Blackhawks Drop Game Three To Predators 4-1

Through the first period it looked as though the game was going to be a tight one as the score was tied at one a piece.

However that all came apart in the second and third periods,  topped off with a penalty shot goal  by Nashville with a couple minutes remaining levied from a disrupted Predator breakaway, which solidified the loss dropping the Blackhawks down 2-1 in the series, which resumes Thursday night. more here

Funny thing the Hawks have going during the playoffs is this "grow one for the team" beard growing contest for Charity which is the first time I can recall such a promotion going on with the team but whatever it takes to get the fans fired up which isn't too hard at the United Center but they're stuck on the road now.Read more about it here if you wish.

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Game 2: Blackhawks beat Predators 2-0

Awesome......great game worth catching, hope you Hawks fans caught it tonight

Photo: Predators goalie Pekka Rinne gets turned around before Dave Bolland scores a goal during the 2nd period. (Scott Strazzante / Tribune)

Game 2: Blackhawks beat Predators 2-0

Chicago Breaking Sports: "In the eyes of many, this wasn't even supposed to be a series. The Blackhawks were perceived to simply be that much better than the upstart Predators, who were a tiny speed bump to roll over en route to a coronation.

Then, on Sunday night, the Hawks actually began to act according to those assessments.

The Hawks were just better than the Predators in Game 2 at the United Center in just about every facet, and as a result they notched a 2-0 victory and evened this Western Conference quarterfinal series at one game apiece.

Photo: Predators goalie Pekka Rinne gets turned around before Dave Bolland scores a goal during the 2nd period. (Scott Strazzante / Tribune)

The Predators still have the split they no doubt would have settled for before the trip to Chicago, but the Hawks at least backed away from the precipice to oblivion. They did so thanks to Dave Bolland's power-play goal midway through the second period that opened the scoring, followed by a third-period blast from Patrick Kane that offered some breathing room.

Game 3 is set for Tuesday night in Nashville."

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Nathan Greene Hole in One At Masters | Video

Pretty awesome shot here and with Tiger Woods grabbing all the ink and video it's good to see some other dog get his warm spot on the sidewalk. This is from a great golf blog I check for the good stuff, Golf Fanhouse...

The leaders are about to tee off at Augusta, but Nathan Green's already gotten the Masters Sunday magic started with a hole-in-one on 16, a hole which has now seen 12 of them in Masters history (read: they like to make it doable on Sundays because it creates some magical spiciness and whatnot).

CBS showed a replay -- and promised to come back with Verne Lundquist's "regular time" call -- right as coverage started, which you'll see below. Perhaps more importantly than Green's actual shot is what it means for a great finish today at Augusta: Green casually walked off the hole out, meaning he wasn't even that excited about it.

That isn't saying he's an emotion-less robot, just that we'll be seeing lots of darts thrown throughout Sunday afternoon at the 16th. 

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Bad News, Everyone: Duke Wins NCAA Final 84-61 - Ncaa basketball 10 - Kotaku

I'm not a fan anymore of the NBA, but when it comes to college sports I check in for the final four and this one was a doosie

Talk about a great game..... a throwback to to the old days when white guys dominated basketball, as these two teams fielded more "cracker's" than I've seen in a long time on a basketball court that weren't from the refreshment stand.

Even more enjoyable was the fact that the game  was all it was billed and went right down to the wire literally,  with Bradley's top star taking the very last shot, a "hail Jordan" chuck from half court that  actually rimmed in and out, handing the win to Duke.

This win gives them the NCAA's for like the 20th time in my life , as they've dominated the NCAA since coach K hit the scene a couple decades ago (Mike Krzyzewski pronounced sha-shesky), ending North Carolina's dominance for a time that included the Jordan era with legendary Dean Smith,   then before that it was UCLA and coach John Wooden, great basketball legacies at all those fine universities during my lifetime at least.

Here's the actual Duke record at NCAA championship level play, and it's really only 4 national championships but it seems like a hundred because of all the final four appearances they didn't win as you can see....

NCAA Tournament Champions1991, 1992, 2001, 2010
NCAA Tournament Final Four1963, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1986, 1988 - 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004 Conference Tournament Champions1938, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1999 - 2003, 2005, 2006

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Duke Edges Butler in Final Four Championship

INDIANAPOLIS - Butler had the adorable Bulldog mascot, the type-casted good-guy players and a Hollywood script written to the final scene.

But the NCAA championship game isn't a movie and sometimes the quarterback gets the girl, the rich guy wins the lottery and Duke gets the victory.

The Blue Devils staved off what would have been an epic upset by beating underdog Butler, 61-59, on Monday night in the NCAA championship game in Lucas Oil Stadium and added to its already illustrious legacy.

By earning its fourth national title, Duke cemented itself and Coach Mike Krzyzewski into the small and elite best-ever category of programs and coaches.

It certainly wasn't easy, though, as Butler played -- as they like to call it -- The Butler Way for 40 minutes.

Ultimately, though, Duke was Duke.

While Duke has celebrated under reigning confetti many times before, don't think that this one didn't mean something to the Blue Devils. Yes, they were favored, but few thought Duke would live to see the title game.

Many didn't even think the Blue Devils deserved a No. 1 seeding in the South Regional.

But there they stood in Indianapolis as victors, ending the storybook tale that Butler had captivated basketball fans everywhere with through the tournament.

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With a Detroit loss, Blackhawks clinch division Sunday, Before Hitting The Ice Themselves

First time they've managed to accomplish this feat in 17 freaking long years, unreal.

The Hawks became the champs of the central division before even skating off in their own game as they took the ice this afternoon here in Chicago against the Calgary Flames and the Hawks are up 3-1 at the end of two periods, when I posted the story below....will post the final in an hour or so.. Meanwhile you can check this out...

With a Detroit loss, Blackhawks clinch division

The lights went down and the horn sounded at the United Center, and without playing a minute of hockey Sunday, the Blackhawks skated onto the ice as Central Division champions.

By virtue of Detroit's 4-3 loss at Philadelphia earlier in the day, the Hawks clinched their first division title in 17 years -- the last coming in 1992-93 when they took the Norris Division championship.

Image via Wikipedia Captain Jonathan Toews during the nation anthem

"That's a huge accomplishment as a team, especially in a division that Detroit has really owned over the past two decades," winger Kris Versteeg said after practice Saturday, talking then about the prospect of winning the division. "That's what we strived for at the start of the season, is to try to finish at the top."

The Hawks needed just one point out of their Sunday tilt against Calgary, but that no longer mattered with the Red Wings' loss. Even a day earlier, the Hawks seemed a bit giddy at the prospect -- though they also acknowledged bigger goals in mind.

"That was our first goal from the outset of the season," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Saturday of winning the division. "That was the one we wanted to attain and achieve."

Said Hawks captain Jonathan Toews: "Once the regular season is over, that's just statistics to us. We're in the situation we want to be in, as far as home ice in the first round. Again, the No. 1 priority is being ready to play our best hockey when the time is right."

via Chicago Breaking Sports.

I was a season ticket holder the last time the Blackawks won their division heading into the NHL playoffs which you really have to "suck" as a team to miss and the Hawks have done it quite a few times, but this year's team has been far better than any recently assembled and have been literally even with or out in front of the league's very best all season long now.

And as a longtime fan, I think this team could actually win the Stanley Cup, although I'm no hometown KoolAid drinker. When they suck, which they have for a long time, essentially until longtime original owner and notorious penny pincher, Dollar Bill Wirtz who pinched the quarter so tight it once made the eagle scream, passed away a couple years ago.

Thus leaving the team in the hands of his very capable and eager son Peter who's brought Chicago a young winning team literally overnight, which in sports is a usually quite lengthy and extended rebuilding time frame, especially in this perpetual "wait 'til next year" city of Chicago.

They've beaten them all this year in a great season, so they're no "pushover" like they usually are if  headed into the second season which they haven't even done very much of  over the past few decades.

I've been following their success all season long on the other blog which you can see and read here if you wish, and they've not disappointed me for the first time since the last time Bobby Hull and Stan Makita were on the same ice together, and that was a long long time ago.

If they were to win the Cup miraculously, it would be the first time in my life, and would leave the Cubs as they only franchise to not win a World Championship in thier respective sport in the 45 years I've been alive.

Amazing, both the Hawks performance thus far this season,  and how much the Cubs SUCK perennially.

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He’s still Duke’s coach K-apable -This Winning Stuff Gets To Be Old Hat...

Well the coach forgot one thing after his umpteenth final four berth as the coach of Duke Basketball, and it wasn't the traditional cutting down of the  nets. No, he'd a been able to explain that somehow or someone else woulda' taken care of hit.  

But you don't wanna forget this thing.....


“Hey Coach!” an usher yelled. “You forgot your wife.”

No, he blew off his brand new wife, leaving her standing there in the crowded and dirty tunnel that leads to the sweaty locker room ...

Bet his ride home wasn't too fun and he won't let that happen again win or no win. That's what cost him the first or second ones probably. lol

Rivals.com: "HOUSTON – He had snipped away at the nets, bear-hugged his players and high-fived all the hands that dangled over the railings after Duke advanced to the Final Four.

Still, as Mike Krzyzewski jogged up the Reliant Stadium tunnel following the Blue Devils’ 78-71 victory over Baylor, it didn’t take him long to realize that something was missing.

“Hey Coach!” an usher yelled. “You forgot your wife.”

Krzyzewski couldn’t help but chuckle as he turned and saw his bride, Mickie, trotting toward him. Somehow, amid all the hoopla, he had neglected to share the moment with the person he loved the most."

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Some Sunday USA Hockey Gold Medal Madness

UPDATE 4:55 pm CST

Sad news as the team gave up a kind of cheap goal nearing half way into the overtime giving the win to the Canadians, which is good for them to close out their own Olympics with a win in the final event in overtime. How storybook can you get?

Not tonight for team USA but they played their asses off.  Silver for the United States isn't gold but ain't all that bad.

CANADA 3 USA 2 |  Final score.

UPDATE 4:30 pm cst: With the goalie pulled giving the US a one man advantage in Hockey's version of the "hail Mary Pass"  down one goal 2 to 1 with Canada 30 seconds away from the gold medal,  the US scores a miraculous goal notched by the New Jersey Devil's Zach Parise to send the last event of the 2010 Olympics into overtime!

Zach Parise in a previous round earlier in the Games

To be continued in overtime!!.......

**********  ORIGINAL POST BELOW  **********

They don't get bigger than this one, even in the pros, although many of these folks are NHL stars on almost all the Olympic teams, with six of them being top players for the Chicago Blackhawks, which is very cool for the local fans, as the team is one of the league's best and most surprising this season, just like the overachieving Olympic team.

In fact 6 Blackhawks total, who are pictured below, appeared in these 2010 games, with only 2 being sent home so far, choosing instead to play for their "inferior" Eastern European homelands' teams instead of the US...haha. ;) lol.

They shake out as follows:  Patrick Kane played for the United States, Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky played  for Slovakia, and Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook all play for Canada today. Oh oh. ;)

The game is this afternoon at 3:15 Eastern and will be pretty near the only few times I've turned on the Olympics I'm afraid, as I've  basically just turned off by the entire "Bush hating, Obama loving" NBC stable of so called "reporters" who are all there living it up having a good old time while the country suffers from their water carrying.

So good for them I guess since that network and a few others will be seeing fewer and fewer good times up ahead.

The final will be aired live in all time zones by NBC. The first U.S.-Canada game last weekend was shown on the MSNBC cable network, where it was seen by 8.2 million people, according to the Nielsen Co. That tied election night 2008 as the most-watched event on that network. link

So back to the hockey, as you read, the two teams met earlier and came to a surprising finish with the US winning 5 -3 as the underdogs, so for them to come away this afternoon with a win on Canadian ice against the Canadians in the Olympic Gold Medal Game would be about the "hugest" thing that will happen to these men in their lives I would imagine. It would be if it was me, and 50 million other young and old men I'm sure.

I0.
t'll rank almost right up there I would think with the historic 1980 team out of nowhere win against the hated Soviets.

Go USA baby.

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33rd America's Cup In The Hands of America Again...BMW - Oracle

 Not the most important thing happening today but always nice to see Americans winning around the globe.

 America hasn't controlled this thing for 15 years, since 1995, which is the oldest trophy in International sports competition I didn't know until today.

Not exactly a lifetime, but a while for winning  something with our name attached to it. Europe is all bent because of  a court case that had a lot to do with the race, and thus they claim an unfair advantage to the US.  because the court was in New York.

 "They had a strategy, they got a little help from the legal system in New York and that always makes it difficult for us Europeans and that gave them advantages.

Boo friggin hoo.....Of Course, every time Americans win we must have done something wrong.  I mean, we always cheat so much over here to win these international competitions with such stiff opponents (yea right).

Sore losers. ;)

US boat wins back America's Cup

Yahoo! News: "VALENCIA, Spain – Still bundled against the cold in his white foul-weather gear, software tycoon Larry Ellison hoisted the America's Cup high in the air, then planted a kiss on the oldest trophy in international sports.

'Valencia — muchas gracias!' the self-made billionaire screamed, following the ride of his life across the Mediterranean on one of the most remarkable boats ever built.

The America's Cup is back in American hands.

It was swept away from Europe by Ellison's space-age trimaran, which has a gigantic wing for a sail and easily sped ahead of two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland to complete a two-race sweep in the 33rd America's Cup on Sunday.

'I am so proud of this team, I am so proud to be part of this team, and I am especially proud to bring the America's Cup, once again, after a long absence, back to the United States of America,' said the 65-year-old Ellison, the CEO of Oracle Corp."  more

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Check Out Ryan Miller's Team U.S.A. Goalie Mask

Very Cool.

Yahoo! Sports: "Ryan Miller is the goalie for the Buffalo Sabres, and this February he will be repping the United States to the fullest as the number one netman for the national team. And when I say he's repping the U.S. to the fullest, I mean it. Have a look at that mask.

It doesn't get much more American than Uncle Sam with a tattoo, about ready to layeth the smack down.

Designed by Warwick Mask & Equipment, Inc. in Port Huron, Mich., the mask features that fearsome Uncle Sam, along with Olympics logos, and patriotic sayings that aren't pictured but are probably pretty fearsome in their own right."  continued

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AFC Champion Colts Dispatch Jets, Will It Be From Katrina to Miami Super Bowl For The Saints?

vNew Orleans is officially back now. From Katrina to Miami for their first ever Super Bowl as participants, not hosts. 

Quite a feat in the very place that so many used as the symbol of failure from Katrina, the Superdome.  (that just depends on who's inside of it I guess and under what circumstances) Congratulations to the team and the city.

The Vikings turned the ball over so many times I lost count, twice inside the Saint's 10 yard line so they earned the loss. However, they sure weren't done any favors by some questionable calls down the stretch some feel, including me..

Great Game.Click for NFL.com

Original Post below.....

That's a long way for a team that used to be led by a man named "Archie Manning" and were called the "Aints" because they sucked so badly, that being the Saints looking for their very first appearance in the SuperBowl.

I mean, they suck worse than the Chicago Bears over the years, and that's a record of futility hard to top! LOL

So it's starting to look like that's going to be the Super Bowl lineup unless Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings have anything to say in the game here Sunday night, starting in just minutes from now.

I myself was pulling for the New York Jets in the first game today against Indy to return to the Super Bowl  for the first time since being led by Broadway Joe Namath back in Super Bowl III in '69, (my favorite sports hero when I was a kid growing up in New York btw) when the Jets defeated the then "Baltimore" Colts 16-7.

 

But today they're the "Indianapolis" Colts, and no one can seem to stop this man Peyton Manning and his team when chips are down, as they kicked the Chicago Bears' asses in Super Bowl XLI, and now after their win today they're going back after deflating the hopes of the Jets  by winning 30-17 just minutes ago here on Sunday evening January 24th.

Now again it's the NFC Championship game between the 5:30 pm Saints and Vikings game here Sunday night, and I'm against the grain by going with the Vikings for one reason, and one reason only.

Viking's quarterback, grandpa Brett Favre, playing where he won his only super bowl today, the Superdome, where the Chicago Bears also won Super Bowl 20  46-10, but they're all at home watching this &*(%(*  on tv like the rest of us,  after their dismal season.

We'll see how they (Vikings) do later.

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One Of My Favorite Cubs Of All Time, Andre Dawson, "The Hawk" elected to MLB Hall of Fame

Aside from Great pitcher Rick Sutcliffe and perennial All Star second baseman Ryne Sandberg, there's no other man responsible for the few successes the Cubs did have in the mid 1980's than Andre Dawson who came to the Cubs via free agency's infancy from the now defunct Montreal Expos.

His election to the baseball hall of fame today after 8 previous denials was a good selection for a great man and great player as well. The other two men eligible expected to make the cut, second baseman Sandy Alomar, who's entire family are former and even presently ball players (son Roberto, a catcher),  and Burt Blyleven, longtime Minnesota Twins pitcher, didn't make it this year, but will sometime down the road more likely than not. 

TribAlomar was followed by pitcher Jack Morris with 282 (52.3 percent). Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin was on 278 ballots (51.6 percent), followed by reliever Lee Smith at 255 (47.3 percent) and Edgar Martinez at 195 (36.2 percent).  (link below)

Dawson,  one of the players of older times with first class exemplary behavior year after after year,  was often grouped together with Superstars Michael Jordan and or Walter Payton as the "Windy City Big Men On Campus" during those times. An honor that continues even through today, despite Walter Payton's sad and terribly untimely death, as evidenced by this poster that many of we Chicagoan's had back in the day, and some still do...  Good local Trib piece here

mlb - SI.com: "NEW YORK (AP) -Andre Dawson has been elected to the Hall of Fame, while Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar fell just short of earning baseball's highest honor.

Dawson received 420 of 539 votes in voting announced Wednesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election. The eight-time All-Star, appearing on the ballot for the ninth time, had fallen 44 votes short last year.

Blyleven had 400 votes, up from 338 last year, and will likely get in because he has two more tries on the BBWAA ballot.

Alomar received 397 votes in his first appearance and was followed by Jack Morris with 282."

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Bowl Game Results Through Tonight's Sugar Bowl

I love college football, although this day has become a little emblematic of what's haywire about college athletics and how these young men are exploited so tremendously.  I'm not a bleeding heart and they're compensated with privilege and a free college education so they're not totally exploited as they groom themselves for pro careers while others play for the love of the sport still, but there's  too much politics and government involved at this point because of all the piles of all corrupting money.

Here you can click the pic and check all the scores and highlights for all the games right through the one being played as I type, the Sugar Bowl between undefeated Cincinnati and the Florida Gators who had only one loss as you can see below.

And don't forget the annual "Toilet Bowl" between the Chicago Bears and what's left of the Detroit Lions after a semi brutal season for both, the final regular season game for both as the other half of the league plays in the playoffs.

Something you really have to suck to miss,  showing more and more "inclusiveness"  each year (woo wee,  liberalism creep everywhere we look)  like the NBA and NHL and MLB as well.....the more games the more money, and that's what it's all about after all.  (eyes roll)

A little off topic rant kinda........

Another thing that bothers me is then the billions generated are mostly wasted destroying the US and it's culture as  the colleges take all that money they make and waste it on the indoctrination of the rest of the student body. Mostly by tenuring far left lunatics across the board like Ward Churchhill, The Terrorist William Ayers and countless other bleeding heart loons on the backs of NCAA football and basketball players who are mostly African American.

Also, they can fund all the more obscure sports that don't fill stadiums every week, that  mostly being women's athletics called Title IX and Title X, which was a good thing in some ways to keep the programs alive as most simply aren't self sustaining like the men's athletics,  mandated by liberals in Washington.  More big government.

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The Saints Aren't the "Aint's" No More....Still Undefeated After Patriot Win

Quite a season going on here for the New Orleans Saints, it must be Bush's fault...not Saint's running back Reggie Bush, George Bush.

NEW ORLEANS – Drew Brees and the unbeaten Saints left Tom Brady in the dust, zipping up and down the field in a dominant romp over the New England Patriots.

Brees threw for a season-high 371 yards and five touchdowns, carving up coach Bill Belichick's defense like few quarterbacks ever have in New Orleans' 38-17 victory Monday night.

By harassing Brady all game and routing one of the NFL's top powers, the Saints joined the Indianapolis Colts at 11-0 — the first time two NFL teams have opened with that many consecutive wins in the same season.

"It only counts for one win on the stat sheet, but emotionally, those types of wins can mean a little more," Brees said. "Anytime you can win, and win that way, it builds confidence for you."

The convincing victory left little doubt about New Orleans' credentials as the Saints try to match the Patriots' 16-0 regular-season mark in 2007. New England remains the only team to go undefeated in a 16-game regular season — for now.  continued

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