Thursday, May 10, 2018

Dog Shoots Iowa Man

Idiot, simpleton, fool, moron... ABC News:
Richard Remme, of Fort Dodge, told police he was playing with his dog, Balew, on the couch and tossed the dog off his lap. He says when the pit bull-Labrador mix bounded back up, he must have disabled the safety on the gun in his belly band and stepped on the trigger.

The gun fired, striking one of Remme's legs.
Heh..."must have disabled..."  Gee, ya think?

Way to go Richard. Hey, next time you play toss the dog with a gun nearby, down a few shots of Bacardi 151 and smoke some meth. Heck, toss a few Tide pods in your mouth. Maybe add juggling some really sharp, large knives into the mix to make it really challenging? You won't even realize you've been shot.

Idiot.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Caps Ice Penguins; Preds Shut Out Jets

My Monday NHL picks:

Pens 4;  Caps 2 - this series goes the full seven games.

Jets 3;  Preds 2

Actual Final Scores:

Pens 1;  Caps 2 in OT

Jets 0;  Preds 4

Well...the Pens/Caps series ISN'T going the full seven games while the Jets/Preds series IS, with the Preds shutting out the Jets and bringing the series 3 - 3.

The Caps outplayed the Pens, it's that simple. The Pens had moments of momentum, but Washington took advantage of every Pens error and beat the two-time consecutive Stanley Cup Winners. I've never seen a game where the puck became so often airborne, or that rolled on its side or bounced off the ice so much. It could have been a basketball.  Hmmmm...was the puck deflated ? 🏒 🤣

Next, the Caps face TBay, game date and time to be decided.

Nashville shut out and shut down the Jets. Preds goalie Pekke Rinne chalked up 34 saves, some of which were incredible. The Jets' usually top-notch defense looked weak against the Preds.

Game 7 for the Jets/Preds is Thursday, May 10, in Nashville at 8PM EST. The winner of game 7 will square off against the Las Vegas Knights.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Knights Slay Sharks - Lightning Zaps Boston;
NHL Monday, May 7 - two Game 6's

My uncanny and inaccurate predictions of yesterday's games:

TBay 3;  Boston 4 in OT

Sharks 5;  LV 4 in 2 OT

Actual Final Scores:

TBay 3; Boston 1

Sharks 0; LV 3

TBay advances and will play the winner of the Penguins - Capitals series and LV will play the winner of the Nashville - Winnipeg series. All four of these teams play tonight in game 6 of their series.

Watching yesterday's games, it was a bit surprising that TBay won. They played...uhhh...kinda sloppy, but won, and that's all that mattered.

Gotta hand it to the LV Knights, they have a great team. Having Marc-Andre Fleury (former Penguin's goalie) as your goalie is a huge asset. The Sharks played decently, having opportunities to score - but didn't. They hit the goalie posts and bar at least 3-4 times making audible "dings" - but the puck just did not get past the red line. Sharks' goalie Martin Jones did his utmost, but was "out-goalied".


Tonight's games:

Washington plays in Pittsburgh and Nashville plays in Winnipeg.

The Pens should win at home, they need to, they must in order to continue on in the playoffs. Nashville is in the same boat.

Caps lead the series with the Pens 3 - 2, and it's the same for Winnipeg and Nashville.

Odds Shark predicts the Caps over the Pens: 3.0 to 2.4.

Odds Shark predicts a Jets win over the Preds: 3.8 to 2.2.

My picks:

Pens 4;  Caps 2 - this series goes the full seven games. 7PM EST

Jets 3;  Preds 2 - 9:30PM EST

( Click here for Disclaimer.)

Sunday, May 6, 2018

NHL Sunday, May 6

Yesterday's picks:

Pens 5;  Caps 3

Jets 4;  Preds 2

Actual Final Scores:

Pens 3; Caps 6; Series: Caps 3 - Pens 2

Jets 6; Preds 2; Series: Jets 3 - Preds 2

And, because it's easier to predict Powerball lottery numbers than NHL winners and scores, my PBall numbers prediction were: 1,7,21,32,34 and PB 5. 

Actual Powerball numbers:  14, 29, 36, 57, 61 and PB 17

Add one more correct pick for me with the Jets over the Preds, which brings me to...oh, I don't know - I've lost track. No doubt my correct picks are vastly out-numbered by actual results.


Today's games:

Boston at TBay, game # 5; series TBay 3, Boston 1 at 3PM EST (on "free/broadcast" NBC).

Vegas at San Jose, game # 6; series LV 3, Sharks 2, 7:30PM EST.

Predictions:

Odds Shark has TBay 3.9; Boston 1.7

Odds Shark has LV 3.6; SJ 2.8

I'd like to see TBay close this series and beat Boston, but I don't think this will happen. I think this series will go six games, Boston winning today and TBay winning game six.

I'm prepared for LV winning today, but the Sharks are playing at home and know this is the end of the road if they tank.

TBay 3;  Boston 4 in OT

Sharks 5;  LV 4 in 2 OT

( Click for Disclaimer at the end of this post. )

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Tampa Bay Beat Bruins in OT; Knights Sink Sharks;
NHL to Bruins' Marchand: No More Licking!

Yesterday's picks:

TBay 5;  Boston 4

Sharks 6;  LVegas 5 in 1 OT

Actual Final Scores:

TBay 4;  Boston 3 in OT

Sharks 3;  LV 5

Bruins' Brad Marchand continued his disgusting habit and attempts to agitate opponents by LICKING FACES.  This is just so disgusting. He was supposedly "warned" to cease this behavior by Bruins coaching and management - supposedly... He has a history of licking and forcibly kissing opponents and team mates.

From above link:
... the Bruins’ Brad Marchand squared off with Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan. The two were jawing at each other, and got in each other’s face. That was not close enough, as Marchand appeared to try to bait Callahan by getting very close — a lick, perhaps? — to Callahan’s face.
[.]
After the game Callahan said he did not know the difference between licking someone’s face and spitting in it.
There is no "perhaps" about it. See the video clip below.

Finally, the NHL weighs in on Marchand's licking. ESPN:
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN via email that the league will inform the Bruins that Marchand must stop licking the faces of his opponents. "Yes, we will be communicating with the Club. We don't expect it to happen again," he said.
[.]
"I hope the league looks at it," [the licking] said Callahan said after the Lightning's 4-3 overtime win. "I don't know if there is discipline for spitting in someone's face. But for me, it's worse, if not the same."
[.]
"There is absolutely no place in our game for that. I don't get it. I don't understand it," said  Lightning coach [Jon Cooper]. "How would you feel if I walked over to you right now and gave you one big lick from the chin up?"
TBay leads the series 3 - 1.

Here's Marchand's licking of Callahan:

Fair Use Section 107 U.S. Copyright Code

On the Sharks/LV game...it was the other San Jose Sharks that played last night.

SJ was behind 0 to 3 at the end of the second period and I called it a night. Reading about the game this morning, I was surprised that SJ managed to get 3 goals in period 3 (but only after LV had them down 0 - 4), but it was too little, too late. LV closed out the game 5 to 3, ahead in the series 3 to 2.

Two "Game #5's" on tap for tonight.

The Penguins play on Capitals' home ice, series tied 2 - 2; 7PM EST. This game is being broadcast on "regular" NBC, so viewable to all. 

Winnipeg is in Nashville, series tied 2 - 2; 9:30PM EST.

All teams in the playoffs have been going all out, giving it their all. But this Nashville-Winnipeg series has been incredible. Correctly predicting a winner, or score? It has to be easier picking tonight's Powerball lottery winning numbers (1,7,21,32,34 and PB 5). I suppose I should buy a ticket because if I don't, those numbers will roll out of the lotto machine.

Here goes nothing based on just that:

Pens 5;  Caps 3

Jets 4;  Preds 2

Click for the Disclaimer at the end of this post).
- - -
5/5/2018 2:30pm spelling fix 

Friday, May 4, 2018

NHL Friday, May 4

Argh. I got backlogged in updating which only leaves me confused on staying current on my picks.

My picks for the two games on Wednesday were:

Boston 4;  TBay 1

LV 4;  SJ 2

Actual Final Scores:

Boston 1;  TBay 4

LV  0;  SJ 4

I didn't think the Sharks had it in them to win, and I'll be more than happy to eat my own words of writing them off if they win this series. Kudos San Jose; you played to win Wednesday night and played wonderfully.

And TBay just killed...they just chewed up Boston. Boston didn't even look like Boston. They usually are speedier than anyone they're playing in any game, but they looked tired and played slowly - something you almost never see in them.

Thursday Game Results:

I didn't make picks or even watch the games last night, but the results were:

Game 4: Pens 3;  Caps 1 - series tied 2-2.

Game 4: Preds 2;  Jets 1 - series tied 2-2.

Going back to TUESDAY'S game between Pittsburgh and Washington, the NHL suspended the Caps Tom Wilson for three games for his vicious, ugly and intentional shoulder to the head of the Pens Zach Aston-Reese, giving him a broken jaw and concussion.  Clip below (for longer videos of the below just do a search on "Wilson-suspension-Aston Reese jaw"):

Footage used in accordance with Fair Use Section 107 U.S. Copyright Code

Yeah - that's a deliberate intent to injure.

Tonight's Games:

Game 4, TBay at Boston, 7PM EST - Series TBay 2;  Bruins 1

Game 5, Sharks at LV, 10PM EST - Series tied 2 games apiece

My picks:

I think TBay continues their winning streak.

TBay 5;  Boston 4

Sharks at LV, Sharks at LV, Sharks at LV, Sharks at LV.........this series has just been....something else. I know LV will be playing like a bat out of hell tonight wanting to win. And the Sharks really need to win this one, the pressure is on them. Surprise me again San Jose...

Sharks 6;  LV 5 in 1 OT
- - -
5/4/2018: Grammar fix

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Caps Cap Pens; Jets Bomb Preds

My Monday  Tuesday picks: 

Pens 4;  Caps 2

Jets 3;  Preds 1

Actual Final Scores:

Pens 3;  Caps 4

Jets 7;  Preds 4

The NHL once again had two incredible games last night, and if you've abandoned the NFL because of its political/player issues and you're looking for a new sport, you could not pick a finer time to make NHL Hockey your new choice.

Despite being down 0 - 3 after the first period - and playing incredibly poorly - the Jets hit the ice hard in period two and scored four goals. The Preds kept up the pressure, playing hard, but they could not return to their first period style of play. The Jets nailed 3 more goals in period three with the Preds gaining only one for an incredible comeback for the Jets.  Jets lead the series 2 - 1 with game 4 tomorrow night.

The Pens / Caps game ended period one with each team scoreless. The Pens nailed three goals in period two, the Caps scored twice. In the third period, the Caps made their comeback tying the Pens, and then scoring once more for a win of 4 - 3. Caps lead the series 2 - 1 with game 4 tomorrow night.


Here's my take (which, of course, means absolutely nothing) on the eight teams and where I think they stand.
These are the teams I see as "playing to win." In other words, these teams are giving everything they have, even when they are down, to do what it takes to win, even though some are down by a game in their series:

Playing to win
Winnipeg Jets
Pittsburgh Penguins
TBay Lightning
Washington Caps

These teams are "winning". These teams are playing fantastic, almost error-free hockey. But they can be beaten, it just may not be in the current series they're in:

Winning
Las Vegas Knights
Boston Bruins
Writing-off (just what it means)
San Jose Sharks - I don't know what they're doing on the ice, but I don't see the desire, blood, sweat and tears in them to beat LV. I'd like to see the Sharks win, but the only thing consistent in their play is their inconsistency.
Wild Card
Nashville Predators - they could go either way; continue in the playoffs or collapse. 

Tonight's games:

Game 3, TBay playing in Boston, series tied 1 - 1; 7PM EST.

Game 4, LV at San Jose, series 2 (LV) - 1 (SJ); 10PM EST.

For all the factors considered at Odds Shark, their predictions haven't been any more scientifically accurate than mine.


Odds Shark: LV 4.3; SJ 2.1.

My picks:

Boston 4; TBay 1

LV 4; SJ 2

( See Disclaimer at the end of this post. )
- - -
5/4/2018 Fixed day top of post from Monday to Tuesday

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Lightning strikes Boston; Knights Chew Sharks

Monday's Picks:

(Mine):
TBay 5;  Boston 4

Sharks 5;  LVegas 3

(Actual Final Scores):
TBay 4;  Boston 2

Sharks 3;  LV 4 OT

TBay evened their series 1 - 1 with Boston last night. TBay earned every moment of their win. Game 3 is tomorrow and in Boston as is game 4. (I'd mixed up on a previous post on who was playing where.)

The Sharks? Their series tied 1 - 1, it's game # 3 and San Jose is on home ice and...the Sharks floated belly-up. The Sharks sucked. It's nothing short of a miracle that somehow, they scored three goals. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on the Sharks. Maybe they don't know that it's okay - and even encouraged - to go after your rebound puck.

It sure seemed like as soon as the Sharks got the puck in the LV zone, someone would take a shot on goal, or try a pass to a  teammate - it would fail and boom - LV grabbed the puck leaving the Sharks immediately shifting back to defense. And LV actually held onto the puck for more than just one move. The Sharks are dead in the water if they don't change the way they're playing. Ugh...


Tonight:

Game #3, series tied 1-1; Washington at Pittsburgh - 7:30PM EST.

Game #3, series tied 1-1; Nashville at Winnipeg - 8PM EST

Odds Shark predicts Pens beating Caps 2.9 to 2.8.

Odds Shark predicts Jets over Preds 3.8 to 2.1.

My picks:

Pens 4;  Caps 2

Jets 3;  Preds 1

( See Disclaimer at the end of this post.)
- - -
Fix 5/1/2018 team typo

Monday, April 30, 2018

NHL Monday, April 30

5/1/2018: EDIT - Someone asked me if I could post the image without the drawn-in arrow.  Of course. It's below, the second image (enlarged).

My Sunday Picks

Penguins over The Caps: 3 - 1

Scratched: Jets beat Preds: 4 - 3  
Revised pick:  Preds over Jets: 4 - 2

Actual Final Score:
Caps 4; Pens 1

Preds 5; Jets 4 in 2 OT

My reversal on the Jets/Preds game gives me one more correct game winner that I picked; still at zero on predicting final scores.

Each team is tied 1 game apiece in each of the series except for Boston 1; Tampa Bay 0 with their game 2 tonight at 7PM EST.

Sunday night's double OT game between Nashville and Winnipeg was "insanely good hockey." Sporting News:
"...[this series is] high-level, out-of-this-world hockey from two dynamic and loaded teams that simply don’t want to cede one inch to the other."
Contention surfaced in Sunday afternoon's Pens - Washington game when, what appeared to be a Pens goal, was declared not a goal by the officials. ESPN:
...a rebound of Penguins star Sidney Crosby's wraparound attempt was stuffed into the pad of goalie Braden Holtby by Pittsburgh's Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins began celebrating what they believed to be a goal, although the on-ice officials never signaled for one. The NHL Situation Room initiated a video review. Despite footage that showed white ice between the puck and the red line, the NHL "determined that there were no definitive replays" that showed that the puck completely crossed the Washington goal line.
"It's 100 percent a goal," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said[.]
What do you think - is the puck, without question, over the red line?


 And enlarged ...


Had it counted, it would have still left the Pens down by 2 with around ten minutes left in the game.  It looks like a clear goal to me, and I'm not saying that because I'm pulling for the Pens.

Tonight: Game 2, Boston at Tampa.

And the first game #3 in this round of the playoffs at 10PM EST with LVegas at San Jose.

Odds Shark has TBay 3.1; Boston 2.6.

Odds Shark has LV 3.6; Sharks 2.6.

My picks - I'm going with "home ice" teams on both games. TBay does not want to go into game 3 down by two, especially when games 3 & 4 are in Boston.  San Jose is making their first appearance on home ice in this series, and I have to think that has them revved up:

TBay 5;  Boston 4

Sharks 5;  LV 3

( See Disclaimer at the end of this post).

Sunday, April 29, 2018

NHL Sunday, April 29

The puck hits the ice twice today, both the second game of each series.

This afternoon is game # 2 with the Pittsburgh Penguins playing at the Washington Capitals and begins at 3PM EST.

The Pens won game one, and the Caps will be looking to even the series. Watch for both teams to put forth a strong defense. The Pens' Evgeni Malkin may or may not play today. His presence was clearly missed in game 1, but even without him, the Pens are capable of winning.

 
Tonight's game # 2 (7PM EST) has the Winnipeg Jets looking to make their 1 - 0 series to 2 - 0 against the Nashville Predators. If the Preds want to win this game, goalie Pekka Rinne is going to have to get his mojo back after being pulled after the first two periods in game one.  The other move the Preds will need is upping their offense.

Predictions:

I'd forgotten about this site; what are the predictions over at Odds Shark ?


Odds Shark predicts The Jets 3.5; The Preds 2.1

My Picks: 

Penguins over The Caps: 3 - 1

Scratched: Jets beat Preds: 4 - 3  
Revised pick:  Preds over Jets: 4 - 2

Saturday, April 28, 2018

NHL: Sharks Curfew Knights; Bruins Strike Lightning

My predictions earlier today:
Sharks 6 - LV 5
Tampa Bay 3 - Boston 2 in 1 OT

Actual Final Scores:
Sharks 4 - LV 3 in 2 OT
TBay 2 - Boston 6

[3 correct game winners; 0 accuracy on scores or OTs]

I was only able to watch the third period of the Boston - TBay game, so I don't and can't write much about the game. I'm not one to record a sporting event and watch it later. It seems so unnatural. So all I can comment on is P3.

I turned on the television. It was Boston 3, TBay 2. Then it was Boston 4, TBay 2. Soon it was Boston 5, TBay 2. Which then became Boston 6, TBay 2 ...and it was over.

TBay moves to home ice for games 3 & 4 and I have resort to the usual "home team playing on home ice will "amp up" TBay.

Game 2 is Monday, April 30th.



And the Sharks - LV game? Oh, what a game!

The Sharks were noticeably different from the start, more physical, aggressive, much more fueled by adrenaline than in their game 1 loss of 0 -7.  But it took a while for San Jose to unfold their slow domination of this critical game.

LV William Karlsson got the first goal of the game with about 2 minutes remaining in period one.

The second period remained scoreless, each team denying the other equally.

Within 26 seconds of the beginning of period three, Karlsson scored again, making it LV 2 - SJ 0.

The Sharks then took control. Brent Burns popped in goal # 1 at 14:07. About three minutes later, Logan Couture nailed goal # 2. Goal # 3 for San Jose came shortly after by ... Brent Burns giving the Sharks a 3 - 2 lead over LV.

A few closing minutes before the end of period 3, LV's Nate Schmidt scored evening the score to 3 - 3.

OT One: Stayed tough, both teams. A potential goal by LV Jonathan Marchessault was challenged for interference and a review did indeed negate the goal. The LV crowd was not pleased. (Upon review in slow-mo, it was a legit call.)

OT Two: The Sharks' Logan Couture ended the 2nd OT at 5:13 closing the game down with a SJ win over LV by 4 to 3.

The Sharks really worked for this win, proving they have what it takes to beat LV. If they can out-skate LV in speed, and get enough rebound shots from shots-on-goal, LV is beatable. But beating Vegas won't come easy.

The series is tied 1 - 1 with the next game on Monday, April 30 in San Jose. I think the Sharks will be glad to be playing at home.

(See Disclaimer at the end of this post).

NHL: Jets Fly Over Predators

"It wasn't pretty, [but we won the game]." - Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck on the Jets win last night over Nashville in a post-game interview.

No, it wasn't a pretty win in the first game between these two teams - but it was a win, and that's all that matters.

The Jets defeated Nashville last night  4 - 1.  I had predicted a Jets win of 5 - 3. So, thus far, I've been correct in picking the winner twice, but haven't predicted a correct final score. Meh ... [2 correct winner picks; 0 final score picks].

Both teams had their moments of momentum, and lack thereof.  Nashville was focused and impressive during the first period, but a goal by the Jets Brandon Tanev left the Predators behind by 0 to 1 at the end of period one.

The Preds upped their game a few notches and for the first half of period two dominated puck possession much better than Winnipeg. Nashville's Kevin Fiala and P.K. Suban - and other Preds - managed to have their share of shots on goal, but were denied by Jets goalie Hellebuyck. Preds Filip Forsberg shot-on-goal hit the post and was deflected. Jets Paul Stastny added his goal to the Jets score and period two ended with the Jets 3, Preds 0.

Nashville pulled goalie Pekka Rinne at the start of period three and replaced him with Jusse Saros. Around the 18 minute/37 second mark of period three, the Preds got their only goal by Fiala.

Nashville pulled Saros with a little less than 3 minutes remaining and the Jets  Mark Scheifele nailed his second goal of the game on the Preds empty net 36 seconds before the end of the game, sealing Winnipeg's win.


Game 2 is Sunday, April 29.


Today's games:

Game 1 at 3PM EST between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay, with TBay on home ice for the first two games.

Tonight, at 8PM EST, the San Jose Sharks play in Vegas (LV) in game 2 of their series.


Predictions:

After Thursday night's loss of 0 - 7, I have to think that everyone in the San Jose Sharks organization has watched game 1 in frame-by-frame analysis in determining how to counter-attack LV who, so far, seem like they can do no wrong and play error-free.

I'm pulling for the Sharks, but LV is this incredible steamroller.

Pick:  Sharks 6 - LV 5

For Boston and TBay ... we have two determined, disciplined, focused teams although TBay took their series 4 - 1 against the NJ Devils while the Boston - Maple Leafs series went all seven games. Did the rest period affect TBay? It certainly didn't affect LV, who also had a similar rest period after beating the LA Kings in four straight games.

Pick:  TBay 3 - Boston 2 in 1 OT

(See Disclaimer at the end of this post).

Friday, April 27, 2018

NHL Playoffs Game 1 Results: Sharks Toothless; Penguins Strut Back

Last night, Thursday, was the beginning of Round Two  of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. And the contrast between the two games starting off Round Two was striking.

My picks for these first games were:

Penguins over the Caps 4 - 3 in one OT.
Final score: Pens 3, Caps 2 in regular game time.

Sharks over Vegas  (LV) 3 - 1.
Final score: LV 7 (yes, SEVEN) - Sharks 0.

[1 correct winner pick; 0 score picks]

The Sharks-LV game was brutal to watch. There were men on the ice wearing the San Jose Sharks' uniforms, but they appeared completely unfamiliar with hockey, despite all their efforts

At the end of the first period, LV had 3 goals, and they continued ferocious, unrelenting top tier play for the rest of the game. It was hard to watch.

Game 2 is Saturday. We'll see what adjustments are made by the Sharks to deal with, what seems to be, an unstoppable LV force.



Initially, the Pens couldn't get their act together. It changed dramatically in  period three, the Pens tied, and then won the game. 

Pens Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel are the players responsible for taking this potential win away from Washington.

The incredible Pens goalie, Matt Murray, deflected an onslaught of pucks from Washington, in what has to be seen to be believed.

Game 2 is Sunday.

Only one game tonight, April 27; Game 1 of Winnipeg at Nashville.

My guess:  Jets 5 - Predators 3

(See Disclaimer at the end of this post.)
- - -
Edit: Grammar fix 4/27/2018

Thursday, April 26, 2018

2018 NHL Playoffs; Second Round

The NHL Playoffs for The Stanley Cup are underway, Round Two  begins tonight.  While my updates have been infrequent, I'm doing this for my own fun and prognostications.  It's just my own little world of "Fantasy NHL", (a world where the former Mrs. Drake frequently said is a world I spent too much time in, ...but I digress).

Whether you're a season-long fan, or just interested in watching the road to The Cup, feel free and most welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you've always wondered what is the big deal of why rabid hockey fans are rabid hockey fans, or want to see what makes it so interesting, tune in and check out the games. There's a whole lot of impressive teams in this season's playoff games.

Looking back to the start of the season, here is where the teams ranked as of September 24, 2017, - with each team having played about 3 or 4 games.

                 Central:                                                  Pacific:
                 Wild                                                      Edmonton
                 Chicago                                                LA
                 Dallas                                                   Vancouver
                 St. Louis                                               San Jose
                 Nashville                                              L Vegas
                 Colorado                                              Arizona
                 Winnipeg                                              Anaheim
                                                                              Calgary


                 Atlantic:                                             Metro:
                 Ottawa                                               NY Islanders
                 Boston                                                NJ                                        
                 Tampa Bay                                         Carolina
                 Toronto                                              Pittsburgh
                 Florida                                               NY Rangers
                 Buffalo                                               Philadelphia
                 Detroit                                               Columbus
                Montreal                                             Washington


And here, the rankings as of April 8, 2018:

         Central:                                  Pacific:
         z-Nashville                             y-Vegas
         x-Winnipeg                             x-Anaheim
         x-MN WILD                            x-San Jose
         St. Louis                                 x-LA
         Colorado                                Calgary
         Dallas                                     Edmonton
         Chicago                                  Vancouver
                                                        Arizona

        Atlantic:                                  Metro:
        x-Tampa Bay                           y-Washington
        x-Boston                                  x-Pittsburgh
        x-Toronto                                x-Philadelphia
        Florida                                    x-Columbus
        Detroit                                    NJ
        Montreal                                Carolina
        Ottawa                                   NY Islanders
        Buffalo                                   NY Rangers


x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
z-clinched conference

Below is the current series between the Western and Eastern Conference Games.

Full size HERE


I'm disappointed the Minnesota Wild didn't advance further, but...they had some injuries and the Winnipeg Jets have had a good season.

I don't understand how the new expansion team, the Las Vegas Knights (LV)  - in their FIRST year - play as well as they have and are in the playoff spot they're in. The only explanation I have is that this proves the Vegas NHL is run by (ahem...) La Faimiglia. No expansion team should be where LV is at. It just doesn't happen. I'm also at a loss to understand how they won their series against the LA Kings 4 - 0.  The Kings won the Cup in 2014 and since then have had average and above average seasons; but to go winless in the playoffs against a first-year team...again...hard to fathom.

In game one, the Kings lost 0 - 1; both teams playing hard and tight. Game two was a LV win, 2 - 1 in double overtime, which is the last game LA appeared to have any cohesiveness at all. They dropped the next two games, both at home, and the series was done. 

The Anaheim Ducks also were winless in their playoff series against the San Jose Sharks, 4 - 0.  The Sharks, favored by many to win this year,  have a solid season going for them and have "the bodies", but again, I am surprised the Ducks, Cup winner in 2007, didn't win at least one game.

Nashville took their series against Colorado 4 - 2, and was the most interesting of match-ups to watch in the Western Conference. Nashville lost to the Pens in last year's  (2016) - 2017 Stanley Cup.

On the Eastern Conference side Tampa Bay took their series against 4 - 1 against the NJ Devils, with TBay playing almost flawlessly. Like others, I didn't think NJ would win only one game, but - that's the way the puck drops.

Wednesday night had the Boston Bruins win their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 - 3, in a nail biting seven game series. So far, this has been the only playoff series to go a full seven games.

The Washington Caps took their series winning four games against the Columbus Blue Jackets' two wins.

The Penguins beat Philly in a 4 - 2 series.



The Next Round Starts Tonight:

At some point (and I think this will happen), as long as the Bruins and LV are eliminated, I can mostly live with the results of which team wins the Stanley, although, after the WILD, the Pens are my most favored second team. If they won The Cup this year, they would also become the first team since 1960 to win three or more Stanleys in a row.

Two games hit the ice tonight, each the first game beginning the second-round NHL bracket series.

The Caps vs The Pens and LV vs The Sharks.

Both Washington and LV have the home ice advantage in games one and two;  games three and four move to Pittsburgh and San Jose. 

Prediction time:

Game 1:  - 7PM EST -  Penguins 4; Caps 3 in one OT

Game 1:  - 10PM PST - Sharks 3; LV 1

Disclaimer: The above and future fantasy "final score predictions", are not meant to be, or intended to be, or construed as, or subconsciously suggested as, advice on which to make wagers or betting. It is simply the observation of an NHL fan. If you have even the slightest desire to gamble based on anything written here, immediately seek help from your doctor and/or call 911. You are INSANE to consider my fantasy NHL musings as a basis on which to gamble, “sportsbet” or other type of wager. I am not responsible for any losses, financial, emotional or otherwise. On the other hand, good natured comments of childish taunting, ad-hominem attacks and name-calling by hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike in the comments section is encouraged.
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Very briefly proofread for spelling and grammar; 4-26-2018.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Friday Morning Music Video Selection

... back to the usual fare...

Whew, what a fast 29 minutes...
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So - here's one more video, audio only. As was last Friday, a departure  from the usual above fare, same for the below.

It's a song that predates MTV, so I didn't find an "official video" or a good video that had decent audio. It's kind of a hidden little gem that didn't get a whole lot of airplay compared to the other hits on the same release: "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets To Paradise."

Turn up the speakers.












"Wanna Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star", from "Eddie Money" by Eddie Money

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Thursday Video Selection

This is an interesting idea.

And some very good parenting going on out there - teaching kids the "Who's Who" of great R&R.  Some good, budding, future Rockers out there.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Friday Morning Music Video Selection (Grab your coffee...)

I'm (really) late in discovering The Art of McCartney where other musicians sing the music of Paul McCartney/John Lennon/Beatles (see Wiki Item 3 for track listings). I like the idea, and it's worth checking out other artists covering the McCartney/Lennon/Beatles song catalog.

What surprised me at the YouTube site of today's selection were some of the viewer comments of, "I never knew Alice  had such a great voice." Heck, he's always had, and has, a great and distinctive voice. His ballad-style songs ("Only Women Bleed" , or "How You Gonna See Me Now" ) are outstanding showcases of how subtle and nuanced his voice is and his range.

So the below clip is a slight departure (retro videos featuring tasteful and attractive ladies) from the usual fare of the "Friday Morning Music Video Selection".

The one other thing I noticed at the You Tube link of the video were comments simply saying "Auto-Tune ." I have no way of knowing if an Auto-Tune was used or not - but then, I started thinking...  Alice has been singing, incredibly successfully, and continues touring, for 50 years. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. "Rigby" seems to be in a key that is natural for his voice, so really, it shouldn't be surprising that he nails the song perfectly, is it? I've seen him in concert and he's fantastic. What's your take?

Besides my always liking Alice, add to a video split-screen , floating-black-multi-"block" screen technique and dissolves, fades-to-white-with-Black-Font and double-reverse mirror imagery and I'm hooked.

One other interesting note; his political views... pretty darn good, and funny, IMHO:
Cooper's philosophy regarding politics is that politics should not be mixed with rock music. Cooper has usually kept his political views to himself, and in 2010 said, "I am extremely non-political. I go out of my way to be non-political.["]
[.]
... in the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, he told the Canadian Press that the rock stars campaigning for and touring on behalf of Democratic candidate John Kerry were committing "treason against rock n' roll". He added, upon seeing a list of musicians who supported Kerry, "If I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."









 

Monday, March 5, 2018

Tech News

From Digg: Splitting ten decks of cards with a hydraulic press:


 The real fun starts at 2:48 into the vid.
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Facebook frequently uses surveys to gauge user opinion about features, changes and ideas. One recent such survey raised more than a few eyebrows as the social network asked whether it was OK for a man to ask a child for sexual pictures.
Seriously?  WTF?
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Having components spring from the edges of electronic devices isn't new. Its history extends back to flash bulbs on analog cameras[.]
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WIRED: Just because you're not paranoid and not being secretly spied upon...doesn't mean you're not.
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From WebOPedia. But, you ask, "WIIFM?" A darn good, comprehensive list of text and chat abbreviations.
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The big three social media giants, Google, Facebook and Twitter, are in process of purging en mass popular anti-media personalities and materials.
[.]
This delights the Technocrat steam-roller because all they need to do is point to those journalistic indiscretions as they crush them, as the rest of the world cheers them on. It doesn’t matter how much truth was presented along the way, they are banned for their non-truths.
So...we should leave "fake news" and journalistic indiscretions (like ex-NBC News anchor Brian Williams?) only to the professionals...like...CNN? ABC? CBS? NBC? NPR? NYT? WaPoo?
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DARPA is kicking off a new research program aiming to explore how molecular biology could be used to slow the speed of living systems, thereby extending the window for treatment after a traumatic injury and increasing the wounded's chances of survival.
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Online privacy, from Extreme Tech20 Tips to improve your online anonymity and privacy.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Parkland School Security Footage on 20 Minute Delay

[Average reading time less links: 3min 30sec]

Why on earth would there be a 20 minute delay...20 minutes!...as police watched surveillance camera footage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School?

From WTBK, LaCrosse News 8000:
When officers arrived on the scene of the shooting, he said, they wanted to gain access to the security footage to learn what happened and where the perpetrator could be.

But last Wednesday the footage was rewound, [Coral Springs Police Chief Tony] Pustizzi told reporters. At some point, there was a miscommunication and officers believed they were watching real-time footage.

"The issue was more of a communications failure on who was reviewing the tape, letting our guys know that it was a 20-minute delay in what they were reviewing," Pustizzi said.
[.]
The Broward County School district said in a statement that its security system footage could be reviewed in both real-time or be rewound to see events that were previously recorded.

"During the immediate response to the event, the system was being viewed in real-time and the recorded footage was being viewed to retrace the actions of the shooter," the statement said, adding that the district no longer had access to the footage or the server it was stored on because investigating authorities have it.
[.]
[Coral Springs Police Capt. Brad McKeone said,] " I expected to be in a gunbattle. "
While watching the footage, Captain McKeone concludes he expected to be in "a gunbattle" ... and then, at some point, realized the footage they are viewing is delayed by 20 minutes? Am I (we) understanding this correctly? If so, something is very strange here.

"... the district no longer had access to the footage or the server it was stored on because investigating authorities have it." - Well, we'll never know the truth now.

People at Reddit are saying  Broward Sheriff Scott Israel ignored 3 dozen calls to Nikolas Cruz’s home.

Yeah, I know..."Dave, you don't believe stuff on Reddit, do you?" No more or less than I believe anyone knew, or didn't know, that the surveillance footage was delayed by 20 minutes. Or that I know, or don't know - for certain - if there was a second shooter at Mandalay Convention Center.

Besides, it's not only Reddit.

It's unclear if, prior to the shootings, the surveillance footage was on a 20 minute delay, but if so, the is no reasonable explanation for this.

Further, if police viewing the surveillance camera footage thought that they were watching footage in "real time", but the footage they were viewing had been rewound, who rewound it, when and why?

Via: picclick.com

In related news, school resource officer Scot Peterson has resigned and retired. From WPTV - West Palm Beach:
Peterson took a position but "never went in" as the onslaught occurred, citing security footage.
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Peterson was "absolutely on campus" he was armed he was in uniform during the shooting.
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"But what I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up a position, and he never went in," the sheriff said.

Asked what Peterson should have done the sheriff said: "Went in, addressed the killer. Killed the killer."
Are we to understand, then, that Officer Peterson was unsure of what action to take because of either or both real-time and/or delayed security footage? Delayed or not, isn't that the task of law enforcement in a situation like this - to confront the active shooter(s)?

Numerous reports abound  about awkward encounters with Mr. Cruz long before February. The FBI admits they failed to investigate Cruz. 

The 1990 Crime Control Act, (introduced by Democrat Joe Biden) and yes, I know, signed by President George H.W. Bush (I've made no secret of my dislike of his politics), which designates schools as "Gun Free Zones" has simply identified easy targets for those who want to inflict carnage on defenseless people.

And the First National Bank of Omaha decided to end its relationship of their NRA-affiliated bank cards.

Well, I can think of at least two things that will happen with that last item.

1) Customers of the First National Bank of Omaha who are NRA members will be closing their accounts there and moving to a NRA-friendly bank, and;

2) Legal Gun sales by law-abiding citizens will again be on the upswing. And I fully support that.

The Blame Game here is wide open and I'm not pointing fingers at any specific person(s) or incidents, although I think reasonable people can conclude and agree there was at least one shooter and we know his name. But blaming the NRA is psychological displacement.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Joyless Behar Remains Clueless

Joyless Behar

( Average reading time 5 minutes; less links and video. )

A few words regarding the below clip from "The View".

The "View" excerpts and clip are from the Friday, February 16, 2018 program. In the segment, the subject is the Parkland Florida tragedy and the inevitable conversation on gun-control, mostly from Joyless Behar and Sunny Hostin, who display a fundamental lack of knowledge on what they speak. (You're not surprised by this, though).

They'll never read or be made aware of this post on my limitedly viewed blog, but if Joyless and Sunny think it's easy to legally acquire a handgun or longarm (aka long-gun), then I challenge them to experience the process of legally obtaining one, especially any type of handgun, revolver, semi, or other.  Please Mss's Behar and Hostin - undertake the process of legally purchasing a gun, especially a handgun. Afterwards, let us know if it was EASY.

Neither Joyless or Sunny will do this - I fear they would find truths that drastically conflict with their anti-gun rhetoric and incorrect and pre-formulated, sacredly-held beliefs.  Oh, and one big deterrent for Joyless to actually experience the gun-purchasing process is that she'll have to provide her age and date of birth; something she probably avoids at all cost.

And pretending for a moment that the Second Amendment and hunting have anything to do with each other, which they don't, do note (I duplicated it a few times) when Sunny Hostin physically displays a "rat-a-tat-tat" semi-circle firing "spray" approach - implying this firing pattern is adapted or used in hunting. No true, respectable hunter (of which 99.99999% are) hunts in this manner. On a battlefield, armed and fighting for your life, yes, you may indeed fire off a sequence of shots in a pattern she demonstrates. Applying her method to hunting is abhorred by legitimate, respectful hunters.

Yes, I'm sure somewhere, some time, some rogue or inexperienced hunter, or a poacher, fired off a few rounds attempting to kill prey like that, but there is always a tiny fraction in anything that abuse, misuse and/or deliberately ignore the sportsmanship of  [ fill in the blank ]. To be redundant, no respectable hunter would ever hunt, or fire off a series of shots, as "demonstrated" by Ms. Hostin.  It's extremely dangerous to others in your hunting party and to anyone else in the area, hunting or not. Experienced hunters know that, at most - you have two shots to fell your prey. Not "Tommy-Gun-rat-a-tat-tat" style. Ms. Hostin has seen too many gangsta movies.

Regarding Ms. Hostin's comment of why don't hunters use a shotgun; many hunters do use a shotgun. The selection of shotgun or rifle and gauge or caliber depends on what it is one is hunting and its size.  I know deer hunters who use a .12 gauge (with a slug) for deer. Other, more powerful rifles are often preferred because the IDEA IS to fell and kill the prey as quickly and painlessly as possible. No respectable hunter wants to see their prey suffer. A clean "kill" shot is always preferred - always.  Why? If the bullet strikes a larger animal, a deer, or an elk, hitting it in its hind-quarters, it often continues running or limping  along, bleeding out and suffering. A quick kill helps in preserving the flesh from trauma that comes from suffering. The more prolonged the dying process, the more the tissue damage. The more tissue damage, the higher degree of trauma of edible meat, rendering it "tough" as opposed to smooth and "steak"-y.  I don't believe in hunting any animal that you do not plan to eat, or at least have processed and give to others to eat. I don't believe in trophy hunting. Seriously...you need the head of a tiger, elephant or boar hanging on the wall?  Now, if you mount a deer head with a 26-point antler-rack that you killed and consumed, I have no issue with that. Or, the taxidermy of animal or fish, again, as long as it is used as food.

I needed to move on with publishing a couple (rather easy) updates on Tech and one on News after publishing the post about my late brother. I didn't plan on updating anything for a while after the two updates following that one. But I realized that it is exactly one year today that I spent the day with my late brother who had ordered a S&W 9mm which had arrived.  I rode along and we spent that afternoon at a gun shop. His transaction took about twenty minutes, all paperwork previously approved. We spent about three hours looking at other merchandise and my brother spoke with every customer and employee there. Slightly unusual because he was rather reserved. I kept thinking, he doesn't know these people, and he's carrying on lengthy conversations with all of them - when are we going to get out of here? Those moments meant a lot to me at the time, but I wanted to get the heck out, but he kept striking up one new conversation with one person and then another. And then it became fun to watch and see who he would next talk to and about what. So today I hold those moments even more significant and, in a way, appropriate for an update today, on this subject.

Joyless also, knowingly or unknowingly (my money is on "unknowingly") attempts to use the annual amount of U.S. gun sales as the dollar amount of political contributions from the NRA as representing the dollar amount  used as lobbying by the National Rifle Associate (NRA.org). She is, of course, wrong and grossly off-point.  What else have we come to expect from Joyless? Joyless also states, "some of these guys..." [ I'm interpreting her words as "politicians receiving NRA money" ],  "...get $3,000.00."  Somehow, a $3 Grand campaign donation is not that much of an amount considering the large dollars of campaign contributions from other organizations.


[Spelling error fixed 2/20/2018]