Ozzie- Ozzie- Ozzie

The Wings went up two games to zip with a hard fought 3-1 victory over Pittsburgh. Behind some stellar net minding by their unsung goalie. The Red Wings trailed 1-0 in the first period on a powerplay goal by Evgeni Malkin. Detroit came back with two goals in the second period scored by Jonathan Ericsson and Valtteri Filppula.

Osgood and Hank Zetterberg continued to frustrate Cindy Crysby and held him pointless for the second straight game. Justin Abdelkader (MSU Spartan from Muskegon, MI) added a third goal at the beginning of the third period.

Tempers boiled over near the end of the game. Malkin lost his cool with Zetterberg in Detroit goal crease. Osgood had made another big save and Max Talbot speared him after the whistle. Zetterberg popped him in the chin and then Malkin and Zetterberg squared off for a little fight club action.

Next game is Tuesday in Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. It will be the third game in four days. No rest for the wicked.

Winged Wheels Keep Rolling

The defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings, took it to the Penguins tonight. They outhit, outskated and outscored Pittsburgh's Penguins to the tune of a 3-1 beating. Chris Osgood was great between the red pipes- stopping 31 of 32 shots and was correctly named the #1 star of the night. Wings goals came from Stuart, Franzen and Abdelkader. It was nice to see a Michigan State Alum (Abdelkader) score the first playoff goal of his career- and to think it happened in the Cup finals. It was a big goal and gave the Wings a two goal lead... truly it was the gaol that broke the Steel City's back.

In spite of all the hype Marian Hossa stepped up and played a fine game. For the record, Hossa was fired up and led the team with 3 Shots on Goal. He missed an wide open empty net goal in the last two minutes- and I am sure he's kicking himself for missing that one. But he wasn't the only one who played a great game. So did Cindy Crysby's shadow, Henrik Zetterberg. Big Z was all over Crosby--- all game long. His big time defense and strong forechecking was critical to this victory.

Kudos to the Red Wings #4 line of Matlby, Lieno and Abdelkader. They ended up taking lots of shifts near the end of the game.. Their fresh legs and the fire in their bellies frustrated Pittsburgh to no end. The real value of the fourth lines extra minutes will most likely show up late in the game tomorrow night.

So hang on to your hockey pucks... game two begins in less than 24 hours. It's the first time since 1955 that game 1 and 2 will be played without a day off in between them. Detroit takes a one game to none lead in a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals.

Wings Win 2-1 in Overtime... Heading to the Finals

Darren Helm to the rescue. With the score 1-1 after regulation time, the Red Wings came out firing in the overtime period and #43 Darren Helm, rammed home a rebound at 3:58 to send Detroit to the Stanley Cup Finals. It will be a rematch of last year's Cup Finals where they'll meet the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday and Sunday at the Joe Louis Arena in Hockeytown U.S.A.

War on Terror

I found these online after listening to a podcast on propaganda. The U.S. Government used it's influence during WW2 to save fuel and win the war.

But like this second poster shows... why not for the "War on Terror" as well?

Movie Review: House (R)

I watched this movie instantly on "Netflix". It was one of the scarier movies that I've seen in quite a while. A young couple gets diverted down a dirt road and after having car trouble is forced to stay in the Wayside Inn or the "HOUSE". Bizarre and horrible things happen to them both psychologically and physically. I gave it five stars. The movie was base around a book written by Frank Peretti. Rated: R (for some violence and lots of terror).

Director:

Robby Henson

Cast:

Michael Madsen			Reynaldo Rosales
Heidi Dippold			Julie Ann Emery
J.P. Davis			Leslie Easterbrook
Bill Moseley			Pawel Delag
Allana Bale			Mark Fierer
Jeffrey de Graft-Johnson			Joe Goodman
Andrew Gorzen

American Royalty

You thought it was going to be about the Kennedy family, didn't you? Well America's royalty really resides in our nine Supreme Court Justices. Their constitutional job is to apply (or interpret) the laws of our country. They are selected (not elected) for life by the ruling President, decide the law of the land and are literally immune from the responsibility of their group consensus decisions. Their decisions do in fact remain in effect long after their bones have turned to dust in the earth. Pretty powerful for someone who never got voted into office wouldn't you say?

This morning President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace the retiring David Souter. She would be the third woman (Ronald Reagan appointed the first woman, Sandra Day O'Connor and Bill Clinton the second Ruth Bader Ginsburg) and first Hispanic selected to the high court. George W. Bush appointed two justices, John Robert and Samuel Alito during his eight years in office.

Wings Roar to 6-1 Win

The Detroit Red Wings shook off their OT loss on Friday night to record a 6-1 thumping of the Blackhawks. Getting the news before the game that Kris Draper, Pavel Datsuyk and Captain Nick Lidstrom were not going to be suiting up, I felt a knot in my stomach.

But fear not. Marian Hossa shocked the Hawks with a short handed goal in the opening period and the route was on. Chicago was feeling the heat later in the game. Trailing 4-1 they lost all composure and took a slew of penalties to make it easy for the Motowners to play keep away. Every whistle in the third period yielded a scrum, with Chicago's thugs trying to get the mild mannered Wings to take the bait, drop the gloves and fight. Mike Babcock's boys just smiled and skated away--- letting the Blackhawk perpetrator head to the penalty box by himself.

The teams get two days off before playing game #5 in Detroit. The Wings can clinch the Western Division Championship with a win on Wednesday at home.

Do the Shut-tle

Atlantis landed safely at Edwards AFB in California's Mojave desert and capped a thirteen day mission that upgraded the Hubble telescope to extend it's lifespan. New parts and batteries extended the capability of the 19 year old orbiting telescope that was named after legendary American astronomer Edwin Hubble. The repairs are expected to keep Hubble up and running until at least 2014.

You Decide

The Wings took it on the chin on Friday night, 4-3 to the Blackhawks in overtime. Part of the controversy was the 25 minutes in penalties dished out to the usually clean handed Red Wings in the first period. The majority were from a devastatingly hard hit by Nicklas Kronwall on the Hawks Martin Havlat.

Did you watch the game and see it?

Was it a "clean hit"? Most Red Wing fans say heck yes! The Hawks say differently.

What do you say?

Get ready for more hockey excitement in game 4 today from Chicago at 12:00pm PDST. The Red Wings lead this series 2 games to 1.

Memorial Day

Raise a toast to all the American Servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Remember these sacrifices as you celebrate this Memorial weekend.

Sammy Turns on the Light - - - Wings Win in O.T.

Wings 3 Hawks 2 (OT)

Mikael Samuelsson scores the game winner for Detroit. A turnover by the Black Hawks at the Detroit blue line led to a 3-on-1 breakaway and it was boom-boom-boom. Two crisp passes (Hudler to Filpulla to Samuelsson) and Sammy's one timer to send Detroit to a 2-0 lead in this Western Conference Championship. Lots of good skating, stick handling and old time hockey. They head to Chicago for game 3 on Friday Night.

To heck with the hockey channel and their so-called "experts"... These are My Three Stars:

1- Mikael Samuelsson- Detroit, game winner.

2- Chris Osgood- Detroit, 37 saves.

3- Jonathan Toews- Chicago, two goals.

Osgood is unsung and under appreciated by the hockey media. He has been rock solid between the pipes for the Red Wings so far.

101 in 1001-- Item # 63- Watch a Movie in the Theater by Myself

Why I chose this goal: I have never done this and unless prodded I never would have tried this. It is sort of like eating in a nice restaurant by yourself.

What I did: I went to UltraStar and saw the newest "Star Trek" movie today at 10:15 am.

What is that?

I guess sending a message from my cellphone doesn't translate too well to this blog... LOL.

tU q}?.?A???~ ??t4?? ??l??
?? ??\n??.P? j???9(?????7 v?A??{?&?? ?? 2??lP?] ??e ;mO?????. ???? DE?A??<?.??s ? j??eP?^??A?p 4~??t

tU ttz J?A?<????? 1?} ??ty D/??e2?, ?A?<h\f?????? %??9( ??uz?\g????;?>?\.P /???1 Tv???3?? ?Agy9L ??y ( ???ct? j?A??|N ??t3;? ???t t???

Whoooooosh

That was the sound of Red Wing ice skates and pucks hitting the net. Detroit goes up 1-0 in the best of seven Western Conference Championships against the Chicago Black Hawks. In what turned out to be a free wheeling wide open game, the Red Wings behind some exceptional goal tending by Chris Osgood won going away 5-2. Ossie was a rock solid netminder and came up big against a young and aggressive Black Hawks team. Daniel Cleary scored twice to pace a Red Wing offense that took 42 shots on goal against Nikolai Khabibulin. Chicago is finding it is tough to beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions on their home ice.

Do You Know Me ?

- I was born on March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan. I am one of nine children and mildly dyslexic.

- I began my pro hockey career in 1946 with the Detroit Red Wings and wore #17. I later switched my more famous to #9.

- They named a special hat trick after me: a goal, an assist and a fight.

- I was a good fighter and loved it, until my coach, Jack Adams asked, "I know you can fight. Now can you show me you can play hockey?"

- I was known for elbowing opponents when we went into the corners.

- I was a member of Detroit's famous "Production Line" of Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel and me in the 1950s.

- I scored 801 NHL and 174 WHA and 98 playoff goals in my career. I was the first player to ever score 1000 total goals (NHL + WHA + playoffs).

- I played in a hockey game for the IHL Detroit Vipers in 1997 at age 69 years old.

- I was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

- I was part of the Red Wings Stanley Cup Champions in 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955.

- I am known throughout the world as "Mr. Hockey".

- Who am I ?

-

-

-

-

- Gordie Howe.

new weight bench

BMO was asking me about how he could workout this summer. We looked into health clubs and laughed at their high monthly fees... no way was my answer. So we checked around and picked up a versatile wt bench from Walmart and a 160# set of wts from Sears and .... can you say home gym? For the price of four months gym membership we converted a portion of garage into the "Big O Fitness Center".

On to the Next!

This is what you get when you're trying to watch NHL hockey out here in California. Sorry the game is not available on any channel.


Wings 4 Ducks 3

With their backs to the wall after a lackluster loss on Tuesday, the red Wings fought the good fight and vanquished the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-3. With three minutes remaining in the game, Daniel Cleary knocked in a goal with assists from Zetterberg and Lidstrom to give the Wings the lead which Chris Osgood and company held for thwe win.

It does sucks being out here in California in one respect. Sure the temperatures today were a balmy 75 degrees and it was nice and sunny... But even though the Ducks played in the game, channel 31 (Fox Sports) carried Women's mixed martial arts and Versus covered Two unknown boxers. I followed the game on Yahoo sports online. The Wings won the game while I was downstairs cooking dinner.

It will be "Original Six" action as the Red Wings faceoff against the Chicago Black Hawks in the conference finals.

Wings Win Game 5

Domination.

I watched the game on the Ducks station out here in SD... Fox 31. The announcers tried to verbally rally the Ducks viewing audience but it was clear to anyone with any knowledge of hockey that the Red Wings totally dominated Anaheim today 4-1. Juri Hudler slapped in a waist high rebound for what proved to be the game winner.

Question of the day: Does Anaheim replace Jonas Hiller with Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the nets for game 6?

The Detroiters lead the best of seven series 3-2, with the next game on Tuesday in California at 7 pm PDST. Photo credit to Detroit Free Presses KIRTHMON F. DOZIER.

Steve Blass Diesase

In a 10-year career, Blass posted a 103-76 record with 896 strikeouts and a 3.63 ERA in 1597 innings pitched.

Blass is best known for his sudden and inexplicable loss of control after the 1972 season. His ERA climbed to 9.81 in the 1973 season. He walked 84 batters in 88 innings, and struck out only 27. Blass suffered through the 1973 season, then spent most of 1974 in the minor leagues. He gave it one last try in spring training of 1975. Failing to regain his form, he retired from baseball in March 1975.

Thereafter, a condition referred to as "Steve Blass Disease" became a part of baseball lexicon because such a change in a player's skill was identified with him. The diagnosis is applied to talented players who inexplicably and permanently seem to lose their ability to accurately throw a baseball. In Blass's case, the sudden death of teammate and friend Roberto Clemente in a plane crash has often been considered a catalyst for Blass's sudden decline in 1973, as a way of survivor guilt even though Blass was not on the plane with Clemente.

- from Wikipedia

Players who have been said to be afflicted with Steve Blass Disease are: P Rick Ankiel (now an OF), P Oliver Perez and 2B Chuck Knoblauch. A possible case is the Detroit Tigers pitcher, Dontrell (D-Train) Willis, who is currently coming back after being diagnosed with "anxiety disorder".

Wings 6 Ducks 3

It was tough listening to the Ducks pissing and moaning about the rough style of play and the hits the Red Wings have been dishing out. The Ducks cried even after their 2-1 win. Well... it was good to see Detroit power back with a gritty 6-3 victory over the cry babies... proving once and for all... there is no whining in Hockey!

Financial Guru Speaks

Three pieces of Wisdom from the Wizard of Omaha... Warren Buffett:

• Lesson One: Everyone Suffered Last Year
• Lesson Two: Investing Isn't Rocket Science
• Lesson Three: Find Good Businesses, Hold On, and Buy More

There you have it... now go out, invest and get rich... LOL/

Robbed by the Zebras

The Red Wings got robbed and the Ducks sleazed out a game 3 win over Detroit 2-1. Marion Hossa poked a loose puck into the net but it was disallowed by Referee Brad Watson who lost sight of the puck. Replays show it to be valid goal that would have tied the game with 1:03 left to play. It turns out Watson was out of position to make the call.

Chris Chelios, and ya gotta love a nearly 50 year old guy who still plays hockey, needs to get off the ice. Not only is he slow and without a slapshot, he is only playing 2-10 minutes a game and causing the other guys to pick up the slack. Brian Rafalski needs to get healthy and get his butt back on the ice or it might soon be "lights out" for the Red Wings Stanley Cup hopes.

R.I.P. Dom Deluise

A comedy legend passed away on May 4, 2009. Dom Deluise, a Brooklynite, was the son of a garbage collector and his life epitomized the "American Dream". He appeared in comedic roles in 67 films including:

Cannonball Run
The History of the World Part 1
Blazing Saddles
Silent Movie
Johnny Dangerously
Spaceballs
Robin Hood Men in Tights
The Glass Bottomed Boat

and many TV shows:

The Dean Martin Show
The Entertainers
On the House With the Carey Brothers

My Five Things

1- Swine Flu Fizzling Out. Thankfully it seems that this flu virus is not as pandemic prone as once thought.

2- Rainless in San Diego. I saw rain on TV up in Los Angeles last night during the Dodgers-Padres baseball game and sort of assumed it would get down here during the night. Although it looked and felt like rain, it turned out to be nothing. I wonder if this was the last chance for rain until the Fall?

3- Speaking of the Padres... they turned the game over to a no-name reliever, Duaner Sanchez, who loaded the bases and then walked in the winning run on a 3-2 pitch. It's tough to lose 1-0 and waste a great pitching performance by starter Jake Peavy (8 innings).

4- Driving Lessons are again tomorrow. BMO is doing a good job of learning to handle a car. He drives to school most mornings and does a good job of it- although the first time I was a little unsure about this driver instruction thing. But last Sunday we were out for about an hour driving the old neighborhood and down a country road and he did well. We'll do the same thing this week so he can get more experience.

5- Spring planting weather. I went down to the nursery and picked up some annual flowers to plant in the front yard along the walkway. I'll be doing some yard work and gardening to get things ready for spring.

Wings Win In Last Minute

If there's one hockey team that I dislike even more the the Colorado Avalanche, it's the Stinking Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Any team named after a Disney movie just curdles the milk in my stomach. They're a rough and tough team... the polar opposite of the finesse game that the Red Wings play.

It's not too often you see a game misconduct handed out in the first period of the first game--- but the Ducks goon, Mike Brown was able to do it at 11:29. This was part of an obvious plan to rattle the defending Stanley Cup Champs. Brown won't ever be considered for the Lady Byng Trophy- He amassed 145 penalty minutes in 48 games during the regular season.

But in spite of the hit on Juri Hudler... who needed 15 stitches, the Wings survived to win 3-2 on a goal by Captain Nick Lidstrom. Lids scored two goals and assisted on a third (Franzen). So Lids is my player of the game.

Chris Osgood looked pretty darn good- especially in the last couple of minutes in the game. For as shaky as he looked during the season, he has turned that around in the first five games of the playoffs.

I'm looking forward to game two on Sunday. Let's Go Wings.