canadakegger

Somebody!  Anybody! Stand up and tell me what is going on in Chapel Hill these days! 

Being stuck up here in the great white north I don't get to see alot of Carolina games or hear much in depth info.
There are the websites and whatnot I can access to get info on the Tar Heels... but I am looking for more.

Can any of you 13,000+ Tar Heels out there in CBS land offer up info on what's happening to our boys in Carolina Blue?  Are the players not as good as once thought?  Have they tuned Roy Williams out?  To quote Chris Berman... "What?" 

Tell me anything you can, 'cause I really want to know!

Well, here we are all you 49ers fans, stuck in the midst of another hum-drum, woulda should coulda season with the Red and Gold warriors from the Bay Area.

Granted there have been the usual question marks surrounding the team that we have all become accustomed to:  Who is the quarterback going to be?  Is there anyone else on Offence who will step up besides Frank Gore?  Will Patrick Willis get any help on D?  Can the team challenge for a playoff spot?

Some of those questions are more easily answered than others.  The 49ers injury report is as long and interstate 5 and it doesn't matter who you are, it would be hard win for the most talented team with that many starters playing hurt or unable to play at all.

Still, with all the questions and injuries and all the other situations that have befalled out beloved 49ers, you have to give credit to the job that Mike Singletary has done to this point in the season.  They way he handled the Mike Crabtree situation was commendable and Mr. Crabtree is coming along nicely.  Vernon Davis is having a great year despite the fact that he and the Coach never saw eye to at all in the beginning of their relationship and as for the QB situation, looks like both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith are ready to go war for the Coach no matter who the favored QB is for the week.

It's been 6 years since San Francisco made the playoffs, which is hard to stomach for fans of a franchise that was once called 'the roman Empire of the NFL.'  But, fear not, for Mike Singletary has the faith to turn this team around and turn it into something special, so lets all have some faith in him.


Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

Kegger 

Howdy all.  Well your uncle Kegger has emerged from his summer vacation rested and relaxed and ready to roll into the late summer sports season.  I noticed my ranking has taken a tumble so I need to do something about it, so here goes...

Sadly, not much for me to cheer about on the baseball front with my Blue Jays oce again looking way up at the Red Sox and the hated Yankees.  I was hoping to feel a bit of joy last night as my favorite Blue Jay, Roy Halladay, took to the mound angainst the bronx bombers, But, alas, giving up back-to-back home runs ended any hopes of a victory for the Doc.

NFL training camps are under way and with a slough of young talent and a new coach, my 49ers are attemping to turn the mediocrity that has been the last six seasons into something more respectable.  I think Mike Singletary will do a good job and I will put my eggs all in one basket and say that Shaun Hill will be the guy coming out of camp to lead the 'Niner O. 

Take care all and enjoy the rest of the summer...


Kegger

I know it is a few years off, but I would like to bring up a point about the way salaries in the NHL are tied to league revenue and the impact this issue will have on the next round of talks for the new collective bargaining agreement.

Most NHL owners are really not in in the game to make money, that is why the players are there.  This is their job.  This is how they make their living.  Obviously, they more money the NHL makes, the higher the salary cap and the more likely a player will sign a long term deal for millions of dollars.  In these tough economic times, it stands to reason that NHL revenue will remain at it's current level or drop as a result of corporations and hockey loving families having less disposable income in the next few years.  As revenue drops, the salary cap will follow meaning there is less money to be had by the players.  This is a concept that I'm sure does not sit well with players and agents alike.

The NHL relies heavily on corporate support but it is foremost a gate driven league.  The more money the teams make, the better it is for the league and the players.  I know Mr. Bettman is hell bent on exhausting all financial possibilties in current NHL cities (Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta) that are not pulling their financial weight before moving them to a money making city.  But, with salaries tied to league revenue as they are, how long will the players put up with a league that is not maximizing it's revenue stream when something can be done about it?  The players now have an escrow fund in place in case of another lockout so as not playing hockey for a year would still sting, they have cushion to absorb some of the financial fallout.

Maybe the NHLPA should consider buying it's own team and putting it into a traditional hockey market, thus guaranteeing solid revenue and employment for it's members.  The Winnipeg Jets perhaps...?

What is an NHL team in a the driver's seat (my beloved Boston Bruins) or on the cusp of a playoff berth (See Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins) to do these days?  Do they do the big deal or hang on to that unrestricted free agent (See Jay Bouwmeester) that is more than likely to bolt once the their season has concluded?  

It all depends on the needs and wants of all the teams involved.  Do you want that rent-a-stud forward or defensemen that may help put your team over the top, all the while mortgaging the future by giving up draft picks and top prospects? Tough, tough. If a team can afford to pull the trigger, by all means, go forth and trade!  If things are moving nicely along as is, the phrase "Whoa Nellie!" comes to mind.

The trade deadline is just under 1 month away and speculating on who's going where is already at a fever pitch.  The rumors are flying with some big names rumored to being going here or there.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see... 

Happy Monday to all!  Your Uncle Kegger is a little under the weather today, but not enough to dampen the smile on my face after this weekend's HNL All Star performances by my beloved Boston Bruins.  Personally, my favorite moment was the chorus of boos reigning down during the introductions of Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas from the Montreal crowd, then said players taking the ice with a huge smile on their respective faces.

First of all, it was rookie Blake Wheeler impressing once again and showing that his 14 goals so far this year are not a fluke.  His hat trick was good enough for MVP honours.

Then, Big Z, Zdeno Chara steps up and blasts his way into the record books witha 105.4 MPH slapper to win the hardest shot competition.  Meanwhile, he donates $24,000.00 to the Right to Play charity, showing his heart is as big as his slap shot.

Finally, Marc Savard and Tim Thomas.  Savvy is much more of a passer than a scorer, but he he finished a strong second in the breakaway elimination then was up to his usual tricks with three helpers during the All-Star game itself.  And Tim Thomas, Stopping the West's best in the Shootout and winning his second straight All-Star Game.

The Bruins' season has been a dream so far, and possibly it may be the only time that I will be witness to the kind of performance they have put in. I can live with that.  It's so much fun to watch them play hockey that I find myself anticipating every game they play like it is game seven of the cup final.  That's what hockey should feel like and I thank my B's for that. 

A happy new year to all from your Uncle Kegger!  With the pleasantries out of the way, I want to comment on what I saw (or who I didn't see) at the Atlanta Thrashers vs. Ottawa Senators game yesterday evening.  I love hockey.  I believe in a strong NHL and the more the merrier.  If there could be a team in Nowheresville Europe with a great fan base to sustain it, why not?  But the reality is that will not happen, and another reality was the sizeable number of empty seats in Atlanta last night.  Granted, the Thrashers and Senators are not exactly tearing it up this season, but even when quality teams do come to places like Atlanta, Florida and Phoenix, it seems the hockey teams are the only persons showing up to take the game in.

For all the good suprises this year like the attendance in Boston and continued sellouts in Pittsburgh, there are tales of gloom and doom from the NHL's sunbelt  franchises. These franchises cannot even give tickets away to put the butts in the stands!  The NHL has had to step in and prop up the Phoenix Coyotes financially otherwise the bills will not get paid.  The econmoic realities of this day and age suggest that perhaps a 28 or 26 team league may be in the best interest of the sport.  My heart goes out to places like Florida and Atlanta, but the time has for Mr. Bettman to realize that a mix of hockey and sunshine just doesn't work.  

Being a long suffering Bruins fan, I thought I would take this opportunity to gush a bit about the way my favorite NHL team, the Boston Bruins, have started the 2008-09 NHL season.  I know it is way to premature to make predictions, so I'm not going to.  This is just a way for me to exude some Bruin pride that has beared the brunt of merciless jokes from fans of more succesful teams.  Granted, I have only been alive for 31 of the 36+ years its been since Bobby and Phil hoisted the Cup for Beantown, but its felt longer given the tough times the B's have endured lately.  Sure, the owner is a stoog, ticket prices are way too high and some of the on ice decisions made have been more than strange, but still, ya gotta love the boys in the spiked B for the entertainment they have provided so far this year.  So to all the Bruins fans on CBS (I know there's 7000+ of you), come and tell your Uncle Kegger why your proud of your Boston Bruins!