Monday, August 31, 2009

Klippers/Stars tonight

It's on! The rookies are on the ice tonight in North Battleford. Check out the North Stars blog on the right hand side for more.
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Rise and Shine

What a weekend!

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High school football players from across the province hit the field this weekend for pre-season action. Foam Lake and Melville squared off under the lights Friday night in Foam Lake and it was a HUGE success. Check out the game review submitted by Panthers head coach Bill Ruetz on www.saskgridiron.com.

There are plenty of other results that are available on SaskGridiron as well.

One pre-season game today has Esterhazy in Tisdale.

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SJHL training camps opened up over the weekend as well. Check out Craig Stein's blog on the right hand side of the page for updates on Yorkton and Melville. Dan O'conner's blog will update you on the North Stars too. I'll try to find some sort of an update on the Klippers before long. I'm dying to know myself.

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I emceed the Invitational Big Tent Party Saturday night back in Wynyard. What a great time! Lemme tell you, after 27 years, those boys can still play! Way to go.

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Do you have the deadliest job?

Forbes.com has done a study on America's deadliest jobs. Keep in mind that it's a US study.

Fisherman were found to have the deadliest job. Logging workers and aircraft pilots have the second and third deadliest jobs.

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And has this ever happened to you?

By The Associated Press

FERNDALE, Michigan - Police say a first date went from bad to worse when a man skipped out on the restaurant bill, then stole his date's car.

Police say 23-year-old Terrance Dejuan McCoy had dinner with a woman April 24 at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. The woman says the two met a week earlier at a Detroit casino and she knew McCoy only as "Chris."

The woman told police that McCoy said he left his wallet in her car and asked for keys. He then sped away in the 2000 Chevrolet Impala.

The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reports that police identified McCoy by a photo he'd sent to the woman's cellphone, and his phone number.

McCoy is charged with unlawfully taking the car, a five-year felony. He waived a preliminary exam and was bound over for trial Thursday.

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Have a great week!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

SJHL announces hall of fame inductees

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is pleased to announce the creation of the SJHL Hall Of Fame and Wall Of Honor.

The SJHL virtual Hall Of Fame includes a 12-team Wall Of Honor, 1-league Wall Of Honor, and 1-SJHL Hall Of Fame.

The SJHL prides itself on Rich Tradition, Strong Future and therefore has created a venue to recognize greats from years past. In general, the premise is to highlight success for those players, officials, coaches, and builders who used the SJHL as a springboard for future success.

Annually, teams will nominate a candidate on their team’s Wall Of Honor to be considered for the SJHL Hall Of Fame.

A selection process based on merit and other determined criteria shall select no more than six Hall Of Fame inductees per year. A Hall Of Fame Game will be played in conjunction with the Hall Of Fame Weekend. The Battlefords North Stars will be in Weyburn to face the Red Wings on October 9th. A Hall Of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony will highlight the festivities on October 10th.

The entire weekend is a presentation of Highwood Distillers.

This year’s inaugural inductees include:

Ron Hextall (Melville Millionaires). Hextall used the Millionaire program as the initial stepping stone toward his glorious career in the National Hockey League, predominately spent with the Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as a rookie in 1987 for being the NHL’s MVP during the playoffs. He also was the first ever netminder to shoot and score a goal at the NHL level, something he also accomplished in the playoffs. He’s currently the Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Kings.

Chris Chelios (Moose Jaw Canucks). Chelios spent three years in the SJHL and parlayed his Junior ‘A’ career into an NCAA scholarship before landing on the scene with the Montreal Canadiens in 1985, getting named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. He has won three Norris Trophies for being the NHL’s top defenseman. The 25-year NHL veteran is hoping to begin his 26th season this October.

Wayne Kartusch (SJHL President). Kartusch spent 26-years as President of the SJHL, resigning his post in 2003. He has received numerous accolades and honors for hard work and dedication to the sport of the game. He has been bestowed a lifetime membership to the SHA as well as the Canadian Junior Hockey League. He’s also been named Hockey Canada’s Volunteer Of The Year. He was enshrined in Saskatchewan’s Sports Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Ron Rumball (Weyburn Red Wings). Rumball has provided the Red Wings with forty years of service, holding roles on the Board of Directors, Director Of Scouting, Assistant Coach, Interim Head Coach, and General Manager. A retired school teacher, Rumball continues to seek out talent for the Wings, who have a storied history as one of the SJHL’s most storied franchises. His most recent major accomplishment was serving as GM for the 2005 RBC Cup champions.

Dwight McMillan (Weyburn Red Wings). McMillan has won over a thousand regular season games in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, putting him in an extremely elite class with Scotty Bowman (NHL) and Brian Kilrea (OHL). His tenure as a player and/or coach has spanned five decades with Weyburn and he wielded some magic in 2005 by taking a fifth place team and leading them to an RBC Cup (national championship). McMillan has ties back to the Red Wings as far back as 1961 when he appeared as a rookie on the very first Red Wing club ever.

The SJHL is extremely proud and pleased to announce the creation of the virtual Hall Of Fame and Wall Of Honor as well as to recognize these five very special individuals for being the first ever inductees.

Morning Water Cooler

Maybe you're hanging out by the water cooler this morning or having some cheese toast. Either way welcome back to the blog.

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It's Thursday and I'm still hearing how great the AC/DC show was in Regina. The people that I've talked to who went to the Rolling Stones but not to AC/DC say that there is no way AC/DC could have possibly been better. The people who went to both seem to disagree.

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For $39.99 you can purchase a Philadelphia Eagles jersey for dogs that can be customized with Michael Vick's name and number on the back.

This is no joke. NFLShop is selling the jerseys. Bob Molinaro of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot says "Final score: Irony 1, Good Taste 0."

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There has been plenty of buzz about the new site www.saskgridiron.com. If you don't know by now, it's a project that I've started to help promote and cover 9-man high school football in the province. Check it out and voice your opinion on the forum.

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I've been listening to Bob McCowen alot on the Fan 590 in Toronto. I pick up the podcast off of iTunes. He's been talking a lot about the Phoenix Coyotes and feels that Balsillie could be the only bid left come September 10th. It looks like that may in fact still happen after Reinsdorf pulled out. The BlackBerry billionaire still feels that he can move the team to Hamilton to start the season. Good luck.

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Some high school teams are hitting the gridiron for exhibition play on Friday. Foam Lake plays Melville in a night game under the lights. Sweet!

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It's pretty quiet these days on the SJHL front. Either not much is happening or there is little coverage of it anywhere. Teams are busy though preparing for training camp which opens tomorrow.

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Are you going to check out the New York Islanders training camp in Saskatoon? I'll be there. I think it's a little more intruding now that Tavares was drafted. It'll be great for the city and for the young hockey fans too.

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Up until last weekend I had no idea there were boat rides on the river in Saskatoon. What a great idea. We were in the city for a wedding (the fourth I'd been to in five weeks) down by the river and noticed the boat rides. Naturally we took a ride and it was great. It cost somewhere around $20 a person but it lasted a good hour. It's a great date idea if you're looking for something a little different than dinner and a movie plus you get to see a view of the city that you may have never seen.

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It's Grandma's birthday today. Happy birthday Grandma! Don't tell her but we got her a ton of scratch 'n' win tickets. She loves them and so do I.

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Have a great day...

dd

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Finally there is some sunshine

Good morning blog reader. I'm happy to report that there is clear skies and sunshine as you are waking up this morning.

Finally.

First of all, was I the only one NOT at the AC/DC concert last night in Regina?

It has become one of those things where I'm kicking myself because I didn't get a ticket. Some people even said they were better than the Rolling Stones. I'll no doubtingly hear about how great it was and how it was a once in a lifetime experience and how I shoulda been there. I can't wait.

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With Brett Favre signing in Minnesota recently and Michael Vick signing in Philadelphia, I have a couple thoughts or questions:

- who would you rather have? Vick, with the bad press that will follow and who hasn't played football in a few years, or Favre, (isn't he turning 60 something?) who showed last year that he still has "it" but can only keep that up for 10 or so weeks?

- Who will have a better season? Will either team win the Super Bowl because of these signings?

- Will you get sick of seeing these teams every week on TV? (you know they won't show anyone else)

- I think both teams will benefit from these moves but we'll see in a couple months.

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This is in today's Star Phoenix:

A manhunt is underway in Kindersley for a 23-year-old man who escaped from RCMP custody at a Kindersley hospital Sunday.

Kindersley RCMP are asking for the public's help to locate Daylan Clemence, who escaped from hospital around 3:45 p.m. Sunday and is considered dangerous. Clemence is charged with two counts of assault and assault causing bodily harm and sexual assault stemming from a Sunday incident.

He was able to get out of his handcuffs, which were attached to his hospital bed. Clemence was taken to hospital after he suffered injuries in an altercation, said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Carole Raymond.

He was spotted Monday in Kindersley in a tan Ford Taurus, licence plate 316 FFL, with a 20-year-old female, who was wearing a white shirt. Clemence is now believed to be wearing a black shirt and blue checkered pajamas, Raymond said.

Clemence was previously seen wearing hospital pants and gown and paper slippers. He has a back injury, a badly injured leg and may be limping, RCMP said.

The 6-foot-1, 145-pound Clemence has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kindersley RCMP at 306-463-4642 or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

© Copyright (c) The Star Phoenix

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Have you seen Jerry Jones' new toy?

The owner of the Dallas Cowboys has erected a $40 million dollar TV set high above midfield. The 544,300-kilogram, four sided video board hangs from the rafters of the new Cowboys Stadium 27.4 metres above the field.

The screens along either sideline are 49 metres wide - stretching from one 20-yard line to the other and 22 metres tall. Throw in the slightly smaller screens on the endzones and you'd need like 5,000 52-inch flat screens to cover the same surface.

It is actually creating some controversy. Punters are hitting the screen. My Tennessee Titans don't like it and that makes me not like it. Seriously though, if it becomes a problem where punts are hitting the screen then it has to be raised but I would love to see a game in Texas just to see that monster!

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Oh great.

'I'm never going to forget this concert'

That's the headline on page C1 of today's Star Phoenix. I told you it is going to be one of those things.

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Movie review: The Goods

Saw this one in the Galaxy on Sunday night and left with mixed feelings. On the one hand I was counting all the funny moments that had me laughing out loud. It wasn't roll on the floor funny but I was laughing. On the other hand: Wow! What a brutal story. Not to mention some of the comedy is pretty offside.

Rating: If you want to shut your brain off for a couple of hours and just let go then take in this flick. Just wait until it hits the Rainbow for four bucks. 2.5 stars.

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If you've ever taken money out of a bank machine, there's a good chance one of those bills has been used to snort cocaine.

According to an American study, the U.S. and Canada have the highest levels of cocaine residue found on banknotes out of five countries, with an average contamination rate of between 85 and 90 per cent. China and Japan had the lowest, with between 12 and 20 per cent contamination.
The researchers studied 27 banknotes from Canada and found that 85 per cent were contaminated with cocaine, with amounts ranging from 2.4 micrograms to more than 2,530 micrograms of coke per banknote.

The University of Massachusetts scientists said researchers found traces of cocaine in 95 per cent of the banknotes analyzed from Washington, D.C., alone.

The study, presented Monday at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, suggests that cocaine abuse is still widespread and may be on the rise in some areas.

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Did you catch "Shaq vs" last week? The show airs every Tuesday night and has Shaq take on other athletes. Last week it was Shaq vs Ben Rothlisburger and big Ben schooled the basketball giant in both football and basketball. Ben won the game of horse but did you see Shaq toss that fade route? Impressive. It's on again tonight, tune in.

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I feel sorry for the Miami Dolphins. Serena and Venus Williams have bought into an ownership group that already includes Gloria and Emillio Estefan, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Jimmy Buffet. I'm not making a comment. I'm just putting it out there.

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High school football players hit the gridiron across the province yesterday to get ready for the upcoming season. Dale Udal, from Maple Creek, passed along the SWAC schedule yesterday and it is now posted on SaskGridiron.com. Maple Creek plays Rosetown in exhibition action this weekend.

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That's all for now. Blog ya later.

dd

Thursday, August 20, 2009

wow!

TSN.ca ALERT: Usain Bolt of Jamaica sets world record in 200m (19.19) at World Championships in Berlin.
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Was it possible to plead not guilty?

TSN.ca ALERT: Plaxico Burress pleads guilty to a weapons charge and agrees to a two-year prison term.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Wings add Bert

TSN.ca ALERT: Forward Todd Bertuzzi agrees to one-year deal with Detroit Red Wings, pending a physical.
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Here we go again

TSN.ca ALERT: Report: Brett Favre to sign a $10-12 million contract with the Vikings, pending passing a physical.
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Monday, August 17, 2009

WTH???

This pic was snapped in my hometown of Wynyard this morning. This really grinds my gears. Am I a crotchety old man at just 22?
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The start of an "UP" week

The voice of the Saskatchewan Roughriders calls it an "UP" week after the Riders win and a "DOWN" week after they lose. Let me tell you, it's great to have an "UP" week.

The Riders dominated the first half of Sunday's game en route to taking a 23-0 lead. The Tabbies didn't even have a first down in the opening half and only 1 yard of net offence in the first quarter.

Hamilton came back in the 3rd but unlike the Edmonton game, last night there was an alternate ending. The Riders are 4-3 and tied for first in the CFL west while the Ti-Cats are also 4-3.

We have Montreal next week. Bring your game face.

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Who had Y.E. Yang in the golf pool this weekend?

Yang won the PGA Championship by 3 strokes Sunday to become the first Asian born golfer to win a major. What is more remarkable is that Tiger lost a major for the first time when leading or co-leading after 54 holes.

Even if Tiger didn't win it was compelling to watch and had me hooked until the final putt. Even on 18 I still thought Tiger could pull something out. Good stuff.

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I slept in yesterday morning but woke in time to flip on the World Track and Field Championships and watch the semi-finals in the men's 100m. They gave me the hour and a half countdown until the final and I set my alarm.

I'm glad I did.

Usain Bolt smashed his own world record by .11 seconds with a time of 9.58 seconds. Tyson Gay didn't have a chance even though he set a U.S. record.

The 100m is one of the greatest sporting events in the world. It's simply man vs. man in one of the greatest athletic feats out there. I love it.

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The news I was promising for today?

Check out www.saskgridiron.com. I've been focusing my attention on this project for a little while now and feel comfortable launching the website.

Through the website I will be covering 9-man high school football. I already have 2 of 4 schedules posted and am waiting on the final two. Check out the site and let me know what you think!

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from the associated press:

Ask people of various ages about their favourite music and what do you get? Perhaps more common ground between the generations than you'd expect.

A Pew Research Center survey found the Beatles high on the list of every age group and other acts from the 1960s and 1970s popular among people too young to have known them when they performed.


Who would be in your top 5? Here is what the poll found:

1. Beatles
2. Eagles
3. Johnny Cash
4. Michael Jackson
5. Elvis Presley

A couple interesting notes: Carrie Underwood was 9th while Coldplay came in at 18.

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Latest movie review? Adventureland.

I'm having trouble putting words down for this one. I liked it but I don't think I'd watch it twice. Check it out but wait until it's out on DVD.

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Well, time for some breakfast. Happy Monday!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

World record Sunday

TSN.ca ALERT: Usain Bolt sets new world record winning the 100-metre in 9.58 seconds at the world championships.
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Friday, August 14, 2009

Friday tidbits

Welcome back boys and girls.

Today we'll talk about the weather, twitter and Michael Vick.

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But first let's start with hockey. With Ryan Tunall moving to Lethbridge, that opens up the position of play-by-play voice of the Kindersley Klippers of the SJHL.

Word is that the position has already been filled. Probably by someone none of us have ever herd of before but that's doesn't have to be a bad thing. We all need to start somewhere.

For the record, if he has been hired, he's not off to a great start. There wasn't even a sniff of info anywhere on the recent conditioning camp. Nor has there been any news on rookie signings or anything else for that matter.

If you want Klipper news I don't know where you'll go. Maybe i'll have to do a little digging and be your Klipper info source.

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Btw, Tunall has a nice little blog on southern Alberta called Tunall Vision. I've provided the link on the right. It always provides a good read.

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This is old news by now but in case you haven't heard Twitter is huge.

A large number of celebs are "tweeting", as they say, and it can be fairly entertaining. The old man thinks we are only getting dumber and dumber but despite that I have started using that "nonsense".

The issue now is that some sports figures are getting in trouble over it.

Antonio Cromartie of the San Diego Chargers tweeted about how bad training camp food is and that it may be associated to the team not winning championships.

Others have tweeted during half time of a basketball game while the Tampa Bay Lightning used it to tease a trade they were about to make.

I think it's great. TSN's Dan O'Toole and Jay Onrait are pretty fun to follow too. I'll keep doing it for now. At least until they start to charge you. We all know that day is not too far off.

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Vick, McNabb and Westbrook.

That sounds like a pretty intimidating backfield for the Philadelphia Eagles. The current QB says he's happy to have Vick. I don't believe him. Vick was one of the most valuable players in the league before he left. You think he has gotten THAT much worse during his time off?

Either way, like the man formerly known as Chad Johnson tweeted, I would hate to play defense because they're going to be tough to stop.

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What is up with this weather? The forecast was calling for rain today, tomorrow and part of Sunday. This morning Environment Canada called for sunshine today and rain tonight and tomorrow.

Well, it rained today and still is. Does that mean it's going to be sunny tomorrow? I hope so. Its my third wedding in four weekends and the weather was perfect for the first two.

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Who do I take with the first overall pick in my hockey draft tonight? It's a keeper league so keep in mind that most players are on teams already.

I think Tavares has to pretty much be a lock at this point. I need to build from the ground up. I am an expansion team and on paper I suck. I do have some good young talent though.

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Well that's all my little brain can muster up right now. Be sure to check out Friday night football on TSN tonight and the Riders play Sunday against Hamilton.

Have a great weekend!

dd
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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Vick signs

TSN.ca ALERT: The Philadelphia Eagles have signed quarterback Michael Vick to a two-year contract.
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Does this look good?

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Thursday morning blogging

It has been a while since I have just blogged so it will be nice to get back into it again.

Last year I posted weekly CFL picks here on the blog but this year I have decided to omit that section. I don't think I could pick games very well this year anyway. The CFL is a crazy league.

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A couple things have me heated lately.

First is some people and there dogs. I take my dog to run around in the open fields at the sports grounds and she has a blast. She loves the ball diamonds and the fence doesn't allow her to run off. The problem I have is when people don't clean up after their pets, especially in public places like that. Kids don't need to step in that while trying to grab a ground ball at third. Give your head a shake and clean up after your dog.

The second thing deals with the local football field. One night while playing some catch my brother noticed that someone had drew a tasteless picture in the grass. The grass was killed in the shape of something inappropriate. A senseless act of vandalism. Have some pride in your community.

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Another wedding this weekend. I love weddings! Thus far the weather has gone 2 for 2 at weddings I've been to this summer and I hope it continues this weekend.

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Did you get a chance to see the meterior shower last night? It was incredible! I usually miss it but last night I watched for a while. I must have seen 50 of em. I love it.

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My favorite song right now is "bucket" by Carly Rae Jepsen. Is that weird? I love that song. It's playing in my I pod right now.

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You can now follow me on Twitter. I never really understood what it was all about but I'm all over it now. I'm also following some pretty entertaining people too. You can find me at twitter.com/darrendupont or by clicking the twitter logo on the right hand side of the blog.

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There is news coming Monday on a project I'm working on. Stay tuned for that.

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Until next time, you stay classy blog reader.

dd

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Fw:suspension

TSN.ca ALERT: Donte' Stallworth suspended for the season by the NFL.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Spezza joins team Canada

CALGARY - Jason Spezza will take part in the national men's Olympic team orientation camp, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.

The Ottawa Senators sniper will replace Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf, who is recovering from off-season surgery.

Spezza is no stranger to the national team, having played for Canada at five IIHF World Championships. He was initially passed over in July when executive director Steve Yzerman announced the invitation list.

Joe Sakic, who just announced his retirement from the NHL, will also not be attending.

The camp will take place from Aug. 24 to 27 and now includes five goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 25 forwards.
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Monday, August 10, 2009

Rios to sox

TSN.ca ALERT: The Chicago White Sox have claimed Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios off waivers.
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