thrust Ranger into the spotlight far earlier than was expected. However, he has played well as the main quarterback for his teams power play, despite minimal support from all but the top of the team.

Goalies

Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins) - I can't help but feel bad for this guy. All he does is play his heart out and succeed, and his team constantly looks for replacements. First with Manny Fernandez, and then Alex Auld, the team seems to have no faith in this guy, no matter how well he plays. For what it's worth, I believe in you!

Martin Gerber (Ottawa Senators) - He got chased out of Carolina, and was close to getting booted from the Senators, but an injury to Emery at the start of the season forced the Sens to put their confidence into Gerber, and boy did he excel! He is near the top of the league in wins, despite splitting the duty with Emery, and has been spectacular at times this season.

So that's my team, I'd like to issue apologies to the following players for barely missing the cut: Nik Antropov, Michael Nylander, Bill Guerin, Mark Recchi, Martin Biron, Randy Jones, and Jaromir Jagr.

I hope that you enjoyed the first No-Star Team, tune back in tomorrow for the Western side of the coin!

Until next time,

G

Some Insights Into My Twisted Mind , Volume VI

So it's been a very, very, long time since I've last done one of these. I thought that I was going to retire this feature to be honest, but I came along this excellent little survey, reflecting the Presidential Candidates, and I must say I was pretty shocked with my own personal results.

91% Chris Dodd
90% John Edwards
90% Barack Obama
85% Mike Gravel
85% Hillary Clinton
84% Dennis Kucinich
84% Joe Biden
76% Bill Richardson
41% Rudy Giuliani
29% John McCain
25% Tom Tancredo
22% Mike Huckabee
21% Mitt Romney
18% Ron Paul
12% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

So I always knew that I was a Liberal thinker, but I didn't think that the contrasts would be this obvious. The 8 Democratic nominees top the survey, with the 7 Republicans sitting at the bottom.

I don't know too much about Chris Dodd, since he isn't one of the front-runners, but I guess I should look more into him. Also, at a tie with 90% each, I'm not surprised that I really want to see an Obama-Edwards ticket. So I guess this site did a not bad job of pegging me. Although, I'm pretty shocked that I have even 22% in common with Mike Huckabee *shudder*.

This may be the retirement of this feature, unless something else earth shattering comes along (hello, Canadian Party Leader likeness tests, anywhere?). So I hope that you've enjoyed these posts while they've been there. Next time, I'll turn to something a little less personal.

Until next time,

G

Predicting 2008

Well after doing fairly well with my 2007 Crystal Ball, I think that it's time for me to try and build on this success by looking forward to the coming year. After staring into a crystal ball, reading some tea leaves, and depriving myself of all sensory stimulation for 24 hours I have came up with the following GUARANTEED* predictions for the following 12 months.

* Guarantee not valid anywhere



1. Obama vs. Huckabee - You heard it here first, the election this year is going to come down to an African-American proponent of change taking on a baptist minister who once equated homosexuality with necrophilia. It's going to be a wild, wild ride...

2. Prolonged Strike - The crystal ball tells me that the Hollywood Writers Strike is going to last a very long time. I would be shocked if this is over by spring time.

3. Abrams will not Disappoint - I have HIGH hopes for both season 4 of Lost, and for Cloverfield. Because really, how awesome does this look?



4. Score one more for California - Mark my words, either the Anaheim Ducks will repeat as champs, or the San Jose Sharks will finally take that next step. As a Senators fan, I desperately hope that I am wrong on this one, but we'll see here...

5. Another Three Countries Scratched off the List - Sorry while I take a break for the personal here, but I think that I'll get to visit another three countries this year. I know that I'm going to Laos in March, but I have a feeling that there will be two more there, somehow, someway.

6. The Temperature Will Continue To Rise - Sure I made this prediction last year, but I don't see much changing on that one...

7. Another Conservative Minority - Sure last year I predicted that we would see a Liberal Minority, but I think that the opportunity to see that has passed, unfortunately. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were another Canadian Federal election, I just don't see much coming about it.

8. More Record Label Rebellions - So Radiohead started something by releasing the amazing In Rainbows on-line for free, I wouldn't be shocked to see some other major bands follow in their footsteps.

9. The Patriots will Lose - I don't know why I think this, but I have this sneaking suspicion that the New England Patriots will NOT win the Superbowl, making their 16-0 season completely worthless.

10. Samoa Joe will FINALLY win the TNA World Title - Yes, another repeat from last year. I think that even Vince Russo is not dumb enough to keep the gold off of Joe for another year.

11. Further Republican Misdoings - This may be the easiest and vaguest prediction I could ever make, but I am certain that we will find out about something incredibly schemey and evil that Bush, Cheney, and co have been up to, that will even push Fox News's ability to present them in a positive light.

12. Someone will Follow in Feist's Footsteps - Another Indie-Darling will break into the mainstream in a big way, just like Lesley Feist was able to do thanks to Steve Jobs.

13. I will have a great year - My third redo from last year. I figure that this is a safe one, 2007 was pretty dang good, and 2008 seems like it could be even better.

Just like last year, the spirits are keeping their signs to only 13....I'll look back sometime next year and see if I can top my 9-2-2 record!

Until next time,

G

Looking Back at My Crystal Ball

Last year, I made some bold and daring predictions for the Year 2007, and now, 367 days later I see how my clairvoyant abilities turned out....



1. A Liberal Minority – Wow, was I ever wrong with this one!!!! While I still think very highly of Mr. Dion, he has not exactly set the country on fire, as the Conservatives are still leading the poll, and somehow, someway, Canada avoided an election during 2007.

2. The Arcade Fire’s New Album Will Kick All Sorts of Ass – Alright so this one was a bit of an easy prediction, as Neon Bible was my pick for best Album of the Year, in a year that really was full of some artistic brilliance. Follow this link to find out exactly why I loved this one so much....

3. Canada Will Win More Hockey Gold – I thought that I was going out on a bit of a limb here, as we don't always win the Men's World Hockey Championships, but hoorah, the boys won a medal for me!!! Also, add to the fact that we won yet another Women's World Championship, we took the Under 17 tourney, and of course the Under 20 just a few days ago, and things are looking up for hockey in our country.

4. I Will Go To At Least Three New Countries – Done and done. I went to China and Vietnam in April, some jaunts into Hong Kong and Macau in May (while sort of part of China, they have their own border patrols, and currency, making them more of their own country than say, Scotland), plus I just made the trip to both the French and Dutch West Indies, not sure if those count as separate entities from their mother countries or not...either way, I'm up on this one.

5. “Here We Go Again” by OK Go Will Remain the Coolest Music Video I Have Ever Seen - Duh...



6. I Will Retire from Kodiak – I'm still non-commital on this one, I think that I won't be heading to my Home Away From Home for the entire summer this year....we shall see though.

7. The US will not leave Iraq, but Canada will leave Afghanistan – A half-botch here, as the US, predictably decided to stay in Iraq, and sent a "surge" to boot, where as Canada has stuck around in Afghanistan, despite a growing amount of opposition and repatriation ceremonies.

8. This Blog Will Hit 200 Posts – Well this is my 216th post, so...well met.

9. Some New Indie Band Will Blow My Mind – The term "Indie" is a hard one to define, as many of these bands are in fact on major labels. But I will say that it came true, as I fell even more in love with Stars and Wilco than before, discovered Guillemots, Besnard Lakes, LCD Soundsystem, and The National. Surely one of those must be an Indie Band of some sort.

If you don't know any of those artists then type some of their names into YouTube and be prepared to be amazed, if you are too lazy here is "Fake Empire" by The National



Awesome, eh?

10. I Will Not Eat Meat – That's right still going strong without the flesh. In fact, I think that I've become a bit more passionate about this over the past 12 months, as more and more
has made its way onto this blog.

11. Samoa Joe Will Win the NWA World Title – Man, oh man, another epic fail!!! Samoa Joe has every right to be World Champion, yet somehow, someway, TNA has failed to do so. They had three EXCELLENT opportunities to give him the gold this year and botched every one of them.

12. The Temperature Will Only Get Higher – Can I point out that yesterday in Toronto it was 15 Degrees outside? Can I also point out that it's F'n JANUARY?!?!?!??!?!

Score one more for the G Man

13. I Will Have a Great Year – This year was yet another Roller Coaster for me, but what the heck, I wouldn't want it any other way, so yes, another great year for me.

I guess that leaves my final score to be 9-2-2, not bad I dare say, even if some of the picks were pretty obvious. Over the next few days I will put forward some more predictions for 2008, and I hope to have an even better record in the coming year!

Until next time,

G

LAST Month in Fantasy Sports -- December

Sorry this regular feature has been delayed, but you know...Caribbean...

So for those of you DYING to know about how my hockey pool has been going, fret not, I'm here to report on that to sate your burning desires. As you may (or more than likely don't) recall, my roster at the end of November was as follows:

C - LeCavalier, Jokinen, E, Staal, J. Carter,
RW - Jagr, Radulov, Knuble, Goddard, Lupul
LW - Holmstrom, Brown, Chimera, Prospal
D - Rafalski, Campbell, Redden, Aucoin, Schneider
G - Nabokov, Budaj, Price


Also, Further reminder that every day you can dress 3 each of C, RW, LW, G, plus 4 D, and 2 other Forwards. Also, that skaters get points as follows: 1 G, 1 A, 0.75 +/-, .5 PPG, .5 PPP, .5, SHG, .5 GWG. .5 PIM, and that goalies get 2 points for a win and 3 for a shutout.

Over the course of December I made the following changes: (note: I made a few changes since January started, but I'll cover those when I talk about that month)

Drop - Add

RW Lupul - C/RW Hudler
LW Chimera - C/LW Straka
C/RW Hudler - RW Pominville
C/LW Straka - LW Carcillo
Place LW Carcillo on IR - RW Guerin

So not as many moves as in previous months, and to be honest my moves were rather erratic. Also, like last month, it seems that I have centered my transactions around a handful of players who remain on my periphery, as I change between a few of them.

First off, I cut Lupul for Hudler and Chimera for Straka in order to get a bit more flexibility out of duel position players. However, I really messed up since Lupul went on a huge tear almost immediately after I cut him. Ahh well, live and learn, eh?

I noticed that other players had cut Pominville and Carcillo, and I decided that I needed to add both of these players for a few different reasons. First off Pominville was going through a bit of a slump, but he is easily a 75-90 point player, who sees some power play time, so I was expecting better results out of him than Hudler. Carcillo on the other hand, is far and away leading the league in penalty minutes, so I added him, despite his injury. In our pool, with the loaded scoring for penalty minutes, he is among the top scoring players, at the current moment he is 5th in the total points (Sydney Crosby is 6th....), so I added him, placed him on Injury Reserve, and then added my previously rejected Bill Guerin.

So I guess the moral of my story is to pay attention to the waiver wire! Some people make some questionable decisions (myself included as someone could have cleaned up with my dumping of Lupul, before he got hurt) and you have to be ready to capitalize on them, I guess I just lucked out this time.

At one point during December I seemed to be on pace for my Christmas wish list as I had over a 110 point lead on 2nd place in my pool!!! However by the end of that month it shrunk to somewhere around 75 points, due to some good moves on Iggy's part and that pesky injury to Tomas Homlstrom seemed to be conspiring against me. As January has started, I currently sit with my smallest lead in months, as Iggy has closed to be within 65 points. I have made a few moves at the start of this month, and Holmstrom has just returned, also I'm looking forward to a return of Carcillo in order to really help me boost my lead.

Also last month, I talked about how I was happy that I rejected an offer to trade Price, but now I find out today that he has been sent down to the minors...there goes that rotten luck again.

That's pretty much all that I have to add for this edition, I didn't pay as much attention to my pools this month due to the holidays and such, perhaps that's why my lead shrunk so much. I guess now I have my priorities set again, no more need to worry about relaxing or the spirit of giving, it's all back to the most important thing, bragging rights.

Take care and happy pooling!!!

Until next time,

G

"You'll see the good in everyone"

“You'll see the good in everyone”
-- Sloan



Right now I sit on a flight from St. Marteen to Charlotte, en route to finding my way back home after a fantastic Caribbean adventure, where I was apparently too busy having fun to pay any attention to this little nerdy space in my life. Here at 34,000 feet I find myself reminded of one of life's little lessons.

As I boarded my flight to leave, we taxied out on the runway, and sat there waiting for fuelling. The muffled voice of the pilot told us that there had been problems earlier in the day with the fuel truck and flights were delayed all day. He apologized for the inconvenience and asked us to be patient.

I adjusted my seat, grabbed the magazine I bought for the flight, and nervously checked my watch, I only had an hour and 15 minute lay over in Charlotte before my flight was scheduled to leave for Buffalo. “Ah well” I thought “Not much that I can do about it”.

I read a few articles, I waited.
I listened to my iPod for a while, I waited.
I cracked open a new book for a bit, I waited.
I stared out the window, I waited.
I waited, I waited.

Finally, after a solid 2 hours of waiting the fuel truck arrived and started doing its job. Upon refuelling, we appeared ready to take off. Ever the optimist, I thought that maybe, just maybe I might be able to make my flight to Buffalo if they were able to make up enough time and there were some delays. Then, I heard something that made my jaw drop.

“Ladies and gentlemen” the captain muffled over the speakers, “While we have finally refuelled, there are some passengers who are demanding to get off the aircraft, and in order to accommodate them, we need to taxi back over to the terminal and unload them.”

Yes, you read that one right, after two hours of waiting, people decided at the last possible moment that they were going to get off of the plane.

Needless to say a chorus of “boo”'s, “Oh my God”'s, and “What the hell?”'s followed.

As the plane got back, a couple, perhaps in their 50s got up, and began collecting their belongings. The remaining passengers all turned towards these two, and mustered up every ounce of glowering that we could. As they finished collecting their things, a round of applause broke out. I really never thought that it was possible to clap with biting sarcasm, but now I know better.

After the people got off the air, I heard the now very familiar voice of the captain say “We can't believe this any more than you can, and unfortunately according to safety regulations we have to get these bastards luggage off of the aircraft.”

Yeah, the captain said “bastards” over the intercom, that almost made it worth it to me.

We waiting for another half an hour or so to find the luggage of these people before finally taking off, thus making it seem impossible for me to get to Buffalo, and therefore home, on time.

Now in my 25 years on this planet, I have seen, and done some pretty selfish things, but this really has to rank up there with most despicably low in my mind. I understand being angry about the delay, and anxious about the possibility of missing a connecting flight, but there really is no excuse for that sort of behaviour. They made every passenger even more delayed on their trip, and also gave the flight crew and even longer day, and they really don't deserve it.

So while the Bible, and a great band tell us to find “the good in everyone”, there are situations like this when I remember one of the most important lessons I have ever learned in my life, some people really are just assholes.

Until next time,

G