Whenever the Kentucky Derby rolls around, I crank up "Dead Flowers" and mix a margarita----sort of a personal old-world tradition, like "My Old Kentucky Home" and the mint juleps they serve at the track. Don't ask about the origins of this one. A gentleman never tells.
If, perchance, you're wagering, I like Pyro (speed) and Z Fortune (six good starts) to hit the board. Your friendly correspondent should be in Pittsburgh in front of some TV when the starting gates open, hunkering down for Game 5 at the Igloo Sunday afternoon.
On the Rangers front, the team had a classroom meeting and was sent home; Marek Malik and Jaromir Jagr went on the ice; Jagr, Tom Renney and Brendan Shanahan reminded reporters and TV crews that one win was just that; one, not two, the earth had not tilted, and that the Rangers need to play Sunday as they did on Thursday.
No surprise there. Henrik Lundqvist and penalty kills will again be major factors.
As we were speaking, staffers were removing all the equipment from the stalls of Greg Moore, Lauri Korpikoski and Pierre Parenteau in the main locker room and relocating it to the one that the taxi squad has been using.
Hint: The boys with playoff experience will be dressing in 5.
What else? Rangers GM Glen Sather contacted the league to discuss the ruling on Dan Girardi's push from behind---which resulted in Evgeni Malkin's penalty shot in the second period.
“They’re getting back to us," said Renney. "It was a penalty of some kind. I don’t know. It has to be a trip, hook, cross-check, whatever. It doesn’t say that in the rulebook at all." Shanahan also was mystified and didn't get a clear response from the zebras.
He did say that the bench was psyched---visible on replays---after Lundqvist's save and said he wasn't shocked by the performance of battered Chris Drury, a gamer.
On Sunday, the first five or ten minutes will be significant, Shanahan said, because the Penguins will come out hard and the Rangers will have to match the intensity, not only early, but for 60 minutes.
****
I was looking for another thoroughbred song on the IPod, and found Dave Burland's "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away", and kept the thing rolling through the tunes that begin with "The". Not complaining. No way. Some eclectic and forgotten stuff for a May Friday. For those interested, here they are below.
If you don't care, skip it, and get back to work, you slackers.
Just FYI, the April numbers are in.
Blue Notes set a new record for page views and led all Newsday's sports blogs. Thanks to all who contribute inside and out.
So, let's keep up the pace. Please post your proposed lineups, Game 5 scenarios, and what the heck, your Derby picks.
Is the party over, or will there be a Game 6 Monday----and why?
Will check in later.
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The "The" List
The Axe---Tinsley Ellis
The Bag of Cats---Sharon Shannon
The Ballad of John and Oko---Beatles
The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil---Jefferson Airplane
The Beautiful Side of Somewhere---Wallflowers (Live)
The Best of Everything---Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Bourgeois Blues---Ry Cooder
The Boy in the Bubble---Patti Smith
The Cutter---Echo and the Bunnymen
The Envoy---Warren Zevon
The Eyes of Sarah Jane---Jayhawks
The Fizzy and the Still---Mark Knopfler
The Heart of the Matter---Don Henley
The Last Time---Stones
The Lost Complaint---Damnwells
The New Soft Shoe---Gram Parsons
The Other Side of the Rain---Graham Parker
The Pearl---EmmyLou Harris
The Poor Ditching Boy---Richard Thompson (Live)
The Pretender--Jackson Browne
The Pedestrian---Foxboro Hot Tubs (way to end it!)
Comments (19)
It has been a most productive playoff season for the publisher of the NHL's Rulebook. First we got the Avery Rule and now we are in store for the Girardi Rule. The should just print the thing in a looseleaf binder. Or how about on an etch-a-sketch?
I'm sure all those bandwagon Pens fans will be back here, adamantly stating that yes, Girardi's push was really a penalty.
The zebras, and the NHL itself, can't seem to consistently enforce the rules that are there, yet they can keep making up new ones as they go along? Go figure. All for Bettman's parity league and his star, Sidney, in an effort to attract new audiences to the sport. The one thing he will succeed at, if he keeps it up, is driving all the current fans away.
At this juncture, it's pointless to keep proposing lines. It is what it is and with potentially only one more game left, you know Renney is going to do some juggling during the game anyway. It's got to be a TEAM effort for 60 minutes if they expect to take it back here to MSG on Monday... something they definitely can achieve.
BTW, I pick Denis of Cork for the Derby. Not that I know much about horses, but I have connections to both parts of that name.
I've said all along that if they win Game 5, Game 6 will be the easy one and then Game 7 is a crapshoot.
http://www.nyhockeyrivalry.blogspot.com
Wish Big Brown hadn't drawn the 20 slot; I don't think he can take it from there.
And, vis a vis Sunday, I do think the earth is tilting, just enough to make a difference.
What the hell, they aren't even trying to get Malking suspended for kicking out Mara's feet twice in an attempt to injure?
bob,
where does it say that they didnt? just because its not in there doesnt mean they didnt try. stop trying to read between the lines.
WHo cares about the Girardi push? What about Malkin's 2 slewfoots on Mara? I think he also got Drury, too.
I really dont see what the big deal is about the penalty shot call. Malkin was in all alone, and Girardi knocked him off balance.
I, like bob, am wondering how in the world the refs missed Malkins slew foot on Mara. I wouldnt even mention it to reporters, cause the media blows everything up. You say one thing, a reporter takes it, translates it to according to their will and needs, and boom.... X coach is b!tching about the officiating.
malkin should burn in hell
I want to be on the ice with Malkin.
I think the Rangers should sign that kid Gretzky for the playoff run.
p.s I take it square in the man shorts and am a FATTY !!!
We need more fighting in the playoffs. All this pushing and shoving with no punches is brutal to watch.
Get well soon Sean.
Although it was most definitely a bush league play by Malkin, if I am not mistaken a slew foot is a double minor for tripping, so unfortunately asking for a suspension in this case is akin to asking for a suspension for a double minor for high sticking....just a thought.
No question there was intent, but as opposed to intent to injure it is probably more intent to be an idiot. What's more alarming is that none of Malkin's teammates are telling him to straighten his helmet and visor so he looks a little less like Frankenstein....
3
Down 3 games
Shut out 3 -0
#30 stands on his head
Jagr has 3 points
we need 3 more wins
All good things come in 3's
Three is the magic number...
every 33 years a team comes back from 0-3
most importantly 3 more games to win.
The Rangers and Sharks will both make history.
Great win by the Sharks last night in OT where they've been dominated by the Stars.
I'd like to see the tough guys out there for the Blueshirts in Game 5. Not a ton of ice time of course, but I just think the team has more confidence with Orr and Hollweg in the lineup... even if they only get a few shifts.
Crosby, Malkin and Hossa need to be knocked around. It was made clear in Game 4 that they get a bit flustered by it. Granted it's risky to send those guys out against the Crosby line, but as a coach, I'd take that risk once or twice in Game 5.
Other than that, I think they play with the same intensity and get Jagr the puck, stand tough at the blue line and create neutral one havoc... and Game 5 will be won by the Rangers.
Here's to hoping for Game 6 at the Garden.
Let's Go Rangers!
That would be awesome, Sharky!
Sharky - you still want Hollweg in after he screwed up big time in game 4. and does that crap all the time. he'll be in since they won't want an untested rookie playing their 1st game in that situation Naybe Hollweg can do a good job opening the bench door for the others