NHL in Europe

This is stupid.

I don't understand why the United States professional sports leagues feels a need to send our games overseas.

They're going to play NHL games to open the season in Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Why? I'm pretty sure that Finland and Sweden each have thier own hockey leagues, I'm not sure about the Czech Republic, but wouldn't be suprised if they did.

The only reason I can see for the NHL doing this is the fact that they can. Either that or they want to rub it in that many of those countries' best players come to the NHL because of the big money payouts that are available.

The European and North American games are so different. In some respects, the European game is better and makes me look forward to Olympic ice hockey every four years becaues the ice is bigger and it's more  of a finesse game, instead of a power game.

Not to mention the fact, that each team that is in Europe loses out on a potential home game, which can be a loss of revenue. And unfortunately that is what it comes down to today in professional sports. The same goes for the NFL trying to play a game a year in London.

The NFL Europe (Europa) failed. It didn't take hold on the other side of the pond. They have soccer and we have football. Why can't we leave it at that?

Fourth Quarter

• Colts find out why the Ravens let Matt Stover go. He's usually accurate, but it's the distance that is killing him at his age.
• First challenge of the Super Bowl goes the Saints way. I think it's a good call, nice to see that things get called correctly, even if it's the second time around. No need to mess things up at this point. No onside kick on the ensuing play though, could it have been successful a second time?
• So, I was wrong in my assessment that Manning have the Colts pull away in the second half. Seven second-half comebacks in the regular season = exciting final 5:35 of the game.
• Dat is probably the Super Bowl. Tracy Porter comes up with big 74-yard interception for Saints. Also, Dat might be the worst haircut I've ever seen.
• Since a kicker probably won't win Super Bowl MVP, although Hartley might deserve it. My guess is the race will come down to either Brees or Porter.
• Just dawned on me, Penn State usually has a strong player contingent in the Super Bowl. This year = 0. Only connection with the Nittany Lions is Colts' coach Jim Caldwell, who was an assistant in the late 80s, early 90s.
• Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, didn't look good early, but that's why you play all four quarters.

Third Quarter

• Gutsy call by Saints coach Sean Payton, much like the fourth and goal call, but this time it worked out as New Orleans gets the onside kick to start the second half. This could get wild.
• Yahtzee! Saints take lead. Pierre Thomas got a great block on the screen pass to allow him a path to the end zone.
• Colts score -- cut to Eli Manning. Maybe I didn't pay attention, but have we seen Kim Kardashian tonight? Colts up 17-13.
• Garrett Hartley -- damn. Wish the Ravens had a kicker with this kind of range/accuracy early in the season.

Second Quarter and Halftime

• Budweiser's bridge commercial = decent. Still not buying their beer.
• Umm, Jay Leno and Dave Letterman are friends now? Leno and NBC agree to promote Letterman's show?
• Career Builder's "Casual Friday" commerical = amusing.
• Back to the game - Saints kick field goal, not totally out of it yet. Dwight Freeny's ankle looked OK on his sack on Drew Brees.
• New Orleans has the right idea with two mintues to go. Running 20 plays to the Colts' three. Manning can't win the game if isn't on the field.  However, Brees has got to get New Orleans in the endzone.
• I thought of writing mission accomplished, but then I thought of George W. Bush and then the Saints running back fell down before he got to the enzone. Whoops.
• Also a whoops - going for it on fourth down in the first half of the super bowl.
• Garrett Hartley is Saints' MVP of the first half. Not easy field goals. Like I said yesterday, I thought it would be a close first half. Now Peyton Manning gets the ball to start the second half, I think this is where he'll start to put the game away for Indianapolis.
• I like The Who, but can the NFL get past the wardrobe malfunction and have acts who are more recent play the halftime show. I still cringe at the thought of Mick Jagger running around in his half shirt a few years ago.

Pregame and First Quarter

• Heck Yes! Carrie Underwood. I would be OK if the power went out now and I missed the rest of the Super Bowl. All the commericials will be online and SportsCenter will have highlights for about 12 hours tomorrow.
• Boy, Jim Nantz is on top of his game. He's got all the inane coin toss stats memorized. I bet he spent last night studying. But for real, 13 in a row for the NFC, that's kinda crazy. Seems like a pro-Saints crowd.
• I like CBS' new player intro "graphic", using the full bodied players to introduce themselves. Probably won't last beyond the Super Bowl.
• Nice to see a guy like Pierre Garcon in the NFL. It takes a special player to come from Division III to the NFL and scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Alliance, Ohio is going crazy.
• Good stop by the Saints to hold the Colts to field goal, they don't want to get into a track meet with the Colts. Peyton Manning is no Brett Favre.
• Reggie Bush finally seems to be coming around as a complete NFL player. He's been borderline bust since he's been in the league. However, I think that's an unfair label. Typically, Heisman Trophy winners haven't translated to the NFL. But there is a big difference between being the best player in college football and being a decent player in the NFL. Case in point: Peyton Manning finished second  in 1997 when Charles Woodson won the award. Although, Woodson has had a solid NFL career.
• Early winner on Commericials: Doritos.

Capitals 5, Penguins 4 (OT)

Wow, what a game!

The Captials were able to extend their winning streak to 14 games, beating the Penguins 5-4 in overtime.

Alex Ovechkin came up big for Washington, scoring three goals (The Caps' first hat trick of the season). This was after he was boarded in the first period, a call that was never made by the referees. They missed several during the game and even made a few bad ones, specifically the slashing penalty in the third period on Jeff Schultz that wasn't.

Lucikly, that penalty, called when the game was 4-4, didn't hurt the Caps and they survived to go to overtime. That's when Washington's power play struck, Mike Knuble putting home a rebound on Ovechkin's shot.

Once again Washington played poorly to start the game and Sidney Crosby scored twice in the opening period to squash any talk of after effects from the Pens' crazy journey to DC.

• Watching the game made me realize what NBC actually stands for: NBC = Nothing But Crosby. Man, the network couldn't get enough of this guy. It seems like that's all they talked about and all they showed. As of the end of the game, Ovechkin is still on top of the goal scoring race, with 42 to Crosby's 39.
• Knuble has been an incredible find for the Caps. I was skeptical in the offseason, I knew he was a paint guy, but he was a little bit older in a team full of young guys. Doesn't seem to matter any more, he's been on fire as of late.
• Last year and this year combined, the Caps are 5-0-1 against the Penguins in the regular season. I don't know why we can dominate in the regular season, but fall apart in the playoffs. Maybe, I'm being a pansy and not wanting to confront the problem head on, but I hope we don't have to play Pittsburgh this year in the playoffs.

That's about it for now on the Caps game. I'm getting ready to watch the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl is tomorrow.

So I guess the Super Bowl is tomorrow. You wouldn't know it though, because apparently it has snowed in the DC area.

But, more importantly than the Super Bowl is what comes before. And I'm not talking about the six hours of incessant pre-game coverage. (FYI, I think a hurricane may have hit New Orleans a few years ago.)

The most important part of the sporting day will be at Noon, when the Capitals go for win No. 14 against the Penguins. That is if the Penguins do indeed make it into town. According to the Washington Post (http://http//voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/dc-snow-caps-penguins-game.html) Pittsburgh is flying into Newark, NJ and hoping to take a bus ride into DC for the game tomorrow.

Talk about an advantage. Hopefully the Caps stayed in the downtown area so that they are nice and rested.

Getting back to the football game. Peyton Manning is going to be tough, I'll take the Colts over the Saints. I envision a tight first half, but Indianapolis should pull away in the second half.