betterREDthandead

I've said it before: The only players whose jerseys should be retired are those who there is NO DOUBT in ANYONE's mind that they deserve the honor. If you have to say "might", or "could", or "what do you think about so and so?" then the answer is a clear, resounding, NO! If there's debate, if some people don't agree that a number should be retired, then in my opinion, that is enough to say no. It should be strikingly obvious several years before the player retires that his number will go up. Lidstrom is the only one who fits this category. Not Shanny, not Fedorov, not Cheli, and most definitely not Draper. Not retiring a number is no slight to a player. It's easier to get into the Hall of Fame then have your number retired, which is as it should be.

Little's a key word here - when the league only has, I believe, 13 teams, of course it's much easier to make a schedule that brings him to every city. Plus, MLS is in a different situation than the NHL. In the NHL, if Sidney Crosby were to come to town (any town) the vast majority of fans can't go to the game anyway. So they'll watch it on TV, and on TV, it wouldn't matter whether the game was in Detroit, Nashville, or Shanghai. It's all the same. Much easier to get yourself in an MLS stadium than an NHL arena for whatever star is coming to town.

http://www.divealanche.com/1a_play.html Scroll down.

I imagine "handedness" is the same as eye color or any other physical trait in your genes.....that is, not everyone who has blue eyes have the exact same color blue eyes, not everyone with red hair has the same color red, etc. Some people are strongly right-handed, some are ambidextrous, some can do some things with the left and others with the right, etc. I could never swing a golf club lefty, for example, and I write with my right hand, I throw and grip a hockey stick righty, a baseball bat righty, I shoot a gun right-handed.....overall, I'm probably more right-handed than most people who are also considered right-handed. I'm so right-handed that I instinctively carry things in my left so the right will be free to do things, and I also instinctively use my left hand to break a fall or stop a skid. Which has led to a number of injuries on my left arm/hand. Again leaving my right hand free to do all the work. On the other hand (pun very much intended ) I can't do the Vulcan sign with my right. Only my left. So I think it's definitely shades of gray rather than black-and-white as most people tend to think of it.

Not to dispute from the peanut gallery since I don't play ice hockey, but your shot will have more power if your dominant hand is not on the end of the stick. Nerd alert ahead: a slap shot is basically a lever with the load at the blade of the stick, the fulcrum at the end, and the force applied with the hand you're shooting with (i.e., right-handed shot is so-called because you're using the right hand to apply all the force). The hand on the end is just for control. Power comes from the bottom hand. For proof, look at the overhead view of a slap shot. The stick bends from the middle.

I would have thought the dominant hand should be at the bottom so you get better control of all your shots, especially a wrist shot and a backhand. Like gripping a baseball bat; dominant hand closer to the end of the stick/bat, so you have the strength of your better hand controlling the swing. All you're going to do with one hand on the stick is poke at the puck or slide it towards you anyway.

I think this is an across-the-league thing. I've heard announcers say every so often that left-handed shooters are more common. I think one thing that causes this is that a left-handed shot from the middle of the ice will tend to go to a right-handed goalie's stick side, which is a harder save to make and guarantees a rebound. Glove saves are easier and stop the play.

I admit - it would be funny to see "Big Snake" on the back of a Wings jersey.

That's my choice too. Congrats, Sting! The Colts are truly a deserving champion.

Other than the running-away winner of the prize for Best Native American / Porn Star Name, who is Robin Big Snake?

I just about danced a hole through the floor of my apartment Seems like there is a ton of parity going on this year in basketball. Lots of shuffling in the rankings. Top teams getting beat all the time. I think when tournament selection time rolls around, there will be some good teams with some marquee wins that won't make it, because there's so many to choose from. Some signs seen at the game: "SPORTSCENTER IS NEXT - UNLESS DUKE NEEDS MORE TIME" "WE BEAT CLEMSON IN 40 MINUTES - DID YOU?" Only in the ACC Another look at the game-winning shot.

SEAN. M-F-ING. SINGLETARY!!! This guy is the toughest, the grittiest, absolutely the most clutch player in ALL the NCAA. The man will run through a brick wall if it gets him a bucket. Twice, if it's a game-winner. Ice water in the veins. This is why ACC basketball is the finest conference in all of college sports. What I just saw was easily one of the hardest-fought, most passionate games I've ever seen in my life. Fans bringing down the roof with the noise. Can you tell I'm really, really stoked about watching the 'Hoos beat Duke? And, man, hats off to Duke, cause those guys played out of their minds too. What an absolutely unbelievable game. ACC basketball is going to a gym with 15,000 people screaming their lungs out for you to miss this free throw, and 4,000 of them dressed in orange, chanting "PAULUS SUCKS" and having that broadcast to the whole nation, and calmly sinking two free throws like it's just you and the bucket. UVA basketball, baby. Anyone who's a basketball fan needs to find a way to watch a UVA basketball game and watch Sean Singletary. The guy is just unbelievable. If the ball's in his hands and the game's on the line, he WILL find a way to score. He just will. Did it tonight. Twice - once to send it to OT and once to win. Doesn't matter who's guarding the lane. I'm psyched. Game-winning shot: (Yes, he makes this.) (i'd better stop talking about how tough and gritty Singletary is or someone out there will wonder if we can trade Williams and a pick for him)

Only 10 as far as I'm concerned, if the DirecTV thing goes through It's not a done deal yet. MLB has been lambasted in the media for it. I'm not forking out the money for their MLB.com thing. That means I have to sit at my computer and do nothing but watch the game, assuming my computer can even handle it.

It's a horse. I was pulling for Barbaro too, and I was disappointed he didn't make it, especially considering the really unfortunate break of bad luck that brought him here in the first place. But I can't understand the people that get all caught up in it and write letters to the horse and stuff. Not like, "Dear owners of Barbaro, sorry about your horse, hope he makes it OK," I mean more like, "Dear Barbaro, Love you, get well soon, signed, your biggest fan!" And, pardon my ignorance on horses, but, they can lie down, right? I'm sure there's a good reason, but why don't they just keep the horse off its feet 'til it heals? Obviously having to bear half a ton of weight is bad for healing.....why not keep him hoisted in a sling when he's not exercising or have him just park it in the stables for a while instead of standing all the time?

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Didn't VCU score a nice upset in the tourney a couple years back?

I've never heard anything to suggest the book is biased. In fact, just the opposite. I'm getting my copy soon - it's on the way from Amazon. From everything I've heard it's basically a must-have for both Avs fans (the ones that can read ) and Wings fans.

A decade, if that. Certainly not 20 years. Hockey was never on national TV until Bettman - the previous leadership didn't believe in national TV. I don't know what happened to hockey in between the lockout and the time when the NHL was seen as one of the hottest, fastest-growing leagues in the country. I do know two things: One, it's foolish to sit and be complacent with the notion that hockey is nothing but a niche sport. It'll stagnate and die off that way. Two, it will NOT grow if not regularly seen on a network that isn't even offered in every market in the country, let alone basic cable.

I don't care what the ratings are or were - it's really hard to argue that the NHL is better off with it's marquee network being one that isn't even available in some areas. ESPN is basic cable that almost everyone has. Nobody turns on Vs. just to see what's on. Vs. isn't being shown in hotel lobbies or bus stations or anywhere people might gather where there's a TV. With the NHL on ESPN, there's more Sportscenter highlights, more hockey buzz on the shows like PTI and Around the Horn. In other words, people who aren't watching for the hockey will see the hockey anyway.....it's like advertising. Advertising always hooks a few people. Having hockey on NBC is a plus, and Vs. seems to be doing a nice job of building themselves a niche network. But until the Vs. audience expands - BIG time - hockey's growth will be hurt by staying on Vs. ESPN is the place to be.

WHAT A COMEBACK!! UVA down 61-47 to #17 Clemson, on the road, with 6 and change remaining.....and we came back to win, 64-63!! Look out for us in March! Now I'm REALLY excited for Thursday! Duke is coming to Charlottesville and we'll be on ESPN. Not only do I get my first TV look at the new arena, this will be a huge ACC showdown, with a chance to knock off the Blue Devils and go 6-2 in the first half of conference play. The JPJA will be absolutely rocking.

Yeah. In other news, the Tigers beat the Yankees in the ALDS!!! Guy's been convicted already. He was guilty of stalking or some kind of charge like that and was given probation. It wasn't the yelling - that's just what he happened to be doing when he was arrested - it was more the threatening emails.

Agreed. Kozlov might have been the first to lay a hit, but Clod escalated it - BIG time. Clod turned it from ordinary chippiness associated with a tough playoff series into a blood feud.

Cameron had friggin' LaDanian Tomlinson and Drew Brees, who proved his worth by leading the Saints this year. Cameron having bad teams at IU proves this: he can't recruit, and he couldn't take advantage of the one really good player he did have, Antwaan Randle El.

Didn't Cam Cameron used to coach Indiana and completely suck at it? IU was horrible during the Cameron years. Why would we want him? I think I'd like the replacement to be English, personally.

If Selig does this? Dumber. Way dumber.