Quarterfinals Recap

Let me start off by saying that I missed only a few games this round. The quality of playoff hockey has been outstanding thus far. The Habs/Caps shocked everyone, and no one thought the Habs would push 7, let alone win it. Jaroslav Halak stood on his head, pushing 7 games and making 131 of 134 stops in the final three games to get them there. The Canadiens are the ninth No. 8 team to knock off a No. 1 in 32 matchups since the NHL went to its current playoff format in 1994—and the first to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. This series is living proof that the phrase “offense wins games, defence wins championships” rings as true today as the day it was coined. All you need to shut down a great offence is a team that can play defence as a cohesive unit. There’s *nothing* I love more than watching a high-powered offence, better yet, a President’s Trophy-winning team, come into the playoffs and lose to the 8th seed after being up 3-1. Ladies and gentlemen, the regular season means nothing once you clinch a postseason spot.

Jersey/Philly shocked a lot of people. Philly is seriously banged up heading into round 2. This series is proof that physical hockey is what wins in the playoffs. I almost picked Buffalo over Boston. The TSN Panel made a good point saying, “beware of good teams having bad seasons,” and Boston is surely one of them. Tuukka Rask has been phenomenal. Pittsburgh/Ottawa was your average series. Not much to say here, really.

In the West, San Jose’s Game 1 loss had me thinking, “here we go again.” But no. Not yet, at least. We’ll see how they do in the second round. Good on the Avs to push 6, as no one expected them to do anything this season. Chicago/Nashville was probably the most dreadful to watch so far. Boring tempo, but again we see Nashville sent packing on home ice. Vancouver/LA was great. I loved this series beginning to end. Probably the most entertaining to watch among all of them. Phoenix/Detroit was also fun. Detroit is terrible when playing in afternoon games. They had a chance to win it in Game 6, but no dice, as the offence couldn’t beat Ilya Bryzgalov. As close as the series was, Detroit destroyed Phoenix on home ice in Game 7. Not even close. Gotta wonder what the series would be like had Shane Doan not been injured.

Last round, I went 6-2. I love seeing the top 3 teams in the East being out. Shows you how unbalanced their conference is during the regular season. I was stupid to pick the Devils over the Flyers. I had forgotten Jersey was out in the first round for three consecutive years, and now without guys like John Madden, etc. there was no way they’d advance. Fear not, since Philly is beaten up and won’t advance. No one saw the Habs taking the Caps. I had them pencilled in to lose in round 2, but hey, the sooner the better. I hate Alex Ovechkin.

Eastern Conference

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

Game 1 @ PIT, Fri, Apr 30 7:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, RDS
Game 2 @ PIT, Sun, May 2 2:00pm EDT, TV: NBC, CBC
Game 3 @ MON, Tue, May 4 7:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, RDS
Game 4 @ MON, Thu, May 6 7:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, RDS
Game 5 @ PIT, Sat, May 8 7:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, RDS
Game 6 @ MON, Mon, May 10 7:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, RDS
Game 7 @ PIT,Wed, May 12, TBD, TV: CBC, RDS

Make no mistake – Pittsburgh is not Washington. The Caps are not a complete team. The Penguins are, and that’ll get them by the Habs. You can shut down Alex Ovechkin since his game is one-dimensional – all he has is his shot – but Sidney Crosby is a playmaker and looks to shoot only after he can’t make the setup. Jaroslav Halak won’t be able to shut down the Pens like he did the Caps.

Pick: Pens in 6

(6) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

Game 1 @ BOS, Sat, May 1 12:30pm EDT, TV: NBC, TSN
Game 2 @ BOS, Mon, May 3 7:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 3 @ PHI, Wed, May 5 7:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 4 @ PHI, Fri, May 7 7:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 5 @ BOS, Mon, May 10 7:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 6 @ PHI, Wed, May 12, TBD, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 7 @ BOS, Fri, May 14 7:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.

Beware a good team having a bad season. With Marc Savard back, the Bruins get an added lift in spirit and on offence. Philly has played incredibly through all their injuries, but the difference is in net, and Tuukka Rask is easily better than Brian Boucher. Everyone who struggled in Boston during the regular season – Milan Lucic, David Krejci – all seem to be stepping up when it counts. This series will come down to goaltending and special teams.

Pick: Bruins in 7

Western Conference

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

Game 1 @ SJ, Thu, Apr 29 9:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 2 @ SJ, Sun, May 2 8:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 3 @ DET, Tue, May 4 7:30pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 4 @ DET, Thu, May 6 7:30pm EDT , TV: TSN, VS.
Game 5 @ SJ, Sat, May 8 10:00pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 6 @ DET, Mon, May 10 7:30pm EDT, TV: TSN, VS.
Game 7 @ SJ, Wed, May 12, TBD, TV: TSN, VS.

This is the year that the Sharks finally beat the Wings. Their defence has looked awful, and it’s going to bite them in the ass. The Sharks are too fast, too deep and too big. Evgeni Nabokov will need to be stellar. Joe Pavelski will be key to their success. The Wings are also coming off a tiring trip against Phoenix that pushed 7 games, and they get no rest. Almost any other time, I’d say playoff experience wins it. But if San Jose’s top line doesn’t score, this series is up for grabs.

Pick: Sharks in 7

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

Game 1 @ CHI, Sat, May 1 8:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.
Game 2 @ CHI, Mon, May 3 9:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.
Game 3 @ VAN, Wed, May 5 9:30pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.
Game 4 @ VAN, Fri, May 7 9:30pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.
Game 5 @ CHI, Sun, May 9 8:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.
Game 6 @ VAN, Tue, May 11 9:30pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.
Game 7 @ CHI, Thu, May 13 8:00pm EDT, TV: CBC, VS.

Many picked the Canucks to win the Cup. I don’t see it. It depends on how Roberto Luongo plays. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will shut down the Sedins, and they’ll need to if they want any chance. The ‘Hawks took out the Canucks in six games last season, and they’re a better team this year despite a novice goalie in Antti Niemi. This will be a battle of who has the better goalie. Blackhawks can’t fall into a 2-1 hole like they did with the Preds, otherwise Canucks take it. They’ll start off strong.

Pick: Blackhawks in 6

NHL
2008: 12-3 (80%)
2009: 10-5 (67%)
2010: 6-1-1 (86%)
Total: 22/30 = 73%

NBA
2008: 11-4 (73%)
2009: 9-6 (60%)
2010: 0-0 (00%)
Total: 20/30 = 67%

MLB
2008: 5-2 (71%)
2009: 4-3 (57%)
Total: 9/14 = 64%

NFL
2008: 9-2 (82%)
2009: 7-4 (64%)
Total: 16/22 = 73%

VoV

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NHL

– Flyers F Simon Gagne (hernia/abdominals) is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday and will be out six-to-eight weeks. Gagne has two hernias, but he initially looked into ways he might be able to play through the injury. Gagne has been forced to miss a significant amount of time in two of his last three seasons.

– Speaking of the Flyers, they are again scouting F Peter Forsberg for a possible NHL return. The team is sending a scout to Europe, where he will join scouts from the Avalanche, Canadiens and Capitals. Stay tuned.

– Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has filed a grievance against Sharks F Dany Heatley over his $4M bonus. Heatley received a $4M bonus this season as part of his contract, but even before the bonus was paid, Heatley demanded that the Senators trade him. Ottawa tried to put together a trade before they were due to pay the bonus and they did manage to negotiate a trade with Edmonton before the deadline. However, Heatley didn’t want to play for the Oilers either, and he exercised his no-trade clause to prevent the deal. As a result, Ottawa was responsible for Heatley’s $4M bonus. The Senators were finally able to trade Heatley to San Jose before the start of the season, but Melnyk was furious about having to pay Heatley the bonus.

– Capitals F Alex Ovechkin (upper body) is week-to-week.

– Ducks D James Wisniewski has been suspended for two games by the NHL for punching Coyotes F Shane Doan during Anaheim’s 3-2 shootout loss to Phoenix on October 31. Doan will be eligible to return to the Ducks in time for their rematch against the Coyotes on Saturday.

NBA

– Grizzlies F Rudy Gay will not sign a contract extension with the Grizzlies yet. Negotiations have broken off and it’s highly likely that Gay will become an RFA next summer. Austin said, “We’ve agreed to not agree. It will not happen. We looked at different ways we might try to get something done and we weren’t able to agree.” Gay is now playing for a contract.

– Lakers F Pau Gasol (torn hamstring) is out indefinitely.

– Nets G Devin Harris (hamstring) is out indefinitely.

MLB

– According to MLB.com, the Rangers are entertaining the possibility of bringing back OF Milton Bradley. Bradley was with the team in 2008 when he had a .321 average and led the American League in OPS. He’s got two more years and about $20M left on his deal with the Cubs but they want to unload Bradley. Stay tuned.

– SI reports that the Braves are now in on 21-year-old LHP Aroldis Chapman. They join the Orioles, Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs, Tigers, Mariners, Yankees, Athletics, Giants and Cardinals.

TNA

– Sting is not expected to return to TNA action soon. Word going around is that he won’t return until several months into 2010.

– TNA President Dixie Carter announced via her twitter account that Knockouts champion ODB has signed a “new multiyear deal” with the promotion.

UFC

– Paul Heyman has written a blog detailing the recent health issues of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who had to pull out of a title defense later this month due to illness.

“It was about three and a half weeks ago, when I was on the phone with Brock, and he sounded just so tired. I asked him if this training camp was harder than the others. He shocked me with his answer. ‘I’m just exhausted,’ he admitted, ‘I train, I come home, and I crash. I’m going to take a day or two off and just try to shake this thing.’ That was hint number one. Something was wrong.

“About a week later, Brock told me he was behind in his training camp. ‘I’m still going to beat Shane Carwin’s ass,” Brock said ‘then let’s go ice fishing or something. Whatever I have, it’s throwing me off my game.’??Uh oh. Hint number two. NOTHING throws Brock Lesnar off his game. Not injury, as I’ve seen him work through those. Not personal turmoil. I’ve seen his home life get turned upside down. He works through that as well.”

Heyman says Brock Lesnar has a great responsibility to compete at the highest level and simply cannot fight without proper training.

“He really had no choice. He’s worked so hard, for so long, to find his passion in life. And now that he’s found it, he’s not going to half-ass a fight, whether Shane Carwin is the man to take the title from Brock, or whether Brock could whip Shane Carwin’s ass even if he’s battling pneumonia, swine flu, diarrhea, gonorrhea, syphilis, and sickle cell. The point is that Brock Lesnar could not train properly for a fight that would most likely be purchased by upwards of 1,000,000 people. More people are expected to pay to see Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin on pay per view than this year’s WWE Wrestlemania. Just think about the responsibility of being that main event fighter.”

Heyman rejects any claims that Lesnar is full of himself and reveals that the champ passed on what could have been an epic movie role.

“As for being spoiled by success, that’s LOL-funny. Brock has turned down movie roles, including an easy generous payday to do a fight scene with Dwayne “Don’t Call Me Rock” Johnson. He’s not looking for prime time exposure except when he steps into the Octagon and defends his title.”

WWE

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what JR said about:

Ric Flair: “Ric Flair called me Saturday as I was pulling into Owen Field in Norman about two hours before the Sooner game. Ric is staying very busy and the state lottery, promotional endorsement that he’s doing may be growing to other states outside the old, Mid Atlantic Territory area. Ric told me he was working out twice a day, when he could, in preparation for the upcoming Australian tour on which he’s booked. After talking to ‘Naitch’ it’s obvious to me that he still has the passion and the fire to perform inside a wrestling ring which should come really as no shock or surprise and I don’t think that his passion to perform will ever wane. Mother Nature might cause Ric more ‘female problems’ but Ric’s will to compete and perform can’t be deterred.”

Steve Austin: “Steve Austin called me Sunday afternoon during the Packers-Vikings game and most of our discussion centered on football and how I was doing battling my ‘little friend’ Bells palsy #3. Steve is preparing to head up to Vancouver to film another action/adventure movie that is going to be largely done outdoors in the beautiful terrain of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Texas Rattlesnake expects to encounter plenty of ‘weather’ including ample rain which apparently is what they want for the film to have the organic grittiness to fit the script. I don’t know the release date but one can assume some time in 2010 nor do I know the title. I obviously don’t know much but as I said we talked football and not work.”

– The on-again off-again feud between Hulk Hogan and ex-wife Linda appears to be on again due to Hulk described Linda as an “abusive alcoholic” in his new book, “My Life Outside the Ring.”

“As far as what he has said about Linda, it’s not accurate about her being involved with heavy alcohol and being abusive, and trying to hit Nick with a wine bottle? Absolutely false,” attorney Ray Rafool stated. “It’s disappointing and it is irritating. We disagree and wish he would have stuck to the facts instead of sensationalism to sell his book. It does reheat a lot of stuff, but it makes her feel all the more happy that she’s divorced and away from him. He’s Jennifer’s problem now.”

“You can now understand the fear that Linda had when she was going through the divorce because she knows his personality, heard these rumors, knew what he was doing, and that’s the reason why she was so concerned. We’re thankful that at this point, he has straightened his life out,” Rafool said.

A rep for Hulk says that he “stands by what is written in the book.”

NFL

– 49ers LT Joe Staley (MCL, PCL) is out six weeks.

VoV

– FAQ section updated.

NHL

– There is apparently no truth to the rumour that the Ducks are interested in trading D Chris Pronger to the Kings for D Jack Johnson and the fifth overall pick in the upcoming entry draft. Kings’ GM Dean Lombardi vehemently denied the rumour as “completely false”. There will much discussion about trades leading into the draft now that the Stanely Cup finals are over. Traditionally a limited number of deals are completed during this time period so don’t react to very rumour you hear. Many media outlets had reported and confirmed this, as I had, but apparently the deal is not happening.

– Leafs’ GM Brian Burke said yesterday that his plan is to bring former Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher back, likely as the club’s senior adviser, and expects to ink Fletcher to a new deal as soon as possible. According to Sun Media, Fletcher, 73, said he would be more than happy to remain with the organization and expects to do so.

– The chances of the Canadiens reverting to Quebec ownership became stronger yesterday when a group headed by Stephen Bronfman and Joey Saputo was identified as the third Quebec-based bidder for the team. Both will be relying on family resources to support what is reportedly an opening bid of $450M for the team, the Bell Centre and the Gillett Entertainment Group. While both have been successful in their own right, they are best-known as the sons of multi-billionaires.

– According to sources, Panthers’ D Jay Bouwmeester has already told the team that he will not return next season, meaning he will sign as a UFA sometime after July 1. Because of this, you can expect the Panthers to try and swing a deal so that J-Bo doesn’t walk for free. The price for Bouwmeester’s rights could be as high as a first-round pick. That, combined with fitting his salary under the cap — Bouwmeester made $4.875M this past season, but will almost certainly get a big raise — could put him out of range for a lot of teams.

The Flyers would like to fit him in despite their cap issues. One option to clear space for Bouwmeester is moving F Joffrey Lupul. He will make $2.9M next season before a 4-year/$17M extension kicks in.The Oilers, Canucks, Flames and Sens are also believed to be interested. J-Bo is believed to be interested in signing in Western Canada, though, so the Canucks might be at the top of his list. Stay tuned.

– According to the Toronto Sun, if the Coyotes move to Hamilton, captain Shane Doan will try and become a UFA. The winger has four years left on a deal that pays $4.55M per season and includes a no-movement clause. If the Coyotes relocate, the belief is Doan could argue the clause was voided and he should be allowed to test the market. Yikes. Stay tuned.

– It would appear that Habs’ captain Saku Koivu’s days with the Canadiens are finished. The Habs’ forward will likely test the UFA market, although talk has resurfaced that he’s going to pack his bags for Minnesota to play with brother Mikko. The Habs, meanwhile, are trying to sign D Mike Komisarek and RW Alexei Kovalev. Komisarek is expected to test the market, while Kovalev is expected to stay in Montreal. A rumour had circulated that Kovalev was offered a new deal that included guaranteed captaincy of the Habs. Stay tuned.

– According to TSN, there are many teams interested in the services of former NHL goalie Robert Esche.

Esche posted a 21-14 record, with a 1.87 GAA and .912 SV%, along with nine shutouts in his 2008-09 campaign with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. Esche was last seen in the NHL picking up a 5-9-1 record, along with a 4.32 GAA with the Flyers in the 2006-07 season. The free agent goalie pool is very deep, including the likes of Nikolai Khabibulin, Dwayne Roloson, Martin Gerber, Manny Fernandez, Manny Legace, Antero Niittymaki, Mathieu Garon, Jason LaBarbera, Andrew Raycroft, Ty Conklin, Brian Boucher, Scott Clemmensen, and the list goes on and on, so it’ll be interesting to see if there really is that much interest in the services of Esche. Stay tuned.

WWE

– This past weekend, some people within World Wrestling Entertainment leaked a story to PWInsider.com saying Batista had suffered a biceps tear. Their story was later changed to a torn tendon in his left biceps and that it was not a full fledged muscle tear. The webmaster of his official website, Demon-Wrestling.com, soon acknowledged his injury, confirming it as a torn tendon.

The webmaster wrote: “We originally thought Dave had a torn muscle (he’s been hurt for around 2-3 weeks), but this has now been confirmed as a torn tendon.”

According to their report concerning Batista’s injury, he suffered a completely torn left biceps requiring surgery that will keep him out of action for at least four months – not a torn tendon. A full fledged muscle tear is much more serious than a tendon tear, so something’s clearly not adding up. If he did indeed suffer a torn tendon like his official website is saying, the amount of ring time he would miss would be considerably less.

Among some of the wrestlers, there has been plenty of skepticism over the true severity of his injury. The injury supposedly occurred over three weeks ago, but he had been working television, PPVs, and live events without any sort of tape on his arm whatsoever, let alone showing any signs of an injury. If the biceps tear was serious, and people within WWE are claiming it was serious enough for him to get surgery two days after his championship victory, it would certainly have been taped up. If the injury was not serious enough to require tape, one would think there would be no need for surgery.

Even partially torn biceps injuries are taped up, but considering WWE is saying he suffered a full fledged muscle tear, it makes the severity of his injury all the more suspicious.

At Monday’s RAW in Lafayette?, the wrestlers were told his injury was legitimate and he was having surgery the next day. The talk among wrestlers in the locker room, however, is that his injury angle on RAW was a cover-up to have him avoid being suspended due to a violation of the company’s drug testing policy.

For what it’s worth, Monday’s show was re-written several times during the day and the creative team was given a list of wrestlers not to use for the foreseeable future prior to show time as a result of drug testing held earlier in the day and at shows over the weekend.

WWE covering up a drug test failure with an injury would certainly be a major change of philosophy on how they handle their drug testing policy, and while things appear fishy, right now there is no concrete evidence indicating that has happened.

– The Wrestling Observer reports that the WWE creative team patterned Vickie Guerrero’s promo this past Monday on Raw after a promo indy worker Trina Michaels cut at a recent AWS show that ended up on YouTube.

The Wrestling Observer wrote the following in his recap for Monday’s episode of RAW: “The wording of this promo appeared to be taken from a 4/26 promo done by former porn star Trina Michaels on an AWS show in Los Angeles. The wording was slightly different because it was a different story, but so many of the phrases were identical and that it was so recent, on youtube, and the fact Michaels is friends with people in creative makes it extremely possible that’s where a lot of the promo was inspired from.”

Trina herself commented on the situation on her MySpace account, writing: “If they (WWE) did get the idea from my promo I take that as an honor. I always thought Vickie was awesome in her role. Now time for someone to fill that spot. Hmmmmm.”

MLB

– The Red Sox have yet to resume discussions on a contract extension for OF Jason Bay, who is eligible to become a free agent at the end of this season. In spring training, Bay and the Sox made substantial progress toward an extension, but they broke off talks when the erratic market for outfielders pushed the sides too far apart. Nearly 2.5 months later, with Bay almost certainly on his way to an All-Star Game appearance, talks have yet to restart.

– Matt Hobgood, the Orioles’ first-round pick in Tuesday’s amateur draft, expects to take a physical in Baltimore in two weeks, and barring any unforeseen developments, he will sign a contract June 27. Financial terms have not been officially agreed upon, but Hobgood likely will receive a bonus in the $2.5M range, which was MLB’s recommended offer for the fifth slot in 2008.”

NBA

– According to the Washington Post, the Wizards have a deal on the table to acquire Spurs’ G Manu Ginobili. Although this cannot be confirmed, the story is believed to have happened like this: the San Antonio Spurs contacted the Wizards to inquire about what it what it would take to get the No. 5 pick in the 2009 NBA Entry Draft. The Wizards’ response was Manu Ginobili. A deal is extremely unlikely to happen.

NFL

– According to the NY Daily News, a second adjournment will be granted at WR Plaxico Burress’ scheduled hearing on Monday, pushing the case back to September. Burress had already received an adjournment back in March, and another one will be requested at the June 15 hearing. While there is no plea deal on the horizon, attorney Benjamin Brafman is confident about Plax’s chances of playing football this year. Brafman does not believe a trial will take place until after the season in 2010.

– The Vikings will send a member of the coaching staff and a trainer to Mississippi to work out QB Brett Favre, according to ESPN.com The rendez-vous could happen as soon as this weekend. Coach Brad Childress had stated previously that the Vikes want to see Favre throw to determine how his arm is coming along post-surgery. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has been a long-time friend of Favre’s, so he would be the obvious candidate to supervise the workout.

MLB

– Padres’ RHP Jake Peavy (ankle) is out one month. He’s likely out past the All-Star break. An MRI revealed longitudinal tearing in the posterior tibialis tendon in his right ankle. He will be wearing a cast for at least a month and the medical staff will then re-evaluate the ankle at that time.

TNA

– The following is the latest online MySpace blog entry from former WWE Diva and current TNA Knockout Lisa Maria Varon (aka Victoria/Tara)

Response to a Vicious Lie

I try not to respond to rumors. It’s a lose-lose situation. If you don’t respond, it seems like you may be avoiding the rumor because it is true. If you deny it, you are bringing more attention to a lie. Well, in this case I’m gonna respond. A MySpace friend emailed me yesterday to let me know that a wrestling gossip website is claiming that they have an anonymous source or sources that say I was Chris Benoit’s secret mistress at the time of his murder-suicide. First let me say, this is absolutely false. I invite the “reporter” from that website to come to my home city, and I will submit myself to a polygraph. If this website is at all concerned with the truth, they should jump at the opportunity. But frankly, I think they are just concerned about sensational headlines, and couldn’t care less about the facts behind it.

And the timing sure is conspicuous.Years after the event, but hours before my TNA wrestling debut. Could it be that a certain wrestling organization is concerned about what kind of impact that I will make in TNA? And what kind of coward would make such a powerful claim, and hide in the shadows of anonymity. Come forward. Legitimize your claim.

I have made every effort to move on and take the high road. The worst thing that I have said is that I wanted a different role. Believe me, in nine years with that organization, I have been aware of behavior so deviant that it would shock the devil himself. But as the old saying goes, the only thing certain about a mudslinging contest is that everyone gets dirty.

And finally, let me say this. To spread a lie like this hurts the survivors of a tragedy that already have gone through immeasurable suffering. Although it doesn’t excuse his behavior, studies on Chris Benoit’s brain after his death showed severe damage from years of wrestling-related injuries. That, mixed with mood and hormone altering drugs led to a horrible outcome. Before that, as we all have heard, he was very dedicated to his family. Don’t drag these victims and their families through vicious lies for the sake of attempting to take the wind out of my sails.

Again, I think the website that first posted this should feel obligated to come out here and polygraph me. Stand by your story.

But in the end, all you’ve done is hurt some innocent people with lies, and frankly, pissed me off, and motivated me to make TNA as good a product as I can.

Lisa Marie Varon
TARA is RIZING

– Bobby Lashley spoke on the Hits the Ropes radio show regarding a number of topics. Here’s what he said;

His status with TNA: “I had some sit-downs with (TNA president) Dixie Carter. We’re working something into the (Main Event Mafia) angle to be part of their show. Being a professional wrestler is in your blood. Wish I never left it in the first place, but under the circumstances, I did.”

A possible return to WWE: “I’d rather not talk about it too much. I’ve been in talks with TNA. If people are going to see me coming back, it’s probably going be with TNA.”

NHL

– Bolts’ F Vincent Lecavalier’s agent, Kent Hughes, denied rumours that Tampa Bay was trying to trade his client. Lecavalier has a 11-year/$85MM contract with the Lightning, which will begin to pay him $10MM annually starting next season. A no trade clause negotiated into the contract will also take effect on July 1st. Rumours that the Lightning are in financial trouble add fuel to the fire of recent Lecavalier trade rumours. Lecavalier’s agent said his client expects to be in a Lightning jersey throughout his NHL career.

– Although unconfirmed, the Rangers and Sabres have both made offers to the Coyotes for F Shane Doan. The Rangers are said to be holding the better offer, but it appears that the Sabres could be making another offer as early as today. I’ll update when I get it.

MLB

– The Red Sox have agreed to terms with RHP Takashi Saito on a one-year/$2MM contract, with $5MM in incentives, and a team option for 2010. Other than his elbow problems, Saito has been key over the past few seasons – 81 saves, with a 1.95 ERA anda  245/52 K/BB ratio in 189 2/3 innings over the past 3 years. Another great signing by the Bo Sox to go along with Smoltz and Baldelli.

– The Reds are looking into free agent OF Bobby Abreu.

– According to a source, the Dodgers could be moving close to signing free agent RHP Guillermo Mota. Mota hasn’t finished with an ERA under 4.00 since the Dodgers traded him to the Marlins in 2004. He had a 4.11 ERA and a 50/28 K/BB ratio in 57 innings for the Brewers last season.

– Rangers’ 2B Ian Kinsler, who had sports hernia surgery on Sept. 11, says he’s 100%.

WWE

– Although WrestleMania 25 in Texas is still four months away, the card for the biggest event of the year is beginning to take form.

The original for the World Heavyweight Championship was to have a Cena/Batista II – a rematch from last year’s SummerSlam PPV. But, with Batista out for up to six months, his chances at fighting at WrestleMania have been eliminated. Cena will now most likely face the winner of the Royal Rumble.

As broken here first at VoV, this week on SmackDown!, Jeff Hardy and his girlfriend awere injured in a hit and run car accident. This is now the second attack on the WWE Champion in recent months (see Survivor Series). It is expected that Hardy’s mystery opponent will be revealed as none other than Christian Cage. These two may fight at WrestleMania, with the possibility of a Matt Hardy and Edge being added to the mix. Of course, an Edge & Christian vs. The Hardyz reunion would be epic – especially as another TLC match.

There had been talk during the fall of an Undertaker/HBK match, but many expect the current HBK/JBL storyline to continue over until WrestleMania. I, for one, would be amazed to see Undertaker go over HBK at ‘Mania.

The PPV poster for February’s No Way Out show will once again be headlined by the Elimination Chamber. The winner of that match will get a shot at the WWE Championship. As a possible spoiler, SmackDown! superstar Vladimir Kozlov is featured on the PPV poster.

It has also been confirmed that WrestleMania 25 will feature another Money in the Bank ladder match, where the winner will receive a title shot contract for anytime, anywhere within one year’s time.

Finally, JR was on Bubba the Love Sponge radio show this week, and pitched an idea – Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan. The proposed ending would see MizMo interfere, with Austin and Hogan downing beers at the end. Hogan called in and disapproved, yet said that he would have no problem jobbing to Stone Cold, since a match that epic would need a definitive finish.

Whatever happens, ‘Mania 25 looks to be, as usual, one hell of a show. Hopefully, WWE plays their cards right and makes this, what it appears to be already, one of the best WrestleMania’s ever.