WAYNE "BETZKY", JANET JONES-BETZKY and Rick Tocchet to join the cast of the Sopranos in Season 12

With the latest allegations that Wayne Gretzky was fully aware of the alledged multi-million dollar gambling operation run by his friend Rick Tocchet, this could lead to the ultimate demise of the NHL, which is still trying to recover from last year's strike.

With Wayne initially stating that he did not have any knowledge of the alleged gambling ring, only adds su####ion that he has a deeper involvement in the whole matter.

At this point, there have been several person's implicated, including Gretzky's wife, his close friend Rick Tocchet, a state trooper, and a New Jersey mob boss. 

This is the classic example of life imitating art. It has all the ingredients of a classic Sopranos episode, except the show writer's could never have come up with a plot this thick!

And you couldn't ask for a more realistic cast to play the roles. Take a look at Wayne and Janet Jones. A look made for late night cable!

Janet asking for some more cash to bet on the game?!

Now honestly, could ANY man say no to this?

Then there is the main character of the alleged gambling ring (Rick Tocchet). He wouldn't even need to go to make-up before shooting his scenes. A natural to play the alleged "Gangsta" role.

  Give this man an Emmy!

Of course, all of this is only alleged at this point. However, it does not look good for the NHL. But look on the bright side. Maybe HBO can parlay this into a drama about the NHL like ESPN did with the hit series "Playmakers", which was cancelled due to pressure by the NFL commissioner.

With today's date being Friday the 13th, I am inspired to once again bring up the subject of the "Heisman Curse".

This subject drew much more attention than originally intended with my blog on Should the Heisman be awarded AFTER the championship game? In the closing of that blog I made the statement, "Maybe it is time to re-evaluate the Heisman process. Because at the current pace, the Heisman is turning out to be more of a 'curse' than a 'blessing'". Apparently, some people were offended by my prediction that former Heisman trophy winner, Carson Palmer, would not make the Hall of Fame. Several people argued that Carson Palmer was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, with the successful season that he had this year. My rebuttal was, "Carson has yet to win ONE playoff game...much less earned any HOF talk.

Then low and behold, in the Bengals first playoff appearance in 15 years, the "Heisman Curse" strikes... Carson goes down!

**WARNING**

Due to the Graphic Nature of the photo that follows, Some people may want to turn their heads:

OUCH!!!

When asked to grade the severity of the injury, the orthopedic surgeon replied, "On a scale of 1 to 3, it was a 4. It was off the chart. It was pretty badly damaged - shredded is the better term." They have gone as far as to say that it was more than an ACL tear, "It can and has ended careers."

My prayers go out to Carson for a full and speedy recovery. However, with the type of injury that he has suffered, it is against all odds that he will be able to return AND have a Hall of Fame career. So the "Heisman Curse" appears to be alive and well. We will keep our eyes on Leinart and Bush, but they are definitely up against the odds!