I first have to admit that I do watch "Jersey Shore" on MTV. I mean honestly, how can you not? That doesn't mean it's good television, or that the cast members are in any way important. It's just a guilty pleasure, and I think most people feel that way.

Well, the cast has been seen everywhere lately and now they're even seeping into Sports Arenas. For some reason they were in Los Angeles yesterday attending the Ducks-Kings game, and of course FS West had to interview them....

That could quite possibly be the worst and shortest interview in the history of television. I also love the comment by the elder statesman Bob Miller (who has called Kings games since 1973), that he never misses a show. Me either Bob....me either.

Video: MTV 'Jersey Shore' girls invade Kings game; Snooki talks (Puck Daddy)

Well this is is a first. FSN Pittsburgh is in some hot water with the NHL for its actions during a Flyers-Pens game last week, and it's all because they didn't provide officials with every replay angle during a shorthanded attempt by Simon Gagne. Via Philly.com....

The NHL yesterday said it was investigating why the Pittsburgh Penguins' TV-rights holder withheld from replay officials a videotape that showed the Flyers' Simon Gagne scoring a shorthanded goal against the host Penguins last Thursday.

"At the heart of the matter is the integrity of the system," said Gary Meagher, the NHL's senior vice president of public relations.

Gagne appeared to score on a second-period shot that goalie Brent Johnson smothered and carried into the net. It would have given the Flyers a 6-3 lead with 2 minutes, 53 seconds left in the second period.

The play was reviewed, and officials in Toronto said replays were inconclusive and did not count the goal.

A few minutes later, FSN in Pittsburgh gave its viewers a replay that showed the puck across the goal line. The NHL said that replay was not sent to its review team in Toronto until after the puck was dropped following the review. Once the puck is dropped, the ruling cannot be reversed, the NHL said.

"The league is investigating why we didn't get all angles of the replay," Meagher said.

For some reason, I didn't even know that the network provided the tape to the replay official during the game. I'm surprised that people haven't tried this before. I mean the goal didn't matter in the end because the Flyers won, but it certainly could have worked.

NHL investigating withholding of tape of Flyer's goal (Philly.com)

You know I always say that if you're going to say something that a person or group would find offensive, it's best to not say it at all, but the uproar of the latest case of verbal diahhrea even has me rolling my eyes.

Paul Steigerwald is an announcer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and today he's under fire for making a joke about the Hobey Baker Award (Best College Hockey Player). See Baker quit the game of hockey to serve his country in WWI, but tragically crashed and died during a postwar flight in 1918. Steigerwald's boothmate Bob Errey made a point of saying that former Hobey Baker Award winner Mike Mottau went down hard, to which Paul chimed in and said, "Not as hard as Hobey Baker went down, though. He went down in a plane crash." Here's your video....

Yeah it was a little much, and the fact that the joke was made 91 years to the day that Baker died didn't help, but let's give Steigerwald a pass on this one. Afterall, it's Christmas right?

Video: Penguins announcer finds comedy in aviation fatalities (Puck Daddy)

I think it's safe to say that last year's promo featuring Harry Caray singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" can't be topped, but this year's commercial for the Winter Classic has me pretty amped.

"I'm Shipping Up To Boston" just never gets old and the Winter Classic is the best idea since night Baseball.

Every six months or so, these Randy Moller videos turn up on Youtube and in turn make me extremely happy for the rest of the day. 790 The Ticket has put together another collection of the Panthers' play-by-play man's greatest hits, so grab some popcorn and enjoy!

My top three:

3. "Mike Bibby be floppin'."
2. "Homey Don't Play That."
1. "Beyonce had one of the greatest music videos of all time!"

Sad news for Hockey fans, that have DirecTV as their cable provider. Versus is available in about 75 million homes, but DirecTV is considering dropping the channel within the week, which could drop that number by almost one-third. From Multichannel via TSB....

"In our contract discussions, Comcast has demanded a deal for Versus that is not comparable to other providers and is pushing for a significant rate hike that does not reflect current market terms or the value of its programming," DirecTV said in a prepared statement. "We will continue to try and negotiate a fair deal, but we intend to hold the line on our programming costs and protect our customers against these unfair demands that are both discriminatory and wholly unrealistic given current market rates. If we do not reach an agreement, the network will come down on Sept. 1 following the expiration of our contract with Versus."

The dispute comes weeks before the college football season is expected to kick-off - Versus is scheduled to air its first game (Texas vs. Wyoming) on Sept. 12. Versus also airs its first NHL contest on Oct. 1.

In a statement, Versus said that it is negotiating in good faith with DirecTV and hopes a deal can be reached soon.

"Since our last deal with DirecTV, Versus has added many marquee properties and has become the fastest growing sports cable network in the country," the network said in a statement. "Despite this tremendous momentum, we are offering DirecTV the ability to carry Versus the same way it does today at the market price for the network. We continue to talk and are hopeful that we will reach an agreement."

Well that's not good news at all. Versus has made a ton of strides with their programming, and with Hockey back in the National spotlight, it seems like they have more to offer than ever. Hopefully they can come to an agreement soon.

DirecTV, Versus Could Split By Next Week (The Sporting Blog)
DirecTV Could Drop Versus (Multichannel)

Well it's actually only the 2010 part of the season, but you get the idea. Here is the schedule for the Sunday afternoon games, and while some of the matchups are between two sets of games, you get somewhat of an idea of the teams involved....

Friday, January 1st - Philadelphia at Boston (1pm)
Sunday, January 17th - Chicago at Detroit or Philadelphia at Washington (12:30pm)
Sunday, January 24th - Pittsburgh at Boston or Philadelphia at Carolina (12:30pm)
Sunday, January 31st - Detroit at Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay at Washington (12:30pm)
Sunday, February 7th - Pittsburgh at Washington or Boston at Montreal (12:30pm)
Sunday, March 7th - Boston at Pittsburgh, Detroit at Chicago or Carolina at Atlanta (12:30pm)
Sunday, March 14th - Philadelphia at NY Rangers, Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, Washington at Chicago or Colorado at Dallas (12:30pm)
Sunday, March 21st - NY Rangers at Boston or Buffalo at Carolina (12:30pm)
Sunday, April 4th - Detroit at Philadelphia (12:30pm)
Sunday, April 11th - Boston at Washington, NY Rangers at Philadelphia or Detroit at Chicago (TBD)

The second season of the hilarious IFC show "Z Rock" is underway, and the latest show has a cameo from AA favorite, Bonnie Bernstein. Bon Bon (the cute nickname I would call her if we were a couple) plays the love interest of lead singer Paulie Z, and has to protect him on their skating date....

So that's where she's been! I'm going to hide my jealously for the moment, and just thank the gods that she's still in the country. Hopefully she'll be back on NFL Live this Summer.

Much talk has been made about the NHL going back to ESPN soon, and while it's still a possibility, Gary Bettman (on CSN Chicago's "Monsters in the Morning") said that the "Leader" wasn't the place for the league following the strike. The NHL Commish even explained that network television isn't all it's cracked up to be when it comes to Hockey. Via Sports Business Daily....

"There tends to be some criticism of them, probably initiated by some of their competitors. We felt coming out of the work stoppage and the year off, doing the traditional mode, going back to ESPN, where they have everything, wasn’t going to help us bring the game back as strong."

"With the use of digital technology, we can really give our fans as close a connection to the game as they want in a whole variety of ways. We think having come back as strong as we have from the work stoppage, four years of record attendance and record revenues; our ratings are up just about everywhere on television. We’re probably as strong as we’ve ever been."

I guess that's a strong point in theory (when you consider Hockey ratings are never THAT good), but if you are trying to get people to see a Sport, wouldn't you go to where the most eyes were/are? Seems like it's only a matter of time before ESPN picks Hockey back up, and thank goodness, because Versus is just about the hardest channel to find on cable.

NHL Commissioner Discusses League's TV Presence (Sports Business Daily)

The last ten seconds or so of the Red Wings-Ducks game last night was some of the most exciting Hockey I've ever seen, but they saved the real fireworks for after the game. Let's just set the table for a Game Seven with a full five on five brawl!

Now that's an ending to a game! With that win, the Ducks have setup the third game seven airing in the next three days, and I personally can't wait.

Roger Millions is a reporter for Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, and while doing a piece on the Calgary Flames, he accidentally let a heck of a phrase slip out. Millions thought he was being taped, and when he botched a line, he decided to drop "cocksucker" on the viewing audience. Take a look (obviously NSFW)....

Wow. Now that certainly was a "blooper", now wasn't it?

Sportsnet Roger Millions Says Cock Sucker On Live Television (TPS)

NBC and Versus are readying themselves for the Playoffs and today you'll start seeing commercials for the NHL postseason on various channels across your cable dial. The Versus one is called "Look Up", and features the tagline "378,000 seconds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Don’t miss a single one.", while the NBC spot is titled "The Cup Changes Everything." Here's they are together back to back in this Youtube clip....

Pretty good. I know I'm ready for some Playoff Hockey!

One of AA's favorite announcers, the homerific Jack Edwards, was interviewed by Puck The Media, and not only did he say that he thinks ESPN won't give Hockey a good run, but he even called Disney execs "bozos". Here's a section of the interview....

Jack Edwards: We went from Toronto to Philadelphia, we were in (Bruins radio play-by-play man) Dave Goucher's room, having a couple cold ones. Now, the Sweet 16 is going on in college basketball at the same time, the only hockey we saw in the entire sportscast of "SportsCenter" was about 45 seconds of the UNH-North Dakota game, which was the one UNH tied with one-tenth of a second to go, that went into Overtime. That was 56 minutes into the telecast. There was nothing on the NHL in the entire show.

So, for those of you that hope that hockey gets back on ESPN, that's what you're gonna' get.

That's where it belongs in ESPN's hierarchy, because there are some bozos sitting in the accounting department in a bunker in Burbank, California running Disney, who look at the numbers and completely ignore the passion of hockey fans. They say "Poker gets better ratings because we can attract more compulsive gamblers to the screen than we can passionate hockey fans, so just for the sake of that number, we're gonna' run poker instead of hockey. We're gonna run women's basketball instead of hockey."

We saw highlights of the Division II NCAA basketball championship, we didn't see a single NHL highlight in that entire "SportsCenter". Case closed.

PTM: Well Jack, you're gonna' be a big hero to a lot of hockey fans when this goes up...

JE: I'm not a hero, I'm just telling you the facts. I mean, that's what it is and you know, this whole idea that hockey will do better if you put it back on ESPN is a delusion. It is completely delusionary [sic]. It's more convenient, certainly. But it's not going to be better for the sport, because it's going to be behind golf, it's going to be behind women's basketball and, you know, I'm not dissing those sports.

I'm not sure if I exactly believe all of that, but it certainly could be turn out to be true if the "Leader" gets Hockey back. Hockey ratings aren't anything to right home about, but the NBA hasn't been faring all that well either. There has to be a way to capture the extreme passion that Hockey fans have, but a network hasn't pulled that off besides the Winter Classic on NBC.

And just for good measure, here's Edwards giving it to Sean Avery over the weekend....



Puck the Media’s Interview with Jack Edwards (Puck the Media)
Jack Edwards says ESPN boosting NHL's fortunes is 'delusional' (Puck Daddy)

NESN's Jack Edwards, has been redefining homerism as of late, and today we have yet another fine addition to his resume. During yesterday's Flyers-Bruins game, Milan Lucic sent Philly's Randy Jones into the boards with a huge hit, and Edwards handled the situation the only way he knows how. By laughing maniacally!

Muhahahaha! Obviously there is some history between the two teams, Jones knocked out Bruins center Patrice Bergeron with a dirty hit in 2006, but that's just about as over-the-top as it gets.

Video: Bruins announcer laughs manically at hit against Flyers (Puck Daddy)

I didn't comment much about Don Cherry's recent undressing of Alex Ovechkin's goal celebrations, mainly because I'm a Caps fan and I'm biased in that regard, but more so because it's really nothing new. Today, Cherry talked with the Toronto Sun, and decided to express almost the exact same sentiment....

"I'm saying the same things I was before," Cherry said in a lengthy interview. "But the criticism is worse now. It has really picked up. I don't know why.

I admit I've been taken aback by all of it, the calls for me to get fired. Last week was the topper. I got ripped everywhere. I got ripped in four Toronto papers. The owner of the Washington Capitals wrote about me online. A couple of my friends in Florida saw it in the papers there. I'm front and centre. I guess I'm an easy target.

I'm having a good time. I can hardly wait for Saturdays. I really get a kick out of it. The critics? They never say one good thing I do. I've come to the point in my life where it doesn't bother me. I say to hell with them."

That's definitely the attitude to have. A lot of people compare Cherry to the likes of Bob Knight and Billy Packer, but I've always felt that Cherry loves his support to no end. I can't say the same for Knight and Packer. Don Cherry is an equal opportunity commentator, and is the same person that has gotten on both Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

Hopefully he doesn't try to tone things down, because definitely don't think he would be the same person that's become a beloved figure within the sport of Hockey.

Grapes ripe for pickin' (Toronto Sun)

I'm mad at all of you Hockey fans out there. How could months pass by and none of you even alerted me to the greatness that is Florida Panthers' radio announcer, Randy Moller. Moller, an ex-player, has taken a fondness to using pop culture references during goal goals, and lucky for us, the Dan LeBatard Show has decided to put a collection of them on Youtube. I don't think you're ready for this....

So so good. I've already listened to it three times, and I hear something new each time. My personal favorite has to be the "She blinded me with Science" one, but "Ma! Where's the Meatloaf?!" is a close second.

What is it with the Mikes today, or yesterday for that matter? First Mike Patrick said he wanted to see Barry Bonds in prison stripes, and now NESN/NBC/CBC's Mike Milbury is calling players "dicks" on live television? Milbury used to be the GM of the Islanders, and drafted a player by the name of Tim Connolly in 1999, but then traded the Center onto the Sabres just two years later. Well apparently there's some bad blood between the two.

During the second intermission of the Bruins-Flyers game on NESN, Milbury and co-host Kathryn Tappen were showing highlights around the league. When the Buffalo highlights came up, and a clip of a Connolly goal was scored, Milbury sort of lost it. Barry Melrose Rocks has the breakdown....

During the second intermission, they're going through highlights from games around the league. You would think things would be pretty tame. I know, it's Milbury, but we're talking about simple highlights here. Well, when they get to highlights of the Buffalo game, they play the video of Connolly's goal, which opened the scoring. Tappen decides to ask Milbury for some comments on Connolly and he responds in the way we've kind of come to expect: "Tim Connolly, a former fifth overall pick...when he's not injured or acting like a self-centered little dick he's a very good player"

Live TV and folks who don't have any internal mute buttons, a match made in heaven! A big thanks to NESN for giving Milbury a mic when he's not on NBC or CBC. You're keeping the masses entertained!

Well then! I'm still looking for the video, but I'm pretty sure it's not okay to say the word "dick" on live television. As always....I could be wrong though.

Update: Video found, and unfortunately Milbury doesn't use the word "dick", but rather "dink"....



Mad Mike Rule #37: Whatever You Do, Don't Ask Him About Tim Connolly on Live TV (Barry Melrose Rocks)
Milbury thinks Tim Connolly is self-centered, not named 'Richard' (Puck Daddy)

I really think that the NHL should just get rid of the three, defensive laxed periods, and just go with a gigantic trick shot competition, but I'm not a genius like Gary Betnam. The most recent game however, ended in an 11-11 tie, and for the second time since its inception, the game would be decided by a shootout.

Here it is in its entirety because I know you weren't watching....

Now that was just plain fun. I, like others, have poked fun at Hockey in the past, but I have to say that outside of the NFL and College Basketball, it's now sitting in my three hole. Of course a lot of that has to do with the bandwagon in DC that is the Caps, and having Alex Ovechkin ending the tie with a shootout winner, is always a plus.

I completely forgot about the start of NBC's Hockey season this past Sunday, but lucky for me, OSG, I've got a clip to share. Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury had a debate about fighting that seemed to last the length of the entire game. Here's your clip....

Wow. At times it seemed like fake anger, but when Milbury called McGuire a "flower child", I thought Pierre was going to drop him. It would have made Milbury's point, but I think it would have been worth it.

Almost Five For Fighting (Online Sports Guys)

Hockey fight videos are a little played out these days, but when you combine a huge minor league brawl combined with an over-the-top announcing blow by blow, you're getting a spot on AA. Here is the clip of Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and Corpus Christi IceRays going at it with Mudbugs announcer, Travis Huntington on the call. Via Puck Daddy....

Not as good as Jack Edwards, but it will do.

The story behind Mudbugs vs. IceRays brawl, tonight's rematch (Puck Daddy)