Who to hate on the Rangers

Every series has a villain. Someone on the other team you just detest, either because they are way too good, way too nice (other teams hate Briere in that way), or because they are idiots. Sean Avery is an idiot. A talented idiot, who made the Rangers better the day they got him. He plays like a Matthew Barnaby, but is not respected as he was because he starts fights then runs the other way. Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B53W-7tk4Uw&mode=related&search and find out why. There are dozens of Avery lowlights to check out. The Sabres cannot be rattled by him, and more importantly score on any Power Plays they get because of his penalties.

Cool Old School Sabres Article

Click this link http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=300182

for an article on the wacky 74-75 Sabres-Flyers Stanley Cup Finals. The hype over the Sabres then is just as it is now...maybe even bigger as it was the first time they had made it to the Finals, and sport was a little more innocent.

Worst Contract in The NHL

When Rob Ray mentioned that Alexi Yashin was benched for the 2nd and 3rd periods of game two, he nailed it big time. His ice time total for the game was under 8 minutes. On that note check out his contract status, one of the gems that got former Isles GM Mike Milbury fired.

You can see Yashin's and all other salaries via The Hockey News at: (may have to cut and paste)

http://www.forecaster.ca/hockeynews/hockey/_7irw6govkze9/extras.cgi?sal-east#NYI

On the same page, I mentioned that Jason Blake is the type of player who would really fit in well on the Sabres next year, providing he was available. Guess what? He will be unrestricted next year. One problem, he plays on the same wing as Thomas Vanek, and the price of having both would be about $6 million combined...way too much for two players in that same position, especially considering that Jochen Hecht is set to make over 2 Million next year. However, if either can make a switch to Right Wing, it could be do-able.

By the way has anyone seen Briere lately? Wondering if that leg bruise isn't more than they are saying. He has been around the puck, but has been about the 8th best forward in the series so far. Game Three coming up Monday Night.. Listen to the morning show this week to find out why game 3 is the most important in any series.

Green Day...This Generation's Clash?


MTV's HD channel was recently added to the digital tier of Time Warner. It's allowed me to catch a lot of their STORYTELLER series in a new way, Wide Screen, and in Hi Def. I've caught pieces of GREEN DAY'S BULLET IN A BIBLE concert video. It was recorded at their June 2005 two-night run at Milton Keynes National Bowl in England. Although not a huge Green Day fan, I was blown away by them. Makes me wish I would've seen them when their American Idiot tour came to Buffalo last summer. I was familiar with American Idiot, it certainly deserved all the Grammy's it received, and may be the best Rock album of the past 5 years, certainly in the top 5.

But to see it come alive is another thing. As I watched them go from pop ballads and uptempo songs (Wake Me Up...Holiday) to harder angst ridden pieces (Jesus of Suburbia), they controlled the festival crowd with an energy I can only compare to mid 70's early 80's CLASH. In that aspect, I really don't think we have anything else like GREEN DAY right now. U2 has gotten too big, too reverent and have simply graduated by age and experience away from that innocent edge to continue to hold the title. Same for Springsteen. We're talking young, rebellious innocence, and those artists have passed the torch to Green Day. Or rather Green Day has taken it from them.

If you care about music at all, I strongly recommend you make time to catch BULLET IN A BIBLE on MTV HD. Better yet, go by the DVD. If you are a casual GREEN DAY fan, or even less, you will be amazed by the performance. Makes me wish I'd have been old enough to see The CLASH in their hey day. This may be as close as we get. What makes it even sweeter is that it's from an American Band from California.

Warning...it does have some strong language in it's lyrical content and between song banter. And Trey Cool's facial expressions may get on your nerves after awhile.