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.