DG Quickie Commentary: Plaxico Reaction

I just saw the Plaxico Burress interview clip from E:60 that was shown on SportsCenter. He seemed very calm, and his explanation of the events of the night seemed very reasonable. Now I understand that there have been many stories of late that my not portray athlete's in the most positive and trusting light, but I see this situation as different. Granted, I have not seen the evidence presented in the actual trial that led to the 2-year prison sentence given to Plax, however from what I heard from Plax in this interview that sentence seems a bit harsh. Yes...he had a weapon in a club, which could have been dangerous. However, look at the circumstances surrounding this--no one was hurt (with the exception of his own injury), and he was just in feeling he needed the protection after Sean Taylor's murder.... take from this what you will. I apologize for the brevity of this article on such an important issue. I'm writing late at night, and just felt like jotting down a quick reaction to the ESPN interview. (By the way, way to listen Jeremy Schaap...Plax already told you he was in the club for about five minutes.)

Buff Talks USA Hockey

Team USA Hockey held an orientation camp at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, IL during the week of August 17th. After the first practice, cameras caught up with star Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien.

Roenick Talks with Chelios During Retirement Announcement

A great moment during the Jeremy Roenick retirement press conference, when he talked with longtime Chicago teammate/friend Chris Chelios. For those growing up during the 90's watching Blackhawks hockey, JR and Cheli were fun to watch, and brought many exciting moments to Chicago (sound familiar...cough Toews, Kane cough)

2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins

Congratulations to the Penguins for winning the Stanley Cup. Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history, as the 21-year-old hoisted the Cup above his head this evening in Detroit, after a well-executed team performance in Game 7. Marc Andre Fleury leaped after one, last, game-saving save as the seconds clicked down to zero and the Penguins stormed the ice (no, I'm not going to use the "March of the Penguins" phrase that every media outlet is using) to win the Cup.

P.S. It's gotta suck to be Marian Hossa right now...ouch......

Bulls Force Game 7

We are witnessing a monumental event in the history of the game of basketball. The Bulls-Celtics opening round series in the 2009 NBA Playoffs is being called possibly the greatest series in history. After last nights triple-OT Bulls' win, this series has seen four of the six games go to overtime, and all but one game be decided in the final possessions. Last night's key plays:

-Brad Miller erupts for 3-pointer and "roller-skating" drive past Kendrick Perkins

-John Salmons scores 35 pts (11 in OT)...Ray Allen had 51 pts, while Rondo had 19 ast

-Joakim Noah steals ball from Paul Pierce and takes it the length of the floor for the poster-dunk, drawing the And-1 from Paul Pierce (who fouled out on the play)

-Derrick Rose blocks Rondo's attempt in final seconds and steals ball after tip by Hinrich

The Bulls will now return to Boston for the epic showdown, the final countdown, the game to end it all...GAME 7 at the Garden...Bulls.....Celtics....7:00 pm CT....NBA : Where this happens!

update: Video of OT below

Hawks Win to take 2-0 Series Lead over Flames

The prettiest goal of the night!

Tiger Thrills at Bay Hill

Tiger Woods returned to winning form this weekend, coming back from five back entering Sunday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational in stunning fashion. On the 18th green, with dusk approaching, flash bulbs flashing, Tiger knocked down his 15'11" birdie putt for the win in a scene eerily similar to last year's tournament. Tiger, competitive juices flowing, now waits for The Masters in two weeks from Augusta, GA.

The above image is copyrighted 2009 by DinoGriego - Graphics.

DG Quickie: The Fight- 'Nucks v Hawks

Quote: "Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith is still rather stunned that Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks pulled his hair last night like they were fighting over Bret Michaels on the Rock of Love Bus: "That's not something I've ever had happen to me ... My little sister never even pulled my hair when I was a kid. It's kind of comical when you have a grown man trying to pull your hair on the ice." Adam Burish, meanwhile, lamented the fact that no player should have to endure that, "especially a nice haircut like Duncan has." [Chicago Tribune] -per Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy Blog

Two subtle highlights of the fight: One, I loved the fact that the United Center sound guy played U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," amidst the ruckus. Also, when the camera was showing Burish exiting the ice on his way to the locker room, Coach Quenneville could be seen yelling at the opposing bench/head coach and appearing to say "You started it!"

Pictures:

The aftermath (right) after the fighting subsided, while the above--no, that's not the bench, that's the penalty box (it should be pointed out that Havlat and Kane were serving the penalties of their unavailable teammates).

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ9nVbp_0U0

DG Quickie Commentary: Sears Tower Name Change

As of now, the story making rounds is that the Sears Tower will be renamed Willis Tower after a London-based company moves in occupying around 20 floors of the Chicago icon. Now, I'm all for making money, but it is my understanding that the building's owners are getting no extra money to rename the Sears Tower the Willis Tower. A lot of people are saying that this change is fine because Sears-Roebuck no longer owns the Sears Tower. To all those people, I say that's a bogus argument. So you're a Chicagoan, right? The building is just changing the name for no reason (and possibley painting it silver?) and you think because Sears-Roebuck no longer owns it, that's fine. Well check this---Wrigley Field is no longer owned by the Wrigley family so I guess by your logic you don't mind if they change the name of that Chicago iconic landmark, too?........OOOhhhhh! What?....You do care?....Exactly, so apply that logic to the Sears Tower name change and you see where all the hullabaloo is coming from.