Aeros Mellow out the Bruins, Win 4-2

There’s an electricity in the Toyota Center air whenever Aeros forward Krys Kolanos touches the puck. An electricity that comes from the belief that something is about to happen, that the Aeros are going to score a goal.

But it’s just not with Kolanos. This electricity sparks whenever Corey Locke or Jesse Schultz touches the puck. This is the result of the new guys bringing a level of skill that the Houston Aeros haven’t had in a few years. And it filters down to the rest of the squad.

The Aeros scored four goals tonight against the Providence Bruins, and Kolanos got a goal and an assist while Corey Locke got two assists. The defense kicked it up a notch in the third period, and along with goalie Nolan Schaefer, shut down the Bruins in the third period as the Aeros got the 4-2 victory before a crowd of 3,941.

The Bruins got the scoring off to a start when defenseman Matt Lashoff fired a laser of a shot past Schaefer at 5:41 of the first period. But just a little over a minute later Jason Deitsch backhanded the rebound of a Kolanos shot past Providence’s Kevin Regan to tie the score at 6:57.

The Aeros grabbed the 2-1 lead at 1:52 of the second when Kolanos took the pass from Locke and tipped the puck into the net – with what appeared to be an uncredited assist from the skate of Providence’s Adam McQuaid. But the Bruins tied the game about fifteen minutes later when center Levi Nelson lifted the puck over Schaefer’s shoulder and into the net.

The game winner came at 3:26 of the third when Danny Irmen made a nice play on the puck to knock it into the goal for the 3-2 lead. And the Aeros iced the game when Brian Lundbohm got the empty-netter at 19:21.

The win improved Houston’s record to 6-3-0-0 and 12 points for the season, including a perfect 5-0-0-0 at Toyota Center. The win also moved them into a three-way tie for second place in the West Division with Chicago and Iowa.

They next play at 4:05 on Sunday afternoon against Michael Scott’s favorite team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:

This was, in many ways, a strange game. There appeared to be lots of action, lots of skating up and down the ice, lots of puck movement. But there wasn’t a lot of hitting. And for the most part, the intensity seemed to be lacking.

Until the third period when the Aeros kicked it up a notch. A notch that the Bruins just couldn’t match.

“The last couple of games we’ve really came out with more heart as the coaches call it, especially in the third period, and defensively, we just shut everything down,” Nolan Schaefer said after the game. “We’ve got to be proud of our efforts, and hopefully we can keep everything going.”

Center Jason Deitsch, who was the number two (fixed) star of the game with a goal and two assists agreed. “We worked hard and came out and did all of the little things in the third and got a couple of goals.”

Added Danny Irmen, the number one star (fixed) of the game and who got the game winner, “I don’t know what we’re doing, but whatever we’re doing is good.”

Whatever they did seemed to work in the third period. But sitting in the press box both teams looked a bit out of synch in the first two periods. I’m glad the Aeros intensity kicked in the third; I just wish that it had been there the whole game.

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Krys Kolanos got two more points last night, the second period goal, and an assist in the first period. He has now scored seven points (six goals and one assist) in his six games as an Aero. And Corey Locke continued adding to the offense as he assisted on two goals to bring his point total to nine (three goals and six assists) for the season.

“There’s an additional level of skill here, and that makes everybody good,” Kevin Constantine said after the game.

Now I’m not as trained a hockey observer as some of you, and definitely not Constantine, but I’ve sure noticed the difference. As I wrote above, when I see that puck hit Kolanos’ stick, I’m expecting something good to happen. I rarely felt like this with last season’s team.

“I think tonight,” Constantine said “There was a stretch in the second period where we went end-to-end and got lots of scoring chances, and did some things, that I thought maybe was the best five to ten minute stretch of just really good plays, really good offensive plays that I’ve ever seen in my coaching here.”

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Peter Schaefer did get the start for the Providence Bruins tonight, and with his brother Nolan starting for the Aeros, the two brothers played against each other for the first time ever.

"It’s a different experience. I think I’d rather be on the same team than playing against him. He’s such a good playmaker," Schaefer said.

But as fun as the experience was, Schaefer had some empathy for his brother who finds himself in the AHL after spending much of his career up in the NHL. "I was kind hoping that he would get one on me, actually," Schaefer said. "He doesn’t deserve to be here. And he’s had a tough go. [He's been injured for most of the season] He’s just a great guy. I’m sure he’ll get back up to the NHL. He’s just got to get 100 percent healthy."

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Yes, you did see defenseman Maxim Noreau up in the forward spot during the game. Constantine said he'll do this on-and-off during the season because he likes Noreau's versatility.

Ryan Hamilton missed the game due to his upper body injury once again. Kevin Constantine is not sure of when Hamilton might be able to make it back. John Scott, who has been out with a bad ankle sprain, will hopefully be able to return to the team by the end of next week when the team goes back on the road.

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And just a few minor items for the Aeros gameday entertainment folks.

First, could you make sure the PA Announcer picks up the correct line-up info. For the second game in a row he got the scratches wrong. And could you ask him to speak a little slower, and a little clearer? It was kind of hard figuring out the Providence starting lineups because nobody could understand him.

Also, if you're going to do the trivia thing on the scoreboard, make sure you spell the names of the former Aeros correctly. For instance, the correct spelling is Derek Boogaard, not Derek Boogard.

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And because of the mellow kind of mood that seemed to be the state of play for the first two-thirds of the game, I've decided to close things out tonight in a mellow mood. So here's Olivia Newton-John with "Have You Never Been Mellow."



ADDITION: Oh, and I actually forgot some things. The Aeros were outshot yet again, this time 27-24. And finally, would somebody tell the PA guy that it is called an "empty-netter," and not an "open-netter." I may be relatively new to this whole hockey thing, but I know that, and I'm not being paid by the team to relay info to the fans.

That is all.

Aeros vs. Bruins: Puck Time

FINAL UPDATE: Aeors win 4-2. More later.

SECOND UPDATE: It is tied 2-2 after two periods. Kolanos scored for Houston at 1:52 and Levi Nelson scored for Providence at 15:37.

This is a sloppy game. Neither team appears to be at its best tonight.

FIRST UPDATE: After one period the score is knotted up 1-1. Providence scored first on a shot Matt Lashoff at 5:41. The Aeros tied it on a Jason Deitsch backhand of a Krys Kolanos rebound at 6:57.

And for the interested, Peter Schaefer got the start for Providence and brother Nolan is in the net for Houston.

And I think I was off by about 3000 in my earlier attendance estimate. It looks to be about 1500 in the crowd.

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We're about an hour from game time, which means the gates are just now opening up. I'm kind of curious about what the attendance will be like. All games during the first couple of months of the season are tough draws --it just doesn't feel like hockey in Houston yet -- and then there's playing on a Friday night during high school football.

I'm going to make a guess and say that it'll be about 4,500.

Come back here during the game and I'll try to give you updates.

Meanwhile...Over at The Houston Press

Do you want my thoughts on how the Texans are going to do against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend? Then you're going to have to go over to the Houston Press and find out.

Short hint: I don't think the Texans defense can handle the Purple Jesus.

Also, I didn't realize it at the time, and still didn't realize it until I saw it on YouTube, but Texans wide receiver David Anderson's touchdown dance looked kind of familiar because it's Conan O'Brien's string dance.

That is all.

Houston Aeros vs. Providence Bruins: Some Pregame Notes

I don't have much in the way of pregame notes for this game, but I've got some info to share if you want it.

This should be a battle of special teams with the Aeros power play going against the Providence penalty kill -- that just sounds strange, doesn't it? But the Aeros are 10-for-47 on the power play this season -- including a 3-for-8 on Tuesday -- and the Bruins have the AHL's number two ranked penalty kill, having killed 42 of 47 penalties.

The Bruins lead the AHL's Atlantic Division with a 5-1-1-0 record and 11 points. They suffered their first regulation loss on Wednesday when they lost to the Chicago Wolves by a 6-0 score. And troublesome for the Aeros is that this was the Bruins most lopsided loss (fixed) in three years, so it's possible the Bruins might be skating for some revenge tonight.

The leading scorer for the Bruins is defenseman Johnny Boychuk who, in seven games, has 11 points on two goals and nine assists. And center Martin St. Pierre is now on the Bruins, after having scored 88 points (21-67) for the Rockford IceHogs last season.

The Aeros are tied for third in the West Division with the Iowa Chops for a 5-3-0-0 record for 10 points. They are a perfect 4-0-0-0 at Toyota Center, and they have outscored the opposition 16-8 in Houston.

There's a possibility that besides the Bruins/Aeros matchup, there will also be a Schaefer/Schaefer matchup as Nolan Schaefer's brother Peter plays for the Bruins. They have never played professionally against each other, but it's not known yet if they will tonight. Peter Schaefer has played in one game for Providence this season as he's been dealing with a bulky (fixed) hip, and there's the chance that Kevin Constantine will decide to start Barry Brust tonight -- though I doubt that because Constantine likes to stick with a hot hand in the net, and Schaefer looked really good Tuesday night.

There's no new word on the Aeros injury front. Constantine said Tuesday night that he was hoping Corey Locke (groin), Ryan Hamilton (upper body), and Krys Kolanos (sick) would be available for games this weekend. And John Scott said after Tuesday's game that he, too, hoped to play this weekend, though my last check of the transaction wire didn't show any moves regarding Scott being assigned to the team by the Wild.

Oh well, I'm sure we'll find out in about five hours or so.

To Vote, or Not To Vote: It's Not That Hard

Okay, seriously, am I the only one who is getting tired of our president being determined by a bunch of morons who can't make up their minds on who to vote for until they actually vote?

Really, come on. Barack Obama and John McCain are opposites on just about every issue under the sun. They've got different temperaments. One's an old guy from privilege who married into a ton of dough. One's half-black and half-white.

I don't care who you vote for -- well, actually I do, but that's not relevant to this post -- but seriously, how can you still be undecided as of today? Have you just not been paying attention to anything? Are you really stupid? Is there anyway that I can strip you of your vote, because, dudes, if you haven't decided yet, if you haven't been able to make a choice yet, then you're just too damn stupid to vote.

Morons.

The Friday Random Lyric of the Day

And to end our work week, here is today's random lyric.
"Looking back at sunsets on the Eastside
We lost track of time
Dreams aren't what they used to be
Some things slide by so carelessly."

The Killers, "Smile Like You Mean It."

Some More of Things That Puzzle Me

I saw this little note today in which it's reported that Kevin Smith's new film, Zack and Miri Make A Porno was not booked into the Megaplex Theaters in Salt Lake City. This theater chain, owned by Larry Miller, who also owns the Utah Jazz, also refused to book Brokeback Mountain.

Supposedly, the Megaplex bookers were concerned about the graphic sex of the movie. Which, according to the story, is kind of strange seeing that, sex-wise and nudity-wise, the film is comparable to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Sex Drive, all movies which the Megaplex Theaters have booked into their theaters.

It's also strange in that the theater company is currently screening Saw V in its Salt Lake City theaters. Apparently graphic violence is less disturbing to the family than sex.

This puzzle me. It has always puzzled. And I just wanted to share my puzzlement with you.

A Little Halloween Mayhem

So today is Halloween. Here's a little video with some ghosts and goblins and dead people though it sounds like a happy song. It features one of my favorite actresses, Zooey Deschanel, who just happens to be the lead singer.

So ladies and gentlemen, She & Him and "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

Deadbeats on Parade

If you've read any of my earlier stuff on earlier versions of this little blog, or any of the stuff over at the mothership, you'll know that one thing I hate more than anything is public-financing for stadiums and arenas. It is my firm belief that if a rich owner wants a brand-new pleasure palace, of which he gets to keep the proceeds, then he should build the damn thing himself.

I think about the only people who ever listen to me are the people in California --with the exception of San Diego -- and Washington who refuse to build anything for rich pricks.

Today's deadbeat comes to us by way of the NHL where it is being reported that the New Jersey Devils are reneging on over two million dollars in rent payments to the city of Newark for the new pleasure palace the city built for them last year. The Devils are claiming that construction has not yet been completed, and as such, they don't have to pay any money.

It's not enough that the Devils are responsible for the zone trap which has helped to take the fun out of hockey, now they're stiffing the people of Newark. And this leads to my ultimate question: if construction wasn't finished, then why have the Devils been playing in the place for over a year? Their old facility still stands over at the Meadowlands, just go back there if your new pleasure palace isn't complete.

Deadbeats. Rich frigging deadbeats.

Some Not So Deep Thoughts

Was just downstairs at the frozen yogurt place. I heard a Muzak version of Foo Figther's "Everlong." Shoot me now.

Speaking of music, I see this moron's getting a record deal. Maybe I should completely shave my head, stop paying my taxes, and become the John The Lawyer.

And since I need a pick-me up for this afternoon, here's a little added music video. Elvis Costello doing "Pump It Up."

Thinking of Brad

This will no longer be how I view Brad Lidge.

This will be how I view Brad Lidge for now on.

Congrats on the perfect season, Brad, and congrats on that World Series ring. I was tough on you here in Houston, but I always felt that if you got away from here you would recover your mojo.

And it looks like you did.

The Thursday Random Lyric of the Day

Today's random song happens to have put me in the mood for a little Bond, James Bond.

"If you take a life do you know what you'll give?
Odds are, you won't like what it is.
When the storm arrives, would you be seen with me?
By the merciless eyes of deceit?"

Chris Cornell, "You Know My Name."

Meanwhile...Over at The Houston Press

I've got a quick recap of the games of the past week. Complete with one of Fred's photos of the Kassian fight from Tuesday night. So go give it a read.

The Chuckster Strikes Again

I noted Tuesday that I'm a fan of Charles Barkley on the TV -- I wish he would shut up and run for governor already, but I love that the guy doesn't have a filter.

For instance, the Chuckster is not a fan of Fox News. "I watch CNN, they’re not fucked up like Fox...They are a mouthpiece for the Republican Party. I watch [Fox] a couple times when there is someone I want to see on there. But they’re corrupt."

Now I happen to agree with the Chuckster. Fox News doesn't. Now they don't dispute Barkley's allegations of being a GOPer mouthpiece, however. They just attack Barkley. "It’s hardly a surprise that Charles is a shill for a Turner owned network.... He obviously needs the steady paycheck to pay off his consistent gambling debts," a Fox spokesman responded.

But the problem with that response is that it doesn't deny Barkley's allegations, and it does nothing to discredit Barkley. Everyone knows of his gambling problems. And in the interview, he addresses the claims of bias towards the Turner networks -- which I should point out to Fox are no longer owned by Ted Turner, but are instead owned by Time/Warner.

Barkley attacks the substance of Fox. Fox attacks Barkley. But the Fox attacks are worthless and ignore the allegations. I give the victory on this to Barkley.

The Boss is Killing

The hump day of the week just ended, and if you're like me, you generally feel like some violence at this time. So here's Bruce Springsteen with "Murder Incorporated."

About That Late Starting Baseball Game...

Just a note...

When you tune to Fox at 7:00 central time for the World Series pregame, you will instead be watching a Barack Obama infomercial. It will be over at 7:30.

In case you hear anyone bitching about Obama delaying the start of tonight's game, remember this -- and if you've watched any baseball on Fox you'll know this -- they never start the game until 7:35-7:50 anyway, instead forcing fans to sit through one of the worst studio shows in the sports biz -- seriously, do you people watch that thing? It makes that Fox football studio show look like an intellectual gathering. Watching the Fox baseball studio show always gives me the idea that Fox really hates baseball and that they're trying to make the rest of us hate baseball so much that we won't watch.

(Further aside: not that it gets much better once the actual game starts. Tim McCarver makes Joe Morgan sound like an intelligent analyst, and Joe Buck should be ashamed to be using the great Buck name when he's broadcasting.)

The whole purpose of this thing was to just note that the Obama infomercial is not causing any kind of delay in the game. That's all Fox's fault anyway.

Oh, and Bud Selig's fault. Everything is his fault.

Apologies

Because of obscene, anonymous spam/comments that I've been getting, I'm setting up a word verification system for comments. I apologize for the inconvenience. And if anyone has seen any of these comments before I've gotten around to deleting them, I apologize.

And if you have any trouble with leaving comments, let me know and I'll post them personally.

Thanks.

The Sad Case of Patrick Edwards

I don't know how many of you have seen this injury -- I was at the Aeros game and missed it live. But it's really ugly, and some one really needs to be punished. I go in-depth on it over at the Press.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Richard Justice wants us to believe that, because Drayton McLane is not raising ticket prices, that the Astros can kiss Jake Peavy goodbye. This is so, Justice says, because it means that Drayton won't have the revenue it will take to pay Peavy.

And that's probably true.

But here's the thing. Money isn't the problem with getting Jake Peavy. The lack of talent to trade for Jake Peavy is the problem.

Drayton could hike the prices up so that he could afford a New York Yankees payroll and that still wouldn't solve the Astros problem of not having the available talent to trade to San Diego for Jake Peavy. It doesn't matter how much Drayton raises the payroll when it comes to Jake Peavy. The Padres don't care about the Astros payroll. They care about the young talent in the Astros farm system.

And there ain't any.

Now, Justice could be correct in that not raising the ticket prices Drayton is indicating that he's not going to raise the payroll. And that might mean that Drayton's not going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe or Jon Garland or some other free agent that may be able to help the Astros. But it's got nothing to do with Jake Peavy.

Richard Justice should know that. If he doesn't, he's a fool who doesn't deserve a column. If he does, then he doesn't deserve a column for thinking that we're fools.

The Wednesday Random Lyric of the Day

So continuing with my daily sharing of a random lyric from a random song of my iPod.

"Falling in love was the
last thing I had on my mind.
Holding you is a warmth
That I thought I could never find."

The Babys, "Isn't It Time."

(Non)Cluttering Up The Wild

Cal Clutterbuck doing what he does best, checking a guy into the boards. Photo courtesy of Fred Trask.

One of my favorite Aeros players last season was Cal Clutterbuck. An AHL rookie, Clutterbuck lived to hit and to be a pest to the other team. Even up in the press box you could see the gleem in his eyes when he knew he was getting to the other team.

Of all things Cal last season, I think my favorite was when he got hit with a misconduct penalty toward the end of a game -- I don't remember what team the Aeros were playing. I went down to the locker room after the game to talk the guys, and I headed straight to Clutterbuck's locker because I just had to find out about the penalty. Steve Kelly, the old man and wise sage of last season's club lockered next to Cal, and he had a bit of a smile as I walked over.

Talking to Clutterbuck, it turned out that he had been penalized for picking up a stick off of the ice that belonged to the other team, and while returning the stick to their bench, had taken the opportunity to break it over his knee. It was something, he said with a sly smile, that he had done from time to time in the juniors, and he didn't know it was a penalty. And I remember Kelly just laughing.

Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild beat writer for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, has written a good story that gets to the essence that is all things Cal Clutterbuck. I'm not going to give away the story, though I'm sure that one of his old teammates here in Houston would be more than happy to help him with his car.

I hope Cal Clutterbuck has a nice long stay with the Wild, but I must admit, I miss seeing him after the games.

Sarah Palin's Top Ten Rejected Hockey Names

This is a little something I did for the Houston Press, so please go over and read it. It's based on Ms. Palin saying last week that if there were to be another Palin child, his name would be Zamboni.

So I took that and came up with what I thought the rejected choices for a hockey name were.

When A Price Freeze Is Not A Freeze

The Houston Astros announced yesterday that they are freezing prices for the 2009 season, and that tickets for next season's games will cost what they did this season. That is all fine and dandy until you do a little thinking.

And that little thinking leads you to this conclusion, the price freeze isn't really a freeze, at least not to you. After all, the cost of living has been rising rather dramatically. Gas is expensive. Food is expensive. Electricity is expensive. The costs of everything else in the world is rising, so that means your cost of living is rising, and you are having to spend more money to get the things that you have come to depend on and/or want.

So while the costs of the Astros tickets aren't rising, the cost of getting to the game will probably be more. And you're not going to have as much money left to spend on tickets because of the costs of all of the necessities, so that even though the price is the same, it's going to feel like it's gone up.

But sure, the Astros aren't rising the prices of the tickets. And that's a good thing. But let's note what they didn't say: they didn't say anything about the prices on the concessions. The costs of food and drinks and programs and trinkets is already outrageously high -- it should be a crime that the Astros are able to charge as much for a 20-ounce Coke or a bottle of beer or a hot dog as they do. Just think of what a cost to the ballpark will be like if those prices go up, and I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure those prices are going to up.

Feeling Stupid

For tonight's video jukebox, I thought I would try and make you see how I feel just about anytime I read the Chronicle sports page, especially baseball writer Jesus Ortiz. So here's Garbage and "Stupid Girl."

Aeros Fry Some Bacon and Defeat the Chops

In their (fixed) last two games, the Houston Aeros had scored four goals and three goals. The 2007-08 Aeros team would have won games with those goal totals. The 2008-09 team found itself with two losses.

Thus the Aeros, coming of a 1-3-0-0 road trip, opened up a new homestand with their first ever game against the Iowa Chops. The Chops came into Houston with a 5-3-0-0 record, including a 2-1 win on Sunday against the San Antonio Rampage in San Antonio on Sunday. The Chops had one of the leagues top scorers in right wing Bobby Ryan and their starting line of Ryan, center Andrew Ebbett, and left wing T.J. Trevelyan had accounted for 11 goals and 24 total points.

This would not have been a problem for last season’s Aeros. A low-goal scoring, stifling defense team with fantastic goal tending. This year’s team however has been more high-scoring, weak defensively, with disappointing goal tending. So it looked like the game would be a problem for the Aeros, especially with the team’s leading scorers Corey Locke, Krys Kolanos, and Ryan Hamilton scratched due to injuries and illness.

But there was one thing about last season’s Aeros team that stood out beyond the defense and goal tending: when a guy had to miss, someone stepped into fill his place. And tonight, before a highly-inflated attendance of 3,039, the Aeros had some guys step forward as they got the 3-1 victory over Iowa to go 5-3-0-0 for the season – and a perfect 4-0-0-0 home record – while moving into a three-way tie for second place in the AHL’s West Division.

Asked the difference between tonight’s game and those losses over the weekend, Kevin Constantine first credited Nolan Schaefer’s goal tending which stopped 26 of 27 shots, including stopping 13 of 14 first period shots.

“Goal tending, number one, was fantastic tonight,” Constantine said afterwards. “I take my hat off to Schaef. He made some just phenomenal saves. Especially in the first period because they really came after us.”

And while Schaefer was fending off the Iowa offense, the Aeros were doing something that was rarely seen around these parts last season, capitalizing on the power play. The Aeros scored on their first power play of the night at 5:18 of the first period when Jesse Schultz got behind the net and fired the puck back to a streaking Maxim Noreau who slammed the puck past Iowa goalie David LeNeveu before he knew what was happening.

The 1-0 lead didn’t last through the first period as the Chops took advantage of a 4-on-3 power play when Buddy Ryan slapped a laser past Schaefer at 17:12 of the first.

But that was it for the Chops. They rarely threatened after that, and as the game progressed, it became a sloppy, fight-happy game with Iowa suffering most of the penalty damage. Something which the Aeros were happy to take advantage of as first Morten Madsen at 6:29 of the second period and then John Lammers at 8:10 of the second period got power play goals to put Houston up 3-1.

The Aeros are now off until Friday night when they will take on the Providence Bruins at 7:35 at Toyota Center.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:

There have been a couple of surprising things about the Aeros this season. The goal tending hasn't been up to the standards of last season's team. The defense has been disappointing. But not only is the team scoring points, it's scoring points on the power play.

All of the Aeros goals (as well as Iowa's lone goal) came on the power play last night. I could swear that it took about the first three months of last season for the Aeros to get three power play goals, yet they converted three of eight chances last night, and they are now 10 for 45 on the power play this season. Shocking, shocking numbers.

Coach Constantine is not entirely happy with how things are going though. He likes that the team is manufacturing goals, but he's not too thrilled by the defense. And he also believes that the key to every game is the goal tending.

"One huge difference [tonight] – it’s always a difference – is goal tending. Schaef is fantastic. And our goalies were, you know, just okay the last two games before this. We gave up five in Manitoba and five in Toronto. You’re just not going to win."

But they got the goal tending tonight. Thus the win. As for the offense, he's happy with the team's ability to get goals this season, but he believes the defense needs to come together: "As long as that trend continues [manufacturing goals] and we can learn to play defense in front of those goals the way we did last year, then we’ll be okay."

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One difference I've noted, as have several of my colleagues in the press box, has been the greatly improved play of center Morten Madsen. This is something Constantine has also noted, and he was full of praise for Madsen after the game. Asked about what has caused the difference between last season, and this one, Constantine noted that Madsen committed to an off-season training regimen and that he put on weight and got into better shape.

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The Aeros were without probably their best offensive skill players as Corey Locke is nursing a lower body injury, Ryan Hamilton is nursing an upper body injury, and Krys Kolanos was ill. They are expected back by this weekend.

As to their absence from the team, Constantine pointed to how the Aeros handled such absences last season: "Last year, no matter who was missing in our lineup, and no matter how many injuries we had, our record never changed. But the other thing that was consistent was we struggled to score. So I’ll be real curious this year with guys out if that affects our win-loss."

So far this season, at least when it comes to putting goals on the board, it doesn't seem to be affecting the team either.

I saw John Scott briefly after the game, and he has been nursing a badly sprained ankle, but he, too, hopes to be ready to play this weekend.

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The game was rather sloppy and full of penalties, and the fans happened to see three fights. The first fight came at 11:50 of the second period as Iowa's Brennan Evans jumped on Houston's Bryan Lundbohm. Evans towered over Lundbohm, but Lundbohm held his own -- NEW POINT -- he held his own considering the large size differential. The second fight was at 2:11 of the third as Houston's Mitch Love got the better of Iowa's Troy Bodie. The final fight was at 11:21 of the third as Matt Kassian leveled 14 unchecked punches into the body and head of Evans.

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For the strange item of the night comes the people who decide what videos and animation to show on the screens during the game. At one point in the third period, they decided to mock the Chops by showing parts of a "Three Little Pigs" cartoon, which is all fine and dandy, especially considering that the Chops mascot is a pig. But someone should have reminded them that, in the end, the pigs triumph over the evil wolf.

Also, the National Anthem was performed by a group called Broken Acapella (that's how it was spelled), and well, they sure sounded broken as it was not among the better anthems that I've ever heard.

I also think the attendance was a bit inflated as I think that there were more members of the Lady Dynamics and people sitting in the press box, than there were sitting in the stands. At least that's how it seemed to me.

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I'm getting ready to post this, and I've not received any photos from Fred yet, so that's why there are none with the story. But don't worry, as soon as I receive something from Fred, I'll post it to the blog -- as long as I'm not asleep.

And finally, because my colleague at the Chron, Andrew Ferraro, kept screaming about the stupid penalties, I thought I would go with a little video from The Police that starts out with Sting screaming, "Synchronicity II."

Aeros vs. Chops: Puck Time

FINAL: Aeros win 3-1. More later.

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SECOND UPDATE: Aftter two periods of play the Aeros lead Iowa 3-1. Both of the second period goals came on the power play with Morten Madsen scoring at 6:29 and John Lammers scoring at 8:10.

Iowa leads 17-14 in shots on goal. All goals tonight have been on the power play.

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FIRST UPDATE: After one period the score is tied 1-1. Both teams scored on the power play with Maxim Noreau scoring for Houston at 5:18 and Bobby Ryan for Iowa at 17:12.

Houston has been outshot 13-4 so far, with only the exceptional play of Nolan Schaefer keeping the score close for Houston.

**********************

It's about three minutes until first puck and Toyota Center is rather empty, even though it is perfect weather inside and out. I know that nobody's home watching the World Series, because they're not playing tonight, so I guess everyone is watching the Cougars versus Marshall Thundering Herd tonight.

Keep coming back during the game and I'll try to keep you updated as to the score and other various happenings.

Tuesday Morning QB -- Houston Press Edition

My latest Tuesday Morning QB is posted over at the Houston Press. Go give it a read.

Not much new on my thoughts re the Texans. But I gave Mike Singletary the performane of the week.

Houston Aeros vs. Iowa Chops: Some Pregame Notes

I thought that my great readers would be interested in a few notes before tonight's game. So...

This is the first ever contest between the Aeros and the Chops. The Chops, the affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, are currently 5-3-0-0 for the season, and are tied with the Chicago Wolves for second place in the West Division with 10 points. The Aeros are in third place with eight points.

Iowa is giving up an average of three goals per game, but are also scoring an average of three goals per game. Iowa's last game was Sunday, and they beat the San Antonio Rampage, in San Antonio, by a 2-1 score.

The Chops leading scorer is right wing Bobby Ryan with 10 points (5-5). Their second leading scorer is center Andrew Ebbett with eight points (4-4). Their primary goalie appears to be David LeNeveu who has played six games, going 4-2 while playing 338 minutes while giving up 13 goals for a 2.30 GAA and a .898 save percentage.

The Aeros, meanwhile, are coming off three straight losses, which ties last season's longest losing streak. They are, however, 7-for-37 on the power play, and they have scored a power play goal in five of their seven games.

The Aeros leading scorers are Corey Locke and Marco Rosa, each with seven points, and each with three goals and four assists. Nolan Schaefer has played in five games (starting in four), playing 292 minutes for a 3-2 record while allowing 12 goals for a 2.46 GAA and a .907 save percentage. Barry Brust has played in three games for 125 minutes and a 1-1 record. He's allowed nine goals for a 4.30 GAA and a .862 save percentage.

And briefly...

The Iowa Chops are an expansion franchise that replaced the Iowa Stars. The Stars were the affiliates of the Dallas Stars, but Dallas is forgoing an AHL affiliated team for this season while it prepares to get the Texas Stars up and running in Austin for next season -- Dallas's AHL players are scattered throughout the AHL -- like John Lammers who is with the Aeros.

The puck is due to drop at 7:05 tonight.

Mrs. Irrelevant

Okay, I'm listening to sports talk radio for the first time in weeks, and I tune into Pam Gardner on one of the shows. Pam Gardner is in charge of Business Operations at Minute Maid Park. She's got no say in how the Houston Astros are run.

So why is she on my radio?

She's got no say in free agent signings. She's got no say in trades. She's got nothing to do with the roster, or with the coaching staff, or with the baseball front office.

She can offer no information of value, yet she's on the radio.

Are they that desperate for guests?

Breaking -- The Chuckster Runs His Mouth Again

Okay, I'm a fan of Charles Barkley -- yes, I didn't like it when the Rockets traded for him way back when because the trade made no sense, but I'm still a fan. I love him on Inside the NBA. I think the Chuckster along with Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson, Jr. make for the best pre-and post-game show in professional sports.

And I love how he just speaks without thinking.

But enough already.

The Chuckster now says that he's running for governor of Alabama in 2014 because he can't screw up any worse than it already is. But if Alabama is in such bad damn shape, why is he waiting so long. I'm not sure of Alabama governor matters, but I'm guessing they have elections every four years, which mean that there would be one coming up 2010. So why doesn't the Chuckster run then? Especially if the state's in such bad shape.

This is just like Barkley retiring from basketball, which he did numerous times. Or his giving up gambling. Hell, he's been talking about running for office since he was with the Philadelphia 76ers way back in the day.

Do it already. Don't just keep talking about it. Do it.

World Series Game Five To Never End

It has been announced that they will not be attempting to end Game Five of the World Series until tomorrow night, at the earliest. When the game resumes, it will be in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied at 2-2.

This game should have been called after the fifth inning, with the Phillies winning 2-1. I want the Rays to win, but this is just ridiculous.

Nice work, Bud.

The Tuesday Random Lyric of the Day

I started this yesterday, sharing a random lyric from a song that pops up on my iPod during the day. So for today, I give you:

"And I said: Baby
don't waste your time
I know what's on your mind
I may be qualified for a one night stand
But I could never take the place of your man."

Prince, "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man."

The Houston Chronicle and Reality -- Still Not Meeting

Before I get going, let me say this. I like Brian McTaggart. I think he is the best baseball writer in Houston, and he really should be the primary Astros beat writer for the Chronicle and not that god-awful hack Jesus Ortiz.

That said, Brian is really way off base here.

Brian wants Drayton McLane to do anything possible to acquire Jake Peavy, ace pitcher of the San Diego Padres.

I would like Jake Peavy on the Astros, as well. And I would also like to wake up in the morning and find Zooey Deschanel lying next to me. Neither one is going to happen.

The owner of the Padres, John Moores has a bit of a problem. He's getting divorced, and it looks like he will have to either sell the club or reduce his ownership share in the team. That would seem to indicate that Peavy might be available on the trade market, because owners generally like to reduce payroll to make a team more attractive to potential buyers.

But...there is no way that the Padres are going to trade Peavy for someone else with a big salary like Lance Berkman or Carlos Lee. They want young talent, and they want a reduced payroll.

Jake Peavy is a fantastic pitcher. And the Padres are going to be able to demand a lot for him from some other team. McTaggart suggests that the Astros trade Hunter Pence and some prospects. There are two problems with this. A team doesn't get better by trading their best young talent for an aging pitcher. Second, the Astros don't have the prospects -- besides Pence -- that will bring the Astros some one like Peavy. The Astros unloaded all of their young talent last season for Miguel Tejada.

So the Astros have nothing to offer.

Nothing.

So this deal just ain't going to happen. I just wish (fixed) the Chron would help some of the more ignorant Astros fans realize this.

Good Morning, Good Morning

Now here's a nice way to get the morning started. Thanks, Fred.

Women in bikinis on ice.

And I guess this is a good way to remind everyone that there is an Aeros game tonight. They will be taking on the Iowa Chops at 7:05.

I Can See Clearly Now

Well, after spending most of the day in the bed, I can say that I feel better, though I still dread returning to work. Let's end this day with a song from one of my all-time favorite groups, The Kinks. So here's "Waterloo Sunset."

World Series Suspended

The game will not resume tonight. It has been suspended until sometime tomorrow, at least. Nice job, Bud. Seriously, if I were a Phillies fan, I'd be really pissed right now.

When the game resumes, either sometime tomorrow night, or Wednesday or Thursday or whenever, it will start in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2.

Where's Gary Bettman When You Need Him?

I want the Tampa Bay Rays to win this World Series. But even still, I'm pissed about just what happened, and I don't blame any Philadelphia Phillies fans out there for being pissed. But MLB has just decided to go into a rain delay at the baseball game, and you've got to ask, why now?

The weather has been awful like this all damn night. After 4.5 innings, the Phillies had the 2-1 lead, and do you know what? That makes for an official game. While I can understand baseball not wanting a World Series game ending after 4.5 innings, the fact is that the rules say that is official.

The Phillies may have been robbed of the World Series because the umpires and Bud Selig, a guy who makes Gary Bettman look like a competent commissioner, waited only until the Rays could tie the game in the sixth inning.

The weather is not supposed to get better. And the field is in awful shape.

MLB has failed yet again.

I hope that Bud Selig can sleep tonight. And like I said, I was pulling for the Rays, but this is crap, and Phillies fan, you have been robbed.

Are The San Francisco 49ers About to be the Next Detroit Lions?

The Detroit Lions have been the disgrace of the NFL for most of their existence. There's no need to go into the whole Matt Millen disaster that destroyed the Lions for most of this century, but they're about to have some competition for most incompetently run franchise.

And I'm not talking about the Houston Texans.

The San Francisco 49ers were, for about two decades, one of the NFL's great franchise while under the control of Bill Walsh, George Seiffert, and Steve Mariucci. The DeBartolo family that owned the team left the football guys alone, and those football guys sent the Niners to five Super Bowl victories and numerous playoff appearances.

But the team is now primarily run by Denise DeBartolo York and her husband John York, and the team has become a bit of a laughingstock. But things aren't looking to get much better, especially if, as is now rumored, Condoleeza Rice becomes the team's president following Gorge Bush finally get his ass out of the White House.

I know that Rice likes to talk about her love of football, and that her dream job is to become the NFL commissioner, but really. Come on.

Seeing the disaster that has been the Bush administration, why would anyone in their right mind let any person who has played a major role in that administration have the power to run anything? Why? Why? Why?

Shouldn't competence be a key requirement for any job with responsibility attached to it? And where has Rice shown any signs of competence? Maybe it's just me. And maybe the report is in error. But if it's true, I just see the 49ers quickly sinking to irrelevancy while making the Detroit Lions look like a well-run franchise.

Home Sick

It's a good thing I preloaded the random lyric of the day or their would be nothing on here to read for today.

I'm home sick -- some kind of upset stomach thing -- which leads me to believe I'm really just more tired and need to stay in bed than anything else because that's how my body operates. I'm coming around a bit, and should be better later today.

I'll try to throw some more stuff up here later today/tonight.

The Monday Random Lyric of the Day

I listen to my iPod a bunch at work. And lately, instead of listening to albums, I've been on shuffle. So today, here's a little something that popped up on the iPod, and I thought I would share the lyric.

"And all the white folks shake their asses
Looking for the two and four
I'll have mine in martini glasses
Cause I can't take it anymore."

Sheryl Crow, "Members Only."

New Week/Seven Days

What say we start the week out here at the video jukebox with a little Stone Temple Pilots caring on about the "Days of the Week."

Some Random Notes and Thoughts Re Texans vs. Bengals

Okay, I've actually been busy working this weekend, so there hasn't been a lot of time for writing -- I hope I haven't spoiled all of you into expecting numerous, lengthy posts every day.

So here are some random thoughts...

That was actually an impressive win by the Texans. To me, the Texans have always been one of those teams that play down to their competition, while not able to keep up with the rest of the teams.

The offense played as should be expected, though I do believe I saw Ahman Green get injured late in the second half. Steve Slaton was impressive. Andre Johnson looked good. Matt Schaub appeared to be an actual NFL quarterback.

Despite the score, the defense failed to impress. And next week, the Texans go on the road -- where they have yet to win a game all season -- after spending the past month playing football games at home.

Oh well, I'm still impressed by the win.

And tomorrow I'll be reviewing all of the stories and I'll go about preparing my Tuesday Morning QB feature for the Press, so maybe I'll be able to expand on something thing. Though I feel that I will using that feature to focus on the lack of outrage I'm hearing about that group of football players flunking the steroids tests.

Aeros Update: Leaving On A Jet Plane

The Aeros did lose to the Toronto Marlies today 5-4. They were one for eight on the power play, including one for five on the PP in the third period.

Corey Locke and Ryan Hamilton did not suit up for the Aeros.

I didn't see the game, but I was told that the guys didn't slack off and that they gave an all-out effort. And after starting the season at 4-0-0-0, the Aeros are now 4-3-0-0 on the season, including a record of 1-3-0-0 on the road.

They return home Tuesday where they will take on the Iowa Chops at 7:05.

Brief Aeros Update: Grounded at Takeoff

I thought today's game with the Toronto Marlies was at 5:00. Imagine my surprise to see that it started at 3:00. Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised to discover that, after two periods, the Aeros are losing 5-3.

I haven't seen any of the games on the road, so I'm not really sure as to what is going on with the team. But once again, the goaltending -- which should be a strength for this team -- doesn't seem to be there. Then again, I haven't seen any of the goals, so I don't know if Schaefer was screened on any of the shots or not.

I do know that the Marlies have taken 17 shots, scoring on five. I know that as of this moment, they're two for five on the power play -- once again, the penalty kill was supposed to be one of this team's strengths. I notice that Corey Locke is out again, and his absence seems to be harming the offense as the Aeros have only gotten off eight shots today so far.

As it stands now, the Aeros will be returning home at 4-3-0-0 after bursting out to a 4-0-0-0 record. I'm anxious to see them play on Tuesday night. Maybe I can get some sense of what's going on then.

More later. And let's hope that the news is better.

Petty Is As Petty Does

I'm often asked about why it is that I (fixed) so dislike Drayton McLane. And the answer I always give is that he's a prick.

But I always get that he's a good man. That he's a friendly guy. That he's Uncle Drayton. That he's turned the Astros into a winning organization. That he's the greatest owner the Astros have ever had. Now, I've debunked most of that crap over at the Houston Press over the past year or so. I've proven over there that John McMullen was the best owner in Astros history, and that he's responsible for the Astros being a winning organization, not Drayton McLane.

And I'm not going to get into all of that again.

Not going to do it.

But as someone who found out he no longer had a job with the Astros by way of a photocopied memo, I can attest to the prickness that is Drayton -- and I know bunches of people who will attest to that. But the Houston media has ignored this time and time again.

Except for when Drayton's being an asshole involves Gerry Hunsicker, and even then, the only Houston media person who will talk about it is Richard Justice. Now last year we learned that Drayton refused tickets for Gerry Hunsicker to the 2005 World Series. And we've learned that Drayton cost Hunsicker the GM's job with the Phillies. And now we learn that Drayton had planned to hold a reunion of the 1998 Houston Astros club, but that he refused to invite Hunsicker. And seeing as how Hunsicker is the guy that put that team together, I think this further speaks as to what an ass McLane really is.

Drayton McLane is not the person responsible for the good teams that the Astros had in the late-90s and through the World Series. Those people would be John McMullen, Bill Wood, and Gerry Hunsicker. I'm sorry that poor little Drayton had his feelings hurt because Hunsicker got credit when Drayton didn't, but Drayton didn't deserve that credit, Hunsicker did.

And it's time for Drayton to finally start acting like a grown-up.

DVD Box Review: Sports Night

Do you remember SportsCenter was must see TV? Way back when it was The Big Show and Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann were making us all see sports in a new way. Before Craig Kilborn tried to become a network comedy star? Before Charlie Steiner became a baseball play-by-play guy. When they still let Bob Ley doing something besides Outside The Lines.

Those were the days.

I believe that it was Keith Olbermann who I once heard say that the reason SportsCenter was as good as it was that he and Patrick were convinced that no one was watching the show, so they just went out and tried to have a good time. They did the show for each other. Now it's like all of the anchors know that everyone's watching and and they know that they have to try and do a joke here, a bad pun here, force outrage now.

This is all a lead-in to a discussion of the late, lamented Sports Night, the show TV Guide once dubbed "The Best Show You're Not Watching" -- though they weren't talking about me because I was watching.

Sports Night was Aaron Sorkin's first TV show. The show where he perfected the walk-and-talk. It was his stab at a behind the scene's look at SportsCenter. His version of how the show was created each night, about how all of the personalities clashed and merged.

Sports Night was the signature show of the Continental Sports Channel. A network that, much like the actual show, was always on the verge of failure. The show anchors were Dan and Casey -- and Olbermann/Patrick type team of literate sports fans who weren't afraid to note that the events they were reporting were just games and not life. The show's producer Dana had to deal with the insecure Dan (modeled after Olbermann) and the going-places Casey (modeled after Kilborn). She dealt with pressures of cancellation, network interference, and the constant flirtation with Casey.

Sports Night lasted just two seasons (1998-2000)on ABC -- 45 episodes. And though it was previously released on DVD, there is a new, 10th anniversary DVD edition of the entire series that has just been released. I haven't seen this new edition, but I plan on getting it as soon as possible.

Sorkin's writing was top-notch. The direction of Thomas Schlamme superb. And the casting was spot-on. Peter Krause was perfect as the ever-cool, always in charge Casey. Felicity Huffman excelled as Dana. But the true star of the show was Josh Charles who played the insecure Dan.

I could never ever understand why this show didn't take. It was as much about sports as The Office is about the paper supply business. Yet it was always seen as a sports show that would appeal to just sports fans. But it was the perfect workplace-relationship comedy/drama; it was Jim and Pam before Rickey Gervais created Tim and Dawn.

But I think the thing that gave me the biggest kick about Sports Night was the way each nightly edition of the show within the show ended. As they went to credits, the network would switch to a taped Monster Truck rally -- and anyone who remembers ESPN before it got the rights to the NBA, NFL, and MLB will remember that they showed an awful lot of Monster Truck rallies.

So don't forget about Sports Night this time out. Go seek it out at your local video store and give it a purchase. You won't regret it.

Now here's a clip from the pilot where Joshua Molina interviews for an assistant producer position with Felicity Huffman while her assistant Sabrina Lloyd sits in -- with brief moments of Josh Charles and Peter Krause.

At Your Request: Korn and Coming Undone

If you have a request, I will embed here at the video jukebox -- if there's an embed version available on the interwebs. And Mr. Fred requested a little Korn, so Mr. Fred, here you go.



And let's hope the Aeros get their act together. No more four goals in one period.

Come Up And See Me

How about another song from the video jukebox for tonight/early morning. And with the Aeros defense falling apart, maybe a little something to lighten the mood. I give you Steve Harley.

Seeing Stars

For tonight's video jukebox, I give you another one of my favorites. Here's Liz Phair with one of her best known songs, "Supernova."

The Non-Outrage Outrage

I note today that at least 10 NFL players have tested positive for banned substances which may, or may not, be steroids. The big name that has been reported of the bunch is New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister.

Also named by the Houston media is Texans long snapper Bryan Pittman. No wonder the snaps on the kicking game have been messed up. Pittman is perhaps best known as the guy who snaps groceries through his legs, and he was the star of a Houston Press interview series during last season.

Now I've been perusing the sports today, and it seems to me that no one is treating this as that big a deal. And this pisses me off. If some mediocre baseball player had just been nailed by this kind of test, the media would be all over it, and they would all be talking about how the game of baseball has been ruined, and how this is bad for the children.

But in football, no one seems to give a damn. Richard Justice ain't bitching. Jesus Ortiz is quiet. The Chronicle football guys are kind of quiet.

Where's the outrage? Why the double standard?

Dreaming of Blondes

For tonight's video jukebox, here's a little something to get you through the weekend. Blondie, who's lead singer, Debbie Harry I dreamed about quite a bit of when I was just a youngster.

So, ladies and gentlemen, Blondie and "Dreaming."

Some Friday Thoughts on Texans v. Bengals

Once again, to get the full thing, click here and go read the post over at the Houston Press -- like I've said, they pay me. But as with last week's game versus the Lions, I think the Texans being big favorites over the Bengals is a bit of a stretch. Especially when you look at history and the stats.

And let's just say that Chad Ocho Cinco and Ryan Fitzpatrick are primed to have a big week against the Texans awful secondary. I think the Texans win this thing, but not by 9-10 points. No way.

I Too Can Be A Media Reporter

David Barron, the so-called sports media reporter at the Houston Chronicle comes to us with this important question today: "I presume there's a logical reason that ESPN is dispatching Brad Nessler, Bob Griese and Paul Maguire to Austin for Oklahoma State-Texas on ABC while sending Ron Franklin, who lives in Austin, and Ed Cunningham to Virginia Tech-Florida State. Alas, the logic escapes me at the moment...."

Now maybe it's just me, but I think the logic is pretty evident, and it would be pretty evident to anyone who watches college football on a consistent basis. The Nessler/Griese/Maguire team is ESPN/ABC's number one college broadcasting team for the Saturday afternoon games. And when the number one college football team in the country is playing another top ten college football team, you send the so-called A-Team to broadcast the game.

It's this same reasoning behind CBS always having Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcotts broadcasting the Texans games and not Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. You send the best to the important games. And this weekend, the best of the Saturday afternoon college football games is Texas-Oklahoma State.

See, that wasn't too hard, logically to figure out. Maybe I can be a media reporter when I grow up.

Enough With The Hockey Mom Already

I can't help but notice that the world's so-called most popular hockey mom is due to drop the puck at another NHL game tonight. This time in front of a St. Louis Blues home crowd (I wonder if any of that $150,000 spent on clothes since Sarah Palin became the VP candidate are going towards her hockey outfits?).

I'm not fully up on the good people of Missouri, but I don't think the people of St. Louis are as brutal as those in Philadelphia who gave Ms. Palin such a warm welcome when she dropped the puck before a Flyers game a couple of weeks ago. But let's just say that I'm also not expecting it to be the best of greetings.

Now that said, I'm really getting tired of Caribou Barbie ruining the hockey experience. But just not her. I'm tired of all politicians ruining my sport-going experience. I don't care who they are, or what party. I just want them to stop.

If it's some Republican moron like Daddy Bush -- who is always at an Astros game -- I'm afraid of getting in a fight when I boo. And if it's some Democrat -- like Drayton's going to let a Democrat get major face time -- then I get angry because they're being booed. Why not just spare all of us? Why not let some real fan throw out the first pitch? Let some season ticket holder up in the ozone seats have the honor -- they're the real fans anyway. Let some high school hockey player drop the puck, or a real hockey mom who wakes up incredibly early every morning to drive through ice and snow so as to get her kid to practice on time.

They're the real fans. Let them have the honors for once.

Is that really too much to ask? Huh?

I'd Like Some Instant Karma Please

For tonight's video jukebox, I thought I would share one of my all-time favorite songs. So as you fade away to sleep tonight, may you have dreams of karmic justice.

Ladies and gentlemen, John Lennon and "Instant Karma."

Bad Umpiring Is Bad Umpiring, No Matter Who It Helps

Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, back before the Rays were good.

There was the uncalled balk last night that cost the Rays a base runner. And tonight there was the umpire calling Tampa Bay's Rocco Baldelli out on a called third strike, then letting him take the base anyway, then Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies being grazed by a pitch in the top of the ninth, but the umpire not calling it.

The World Series is supposed to be about the best teams in baseball playing for the World Championship. It's not supposed to be about umpires making bad decisions and costing teams games. Yet that appears to be happening.

I had a friend who was a minor league umpire for several years, so I always try to take it easy on umpires. But the umpiring in the World Series has really been kind of crappy. And that's just not how it's supposed to be.

But the Rays won 4-2 tonight to even up the Series at one game each. So I'm happy.

Once A Used Car Salesman, Always A Used Car Salesman

I know that Richard Justice loves Bud Selig more than he loves members of his family, so I'm sure he'll find a way to defend the latest move of MLB, but I'm not Justice, and I think Bud Selig is the definition of sleazy. So...

I noticed this earlier today over at Baseball Musings, one of my favorite blogs. It appears that MLB has found a new way to scam you out of your hard earned money. And that involves keeping the money you paid for tickets to post-season games that aren't played.

Huh?

Simple. Let's say you purchased a ticket to Game Seven of the NLCS between the Phillies and Dodgers. As we all know, the series didn't go seven games. So you've paid for a ticket that you can't use. So you want your money back. And you call the Phillies, and they agree to refund most of the money, but not the processing fee. MLB keeps the processing fee.

I know it's not a lot of money, but it's the principal. If you don't get to use the ticket because the game's not played, then you should be able to get all of your money back. This reminds me of what happened to one of my bosses back in 2001. He was an Astros season-ticket holder. He had playoff tickets. The Astros made him pay up front for tickets to all of the playoff games. When the Astros failed to advance, instead of refunding the money, they used it as his down payment for 2002 season tickets. But he didn't want to get season tickets in 2002. He wanted his money back. It took awhile, but he got his money back.

And the Astros lost forever a season ticket holder as he refuses to provide them with anymore money.

But what else should I expect from an organization that is run by a guy who used to sell used cars?

The CVC: Now Taking Your Requests

I've got a new post up over at the mothership, so please click on the link and read -- it's an Aeros post comprised of bits you've already read over here, but the Press pays my rent, so show them you like hockey, plus read the rest of the posts.

That said, I thought I would try something a little different. If there's something you want my thoughts on, or if there's some song you want to see in what's becoming my nightly feature, the video jukebox, then let me know. I'll see what I can do for you.

That's all. I'll return you to your regular programming now. And thanks, as always, for reading.

That's Mr. Shaq to You

I saw this little item over at AOL Fanhouse yesterday. Apparently, it seems, Shaquille O'Neal and Grant Hill want to buy an NBA team when they retire, with the primary contender being the Orlando Magic -- this kind of makes sense since they both still live in Orlando.

But I have another suggestion for Shaq and Grant, if they're really interested. I would suggest they buy the Charlotte Bobcats. Bobcat owner Robert Johnson supposedly wants to sell, but the economy is kind of forcing him to keep the team. But he's not really doing anything with the team, he's left the basketball end of things to minority owner Michael Jordan. And MJ, so it seems, is a bit of an absentee owner who sees his primary function as making sure the Bobcats are scheduled to play games in the Super Bowl city on the day after the Super Bowl -- that also seems to be the only time MJ bothers to show up and check out the team.

Jordan's got a coach, Larry Brown, who is upset about the roster -- but then again, is Larry Brown ever happy. And reports are that Jordan's doing about as good a job of running this team as he did during that time he was supposedly running the Washington Wizard.

So Shaq, Grant, I'm sure the people of Charlotte would like it very much if you bought this team. You can't do any worse than the people running it now.

A Hockey Holiday Fright Fest

From the blog Puck Daddy comes an item I find of interest...

The Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL are owned by a guy named Oren Koules. Koules is perhaps better known throughout the world as a movie producer. And coming out soon is his newest film, which he's advertising on the mask of Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith.

That's right. Smith's head is being used to advertise Saw V. And while I've never felt the need to see any of the Saw movies, from what I heard, the images from those movies are perfect for a goalies mask.

Smith's mask, and the mask of his backup, will both be auctioned off to benefit charity. Which is a good thing. But if Smith gets hot while wearing that mask, I wouldn't be expecting him to get rid of it anytime soon.

Eat My Candy

In honor of Weezer being in town for a concert tonight, I though tonight's video jukebox would feature a little "Pork and Beans." So I'm gonna do the things that I wanna do because I ain't got a thing to prove to you.

Some Random Notes from Across the NFL

Just a few items from the NFL that I wanted to get to, so this is a bit of a note dump.

Let's start up in Cleveland where Browns tight end Kellen Winslow has been suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the club because he told the media that he was unhappy about how the Cleveland Browns had handled his illness. Like the fact that they let word slip out that he was missing football games because of swollen testicles when in fact he was missing games because he was the latest in a long string of Cleveland Browns to come down with a staph infection -- he's the seventh Cleveland Brown to get staff infection since 2005.

Now I heard about the supposed big balls problem, but this is the first I'm hearing about an outbreak of staph infection with the team. And you would think that if anyone is guilty of conduct detrimental to the club it would be the training and medical staff of the Browns who keep letting this happen.

Then again, maybe it's just easier to sweep this all under the rug and hope that nobody else gets it. Though that plan doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

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And for those of you who get most of your sports from ESPN, then you might have been shocked to learn earlier today that Brett Favre, former golden boy of the Green Bay Packers, had contacted the Detroit Lions before the Lions played the Packers back in September. Now Brett admitted that nothing wrong happened, but he was responding to a report from Fox Sports that Favre had spent over an hour on the phone with Lions coaches giving them tips and insights into the Packers offense.

If you get your sports from ESPN, then you just heard this today because ESPN anchors and reporters were under orders to not report this story. I can't figure out if ESPN didn't want it reported because they were once again scooped by Fox Sports when it came to Brett Favre, or they didn't want it reported because they didn't want to lose their 24-7 access to Brett.

But Favre did contact the Lions. And ESPN was burned on a story once again.

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Except for Steve Campbell and Brian McTaggart, I continue to lose any and all respect that I ever had for the reporters and writers with the Houston Chronicle sports department.

The latest comes from Jerome Solomon who once again goes about kissing the ass of the Houston Texans, this time by comparing stats from QB Matt Schaub's first 16 games to those of Warren Moon, David Carr, and Dan Pastorini's first 16 starts. And guess what, according to Solomon, Schaub is the better quarterback by far, and Gary Kubiak is turning him into a great quarterback.

The comparison to David Carr isn't fair because Carr was starting at QB for an expansion team with a bunch of rejects on his offensive line and at receiver and running back. Carr was a tough bastard that year who did what he could with very limited talent. And the Pastorini comparison isn't fair because as all Oilers fans remember, the early-70s were a vast wasteland when it came to Houston Oiler football -- the team was so bad it could have been an expansion team. And Moon's problems were more related to the talent around him and some very bad coaching.

And I will also note that Moon, Pastorini, and Carr were far tougher bastards than Schaub who put up with far worse beatings than those that have continuously knocked Schaub out of football games.

Ed Romero Will Not Be Screwing Up At Third Base Anymore

That's because he's the new bench coach for the Houston Astros.

That's right, Ed Romero, the guy who had problems handling the traffic at third base for the Astros is now going to be the one advising manager Cecil Cooper on what he should be doing.

This isn't going to end well.

Jackie Moore was Cooper's bench coach last season, but he accepted an offer from his buddy and former boss Nolan Ryan to take the same job with the Texas Rangers, which are located closer to where Moore lives in the offseason. And the Astros, instead of looking around for someone who might have an idea as to what they're doing, instead chose to give Romero a promotion.

This would be like John McCain saying Sarah Palin is qualified to be vice-president -- oh, sorry, he is trying to say that isn't he.

As you can tell, I'm not a fan of this move. But Drayton doesn't consult with me, so there's nothing that I can do about it. I just can't help thinking though that there's got to be somebody out there somewhere who has better qualifications than getting runners thrown out at the plate time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time after time...

Hell, I think you get the idea.

The World Series of Losers

Here is my official World Series prediction. You need to go click over to the Press to get it though. Sorry, they pay me.

Just let it be known that I'm in the tank for the Rays and that I'm a big fan of Rays manager Joe Maddon. I'll just note something here that also in the Press post -- these teams are historically, two losers. No team in the history of professional sports has lost as many games as the Phillies, and this is the first season that the Rays have ever finished better than fourth place or have won more than 70 games.

Enjoy the games.

Caps Fail to Capitalize

Us Aeros fans and observers like to bitch about the Houston Aeros ineptness on the power play. Well, the Aeros are nothing when compared to the Washington Capitals of the NHL who last night failed to convert on a nine minute power play.

That's right. Nine minutes. Power Play. No points.

The action started when Rene Bourque of the Calgary Flames went after one of the Caps for a hit. And Borque got 17 minutes in penalties, with the result being a nine minute power play.

I repeat a nine minute power play.

A power play on which the Flames were able to get off three shots, which is the exact same number of shots that the Caps were able to get off.

So the next time you're watching the Aeros flail around on the power play, remember, it could be worse. Much worse. They could be the Washington Capitals trying to score on a nine minute power play and failing.

It's Evolution, Baby!

Instead of writing the blog tonight. Or writing for the Ballz blog. Or doing anything constructive, I've found myself watching Independence Day for the umpteenth time. One of the stupidest movies ever, and I love it.

I can't help myself. I watch the DVD time and time again. Even still, if I happen to land on a channel where it's being aired, I stop and watch the damn thing. Like I've been doing tonight.

But enough of that.

For tonight's video jukebox, here's a little something for the alien creatures who weren't evolved enough in their thinking to stop a little computer virus from destroying their civilization.

So here's a little Pearl Jam. This should wake you up.

(Not So) Daily Aeros Notes -- AHL Edition

Just thought I would share a few notes from around the AHL -- primarily Aeros notes, but a few other thrown in for good measure.

There are currently only two teams with perfect records in the AHL, the Aeros and the Hamilton Bulldogs. Both teams are 4-0-0-0. This is Houston's best start since they started 8-0-0-0 in 2002-03. This is the first time in Hamilton's history that it has started a season at 4-0-0-0.

We might think the Aeros have played some good hockey so far, but while the Aeros have allowed 12 goals while scoring 17, the Bulldogs have allowed only seven goals while scoring 16. Houston is better on the lack of penalty minutes end, having been accessed only 45 PIM to Hamilton's 109 PIM. Then again, Hamilton's been a perfect 20 for 20 on the penalty kill.

The AHL's top scorer is Keith Aucoin of the Hershey Bears with 14 points (4-10). He has started the season by scoring seven points in each of the first two weeks. Amazingly, Hershey has five of the league's top ten scorers. Houston's Corey Locke is tenth with seven points (3-4), with six of those points coming the past two games. And those six points in two games aside, Locke was not the AHL's player of the week for the week ending on Sunday. That award, instead, went to defenseman Johnny Boychuk of the Providence Bruins who had seven points (a goal and six assists) on the week.

Ryan Hamilton is tied for the AHL lead with two game winning goals. Clayton Stoner is tied for second in the AHL in plus/minus at +6.

Nolan Schaefer is the sixth best goalie in the AHL in terms of goals against average. In 177 minutes he has faced 77 shots and allowed only five in the net. The number one goalie in the AHL is Peter Mannino with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers who has a 1-0 record while stopping 64 of 66 shots in 125 minutes of play. And Chicago Wolves goalie Ondrej Pavelec has held opponents to two or less goals in each of his five outings this season.

And here's a note of interest to me. The Grand Rapids Griffins will be playing their first home game of the season on Saturday after starting the season at 2-0-1-0. They are the last (fixed) team to have their home opener. And this is also their fifth straight season to go their first three games without a regulation loss.

Riley Emmerson's a True American

Some of you may have seen the chatter about the Aeros calling Riley Emmerson up from the Florida Everblades of the ECHL -- I know I did. And apparently, the Aeros did call him up so that he could be loaned out to the Rochester Americans.

Emmerson has been inked to a contract by Rochester and should be suiting up for them this weekend. As for the Aeros involvement in the deal, it appears that since Emmerson is a Minnesota Wild prospect, he had to be called up to Houston, which is Minnesota's affiliate, for the loan to Rochester to happen.

Or maybe not. All that I know is that he's going to be playing with Rochester and not Houston.

Kolanos Done Wild

Just a quick note...

The Minnesota Wild have reassigned forward Krys Kolanos to the Aeros. And while this is probably bad news for Kolanos, it should be good news for the Aeros as this returns some offensive firepower to the team -- not that it has been lacking in offense while he was with the big club.

It's my guess that Kolanos will return to the first line with Marco (fixed) Rosa and Peter Olvecky, and I can see John Lammers be moved to the third line, especially if what Andrew Ferraro has reported regarding Petr Kalus going back to Europe is correct -- Kalus was on the third line.

Tuesday Morning QB -- Houston Press Edition

Here's my Tuesday Morning Quarterback post over at the Houston Press. I encourage you to go read it.

In regards to my thoughts on the Texans, it's somewhat similar to what I wrote following the game on Sunday. But I'm a bit harder on Gary Kubiak because I'm growing really tired of hearing his "my bad" apologies and his statements that he and the team need to mature. As I said at the Press, dude, this is your third season as head coach, you really should have matured by now.

I have a few thoughts on the upcoming Bengals game, and I share some notes from around the NFL, especially the upcoming implosion of the Dallas Cowboys.

So, for all those of you who don't read my stuff in the Houston Press, go over and do so -- they pay me after all.

Some College Football Notes

This is my current post up over at the Houston Press. I had intended to get on the Cougars for not being able to play a complete game, and about how they might actually have a good record.

But I got off on some Aggies bitching about Texas Tech running up the score, and I noted that maybe the Aggies should be more concerned about becoming a relevant football program than they are about having someone run up the score on them.

But I got distracted.

I guess all that I wanted to say was that I'm getting tired of the Houston Cougars have to come back at the last second against bad teams to win games. The only game that they truly lost was to Oklahoma State. But they still proved they could score on just about anybody. They had to scramble in the second half and the fourth quarter to defeat UAB and SMU the past two weeks, and they should not have had to do that -- the Coogs are far better than those two teams.

The Cougars are 4-3 on the season. They should have beaten Air Force and Colorado State -- an interception in the end zone kept the Coogs from winning that game.

The Cougars should make a bowl game again. Another minor bowl. And while I'm happy they're becoming a bowl team year after year, I really want for them to win a bowl game. And I would really like for them to play football in the first half like they play in the second half.

But I shouldn't complain, I guess. Even in a minor conference, the Coogs are still more relevant to college football than the Aggies are.

The Masterplan...

for this blog is unknown to me at the moment. Well, the plan besides this being my place to go in-depth on the Aeros. So if the posting is somewhat light at times, it's only because I'm trying to figure the next phase of my masterplan.

And speaking of masterplan, here's one of my favorite songs from Oasis.

But It's PSP Time

Excuse the lack of postings today. I'm working on expanding on a post that I wrote for the Press bashing Aggies, which is always fun, but I just got a PSP and I've been playing with that -- well, except for this quick break.

I do want to note that Petr Kalus seems to have split the Areos and headed off to Europe. I can't say that that really hurts or harms the Aeros -- he was playing on the third line after all and the scoring has been coming from the first two lines, but I'm one of those people who think that, if you're going to split on a team, it's nicer to do it before the season starts so that they might have options other than Riley Emmerson.

But that's just me.

Now I've got to get back to my PSP and trying to figure out how to play Gretzky NHL 2006 since I got it used and without instructions.

Juliana Hatfield: How To Walk Away

I've been a Juliana Hatfield fan since I first heard her way back in 1994 when I was living in Davis, California and working on my Masters of Law. They had this great alt-rock radio station and her song "My Sister" was in heavy rotation.

I was hooked.

And when Only Everything came out in 1995, and I heard the first single on the radio, "Universal Heart-Beat," I knew she was going to go huge, and others would finally know who she was.

Alas, it didn't happen. For some reason, the musical mood started changing just as she was getting her big moment. And she was left behind to record moody, independent music that only us original fans listened to. And trust me, I never stopped listening.

Ms. Hatfield is back with a new CD, titled How To Walk Away. And like all of her work, it's extremely autobiographical, this time, it's about doomed relationships. The CD's tight. There are ten songs. There's no fluff. No filler. Just music.

The disc opens with "The Fact Remains." The perfect opener. It's a mid-tempo number. Her voice sounds fuller than normal. Not as breathless or girly. It's more mature, fuller. This leads to "Shining On," a plaintive song about mistakes made and relationships ended. There are more strings on this song than are on the normal Hatfield song, and somehow they make it, and her, sound more adult and less whiny.

The highlight of the CD is song three, "The Lonely Love" which samples her earlier "It Should Have Been You" off of In Exile Deo. This song is the one that is most representative of her career, and it could easily fit on any of her other works.

I could go on song for song, but I won't. Just let me say that I think the whole CD is very good. The music sounds like jingly-pop, as always. And as always, the message is tougher than it sounds and her voice has never sounded better, nor the production more professional.

Her last two CDs had a kind of stripped down sound, were more raw, with limited backing. This CD is softer sounding. Fuller. But it's not overly produced, and it's more commercial than anything she's done in a long time. And this time, I hope she pulls it off.

Tampa Bay is A-OK!

An empty Tropicana Field from back when the Rays were really really bad.

I'm a very happy baseball fan tonight. The Tampa Bay Rays took game seven from the Boston Red Sox and are now on their way to their first ever World Series. And I don't know about y0u, but I was really fed up with Red Sox Nation -- they're so damn obnoxious that they almost make New York Yankee fan seem reasonable.

But I'll bash the Sox later. Maybe.

This is for the Tampa Bay Rays.

I've been out to Tampa to see the Rays several times. Way back when they were the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and were the worst team in baseball. But what I saw four/five years ago was enough to keep me following the team, and after Gerry Hunsicker became involved with the team, I really started paying attention.

And anyone's who has actually been paying attention to the AL East -- and not just the Yankees and Red Sox -- could see that the Rays were close to breaking out. Carl Crawford has been playing in the outfield on an all-star level for years. Scott Kazmir has been the nightmare of the New York Mets fan for years -- a nightmare because he was in their system then traded for Victor Zambrano -- how did that turn out?

Manager Joe Maddon was brought over from the Angels and started stressing defense and pitching. This had been something that was a bit of a stretch for past Rays teams as they had been a bash the ball first type of team.

I'll try to write more about the upcoming World Series later this week. But it should be interesting for Astros fan as both rosters are full of connections to the Houston franchise, especially the Rays.

I'm pulling for the Rays, and I'm picking them to win in six. And anything is good now that we don't have to listen to the loud and obnoxious Red Sox fans.

Some Random Notes and Thoughts Re Texans vs. Lions

Here's the deal, I'm reducing my work load at the Press a bit -- for now, no more 12-18 posts a week. But one of the things I'm going to be doing every week is a Tuesday Morning Quarterback kind of thing where I look over the Texans game, look ahead at the next game a bit, and give some nuggets from around the NFL.

That said, I still want to do some post-game stuff.

For instance, the Texans won 28-21 today. And just as I thought, the 9.5 point spread was a bit much. And I think this now, after sitting back and reflecting on the game a bit, that the Texans don't deserve that victory.

No.

The Texans scored a touchdown on their first three possessions, something the team has never before done, and jumped out to the 21-0 lead. At the half, it was 21-3. But the Texans failed to show up for the second half, being outscored 18-7 and punting on four of their five second half possessions.

It's almost like Gary Kubiak thought he had the game locked up and put the offense into prevent mode. He just forgot that Richard Smith is his defensive coordinator.

Really, after the trade of Roy Williams to the Cowboys last week, the Lions had only one real offensive threat, wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Yet the Texans played him only in single coverage, with that coverage from one DeMarcus Faggins. Now, for some reason, the Lions didn't look for him all that much, as he only caught two passes. But one of those passes was a 54-yard hail mary at the end of the first half which Johnson came close to scoring on, and the other was a pass that Johnson turned into a 96-yard TD.

How does Smith still have a job?

But it gets worse. The Lions went for the two-point conversion after that Johnson TD, and the Texans committed pass interference on the conversion attempt, giving Detroit another try at two points, which Johnson then caught. And the Detroit then kicked a field goal to make it 28-21 with about four minutes to play, but the Lions were able to kick that field goal because the Texans committed two 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties on the drive.

And I'm not the only one troubled by this. Houston Texans apologist John McClain wasn't too thrilled by the team's performance either.

That said, there were some positives. Andre Johnson had 141 receiving yards for his third straight 100-plus yards receiving performance. And Steve Slaton continued to impress, running for 80 yards and a TD. Owen Daniels caught six passes for 66 yards and two TD. Hell, Ahman Green even scored a TD -- though I want to know the thinking that had Green in on the Texans last possession, when they needed the yards to keep the ball and not Slaton who's clearly the superior back.

The Texans will go for a team-best three game winning streak next week as they host the winless Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans should be able to handle this game, too, since Bengals QB Carson Palmer will probably be out. But the Bengals, despite the no wins, have been a tough team, hanging in every game. And the Bengals have a little more offensive talent than the Lions.

I also want to note that the Cowboys lost again, this time by 34-14 to the St. Louis Rams, who like the Texans, were without a victory before last weekend, and have now won two straight games. And I'll also note that the former Houston NFL team, the Tennessee Titans are, at 6-0, the NFL's only undefeated team as they stomped the Kansas City Chiefs 34-10. Kerry Collins didn't do much at QB but hand off the football, which was about all that was needed as LenDale White ran for 149 yards and three TDs while Chris Johnson ran for 168 yards and a TD.

Hamilton Lockes Down Rampage

Less than twenty-four hours after setting a team record with eight goals and defeating the Rampage 8-6, the Houston Aeros and San Antonio Rampage went at it yet again. This time in San Antonio.

And just as happened on Saturday, the Aeros got the win, coming from behind once again to get the 4-3 win and go 4-0-0-0 on the season.

The Rampage jumped on Barry Brust to start the game, again, but this time they were up 2-0 midway through the first period. Kevin Constantine must have seen something in Brust this time, because he stuck with him, and Brust was pretty solid after that.

The Aeros first goal came at 16:33 of the first as Jesse Schultz got his first goal of the season (assists from Corey Locke and Ryan Hamilton). The Aeros tied the game on when Morton Madsen got an unassisted goal at 6:49 of the second period. Houston took the 3-2 lead at 12:49 of the second when Corey Locke got his third goal in two nights on a power play with assists from John Lammers and Brandon Rogers.

San Antonio tied the game later in the second on a power play, but Ryan Hamilton connected on the game-winning goal at 17:03 of the third with Jesse Schultz on the assist.

The Aeros are now 4-0-0-0 on the season. Their next game will be on Friday night when they take on the Manitoba Moose in Manitoba. They will also play Manitoba on Saturday night before heading to Toronto for a game against the Marlies on Sunday.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

Seventeen of the Aeros 38 goals this season have come from players who weren't on last year's team. Three of the goals have come from Corey Locke, who played for Hamilton last season, and his three goals have come in the last two games.

Locke is locked in on the goal, right now. Along with the three goals in the past two games, he's also gotten three assists. And Locke's four points (2-2) in the third period on Saturday is the team record for points in a period. Locke is also tied for the team lead in goals. Ryan Hamilton also has three goals -- and two of Hamilton's goals have been game winners.

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The Aeros 4-0-0-0 is the second best start in team history. The 2002-03 Aeros started the season at 8-0-0-0. They are also the only remaining undefeated team in the West Division.

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And now for a personal favor. My official game story for Saturday's game is now posted over at the Houston Press. While I still want desperately for you to read my "marathon" unofficial story that I posted late Saturday/early Sunday, I need for you to click over and read the Press story as it's through the Press that I have my press pass, and you clicking on the story and reading it boosts the numbers and shows to them that there are people interested in hockey.

Thanks.

Oh, one more thing. If there's anything I'm not including that you would like to know, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Locke It Down. The Aeros Win Again

I’ve been waiting for Corey Locke to break out. He had 72 points with Hamilton last season, and he was supposed to be a big point guy for the Aeros this season. But through the first two games of the season, he had managed just one point, on an assist.

The potential for a break-out has been there. Skating on a line with Ryan Hamilton and Jesse Schultz – one of the other high-scoring acquisitions – Locke has taken his share of shots and made his share of pinpoint passes. The opportunities have been there for Locke, but he just seemed a step off. It was like he was calibrating his stick, trying to get the settings just right.

Saturday night, he got his calibrations nailed perfectly. And for the Houston Aeros, this happened just in time.

“We didn’t get the goal tending we’re used to. We didn’t get the penalty killing we’re used to. And yet we won a game,” coach Kevin Constantine said after the game. “Something I’m not sure we could have done a year ago.”

Then again, last season, the Aeros did not have Corey Locke.

The Aeros found themselves trapped in a shootout against the San Antonio Rampage Saturday night. A game where they came from behind three times. A game where the starting goalie was pulled from the game at 8:27 of the first period. A game where their normally excellent penalty kill fell down on the job.

A game that the Aeros won 8-6.

“I’m thrilled about the eight,” Constantine said. “We don’t usually stare at six very often. It was just the type of night where they just shot pucks and they went in. I think when they had their fifth goal they only had 13 shots. It’s just not like us.”

It was definitely not like any Aeros game I’ve seen while Kevin Constantine’s been the coach. Barry Brust let two of the first five shots he saw go into the net, and Constantine did something I’ve rarely seen him do, pull his goalie early in the game. Of course, when the replacement goalie is Nolan Schaefer, who’s been one of the hottest goalies in the AHL, that’s probably a good thing.

Which is probably why Schaefer allowed four goals.

“I just saw those first two pucks hit Barry’s glove and trickle over his glove. For me, that just looked to me like it wasn’t going to be his night,” Constantine said. He quickly admitted that Schaefer would admit that he didn’t have a good night, either. But Constantine also said that it’s hard for a back-up goalie coming into that type of situation.

But enough of the negatives.

Marco Rosa scored at 1:52 of the first period on a nice wraparound move, stuffing the puck past Rampage goalie Josh Tordjman. The Aeros took the 2-1 lead a little over a minute later when Jason Deitsch deked out Tordjman on a breakaway. San Antonio tied the game at 5:27 of the first, then Peter Olvecky put the Aeros back up 3-2 at 8:27.

The Aeros were down 4-3 in the second period when Morton Madsen made a nice pretty move and shot the puck past Tordjman. But the Rampage kept attacking Schaefer, and by the end of the second, the Aeros were down 5-4.

Enter Corey Locke. Locke helped to set up Clayton Stoner’s goal 6:48 of the third that tied the game, then he assisted on Ryan Hamilton’s goal at 9:18 which put Houston up 6-5. San Antonio tied the game a little over three minutes later. Then with it looking like the game would go to overtime, Locke got off a shot that bounced off Tordjman to put the Aeros up 7-6 at 18:12. And with the Rampage net empty, Locke got off on a breakaway and knocked in the puck to seal the victory at 8-6.

“We were hoping we could be a little better offensive team,” Constantine said. “Maybe these are little signs that we are a little more capable offensively this year than we were last year. And that’s great. You’ve got to win some of these like this some of the time.”

And yes, it’s nice to get the 8-6 win. And it’s nice that the Aeros are 3-0-0-0 for the young season. And while it’s nice the Aeros have the offense to handle these type games, let’s just hope the Aeros don’t have to depend on offensive firepower too often this season, because while they were able to pull out the win, the team just didn’t look that good.

But a win is a win is a win. Let’s just hope they pull out another later today.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:

One of the problems the Aeros seemed to have last night was that they seemed to be letting the game dictate their actions, instead of letting their actions dictate the game. The Aeros are not a shootout team. They have the weapons to compete in case they get caught in shootout, but this is a Kevin Constantine team. And Kevin Constantine teams are built on fundamentals and strong defense.

They didn’t have either last night.

“This is not our game. We’re not happy with a shootout like this. We’ve got to work on our fundamentals,” Marco Rosa said afterwards. As to the win, “it’s something new. We stuck together.”

“I think we know we can do some things better defensively,” Constantine said. “On the other side, it’s nice to see the guys score like that.”

Constantine likes the offensive additions because it’s gives them another way to win games. If the Aeros didn’t have the goal tending or the defense last year, they weren’t going to win. But Locke, Schultz, and Lammers give them a new option every night.

“It gives you a chance every night. You can play in a variety of environments,” Constantine said. “Last year it had to be, for most games, you had to be looking at a good defensive foundation and hope you get your goals along the way. I think this just gives you more different weapons in ways you can win.”

But while the team had Locke to provide a different weapon, the team still looked out of sync. And they can’t depend on Locke to go off every night. So while the Aeros are now in a position where they can go a game or two every now and then when their fundamentals aren’t there and the team is out of sync, it’s not something they can do every night.

Well, they can do it every night. They’re just not going to win every night.

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The attendance last night was 5,304. A nice number for early in the season, but a little less than I was expecting. Then again, I was thinking that Missouri would be able to make a game of it against Texas, and we all see how my thinking came out on that game.

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For those of you who weren’t there and who are curious, John Lammers got the start, and he joined spot vacated by Krys Kolanos on the line with Marco Rosa and Peter Olveckey. The Rosa/Olvecky line has been the primary offensive line for the team this year. Rosa and Olvecky scored goals last night. Olvecky and Lammers got assists.

Matt Kassian also got his first game action of the season. And he was also in his first fight of the season, teeing off against San Antonio’s Francis Lessard at 1:28 of the first period, just after San Antonio’s first goal.

Another newcomer, Jason Deitsch, scored the Aeros second goal on a pretty breakaway. He was assisted by Brandon Rogers who got his first game action of the season. Rogers also assisted on the Aeros third goal.

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And thanks once again to Fred Trask for the photos.

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Now, to play us out for the night, how about a little theme music. I give you The White Stripes and “Conquest.”

Puck Time -- Aeros v. Rampage

THIRD UPDATE: Aeros score four goals in the third. Win 8-6. Corey Locke gets the game winner at 18:12, then gets an empty-netter at 19:35. I'll have a full story up in a couple of hours. I hope.

SECOND UPDATE: After two periods the Rampage lead the Aeros 5-4. Morten Madsen got the Aeros only goal of the period.

FIRST UPDATE: After one period the score is tied 3-3. San Antonio scored at 1:21 of the first, then started the first fight at 1:28.

Houston goals have been from Marco Rosa, Jason Dietsch, and Peter Olvecky.

Matt Kassian is playing, and he was involved in the fight with San Antonio's Francis Lessard.

Barry Brust started in goal for Houston, and let 2 of the 5 shots he saw become scores. Nolan Schafer replaced him at about the 11:00 mark.
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It's about half-an-hour before game time, and the crowd is filtering in. I have no idea, yet, of what the total will look like, but the Aeros generally have decent crowds on Saturday nights. And in year's past, they've had very good attendance numbers on Breast Cancer Awareness Night.

Check back throughout the game and I'll try and give you the score and some notes.

Houston Aeros v. San Antonio Rampage: Some Pregame Notes

Just thought that I would share a few notes before tonight's game between the Houston Aeros and the San Antonio Rampage. Game time is set for 7:35. And tonight is the team's third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night.

The Aeros are 2-0-0-0 on the season, and a win tonight would match their record for most home wins in October. The 3-0-0-0 best October record was set by the 2002-03 club.

The visiting San Antonio Rampage are 1-1-0-0 on the season. They lost their first game of the season to the Milwaukee Admirals, but they defeated the Chicago Wolves in a slugfest the other night.

This is the 71st match-up between these two teams, and the Aeros have the series lead at 47-17-6-3. They are 27-6-2-0 against San Antonio all-time in Houston. The Aeros were 6-4-0-0 against San Antonio last season, going 3-2-0-0 in Houston.

And the Aeros are averaging a league low 9 PIM per game, while the Rampage are rampaging through the league with the second-highest average at 36 PIM. I would look for the Aeros PIM to go a bit tonight -- there are always lots and lots of fights between these two teams.

And while this looks to be fight-fest, it should also be low-scoring. At least for San Antonio. The Aeros have allowed only one goal this season -- that's 122:37 of game action. Nolan Schaefer has started at goal for both games, and he has blocked 54 of 55 shots to lead the league with both a .982 save percentage and a .04 GAA. He has not allowed a goal in the last 88:19 of game action. It's possible that Barry Brust could get a start tonight, as Kevin Constantine does like to keep his goalies fresh. But Constantine also likes to stick with the hot hand, and you can't get much hotter than Schaefer at the moment.

But speaking of playing...Defenseman Brandon Rogers should be getting his first action tonight. If Rogers plays, I would expect one of the rookies -- Dane Crowley or Justin Falk -- to be a scratch. I would also expect, with the additions of Krys Kolanos and Cal Clutterbuck to the Wild roster, for John Lammers and Matt Kassian to get their first game action tonight. I would look for Lammers to play on the same line with Marco Rosa and Peter Olvecky -- he played with these two in the preseason game at Sugar Land, and Lammers scored several times. I would expect Kassian to go on the line with the Morten Madsen and Petr Kalus, as this was the line Clutterbuck was playing with.

But the standard caveat...I could be wrong about all of the above.

Speaking of playing time, the Wild are in St. Petersburg tonight where they're taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Wild beat writer Micheal Russo says that Owen Nolan (leg) and Marian Gaborek (groin) will not be playing tonight. And while coach Jacques Lemaire has not yet released his lineups, Russo is positive that either Tomas Mojzis or Krys Kolanos will get playing time -- maybe both.

Check back later tonight as I'll try to provide updates on the Aeros game.

Benoit Pouliot Not So Gone Wild

Just a few brief words on a Friday night, my friends.

It seems that, even though he scored two points last night, Benoit Pouliot is still not in the good graces of Wild coach Jacques Lemaire. Quoting from Michael Russo, the Wild beat writer for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"Lemaire won’t say a word as to why, but the facial expressions are unbelievable when we ask about him. Today, he ended “talking” about Pouliot by throwing his arms up in the air. At one point, Lemaire even pulled out a toothpick and started digging into his teeth. This is going to be a topic, and Lemaire admitted it’s probably just a matter of time before words accompany his facial expressions."

I'm sure Aeros coach Kevin Constantine can relate with Lemaire's struggles with Pouliot. And it also appears that while Krys Kolanos is not yet on the Wild playing roster, the guy he's going to replace is not one of the many injured Wild players, but Pouliot.

Let's just hope, for the sake of the Aeros, that Pouliot's next destination isn't Houston.

Some Friday Thoughts on Texans v. Lions

If you want to see my Friday thoughts about this weekend's Texans game, then just click here and read. And let's just say that, despite the Lions sucking and the Texans actually winning a game last week, I think the Texans are favored by a bit too much heading into this game.

But we shall see on Sunday.

Pacman Jones' Top Ten Ways to Spend His Time While on Suspension

As some of you are no doubt aware, Dallas Cowboy defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL following an altercation last week with his bodyguards. And it has also been reported that he is going to alcohol rehab.

So that got us to wondering what, besides rehab, Pacman's going to be doing with his time.

10. He's going to get some tackling tips from his mentor, Deion Sanders.

9. He's going to work on getting his college degree. As soon as he can remember which college he supposedly attended.

8. He's going to finally get around to returning those phone calls from the Bengals' Chris Henry.

7. He's going to go old school. Instead of playing Madden, he's actually going to play Pacman.

6. He's going to call Al Davis because he wants to play for some real gangstas.

5. While he's in rehab, he's going to go check out a sex rehab meeting and see if there are any women worth getting with.

4. He's going to work on upgrading his nickmame from Pacman to Donkey Kong.

3. He's going to finally finish reading John Grisham's The Rainmaker, because, frankly, he's almost done with that damn thing and he's yet to read about making it rain in strip clubs.

2. Speaking of making it rain in strip clubs, Dallas has a butt-load of strip clubs that he's yet to check out.

1. Vegas, Baby!

Kolanos Gone Wild

The Minnesota Wild have called Aeros forward Krys Kolanos up to the big club, where he is joining the team today in Tampa. I don't know how long he will be up there, but I've got to say, in the two games I saw him play here in Houston, he was damn fun to watch.

I hope this doesn't end up being a big hurt to the offense, though. His line was really clicking, and Kolanos had scored three of the team's five goals this season.

I also think this means that both John Lammers and Matt Kassian will be playing tomorrow night against the Rampage (fixed. John, remember, preview is your friend). Lammers displayed some nice offensive moves in the preseason game I saw him play in, and Constantine seemed high on him -- he had played with Constantine in the low minors several years ago and Constantine had liked him then.

I'm thinking the one major shake-up will be that the Hamilton, Locke, Shultz line will become the first line. Though I could be wrong. We'll see what happens tomorrow night.

Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul

So I'm one of those Oasis fans from way back when they hit the States. Hell, I even liked Be Here Now, and no one is supposed to have liked that album. So when they've got a new CD out, I'm hitting the stores.

That brings us to their new CD, Dig Out Your Soul. As usual, Noel Gallagher, the older brother wrote most of the songs -- and generally the better of the songs. And the music sounds like lots of their older stuff. It's full of mid tempo power ballad type songs, and it lacks the sonic excess of much of their post (What's the Story)Morning Glory works.

The Gallagher brothers have always welcomed comparisons to The Beatles, so to play into their wishes, let's go with a Beatles analogy here. My understanding of The Beatles mythology is that Let It Be was actually supposed to be Get Back with "get back" being a return to live rock basics after the excesses of The White Album. It was supposed to be an album of music that they could go back out and perform live on the road.

That never happened.

Dig Out Your Soul, much like their previous Don't Believe The Truth, is supposed to be a return by Oasis to their earlier works and away from the Be Here Now excesses. And for the most part, they succeed. Not as well as they succeeded with Don't Believe The Truth. There's no "Lyla" on this CD. But I think it works.

"The Shock of the Lightning" is a nice driving little rock number which references nicely their earlier works. "Waiting for the Rapture" is a standard rock number which is heavy on the distorted guitar. "(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady" seemed, to me, to rip off a lot of "Rocky Raccoon" in the use of the percussion and the beat. I kept waiting for Paul McCartney to break into song, but it never happened. And "Falling Down" goes back to some of their sonic sound experiments and Liam Gallagher's weak voice has never sounded better than it does here.

The CD is heavy on groove. There are lots of strong moments that echo back to their earlier work, especially those songs I've mentioned above. But it's primarily a mid tempo rocker lacking some of the soaring anthem moments of Definitely Maybe, Morning Glory, or Be Here Now -- which I liked.

Ultimately, I like the CD. The songs by Liam Gallagher are kind of weak, and it would be a better work if Noel Gallagher had written the entire thing. But the parts of it that work really work. And there are more parts that work than those that don't.

(Not So) Daily Aeros Notes

Thanks to Fred Trask for this Cal Clutterbuck action photo.

The Aeros will be returning to action at 7:35 on Saturday night when they take on I-10 rival the San Antonio Rampage. The Rampage last played on Wednesday night where they defeated the Chicago Wolves 2-1 in a fight-fest. (San Antonio in a fight-fest, who would have thunk it?) The Rampage served 47 PIM, took part in three fights, including two fights within a minute-and-a-half in the second period, were hit with three roughing penalties, an instigation penalty, and a misconduct. As one of the commenters said in an earlier post, the fighting nature of the Rampage is probably why Matt Kassian will be getting game action on Saturday (fixed) night.

Kassian should play because one of the Aeros best pests and instigators, Cal Clutterbuck, was called up the Minnesota Wild because of injuries. Clutterbuck played for the Wild in tonight's 6-2 (fixed, I don't know where I got four goals for Florida from) victory over the Florida Panthers in Miami. He got 13:50 minutes of action, but no goals, assists, or shots and he was minus-one (and, thanks to Fred, he got four really good hits -- the stat sheet I looked at didn't have the hits, and as we all know, Cal likes to hit.)

Clutterbuck wasn't the only former Aero playing for the Wild last night. Erik Reitz got 13:40 in action, but had no points while taking two shots with two PIM. Colton Gillies played 11:17 for a plus-one and one shot, but no points. And on the day after Wild coach Jacques Lemaire expressed his discomfort with Benoit Pouliot as player, saying that Pouliot "just doesn't get it," Pouliot got two points (goal and assist) to help put the game against the Panthers away.

Don't worry, Wild fan. Us Aeros fans understand your feelings regarding Pouliot. The guy just didn't seem to "get it" here in Houston either. It often felt as if he thought he were better than his teammates -- which he might have been -- and that it was their job to set him up while he didn't need to do anything for the team.

I can remember talking to Erik Reitz after a game early last season, before the Aeros had gotten their act together, and while everybody was still trying to get with Kevin Constantine's system. Reitz was clearly not happy with the way the team was playing, and he was convinced the problem was that some of the players were not getting behind Constantine's system. He told Andrew Ferraro of the Chronicle and myself that Constantine's system was a proven system that could turn any team into a winning team, but everybody had to play together for it to work.

We pushed Reitz to go into more detail, whether it was because there were some guys who didn't understand the system or couldn't understand the system or who just didn't want to be part of the system. My sense was he thought that of the laggards, most were putting in an honest effort to get on board, but were just having trouble learning their roles. But it was implicit throughout that were some on the team who just didn't want any part of the system. That they were too good for it.

No names were ever exchanged, but I was convinced throughout the season that the guy he was talking about was Pouliot. And after Lemaire's comments, I definitely think I was right.

Anyway, enough of that. Like I said above, the Aeros try to go 3-0-0-0 for the season on Saturday night when they take on the Rampage. The game will also be the team's third annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game -- and I know that, like I did with my version of the game story last season, I'll probably write Breast Awareness Game at some point. Let's just hope I catch it before goes on-line.

And speaking of Breast Awareness -- sorry, I couldn't help it -- how about I play you out tonight with a song honoring the lovely ladies of the Houston Aeroes Lady Dynamics cheerleader squad. So, here's the Counting Crows with American Girls.



UPDATE: And because I forgot -- forgive me, I'm not perfect -- goalie Anton Khudobin was loaned out today to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. He will be playing for coach Malcom Cameron (fixed because I'm a moron who was watching The Office on DVR delay as I typed this and had the name Michael stuck in my head), who was his coach for most of last season when there was a team in Beaumont.

Forget Pierre, Vote the Duck

I introduced you the other day to the presidential campaign of Pierre the Hockey Snowman, the mascot of the Phoenix Coyotes. And today I present you with Pierre singing his campaign theme song.


But while I hate to say this, as I like Pierre and his position on eliminating the Dallas Stars, I don't think Pierre fits Constitutional requirements for becoming president.

I don't think Pierre is an American citizen, which disqualifies him from running for office. The Coyotes were originally a Canadian team -- the Winnipeg Jets -- and it sounds to me as if Pierre has a bit of a French-Canadian accent. So I don't think he can take the job.

But don't fret. I have another solution. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Oregon Duck.


As you can see, the Duck is viligant about protecting his territory. And he's not afraid of mascots who are more powerful than he is.

So, if you're going to vote mascot next month, I say make that mascot the Oregon Duck.

Lindsey Buckingham: Gift of Screws

I like music. And there are some artists that I guess you could say that I'm obsessed about. Lindsey Buckingham is one of those artists. I own all of his solo works. I go to his solo concerts whenever he's in Houston -- but I refuse to pay the highly inflated prices that Fleetwood Mac charges whenever they decide to play friends and tour.

That said, I don't obsessively follow everything regarding Buckingham's career. So I when he releases a new album/CD the music is actually new to me. I don't have bootlegs sitting around my apartment. I don't know that he intended a solo CD years ago, but that the record label made him put those songs on a Fleetwood Mac album instead. I don't know this. And it doesn't bother me. I just want to listen to the music.

That leads me to Buckingham's newest collection of songs, Gift of Screws. It wasn't until this CD was coming out and I started seeing reviews pop up that I discovered that a CD named Gift of Screws was actually delivered to Warner Brothers way back in the late-90s, but that the record company execs insisted the material be used for the last Fleetwood Mac CD.

Most of the material on this CD is supposed to have been written and recorded post that last Fleetwood Mac CD, but to me, this CD, of all of Buckingham's solo works, sounds the most like Fleetwood Mac. Not that that's a bad thing, but I've gotten to enjoy Buckingham's departure from the Mac.

Listening carefully to the first track, "Great Day," one hears hints of "Tusk," which I think is the last time Mick Fleetwood and Jon McVeigh let Buckingham experiment with the band. There's a sonic, percussive sound to begin the song followed by what I call Buckingham's trademark jangly guitar sound. But the second track, "Time Precious Time" sounds like a reject from his last CD, the splendid acoustic CD Under My Skin.

The best tracks on the CD come next, and they are tracks three through seven. "Did You Miss Me," track three, is easily the best song. It starts quietly with just Buckingham's voice and some light guitar strumming, then the band comes in and the ballad becomes a nice mid-tempo rocker.

Track seven, "The Right Place to Fade," lacks only Stevie Nicks on backing vocals to make this a full-fledged Fleetwood Mac sounding song. And track four, "Wait For You," has a very Fleetwood Mac, though it's a bit heavier on the guitar than most of the group's Buckingham albums. Track five, "Love Runs Deeper" and track six, "Bel Air Rain" are also very good.

Multiple listens to the CD have led me to this conclusion. It's good. But it's uneven. The good stuff is very good, and it easily stands up to his best solo work and the best of his Fleetwood Mac material. And the CD reminds you of just how good a guitarist Buckingham really is. But the worst of the tracks sound like some pretentious filler.

This CD does not rank with Under My Skin as Buckingham's best solo work. And there is nothing as imaginative as "Trouble" on this. But I'm recommending it. Buckingham's a mature artist doing what he knows best.

So I give Gift of Screws a buy recommendation.

Joe Maddon Hearts Craig Sager

It's no secret that I'm in the tank for the Tampa Bay Rays. I not only want them beating the Red Sox, I want them winning the World Series. One of the reasons that I'm a fan of the team is manager Joe Maddon.

He rocks the Elvis Costello glasses. He has a sense of humor. And the pressure doesn't seem to get to him.

And if you are watching the playoffs right now, you know that the Rays/Red Sox series is on TBS. And you know that Craig Sager is the so-called sideline reporter -- he's reporting from a camera well by the dugout. And we all know that Sager likes to go with the wild, crazy suits and ties.

That should set up you up for this little clip from last night's game. Just watch Maddon as Sager walks by.

Maddon and Sager
by beisbolct

Brilliant. Watching Maddon, you wouldn't know that his team, at the time of the clip, was in the middle of one of the most important games in its history.

A Brief Debate Note

Just a political note here. Someone needs to remind John McCain that Sarah Palin's son has Down's Syndrome. Not autism. They're totally different things. You would think McCain would know something so basic about his running mate.

Palin v. Palin per John Cleese

With the debates just now starting, I thought I would share this little ditty I discovered on the internets today. John Cleese of the great Monty Python and Fawlty Towers and other great comedy works gets the chance to opine on Sarah Palin.



I like that he apologized to Michael Palin because Michael is no longer the funniest Palin.

And of course, talking about parrots and Michael Palin got me to thinking of one of the funniest comedy skits ever committed to paper, film, and video. That's right, it's the Pet Shop Sketch (or the Dead Parrot Sketch). Enjoy.

Movie Review: Choke

I've got a confession to make. I'm not a part of the Chuck Palahniuk cult. I've read some of his work, and I've found him to be entertaining. But I don't eagerly seek out his work. And just because there's a movie made of one of his books doesn't mean that I must run out and see the movie.

I saw Choke, based on his novel Choke, for reasons having nothing to do with Palahniuk. I saw the movie because I'm a fan of Sam Rockwell, the actor who has the lead role.

The basic plot is rather simple: Rockwell's character, Victor Mancini, is a con-man who fakes choking in restaurants, then hits his saviors up for money. Money which he uses to keep his mother in a nursing home. It's not that he wants to keep his mother in a nursing home, it's that she has dementia and she needs to stay in the nursing home for her own protection.

And did I mention that Rockwell is a sex-addict?

The film is a dark comedy, with the accent on dark. And Rockwell is perfect for this role. I first remember seeing Rockwell in Galaxy Quest where he was the red shirt extra who was supposed to be the first to die. And anyone who saw him in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy knows that Oliver Stone should have cast him to play George W. Bush in W instead of Josh Brolin. I can't quantify what it is about Rockwell, but the guy just seems to nail every role, inhabit every character. Including Victor Mancini, who's a bit of a sleaze.

The novel was adapted for the screen by actor Clark Gregg, who is perhaps better known as the husband on the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine. He also directed and played a role. He does a good job with the tone of the script, and the direction. The primary characters in this movie aren't really likable people. But Gregg's script and direction keeps the grounded in reality, and the work of Rockwell, Brad Williams Henker as Rockwell's best friend and fellow sex addict, Kelly Macdonald who plays a sympathetic doctor, and Angelica Huston as Rockwell's mother, are all very good.

I recommend the movie. But beware. Like I said above, this is dark comedy, with the stress on the dark. It's not a feel good film, though you will leave in a good mood. If on-screen sex and nudity offend you, then you might also want to stay away from the theater. But if you're up for something intelligent. This might work for you.

Top Ten Reasons Hockey is Better than Soccer

Over at the mother ship, there's been this one guy giving me a hard time because I write about hockey and not soccer. So, I thought I would put together this little list of why hockey is better than soccer. Or football. Or that stupid sport with David Beckham. And if any of you have suggestions you'd like to add, just note them in the comments.

10. There are no yellow cards and red cards in hockey. In hockey, if you commit a penalty, you go to the penalty box. Or maybe even get kicked out.

9. In soccer, when the clock hits 00:00, they keep playing an amount of time known only to the referee called penalty time. In hockey, when the clock hits 00:00, play stops.

8. The ice girls.

7. If some hockey player tried one of those soap opera dives to draw a penalty, he would get his ass kicked.

6. Carrie Milbank and The Hockey Show on NHL.com.

5. Checking and boarding other players at 30 miles per hour.

4. Weather is generally not a factor when it comes to playing a hockey game.

3. If a political hack like Sarah Palin were to appear at a soccer game, she'd probably be assaulted instead of booed.

2. If a washed-up rock star like Def Leppard's Joe Elliott were to mishandle some soccer trophy like he did the Stanley Cup, there would probably be a riot.

1. Mrs. Wayne Gretzky.

MLB on TBS

I don't like a lot of pro sports studio shows. I find them to be loud, bombastic, and absent of information. That said, there has, over the past several years, been one major pre-and post game show that I've really liked.

That's the "NBA on TNT" -- I also like what NBC does for their NHL show, but I don't think it really counts as a major show. The studio combo of Ernie Johnson, Jr, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley just clicks like no other show. I like that the Chuckster doesn't know what he's talking about most of the time. I like Kenny Smith calling him on it. And I like Ernie Johnson, Jr. having the wit and intelligence to stay up with those two.

The show's a wonder to watch. And it's a shame that no one else has been able to match up.

Until now.

I don't know how many of you have been watching the AL Playoffs. But TBS has the rights, which means they're doing the pre-and post game shows. And the "MLB on TBS," while not yet up there with the NBA show, is far and away superior to the Fox Sports MLB program, and is far superior to any other similar type show regarding the NBA and NFL.

Maybe it's because both share the same host, Ernie Johnson, Jr. The chemistry of the NBA show isn't quite there, as Cal Ripken, Jr., Harold Reynolds, and Dennis Eckersley aren't quite Kenny Smith and the Chuckster. But it's a fun show to watch.

I highly recommend it. I wish I could say the same about the actual game broadcasters.

Cal Gone Wild

The good news out of Atlanta is that the mother team Minnesota Wild defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2. The bad news is that Pierre-Marc Bouchard is on his way back to St. Paul with a sore back, and Owen Nolan left the game with early with either a lower leg injury or a lower body injury.

With two of the Wild forwards now injured, and with it not known how much time they'll be out, the Wild are making a roster move and are calling Aeros right wing Cal Clutterbuck up to the team -- actually, he's on his way to Miami since that where the Wild play on Thursday night.

I didn't mention this in my story of Monday night's game -- though Andrew Ferraro and Ms. Conduct nailed it -- but one of the key points of the game against the Admirals came late in the second period when the Admirals were on the power play. Clutterbuck was part of the penalty kill team, and early on the kill, he lost his stick. He hustled about the ice for about 1:30 without his stick, doing everything he could do to mess with the Admirals. And if I remember it correctly, it was Clutterbuck who eventually knocked the puck out of the Aeros zone by swiping at it with his hand.

Cal Clutterbuck is not the most talented guy on the Aeros roster. But few guys hustle like he does. And the guy loves to hit.

So good luck with the big guys, Cal. And as much as you will be missed in Houston, here's to you having a nice, long, productive stay in St. Paul. As for the Aeros, well, I'm sure Kevin Constantine will find a way to manage.

As for who plays in his place with Houston: I'm thinking Constantine is going to go with Matt Kassian. John Lammers has played for Constantine in the ECHL, and he said nice things about Lammers after the first San Antonio preseason game, but I'm basing my pure guess on Kassian being a physical presence, and I think that with the first two lines being heavily offensive lines, that Constantine is going to want to keep a big physical presence on that third line.

But I could be wrong.

If You Thought T.O. Was Unhappy Before, Just Wait...

Who would've thought it? Adam "Pacman" Jones suspended. I sure never saw that coming. And it's not like he made it rain this time.

But things with the Cowboys get better. Today they went and traded for Roy Williams. Wide receiver. Detroit Lions. I guess there's nothing like getting that winning Lions attitude into the locker room. And there's nothing like getting another overrated number one receiver into the same locker room with Terrell Owens. Hell, T.O. didn't think he was getting the ball enough when the team was winning. What' s he going to think now?

The guy didn't want to share the ball with Jason Witten or Patrick Crayton. What makes them think he's going to want to share the ball with Roy Williams. Hell, I'm shocked he's letting Jessica Simpson share Tony Romo with him. And now it looks like Brett Favre is also trying to get in on some of that Tony Romo action.

And I'm sure that T.O. has been on the phone with Brad Johnson -- Romo's replacement while Romo is out with his broken pinkie -- and has been handing out advice. Advice like throw it to T.O. and forget about those other chumps.

But I'm sure that Johnson's also been on the phone. To Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia. And I'm sure they're telling him to run as far away from Dallas as he can.

Cowboy football. It's going to be fun watching this team implode.

Jack White: Another Way To Suck

I am a big James Bonds fan. Big. And if you ask several friends of mine, they'll tell you that I said that Daniel Craig would make a great Bond when he was cast and people were bitching about him being blonde.

That said. I hate the title of the new movie, "Quantum of Solace." But I don't hate that title as much as I hate the movie's theme song. It's sung by Jack White and Alicia Keys. And really, it's one of the worst Bond themes I've ever heard. Think Sheryl Crow bad. Or a-ha bad. Or Duran Duran bad.

Yeah. That bad.

But don't trust me on this. Just take a listen.

It's called "Another Way to Die," but I'm calling it "Another Way to Suck."

That's how bad I think this thing is.

It's the first ever duet for a Bond movie. And listening to it, I can't help but wonder if it not only should it be the last, but whether there is anyway that we can go back in time and prevent it from happening in the first place.

Let's just say that I think Noel Gallagher is being too kind when he talks about this thing being a travesty. And while I think the Chicago Sun-Times is a bit hard on the Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from "Casino Royale," I think it nails just how bad this song really really is.

So to make up for it, I'm going to leave you with a good Bond theme. Paul McCartney and Wings doing "Live and Let Die."

What I'm Listening To

So I thought I would revisit one of my old features, which is giving you some insight into my (lousy) taste in music. What I do is stick my iPod on random and tell you about the first 15 songs I hear out of the 5934 songs I have stored on it. So, let's get to it.

1. "Black and Blue," Counting Crows, off of Hard Candy. A slow building, quiet Crows rock ballad that gets me to feeling very lonely when I hear it. At times, I think Hard Candy is my favorite Counting Crows CD.

2. "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," Bruce Springsteen off of Born To Run. Starts with horns and keyboards, then the drum comes in, then The Boss. Great song off a great album.

3. "Go Insane," Fleetwood Mac off of The Dance. Yes, this is a Lindsey Buckingham rocker off one of his early solo albums, but this is the Fleetwood Mac slow, acoustic version that they did on their reunion tour.

4. "I'll Stick Around," Foo Fighters off of Foo Fighters. This is when the band was just Dave Grohl on all of the instruments. It's the prototype of what has become the standard Foo Fighter rocker. Soft/Loud. Hard/Slow.

5. "Deportee," Elvis Costello off of the King of America bonus disc. It's just Elvis on a solo demo in a slow almost-country ballad.

6. "My Pet Lion," Juliana Hatfield off of Made In China. Quick, almost breathless, urgent rocker. Standard Hatfield. Which is a good thing.

7. "Last One Standing," Neil Finn off of Try Whistling This. Standard Crowded House type ballad which is fitting since Finn was one of the masterminds behind Crowded House.

8. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," The Band off of their greatest hits. I tend to think The Band is a bit overrated in the annals of rock music. Then again, I'm often called an idiot. Still, I like this version of the song.

9. "Dumb Fun," Juliana Hatfield off of Only Everything. It's Hatfield's little girl constantly burned by life kind of song where she beats up on herself.

10. "Six Months In A Leaky Boat," Split Enz off of their greatest hits. Jangly happy sounding rocker which is darker than it sounds on first listen.

11. "Down," Stone Temple Pilots off of 4. I am a huge STP fan. This is just a good song that I like to listen to on "11."

12. "Beautiful," Christina Aguilera off of Stripped. I like this song. So shoot me.

13. "If You Wanna," Paul McCartney off of Flaming Pie. McCartney's solo masterpiece from the mid-90s. There's almost an early Beatles sound to it.

14. "English Trees," Crowded House off of Time on Earth. Well, the only thing I'm missing is a song by the Finn Brothers because I seem to have the rest of the Split Enz offshoots handled. Dark, lonely song. Which is standard for this band.

15. "Bones," The Killers off of Sam's Town. This, to me, is just a fun song. It's a good rocker which is just fun to listen to. And I liked this CD though I know it didn't do much on the charts. And it's got a cool video from Tim Burton.

Power Play Powers Aeros To Victory

Excuse the delay in posting, but I was dealing with my Houston Press duties.

So how about that game? The Aeros combined a little offense with the ever-stellar work of Nolan Schaefer to come away with the 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals.

The third and fourth lines for the Aeros still aren’t exactly impressing me, but the first and second lines have cranked the Aeros offensive game up to a level that wasn’t often seen around Toyota Center last season. The Aeros were even able to score on the power play twice. Sure, the second power play goal came at 19:01 of the third period and the Admirals had pulled goalie Drew MacIntyre. But if you watched the Aeros last season, then you know that even empty net power play goals were few and far between.

And no one is happier about this, or more impressed, than Mr. Schaefer.

“Our ability offensively to keep the puck in on the other team has been unbelievable. I think the power play tonight did a great job,” Schaefer said after the game. “I’ve never seen us work the puck around like that. Especially not last season at all. That’s been impressive.”

And speaking of the power play, the Aeros experimented with a power play line consisting of Ryan Hamilton, Jesse Schultz, Corey Locke, Morton Madsen, and Maxim Noreau. “We add a degree of risk that could hurt us at times,” Constantine said of this four forward line. But he thinks the risk is worth it.

“I think our personnel is better on the power play,” he said. “The puck just moves better on the ice.”

The puck moved really nice on the Aeros first goal, a power play goal at 14:03. Locke fed Schultz a cross-ice pass, and Schultz fired the puck to Hamilton who was on the opposite end of MacIntyre and who then shot the puck past by the flailing MacIntyre.

Thanks to Fred Trask for this photo of Hamilton just after scoring the goal.

And further speaking of the puck moving better on the ice, it was just fun watching Krys Kolanos. There’s just this feeling, whenever he has the puck that a goal is going to happen – that’s probably because he’s accounted for three of the Aeros five goals so far this season. And though they have yet to get a goal, Jesse Schultz and Corey Locke are turning into an excellent combination on the ice. They seem to have this innate ability to set up each other.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:

The Aeros are 2-0-0-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season. This is also only the second time in team history that the team has started out 2-0-0-0. And though they’ve only played two games, the Aeros are currently in a tie for first place in the West Division with Iowa and Rockford.

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Nolan Schaefer’s shutout was the first shutout in the AHL this season. It’s also the 15th shutout of Schaefer’s professional career. Fourteen of those shutouts have been in the AHL, and seven of those 15 have been while he has been with the Aeros.

Schaefer, as is his wont, didn’t really want to talk about himself after the game. He was happy getting the four points. “You want to start off the season with wins,” he said.

He also thinks this team is picking up from where last season ended. “We had a lot of chemistry last year. And we had a lot of fun. Maybe we just didn’t have a couple of the offensive guys that we picked up over the summer,” he said. “It’s made a great difference, and we still keep the chemistry that we had coming from last year.”

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Constantine gives credit for the four forward power play to assistant coach Troy G. Ward.

“It’s something that we’ve done in the past. So it’s not brand new. Troy is really running the power play. I think he’ll do a great job this year with the power play,” Constantine said. “It’s something Troy wanted to try.”

And Constantine said the impetus for this was forward Morten Madsen who he wanted interacting with the others because of his passing ability. But Constantine also said this four forward power play would only be as good the defense. The forwards can’t leave it to just Maxim Noreau to handle the defensive side of the power play.

And this isn’t even a new thing for Constantine. “I played in Pittsburgh at times when I was the Penguin coach with five forwards. It’s not totally unheard of….” Constantine said. “We’re going to experiment with it and see how it goes.”

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The Aeros are currently carrying three goalies, but this shouldn’t be lasting much longer. The odd man out will be Anton Khudobin. It’s not because Khudobin isn’t ready to play in the AHL or with the Aeros. But it’s just because there’s no room for him to play while Schaefer and Barry Brust are still on the team.

Constantine said the team couldn’t financially afford to carry three goalies. But he seemed more concern about the lack of ice time that results with three goalies. It’s just impossible for three to get the proper amount of practice time.

The Aeros are currently looking for a lower level team for Khudobin. But Constantine wants it to be just the right situation. He’s looking for a team where Khudobin will get to play from 70-90 percent of the time, and he wants Khudobin playing in a league where he will be facing lots of shots every night.

And Constantine is confident Khudobin will be back

Now I need to get to bed, so I’m going to play us out tonight with a little Genesis, and primarily “Mama” because the Aeros have been playing that before lineups and I can’t get it out of my head.

Aeros vs. Admirals: Puck Time

FINAL UPDATE: Aeros win 3-0. Krys Kolanos scores in first minute of period, then scores in last minute.

SECOND UPDATE; The Aeros dominated the first ten minutes of the period, but coiuld not score. Then again, neither could Milwaukee, so after two periods, the score is still 1-0 Aeros.

FIRST UPDATE: The Aeros have the 1-0 lead at the first intermission. Ryan Hamilton scored the goal on a power play at 14:07 after getting a pretty pass from Jesse Schultz.

It's 7:01 here at Toyota Center. And we should have a puck drop pretty soon. I'll make a guess and say the action will get going about 7:08. It looks to be a standard Monday night crowd. That means, only the die hards are in evidence, though I suppose every one could still be out at the concessions.

Anyway, check back here during the night and I'll try to keep you updated on what's going on in the game.

Pierre the Hockey Snowman for President

Okay, I'm honestly trying to keep politics out of this version of the blog. But I couldn't resist this little item.

The Phoenix Coyotes apparently have a mascot called Pierre the Hockey Snowman, and they've decided to run him for President. You can see one of his campaign videos here.



And here's a note for all of you politicians. I read today that John McCain is now coming out on stage to the music from Rocky. That's okay, I guess. And the music about going to fly now is inspiring. But you've really got to remember. Rocky lost to Apollo Creed in that first fight.

He lost.

Why the insistence on associating yourself with a loser?

Houston Aeros vs. Milwaukee Admirals: Pregame Notes

Thanks to Patrick Armstrong and the staff with the Aeros, I have some pregame notes for tonight's game, and I thought I would share them with you while I take my lunch. (Once again, the standard caveat, I don't know if I'll be able to do this before every game, but if you like these, please leave a note and let me know.)

The Aeros and Admirals will be facing each for the 95th time tonight. The Aeros trail in the series 40-42-9-4, but they do have a winning record against Milwaukee at home, 27-17-5-3. The series was 3-3-0-2 last season, with the Aeros 3-0-0-1 against the Admirals in Houston last season.

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Tonight's game will be Peter Olvecky's 200th career AHL game, for any of you who find that fact interesting.

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The Aeros victory over Chicago on Saturday night was there first opening night victory since defeating San Antonio on opening night in 2005. And while Saturday night was the opener of the 2008-2009 season, the game somewhat resembled many efforts from the past season.

First there was Nolan Schaefer's outstanding play in goal. He stopped 27 of Chicago's 28 shots, and made several excellent saves. And Houston's penalty kill was also in top shape as they killed four of Chicago's five power play opportunities.

But then there was the Aeros power play, which appeared to be as lacking as last year's. The team was 0-4 on the power play Saturday night. But in my talk with Kevin Constantine after the game, I learned that he didn't feel too bad about that -- unlike last season where his displeasure with the power play was often evident though he tried to hide it. He liked the puck movement and the positioning, and he felt that the team got some good shots, but that they just couldn't convert.

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Meanwhile, the big boy's team also played on Saturday night, and the Wild opened the season with a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Rookie Colton Gillies, who played 11 regular season games and five playoff games with the Aeros last season, got his first NHL point in his very first NHL game as he got an assist.

And last year's Aeros captain, Erik Reitz, also got some ice play on Saturday night. He was +1 for the game, and he blocked three shots.

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The Admirals come into this game with the same record as the Aeros, 1-0. They, too, opened their season on Saturday night, getting a 3-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage in San Antonio.

And former Aero, Lane Lambert, is returning for his second season as coach of the Admirals.

And if you can't make the game tonight, I'll try and do a bit of live blog updating thing. But I hope to see you at the game.

Don't Mess With the Cup, Dude!

I think hockey is a great sport. The action is fast and it is a thrilling combination of grace and brutality. Every person that I know who has gone to a hockey game has become hooked on the game.

Yes, the TV ratings are small. Yes, Gary Bettman has to be one of the worst commissioners that any sport has ever seen. And yes, even though I want the NHL in Houston -- where there would be a natural rivalry with the Dallas Stars -- the NHL just doesn't belong in several of the cities where they are trying to play the game. Like Nashville. Or Atlanta. Or Phoenix. Or Raleigh.

That said, the thing the thing I most dislike about hockey is the huge inferiority complex that those running the sport seem to have. Thus you get things like the NHL all-star weekend that is a cheap rip-off of the NBA all-star weekend. You get things like opening the season in Europe and depriving people in Pittsburgh and New York of home games.

And you get things like the NHL trying to rip-off the NFL's opening day spectacle with a big concert at the home of the Stanley Cup winner before the season's first game. Especially when the group you get is the washed-up decades ago Def Leppard. And what makes it even worse is that lead singer Joe Elliott is a moron who doesn't know how to handle the Stanley Cup -- but I'll give hockey fans this, if Elliott would've screwed up some soccer trophy like this, he would have been killed by the soccer fans.



But at least he didn't let the one-armed drummer play with it.

College Football Review -- Upset Weekend Two: Electric Boogaloo

Welcome to upset Saturday Two: Electric Boogaloo. And while none of these upsets are as shocking as USC’s loss to Oregon State several weeks ago, or Florida’s loss to Mississippi, there were, nevertheless, some big upsets that have upset the rankings yet again.

Saturday started off in Dallas with Texas falling behind the favored Oklahoma by 11 points twice in the first half. Then they fell behind by eight points in the third quarter. But the Longhorns got to the Sooners, and before the carnage was finished, the Horns went on to the 45-35 victory, knocking off the number one team in the country in the process.

Texas was led by Colt McCoy who had a good, workman-like game, going 28 for 35 while throwing for 277 yards and one touchdown. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford was good, going 28 for 39 while throwing for 387 yards and five TD, but that wasn’t enough, especially after Texas limited Oklahoma to just 48 yards rushing for the entire game.

But it gets better. The two teams that were best poised to take over the number one spot from Oklahoma also lost. LSU got its ass kicked by Florida, 51-21. The loss was LSU’s first regulation loss in two years, and it was the team’s worst defeat since losing 31-0 to Alabama in 2002. The Florida victory was never in doubt as they led 20-0 at the half.

Missouri was hosting Oklahoma State. And a Missouri win would put them at the one spot. This should have been one of those high-scoring 56-52 games as the two teams were number two and three in the country in total offense. So wouldn’t you know the final score was 28-23 with Oklahoma State coming out the winner? Chase Daniel’s Heisman chances were probably tossed by the wayside as he threw three interceptions. And for the interested, Oklahoma State is 6-0 for the first time since 1945.

There were two minor upsets as Mississippi State handed Vanderbilt it’s first loss of the season, and in Auburn, they discovered that firing the offensive coordinator during the week prior to the game doesn’t guarantee a victory as Auburn lost again, this time to Arkansas by the score of 25-22. And with Arkansas being a bit of a pansy this year, Auburn should have been able to handle that game.

Texas Tech, another of the country’s highest scoring team, nearly had its national title hopes dashed by Nebraska, a team that had been demolished by Missouri the week before. The last time Nebraska came to Lubbock to play Tech, they last 70-10. This time, out the Cornhuskers sent the game to overtime before losing to the Red Raiders 37-31.

But should of isn’t would of.

The Aggies got their asses kicked again, this time losing to Kansas State at Kyle Field by a 44-30 score, and TCU had its offense shut down, but still got the 13-7 win over Colorado State.

The bad thing about this weekend was that Ohio State and USC won again. And with the undefeated teams falling away, the one loss teams get to move back into position for the national title. And I really really really don’t want Ohio State playing in that damn game again.

The Official Aeros Game Story

For those of you who are curious, here is my official Aeros/Wolves game story that I filed for the Houston Press. And thanks once again to Fred Trask for the use of the photo of Krys Kolanos scoring the winning goal.

And please, I need the hits over at the Press, so please click on the actual story and give it a read, though I don't think there's anything in it that you haven't read. But it's through the Press that I get my press pass, and I would really like to keep my access.

Just A Point to Ponder

You know, when even Mr. Cowboy Troy Aikman thinks the Arizona Cardinals are being robbed by the officiating -- with the calls being in the Cowboys favor -- then maybe, just maybe, the officiating is bad.

Just a thought.

But there was some justice as the Cardinals as the blocked a Cowboys punt in OT and scored the TD to win the game.

Some Random Notes and Thoughts Re Texans vs. Dolphins

Now I watched the Texans and Dolphins play football earlier today. But I'm convinced that I have some kind of brain tumor because I could swear that I saw the Texans win a football game, 29-28, in the final seconds of the game.

The Texans are no longer undefeated for the season, but I don't care what happened. I just don't think this is a good football game. I figured the Dolphins would find some way to trick up that tricky Wildcat offense that they've been running, but apparently the Texans didn't because the Dolphins got a TD bomb from Chad Pennington even though Pennington was lined up at wide receiver for the play, and the snap went to running back Ronnie Brown who handed the ball off to Ricky Williams who, as he went toward the sideline handed the ball off to Chad Pennington who then just stood in a wide-open space of grass just waiting for the intended receiver to get even more wide-open than he already was before hitting him with the pass for the TD.

I thought Matt Schaub looked like crap. Again. The only thing making Schaub look like the hero is that Andre Johnson bailed Schaub's sorry ass out time after time on the Texans final scoring drive.

And what do you want to bet that, come kickoff next week, Richard Justice will be claiming that since Gary Kubiak got the win he can have all of his excuses back. This type of thing is just one of the many of thousands of things that bug me about Justice. In this blog post, he's saying that Gary Kubiak has run out of excuses as a coach and that the performance of Kubiak as a coach is an embarrassment. But don't you just know that come the next couple of days, Justice is going to be calling Kubiak a genius who is doing wonders with a crappy roster (that is, if Justice doesn't do like he's done in the past and change the contents of the linked to post.)

But I shouldn't be complaining. Right? The Texans won a game. Finally. And it's my birthday.

The Not So Popular Hockey Mom

I was curious as to how the world's best known so-called hockey mom would be greated at last night's New York Rangers/Philadelphia Flyers hockey game in Philadelphia. Well, thanks to YouTube, I know. And the answer is not so kindly.



Besides the look of oblviousness on her face throughout, I think the most interesting part of the bit is the evident discomfort on the faces of the players involved in the puck drop. And apparently, Sean Gomez, the New York Ranger who was chosen to take part in the puck drop is a native of Alaska who wanted to keep politics out of his appearance. And Gomez's background is more of Obama's than it is Palin's.

And it bugs me, just bugs, me that Palin continues to use her kids as props. As if hoping, somehow, that their presence will give her some better treatment. I was also bugged by the fact that a so-called hockey mom didn't appear to have a clue as to how to actually hold the damn puck.

Some Thoughts From the Aeros First Game

I was more concerned with the game story last night, and less concerned with my impressions and general notes from the Aeros/Wolves game. So since I've got my own blog, I thought I would share them.

Nolan Schaefer played last night the way he played at the end of last season. And those of you who watched the Aeros last season know what that means. He made several tough saves, and he made those tough saves look easy.

One of the things I like about Schaefer is that no matter how the game goes, when you talk to him afterwards, he's not happy. There's always something that he messed up. Something that he could have done better. Last night, he was upset about the way he handled some of the rebounds which caused his defense to scramble to get into position to prevent the Wolves sharpshooters from getting off a good shot.

Barry Brust is also like this after a game, though he's a little more humorous and self-effacing about it. I can remember talking to them after shut-outs last year, and they were disappointed in their play while giving all of the credit for their wins to their teammates.

Which Schaefer did last night.

But while Schaefer might not have been thrilled with the game, Kevin Constantine and the rest of the coaching staff felt that Schaefer was the game's best player.

Speaking of sharpshooters, how about that Aeros offense? I know the team only got two goals in 63-plus minutes of play, but that was more the result of the play Chicago's goalie Ondrej Pavelec. While I wasn't exactly thrilled by the overall play of the third and fourth lines, I did like what I saw from the first two lines.

The first line of Marco Rosa, Peter Olvecky, and Krys Kolanos were constantly attacking the net and getting off shots. These weren't desperation shots, as was so often the case with last year's team, but were more the result of excellent movement among the players and guys being in position for a good shot. The same thing was true of the second line of Ryan Hamilton, Jesse Schultz, and Corey Locke.

And here's a cute little anecdote to share -- and I should probably be careful about using the word "cute" when talking hockey. But as most of you know, Joe O'Donnell is the new play-by-play voice of the Houston Aeros. The Aeros contacted him about the job by phoning him two hours before his wedding. The day after his wedding he booked a flight to Houston to interview for the job. And one week later, he had the job.

I don't think he's been on his honeymoon, yet, though.

Some Coming From My Ass Predictions for Texans v. Dolphins

I've got nothing on which to base these predictions, but...

Dolphins win 21-10. The Texans key on Ronnie Brown, but are instead killed by Ricky Williams. Ahman Green will pull, twist, or sprain something in the second quarter. Matt Schaub will throw three INT. Gary Kubiak will lose another replay challenge.

The Texans will be booed.

I could be wrong.

Aeros Roll To Victory

"I think first nights are really hard to play," Houston Aeros head coach Kevin Constantine said in his office after Saturday night's game. "The guys are nervous. They don’t really play the way they’re gonna within the next month once they get used to things. The building is hot. I just think they’re hard games to play."

The games may be hard to play. And the guys might not be playing the way they're going to be playing within the next month, but the Aeros got the win. A 2-1 overtime victory in the season's first game over the Chicago Wolves, the defending Calder Cup champions.

The first goal was the bizarre result of a rather normal play. Defenseman Dane Crowley was attempting to dump off the puck in the Chicago zone as the team Aeros regrouped. But the puck hit off a partition and rebounded across the ice into the back of the net, which Chicago goalie Ondrej Pavelec was not guarding because he had drifted behind the net in anticipation of fielding the puck.

Aeros goalie Nolan Schaefer felt some sympahty for Pavelec. "I’ve been unlucky a few times on something weird like that," he said. But sympathy or not, I don't think Schaefer has any problem with how that puck went into the net. The Aeros got the goal, after all. And that goal put them up 1-0 at 10:35 of the first period.

The Aeros didn't press the action in the second period, and that came back to bite them in the ass as Chicago pressed the attack, tying the game on a Colin Stuart power play at 14:18 of the second period. And that's where the score stayed, 1-1, throughout the rest of the second period and the entire third period.

The game ended at 3:37 in the overtime when Morten Madsen fired a laser of a shot toward Pavelec that Krys Kolanos got to on the rebound and tipped into the net to give the Aeros the 2-1 victory.

Photo of Kolanos scoring the goal courtesy of Fred Trask.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

Last night's attendance was 7,380.

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This game was the Aeros first opening game victory in three seasons.

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Kevin Constantine sees the opening games of the season as a chance to get systems in order and put foundations into place. Not that he's willing to give up the victory.

The opening game is "almost a throwaway game that you just hope things work out," Constantine says. "Tonight it worked out for us. There were lots of our game that were okay. But there are lots of our game that we’ve got to back to the drawing board and work on."

Constantine and the staff were happy with the play of the team as a whole, however.
In particular, they thought Nolan Schaefer was the player of the game. He blocked 27 of 28 shots, and the shot that went was a laser of a shot that Superman probably could not have stopped.

Constantine was also happy with the play of Marco Rosa, Krys Kolanos, Paul Albers, and Clayton Stoner.

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For those of you who are interested, the Aeros captain and alternate captain designations will alternate this season between Bryan Lundbohm, Clayton Stoner, Ryan Hamilton, and Brandon Rogers.

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The Aeros are now 6-6-3 all-time on opening night. And they are 6-7-2 on home openers. They also continue to have the edge in the all-time series against Chicago. They are now 45-34-14-4 all-time against the Wolves.

Aeros forward Jesse Schultz played in his 300th career AHL game last night, and he is just 10 goals short of 100 for his AHL career. Meanwhile, first-year Aero Dane Crowley's first period goal was his first ever AHL goal -- he also played five games with Norfolk last season.

And last night's game was the first game for Don Granato as head coach of Chicago. Last year's coach, John Anderson, is now the head coach of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. Granato was the AHL's Coach of the Year in 2000-01. Chicago's next game is Wednesday night in San Antonio.

Speaking of Wolves...how about I play you out with something that's a little obvious. Yep, Duran Duran and "Hungry Like The Wolf."

Puck Time

FINAL UPDATE: Aeros win 2-1 in overtime as Krys Kolanos tips in the rebound of a Clayton Stoner shot at 3:37. Needless to say, the team is happy. I'll write more in another post later.

FOURTH UPDATE: In overtime. Score is 1-1.

THIRD UPDATE: At the second intermission the score is 1-1. Chicago tied the score at 14:28 of the second on a power play. Chicago's Colin Stuart fired a laser past Nolan Schaefer. The assists went to Joe Motzko and Grant Stevenson.

Chicago has outshot Houston 20-14, including outshooting them 9 shots to 4 in the second.

I'll write more later.

SECOND UPDATE: We are at the first intermission and the Aeros have the 1-0 lead thanks to Crowley.

Aeros goalie Nolan Schaefer made a nice save at the buzzer to keep the Aeros ahead. Chicago has, however, outshot Houston 11 to 10.

UPDATE: Aeros score game's first goal at 10:35 of the first period. Newcomer Dane Crowley gets the goal with the assists from Danny Irmen and Bryan Lundbohm.

The puck should be dropping soon. I'll be back later tonight with some color info.

The Not So Welcome Hockey Mom

Well, here's something interesting.

Apparently, the world's best known hockey mom, one Sarah Palin, is dropping the puck at the home opener for the Philadelphia Flyers tonight. And this doesn't appear to be going over too well among the Flyer fans.

The last time I checked, Pennsylvania is a pretty blue state, and Philadelphia is a pretty blue city, so it's not too surprising that the great citizens of Philly and Flyers hockey fans would take umbrage to her appearance at the game. It's nice that the GOPers want to play on Palin's hockey mom persona, but it seems they could do that at a friendlier location.

Maybe they should send her to a Red State with hockey, like Georgia, or Tennessee, or Arizona, or Texas. It just doesn't make sense to send her out before such an unfriendly crowd. Then again, maybe if they announce her as Tina Fey it will all turn out okay.

When An Upset is Not An Upset

The TV just informed me that Toledo beat Michigan 13-10. And the TV called this is an upset.

Michigan is not good this year. Michigan wasn't good last year. An upset is when a big underdog team beats a really good team, say Oregon State defeating USC, or Mississippi defeating Florida. Michigan losing a game to anybody this year isn't an upset.

Houston Aeros v. Chicago Wolves -- Pregame Notes

I'm not sure how often I will get the chance to do this, but I thought I would share some of the pregame media notes for tonight's Aeros home opener. I usually try to put some of these into my Houston Press game story, but I had the chance today, so I thought you might like to see these ahead of times.

And thanks to Patrick Armstrong with the Aeros for sending these along.

SOME BASIC NOTES

This is the season opener for the Aeros. Obviously. And this is the first game of their 15th season. The Aeros have played no team more often in this time span than the Chicago Wolves. The two teams have played each other 96 times, and the Aeros lead the all-time series 44-34-14-4.

The two teams played each other six times last season, and they finished up at 3-3-0, with Chicago winning the first three games, and the Aeros winning the final three. The Aeros were 2-1 at Toyota Center against Chicago while playing at Toyota Center last season.

You might also like to know that the Aeros are 5-6-3 all-time on Opening Night, and they are 5-7-2 all-time in their home openers.

SOME ROSTER NOTES

As I wrote in my media day story for the Houston Press, the Aeros roster is basically the same one as last year -- which should make the start of the season easier to stomach in that there won't be a bunch of new players trying to learn head coach Kevin Constantine's system. But three of those new players should prove to be three of the team's biggest acquisitions over the past several years.

Forward Corey Locke arrives from the Hamilton Bulldogs. He had 72(30-42) points last season. Forward Jesse Schultz arrives from the Calder Cup defending Chicago Wolves. He accounted for 66 (26-40) last season. The final arrival is forward Krys Kolanos who was with Quad City Flames last season, where he had 63 (30-33) point last season.

Here's some video of Kolanos in action from several years ago.



As anyone who watched the Aeros last season is aware, scoring goals was a huge problem, and no one on last season's roster came close to approaching those scoring numbers.

I'm also pleased to note that the Aeros, the Minnesota Wild, and the Dallas Stars appeared to have worked out the issues which will allow the Aeros to use forward John Lammers. I saw Lammers play a preseason game against the San Antonio Rampage last week. He scored two goals during the sixty minutes of regular game action, then got the goal in the shootout that put the Aeros on top. Lammers played most of last season in the ECHL, and he put in a few games with the defunct Iowa Stars of the AHL. Lammers is a part of the Dallas Stars organization, but because they do not have an AHL affiliate this season, their players are being loaned to other AHL teams, and luckily, the Aeros are getting Lammers.

I'll see you at the game tonight. I'll try to post something after the game, but the primary game story will be in the Houston Press on Monday.

Houston, We Have A Liftoff

Tonight is the start of the regular season for the Houston Aeros, the AHL minor league affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. And being from the south, I don't have much of a history with hockey. It's not something that I grew up watching -- though I do, of course, remember Miracle on Ice.

For the past year and a half, I've been the sports blogger for the Houston Press -- my duties over there drove me away from this site. But they're not exactly crazy about my writings on the Aeros. Apparently, no one reads them. But I covered them last year. Got my press pass and everything, and I'm supposed to be covering them for the Press again this year, though the editors don't seem too thrilled.

I hope to make the Chronicles here a go-to spot for more Aeros coverage than I can currently give over at the Press.

This is my current posting over at the Press, and it's mainly my thoughts about media day. Apparently my Press editor thinks that the quotes are too cliched, to which I ask: dude, I'm talking to jocks. What do you expect?

Anyway, the season starts tonight against the AHL's defending Calder Cup champs Chicago Wolves. Game time is 7:30. If you're in Houston, and you want something exciting to do, come down to Toyota Center and check out the game.

I'm optimistic about this version of the Aeros. Last year's team was full of heart -- how's that for a cliche -- but severly lacking in talent on the offensive end. But the Aeros added some firepower in the names of Corey Locke, Krys Kolanos, and Jesse Schultz. All three were high goal scorers in the AHL last season, and I'm hoping to see some of that here in Houston. There's also a kid named John Lammers who really impressed me in an exhibition contest last week -- the club's currently working on a loan arrangement with the Dallas Star so that Lammers can suit up and play for the Aeros. (Remind sometime, and I'll go more in depth into the current situation with the AHL and the Dallas Stars.)

I'm also hoping the team gets the deal with defenseman Mitch Love ironed out. It's not that Love is that great a player. I haven't really seen him play much so as to make that decision, but I'm working on getting the Aeros sound guys to play The Pretenders "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" whenever he does something on the ice.

Oh well. I think that's it for now. I'll try to update the blog links on the right side over there. And I'll try to start getting more posts up.

Meanwhile, how about I play you out with a little of The Pretenders?

Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

Welcome to The ClownVision Chronicles. Due to difficulties with my current blogging gig, I'm thinking of starting this thing back up. Which leads me to ask: is anybody reading?

If this thing gets back up again, expect more sports than before, especially AHL hockey. And more pop culture.

Who knows. I might do nothing.