Farewell CD, no one will really miss you and my second round Stanley Cup picks...

I gots two things for ya today. First my picks for the second round of the NHL playoffs. As you probably already know, or have already called me an idiot for, my picks for the first round were a bit off. I picked the Avs to beat the Sharks. Which I was looking pretty good for a while but that young team just could not handle the pressure. I also picked the Kings, which also looked good for a while, no go for the same reason. A person can only pick so many upsets in one round and I just went too overboard on the upsets. Montreal also rose up and beat back Ovectchkin and the Caps. Who saw that coming? NOvetchkin was non existent. Jerk. Oh and then there was the Sabres. Dammit.

Oh well, a person has to move on and not dwell on their mistakes. I won't so here are my picks for the second round....

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Detroit Red Wings (6)

Again, I am put in this dilemma. Stupid southern team versus the Godless Red Wings. I made a deal with the devil in the first round, but I cannot do it again. Screw Trev, Preacherman and the Red Wings. I hope for a lot of injuries and embarrassment in this series. I know that if the Sharks get past the Wings in this round they have NO chance in the final. None. Sharks in 7.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)

Vancouver fans are some of the most arrogant fans around. Arrogant for fans who have never won ANYTHING. They live out on the stupid west coast with their inflated rents and stupid sushi on every corner. Tofu lovin, birkenstock wearing, flannel flying, my apartment is no bigger than your bathroom but costs me 3000 bucks a month, be in debt for the olympics for ever, green suit wearing jagoffs. Hate those guys. The Vancouver Canucks remind me of a soccer team. Lots of europeans, lots of whining and diving, and rarely, if EVER, scoring. A good reason for a nap. BORING.

The only problem is that Donny Granato thinks that the Hawks do not have the depth in goaltending to go the distance. They definitely have the scoring power they just need their goalie to steal a few games for them. Whoever that is on this night. I mean really, Luongo is not the answer either. Gotta go with the Hawks on this one. Blackhawks in 6.


EASTERN CONFERENCE

Pittsburgh Penguins(4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

Sid the kid versus the Montreal Soccer team. Montreal fans are a lot like Canuck fans, except their team has actually won something. Just not in this century. I will give Halak his due. He played great. It is just that they started comparing the kid to Patty Roy. That will be his downfall. Being compared to the greatest goaler of all time is just too much to handle, especially in Montreal. Those fans are CRAZY. The Penguins have been there before and know how to win. Pittsburgh in 5.

Boston Bruins (6) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)

I picked the Bullies in the first round because I just had a feeling. That, like the gas I got from eating bratwurst last night, has passed. I love Ian Laperriere and how he plays the game but I hate Chris Pronger more. Screw Chris Pronger. Boston in 7.

There you have it. I promise to be better in the second round. But, again, if you wager on what I have picked here. It is on you to listen to a blowhard like me.

NEXT:


As you all know there is no love lost with some of the News Directors that I have served under in my career. I have found that to be a ND most of the time they are souless, heartless, SOB's that care about nothing but being a bully and stroking their own ego. They are kind of like mall cops, except with less power.

Case and point, Chris Duncan. News Director during my stint at the A Channel in Edmonton. Man that guy, in my humble opinion, sucked. His trademark was to call you into his office by saying to you - "Hey Trev, got a sec?" As if you are going to say no. You knew that if you heard that in your day time routine your day would suck.

Another great thing about this genius was that when he got mad he turned beet red. Loved making this guy turn red. Saw it several times. Actually saw it a lot during the strike. Whenever we got over on him and his band of scabs and goons he turned red. The best time I saw the red was my last day.

Long story even longer, I gave my two weeks. He was on vacation for the first week of that two weeks. On the Monday that he came back I suspected that he would have me work the day out and then, in his typical dick move, he would send me home for the rest of the week. He was so predictable. I was ready for it so I had already taken all my stuff home earlier in the day so as to avoid the whole 'shit in a box walk of shame' routine that he liked to do. I was off around 5ish and as it was in Edmonton if you did not leave the downtown before 4pm, you did not get home until 6. We got to drive our company rigs home so I headed for the barn. Around 4:50 or so as I was rounding the back stretch to my house the radio goes off.

Greg Donnelly, the AE, was calling me back to the station. I explained that it would take me around 45 minutes to get back into the downtown core and it would cost overtime and could it wait until tomorrow. All the while knowing what was happening. Greg explained that CD wanted to talk to me. I again explained how far away I was and how long it would take. CD got on the radio and explained to me that "I am still your boss so come back to the station." I knew that the red headed volcano was about to erupt.

I drove back and was met in the news room by CD's flunkie John Cuccaro (pictured on the left being annoyed by me and my bullhorn). I asked for a Union rep and they complained but complied because that is part of why we went on strike. Plus I just wanted someone else to be there when the red headed moron blew. I went in to his office and he began to reprimand me for arguing with John last week. I told him I did not argue with John, he argued with me. It was over a photo radar ticket that I had gotten a while back that I was going to fight and get reduced. Their thinking was that I was just going to quit and not pay the ticket so they wanted to take it out of my check. I told them no that I was going to fight it. They said why? I said because I do not trust them. BLAMMO, mount dickhead just turned red. It was awesome. He then informed me that I would be relieved of duty. I said "Great! I can start my new job a week early and get paid by two companies." He did not like that either.

CD then informed me that I would not be riding in any news vehicles home tonight. Uh, no duh, dipshit. I informed him that I would not be riding in any company vehicles. He then put his hands on his desk and got real red, like Ferrari red, and yelled that I would not be getting a ride from any news guys home and in fact that they had booked me a cab. I again, calmly with a big smile informed him that I would not be getting a ride home from any company employees that my wife was on her way to pick me up. That pissed him off even more. He told his puppy dog Cuccaro to escort me out of the building and that was it.

By the way, I went in to fight the ticket a few months later, because I am a man of my word and when I say I am going to do something, I do it, and the ticket was paid. The day after I was asked to leave the station. Losers.

Good story but not the best "I quit" story from the A. Drew B is legend for how he quit the station. He put a yellow post it note on CD's door. That is epic.

Anyway, the reason I brought all this up, is Mr. Duncan left what was the A Channel and is now CityTV. Below is the email that was sent out announcing the fact. I will of course provide commentary on the email. Enjoy...

TO ALL STAFF

I am writing today to announce the departure of Chris Duncan from his position as Manager, Local Content Group for Citytv Calgary. By departure what I hear is he is being forced out.

After nearly 13 years with our Alberta stations, Chris has decided to move on and pursue some new opportunities. Uh, yeah, get out.

Chris joined our Edmonton station during our "start-up" phase in 1997 , an experience that could only be described as trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose! Sip of water from a firehose?

Under Chris' leadership the Edmonton newsroom and local programming department was born and proceeded to crank out 31.5 hours per week of local shows over the next 12 years highlighted by three consecutive AMPIA's for Best Newscast from 2000-2003. Leadership? Yeah 31.5 hours that was knocked down to about half that after the CRTC licence probation time was over. Oh and the AMPIA's stopped the minute we went on strike. Speaking of that strike...that was the strike that basically was the death blow to this station. Oh, and did I mention that YOU AND YOUR ARROGANCE, Chris Duncan, were the basic reason the Union was brought to A Channel. Remember the shooter fridge that you banished from the building. The next day someone contacted the Union.

Within 6 months we had a date set to sign cards. The week before we signed cards you fired one of the most popular employees to 'send a message' (allegedly) and that really drove people to the union. Had you not fired Randy we probably would not have gotten enough people to sign. Randy then sued your ass and won forcing you to offer him his job back. To which he told you guys to F -off. We then went on strike for 166 days, crippled your advertising, cut your ratings down to nothing, put a black eye on A Channel in the community, and then ultimately to it's sale. Nice job Chris. You and your management drove a stake through what was a pretty good newsroom and split it down the middle. I thought most of us in the newsroom wanted to work together and put on a good product. Helluva a job Brownie errrrrr, I mean Duncan.


In 2006 Chris made the move to Calgary to lead our re-vamped local Content group with his usual skill and dogged determination. We moved him to Calgary because the newsroom in Edmonton was poisoned and he was the main reason for that poison. Half the people did not trust you and the other half put up with you, but still did not trust you.

On behalf of all of us at Rogers Broadcasting Limited, I would like to thank Chris for his commitment and hard work for our organization. Good bye and good luck ruining another newsroom.

Please join me in wishing Chris well in his future. No thanks. I prefer to tell him to GET BENT.

Chris' last day with the Company is this Friday, April 30th. May first is the first day the company and all it's employees can actually take a deep breath and move on.

I have a million CD is an ass stories but I need to get to sleep. Maybe some other time. Good riddance CD. Wish I had never met you.

That is all I have for your Friday....
GET BACK TO WORK.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here. Here are my picks, call your bookie.

It is that time of year again. The time of year when multi-millionaires skate around on artificial ice and wow us with their skill of pushing a circular vulcanized rubber object into a net. Yup I am geeked. It is also the time of year when I put on my prediction cap and let all of you know just who is gonna win this dog and pony show. Time for you to call your bookie and make yourself some mortgage money.

Oh, how can I forget, it is also my favorite time of the hockey season when Gary Bettman gets his ass booed at centre ice. I absolutely love that. I also get to root against satans team, the Detroit Red Wings. I hear that Brent Favre is considering a playoff run with them this year. Only appropriate, the biggest douchebag on the planet playing for Douchebagtown USA.



This years playoffs are a bit more interesting. There are 4 new teams in it this year. The Godless Flames are not there, NICE. The Oil are not also. The Kings, Coyotes, Avs, and Sabres are in this year. As you all know, I only missed one series last year in the first round, and the year before I got them all right. How am I gonna do this year? Only time will tell. I do know that former Gambler and always Stanley Cup runner up, Ty Conklin is not in the playoffs this year so I will not have to deal with that mojo. Former Gambler Matt Greene is though so I do have to deal with that. Okay, lets get this party started...

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose Sharks (1) vs Colorado Avalanche (8)

Here is the deal, I love the Avs. I am down with them forever. The Sharks are perennial regular season juggernauts and post season choke jobs. My homeboy, TONY FREAKING GRANATO was the coach of the Avs last year. I am not really happy with how they did him when they let him go. Tony is now working with the current Stanley Cup Champions the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tony laces them up with Sidney Crosby every day. Not a bad fall back. Think about that. Tony has played with the Great One, Coached Burnaby Joe Sakic, and is now working with Sid the Kid. Awesome. Normally I would express some anger with the Avalanche and how they fired Tony, but since Tony is doing alright and the team had a great year, I will be the typical fan and let it slide. With that said, I will take the upset, Avalanche in 6.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs Nashville Predators (7)

It is so good to see the Blackhawks back in form. I love to hear the noise in their barn in the playoffs. The National Anthem is an amazing spectacle at the United Centre. Of course if you listen to the Podcast that does not suck, TundraTalk, you would know that. Don Granato and Tony Granato have detailed that extensively. I spoke to Don recently and he gave me his assessment of the Hawks playoffs. He says that they are not deep enough in goal to win it all but will have some success in the early rounds because of their depth elsewhere. There you have it.

The Hawks have the Nash Vegas Predators. I guess I really did not know that they still played hockey in Nash Vegas. We all know that they should not still be there, so screw 'em. Never root for a southern based team. Gary Bettman can go get bent. Blackhawks in 5.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs Los Angeles Kings (6)

Now here is where I contradict my self and become the ultimate hypocrite. I just got done saying that we never root for a southern team. Just to spite Bettman. He is a tool. I guess LA would be the exception to the rule. The only exception. After all Marcel Dionne played for LA. Wayne Gretzky played for LA. TONY FREAKING GRANATO played for LA. I saw my first NHL game at the Forum back in 1981. That's right, I said it, the Forum. Back when they still had those goofy purple and yellow jerseys. Check the price and the location of the seats. No way you get into Staples for 14 dollars now.

Flash forward to now. Matt Greene is on LA. TT vetran Jarret Stoll is on LA. Ryan Smyth, of the Ugly Jacket Smyth's, is on LA. How can I not root for this team. A Gambler, a TT legend, and the guy who got my blog 600 hits in three hours. Plus the Canuckleheads always choke. They suck. LA in 7.

Phoenix Coyotes (4) vs Godless Detroit Red Wings (5)

Now here is a tough one. The Phoenix Coyotes are the example for the rule as to why NOT to root for southern teams. Bettman has a guy, the owner of the Blackberry empire, who wants to buy the team. Wants to give him more than what it is worth, but wants to move it to Winnipeg or Hamilton. Bettman gives a lame ass speech that he does not run out on the fans of NHL teams. FU bettman, you run THIS F'N TEAM out on the fans of WINNIPEG. I hate Bettman. I also hate Detroit. Detroit sucks balls. Their goaltending is suspect and they wear those stupid red jerseys. They will however get past the flash in the pan Phoenix Coyotes. Preacherman and Doroshenko get their way. Again like last year, I hate myself, Detroit in 5.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Washington Capitals (1) vs Montreal Canadiens (8)

Alexander the great versus Montreal. Hmmm this is tough. Caps in 4.

New Jersey (2) vs Philadelphia Flyers (7)

Not a big fan of the Devils and Martin Brodeur. I am still pissed that he did not continue in net for Canada at the olympics. He really should have been the guy for Canada. This series presents some difficulties also. For the Flyers everyone's favorite dirty player, Chris Pronger, is playing. Not a fan. But Ian Laperierre is also playing for the Flyers, he is cool. Former Av and a guy who used to bust my balls back in Edmonton every time they came through. This one is gonna be a barnburner. I like Philly in 7.

Buffalo Sabres (3) vs Boston Bruins (6)

Randy Hawke, of the Madison Hawkes, is a HUGE Sabre fan. HUGE. They have been playing well of late and the Bruins had to fight just to get in the playoffs, so I am going to take the Sabres in 7. You are welcome Hawke.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs Ottawa Senators (5)

This one is easy. Ottawa just has not gotten over the Ty Conklin jinx of a few years back. They have had one problem after another. The Penguins have not been playing well down the stretch, BUT Sid the Kid is coming off his Golden Goal from the Olympics (dick) and he always seems to step it up when he needs to. Preacherman has a man crush on this guy. I will take the Penguins in 5.

There you have it, my predictions on the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Take it to the bank. But as you know, any losses you have based on my predictions are all on you. I take no responsibility on your lack of picking prowess. If you lose, YOU LOSE. Not me.

Now, have a great day and
GET BACK TO WORK

Preacherman sent his picks in and as usual they are wrong...

Western

Sharks vs. Avs
Avs in 6, are you kidding me!??!?! With players like Marleau, Ortmeyer, Thorton, and Blake the Sharks won’t have much problem with the sucky Avs. Oh yeah, I forgot one thing, Joe Pavelski. He is the best player I’ve seen come through the USHL and he should have won the Hobey Baker when he was at UW. When it is all said and done, Pavelski will be the greatest power forward ever to play the game. Sharks in 5.

Blackhawks vs. Predlies
I agree. It is great to see the Blackhawks doing good again. I have been to the United CentER and heard the National Anthem, very cool. I can only imagine what it’s like during the playoffs. The Blackhawks have way too much talent for Nashville to handle. Mr. Everything, Jonathan Toews, will have an unforgettable playoffs. Blackhawks in 4.

Vancooter vs. LA
Not really sold on either of these teams. I guess I’m leaning towards Vancooter because of the Sedin sisters and Yan Stastny. Vancooter in 6.

Phoenix vs Detroit.
How the hell can you play hockey in a desert!?!? Even though my Wings aren’t too good this year … 16 games until my Redwings win the Stanley Cup!

Eastern

Washington vs Canadians
They just might call this one after three games. Washington is WAY too much for the Habs to handle.

Devils vs Flyers
I am a Brodeur fan and he should have been in net for Team Canada. This is going to be a chippy, dirty series. I hate the Flyers and Bob Clarke. Flyers are just talentless punks. Devils in 5.

SabERS vs Bruins
I haven’t seen much of either of these teams this year. But I know if Tim Thomas was in net for the Olympics, USA would have won the gold. But still have a bad taste in my mouth with the Bruins because of the traitor Phil Kessel. Once again Sabers in 6 just for you Hawke.

Pittsburgh vs Oh Ottawa
This is one awesome series!!! Where do I begin? Is there anything Crosby can’t do??? Youngest to ever wear the C and hoist the Cup. He is the closest to perfection we’ll ever see. Malkin will lead the playoffs in goals. But it won’t be that easy, Pittsburgh is going to run into a roadblock named Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, and Brian Elliot. Spezza will be great like always. Game on!!! Pittsburgh in 7

Mike Banaszynski

The Playoffs are coming. Are you ready? I am.

My pick for the Finals, Marty's Podcast, and another queen dumbass...

Okay, I know a lot of you have already seen the video above but I am showing it now because it is almost boat season here in Saskabush and I am damn sure going to be singing this song, in my head, every time I set foot in my boat. Funny as shit. I played it at work about 30 times the other day.

Oh, if you are at work make sure you do not turn it up because there is some swearing in the song. I will not take any responsibility if you lose your job because you are jamming out to this. I saw it first on Shannon Just Blog.

NEXT: I conducted Marty Frey's Entourage interview last night and it was epic. I will be editing it today and hopefully have it up tonight for all 20 or so of you who actually take the time to listen to it to peruse. Marty came strong and took shots at the host, NBC, Jay Leno, and of course the queens.

Speaking of Jay Leno he gave us some insight in the whole shift of power between Jay and Conan since he has been in rehearsals for Conan's show all week. This is another TT exclusive for you. I am truly a media mogul running this multi dollar website. You can CLICK HERE or click on the link to the right to listen to the podcast. If the words are not blue I do not have it up yet. When they turn blue it is on. Nice.

That also means that Chad Weiser, of the Seattle coffee drinkin' Weisers, is up next. I plan on cranking that one out soon also so be prepared.


NEXT: My picks for the Stanley Cup Final will be very similar to last year except for one thing....

DETROIT RED WINGS (2) VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (4)

Now, you all know I hate the Red Wings with a passion. I don't need to go there. We also know that Preacher and Doroshenko misguidedly love the wings. Don't need to go there. Ty Conklin is one of the greatest Green Bay Gamblers of all time AND a TT vetran. True. I want Ty's name on the Cup more than I want Favre to stay retired (which he will). Yes we know that. Preacher is in love with Sidney Crosby. True.

So where is this going? To the obvious, Penguins will win the Stanley Cup. Take it to the bank. Now I will tell you why. Since Gary Bettman is a tool and his only desire is not to keep the game of hockey great but to get better ratings in the USA (which will NEVER happen). In his infinite wisdom, and since NBC has their hand up his ass (sorry Marty). He has decided to play back to back games in the Stanley Cup final. Somebody kick this guys ass now.

Some of you may say that these guys are pros and should just shut up and play. Well you can say that as long as you are just watching them on TV. BUT, I followed the Oilers in 2006 in the playoffs and finals and I can tell you by being there that this is a very difficult thing to win the Stanley Cup. These guys beat the shit out of each other and that day of rest is very important to them. Gary, the numbnuts, Bettman makes them play Saturday night and then again Sunday afternoon. That is less than 24 hours to recover. God forbid the game goes a few overtimes. Screw Gary Bettman. He is ruining the game of hockey. Not to mention his hypocracy with this whole Phoenix Coyotes thing. Screw him.

Anyway, I think the Penguins are less beat up and are more ready for this. Sid the Kid has the eye of the tiger and Billy Gun Guerin has not got this far in his career and is not going to let it slip away. Sorry Ty, I am taking the Penguins in 7.

I would also like you to notice for the past few posts there has been little things to click on at the bottom. Kinda instant feedback you can say. Make sure you take time to click on the stuff on the bottom. Especially the viqueens suck one.

Oh and one more thing: I found this the other day on PackerPalace dot com. Fran Tarkenton, who played for the queens, has apparently lots to say about Favre in the Green Bay Press Gazette. After reading this...

“I think it's despicable,” Tarkenton told 790 The Zone in Atlanta (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune) regarding the possibility of Brett Favre playing for the Vikings. “What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here’s an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn’t about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favre’s of the world so much, they think it’s about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He’s 39 years old. How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year [playing for] the Vikings, or I retire, and go play for the Packers? I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail.”

“He told the Packers [after 2008 that], ‘I’m retiring,’” Tarkenton said. “They’ve got to move on. They’ve got to go through their offseason plan, their workouts, they go with the other quarterback [Aaron Rodgers], who is a good player, and then [Favre] comes back and says, ‘I think I want to play.’ . . . You build your team in the offseason. Everybody knows that. It’s about team. It’s not about Brett Favre. So he goes and runs up to the Jets, doesn’t even dress in the locker room with the players. Has a separate facility. Playing quarterback is about the relationships you have with your coaches, with your players, with your trainers, with your managers. How can you do that if you show up on gameday and you haven’t put the time in? And now he’s trying to do it again in Minnesota. And if Minnesota bites, God bless them. . . .

“He’s been a great player, there’s no question about it, but it’s all about him. It is supposed to be all about your team. If you’re going to be the quarterback of your team, you need to be there in the offseason workouts in March and April. Peyton Manning’s there. Tom Brady’s there.”

“I think [Favre] has been a great flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I’ve ever seen,” Tarkenton said. “Look at his final game in a Packers uniform [the 2007 NFC title game]. He blew that game against the Giants. He’s playing against Eli Manning. I love Eli Manning, but he’s still not a great quarterback. He’s not Peyton yet, or Tom Brady. He’s just a guy. And [the Packers] are playing at home, and they’re in a tight situation, they went to overtime and [Favre] throws the interception that allows [the Giants] to come back and win the game.”

I used to have a lot of respect for Fran, but now all I have to say to him is show me your ring dick weed, then you can talk. Suck on that Frannie boy.

Thank you.

Make sure you send Derek Venckus, of the Deep South Venckus', a happy birthday greeting. He will appreciate it.
Have a great day and an even better weekend. Now GET BACK TO WORK.

Okay so I wasn't perfect, but I was close...

The first round is in the books and man was it a gooder. That Blackhawk, Godless flames series was awesome. We can all now enjoy the playoffs that much better now that the flames are done. I hate those guys.

The Hurricanes Devils series was great also. The Rangers showed us all how to choke it out and how to act very unprofessional. Sorry Hauser, but your boys blew.

How did I do, well let's check. Well I was 6 for 8 in picking. I missed the Vancouver series because the Canuckelheads finally showed up for the playoffs and the biggest choke team ever, the San Jose Sharks proved that winning the Presidents trophy doesn't mean shit in the second season. I hate the Mighty Ducks, I hate the Mighty Ducks, I hate the Mighty Ducks. Shitty movie, shitty team. Oh and for the record Preacherman was 4 for 8. Loser. Better luck next time.

Second round picks, here they come...

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

BOSTON BRUINS (1) vs CAROLINA HURRICANES (6)

Now we have a huge series here. Huge. Both of these teams never say quit. Boston is a punch you in the mouth as they whip you team and Carolina plays along the same lines. Carolina also is Ric Flair's team so this makes it a bit harder to pick. My gut says Carolina but my head says Boston. Gotta go with the gut. Carolina in 7


WASHINGTON CAPITALS (2) vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (4)

This one is tough also. I don't like how the Russians play hockey. They have too much skill and are a little too arrogant. Ovetchkin is an amazing player along with his linemates, BUT, I think that the Penguins have the edge in goalies. That goes a long way in this time of the year. I am going to take Preacher's boyfriend Sid the Kid and the Pens in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

DETROIT RED WINGS (2) vs ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS (8)

We all know how much I hate these two teams. So I will just keep this one short. Trev and Preacher, I hate saying this. Wings in 7. I feel dirty.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (3) vs CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (4)


The Canucks are another one of those dissappearing teams. Luongo has been playing out of his mind lately and the Sedin sisters have hiked up their skirts and started to play. That said, I love the Blackhawks and the skill on that team. Backed by the Bulin Wall that team can be unstoppable. Youth is the only thing they have going against them. That can be helped by the noise of the United Center but they don't have home ice. The Canuckleheads do. Wow, this one is very tough. I am sticking with the Hawks. Chicago in 7.


Well there you have it, the sure fire picks for the second round of the NHL playoffs. Again, call your bookie and make your bets. I love being right.

Now, GET BACK TO WORK!!!

NHL Playoff picks. Call your bookie and follow my lead...

Joel Witte, of the DC Witte's, sent me a link to the above ad campaign for the Boston Bruins. Freaking amazing. Laughed my ass off. There are three of them and I will put them in this post as we go along. Thank you Joel. You rule.

Okay, as you know, I am somewhat of a prognosticator. Yup, that was a pretty big word. Hope you enjoyed it, I did. Therefore I cannot go into this playoff season without telling you what WILL happen. If you care to remember, and I think some of you don't, I was perfect last year in the first round. PERFECT. Read it and weep. Well, I plan on doing better this year. As I said earlier, call you bookie, and bet the house. Here they are, the winning picks for this years first round.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

BOSTON BRUINS (1) VS MONTREAL CANADIENS (8)

This one is almost a no brainer. Bruins are mean, tough, have great goaltending, and can score at will. They also have one of the two players I ever saw bend over to get through the visitors locker room door in Edmonton. Chara is a monster and everytime he came in and out of the door of the room at Rexall Place he had to literally bend over to get out. The other guy who had to do that was Eric Boogaard. These two teams hate each other so this will be entertaining, but it will be short. Bruins in 6.

Here is another of their ads...



PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (4) VS. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (5)

This one is a bit tougher. The Penguins are playing great hockey right now in fact no one has been hotter in the East. BUT, I think the Flyers are another team that will punch you in the mouth while they beat you to the net. I like how they play hockey. A Bruins Flyers series would be great. Sid the kid might have something to say about it though so I am going to go with my heart and not my head on this one and pick the Penguins in 7.

Oh and if there are any Malkin fans out there I have a couple of McDonalds Malkin mini helmets that were only available here in Canada. Drop me a line if you want one.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (3) VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES (6)

This series I probably will not watch a single game so I do not care about it much. I have never been a fan of the Devils and on that same note Ric Flair loves the Canes so I must also. Hurricanes in 5.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS (2) VS NEW YORK RANGERS (7)

Alex Ovetchkin once ducked us at Rexall for an interview. He went as far as not riding the bus with his team and getting security to lock down the back hall so he could sneak out the back door and get in a taxi. Wasted a lot of my time that night since the lame ass reporter I worked with would not just let it go. Now that I have my rant out of the way, I will tell you that in the same breath I like to watch Avery play hockey. He is a jack hole that does and says some really dumb shit, but he goes hard on the ice. I like the Caps in this one for several reasons. One being that I want Joel Witte to be able to cover the more than one round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the other being that I just don't think Lundquist can stop the Russians on this Caps team. Sorry Hauser, Capitals in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

SAN JOSE SHARKS (1) VS. ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS (8)

This one is easy. Chris Pronger is a A-Hole and the Ducks, I will always refer to them as Mighty, were named after a shitty movie. San Jose in 5.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (4) VS. THE GODLESS CALGARY FLAMES (5)

This one is going to be awesome. It is great to see the Hawks back in the playoffs. In fact since my team is not in this year, I will be wearing my Chelios number 7 on game day. Deal with that Flames. Every talking head on TV here in Canada is picking the Flames, kinda like every talking head in ND loves the queens. Forget it, the Bulin wall owns the Flames and the Hawks have too many scoring options. Hawks in 6.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (3) VS. ST. LUIS BLUES (6)

Again another team that has been absent from the dance for many years the Blues finally get back. I love Keith Tkchuk but I just don't know if they will be able to solve Luongo. The Blues are also the hottest team in the NHL going into the playoffs. This could spell upset since the Canucks usually suck in the playoffs. I am going out on a limb here Blues in 7.

DETROIT RED WINGS (2) VS. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (7)

Okay, you all know the hate on I have for the Wings. Well this year the hate on has a new twist. Ty Conklin, of the Green Bay Gamblers Conklins, is now on this team. Whoa, this sucks. I want with all my heart to have a Gambler get his name on the cup. But I do not want to see the Dead Wings win another cup. What do I do? I hate myself, Wings in 6.

There you have it sure fire pics to win. Now GET BACK TO WORK.

Marty and the Stanley Cup...

Okay, Marty sent me this note yesterday about the Stanley Cup on Leno. As you can see in the clip above Osgood and Lindstrom took the cup on the Tonight Show. Marty had a chance meeting with the cup and decided to share it. Take it away Marty...

Dude! I have touched greatness..

They had Niklas Lindstrom and Chris Osgood from the Red Wings on the Tonight Show tonight.. Right after the monologue they come on with "the cup"... After they were done, they went downstairs to their green room and the Tonight Show publicist who knows me called me up and told me to get down there if I want to touch the cup..

So - I went down and met the NHL "keeper of the cup".. Really nice guy who travels everywhere that the cup goes and secures it at night - wearing a very warm looking blue wool NHL blazer.. The cup was standing majestically in the center of the room while the guys were watching the rest of the show and talking to a Detroit newspaper reporter..

Then the "keeper of the cup" asked if I wanted to touch it - I said "sure" so he took me into the green room - I said Hi and congratulations to the guys and touched the cup with my left hand.. just on the edge so as not to smudge it at all - because it had been all shined up for the show... Everyone stopped talking for a second and then Chris Osgood said "It feels like a dream - doesn't it"? - It sure does Chris... it sure does.

No cameras allowed - but I've got three NBC people who were there and saw it..

Marty

Great story Marty, we are just waiting for the picture. I hope you had a chance to see it in the parking lot. I remember the first time I got to see the cup. Craig Ludwig was with the Dallas Stars and had just won the cup. He is from northern Wisconsin so on his day with the Cup, it was July 4th and he was in Wisconsin. I decided that this would probably be the only time I would EVER get to see the cup. So I conned Venckus Schmenkus and Jeff Conner into letting me take a camera up to Eagle River on the weekend to get some video of the cup. Just so I could get a pick with the great trophy. Again thinking I would never get near it again.

Well, I still did not know I was moving to Canada and that I would see the Cup nearly every year that I was in Canada. The cup does a tour of every NHL city every season. It makes it's rounds on the local talk shows and then out to the rink. So I saw it plenty, as the pictures are witness to. It truly is an amazing thing to see.

The dude you see in the Mastercard commercials really does follow the cup around all the time and he is really a class act and has some serious stories to tell. He was a target of TundraTalk the Podcast but we could never meet up at the right times to do our thing.

Really a person could spend hours just reading the names and looking at the dents and such on the cup. There is so much history on that trophy. From what I heard this year they added a new ring to the bottom and the damn Wings will be the first team on the new ring on the bottom. Damn Wings. Oh well, the cup rules and I have enjoyed every time I had the opportunity to see it.

If you ever have the chance to see it, even if you have to drive 4 hours, do it. It is sooo worth it. Just ask Marty, or Chris Osgood.

Now, GET BACK TO WORK!!!!!

My NHL finals pick and Chris Elliot is genius...

Okay, it has been a while since I have posted so I apologize. It is my blog so I basically can do what I want so get over it. I am working on getting that Rudolph kid on the podcast but I am taking my own sweet time. Venckus Schmenkus is up right after that.

I have decided that I will give you my NHL Final picks so you can call your bookie and get your bet in at the last second. I was again, perfect in the last round. Not like it was that tough but I got it done.

Now the final...

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (2)

Okay, you probably already know how I am going with this but hell, again it is my blog, so just sit there and take it. Since the Penguins are the only remaining team with a former Green Bay Gambler on the team I am going again with the Penguins. They also have former Oilers Georges Laraque, the reigning NHL heavyweight champ and Petr Sykora. Lovet to see former Oilers do well in the playoffs and the Oilers not make the playoffs. Kinda makes me feel all warm inside. I really liked seeing Toby Petersen and Brad Winchester on the Power Play for Dallas last series. These are two guys who were ran out of town by MacTavish and co last year and are now kicking ass on a team that actually made the playoffs. So since I hate the Red Wings and the Pens have a Gambler that pretty much seals it. Sorry Trev and Preacher, your team sucks. On that note we move on...



NEXT: Chris Elliot. And I quote "There is no off on the Genius Switch." True, true, true. I have been saying that to everyone for years. I am a huge fan of Chris Elliot. I have often said that his career has mirrored me. Thats right I said it. He played a dude on a sitcom named "Get a Life" where he played a dude named Chris Peterson. He then played a news cameraman in the movie Groundhog Day. After that in the movie CB4 he played a filmaker. Chris Elliot truly is stealing from my life. I had a chance to interview him once and when I told him my name was Chris Peterson he just about died laughing and then asked if I lived with my parents. I said no, but they were there with me. That sent him over the top. The picture at the top is from that day. For those of you who recieve the Peterson Family Christmas letter that picture was in one of the first ones. Great guy, good interview. I should try to find that and put it up here.

I did a quick search on YouTube the other day and found a few classic Elliot vids.

There is of course the old man under the stairs bits from old Lettermans, but the NHL one with the rangers really made snot come out of my nose. That is the one up above.



This one is Elliot pushing his new series Skink the Bounty Hunter. Hilarious.



There is about 6 or seven of Elliot doing the Mac vs PC ads. Those are great also.



But by far his old stuff on Letterman is great. Enjoy. If you have time, which if you are reading this, you have WAY too much time, go to YouTube and search Chris Elliot.

This just in...It is official, my first round perfection was a fluke...

Okay, so now we all know that I got lucky in the first round. My second round I only got one series right. What do you expect? Me to pick against my favorite team? No way Jose. I still believe that the Avs could come back and win that series.

Quickly, because I am at work. Third round picks....

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS(2) vs PHILADELPHIA FLYERS(6)

Okay, when in doubt pick the team that has a former Gambler on it. Ty Conklin is on this team so I pick the Penguins. Never mind the fact that they have Malkin and Crosby. Some people say that the Flyers will rough the Penguins up. Uh, does anybody remember that the Pens have Georges Laraque? You know the toughest guy in the NHL. Undisputed heavyweight champion Georges Laraque. Just refer to this video to refresh your memory.



DETROIT DEAD WINGS(1) vs DALLASS STARS(5)

Okay I hate both these teams so I pick neither of them. They both suck. DalASS because they used to be the Minnesota North Stars and Detroit becasue they are Detroit. So I guess I pick Detroit because I am sooooo tired of teams from the south winning the cup where no one outside of the 20 thousand in the rink cares. I hope both these teams lose.

NEXT: Robby DuPuis of the Minneapolis DuPuis, sent this note about Tony and his return to the land of the free....

Hey, I was going through some old photos in my email account and found this rather obscure brush with fame from my rehearsal dinner the nite before my wedding. Legendary NHL referee Kerry Frasier stopped by for a beer.

Also, I need to request that Tony's entourage test is A LOT harder than the rest of ours. We're just a bunch of beer drinkin' punks next to him. The guy thrives in war zones which is a hell of a lot more than I can say, so he already has a leg up before the exam starts. Not fair, but glad to hear he's back safe and sound.

Robby

As you can see the pic to the right is Robby with Kerry Fraser. Nice. As for the podcast, not sure what I can do for you Rob. It's not like a bonehead like me is going to be able to make a guy who just did two tours in Iraq misstep. I am, after all, the guy who came up with the "Bon Jovi Lyric Interpretation". If I were smart it would be called the "Michael Stipe lyric interpretation".

Sorry.

And to show my incredible intelligence I will post this video of the Iron Shiek going nuts in an interview. Mikey Zee, of the CBC Zees, showed me this the other day. Man that Iron Shiek is CRAZY. If you want more, just go to YouTube and type "Iron Shiek Goes Nuts". Lots to choose from.

The best thing, among about 10 funny things, is he mentions God, Jesus, and Vince McMahon all in the same sentence. Yup you heard me right, AND what he says he wants to do to one of the Killer Bees is HILARIOUS. You must watch this, but NOT AT WORK!!!!!

I am NHL Perfection. I completely rule...

I AM PERFECT!!! Well in picking the NHL playoffs anyway. If you don't beleive me just click here. That's right read 'em and weep. Plus the only thing better than the Avalanche getting to the second round, is the Flames choking in the first. I love to see the Flames lose. Sweet. I also just love to see a Godless Flames fan cry in his beer. I hate that team almost as much as the queens. Their bandwagon is soooo big. Today that wagon is a lot less full. When we frist moved to Edmonton I was always offered tickets to see the Flames in Calgary. It was the easiest ticket to find. And I lived in Edmonton. They start to win and the rink is full. Hate 'em.

Oh and also I enjoy the fact that the guy that Oilerfan ran out of town, Joffrey Lupul, scored the OT, GAME SEVEN, winner to send his new team, the Philadelphia Flyers, to the second round. Sweet vengence is his. How does that taste Oilerfan? Pretty bitter I bet.

So you say, "How do you follow up perfection there Big Show?". Well I will tell ya, just keep your panties on.

Here are my predictions for the second round of the NHL Playoffs... Call your bookie...

Montreal Canadiens (1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6)

Okay I hate the fact that the idiot Montreal fans burned cop cars and broke windows. I don't want to pick them, I don't, but, I think they are just too strong to lose to the Flyers. But, hell, screw the fans of Montreal, but, man this is tough. I hate to do it but Montreal will win this series. The Montreal fans will get theirs in the next round courtesy of Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. New York Rangers (5)

I like Sid the Kid and again, Ty Conklin is on this team. The quest to get a former Gambler's name on the Cup continues. Pittsburgh wins in 6. Sorry hauser. The Rangers will make it interesting though.

Detroit Dead Wings (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (6)

We all know how I feel about the Wings. Preacher Man and Doroshenko are Wings fans. Screw the Wings. This is a heated rivalry between these teams and there will be blood. Colorado will give the Wings the Finger and win in seven. In this case the Wings suck and therefore so do Trev and Preacher. Sorry boys.

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. DalASS Stars (5)

Hate DallASS. JR plays for San Jose and I love JR. So therefore we have San Jose in seven. I don't know anybody who is a fan for either of these teams.

Good luck with your picks. Now I have to get back to work so do you.

Doroshenko will be laying down his podcast soon so watch for that also. Oh and Evan Klippenstein, of the CBC Edmonton Klippers, sent me this story to further discuss how much it sucks to shoot from a very small air plane. Evan is also one of the smallest shooters I know so that says alot. Congrats to you and Mugsy on your second Klipper to enter the world. Lets hope this kid is a better goaler than you. Oh, come on, you are a tremedous goaler Evan, as far as you know (thanks Nordic Man for that one). ..Take it away Evan...

Hey fellow CBC'er,

I just read your blog (missed the last few posts) and the story of shooting from a plane. Classic! The mental picture you painted made me howel and reminded me of the many uncomfortable time I've had to shoot from a plane. Not that my size is an issue, just the turbulance and keyhole size windows available to shoot from. Anyways, I'd just like to share a very recent story of how everything can go right on an ariel shoot that results in the competition using my footage instead of theirs and the National eating it up.

A few weeks ago a plane crashes near Wainwright killing all 5 people on board, tragically family and coworkers of a flight that crashed near Golden BC in November killing 3. Huge story. I'm told to go to the muni-airport where a helicopter will pick me up and we have to find the crash site because at this point no-one knows where the exact location is. It's 3pm. The chopper is a C2, used to fight forest fires, and the pilot is all business. He take 15 minutes to empty all unnessecary seats and strap me and my camera into a harness and explain how the giant door opens in midflight. All I'm thinking is great, if we somehow survive a crash and the chopper is on fire, I can't run away. It takes us an hour to get to Wainwright and the weather has turned into blizzard like conditions. A small single engine Cesna carrying the Journal photog and Global camera guy are in touch with us as we both are searching for the crash sight.

It's in a snowy tree filled valley 12 kms northeast of town is all we know. After much circling and incredibly low flying we spot rescue vehicle lights flashing and voila, the wreckage. Global is circling a mile above us. My pilot is awesome. I'm on the left side of the chopper with the door swung open, sitting on the edge of the seat, both feet dangling outside. The pilot was on the right side but knew exactly what I needed to see from the left. He hovered low enough that we were whipping snow into rescue workers faces (not for long, we felt bad), he followed a snowmobile pulling a body up the hill to a staging area...a perfect tracking shot, and circled the big blue tarp where the other bodies were covered. It was very eerie hovering above the scene of such tragedy but ended up with 20 minutes of excellent tape.

We landed at the Wainwright airport at 5pm where are Sat. truck was waiting to feed it across the country. Global used their crappy shots from the plane circling way above us for their 6pm news but by 11 they were using ours. I let my boss know that this chopper pilot is the only way to do these shoots from now on; alot more expensive than a plane, but so worth it.

Hope all is well with you and your girls. Our second is due Sept. 1st and our latest attempt to fiigure out which set of genitalia it has was inconclusive.

Did you hear, the Score is laying off the shooters and going with VJ's? They'll never learn.

Take care,

Evan

I did see your footage as well as edit some for the show. Nice work homey. I think I can say I taught that boy everything I know. Which is not much. The most important thing I taught him is never put ANYTHING on top of your rig. I agree that helicopters are the only way to go.

Yup the Score will never learn. I also think that is the first time the word Genitalia has been used on TundraTalk. Sweeet.

GET BACK TO WORK!!!!

Impromptu flight, NHL Playoffs, and Marty on Leno...

Okay, yesterday I had the, ahem, priviledge, to go for a flight to get some video of a train crash. Now, I don't generally like to fly but I won't usually try to get out of it. It is just that these flights, unless you are in a helicopter are not fun. In fact, back in Green Bay once, I was sent over to Austin Straubel to jump on a plane to get vid of a plane crash (usually two every year around the EAA) and before I could even get out of the NBC mobile commisary the pilot was telling me to go back and get someone smaller because, and I quote, "There ain't no way in hell you are gettin' in my plane."

So you can imagine my caution when I get the call to head over to Regina Flying Club to jump on a plane. I asked him how big the plane was and the assignment editor told me that a guy from Global TV is also going so it will be plenty big. Okay, no prob. Well I get over to the airport and I scan the runway and I don't see anything bigger than a Cessna. Not pleased.

I ask the guy inside which plane we are going on and he points me to this three seater job right in front of the window. Great, this is going to suck. Now if you have ever been in one of these planes you know that the wind pushes them around like an anorexic in a wind storm. So you need to have a bit of a strong stomach. Not only do I have that to contend with but I have to shoot video also. Not conducive to the lunch I just finished eating.

So I am running all kinds of scenarios through my head on how I can get out of this. So I ask him how much the assignment editor told him I weighed. The pilot said that David told him that I weighed 220. Well, yes I did weigh 220, BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL. That's right 1986 was the last time I weighed 220. Needless to say I informed him that I weighed considerably more than that and he then assured me that we were still okay for the flight. Damn.


He tells me to get in the front, which I do and I promtly break the seat. It now reclines a bit more than it should. The pilot also tells me not to bump the controls, which are conviently about an inch from my feet and my knees. Nice. Every time he tried to turn right he hit my knee. I am sooo dead.

Then he turned the thing on. That is when I started to think that this was my last assignment. This thing rattled and shook like Lindsay Lohan looking for her next fix. I was thinking that I needed to call and tell Donna goodbye and to make sure that she gives my signed Brett Favre football to the right person. I kept thinking about that old Canadian show called ENG where they were traveling on a plane up in the bush and the plane crashed and a reporter died along with a producer. All I knew was that I did not want to go out like this.

He got the bad boy off the ground and I immediately got into take a nap mode. When in doubt, sleep. I just did not want to be that guy who pukes on a plane. I could only imagine what that would be like in such a small shitty plane. It took about 40 minutes to get to the train derailment. After we got there the pilot was told that we had to stay up wind of the toxic chemicals and at about 5500 feet. Great, nice way to make pictures. So as you can see in the picture I was sitting on the right side of the plane. The crash was on the to the left of the pilot. We swung around so it was out the right sid of the plane and that left me with a huge ass camera and no way to see what I am shooting as the viewfinder is on the left of the camera.

We fly by a couple of times and as I am holding the camera in my lap and shooting the pilot is looking through the viewfinder of my camera to make sure I have the crash in frame all the while still flying the damb deathtrap plane. Great. He flew by three times and I knew I had all I needed and I was also getting a bit queasy from the hair pin turns. So I said lets go back to Regina. The Global guy in the back asked if we could go by a couple more times, ass. For some reason they decided to send up a guy who had never run a camera before. Brilliant. For all of you who don't know, including the Global camera guy, you don't zoom in when you are shooting from a plane. If you zoom in you will not have steady video. Well he did a lot of zooming and had no usable video.

We got back in one piece and my video was fine. No puking for me, but man did I go straight for the junk food when we hit the ground. I needed something to make me feel good. Moral of the story, don't fly in a plane that you are bigger than and don't zoom in whilst you are in the air shooting something on the ground.

Okay, now on to my predictions for the NHL Playoffs. Whooooooo, I love this time of the year. I know Robby DuPuis of the Minneapple DuPuis used to just buy cable once a year during the playoffs. I am going to make this short and sweet because I need to get a call into Mike Chaussee so I can put him on TundraTalk the Podcast.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1)Montreal vs Boston(8) - Okay not fond of either of these teams so I will just pick by the ranking and go with the Canadiens.

(2)Pittsburgh vs Ottowa(7) - Now we all know that I always pick the team with a former Gambler on it. Ty Conklin plays for the Penguins so thus I pick the Penguins. I want to see a former Gamblers name on the Stanley Cup. Sorry Mitch.

(3)Washington vs Philly(6) - Again, not to concerned with this series but I do know that Washington has been hot lately and Philly has not. But I am going to go with Philly just because.

(4)New Jersey vs NY Rangers(5) - In the battle of New York I will take Hauser's team. Not fond of the Devils, they are evil.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1)Detroit Red Wings vs NashVegas(8) - Okay, we all know that I hate the Dead Wings and their crappy red jerseys, but I am thinking that they will deal Nashville a loss in the first round.

(2)San Jose vs the Godless Flames(7) - Screw the Flames. Sharks in 4.

(3) Minnesota vs the Colorado Avalanche (6) - We all know that the Avs will give the Wild the Finger. Jeff Fingers name on the Cup would be AWESOME. Avs in 6.

(4)Anaheim vs DallASS Stars(8) - Here is another series that I wish both teams would lose. I will go with DallASS because I do not like the Ducks. Pronger is an ass.

Okay there you have my first round predictions. Call your bookie and put all you have on Colorado.

Last but not least I will leave you with this video. I have been wanting to put this up for a while but have not had time. Here is Marty Frey on Leno being questioned by Arsenio's freakishly large hands.

Enjoy.


Marty Frey and A Hall from hamiltongbp on Vimeo.

Now, I got stuff to do so GET BACK TO WORK!!!!

Finals picks and other things...

Okay, the finals are ready to rock and I went o-fer in the last round on my picks. I feel like I won on the east side because as I said, I could go either way. In fact I had Ottowa picked then I picked Buffalo, then Ottowa, and then finally settled on Buffalo. I am happy that Tom Preissing will be playing in the final. Last two Stanley Cup Finals there have been three former Gamblers playing in them. Nice.

Mitch Davis, of the Regina Davis', sent me a link for a story that will make you want to root for the Senators also. CLICK HERE to read the story. I dare you not to cry. I dare you.

So without further ado, I will make my picks...

Ottowa Senators(4) vs Anaheim Ducks(2)

Well we all know how I feel about the Ducks. Plus since the Ducks have made it to the final, the Oilers get another first rounder in 2008 draft. That was part of the Chris Pronger trade. Which I might add, Kevin Lowe needs to think about. He can basically be credited with putting a dumb hockey team, that no one in California cares about, in the Stanley Cup Final. Not to mention that the Ducks are in the Oilers division. Congrats Kevin. You made another team in your division better. If it were me, I would have traded him to somewhere like Florida or Columbus. Teams that suck and will always suck. Make him pay for being a big baby. This is three years in a row that a team from the south has made it to the final. Teams that really should not even be in those markets. Bettman is a loser. Oh and thanks for waiting to start the final until Monday. Just so you can put your games on NBC. NBC also does not care about hockey because they dumped the sudden death OT game between Ottowa and Buffalo for the Preakness pre race show. NHL got bumped so NBC could show horses walking around in their barns. Nice. NBC and Bettman Sucks. Sorry Marty, I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

Anyway, I digress. I pick Ottowa to win this in 6. I really want to see a Gambler with his name on the cup. Plus how can you not root for this team after reading the story above?

NEXT: I got some more Trailer Park Boys videos for you to watch. First the TPB talk about their book. Ricky is hilarious in this one...



Second is a piece from the Rick Mercer show. Bubbles goes up in a fighter jet. Brilliant...



Have a good day and GET BACK TO WORK...

Station for sale on Ebay, Man Caves, and NHL picks...

Okay, it is time for the conference finals in the NHL and I, of course, will give you my picks. BUT FIRST I have a few things to show you...

If you are in the market for a television station, that's right, a full blown TV station. There is one up for bids on eBay. CLICK HERE to see what you could have. Man, if I was to own a station I would do kinda what Weird Al did in UHF. Just put on as much local programming as I could afford. Stuff like sports talk, local politics, some crazy kids show, Green Bay Packers highlights, a Packer talk show, a Packer bar show, an entertainment show, lots and lots of old wrasslin' matches, how to build a playhouse show, more wrasslin'.

Now that I think about it I would ask Vince McMahon if he wanted to just run old stuff 24/7 on my network. Just start from 1980 and run all the shows back to back over and over again. That would be awesome. I would also make sure that no one would have to go on strike. Make the working environment as pleasant as possible.

I would call Garner up and see if he wanted to do a show about Napping. Just a information show on Naps and how to make your nap time work. I personally can nap, anywhere, anytime. Just sit down, close my eyes, lower my heart rate, deep breathing, and gonzo. I once fell asleep in the dentist chair as the dentist was drilling away. No lie. Just concentrate hard enough and it can happen. The show about Napping would analyze peoples different ways they nap, secrets on how to nap, things like that. Garner has it all worked out.

Maybe also a show about Man Caves. Go out and videotape guys Man Rooms. That way if there was a young up and comer that was thinking of building a Man Cave he could watch our show and get some tips from the guys who have already done it. A way to not make the same mistakes we did when we built ours.

Speaking of man caves..Have a look at this video of a TV in some dudes bedroom. Has to be a dude, no chick would want this in their room.






Bedroom TV from hamiltongbp on Vimeo

I would also have a show about team locker rooms. Kinda like Cribs, except pro, or college, teams locker rooms. Have one of the players from said team give a tour of their locker room. Most people do not get to see the rooms for some of their favorite teams. There is a lot of history in some of these rooms and this show would bring it to the fans. It would be called 'Rooms'. That would be cool.

Anyway, if you are interested just click on over to eBay and bid away...

NEXT:



Got some good viqueen jokes off of PackerPalace dot com. That dude over there has some great sources for anti domequeen material. Oh and he has some pics of Number 4's house in Mississippi. Incredible. It is like a small city. This from the guy who used to say when he retired he would just buy a double wide and go fishing everyday. This house is a little bigger than a double wide. Enjoy...


Q: How many Vikings does it take to win a Superbowl?
A: No one knows, and we may never find out!

Q: Where do you go in MN in case of a tornado?
A: To the Metrodome - they'll never have a touchdown there.

Q: What's the difference between the MN Vikings and the Taliban?
A: The Taliban has a running game.

Q: Do you know why the Minnesota Vikings play in a dome?
A: Because God doesn't want to watch them play either.

NEXT: Okay now to my picks for the finals. I have been doing pretty good so far. Last round I was two and two. Round one I was five and three. So that makes me so far, seven and five. Damn Anaheim. Okay, here goes...

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Ottowa Senators(4) vs. Buffalo Sabres (1)

Okay we all know where I stand on these two teams. Both have former Green Bay Gamblers on them, Ty Conklin and Tom Preissing. The city of Buffalo has been a second place team for sooooo long that I kinda want them to finally get over and take a trophy home but I think that Ottowa has had such good quality teams over the past few years that they also are due. This is tough... What do I do? Pick it to go seven, that is a no brainer. Damn, this is not easy. Buffalo in Seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Detroit Red Wings(1) vs Anaheim Ducks(2)

This one is equally a crap shoot. Crap, since that is what I think of both teams. Anaheim blows because they have Pronger and their fans do not give a crap about the team and the Red Wings suck because they are the Red Wings. Both teams as far as I am concered can just go get bent. I am hoping again for as many injuries as possibly can happen and them to just get tired of the travel between Detroit and Anaheim. I am picking, crap I hate these teams, Detroit in seven.

There you have it, my picks for the NHL conference finals. Good luck and may the force not be with Anaheim or Detroit.

Have a good day and GET BACK TO WORK!!!!

This American Life and Second round picks...

Okay so round one of the NHL playoffs is over and I was wrong on three of the eight series. The Thrashers, Wild, and Predators did not win but I was right on the rest. How will I do in round two? We will see.

First though I have to show you some video. I picked this off of the B-roll dot net site. A great site for all you photogs out there. Lots of good discussion on everything to do with cameras and cameraguy stuff. The clip is from a show called 'This American Life" that runs on Showtime. We do not get it up here so I cannot attest to it's goodness or badness. I hear that it is good though. This clip talks about kids in a playground pretending to be camera guys. Kinda funny. Kinda has some meaning to. Just an all around good clip. Have a look...

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO

Got this note from Robyn Young, of the WRGZ Young's...

Hey Chris!

Greetings from Buffalo!

What’s your rant on our Buffalo Sabres?

Hope all is well.

Robyn Young

P.S. I’m going to law school this Fall.


Well Robyn, I will tell you what I think of the Sabres here shortly and all is well. Plus, going to law school? Great another lawyer in the TundraTalk Nation. I need all the protection I can get so good luck Robyn, I hope you kick major ass in Law School.

Well, on to the second round...


BUFFALO SABRES(1) vs NY RANGERS(6)

So you want to know what I think of the Sabres. Well, Robyn, here it is. I want them to win the cup. For several reasons. One, for the way they got screwed back in 2000 when Brett Hull DID NOT SCORE in OT and Bettman gave the cup away too fast before he looked at the instant replay to see that BRETT'S FRICKING SKATE WAS IN THE CREASE. So I think the Sabres are due. Second, I like Chris Drury a lot. Former Avalanche player is a great leader, a former Little League World Series champ, former rookie of the year, and the list goes on. Third, Ty Conklin is on this team. He is of course a former Green Bay Gambler, TundraTalk vetran, and a great guy. I would love to see a Gambler's name on the Cup. Plus, he got major league screwed by the Oilers last year and I would love for Ty to win the cup and come back to Edmonton with a cup ring on his middle finger and see him show it to everyone in Edmonton. I like Buffalo to embarass Hauser's Rangers. Just out class them on all levels. Buh Bye. Buffalo in six.


OTTOWA SENATORS(4) vs NEW JERSEY DEVILS(2)

Once again this is a team that has a former Gambler on it. Tom Preissing is on my playoff team and he is a good guy. Ottowa is Mitch Davis, of the Regina Davis's, team and they look ready to make the next step. Plus I hate the way the Devils play hockey. Slow, clog up the middle, wait for the other team to make a mistake. Brodeur showed some weakness in the last series so I think this one will go toward Ottowa. Ottowa in six.


DETROIT RED WINGS (1) vs SAN JOSE SHARKS(5)

Well, what do I do here. I have been to San Jose, never been to Detroit. Preacherman and Trev are big wings fans. The Avs hate the wings. I hate the wings. Screw the Wings. Wait, I like hot wings, I just want people to understand that. I hate the RED wings. I am happy that the Wings beat the Flames. The Flames did not deserve to be in the playoffs, but that is where it ends. I felt dirty cheering for the Wings in round one. Dirty. Sharks in 7.

ANAHEIM DUCKS (2) vs VANCOUVER CANUCKS(3)

I discussed in the last round why I did not like the Ducks. I will add to that. Last year during the playoffs with the Oilers, Conference Finals. There were whole sections of the rink that did not have any people sitting in the seats. There was a whole Luxury Box that was empty. Go ahead and look at the seats during the game. There will be tons of empty seats in the lower bowl. I guarantee it. The city of Anaheim does not care about this team, a good team, so they do not deserve to win. I hate that Bettman put teams in cities where they do not care about hockey. The people of Winnipeg are dying to have a team and would fill the arena every night, but NOOOOOOO Anaheim has a team. Screw Anaheim. Screw their stupid arena, screw their big d man, screw their half assed fans, screw them all. Vancouver in 7.

There you have it, my picks, not necessarily for you to run to Vegas and bet on because there is no science or math involved, just me and my ego.

Have a good day and get back to work!!!