Blogger Buffet….a little bit of everything.

It was nice to see the amount of interest yesterday’s blog generated. I got 5 comments! That’s a record for no payne no gain (NPNG)! I have spoken with others that read it and didn’t comment and there are lots of arguments for both sides. Nothing like a lively debate!

I thought today I would clear out a few things in one big buffet ‘o’ blogs. I will be offering Deep fried American Idol, battered UFC, succulent Softwood Lumber as well as a fresh baked NHL. Grab your plate and dig in.

AMERICAN IDOL – Kellie Pickler was finally relieved of her microphone last night which I think is probably a relief to her. She was clearly out-classed by the others for the last couple of weeks and I thought she looked like she was ready to cry after Tuesday’s show.

The top five are set with Elliott, Katharine, Paris, Chris and Taylor making for a diverse set of styles. I am a little tired of Katharine and have disliked Paris since the beginning with that annoying, fingernails on a chalkboard, voice of hers. I hope Paris is gone next week. The top two I think will be Chris and Elliott but who knows.

UFC – According to a “Slam Sports” article posted on the UFC website, Injuries are causing problems for the MMA juggernaut with Title holders Franklin and Liddell both recovering from surgery as well as other fighters. Ortiz’s knee is bad enough that it will require surgery meaning that the much anticipated ‘grudge match’ between Ortiz and Shamrock is indefinitely postponed.

It’s not all bad news though. Griffin fought so well that he will get to fight Shamrock, and some say that Griffin is on the fast track for a title shot in the Light heavy division. Is he ready for Liddell? I don’t know, but the kid loves to fight, and I love to watch him. I do wonder if a Griffin – Bonnar rematch wouldn’t be more exciting for the fans though.

The UFC 60 card is filling out nicely with bouts by Diego Sanchez and Frank Trigg added recently. I can’t wait to see Hughes – Gracie. I don’t think Gracie will win but wouldn’t that be something if he did?

SOFTWOOD LUMBER – It appears Canada and the USA are close to a deal over the contentious softwood lumber issue. From what I’ve read it doesn’t appear to be a very good deal for the Canucks. Essentially it is a return of approx 78% of the duties the USA collected. So even though every legal decision favoured Canada, the US gets to keep 22% which by the way is well over 100 Million Dollars. That’s like Dr Evil ransom money. The agreement also allows Canada access to 34% of the US market which maybe my friend Side Show can explain to me since I thought ‘free trade’ meant access to all markets not just a percentage. Quebec and Ontario are also unhappy since they will get a smaller piece of the pie while BC gets a slightly larger piece comparatively speaking. Bottom line is I think Canada should keep fighting this since the WTO and NAFTA panels seem to think we are in the right.

NHL PLAYOFFS – Injuries and upsets are the hot button issues today. Montreal lost more than a game last night with the freakish injury to Saku Koivu. Even with the visor he managed to take a stick in the eye and if you saw the blood you knew it was bad. He is staying overnight in hospital awaiting a visit by an Eye specialist. There is confirmation that his eye was injured. Lets hope it works out for him.

Jagr returned after injuring his shoul- I mean “upper body” and was clearly ineffective as the Rangers (who I predicted would win in 7) are about to lose in 4. Brodeur is a machine.

Bad news in Motown too as Stevie Y apparently has a back injury that may force him out. This could be the end for Yzerman if the Wings can’t solve Roloson and his shot-blocking minions. That being said Yzerman has played through some serious injuries before. Remember him winning the cup in 2002 on one leg?

All I know is that I can’t wait for game 4 in the Calgary Anaheim series. That one seems to be going the way I predicted although it looks like my record will be pretty bad after the first round. I just hope I beat the Monkey! Did that sound as bad as I thought it did?
That’s all for today, I hope you enjoyed the buffet and feel free to go back for another steaming hot plate of opinion here at NPNG. So until next time remember no Payne, no gain.