Ice chips

You mean there was a World Series game on Saturday night? And the Cardinals won??

(By the way, you can read about Game 2 right here.)

With apologies to everyone from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, some quick hits from the NHL on Saturday night

BUFFASLUGS UNITE!: The team with the worst uniforms in the league are 8-0 after a
6-2 win over Boston. Buffalo needs just two more wins to match the NHL record for longest win streak at the start of a season set in 1993-94 by Toronto. The Sabres continue their three-game road trip at Montreal on Monday before heading to Long Island on Thursday.

Can't go home again: Jose Theodore may not soon forget having having 21,273 Frenchies taunt him in his first game back in Montreal. Now with Colorado, the former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner gave up six goals in the final 24:31 of an 8-5 loss.

Ilya Kovalchuk regains scoring touch: Good to the see the Atlanta sniper finding the back of the net again after scoring two third-period goals in a 4-2 win over Florida. He had 52 last season, including a league-leading 27 on the power play.

Welcome to the NHL: Alexander Radulov didn't have an 11-point night like he did in juniors. He didn't even record one. In 7:32 of ice time, he didn't have a plus-minus rating and took a questionable tripping penalty midway through the third period. Preds lose 4-3 in overtime. ... Mike Smith makes 22 saves for the Stars in a 4-0 shutout win over Phoenix. Smith also had a shutout win in his AHL debut with Iowa in November.

If you had these guys on your rot team then you did pretty good:
Vancouver's Lukas Krajicek got you a game-winning goal in OT to beat Nashville...Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal scored two short-handed goals, including one on a penalty shot (and, no, I had no idea you could do that!) Evgeni Malkin scored his third goal in as many games for the Penguins in a 5-3 win over Columbus ...
Antoine Vermette and Dean McAmmond each scored twice in Ottawa's 8-1 win over New Jersey

And your NHL line of the night from the newsroom:

"Fucking widget beat my black goaltender!" -- Blog castigator and "hool-ee-gaan" Chris Altruda after New Jersey's Brian Gionta scored against Ottawa's Ray Emery in the the Senators' 8-1 win Saturday night.

Hot-lanta Thrashers

I don't think too many people saw this coming. Hockey? Atlanta? Success?

So far, yes. And the Thrashers are doing it without their best player.

Look at today's NHL standings and you'll find the Atlanta Thrashers sitting atop the Southeast Divison. The same division with Alexander "The Great" Ovechkin in Washington. The same division where the last two Stanley Cup winners -- Carolina and Tampa Bay -- have come from.

Is it something in the water down South?

"We never quit. That's what is big about this team," said Marian Hossa, who had a pair of goals and an assist in regulation of a 4-3 win over the Capitals on Thursday night. "We showed a lot of character and got a big two points."

Hossa was acquired from Ottawa just before the start of last season for Dany Heatley. After scoring 39 goals and 92 points in his first season with the Thrashers, the 27-year-old right wing (and already a nine-year veteran) already has seven goals -- five on the power play -- and 11 points.

A healthy Kari Lehtonen in net also hasn't hurt. The second overall pick in 2002 was limited by injuries to only 38 games last season. So far in 2006-07, he's 5-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average and is tied with San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov for the league lead with two shutouts.

How bad was Atlanta without Lehtonen last season? Rookie Michael Garnett, veteran retreads Mike Dunham -- now a backup with the New York Islanders -- and Steve Shields, and the less-than-stellar Adam Berkhoel combined to go 22-17-7 with a 3.39 GAA. Not horrible, but still not good enough secure its first playoff berth.

So what's the toughest part about being successful? For Lehtonen, it's reminders of the past.

"Everybody keeps asking me about last year and it's hard," he told CBSSportsline.com this week. "I think we had a horrible season last year and we still almost made the playoffs, so that's why I'm really looking forward to this year."

So far, Atlanta has picked up 11 of a possible 14 points as it has gotten off to the best start in franchise history. Just wait until Ilya Kovalchuk remembers what it's like to find the back of the net again.

Kovalchuk is off to the slowest start of his career, with just one goal in seven games. Last season, he tallied a career-high 52 with a league-leading 27 coming on the power play.

Though the top overall pick in 2001 has led all NHL players with 132 goals since the start of the 2002-03 season -- Hossa is second in that span and needs only six goals to pass him -- Kovalchuk didn't have an answer for his slow start.

"I want to score every game, but I don't know what's going on. It's bad luck," he said after a 4-3 loss to Carolina on Oct. 13 -- the only defeat in regulation the Thrashers have had so far.

The season before the lockout, the Stanley Cup resided on the Gulf Coast. Last year, it moved to Tobacco Road. Why not in Buckhead this season?

Last man standing

The Cardinals are headed back to the World Series

Yadier Molina -- yes, you did read that right -- hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, and new closer Adam Wainwright struck out Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-1 win in a decisive Game 7.

That's the good news. The bad news is they get the Detroit Tigers. In 1934, the Gas House Gang prevailed, but 34 years later, Detroit figured out how to reach Bob Gibson -- and his 1.12 ERA, a number as important to baseball as 755.

For one night, though, this can be enjoyed. The team that nearly pissed away a 7 1/2-game NL Central lead in the final two weeks of the season will try -- again -- for their first World Series championship since Whitey Herzog and double-knit days of 1982.

Two years ago, the Cardinals reached the series against the Boston Red Sox, and looked real bad while getting swept. I will have another prediction on Friday, but let's just say I think they'll be celebrating in the Motor City.

It's been 24 years since the Cardinals last won the World Series ... not for a lack of trying.

1985 -- Don Denkinger calls Jorge Orta safe in Game 6, sending Joaquin Andujar into a meltdown. St. Louis loses Game 7 by an 11-0 score to Kansas City, forever handing over bragging rights in Missouri.

1987 -- Cardinals win all three games at Busch, but cannot solve the magic -- or the crowd noise -- at the Metrodome, losing to Puckett, Hrbek, Gaetti and the rest of the Minnesota Twins in seven games.

2004 -- Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen combine for 122 homers and 358 RBIs in the regular season. Facing another team of destiny, like the one 17 years earlier, the trio combine to bat .133 -- 6-for-45 -- with Rolen failing to get a hit. The Red Sawx end 86 years of frustration.

Will '06 be the year?

Chicago and Miami ... hello

Couple of things on my mind ...

Lou Piniella will be named the 56th manager of the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

This is a bit of a surprise. Piniella has always made it clear that he wanted to be close to his Florida home ... and we see what that home cooking did for him while managing the Devil Rays.

I'm sure no one is happier to see Piniella leave the broadcast booth than Steve Lyons.

Chicago is not nearly as bad as Tampa is. Face it -- if you're managing the Devil Rays, you may as well be managing in another famous wasteland. But he is inheriting a team that had the fewest wins (66) in the National League in 2006, recorded the fewest saves (29), gave up the second-most runs (834), the third-most homers with 210 -- and only three behind league-leading Cincinnati -- and the third-highest ERA at 4.74.

Now 63, I'm curious to see what kind of a grind he's going to through managing this bunch. By his own admission, Piniella describes himself as a "blue-collar" type of manager. After four seasons of the country-club atmosphere Dusty Baker seemed to promote and the party time that is Wrigley Field, the Cubs and their fans had better get used to a manager who expects things to be done the right way each time.



NCAA moves quickly after Miami-FIU brawl

Saturday's sideline-clearing brawl -- including a clubbing with a helmet, a stomp that may do Albert Haynesworth proud and the use of crutches as weapons -- has resulted in a total of 31 suspensions for Miami and Florida International.

And, of course, there is media overstepping its bounds. For a long time, I have been against the use of former players and coaches as play-by-play people and analysts. All one needs to do is see how Michael Irvin reacted to the the so-called attempted suicide of the NFL player I refuse to name. By and large, those like Irvin and Deion Sanders among others do not have the necessary training.

As a side note, for that matter, neither do I: my school did not offer a journalism major in the late 80s, so I graduated with a degree in English. I didn't break into this business until 1995, and my training was simply doing the job each day the best way I know how combined with a healthy dose of common sense ... which means, above all, don't become part of the story!

Lamar Thomas, who had a mediocre six-year career in the NFL, before becoming an analyst with Comcast Sports Southeast, obviously never got the message. Below are his comments, taken from an Associated Press story, during the brawl:

"Now, that's what I'm talking about," Thomas said as the brawl raged out of control. "You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don't come into the OB playing that stuff. You're across the ocean over there. You're across the city. You can't come over to our place talking noise like that. You'll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing."

As the fight slowed, Thomas' comments continued.

"I say, why don't they just meet outside in the tunnel after the ball game and get it on some more? You don't come into the OB, baby," Thomas said. "We've had a down couple years but you don't come in here talking smack. Not in our house."

So much for not becoming part of the story. He will be hired by someone else down the road, I'm sure -- maybe these guys will have a spot for him.

Taking wing in Arizona

It's just the end of the first quarter, but this guy is turning out to be pretty good.

Facing the highest-scoring offense and one of the best defenses in the NFL on Monday night, Matt Leinart is poised, confident, generally, all of the traits a former Heisman Trophy winner from Southern California should be. Think the Jets aren't kicking themselves for picking him at No. 4? Or the Bills at No. 8? Or the Lions at No. 9?

Even if Arizona loses this game -- and that's not out of the realm of possibility -- Leinart has showed in one 15-minute span that he is capable of leading an NFL team. Earlier this week, longtime NFL starter Kurt Warner said he is considering retirement after the season. I say, why wait? Arizona had Leinart fall into its laps at the draft. In 1 1/2 games, he's shown more than any Cards QB has since the days when this guy was slinging the ball.

If this continues tonight, these pundits may throw themselves off the Sears Tower on Tuesday. Jurko, though, would be a loss.

Return of The Convicts

If you didn't have a chance to check out the highlights from Miami's 35-0 win over Florida International on Saturday night, check your local listings.

Never mind that it was going to be a blowout before the teams took the field. The fun was in the extracurriculars.

A third-quarter brawl in which fists, helmets -- and even crutches -- were being used as weapons resulted in a total of 13 players being ejected from both teams.

According to Wikipedia "The Convicts" was a reference to the Miami teams when it faced Notre Dame -- "The Catholics" -- in the final three games in 1988, 1989, and 1990. "The Catholics vs. The Convicts" came about when an enterprising Notre Dame student began to print T-shirts carrying the slogan prior to the legendary 1988 matchup between the two teams in South Bend, Ind.

"Catholics" was an obvious reference to Notre Dame's Catholic character (although before the game, Miami quarterback Steve Walsh claimed Miami in fact had more Catholics on its team than Notre Dame, including himself and the entire Hurricane offensive line).

"Convicts" was an equally obvious, and openly derogatory, reference to the various scandals in which the Miami program had entangled itself, and the 'bad boy' image that resulting from that.

Expect several one-game bans from Saturday's melee.

Terrell being Terrell Redux

I know ... I shouldn't waste the time, effort and bandwith on this. But it is time to break out the soapbox.

I have commented before on Terrell Owens, but I have pretty much reined in my thoughts after his so-called suicide attempt. Now, it's time to let loose.

Below is courtesy of The Associated Press. It's a timeline of notable events from T.O. -- not his entire checkered career with San Francisco, Phialdelphia and Dallas.

No. This is just with the Cowboys. And it's not even seven months old! Feel free to read on if you like:

March 18: Four days after being cut by the Eagles, Owens signs a three-year, $25 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys that includes a $5 million bonus and a $5 million salary in 2006. "I'm a star among stars now," Owens says at a news conference.

May 5: Forty-eight days after Owens signed, Bill Parcells speaks about him for the first time. "I don't view it as a gamble. It's in my best interest that he's successful." When he speaks again two days later, Parcells puts the subject of Owens off limits until training camp.

June 2: Owens goes through his first day of minicamp, catching every pass thrown his way but one in a nearly two-hour practice. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity that I can make to help this team win," he says. "That's why they brought me in here."

June 8: Owens arrives after 5 p.m. for a scheduled 3 p.m. visit with the roughly 60 campers attending the Terrell Owens Youth Football Camp. "I'm sorry I'm late. I've been playing for the Dallas Cowboys," he tells the kids.

July 5: "T.O.", the second setting-the-record-straight autobiography Owens has written in 22 months, is released five days ahead of schedule. The biggest revelation: His relationship with Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb soured for good when Owens was told "Shut the (expletive) up" in a huddle. McNabb later calls the autobiography a "children's book."

July 13: At his first book signing, Owens claims he didn't say his return in time for the February 2005 Super Bowl was "heroic," even though that's what he wrote. He called it one of the words chosen by his co-author.

July 27: Owens goes to Point Mogu naval base to greet teammates when they fly in to Oxnard, Calif., for the start of training camp. Owens has driven up from Los Angeles.

July 29: A record crowd of 5,500 attends Owens' first training camp practice. After being the last player out of the locker room, he makes the best play of the session, beating Aaron Glenn for a long touchdown, drawing loud cries of "T-O!" from fans.

Aug. 3: Owens misses practice because of a hamstring problem. "I wouldn't say I'm injured, just a little sore," he says. Says team owner Jerry Jones: "For a guy who is renowned for playing hurt, renowned for working hard and wanting to be out here, we don't have any concerns."

Aug. 5: An MRI shows no major problems with Owens' hamstring.

Aug. 7: Owens says he's flying in doctors and trainers to examine his hamstring.

Aug. 8: Parcells seems flustered by all the T.O. talk: "I'm getting the sense that most of the media is just waiting for something to be controversial in that regard. And I'm here to tell you, it's not going to happen from me. So you need to get that in your head. OK?"

Aug. 10: Owens wears the silver and blue uniform of Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel pro cycling team while riding a stationary bicycle. He calls it "my little kickoff for the Tour de T.O. Comeback."

Aug. 16: Owens returns to practice after missing 14 straight workouts.

Aug. 18: Parcells tells Owens he hasn't practiced enough to play in the second preseason game.

Aug. 19: After working out in the morning, Owens misses the afternoon session because of a setback with his hamstring. He later blames coaches for using him too much.

Aug. 25: Owens is fined $9,500 for missing a team meeting and a rehabilitation session, and being late to an offensive meeting. He later says he overslept. "It's not a big deal," he says.

Aug. 28: An Internet gambling site posts a 50-50 bet on whether Owens is still employed by the Cowboys at the end of this season.

Aug. 29: Owens returns to practice.

Sept. 1: Owens plays 19 snaps over two series in the preseason finale, catching a 6-yard pass from Tony Romo on the first ball thrown his way and missing a wide pass from Romo in the end zone.

Sept. 10: Owens catches six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the opener, a 24-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sept. 17: Owens breaks his right ring finger while blocking on one of the first plays of a 27-10 victory over the Washington Redskins, but doesn't leave for X-rays until the middle of the fourth quarter. His play reflects the injury: three catches for 19 yards, all in the first 11 minutes; several drops, including one in the end zone, and two penalties totaling 20 yards.

Sept. 18: Owens has a plate screwed into the bone attached to his right ring finger. Recovery time estimated at two to four weeks.

Sept. 26: Owens taken via ambulance to Baylor University Medical Center for what his publicist calls an allergic reaction to medicine he's taking for his broken hand.

Sept. 27: A police document obtained by media outlets before being formally released by authorities says Owens was depressed and attempted suicide, which Owens later denied. He said he became groggy after mixing painkillers with supplements. Publicist Kim Etheredge, who made the 911 call, denied she removed pills from Owens' mouth, as described in the police document, and said it was unfair for anyone to think Owens would kill himself.

Sept. 28: Police close the case, calling it an "accidental overdose" and release the 911 tape of Etheredge's call. Owens returns to practice.

Oct. 8: In his much-hyped return to Philadelphia, Owens catches only three passes for 45 yards. Owens was seen screaming at passing game coordinator Todd Haley on the sideline.

Oct. 11: Owens shows up late to practice, explaining that he was using the bathroom. Haley yells at him for being tardy.

Oct. 13: Owens vows to stop speaking with Haley, who vowed during training camp that all matters would stay behind closed doors, after accounts of their confrontation appears in media reports.

And you know it's a matter of time before this is updated with ...Cowboys release Owens. I mean, it's just heading down that same road again.

When T.O. looks in the mirror, some of the adjectives that probably leap to his mind are warrior and game-breaker. There are other adjectives to describe him, though: foolish and narcissistic are two of mine. Like Barry Bonds, like O.J. Simpson, Terrell Owens is what is wrong with sports. It's all about the individual's achievements -- the ultimate bling, if you will -- and team no longer enters into the equation.

I truly feel if you quietly asked the other 44 members of the Cowboys how they feel about L'Affaire Terrell, I would guess about 35 of them either want him cut from the team or they'd rather just take a shot at him.

This subject now will be closed and this blog will be Terrell-free.

Cory Lidle 1972-2006

Let's not have any Cory Lidle jokes, OK? We're trying to run a tasteful establishment here.

What little I know of him, Lidle seemed to be a little too tightly wound -- I can identify with that -- and that he called New York uber-sportstalk radio station WFAN to stand up for Joe Torre and his team after being ousted from the postseason speaks volumes, both positively and negatively.

On the plus side, he's being the good soldier, standing up for his team in the face of what I imagine was another scathing attack by the blowhard Mike Francesa and his no-talent toadie Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo.

Seriously, if you've never listened to these two, you may want to log on for about two minutes. That's all it will take for your ears to bleed. These two ass-clowns are why I cannot listen to sportstalk radio when I visit New York.

Francesa is like the guy holding court at the end of a bar, thinks he knows it all but, in fact, is not nearly as bright. Russo -- and this is possibly the nicest thing I can say about him -- is a gibbering idiot. He will offer an opinion, but if Mikey disagrees with it, caves in faster than an IKEA wall unit.

This sums up what it's like listening to M&TMD. If a caller makes a valid point that contradicts their thinking, the caller is ridiculed and almost shouted down. Don't dare ask them about hockey, soccer -- essentially anything that is not baseball or football -- that's the surest way to get hung up on.

But back to Lidle, and this is on the negative side. I want to know, and likely never will have the answer to, is what was going through his mind in those final moments before the plane hit the building. He reportedly circled the Statue of Liberty before the crash. Was there an unspoken message in that?

Lidle was an outcast to some in baseball because he crossed the picket line during the 1994 strike to become a replacement player. Was that ultimately his start as a tortured soul, unable to live up to the Yankees' mystique. You know, the 26 World Championships, living up to the fans' expectations and those of George Steinbrenner.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Columbus Day, part deux

So after traveling some 750 miles round trip to Columbus for my first hockey game of the season, a 5-1 pasting of Phoenix by the Blue Jackets, here are some of my thoughts about the NHL in central Ohio ...

This may be the worst place to watch a game. It's the first professional franchise in the city. Much as I love what Len Milano, my old boss at ESPN SportsTicker, used to call "garage leagues" -- which you can find here, here and especially here -- that doesn't mean this has to be one of them.

You just sensed this was the kind of crowd that lives for the crashes at NASCAR races.

It's been six years since the Blue Jackets first took the ice, but it's clear there is much to be learned by the team and its fans. Start with that monstrosity you see on the right. Develop an identity, not a cartoon. Look what it did for the Ducks.

And to the pregnant wench sitting two seats down from me in Sec. 214, Row H, here's a couple of things: 1. It's even strength when a power play ends. Full strength describes cough syrup. 2. Indiscriminately yelling "LET'S GO JACKETS!" when there is no action going on does nothing but make one want to reach for this.

For those two things alone, the snarkiness factor increases 100 times, minimum. Had noted column castigator and hate-mail recipient Chris Altruda been at the game with me, I could just hear the eye roll as he s-l-o-w-l-y tips his head back in exasperation.

One good thing was the girls on the ice to clean shavings along the boards by the benches and around the nets. I don't think the shorts could be tighter or shorter unless the name Earl Scheib was tattooed on each cheek.

There were two good things about leaving Ohio via I-70 ... unleaded gas at a Speedway for $1.97 ... and some very underrated coffee and donuts, eh.

Playoff pondering

WARNING: These picks are strictly for entertainment purposes only! If you're dumb enough to think you're making money off this ...

So without further ado ...

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DETROIT VS. OAKLAND: Both teams got here by waxing division winner Minnesota and New York -- and for all intents and purposes, that is the last time I will mention the Yankees and the soap opera that surrounds them for this post, thank you.

In winning that series from ... you know ... the Tigers relied mainly on "small ball." Their top four hitters -- Carlos Guillen, Placido Polanco, Sean Casey and Marcus Thames -- combined for 26 hits, but just one homer. Detroit rebounded from its late-season swoon by batting .309 in the ALDS.

Anyone who saw the series with ... you know ... with pitching. Take away Nate Robertson's poor outing, and Detroit allowed seven runs and 21 hits in 29 1/3 innings. And that was against one of the most potent lineups in baseball.

Oakland's sweep of the Twins was all about timeliness -- Frank Thomas' two homers in Game 1, for example. The A's batted just .245 in the series, and Marcos Scutaro -- yes, Marcos Scutaro -- led Oakland with six RBIs. If anything, Oakland again proved good pitching beats good hitting: the staff combined for a 2.33 ERA.

Detroit has the destiny factor on their side, and Leyland will keep them in check. He was the contstant when they were 40 games over .500 or in a tailspin that dropped them out of first in the AL Central. Tigers in five

NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: ST. LOUIS VS. NEW YORK METS: OK ... this is the matchup many were expecting earlier this season. How they both got here was surprising.

Neither team has particularly strong starting pitching. The Mets easily advanced without the injured Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez by sweeping the Dodgers. St, Louis, without No. 2 starter Mark Mulder and closer Jason Isringhausen, needed four games to oust San Diego.

This series, in all likelihood, will come down to who's got the better offense. If the Mets also can keep Albert Pujols in check, they're headed back to the World Series for the first time since 2000 -- and have a chance to win it all for the first time since big hair and skinny ties were in vogue. Mets in five

Columbus Day

The good thing about having gone to see a Blue Jackets game in Columbus is I will likely never have to go there again.

Since I drove from Chicago to Columbus -- and back -- in a 15 1/2-hour span, I will add another post later.

Say ... it ain't so, Joe?

A $200 million payroll will buy you a lot of things, but apparently not another season for Joe Torre.

Despite four World Series titles in 11 seasons, the New York Yankees are ready to fire Torre as soon as Sunday, one day after losing to Detroit in four games of the AL division series. Retread and noted Steinbrenner ass-kisser Lou Piniella will likely be Torre's replacement.

Did you see that?

With 14 games and a DirectTV package at work, the first Saturday night of the NHL season is nothing but, fun, fun, FUN for me. Here's some of the reasons why ...

The shootout. Nothing like a 13-round nailbiter. Anyone remember Marek Malik's sick goal last season in the 15th round against Washington? Marcel Hossa didn't gain the same style points Malik did for his between-the-legs shot last season, but he got the job done and the Rangers stay unbeaten with a key Atlantic Division win over the Flyers.

And Henrik Lundqvist? Thirteen stops in the shootout? Ice in the veins is my guess ...

The Cup hangover continues for Carolina after a 5-2 loss to Washington. When they face Florida on Wednesday, the 'Canes can set a dubious record with the longest losing streak by a defending Stanley Cup champion at the start of a season.

Before this year, the 1955-56 Detroit Red Wings were the only team in NHL history to lose their first three games ...

A Young One is making his presence felt. Anze Kopitar, the 11th overall pick last season, followed up a two-goal debut with three assists in a win over St. Louis ...

No hard feelings by the Capitals against Alexander Semin. After being sued by the team when he refused to go to the minors during the lockout and went to play in Russia instead, he recorded the first hat trick of his career in the win over the Hurricanes ...

Thumbs up to Minnesota for tying the franchise record with five power-play goals in a 6-5 win over Nashville ... to Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen for his 22-save shutout in a 6-0 rout of Florida ... to Martin Havlat and Michal Handzus combining for a goal and three assists in a 5-4 loss to Columbus.

Thumbs down to Ed Belfour, who gave up four goals on nine shots in the first period of the loss to Atlanta ... to the Predators' defense for allowing a franchise record 14 goals in two games ... to the New York Islanders on general principles -- and for losing 2-0 to San Jose ... to Phoenix, which lost its sixth straight to Anaheim.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa

You're right, Rob. I was wrong.

There's my mea culpa.

Now get over yourself. You still have a way to go.

So far, I am proving why I don't gamble for a living. Tigers beat the Yankees. A's sweep the Twins. Mets do the same to the Dodgers. I can make it an embarrassing sweep if the Padres can rally back from two games down to beat the Cardinals.

PACK THE BAGS!

Back up the moving vans to 161st. and River Avenue.

The New York Yankees again came up small in the postseason, losing the AL division series in four games to Detroit. So, all you fans, hold off again on changing all those signs to reflect 27 World Championships.

Remember, the Yankees were the team built from the top to the bottom of the order to win now. Problem is one through five -- the pitching staff -- is largely being ignored.

With a 19-win season, Chien-Ming Wang established himself as the ace of the staff. After that, the staff would be one of the best in baseball ... if it were 1997. Randy Johnson cannot do it anymore at age 43. All you needed to see was him laboring in Game 3.

Future Hall of Famers need to recognize when it's time to call it a career.

Mike Mussina? Cory Lidle? Jaret Wright? Do any of these players truly strike fear in batters today? Apparently not.

It would be easy to pile on A-Rod, but that is a subject that has been beaten around far more than it deserves to be -- .071 batting average, failed to drive in a run for the second straight postseason.

He needs to get out of New York -- whether it's his choice or the Yankees', it's time to cut the cord. A-Rod will challenge for Hank Aaron's home run record. When he shows up at spring training, he'll still be just 31 and need only 291 homers to move atop the list, but it's clear he can't do it in a Yanks uniform.

The worst thing A-Rod did was leave Seattle. He was the big fish in the small pond there. Had his contract not been worth $252 million when he signed with Texas, he would have been in the same situation.

Instead, the spotlight was turned on him because of his landmark deal. Going to New York only turned up the heat. Forget what you read about him, he's clearly a very sensitive man -- when he reads the comments in the papers and hears what people say about him on sportstalk radio, you just know they stay deep in his psyche.

Maybe A-Rod likes barbecue or day trips to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Mall of America. Fisherman's Wharf also is a nice place to visit.

It's time.

From the ice and the diamond

You could see this coming ... the Carolina Hurricanes are still hung over from bringing the Stanley Cup to the Tar Heel State.

After losing their season opener in a shootout on Thursday, Carolina was overmatched in a 4-0 defeat to New Jersey on Friday. Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goaltender Cam Ward looked bad in giving up three first-period goals.

Both losses have come at home, where Carolina enjoyed a decided advantage in going 31-8-2 last season at the RBC Center ...

Congratulations to Martin Brodeur. The future Hall of Famer made 29 saves for his 81st career shutout and 447th win tying him with Terry Sawchuk for third on the all-time list.

It will take a couple, three more years, but Brodeur will pass Patrick Roy to become the NHL's leading winner among among goaltenders. Roy, headed to the Hall of Fame next month, recorded 551 wins with Montreal, Quebec and Colorado ...

Confidence-breaker of the night? Columbus' Pascal LeClaire gives up two third-period goals and OT tally in 3-2 loss to Vancouver. LeClaire became the Jackets' starter after Marc Denis was shipped to Tampa Bay, and the newbie will need a short memory.

Columbus travels to Chicago to meet the Blackhawks on Saturday. Chicago, opening its home slate, recorded its best offensive output in 3 1/2 years with an 8-6 win over Nashville on Thursday ...

Farewell, Buck. Whenever an APNewsAlert comes across the wire, it's almost certainly bad news.

CORE ^^*2080< ^AP-APNewsAlert<,0024<¶ KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Buck O'Neil, former Negro League star, has died at 94.

I met O'Neil nine years ago at a journalism workshop in Kansas City. Soft-spoken, but a very powerful man.

What was the bigger injustice, though -- not being able to play in the majors for being black or falling one vote short of enshrinement to the Hall of Fame?

You bet

It was a good run while it lasted.

The Minnesota Twins had a chance to evoke memories of 1987 and 1991, but instead were sent packing after an 8-3 loss to Oakland in Game 3 of the AL division series on Friday.

Here's what the Twins can take into 2007, though ...

-- Joe Mauer, the former Cretin-Derham star from St. Paul, will be back as the reigning AL batting champion.
-- Justin Morneau finally showed what kind of player he can be. Easily their best at first since Hrbek.
-- Johan Santana will likely head to spring training with his second AL Cy Young Award safely tucked away.
-- IF all is right with the world, Francisco Liriano's arm will be sound again.
-- Matt Garza and Boof Bonser will no longer be rookies. No better way than to get rid of those first-year jitters than to be caught up in a playoff race.

This team was 12 1/2 games back in May and 10 1/2 back as late as Aug. 7, and STILL won the division. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise ... 2006 was a success in Minnesota.

The rest of the night on ice

0155 a.m. CDT

Some more bits and pieces, now that all is over and I can breathe:

...very nice effort from the Blues in a 5-4 overtime loss to San Jose. Bill Guerin, coming off a bad season in Dallas in which his contract was bought out, scored the game-tying goal with 5.6 seconds left.

St. Louis' streak of 25 postseason appearances ended last season when they finished in last place in the Central. How bad was it in the Gateway City? The Blues had 57 points -- 67 behind first-place Detroit.

New ownership, led by former New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden boss Dave Checketts, and new president John "Ohh-h-h-h-h, baby!" Davidson have to be somewhat pleased.

... your shots on goal by period, Atlanta, in a 3-2 shootout loss to Tampa Bay. Six. Two. Two. One. That's the last four digits of a Social Security number. Not gonna git'er done much with 11 shots in a game.

... very impressive, Marc-Andre Fleury. A 40-save shutout to beat hated cross-state Philadelphia is a nice way to introduce yourself to your new owner.

Games to keep an eye on for Friday include New Jersey vs. Carolina in a rematch of an Eastern Conference semifinal from last season. Also, Anson Carter, a 33-goal scorer for the Canucks last season, faces his former club for the first time when Columbus meets Roberto Luongo and Vancouver, which you can read about here

I may be making my first road trip of the season on Monday: Phoenix vs. Columbus.

Thursday night in the newsroom

1030 p.m. CDT

The Chicago Blackhawks scored eight goals in their season-opening win over the Nashville Predators.

It was their most in one game since 2003, and I know ... it's one game ... but as someone who's lived in the Windy City for just a year, this is gratifying because media coverage of the Blackhawks in this town is non-existent. The AHL's Wolves get more ink and more coverage than the 'Hawks -- one of the Original Six teams.

May be time to jump on the Martin Havlat bandwagon.

... End of two in the desert, Isles goalie Rick DiPietro has already allowed six goals. For $55,284.55 a game, can you stop a piece of rubber, for the love of God?

...For years, the New York Rangers had a bad habit of picking up aging superstars. Phil Esposito leaps to mind. So does Marcel Dionne. So, it's good to see Brendan Shanahan score two goals -- including the 600th of his career in a 5-2 win over Washington.

...BlackBerrys for all! Hours after reaching an agreement to be sold to a Canadian businessman, the Penguins shut out Peter Forsberg and the Flyers 4-0. Jim Balsillie -- love that name -- has agreed to buy the team from HOF'er Mario Lemieux for $175 million.

Pittsburgh needs a new arena in the worst way -- Mellon Arena is a barn in the middle of downtown. I still think this team is on the move regardless of what Gary "The Keebler Elf" Bettman says.