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Monthly Archives: December 2006

Vernon deserving of jersey retirement

Calgary Flames do not retire jerseys lightly. Much thought and much debate go into making such a decision. Choosing to retire just the second jersey in team history, the Flames will hoist goalie Mike Vernon’s No. 30 to the rafters on February 6, 2007.

It was a unaminous choice among owners and excutives with the hockey team. And so it should be.

While many fans had a love-hate relationship with Vernon during his two stints in his hometown, the Calgary native is deserving of the honour.

I’ve known Vernon since the 1989 season, coincidentally, the year the Flames last won the Stanley Cup when the then-26-year-old Vernon saved the day in many of the 22 games the Flames played en route to winning the Cup on the storied ice of the Montreal Forum.

His on-ice exploits speak for themselves. Two Stanley Cups (the second came in Detroit in 1996-97 along with a well-deserved Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs). Six times an all-star. A 20-year career with four teams — Calgary, Detroit, San Jose and Florida.

In 26 seasons, only one other Flames player has a jersey in the rafters. That would be Lanny McDonald, the Hall of Famer who had his jersey retired on March 17, 1990. McDonald was the co-captain during the Flames Stanley Cup year and knows how much Vernon meant to the team during those playoffs.

“Vernie is the biggest reason we are all wearing Stanley Cup rings,” notes McDonald. “A good friend, a great teammate and a fierce competitor, Calgary can be proud of their hometown boy.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Vernon, at a news conference announcing the jersey retirement, was his normal quippy self. But you could tell it was an emotional day. It will be even more emotional on February 6 when he stands on the ice with his wife, Jane, his four children and his father, among other family members.

There will be a flood of emotions. A flash of faces he has know throughout the game.
“I always enjoyed coming to the rink and seeing the guys, seeing the coaches, seeing the training staff. They made it fun for Mike Vernon to play hockey,” he said.

He joked that he thought he might never play in the NHL after making a brief appearance against Edmonton and giving up ” four goals in 10 minutes and a goals against average of 22.2 or something.”

But he stuck with it, spent time studying other goalies and ended up having a terrific career.
“I’m a hometown boy. It makes me feel good. I’m blessed to have had a long career and have been able to play in front of friends and family. One day my son will be able to look up and say ‘That’s my dad’,” said Vernon.

On February 6 all of Calgary will look up and remember what a great goalie Mike Vernon was for the Calgary Flames.

Mike Vernon was my favorite player when I was younger and I can’t wait to see this, it’s totally deserved. I’d give anything to be at the Saddledome that night.

Computer Lab

I’ve volunteerd (is that how you spell it?) to watch the computer lab for most of the day. I get the folks started on their typing tutorials and that’s about it. Not much to do otherwise. 3 folks in here right now including a new client who I just started off…

Kinda quite and boring but sometimes that’s nice.

Besy Buy shift was cancelled last night because truck was late which was good, I got to go for Jonnys birthday dinner.

Red Sox, Matsuzaka reach preliminary deal

BOSTON (AP) — Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka is in Boston, and it looks like he’ll be staying a while.The Red Sox reached a preliminary agreement with the 26-year-old right-hander on a six-year contract that would guarantee him a minimum of $52 million — enough to get him to fly cross country well before Thursday night’s deadline to seal the deal.

“Theo and I were still negotiating terms when we arrived,” agent Scott Boras said after a long day of talks with Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. “We finalized the deal when he arrived in Boston.”The Red Sox have called a 5 p.m. Thursday news conference to announce the agreement.Matsuzaka gets a $2 million signing bonus, $6 million next year, $8 million in each of the following three seasons and $10 million in each of the final two years.

The agreement includes $8 million in escalators based on awards that could bring the total to $60 million over six years.Boras said the final negotiating session began at about 5:30 a.m. in California on Wednesday, and within 90 minutes he was confident there would be an agreement.”Daisuke really had three choices,” Boras said.

“He could sign now. He could wait another year or he could wait two years and become a free agent. He had to determine how much money he was willing to give up now.”The Red Sox won the bidding for Matsuzaka’s rights last month, promising to pay Seibu $51.11 million if it let him leave for the major leagues. But they had just 30 days — until midnight EST Thursday — to negotiate a deal.

When talks stalled, the Red Sox brass flew uninvited to Boras’ turf in Southern California on Monday to meet with him in person. They said they had to leave Wednesday morning, with or without an agreement; Boras had said he would not let his client make the cross country trip unless the sides have the makings of a deal.In the end, Matsuzaka got on board Henry’s plane at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., and Boston radio stations and Web sites tracked its path as religiously as they had been counting down the minutes to the deadline.

After a 4-hour, 43-minute flight, the Dassault Mystere 900 tri-jet with a Red Sox logo on the tail landed in a light rain at Hanscom Field in Bedford at 5:16 p.m.Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, president Larry Lucchino and Epstein disembarked with Matsuzaka and Boras. Matsuzaka exchanged handshakes and bows with members of the Red Sox welcoming party before getting into an SUV.There were several dozen fans to greet him and about the same number of reporters, many of them Japanese.

A radio station distributed signs that pictured two dice and a “K”; Matsuzaka’s first name is pronounced “Dice-K.”

As he left the airport for Mass General, Matsuzaka rolled down his window and appeared surprised by the gathering. He waved and smiled when he stopped briefly alongside Kim Miner and Rebecca Powell, 17-year-olds from nearby Concord who were holding a sign that said, “WELCOME HOME DAISUKE.”

“I was so psyched,” Miner said. “Because there was a small crowd, we got to see him close.”Matsuzaka has a 108-60 record in Japan with a 2.95 ERA and 1,355 strikeouts in 204 games. He was MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic last March, won by Japan.

Negotiations had slowed because the Red Sox looked at the posting fee and the eventual contract as a $103 million payout for one pitcher. “That magnitude is certainly the right ballpark for the commitment of the ballclub,” Epstein had said.Boras focused just on the money going to his client, saying: “Free agent pitchers who are 26 and have Matsuzaka-like ability receive salaries in excess of $100 million over five or six years in free agency.

“Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that he was “so impressed” by Matsuzaka after reports of the six-year, $52 million deal.”(Matsuzaka) is Japan’s best pitcher, and his ability was fully evaluated,” he said.

Bam’s Unholy Union/Wrestling Society X

Coming soon to MTV… This is gonna be awesome:

“Bam’s Unholy Union” will document the lives of Bam, finance Missy, and all the friends and family during the months leading up to the anticipated wedding, and culminating with the big day itself. MTV’s cameras will capture Bam as he tackles a world that is completely foreign to him. From wedding planners to picking out fine china to bachelor parties, Bam will inevitably throw curveballs into the process throwing everything off course. For Missy, she has only a few short months to find a dress, get a caterer, find a venue, send out invitations and plan the entire wedding. And, of course, April and Phil, a few random uncles, and his buddies, Dunn, Dico and Rake, will all be along for the ride. Margera has previously starred in MTV hits “Viva La Bam” and “Jackass.”

and

Each week on “Wrestling Society X,” the most talented warriors the world has ever known will battle each other and their surroundings, creating an experience that will alter viewers lives irrevocably. Featuring an onslaught of death-defying feats, aerobatic maneuvers, and truly athletic performances, “Wrestling Society X” will showcase the unique talents of some of the best in the business including aerial assault artist Jack Evans, the arrogant catalog models, Matt Sydal & Lizzy Valentine, the amazing third generation heir to a wrestling legacy Teddy Hart, as well as the likes of former World Champions Vampiro and Sean “6-Pac” Waltman. Also appearing in each episode will be a very special musical guest, performing live in front of hundreds of rabid fans and the fiery combatants.

Hopefully MTV Canada will carry both shows, definetly wanna check them out.