cwsox

Screwed up my syntax on the last sentence, the Bobby Orr sentence, which has been corrected to be the praise of B Orr that it was intended to be

Spiff, I have to grant you that you make a good case for Massachusettes. Knowing some of our (UM) struggles with those university teams through the years - and wasn't a story about Harvard hockey (Love Story) that taught us how to say "f***ing Canuck"? and minor league wise I think if I count right we have one more but I could be off on that how the hell did New Hampshire make it to the frozen four? Anyway, we have three M states that excell in hockey, MI, MA, and MN. Must be a theme there! By the way, I was never a Bruins fan but how could anyone not love Bobby Orr and cheer the Bruins on to the Stanley Cups?

And before CW gets on here and starts talking about JosE6, I'd like to stike out with a pre-emptive :finger The name is St. JosE6 - get it right! And whatever is being smoked to come up with numbers like 348 18 55, I want some of that!

PS - you win roller hockey. No one here plays it. We have ice.

Sorry, hockeytown has been that way for a long time. As far as the Pistons - check the standings in the NBA. I made my case for Michigan NCAA collegiate hockey aas well as minor league hockey - far more in both cases than Minnesota. How can you claim some make believe thing when the numbers are there? We as a state have the programs because they are popular and well supported. And as for football - Notre Dame cannot touch Michigan's attendance, might challenge MSU some years, and talk about all the ND fans you want. We expanded our stadioum to 111,000-112,000 and still have sell outs and more demand than seats. ND just expanded their stadium - which by the way was modeled directly after Michigan, and you can look that up, its fact - to hold what, 70,000? Sure you could probably sell more, but so can we, and we are selling 41-42,000 more before you start about who can sell more. Your knowedge of Michigan (the state of) sports leaves something to be desired. The Tigers are down and may we keep beating them. Lions football is not having glory days to say the least and I'd still say they outdraw the Bears, even last year in the Silverdome vs Soldier Field. As far as what is "polluted" or who are the most knowledgable fans, your opinion, but I suspect I know slightly more about who the Detroit and Michigan papers cover sports wise and what the attendance has been at the various sports venues through the years. The Black hawks ran ads all season in my home town paper, the Chicago Trib, to sell tickets because they had unsold seats. The Red Wings in their worst years never had to advertise. It helps to stick to reality and not operate out of bias. There is no doubt that the state of or the U of Michigan cannot compete as we once did in NCAA baseball. It is impossible - the California and Texas and Florida schools will always be better given the longer baseball seasons and winter conditions up north. The state of Iowa has wrestling down pretty much. And I will argue that Detroit baseball fans are among the dumbest in the country (at least as far as I have encountered). But your bias for or against something cannot dispute the cold hard reality of numbers and programs that exist. Maybe because I have lived in more than one state I have gotten past the fact that I need to defend my own just because. Hell, between where I live now and where I spent the first half of my life, I am very comfortable in saying that most Illinois high school basketball teams would wipe up most Michigan hs teams, and the same for football at the hs level. But I'd take Michigan high school kids in hockey and sight unseen I'd take a California high school baseball team over any from Illinois or Michigan. Duke has a better basketball cheering section than the rest of us. Stanford has a more fun band than the rest of us. Indiana basketball coaches can throw chairs farther than other coaches. You don't have to blindly defend your own. The claim the Blawk Hawk fans are the most knowledgable is a first for me. Is that reflected in their not showing up? And by the way - not only is Notre Dame's football stadium a direct copy of Michigan's, intentionally, since they were so taken by it (but smaller because the fan base isn't there) but the United State was modeled extensively after the Palace. And do check the NBA standings before you make any more comments about the Pistons. Try asking yourself: hockey and basketball, which cioty had teams that made the playoffs and whcih didn't? Given that Chicago has two MLB teams and thus has a 5-4 advantage, between Detroit and Chicago, which city has 2 playoff teams current and immediate past seasons and which has 0? Pistons vs Bulls 2002-03: Pistons in playoffs - Bulls...??? Red Wings vs Black Hawks 2002-03: Red Wings in playoffs - Black hawks???? Lions vs Bears (who cares category) 2002- neither made playoffs Sox and Cubs vs Tigers 2002 - none made playoffs Looks like Detroit 2, Chicago 0. The smack talk slaps you in the face.

For those who wonder where the real center of American hockey is, it is Michigan. Proof is the 6 October 2001 game with 74,554 fans showing up at MSU to watch UM vs MSU on ice at the MSU football field. (game ended in a tie, which probably was a good thing). We are the real Hockeytown out here despite what my good friend zach says. I have a feeling (although I haven't done the math) that we have more minor league hockey teams than any other state. We also have a lot more universities playing Div I hockey than anyone else. I am amazed that we have Western Michigan and Ferris State and Lake Superior State with top level hockey programs and U of Illinois plays only club level and the only Div I team that I know of from Illinois is UIC. Whatever fandom there is for hockey in Illinois is a pittance compared to what we have here. As far as Minnesota - as a state I think only they can begin to compare to us in terms of hockey appeal, but we have them beat on minor league and Div 1 teams easily. I guess Minnesota won the NCAA hockey title, and congratulations!! We have been there 3 years in a row in the frozen four and won it a few years ago ourselves. Cannot expect people fromm California to appreciate hockey when the only ice they see comes from a dispenser inb little cubes. (And Michigan claims #1 in football too. If UM and MSU are both playing at home, that is 111,000 fans at UM and 80,000 at MSU and who else can touch that? Answer: no one.)

I've said it before and will say it again. Sirotka is finished. yeah, its true, but no one wants to believe it - at least I don't - and it makes that trade to Toronto look ever more curious - I don't recall a trade ever like this one went down, player getting traded and never pitching again due to an injury that happened before the trade like this one

as many times as I have been to the ball park you would think I would know. They do announce the names of all the coaches pregame but that is it - I think. I remember hearing bullpen coaches being announced before but no one pays attention becaase it is just a list of names they are reading. But if/when his name is read tonight I hope people hear it and respond. If his name is not read, the fans should do a little chant or something for a minute to let him know that we care.

I really liked Mike. This is all so sad. After all this time, you have to wonder if he will ever be able to pitch again.

you are right, of course, he is bull pen coach, I just looked it up to inform myself.

I don't know. If he is, he'll still get introduced at some point, right?

oh zach23, you are so cute when you lust for Anna Kournakova! Joy and love and peace and happiness to you always, my very good friend!

Please give a standing ovation to Gamboa when he comes on the field. It would be class thing to do.

I saw this on the cubs mlb site" "Prior struck out six to increase his season total to 25 but was tagged for five runs -- three earned -- over five innings. " Surely that is a lie. Jesus Prior is perfect. He is better than Buehrle, better then everyone. They will rename the Cy Young award for Jesus Prior one day, one of our posters said. So why are these lies being spread about Jesus Prior? I am sure he pitched a complete game shut out.

Dudes and Dudettes, Michigan lost in the Frozen Four last weekend and that was too bad. At least we were there, again. Detroit Red Wings are down 3-0 to Anaheim. Since only two teams have ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, I am not optimistic. But we still have 3 out of the last 6 Cups and we are in the playoffs, again. If you all get off on the Red Wings losing, then good for you! Glad you have that joy in your lives! Hugs and kisses to all! I am sure that your lives will be enhanced and that your blessings will overflow and I am so, so happy for each of you! Consider this a cyber hug to everyone <<< hug >>>!

he sure does! I hope to earn my way to being a member of his posse one day! We'll have to fight for him vince a posse has more than one member so no problem! If course I am a fan of yours too. I don't usually this many people on these things - I am a nasty cynic and hard to please - this is wierd, or maybe soxtalk.com has a hell of a lot of good folk behind it.

I don't see the picture in the 3rd link. Chck your email, I emailed you through the site.

he sure does! I hope to earn my way to being a member of his posse one day!

Murc (Mark) wrote it in its entirety, I thought that was clear. I don't know that kind of stuff. Mark is a very gifted writer and a developing talent with a great future. I gave him a few editng tips (2 in fact, and 1 suggestion) and Mark was more than very gracious in including me in the credit. Please give Mark his due. The kid can write, and write very well for someone of his age and school experience. My predicition is after college as he keeps honing his skills that he'll move into a a top rate entry position on a major sports paper/magazine or newspaper. I am a murc fan. I think the kid has what it takes, and I was honored to be asked to make a few editing comments.

of course he was going. Hard to turn them down twice with his deep roots there in Carolina, the turmoil in the Kansas Athletic department and the blast made at Williams by the fired AD, and the amount of money offered to him. Sometimes you have to accept the money for the sake of your family.

what is more ridiculous is anyone who puts stock in that bloward king of spin. O'Reilly's success is one more proof og P T Barmun's oberservation of a sucker being born every minute The Tribune on 4 Aril diod a marvelous study of the quality of the news and yhier comments on O'reilly was he was so far gone into spin and fabricated proaganda that he wasn't going to be considered in an article reviewing news sources. One realizes the Chicago Tribune is a neoCommunist fat left paper though and so antiRepublican it makes me sick.

We talked about it too at length in a thread during the offseason. There were more than a few here that wouldn't have minded seeing Maggs traded for Vlad straight up..... me included. and I thought you were an idiot then :fyou and still today if you believe that. :fyou otherwise, you are a wonderful person! This thing must be your one flaw!

I for one thought it was a great recap!

didn't Mags go through the Rule 5 drafty maybe 5 times? No one (lucky for us!!!!) saw the potential. Mags was a late bloomer baseball wise and how good for us - but I do think there was a time when CLee was considered the better prospect. I do know Maggs went through the Rule 5 draft....just not sure he went through it 5 times. I remember reading it in an article about him a little earlier in the year. my source for that was the Tiger tv broadcasters over the weekend - it is what they claimed, in speaking of how he was a late bloomer as well as an extremely underrated player - they were angry Mags was not an All Star last year

agree with you all the way Jason - you stated my sentiments exactly