Never thought I'd say this - but fuck off Tiger!

DETROIT — The PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, Mich., is two months away, but Tiger Woods took the first unofficial shot of the tournament Monday when he teed off on Hockeytown.

During a news conference at Oakland Hills Country Club, where Woods appeared via satellite, the two-time defending champion was asked whether he was rooting for the Red Wings or the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Woods chuckled at the question. Then he let 'er rip.

"I don't really care," he said with an impish smile. "It's all about the Dodgers. I don't think anyone really watches hockey anymore."

Luc Bourdon 1987-2008

A few things struck me while watching this compilation. I'd forgotten about his sweet ass last goal that was shot so hard it stuck in the net! I remember hooting and hollering which led Bailey to attack the cat. She's odd that way! Also, he was a powerful skater, with a beautiful stride. He was also the Nucks blue chip tradable prospect. Most imporantly - he was 21 fucking years old, had won two golds for Canada, was an NHLer and rode a god damned motorcycle for a few weeks. What a waste. Love the smile at the end though, RIP lad.

I'm hooked...

Man alive, Gordon is one complete psycho!

Smokers have been banned from using an ashtray outside a pub after it became home to a family of blue tits.
Pub chef Frank Barnes said: "We have put up a big notice warning people not to use the ashtray as we think they are non-smoking blue tits."

Craziness - Blue Tits - we've got loons, chickadees, grouse and jays - nothing nearly as fun sounding as the 'Blue Tit.'

TSN Sportscenter Jennifer Hedger

In a sports day that needs a little levity...as men we all love Miss Hedger...this is a reason to love her just a little more. This clips if from some reality show called the loft I think...

Alrighty kids, I'll warn y'all now. This could be a long rambling post as I'm not quite sure what I'm feeling at the moment. I'll start by saying that I had a super night last evening. JFu and I gratefully joined his cousin at his flat to watch what actually turned out to be a hockey game. I was glad to see the Pens. make a series out of this, and continue to be amazed by the (startlingly) spooky leader that young Sindey Crosby is molding himself into.

That said (I digress already) one has to wonder what might have been in store for Luc Bourdon who died this afternoon. The kid overcame a horrific broken leg three years back if memory serves. I respect what he overcame to get back (albeit sporadicly) to the NHL, and he would have been there on a regular basis had it not been for the red herring whose name is Edler.

Discipline Duncan, discipline - back to last evening. We all had a great time. I'll hang out with JFu's cuz anytime, he's an awful lot funnier than anyone reading this post! HarHar. Couldn't help but temp Mr. Brown there! Glad you're home BTW lad!

Anyhoo...JFu and I decided after the game to go and check out Indy.

I should let you all know that, as a child, I was some kinda geek. I saw Indy roughly 13-83 times at the cinema. I loved it. I still adore Raiders like crazy. There's a wee spot in my chest that gets tight and excited whenever I hear the score. That said, the theme excited me last night, and I felt let down from there on in. I understand that Indy is OLD in this film, and that the script works around the amount of years that have passed since we last saw our hero in the second best film of the franchise (The current film firmly falls behind 'The Temple of Doom" fiasco in my opinion). I realize that the audience is expected to make amends for the passing of time...but I still have to care. This film was pretty gorgeous, and I loved the IDEA of the script (not the way Lucas presented it to the director), but I wasn't 'swooned.' The scenes lingered too long, the laughs were way to infrequent, and worst of all: I didn't believe it. hate to say it, but it shouldn't have been made - way too much Lucas, not nearly enough Spielberg (I really think he was pushed into this), and not the Indy I so wanted to cheer for.

I once owned a fedora and a bullwhip. At the same time. I was the kid walking around Clifford Ave. with an oversized felt hat trying to whip apples from trees, grasshoppers from walkways - well you get the idea.

I was certainly not that kid last night - George Lucas, you do nothing but piss me off. Please go away. Steven - buddy - love ya, but don't let the bearded monster talk you into anything else. Harrison - thanks. I'l watch it again (cuz my lady is pissed!) and maybe I'll feel rekindled. JFu - thanks for going with me. That kid with the hat and the whip - enjoy the memories, because everything was better back then.

SHIPPAGAN, N.B. — Luc Bourdon, a promising defenceman with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, was killed Thursday afternoon in a motorcycle crash in his native northern New Brunswick.

Bourdon's sister, Eve Bourdon, confirmed the death but declined further comment when reached at the family's home in Shippagan.

"Luc was a winner, he was a competitor," said Kent Hughes, his agent. "There was no quit in him. He persevered through a lot. He was a great guy and a great teammate."

RCMP in Shippagan wouldn't confirm the identity of the victim but said the driver of a motorcycle was killed at about 12:30 p.m. AT in crash on a road between Shippagan and Lemeque, N.B.

A report said Bourdon lost control of his motorcycle before hitting a tractor-trailer.

Bourdon, 21, was the first-round pick of the Canucks, 10th overall, in the 2005 NHL draft.

He split time this season with the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. In 27 games with the Canucks, he scored twice but had no assists.

Bourdon was a member of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2006 world junior hockey championship in Vancouver and was named to the tournament all-star team.

He helped Canada win another gold at the 2007 tournament in Sweden.

Yet another reason to dislike, ok - despise, Phil. Really, I just don't know what it is about this guy that drives me mad; but images like this ain't helping. In the world of golf, word is that Tiger will be returning from knee surgery to play at the US Open. I don't like his chances. Early prediction - the every toothy horse face (S. Ames) takes his first major.

Couldn't Agree More:

Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage and German director Werner Herzog, reported to be planning a remake of Abel Ferrara's 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, should "die in hell," Ferrara said in Cannes.

"I wish those people would die in hell," he told reporters when asked what he thought of the remake plan.

"Nick Cage, Werner Herzog ... I hope they're in the same streetcar when it blows up."

Entertainment industry journal Variety reported last week that the film, which featured Harvey Keitel as the lead in the original, would star Cage and be directed by Herzog.

The original film saw critical acclaim for the electrifying performance of Keitel, a morally depraved New York police officer investigating the brutal rape of a nun.

Ferrara is at the Cannes film festival this week to present Chelsea on the Rocks, a documentary about New York's legendary Chelsea Hotel.

Sunday Afternoon

I so wanna make a Mr. Brown joke after watching this, but in good taste, I'll let y'all draw your own comparisons.

Note the lack of Canucks raising that beauty. A good, simple commercial from the NHL for once however...

X-Files - I want to believe Trailer

Right on, Billy Connely is in the new X Files flick! Still gotta see Indy, next week hopefully...

This is just too wierd:

Yet another severed foot has washed ashore in British Columbia.

RCMP in Richmond are investigating the discovery of a severed foot on uninhabited Kirkland Island in the Fraser River on Thursday.

This foot is the fourth in a string of mysterious feet that have washed ashore on B.C.'s beaches.

The first three washed up in the Gulf Islands. In August, two size 12 feet were discovered on Gabriola and Jedediah Islands, and a third foot was found in February on Valdez Island.

The first three were all right feet, and all were in sneakers.

Police have not revealed if this latest discovery was a right foot or a left foot, but police said it was in a shoe.

RCMP Cpl. Nycki Basra of Richmond said this is one of the strangest cases she has heard of.

"Well for us its our first time. In my 12 years of service this is the first time I've seen it," she said.

Police have yet to determine if this latest foot is connected to any of the other severed feet, but Basra said Richmond RCMP will look at the similar files as part of their investigation. Police are working to determine from whom, and from where, the foot came, Basra said. It could be the result of a suicide, an accident, or foul play.

Ok - Tim Burton is a genius. Johnny Depp is perhaps the best actor alive. This movie is wonderful to watch, but uhh - I wanted to turn the volume down. maybe you're a bigger person than I, but the musical genre doesn't do it for me. Except the Sound of Music of course - cuz it had a hot singling babe. This movie has Helena Bonam Carter, and she just scares me.

Blatantly stolen from the inter-web:


The new Indiana Jones movie opens on Thursday. Apparently, there’s a crystal skull involved. Granted, if it’s anywhere near as valuable as a crystal egg, we wonder why Indiana’s parents left him alone with it in the first place. Whatever. Here’s a Stanley Cup finals preview with a little help from Harrison Ford’s second-greatest character. (The greatest, of course, being the lawyer who got shot in the head and learned to love.)

Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

The Detroit Red Wings have 14 players who are 30 years of age or over. The Pittsburgh Penguins have seven, and only Sergei Gonchar, 34, is a big factor. If the Wings had played a bunch of long, gruelling series, their age might go against them. Instead, they’ve lost just four times in the postseason, so there’s been plenty of time to rest the old bones. Not to mention, the NHL gave both teams most of the month of May to prepare for each other.

Indiana: Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.

Everyone’s talking about the experience of Detroit’s forwards (like Kris Draper and Dallas Drake) and defencemen (like Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios) versus the Pens’ relatively unproven roster of skaters, but how about goalie Chris Osgood, 35, compared to 23-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury? The last young goalie to win it all was Carolina’s Cam Ward, who took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as a 22-year-old in 2006. Before then, it was Martin Brodeur as a 23-year-old in 1995. Fleury’s been outstanding so far, but the Stanley Cup finals are a whole new level of pressure.

Indiana: You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do.

It’s not just the Wings’ players who boast experience. Detroit coach Mike Babcock has been to the finals before, with Anaheim in 2003. The furthest Pens coach Michel Therrien has been prior to this season is the second round. Oh, and Babcock’s got Scotty Bowman on his side as a consultant. Thus, the God reference.

Indiana: Those aren't big birds, sweetheart! They're giant vampire bats!

Scary stuff. Almost as scary as the offensive firepower in this series. Somewhere, Hal Gill has been hyperventilating since Sunday. Pittsburgh and Detroit feature the top five scorers of this year’s playoffs: Henrik Zetterberg and Sidney Crosby both have 21 points while Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa and Evgeni Malkin each have 19.

Indiana: I'm allowing you to tag along. So why don't you give your mouth a rest. Okay, doll?

It’s an obscure quote from the Temple of Doom, but there isn’t any other way to broach the subject of Jarkko Ruutu, who leads Pittsburgh with 24 postseason PIM. After all, dumb penalties could be the death of whichever team takes them. Detroit’s power play is clicking at 21.3 percent in the playoffs, Pittsburgh’s 25.0

The Police - Message In A Bottle - Vancouver, May 28th

Oh the memories...thinking of ya Mr. Brown...

TBot's Employer's Vid:

If you look closely, you'll see Tony - I did!

Gordon Ramsay insults Chef

Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nighmares could be the greatest guilty pleasure in the history of guilty pleasures. Geo, start flaming me now - the rest of you lot - start watching!

Click on the image for an interesting read on Scarlett's take on Tom Waits.

5 > 3

I sorta liked this film. Actually, I think I really liked it, actually - I'm just not sure. It was kinda predictable (with a few goodies mixed here and there), and the performances were absolutely killer, but it was just so fucking dark. Some really nasty people doing some really nasty things. Most certainly not a feel good kinda flick, but well made and worth the rental price. Actually I wish I'd gotten to see Marisa (in all her splendor); insert Homer like donut drool here, on the big screen.
In other ramblings:

Pit/Det for the cup. Predict the kids in 7.

Thanks to my lovely lady for the blog's stylin' new look. I knew that monkey was the one the second I saw him.

Good luck to you know who.

Someone better keep up with you know who's bitter/funny comments. It's something I look forward to every boring ass day.

Check out the video of Amy Winehouse & Pete What's His Name on YouTube playing with mice in their drug induced haze. I've tried to blog up five different versions, but something odd is going on out there with the interweb police. Actually, it's probably more likely to be Ms. Winehouse's interweb solicitors that are hindering my efforts. Anyhow, she's one fucked up train wreck. Goul Pool anyone???

Another Reason the Doc doesn't 'do camping:'

"He's eating my gristle and he's gnawing on my head. I was saying, 'He's eating my brains. I can feel it.' I know it's happening and I said, 'God! I hope it gets over soon'" he said.

"I said, 'I'm too young to die. I don't want to die,' and then he stopped."

The bear suddenly seemed to have enough and pushed him into the mud, still grunting and snorting, Case said.

See Geo's blog link for more....

Oops

Trever Finch still managed to hit the green on this shot, and would go on to win the '08 Irish Open.

Alrighty, I'm out of hospital and alive...alive dammit - alive! Not a cadaver, as pictured above. Though I may in fact owe thanks to cadavers/organ donors. More on that to follow. And no, smart asses - it has nothing to do with my lovely liver! Love to head off the jokes! I'm just glad Jon and Dee were there to witness what I otherwise might have forgotten/dismissed as a morphine induced dream. It seems the bone graft I was scheduled to receive came not from me, but from, uh - someone else. I was a bit confused that the nurses on my ward had me on record as having recieved a bone graft, yet I had no tell tale wounds on my hip where they would have harvested the bone matter from. 25 hrs later, I saw my surgeon and inquired as to why he hadn't gone ahead with the scheduled bone graft. He told me he had. The surgeons apparently have, at their disposal, carefully screened bone matter that's (as far as I could tell) has been harvested from dead folk and mixed with lovely nutrients and the like. Uh - I'm still a little freaked out about this, and not really sure I should even post it. It all seems so odd - I have little bits of someone else in me, knitting in my shin as we speak. Jehovah is gonna be some pissed....

Hey kids! I'm heading into the lovely above pictured l'hopital for a few nights. Surgery (#5) is schedule for noonish tomorrow. Another bone graft, and some plastic surgery on the leg; hopefully be home for the weekend. I'll be sure and post something while completely stoned out of my gourd! Prepare for gore pics Mr. Brown, we all know how sensitive you are!

Marty Turco (apres Lou) is the Secong Goalie I'd Build a Club Around...

To be fair, I should include Marty as well. Any club would covet this man - he's a third deference man , cooler than Freon (hope that's the AC gas - because it's super cool!) and is undoubtedly in the top five goaltenders globally. He stops almost everything, and has the composure yu look for in a head case (aka - goalie). Expect he and Luongo to represent Canada in 2010. That's assuming someone has the stones to tell Marty that his services are no longer needed....

I meant to post this earlier, after watching the goal tending duo that gave us a show unlike plenty of others. The Stars/Sharks went to a fourth OT in a game that beautifully displayed a goal tending brawl unlike any seen since my days in 100 Mile circa 1986. Seriously, I often faced 100 shots in 60 min! And if I let in ten I got bawled out. Don't believe me? Ask Ben - he's comp. friendly now (blf@yahoo.com), send him an email and get the education rolling. Back to hockey, LOL! Regardless, Turco/Nabakov was a display worthy of the ages, and I find myself (strangely enough) actually giving a shit about the sport this year. That's undoubtedly due to the fact I'm bored senseless! Once the Nucks are out, I generally don't give a rats' ass til the finals; yet this year is strangely different. And not different due to the quality of hockey, rather due to the outrageously boring quality of my spare time. I'd so rather forget the way my beloved Nucks have let me down (as has been the case WAY to often) and buckle down to the range and the course. This is the time of year I forget sticks and ice, and instead focus on yardage and icy beer! Not to be for a while, so therefore...alas, here's hoping Bobby Lou makes that save next year on the way to....something.

Ranting away on a late Thursday night:



I know it's late for predictions, but Detroit will make the Stars look silly. Four games, five tops.



Longer series here, Pens in six or seven. What's really funny is that I wrote Penis instead of Pens originally. I'm still laughing. Take that Sid!



Yeah, if I were Dion Phaneuf (The bastard!), he's one who would look great in a Nuck's uni. BTW, I'd rather hang on the beach with the lovely Ms. Cuthbert myself. Really kids - a tourney in Halifax or Hawaii with Eliza? No contest.

In other notes:

I lit my stove on fire tonight - twas cool.

Cheesecake isn't as difficult as folks might tell ya.

I've 'road raged' twice in the past week - not my usual thing. I might need help. Help burning Subaru's and minivans that is.

I'm awaiting the sunshine that's predicted to be rolling in. Eagerly. No, really - I'm bored and I want some sunshine on my back deck.

I'm gonna get butchered sometime next week. Prepare for gory pictures; I know Mr. Brown craves the gore...

Not a Huge Surprise Here Kids:

Work on a possible James Bond film theme has been abandoned because singer Amy Winehouse is not ready to make music, producer Mark Ronson has said.

The Brit award winner told Sky News that "unless by some miracle of science it gets recorded and someone sings a vocal," the song would not materialise.

Ronson added that their work on other new music had not been finished either.

Winehouse's spokesman said the decision was taken because she had "other ideas" about how the song should be developed.

'Own decisions'

"She has always made her own decisions about her music. Needless to say, this is part of the process between artist and producer and we're sure they will continue to make great music together," he added.

The pair had yet to be officially signed up to compose the theme for Quantum of Solace, while Ronson said in a recent interview that the singer had been approached to work on the project.

He added that a demo had been produced, which "sounds like a James Bond theme".

Ronson said that they were probably in competition with "loads more really famous people" to write the song, but hoped they would have a chance to write the next one if they were unsuccessful.

Winehouse, whose battle against drink and drug addiction has overshadowed her musical success, recently received a police caution for common assault after slapping a man.

Canadian Forces - Commercial's are Scary Good

Currently watching a hockey game, where I see versions of these ads over and over. I wonder how many of our youth get caught up in the wonderful production values that these ads contain, and adrenaline pumping, sign right up?

Well, well well. Pretty much everything below should be taken tongue in cheek:

Ray Liotta deserved and Oscar for this performance.

Ray Liotta, on the credit due from GoodFellas, shouldn't have to prance around in tighty whities.

The fat guy, who was Pussy from The Soprano's was typecast. His acting is stellar. Coupled with Andre Benjamin, they make up the best scheming pair since Newman and Redford in The Sting.

I'm switching to italics cuz they won't turn off. Deal with it:

The Freudian exploration between the ego and the id shouldn't be missed by any intro psych students. Really - it's facinating.

The doctors who Mr. Ritchie wisely ran 'eggheading' during the credits proves my point. I think.

The editing dept. are stellar - top of their game. A shot up right arm that is pointed out as useless by said editors really ought go on to reload a gun seconds later. I like that shit in movies, it's great knowing those involved are happy and well rested. It makes me smile.

Madonna was somehow involved in all of this - she had to have been.

Guy Ritchie really blows - his other films were terrible (remember the above warning), brutal pieces of shit. This is his Citizen Cain.

In keeping with Geo's Review Theory:

Revolver = Revolting

Loved it. Robert Downey Jr. is so superbly cast in this film, you almost wait for the whole deal to go wrong. It doesn't. It's great to see him back at it, what with all the naysayers we heard from early in the production of this film. In fact, all the cast pretty much rocked - they appeared pretty seamless together, which say a lot considering they all signed on prior to even reading a script. Oh, and to get the pervy comment out of the way, like I said to JFu, that Ms. Paltrow can put any lady to shame on a set of very high heels. Yummy. The film had a lot of comical moments. Not the least of which was the nerd who took the single seat beside me - figured I was his pal, and wanted to bombard me with banal comments throughout. I bludgeoned him with a crutch and stuffed his lifeless body into my extra large soda cup; and all was once again right with the world! Anyhoo, back to the film: here's a not so bad spoiler for those of you who are going this weekend...watch the credits...all of them. Over and out kids, enjoy.

Stole the following:

The key to Downey's mocking, crumpled charm is that no matter whom he's talking to, he's really just nattering to himself. When he climbs into his Iron Man machine suit, with its whirring, clicking limbs and plated chest, flamethrower arms, and mask of a medieval knight, he doesn't disappear behind the tin-can walls of that chunky, atomic-age jet-pack robot. He's still there, a deftly fragile motormouth — a damaged soul who needs armor to fully become himself.

Apparently I'm reading alot:

I enjoyed this one, courtesy of JFu. It follows a young gal receiving her Sushi training at a California school. A fun, easy ready - that tells the trainees stories and also mixes in a ton of useful info regarding sushi history and the biology of all those yummy goodies at the sushi bar.
A novel from the writer who brought us the very witty Juno. Her style is fun and refreshing, you can see where the wonderful dialog that made up Juno came from - I hope she continues with novels as well, as this book has me wanting more from this author.
I'm pretty sure you've all read this. If you haven't - you ought. I'm off to pick up another of his titles this afternoon. Not since 'Not Wanted on the Voyage' have I enjoyed a book involving the sea so much. I have that feeling I always get after finishing such a wonderful book; kinda ripped off, and mildly peeved that the journey is over.

John Daly Interview While Playing Golf -- No Shirt Or Shoes

John Daly is not a modest man. And he's not one for formalities on his own course. During an interview with a local Missouri TV station, Daly took to playing golf sans shoes and sans shirt. Click on the above video courtesy You Tube.

Not since Micheal Moore have I seen such a self absorbed, preachy and cocky documentary film maker as the director of this film; one Rob Stewart. That said, the film itself is hauntingly beautiful. I found myself wondering if I, seeing the things he did both below and above the surface, might not cry myself to sleep at both the horror and beauty of this place we call home? He started out making an underwater documentary on sharks in general, yet becomes involved with the Sea Shepard's Paul Watson and his fight against both long line 'harvesting' of the sea and the 'finning' of sharks. If we can believe what this film tells us, we are a dangerous species, and the East's craving for posh soups/cartilage tablets will surely endanger a premier predator that's been swimming around for 400 million years. Watch Sharkwater. You might be convinced by the arguments for the cause too. If not, it's still an educational trip, with a stark warning not to tamper with the natural order of Mother Nature. We're some scary hairless apes folks.

On another note:

Don Cherry is really starting to piss me off. Why does 'Coach's Corner' devote a full minute to pics of the moron back in the seventies, where he discusses the suits he had then? Aren't teams battling it out for the Cup right now? I mean really - go away, you crazy fuck - you did jack all apart from winning one coach of the year award while ya hod Orr!

'War of the Worlds' meets 'The Blair Witch Project.' Only better than both combined. 'Cloverfield' was imaginative, bold and new and very exciting. It's a well edidited film that keep the maham short and scary. Check this one out kids, great stuff.

Karma:



New York Rangers forward Sean Avery has been hospitalized after suffering a lacerated spleen during a playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In a statement Wednesday, the team said the noted agitator was taken to St. Vincent's hospital after New York's 5-3 loss Tuesday night and was admitted following a CT scan.

Avery will be sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Rangers said in a statement, but is expected to make a full recovery.


After the shit this punk has pulled, primarily on M. Brodeur, G. Laroque et all - last nights injury just seem so appropriate.

Vancouver’s Stanley Cup Jersey


The Vancouver Millionaires won the Stanley Cup in 1915, but there are few tangible keepsakes to remember them by—until now. From John Mackie at the Vancouver Sun:

No Millionaires sweaters from 1915 are known to have survived. Cyclone’s mannequin is actually wearing an old Ottawa Senators sweater—the team the Millionaires beat to win the Stanley Cup.

This has bothered local hard-rock singer Thor for years. Thor is such a hard-core Millionaires fan, he copyrighted the name a few years ago and has been reproducing Millionaires merchandise.

Now he has produced a replica of the 1915 Millionaires sweater, which he will present to the BC Sports Hall of Fame May 1, so that the Cyclone can be shown in the proper duds.

When he says a replica, he means it. The sweater is made from wool, just like in the old days, and has the 1915 “V” logo, which Thor’s wife Kathryn painstakingly studied and reproduced from old photos.

Hmm - Canucks are out, but my hometown Stars won at least:


Sports fans in Dundee have been celebrating after their local side took home the Scottish Ice Hockey Cup.

Part-time team Dundee Stars made it to the final of the competition where they played Solway Stars from Dumfries.

The final was held at the Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy and was attended by hundreds of ice hockey fans who travelled from both towns.

Dundee were the favourites and eventually took the title after beating their opponents 7 - 4.

The winning team included a motorcycle mechanic, electrician, salesman and even a caravan site owner.

Each side is allowed to have up to 22 players but only six are allowed on the ice at a time.

Both clubs had been expecting a higher attendance at the game.

They put the poor showing down to the fuel strike.

Despite the low attendance, officials have insisted that the sport is increasing in popularity.

Charlie Ward, of the Scottish Ice Hockey League, told the BBC Scotland news website: "We had a lean spell in Scotland in particular after the demise of the British National League three seasons ago but this season the crowds are starting to come back again.

"Clearly they are seeing that we're trying to improve the sport in this area."

Among the travelling supporters was 80-year-old Beatrice Robinson from Dundee.

She goes to every game the team play and has been supporting them from almost 10 years.

Mrs Robinson said: "You get hooked on it so you've got to support the club.

"It gets your adrenaline going."

I know this is wrong, but:

OK - I've recently been emailed this, and have pondered posting it in the past. Now, I know the Nazis are bad, and I'm aware Hitler was the super villain of recent memory, and the Richter oven joke is clearly in bad taste; but man oh man - some clever scripting here. Let the razzing begin...

VANCOUVER - Player agent Mike Gillis is expected to be announced Wednesday as the new general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini would neither confirm nor deny the hiring.

"I don't have any comment," Aquilini said late this afternoon.

Gillis, 49, is a former NHL player with the Boston Bruins and former Colorado Rockies. He has never worked in management but has represented players since 1991.

His first client was former Canuck Geoff Courtnall and he currently represents Canuck captain Markus Naslund. He also represented Pavel Bure.

"I think he'd be phenomenal," Courtnall said today. "He's a really smart guy."

Gillis is a native of Sudbury, Ont., He has two children and moved to Vancouver last summer to accommodate his daughter's field hockey career.

Aquilini fired Dave Nonis on April 14 after the Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. Former Dallas Stars GM Doug Armstrong and ex-player agent Brian Lawton were also in the running.

Related links:

Tim Meadows Marijuana Warning For Mr. Brown:

Well, well - what a day it's been already. Dentist in the am for a 'night guard.' Apparently I'm grinding my teeth in my sleep. Since the accident, they feel smaller; so perhaps I'm reliving my shattered leg fiasco in my sleep. Or perhaps I'm dreaming of beer can chicken. Who the hell know? Then off to the butcher for dindins tonight and yummy bacon for Sun's brunch with the family. Mmmm - DRo waffles rock! Then off to Art Knapps for some seeds and a lovely Bay Leaf bush. I first saw one at a friends Mom's place and fell in love with the idea of owning one. Dried Bay leafs for everyone's Xmas pressie - be warned! Then the real excitement. There was a heavy fuzz presence on the bridge today. Tuned into the 'Not so Mighty NL' to find out there was a body in the Thompson River. Drove by, morbid and bored as I am. Saw the floater some 60 ft. away in the water. At least I think it was a body....an interesting day to say the least.

Nonis is gone - wonder if the firing was anything like this....

I AM LEGEND alternate ending

Well, well well. Finally got to watch I am Legend last night and absolutely loved it until the final five minutes. SPOILER ALERT - the link above is how the film was originally slated to end. There's a lot of info regarding the networks decision to go with the crappy ending out there on the interweb. Surf away kids. This was a really fun film, recommend it highly. If you can get it with the alternate ending, even better.

More Swedes:



It appears the Vancouver Canucks are the winners of the Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes.

No fewer than 20 NHL teams expressed interest in the 23-year-old Swedish winger, who went undrafted and played the past season in the Swedish Elite League with Farjestad.

As reported on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, Brunnstrom had a short list of five or six and further reduced that to one: the Canucks, whose general manager, Dave Nonis, did a good job of selling the youngster on the team and the city.

Now the Canucks have to finalize contract details with agent J.P. Barry over the next week.

Among the finalists for his services were the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks. The opportunity to be a top-six forward in Vancouver and potentially play with the Sedin twins is believed to have help with his decision.

Brunnstrom is a speedy and skilled winger, who is now 23, and a classic late bloomer.

Note: I was going to blog about the RCMP constable who, posing in red serge, hit up a bunch of websites trolling for a trans gendered Thai 'Lady-Boy.' While on duty of course. It just seems these guys are taking media hit after hit. What will the brass do to bring the respect back to this once proud organization?

Wow - the Habs were barely tested by the Bruins club that was bragging about how hard they were going to come out hitting tonight. This was a super match to watch, and I'm hoping the boys in red go far. Tomorrow night will bring the Pens again and the debut of Ovetchkin to the dance. I usually ignore hockey after the Nucks shit the bed, but this year I'm watching as much as I can - and coming to the conclusion that Vancouver looked really, really bad down the stretch. Malkin would be worth 7 mil. if you could pry him out of Penguin town though....

Masters Theme - Augusta - Dave Loggins

I spent the day watching golf, because as you all know, I have fuck all else to do. The course was looking great, and there are a load of the up and coming young studs atop the leader board. That said, every time they went to the scoreboard/commercial - they play this song. And it makes me nuts! Televised golf does itself few favors in general, but this relate of Kenny Loggins truly shows why the game's PR needs an overhaul. It's known as an old mans game, and music that puts you to sleep on the couch (or makes you a raving lunatic), isn't doing much to quell that stereotype. You'll all be happy to know however, that everyone in the top twenty actually resembles and athlete! These guys are getting bigger and stronger, even Phil (Man Tits) Mickelson. He's slimmed down in the off season and built up some major arms. But he will forever be Man Tits to me. When he walked by us at the Presidents Cup, them babies were jiggling...

Not quite sure what to make of my latest film viewing. 'The Mist' had a poor start, with some questionable adaptation from novella to script. It was, well - hokey I suppose. Once they got into the supermarket, I really liked it. It ended in different fashion than did the story I'm told, and had an ending that really wasn't very satisfying. There was a 'Reindeer Game' scream at on point, that was absolutely fucking hilarious. I'm unaware of how much King was involved with the production, but I do know that the director was also involved with 'Shawshank' and the 'The Green Mile' - two far superior films. It jumps between horror/suspense and a human morality play, which was an interesting take, and some of the effects in this film are stunning. The best performance was by far Marcia Gay Harden's. She really made you hate her, which is never a bad thing for an actor. She played her role to a tee. I was unusually disappointed with André Braugher, which upset me some. All in all - it's worth watching, but I'm looking forward to tracking down a copy of Skeleton Crew and reading it for real.

Seeing Alex the other night had me thinking about the digitized versions of the B/W film I shot while he graciously played my host and showed me about France and the Netherlands. I found em and finally got them added to my IPhoto library, which really has me thinking I ought back the music/film on this machine up. If it ever crashes, I'm positively hooped! Thought I'd post this one for posterity. What a couple of studly lads!

A little email image I received this morning from Jon's Mom - rather cute, no? Thanks Allison, now if only it enabled me to leap tall buildings in a single bound...

If there is anything that this horrible tragedy can teach us, it's that a male model's life is a precious, precious commodity. Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features, it doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.

There was a moment last night, when she was sandwiched between the two Finnish dwarves and the Maori tribesmen, where I thought, "Wow, I could really spend the rest of my life with this woman".


Really, with quotes like theses - how could I not have seen this movie before. Laugh out loud funny - I accept my mistake here kids. I was incorrect in dissing this show before actually watching it.

Well, I liked this one - very interesting film that follows a number of characters on the day Kennedy is killed. It flies back and forth between the different folk in a very funky way, and the cast is absolutely killer. Worth a view in my humble opinion. Tonight is apparently Zoolander night...to be followed tomorrow by 'I am Legend' and maybe 'The Mist'. More rants to surely follow. Oh yes, The Master's are ahead of us this weekend. Expect a few man-tits jokes as well...

You may own the night, but you only made me sleepy. Wow, is this some kind of crap. You know the kind I'm talking about? Dog crap. Perhaps it's runny, perhaps it's been in the sun way too long, perhaps it's crawling with flies. Perhaps you stood in it. I know that's how I felt for 110 minutes - like I'd stood in it. That's the kind of crap this movie is. I want my money back, or to at least be able to throw the disk at anyone involved in this pile. Overacted to the extent of hilarity. Choppy, obvious, and apparently given up on by all those involved. That said, Geo - I think you'll like it. If I hate it this much - it's gotta be your kind of flick!

Rough night. Thanks for everything Trev., I must note that Jarome Igininla waiting at center ice to lead his team in shaking the hand of one of the finest Canucks ever was a moving moment. Perhaps the classiest moment I've seen in almost 30 years of watching this fine game. Captain Canuck, aka Linden, seemingly handled the moment well, though I'll admit to adding a bit of volume to my pail...Here's how a real writer summed it all up:

With the Canucks season already over after Thursday’s lack of finish on a plethora of scoring chances in a 2-1 loss to the Oilers, there’s definitely not a lot to look forward to in tonight’s season ending game against the Flames.

If the Canucks had won that game instead of making Dwayne Roloson look all-world, game #82 would have been another classic in the rivalry with a playoff position on the line for both teams. Instead, the annual Fan Appreciation night will be nothing but a formality to close out one of the most disappointing seasons in the Canuck’s oh-so-disappointing history.

All that’s really on the line in tonight’s game is playoff and draft seeding. The Flames can finish as high as 6th ensuring a first round match up with Minnesota while the Canucks could finish as low as 20th overall which, if they were to somehow win the Draft Lottery, would give them the 7th overall pick in this year’s extremely deep draft.

Really, the only thing to look forward to is that tonight’s game will more than likely be the last for two of this city’s sporting icons in Trevor Linden and Marcus Naslund. A cynic would say that is definitely something to look forward to as it has been too long as it is, but regardless of how you feel about this team, if you are truly a Vancouver Canuck hockey fan you have to feel at least a little bit of remorse in seeing the end of an era right before your eyes.

Linden and Naslund have served as Captains of this team for a combined 15 years which is 40% of the time that this team has been in this league. They are #1 and #2 in all time team scoring and have given fans in this city many memories while being nothing but upstanding citizens of the community.

Linden will be dressing in his team record 1140th game as Canuck and will be trying to add to his 733 points wearing the Canuck jersey. The most revered Captain in team history is closing out his 20th season in the league and his 2 goal performance against Calgary last Sunday left him in the top 100 scorers in league history. His team goals and points records were surpassed this year by Naslund, but #16 will retire with the most assists as his own at 415 and counting.

Linden has always come through when his team needed him most and this season has been no different as his 5 goals in the Shootout, will attest. He led the team in playoff scoring last year with limited minutes and has scored more points in Game 7’s than almost every player who has ever played the game. In ’94 he scored two goals in game 7 against the Rangers and recorded 25 points in 24 games in that historical post-season run.

Linden has always been the consummate professional and this season has perhaps been his most trying after being a healthy scratch for 23 games, but he has never wavered from his team-first attitude. Even going into tonight’s game which is almost certain be his last ever, he will not allow himself to be put before the rest of his team by letting everyone know that he will be retiring. He apparently has made the decision, but does not want to tonight to be about him and him only.

Naslund, the longest serving Captain in team history, holds the records for most goals and points at 346 and 756 respectively. The last two years, as disappointing as they may have been, added to his goal scoring records with 9 consecutive 20-goal seasons and 11 hat-tricks as a Canuck (tied with Toni Tanti). Leading the team in scoring for 7 straight years and being the team’s MVP 5 times are also both team records. He is the only Canuck to win the Pearson Award as the Leagues best player (voted by the players) in 2003 when he also came second in balloting for the Hart Trophy as the League’s MVP.

Naslund was the cornerstone of this Franchise for many years and was an integral part of allowing us to witness some of the most exciting hockey we have ever seen. Along with Brendan Morrison and Todd Bertuzzi he formed the “West Coast Express” line which was arguably the very best trio in the league for a couple of seasons. When Naslund was at his peak there were very few better offensively, and other than Pavel Bure, there’s no one else in the team’s history that we can say that about.

Like Linden, Naslund will also not comment publicly as to what his future may hold and whether he even wants to come back and play here. The simple fact that there have been no talks to date would seem to mean that the team will be looking to go in a new direction. That does not mean that he can’t come back next year, but the likelihood of re-signing him, even at a discounted rate, does not look very promising.

Honourable mention should also be given to Morrison in this piece as, even though he won’t be suiting up in tonight’s game; it too could also be his last as a Vancouver Canuck. My gut tells me the home-town boy will be back next year to try and resurrect his career that has been devastated by serious injuries the last 3 years, but regardless, he is part of team that we will never see again.

So Canuck fans, in this deepest hour of despair that we currently find ourselves in after missing the playoffs for the second time in the last three years, tonight we can honour the passing of an era and two of the most celebrated players in the team’s history. I for one, am looking forward to it and am sure there will be a few tears in my eyes as I salute these two great players at GM Place tonight.

Thanks for the memories Trevor and Markus!
.

Song list for the Bosses concert:
I'm currently listening to it all, and loving it all over again..

March 31, 2008
Vancouver, British Columbia
GM Place

Atlantic City Tour Premiere
Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Trapped
Reason To Believe
Because The Night
She's The One
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
Waitin' On A Sunny Day
None But The Brave Tour Premiere
The River
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk
Badlands

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Rosalita
Born To Run
Dancing In The Dark
American Land

This is a pail, a bucket, a holder of sorts for fluids.

I will now begin to fill it with tears.

I will be even grumpier than normal for the next few days.

Let the dismantling begin...

If ever there was something known as 'crunch time' this is it. Luongo has been technically off a bit the last 6-8 games, but I have a hunch to share with you all. I expect to get get flamed before the game even begins, but could care less! That said, here it is: Luongo will shut out the Edmonton Oilers tonight. Not a goal allowed. He's a fierce competitor, and I suspect he'll take the team on his shoulders tonight to give them a chance...I can only hope so anyway. Good luck lads, and here's hoping the Oilers (mathematically eliminated last evening) went out and good and pissed up...

Interesting read: More shame on the once proud Mounties. This sounds so 'Josh!' Josh is the copper I blogged about a while back who pulled Erin over and proceeded to hit on her and ask her out. He also ran into her at the Springsteen concert, grabbed her by the neck, spun her around and proceeded to hit on her there again. Showing himself to be that moronic, I read this article and just thought Josh! I supposed the alleged car thieves will be happy folks, and I can think of a defense attorney or two who might smile a bit having done their jobs very well.





Evidence in a multi-million dollar trial into a nationwide car theft ring may have been tampered with during a computer security breach, RCMP in Kamloops, B.C., admitted Wednesday.

RCMP had isolated six computers which were dedicated to processing evidence in the case against four Kamloops men who have been charged in connection with the ring, an RCMP spokesperson told CBC News.

An RCMP officer connected the computers to the internet and then used them to download software programs, videos and music files. The officer also accessed chat lines and a dating service.

Subsequently, the computers were infected with at least four viruses over a 20-month period, the RCMP spokesperson said.

One of the viruses caused one of the computers to become part of a Zombie Network, an intrusive web-based proxy network, and sent out thousands of spam messages to other computers.

The viruses also opened a "backdoor" allowing the computer to be controlled by an outside person, including giving them the ability to view, copy, delete or alter any file on the infected machine.

RCMP computer specialists said it's unlikely the files containing evidence in the auto theft ring investigation were altered, but there's no guarantee the evidence was not compromised, the RCMP spokesperson said.

It's not known if the RCMP officer who connected the computers to the internet has faced any disciplinary action.

Not good - I knew when Nashville came back from a 3-0 drilling to defeat the Blues, that the stars were not aligned for the Nucks tonight! They too, took a two nil lead, and promptly shit the bed, allowing the Avalanche to come back and win the game. They also managed to lose another player to injury it appears. They had not so stellar goal tending, the D looks beat down to China Town, and I suspect the chins are hanging a bit low in the dressing room. I won't rule anything out, but limping into the playoffs (not likely) isn't like coming in on a streak.....assuming they don't make it - the fallout is going to be an interesting trainwreck to watch.

Don't Stand So Close to Me

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Bell-bottom Blues

The Thin Red Line (LOL)

Sting and Co., Queen Elton, God Eric, and sweet sweet Glass Tiger - stand aside!

There's a new concert to supersede all. I've seen a few, and they all mean something different to me. I suspected that that the Police would never be surpassed musically to me individually, but they were last night. For years and years, I've heard that Springsteen gigs are truly different. Heart pounding rock and roll. Having been there for the 2 hrs 40 min gig last night proved those stories to be undeniably true. He was, to understate things, the most compelling entertainer I've had the privilege of seeing. The way he and the E Street band captivated myself and the legions of fans was a sight to behold. The sound was the best I've heard in GM Place, and apart from a few bits of nonsense regarding seating and access to said seats, this twas an awful lot of fun. I'll see Springsteen anytime I ever get the opportunity again. I'm no concert reviewer, and am far to tired to attempt articulation. I'll only say that this was the most fantastic show I've ever seen, I enjoyed it (as well as the company of my pals) muchly, and highly recommend that if you're give the opportunity - you go! You will not forget it anytime soon. Thanks for getting the tix, and muchos gracious for the accommodations Doc. Appreciated once again, and as usual! Here's a review with some footage. Go pasting and linking kids!

http://www.straight.com/article-139139/bruce-springsteen-rocks-vancouver-with-born-usa-obscure-outtake

For the Doc:

Taxi passengers have the right to:

* Be picked up and transported to their stated destination by any available on duty taxi driver
* Pay the posted rate by cash, or accepted credit card or TaxiSaver voucher
* A courteous driver who provides assistance, if requested
* Travel with an assistance dog or portable mobility aid
* A taxi that is clean, smoke free and in good repair
* Direct the route, or expect the most economical route
* A quiet atmosphere, upon request
* A detailed receipt, when requested



Taxi drivers must obey all laws and have the right to refuse to transport a passenger:

* To avoid contravening a law or condition of licence
* To protect the driver’s, or any passenger’s, health or safety
* If the passenger is acting in an offensive manner
* If the passenger refuses to provide a deposit, if requested