My Pick for the Stanly Cup and the latest member of the Entourage...

Yes that is correct, it is time to pick who I think will win the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I was 50% last round. Not great by my standards. In fact I have not been that great at all this year. I was 50% in every round. Not good at all. I need to get back to work on my statistical ANALysis of the NHL and how much I know. No, really I just need to stop picking who I want to win and start picking who WILL win. I picked too much with my heart this year.



Anyway, for the finals I will let you know that I am again going to pick with my heart. In fact as I sit here I am listening to one of my Favorite bands of all time, Nobody's Children, and they are inspiring me to pick not with who probably has the momentum, but to pick with the team that I think deserves it and needs it more.

Anyway, on a related note, the Children are getting back together for a gig in Minot next summer and I am stoked. I can't wait to see if Todd Holdman can still kill the bass, if Micah Scott can still shred, oh and if Adam G can still pound the skins. Check this link to find out more. Oh and here is the music video I did for them back in the day...

Stare - Nobody's Children from hamiltongbp on Vimeo.

Okay back to the task at hand. I cannot wait for Lord Stanley's cup to be handed out and Gary Bettmann gets booed at centre ice. I love that...

STANLEY CUP FINAL

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs Philadelphia Flyers (6)

I know that Donnie Granato said that the Hawks just did not have the depth in goalie to take it all, and I have been picking against that all the way to where we are now. So I have put in a call to Don to see if he would revise his stance or if he is now on the Hawks and picking them to win. Please wait here while I give him a call.

I just got off the phone with Don and he told me that the two things he was worried about for the Hawks in the post season was Goaltending and the playoff grit. They have answered the bell on both accounts. He said that grit is where the Hawks have had the edge in all series so far but in this round it is gonna be the key because both teams have some much grit right now the ice will be leveled on this count.

He also says that the match up between Byfuglien and Pronger is gonna be the key in this series because if Dustin can get to Pronger it will go towards the Hawks. If Pronger can keep up with the kid the Flyers will be okay but if Dustin can get Chris into the red zone advantage Hawks. He says that Niemi has answered the bell as far as his goaltending goes so he does not even question that. Donnie also said that the city of Chicago is buzzing and he will be at the games this weekend and can't wait to see how this will turn out. He thinks this is a series that is gonna be great because of the grit involved. I agree.

My observation is that Niemi looked a bit rough in the first rounds but he has looked awesome of late and the goal scorers on the Hawks have picked their game up. Guys like Kane, Seabrook, and Sharp were a bit slow coming out of the gate but have gotten better as the playoffs have gone along. J Toews is a beast. Leading the playoffs in scoring and leading his team to the promised land. Might I add he is a former UND Fighting Sioux. Oh and as far as I am concerned they will always be the Fighting Sioux in my book. They can try to change the name but it will never change in the minds of the fans. Byfuglien is a guy who plays the way I would play, well, if I could actually skate worth a damn. He hits everything that moves, scores, and looks like he is having fun while doing it.

As for Philly, as I said earlier, they are team with huge grit. The Hawks could get under the skin of the Sedin sisters and Joe Thornton easy. Those guys need to add grit to their game. The Flyers have Richards, Briere, and my boy Ian Laperriere. As for their goaltending, again as I said in the last round, I keep waiting for him to crash to earth, but he hasn't. Donnie thinks he won't. He also said that the Hawks had Leighton in their system for a while and when he was in the AHL he owned it and knew that it would be that way when he got the chance in the NHL. This is gonna be a great series.

My prediction is that Dustin is gonna make Pronger very angry and Pronger will take a bad penalty that will cost him a game and the Flyers the series. I am taking the Blackhawks in 6. Read it and weep. One bonus to the Hawks winning the cup is a former Gambler will finally get his name on the cup. Adam Burish used to play for the finest team in the USHL the Green Bay Gamblers. Get on it.


There you have it. Call your bookies.



NEXT:


Our next member of the TundraTalk Entourage is none other than the man himself, Cory Blashill. Cory has been in the NHL trenches now for the past few months slogging from airport to airport bringing you all your inside look at what the players are thinking from game to game for Rogers Sportsnet. Thank you Cory for bringing this service to us every year. Oh, also did I mention he also does a helluva lot of drinking as well? Well he does. He is a pro at both of his spring endeavors, drinking and following the Stanley Cup to its final resting place for the year.

As far as I am concerned this guy could have his own Entourage if he wanted to, but he doesn't and that is why he made mine. Cory is also the first Canadian picked to be in this illustrious Entourage. He is a fixer as you would say in the biz. You have a problem, he fixes it. Whether it be you need a bottle for some mixer or you need the hookup to get tickets to the game. Cory knows everyone and everyone knows Cory. Cory is extremely loyal and is one of those guys you want on your side when the going gets tough. I am extremely proud to have him in my posse.

Cory is also a bit of a rebel. A guy who is not afraid to call it like he sees it. I cannot tell you how many times he has called me a jackass. Wait, everyone calls me a jackass. Cory calls me a Jagoff. Cory is also the guy who took the picture of the Ugly Jacket. He took huge heat for that moment in TundraTalk history. Huge heat. He was kicked off the Oilers team charter. His boss was called, as was mine, and he stood tall thru it all. He will not be intimidated. Not at all.

Cory is also the guy who did the great video for me when I got my citizenship to Canada. That was an awesome thing to do. I was really proud that day to have him in attendance at that ceremony. He took time out of his schedule to put that together for me. Killer Job. Here is a link to the video of you want to watch it.

Cory took some time last week out of his busy schedule covering the Stanley Cup to share his feelings on being selected to this posse. I guess you could say he won his own Stanley Cup by being selected to this posse...

As I received at my hotel my letter of acceptance I had to sit down and take a big breath. You might be thinking that I was so to touched by the honor. But I actually had to stop myself from punching Nick Kypreos in the chicklets due to the fact Hauser was picked first, then Nordic Man was 2, with Weiser being selected 3rd. How does a guy with my resume get picked after those guys? That is so weak.

I am now going to play the nationality card. You always draft a Canadian first. We take care off business. When it comes to the Entourage you need a good cop and a bad cop. Guess what I was selected for. Do the math donkey. Don't worry crew I got ya back.

Canadians always come in to clean up the mess!!! I am a one man wolf pack that now has 5 new wolves in my pack. Run free a wild my friends and stay thirsty.

I'm out

C

Cory, well done my friend. I will tell you why you were picked later in the draft. Drama. Pick Cory first, NO DRAMA, pick Cory middle DRAMA. Just remember Cory you and Marty are THE foundation of this Entourage and will be the mainstays. Well, we have two more guys to pick. One for the main crew and one more alternate. Who will it be? Stay tuned for the next 30 or so years and you may find out.

NOW HAVE A GREAT LONG WEEKEND AND GET BACK TO WORK!!!

Mish, Mash, March...

Okay, I have a bunch of things to get to, not to mention the new podcast starring Mitch Davis, of the Regina Davis'. If that is all you want to see or hear, just click on the link to the right or CLICK HERE and you can listen to the Podcast that does not suck.

I need to first get some mail out of the way. Steve Iverson, of the Moorhead Minnesota viqueen loving Iverson's, sent me a letter and some pics from his fight with the Red River last week.

As you all know, some of TundraTalk nations members have been under attack from the flooding in Fargo and Moorhead. Ivy is one of them and he took time out of the fight to take some pictures and share with the rest of the nation. Here is his note...


Chris,

Here are some photos of the “levee” we constructed at my friend’s house at 3131 Rivershore Drive in Moorhead. I haven’t checked since Sunday, but there were views of this and his neighbor Mark Vanyo’s place on CNN.com.

Pic 15 was a week ago today, when the requirement was to have temporary levees built to 41.

Pic 17 is looking straight back from where pics 15 and 18 were shot – beside the fish house on the deck. All joists were mounted to the existing 2x12 joists on the deck that are in turn mounted to the foundation wall of the house.

Pic 18 is shot at the same place as 15, except Saturday afternoon with the temporary measures built to 43. Note bracing, additional 1” plywood, and awesome detailing of lath finished nailed into the top 2x4 to hold the poly. And the water approximately 4” above where we left off in pic 15…

In Pic 17, note the patio level below. The elevation of the door into the basement down there is 32’. So when the river was at its high point, there was just about 9’ of water above you if you were in the hole checking pumps and heaters. Now THAT was eerie.

His permanent concrete dike is good to 39’, so it appears they will thankfully make it pretty much unscathed.

Respectfully Submitted,

Steve Iverson

Holy crap Ivy. That shit is amazing. It is just unbelievable how hight that water got. I am thinking, maybe this summer you come up and build me something in my backyard. Maybe an extension on my deck, a shed, or hell, just an addition to the house? Sounds good? Good. See ya this summer.

In the picture on the right is a pic of Grand Forks. That cement pilon in the water is where the high water mark was from the flood in 1997. In GF they have installed some huge walls to keep the water back since 1997 so as far as I know they have stayed mostly dry. In the pic on the right is one of Cabelas on the other side of the wall. Pretty amazing how bad ass that river is. These pics were taken by Darin Buri.

Shannon Just, Nick Chase, and Todd Holdman also battled the flood so I am looking forward to an update from them.

NEXT: Mitch Davis, of the Regina Davis', jumped into the podcast that does not suck and gets some right away. He did not shy away from smaking the others. In fact, he took a swipe at TundraTalk legend, Marty Frey. Yeah, he did.

GO AND HAVE A LISTEN. It is 12 minutes that you will not get back, but you might enjoy it. Oh and Marty, you are next so get your game face on, cause I don't play.

NEXT: From the, as Chad Walker (of the Toronto Walkers) calls it, 'Only you Peterson', file. Last week I had a few, as they say, moments. You know the ones, the ones where you just have no idea why you do something but you do it and it just does not work out.

Anyway, the first 'incident' happened on Wednesday. There was this stand off in the hood here in Regina. Some dude got shot in the incident. So as you know this is big time stuff for TV news. Big time. Bleeds it leads. Anyway, I was dispatched to set up for a live shot from the hood. I always love to go to the hood. It is beautiful this time of year.

So as I was setting up the dish out of the corner of my eye I see a couple (girl and a guy) walking toward me and more importantly in front of the transmitting dish. You see the dish sends out microwaves that are probably not that healthy for you. So me being the nice guy I am I tell them not to walk in front of the dish. They go around and as they do the dude, who I might add looked like a hoodlum (I am bringing that word back), said "What is that?". I informed him what it was and I added that "It really isn't good for your baby." At this point he walks away and I go back to work.

About three seconds later he pops around the back of the van and says to me "Did you say baby?". I said yes, and he yelled at me "Dude, SHE AIN'T PREGNANT!"

Uh, sorry. At this point I am thinking that I am short for this world so I tell the engineer on the phone to stay on the line in case I get shot so he can call the cops. What a freaking idiot I am. I totally did not look at the girl that close, I just glanced and from a glance she looked preggo. Now that I know she is not I looked again and realized my error. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked.

Okay, so that story is funny, and yes, I am an idiot, but that one pales in comparison to the next one. Thursday morning I am sent to a press conference at the Lawson Aquatic Centre. The mayor of Regina and some smarmy MLA were announcing that they were going to spend some of my taxes on some repairs. The Lawson is a swimming pool. They set up the presser next to a door since the light in there sucks. They have a podium that I could not get my mic to sit on so I duct taped it to the podium. When in doubt, duct it.

The Mayor walks up to the podium and says "First thing. Whose duct tape is this?" I of course raise my hand. Real men are not afraid of admitting they use duct tape. He says "Nice work." Really sarcastically. He then moves on and the show ends.

I was in no hurry to stick around so I made my move to get out of there. As I went to pick up my jacket I squeezed behind a lady who was taking a picture. It was a tight fit because there was a pole behind her. On this pole was a button. I did not see the button. I proceeded to push the button with my ass. Well, here in lies the rub.

Apparently, the button turns on a shower. Which the lady who was taking the picture was standing right under. Yup, she got wet. Man am I a clutz. Needless to say the Mayor LOVED this. He was just gut laughing up a storm and asking everyone if anyone got video of it and basically humiliating me for my bonehead move.

I have to admit that it was kinda funny, but not really. The Mayor asked if I was sticking around and I said "Nah, I am just gonna have a shower and get out of here." That got a big laugh from the crowd and I just skulked out.

Well it did not take long for the story to get out, thanks Jenna, and later my boss called me to his office. Yup, I thought I was going to get it. Nope, he just wanted to have his kick at the can and wanted me to tell him the story myself. He laughed his ass of and said "We can't send you anywhere." Nice.

So there you have it. My week that was. I hope you enjoyed the stories. I will hopefully not have any more to share any time too soon.

Make sure you have a listen to Mitch's podcast. It is good. Oh, and have a great Easter Weekend.

Now, GET BACK TO WORK!!!!

Some of TundraTalk Nation is under siege...

As most of you know, North Dakota (particularly Fargo) is in big trouble. They have had a few problems with some flooding, then a blizzard, then some thunder and rain, then more snow. The map above says it all. Alot of TT nation is in North Dakota. Ivy, Nick Chase, Shannon Just, Todd Holdman, are in the Fargo/Moorhead area. I know Shannon has been spending his days filling sand bags but I am unsure how the other guys are doing. Drop TT nation a note when you get dried out and let us know what happened?

I really wish I could get down there and do some good but work is keeping me here in Regina. The pic to the right was taken by Todd Holdman. I am unsure if this is in his backyard or what, but that shit is crazy. Keep fighting it Todd. I got your back. Oh and if there is anything any of you fine people in Fargo need that I can help you with, let me know.

Maybe I will write another award winning screenplay about your fight. Of course my first great screenplay was about the flood of 97 in Grand Forks starring everyones hero Tony Mutzenberger. I am unsure if he was deployed this time to Fargo. If he was we all know that he will kick that floods ass.

Hazen had its share of flooding last week also. I am not sure if this has ever happened in the past but man oh man is this crazy. Look at that photo. That is east of town near the golf course. My parents condo is a the bottom of the picture. That little row of trees at the top was the Knife River. Small little river that rose up and kicked some major ass this spring.

As for the flood in Hazen, Jody Murschel said that the river has receded a bit and all will be okay if the snow that they got while the flood was in progress melts at a normal rate. Good luck Hazen. The pic to the right is a shot from south of Main street Hazen. This of course is the home set and studio for WhiteHot productions earliest films. You remember those, Communist Uprising in Middle America, Star Trek Wars, Dakota Vice, and the cult classic Bonanza '87. Hazen was the center of the film universe for me back in the '80s.

Good luck to all of you in North Dakota I am thinking of you.

NEXT: I guess you are wondering why I have a pic of some random guy in line. Well that is the view of the line up for Saskatchewan Riders season tickets. I stood in line last week to see if I could get some for the upcoming season. Well TT Nation, I was successful and have two seats to every game this season. So if any of you ND geeks want to come up and see Weston Dressler light it up in Rider Green, come on up. I have got you covered.

Just jump on Riderville dot com and check the schedule. If you want to come on up and stay at the Peterson stronghold you are certainly welcome here. I can take you to a CFL game, buy you a Pilsner Beer, and we can cheer on the best team in the CFL. Sounds good to me.

NEXT: I went to see the Doodlebops with the kids the other day and man did it suck. I of course have plenty to say about a kids show, see the post about the Dora the Explorer show I took McKenna to. Oh and no one can forget the unedited rant about the Blues Clues show. I will post my opinions on the Doodlebops next week sometime. Yes I was the guy in the crowd yelling Freebird the whole time. Look out cause it is gonna be good.



FINALLY: In the 'It's about time you bastard" column, I will be interviewing Mitch Davis, of the Regina Brother In Law Davis', tomorrow for his Entourage audition. I will get it edited as soon as possible and up for you to listen to. Marty Frey will be up right after that.

Have a good weekend and Fargo stay dry okay?

Why we all hate the media (small m)...

Okay we have some paperwork to do before I let this one out. First off Todd Holdman, of the world famous punk band Nobody's Children Holdmans, left a note about Brett Favre's ride....

that is a nice truck and i think you should sell your house and buy it. what's he driving now? Prius?

Todd

Umm, Todd I am not sure if I ever took Number 4 for a Prius guy. Of course we all know that now he is just driving his lawn mower.

AND a first time caller to the show, Round Guy, of the Des Moines Iowa Round Guys, drops this little ditty on me...

Yo CP,

what's to say you buy the truck,...then a week later Favre changes his mind and wants it back??????

"ROUND GUY"

Round Guy you are truly a guy who I need to consult in the future when I decide to make an impulse purchase on eBay. Your thought process on this sale is spot on. What the hell would I do if he asked for it back. Would I tell him I did not think he was in the 'right mindset' to have the truck back? Or would I just go with the 'that train has left the station' blast? Oh and more importantly which media outlet would I use to get my side of the story out? Sure as hell won't be Fox News. If I was GM and Coach of that fine truck I would accept what Brett wanted to drive only one truck in his career and give him the truck back. Because no one wants to see the greatest QB of all time go and buy a different truck and then drive around in it even if he had a better year in that truck. It would tarnish his image.

Anyway, Round Guy, maybe you should advise me on this eBay auction before I buy it... Ric Flair signed Robe. What do you think? Do you think you could give me some advice on how to sneak it into my house with out Donna seeing it? Or how about what country I should move to and hide in when she does see it?

NEXT:
As you all know I am a member of the dreaded left leaning Media that has ruined the country and your children's future. We all know it wasn't because you are a bad parent, it is completely on the Media for your child turning out the way it did. That is a whole different rant that I won't go into today. I have other fish to fry.

The media. Let me tell you that I believe that there are two kinds of media out there. Media with a capital M and media with a lower case m. The capital M is a media that works as it was designed to work. As a public service to the community. One that asks questions from both sides, informs the public, and holds those in power accountable. Oh and if you are entertained along the way that is a plus. Entertainment is not number one. Information is. Sadly that kind of Media is few and far between now a days.

Then there is the more prominent media that exists. The kind that thinks it is more show business than it is to inform. The kind that is more responsible to it's advertisers than it is to it's viewers.

The story I am going to tell you today is about a local media outlet. We here at TundraTalk are a big proponent of the Media being a service to the community not a service to advertisers. We should always tell both sides of a story, when possible, and never use the Media to our own advantage. Okay, so maybe not TundraTalk so much.

Well here is the part of the story that I will NOT put the word 'allegedly' in front of. About a week or so ago a TV station did a story on an old woman (81) who had her power cut off from SaskEnergy because she could not afford her bill. Of course there was the ubiquitous shot of her in her non heated house. Her talking about how cruel it is to turn the heat off on a defenseless old lady. This story of course got the community all involved and volunteering to pay her bill. Eventually a guy came in to SaskEnergy and paid cash for the bill. This story took off across the country and was picked up by many media outlets.

Nice story right? Real power of the media to do right right? Here is where the story gets fuzzy. The story showed the old woman sitting on her rocking chair in a sweater and a blanket. Of course it did. You know what else it showed? The old woman sitting in front of her electric stove heating the house. Uh, not to cool there. It also had an interview with the son saying stuff about why would they shut off the gas on my mom and stuff.

Of course the reporter interviewed SaskEnergy and they towed the company line that if you do not pay you do not play. As well they should right?

Okay, maybe I am a burned out old bastard but my first thought would have been "Hey jerk off son. Why the hell did you not pay the bill for her?" I know that I would do everything in my power to pay MY moms bill if she came up short. Who knows, maybe he is unemployed and can only afford to pay for his families bill. Oh, did I mention that the bill was around 900 dollars? Oh, and did I also mention that she had not paid for over 6 months?

Here is where I put the big word in my story ALLEGEDLY everything from here on out will fall under the allegedly category.

Come to find out, the son lives in the house, ALONG WITH HIS ADULT SISTER. WTF!!! You are telling me that this woman lives in the house with her ADULT son and daughter, have not paid for their heating bill for over six months, and I am supposed to give a flying crap? I don't think so.

Do you really think that the guy who paid the 900 bones would be happy that he paid the bill for an old lady when in actuality he paid the bill for a deadbeat kid(my opinion) and his sister and their mom just happens to live there (allegedly)? I would be pissed.

It is no wonder why people hate the media. Well, I know that the son and daughter love the media. They just got their bill paid by the media. I think I might just call up the local station and see if I can get them to come over and do a story on me and maybe I can get a credit card or two paid off. I mean really.

I don't want to point too many fingers at the reporter, cause I don't know him, but, did he know these people? Was he doing a favor? Or was he just wanting to do some 'good'. Maybe he thoght he was 'sticking it to the man'. Why the hell did he not ask the son why he did not pay the bill? Or better yet, ask him where he lived? C'mon people, do your homework.

As a camera guy, I have ALWAYS raised my voice when a situation came up that may or may not be ethical. I have gotten in trouble at times for vocalizing my concern with a stories angle or lack of both sides of the story, I do not care if I catch heat for that. At least the question is asked. I am not sure if this reporter shot it himself or if there was a camera man involved. I know I would have been screaming to whoever would listen if I was at this shoot. No way in hell I would have 'staged' the shot of the old lady in front of the stove. NO FREAKING WAY.

I have always been against being a part of the media with a lowercase m. I personally own a shirt that has a picture of a dog on the front with the quote "Why do we go live?" and on the back says "because we can". Which in the biz is a 'dog lick live'. You know the old quote, "Why does a dog lick his balls? Because he can". I hate those. You know the ones, "We are her live" at the location, in the dark, 24 hours after the accident happened. Save the live truck for something immediate. I am going off on a tangent a bit but I am trying to make my point that the Media needs to serve the public in giving information that they need, not to help pay their bills that they are too lazy to pay themselves.

I guess I still want to believe that a Media outlet can exist today and do the right thing. I also know that sometimes people make mistakes. I hope that this is the case where a 'mistake' was made. I am thinking that probably is not the case but who knows.

Anyway, that is my rant and I am sticking to it.

Have a great weekend. Now GET BACK TO WORK!!!!

Various Favre Tid Bits...

Okay, I was at CAA today getting some cheap movie tickets when this brochure caught my eye. Some fine young boy smiling for a picture with a Viking. He looks just sooo happy to be standing next to the mascot of the worst team in the NFL. Now at closer look, you notice that he is wearing a Number 4 jersey. Agast!!! It is bluish purple. What the hell? Why in gods name is that jersey that color?

You and I both know that there is no one in their right mind would wear a number 4 jersey unless it was Favres. Also we know why he is so happy is because all Packers fans know that they are superior to any viqueen. I mean really, who wouldn't be smiling.

Now, who is the mental genius that thought it would be a good idea to change the glorious green and gold to a puky bluish purple? That is crazy. I am thinking that they did not want to pay the NFL for the rights to put it on their cover so they just changed the color. To take my conspiracy theory to the next level I am betting that the a-hole who did this is also a queen fan (because they are close). This shows you how smart he is, he can't even get the color right. Loser. This guy should be locked under the jail. No one should be allowed to disgrace a Packers Jersey, let alone Number 4. I am thinking I might send this to the Packers and see what they think. But right now they are probably not to concerned with anything Brett Favre right now. TT is probably looking at himself in a mirror asking it "Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the best GM of them all." I hope that mirror is cracked.

Donna thought it might be a Winnipeg Blue Bomber jersey, but there is a big NFL crest right there on the front. Nope, not Bombers. That would be plausible but no go. Now that would have been something to get a Bomber jersey on that kid.

I am not sure when this came out but I imagine it was in the spring. This was well before the whole controversey. Had to be. Maybe this is the thing that started the whole mess. I know it would be easy to blame him, but I know he is not that smart. Now, Todd Holdman, of the Fargo Holdman's, sent me this LINK to an article about a dude in Wisconsin who bought a Favre Jets jersey. Now, you may be thinking that that is no big deal. Well you would be right but he bought it six years ago, at JcPenny no less. Weird. Things are just a bit weird right now.

So where does this lead me? I don't know but I thought it was quite weird.