betterREDthandead

OK, so, even better then: it would make bad ice worse. Point remains. I just don't see what's even to like about the roof opening. It's the answer to a question nobody asked.

Perhaps you need some English lessons - we'll start with your homework, which is to go look up the difference between a suggestion and an assumption. An assumption would be what you did, by putting a conclusion instead of a suggestion in my mouth.

I honestly don't think Crosby or not-Crosby has anything to do with it. I think the better ratings for this one have a lot more to do with: - Two much, much larger media markets - Success of last year's game generated hype and interest for this one - More famous and historic venue In fact, given that DET/CHI are over three times the size of PIT/BUF and the game most certainly didn't attract three times the ratings, you could actually suggest that Crosby generated a lot more nationwide interest than the Wings did, or at least there was very little if any difference.

Weird. For me it's the other way round. Any game I want MSU or OSU to win for whatever reason, I don't watch, because watching causes me to root the other way. The exception is the OSU/MSU game. Either that or if MSU is playing someone I really really really hate, like Florida State.

F?! F you! I got 11! F that!

Right now there isn't cap space to make any major moves. Hossa was basically our deadline pickup.

Or, y'know, the Detroit/Chicago media markets combined are three and a half times the size of Pittsburgh/Buffalo. But no - I forgot - this is LGW, where we have an inferiority complex about a player we beat for the championship. Carry on obsessing about Sidney Crosby.

Sometime last year Ilitch was talking about a self-imposed deadline for announcing whether he'd build a new arena or renovate the Joe. That's what got people talking about this in the first place. Ilitch hasn't said a thing since then though. Probably the "economy" is to blame like it's to blame for everything else, but both plans seem to be on hold for now. I still think Ilitch bought up all that land behind the Fox with every intention of building a new arena back there.

A full week in between games for the ASG? I didn't realize that. Ewww.

Nah, Cobo needs all the space it can get, and that means the land that the Joe and Cobo Arena sit on. Besides, demolishing and rebuilding Cobo would be crazy expensive. A new arena would be best in the Foxtown area, where there isn't much going on and where Ilitch already owns a ton of land.

Yeah, in a year where Michigan went 3-9, there's no point in rooting for the Big Ten for the sake of the conference. I mean, why, so MSU and OSU can look better? Not interested. I was actively rooting for Iowa, Penn State, and Wisconsin for various reasons, but it doesn't bother me greatly that Northwestern or Minny lost.

Hook em Horns! It's the only family team in a bowl this year, and with four teams that's hard to do.

Thank God, too. It would have been a barf-fest second only to if Brett Favre had had his leg and his left hand chopped off and hopped out on the field to throw three straight touchdowns in the last thirty seconds of the game, stopping only to recover the onside kicks himself, right after his uncle died of a rare spleen disease. Anyway, I like the Steelers to come out of the AFC. They had one of the tougher schedules in the league and still ended up with 12 wins. I think I voted Panthers from the NFC.

The Utah one was scheduled a while ago - hell our trip out there for the other end of the home and home was like three years ago. But the App State game - that one was an offseason quickie that I hated from the get-go. This year there's still one more open date and I'm with Brian, the writer of MGoBlog: schedule Yukon State or a team from Togo or something. Word was they were going after Delaware, which would be cool although defeating the purpose of the helmets, and is a dangerously good team besides and shows that a certain athletic director didn't learn a damn lesson.

We need to stop accidentally scheduling really good teams.

Meh. With Cobo blocking it from the rest of the waterfront, the land is only useful as room for a Cobo expansion. It's surrounded by a freeway, the backside of a convention center, and a fenced-in apartment complex. Use a thin strip of it as part of a riverwalk extension, front it with some landscaping and a second public entrance to Cobo, and fill the rest in with badly-needed convention space. It makes way too much sense. By the way Detroit didn't completely blow it. They were going to build I-75 along the riverfront similar to the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle until somebody nixed that plan. The RenCen is in a fine spot. You gotta put some stuff on the waterfront - leaving the whole strip along the river undeveloped except as public open space simply because "it's fun" is a waste. There's nothing wrong with having things on the water for people to go to.

And lose seating? Or you'd have to have a really high wall - and the scoreboard would have to be much bigger because it'd be twice as far from the people on the ends of the rink as usual. Look, not to be rude, but let's call this what it is: a silly idea. There's a reason there are no retractable-roof hockey arenas. Seriously, what would be the benefit? That you get to sit outside in the butt-ass-freezing Detroit weather on a Tuesday night in the dark of February and watch a game played on iffy ice where you'd otherwise be reasonably warm watching a game on good indoor ice?

Never happen. It's a fun novelty to play an outdoor game once a year. Fans aren't going to come sit in the bloody freezing cold night after night. The refrigeration would be prohibitively expensive - outdoor rinks are much different than an indoor rink. And we'd go from having the best ice in the league to the worst. And where would you hang the scoreboard from?

That'd definitely be a winner of a matchup. Especially if those two teams stay as good as they are right now. If it makes Steinbrenner any money, he'll do it. And if he won't do it, the Mets would probably pony up their shiny new place.

These jerseys looked terrific. Loved them. Could have done without the Cat in the Hat socks - in fact I think the regular ones with the one thick stripe would have looked really good with the jersey - but these were more authentic. They looked spectacular. Liked the choice of red helmets, too. That said, forget the third jersey. These are great as a special jersey for a special occasion. Not for wearing on Thursday nights or whatever just to drum up merchandise sales.

I don't know what you can say about that game other than that it was a complete and total success. Everything from the setting to the jerseys to the pimpalicious hats worn by the coaching staff was spectacular.

Also more charitable. I hear the Blackhawks steal the pennies out of the Ronald McDonald Foundation jar at Mickey D's.

Friday: Montreal @ New Jersey St Louis @ Carolina Vancouver @ Atlanta Columbus @ Colorado NY Islanders @ Phoenix Philadelphia @ Anaheim Saturday: Buffalo @ Boston Florida @ Pittsburgh Calgary @ Nashville Ottawa @ Toronto NY Rangers @ Washington Carolina @ Tampa Bay Detroit @ Minnesota Columbus @ St Louis Dallas @ Edmonton Philadelphia @ Los Angeles NY Islanders @ San Jose Sunday: Florida @ Montreal Tampa Bay @ Atlanta Ottawa @ New Jersey Calgary @ Chicago Phoenix @ Anaheim Minnesota @ Colorado Dallas @ Vancouver

You could almost have a "waffleboarded away" drinking game. It's probably second only to "DRIVE!" Not that I mind Doc Emrick. He's got a special talent for knowing exactly what happened to the puck when you lose sight of it. After a DRIVE! from the point has been waffleboarded away, for example.

Crazy offseason what with all the mergers. I think it'll make a more competitive year next year though. Teams are getting rid of the fluff cars and some of the worse drivers, and only a few Dodges left on the track too. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can still root for Robby Gordon now. Come Daytona I don't know whether I'll be pulling for him or not. Might be changing my loyalty over to JPM until the badge on Robby's car changes again.