It was an interesting scene in Toronto tonight as I arrived to the Air Canada Centre just an hour after news broke of the big trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.  Over the last couple seasons we have waited to see if the Lake-show could pull the trigger on a deal - or if they had the players to deal for an impact player.

With Kwame Brown's contract about to expire and Memphis's intent to rebuild it made sense to make a deal.  Memphis grabs a young kid, a relatively young guy in Brown and 2 draft picks that need lots of prayer to become impactful.  This allows the Grizz to start over amd they will have some cash to show for it.

The Lakers grab a guy who can make an immediate impact.  This move allows them some breathing room as Andrew Bynum recovers from injury, and it gives them a blanket if Bynum does not return to form.  If he does return to form it allows Lamar Odom to slide to the small forward position while Pau plays the 4.  And, it gives them a deeper bench when Luke Walton slides beside some of the other contributors like Ronny Turiaf and Jordan Farmar.

This is a win-win for both teams without a doubt.  The need to crash the boards is imperative in the West and Los Angeles has more weapons than they know what to do with.  I should know; I watched a depleted Laker team roll over the Toronto Raptors.  Kobe Bryant was on tonight and unlike last night he got some help offensively.  Tonight's game proved that Toronto may be able to score but can't hold it together defensively on a consistent basis.  But with L.A. playing their 2nd game in as many nights they should have been stronger out of the gate.  Lakers got momentum and never looked back.

Last point on the Lakers: Prior to this deal I was still not on-board with putting them into the serious contender category despite their strong record.  Now, my view has changed.  They are absolutely a team that should be a factor in April.  This is a team built to go past round 1.  If they don't there is a problem.  They now have a great starting 5 (with Bynum back) and the forward position was a bigger need than point guard.  Derek Fisher can run the show because he won't try to do too much.  He knows the offense, he knows his limitations, he can still hit shots and knows how to play in big games.  Specifically speaking, Paul Gasol is a better acquisition than Jason Kidd.

Other stuff....

- I just realized Fox used the "Pau-er" line.  I'm pissed.

- After his 13.5 million is up in 2008, Johan Santana will pull in 137.5 million over 6 years.  That is phenomenal.  Hope the kid can hit.

All seriousness, the guy is one of the best pitchers in baseball and barring any setback or injury he should contend for a Cy Young.  Being able to avoid a big bopping DH and getting the opportunity to face pitchers with 1 or 2 out and runners on base will pay off for Johan.  It is a different ballgame with different scenarios when you play in the National League in comparison to the American League.

As for the contract itself, a lot of bad pitchers get paid a ton, so this is not a surprise and not out of this world in comparison to the #3 pitchers who make 8 figures per year.

- When Bill Belichick says his team is "ready to roll", I tend to believe him.  Some may feel the New York Giants can beat New England and they may be right, but I don't see it.  Yes, they played the Pats tight IN New York IN the cold IN front of their hometown.  In Arizona it will be warm and it is a neutral site.  The way I see it, the conditions favour the New England passing attack.  Passes that went through the hands of receivers will be easier to catch, and nobody is as accurate or precise as Tom Brady - even if he is disrupted in the pocket.

The real question should be if Eli Manning can continue his excellent play.  In my mind, he's grown as a player over the last month or so.  And he should be proud of the way he has battled throughout the playoffs.  He has beaten two teams he wasn't suppose to beat, outplay both quarterbacks and has defied expectations, which brings me to this...

- Tiki Barber is trying to protect himself now that his former team has made it to the Super Bowl the year after he reitres.  Tiki came with baggage and now that the baggage is gone the team can re-focus.  He had his quarrels with Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and Michael Strahan.  This isn't a coincidence.  Somewhere down the line we have to look and say that maybe New York really IS better off without him.  I think they are.

- Who are we kidding when Pat Riley says Shaquille O'Neal should be in the All-Star game?  Should Magic be playing as well?

- Again, I realize nobody really cares about hockey but I will say it again: Alexander Ovechkin is THE best hockey player on the planet.  He is one of the very few players who has to single-handedly carry his team to victories.  I wonder how long he can keep this up.  Eventually he will need a stud playing alongside him.

Time to unwind.  And get ready for the Super Bowl.  I hope to witness history this Sunday.  It will be nice to explain how I got to watch a Football team go undefeated in one season.  Doesn't come around often folks.

The countdown has begun for...

- ...The Super Bowl, as New England and New York square off on Sunday.  What I'm not sure about is whether Bill Parcells or Dave Meggett will be cheering for the Giants or Patriots.  Perhaps Tiki Barber will put on a throwback Drew Bledsoe jersey and pray New York doesn't win.  If he says he's happy for his ex-teammates he's lying - he's wanted a ring so badly and it stings that the team has come together without him or his ego in that locker room.

Speaking of Bledsoe, it would have been interesting if Robert Kraft were to have called him for this game in case Tom Brady's foot fell off during a drive.  Kid you not, I was thinking about it.

What I do know is this is New England's game to win and to lose.  The New York Giants have fought hard to get here and should be credited for coming together and growing as a team through the pains they have shared together.  Nobody expected the week 17 matchup of these two teams to be the Super Bowl preview.  We'd be in for a great game if this was the case.  But instead of the game being played in New York we watch this in Arizona, a neutral site game.

That said, Arizona's warm weather plays into New England's passing attack and if their O-line stays one step ahead of the Giants defensive front it will be a long game for that Giant defense that has a very suspect secondary as is.

My call is New England will win and cap off one of the greatest seasons in sports history.

-...Jason Kidd sweepstakes have begun as the disgruntled point guard wants out of New Jersey.  The backboard and basketball rims inside the area breathe a sigh of relief.

Let's remember how he showed up; he left a deep West Conference and a checkered past with Phoenix to a depleted East with virtually no dominant point guard left (A.I. had moved to the 2 spot by then).  Though he couldn't shake off the rusty jump shot or his wife's makeup from his knuckles he gave New Jersey a lift into the NBA finals twice and quickly helped himself to becoming the best point guard on the planet - facing nobody in the East to get there.

Since then he helped Byron Scott get fired and he still dents rims with regularity.  He also went through a messy divorce and hasn't been that leader New Jersey can depend on.  Perhaps he will head back West to help a decent team get better, but he will quickly find out that there are point guards - LOTS OF THEM - that will shread him to pieces every night.  If he goes to the West he isn't a top 4 point guard in that conference.  Good luck with that trade.

-...Johan Santana is looking to get PAID by the New York Mets.  Is it just me or are these prospects not what they seem?  If I'm giving up potentially the best pitcher in baseball why would I want a mid-20's pitcher with a losing record and a 22 year old who makes Richie Sexson a batting champ?  I suppose the Mets needed this one as they held onto Lastings Milledge so long that they got, well, nothing in return.  Unless this 22 year old becomes legit overnight and learns to hit at least .260 in the major leagues this trade will be a success for the Mets - unless Santana goes Francisco Liriano in two months.  God forbid.

-...Tiger Woods attempt at the Grand Slam.  We say this every year and we see him fall short.  No slight on the guy - it's not like he sucks or anything.

But Tiger is entering his golf prime, or at least according to history as guys in their early 30's find their best success on the golf course, Seve Ballasteros excluded.  So if there was a shot at it we could see the best attempts over the next couple of years.  After that, we may not see another male golfer bring the kind of game or intensity or desire to win like Tiger Woods. 

It's sad, but wait and see when Tiger hits 45; we'll watch Tiger past his prime and obviously not the golfer he once was KILLING himself on the golf course for another major championship and he'll be playing with a young stud who just doesn't have the same will, focus or guts Tiger brings to the golf course.  It's great now that we see the guy who wants it the most winning the most - but how will we react when we see that same man unable to beat random Joe's who luck out a major victory? 

We'll probably be cheering for the fallen hero to return to glory one last time the way we rooted for Jack Nicklaus in 1986 and, for me, 1998.

The countdown has begun.  Tick tock, tick tock.

You may be wondering what in the world "Showcase Revue" is.  Well for those of you who plan on checking in to tomorrow's "What's The Deeley-O" for blog day on BTN (9-Noon at www.chevradioam.com), I have now given you some new material.

Showcase Revue: A movie shown on the channel "Showcase" in Canada which is guaranteed to feature nudity, sexuality, and maybe violence and coarse language.  These movies are played in the late hours.  Think borderline soft core porn.  

Examples of movies that would be played are: Basic Instinct, Crash (1990's version), Red Shoe Diaries, Shakespeare in Love, etc....you get the point, Canadians can be sick puds too.

With that said, we'll move on to the other "revues"...

Author Sam Moffie contacted me about 3 weeks ago about his sports/sex novel "SWAP".  When he contacted me he eluded to the time two New York Yankee players decided to swap wives back in the 1970's.  This book involved that kind of swap, but it really dug deep into the sex lives of two couples and the sex lives of those around them.  I ripped through the book in about 4 nights and this was the first fiction book I had read since High School.  I prefer to read books that are either autobiographical or non-fiction but I must say that I was thoroughly entertained by Sam's book.

If you are a big fan of baseball and love to read about sexual intercoarse then this is the book for you.  Check out Sam's website at: www.samsstories.com.  You will find the book to be interesting if you happen to take a look at it.  If Sam is reading this post, I thank you once again for sending me a copy of the book.

Staying away from sex but keeping with the swapping theme...

The Atlanta Braves were the runaway winners of the trade deadline deal this year.  Mark Teixeira is not only there to help the Braves reach the post-season but he could be the man that replaces Andruw Jones in the cleanup hole.  Tex is only 27 years old and he's proven to be a masher.  If they lock him up or trade him to another team they will get a lot.  Once Chipper is gone this team could have Tex, Jeff Francouer and Brian McCann as their stud hitters for many years to come.  Also, the pickup of Octavio Dotel was big.  They needed an extra guy in the bullpen that can dominate and Dotel can still bring it. 

Speaking of bullpens, Boston's pen is absolutely unreal with the addition of Eric Gagne.  Remember when they had a terrible bullpen back in 2003?  Well those days are long gone as they will shut down opponents anytime the pen is called upon.  Their main rival, New York, decided their bullpen was ok so they shipped Scott Proctor for the great Wilson Betemit.   Not exactly the marquee player you would expect the Yankees to get.   He can play about 5 different positions but does that help your bullpen?  No. 

If Juan Rivera does not come back this year, the Angels of Anaheim will have made a mistake not grabbing someone.  Having Bartolo Colon dinged and Ervin Santana dropped to AAA did not help their trading leverage either.

If Johan Santana was completely lights out in the playoffs during his career then I would agree with his statements.  He hasn't, so the next time he wants to get out of round 1 I suggest he pitch better than 1-3 and a 3.97 post-season era.  But we know what that outburst was all about: getting paid and looking like the victim while laughing straight to the bank.

Kenny Lofton is nice and we expected him to be traded eventually but doesn't Cleveland have a pitching problem?  They just sent Cliff Lee to the minor leagues and Jeremy Sowers is looking more like Josh Towers than Jeremy Bonderman.  Jake Westbrook also might want to pitch as if he deserved a fat contract.

Has Kyle Lohse ever met expectations?  Or has he turned into the next Jason Bere?  Sorry, that was a low blow to Bere who was a legitimate All-Star once.

Where's Prior and Wood?

Nevermind.

***Tomorrow is YOUR DAY Bloggers so tune in between 9AM-Noon EST at www.chevradioam.com.  What's The Deeley-O will be at 11:05 AM so check in with an e-mail at chevradionoise@gmail.com.  Would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, Frank Irizarry's foxsports.com blogger show begins in about 3 hours.   Get in and get it.

Up here in my neck of the woods we tend to have 2 for 1 Tuesday specials in several establishments.  Well I'm not writing 2 blogs but I will go outside the box and make this thing special.

Carlos Zambrano asks for 15.5 million in arbitration:

- And he should get that money.  The guy is a young stud who would arguably be a top 5 pitcher on your list of the best pitchers in Major League baseball today.  Mine has Johan Santana, Roy Halladay, Chris Carpenter, Roy Oswalt and Zambrano.  Plus Andy Pettitte is taking 16 million of the Yankees money, therefore Zambrano makes a case for 15 millon.

After 2 seasons, John Elway was the best and most clutch quarterback ever:

- And if he didn't win 2 Super Bowls how would we remember Elway?  A great quarterback who could not get it done.  Funny, that's the same thing we say about Peyton Manning.  Let's also not forget that Brett Favre's Packers could not get it done to help Elway get ring #1, and both championships were marred by Denver management's manipulating of the salary cap.  They violated the cap and nobody bothered to check.  Regardless, even if Peyton Manning does not win the Super Bowl this season that does not mean he can't turn his legacy around.  However...

Peyton Manning and the Colts need this win for their psyche, Tom Brady and the Pats need this win to put a stamp on their dynasty:

- I have all but conceded an AFC Super Bowl victory, but we play the game to determine who the best is for one night and the NFC teams can pull of an upset.  What if Peyton goes 0-3 against the Patriots in the playoffs?  That would be a serious blow to the team because they have proven they can beat them in the regular season ON THE ROAD.  Wouldn't it be interesting if Adam Vinatieri misses the game winner and puts New England into the Super Bowl?  All this is why Indy v. New England is the game to watch this Sunday. 

American Idol is watched by about 40 million people:

- Its a craze that I cannot fathom.  Maybe this year Americans will vote in a hottie to win like they did with Carrie Underwood or a former Boston first basemen in Ruben Mo Vaughan.  Or they can pick Mark Cuban's older brother Taylor Hicks like they did last year.

24 is the best show on Television:

- And I'll do one better: 24 is the best show ever on traditional cable.  Better than Dallas.  Better than MASH.  Better than The Cosby Show.  Better than Seinfeld.  Better than I Love Lucy.  Even better than The A-Team.  24 is simply amazing.  Again, just one person's opinion.  I will say this: FOX programming has been sick with 24 and Married With Children just to name a few.

The Golden Globes were on last night:

- If you watched, you might have a problem. 

* This is a reminder for all my listeners who want to participate in this Thursday's "What's the Deeley-O" contest just e-mail me any question regarding Canada since you all want to know about the Great White North.  E-mail at: chevradionoise@gmail.com before Thursday Jan 18 at 11:05 EST.

This year was a tight race for the MVP awards in Major League Baseball.  Tight because we have identified the Most Valuable Player award not by the player who produces the best season in the major leagues (excluding Andre Dawson 1987 and Alex Rodriguez 2003).  Take, for instance, Barry Larkin in 1995.  Did he have the best numbers that season in the National League?  No.  But they gave him the award for what he did for his team.  Was it the right decision?  No.  Greg Maddux should have ran away with the MVP that year and if you don't believe me just check out the season he had along with the run support from his team.

Nonetheless, fast forward to 2006 and we have two different situations: 2 Monster years from 2 guys in the National League and a bunch of good years by good players surrounded by other good players in the American League.

Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols were enormous in 2006.  Howard slams 58 homeruns and Pujols simply was Pujols once again.  Both guys beat eachother in statistical categories, and both played on teams that either made the post-season or had a shot at the post-season.  Howard's Phillies came up short after they had thrown up a very small yet visible white flag after trading away Bobby Abreu to free up some money.  Albert's Cardinals had a lot of injuries throughout the season, including his obliques and hamstring acting up, yet persevered to help his team win the World Series. 

This was too close to call.  All season I flipped back and forth on Howard and Pujols.  Howard, no Pujols, no no Howard, naw Pujols, naw...

I flipped on this subject so much I was ready to call myself John Kerry. 

It's not whether the right guy won in the National League, it was a matter of not giving the award to anyone else but one of those two players.  Therefore Howard was a good choice.

Over in the American League there were problems all over the place: Boston and Chicago both came 3rd in their divisions so David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome were handicapped from the very start.  Vladimir Guerrero would have had my vote hands down if the L.A. Angels won the West.  Then there is Frank Thomas, who seemingly carries the Oakland offense in the second half but did it quietly.  Vernon Wells had no shot either.

That left us with Justin Morneau v. Derek Jeter.  Morneau has Joe Mauer and Johan Santana.  Jeter has endless amount of firepower around him. 

Let's face it, the Minnesota Twins were nowhere until 2 things changed: 1) Francisco Liriano bursted onto the scene and 2) Justin Morneau started to carry his team through games and they made a big comeback in the division.

As for Jeter, he and his Yankees took the division when the Red Sox became too depleted to make a comeback and they cruised into first after picking up Abreu at the trade deadline, along with healthy players like Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield.  Looking at the lineup the New York Yankees presents day in and day out, there is just no way to give Jeter the MVP.

Sorry to take you back down memory lane but let's do so: In 1995 Mo Vaughan was named MVP.  Perhaps the best season put up offensively that year was done by Albert Belle.  The problem with him was he had more firepower around him: Thome, Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, Hall of Famer Eddie Murray and Carlos Baerga in his prime.  Either that or nobody really liked Belle back then.

Regardless, if the whole notion that a great team would nullify someone's MVP, why wouldn't that work with Jeter?  Didn't he start off the 2004 season batting under .200 for the first 2 months and the Yankees were doing fine?  If the firepower is/was suppose to be better in 2006, how can he become more valuable to that team?  Let's face it, Jeter is a victim of where he plays and based on the arguments we have heard over the years, its rightfully so. 

Justin Morneau is what Mo Vaughan was in 1995.  Big offensive season and clutch for his team when his team needed him.  They both also lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Having said all of that, Morneau was a good choice.

Who's ready for the 2007 season?
 

I'd like to start off this post by giving a shout to every single blogger in the blog community.  This is the only way I know how:

hi

Now that is out of the way, we hear that Pedro Martinez could be facing retirement depending on how things go with his shoulder.  This is not the first time he has had problems with his shoulder.  Seemingly every year his shoulder has been a concern.  The real question is how does he stack up against the credentials of being a hall of famer. 

I don't think there is a debate.  Pedro is a Hall of Famer.

The 300 Wins club will be even more of a rarity as time moves on.  We think it can be reached because we see 2 guys currently in the majors who are already there (Maddux and Clemens).  We also forsee Tom Glavine reaching that plateau very soon.  But who has a legitimate shot at 250, let alone 300, out of anyone that's below the age of 35?  Pedro is the youngest of the following active pitchers who should find the hall of fame:

Pedro, Maddux, Clemens, Glavine, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling, Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera.

Sorry Mike Mussina, David Wells and Jamie Moyer.

With all the arm injuries to pitchers these days, there has been a lack of consistency out of the pitchers that have been or are at the very top of the MLB.  Johan Santana is one guy that has been solid over the past few years and as long as he's healthy he can have a long and successful career.  We are seeing guys like Roy Halladay, Bartolo Colon and Mark Mulder lose starts and velocity because of injuries.  What about Barry Zito?  Roy Oswalt?  Can they put up the numbers necessary to get to the hall of fame?  What will be the numbers when its all said and done for starting pitchers?

Pedro is one case where he might barely be over 200 wins, but he has dominated for so long that he's earned his ticket to Cooperstown.  The problem we see with this picture is he's the youngest pitcher out of all the hall of fame-worthy pitchers I've mentioned alongside his name.  The torch from one future hall of famer to another seems lost now that Pedro could be retiring.  In 10 years or even less MLB will need to take a hard look at the criteria for hall of fame pitchers.  The benchmarks will be dropping considerably, or else we'll just be seeing hitters walking into the hall the way they've walked all over pitchers during their career. 

Let's face it, we're living in a hitters world.  It will be much tougher to see pitchers in their primes today find their way to Cooperstown New York.

Every couple of weeks the scenario seemed to change and every couple of weeks we would all write down our view on who should take which award.  Now that today is the final day (maybe) of the baseball season, we can clearly define who the 2006 Cy Young and MVP award winners are for this MLB season.

NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb

- Such a difficult choice seeing that everyone in the league has 15 or 16 wins.  Not to mention Trevor Hoffman has far and away been the best closer this season in the National League.  The top 3 would be Webb, Chris Carpenter and Hoffman.  Webb gets the slight edge because he has been there the entire season.  Had Carp not gone to the DL, he probably takes it.

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana

- A great season from the lefty who had great competition for 5 months of the season with Roy Halladay, until Doc ran into some arm trouble as well a 2 rocky starts prior to his injury.  Johan could have been eyeing his 3rd straight Cy Young, but putting a second trophy on his mantle allows him to join a class of great pitchers that this game has ever seen.  Though I wonder if his teammate Francisco Liriano (Johan Jr.) would have taken the Cy Young if he was healthy (odds are, probably not but very close).

NL MVP: Ryan Howard

- Time to cave in to the 'Ryan Howard Hype-Train'.  Had St. Louis not collapsed and Albert Pujols mashed like a god down the stretch I probably would have stayed with him.  But Pujols has been big for the Cards when their backs have been right up against the wall.  That still won't take away the MVP from the man who has simply been amazing, especially after the All-Star break where he won the homerun derby in July.  After years of killing Triple-A pitchers, Howard has finally shown exactly what he can do at the Major League level.  (Honourable mentions: Lance Berkman and Miguel Cabrera for great seasons playing on teams that were dead at one point in the season).

AL MVP: Justin Morneau

- Time to get off the Jermaine Dye train and hop onto the Canadian bandwagon.  Morneau has been one of the big reasons why the Twins surged from May onward.  When Minnesota was nowhere to be found, Morneau was about ready to challenge Russell Branyan for the biggest power-bust hitter in the bigs.  And then Morneau just went unconscious.  Now, Dye had a great year and so did David Ortiz, but now we're talking about MVP's on a 3rd place team.  Vladimir Guerrero?  Well he played like an MVP but we can't give it to him.  Then there is Derek Jeter, who's only fault is playing on a team full of studs and even with his great season still may not be the MVP of his team.  Then again, Morneau may not be the MVP on his team either (Joe Mauer, Santana).  So having said that, what will seperate all the candidates?  Who has the best numbers on the teams in the playoffs?  Must go with Morneau.

Rookies of the year: Justin Verlander (AL) and Dan Uggla (NL), barely beating Ryan Zimmerman.

This has been fun, but its been tough as well.  Now bring on the playoffs.

Before we begin this post where I kindly smash my home country when it comes to it's sports, we will write this post in boxing formation.  Couple of undercards followed by the Main Event.

Undercard:

I feel my idea of having Johan Santana thrown into the MVP mix is justified by the average ERA being over doubled Santana's along with the .270 average the league is putting up.  For Johan to put up the kind of numbers he has with the way balls are blasting out of the park as well as the dimensions of the MVP race should give him a shot.  He has stepped up during the absense of Francisco Liriano in a big way.

I know a lot of people are ready to give Derek Jeter the MVP and feel the Yankees would be hurt greatly with him out of the lineup.  I still have a good memory to say Jeter should not win the award, nor would his absense mean the demise of the New York Yankees.  Remember the year 2004?  The first couple of months for Jeter was horrendous; .200 average and he was struggling mightily.  He did not pass .250 until well into July.  Despite the Un-Jeter-like production, the Yankees managed to be in first place.  Why?  Because of a loaded lineup.  You look at today's Yankees lineup and they now have Randy Johnson, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano and a healthy Jason Giambi.  That means more lethal weapons which means one thing: Jeter is not the AL MVP (side note: Great player and hall of famer when he's done his career).

Undercard:

Jacksonville might want to invest in a wide receiver who can catch the football.  Right now their best receiver is Jimmy Smith who happens to be retired.  Maybe they are the team who should be desperate enough to get Jerry Porter, but not at the cost Al Davis is asking for, which is outrageous and absurd.

MAIN EVENT:

Pretty obvious that I was going into a hockey take, which perhaps prompted you Americans to actually read since the undercard was maybe worth reading. 

Nearly every major media network has carried NHL pre-season hockey to the forefront, pushing every other sport to the backburner in favour of meaningless training games prior to the season start.  To me, I am embarrassed that my city can call itself a sports town when they would put pre-season sports right at the top of the line and not what is the most relevant or important story leading off sportscasts.  I thought sports journalism was all about the top stories , and that they are suppose to entice audiences with the way they deliver it.  Instead, they succumb to unimportant NHL preseason games.

When the NBA, MLB or NFL organizations begin their training camps, does Foxsports or ESPN begin the highlight shows on TV or Radio with training camp highlights?  No, unless its something big/momentus.  That is called journalism.  The biggest story leads off the program.  This means that if the NHL is the biggest story in Canada, there is a problem with us as sports fans.  It means we have buried our heads into the sand when it comes to sports.  How can we honestly say we are a sports city when we always fall back on one sport?  We do not have the ability to break away from hockey.

One point to throw out to the American readers: Although hockey does not rate very well in the U.S., you can speak to a number of Canadians who are hockey fans and they will say there is no problem with the game.  Last I check, hockey losing to U.S. Curling Championships in the ratings is a big problem.  For that the NHL is certainly not the '4th major sport'. 

But this really shouldn't be a bashing of fans who love a particular sport.  It really comes down to the media shoving it down our throats as if it's a terrible pop song that's overplayed on music stations (such as the new Justin Timber-Diaz single or Gnarls Barkley).  It's time for Canadian sports to become strong enough to show the top sports stories rather than be resigned to go hockey, hockey, hockey.

As I say on my radio show: Its pre-freaking-season.  Speaking of which, my blog contest lasts until Thursday.  Check out my blog from a few days ago and enter in.  e-mail is: chevradionoise@gmail.com.  Cheers.