MARCH of the PENGUINS(C. Smith, JR)

Let me get this straight. Mario Lemieux is returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a player this season. These same Penguins also hit the proverbial Jackpot in winning the lottery and selecting Sidney Crosby...the can't - miss kid. Scary enough to think of Lemieux on the same sheet of Ice with a young player who's been compared to Wayne Gretzky....by Wayne Gretzky. The Penguins then signed a great puck-moving defenseman in Sergei Gonchar; followed by the signing of an under-rated offensive force from Slovakia by the name of Ziggy Palffy not to mention the return of ageless winger Mark Recchi. Being on the west coast, I'd had visions of watching Ziggy P. on a line with Pavol Demitra and Alexander Frolov while skating with the Los Angeles Kings, but seldom do I get what I want.
In sizing up the balance of power in the Eastern Conference, the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning will still be tough, but have lost the man between the pipes - goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin who took the money and ran to Chicago. The Philadelphia Flyers who were felled by the Lightning in seven games in the Eastern conference finals in 2004 have also revamped. Gone are star forwards Tony Amonte, John Leclair, Alexei Zhamnov, Jeremy Roenick and Mark Recchi. Superstar forward Peter Forsberg is headed to Philly, but we'll have to wait and see how he adapts after having played so many years in the free-flowing offensively minded system of the Colorado Avalanche. Despite the NHL's rule changes to add more flow and speed to the game, Philly has also chosen to go with big not-quite-so-mobile defensemen Derian Hatcher, Mike Rathje and Chris Therien to anchor the blue line in a game that seems to be changing to favor quicker players......hmmm...again, we'll just have to wait and see, It does appear as though smooth skating defensemen Eric Desjardins, Kim Jonsson and Joni Pitkanen will return to the Flyers.
The Penguins indeed seem ready to seize the moment in the wide open Eastern conference. The NHL seems to be committed to creating a more free-flowing game, that said, you can just imagine how many odd-man rushes Pittsburghers can expect, not to mention how many extra points they'll pick up during shoot-outs. It's gotta be more than just coincidence the movie "March of the Peguins" recently opened. Just imagine a Power Play with Lemieux, Crosby, Palffy and Recchi along with Gonchar quarterbacking from the blue line....to quote the great Penguins' announcer Mike Lange, "Well scratch my back with a hacksaw"...... See ya'

Marching On...(C.Smith, JR)

News Flash - The Pittsburgh Penguins have today ( August 15th ) inked high-scoring left wing John Leclair, a five time All-star whose contract had been bought out by his old team, the Philadelphia Flyers a team for which he had played the last 10 seasons.
Last season , Leclair was his teams third leading scorer with 23 goals and 32 assists while playing on the Flyers' top line which also featured right wing Mark Recchi ( also now a Penguin and Philly's leading scorer last season with 26 goals and 49 assists ) and center Keith Primeau. Hey, the Penguins got two outta three, which ain't bad. Oh, did I mention Jocelyn Thibault will be between the pipes (in goal) ? If I dare quote Penguins announcer Mike Lange just one more time, " Get in the fast lane Granny - the bingo game has started". The Penguins are indeed marching on.......

MLB Issues ( C.Smith, JR )

So, let me get this straight. Texas Rangers' Pitcher Kenny Rogers actually had his 20 game suspension reduced to 13 games after arbitration (Rogers had been caught on tape actually pushing and shoving cameramen during pre-game warm up)...He did of course have the full support of MLB Players Union Chief Donald Fehr. Rafael Palmeiro who swore before Congress that he had never ever used steroids gets busted for using steroids just a few months later....He also has the full support of Union Chief Donald Fehr. Enough already ! I do understand the Union is supposed to do what is in the best interest of the players, but at what point do these players have to stand up and be held accountable for their own actions ? These are after all grown men. Doesn't Fehr understand what it is to be an enabler ? He too is a grown man. The more freedom, the more responsibility, yep gotta take the bitter with the sweet. The Players also have a responsibility as role models. Yes, they do. It goes with the territory. The only reason Players are paid so much is because of television and advertising, which translates into millions of people watching them, which means kids (and adults) having posters on their walls and going to the stadiums etc..If the Players don't like the responsibility of being role models, perhaps they should just go out and get regular 9 to 5 jobs(with only three weeks vacation every year, not 4 months) and try living on $30K to $50K per year like most Americans, in which case they would have their privacy and would not be idolized by anyone except possibly their family and friends. Let me stay the path here, these players do know right from wrong and should remember the old saying " Don't do the crime if you can't do the time". At a certain point, one could draw a parallel between Donald Fehr and an attorney for the mob; not that all MLB Players are corrupt, but it appears as though Fehr and a mob attorney operate on the same principles. The true spirit of a Union is to insure fair treatment, salaries and acceptable working conditions, not making excuses for truly unacceptable behavior. Fehr has also fought MLB on the issue of steroid testing and punishment resulting from the use of steroids. My question is quite simply, why ? What motivation could Fehr possibly have in defending a player caught using steroids ? Do the players really believe that steroid use is in their best interest ? Well...... I mean in the long run. Bottom line; these players need to start accepting responsibilty for their actions, and show the integrity and character of grown men rather than spoiled children when facing adversity.....Enough with all the codependent nonsense. See ya'.

Aundray's AFC North Preview

Let me start off my 2005-2006 NFL preview with the AFC North.
Pittsburgh may still be the team to beat,but one must wonder if QB Big Ben Roethlisberger will have the same phenomenal season as last. Just a hint - defensive coordinators tend to figure out your tendences after reviewing a years worth of film, this has resulted in many a Sophmore jinx. Running back Duce Staley's physical health is still in question, so an aging Jerome Bettis will be forced to carry the load,who knows if he is up to it. It will be up to wideouts Hines Ward and Antwan Randle-El to carry more of the load and make key plays downfield as teams will try to stack the line and force the Steelers to throw the ball. The Steelers will also sorely miss speedy wideout Plexico Burress who joined the New York Giants in the off season. All in all this team will finish second but should secure a wild card playoff spot.
The Baltimore Ravens are my pick to win this division and here is why. Wideout Derrick Mason and rookie wideout Mark Clayton (from Oklahoma) should help out QB Kyle Boller, not to mention Jamal Lewis at running back with his legal problems behind him hopefully,this team can both grind you down with the running game and keep you honest with the threat of play-action. Let's also not forget all - everything TE Todd Heap who is now completely healthy. Defense wins championships. That said, this team is changing to a 46 defense, which will leave all-pro linebacker Ray Lewis running free to blow people up. All-Pro cornerback Chris McAllister and All-Pro safety Ed Reed along with future hall of famer Deion Sanders will anchor the defensive backfield. If the offense can average 75 more yards per game than last season, these boys will be really tough to handle.
The Cincinnati Bengals could very well battle the Steelers for the wild card spot. QB Carson Palmer now has an array of weapons at his disposal. WR Chad Johnson is a big time player as well as often injured WR Peter Warrick and rising star WR T.J Houshmandzadeh, however, this trio is young and prone to mistakes. RB Rudy Johnson is a all pro in the making ,power and speed make him a real load to deal with, but it comes down to defense. This Bengal defense must learn to stop the run and hold teams to at least 50 fewer rushing yards per game if this team is to seriously challenge for a playoff berth.
I will not waste your time with eternally rebuilding Cleveland Browns.
Next week it is the AFC South. Drayday66 out.

A Few Words About T.O.(C. Smith,JR)

Terrell Owens....does the world really revolve around him ? Does he truly expect any of us to believe he signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles last season which somehow paid him less than he is "worth" ? How is it even possible a loud mouth like T.O. (who openly claims to be the best thing since sliced bread any chance he gets) could have signed for less than his fair market value ? He claims he has to "feed" his family. My question is simply, "what does his family eat that won't be covered just by the $7 million signing bonus he received from Philly last season ? His signing bonus alone was more money than 90% of all Americans will earn over a lifetime ( for those of you who like numbers, one needs to earn $100 K per year for 70 years just to make $7 million - who knows what it would take to actually have $7 million in the bank at any given time ). Now back to the issue at hand, indeed one could argue T.O. did turn out to be the missing piece to the Philly Super Bowl puzzle, but then again, he always implied he was, and that's why the Eagles signed him, but now he claims to have sold himself short.
T.O. has now been suspended until August 17th for arguing with Head Coach Andy Reid, apparently in regards to an autograph session which T.O. did not want to attend. Hmmm...the last time I checked, the Fans were the ones footing the bill. Bottom line - The Eagles cannot allow an entire team to be held hostage by someone acting like a self deluded ego-maniac. Besides, there are just way too many good wide receivers in the league right now. It's time for the Eagles to just say "Hey, thanks for helping us get to that Super Bowl, you played hard and you're one of the best receivers in the game....put it on your resume". See ya'.