A Busy Monday for Hazelspeeps

Evenin' peeps, evening Hazel.

A quiet night in the world of sports - a light schedule in the Majors, NFL Draft Hangover day with all sorts of ANALysis up the ying yang, still no NHL, the English Premiership week wrapped up...and oh yeah...NBA is in playoff mode - but does anyone care? (Celts played tonight...so out of respect for Hazel's new home...I'll include them - they lost to Indiana).

To The Wells Once Too Often?
David Wells had it handed to him again - 6 ernies in 3.2 innings. Red Sox Nation will be sure to be all over him - once poster implored Boomer to do something...anything to make the Nation fall in love with him. I guess Boomer must have missed the memo - he's gonna hear it tonight and tomorrow. Speaking of hearing it, Manny's 0-For tonight killed my pro-line hitters ticket. Remember what I said about the O's.

In case anyone was wondering, Pedro and Derek Lowe are doing just fine in the National League...going into tonight's game, Lowe had not allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings for the Dodgers - as Napoleon Dynamite would say...yesssssssss. Edit - he gave up 3 in the first inning...I should have shut my cake hole.

The Chickenhawk Gets The Dog Again
For new members of hazelspeeps - the Chickenhawk (the angry little red bird on the old Bugs Bunny cartoons) is actually J.P. Ricciardi - General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. You gotta love this guy, two weeks into the season he fires the Hitting Coach - now there is a G.M who is taking action. The Jays are in the middle of the pack in most of the important hitting categories - but the Chickenhawk thinks they should be better. He was his arrogant self - talking about lack of situational hitting, "making the same mistakes", and "not where they should be..better than we have shown". HUH? Koskie and Wells aren't hitting, Hinske is returning to his "Hinske-like" form...what does he expect? Firing the hitting coach is tantamount to the Chickenhawk dragging that damn red and white dog - instead of Foghorn Leghorn. The problem with the Jays is the pitching staff - the pitching staff he praised in spring training - the guy is a jerk, plain and simple - memo to Paul Godfrey "FIRE HIM!!!" Ricciardi needs to go - there is no plan gang.

Hazel Mae's Heroes Hit By Injury Bug
Ben Sheets of the Brewers is down with some sort of ear infection. Sheets was being counted on to lead Hazel Mae's Heroes' pitching staff this year in the Ottawa Rotisserians Baseball League.

I have had the same type of thing happen to me...five years ago - it was the most awful thing I went through, he's down for three weeks. In week two, he'll feel fine...but noises or vibrations will set his head spinning - I live it, I know of what I speak. Hazel, as honourary owner of the team...who should we bring up? hahaha

Great article on Rich Harden - Canadian-born pitcher for the Oakland A's. Harden is the real deal - and with Eric Gagne, Jeff Francis of the Rockies (and Hazel Mae's Heroes) and Eric Bedard of the O's coming along (we'll see about Bedard)...Canadians will be well represented on major league mounds - are you paying attention Mr. Chickenhawk? Getting Koskie from the Twins doesn't count - DRAFT SOMEONE CANADIAN.

Pete Orr of the Braves hit his first HR tonight.

NFL News
It all starts and ends with the Cowboys who got A's from most of the major sites and writers - I like the Marion Barber pick...he's going to be a good fit there. The defensive players seem like impact players (with Canty being a possible steal)...we'll be fine.

Still no word on whether or not Dick Vermeil has cried since the draft. No word on whether Hazel shed a tear or two on draft day...out of sympathy for Vermeil and the Chiefs.

Good draft weekend for Canadians, A.J Atogwe and Nick Kaczur were both drafted (the latter by the New England Patriots - so Hazel might get the scoop on interviewing him). Jesse Lumsden signed as a free agent with the Seahawks. Interesting...given that Shawn Alexander is there...Good luck to all of them...may they all fare better than Tommy Kane and Tony "Steroid Boy" Mandarich.

This may be hard for some to believe...but Rich Gannon of the Oakland Raiders is expected to retire - huh? Did anyone think he could come back?

Team Canada Beats Latvia
3-1 - aren't you all happy? Doesn't it make you feel great that we beat the damn latvians 3-1? Enough said...

In junior hockey, Team Canada Under-18 lost to the U.S. - Ottawa 67s in Eastern Final of the OHL. Go barber polls!!!!

Quebec girl messes up American Anthem...gets to go on National Television to do it right...give me strength. She wasn't that good on Sunday morning either.

English Premiership
Arsenal wins 1- 0 over Tottenham to delay Chelsea's celebration of their first title in 50 years... Sox fans any advice???? Leaf fans..we can relate.

The Score
I'm telling you right now...there is not a better sports tandem in Canada that Sid Sexeiro (good Portuguese boy) and Tim Micallef - these two are the best since Hazel left. They have a great sense of humour...seem to generally like each other and don't spend their time trying to upstage each other - I think Hazel would approve of these two. I know she would like Sid's "He hit the POH-SHHH-TEENGA" hahahaha

Hazelspeeps Site News
3 new members today - bringing the group up to 14 - which is 13 more than I thought would be there. So thank you to the people who joined...tell everyone about hazelspeeps - let's show our support.

Actually Getting Feedback
I was pleasantly surprised to see 9 emails tonight. Three were yahoo site membership requests...there was a membership request and subsequent withdrawal (not sure why) - and four other emails (I don't surf the net enough to get porn spam)...on the site. It seems like this blog (more likely yahoo site) is generating some traffic which is pretty cool - two of the emails said they had a chuckle. Two of the emails were kinda nasty - I will respond to them...but not tonight - long monday... and I'm freakin tired.

For anyone who has read previous posts - tonight's run was 7 km, but I was labouring after yesterday's run - 35 mins tonight...it was cold and windy too. I've decided to try to raise money for Canadian Diabetes Association - if I raise a crap load of money - $5,500+, they will send me to run a race 5 marathons (half and 10 km runs) around the world - stay tuned...or if you want to make a donation, let me know...hahaha

Goodnight Hazel Mae...fondest regards and best wishes to you...try to keep Red Sox Nation together...after losing 3 of 4...they must be in a surly mood...you can do it.

Hazelspeeps Song of the Day - no significance...just love the latin beat

Oye Mi Canto - N.O.R.E (ft. Nina Sky)

whoaaaaa wa oooooh
wa ooooh wa oooh
Boricua Morena
Domincana, Columbiana
Boricua Morena
Cubana, American

Goodnight peeps...

Peesth out!