Four Things

I've got four things to get you ready for Game 7, and a list of four things that are really bugging me about this series. First, the list:

1. The inconsistency in officiating. If it's a penalty in the regular season, it's a penalty in the offseason. Otherwise, your rulebook is a joke.


2. A-hOle's™ stupid haircut.


3. While I must admit that I'm shocked that we're not seeing more anonymous Caps fans in The Friends' Zone of posts that pertain to this particular series, I can't say that I'm surprised at all that they're flaming the heck out of the old (sometimes three year old) Crosby and Ovechkin posts that Jes Golbez authored before I was even a part of this site. I guess it actually works out in my favor, though, because I don't think too many people are seeing the vulgarity before I get to delete the comments since the posts are so old.


4. All the Capital diving. Though a wise Friend of The Show, Renee, said this about it:

   Letting diving go on. . .whatev. It's not the most gentlemanly thing, but better a bad fall than a bad hit. What will it do for the sport if there's a repeat of the Ace Bailey incident from the '30s????

   Fair enough. But the reason it bothers me so much is because they accuse Siddo of diving like it's part of their job description to say it (see photo below), but it's okay when A-hOle™ and Semin do it.

This was taken at Game 1 of this series.

Okay, now I've got four things to get you in the right frame of mind for tomorrow's Game 7. First up, the folks over at SportsIllustrated.com were nice enough to share this piece on the Pens/Caps series:

Sometime in the next week, when the Penguins and the Capitals finish their second-round playoff series, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, the Jen and Angelina of the hockey set, will get in the traditional lineup, shake with their right hands and fight the temptation to hold their noses with their left.

Eerily prophetic, eh?

There is a laudable degree of antipathy between the stars, a dislike bred of stylistic and personal differences that manifested itself this season with an on-ice pushing match, a headlock and a dismissive wave from Ovechkin, and some media-conveyed repartee that might not qualify for Bartlett's but by hockey standards was cutting. (Ovechkin: "He's a good player, but he talks too much." Crosby, referring to Ovechkin's taunting of him: "Like it or lump it, that's what he does.... Personally, I don't like it.")

Neither do I, Sid. NEITHER. DO. I. (Read the entire SI article here.)

Friend of The Show Melissa G. sent in this cartoon she spotted on ESPN.com:


Good Friend of The Show Jaime, who has supplied us with wallpaper awesomeness in the past, has decided to memorialize Brooksie's epic takedown for us just in time for Game 7:

Click to enlarge

And finally today, the best PhotoShop you'll see all month is from Friend of The Show Cheryl G., who's sending a Sid Signal out to Our City's Hero:

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming."

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!