http://www.yardbarker.com/users/bzr034 Recent Yardbarker Articles: bzr034 en-us Jay Glazer of Fox Sports broke news that Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets. It's finally over, everyone. We made it! And, quite honestly, I couldn't be happier. As an employee of a Vikings pro shop, I no longer will have to field questions about all this nonsense. On top of that, I can like Brett Favre openly now. As a Vikings fan, I have no beef with the Jets and now I'm really looking forward to getting to see Brett play next season. I may even have to go buy myself a Brett Favre Jets shirt. Mind you, it will be just a t-shirt. I'm not made of money. So, how does this affect the league? Well, for starters, the Jets will be a lot of people's favorites to take a Wild Card spot in the AFC. Let's not go bananas, folks. Favre won't launch them over the Patriots, but I think a Wild Card would be my prediction. As for the Packers, draft picks and no Favre distractions for the rest of the team. Sure, they traded a Hall of Famer. But, what's the worst that could happen? Actually, don't answer that. I'm don't think the fragile psyche of the citizens of Wisconsin would be able to handle it. All in all, a decent trade for both sides. Now, let the Chad Pennington saga begin! Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:17:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302237 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302237 This is my list of favorite goaltenders of all-time. It's not just stat based, so people will disagree with a lot most likely. I just thought it would be fun to try the list maker. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:12:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292061 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292061 The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ryan Hollweg from the New York Rangers for a fifth-round pick in 2009. The pick was originally part of the deal with Pittsburgh for Hal Gill. Hollweg, arguably one of the worst players in the NHL, has amassed a whopping 12 points in his 3 years in the NHL. Known more as an "enforcer" or a "fighter", most people's issues with Hollweg come from the fact that he is bad at fighting and more often than not misses checks and running himself into the boards. This was a steal for the Rangers and yet another poor move for the Leafs. Maybe he'll turn it around in Toronto. Or maybe he'll continue to be a drain on someone's pocketbook. Either way, Hollweg will get paid, when he really shouldn't. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:14:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290404 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290404 Adding some grit to their line-up after the departures of Aaron Voros and Todd Fedoruk, the Minnesota Wild signed veteran Owen Nolan to a 2-year deal worth $5.5 million. This is a nice pick-up that will add some veteran leadership that the team is in need of, but they still need to address the bigger issue of centers and the lack there of. Last season, Nolan posted 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 77 games with a +6 rating and notched 71 penalty minutes for the Calgary Flames. It will be interesting how the Wild depth chart will pan out this season with this being the fourth winger added via free agency. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:11:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286330 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286330 All I can say is ouch to the Warrior fans out there. Can't wait to hear what Boom has to say about this. Baron Davis has apparently made verbal agreements with the Los Angeles Clippers. This opens the door for LA to potentially bring back Elton Brand. If all falls into place for them, look for the Clippers to make moves in the right direction next season. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:38:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284803 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284803 Write it down, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the 2008-2009 Southwest Division champions and will make a serious run at the cup. After acquiring the rights to negotiate with Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from Pittsburgh, the Lightning went out and acquired the rights to another All-Star caliber player. Brian Rolston former captain of the Minnesota Wild will also be on his way to south Florida. If the Lightning can swing a deal with Rolston, they will be a virtual lock for not only their division but potentially the conference championship after signing Malone to a 7-year deal and Roberts to a 2-year. The trade was for a conditional draft pick. It's gotta be the mullet. I swear, Barry Melrose is a magical man. As a Wild fan, this is truly frustrating. It finally started to feel as if the team had something going and now they lose one of it's most important leaders and most dynamic scorers of the past few seasons. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:28:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283973 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283973 I don't know how I feel about the trade. The Wolves do bring in Kevin Love who will play great with Al Jefferson and Mike Miller who is just a sharpshooter if there ever was one. And an added bonus you've got to love white people playing basketball. Bless their hearts for trying. But, I was really liking OJ Mayo. I hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Wolves, I really do. In addition, Memphis has Mike Conley to go along with Mayo at guard, a little scary. In addition to bringing in Miller and Love, the Wolves bring in Jason Collins. A center! Thank God, they finally addressed that. It's not like Collins is going to be an all-star any time, but he is someone you can put at the 5 and not feel like you're wasting your best player there. (See All Jefferson's 2007 season.) We can just write-off Brian Cardinal as an insignificant part of the deal, sorry Brian. On top of that, the Wolves dump the enormous contracts of the oft disappointing Marko Jaric and Antoine Walker. (Note, that Jaric was the only disappointment. Walker did all he could for the team in his limited time here and I respect him for that. Jaric was just a drain on the team's pocket book.) Sadly, the write-off on this side of the deal is veteran Greg Buckner. I like the guy, he's good people. I wish him the best. All in all, a solid deal for both sides. I will reiterate that I just hope the trading of Mayo doesn't come back to haunt Minnesota. But, the future looks a little brighter for both teams and the Wolves have filled needs. As far as the rest of the draft is concerned, Nikola Pekovic was a great pick. As an analyst said during the draft, like Derrick Rose was a lock at 1, Pekovic was a lock at 31. Since he had issues with a contract he has with a Greek team for the next 3 years, teams shied away from him in the first round. But once the second round came around, the Wolves pounced on the 7 foot center from Serbia. This is a great pick for down the road. It also give Collins a few years to prove his worth to the team. Now that draft has come and gone I am feeling very confident in the future of this Wolves squad. All they need to do now is solidify their bench and they could potentially be contenders in a year or two. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:12:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282852 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282852 The Wolves unveiled their new logo today, and I must say it's rather slick. Although I've heard awful rumors about their new unis (namely a big green tree going up the side *shudder*), but that aside the "new" logo that is just a revamped version of the original looks solid. I'll be watching the draft this evening and will report back with reactions to the Wolves draft. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:21:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282744 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282744 I tried my best. I don't know how well I've done, and I'm sure someone will call me stupid for some of my picks or my logic, but I don't care. Basketball is my fourth best sport, get off my case. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:01:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280940 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280940 The Minnesota Wild selected Tyler Cuma with the 21st selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Cuma, a Bowmanville, Ontario native, was the 19th rated North American skater in the draft and many had him going sooner than he did at 21. He will bring a physical game to the Wild blue line and will most likely get an opportunity to see ice time immediately with the departures of Keith Carney, Sean Hill, and Petteri Nummelin. Cuma isn't exactly what the Wild were looking for, but he will be a nice fit in head coach Jacques Lemaire's system. Cuma can eat minutes and he is a defensive minded defensemen who isn't afraid to get his nose dirty. But, with hometown favorite Aaron Ness still on the board an array of big scorers, some people may question the pick, even though it was solid in every aspect other than offense. The Wild are still have a great need of an offensive defensemen and a big time scoring threat. But with the rest of the draft ahead of them and free agency looming in the horizon, there is no need to hit the panic button. Have faith in the management and assume they have a plan. It goes a long way in maintaining one's sanity. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:47:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280556 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280556 Willie Randolph has been fired as manager and replaced by bench coach Jerry Manuel. This news coming around 3:15 EST, not long after the team had defeated the LA Angels 9-6. The news isn't that surprising, especially since Omar Minaya has essentially been saying it was going to happen for the past week. Happy trails, Willie. I'm sure you'll get a new job managing another team pretty soon. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:52:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278723 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278723 There is a lot of talk around the State of Hockey about the upcoming draft. With the 24th pick, the Wild's biggest need in my opinion is at defense, particularly in the offensive defenseman department. Two names on the list of prospects for this year's draft jump out at me more than others. Minnesota likes to bring in hometown boys and there are a few that will be highly touted this year. Ranked 23rd among North American skaters, Jake Gardiner of Minnetonka, Minnesota has excellent abilities as far as stick handling and can produce points tallying 43 in 25 games his senior season. He will be attending the University of Wisconsin this upcoming school year, so this would be an investment for the future that I think few Wild fans would have issues with. The other name that jumped off the paper at me is that of Aaron Ness. Ness, ranked 27th of North American skaters and native of Roseau, Minnesota, captured Minnesota's coveted Mr. Hockey award, beating out the aforementioned Gardiner in the process. Although some scouts have issues with his size, standing only 5'10 weighing in at 157lbs, his play more than makes up for it. Tallying 28 goals and 44 assists his senior year with a plus/minus of plus-67. Throughout his high school career Ness tallied 44 goals, 100 assists and a whopping plus-133. On top of that, the kid is 18. He will have plenty of time to gain weight and bulk up before taking on the NHL. Ness will be attending the University of Minnesota this fall. So, like Gardiner, this would be a pick for a few years down the road. When it comes down to it, I believe Ness to be the better fit for the Wild, but both choices would be excellent. The Wild also have always been a team that is heavy in draft day trading. However, word around town is that they will most likely be refraining from trades this year unless one involving Florida's Olli Jokinen came along that would be too good to pass up, but that option is most likely just a pipe dream. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:55:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278083 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278083 Trevor Linden, beloved by Canucks fans and fans of the game of hockey, has announced that he will retire from the game. He leaves the game with the Canucks franchise record of 415 assists and is second in goals with 318. He played 16 of his 19 seasons in Vancouver and will forever be a staple in the teams history. He leaves the game with 375 career goals and 867 points (733 with the Canucks), two all-star teams, but only managed to make it to the Stanley Cup finals once in 1994 when Vancouver lost to the Rangers in 7. As well as he is known for his work on the ice, he was also president of the NHLPA for 8 years from 1998-2006. The only question that remains is "Is he Hall material?" For certain, he will have his #16 sweater retired by the Canucks, but I personally am still in the air on his HoF bid. His career stats aren't staggering by any means, but for all of the work and love that he put in the game, it's easy for me to say he at least deserves a look. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:11:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277409 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277409 The Twins played the Yankees in a Sunday Matinee and the game took a turn for the worse when Twins rookie pitcher Nick Blackburn was struck in the face by a line drive hit by Bobby Abreu with one out in the fourth inning. Abreu instantly knew what had happened when he hit the ball, making a face and putting his hands up. The ball went straight back at Blackburn and struck him on the right side of the nose. He lay on the ground until the medical staff was able to attend to him. X-rays showed no broken bones but he was left with a puffed-up lip. The Twins went on to win the game 5-1. Blackburn has been a staple for the Twins rotation this year. A last minute addition to the final roster, Blackburn has been one of the teams biggest surprises of the year. He shouldn't miss any playing time. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:13:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273117 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273117 That's right, because video games are always accurate. I mean, since I can bowl a 260 average in Wii bowling I can do it in real life, right? So, the new game that has been hitting the shelves as of late is Wii Fit, which is one of Nintendo's golden tickets this year. The game is designed to keep video gamers in shape while still keeping them inside to play video games. In this case, their product went horribly wrong when it shattered the self-confidence of a 10-Year-Old British girl. Well, Nintendo can thank their lucky stars she wasn't American. Otherwise they would already be waist deep in the litigation cesspool. So let this be a lesson to all of you. If you don't like your video games calling you fat, don't suck at them. Tue, 20 May 2008 01:19:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268833 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268833