Hello friends,

I want to talk a little about the new Mike Myers comedy movie The Love Guru and how it deals with sports and how it fictionally has the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup. That hasn't happened in reality since the Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup 41 years ago in 1967.

Mike Myers the star of the movie is a huge hockey and Toronto Maple Leafs fan and not old enough to remember the last time the Leafs won the Cup. So he wanted to fictionalize it in his new comedy movie where he plays a love guru trying to help a hockey player whose romance has gone bad and the player who plays for Toronto has lost his girl to a rival goalie played by Justin Timberlake. The movie which also features the beautiful Jessica Alba as the Toronto team general manager, a lot of other beautiful women and a midget coach of the Maple Leafs which has some funny scenes with Mike Myers.

To summarize the hockey part of the story the star player is suspended for Toronto for fighting and the Leafs fall behind the Los Angeles Kings 3 games to none in the Stanley Cup Finals with Justin Timberlake as the Kings goalie. Of course in movieland the Leafs come back to tie the series 3-3 and are traling 1-0 with a minute to go in the seventh game. Then suddenly the Toronto star who Myers character has been guiding regains his confidence scores a goal to tie and gets a penalty shot to win the Stanley Cup against Timberlake's goalie character.

The Toronto player scores the winning penalty shot and the Leafs win the Stanley Cup fictionally of course. Is this right for long suffering fans to see in reality even though it's only pretend? The Cleveland Indians were portrayed to win the World Series in the movie Major League even though they hadn't won the World Series since 1948.

Should we have the Chicago Cubs win a World Series in a movie so they can say they saw it happen even if it wasn't real?  I think as much as you enjoy fantasizing about it in a movie and I'm sure Buffalo Bills fans would make Scott Norwood's kick go a little more to the left and through the goalpost. We would all rather though see it in reality . It is all fun of course and I realize why Myers lived out his fantasy of seeing the Leafs win the Stanley Cup in the movie.

But he and all of us fans would rather watch the real life movie heroics later. Otherwise you are teasing the long suffering fans with an event that isn't real as much as they want it to be. This is my take on it. What do you think friends? Let me know your thoughts and we'll talk soon again. Best wishes and have a great and productive day. fenfan 

Hello friends,

It's the NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers which is one of the most popular matchups in sports especially for Celtics and Lakers fans, the media and anyone who is looking back for the 1980's in these finals. You probably won't find it or be disappointed unless you turn on ESPN Classic.

So I thought I'd ask what are your dream finals in different sports? It can be two teams you love but have trouble deciding with or it can be love vs a team you love to hate. Whatever I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. When it's not my team or teams I'm really interested I always dream of different finals matchups I'd like. What are yours? I'll tell you some I would like and why.

Since we're in the NBA finals now  I'll start with that. I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan and I grew up in Milwaukee liking the Bucks so while the networks would hate this small market matchup I would find it interesting because both have passionate basketball towns. If you want to throw in the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, 76ers or Mavericks as rivals I have no problem with that.

Next I'll go to the NFL. My favorite team since my childhood in the 1970s has been the Pittsburgh Steelers because they were the best then an continue a standard of excellence on and off the field today. Another class and historic franchise in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers .  I have a lot of family and friends in Wisconsin who I have had a friendly rivalry with over this team and I would like to decide it once and for all in a Super Bowl. It almost happened a couple times in the 1990s and there will be no Brett Favre this time but I think America would love this Super Bowl matchup between the Steelers and the Packers. If not I wouldn't mind playing the Dallas Cowboys again. I think their last Super Bowl in the 1990s was the highest rated ever I believe.

In major league baseball you know fenwayfanatic is a Red Sox fan and wouldn't it be neat this fall if they finally played the Chicago Cubs in the World Series and give most of America the dream World Series they want. I might even root for the Cubs since the Red Sox already have a couple championships now.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't root for the Red Sox as well. Also if my old hometown Milwaukee Brewers ever got back to the playoffs or World Seriies I would love to see them take on the Red Sox or Yankees. Small vs big market. In the late 1950s they called it Bushville when Henry Aaron's Milwaukee Braves split two World Series with Mickey Mantle's Yankees.

In the NHL Stanley Cup hockey finals we had a dream matchup this year between the Original Six Detroit Red Wings and the upstart Piittsburgh Penguins led by 20 year old superstar Sidney the Kid Crosby. In this years finals I was actually hoping for a matchup between the Dallas Stars who I follow in Texas vs the Pittsburgh Penguins. It would be a reversal of the matchup for me between Dallas and Pittsburgh  because in football I like the Steelers over the Cowboys but in hockey I'd like the Stars over the Penguins unless they played the Toronto Maple Leafs who are my favorite team in hockey because they are a Canadian team with one of the biggest hockey traditions  but they havent won a Stanley Cup or been to the finals since 1967. Canada vs the United States or Canada vs a Canadian team. Not the greatest for US ratings but Ii want to see matchups where hockey is loved most.

Finally my college matchup would be between the state I grew up in Wisconsin and the state I now live Texas. How about that for a BCS National Championship Game or Final Four Matchup? Two strong athletic programs in a lot of sports. Texas is also good in baseball and Wisconsin has won 6 NCAA hockey championships. Anyway this would be my dream NCAA matchup.

Those are my favorite matchups in sports. So what are yours? Please let me know and we'll discuss them further soon. Take care and best wishes and have a great and productive day friends. Always, fenfan

Hi friends,

It's been a busy week in sports with shining moments, championship retirements and a big horse whose Triple Crown dream went down and out.

First the shining moments and how about Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics getting off to a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals at this writing. We all saw him get injured and then make his Larry Bird type return. I forget the year he came back on the court to lead the Celtics to victory. Anyway with the help of Celtics teammate Leon Powe and others the Celtics are off to a good start and coach Phil Jackson of the LA Lakers is getting the frustrations Pat Riley had with the games in Boston in the NBA finals.

Last week the  Detroit Red Wings won their fourth Stanley Cup in the last 11 years. The young Pittsburgh Penguins with Sidney Crosby played well in defeat and never gave up, but they were outmatched experience wise in the end. And as I posted here a few weeks ago the Red Wings won in six games and Henrik Zetterberg as I also predicted won the Conn Smythe trophy. Chris Osgood was oustanding in goal for the Red Wings and he helped to send out fellow 43 year old goaltender Dominik Hasek to retirement with another Stanley Cup. Congratulations to Dominik and the Red Wings.

Next on Monday June 9, 2008 for history Ken Griffey Jr became the fifth player in major league baseball history to hit his 600th home run and with all the steroid controversy involving Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and others, it was nice and refreshing to see someone achieve the milestone clean of controversy in this era and it's only too bad Griffey was injured often the last few years or we could have seen him appraoch the numbers of Bonds, Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.

As I said in the previous paragraph Dominik Hasek retired after being a part of another championship team and on Monday Michael Strahan retied after a great career with the New York Giants and he went out a champion as well and as the all time sack leader. That is great as an athlete and competitor to go out a champion. Athletes in different sports like Bill Russell, John Elway, David Robinson, Ray Bourque and Jerome Bettis have gone out with championship rings in their hands. I couldn't think of a specific baseball player but I'm sure there were manty especially with all the Yankees championships over the years.

Finally Big Brown and his Triple Crown dreams went down at the Belmont and like 11 others before him since 1978 when Affirmed last won a Triple Crown in horse racing, Big Brown came up short and actually finished last in the race. Big Brown was the big favorite to win the race and Triple Crown. He had a cracked hoof but the horse trainers and doctors said he was ok and good shape. There were the tragedies of horses like Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby Barbaro last year and even as far back as the filly Ruffian in the 1970's. Anyway Big Brown's jockey Kent Desormeux sp? pulled up Big Brown in the stretch when it was apparent he wouldn't win so he wouldn't get hurt and there wouldn't be controversy. So what went wrong if he wasn't injured?  I think you have to remember Big Brown is a horse and he might not have liked to feel of the track or another horse possibly on that day. It doesn't diminish his performance as a great racehorse. Belmont is a longer track and shows how much credit you have to give past Triple Crown winners like Secretariat who won by 31 lengths at the Belmont in 1973 and the last two Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. Besides great race horses it also takes some luck and perhaps that's when we'll see a Triple Crown winner again when we least expect it. Until then it's been 30 years and counting for this the longest Triple Crown drought in horse racing.

We'll it's been an exciting and historic week in sports and we'll see what happens next. That's the most exciting part of sports and finally in closing the sports world lost a legendary broadcaster in Jim McKay who was most famous for being a part of the start of ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1961. He also covered several Olympics including the tragic 1972 Munich Olympics was 11 Isreali athletes were killed and McKay sadly said eloquently "They're all gone." He also did several golf tournaments, horse racing and other sporting events. It's sad to see the Jim McKay's of the world die because the under 30 pre cable, pre internet and cell phone crowd of instant gratification don't remember what it was like to grow up with four tv stations and a radio. So all our condolones to Jim McKay's family, friends and colleagues. As for me it's been my pleasure to talk with you as always and we'll talk soon again. Until then best wishes and have a great and productive day friends.

Hello friends,

Well it looks like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Red Wings could be celebrating titles and re-establishing their long time dynasties again. The Lakers much to my chagrin as a San Antonio Spurs fan have proven to be the younger and more athletic team and they are gaining experience fast in this series and while it is only the Western Conference Finals they are on the way to dethroning the defebding champion Spurs and should be favored in the East against the PIstons or Celtics although they are good teams as well. They just havent beaten teams like the ones that the Lakers and Spurs face in the Western Conference. Kobe Bryant with help from Pal Gasol, Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom has reestablished this as his team and Phil Jackson is once again the ringleader as coach though he is brilliant as well.

The Detroit Red Wings are on their way to winning a fourth Stanley Cup in the last 11 years. This was supposed to be a dream matchup with Sidney Crosby and the young and upstart Pittsburgh Penguins. In a few years it might be once the Penguins get a little more experience. To this point it is a nice story for them and hockey but the Wings are also too dominant at this point. Of course at the time of this writing it is not over for either the Lakers or Red Wings but I look for both to be having championship parades in June. As always we'll see what happens. As for now it's almost time for a changing of the guard and watching the re-established champions in Detroit and Los Angeles come back to take their throne. Take care and best wishes friends. Have a great and productive day. fenfan

P.S. That being said I also give credit to the refs for the non call on the Brent Barry shot and possible foul at the end of Game 4 against the Lakers. There is always to much speculations with calls by referees in the NBA . Barry got bumped by Derek Fisher and then shot the ball afterward hoping it would go in to win the game or at the very least get the call. To Brent Barry's credit he said while he looked for the call as a player he didn't expect to get it and took it respectfully. I as a Spurs fan don't want to win cheaply and if the Lakers win the series as I said I'll be satisfied with the way the outcome happened and say congratulations.

Hello friends,

Happy Memorial Day Weekend early and I'd like to honor and thank those who have served and continue to serve our country in the name of freedom. God bless you and thank you.

As for the rest of the week and weekend it will be a great sports weekend as we head into late spring and early summer. There is news or action in almost every major sport so lets begin and review.

In the NFL the owners choode to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement and there may be labor unrest and a lockout by 2011, but lets let that one play out, see what happens and enjoy our football in the  popular NFL the next few years. I'm sure it will work out.

In MLB what a great feel good story it was to see Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox pitch a no hitter a few years after having a form of cancer. Now contrary to others opinions I don't care how early or detectable or treatable the cancer is. It's a great story when any person and or athlete recovers from cancer or any illness and goes on to do something successful in their lives. That is definitely heroic to me..

 In the NBA we have a great final four teams as the San Antonio Spurs face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference where we'll see the up and coming Lakers try to regain championship glory against the established champion Spurs who are trying to win their 5th title in 10 years and first back to back titles. I'll say the Spurs win in 6 games.

And in the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics renew another old rivarlry with the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics won Game 1 88-79 and it will be interesting to see if the Celtics can win on the road or the Pistons can win in Boston. If not I have to go with the pattern we've seen and that's the Celtics in seven games. Remember 20 years ago the 1988 Lakers won three seventh games against the Jazz, Mavericks and Pistons so that route can be done the hard way but it can be done. We'll see.

In the NHL Stanley Cup Finals we have a good matchup for hockey and curious sports fans as the Pittsburgh Penguins led by their young 20 year old star Sidney Crosby, possibly the best player since Wayne Gretzky retired and his great young team against the established Detroit Red Wings who are going for their fourth Stanley Cup in the last 11 years. A very good matchup for those who choose to watch and care. And get off Versus and NBC's back for their coverage. At least Versus especially gives hockey it's main focus while ESPN-ABC just had hockey as another sport in it's sports coverage. Now you can love a sport like hockey or not and you can be critical of the way it's covered but at least Versus gave hockey fans a network and hopefully more people are getting to see it on their cable systems.  Thank you at least for covering hockey Versus. As for my pick I'll say the Red Wings win the Cup in 6 games and Henrik Zetterberg wins the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable player.

Besides the major team sports there is the Indianapolis 500 this weekend and I'm sure besides all the great male drivers a lot of the focus and attention will be on Danica Patrick and any other female drivers who qualified for the race this year. It was really nice to see Danica Patrick win her first race in Japan a few weeks ago and I hope that she can continue to prove the women can race equally with men. There is no physical advantage in the sport of auto racing so I don't see why a talented woman like Danica Patrick can not only compete but beat the other racers. Good luck Danica. That would be a great story and accomplishment for her and women as well.

Finally there is a soccer game today between two English teams Manchester United and Chelsea in Moscow Russia. It is for a club or world championship I think and while I don't know or follow soccer much it is a big game worldwide and soccer/ futbol is an athletic and popular game worldwide so I think those who are interested and the curious fans as well should check it out .

Also next week the tennis Grand Slam the French Open will start and we'll see if Roger Federer can finally beat his rival  Rafeal Nadal on Nadal's main surface clay. As for the women it will be interesting to see who wins since Justine Henin suddenly and surprisingly retired. Maybe Maria Sharapova or Venus or Serena Williams if they are healthy.

Anyway it should be a great weekend of sports to check out. So fire up those barbecues and pay tribute to our veterans and have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend friends. Have a great and productive day and best wishes. Talk soon. fenfan

Hello friends,

Well I'm excited about the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and I think we have a good mix of eight tradition rich cities left in the playoffs. It's too bad Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals didn't make it or the Calgary Flames and their famous Red Mile of fans but otherwise I like the matchups and lets get started!!

In the Eastern Conference the #1 seed Montreal Canadiens who have won 23 Stanley Cups but none since 1993 or for any team from Canada hasn't won the Cup in that period. The Canadiens have won at least one Cup every decade of their existence but only 2 since 1979, the other being in 1986. Anyway they will play the #6 seed Philadephia Flyers and I'll take the Canadiens to win in six games.

In the other Eastern Conference semifinal the #2 seed Pittsburgh Penguins and their young stars Sidney "the Kid" Crosby and Evgini Malkin take on former Penguin Jaromir Jagr and the #5 seed New York Rangers who are going for their first Cup since 1994, the famous Mark Messier led Cup after 54 years and the Pengiuns are going for their first Cups since the Mario Lemeuix years of 1991-1992. I'll take this series to go the distance with the Pengiuns winning in seven exciting games.

In the Western Conference it's a rivalry from the last decade with some new faces and some old ones between the #1 Detroit Red Wings who won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002 against the #6 seed Colorado Avalanche who won the Cup in 1996 and 2001. These two teams dont like each other, but I think the Red Wings have a bit much for the Avs this year and will take them out in 5 games

Finally the #2 seed San Jose Sharks and their famous Shark Tank will host the #5 seed Dallas Stars who finally won a first round playoff series for the first time in five years and are playing well.. I like the Stars personally but I think the Sharks are playing well and will be inspired to try and win a Cup for their star players Joe Thornton and Jeremy Roenick who might retire again after the playoffs. He came out of retirement to try to win the Cup.  I'll pick the Sharks in 6 games.

Well I hope some sports fans will check out these matchups because there are some good matchups in some good hockey cities, but hockey will take what it can get beyond their great fans. Anyway enjoy the games and we'll talk soon friends. Take care, have a great and productive day and best wishes. fenfan

Hello friends,

From time to time I like to get a little personal here and talk about some of my favorite teams and who and what I like as a sports fan. Hopefully you're not bored and if you'd like to comment please do so as usual. As fanatic sports fans we all have our teams that we like and teams that we don't like and I thought it would be fun to take stock of what my favorite teams have done in the last several years. I'll specifically talk about five teams that have won in recent years and five that I would like to see win one day.

My favorite teams that have won in recent years include the Pittsburgh Steelers who won their 5th Super Bowl championship and first in 26 years in 2005. Then I'd pick the Boston Red Sox who after 86 years of championship failure have now won 2 World Series in 2004 and 2007. Next the San Antonio Spurs from my current living state of Texas have won 4 championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. We'll see if this is the year they can finally REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS in 2008. The Dallas Stars one of my favorite hockey teams won the Stanley Cup championship in 1999 before I moved here and I still question their no goal in the crease against the Buffalo Sabres to win the Cup but that's the way it happened. And for my friends and family back in my native state of Wisconsin I was happy to see the Green Bay Packers finally end a 29 year old championship drought in 1996 behind quarterback Brett Favre, and coming up to the present I'd wish he'd make up his mind about signing his retirement papers if that's what he wants and so be it.

Now those are the main five teams I like that have won and now I'll look at the championship droughts of teams that I like and would like to see win and what better place to start than the north side of Chicago at Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs have now not won for at least a century yes 100 years. Hopefully as sports fans we'll all get to see them win one one day before its too late. Another baseball team Ilike and unfortunately for me in the same division as the Cubs,  the NLCentral and National League since 1998. I'm talking about the Milwaukee Brewers my hometown team that I have been rooting for and watching games since 1977. The Brewers were formed in 1970 when they moved from Seattle where they were formed as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee. As for the city the Brewers went to the World Series in 1982 and the previous Milwaukee baseball team the then Milwaukee Braves won Milwaukee's only World Championship in 1957 so it's been a long time for Milwaukee Baseball as far as making the playoffs or winning a campionship. Not far behind in championship futility is the Milwaukee basketball team the Milwaukee Bucks which hasn't won a championship since 1971 when Kareem Abdual-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson played for the Bucks. The Bucks haven't had a lot of success the last 20 years or so especially either. In hockey my favorite old time team overall is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are a Canadian team where hockey is most popular and they haven't won or been to the Stanley Cup finals since 1967 the year I was born. They along with the Chicago Blackhawks have kind of become the Cubs of hockey since the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings ended long championship droughts in the last 15 years. Finally the Minnesota Vikings. I never felt more sorry for a great stae and fans as when they lost 4 Super Bowls in the 1970s well except for Super Bowl 9 against the Steelers but along with the Buffalo Bills they deserve a championship team more than anybody .

Anyway thanks for reading along with me as I talk about some of my favorite teams in sports.Other teams I like include the Chicago Bears,  the Texas and other small market baseball teams in baseball that have little chance to win realistically without a salary cap in baseball, and the Canadian and Original Six teams in hockey and a few other northern areas where hockey's heartbeat beats the strongest. Nothing against the Sun Belt teams I like the Dallas Stars after all but I am a traditionalist in sports and like to see where it's heart beats the strongest. Where does your heart beat  and how have your favorite teams done lately?  Please let me know and keep in touch friends and thanks as always for letting me rant on with you today. Best wishes and have a great and productive day always. fenfan

Hello friends,

Sorry I haven't talked to you in a couple weeks. Part of it has been the computer's fault. The last couple times I have tried to post my blog it said "Service Unavailable" which is really really frustrating when you put your hard work into the blogs, but enough ranting.

So how has your March been especially in sports? The NCAA Mens Tournament is exciting as always and I have my Final Four of North Carolina, UCLA, Wisconsin and Texas alive going into the Sweet 16 with North Carolina as my national champion. It has been a nice mix of upsets and favored teams winning and losing in the tournament. Sorry Duke and Georgetown, but hello Davidson, Villanova and Western Kentucky.

Baseball has started EARLY IN JAPAN the last couple of days at 6 am Eastern Time and the defending champion Red Sox split a two game series with the Oakland A's. A little time consuming for the teams participating and early to rise for the US fans but I think it is good for the global aspect in the baseball community to have a few of these games overseas. Maybe have some in the future in Latin American countries or other popular baseball areas around the world. Even though there is somewhat of an inconvienience to those participating and watching I think it is good for the fans of baseball around the world to see some real live major league games like when the former Montreal Expos played some of their games in San Juan, Puerto Rico a few years ago..

In the NBA and NHL the races are tightening up and getting exciting as usual as teams fight for playoff posiitioning. I'm also looking forward to the Masters in golf in April and seeing if Tiger Woods can win another green jacket, continue his great year and pursue a possible Grand Slam and a continued run at Jack Nickalus's career record of 18 majors which are the only really important tournaments that most sports fan non golf junkies follow.

Anyway, keep in touch and hopefully I won't have many computer problems for awhile. Keep following sports friends and enjoy and remember the most important things in life. Take care and talk soon and have a great and productive day friends. Best wishes fenfan

Hello friends,

Well some troubling news was reported this week by all of us fans who love the competitive everyone can win NFL which is widely considered to be the fairest competition and most popular sport in pro sports.

According to a report there is a good chance that  NFL ownership will opt out of the current labor agreement with the NFL Players Association by a November deadline. 24 of 32 owners votes are needed to keep the current collective bargaining agreement in place.

What that means is there will be a salary cap in place for the next three seasons followed by an uncapped season in 2011. After that  according to NFLPA president Gene Upshaw it is unlikely that a salary cap would ever return.

What exactly does that means fans. Well you know how big market teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox dominate economically and often on the field with the best and highest priced players. Of course baseball with a very strong players union has refused a salary cap and while competition has improved there is still a wide gap between the haves and have nots in baseball.

That's what it would become like in the NFL. Big market teams with rich owners like the Dallas Cowboys.  Washington Redskins and New England Patriots among others would dominate the league ecomically while smaller markets like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars would struggle greatly and have a huge disadvatage economically to compete on the field.

Now I don't care who you root for, a big market or smaller market team, the victories are somewhat less meaningful when it is accomplished against smaller market competition that has little or no chance. That has been the way it has been in major league baseball for the last decade or so where the best players often go to the highest paid teams eventually and  they have the best chance economically to win. True there are examples of teams like the Florida Marlins who have found a way to get high priced players and win for a year or so before dumping their salaries and becoming terrible teams again.

Or you can look at a small market success like the San Antonio Spurs who in the NBA continue to pursue championship dreams with 4 championships in the last 9 years and still possibly going even though they play in one of the league's smallest markets. You see with a salary cap as they have in the NBA, NHL and currently the NFL all teams are able to compete fairly and equally no matter what their market size.

If the NFL gets rid of it's salary cap the Green Bay Packers one of the oldest and most loved and respected franchises would be in deep trouble and at a huge competitive disadvantage without a salary cap system. In the the  NFL for several years they have had revenue sharing and shared the same television contract  which has helped to keep the game fair and enjoyable for fans of all teams no matter what the market size. As I've said then without a salary cap the big market teams will have the competitive advantage and the best chance to win. Small market teams like the Packers will become competitive fodder and have little chance to win.

I as a fan cannot accept this but we as fans often have no choice unless we stop attending or following the games. That is unlikely so the next thing I ask is for fair and competitive competition for every team in every sport especially the professional ones. We all want a chance to dream and a chance for our teams to win.

So please NFL owners and those of all sports leagues. Please keep your games competitive, clean and fair. The rest is left to team ownership, coaches and players. Let me know what you think and we'll talk soon again friends. Best wishes always and have a great and productive day friends. fenfan

Hello friends and Happy New Years to you a couple days late. I hope you had a safe and enjoyable one and if your team won or played in a college bowl game or is yet to play in one I hope you enjoyed it and the bowl system. Remember even if there is no true playoff system in the BCS a lot of teams get to play in postseason bowls so remember how teams like Northwestern Notre Dame this year and Duke football and other college programs feel sitting home before we start dismissing or putting down the bowl system or a college postseason tounnament like the NIT in basketball. Besides I don't really go for the crystal ball trophy that the winner of the upcoming LSU Ohio State game gets without a true playoff. Just ask USC, West Virginia, Kansas or even Missouri or Georgia how they feel about no playoff system at this moment.

Ok that's off my chest. Now the Winter Classic on New Years Day between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins. What a great event to have an outdoor game in the NHL and despite what some other people have said I think it was a great idea to have it on New Years Day when people are watching a lot of sports. Yes it is a day traditionally dominated by college football but it gave United States viewers a diversion if they wanted to flip away from football a little bit or if their favorite teams weren't playing at that moment. It gave the casual fan a great chance to check out hockey in a different enviornment in an outdoor setting taking the game back to it's roots when young hockey players played outdoors growing up. Perhaps the NBA should have an outdoor game on the playgrounds. It turned out to be a great game. A goal was scored in the first minute by Pittsburgh, Buffalo the home team later scored a goal and had their chances and the game was finally won on a goal in a shootout by the game's young and greatest star Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby who has been called the Next One after Wayne Gretztky's the Great One. Overal according to sources the game had a 2.5 rating in the United States on NBC for hockey which is pretty good and better than what they get on obscure and hard to find cable hockey station Versus which isn't seen on every cable channel, but who I think does a really good job promoting hockey and has good coverage in the United States. No it isn't ESPN and unfortunately not everyone get's Versus on their cable system kind of like a smaller version of the NFL Network as an analogy but in some ways I think it's better for hockey to be on a smaller network like this one because it has less viewers than the other sports but also the coverage. ESPN is too crowded and would only have about one hockey game on a week compared to 20 or 30 pro and college basketball games. Those are my thoughts on hockey, the Winter Classic and the hockey network and ratings in general. Please let me know what you think if you care friends.

Finally a couple things to close about this week in sports. First the NFL playoffs this weekend. I'm picking Washington to upset Seattle at home, they're playing really well for Joe Gibbs now after Sean Taylor's tragic death. I'm picking Jacksonville against my heart team by a field goal or less. I hate to do it. Pittsburgh has had a nice year under Mike Tomlin but injuries have occured and weaknesses have been exposed in the offensive line and secondary to mention a few. We'll see what happens there and Go Steelers. As for Sunday's games I'm just not excited about the Giants yet and Tampa is at home so I'll take them there by less than a touchdown and in the final game of the weekend San Diego should beat Tenneseee in San Diego, but we'll see how Vince Young is for the Titans and if they show up and play well and San Diego doesn't we could have an upset there. I'm not the greatest at playoff picks. Once again we'll see and talk about it next week in the divisional round.

The last thing I want to mention today is Roger Clemens and his 60 Minutes interview with his "friend" interwiewer Mike Wallace and his denial of having steroids given to him by his former trainer Brian Macnamee sp?. I'm just tired of hearing about this whole steroids issue. It won't go away or change what happened. All they can do is note the records happened in a steroids era in the record book, clean up the game the best they can which they are and go on. Personally I saw Roger Clemens pitch a few years ago in Houston and it was a great honor as a fan and this steroids allegation no matter how it turns out has not diminished his performance as a great pitcher for me nor will his being accused of steroids, the interview with a fiend Mike Wallace or the possible suing by trainer Brian Macnamee. None of this changes anything for me and I know there are those who have more facts obviously, but I'm trying to tell the way I see it as a fan of baseball and I'm tired of it and just wan't to see the games go on as clean as possible, but of course all tris steroids and Mitchell Report and Roger Clemens/ Barry Bonds stuff gives the media something to talk about. I'm not saying they're right and factual, they are in reporting it to us. I'm just tired of hearing about it as a fan and want the great game of baseball and sports returned to us in the way we enjoy it. Maybe I'm a little naive yes but I want to show the true fan's heart for the game aqnd sports.

Let me know what you think as always friends and we'll chat soon. Best wishes and have a great and productive day always. fenfan

Hello friends,

We'll we've got a lot to talk about as we enter one of the busiest sports months of the season. The Packers, Cowboys Steelers, Patriots and Colts are still undefeated and how about Brett Favre tying the touchdown passing record of Dan Marino at 420. Great accomplishment Brett. Also the benching of last years Bears Super Bowl struggling quarterback Rex Grossman is long overdue in Chicago. Lets see what happens as we go into October and the second quarter of games in the season in the NFL. 

College football is off to another crazy and unpredictable start that never seems to get answered well or fairly enough but at least it's exciting to watch. I hope your teams are doing well.

The baseball pennant race is winding down as we head to the playoffs next week. It has been an exciting year to watch and while the competition is still not totally fair with big markets and smaller markets and no salary cap,  the gap has closed some however and smaller market teams like my Brewers are more able to farly compete and hang in there. Hopefully one day they'll be able to find a system that will make most everybody happy and be fair but I guess this is what we have to settle for right now and it isn't a totally bad system if most teams are competing.

Finally for those who care and I realize a lot of sports fans don't but hockey fans do,  the National Hockey League starts another season this next week. The first two games are in London England between the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks and their crosstown rivals the Los Angeles Kings. Hopefully it will be another great season for hockey fans everywhere as they continue to try to promote and bring back the popularity of the game.

Anyway take care friends and best wishes. Have a great and productive days and we'll talk more as the games and action of sports go along. fenfan

Hello Friends,

How are you doing? Well it's another Red Sox Yankees weekend at Fenway Park and the only thing missing is Roger Clemens isn't pitching and the Yankees are 13 1/2 back. So what happens next?  Does Clemens resurect the Yankees season every 5 days? Does A-Rod have another embarrasing moment on or off the field or do the Red Sox just start putting the nail in the coffin and praying it's not another 1978 season. Dont worry Red Sox fans it shouldn't be. These aren't those Yankees but they are still the high priced and talented George Steinbrenner Joe Torre led Yankees so who knows and the Yankees are always interesting and worth a headline so we'll see.

June is also time for the Finals in the NBA and the NHL Stanley Cup Finals as well. First the NBA. I'm happy to see the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals again. Kind of a boring team to watch but I love the way they play and win and I especially enjoy those parades down the Riverwalk the best championship celebration site in sports I think and after that Tony Parker gets to marry Desperate Housewives Eva Longoria sorry I don't have a picture of her but you can imagine her in France where they are getting married July 7. Anyway  back to basketball it would be nice to see Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli my favorite player on the Spurs and Parker and the rest of the team win again for Spurs fans that is. It's an odd numbered year and the Spurs aren't going for a repeat so things could be in their favor this year. I think it would be fun to play Lebron James and the Cavaliers for NBA fans watching and I get tired of the Pistons boring defensive style even if they aren't quite the Bad Boys of the 1980's. As I always say we'll see.

As for the NHL for those hockey fans who are watching the Anaheim Ducks are dominating so far at 2-0 in the series but I'm looking forward to the series going back to Ottawa and the Canadian fans spirit. That's what I think makes the games exciting for those who watch and I hope Ottawa can bring back the Stanley Cup to Ottawa and Canada although it looks like Anahiem is the better team at this poiint.

Finally a couple of things what do you all think of Kobe Bryant wanting a trade out of Los Angeles and the Lakers and where should he go if he gets out of his contract? Also just in Billy Donavon has decided to leave the University of Florida Gators and two national championships to go down the road in Florida to the NBA and the Orlando Magic. I think that could hurt his legacy bacause great college coaches aren't  often great in the NBA or NFL ala Steve Spurrier and Billy Donavon's legacy will be hurt because he won't have the same control he did in college and those coaches are often disappointed. Meanwhile the one's who go to college coaching like USC's football coach Pete Carroll often have great success.So good luck Billy Donovan, but my opinion is you'll be back in college coaching again like your mentor Rick Pitino and also John Calapari. So we'll see what happens and let me know what you think as always friends.Best wishes and have great and productive days friends and talk soon again.

Hi friends,

I've been off the blogs for a few weeks both for personal reasons and also I couldn't find the blogs at the new site right away until I got in touch with one of my friends here who I share e-mail with. Thank you. You know who you are. Anyway I'm doing well and ready to talk some sports again and it's great to hear from you always.

Anyway we're at Memorial Day weekend and before we start god bless our troops and veterans and always remember those in memoriam. Our country and way of life would never be the same without your sacrifices. Thank you so much for helping to give us our freedom.

It's also a great sports weekend with the NBA and NHL playoffs in full gear and starting to wind towards the championship series Baseball is heating up. We've got the Indianapolis 500 and Coca Cola 600 NASCAR race for racing fans and over in France the French Open tennis tournament starts today so we have our fill of sports.

In the NBA Western Conference Finals Utah won big at home last night 109-83 over San Antonio but I still think the Spurs have the methodical edge and should win in 5 or 6 games but remember they had a 2-0 lead on the Lakers in 2004 and lost in 6 so it's not over fellow Spurs fans but I still like the Spurs head and heart. They should play Detroit in the finals but I have to see Lebron James and Cleveland at home before I make a final analysis there and the games have been close already. We'll see.

In the NHL I'm excited to see a Canadian team the Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup finals for the third season in a row. Hockey ratings aren't big in the United States and what NBC did going to the Preakness was like what they did with Heidi and pro football back in the 1960s but it doesn't get nearly the ratings so few people care. In the finals I'm going to pick the Senators head and heart to beat the Anaheim Ducks a great hockey team themselves but it's time for Canada and their passionate hockey nation to bring home the Stanley Cup though it may go 6 or 7 competitive games before it's decided. Watch some hockey friends and give it a chance friends. I don't know what else they can do to get more pouplar besides hard core hockey fans but then again I'm not a big UFC fan but I give them credit to like their sport as well as fans of other sports I don't follow or like much.

The baseball season is going along nicely for me so far with the Red Sox starting to run away and hide with the division as long as it's not 1978 when they lost a 14 game lead to the Yankees but I don't think these are those Yankees. My other team the Milwaukee Brewers got off to a nice surprising start at 24-10 but have come back to earth a little with a 4-11 record since against tougher cometition. Still they have a good young team with players like Prince Fielder, JJ Hardy,  RicKie Weeks and others. Still they play in a weaker division this year the NL: Central so they're still in the division lead and doing ok. But I don't want them to be a division winner like the 82-80 Padres or whateever they were from a few years ago so I hope they continue to get better and win as a good young team that they are not just because the rest of the division is down or bad.

As for Roger Clemens I wish him well in his comeback and I think he should open at Fenway Park because his return is dramatic and it should be at the most dramatic place where he stated his career in Boston. That's just my opinion.

So in closing have a good weekend friends. Be safe happy healthy and have fun whatever you do and always remember the true meaning of Memorial Day weekend as well friends. It's great to be back and talk soon again. Thanks for all your support and have great and productive days always. Best wishes. fenfan

Hello friends,

Well were into the conference finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and boy they're going fast this year where it  takes the NBA two or three weeks to get out of a series. Anyway we've got a good mix of teams for the fans who love the game and also three traditional cities are involved as well so lets go.

The Eastern Conference should be a tough physical series between two fast but well built teams in the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and Buffalo is right across the border so the passion will be there. I'm rooting for Ottawa as the Canadian team even though I don't really like them that much otherwise, but Buffalo has a nice history and story as well and that city is looking for it's first major pro sports championship so I'll pick them to go to the finals in 6 or 7 games.

In the Western Conference it's also a good matchup between two well skilled teams in the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks am I the only one who thinks their name sounds better since they dropped it from Mighty "Mickey Mouse" Ducks. Ducks is more professional. Anyway it will be a good series as well but Detroit has some injury issues especially with Matthew Schnieder out and I think Anaheim is a little bigger and physical with the Niedermayer (Scott and Rob) brothers and Chris Pronger especially. I'll pick the Ducks in 6 games .

That would make it a Sabres Ducks final which would have the bigger Ducks against the smaller quicker Sabres and even though the Sabres are quick I think Anaheim can adapt to both physical and speedy play so I'd pick Anaheim to win the Stanley Cup. But back to the Final Four I think we have good quality teams and players in passionate cities mostly. Lets hope some fans watch and we'll have a good and exciting conclusion to the Stanley Cup playoffs. If your team is still playing I hope they do well. If not just enjoy hockey and hopefully more people will see what a fast and excting game it really is. Have a great a productive day and best wishes friends.

Hello friends,

Well it's the best time of year for those fans who do watch and enjoy the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Exciting and passionate games that take your breath away and keep you on the edge of your seat because you never know when you're going to see a goal or something exciting with the action being so fast paced so you dont want to miss a thing. And with all this hard hitting, good skating and strategic action the games are not often decided until overtime which in the Stanley Cup playoffs means sudden death overtime, one goal wins. Can you imagine the NBA playoff games being decided by only one basket. I didn't think so.

Anyway one goal wins and they play it out until that goal is scored. Sometimes it takes a few seconds or minutes and sometimes it's taken as long as four, five or six overtimes and some of the audience is half or lulled to sleep by the long time of action, but whether it's a soft goal, a slap shot, a crazy or controversial goal the game is decided by that one goal. Now the NHL isn't thinking of changing the one goal idea or a shootout heaven forbid which is used in the regular season after a five minute overtime period to decide games. But that's when the teams play an 82 game schedule almost every night over six months. In the playoffs it should be decided by that one goal.

But lately there has been talk of trying to shorten the games by making the overtimes or part of the overtimes four on four which increases the chance of scoring because less players are on the ice. I know the games can get tiring and long with several overtime periods, but for the true hockey fans that's what makes it exciting as you constantly anticipate that one goal. Don't take that away by trying to shorten the games just because they get a little long sometimes. I####oal was made to be scored easier it would be less dramatic for hockey fans. Like I said the only thing worse they could do is have a shootout but in a way it's kind of the same idea trying to get a quick and easy goal. And even though it makes a lot of us late night insoniacs it is one of the things that makes the NHL playoffs beautiful for hockey and sports fans to score that one decisive goal. Too much is on the line for these teams and their seasons. Please don't make it easier  for everyone's convenience. Let me know what you think. Talk soon and have a great and productive day friends.