Tuesday in Edmonton

Welcome to a place where the entire front page of the sports section is dedicated to Jussi Jokinen's top-notch record in the shootout. I am not kidding.

I must admit that I did not think blogging would be this difficult on the road. I apologize for the complete lack of presence in the last few days, but this new schedule is totally confusing. Anyway, here is a blog that has nothing to do with the road trip. But, I did want to get something up this morning:

I have received tons of email about our news at The Ticket, and the opinions seem split down the middle. Many expect that carrying the Cowboys will mean the station is going to really change. I don’t see it. I think our bosses are smart enough not to allow an editorial change to the station with an agreement like this, and further, I don’t think the Cowboys are anywhere near the paranoia that has been demonstrated at times by the local baseball and basketball teams when it comes to trying to get a leash on the talk show hosts.

I guess I don’t see the downside of this. Our job is to win, and signing the Cowboys is something that leads to winning.

Barry Horn forced to write about the Ticket …

Jones joked that one of the provisions of the deal was that Ticket personalities, who can be merciless with their satire, would "lay off me."

For example, The Fake Jerry Jones, who says things the owner of the Cowboys never would, is a staple on morning drive's Dunham & Miller Show.

"But I did sacrifice my son, Jerry Jr.," Jones said with a laugh. "There will be no holds barred."

Bennett said his station, which has built its success on its willingness to critique, will not change now that the Cowboys will call it home.

"What we do here is never personal," Bennett said. "We will continue to do what has made us so successful."

Mac Engle writes about it, too …

The deal had been discussed in the fall, but the two sides were apart on money. In the past 2 1/2 weeks, the two sides found a middle ground and made a deal. As part of the agreement, "The Ticket" will host a one-hour Cowboys show Tuesday nights, and the team will be responsible for selling some on-air advertising. Game-day broadcasts will consist of three hours for pregame, three hours for the game and three hours for postgame.

The first item of business is determining whether play-by-play man Brad Sham, who recently completed his 27th season with the team, will return to his post. Sham and color analyst Babe Laufenberg are without contracts.

Jones said no decision on that has been made, but KTCK vice president Dan Bennett conveyed he prefers to keep Sham and Laufenberg.

"Brad and Babe are both excellent talents, and we made that clear to [the Cowboys]," said Bennett, who added that adding WFAA TV/Ch. 8 anchor and former Cowboys commentator Dale Hansen to the broadcasts is unlikely.

What also appears unlikely is that "The Ticket", known for its humorous skits, will be dissuaded from having fun with the Cowboys. A station that has referred to Cowboys coach Bill Parcells as "the New Jersey Con Man" and offers listeners "the fake Jerry Jones" will be free to do so.

Laroi Glover signs in St Louis …for a nice amount of money…

Glover, a salary cap casualty a few days ago in Dallas, signed a three-year deal with the Rams on Monday. According to league sources, the contract is worth $12 million, including a signing bonus of $3.5 million.

"This is an exciting 'sign' for us," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "It's a big need area for us. We've spent a lot of time evaluating this position. It does help that we all have some background playing against (Glover). And I'm glad now that we only have to block him in practice and not games."

Before signing with the Cowboys in 2002, Glover spent five seasons playing with New Orleans. During that time, he had some monster games against the Rams.

One of my favorite players in baseball, Kirby Puckett dead at 45 …

On Monday, the sports world held those memories close as Puckett died in a Phoenix hospital, one day after suffering a massive stroke. He was 45.

"It's gut-wrenching," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "We lost a dear friend. Really, somebody who in many ways was the foundation of this franchise for a long time."

11 innings that Kurkjian will never forget …

This morning, I made it a point to get to Tim Horton’s …It is a Canadian tradition, and I had to do it. So, I grabbed the winter cap, and wondered down to Jasper and 102nd in Edmonton to get some Tim Bits and coffee. It is perhaps a nicer Dunkin Doughnuts, but otherwise, nothing to write home about.

who is Tim Horton? …

wikipedia page …

Tim Horton was born in Cochrane, Ontario and grew up playing hockey in the small leagues of northern Ontario. He was drafted into the NHL by the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he played for seventeen years, winning four Stanley Cups. Horton later played with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Known for his considerable strength and coolness under pressure, Horton was a hard working, durable defenceman who was named three times to the NHL's First Team All-Star line-up (1964, 1968, 1969), and three times to the Second Team (1954, 1963, 1967). He also participated in 7 NHL All-Star games.

In 1964, Horton opened his first coffee and doughnut shop, named after himself, in Hamilton, Ontario. Horton added a few of his culinary creations to the initial menu. By 1965, Horton had partnered with investor Ron Joyce, who quickly took over operations and expanded the chain into a multi-million dollar franchise.

Early in the morning of February 21, 1974, while driving the QEW from Toronto to Buffalo in his Pantera sports car, a gift from Sabres' GM George "Punch" Imlach, Horton lost control, crashed, and was killed. He was negotiating a curve on the QEW where it crossed a ravine in St. Catharines. A police officer pursuing Horton's vehicle said that he had been travelling at over one hundred miles per hour. There were also reports Horton had consumed a considerable amount of vodka, and was rumoured to have been taking pain killers due to a jaw injury suffered in a practice the day before. An autopsy report released 31 years after his death showed Horton had a blood-alcohol level of twice the legal limit. The blood test also showed signs of amobarbital, possibly a residue from the Dexamyl amphetamine pills that were found on Horton's body. The autopsy showed no indication he was taking painkillers.
The entire NHL went into mourning after his death, especially the Buffalo Sabres, a group of young players in which Horton had played a crucial role in maturing into a group of stars that would reach the Stanley Cup finals the following season. Horton left behind a wife, four daughters and a son.

Horton was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

Horton's daughter later married the son of his former business partner and they currently run a Tim Hortons franchise in Ontario.

Meanwhile, the Great Gordo blogged about Greggo, life ….

NY Daily News about the Gumbel Olympic Rant …

The most hilarious thing about the firestorm Gumbel generated was not just the scholarly reaction to his commentary, which went something like this: "If a white guy said it he would have been fired." No, it was also the fact it took over a week for anyone to react to Gumbel's words. If what he said was so troublesome, so darn offensive, why were the offended parties so late to pounce?

What this proves is there are many - even some people Gumbel ticked off - who don't stay up until 10:50 p.m. to catch his closing comments that end each and every "Real Sports" program.

Think about it. If any of the outraged folks ever watched the entire show, including Gumbel's closing monologue, they would have even more to complain about. Anyone who regularly watches "Real Sports" knows Gumbel leans toward the provocative - even when he is talking about a subject as bland as Bud Selig.

So, it would be absolutely no surprise Tuesday night if some of Gumbel's harshest critics - along with those who, because of the controversy, will be watching "Real Sports" for the first time - stay up to see what he has to say. Yeah, it makes me wonder if Gumbel might use his regular platform to respond to his critics.

And then this discouraging word about hockey ratings in New York:

While on this ratings kick, here's an interesting particle. Thursday's Phillies-Yankees spring training matchup on YES pulled a 0.9 rating. The 7 p.m. replay notched a 0.5.

That same night, Rangers-Flyers on MSG (a big game, right?) did a 0.4 while Islanders-Devils pulled a 0.1.

Ouch!

I am not saying Randy Galloway listens to us But, where did he get this sports cliché?…

In a desperate pursuit of veteran starting pitchers over the winter, Rangers GM Jon Daniels kept coming up with a big bag of nothing.

Josh Beckett? The salary-dumping Marlins were stupid enough to ask for, then reject a trade involving Hank Blalock and top prospect John Danks.

Matt Morris acted like an interested free agent, then took the Giants' money.

Free agent A.J. Burnett piqued the Rangers' interest, but it soon became obvious he was on his way to the Blue Jays for about a 100 mil, Canadian.

Once again, it appeared that pitchers of any ilk wanted no part of the shooting gallery in Arlington. And that's understandable.

But Daniels, of course, stuck with it, became bold and aggressive, and eventually was able to start stuffing some pitchers into that big bag of nothing.

World Baseball Classic website….feel the excitement….