Odds & Sods

Rumors about the demise of Odds & Sods are highly exaggerated. Although flattered we here at Rangers In Seven - which, again includes mostly struggling, scraggly, stragglers - have no intention of trading or releasing Odds & Sods.

SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT

Once again the media proves to be extremely sloppy. I just keep wondering why I should trust them with anything. The cable networks keep saying that the late "Sensational" Sherri Martel was a current W.W.E. wrestler. In fact, she has not worked for the W.W.E. since 1993 when she was fired for failing three straight drug tests. Yes, she did make a cameo appearance on Smackdown in 2005, and appeared when she was inducted into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame that same year. But come on.

I feel that there are those who want to bring down the W.W.E. and therefore are getting away from the real issue at hand, which is steroid and drug abuse. When I peruse the list I posted about the wrestlers who have died, I find that many were not working for Vince McMahon, which I have already stated. So let's get away from the witch hunt.

I hear people saying that wrestling went down hill when Vince took over in the early 1980s. But those are the same folks who want wrestling to go back to the days when we used to pretend it was sport. Vince came in and told us what we already knew: that wrestling was staged. He labeled it "sports entertainment" and grew the industry from being regional to international, at least for his promotion. Along the way a bunch of promotions couldn't keep up and went out of business. Is that Vince's fault? Blame him for being successful? Guys like Phil Mushnick are not only concerned about steroids - which we all are - but want to take out the salaciousness. Well, Phil we don't want you dictating to us. More people watch wrestling today than ever before, we don't want the "puritanicals"to dictate to us. If you don't like wrestling change the channel. It's that simple. Why not let the market dictate what it wants?

Despite all the people who clearly have an agenda, I do hope that the W.W.E. continues to enforce its steroid and drug policies and tries to help out its performers. I'm not sure if the rest of the business will follow suit but I am hopeful.

By the way, Tommy Dee and I will be on Blog Talk Radio tomorrow at 6 and one of our guests is scheduled to be Phil Mushnick of the New York Post....Let's hook 'em up!

NEWS

Londonistan is feeling the effects of allowing militant Islam to spread its hate. I watched the Enemy Within on CNN and it is very chilling. Many of those groups in London that inspire terrorist attacks have affiliates here in America, including Brooklyn, NY. They - the radicals - hate us and want to kill us. That's something to keep in mind when you hear John Edwards declare the "War On Terror" is nothing more than a bumper sticker.

SPORTS

My feelings about the Yankees remain unchanged: I feel that by mid-July they will be within five games of the Red Sox and may grab a wild card spot this year. I do believe that at the end of the season that Joe Torre and Brian Cashman will go. In the case of Torre I just think it's time for a change. He's been here a long time - since 1996 - and although he may not have always been the best strategically, how can you argue with his success? Cashman is someone I have never been a big fan of, and would like to see him out.

Tomorrow at noon the unrestricted free agent market opens in the NHL. Expect the Rangers to open up the purse strings for Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. But I say be careful. In this salary cap world of the NHL, there is of course a trickle down effect. I'm kind of hoping the Rangers only nab Drury and continue to build from within.

Finally, I was just wondering if the Knicks ever plan on winning a championship again?

Chris Benoit Media Coverage and More

It's been pretty pathetic how the media has covered the Benoit murder-suicide this week. I know that people snicker whenever pro wrestling is mentioned, however, if you are going to report a story: get your facts straight! Also, the W.W.E. is watched by 20 million people each week and is worth $750 billion. Not much to snicker at in my opinion.

First off, pro wrestling is not only the W.W.E. Professional wrestling is worldwide and consists of many different organizations. When Greta Van Sustern on Fox News said another "W.W.E. wrestler was found dead," she was completely wrong. The person she was talking about, Sherri Martel, had not worked for the W.W.E. in years. I saw Nancy Grace do her usual hysterical broadcasting, but the worst was Geraldo Rivera.

Mr. Rivera was a guest on The O'Reilly Factor and stated that Sherri Martel and Nancy Benoit had been found dead the same day and that since both ladies are the ex-wives of former wrestler Kevin Sullivan there may be a link. Rivera even went so far as to suggest that this could be a triple-murder and that "heads would roll at the very highest level." I sent an email this morning to Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera, let's see what becomes of it.

Rivera clearly was trying to take an already tragic story and make it into something so sensational - pardon the pun - that only the National Enquirer would buy it. Like I said, it's bad enough what happened, making false insinuations adds nothing. For the record, Sherri Martel died June 15 and was buried today. The cause of death was not released, except that she was drinking a cup of coffee on her porch with her mother when she collapsed.

Then of course there's the New York Post's Phil Mushnick. Mr. Sloppy stops just short of blaming Vince McMahon for what happened. Hey, wrestlers are big guys, I don't think Mr. McMahon is holding them down and forcing them to take drugs or use steroids. Mushnick says that wrestlers have been dying off since McMahon took over the W.W.E. in the early 1980s implying a cause and effect. Again, it's as if he's trying to convict McMahon of murder.

I will admit that there is a problem, but it is not confined to the W.W.E. Since 1997, 60 wrestlers have died that were 45 years old or younger. Out of those 60, only five were under contract to the W.W.E. Some on the list I previously posted were going to die young because of their extreme height such as Andre The Giant and Japan's "Giant" Baba.

The W.W.E. has been doing strict testing since 2005. Even Bret Hart - no friend of Vince McMahon, just Google "Montreal screw job" for more - said that from all he is hearing, the testing in the W.W.E. is very tough. When I go down the list of dead wrestlers that I previously posted, weight definitely was an issue for many. Some died tragically such as Owen Hart (ring accident) and referee Joey Marella (auto accident). Those deaths were obviously very tragic. The Owen Hart death was because of a defective pulley which snapped when Hart was entering the ring from high above the crowd during a pay-per-view event.

But what my main concern is the guys who died in their 40s of drugs. Again, a lot of these guys died while working for smaller promotions, so pretty much they are not required to undergo any testing. Small promotions hold cards in high school gyms and armories, so I doubt they can afford to test.

What we have is a big problem. What we also have is people looking to blame Vince McMahon but they don't put any responsibility on the wrestlers themselves.

Let's take Road Warrior Hawk. He was part of one of the best tag teams of all-time. But the Road Warriors wrestled for other promotions other than the W.W.E. in their career. In fact, they really were only in the W.W.E. for a couple of years. The rest of the time was in the A.W.A., N.W.A., and Japan. So is McMahon to blame? Is McMahon to be blamed for the death of someone years after they die because of drug abuse? Did we blame the record companies when Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison died as the result of drug abuse? No, of course not.

Look, I'm no libertarian or an objectivist, but I do believe in personal responsibility.

Meanwhile, McMahon aired the tribute to Benoit not knowing that it was a murder-suicide. Maybe he should have waited. But then there would be those same people screaming that McMahon can't even honor his own had he not run a Benoit tribute.

What I'm saying is that yes wrestling has a problem. If the W.W.E.'s tests are as legit as everyone says then I'm not sure what else they can do. The whole story is very sad. The way it has been covered is also sad. I just wonder if reporters are getting so many facts wrong in this case, are they equally as sloppy with everything else?

List Of Dead Pro Wrestlers

Here is a list of the pro wrestlers who have died since 1985. It's astounding!
1- Adrian Adonis - 34
2- Andre the Giant - 46
3- Art Barr - 28
4- Bad News Brown - 63
5- Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
6- Bertha Faye - 40
7- Biff Wellington - 42
8- Big Boss Man - 42
9- Big Dick Dudley - 34
10 -Big John Studd - 46
11- Billy Joe Travis - 40
12- Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
13- Boris Malenko - 61
14- Brady Boone - 40
15- Brian Pillman - 35
16- Bruiser Brody - 42
17- Bulldog Brower - 63
18- Bulldog Brown - 58
19- Buzz Sawyer - 32
20- Chris Adams - 46
21- Chris Benoit - 40
22- Chris Candido - 33
23- Chris Von Erich - 21
24- Crash Holly - 32
25- Curt Hennig - 44
26- D.J. Peterson - 33
27- Dale Lewis - 62
28- Davey Boy Smith - 39
29- Dick Murdoch - 49
30- Dick the Bruiser - 62
31- Dino Bravo - 44
32- Dr. Jerry Graham - 58
33- Earthquake - 42
34- Ed Gatner - 31
35- Eddie Gilbert - 33
36- Eddie Graham - 55
37- Eddie Guerrero - 38
38- Gary Albright - 34
39- Gene Anderson - 58
40- George Cannon - 62
41- Giant Haystacks - 55
42- Gino Hernandez - 29
43- Gorilla Monsoon - 62
44- Road Warrior Hawk - 46
45- Haystacks Calhoun- 55
46- Hercules - 45
47- Hiro Matsuda - 62
48- Jay Youngblood - 30
49- Jeep Swenson - 40
50- Jerry Blackwell - 45
51- Joey Marella - 30
52- Johnny Grunge - 39
53- Jumbo Tsuruta - 49
54- Junkyard Dog - 45
55- Karl Krupp - 62
56- Ken Timbs - 53
57- Kerry Von Erich - 33
58- Kurt Von Hess - 56
59- Larry Cameron - 41
60- Leroy Brown - 38
61- Little Beaver - 61
62- Louie Spiccoli - 27
63- Marianna Komlos - 35
64- Mark Curtis - 38
65- Mike Awesome - 42
66- Mike Davis - 46
67- Mike Von Erich - 23
68- Miss Elizabeth - 42
69- Moondog King - 56
70- Moondog Spot - 51
71- Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43
72- Owen Hart - 33
73- Pez Whatley - 54
74- Pitbull #2 - 36
75- Randy Anderson - 41
76- Ray Candy - 43
77- Ray Stevens - 60
78- Rick McGraw - 30
79- Rick Rude - 41
80- Rocco Rock - 49
81- Rufus R. Jones - 60
82- Sapphire - 61
83- Sherri Martel - 49
84- Shohei Baba - 61
85- Stan Stasiak - 60
86- Tarzan Tyler - 55
87- Terry Garvin - 60
88- Terry Gordy - 40
89- The Renegade - 33
90- The Spoiler - 56
91- The Wall/Malice - 36
92- Tony Parisi - 58
93- Uncle Elmer - 54
94- Vivian Vachon - 40
95- Wahoo McDaniel - 63
96- Wilbur Snyder - 62
97- Yokozuna - 34

WWE Wrestler Chris Benoit and Family Found Dead

The W.W.E. website is reporting that former World Champion Chris Benoit and his family were found dead at their home. The story is breaking so details are a bit sketchy, but I'll give you what is known at this time.

Tonight's Monday Night Raw will be a tribute to Benoit. Originally the show was supposed to be "dedicated" to Vince McMahon who was "presumed" dead after his car was bombed several weeks ago. I mentioned on here that I thought it was one of the worst story lines I have ever seen and this is one of the reasons why. Unfortunately, many wrestlers have died the last few years, such as Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and most recently Bam Bam Bigelow and Sherri Martel. Too often the W.W.E. has had to have real eulogies on the air. To do it as a spoof is just low. I get that the W.W.E. is part t.v. show, part "sport," but there is such a thing as going too far. I actually sent an email to the W.W.E. expressing my views.

As I am writing this, I just read on 1wrestling.com a brief from veteran journalist Bill Apter who is reporting that the W.W.E. is now removing all references to McMahon's "death."
Benoit, a Canadian, resided in Atlanta and the family's home is being investigated by police, Apter writes.

Chris Benoit, 40, was a real favorite of mine. I remember him from his Stampede Wrestling days up in Calgary where he was trained by Stu Hart, the patriarch of the famous Hart family which included Bret and Owen. Benoit idolized the Dynamite Kid and patterned his style after him. Benoit wrestled in E.C.W., W.C.W., and W.W.E. He was supposed to wrestle CM Punk yesterday for the vacant E.C.W. World Championship. Johnny Nitro, however, replaced Benoit after it was reported that Chris Benoit was unable to attend due to personal reasons. Reportedly he called the W.W.E. and told them that he couldn't make it because his wife and son were spitting up blood.

I have to say I am just completely shocked. Benoit was one of the most exciting wrestlers around and I actually got to see him in-person during the mid-90s when he worked for the original E.C.W., which was completely anti-establishment. We'll know more in the days and weeks to come.

R.I.P Chris Benoit and family.

How Come All The Best Looking Women.....Are On The Weather Channel?

OK, I know that's not entirely true, but there are quite a few hotties giving you the forecast! By the way, above picture is of Michelle McCool from the WWE. I didn't feel like going to The Weather Channel's website and lifting photos. It's illegal you know!

Anyway, Tommy Dee and I will be on Blog Talk Radio Sunday night at 6, to talk some basketball. Here's the link to Tommy's site for more information. I hope you will all tune in and feel free to call. Meanwhile, I've got a few things on my mind...

NEWS
Folks who want to pull all of our troops out of Iraq should pay attention to what took place in Gaza last week. I keep hearing people also saying that Afghanistan is not going well and that there really is no "War On Terror." Again, refer to what took place in Gaza last week. The spring offensive that was predicted in Afghanistan never took place. The idea of pulling out of either place without some stability is suicide. Folks may not want to admit it, but the world is a dangerous place.

Many people will blame President George W. Bush for a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. However, Iran (Shiite majority) and Saudi Arabia (Sunni majority) have both desired nukes since the late '70s.

I've got to hand it to Hillary Clinton, she definitely knows how to spin. If you listen to what she is saying right now in regards to Iraq; Hillary places the blame for the chaos squarely on the Iraqi government, while praising the troops. What she is doing is saying that yes she voted for military force and that eight years of her husband as President made them a strong force. This way no one can take her to task for her vote or for Bill Clinton's unquestionable loathing of the military.

Fred Thompson has been shown to be leading in some of the national polls. I'm just wondering what his positions are.

Everyday innocent people are murdered and/or tortured in the Darfur region in The Sudan. To date, over 400,00 people have been killed and two million have had to flee. You don't have to stand on the sidelines while the world watches a genocide, go here for more. Speak out, I did.

SPORTS
The Yankees get swept by Colorado while Joe Girardi turns down an opportunity to manage the Orioles. Could Joey G. be waitin' on a better opportunity?

I actually heard someone calling for Mets' Manager Willie Randolph to be fired? Uh, they are in first place, right?

THE NHL Draft takes place tonight and tomorrow. From everything I have read it appears as though it is a shallow draft. But there is always player movement at the draft so we'll see.

Brendan Shanahan has indicated that he will play in 2007-08 and that the Rangers are the only team he is interested in donning a sweater for.

ENTERTAINMENT
I'm not someone that has it out for the WWE, like oh say, Phil Mushnick. In fact, as many of you know I count myself as a WWE fan. However, the Vince McMahon storyline is the worst I have witnessed since I began watching wrestling. For those who have not seen it, Vince's limousine blows up shortly after he gets in the vehicle and shuts the door at the conclusion of Monday Night Raw two weeks ago. CNBC suggested that the WWE could be sued by shareholders for fooling them. That's a bit outlandish, I think. But the WWE's stock, which is listed on NASDAQ, has fallen 3.3 % since the "explosion." McMahon has stated over the years that his programming is as much C.S.I. as sport, hence the monicker "sports entertainment." I get it, but I feel this angle went too far.

Oh yeah, and a Starbucks goes to whoever can tell me what NASDAQ stands for!

A Mighty Heart looks like the film of the summer. Watch this, it's pretty cool!

Rescue Me's second episode ironed some things out and the plot is starting to make more sense.

So do you want to contact a ghost? Last week, George Noory on Into The Unknown told you exactly how. All you have to do is get a recording device (a tape recorder will do) preferably with a microphone. You press record and ask questions to whichever ghost you would like to contact. After finishing the Q&A, listen to what you have recorded. Although while actually asking the questions you won't hear a response, you will on the tape. When all of this is said and done, go look in the mirror and repeat three times, "I'm not loony!"

Yesterday was the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. So is the glass half-full because it's the first day of summer or half-empty because the days will now start to get shorter from here on in?

More Odds, Less Sods

Greetings. I hope you are not disappointed that I am not posting Hillary Clinton's spoof on The Sopranos. I get that she is trying to appear more as a regular everyday type, but she is just too stiff. The video has gotten a mostly positive reaction thus far, shockingly from the morning shows! Ooffaa!

At this point we here at "Rangers In Seven" have not officially endorsed anyone for the 2008 Presidential Election. Yes, I have a quite capable staff consisting of any ordinary straggler or country folk that wants to hem and haw. I'm waiting for things to play out before gathering up the crew to take a vote or to basically draw straws. I am excited at the prospect of Mayor Mike Bloomberg possibly entering the race as an independent. He's no Ross Perot that I can guarantee you. Some folks laughed when I suggested Bloomy and Al Gore teaming up. So how does that old expression go about laughing last?

I am, however, posting this video of The Who performing "Love Reign O'er Me" at Live Aid. Former Small Faces drummer Kenny Jones rounds out the band. He was OK, but nothing like their current drummer Zack Starkey. I saw The Who perform this song with Simon Phillips on the drums and also Starkey. But would love to have been there when Keith Moon did it. I would say that along with "Substitute," this is my favorite Who song. I recently wrote a poem about it and read it in front of a mostly live audience at the Hudson Valley Writer's Center. I hope to post it on here soon.

The Monterey special on VH1 was pretty good. A festival like that will never be done again!

XM and VH1 are teaming up for a pretty cool contest. Put together the best playlist and win all sorts of goodies. For more, click here.

Let's go to the videotape, with intro done by Jack:

Odds & Sods

Welcome to the T.G.I.F. version of Odds & Sods, even though I hate when people say "T.G.I.F." It's pretty lame if you ask me; the saying not this post! So is this photo of "The Brown Lady" a hoax? Do you believe in ghosts? For more on this photo go here...but either way, please keep reading.

NEWS
The world watches as an already volatile Middle East becomes even more so. First, insurgents once again bombed the Askariya shrine in Samarra, Iraq, a revered Shiite Mosque whose golden dome was destroyed by Al-Qaeda in February 2006. Now, Hamas has ripped things apart in Gaza forcing the Fatah government to be dissolved. Big problems, obviously. The mosque bombing in Iraq raises fears of more sectarian violence, reminiscent of what took place after the dome's destruction in 2006. So who exactly is behind this latest bombing? Al-Qaeda? Possibly. How about an Iranian-backed group? Shiites killing Shiites? Sounds strange, but certainly Iran benefits by fueling a civil war. Why? Anything that continues to bog down America and leave us even more impotent in dealing with Iran's desire for nukes.

No question that Iran is backing Hamas also, although they too are largely made up of Sunnis. But Iran benefits because we support Fatah and Prime Minister Abbas. I even saw a clip of some purported Hamas members celebrating with American-made weapons.

SPORTS
The good news is that the NBA Finals are over. The bad news is that many folks didn't even know they started.

How ironic that Mike Keenan is named the Head Coach of the Calgary Flames 13 years after guiding the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. I don't know why Brent Sutter doesn't want to coach in the NHL, but he would have been my choice. However, Mike Keenan may be the guy to lead Calgary to the top of the heap in the NHL. This also means that Tony Amonte's career is over in Calgary, similar to the way it ended in New York. I don't know what Keenan has against him, but Amonte admitted it took two years for him to psychologically recover from playing 72 games under "Iron" Mike in 1993-1994.

Believe it or not, I'm actually already hearing Joe Torre's name being bandied about as "Manager of the Year." Funny, the guy was the "worst manager ever" only a few weeks ago.

Anyone looking to play fullback for the New York Giants? Jim Finn is out for the year after shoulder surgery.

Jessie Armstead has retired from the NFL. Most remember the linebacker as a NY Giant, who in nine seasons with the team, went to five pro bowls and was a key member of the squad that went to Super Bowl XXXV.

ENTERTAINMENT

As I have previously mentioned, VH1 Classic will air a special on the Monterey Festival tomorrow night at 9. Here's a clip of The Who performing "My Generation." I love this one!

A Quick One

TV HAPPENINGS
I was unable to watch The Sopranos Sunday night, but caught it last night. Yeah, the show was definitely disappointing and really just made me think that they'll be back in some capacity. But there were some hysterical moments, especially with the cat and Paulie Walnuts.

So Tony Soprano didn't get whacked, but at the conclusion of Monday Night Raw Vince McMahon apparently did; getting into his limousine which exploded shortly thereafter. The W.W.E. flag in Stamford is flying at half staff and the W.W.E. is really playing this up as McMahon's demise. First off, I'm pretty uncomfortable with someone faking their own death, call me superstitious. Secondly, I'm not sure if this means that the W.W.E. will go in a different direction with possibly Vince's television character being dramatically altered. Incidentally, I have looked into whether or not the W.W.E. Draft was staged. Most "experts" I have read say it was not. Which kind of makes sense because some of the roster shuffling did not quite add up. But then again I doubt anything that McMahon does is not calculated. Still, it is kind of cool to think one aspect of wrestling is not staged.

Tonight Denis Leary's Rescue Me returns for another season. I don't understand some of the promos with Denis dressed in his fireman attire being set ablaze. Despite that, the show is really good and I'm really looking forward to watching it.

George Noory appears on Sci-Fi tonight at 11 with a special called, Into the Unknown. Get your freak on, indeed! But I'll most likely be watching.

WORLD AFFAIRS
Pay close attention to what is going on in the news right now. Many of you probably know that their is a split in the Bush Administration between those who want to take military action against Iran (VP Dick Cheney) and those who don't (Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice). You may have noticed that there are many accusations in the press about Iran funding the Taliban in Afghanistan or their ongoing funding of Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in Iraq. Watch this carefully folks. Let me say this: I voted for Bush twice and support many of his policies, but if this country invades Iran, I will personally lead a protest outside the White House. A military incursion inside the mountainous terrain of Iran while we are fighting two other wars would be suicide for this country.

We have more than enough to do with Iraq and Afghanistan. If it is true that Iran (which is not Arab, but mostly Persian) is supporting the Taliban (which is mostly Pasthtun) than we are not doing enough to secure the borders. But who should be shocked at that, we can't even secure our own borders.

So why would Iran be supporting the Taliban other than to undermine us (no small thing either)? Well, my guess is that since they border each other, Iran does not want another unstable country on its flank (Iraq being the other). But strategically it would also take away another launching pad against the Iranian regime for the U.S.

By the way, "Mr. Whimpy" Harry Reid sure has done a bunch in Washington.

I agree with Colin Powell, it's time to close Gitmo. But don't release these guys, have them go through a trial. Symbolically, the facility has done a great deal of damage to America's image. However, I do believe those being jailed at Guantanamo should go to trial. Holding someone for five years without being charged is not what America is about. If we have enough evidence against these guys than take it to a judge and a jury.

RISMTV (Rangers In Seven Music Television)
Finally, here is another video. This one of The Who performing "A Quick One" at the Monterey Pop Festival; this Saturday night at 9, VH1 Classic will air a special about the event which took place 40 years ago.

You're all forgiven!

I Can See For Miles

What got me into rock & roll, are what I think were probably the first two songs that I remember hearing as a very young, youngen. "Light My Fire" by The Doors and this one, "I Can See For Miles" by The Who. Here is a very rare clip:

Odds & Sods

Would you please give a warm welcome to Odds & Sods!

NEWS
Although I am a big supporter of California Congressman Duncan Hunter and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, it appears more and more that Rudy Giuliani is going to get the nomination on the Republican side. Meanwhile, although Barack Obama has got the press all giddy, his inexperience will be his undoing ultimately, which will allow Hillary Clinton to get the nomination for the Democrats. That is unless Al Gore jumps into the fray.

I wonder if we could see a pairing of Al Gore and Mike Bloomberg. Bloomy is pretty middle of the road on many issues. I would definitely vote for Mr. Bloomberg, but never Al Gore.

Incidentally, crime keeps going down in NYC, but somehow the cops can't get a contract (three years without one). Hey, Mike, do the right thing!

By the way, from certain angles Fred Thompson looks a bit like Dwight Eisenhower. Not sure what Mr. Thompson is waiting for, but he's losing valuable time by not declaring.

So now Turkey has special forces and even some ground forces going into northern Iraq. There's a long history between the Turks and Kurds; this is the last thing the world needs. The Kurdistan region was the one area of Iraq that was able to live in peace since Saddam's fall. Unfortunately, there are those who want the oil in the grounds of Kurdistan and do not want the Kurds to continue to live autonomously.

SPORTS
Congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks on their Stanley Cup victory last night. Thus, another year passes without Canada having a Stanley Cup winner. The curse of Patrick Roy lives!

Yeah, I know nobody watched.

I like San Antonio is six games.

Injustice Number One: Robert Horry is about to get his seventh NBA Ring. Patrick Ewing never got one.

Injustice Number Two: Barry Bonds.

At some point, probably mid-July, many folks who have forgotten about the Yankees will wake up to see that they are within five games of Boston. Take it to the bank!

I don't know about you, but the amount of low-lifes in the NFL is eventually going to make me think twice about watching. National Felon League = some truth. I'm not quite sure why the national media has not picked up on this Pacman Jones' story, but it is really disgusting.

Ever notice that if you are blond and beautiful the national media fawns over you?

RASSLIN'
The WWE will hold the annual draft on Monday Night Raw to disperse their talent and refreshen the rosters. The difference this year is that their are now three brands; Raw, Smackdown, and ECW. Vince McMahon needs some competition.

ENTERTAINMENT
Am I the only one who thinks Oceans 13 is going to be a flop?

There are very few television shows that have gotten my undivided attention for any length of time, but Rescue Me is one of them. The Denis Leary award-winning drama returns Wednesday night. Check your local listings.

Also, Wednesday night, radio broadcaster George Noory hosts a show on Sci-Fi examining the weird and wacky.

MINIRANT
I can't understand why people simply won't walk on their right side when on a busy sidewalk. It would save us all from bumping into one another.

Finally, summer makes me think of many things. Sticking to the theme this week of posting some videos that I like; I think back to some great concerts I have seen during the summer. I've seen some real good ones (The Who, Bruce Springsteen) and a few OK ones (Tom Petty, Jimmy Page/Robert Plant). I remember seeing The Who perform Quadrophenia at Madison Square Garden in 1996. I even got the bootleg to that concert. Well, anyway Pete Townshend gave an awesome acoustic performance of "Drowned" at that particular concert. I found this version on youtube from SXSW 2007 in March which took place in Austin, Texas. OK enough videos...just for today.

Stay Onsides!

Idiots' Delight

Okeedokee this is a bit of a rant, so Koko B. Ware. Let's start with a park near my residence in White Plains. I was enjoying a nice stroll one evening when I noted an unusual amount of squirrels. I also realized that they seemed to not be afraid of me. Usually squirrels run off at the first sign of a human, but some of these guys seemed to actually be interested in me. Was it the Starbucks drink I was consuming? I wondered, but I feared not, because I knew that soon the answer would be disclosed.

The next day - and I kid you not - I read a letter in our weekly newspaper complaining that all of the development in White Plains has chased all the squirrels away. Huh? So next time before putting up high rises and closing one-dollar-piece-of-****-stores we should check with the squirrels first. Oh well, I thought.

So let's fast forward to a few nights later. Again, I am taking a walk in said park and I notice a woman feeding the squirrels. Hark, therein lies the rub. Feed squirrels bags of peanuts; henceforth squirrels expect food from humans on a regular basis. That's one problem with feeding wildlife. The other problem is that if this woman - or a few nights later I saw a man feeding the squirrels - took the time to observe the size of a squirrel's body and the amount of peanuts being fed to them, she and he would realize that the furry animals cannot consume all of that food. So a ton of uneaten peanuts get left by the bench waiting for, oh I don't know, rats to come by and indulge.

One more point. Does this man or woman actually think that the squirrels would not be able to eat unless they were fed by a human? Haven't squirrels been able to be self-sufficient for quite some time now? Anyway, when the park has mice and rats scurrying around, we'll all know who to blame. I'm just going to point at the person and whistle.

PART DEUX
Wal-Mart and Target sit right across the street from one another in White Plains, and generally speaking, I notice two entirely different types of people working in the two stores. I have shopped at both, but definitely prefer Target.

I was recently walking past Wal-Mart and noticed all of these half-eaten strawberries strewn about on the sidewalk. I presumed that the culprit or culprits got the fruit from the nearby farmer's market. This is not the first time I've noticed debris not properly disposed of outside of Wal-Mart. I don't get it. Is it so hard for people to pick up after themselves? Is it so hard to take a moment to throw refuse into the proper receptacles? Oh, I get it, these we'll be the same folks bitching that society doesn't cut them a break. Please.

In The Attic

So what is In The Attic? Basically, it is hosted by Rachel Fuller and Pete Townshend who perform and invite a bunch of groups to play with them. Go to my links section and Rachel Fuller's site for more. I read that they are planning a Woodstock-style attic session down the line where they will have some of the biggest stars perform. Anyway, here is a clip of a whole bunch of different acts; some are actually pretty good. I always like to check out new music, so if you are the same way, you might enjoy this.

Pete Townshend At Joe's Pub (I Think This Might Be My Favorite One)

This clip is of Pete playing at Joe's in New York City with Rachel Fuller, Foy Vance, and Martha Wainwright. The song is "I'm One," which was originally done on The Who's Quadrophenia album. Now it is performed as the closing song for In The Attic. Incidentally Martha Wainwright comes from a very musically-inclined family. I saw her aunt, Sloan, perform with Montgomery Delaney and she is spectacular.

My Girl Rachel Fuller: Happy To Be Sad

I'm having fun with these video clips and yes much of it is to generate more traffic to this blog. I'm desperately hoping to be discovered, just to prove that I do indeed exist. Someone made a video to this song by my girl Rachel Fuller on youtube.

Pete Townshend & Phil Collins

I guess I'm in a Who state of mind. But anyway, Happy belated birthday (May 19) to The Who's Pete Townshend; one of my heroes! Here Pete Townshend performs Slit Skirts with Phil Collins on drums! Some other videos in tribute to Pete follow in the next couple of posts.

Pete Townshend & Eric Clapton

I'm catching up on blogging and it's quite therapeutic. Anyway here is some more of Pete Townshend, this time he and Eric Clapton jam!

Pete Townshend & Eddie Vedder: Heart To Hang Onto

Pete Townshend & Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder performed together a few years ago on The David Letterman Show. This song Heart To Hang Onto is a tribute to the late Ronnie Lane, who was a member of the Small Faces and performed with Pete from time to time; most notably on Townshend's Rough Mix (1977) album. It's a song about people who are in treatment or looking for treatment; Ronnie Lane suffered from multiple sclerosis.

Pete Townshend & Eddie Vedder: Magic Bus

The Who's Pete Townshend & Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder also play Magic Bus on that same episode of Late Night With David Letterman. Enjoy!

Rachel Fuller & Pete Townshend: Just Breathe (Another Favorite Of Mine)

Final one! Had a bad day, this calming song might put your mind right. Anyway, Pete Townshend plays guitar while my girl Rachel and her soothing, melodic voice does the rest. Just Breathe!

Keith Moon Tribute

There are two sides to the moon, you know? Anyway, here are two cool clips I got off of youtube that are tributes to the late, outrageous, extraordinarily talented, and tragic Who drummer, Keith Moon.

Were These Guys Separated At Birth, Too?

From the top our boy Roger Daltrey followed by Paul Rodgers (formerly of Bad Company, now Queen! Huh?); NBA Superstar Lebron James and troubled R&B icon, R. Kelly.

All Separated At Birth?

So here's a handful that may have been separated at birth. From top, Rolling Stones' lead vocalist Mick Jagger, followed by Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler; St. Louis Blues' owner Dave Checketts and solo artist Robert Palmer.

Backlash Against Messier...

It appears to me that their is a bit of a backlash going on right now, and it's aimed right at Mark Messier. Don Maloney left his Assistant General Manager post with the New York Rangers to take over as the Phoenix GM. The whole idea of wanting to go work for the 'Yotes definitely brings out belly laughs from everyone. Why, the Coyotes have taken the art of pie-throwing to such great heights that they would indeed make P.T. Barnum proud. So who's a Mickey Mouse organization now, Wayne?

But let's get back to reality.

Everyone seems to be ready to give the Rangers' job to Messier. What this all stems from was Mess indicating he would love to be Rangers' GM some day after current GM Glen Sather leaves. But by doing this Messier pulled a bit of a "Phil Jackson" by lobbying for a job when there were other folks who may be more entitled to it, namely Don Maloney. Now it appears that many fans are ticked off at Mess, because they feel that Maloney left the Blueshirts because he realized he would never be the Rangers' GM. That's because Glen isn't going anywhere and if he does Mark Messier is the heir apparent.

Maloney, some fans claim, was responsible for the youth movement and now Sather will just go back to signing unrestricted free agents and abandon any player in the Rangers' organization under the age of 25. I have no idea what fans are basing this on. First off, Maloney has been the Assistant GM since 1997, taking over for Larry Pleau who went on to be the GM for St. Louis. If you will recall Neil Smith was the GM until the end of the 2000 season and he spent money like nobody's business on free agents. As far as drafting goes, remember Smith wasted two 1999 first round picks on busts, when he selected Pavel Brendl and Jamie Lundmark. Both guys were supposed to be Trottier and Bossy; however, in reality both players are journeymen who may be out of the league altogether quite soon.

Was Maloney not a part of all that? If you look at the record, Maloney was Assistant GM from 1997-2007, two of those years the Rangers made the playoffs. Two for ten isn't good folks, those are Johnny Damon-type numbers. Maloney was a part of Sather's first few years when he spent like crazy, that was before The Savior was forced to curtail his spending due to the NHL's salary cap.

As far as Messier lobbying for a job and not really caring about who else might be in line? Hey, isn't that what many of these guys do? They are definitely out for number one, from Pat Riley to Bill Parcells to Tiki Barber. They are opportunists, when opportunity knocks they answer.

Look Garth Snow was named GM of the Islanders so why can't Messier be the GM of the Rangers. But Messier is starting to irritate a lot of the fans. His image was definitely tarnished when he left New York for Vancouver and then when he returned and Captained the Rangers to nowheresville.

Granted, Maloney's legacy with the Rangers is incomplete. We'll have to see how many of these young guys pan out, if at all. But it seems to me as though Maloney gets credit for anything good with the Rangers, while Sather takes the hit for all the bad. I wish Maloney well, and I wish Messier would get some experience first before jumping into a pretty complex job.

Mark Messier has such a great legacy on the ice, but I'm afraid it is being darkened by his selfishness off the ice. Again, I hope he takes a step back because otherwise he'll get run out of this town quicker than James Dolan can say, "Duh, um, um, I want to, duh, um buy the duh, um, Yankees."