dlbalr

Ah, that truly was a beauty goal, and from a Barrie Colt to boot (my favourite OHL team). What's interesting here is that Hisey is now a free agent after San Jose let him walk, despite averaging at least 85 points per season in the last 3 years. If Canadians want to see the goal again, The_Score has the goal in their plays of the week.

With the NCAA Tourney almost upon us, it's time to fill your brackets. This year, we're starting a pool, just for fun. League ID: 94258, Password: treyzos http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/...men/group/94258 One note: All picks must be submitted by March 17th at 12:15 PM EST, but there aren't any picks after that either.

I agree it'd be good to push the draft back, even to that weekend. That'd give us another week to maybe find some people, 4 shouldn't be too hard. If you want, I (or maybe sakiqc too?) could talk to some of the guys who usually play in the hockey pool, I know a couple follow baseball, but it's your pool, so I'll hold off on it for now.

I agree that Magloire is one of the better centres in the league, but not #2 behind Yao. There's Shaq, Brad Miller, Amare Stoudamire (a PF playing at C now), Big Ben Wallace, and Ilgauskas who are the elite (plus Mags of course), not to mention guys like Camby, Curry, and Dampier, and guys like Duncan and Nowitski who also see time at C as well. But your point's well taken nonetheless, particularly with the young aspect. As for that alleged 2 for 1, it doesn't work salary wise. Mashburn and Magloire make upwards of 20 mil, while VC's on the hook for 13 this season, all deals must be within 15%. So who else had to be thrown in? There aren't too many guys on Toronto that fit in that 5-7 million bracket (Alston, Marshall, Murray, and Peterson), and only Marshall could be moved (Alston-no good with Baron Davis there at the time, Murray-who wants him, Peterson-couldn't be dealt to NO until July 31/05 after signing an offer sheet there but then was matched...hey, that wasn't a bad move after all by Babs! Wow) In regards to the alleged Seattle offer, it wouldn't have done much good for the Raps IMO. Daniels is decent, but he's backing up Luke Ridnour, who certainly isn't hall-of-fame material, in fact, barely starting material. Moving down 4 spots isn't bad, but let's assume Toronto was picking a C for sure, and Hoffa was off the table. Then, the next best option is Andris Biedrins, who went to Golden State, and has produced less than Araujo. If they had done this deal (if it was offered), it also means they wouldn't have Rafer, I'll leave that to you if it's good or bad. As for Matt Carroll, as soon as I saw his name go by, the first person I thought of was Fanpuck and how he was pushing for him to get a shot.

The Knicks wanted 1st round picks, they got 2 for Nazr. Donyell is not as good as 2 firsts, and an overpaid PF when your owner has a bottomless pocket. Besides, Nazr's hurt, and seeing very limited minutes, how effective could he have been in Toronto now? If Ratliff would've hit the free agent market, I'd agree with you, but he didn't. He signed a multi-year extension worth 9-11 mil per season back in Atlanta last season. Truth is, there weren't many good free agent centres on the market. I agree, the Knicks would've caved, but not for that much. Crawford, Mohammed and KT (there's 2 Thomas's on the team) would've been too much for Carter based on his play at the time. And, suppose they would've caved, even for that deal. It wouldn't have been right away (say 6 more weeks), and by then, the Raps are 15 below .500 (they are right around .500 since the trade, well below before). I agree with most of that, there is a fair bit of talent on the squad, but who'd trade a marquee scorer and a good defensive player for a 15 PPG player who's whining and moaning, AND, has 4 more years left on his deal after this one, at 13+ mil per season (and rising)? No one, and Carter's play wouldn't have risen to the level it's at today. Babcock wants to build this team around CB4, trading VC went a long way to do that. However, his legacy on this team depends on who the Raps get out of these 2 picks, 1 this year, 1 next. If either of those guys turns into a legit player who can put up decent numbers (12-16 PPG), the trade will work out, as now the Raps have the bling bling to re-sign Bosh in 2 years.

The Gazette was right, as both Sejour and Gibson signed today. The Gazette was right? I'm speechless. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story.asp?id=117468

I joined, so that makes...2. C'mon, I know there's some ball fans out there. And then there's those who just want to join a pool. It'll give us something to do during the summer. Here's the link for the league by the way. http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1/177298

I know, I don't know what to say, this is simply amazing. Perhaps Komisarek's return woke him up? I never thought I'd have to say this, but I may have to name Hainsey the Player of the Week, partly because the other candidates are always options weekly (Pleks, Higgins, Miettinen). Still out of the playoffs as of right now, but today's win was a 4 point effort, as it's the Roadrunners we're chasing down for 4th in the division.

That would have been a solid pick up, however the Raps have Cb4 and Bonner at PF. Miami apprently offered Michael Doleac and Philly offered Sam Dalembert. Dalembert is having a decent season, he's still young and the Raps sure could use a decent C. Haffa is just not doing it. It was a huge mistake to draft him. Imagine the Raps right now with Iguodala? From what I read, Philly didn't offer Dalembert straight up, or else I think Toronto may have made the move. However, Sammy is a restricted free agent at year's end, and will command big bucks, more than Toronto could handle. And since he doesn't make much this season, Toronto's cap relief wouldn't have been as high. As for Bonner, he may not be back either as he too is an RFA, and will get lots of offers, however, I think Toronto will make an effort to match. I'm not overly impressed with Hoffa, but I'm not giving up on him. The fact that he continues to start says something, what it is, I'm not sure. I see his ceiling as a legitimate backup centre in a few years. I can see Babcock putting pressure on Aaron Williams to forego his $3.3 mil option to get out of town, and then try to make a pitch at another C in the offseason.

Earlier this offseason, the Als signed Ottawa FB Mike Vilimek to replace Bruno Heppell. At first, I thought the Als did this for better overall depth as Vilimek also plays special teams, but this wasn't the case, as Heppell retired due to chronic injury problems. The article reports that the Als gave Heppell every chance of returning, but that Bruno said his injuries had taken too much of a toll. There's a quote I wish others would utter more often. Heppell spent his entire 8 year career with the Als, and he'll be missed for sure. In other could-be-lousy news... Let's hope he comes back, our defence sucks now, we can't afford to lose him too. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story.asp?id=116909

Another solid defensive player has flown the coop. DB Davis Sanchez has reportedly signed a 4 year, $800 K deal with the Edmonton Eskimos. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story.asp?id=116750 The article states the Als were interested in re-signing him, but that no other team offered more than $140 K per season. As much as I felt the Als needed to go get a decent #2 receiver when Copeland left, their defence needs some big time help now, first Miles, now Sanchez. Fortunately, their leaving has opened up some money to be used to maybe get a quality replacement.

Rather than continuing to add to last year's thread, let's start a new one for this year. Here's what's happened so far: - WR Copeland signs with Calgary, reportedly 4 yrs, 200 K+ per season. - S Barron Miles signs a 2 year deal with B.C. - A few other minor guys leave for other teams, no biggie. - RB Michael Jenkins signs, he'll replace Autry Denson who it appears was not re-signed. - FB Mike Vilimek has signed with the Als, and will replace Bruno Heppell. Vilimek played in Ottawa last season. - Also signing: Linebacker Marvin Jones, Defensive tackle John Nix (who played in Arizona-NFL last year), and linebacker Jack Gaudreau. Earlier today, the CFL schedule was released. Still no word about who Montreal will bring in as the backup QB, they're pursuing Marcus Crandell, but nothing's happened yet. Also now a free agent is Khari Jones, who also would be a nice backup. [Edited on 2005/6/24 by dlbalr]

In Babcock's (Toronto GM) case, it may have been he was afraid of the criticism, or it could've been that what he was being offered was bupkus, likely because of the VC deal. Some of the rumblings that I'd heard about was that Miami was offering Wesley Person and another no-namer for D-Marsh. No reason to accept that. Indiana reportedly offered Austin Croshere, a decent player, who also has a fairly hefty contract, which the Raps have enough of already. I'm sure Toronto tried hard to find a suitable deal for Marshall, but they didn't. What's the worst that happens here-Marshall walks at the end of the year, and the Raps get cap space. And, they get to keep him to try for a playoff spot too. Considering the above alternatives, I'm glad he simply stayed the course. It's obviously doable, or else it wouldn't have happened, although it is fishy, especially since Charlotte signed another guard today, and waived Jahidi White (who's done for the year.) New York also pulled this off just today as well. Yesterday they signed C Jackie Butler (who?) for the remainder of the season. Today, they IL'ed him and signed G Jermaine Jackson. Why? I have no clue.

Don't read too much into the 'Cats placing Carroll on the IL. Because they traded Smith (who curiously was IL'ed when they signed Carroll) for a healthy body in Malik Allen, they had to put someone else on the injured list. Carroll, having been there for all of 18 hours, seems to be the logical choice, rather than IL'ing Bernard Robinson Jr., who's played well lately. Other info in trades that I missed earlier: -Spurs trade 2 first rounders to the Knicks as part of the Mohammed deal. The deal now makes some more sense for Isiah and Co. - Also traded as part of the DEN/GS deal: G Luis Flores also moves to Denver. The trade now makes even less sense to me. -A few players were waived upon being acquired: G Jamison Brewer (SA), F Alan Henderson (MIL), and Kedrick Brown (PHI). Although it hasn't happened yet, I still can say with surety that someone will be waived from the Heat soon (likely Person), and Mourning will be signed. These notes have been added to the trade page.

1) SAC trades F Chris Weber, F Matt Barnes, and F/C Michael Bradley to PHI for PF Kenny Thomas, F/C Brian Skinner, and F Corliss Williamson. 76ers waive F Kedrick Brown, place F Josh Davis on IL. Sacramento needed to turf Weber and soon. Reports were swirling that he was a locker room cancer, and the fact was, they had too many scorers! Bibby, Mobley, Peja, and Miller all could put up 20-30 nightly. They get a boost to their bench, and boy did they need it. Philly meanwhile, gets Weber, which should give them a push for 3rd in the East. 2) BOS trades G/F Jiri Welsch to CLE for a 2007 1st rounder. Welsch lost his starting spot to Tony Allen a while back, and with all the youngsters on the Celts, he was expendable. The Cavs meanwhile, desperately needed a quality shooter, Sasha Pavlovic just doesn't cut it. Not a big move, but it's what the Cavs needed, especially since they didn't land Redd. 3) NO trades F Jamal Mashburn and F Rodney Rogers to PHI for F Glenn Robinson. First off, Mashburn and Robinson are done for the year, so in other words, NO moved Rogers for cap space. Yeehaw. 4) MIL trades PG Mike James and F/C Zendon Hamilton to HOU for G Reece Gaines, and 2006 and 2007 2nd round picks. With Sura out for a few weeks, the Rockets needed another PG (Rod Strickland is history, period). Nothing else really to say about this, although I'm miffed that Houston moved a full MLE trade exception here as well. 5) Milwaukee trades F Keith Van Horn to DAL for C Calvin Booth, F Alan Henderson, and cash. Bucks waive Henderson the next day. Calvin Booth, and Alan Henderson, wow, what a pile of useless trash. The cash is minimal, so why'd the Bucks do this? Dallas gets a big steal here. 6) SA trades F Malik Rose and two 1st rounders to the Knicks for C Nazr Mohammed and G Jamison Brewer. Spurs waive Brewer the next day. Zuh? Am I missing something here? The Knicks want to play Kurt Thomas at C again? 1st rounders are OK, but they'll be 25th or worse most likely, so it's not something to cheer about. All hail the return of Bruno Sundov! 7) Houston trades F Maurice Taylor and a 1st round pick to NYK for F Vin Baker and G Moochie Norris. Everyone must remember where they were when Moochie was traded. Why? I don't know. I just like the name Moochie. This is a better deal for NYK, but they assume another big contract (Rose's is too), and get another pick. Just a salary dump for Houston's part, they add depth they really didn't need. 8) BOS trades PG Gary Payton, C Yogi Stewart, Tom Gugliotta, a first round pick to ATL for F Antoine Walker. This is going to be fun. First, Ainge's "Braintyping" says Walker's no good for the team, so he trades him, and then a year and a half later, he gets him back. Payton meanwhile, won't report, so this'll get interesting. As a Raptor fan, I'm hopeful Yogi gets some PT in ATL, I miss hearing "We have a Yogi sighting." 9) Golden State trades F Eduardo Najera, G Luis Flores and a 1st rounder to Denver for F Nikoloz Tskitishvili and F Rodney White. I'm stunned why Golden State did this, Najera's good, Skitty bites, and White's no good either. Flores meanwhile, is a young guard with some potential, and to lose a 1st on top of this? Ouch. 10) Golden State trades PG Speedy Claxton and C Dale Davis to New Orleans for PG Baron Davis. Golden State's making a run for something I see. What it is, I don't know. Davis is an elite PG...who gets hurt more than VC did in Toronto, and has 50 mil left on his deal UNINSURED. Davis and J-Rich make a strong backcourt, if only they still had a centre (they've traded both in the last 2 weeks). New Orleans gets rid of Davis, good for them. 11) Charlotte trades G Steve Smith to Miami for F Malik Allen and cash considerations. Heat to waive Wesley Person, to sign C Alonzo Mourning. Bobcats place G Matt Carroll on IL. SAT-Heat place Smith on IL. Well the Heat got Smith, a proven scorer who adds some depth. That cash consideration must be high though, as the salaries aren't that close. Other thoughts about other deals that didn't go down: - It became evident that Redd wanted to play out the year in MIL, he certainly hasn't ruled out re-signing there yet either, unlike... - Donyell Marshall, who will not be back with Toronto next year, was not moved, surprising many. Reports in T.O. say that Cleveland made a strong push for him, but they didn't have all that much to offer (Newble, Pavlovic, Diop, maybe the injured Jackson.) Toronto will take the cap space instead, and they need it. - I'm surprised at Minnesota's inactivity, I really thought they'd make some sort of deal to shake things up, as firing Flip hasn't done too much for them. - All in all, a pretty exciting deadline, more trades than many expected, given the CBA is expiring in the offseason. Unlike the NHL though, they're actually close to an agreement, and both sides acknowledge it. (edit: adding 11th trade) [Edited on 2005/2/26 by dlbalr]

You're a bit off on the lineup sakiqc, remember, Thomas was traded for C-Webb. PG-Iverson SG-Iguodala SF-Korver PF-Weber C-Dalembert (or Jackson) 10 trades in total today, I'll add them in a bit, and my comments on each too. [Edited on 2005/2/25 by dlbalr]

I'm right again! 3 for 3 on calling who gets demoted when the Bulldogs signed NHL'ers (Ward, Focht, Begin) http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=76...5739dccfa7d0997

Fortunately, there will be a trade deadline to fuss over, as the NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 PM ET. Sadly, it isn't like the NHL where there's 20+ trades on D-day alone, not to mention other moves on the days leading up to it. However, there is some hope that there will be some deals of significance tomorrow. Here's some of the stuff being rumoured: - Carlos Boozer to the Lakers for a package including Caron Butler. - Michael Redd is being pursued by no fewer than 8 teams that I know of, Milwaukee wants expiring contracts in return. - Donyell Marshall to either Miami, Philly, and now New York is reportedly in the mix (big surprise there). (Don't believe the NO rumour, it makes no sense for Toronto, and very little for the Hornets either.) Toronto reportedly wants either a good young player, or a first rounder. Eric Williams also may be moved, Seattle may be interested there. - Miami wants to sign Alonzo Mourning, but they need to move a player to get him. Expect either a 2 for 1 deal, a player for pick move, or a buyout of Wesley Person to come in the next little while. The Heat are reportedly interested in acquiring Steve Smith from Charlotte, but don't have much to offer up salary wise. - The Knicks are looking to add another proven scorer (with a hefty contract of course). Possible fits include Toronto's Jalen Rose, or Sacramento's Chris Weber. They reportedly also want Redd, but have nothing that Milwaukee would want, unless they'd be willing to part ways with Mike Sweetney. - Atlanta's Antoine Walker is on the block, but he has a big contract, so suitors outside the Knicks are limited. - Other prominent names that may be moved: Gary Payton (BOS), Latrell Sprewell/Sam Cassell (MIN), Damon Stoudamire/Nick Van Exel (POR), Keith Van Horn (MIL) Here's a link that brings us all the up-to-date rumours. Currently being shown are a blockbuster between the Bucks and Blazers including Redd and Abdur-Rahim, a multi-player deal between the Raps and Pacers (where'd that come from?), and the Knicks supposedly close to acquiring many stars for junk (don't believe it). http://www.hoopshype.com/rumors.htm Hey, it may not be hockey, but it's trade talk at least. Tomorrow (or Friday), I'll update this with a list of deals made. If another mod wants to do it ahead of time, go ahead, but keep the rumours up as well, I'm curious to see how many come to fruition. [Edited on 2005/2/23 by dlbalr]

A day after losing Copeland to the Stamps, the Als made a rather significant signing today, adding former Argos RB Michael Jenkins to the fold. He signed a 1 year deal, reportedly worth $120 K, plus an option. http://www.montrealalouettes.com/ViewArtic...0&ATCLID=109959 The interesting note here, is that it's being reported by both TSN and SNET that he will be replacing Autry Denson, and not Eric Lapointe, who last season, hinted at retiring. Jonas Lewis will be the 3rd back. In other news, former Calgary QB Marcus Crandell is in Montreal, and the Als are very interested in signing him. There's even a report on the FAN 590 (a Toronto radio station) that a deal is done and that a press conference will be held in the near future to announce the signing.

Unfortunately, the Dogs are looking for their second straight W, a day after they beat St. John's the first time, they lost 3-2. Despite that, they are playing better as of late, which will keep me busy as I prepare to write the Bulldogs This Week.

In case you were wondering who that player was, it was Alexei Emelin, a Canadiens prospect to boot. I watched the end of that game earlier today, and I was horrified with that shot. Glad to see he was OK though, in fact, he scored the lone goal tonight. Congrats to Team Canada, they deserved the win, and it seems only fitting that it was in a blowout fashion.

Nope, remember he is on a pro contract in the German League. I'm 99% sure he doesn't have an out-clause like the NHL'ers, as he said himself that he wasn't expecting to be drafted. Also, the Bulldogs have 7 d-men already, with Komisarek hurt, and Shasby in Long Beach, priority goes to the real prospects of the organization. The more I read about Kevin, the more I think it was a good pick. There were very few players from the show available that are playing pro, and we got one. Add to that the fact that he turned pro at 19, and that his numbers in the German leagues are better than in the QMJHL, and we may actually have a useful player on our hands. My hope is that we give him a crack in Hamilton next season, but I wouldn't go much above that.

Tonight was the season's finale of CBC's Making the Cut, where 6 players win NHL tryouts (1 per Canadian team). Tonight, the Habs selected Kevin Lavallee, a 6'3, 219 lb defencemen. He played 2 years in the 'Q', before turning pro in Germany at age 19. http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=744 [Edited on 2004-12-30 by puck7x]

I was at a hockey game the other night, and they always put a joke at the back of the program. This time, it was a Christmas one, and I found it to be quite good, unlike the hockey game. So, here it is, my apologies in advance if anyone finds it offensive, but you all should get a kick out of it: Christmas Story for People Having a Bad Day... When 4 of Santa's elves got sick, and the trainee elves didn't produce the toys as fast as the regular ones, Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her Mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that 3 of them were about to give birth and 2 had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress! Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the boards cracked, and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys. So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered that the elves had hidden the liquor, and there was nothing to drink. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider pot, and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw end of the broom. Just then, the doorbell rang, and irritable Santa trudged to the door. He opened the door, and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree. The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas Santa. Isn't it a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?" And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree. Now, about the game. It featured the Kincardine Bulldogs and Penetang Kings. The Bulldogs' goalie wore #60; I later discovered it was in tribute to Jose Theodore. I found it quite strange having to cheer against the Bulldogs, and a Theodore fan, but alas I did, but the Bulldogs won anyways. On the plus side, I won $100 during the 2nd intermission, as I shot a puck from centre ice through a 4 inch slot on a board covering the net, the first person to do so in 2 years. I have another joke from one of these programs, insulting the Leafs, but I'll post that one later. [Edited on 2004-12-29 by puck7x]

That's the original spreadsheet file I was alluding to, that's not the final one I sent you though. Here's the players I'm missing numbers for off the final list (I managed to find it again):