Survivor 20 - Season Finale

Season 20 of Survivor drew to a close last night and saw Sandra walk away with $1M and the title of Sole Survivor. Once again, the jury voted for the player they liked the best as opposed to the one who played the best. I guess feelings are hurt more easily than they used to be in the game of Survivor, because more and more it's turning into a popularity contest. Nobody seems able to admit that someone else outwitted, outplayed and outlasted them, least of all this latest collection of all-star egos.

No disrespect to Sandra. She's a fine player and now two time winner. But she didn't deserve to win this game. That, IMO, would have been Parvati (also a previous winner, who placed 2nd this time). She played a much more active strategic and physical game, and pretty good social game too, all things considered. Of course the main thing to consider was one Russell Hanz, the uber villain who was participating in his second consecutive Survivor, with whom Parvati was allied throughout the game.

Arguably the best strategist and master manipulator to ever play the game, Russell has zero concept of the social aspect of Survivor that's part and parcel of winning. You'd think he would have learned from his experience last season when he finished as runner up to the charming, but otherwise pretty much useless, Natalie. He played the same bull in a china shop game this time around and once again landed himself in the final three. But this time he was unable to garner a single voted as Sandra outpolled Parvati 6 votes to 3 for the mil.

I'm usually lukewarm to "all-star" Survivor seasons, but this season was nothing short of astonishing by any estimation with shocking developments throughout. Let's hope next season is every bit as entertaining. Four months to go...

Ottawa Senators Season Post-Mortem - Part 3 - The Playoffs

Ideally, a team likes to hit the playoffs fully healthy and firing on all cylinders. The 09/10 Senators did neither. They struggled down the stretch, dropping games to the league's weak sisters. Then, in the penultimate game of the regular schedule, Alex Kovalev suffered a season ending torn ACL. Already without D Filip Kuba for the balance of the year, and with F Milan Michalek still recovering from a serious knee injury, the loss of Kovalev was a huge blow. The guy may be a regular season enigma, but he's money in the post-season. So with a first round playoff series with the defending champion Penguins looming, the Senators were without two key top six forwards who had been relied on to provide secondary scoring depth in the absence of Dany Heatley, and their top minute eating, highest scoring defenseman. Not good.

Michalek returned for Game 1 of the series, but re-injured his knee and was lost for good. Regardless, the Senators came out with a great effort and surprised the Pens 5-4. When Peter Regin whipped a wrister past M-A Fleury just 18 seconds into Game 2, it looked like the Sens might just be able to pull out of Pittsburgh with a pair of road wins. But the champs had other ideas and, thanks to the late game offensive and defensive heroics of Sidney Crosby, evened the series at ones with a 2-1 victory. Though Ottawa went on to lose the next two games at home, it could be argued that Game 2 (not Jason Spezza's much discussed turnover in Game 4) was truly the turning point in the series. The Senators had an opportunity to seize control of the series, and instead played not to lose.

Game 3 in Ottawa was a more closely matched affair than the 4-2 score would indicate. But rookie coach Corey Clouston stubbornly insisted on playing strength on strength with the Spezza line against Sidney Crosby, and Crosby continued to eat the Senators alive. Concerns were also mounting over the performance of second year goaltender, Brian Elliott.

In Game 4, the Senators completely unravelled. The series had been extremely physical to that point, a deliberate strategy by the Senators. It failed miserably. The Pens matched them hit for vicious hit, and it was they who got under the collective skin of the Senators. Emotions boiled and, more often than not, it was a Sen that was left sitting in the box after an undisciplined penalty. It all came to a head in Game 4 with the Senators falling behind 4-0 before rallying somewhat and eventually losing 7-4. Brian Elliott was pulled following the 4th goal, and didn't play again in the series.

Down 3-1 in the series and with the much maligned Pascal Leclaire starting in Game 5 in Pittsburgh, execution at the hands of the Pens seemed inevitable. However, the Sens came out strong and grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals a minute apart in the 1st period, but the Penguins came back to tie with a goal late in the 2nd. The Pens carried all the momentum into the 3rd, eventually taking a 3-2 lead midway in the period. The Senators appeared all but done. But only a minute and a half later, Peter Regin continued his remarkable playoff performance by knotting the score, ultimately sending the game to overtime. In the most exciting Senators playoff game I've ever witnessed, the unlikeliest of heroes, Matt Carkner, netted the winner at 7:06 of the 3rd overtime period, and Pascal Leclaire made a remarkable 59 saves.

The Senators gritty performance in Game 5 won back the disgruntled fan base, and provided a sense of optimism as the team headed back to Ottawa for Game 6. But it wasn't to be. After staking themselves to a dominant 3-0 second period lead, they allowed the Penguins to strike for a goal only a minute later to draw within two. Mike Fisher's goal a little later in the period appeared to be the icing on the cake for the Senators but, after an exceedingly long video review, it was disallowed. The long delay sucked the life out of the crowd and, seemingly, the players as well. The Pens thoroughly dominated the game from that point forward, scoring two goals in the third to tie the game 3-3 and send it to overtime. Pascal Dupuis scored midway through the first overtime to end the Senators season.

As disappointing as it was to bow out in the first round, there's never any shame in losing to the defending champs. The fans ultimately appreciated the scrappy effort of the undermanned Sens. It's the sort of performance that fans here have been crying for since the days of (ex coach) Jacques Martin. Most encouraging was the play of rookies Erik Karlsson, Peter Regin and hard nosed Zack Smith. Karlsson scored at a point per game clip over the six games, not bad for a 19 year old rookie defenseman. And the series was Peter Regin's coming out party. Thrust into a first line role with Jason Spezza due to the Senator's depleted forward corps, Regin scored three goals and turned plenty of heads over the course of the series. Those two youngsters, in particular, are the silver lining in what was a disappointing end to the season.

CODA - Looking Forward

With the season now over and the off-season ahead, the Senators have lots to look forward to, and more than a couple of question marks. The play of Karlsson and Regin, and hopeful maturation of both over the summer and throughout next season, has Sens fans extremely excited. This is the first time in recent memory that the Senators have had two rookies showing so much promise - especially Karlsson who, if he grows out of his elfin frame, will be an absolute stud…probably even if he doesn't.

Once again, goaltending will be a major question mark. Which Brian Elliott will show up next year - the one who backstopped the team to a team record 11 game winning streak, or the one who flamed out against the Pens? And what about Pascal Leclaire? Can he stay healthy for an entire season and , if he does, can we expect the form he flashed against Pittsburgh, or the bottom tier goaltending he came up with during the regular season?

Then there's "l'Artiste" as Habs fans affectionately refer to Alex Kovalev. At 37 years old, will he be able to rehab from such a serious knee injury over the offseason and, if so, will he be effective when he returns in the fall? A large contingent of Sens fans, fed up with Kovalev's seemingly disinterested play, would argue that he isn't effective at full health, and would like to see the last year of his $5M/yr. contract off the books. They may get their wish if he doesn't recover and the Sens can get him onto LTIR.

Finally, and inevitably, there's Jason Spezza. Ottawa's favourite whipping boy has a NTC in his $7M/yr. contract that kicks in on July 1st. Many Sens fans would love nothing more than for GM Bryan Murray to ship Spezza out of town before he's locked in for the duration. I get that Spez can be a frustrating player at times, but there's no questioning his skill and, at 26 years old (27 next month), presumably he's still on the upswing of his development. Furthermore, if you trade your #1 center, how do you replace him? It took years for the Senators to develop the one they have, and those guys don't exactly grow on trees.

It's going to be a very interesting week in Sens Land between the entry draft on June 26th and the opening of free agency on July 1st. Can't wait!!!

P.S. After reading this epic, aren't you glad the Senators got knocked out in the first round?

Happy Birthday John!!!

My son turns 2 years old today.  It was quite the commotion when he was born and it has been quite the commotion ever since.  He's a rambunctious little thing but he's also a sweetheart and funny as all get-out.  We are so blessed to have him in our lives.  We love you John!!!

Surrounded by sound

I finally got a surround sound system!  I have wanted one for ages but it just was really never a good time for it.  There were always other priorities that made much better sense.  But this year Barb set aside money for one for my birthday.  After a lot of research, I settled on a moderately priced Onkyo system that included a 7.1 receiver and speakers.  It wasn't released yet, so I had to wait a couple of weeks until it became available.  Once it arrived, I enlisted the aid of my brother Doug to help me run the wiring.  My man-cave is in the basement and I have a drop ceiling, so running the wires the length of the room wasn't the problem.  It was going through the insulation in the walls to run the speaker wire vertically that was the real bear.  Luckily my brother has the patience of Job and he got that done for me.  A couple of late nights later and I was all hooked up and had the system set up to my liking.

First on my DVD list was Saving Private Ryan (my brother's suggestion).  I watched the opening half hour and was amazed by the surround sound audio with bullets whizzing by on one side and cannon shells going off on the other.  Next was Talking Heads' terrific concert film Stop Making Sense.  I watched a handful of my favorite performances, including Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, Found A Job, Slippery People, Life During Wartime and Making Flippy Floppy.  Absolutely awesome stuff.

Then, of course, I had to try out Jaws.  I watched the opening scene (the attack on Chrissie), the attack in the estuary, the scene where the shark makes his first appearance off of the stern of the Orca and the final showdown.  No matter how many times I see this (and I am guessing it is well over 200+ since 1975), it still gives me a tingle.  It's my favorite movie and also a great childhood remembrance.  Can't get better than that.

As a celebration for my new toy, Barb got me a Blu Ray copy of Avatar.  I was not ready for how awesome it looked and sounded.  Simply unreal.  Though I have had my PS3 for ages, I only have 2 Blu Ray discs.  I have always bought regular DVDs so I can share them with my friends that don't have Blu Ray.  I may have to become more selfish now.  Stunning is the only way to describe the audio and visual delights of the Avatar Blue Ray.

I played an hour or so of Just Cause 2 (still an absolute blast to play) and was stunned by the sound effects, especially explosions.  I can't wait to hear the bands and crowds in NCAA Football 11.  And last night I made time to pop in The Beatles: Rock Band.  I played a 19 song set, which was really longer than that because it included the Abbey Road side 2 medley.  What a blast.  A totally different (and markedly better) experience than playing it through the TV speakers.

So I am in heaven with the new surround sound system.  Barb helped me spruce the room up very nicely.  My brother helped make the installation look professional.  Jess handed out the tape (don't ask, but she did a fine job of it).  It was a team effort and now I am really in business when it comes to my entertainment system.  Thanks everyone!

Story of the year

Meet Electron Boy.  If this story doesn't touch you, you ain't human.

Local boy with cancer turns into a superhero for a day

Erik Martin, who is living with liver cancer, has always wanted to be a superhero. On Thursday, the regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him that wish with an elaborate event that involved hundreds of volunteers in Bellevue and Seattle.

Please read the entire story by clicking on the link.  You won't believe it.  Your day will be much, much better for it.  And it may restore your faith in humanity.

God bless Electron Boy.

Ottawa Senators Season Post-Mortem - Part 2 - The Regular Season

With the Heatley ordeal finally behind them, the Senators broke training camp with an overhauled roster and a sense of renewed optimism. Previously labelled a one line team, the Sens now boasted secondary scoring depth in the form of Alex Kovalev, Milan Michalek and former 56 goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo. The acquisition of injured goaltender Pascal Leclaire at the trade deadline in exchange for Antoine Vermette promised to provide the best goaltending the Senators have had this side of Dominik Hasek. 2008 first round draft pick, diminutive offensive defensemen Erik Karlsson, made the team. And in the feel good story of the year, so did hulking 28 year old rookie defenseman Matt Carkner who had spent his entire career to that point in the AHL.

The season began well enough – after dropping their opener against the Rangers, the Sens responded with three straight wins. But, in a sign of things to come, the team lost D Filip Kuba and F Ryan Shannon to injury in the second game of the season. By the end of the year, all of Alfredsson, Spezza, Michalek, Kovalev, Neil, Foligno, Kuba, Volchenkov and Leclaire had sustained serious injuries, some of them (Michalek, Foligno, Kuba, Leclaire) multiple times, the most bizarre of which was the broken cheekbone suffered by Pascal Leclaire while sitting on the bench as the back-up. In the meantime, Mike Fisher and newcomer Milan Michalek jockeyed for the team goal scoring lead, while linemates Alex Kovalev and Jason Spezza (respectively) couldn’t buy one. Spezza went an incredible 17 games before finally potting his first.

Erik Karlsson, while showing flashes of the offensive skill that made him the 15th overall pick in the draft, proved unable to handle the load in the defensive zone and was dispatched to the AHL at the end of Oct. Most observers expected it to be a season long assignment, with Karlsson perhaps returning to the roster for the playoffs should the Sens make it. But EK had other ideas. After scoring at a PPG clip in the minors, Karlsson was recalled to the big club one month to the day after being sent down. Nobody could have predicted how quickly he was able to transform his game. He learned how to use his quickness on defense to compensate for a lack size, and his confidence in rushing the puck and controlling it in the offensive zone became a key cog in the Senator’s attack from that point forward.

But as the injuries mounted, so did their toll on the team. In the absence of Alfredsson, Spezza and Michalek, Alex Kovalev finally awoke from his season long slumber and (along with the emergence of rookie Peter Regin) carried the team, culminating in a four goal performance against the Flyers. But there was only so far he could take them. Following a five game losing streak in Jan., the team had gradually sunk to 10th place in the Eastern Conference, roughly where most pre-season prognosticators predicted they would finish.

By then, second year goalie Brian Elliott had assumed the mantle of #1 from the perpetually injured Leclaire. In what was looming as a 6th consecutive loss, a tilt against the Rangers at MSG, Elliott came down with the flu. With Leclaire already on the shelf, the team made a game day call to its AHL affiliate in Binghamton NY summoning journeyman netminder Mike Brodeur to NYC. Brodeur not only made it in time to start, he pitched a 2-0 shutout to end the losing streak, with Alex Kovalev once again keying the offense. The return of captain Daniel Alfredsson (1G, 2A) in the next game sparked the Sens to a 4-2 win over the Habs in Montreal, with Mike Brodeur once again solid in relief of the still ailing Elliott. One by one, the injured returned to the lineup – Alfredsson, Michalek, Spezza, Nick Foligno – and propelled the Sens to a team record 11 game winning streak as the Olympic break approached. And they didn’t feast on bottom feeders either, knocking off a who’s who of the league’s best (Chi, NJ, Pit, Buf, Van).

The Senators suddenly found themselves sitting in 5th place with a realistic shot at catching the NE division leading Sabres for 3rd. With the playoffs now looking like a near certainty, GM Bryan Murray didn’t take long to act, shipping underachieving D Alex Picard and a 2nd round pick to Carolina for F Matt Cullen, and assigning struggling winger Jonathan Cheechoo to the minors to create a roster spot. Cullen struggled to find his groove as a Senator while the team cooled off towards the Olympic break with a mediocre 3-2 record. Worst of all was that they lost Nick Foligno (broken leg) and Erik Karlsson (separated shoulder) in the process. In that respect, the break couldn’t have come at a better time but, as it turned out, the Sens lost their mojo.

Despite adding bruising 6’6” 245 lb. defenseman Andy Sutton at the trade deadline, the Sens struggled mightily post Olympics, dropping eight of their first nine games including their last five in a row. Their once comfortable lead in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack had all but evaporated, and the playoffs were again in potential jeopardy. But in what was becoming typical Senators fashion, they followed the five game losing streak by reeling off six wins in a row. That solidified their position in the standings and they proceeded to sputter their way down the stretch towards the playoffs, ultimately finishing 5th – good enough for a first round playoff date with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

NCAA 11 preview from Operation Sports

 Operation Sports has an excellent in-depth preview of NCAA Football 11 up on their site.

Boy, it sounds like they have really taken all of the criticism to heart and amped up the quality this year.  Once again I find myself dying to play an NCAA Football game.  Let's hope they hype is worthy this time.