This will be more of a short rant than an actual blog entry, but here it is: I'm getting sick and fucking tired of hearing these cocksucking pundits on the sports talk junkett continuing to say the Lions need to have the Thanksgiving Day game stripped from them. Every year you get the same bullshit. Is there nobody out there that believes in tradition anymore? Look, there might not even BE NFL football on Thanksgiving if not for the Detroit Lions beginning the tradition back in 1934... yeah, I know, the team stinks, and they have stunk for about ten years now... but that is no reason to strip the tradition they started from them. The Cowboys didn't even begin playing on Turkey Day for another thirty odd years after the Lions began the annual game. It's nice that the NFL added a third game so they can push their shitty network on more and more cable providers... and it's nice that the Cowboys liked the Lions' idea so much that they just had to get in on it... but the fact remains that the only team that truly deserves to play every Thanksgiving day is the Detroit Lions. None of the games this year were very good, or very competitive, so don't dump all the blame on the Lions. If you don't want to watch the Lions... don't fuckin watch the Lions. Watch some gay fuckin parade or something... or a Christmas special from twenty fuckin years ago... If not, shut the fuck up, stuff some more turkey and pie down your fat fuckin face and enjoy what passes as professional football here in the Motor City. IHM out!!!

I would like to thank the guys at the Gab for giving me the shot to write on the main page.  Sully, Frag and Felber, grab a round of Fred Lites and put ‘em on my tab.  I would also like to thank Sully for posting this for me, since my wife and I are heading down into Minnesota for a weekend of shopping and drinking.  She shops, I’ll drink.  We have a system in place, and it works well.

Now, there was something funny that happened up here this week.  Hayley Wickenheiser, yes, the same Wickenheiser that was trying to break into mens hockey, had a little bit of a temper tantrum (menstrual maybe??) earlier in the week.  It seems that Hayley was playing in a tournament that had Dion Phaneufs younger brother in it.  I guess he rubbed her out behind the net, and she snaps her crayons and mugs him from behind.  I found this fucking funny on many levels; first of all, she’s 31 and he’s 15.  Secondly, if she can’t handle a simple rub out along the boards, why is she playing hockey?  She gave it a go in Europe and played for a couple of clubs amassing a scoring record of 2-5-7 in 43 games in both Finland and Italy.  Needless to say, they stopped calling her to come and play.  So now, she returns to Canada and is filling our airways with shitty fucking commercials.  Anyways, here is the clip, complete with her getting sent to the box to feel shame.  Anyways, I probably would have done the same thing.  She looks like a guy so I would just plead ignorance. 

Just for curiosity sake…I wonder what the fallout would have been if Rory Phaneuf mugged her like that.  Just saying…

Now, here we have the blatant double standard by the NHL.  James Neal was given two games off without pay for his hit on Dorsett.  But yet, we have Ovechkin pretty much giving out the same hit, but with more speed.  Will a suspension follow?  I doubt it. 

First, the hit on Dorsett.

Now the hit on Kaleta.

Brutal hit, but like I have said time and time again…why the fuck do players face the boards when they know a hit is coming?  But more important, why do players not feel the need to let up when someone is vulnerable?  Scrap the instigator rule, and let the police rule the rink.  Let things get taken care of at the lowest possible level.  Take the power away from the chicken shit dickheads that don’t back up their play.

Now, why the fuck is the media being so hard on Laraque?  Believe it or not, this is only the second time that he has been suspended in his 14 NHL seasons.  I’ll admit, that was a shitty hit, and being a Bruins fan, I know the repercussions of those types of hits (KICK HIS ASS SEA-BASS!!)  Not much is known about Laraque off the ice, so I will fill some of you in.  Laraque has always been for the fans, in every city he played in.  He is one of those types of players that spend the majority of his free time working with charity.  Even after the fallout from his commercial with the Octane girls, no one really cared that all the money he made from that commercial went to charity.  In all honesty, the only thing that offended me in that video was the fact that people were playing road hockey with composite sticks.  Don’t people have broken down Sherwood’s PMP 3000’s anymore?  Hell, go to the outdoor rinks and grab a broken shaft that someone threw over the boards, go to your local sporting goods store, and buy a $2 plastic motherfucker for the end of it.  If you are doing it right, by the end of the summer, the blade should only be about 2 ½ inches thick.

How obsessed is the Canadian Media with the Toronto Maple Leafs?  I will give you a little bit of my pain and frustration.  What do you think the big story has been up here the last couple of days?  Maybe the CFL Grey Cup championship happening this weekend in Calgary?  Nope.  Maybe a little bit of discussion on the US Thanksgiving weekend and the copious amounts of games today?  Nope.  All discussion was based on Brian Burke and his son Brendan, who recently told his dad he enjoys playing for the other team.  You know what?  I don’t fucking care.  Yup…that is the news story of the day up here in Canada.  Brian Burkes son is gay.  Who the fuck cares?  What’s next?  Are TSN and Sportsnet going to start reporting on what type of shampoo Vesa Toskala uses on his pubes?  Present the sports, the whole sports, and nothing but the sports and stay away from the Dr. Phil side of things.  You are a fucking sports channel. 

Since we touched on the leafs briefly, I will just add one more little thing.  No matter how shitty the leafs are doing, Ron Wilson will not be fired before the end of February.  Why am I so sure on that?  Brian Burke is the GM of the US Hockey team in the Olympics, and Ron Wilson is his head coach.  Can’t really throw a guy under the bus and then prop him up as the man to bring home a medal for your country can you?  Speaking of which…I am liking the chances of USA hockey to do some damage in the Olympics this year.  They have a smattering of great young talent.  Miller is playing sharp, and is looking like the starting goaltender job is his to lose.  At the end of last season, I would have thought they had the makings of a solid tandem with Miller and Tim Thomas.  However, with Thomas having an average season and nursing a broken hand, I can see Miller getting the majority of the time in the nets.  Throw in young players like Kane, Parise, Callahan, Ryan Whitney, and Blake Wheeler…the US hockey team looks good for a few years.

Now, I am going to finish off with a little bit of Canadiana for you.  The Trailer Park Boys, Don Cherry, and the Tragically Hip all in one video.  Thanks for reading.

Hotchnuts

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has reportedly decided to step down when his current contract expires following the 2012 season.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Selig disclosed his decision at an owners meeting in Chicago earlier this month after a group of owners approached him about staying on past his current deal.

It's the same approach that got Selig to agree to a three-year extension as commissioner in 2008. The owners also swayed his decision to stay on past the 2006 season after he previously indicated his intention to retire.

The report said Selig wants to step down so he can pursue other interests, including writing a book and/or teaching history, which was his major in college.

The 75-year-old Selig first took over as acting commissioner in September 1992 after Fay Vincent resigned. His 17-year tenure is highlighted by impressive financial growth but also the players' strike in 1994, which wiped out the World Series, as well as a rash of well-documented performance- enhancing drug scandals.

Under the leadership of Selig, Baseball has split both the National League and American League into three divisions, implemented interleague play, added a Wild Card berth in each league and an extra round of playoffs and most recently introduced instant replay for controversial home run calls.

WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP) -The mystery over a Tiger Woods' car crash intensified Saturday when his agent called state troopers on their way to Woods' house and asked them to wait another day before speaking to him.

It was the second straight day Woods was unavailable to talk. His wife told troopers on Friday afternoon, after the world's No. 1 golfer had been treated and released from a hospital, that he was sleeping and asked that they return Saturday.

Woods is not required by law to speak to the Florida Highway Patrol because it is being investigated as a traffic accident, spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said.

Woods was injured when his Cadillac SUV struck a fire hydrant and a tree just beyond his driveway at 2:25 a.m. Friday. Police said his lips were cut and blood was in his mouth when officers arrived. Police chief Daniel Saylor said Woods' wife, Elin, smashed the back window with a golf club to help get him out.

Montes said troopers were en route to Woods' $2.4 mansion in the gated community of Isleworth when agent Mark Steinberg called dispatch and was put through to the troopers, telling them Woods and his wife were unavailable.

"I don't know what was said,'' Montes said.

Steinberg did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.

With so many questions lingering - where was he going at that hour? - and rumors circulating on the Internet, one marketing expert said silence was only stirring the pot.

"Every 10 seconds these days, people update their tweets,'' said David Schwab, vice president of Octagon. "People are just adding speculation and controversy. You need something to settle the ship. If he's not able to do it, find someone to do it for him.''

Montes said it was "kind of normal'' for Woods not to speak on Friday, the day he was treated and released from a hospital.

"It is unusual that we haven't gotten a statement,'' she said. "This just delays us to getting closer to the completion of the investigation.''

She said troopers inside the gates "are looking for other things for their investigation,'' and for now, that pertains only to a traffic accident. Montes said Woods is not required to give a statement, only his driver's license, insurance and registration.

"We still are going to move forward with our crash investigation,'' Montes said.

The 911 tapes of the crash could be released as early as Sunday.

More than two dozen media and a cluster of TV trucks were camped outside the gates of Isleworth, an exclusive subdivision near Orlando that's set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes, on Saturday, watching for any developments. Even a couple of tourists stopped by and took pictures.

Woods' news conference for the Chevron World Challenge, the tournament he hosts that benefits his foundation, had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. It's unclear whether he would still play, or even attend the event in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

"We do not know if Tiger is playing; we are anticipating a great week of competition,'' said Greg McLaughlin, the tournament director and president of his foundation.

In a telephone interview, Woods' father-in-law, radio journalist Thomas Nordegren, told The Associated Press in Stockholm that he would not discuss the accident.

"I haven't spoken to her in the last few ... " Nordegren said about his daughter, Elin, before cutting himself off. "I don't want to go into that.''

Woods' mother-in-law Barbro Holmberg also refused to address the matter.

"She doesn't want to comment on private issues like these,'' Holmberg's spokeswoman Eva Malmborg said.

Roger Federer, who has become close with Woods in recent years, said after losing in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, "I haven't spoken to him. I heard it's not too serious, which is a good thing.''

Woods has shared precious little about his private life during his dominance of golf, which has brought him 82 victories around the world and 14 major championships, second only to the 18 professional majors won by Jack Nicklaus.

His endorsements - Nike, AT&T, Accenture, Gillette, Gatorade - have helped make him the first athlete to top $1 billion in earnings.

Aside from occasional criticism of his temper inside the ropes, he has kept himself out of the news outside his sport. In an October posting on his Facebook account, Woods wrote, "I'm asked why people don't often see me and Elin in gossip magazines or tabloids. I think we've avoided a lot of media attention because we're kind of boring. ...''

"He's an iconic brand, the platinum standard,'' said John Rowady, president of rEvolution, a Chicago-based sports marketing agency. "I find it interesting how he's being attacked by so many sides after how gracious he's been. But even the best of celebrities who try to do their best can be riddled with controversy.''

Rowady said Woods has solid relationship with his sponsors, and they are not likely to drop him over what is known so far.

"Here's a guy that has a squeaky clean record,'' Rowady said. "He leads the king's life and everybody admires him. It's a personal matter, but his ability to come out and talk about it will be interesting. I'm sure he has a lot of pressure on him and is trying to avoid the rumors.''

Nordegren, a former model from Sweden who once worked as a nanny for golfer Jesper Parnevik, is as private as Woods. She keeps a low profile at tournaments, watching her husband from behind the ropes, and moves on when photographers start taking her picture.

Asked at a Friday evening news conference if the couple could have been arguing, Saylor said he had no knowledge of that.

The accident came two days after the National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York night club hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters.

The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by the AP.

"I resent my reputation is getting completely blasted in the media,'' she said during a telephone interview late Friday. "Everyone is assuming I came out and said this. This is not a story I have anything to do with.''

Uchitel said she was in Melbourne two weeks ago with clients and never saw Woods the entire time she was there.

"The story stands for itself,'' National Enquirer executive editor Barry Levine told the AP on Saturday.

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AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Jacksonville, AP Sports Writer Tim Dahlberg in Las Vegas and Associated Press writers Tamara Lush and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel in Miami and Louise Nordstrom in Stockholm contributed to this report.