The Annual Anagram Update!!

It's the day you've all been waiting for, folks - the annual anagram update!

Here's a little history behind the anagram update. A couple of years ago, I realized most of the entrants in the Sons of Manitoba Playoff Pool were people signed up by Pete, and thus I don't know them. It makes it hard to do comments when you don't know the people you're commenting on. Pete improvises pretty well, bless his soul, but my improvisations would doubtlessly devolve into personal insults, and for some of you, that's not cool. Thus, in an attempt to say something unique about each poolie, I decided to come up with an anagram of each poolie's name, with the help of the Internet Anagram Server.

There you have it. And here you have it - the annual anagram update. Some of them are a stretch, but others gave me quite a chuckle - or chortle, if you will.

1.Jeff Madill.............202....Def Jam Fill
2.Geoff Hastings..........195....Fag Fetish Song
3.Philip Ling.............188....Hill Piping
3.Jordan Stein............188....Stored Ninja
5.Liam Lynch..............181....Lilac Hymn
6.Chris Lackner...........180....I Ranch Clerks
7.Laura Drake.............179....La Dark Urea
8.Mary Kay Hosfield.......175....Frayed Shaky Limo
9.Dave Gross..............174....Dog Savers
9.Ron Strate..............174....Stoner Art
9.Colleen Turnbull........174....Blue 'n Uncle Troll
12.Mike Macaraeg..........173....Make a Grimace
13.Chris Chapman..........172....I Ranch Champs
13.Richard Woods..........172....Dish or Coward
13.Steve McKinley.........172....Elect My Knives
16.Marcel Chelkowski......171....Who Licks Mackerel
16.Barry Horeczy..........171....Oh Crazy Berry
18.Arthur Casement........170....Human Streetcar
18.Jeremy McParland.......170....Lend 'Em My Crap Jar
20.Don McGowan............168....Gnaw Condom
20.Mark Brennae...........168....Banner Maker
22.Ryan Plesko............167....Ropy Ankles
23.Richard Warnica........163....Rancid Craw Hair
24.Sean Hutchinson........161....Unchaste Ho Inns
24.Rob Shaw...............161....Bra Show
26.Mike Barber............159....Reembark Bi
27.Leanne Boyd............158....Baloney Den
27.Rob Kovac..............158...."no anagrams found"
29.Dale Oviatt............156....Avoid Latte
30.Adam Fulton............154....Fatal Mound
30.Lloyd Mack.............154....Lock Madly
32.Jack James.............153....Jack as Jem
33.Steve Ayres............152....Stay Severe
33.Peter James............152....Pare 'em, Jets!
35.Justin Lee.............151....Just In Lee
36.Keith Bonnell..........149....Hellbent Ikon
36.James Peters...........149....Spare 'em, Jets!
38.James Gordon...........138....A Modern Jogs
39.Lisa Watson............137....Salsa in Tow
40.Mike James.............133....Is Jam Meek?
40.Sydney Washburn........133....Why a Bunny Dress?
40.Jeff Sandelli..........133....A Sniffed Jell
43.Shannon Proudfoot......132....Noon Prof Handouts
44.Terry James............131....Jersey Mart
45.Brad Bouzane...........130....A Bound Zebra
46.Dave Washburn..........129....Husband Waver
46.Debb Coghlin...........129....Gobbled Inch
48.Mary James.............120....My Ears Jam
49.Jenn Hosfield..........111....Johnnie's Fled
50.Carolynne Burkholder...105....A Lordly Reborn Kuchen
51.Julianna Nowaczek......104....Canonize a Junk Law
52.Brendan Kennedy........100....Drank By En... En... End
53.David Forbes...........101....Five Odd Bras
54.Cliff Hosfield..........97....I Fed Off Chills

Post Second Round Player Side Update

It's the battle of the Jeffs/Geoffs for the final in this side. While Jeff Madill has the lead, Geoff Hastings and his team loaded with Blackhawks has a chance to gain points when almost all others don't.

Please note that several poolies, all near the bottom, are now FROZEN!

1.Jeff Madill.............191...8
2.Geoff Hastings..........187...5
3.Philip Ling.............182...11
3.Jordan Stein............182...10
5.Liam Lynch..............178...14
6.Chris Lackner...........177...14
7.Laura Drake.............175...13
8.Dave Gross..............170...13
9.Chris Chapman...........169...15
10.Mike Macaraeg..........168...11
10.Ron Strate.............168...11
10.Mary Kay Hosfield......168...8
13.Colleen Turnbull.......167...10
13.Marcel Chelkowski......167...11
13.Richard Woods..........167...13
16.Steve McKinley.........166...11
17.Barry Horeczy..........165...10
18.Don McGowan............164...14
19.Mark Brennae...........163...9
19.Arthur Casement........163...10
19.Jeremy McParland.......163...10
22.Ryan Plesko............162...13
23.Richard Warnica........159...12
24.Sean Hutchinson........156...11
24.Mike Barber............156...14
26.Rob Shaw...............155...13
26.Leanne Boyd............155...15
28.Steve Ayres............151...15
29.Rob Kovac..............150...6
30.Jack James.............149...10
30.Dale Oviatt............149...9
32.Peter James............147...12
32.Adam Fulton............147...10
32.Lloyd Mack.............147...9
35.Keith Bonnell..........146...15
35.James Peters...........146...14
37.Justin Lee.............144...6
38.Lisa Watson............134...14
38.James Gordon...........134...12
40.Mike James.............130...12
40.Sydney Washburn........130...12
42.Dave Washburn..........129...11
42.Jeff Sandelli..........129...12
42.Shannon Proudfoot......129...14
45.Debb Coghlin...........126...14
45.Brad Bouzane...........126...12
45.Terry James............126...11
48.Mary James.............118...11
49.Jenn Hosfield..........111...17...FROZEN!
50.Carolynne Burkholder...105...17...FROZEN!
51.Julianna Nowaczek......104...17...FROZEN!
52.Brendan Kennedy........100...17...FROZEN!
53.David Forbes...........100...13
54.Cliff Hosfield..........93...11

Update in which I insult the intelligence of most, but not all, poolies

Here are the Sons of Manitoba Eastern Division HQ we call 'em as we see 'em. And this quite frankly is the worst collective performance by a group of poolies I have ever seen. Sure y'all did quite well in the first round, but once the going got tough the red ink flowed.

There are four teams left in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins. Two of those teams were in the final last season. The other two were uber-hot down the stretch. Yet, an astonishing 11 poolies went 0-for-4. Only 10 poolies went .500 and just one, new leader Justin Lee got three correct. No one got all four. Pathetic. I expect more creativity next year.

(Full disclosure: I, like a majority of poolies, went an uninspiring 1-for-4).

Thursday night featured a pair of great Game 7s. Dan Cleary, who grew up near poolie and new dad Brad Bouzane in Newfoundland, prevented total pool carnage by scoring with three minutes to go to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 win in the game and the series against the Anaheim Ducks.

Then, to the cheers of poolies Justin Lee and Phil Ling, Scott Walker provided the knockout blow as the Carolina Hurricanes won their sixth straight playoff series beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 in overtime.

The Bruins cost a whole bunch of you your champions. So long, Terry James, Shannon Proudfoot, Ryan Plesko, Roman Zakalunzy, Rob Shaw, Richard Warnica, Mike McGuire, Mike Barber, Lloyd Mack, Liam Lynch, Jenn Hosfield, James Peters, David Forbes, Chris Lackner, Brendan Kennedy and Brad Bouzane.

Also, Thursday's results allow me to induct a whole new class of poolies in the Frozen club. All of you listed below can't score anything over the next two rounds so the only reason you have to read these updates is the witty comments. . .
Welcome to the club: Arthur Casement, Barry Horeczy, Brad Bouzane, Brendan Kennedy, Carolynne Burkholder, Chris Chapman, Chris Lackner, Colleen Turnbull, Dale Oviatt, Dave Washburn, David Forbes, Debb Coghlin, James Peters, Jenn Hosfield, Jeremy McParland, Leanne Boyd, Liam Lynch, Lisa Watson, Mary-Kay Hosfield, Mike Barber, Mike McGuire, Richard Warnica, Richard Woods, Rob Shaw, Roman Zakalunzy, Sean Hutchinson, Shannon Proudfoot and Steve Ayres. (It's a long list, I hope I didn't miss anyone).

The one lone bright spot coming out of the second round? I have officially accomplished the primary goal I set heading into every Sons of Manitoba pool — beating James Peters. Yes, at least on the team side, I can start engraving my name on the Founders' Trophy. You've got nothing Peters!

The standings:

1 $Justin Lee 35 Best second round of the group. But the Sharks pick will cost you
T2 $Rob Kovac 34 Both finalists still alive
T2 $Mary Kay Hosfield 34 Nice 12 points in Round 2, but that's all for you
T4 $Phil Ling 32 Nix the Ward jersey, go for the Scott Walker threads
T4 $Jeff Madill 32 This is a great year for rookies
T4 $Jack James 32 Probably can't win the pool, but you can still win the best family member award
T4 $Geoff Hastings 32 Like Mr. Kovac, you also have two finalists still alive
T8 $Sean Hutchinson 31 Remind me, when are you coming out East?
T8 $Arthur Casement 31 Not a bad score, for an engineer
10 $Natalie James 29 You have beaten me this year.
11 Colleen Turnbull 27 Have you nailed down the format for the model pool yet?
T12 $Steve Ayres 26 7-for-8 in Round 1; 1-for-7 the rest of the way
T12 $Mike James 26 You can still beat your sister
T14 $Richard Warnica 25 You leave, suddenly no one wants to turn out for sports. Come back.
T14 $Peter James 25 If you're reading these in order, you haven't reached James Peters' name yet.
T14 $Debb Coghlin 25 You're tied with me, so your picks can't be that bad
T14 Barry Horeczy 25 Will the Bombers have more newcomers than returnees on their opening day roster?
18 $Marcel Chelkowski 24 Sedins, worth big raises? Yes or no?
T19 $Lloyd Mack 23 Getting ready for the influx of summer residents?
T19 $Dale Oviatt 23 Hope the bracket-ing was successful
T21 $Ryan Plesko 22 You beat your brother-in-law!
T21 $Richard Woods 22 Fell short in the fabled battle of the Richards
T21 $Mary James 22 A Chicago win puts you back in the top 10
T21 $Keith Bonnell 22 Halfway through your first SoM pool, thumbs up or thumbs down?
T21 $Jeff Sandelli 22 If nothing else, you have household bragging rights
T21 $Brad Bouzand 22 Big party in Harbour Grace last night?
T27 $Sydney Washburn 21 Next year no consulting Dave for pool advice.
T27 Roman Zakalunzy 21 Still, best result for a poolie with a last name starting with a 'Z' (Chara didn't enter this year)
T27 Mike Macaraeg 21 Still got your champ, so you can still aim for respectability
T27 Jordan Stein 21 Made one the biggest jumps on Thursday
T27 $Jeremy McParland 21 You too.
T27 $James Gordon 21 Hey look at this, a Citizen sports guy. . .
T27 $Dave Gross 21 . . . and a Canwest sports guy, side-by-side.
T27 $Cliff Hosfield 21 Mary Kay might be beating you, but she's maxed out
T27 Chris Chapman 21 You are still in in the top half of poolies. . .
T36 $Mike Barber 20 . . . You are not.
T36 $Liam Lynch 20 No RLS bragging rights for you
T36 $Don McGowan 20 Will Zane be filling out an entry form next year?
T36 $David Forbes 20 You can take out your pool frustrations through martial arts
T36 $Chris Lackner 20 Perhaps carrying the weight of arts editors worldwide was too much pressure
T36 $Carolynne Burkholder 20 Orange.
T36 Adam Fulton 20 If you can convince Elizabeth to enter next year it will make coming up with comments easier for me.
T43 $Mike McGuire 19 Tough year on former champs like yourself
T43 $James Peters 19 You heard me, you've got nothing. NOTHING!
T43 $Dave Washburn 19 If you want to find your wife in the standings . . . look up
T46 $Terry James 18 A good news-bad news night for you
T46 $Steve McKinley 18 Just realized today, looking at the phone list, you are Stephen not a Steven
T46 $Mark Brennae 18 PAY ME!
T46 Laura Drake 18 You're still alive for points. Richard is not.
T50 Rob Shaw 17 Probably the only true Bruins fan in the pool. Sorry dude.
T50 Lisa Watson 17 On the bright side, there is room for improvement next year
T50 Leanne Boyd 17 This is a popular score for people not in it for the money
53 $Shannon Proundfoot 16 Your pool performance mimicked the Senators
54 Ron Strate 13 Your picks were actually creative, just not a good creative
T55 Jenn Hosfiled 12 You lost your last lifeline.
T55 $Brendan Kennedy 12 Last among Citizen and Citizen alumni
57 Julianna Nowaczek 9 Taking Montreal was your first mistake. It was downhill from there.

Sid the Kid trumps Alexander the Great update

Hello Poolies:

First off, let me apologize to each and every one of you for encouraging you to watch that debacle of a Game 7 on Wednesday night. Perhaps after six amazing games, the Pittsburgh-Washington series was due for a dud and that is exactly what we got. The Capitals failed to show up and the game was over 22 minutes in.

Of course this can only mean were in for a pair of doozies Thursday night. CBC has Detroit-Anaheim at 7 p.m. ET and TSN will show Carolina-Boston at 8 p.m. ET. Both games have huge pool implications and will go a long way to deciding this year's Sons of Manitoba champion.

The Capitals loss caused one poolie to lose her champion. Colleen Turnbull, the 2002 winner on the player side, will have to wait to earn the career pool double (wins on both sides).

Also, a number of poolies are now frozen, with no possibility of more points. The charter members of the club this year are: Faceoff.com hockey columnist Dave Gross, former champ Jeff Sandelli, former champ Julianna Nowaczek, rookie Marcel Chelkowski and former champ Ron Strate.
Should Anaheim and/or Carolina win on Thursday night this group will grow exponentially.

My grandfather Jack James — a man who quite frankly has the best hockey mind among all of poolies I know — continues to lead after scoring his second straight bonus point Wednesday night. Grandpa has yet to win the pool, but he always places well.

Here's where we stand heading into the final night of Round 2.

1 $Jack James 32 Already 12 second-round points, but you can't score Thursday night
T2 $Natalie James 29 You need a Pittsburgh-Anaheim final
T2 $Rob Kovac 29 Still the odds-on favourite to win this thing.
4 $Mary Kay Hosfield 28 You can fly past your father with two wins on Thursday
T5 $Geoff Hastings 27 Two from Kamloops in the top 5
T5 $Philip Ling 27 I think you'd look good in red
T7 $Arthur Casement 26 Should the Grease bring Rollie back?
T7 $Jeff Madill 26 A possible 11 points on the board tonight
T9 $Peter James 25 Boy am I happy I'm not embarrassing myself this year.
T9 $Richard Warnica 25 Thanks for the advice
T9 $Sean Hutchinson 25 Cheque received, no so long as it doesn't bounce. . .
T12 $Justin Lee 24 If things break right for you, you'll be in first tomorrow
T12 $Marcel Chelkowski 24 Great first round. Downhill after that.
T14 $Jeff Sandelli 22 And let the slide begin. . .
T14 $Keith Bonnell 22 Cup champion still alive and that's all the matters
T14 $Mary James 22 You will only drop before you can rise
T17 Colleen Turnbull 21 Still scored the max points tonight, despite the Caps loss
T17 $Dave Gross 21 Sadly you didn't get your wish: The Caps and Pens both didn't win
T17 $James Gordon 21 Your Eastern Conference bracket is still perfect
T17 Mike Macaraeg 21 Your champ is still alive
T17 Roman Zakalunzy 21 You've got Boston going the distance the next three rounds
T17 $Sydney Washburn 21 Be sure to remind Dave who the better poolie in the family is.
T17 $Steve Ayres 21 Will max out your points tonight
T24 Chris Chapman 20 Getting the baby's room ready yet?
T24 Adam Fulton 20 Actually that last comment could work for you too!
T24 $Carolynne Burkholder 20 Cat.
T24 $Chris Lackner 20 Big group here at 20 points. . .
T24 David Forbes 20 . . . all of you are still in the top half of the pool. . .
T24 Debb Coghlin 20 . . . but have little shot at actually winning anything
T24 $Don McGowan 20 Seen any good streakers recently?
T24 $Liam Lynch 20 What do you say to another former RLS staff pub night?
T24 $Mike Barber 20 You back yet?
T24 $Mike James 20 Emery to Philly: Thumbs up or thumbs down?
T34 $James Peters 19 We may be tied on the player side, but I'm taking you to town on the team side
T34 Barry Horeczy 19 Ah, how cute. . .
T34 $Dave Washburn 19 . . . A Canwest reunion in 34th place
T34 $Mike McGuire 19 Also on my not paid yet hit list.
T38 $Dale Oviatt 18 Welcome to the 30s
T38 Laura Drake 18 Enjoy your last day in Ottawa
T38 Lloyd Mack 18 And your rise up the standings begins. . .
T38 $Mark Brennae 18 Is that is for the Scott Richmond Cinderella story?
T42 $Brad Bouzane 17 Just because you have a kid, doesn't mean you can get away with not paying
T42 Leanne Boyd 17 A Boston win will allow to catch Jeff
T42 Lisa Watson 17 Bonus point on the line Thursday night
T42 $Richard Woods 17 You can get points Thursday night, but then that's it
T46 $Shannon Proudfoot 16 Maybe you should let your cats make your picks next year
T46 $Cliff Hosfield 16 This is actually better than your player side performance
T46 $Ryan Plesko 16 Could be Top 20 after Thursday
T49 $Jeremy McParland 15 A top-50 finish is still quite honourable. . .
T49 Jordan Stein 15 . . . Just keep telling that you yourself guys
T51 Ron Strate 13 No points beyond the first round
T51 $Steve McKinley 13 Once again Crosby proves he's better than Ovechkin
T53 $Brendan Kennedy 12 You will not win rookie of the year
T53 Jenn Hosfield 12 Battling uncle Terry for worst in the family
T53 Rob Shaw 12 Confident your Bruins will pull it out?
T53 Terry James 12 Can double your point total Thursday night
57 $Julianna Nowaczek 9 Worst pool performance since Steph White scored six points in 2000.

Player Side Update - Post-Canucks

A lot more carnage is expected after the three game sevens are complete.

EDIT: Jamps and I are tied. Just realized it. The Sons, united again.

1.Jeff Madill.............176...3
2.Geoff Hastings..........175...5
3.Philip Ling.............171...7
4.Jordan Stein............170...4
5.Chris Lackner...........168...7
5.Liam Lynch..............168...6
7.Laura Drake.............166...6
8.Dave Gross..............161...7
9.Chris Chapman...........159...7
9.Marcel Chelkowski.......159...7
11.Mike Macaraeg..........158...8
11.Richard Woods..........158...7
13.Ron Strate.............157...6
14.Mary Kay Hosfield......156...5
15.Steve McKinley.........155...6
15.Colleen Turnbull.......155...5
17.Barry Horeczy..........154...7
17.Don McGowan............154...5
19.Ryan Plesko............153...6
20.Mark Brennae...........151...8
20.Arthur Casement........151...8
22.Richard Warnica........149...7
22.Jeremy McParland.......149...4
24.Mike Barber............147...8
24.Rob Shaw...............147...7
24.Leanne Boyd............147...9
24.Steve Ayres............147...8
28.Sean Hutchinson........145...5
29.Jack James.............140...8
30.Keith Bonnell..........139...11
31.Peter James............138...7
31.James Peters...........138...9
33.Adam Fulton............137...7
34.Dale Oviatt............136...5
34.Rob Kovac..............136...3
36.Lloyd Mack.............134...4
37.Justin Lee.............130...6
38.Lisa Watson............128...9
39.Dave Washburn..........126...5
40.James Gordon...........124...7
41.Mike James.............124...8
42.Sydney Washburn........123...12
43.Jeff Sandelli..........121...12
43.Shannon Proudfoot......121...10
43.Debb Coghlin...........121...7
46.Brad Bouzane...........116...7
47.Terry James............115...7
48.Mary James.............114...10
49.Jenn Hosfield..........107...8
50.Julianna Nowaczek......103...14
50.Carolynne Burkholder...103...12
52.Brendan Kennedy.........98...12
53.David Forbes............95...8
54.Cliff Hosfield..........86...10

No Canadian teams left update

Good Morning Poolies!

Well, actually given the ratio of Vancouver Canucks fans to Chicago Blackhawks fans in this pool, I figure many of you aren't actually having a good morning. But cheer up, now you all have three-plus months of will Roberto Luongo sign an extension or will the Canucks trade him speculation! That storyline is NEVER going to get old.

Yes, this update comes to you on the heels of the Blackhawks six-game Western Conference semifinal win over the Canucks. In pool terms this was a huge upset. Only three of you predicted a Chicago win. So congratulations to my grandpa Jack James, my mother Mary James and my partner in crime on the Canwest sports desk Dave Washburn. Your faith in Dustin Byfuglien has finally paid off. In fact, only Mary has the Hawks advancing to the next round and no one has them winning the Cup.

The Canucks loss in Game 6 was somewhat fitting. They blew leads in all four of their losses in Round 2 and managed to blow three separate leads on Monday night. Quite a feat when you have the best goaltender in the world. Although it won't surprise me if we hear in a few days the Luongo was battling some sort of injury. He looked slow to me.

A number of poolies lost their champion with the Vancouver defeat — our Kamloops contingent was hit particularly hard. Among those beginning their research for next year's pool are: Steve Ayres, Ron Strate, Richard Woods, Marcel Chelkowski, former two-time champ Chris Chapman and Carolynne Burkholder.

In other pool-related news, I made a post on the pool blog the other day about the best series of the second round. At the time I argued the Detroit-Anaheim series was the best and at the time I think I was right. However, there is no doubt now the Washington-Pittsburgh series has passed it and lapped it in terms of excitement. If you're not planning to be in front of a television for Game 7 on Wednesday night, you're not a hockey fan and may be banned from participation in future Sons of Manitoba pools.

Also, the Ottawa chapter of the Sons of Manitoba participant group had a rocking viewing party at the James Street Pub on Friday. Not only did we catch the Pittsburgh-Washington and Carolina-Bruins matches, we were also treated to America's Next Top Model for a few minutes due to a channel-changing error. Poolies Julianna Nowaczek and Colleen Turnbull believe there should be a Sons of Manitoba spin off pool based on televised modelling reality shows. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued. Any suggestions on formats would be appreciated.
Another viewing extravaganza is in the works for the third round.

Here are the standings:

1 Jack James 26 Congrats on the lead, but you will be hard-pressed to keep it
2 Natalie James 24 No reports from Quebec City? What's up with that?
3 Rob Kovac 23 If the Penguins win on Wednesday, I bet you will win the pool
T4 Phil Ling 22 I expect to see you sporting a Cam Ward jersey on Tuesday
T4 Mary Kay Hosfield 22 Been out on the golf course yet?
T4 Mary James 22 Why am I always embarrassed when you beat me in this pool?
T4 Geoff Hastings 22 Likely candidate for best Kamloops poolie
T8 Roman Zakalunzy 21 Your chances just took a big, big hit
T8 Steve Ayres 21 Strangely, your best chances now lie with the Hawks continuing to succeed
T8 Arthur Casement 21 Still waiting for that new Oilers coach. . .
T11 Sean Hutchinson 20 That cheque-is-in-the-mail line will only work for so long.
T11 Peter James 20 My pool title drought will reach 12 years.
T11 Mike James 20 Your streak of calling OT winners correctly has ended
T11 Mike Barber 20 Dude, you are REALLY missing out with this Pens-Caps series
T11 Liam Lynch 20 What, no appearance at James St.? Your pool invite for next year is in doubt
T11 Jeff Madill 20 Still a good shot at rookie of the year award
T11 Debb Coghlin 20 You may have noticed, I switched to reverse alphabetical in this update
T11 David Forbes 20 So you 'D' folk drop to the bottom of the list
T11 Chris Lackner 20 The kneecappers have been called off.
T11 Carolynne Burkholder 20 SAD!
T21 Richard Warnica 19 I still can't believe you made that catch.
T21 Marcel Chelkowski 19 A Caps loss would have been doubly painful
T21 Justin Lee 19 Canes can rocket you up the leaderboard
T21 Dave Washburn 19 Luongo was your best friend on Monday night
T21 Barry Horeczy 19 I predict you will predict the Hawks have no chance in the next round
T26 Richard Woods 17 Your potential for growth is on par with that of GM's stock price
T26 Lisa Watson 17 See above
T26 Leanne Boyd 17 See above
T26 Brad Bouzane 17 I've reserved a spot for Sophia in next year's pool.
T30 Sydney Washburn 16 Thanks for putting the pressure on your husband. He finally paid up
T30 Ryan Plesko 16 Both your finalists are still alive and kicking
T30 Mike Macaraeg 16 Top score among poolies who also coach rugby teams
T30 Keith Bonnell 16 This Tuesday seems transcendental. . .
T30 Jeff Sandelli 16 Those pictures are coming. Promise.
T30 James Gordon 16 Perhaps it makes sense your Eastern Conference picks are much better than your Western Conference ones
T30 Dave Gross 16 John Baird
T30 Cliff Hosfield 16 Perhaps a little sophomore jinx this year
T30 Chris Chapman 16 Our race to be the first three-time pool champ will resume next year
T39 Jordan Stein 15 On one hand your team lost, on the other hand it didn't hurt your pool sheet
T39 Jeremy McParland 15 Unlike many of the other Kamloopers, you had already lost your champ
T39 Colleen Turnbull 15 You will get six points, no matter what on Wednesday
T42 Don McGowan 14 Down to your last team
T42 Adam Fulton 14 Wednesday is your chance for some Round 2 points
T44 Steve McKinley 13 Heard a few too many, 'Whoo-hoo's' from you Monday night
T44 Mike McGuire 13 Looking forward to reunioning it up next week
T44 Mark Brennae 13 Who wins the Burnett/Doc pitching match up?
T44 Ron Strate 13 You probably figured this out already, but you've been mathematically eliminated
T44 James Peters 13 Who are you rooting for now that the Canucks are out?
T44 Dale Oviatt 13 I'm in for a toonie
T50 Terry James 12 How'd Roughrock look?
T50 Rob Shaw 12 Good luck on E-day.
T50 Lloyd Mack 12 You have the potential to make a huge jump in the next two days
T50 Laura Drake 12 Is the O'Brien trial all you hoped it would be?
T50 Jennifer Hosfield 12 Counting down the days 'til Stampede?
T50 Brendan Kennedy 12 Missed you on Sunday
56 Shannon Proudfoot 10 Bruins are your only salvation
57 Julianna Nowaczek 9 Caps win kept your hopes of not finishing dead last alive

The best series of the second round

Without a doubt the second round of the playoffs has been awesome. All four series have great story lines and have had even better games. But what series has been the best so far? The easy answer is Pittsburgh-Washington, but anyone who knows me knows I rarely go for the easy answer. Here are my rankings, mid-round:

1) Detroit v. Anaheim: This series has just about everything. The last two Stanley Cup champs, a trio of potential Hall of Famers on each team (Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom for Detroit; Selanne, S. Niedermayer, Pronger for Anaheim) and a fascinating goaltending matchup between Chris Osgood, trying to redeem himself after a poor regular season and Jonas Hiller the super sophomore who stole the starting job in Anaheim.
And through three games the action on the ice has lived up to the hype. Detroit won Game 1 in the last minute, Anaheim won Game 2 in TRIPLE overtime and Game 3 could easily have gone to an extra session if referee Brad Watson hadn't been quick on the whistle.
Plus, poolwise, this series has the added intrigue of possibly causing another flood of red ink as none of the poolies have the eighth-seeded Ducks advancing to the third round.

2) Ovechkin v. Crosby: Although there may be another 40 or so players involved, all the attention has gone to the two superstars. The tit-for-tat hat tricks in Game 2 were amazing and both players have exceeded expectations. Like the Detroit-Anaheim series all three games have been one-goal affairs, with one going to OT, but I don't think the games have been played with the same edge as the Ducks-Wings.
The Penguins have been the better team in two of the three games, but were an overtime goal away from being down 0-3. It should be a great finish and Saturday's Game 5 will get great ratings on CBC.

3) Carolina v. Boston: Perhaps the most underrated series in the second round. The Boston Bruins came into the series as the big favourite and looked like they would waltz into the conference final with a dominant Game 1, but since then the Hurricanes have been doing all the dancing. Carolina is a neat story. They fired their coach mid-season and replaced him with their former bench boss. Their goaltender, Cam Ward, has never lost a playoff series. They play an exciting fast-paced offensive game. They have the best candidate for this year's John Druce award for relative no-name who has a great playoff: Jussi Jokinen (the GOOD Jokinen) has two game-winning and one game tying goal so far in the post-season.
This series has been forced to go head-to-head with the Washington-Pittsburgh games this week, so it's flying under the radar. But if you have the chance, check it out.
Also, like the Anaheim-Detroit series this one has the potential to have some real pool sheet carnage (unless your name is Philip Ling).

4) Chicago v. Vancouver: Although it's fourth in my rankings this has still been a great series. The Blackhawks amazing comeback in Game 1, only to have the Canucks go on to win. The Blackhawks amazing comeback in Game 2, and able to make it last. The Canucks building an early lead in Game 3, and everyone expecting the Hawks to comeback . . . but it never materialized.
The Canucks decision to play the trap in Game 3 takes some points away from the excitement factor. Also, unlike the other series there has yet to be any overtime (or even any one-goal games for that matter).
Still, given the Canadian content this has been the highest rated series on CBC so far and that's not likely to change over the next few days.

The only real loser in the second round has been poolie Mike Barber who figured "the second round is the best round to miss" and took off to Europe on holidays. . . .

Player Side Update

NOTE: This update is for games ending BEFORE May 5.

1.Philip Ling.............117...3
2.Chris Lackner...........115...4
3.Liam Lynch..............114...2
3.Jeff Madill.............114...2
5.Mike Macaraeg...........113...5
5.Jordan Stein............113...3
5.Geoff Hastings..........113...0
8.Richard Woods...........111...3
9.Laura Drake.............110...5
9.Dave Gross..............110...4
11.Chris Chapman..........109...4
11.Marcel Chelkowski......109...4
13.Steve McKinley.........107...5
13.Ron Strate.............107...3
15.Barry Horeczy..........106...5
16.Richard Warnica........105...6
16.Mark Brennae...........105...4
18.Mary Kay Hosfield......104...4
18.Ryan Plesko............104...5
20.Colleen Turnbull.......102...5
20.Mike Barber............102...5
22.Rob Shaw...............101...6
23.Leanne Boyd.............99...5
23.Sean Hutchinson.........99...5
25.Don McGowan.............98...2
25.Arthur Casement.........98...4
27.Jack James..............97...7
27.Peter James.............97...7
27.Jeremy McParland........97...4
30.Justin Lee..............96...6
30.Steve Ayres.............96...0
32.Jeff Sandelli...........95...9
32.Keith Bonnell...........95...7
34.Adam Fulton.............94...7
35.Dale Oviatt.............93...5
36.James Peters............92...4
37.Lisa Watson.............91...8
37.Sydney Washburn.........91...9
39.Shannon Proudfoot.......90...9
40.Mary James..............89...10
40.Mike James..............89...5
40.Rob Kovac...............89...3
43.Dave Washburn...........88...5
43.James Gordon............88...7
45.Lloyd Mack..............87...4
46.Julianna Nowaczek.......86...13
46.Brad Bouzane............86...7
48.Terry James.............84...7
49.Debb Coghlin............82...7
50.Jenn Hosfield...........79...8
51.Carolynne Burkholder....74...6
52.Brendan Kennedy.........70...7
53.David Forbes............68...7
54.Cliff Hosfield..........67...10

It's Only The Score

It was just before bed, and for some reason at that time of night, I insist on flicking between the three sports channels presented by my beloved cable TV package, knowing that only one of them is going to give me what I'm looking for. It's a reluctant admission. I'm a little too early for Sportsnet and way too late for TSN.

My fingers depress the "1" button on my remote, followed by the "6." It's The Score.

The Score has a lot going for it. Not only does it have the best ticker out there, it also keeps a tight rotation on game highlights, meaning I can usually flick to 16 and get what I'm looking for without having to contend with an endless stream of "Best Damn" nonsense or MMA garbage.

Last night, I should have waited. Sid Seixeiro and Tim Micallef were on, wrapping up their show with a recap of the night. Some informative comments on the triple overtime Bulls-Celtics game were followed by a mention of the opening match between the Canucks and Hawks. I had watched the game, so the quality of my sleep was not incumbent on the content presented. A quick highlight of the Salo goal and a mention of the final score.

4-3.

One problem. It was 5-3.

The mistake went uncorrected.

I work in the broadcast business, so I know full well that mistakes can be made. But it's only the final score. Get it right. Say the Ryan Johnson empty-netter was unimportant? Ask the Canucks, who didn't need to spend the end of the game scrambling around in their own end, trying desperately to preserve a one-goal lead. Heck, tell the New Jersey Devils about the importance of an insurance goal.

The injection of "personality" brought by Seixeiro and Micallef is barely watchable at the best of times, though it's something I can tolerate. But when you're spending so much masturbatory time listening to the sound of your own voice that you neglect the facts of what you're reporting, that's when credibility hits the floor.

Inaccuracy is inexcusable, especially considering what you called your network.

JamesP