One might believe that I was in mourning after my beloved Blackhawks were eliminated last week in the NHL Playoffs, and perhaps that’s partly true, but honestly, the Hawks weren’t firing on all cylinders – Jonathan Toews didn’t score, Patrick Kane had 1 goal. Overall, they played on heart and grit and it wasn’t enough. In my opinion, I think the core played a lot of hockey in the past seven years, and with all of the salary cap required changes, it finally caught up with them. But they’re still my team and my heart is always with them.
However, unlike Canadian hockey “fans,” I have watched the second round of the playoffs. In fact, I was watching game 2 of the Dallas Stars/St. Louis Blues series and was amazed by all of the ex-Blackhawks: Troy Brower on the Blues; Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya and Annti Niemi on the Stars. I was also amazed by how wide open this series is compared with the Hawks/Blues series. I think that is a style that favors the Stars – they have more firepower than the Blues.
That said, I have posted numerous times about having a rooting interest against teams, especially when your team is eliminated. The Blues are the team that I most want to see at home soon for the summer. First, they’re just the Blues and I hate them, always have. I like them having over 40 years of history with no Stanley Cups to show for it. The hatred is more personal after Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said before game 6 at the United Center that he “couldn’t wait to clinch the series in our building.” I do plan on getting a message to him as soon as the Blues are eliminated asking him how it feels, and I still believe that the Blues have to get past the Stars to save Coach Ken Hitchcock’s job. (Hitchcock’s curiously still fixated on the Hawks, saying that the Stars are better than the Hawks. Maybe, but I can’t wait for next season – now it’s personal.)
The other Western Conference semifinal is also a surprise to me. First, I have always said that, like the Blues, the San Jose Sharks are in desperate need of a heart transplant – they have had great regular seasons in the past then got to the playoffs and failed miserably. There’s no reason to believe otherwise this year, except they bounced out the Kings who had been playing very well, and now hold a 2-games-to-none lead over Nashville. I’m still not convinced however; I’m waiting for their annual collapse; but maybe they finally got past the expectations and are just playing hockey. They have enough talent.
I have close friends that make me root for their teams in the Eastern Conference. Some of my closest friends are New York Islanders fans, even with the move to Brooklyn, so I have a soft spot for the Isles. Their series against Tampa Bay is even at one game each and Tampa is showing championship caliber heart, playing without one of the top scorers in the game, Steven Stamkos, but it is very interesting to see how well LW Jonathan Drouin is playing. Drouin demanded a trade in the middle of the season, and the Lightning management suspended him when he did not report to the team’s minor league affiliate, but now he has played very well. Is he showcasing himself for other teams, or is he making it harder for Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman to trade the young man?
Finally, we have the marquee matchup – Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals vs. Sidney Crosby’s Penguins. The most well known players in the league (outside arguably of the Hawks Toews and Kane) in the second round of the playoffs. Will Ovie get the Stanley Cup monkey off his back or will Sid return to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2009? Well, so far, Ovechkin has only one point, an assist on one of teammate T.J. Oshie’s three goals in game 1; and Crosby is a -3 in the series thus far.
The Capitals won the President’s Cup, which usually spells curtains for that team in the playoffs (President’s Cup winners hoist Stanley 35% of the time), but the Capitals were very good this season with more balanced scoring, improved defense and Vezina Trophy shoe-in Brad Holtby. The Caps will have to do without defenseman Brooks Orpik for three games for a hit to the head of Pens Olli Maatta in the first period of game 2. Blackhawks fans will remember that Orpik was the player who injured Jonathan Toews a few years ago with a bad hit to the head that caused a potentially career ending concussion. My rooting interests also involve players, so while I have an old friend rooting for the Caps, Orpik does make me less enthusiastic.
On the other side however, is Phil Kessel, a player I consider lazy and whose lack of hustle and leadership helped burythe Indignant Wife’s favorite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kessel can score, and I’ve seen him actually play defense occasionally in Pittsburgh, but I still can’t root for him. One positive for me and the Penguins – goalie Marc-Andre Fluery has been injured and the starting goalie has been Matt Murray. I have always said that Fluery sucks as a playoff netminder, and winning without him would be very interesting.
So, I’m picking the Stars, Sharks, Caps and Islanders to get through the second round. However, it is a little refreshing to not have a rooting interest this time of year (except seeing the Blues eliminated, which is a moral imperative)>

Two stories in one:
First, let’s talk about Sam Bradford. The Eagles quarterback, who signed a 2-year, $36 million contract, announced that he wants to be traded because the Eagles traded up to acquire the second pick in the NFL Draft. The Eagles shocked the sports world by giving up five draft picks to the Browns. The Browns have Robert Griffin III coming into town and don’t need a QB, but need lots of help on a number of fronts. Makes sense for them. Are Jared Goff or Chris Wentz franchise quarterbacks? Well the Rams and Eagles are betting a lot that they are since both teams traded up for the 1 and 2 overall picks.
So, Sam Bradford’s tender feelings are hurt. Lucking up to be in the final draft class before the rookie salary cap, Bradford was drafted number 1 by the same St. Louis Rams in 2010 and signed a contract worth $50 million guaranteed. In that time, the Rams were 2-14, 7-8-1, 7-9 and 6-10 in his four years in St. Louis, was traded to the Eagles who went 7-9. Bradford lost lots of time to injury admittedly over those years, and had poor talent around him, but the problem is that Bradford was inconsistent at best, horrible at worst. The Eagles are looking forward to their next QB and neither of the rookies will be playing at the start of the season – Bradford was signed to be a stop gap, that’s why he was signed to a two-year deal. Yes, his replacement is being groomed, but that’s the case in lots of situations.
For him to have a hissy fit because the Eagles are planning for the future, and then make the situation even worse by announcing that he is sitting out the offseason workouts and probably training camp. Now he shows himself to be a selfish bastard who cares more about himself than the team, and probably any team. Who wants to pay top dollar for an average QB? Wouldn’t it have been better to say, “alright, I get it, but I’m going to play very well and show you and every one else that I’m a quality QB.” If he does that and wins in Philadelphia, he is more likely to be a starter with one more big contract to collect.
Honestly, I wouldn’t pay Sam Bradford $36 dollars to play QB for me.

Deflate-gate took another turn this week as a U.S. District Court reinstated the NFL’s four game suspension against Tom Brady. A three judge panel ruled 2-to-1 that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did not overstep his bounds in issuing the suspension for being involved in the plan to remove some air from the ball.
Tom Brady sued the league when Goodell first ruled before last season, allowing him to play the entire season and almost led them to another Super Bowl. The compelling issue is the destroyed cell phones and the attempt to cover up the plot to help the Patriots win the 2014 AFC Championship Game. The other side isn’t whether Goodell overreached, the story is that Goodell came down extra hard on the Patriots after the Pats videotaped the signals of the Eagles before Super Bowl XXXIX. The Patriots and Coach Bill Belichick were fined and the team lost a draft pick, but stories that the Pats have recording devices in the visitors’ locker room at Gillete Stadium and supposedly sabotage the sideline communication, but the penalty is still too little.
Besides, the league needs to send out a message that even the sports’ biggest stars are not above the law. Tom Brady will be in the Hall of Fame, even with the cloud of cheating hanging over him. If he misses the first four games of the upcoming season, he’ll miss Arizona, the Dolphins at home, The Houston Texans at home, and the Bills at home. The Bills and Dolphins can be beaten without Brady, the Texans game is winnable, the Cardinals game would be tough with Brady.
Brady can appeal to have the entire Court of Appeals to review the case, or he can take the case to the Supreme Court. I think that the only thing that’s left to have any respect is if Brady does what he should have done one year ago – take the penalty like a man and shut up. He cheated and got caught. Is it fair for such a long penalty? Probably not, but in the opinion of the league, the Patriots need to be sent a message.

It seems like everyone knew that ESPN was planning on life after Skip Bayless; the controversial columnist who hosts the network’s “First Take” show with fellow embarrassment Stephen A. Smith. His contract was apparently not being renewed and his contract expires in August, but he announced today that he is leaving ESPN next week.
As I said in my piece on Rick Morrissey a couple of days ago, the history of controvcersial columnists is very long in the sports pages. That legacy definitely continues on television where controversy brings ratings. There is nothing wrong with being opinionated, but having an opinion and sticking with it, having it based on facts, being willing to admit when you’re wrong, should be a positive thing for a writer.But Bayless and Smith brought out the very worst of journalism – opinionated without facts; opinions that were mean, vile, targeted at the most ignorant part of the audience.
It is believed that Bayless will be headed to Fox Sports, which I guess will be like the News channel – controversy for controversy sake, and no need to have anything broadcast be concerned with messy things like facts, decency, journalistic ethics. There is no word yet who will be taking over Bayless’ position on First Take, but if there’s any luck, ESPN will cancel the show and give Smith his walking papers also. But I don’t think intelligent viewers will be so lucky.

You must know that I love to read – I read all the time. And I love to read newspapers: I’m old fashioned, I know, but I read both Chicago dailies everyday and add the New York Times on Sundays. I am a big fan of good columnists like Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times (but admittedly, he’s a friend I’ve known for 25 years and who I worked with on The Sportswriters on TV). Rick is, like me, a Northwestern alum. On the other hand, I can’t stand and never read Rick Morrissey, also in the Sun-Times, also a Northwestern alum.
I know that there are columnists, especially in the sports section, who write to agitate; they want to stir the pot, get arguments going, etc. It’s a tradition that goes way back and it takes a certain kind of writer, someone who is willing to say stupid stuff and often get proven wrong, to “entertain” the readership.
Like I said, I never read Morrissey, but I couldn’t help myself today. The headline blares “It’s In The Bag: Outcome of Hawks-Blues game tonight seems like foregone conclusion.” I know that the writers often don’t write the headline, so I decided to wade into the piece itself, and it was all smugness about how my beloved Blackhawks are definitely favored to win Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight.
He states lots of facts – the Blues haven’t won a playoff series in three years, the Hawks roared back from a 3-1 deficit in game 6 with five unanswered goals. Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko, who has four goals and two assists in the series had heated words with Blues Head Coach Ken Hitchcock who played him more sparingly in game 6 than a lot of other players. (Admittedly, while plus-minus is a limited stat, Tarasenko, with 10 points in the six games, is still a -1, which may play into things a bit.) The pressure is on the Blues and I like our chances, but, maybe because I went to NU during the “bad old days” I never want to put something on the other teams’ lockers to help motivate them.
This has been a terrific series and both are very good teams – no question. As much as I love them, the Hawks could lose tonight. I’d be dejected, but that’s the positive of sports – we play today and we’ll come back and play again at some point. One of the things that make teams hated is incredible hubris – the “we’re better than you and we will always win” kind of attitude. Notre Dame fans and alums have it; Patriot fans have it; Red Sox and Yankee fans are insufferable (New Yorkers are generally insufferable as a whole).
My fear is that Hawks fans become complacent. Yes, three Stanley Cups in six seasons, especially in the salary cap era, is a dynasty and is incredible. Also, our “core” is relatively young – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are 27, the rest of a little older with the exception of graybeard Marion Hossa. Still, we need to appreciate what we have and not take it for granted. Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita expected to win more Stanley Cups after winning in 1961 – in a six team league, and with the talent they had, it’s a reasonable expectation. But it’s hard to win consistently in sports, especially hockey. As everyone knows, we went 49 years before winning again. Age, injuries, bad luck, mistakes by management can bring about a change in fortunes.
Trust me, I’m not wishing the Blackhawks to lose – no one has enjoyed this run more than I. However, we should never take anything for granted, even a Game 7 where it looks like momentum is on our side. And never read moronic newspaper columnists.

Life is very complicated, mine especially; which means that time often does not allow me to make a post when a story comes along. So, occasionally, I have to play “catch-up.” This is one of those times.
Last week, Blackhawks Hall of Fame broadcaster Pat Foley blasted the 8:35 PM Central start times of the Blackhawks-Blues series caused by television requirements. In Game 5 last week in the third period, Foley went on a rant that was absolutely correct and absolutely warranted:
“This is the third time in five games that a start time of 8:42 (PM) local was mandated. I can say with certainty, players cannot stand these late starts, coaches cannot stand them, and most importantly, the fans can’t stand them. So if we approach midnight eastern, AGAIN, on a work night, on a school night, a simple question: An 8:42 puck drop…”
MSNBC that was carrying the game cut Pat off mid-sentence, not allowing him to even finish his comment. Then, Network Analysts, former player and full time moron Mike Milbury blasted Foley in the postgame show:
“You know what? If that’s too late for certain announcers, I think they should just let someone else call the game, and stay home and get a good night’s rest, because 8 o’clock it is. We do that so we can get everybody involved, and all the games on. Lots of games and we do a good job showing them.”
Of course, NHL commissioner Gary “Sesame Street’s The Count” Bettman said that Foley “didn’t have his facts straight” and was “off the mark.”
Let me say one thing: Pat Foley is a professional, a member of the broadcasting wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame; he RARELY invites controversy unless his dander is up, and he was absolutely right. Having Midwestern mid-week games start at 8:30, which ordinarily would end in 2 ½ hours, around 11:00 PM, but actually end later due to the added amount of commercials and extra long intermissions to allow idiots like Milbury to pontificate, is ridiculous.
I have a job and kids that tire me out, I haven’t made it to the end of a late game yet. Even during the regular season, I may see a few minutes or perhaps the first period of late games, but that’s ok – they are catering to people who live out west. That’s fine, and I know that television broadcasts and dollars run sports. But to have a game in the Midwest start so late that fans and kids in both cities can’t watch or, are sleepy at work and school the next day is lame.
There are some who feel that Bettman will be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, if for no other reason than the fact that he is the longest serving commissioner in league history and the sport has flourished under his leadership. Others, like me believe that he should never be inducted due to his part in leading not one, but two lockouts of the players, one of which caused the loss of an entire season. Mike Milbury is in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame but probably will never make the Hockey Hall of Fame (unless they put in a category for players who’ve beaten fans with their own shoes). Foley is a respected and revered broadcaster who is already in the Hall of Fame. Bettman and Milbury should shut up, and they should only be able to enter the Hall of Fame with tickets.

As noted everywhere today, 2016 has been an absolutely brutal year for artists. In less than one-third of a year, we have already lost Alan Rickman, Doris Roberts, Chyna, George Kennedy, Garry Shandling, Harper Lee, Nancy Reagan, Abe Vigoda. Musicians have been particularly hard hit; the year started with the death of David Bowie, then we lost Glenn Frey, Maurice White, Sir. George Martin, Keith Emerson, Paul Kantner. The great hereafter is rocking that much harder just with these additions to the butcher’s bill.
No one expected the death of Prince Rogers Nelson a/k/a Prince, The Artist, The Artist formerly known as Prince, the Glyph, the Artist with “slave” marked on his face. The world has been shaken by the death of the 57-year-old artist. Everyone has their stories. I never met him but did see him walking around the then Rosemont Horizon during his week long Purple Rain tour run in December of 1984. A bunch of Andy Frain ushers left the Chicago Stadium and got other Frains to let us into the Arie Crown Theater to watch Prince on the Controversy tour, with The Time opening, less than a week from the release of that band’s first album in 1987. It is a concert I still remember: The Time were incredible and Prince nearly destroyed the place singing “Do Me Baby.”. Then I saw them again at the Auditorium, Prince touring behind 1999, The Time touring behind “What Time Is It,” and opening for them both was Vanity 6. Incredible.
On the Purple Rain tour, Prince demanded 2 gigantic stacks of speakers be placed at the rear of the now Allstate Arena balcony to provide quadraphonic surround sound. Unfortunately, Ticketmaster sold all of those seats, so they needed someone trustworthy to have a couple hundred tickets to exchange. The fans were skeptical, but once they realized they were moving closer to Prince, they traded their tickets willingly. It was hard work and many of the people were pains in the ass, but the concerts were very good. (For me, it was also a great opportunity because this Irish band named U2 came to see one of the shows – they were playing at the Aragon Ballroom the same week. I got to meet them at the Prince show then see them at the Aragon.)
I never saw him live again after that, I was never a big fan of Prince in concert except for the long jams – Prince shared the annoying tendency of many R&B singers including James Brown to do medleys of their hits, which always angered me because I never liked to hear 30 seconds of a favorite song. Still, Prince was electrifying and I have every CD, all the music, the live CD.
I have always thought of Prince as the modern Mozart: talented beyond measure, bawdy, eccentric, risqué. They both died too young (although better medicine and hygiene allowed Prince to live much longer than Wolfgang). The music of them both will live forever!

As I wrote some time ago, the 2016 NHL Playoffs are without a Canadian team for the first time since 1970. None of the seven franchises from north of the border are playing right now, and the league’s worst fears are being realized.
Ratings for the playoffs are down 61% from last year according to published reports. Despite the fact that the majority of the players in the NHL were born in Canada, only 1 in 29 NHL fans are following the playoffs.
Which makes me wonder if they really are true hockey fans? I believe that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are one of the best tournaments in all of sport: drama, tension, the best players in the world going all out to win. Now one may say, “that’s easy for you Tony, the Blackhawks have won 3 Stanley Cups is 6 years” (but are on the verge of being ousted), but I can tell you that I watched the playoffs back when the Hawks sucked, and they did suck for years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but still, I watched a lot of hockey. Even if I didn’t have a rooting interest, I still watched playoff hockey. (I admit to rooting against Detroit, St. Louis and Vancouver whenever they make the playoffs.)
I think that Canadian hockey fans are brats – no Canadian team has won since the Canadiens did it in the 1992-1993 season. Montreal has had decent teams and star players, but they seem like they are about to implode which the injury to goaltender Carey Prince and throwing superstar P.K. Subban under the bus. The other “Original Six” team is the Maple Leafs, who have the longest stretch without a Cup in the league. Calgary made the playoffs last year but regressed; Vancouver was one win from the Cup four years ago, but they lost Game 7 to Boston and haven’t been the same since. Plus, their core, the Sedin brothers are now 34 and on the backend of their careers. Ottawa made the playoffs last year, but struggled mightily. Winnipeg also made the playoffs last year and couldn’t compete. Finally, Edmonton has been trying to return to the top since Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier left.
Is it coincidence that the Canadian teams have all hit this slump at the same time? Or has years of mismanagement finally come home to roost? Does it have anything with the recession in oil and gas prices that has sent portions of Canada to the worst economic downturn in years? (The downturn has helped to reduce the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar to the US dollar to historic lows. This exchange rate may have severe repercussions on NHL teams’ revenues, the Canadian television deal, and the 2016-2017 salary cap.)
Regardless, Canadians say that their country is the center of the hockey universe. The U.S., Russia, the other European countries are pretenders. I bet they’re watching hockey there; we certainly are in the U.S., even in places where there’s no team or where their team’s season has already ended.
I’m very disappointed in Canada.