Really ready - really, they were

The mourning links, draped in blue, white and black:

No random thoughts out of this one, an equal opportunity loss, the Leafs' faults on display from the GM to the coach on down -- a long list. As for the good: Darcy Tucker did dive well, and Ben Ondrus dropped the gloves in the final seconds in one of those it's all over but let's fight and everyone will talk about what a gamer I am moments. Did I miss anything?
One last pep talk from the ever locquacious captain, his game shrinking as fast as his team: "I thought we were really ready to play the game."

Oh, and the Thrashers continued to score goals, come back and win, beating the Devils in OT, so here's your latest look at the taffy pull:

8 Atlanta 76
9 Montreal 75
10 Ithoughtwewerereallyready 70
11 Florida 69
12 Islanders 68

In the bigger picture, it's not nearly so bad this morning. I mean, Duke is out (and LSU is in, especially Tyrus Thomas, the freshman's dunk and followup block at the other end the no mas moment).

Meanwhile, I saw the ad, Ben Johnson's latest brainwave endorsement, earlier in the week -- it was right after Don Cherry interviewed Dick Pound on drug testing on HNIC, so how's that for an ironic convergence? -- and it was like driving by an accident. Here's the morning assignment (besides finding a YouTube version of the ad, which I haven't managed to do this morning) -- come up with Ben's next product placement.

Oh, and you're stuck in office while the footy's on from the old country? Next season, you may be in luck as the Premier League is ready to okay webcasts of live games.

We're not kidding around anymore!

The morning links, a real steam of consciousness today:

AP PHOTO

Oh, those cold chillin' Knicks.

"We're not kidding around anymore, we really want this playoff spot", says Mikael Tellqvist, and yes, that was a nice bit of energy, hustle and power play goals last night as the Leafs beat the 'Canes 3-2 -- but does that mean y'all were kidding around before, Mikey? It sure looked that way, sometimes.
They better be strapped in, because this midway ride has just begun. Last night was glorious for channel changers, with the Raptors over there and a full set of hockey at the Centre Ice package, including Atlanta's comeback shootout win over Boston. A few random thoughts:

The kids: Although Suglobov looked like Mr. Frick out there, Brendan Bell was fine, playing a disciplined, heady game. He can come back to my team any time.
Hands up everyone out there who misses Ed Belfour. Tie Domi?
Outside of Jason Allison, I thought Chad Kilger was the Leafs' best forward. Actually, he's played pretty well the past few nights.
Jeff O'Neill returned with two assists, which was a heartening development. But assists are among the lamest stat in sports, Wellwood's screen on the Leafs' second goal and his spadework on the first going uncredited on the scoresheet.
The Thrashers can score when they have to. At least against the Bruins. And apart from a shootout, where it took 'em seven tries to put away Boston and gain a very important point -- which really shouldn't be called a point. Question for the day: What term should be applied to points gained via shootouts? I prefer "cheez", but I'm sure you can come up with better.
Highlight of the night: It had to be the Edie Falco interview from the Garden, where we learned: a/they never talk basketball on the set; b/It's a real drama with the Knicks this season; c/The Sopranos has great writers. Hey, it was EDIE FALCO! She coulda pulled out the Manhattan phone book and started reading it, and that would have been fine with me. Nice catch, Norma.

Here's your update on the eastern conference taffy pull:

7 New Jersey 76
8 Atlanta 74
9 Montreal 73
10 Werenotkiddingaroundanymore 70
11 Islanders 68
12 Florida 67

Elsewhere:

NHL: Canucks and Sharks win -- yes, the Canucks won, go to the link, I'm not kidding (although it's reg. req'd; try this one too)! -- and so the west's accordion of a playoff chase wheezes merrily on. Oh, and the Kings fire their coach.

NBA: A day after his farewell Toronto speech, Mike James puts his moneyball where his mouth is and drops 37 on the Knicks, Chris Bosh handling the chores in the fourth quarter while Marbury passes up shots and Francis watches and Larry Brown slaps his forehead. And Sam Mitchell gets a pat on the back from the new GM.

NFL: Colts pick up Adam Vinatieri.

CFL: As the Renegades turn.

FA Cup quarterfinals: Liverpool wins 7-0.

World Cup: CNN.com interviews Juergen Klinsmann and man, perhaps it's the translation, but he does ramble on some -- a little punctuation would have been nice:

Q: I guess that some of the criticism wouldn't have been quite so harsh if you had been based in Germany, do you have any regrets about being based in California and having to commute backwards and forwards?
A: No I think it is one of the reasons I am pretty sure I am doing a very good job with my team is that I fly back and forth is that I can kind of reflect and look at things from outside the box it is very untypical and unusual for Germans and with traditional thinking people you will always face some problems but it is a huge advantage it is an advantage to be in a different country and look at things differently, to balance things out, the communication is the same I call the players on the phone I email or whatever communications tools you use is the same would be the same if I was here in Germany but they can't grab you physically the media can't grab you physically they say that tomorrow you might be in Munich so we want to see we want to be part of his daily life you can't be part of my daily life because I have a job that I have to get done so at the end of the day I'm not going to waste my time with you.

The WBC in T.O.

A quick tour thru the morning links today, after last night's WBC final went on so long they coulda fit a World Series game inside of it:

Yes, Japan wins the WBC, scoring four times in the first and four in the ninth to beat Cuba 10-6. I've become a believer in this thing, after an admittedly crabby start. How to make it better? Yesterday, Rich Griffin took his run at it, and here's my shortlist. First, the umpiring has to improve, after being a major sideshow. Second, drop the pitching limits, which serve only to reinforce the notion that this is essentially a major-league preseason series, and not a truly open, planet-baseball competition. The timing is fine, there's nothing wrong with March -- move it up a little bit, says Dominican manager Stan Javier, and that'd be fine with me too -- but what about putting some games in a northern city (or cities) with a dome? Like Toronto, just to offer an example -- you knew that was coming, didn't you? -- where the community is multicultural enough to go for it in a big way (and where this time of year is pretty much free of any serious sporting competition, outside of the races for 10th place)?

On the subject of baseball and the world, check out this link to a post on the 1956 Dodgers commemorating the victims of the Hiroshima bombing with a plaque that now sits alongside the hot dog condiments in Vero Beach: "We dedicate this visit in memory of those baseball fans and others who here died by atomic action on Aug. 6, 1945. May their souls rest in peace and with God's help and man's resolution peace will prevail forever, amen." (via Robot Wisdom)

In the NHL, Montreal and Atlanta win, and so the east is not quite so tight at the bottom of the playoff grid. No such thing out west, where Anaheim scores twice in the third period to beat Dallas and leapfrog into a playoff spot, at least for now.

Right after Terrell Owens signs with the Cowboys (and wasn't it strange and a little ominous that Bill Parcells was nowhere to be seen during all that hugging?), Paul Tagliabue announces he's retiring from the NFL commissioner job in July. Coincidence?

Sid Lowe, whose coverage of La Liga in the Guardian is always worth a look, has a good one on the strange saga of two Spanish soccer plays who failed drug tests, one of them nearly four years ago -- but their cases drag on:

Four different bodies, plus the government sports minister, and UEFA, have been involved without reaching a conclusion and the Competition Committee resigned en masse, complaining of outside pressures. The new committee announced Gurpegui's guilt the next day, only for it later to emerge that they had not had time to read the reports properly. And, amidst it all, the World Anti-Doping Agency, accepting that this was a grey area, removed 19-Nandrosterona from its list of banned substances. Four years on there is no solution in sight.

Spring loaded

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, got morning links here, and David Ortiz:

We had Ortiz, anyway. His silver hoop earring and matching necklace ensemble went a-jingling out of the WBC Saturday, which was heartening, the jewelry he and his Dominican Rep. teammates wore enough to pay a year's salary for the Cuban team that defeated them. So it's Cuba vs Japan in tonight's final.

Leafs continue not to concede, eking out a 1-0 win in Pittsburgh on a penalty shot winner by Chad Kilger (really, it was), two power outages (and chants of "new arena") adding an element of mickey-mouse. Meantime, here's some odds on making the playoffs and the latest update from the east's taffy pull:

8 Montreal 71
9 Atlanta 70
10 We'renotconcedinganything 68
11 Islanders 66

Carlton wins hoops title (and Osvaldo Jeanty wins MVP) No. 4 on the trot, Quebec wins the Brier and at the NCAAs, North Carolina is out.

Chelsea lose, fans storm on to the field, Jose blames the referees.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson (40 points) get Line o' the Night mention in the NBA, while over in the NHL it's none other than Mikael Tellqvist, Leafs' shutout hero.

Roger, over and out

Top of the mornin' links to ya!

The field is complete for the final four at the WBC, and in a development both fitting and shocking, the U.S. and Roger Clemens is out after losing 2-1 to a Mexico team that was playing for pride, and a considerable amount of it, their defence and pitching the difference on the night.

AP PHOTO

Like Pat Quinn, an Irish dressing-down.

Semifinal matchups to come: Cuba vs. the Dominican Republic and Japan vs. Korea on Saturday, the two winners meeting Monday night.

When Pat Quinn played for the Maple Leafs, he used to dress for St. Patrick's Day in a big, green suit. But this St. Paddy's Day, so far away from those times, the Irishman's dressing down, as in kicking ass and taking names after his side lost 3-1 in Buffalo last night:

"We were in good shape, but both Allison and Tucker quit skating coming back. Sure, our defenceman got beat, but they could easily have backed him up on the play. It's why we're not a playoff team right now. That's the kind of play we're getting ... guys thinking, 'Well, someone else is going to do it.'"

So here's your updated eastern bottom-of-the-playoff race standing, including this overall good but not good enough effort against the hottest team in the NHL:

8 Montreal 71
9 Atlanta 70
10 Islanders 66
11 We'renotconcedinganything 66

Chris Zelkovich has a nice one this morning on the underappreciated CIS tournament in Halifax, which got underway last night with York and Laurier crashing at the first hurdle, and the three-time defending champion Carleton Ravens start today.

Another reason why Steve Nash is among the most admirable of pro athletes: He used his endorsement money from those computer ads you see to fund a hospital ward in Paraguay (via Sports Filter).

The Jays lock up Doc.

Ottawa Renegades minority owner sounds ready to throw in the towel, and perhaps the franchise is next.

Charging fringe players for tickets, driving up sponsorship deals via the media, and probably a ticket-price hike: it's the Malcolm Glazer approach at Manchester United.

LotN, NHL: Justin Williams of Carolina, two goals and two assists in the NHL-leading 'Canes' 5-1 win over Montreal. NBA: Shaquille O'Neal (remember him?) has 26 and 11 (including 2-9 from FT line) as the Heat rally from 25 down to beat Boston.

Now undressing, Ralph Kramdenero

It's an all-blog Thursday edition of the morning links! Everybody mamba!

That was some ball game last night, Cuba beating Puerto Rico 4-3 to reach the semifinals (Korea's into the final four, too, with a 2-1 win over Japan, meaning the U.S. still has a pulse and can complete the field today against Mexico). The seventh inning had it all, including pelting rain, the tying run thrown out at the plate -- and Cuba pitcher Romero looking like Ralph Kramdenero as he stood on the dugout, his uniform top half undone, then coming out to protest a call after the Cuban manager was tossed for arguing (and his interpreter, I presume -- the poor woman's translations were a bit too good, I guess). It took me a while, but I'm slowly becoming a believer in this WBC thing, which Dave Zirin hopes is the future of the game here: "If the WBC serves as an autopsy on America's national pastime, it also shows how the sport is being reborn beyond (the U.S.'s) borders."

Related: In honour of Dontrelle Willis, There's Your Karma, Ripe as Peaches has a post on charging the mound, with ESPN's Top 10 beanball brawls embedded. (George Bell inclusion: Bell's swing and a miss; Jorge Bell omission: Where's the karate kick and a miss on Bruce Kison?)

Raptors lose to the Pistons, but they did "play hard", as Rick Carlisle of the Pacers was applauding them for the other day (and as Tas on the Basketball Jones podcast was echoing in their latest). I have a question: since when did "playing hard" become anything other than a default setting, or an assessment that anyone outside of the coaches' fraternity should take seriously? These guys make a lot of money. "Playing hard" is the minimum they can do. "Playing smart" or "Playing disciplined" or "Playing prepared" or "Playing together" are different things entirely. Can't get on 'em too much for this, though, against a Detroit team that is best in the east. I mean, they "Play defence" while the Raptors "Just pretend".

More bloggorhea:

It's like a really, really bad sequel going down in Ottawa, or as Mike Nixon puts it at OttawaFootball.com: "The league should revoke the franchise immediately and decide either to carry it for one year while searching for new owners or fold it now. Ottawa fans do not deserve this treatment."

Down in New York, the worst nickname in sports is taking on one of basketball's most passive-aggressive (and decorated) martinets. It's "Starbury" against Larry Brown. Everybody mamba! (Or at least, keep a straight face.)

Manute's Webb, with a great post on playing an NCAA pool in Canada, where March Madness is curling, follows it up with some Big Dance thoughts for today's opening -- okay, it's the picture of Scarlett Johansson that got me.

Moving to hockey, James Mirtle has a cool updating of the NHL's playoff race. David Johnson at HockeyAnalysis crunches the numbers and yes, We'renotconcedinganything is still out of the playoffs.

A Don Cherry action figure and more, courtesy of Vancouver Canucks Op Ed.

And although no one quite knows how, the USA have moved up to fifth in the FIFA rankings.

They're not conceding anything

It's the morning links and, oh, beware the ides of March (Remember -- tomorrow's the Thursday All-Blog edition of the morning links, so send along anything you saw blogwise this last week that you liked, or even wrote yourself, and I can put it in if it meets the exhaustive criteria):

Leafs win, and playoff fever is popping up round the town like dogpoop in the melting snow. Not really. If only all their opponents were like the Bruins and especially Nick (Brainwave) Boynton. Some hasty conclusions, off an entertaining and skittish night of shinny:

1/Sundin was cut with a stick in the face late in the game. Any time is Suntory time for a good visor debate, so here's your chance.
2/After Joe Bowen's usual club-pays-my-salary intro, Dave Hodge woke me up with this zinger: "The Leafs and the Bruins can be compared in several ways, none of which compliments either team." (Well, it wasn't a zinger, but you know what I mean.)
3/Pat Quinn was coaching in his 1300th game last night. Why?
4/Ed Belfour is out with "back problems", which struck some as strange timing
 

And just so you can impress your friends at tonight's Cuba-Puerto Rico keg party, here's the latest update in the chase for the final east playoff spot:

8 Montreal 71
9 Atlanta 68
10 Islanders 66
11 We'renotconcedinganything 66

Raptors win to complete a rare MLSE daily double, cuing high-fives and a round of Grape NiHi's all around the directors' lounge. If only all their opponent were like the 76ers, missing their top player and sending out five human white flags for Chris Bosh to run over (Normally, it's a case of beware the Iverson of March, but not last night).

This World Limited Overs Baseball Classic is beginning to stir, the U.S. on the ropes and the Dominican Republic through to this weekend's semifinals. Now it's time to fill out the grid, and I'm not even going to try to figure out the tiebreakers. Let's just say Team Selig -- and maybe Barry Bonds -- is out if Japan wins against Korea,  with a pretty large Perhaps attached. Meantime, Cuba and Puerto Rico play off for another semi spot tonight. And about next time: Among the possibilities are deciding the tournament at All-Star break time.

LotN, NHL division: Tomas Vokoun's shutout notwithstanding, I'm going with Daniel Briere of the streakin' Sabres -- two goals and two assists in a comeback win over the Caps.

LotN, NBA division: Antawn Jamison's 35 and 16 are gaudy, but those were the Bobkitties he was playing against. I'll plump for Tim Thomas, who's gone from unemployed to the Suns to last night's 23 in 20 minutes, Phoenix beating the defenceless Sonics (yup, they're almost as toothless as those 'Kits).

The NFL is busy, busy, busy: Daunte to Miami, Brees to the Saints, but this might be the most amnesiac thought of all, from the Dallas Morning News: "With Keyshawn released, Cowboys could go all out for Owens." 

Inter grabs the final Champions League quarterfinal spot. And three Middlesbrough fans are stabbed in Rome ahead of today's UEFA Cup game against Roma.

A church full of friends said farewell to Jim Hunt.

Prank of the week: Fun and games with IM'ing never seemed so clever and cruel (via Robot Wisdom, although it's been around for a bit).

It's fantasy league time coming up, so here's some help diversion for you from McSweeney's.

Cuba, Cheechoo, Chelsea and more

The morning links, unseasonably mild:

Cuba loses to the Dominican Republic, but it's once again the anti-Castro messages in the stands and the sky that overshadow the day. Meantime, David Ortiz hits the ball  out of the park and Venezuela wins, and South Korea beats up on the U.S.  -- the Americans might be eliminated from the semifinals before they play their next game -- as the World Limited Overs Baseball Classic rolls on.

LotN, NHL: Jonathan Cheechoo's three goals (including one shorthanded, and a bit of everything else) help the Sharks beat L.A.
LotN, NBA: Chris Kaman goes wild with 24 and 23 (8 and 9 in the fourth quarter alone; and don't forget the three blocks and four steals) as the Clippers beat the T-Pups.

Chelsea will get Michael Ballack, and Jose Mourinho says that Ballack and Frank Lampard will form a "dream pair". And although I reckon it won't end the speculation that the two can't co-exist -- I'm not at all convinced they can, or even will get the chance to end the argument -- according to this report, Barcelona isn't interested in acquiring Lampard. (For more on the Ordinary One, and an ironic, to be sure, "I'm Not the Best Coach in the World" headline, go here).

And a video bonus: This is athletic. (Thanks to Cathal for the link; and isn't that Ryerson in the background of one clip?).

It's the Bronze Baby, baby

March brings so many sporting interests to the table, including lots and lots of championship basketball. It's heavy on the hoops this morning links, leading off with some Canadian collegiate items that get very little mention in the mainstream media:

First off, UBC wins the Bronze Baby, beating Cape Breton 58-55 in a game that had 15 lead changes. Saturday at York, McMaster defeated York 95-86 to win the Wilson Cup, and the Lions open against Saskatchewan Wednesday night as the Final 10 gets underway in Halifax. Closer to home, Sheridan hosts and Humber contests the 2006 CCAA men's championship beginning Thursday out in Oakville.

Oh, and if you somehow missed the brackets for the NCAA men's tournament, here they are (PDF file). Any one with cinches for my pool sheet, lead pipe or otherwise, let me know.

Congrats out to the Brampton Thunder, winners of the national women's hockey crown  (otherwise known as the world club championship) 2-1 over Quebec.

Controversy at the World Baseball Classic, its pitchers unshackled to an 80-pitch limit but its umpires strictly minor league as Japan gets screwed out of a go-ahead run in a dramatic 4-3 loss to the U.S.

Moving to the category of overpaid and underwhelming now, the Raptors win a close one. Really, they did.

What's more of a shock: Edgerrin James leaving the Colts, or going to the Arizona Cardinals?

LotN, NHL: Marc Savard assists on a late tying goal and scores the overtime winner as the Thrashers beat the Rangers and close in on a playoff spot. LotN, NBA: LeBron James' 47 (including 24 FT makes) isn't quite enough as the Cavs lose in Miami.

I can't resist this: South Africa rings up 438 to come back and beat Australia's 434 target, sparking a national party.

 

From upset to upsetting

The morning links, rumoured to be traded for a half-dozen everything bagels but alas, surviving another trade deadline day when an alternate deal for a day-old bag of Danish fell through:

Farewell, Jim Hunt.

Oh, Canada. A day after that upset of the U.S., Team Canada loses and its players are suddenly making reservations to get out of town and back to their big-league camps at the World Limited Overs Baseball Classic. The announcers were even mentioning the mercy rule being invoked as a 9-1 Mexico victory means the Canucks are surely going to miss the second round, and the U.S. should move on.

After a slow start the NHL's trade deadline day gathered some steam yesterday, with 25 deals made. It was busy almost everywhere but in Toronto, where JFJ continued The Plan by doing nothing.

The French tennis dad from hell gets eight years for causing a death after spiking his kid's opponent's water bottle.

LotN, NHL: Miikka Kiprusoff stops 39 shots and shuts out the Stars.

As if that fizzle in baseball wasn't bad enough to swallow, now comes the news that a Dubai-owned, U.S.-based horse is the winterbook favourite for Canada's biggest race.

Looks (again) like Chelsea are going to sign Michael Ballack (which means that Frank Lampard will be gone).

The Commonwealth Games start next week. They do, really. There's even a "blazing row" going on Down Under about the opening ceremony, for pete's sake.