Sports Guy North

We’re almost through another week, so the laziness and fatigue has no doubt kicked in again. This could only mean one thing! It’s time again for the Nation of Hungary’s favourite feature: Notes of note. Of note today we’ll tackle Antonio’s return, tocchets dirty laundry, teppo’s new marks and a final summary of my Football picks this year. It’ll be a bumpy ride, but if you as much asleep as me you won’t feel a thing. Enjoy this weeks Notes of Note:

Football 2006 This was a big year for the underdog. Everyone counted out the underdog early on, giving no credit to what he could accomplish. A bit of down time in the middle of the season cost him some ground, but he finished off strong. Yes the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off their big SuperBowl win, and brought this underdogs 160 win season into fruition. That is to say, against the spread this year my picks ended up with a record of 160-107. I’m fairly certain that makes me the top expert prognosticator for the year, but if you see someone else out there making a similar claim, please send me a link to their site. Until them I am declaring myself the champion of the expert spread pickers for 2006. After my big season, I just want to know one thing: who is going to pay me to shave my beard? I clearly just don’t get the respect I deserve. Clearly.

Antonio Davis 90210 Another candidate for understatement of the year has emerged. When asked about the trade, Antonio himself said that “It’s not that bad. I’m still doing something I love”. And for the $6 million he’s still owed for playing another 34 games, no doubt. But nonetheless, Antonio suited up tonight for the Raptors, and as promised I had my eyes peeled to the game as his number one fan. Antonio gave the Raps a lift tonight in many areas. Statistically he was slightly weak, and he missed some key free throws and an easy basket late in the game, but his presence over 33 minutes of work was notable. It was nice to see a big man running some traffic for the first time in years. I can also see him being a very positive influence on papadou’s (pape sow’s, that is) growth, who looked very good in the limited minutes he was allowed to play. Lets hope his minutes increase to some degree, he is a good looking player who deserves more minutes.

Other Raptors 411 Another thing I noticed during the game was that Mike James was playing like a man on a mission. He really looks like his goal is to take this team from CB4 some nights, and this certainly was one of those nights. Bosh and Mope did have something to say about that, though, and the three of them combined for 91 of the teams 118 points. Those numbers may make it seem like the rest of the team failed to show up, but only one player was very noticeably abscent - and was it ever nice. What is the best feature of Antonio’s addition to the team? Halfa-man Araujo was not on the active roster for the night. How sweet it is to say that. It’s almost orgasmic. That enough on this point for now, but I’m sure I’ll revisit it later. Thank you, Antonio. With that you have now secured my place as your number one fan.

Rick Tocchet’s $1,000,000 Really now, who cares?

Teppo’s Big 30 In what has been a very confusing season for the Buffalo Sabres this year, Teppo Numminen added 2 assists against Montreal the other night, bringing his numbers on the year this far to 30 assists and 30 points. That’s right, Teppo is sixth on the team in scoring, without having put a single puck in the net thus far. This is the opposite of what my game has become. In my 6 games ball hockey league that just started, I now have 9 goals and no assists through the first 2 games. I don’t know if I can keep it up the whole way, but for now I’m doing Rick Nash proud. Anyway, the record right now for most assists in a season without a goal goes all the way back to the 1920’s and stands at 29 assists. If Teppo fails to light the lamp the rest of the way, he will break one of the league’s oldest, and most obscure records. What better way to cap off the season that has been so far for the Buffalo Sabres?

Manu Ginobli a 0 Does anyone else here hate manu ginobli as much as me? He is such a soccer player. I am so tired of seeing him on the floor whining to the refs. I don’t think I can sit through another playoffs like that again. There is no one in sports worse than Manu. Not Joey Porter, not Steve Avery, not even Andre Roy. Manu is the bottom of the list as far as I can tell. I really wish he would just smarten up, he has a lot of good game in him. I really just can’t stand even looking at him at this point, though. Disgusting.

Heat Relief 7-4 I took a lot of flack over my high placement of the Blue Jackets, and low placement of the Kings in my NHL Power Rankings (among other Leaf fan complaints, of course). But those two teams I mentioned faced off tonight, and a 7-4 final speaks for itself, I think. Columbus has something special right now, and it’s just too bad for their fans that it didn’t come together sooner. I just hope Nash’s career isn’t as injury riddled as it seems right now it might be. He could make going all the way to Columbus just for a playoff game less ridiculous than it might seem.

Spezza 911 Spezza left the game tonight with a head injury and did not return. I speak for all of us who hold him in our fantasy leagues when I say “ahhhhh”. Luckily the Senators themselves have enough weapons outside of Spezza to make his absence less noticeable than it is for most of us.

Final Note of Note All of my French fans out there, take note. There is actually a band out there called “Les Dales Hawerchuk”. For real. Now that, my friends, is about as cool as it gets. And I checked them out, surprisingly they aren’t horrible. Like the Sex Pistols took a tour of Quebec and had a kid with Mitsou. Lucky pistols.