Arnott Turns a Trick in SoCal

The bad thing about seeing Jason Arnott dominate a game is it reminds you of the fact that we don’t see it often enough. He really has all of the tools, and when he turns it on he is amazing.

HockeyBuzz link …

It could very well be developing into a 2-horse race in the Pacific Division, as for the first time this season there is a margin of substance between first place and last place (7 points). However, the margin between 1st and 2nd place in the Pacific is now non-existent as Dallas wins in Anaheim and ties the Los Angeles Kings atop the division.

This completes a very successful road trip for the Stars in California as they took 6 points in 3 games with wins against San Jose, Anaheim, and then Anaheim again. They started the trip with a loss in Nashville, but then things turned around quickly against their division rivals.

Last night, it was plenty of center Jason Arnott, as he pocketed a hat trick with goals 6, 7, and 8 providing most of the offense in 4-2 win over the Mighty Ducks.

Arnott’s performance caps off a solid road trip for him, and with Mike Modano playing at his high level, this team now has two lines that require the opponents full attention in any given game. Clearly, that combined with Marty Turco’s reacquainting himself with quality goaltending has made Dallas a very difficult opponent lately.

One can only imagine where they will be when they get Bill Guerin and Brenden Morrow scoring goals like they did in 03-04. After combining for 59 goals last season, the two have just tallied a total of 10 this season. They were the top 2 goal scorers on the team last year, and this year are 5th and 6th on the team in goals.

The Stars have now won 7 of 9 games since October 29th, and despite looking lost most of the first month, now appear to have found their way and are playing very solid hockey. Especially given that many of these performances have come on the road, where they performed in such a mediocre fashion last season, Dallas is elated with how they have turned on the switch in November.

They return home for 5 of 6 starting Friday against Columbus.

Also, Klemm out for a while …So, let’s welcome back John Erskine…

The Mavericks and their coach have not lost faith in Dampier …Sefko wrote the article without pointing out a very important and obvious point AVERY BETTER NOT LOSE FAITH IN DAMPIER BECAUSE IT IS HIS FAULT HE IS HERE! REMEMBER AVERY HAD HIM AT GOLDEN STATE AND CAMPAIGNED TO GET HIM HERE??? HE HAS ADMITTED IT ON THE RECORD! THIS IS AVERY’S GUY. SO WHEN I HEAR THAT AVERY STILL LOVES DAMPIER, I RESPOND THAT “HE BETTER, SINCE THIS IS HIS BABY”. AVERY VOUCHED FOR HIM. SO IF ANYONE IS GOING TO BE PATIENT WITH ERICK, IT BETTER BE THE LITTLE GENERAL. There. I feel better. But how come that wasn’t in the article?

Genius expose of Jay Mariotti’s contradictory drivel of 2005 about the White Sox …You got to read this.

I won’t even attempt to pull out the gold. There is too much.

Bears get in wacky FBI shooting range fight …

The Bears only can hope Miller's return also helps take a magnifying glass off the team's longstanding relationship with the FBI and an FBI gun range in North Chicago. Miller and Kreutz began the day that ended in the fight, Nov. 7, by attending a gun training program at the facility, according to several sources. They also began drinking at the facility while enjoying a barbecue with FBI instructors and agents attending a terrorist training program, the sources said.

There was no combination whatsoever of drinking and gun use, the sources insisted, and the players attended a classroom session before going to the range and firing weapons. Machine guns, pistols and a sniper's rifle mounted on a tripod were described as typical of the type of weapons Bears employees have been trained on at the facility through the years.

An FBI spokesman confirmed that about a dozen Bears players attended the controlled shoot as part of an annual liaison day between the FBI and the Bears that they've done for "a number of years.'' The FBI runs similar liaison shoots with other groups.

One source said "just about every'' employee who has been through Halas Hall has been to the range at some point. Sources refused to confirm or deny that the fight took place at the facility but did say players were on their own with no FBI agents present.

Miller and Kreutz had been rough-housing and were separated before the altercation, sources said. Miller was being led out a door when he turned around and went back to where Kreutz was standing.

Kreutz struck Miller in the face when he approached, the sources said, and Miller went down. He responded by hitting Kreutz in the head with a five-pound weight, resulting in a cut that required 13 stitches to close. The players apparently concocted the story of the household fall in part to protect the FBI agent who had arranged for them to visit the range.

"We're still investigating where the incident itself happened between the two players'' and whether it was even on the premises, FBI spokesman Frank Bochte said. The inquiry is not a criminal investigation, he said.

In a related and yet unrelated story, I have been meaning to get this Chicago Bears thought on the record, and since we so rarely bring them up, now is as good a time as any:

The Bears will not win the NFC North.

Here are the current standings:

Chicago 6-3
Minnesota 4-5
Detroit 4-5
Green Bay 2-7

Look, I realize I am going out on a limb, because everyone behind the Bears really suck. But, I really feel this choke happening. Check out the final 7 games for the Bears starting this week:

Nov 20 H Carolina
Nov 27 A Tampa Bay
Dec 4 H Green Bay
Dec 11 A Pittsburgh
Dec 18 H Atlanta
Dec 25 A Green Bay
Jan 1 A Minnesota

This is the Bears without a QB or a RB. I know their defense is good, but they might be 8-8. I hate to say this, but I think the Vikings catch them on the last week of the season. And trust me, the Packers will protect their house on Christmas Day. I will be there to make sure of that.

So, I am calling it. Bears miss the playoffs despite having a 2 game lead today.

Colts have huge test this week at Cincinnati And the 1972 Dolphins look on …

The Indianapolis Colts don't want to talk about it, and the 1972 Miami Dolphins don't want to think about it.

The Colts are the 21st team in the 86-year history of the NFL, and the 11th since the merger in 1970, to start a season 9-0. Only the 1972 Dolphins have finished a season undefeated.

"It's really way, way too early to even think about that," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "... It's really not even anything to talk about at this point. We had some goals coming into the regular season, and certainly our goal was not to go 16-0."

The Colts have a long way to go to an undefeated season. In fact, they are not even halfway to 19-0 -- 16 regular-season victories and three in the postseason. That's why the 1972 Dolphins won't acknowledge a threat to their record until a team reaches 10 wins.

Full Preview of UFC 56 …Matt Hughes for President…

Dude is sick …

RUGBY fan Geoffrey Huish told yesterday of the moment of madness when he hacked off his own TACKLE — because his team Wales beat England.

Single Geoffrey, 31, took an agonising ten minutes to perform the horrific op using a pair of blunt wire cutters.

Then he put his severed parts in a blue plastic bag and staggered to a social club to announce his desperate deed to fellow Wales fans.

Jobless Geoffrey finally collapsed with blood pouring from his groin as horrified drinkers put his testicles in a pint glass of ice. They were handed to paramedics who rushed him to hospital — but surgeons could not sew them back.

Geoffrey spent several months in a psychiatric unit as experts tried to fathom his actions.

Since, I have received this email plenty, Here is the gay LSU fans link…



Speculation in England is that Henry will leave the Premiership …that will be a shame. The most deadly striker I have seen…