Re. Colby Rasmus et al.

I cannot remember a trade made by the Blue Jays that involved a number of players. My head is still spinning. After much digestion, this is what I have to say:

- Not happy about seeing Zep go. He was the kind of pitcher that could easily transition from bullpen to rotation and back. Had a few rough patches this season, but was stable.

- Not happy about seeing Zach Stewart go. Young arm that had potential. I know the Blue Jays have some depth when it comes to pitching, but I was hoping they would hang on to Stewart a little longer.

- Patterson and Dotel were meant to be used as trade bait. They were short term solutions.

- Mark Teahen is also a short term solution. The only way he remains with Toronto is if they trade Encarnacion.

- I'm indifferent with Frasor. He did his job (most of the time).

- Colby Ramus certainly has potential. Could be this year's Yunel Escobar. I guess he'll rotate between DH and OF. There's some overflow in that area right now.

- Don't know a lot about PJ Walters. Trevor Miller seems to be the type of pitcher that comes in to face one batter before being removed. Brian Tallet is back. If you can get a few decent innings out of him, then it's worth it. But he's hurt, so I'm not holding my breath. 

ER  

If I had $60 Million

Zamboni Ramblings is back! Yes, it still rambles during the summer.

The targets: Brad Richards, Team 990, the Canucks, the Chicago Wolves and the Flyers. There's also some Hockey Haiku.

Take a look!

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round Two

Round One: Six out of eight. No perfect predictions.

On to the second round:

Eastern Conference

Chicago in six
Miami in seven

Western Conference

LA Lakers in six
OKC in five

- ER

Zamboni Ramblings - The Return

Yes, the Zamboni is still rambling.

Nobody is safe; especially the cast of Inception, the Chicago Blackhawks and BGL.

- ER

Final Thoughts - Stanley Cup Playoffs

- Congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks! This is a young, talented team. I've been keeping my eye on these guys for the last year. They have lots of character. And this is only the beginning.

- BTW, perfect prediction :-)

- Congrats also have to go to the Flyers. They had an incredible run. As long as they stay healthy, I think Philly has a good shot at the cup next year.

- Who were all those women interviewing Patrick Kane? Is he dating them?

- Great moment #1: Duncan Keith and his fiancee.

- Great moment #2: Stan and Scotty Bowman.

- Crosby may have the glitz and glamour, but Toews has a Conn Smythe.

- Totals: 8/15, 53% Bah!

- ER

Re. Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones is an outfielder with the Chicago White Sox.

I owe him an apology.

And here's why.

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Stanley Cup Final

Third Round: one out of two. No perfect predictions.

And now, the Stanley Cup Final!

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Three

Second Round: Two out of four; one perfect prediction (Mtl/Pit). Damn you, San Jose and Philadelphia.

And now, the third round:

Eastern Conference

Montreal over Philadelphia in 7

Western Conference

Chicago over San Jose in 6

NOTES: Team 7 vs. Team 8 for the East final. Did not see that one coming. Full credit to both teams. As long as Montreal doesn't allow the Flyers to bully them, they'll keep rolling...still not sold on San Jose.

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Three

In the second round, I correctly predicted two out of the four match-ups. Of the two, one (Chicago/Vancouver) was a perfect prediction. Damn you, Carolina. Damn you, Pittsburgh (again).

Onto the Conference Finals:

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh over Carolina in six

Western Conference

Chicago over Detroit in seven

NOTES: I'm probably going to be wrong about the Hawks and Wings. Detroit has so much experience and a very skilled roster. However, there's something about Chicago that makes me feel they can make it to the finals. They're a great young team. Plus, it's an Original Six match up. Bonus!.....I shouldn't be surprised about Pittsburgh. The Penguins have been here before and know what needs to be done.

- ER

Re. Life After People

The History Channel is running a ten-part series called Life After People. The program examines what the world will look like once all human life has been wiped out. The corresponding website has many features including some disturbing photo galleries. Here's a few examples:


The Houston Astrodome; about 20 years after the human race disappears. It's eroding and will succumb around the 100-year mark.


Chicago's Wrigley Field; about 25 years after the human race disappears. The shrubbery has completely taken over the stadium. Hopefully, the Cubs win the World Series at least once before the end of human existence. (Found this photo on Big League Stew)


Part of Chicago's train system; about 50 years after the human race disappears. This reminds me of the skyline in Wall-E.

These photos are just from the first two episodes. I'm very interested to see what episodes 3-10 will yield.

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Two

In the first round, I correctly predicted six out of the eight match-ups. Of the six, one (Chicago/Calgary) was a perfect prediction. Damn you, Pittsburgh. Damn you, Anaheim.

Onto the second round:

Eastern Conference

Boston over Carolina in five
Washington over Pittsburgh in seven

Western Conference

Detroit over Anaheim in six
Chicago over Vancouver in six

NOTES: I should've known better when I picked the Penguins to lose. Pittsburgh is a young team that is going to make a huge impact. I was simply influenced by their slow start this season. However, Washington is on a great roll and that will certainly continue. Regardless, Washington vs. Pittsburgh is going to be a very entertaining series. It will be a battle of the superstars: Crosby vs. Ovechkin...Anaheim may have beaten the Sharks, but there's (hopefully) no way they will defeat the vetran Red Wings. History will not repete itself. I am, however, enjoying the play of Bobby Ryan...Still loving the Blackhawks. Vancouver has a few injured players. It will be interesting to see if those players had enough time to rest and recover.

- ER