American Idol Is Evil

OR, ESPN is evil...you make the call.

Per John Saunders on ESPeeN's Sports Reporters:

"I needed a psychic, hypnotist (and he mentioned about 3 other people) just to find the NHLs All-Star game this week which was on Versus. This isn't to mock the coverage that Versus gave it because they did a real good job on the 3rd period. I was only able to watch the 3rd period because I was watching American Idol with my daughters during the first 2 periods. YES, they put the NHL All-Star game opposite the most watched show on TV."

I don't know what flabbergasts me more...how a guy who practically grew up around hockey could watch that crap (even if it was with his daughters...how touching *rolls her eyes*), or how the NHL is pulling at the straws for a decent All-Star Game timeslot. Weeknights certainly do not work...why Bettman thought they would as of this season is way beyond my comprehension (as are a good-sized chunk of the man's ideas). And the NFL, bless their hearts, have basically stormed in and took over the "traditional slot" of the first weekend in February with a little thing called the Super Bowl. What was wrong with the last week in January? There certainly was not anything wrong with it for almost forty years...why the change? NFL, we know you are the most high and mighty sports league and all that crapola...there was no damn good reason for you to muscle in AND take over what was practically the designated weekend for the NHL's big event outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nor is there a damn good reason for TWO FREAKIN' WEEKS of coverage of the Super Bowl, featuring everything from the speculation of who bought sponsorship/ad time, to the players' favorite flavor of Gatorade, to which team plans to watch Honey cartoons* after they win the Lombardi Trophy.

Not to mention that, as much as I like the NHL, even I know that they've never been a threat to the NFL. Hell, not even the MLB or NBA have ever been able to top the Pigskin League. Therefore making the NFL's taking over the NHL's traditional All-Star Game weekend all the more flaming stupid, and really, just plain old...well, evil.

Current Music: "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones

* - Major couch potato and/or cartoon geek points to those who get the reference.

Ruff Stuff

I didn't watch the NHL All-Star Game last night (surprise, surprise), but I was somehow not shocked by reading the following over in Lord Stanley's Blog, brought to you by the Raleigh News and Observer, this morning...

"No one ever accused Lindy Ruff of being unable to hold a grudge. The Buffalo coach and Eastern Conference boss for the All-Star Game stuck Carolina's two representatives, Eric Staal and Justin Williams, on the fourth line Wednesday with Jason Blake."

And THAT, my dear readers, is why I groaned upon reading the news that Lindy-Boy was going to be the head coach for the Easterners. Silly me, I thought after all that trash talk getting him and his then Goatheads* no champagne or Stanley Cup, he would have learned his lesson. Instead, his apparent wittle grudge against the Canes may have very well cost the Eastbounders an All-Star Game win. Especially as well as Eric Staal and Justin Williams played, earning three points (Two goals and one assist) between the two of them, which was just as good, if not better than everybody else around them. Heck, they must have been doing something right, since Sidney Crosby didn't even get a point, and Alexander Ovechkin landed only one goal. *gasps* Weren't those two projected to completely blow the stars out of Dallas? Further proof of why I tend to not give a hoot about the All-Star Game/Event...

Oh, and just one more thing...





This so screams "Caption Time!!!".

Eric Staal: "Well, the way they make shows is, they make one show. That show's called a pilot. Then they show that show to the people who make shows, and on the strength of that one show they decide if they're going to make more shows. Some pilots get picked and become television programs. Some don't, become nothing..."
________________________________________

Alexander Ovechkin: "And you know what they call a... a... a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?"

Sidney Crosby: "They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese?"

Eric Staal: "No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn't know what the hell a Quarter Pounder is."

Sid: "Then what do they call it?"

Eric: "They call it a Royale with cheese."

Alex: "A Royale with cheese. What do they call a Big Mac?"

Eric: "Well, a Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it le Big-Mac."

Alex: "Le Big-Mac. Ha ha ha ha. What do they call a Whopper?"

Eric: "I dunno, I didn't go into Burger King."


Believe it or not, I was never much of a fan of that movie...just had those quotes embedded in my brain from constant playing on WRDU 106.1 a few years ago.

Current Music: "Fight the Good Fight" by Triumph

* - My term for the Sabres' old red and silver logo...which was coined by a couple of LiveJournal Hockey-ers, who happen to be Sword fans. So can't get on me about that one Buffaloers... ;P

The Only Reason I *Might* Be Watching the All-Star Game...

...is because I want to see AND hear the following being played after every goal scored.

"grr...oo oooh oo ohhhhhooo oohhh oo oooh oooohhhhhoo oooh oo ohhhhh..."

I know I'm much more than likely the only one AND at the risk of sounding like I have a dirty mind, the thought of a "song" like that being played whenever someone scores strikes me as an arena control room in-joke sort of thing. In addition to how funny it must sound (for at least the first two or three goals, anyway), the thought of the A/V nerds sounding strangely like Beavis and Butthead as that "song" rings throughout the arena makes me cannot help but snicker on and off myself.

Of course, I could be taking such a thing way out of context, and the "song" could turn out to be a "today's version" of "Papa Oom Mow Mow"...which would be more annoying than funny.

Speaking of annoying, I think the only other real noteworthy thing about the All-Star Game/Event (besides the fact that Williams, Staal, AND the East overall did quite well in the Skillz Competition) is that Gary Bettman seems to constantly prove that he is very much the most easy to make fun of guy in the universe. And for those of you who actually care, here is my part of the mayhem...

And now for something completely different...a very cool tidbit posted at The Score Boards Canes MB this morn: When you live in Raleigh AND know the (former) coach of your absolute favorite NFL team*, life is pretty danged good OR (to take a cue from Rocky and Bullwrinkle's show) Reason #31 Why Raleigh Rocks. Roll over Cleveland, rock on Pittsburgh! Starbucks...wait-a-minute, they don't have a slogan, do they? Rats. But, at least they have damn good coffee...which probably means that the Starbucks in Twin Peakes is probably the most damn good coffee in all of the world.

Yes, I'm bored...and insane. But, in all honesty, that's really nothing new and has been for sometime. ;P

Current Music: "You Get What You Give" by The New Radicals

* - GO STEELERS!! That is, whenever they're not facing my homestate AND NFC favorite Panthers. As for right now, GO BEARS!! We must not let the Peyton Manning reign of terror begin...Tom Brady's was/is bad enough.