"I'm Not Wearing Hockey Pads."

I went to see The Dark Knight on Saturday afternoon. One word: UNREAL. It was one of those rare films that actually exceeds all expectations - it was THAT good. Confidential to the Friends who have seen it: I will be having nightmares about magic tricks and pencils for the next month, at least! :P My husband worked all weekend, so his best friend and I went to a matinée show. When the film was over, we came out and saw this parked right next to my car:



Now I promise that's the last I'll mention The Dark Knight or anything Batman here on The Show, no matter how many times I go see it. Today I'm going to hit you with some links and then dig into some of the stuff I've been holding onto for a while. First the links:

Head Coach Michel Therrien is staying in town for a little while longer. Therrien, who has a year left on his current contract, signed a new three-year contract on Friday. Congrats to him! He's done a spectacular job so far, taking the team from the bottom to the top in his short time with the Penguins.


In other contract news, it looks like we're going to have to endure a few more seasons of player misidentification on FSN. Paul Steigerwald has been given a new multi-year contract to remain Robin to Bob Errey's Batman (okay THAT is truly the last mention, haha). There had been some conjecture that Mike Lange would have been given his TV job back since Pens fans from all over have been clamoring for it AND the general manager of FSN (who fired Lange in the first place) got a job somewhere else, but for reasons known only to the brass at FSN, Lange was not given back the position that should never have been taken from him in the first place. Tony F. of The Confluence of The Three Rivers has more of the details here. I guess the silver lining is that since Jarkko Ruutu is now a Senator and Georges Laraque is now a Canadien, the only player Steigy can confuse with Sidney is Petr Sykora. [*Sighs*]

Look out, Loretta - Lange's not coming back to TV. :(

Pittsburgh sports fan hating Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette thinks anyone who boos any former Pittsburgh sports star is a "knucklehead." Specifically, Marian Hossa's move to Detroit prompted Smizik to write the article that repeatedly insults to most of the people that buy the newspaper that pays his salary. Here's a little nugget from the gem he titled "'Knuckleheads' can't wait to boo 'traitor' Hossa:"

In Philadelphia, it has been written and said, the fans are so nasty they boo Santa Claus.

Philadelphia has nothing on Pittsburgh.

In Pittsburgh, they regularly and vociferously boo the second-greatest hockey player to perform for the beloved home team.

Boo to YOU, Smizik.

In Pittsburgh, they boo the kid third baseman who had put up Roberto Clemente-type numbers until he was mysteriously traded.

When it comes to knuckleheads, Pittsburgh has it all over Philadelphia.

(Seriously, how does this guy still have a job?) Evidently Smizik doesn't understand the passion that some people feel for their sports teams. Quite honestly, I don't think anyone who booed when Jaromir Jagr came to town ever forgot that without him, the Pens wouldn't have their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. But he was a pain in the arse while in the latter years of his tenure in PGH, so give fans a break if all they can think about when they see him right in front of their faces is "I feel like I'm dying alive." Now with Hossa, all fans will think about when they see him is the fact that he jumped ship to join the team that just weeks earlier handed us our first Stanley Cup loss. And yes, he will be booed. There's no doubt about that. NEWSFLASH: From now on, when he is in the Mellon Arena, he's on the other team - what, do you want us to cheer for him? If you think Smizik is a tool, head on over to Steel City Sports Fan and support their Knucklehead Badge of Honor movement.

Finally today, good Friend of The Show Maria T. sent me this email on July 11^th:

Ok so if you had the chance to go and see THE STANLEY CUP..even if the Red Wings had just won it...wouldn't you??

Well assistant captain Kris Draper attended my elementary school, and I was taught by his younger sister in the 3rd grade, 2000. She brought him in that year, and I got a picture with him. Sadly he had broken his wrist or something and could not sign autographs.


Well today was Kris' day with the Stanley Cup, and I got the chance to get a picture with it and Kris, and touch the Cup. I know that I didn't win it, but I could not resist...it was THE ACTUAL CUP!!

Anywho, though I would have preferred our Pens to win the Cup, I got to meet it, and I shook a hand that shook the hands of the whole Pens team.

Don't get me wrong.. I LOVE THE PENS - but come on - hockey fan first and foremost...who doesn't want to meet the REAL Stanley Cup?

Very cool, Maria. :) Not to beat it into the ground or anything, but I think the superstition that warns against touching the Cup applies only to those who hope to win it someday in the future, haha! ;)

More Pics of Game 1 (With a Few Blunders)

Okay, so I was surfing the 'Net for more pictures of last night's game, and I found some more I wanted to share with you. First up, I found this wicked shot of a sign in the Pens' locker room:

Click to enlarge for a sweet new wallpaper!!!

But then I found this shot with a misidentification of Ryan Whitney:

This mistake would be forgivable if this was Round 1. But it is Round 3. Unreal.
(Off topic: It's a great shot of why I think Whit looks like Wolverine!)

It only gets worse. CBS Sports made the same mistake about the Saint repeatedly. Take a look at what number they said Sid wears:

I'm not even going to dignify this mistake with a witty retort.

Now one link and two reminders: 1.) Friend of The Show Stephanie B. posted a comment recommending that we check out Dan Rosen's article about how people expect so much from the Saint that they get upset when he "only" does well, 2.) don't miss out- send in your pictures showing us how you're supporting the Pens, and 3.) don't forget to pick up your Mike Lange ringtone - IT'S FREE!!!!!!

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

Prepare For Battle

Okay, I've got a lot to throw at you before tomorrow's series begins. First things first, though. I have to attend a formal dinner with my best friend at 5:30pm. This, of course, lends itself to the very real possibility that I will miss the live broadcast of the game. (I have to go. I promised her that I would go with her more than 3 months ago.) BUT I will be recording the game; I will be watching it; I will be recapping it. I just wanted to let you know what was up since the recap will be coming much later than it has in the past.

Now I've got some stuff to help get the Ranger hate flowing. First up, we've got this article from Newsday.com. In it, author Arthur Staple whines that the Rangers are going up against, and I quote, "Crosby the Entity." You see, Mr. Wants-to-take-his-puck-and-go-home-already thinks that Sid has pulled the wool over all the NHL referees' eyes:

Sid the Kid is the best player in the game, but at just 20 years old, he's become a master at complaining and drawing penalties with dives or overreactions to slashes and sticks waving by his face. Which is unfortunate, because he's a pretty tough player, in addition to all that skill.

Last time I checked, getting slashed really effing hurts. There is no exaggeration when a person recoils in pain after getting slashed. Oh, and the "sticks waving by his face" crap needs only this picture for rebuttal:


And there are two more things that prove how much of a tool this guy is.

1. He called Jarrko Ruutu a "Finnish nutjob." Okay then, buddy - if Ruutu's a "nutjob," then tell me exactly what the hell Sean Avery is?!


2. This guy actually had the audacity to say that Adam Graves' slash on Mario Lemieux was an "unintentionally dirty play." WTF?! Isn't that an oxymoron? Let us not forget that Graves was suspended for 4 games for the act. The NHL doesn't hand out suspensions for accidents.
   

But as much as I hate to admit it, there is ONE thing this guy's got going for him: No matter what crap spews from his keyboard, at the end of the day, he's no Don Brennan.

In today's New York Post, Jaromir Jagr opines neither Sid nor Geno are in Mario's league:

"With all due respect for [Sidney] Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin, I don't think they are Mario Lemieux," said Jagr.

[...]

I say that with all due respect because the game has changed.

[...]

There were games we won 6-5 that Mario scored six points. The next night, 5-3, he scored five. [Crosby] can do it once in a while but not every game like [Lemieux]."

Um, Double Joke, why bother saying that you recognize that the game today has changed if you're just going to make the comparison anyhow? Comparing the game 10 years ago to the game now is like comparing apples to oranges - which is also a lot like comparing these:

Did you ever think that Sidney Crosby reminded you of someone? Click here to see which celebrity Sports Illustrated thinks he looks like. (It's crazy! I never would have thought about it until I saw them side by side...)

I got this link to Sid's entry on SAS Wiki a while ago, and I've been holding it for a stretch of down time. I figured it would be a good way to go out before the next series started because it is hilarious right from the very start:

Sidney Patrick Crosby (born for the first time on December 25, 1 BC, in a small manger in Bethlehem, and then again on August 7, 1987, in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.

[...]

Crosby, being only 18, needed a place to stay in Pittsburgh. Originally he stayed with consummate bachelor, Ryan Malone, but after repeated attempts by Ryan to "get Sidney as drunk as possible and then sleep with him," Sidney sought new arrangements. Luckily, Mario Lemieux's three square mile estate had some extra room.

Make sure you check out the entire entry so you can see what it says about Sid's alleged diving...

Thank yous go out to Friends of The Show Michelle B., Paula C., and Ava H. for all the links!

Tomorrow it begins anew. Even if you're watching at home, put on a white Pens shirt or the away jersey or just a plain white t-shirt and support the whiteout. Get ready. As today's title implies, it's going to be a battle. I'm calling it now: Pens in 6. Now it's in print, and I can't go back on it. Say it with me now:

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

Ottawa Writer = Lowlife

I want to share this with you first before I get you upset...

I can't even begin to express how excited I am right now about tomorrow (haha, technically, it's later today). I just got these in my inbox courtesy of my new hero Johnny B. Check these out and tell me this doesn't make you want to jump out of your seat and scream:




And now I've got two articles from the Ottawa Sun to get your blood boiling just in time for tomorrow's game. A bunch of our Friends sent these links in to me because they were OUTRAGED.

The first article, which is merely a bit annoying and is definitely not so bad by comparison to the second article, claims that the High Ankle Sprain (H.A.S. as the author, James Duthie, abbreviates it below) is the MVP of the Penguins. What irritated me about this particular journalistic gem is the following analogy:

H.A.S. No. 2 happened Jan. 18th when Crosby crashed into the boards in a game against Tampa. As he was being carried off the ice, I turned to the boys in our studio and said something to the effect of "Hasta la vista, Penguinos" (which was dated and rather lame, but it was all I had).

Oh, and it was also dead wrong.

Evgeni Malkin reacted to Crosby's absence the way placekick holder Andy Petrovic did when Gus, the field-goal kicking mule, was kidnapped in the 1976 Disney classic, aptly named Gus: The Field-Goal Kicking Mule. Andy took matters into his own hands and ran for the winning touchdown to give the California Atoms the championship.

By equating Geno's awesome accomplishments to a subpar (at best) Disney movie about a football playing ass is about as insulting as calling the Queen "Yo, Baby!" Ah, but this is just the tip of the iceberg...

The Ottawa Sun editors actually allowed this next asshat (otherwise known as Don Brennan) to publicly encourage the Senators players to injure our superstar Penguins players - Sidney, particular - in order to pull the upset. Oh no, I'm not kidding. Read on (I've included the most incriminating section of the article on the off chance that the editors come to their senses and force Brennan to remove it):

With Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher out, Schubert and Antoine Vermette are the only two Ottawa players still skating that are on the first two power-play and penalty-killing units, along with taking a regular shift. In Schubert's case, his even-strength turn is as a crashing and bashing, fourth-line left winger.

In that role, he left a mark on last spring's Senators-Penguins playoff meeting.

With the series tied 1-1 and the site switched to Pittsburgh, Schubert crushed and injured defenceman Robert Scuderi with an illegal, hit-from-behind into the end boards. The Penguins were incensed and went after Schubert. They also went on to lose that game as well as the only other two in the series.

"That one hit, it was like (they were saying) 'I want to go in and hurt somebody,' " Schubert recalled. "We were there at the same time, he kind of turned away and it ended up a bad hit from behind, but I don't think I went out there to be under their skin. I just wanted to play my game. The physical part is part of it. The more physical you are against other players, everybody knows they get a little frustrated ... they can't do their perfect game. It's just part of my job."

The very banging and battering the Penguins wanted to avoid from the Flyers can serve as an equalizer in this series for the undermanned Senators. They just need to bring it. Schubert, Chris Neil, Martin Lapointe, Cody Bass, Shean Donovan, Mike Commodore and Anton Volchenkov will be key players for Ottawa.

They have to frustrate the skilled Penguins. They have to throw them off their game. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Petr Sykora and Sergei Gonchar have to be targeted. They cannot be allowed to free-wheel without concern or they will roll right over the Senators.

Crosby's got a bad RIGHT ankle? How will it stand up to a two-hander? The Senators have to find out.

The Penguins obviously wanted Ottawa over the Broadstreet Bullies. The defending Eastern Conference champs should feel a great sense of disrespect. They should be insulted -- even more so than in being referred to as purse swingers -- and they should respond in kind.

As much as they will be looking for timely goaltending and scoring, the Senators need somebody to emerge as a modern-day Bobby Clarke. Maybe hockey historian Jason Spezza can explain to his teammates what the former Flyers captain did to Russian star Valeri Kharlamov when the latter had a bad ankle in the 1972 Summit Series.

It's playoff time. Anything goes.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. In no way is this journalism; this is sensationalism. It is reprehensible, irresponsible, and should have been nixed by the editors before it ever went to print. Not only does it display a lack of decency, compassion, and morality for wishing injury to another human being, but it also reeks of desperation for attention. Senators fans should be outraged, too. This article shows Brennan's complete lack of faith in the Senators' talent alone being enough to win.

Ever the level-headed leader, our title man and his large framed teammate, BIG GEORGES LARAQUE had this to say in response to Brennan's jackassery™ (from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette):

"They can write whatever they want, but, if somebody was to do that to the best player in the world, they'll be suspended the rest of the playoffs," Penguins winger and enforcer Georges Laraque said. "That writer is just stupid. I've never heard anything so stupid."

Crosby, asked about the article, said without missing a beat, "It's my left."

He didn't seem worried.

"It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened," Crosby said. "Teams obviously read injury reports. If a guy's got a bad shoulder, I'm sure you're not going to ease up and not hit him. That's typical. Whether or not they deliberately do it, who knows? But that's why refs are out there, to police the game and make sure that stuff doesn't happen."

And if the refs won't protect Sid, we always have BGL, Hal Gill, and don't forget Scary Gary Roberts!!! He is back and ready to send the Senators to the golf course in 5 games (or less!).

[*Takes deep breath*] You better buckle your seatbelts... this series might literally be a very bumpy ride.

Big thanks go out to Johnny B. for the sweet shots of the Mellon Arena marquee, and to Ashley, Greg C., Susan W., and Michelle B. for the links to the Ottawa Sun articles.

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

Impact!

Sid's on another magazine cover. Well, sort of... he's this month's cover feature for Impact! Magazine, the NHL's online magazine. It seems like they conducted Sid's interview before the season started, but it's still worth a look because it's all about NHL captains. Something a little weird - the magazine actually compares Sidney Crosby to Bing Crosby. Say it with me now: W-T-F?! Click the picture to go to the magazine.



After that, head on over to the Philadelphia Flyers' website and see jealousy rear its ugly head in this little gem about how much Philly hates Sidney. Come on, Flyers fans, envy doesn't look good on you. Then again, there's not a lot that does look good on a Flyers fan... :P

Thanks go out to good Friends of The Show Susan W. and Bill in NS for hooking us up with the Impact! link, and thanks go out to our good Friends over at ThePensblog.com for the Flyers link. Make sure you check out the video of the near miss Geno had with the skate of Mike Richards coming up to his face during the last game that ThePensblog found on YouTube. (Take special note of the "I will KILL you" expression on his face immediately after it happens...)

Pens v Rangers tonight. We're at that every-game-counts time of the season... (Not that every game doesn't count, but you know what I mean!) Get ready for a battle!!! :)

Sidney's Future Mother-In-Law

There are WAAAAY too many jokes that could be made about mothers-in-law here, so I'll just skip it and let you make your own. And don't get any ideas - I'm definitely not referring to my own mother, as she is already mother-in-law to my wonderful husband. No, this story is, well, weird, to say the least. Columnist Cathy McDonald writes in The Halifax Daily News online ten reasons why Sidney Crosby should marry her daughter. I'm not kidding. This article actually got published. To save you some time, here are the reasons she gives:

Why Sidney? The rich and famous stuff is nice, but unimportant. What I like is that people who have actually met him say he's the real thing: a nice, articulate, hard working, polite, down-to-earth guy. Who doesn't want that guy for their daughter?

While my matchmaking hasn't gotten too far, I have compiled the Top 10 Reasons Why Sidney Crosby Should Marry My Daughter:

1. So I can stop answering the phone with "you're not good enough" when boys call.

2. Because she is smart and pretty.

3. Because she is from Nova Scotia. Pittsburgh girls are lovely, but they can't beat a girl from Nova Scotia.

4. She can skate hard, yet emerge from the dressing room with perfect hair.

5. She's spent years having her life exposed in the newspaper. Not as much ink as Sid gets, I know, but she can handle media attention.

Marriage material, evidently
6. She's funny. Really funny.

7. She speaks excellent French. BBQ at Mario Lemieux's? No problem!

8. She once said she'd like to marry a European soccer player. This is close.

9. Her dad's beer league team could use the talent. And finally:

10. Sid would obviously have the best mother-in-law in the world.

Okay. Let me just say this: Honestly, how PISSED OFF do you think this woman's daughter is right now? WOW. This is a bit much. There's nothing like desperately trying to sell your daughter's best qualities to a celebrity whom she'll most likely never meet in a very public forum so all of her friends, classmates, neighbors, and complete strangers can see and think to themselves, "WTF?!?!" Thanks a lot, Mom!

While this article was no doubt meant to be a tongue in cheek statement about how nice Sid is, it comes off distastefully as a mother trying desperately to sell ("pimp" might even be an appropriate word here) her daughter to a famous person. The point of Sid being a good guy gets lost in the ridiculousness of the story, coupled with the questionable credibility of the author - considering she didn't even know who Sidney was until her husband told her.

It sort of makes you wonder why she'd want her daughter to marry him then, eh? Sounds like Mama liked what she saw (YIKES!) and only then was interested in finding out who he was. And of course, you can bet she was probably quite pleasantly surprised to find out he is a nice, rich, famous, talented young man. Why not humiliate your kid and write an article to try to call Sid out in hopes of meeting him yourself, right? Unbelievable.

*[Sigh]* Sid should probably look into getting a pre-emptive restraining order against this mother-of-the-year.

(Big thanks to Friend of The Show Eric B. from The Sidney Crosby Spotlight for pointing this one out to me.)

Jealousy Is An Ugly, UGLY Thing

A friend of mine, Loser Chris from Taking One for the Team, sent me an email yesterday. I debated on whether or not I should address the content of his letter, and I have decided that I will in fact tell you, my Friends, what is going on so I could see what you all thought about it. I will say my piece only once. After that, if the subject of this next story and his readers choose to stoop to a new low and continue their unprovoked verbal assault on me, so be it. I won't waste any more of your time or my own after this - count on it.

So anyways, Chris sent me an email with the subject "Looks like you have an admirer... NOT." It contained a link to a blog that with which I was unfamiliar called Dump'N Chase. It is a Washington Capitals blog written by a man named Mike Vogel. It contains some insults aimed in both Sidney's and my directions. Now, ordinarily I wouldn't give this another thought because not everyone is going to be a fan of my style of writing, and obviously not everyone is a fan of Sidney Crosby. But then again, this is no ordinary blogger insulting me. Mike Vogel, it turns out, is the head writer for the Washington Capitals website (look for the Dump'N Chase logo on the right side of the screen). To put this into perspective for you, his post about me is the equivalent of Chris Chelios making fun of my husband's hockey skills. I am an amateur blogger. I do this in my spare time because I love doing it, Sidney is my favorite player, and I really like all of you guys.

So how, I wondered to my friend Chris, would this guy even have the time to find this little blog about Sidney Crosby if he's "busy" working for an NHL franchise? To which he responded, "Why not? It's not like he's busy waxing poetic about all those Caps Stanley Cups or doing prep work for his big Caps Playoff Preview." Touché! Another question I had - which no one but Mr. Vogel can answer - is this: why, if you don't care about Sid, are you reading my blog about him? To take it a step further, why even mention my blog in yours? Why belittle me? Are you compensating for the lack of something, be it talent or otherwise?

Additionally, a couple of the readers in the comments section in Dump'N Chase really tried to put me in my place. Just so you know, comparing me to one of Mario's kids is not the insult you think it is. I could only BE that lucky. And I was going to post my college GPA to dispel any questions about my intelligence, but I am secure enough in myself that I don't feel it is necessary.

Mr. Vogel, if the program had been called "Alexander Ovechkin Revealed," I suspect you would have been as excited for it as I was for the "Sidney Crosby Revealed" program. And that is exactly what this all boils down to: JEALOUSY. If the Caps had somehow won the Sidney Crosby lottery (as the 2005 draft was often called), you would be writing as enthusiastically about him as I do now. Does it really bother you that much that Ovechkin isn't as popular as Crosby?

I'll See You In Buffalo / Sid v. Ben

Well, it's (almost) official! The NHL New Year's Day Ice Bowl is going to be a reality. The Penguins will face the Buffalo Sabres on January 1, 2008 at the Ralph Wilson Stadium, which is normally the home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills. However, no one from the league, the Penguins, the Sabres, or NBC will actually confirm the "news" until September 10th, when an official announcement is expected. If and when the tickets go on sale, I GUARANTEE you that I will be online trying to buy tickets! I'm not too worried about scoring a couple of seats - there will be plenty of tickets: the stadium seats nearly 74,000 people!!! No doubt it'll be a great way for the NHL to get some mainstream exposure (and cash in on the popularity of one Sidney Crosby).

I received this email from The Mario Lemieux Foundation. If I lived a little bit closer to Pittsburgh, I would SO be going to this event. Click the picture to enlarge so you can read the e-vite. Notice that Sidney can't attend this event until next year!!!

Every hockey fan is anxiously awaiting the early October start of the season. We've all been following trivial stories about our favorite players just hoping for something to pass the time until the action starts. Here at The Sidney Crosby Show, we've posted articles about Sid's birthday, found some cool videos, and previewed his fashion line during this offseason. But Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review has gone a little too far this time. Rossi has written an entire novel article detailing the similarities and the differences between Pittsburgh's two biggest star athletes, our man Sid and Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Okay, other than the fact that these two guys are both relatively young men that play professional sports on teams in Pittsburgh, they really couldn't be more different. Nonetheless, here's a sample of how Rossi says they measure up to one another:

Nickname
Roethlisberger: Big Ben
Crosby: The Kid

Age
Roethlisberger: 25
Crosby: 20

Size
Roethlisberger: 6-foot-5, 241 pounds
Crosby: 5-foot-11, 200 pounds

Rookie of the Year awards
Roethlisberger: 1
Crosby: 0

Athletic idol
Roethlisberger: John Elway
Crosby: Steve Yzerman

Championships
Roethlisberger: 1
Crosby: 0

Famous teammates
Roethlisberger: Jerome Bettis
Crosby: Mario Lemieux

MVP awards
Roethlisberger: 0
Crosby: 1

Shoe contracts
Roethlisberger: Nike
Crosby: Reebok

Celebrity girlfriends
Roethlisberger: 2
Crosby: 0

Method of transportation
Roethlisberger: Motorcycle
Crosby: SUV

Music video appearances
Roethlisberger: 1
Crosby: 0

Personally, I would be kind of embarrassed to include the "Celebrity girlfriends" and "Music video appearances" sections, but hey, I'm just a blogger - not a real reporter - right? Besides, this is like comparing apples to oranges. There is no way anyone can say one of these guys is better than the other. The only way you could fairly compare the two of them would be if they played the same sport. But I can imagine Sid would get knocked around QUITE OFTEN if he tried to play football, and I wonder if Ben can even ice skate?

The two of them have met only once, and apparently had a brief conversation so secrative that even the NSA is trying to figure out what they talked about. I honestly cannot wait until the season starts so reporters have something genuinely interesting to talk about again.


Special note to Jody Vance
In the same article, Rossi mentions the following about Sid's charity work: "Crosby hasn't established a foundation of his own, but said he plans to do so soon. For now he offers his time to the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer research." Suck on THAT!

More (Stupid) Advice for Sidney

I hate to rehash an old subject, but someone ELSE has yet another piece of unsolicited advice for Sidney regarding the millions he earns from his contract extension and now his RBK SC87 clothing line. This one comes from Leafs TV sportscaster Jody Vance:

Even young ladies get to join in the fun by donning the "I (heart) Crosby" tops. You must applaud the idea of a new, hip brand targeting the young hockey fan, but there is one thing missing from this marketing equation. Where is the charity element? If there is one, I can't find it.

[...]

Amid all of the organized chaos [of the fans at the September 1998 launch of The Wayne Gretzky Collection], Wayne's message was loud and clear: Part of the proceeds would go to support P.E.B.B.L.E.S. -- Providing Education By Bringing Learning Environments to Students.

[...]

For Sid, this can't be "just" about making money, can it?

We know after signing a five-year extension with the Penguins recently for a cool US$43.5 million, the 20-year-old Pittsburgh captain hardly needs the RBK revenue.

If Sid the Kid is truly tearing a page out of the PR book written by Gretzky, he needs to make sure he is giving back as he grows his brand.

Excuse me, Ms. Vance: EXACTLY WHAT BUSINESS OF THIS IS YOURS? Honestly, is Wayne Gretzky the NHL legend that Sidney should REALLY be idolizing? Personally - and I admit that I may be biased here - I think that Sid's Pittsburgh landlord is a 1,000,000 times better role model than Wayne could ever hope to be.

Sid shows us what his rank will be this season

And, Jody, I can't let this slide: SHAME ON YOU for reducing me and my fellow female Crosby fans to stereotypical, puck bunny caricatures with one sentence!!! As a female sportscaster for Leafs TV, I would think you of all people would understand how hard it is for females who are legitimate fans of the sport of hockey to overcome that particular stereotype. That you would perpetuate that cliché says more about you, ma'am, than it does about Sid's female fans.

---

Moving on... Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come (again) for you to vote for Sidney (again). This time our main man Sid is nominated in AskMen.com's top 49 to determine who voters consider to be the best representatives of the male gender. (Last year's winner was George Clooney.) To vote for Saint Sid, simply click the banner below and click the "3. Athletics" link. Also, be SURE to turn on your speakers when you check out his profile and use the slider scale below his picture - that music is priceless, especially when you click the submit button! UNREAL!!!

I'll include this link in the next couple of posts as a reminder to VOTE FOR SID!!!

Sidney Hearts Pittsburgh

It's official! Sidney LOVES Pittsburgh. He loves the city so much that he wants to be the one to bring the Stanley Cup back. How do I know this for sure, you ask? Well, he's been saying that he's happy in the 'Burgh for a while now, but up til now it's been difficult to tell if that was just lip service. Plenty of players (in every sport) have said how much they love their teams and the cities they are playing in, only to sign a contract to play halfway across the country the very next day. It's never easy to tell if they mean it when they say they like their teams and want to stay, which makes fans apprehensive that their favorite players are going to leave. However, that's all changed for Pens fans since Sidney re-signed with the Penguins on July 10. Two things lead me to believe that Sid loves Pittsburgh, the Penguins, and most importantly, the fans.

For one thing, Sid gave Ray Shero the hometown discount. We all know that Pat Brisson, Sid's agent, was basically given a blank contract signed by Shero and told to fill in the salary and length. Sid didn't go for the gusto and demand every single cent he was legally able to get under the current salary cap regulations. He left $2 million a year for Shero to use for other players. But for some jerks, that's still not good enough. Allen Muir of Sports Illustrated is saying that the money Sid left on the table will only pay for one player with limited depth. He's clearly missing the point. That money isn't going to be used to sign another player. Sid allowed Shero to keep that cash not only to fatten the contracts that are already being considered for stars like Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury, but also to serve as a "lead-by-example" demonstration for other Penguins players to emulate during their contract renewals. How could Malkin, Staal, or Fleury ask for top dollar when the best player in the NHL - their captain - isn't doing that?

Another thing about this article that pisses me off is that Muir has the gall to address this issue under the blazing headline: "Could Crosby signing cost Penguins a shot at the Cup?" I shouldn't even dignify this with a response. All I will say is that Sid, his agents, Lemieux, and Shero all have the same goal in mind: winning that Cup. The salary cap will most likely go up multiple times in the 5 year period that coincides with Sidney's contract extension. That translates to even more money left for Shero to use for non-Crosby contract negotiations. If I figured this out, Sid and his agents knew it, too. Take that to the bank.

We're happy you're staying, too, Sidney!

The other reason I now really believe Sid when he says he's happy to stay in Pittsburgh is the fact that there was a contract renewal in the first place. Sid had another full season left to play on his entry level contract. We could have gone an entire year without knowing whether or not he would be wearing black and gold in the 2008-2009 season. But Sid knew he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh (count on it - he knew what he wanted or these negotiations never would have taken place) and most likely didn't want the 2007-2008 season to be marred with constant speculation about where he would be playing the during the next season. If that doesn't scream out "TEAM PLAYER," I'm not sure what does.

Trust me, Sidney: Pittsburgh loves you, too. :)

---

Reminder: I'll be taking nickname submissions until July 19! Another big thank you to all of you who have sent one in already. Keep them coming! :)

Opinions - Everyone's Got One

Okay. I know you've all heard stories about "long lost cousins" showing up on big lottery winners' doorsteps. And Oprah Winfrey once said she stopped reading her fan mail because she gets so many sob-story requests for money. It seems like everyone wants a piece of someone else's action; which leads me to this next story.

You've got a lot more rea$on$ to $mile, $id!

TheChronicleHerald.ca posted an article by Josh Visser in which the author asks Cole Harbour residents, most of whom are under the age of 16, what they believe Sid should do with the money he'll earn from his contract extension. Ummmm, yeah... I have two words for you, Mr. Visser - JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY. Go find some. Is there nothing going on in Sidneyland™ that is more interesting than this? Last time I checked, SIDNEY earned that money, not his former neighbors. Who honestly cares what Joe Blow down the street thinks Sid should buy? (And why did it surprise me that most of the answers were requests, not suggestions?)

Well, since I brought it up, here's just a few of the most ridiculous "suggestions":

• "He could get Hannebury Drive a pave," Karen Costello said, referring to the street the hockey star grew up on.

Yeah, because every multimillionaire teenager can't wait to purchase blacktop.

• "Cole Harbour doesn’t have an outdoor rink," Steve Mac-Donald hinted. "He should spend it on something he loves."

Uh huh, but is that a rink for Sidney or for YOU?

• "Sidney should buy me a bunch of cookies," said Josh Kendall, 14.

Uh, are you freaking KIDDING ME?

• "And Cole Harbour needs a McDonald’s," said Ashley Sweet, 12, snacking on a rival restaurant’s fries.

For some reason, I just can't picture Sid in a "Fry Guy" costume...

Look, I for one hope Sidney will follow the example of some of his peers (Mario Lemieux, Daniel Briere, Cam Neely) and share some his his vast wealth with others who are less fortunate. He can't possibly spend all that money himself, anyways. But, um, shouldn't we let Sidney decide what Sidney wants to do with Sidney's money?

---

Don't forget: you have until July 19 to submit suggestions for the nickname vote! A big thank you to all of you who have sent one in already. I've gotten some good ones. :)