Happy Friday everyone. It's Friday the 6th of April so next Friday it's Friday the 13th. I just looked at the calendar and noticed that. It's getting to be a good time of year since NHL playoffs are just around the corner. I'm getting excited because my team is back in the playoffs. I don't know how far the Canucks will go but you never know. The whole league has been so tight in the points race this season it has made for some entertaining stuff. At certain times in the season only 4 or 5 points separated first to last in a division. I guess that is supposed to mean that there is parity in the league. Play-off hockey is just another level of an already great game. If you are interested in watching hockey, now is the time of year to get into it. Seven game series with sudden death overtimes: you can't beat it. It's the hardest pro sport to win it all. It takes 16 wins to hoist the Stanley Cup. That could mean playing 28 games if all series goes to 7 games.

Since I'm on hockey, there was a discussion in the hockey world about fighting. Some in the league believe it should be eliminated in order to legitimize the sport and attract more viewers. (Whatever!) Some believe that it's part of the game and should stay. I think most of the players believe in the latter. I think they should leave it alone. Fighting still happens but it's not as prominent as people think. Those who don't know the sport and don't watch it think that "during a fight a hockey game broke out". That's simply not true. With the level of competition and parity I think that there has been less fighting because of the emphasis on trying to play and win games. I have watched about 80 to 85 games this year and I must say that I can't remember more than a 8 or 10 fights. In any event, fighting is a part of the game and perhaps a necessary one.

A player, I can't remember who, was asked about it and he made some good points for not eliminating it. His main contention was that it keeps guys honest and actually reduces injuries. It makes sense when you think about. If guys are not facing the potential of being fed a series of fists if they make a dirty hit then more dirty hits and dirty plays will happen. Without fear of reprisals guys, particularly the marginal players, will take liberties with the more skilled players. That would then lead to more injuries. Additionally, without the "release" of fighting, guys would express their frustration and anger in the form of more dangerous hits from behind and more stick work. Again, that leads to more injuries. I know those points can all be refuted and maybe there is no right or wrong with this issue but for me, it's something that need not be tinkered with. As I stated, fights are not as common as people think and besides, it's not like every NHL player drops the gloves. The guys who are willing to "go" are pretty much known and those who aren't fighters don't fight and generally are not challenged. As a final point, my inner cavemen says that they should keep fighting in hockey because it's the only sport where fights are real fights with one on one and punches actually being exchanged, unlike those sissy la-la fights in baseball, basketball, and football.

Since I am talking about rules, I posted this week about a caravan of exotic cars I saw whipping past me on the freeway. (Saleen S7, Ferraris including an Enzo, Lambos.) A CHP officer went nuts trying to catch them. He nearly wiped out another driver and me in the process. The CHP caught the Enzo. The caravan was going fast no doubt but not insanely so. They weren't racing or diving in and out of traffic. I think that someone called in because it looked like they were racing based purely on the fact that there were a half dozen exotic cars. If it were a line of Camry's or Accords people probably would have shook their heads but not called them in to the po-po. I think the guy in the Dodge Ram Dualie hauling a huge speedboat going 85 mph and riding my bumper was far more dangerous. Insane!

Some responses to the post were to the effect that speed does not necessarily mean reckless or dangerous. I could not agree more. The old lady in the Cadillac that pulled out in front of me as I exited the freeway going 65 while she swung into my lane going about 25 was far more dangerous than the Enzo going 110 in a straight line. She was totally oblivious and probably too old to drive. The person in the Ford Explorer who ran the red light going about 70 last night after my light was green for two seconds could have killed me. The guy in the Saleen S7 just flew by and didn't cause any danger to me. I maintain that it is not speed that kills but it is more likely that people get into collisions in intersections or right/left turns, irrespective of speed. I'm not suggesting that we be allowed to speed with impunity but rather just trying to support the notion that speed itself isn't always reckless. I have discussed this before with motor officers and they agree that running red lights is more dangerous than simple speeding but they think it's too difficult to sit there and wait and then it's harder in court to prove that they actually ran a red light. Anyway, it's frustrating and it makes me so mad that there are so many bad and outright dangerous drivers on the roads. Be careful out there!

Some quick crazy news items:

Wanna play hooky from work? What ever happened to the old cough and groan phone call to your bosses voicemail before he or she gets in?
I'm glad that I don't know all there is to know about The Crying Game.
When a pile of shi!t could save your life.
I bet the 7-10 split was a bitch!
Aw nuts!
I want to name my baby Metallica. Oh wait, that's taken.
WTF?
How to get revenge in an ugly way.
Dumb criminals at it again.
This guy needs to have the "Aw nuts" experience linked above to prevent him from spreading his defective DNA. :kung fu:
So many call centers in India, none of them calling in to vote for Sanjaya.
Who's going to do this mod on their X5?

Have a great weekend everyone!

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