Super Tuesday Stimulus Packages

As the deadline to file those income taxes passed, all those who filed it ahead of the deadline got the stimulus packages they were waiting for. Of course, I was treated to a few stimulus packages myself.

First off, the Dirtbags picked themselves up from the unfortunate series against Irvine, and roughhoused Pepperdine, 10-0. Earlier that day, Aldershot Town FC clinched promotion to the Football League, 16 years after being blasted off the face of the footballing world, drawing 1-1 with Exeter City. Also that day, the Lakers clinched the Western Conference #1 seed, beating the Sacramento Kings 124-101, the Avengers defeated the Blaze this week by the score of 79-62, the Angels defeated the Rangers 7-4, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals 4-2, the Los Angeles D-Fenders defeated the Colorado 14ers 102-95, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins, 1-0, to put the stranglehold on the series, as it goes back to the Bell Centre.

But what really got me feeling all chipper today was the Mighty Roos. Who are the Mighty Roos, you say? well, they are this hockey team from Australia, and they beat China, 1-0, to clinch the gold medal in their side of the world. Out there, it is winter by now, if not late autumn. And these guys are just a tournament away from qualifying for Vancouver 2010, and skating with the big boys!

Now, some of you may be thinking, wait a minute, how can Australia have a national ice hockey team, when they are known more for their summer sports? Well, ice hockey has been played in Australia for more than a century. It was in 1908 that the International Ice Hockey Federation was founded, and it was in 1908 that ice hockey was first played, in Adelaide, SA. So, the timing of the event, held down in Newcastle, NSW, couldn't have been any better.

One wonders if some disgruntled North American expatriates inject some fresh new blood into a team that is gaining a huge chuck of momentum after gaining the gold medal that eluded them before (they were second place to South Korea [yes, they DO have a hockey team there, too]). Remember Dale Begg-Smith? Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. He could have given Canada another mogul gold. Instead, due to logistics that were unfavorable to the ad master, he gave Australia Winter Olympics Gold Medal Number Three. Having the Mighty Roos qualify for Vancouver 2010 can only make the presence of Winter Olympic sport in Australia that much more significant, that much more credible, and that much more validated.

Congrats Australia. The world is watching you now.

3 April
Australia Win Gold With Perfect 1-0 Win

Australia is Number 1 in Division II Group B

By Peter Lambert, Ice Hockey Correspondent

No longer is ice hockey a novelty in Australia. A magic tournament ended with a fairy-tale ending, as the Mighty Roos Australian Senior Men’s Ice Hockey team closed down the Chinese national team 1 goal to nil in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia. The Aussies were perfect through the tournament, winning each of their five games in regulation time; their last two games in shut-outs, denying their opposition a single goal. Australian goalie Matt Ezzy was awarded ‘Best Goalie of Tournament’ for his feat in winning four games from four played, and allowing only four goals by him throughout the tournament.

China started out strong but almost immediately shortened their bench to their top six players. The Aussies held off the early assault, and then scored on their first opportunity.

Melbourne’s Lliam Webster poked his own rebound through the goal pads of China’s Yu Yang, with assists going to Andrew White and tournament MVP Greg Oddy.

From that point the Chinese never seemed like they had what they needed to win. Both teams hit the posts but the Aussies also won in that phantom category; 5 to 1 in the almost-goals.

Captain Anthony Wilson hold aloft the tournament winners plate as
IIHF Official Dr Hans Dobida presents him with his gold medal.

The Australian win means many thing, but the significance of happening on the Centenary of ice hockey in Australia, and the Centenary of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and on home soil made it a very special occasion for the capacity crowd. With volunteers and players included, rink management estimated an unprecedented 1200 people in the rink to witness the victory.

Veteran defenceman Tyler Lovering came out of retirement when he heard about the bid to host the tournament in Australia. Now he has a World Championship Gold Medal in his collection.

‘I had to work really hard to get back into the Australian team.

‘It’s been 10 years that I’ve played on this team.

‘We have a fantastic team of guys, I couldn’t be more proud.’

Team Manager Ross Noga was justifiably elated as he packed his players aboard their bus to head off and celebrate the milestone achievement.

‘100 years of ice hockey in Australia, 100 years of ice hockey of IIHF, you can’t beat this.

‘Here in Newcastle, in front of the home crowd. The crowd was fantastic with the hair colour, painted faces, the “Aussie Aussie Aussie” chants, the flags, it doesn’t get any better.’

The Australian team will break up after their celebrations on Monday, but with little chance for much rest as the Australian Ice Hockey League starts this coming weekend. All players in the Aussie squad belong to one of the eight clubs and may be back in training as soon as Tuesday.

The Australian ice hockey community is already buzzing with the challenge of competing with Division I countries. The task is a mammoth one but not one person involved will believe that it is impossible.

Another brutal weekend of all sorts

This was another brutal weekend of all sorts. First, we will go to what made this weekend brutal for the local teams.

Start with the Angels. They are done. Boston swept L.A., 3-0 with a 9-1 win. Next, the local university football teams. Ugh. USC, what happened? The Trojans lost to a Stanford team that was coached by Jim Harbaugh, a rising sensation, who helped San Diego to winning some nice hardware. And no, I am not talking about the Chargers, I am talking about the Torero football team, who are still continuing on their merry little way under successor Ron Caragher. Harbaugh’s Cardinal pulled off the upset special at the Coliseum.

Meanwhile, Charlie Weis’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish are increasing their prospects of leaving the ESPN Bottom 10 with a victory over UCLA. As if things weren’t bad enough for Karl Dorrell after losing to Utah weeks earlier…it gets even worse.

Also, the Kings and Ducks choked again. The Stanley Cup hangover from hell rolls on. And Marion Jones admitted of her shortcomings. Take her medals away, Lord.

But, there were some good things that happened. In spite of Colt Brennan aggravating his injury, Tyler Graunke takes over and leads the Hawaii Warriors to a 52-37 victory over Utah State. I can see YouTube member ajscoll steaming over this. This guy shut his mouth weeks ago after laying on the smack. I know that if we lose next week, or the week after, or in a few, he will pop his ugly head and enter another troll remark. Warrior ohana on the Tube, that’s what the thumbs-down icon is for. Just in case.

Also, Long Beach State’s men’s water polo, women’s soccer, ice hockey, and women’s volleyball teams roll on to victories, with the women’s tennis team still going on. I guess I was expecting a bit too much from sophomore Derek Wiebe-Bailey, but I will not lay any sympathy out because he’s an underclassman. He will be the one that takes over for Steve McKenzie, so I was a bit perturbed that MIT cut it close in a 9-5 victory for us. He’ll improve. He has to. Otherwise, I reserve the right to ask myself…what is he doing here?

That’s the thing. Even when you win, there is always room to improve. I know those players on those teams know that they didn’t play their best game, and they’ll need to turn it up a notch for next week’s action. They must.

And finally, the Galaxy still are clinging to hope that they will enter the playoffs. They defeated Houston, 2-1. They are now on a tear. Toronto FC is next for them. If they are able to make the playoffs, my jaw is going to drop for a while.

Wake me up when September ends.

It’s great to see the underdog triumph, because it proves that on any given day, a top team can be felled, and it reinforces that timeless adage: You have to play the game. So I have see some top teams fall from their perch on September 29, 2007. West Virginia lost to South Florida, 21-13. Oklahoma was edged by a Colorado field goal, 27-24. Auburn also booted a field goal to drain Florida’s swamp, 20-17. Texas was given a Kansas State-style lynching, 41-21. Rutgers was routed by Maryland, 34-24. Clemson got shacked by Georgia Tech, 13-3. Illinois outlasted Penn State, 27-20. And Florida State squeaked by Alabama, 21-14.

However, calling this Saturday “Insanity Saturday” is just Pat Forde’s shyster way of stretching the impact of this weekend’s results to make it look like the end of the world. It’s not being fair to the top teams who are still alive, specifically the top two teams. USC and LSU are still on track to be in the show. The Trojans defeated Washington, 27-24. The Tigers, after a shaky start, defeated Tulane, 34-9. Cal and Ohio State are still in the running, too. The Golden Bears dismissed Oregon, 31-24, while Ohio State continued on its merry way, 30-7. Wisconsin, Boston College, and Kentucky also survived, so they are the latest contenders. And the only difference between the interceptions that Hawaii and Idaho made was that the Warriors were able to convert them into points (48-20 Hawaii).

Keep in mind that App State was not involved, either. The Mountaineers, after being upset themselves by Wofford, got back to business, dismissing Elon, 49-32.

Meanwhile, the USA gutted themselves of any hope to salvage 3^rd place, starting Brianna “The Hag” Scurry against Norway. I predict that the Norwegians got this one in the bag. The world will have ended if the USA wins this one. The world will be saved if the USA finishes 4^th, and Greg “I am Hope Solo’s worst enemy, and will be lynched for my faggotry” Ryan is sacked.

In other news, my Anaheim Ducks are feeling London Burning right now. Hey Randy Carlyle, call 99999 already! Punk. On the other side of the world, the Angels continue their warm-ups, felling the Athletics, 3-2. In Canada, the President’s Cup is all but going to go to the Yanks, as they are 7-up on the rest of the world.

And the Cubans will be crushed tomorrow in Valdivia, Chile. You may have our number in baseball, Fidel Castro, but these soon-to-be defectors are due to roll over and die come Sunday Bloody Sunday. It’s their duty.

St. Jimmy and Jesus of Suburbia, send help. And bring some Novocain with you while you’re rolling down this boulevard of broken dreams, bruised egos, and American idiots. This is a request from the Bedlam.

A Saturday in review

• The Stanley Cup arrived, without case, by airplane. I saw it, that three-foot-tall piece of silver and nickel, glistening for al to see. Only four people in the history of the cup have engraved it, and the fourth one will be working on the next panel tomorrow. Apparently, the other three were already dead. Sort of like a tradition passed down from one person to another. Once you are called to engrave on the Cup, you are given the job for life. I think.
• I met Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first time. With his movie-star accent and political savvy, the Governator gave a nice speech.
• I met the band Pennywise for the first time. They only sang one song as the players coaches, management and the Cup came down the red carpet (which I personally blessed a la basketball court, a hallowed ground of glory, a ritual), and that was the song that is most associated with the punk veterans from San Diego, the Bro Hymn. This was modified for the event (i.e. "Anaheim Ducks, this one's for you!") It's rare to see a song with simple hooks and chords that is still strong for nearly two decades, and be readily customizable.
• I met the players on the team for the first time. If you take away the glory, the accolades and so one, and all the honors, they are really regular people like us who work hard, and had the right chemistry to win.
• OCTA didn't do its passengers a favor by not having enough buses to take the commuters home. They may need to be better prepared next time. I decided to drop the complaint after seeing that bus ahead of me when boarding the next one as I was about to get off at the VA Medical Center.
• A guy from Long Island told me, "My friend shook hands with Randy Carlyle. He said, 'Randy, thanks for all the hard work.' He said, 'No problem. Look, I gotta head home. It's late.' That was the best thing that ever happened to him." He has a mystique about him, Randy Carlyle does. A humble person who had the winning formula this season.
• I was on the big screen for a few seconds. Tee-hee.
• The cover band that played before Pennywise was not well received. Posers.
• The championship flag was raised, the confetti fell, and fireworks came up into the sky. Next season, three banners (Pacific, Western, Stanley) will rise into the rafters.
• The Kings will be crushed. Dial 99999!
• The Galaxy failed again, and the noose is getting tighter for Frank Yallop. The Angels won, the US soccer team is off to the finals, and the Matildas failed football. Again. Damn you Kim Jong Il and your bloody concubines for ending the hopes and dreams of the maidens of Australia! Not to worry, I'll stay to base follow the US ladies instead now in Beijing.
  

VI.IX.MMVII

Actually, this would have been Haruhi Suzumiya raising the trophy above her head, but the Ducks didn't sweep. Damn that Game 3.

...Aflac?

Anaheim Ducks - 2007 Stanley Cup Champions!

What a day for hockey. The Anaheim Ducks win the 2007 Stanley Cup.

Canada still fails [sic] at ice hockey. It should be a day of mourning in the nation's capital. Get the hearse ready, and bring out some pitch black Clydesdales while you're at it.

As for Anaheim, and all of Southern California and Orange County, embrace your Ducks. They are the champions of North America.

Enjoy fapping that Auld Mug, Butterbean, your days are numbered.

Well, I woke up to news that Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand blackwashed Luna Rossa 5-0. Alinghi, Brad Butterworth and Ernesto Bertarelli, you better look over your shoulders. The Kiwis want their America's Cup back, and they mean it.

The article...

Australia destroyed Jordan in Olympic qualifying, 4-0, so they are off to the final round on the road to Beijing, and Japan took care of things, too. The Jordan win was impressive because they did it without Kristian Sarkies, who fell ill with a virus. There are no articles yet, but GlobalScore.com confirmed that it was a 4-0 win, with all four goals in the second half. Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, England holds on to hope that they will qualify for Euro 2008, defeating Estonia 3-0. This day could get even better if Toronto FC and the Canadian national socccer team win their games. And of course, if Anaheim wins the Stanley Cup, this day will have reached its highest point for me.

A good day

When I found out who the top five contestant were in the 2007 Miss Universe pageant, which were USA, Venezuela (the sacred cow), Brazil, Korea and Japan, I told my mom, "I'm calling for Japan to win for the people who believe in moe, the otaku, Tokyo, Osaka, the anime and manga aficionados of this world..." and when I found out who won, which was Japan, I told her, "The cream puffs are mine." I made a friendly wager with her. It was between her and Brazil. If BRazil won, I would leave them alone. The cream puffs, that is.

By the way, her name is Riyo Mori, and she's a ballet dancer, too. She's 20 (as of this post), 5-8, and has all the aesthetics one can ask for at her age.

Oh, and the Anaheim Ducks won again. 3-2 over Ottawa in the Stanley Cup Finals Game 1. 1 down, 3 to go.

I'm going to need to review everything with my counselor about the plan tomorrow. I need some rest.

We're ba~~~~~ck...<3

The Anaheim Ducks are the Western Conference Champions, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3, and win the series 4-2.

BRING ON OTTAWA!!!

20 more minutes...

The Detroit Red Wings are on the ropes, and have their backs to the wall. The Anaheim Ducks now lead 3-0 after two periods. What will Mike Babcock's guys do now? I think, if I was Randy Carlyle, I would go ahead and pour it on for insurance. However, weirder things have happened in sports, and being down 3-0 would not be a problem if you have 20 minutes to make up the breakdown.

So the Ducks aren't out of the woods yet. But this would be a huge collapse if they let Hockeytown back in this thing.

Just when things couldn't get any worse...

I have to announce a moment of silence for Lakewood High's baseball team. They went on the road to El Dorado...and lost. There go all my aspirations on getting to Dodger Stadium. Not sure if the softbal team met a similar fate against La Palma Kennedy, but I am counting on it.

I bought a new patch for a letterman's jacket I want to purchase from the Bookstore. It won't be ready until next week, but I hope I can muster enough to buy that jacket. Then I have to pay 8-9 quid for the folks at D & D to sew it up on my right sleeve.

I am currently following the Anaheim Ducks. They are so far 1-0 up on Detroit in the Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Hang in there. The 2nd period is starting as I am typing this up.