racingmeridian.com

Mats Seldom called me last night, pulsing with frenetic energy. “It’s over! I did it!” Yes, I replied, you certainly did. It was Seldom at his most magnificent, and all this delivered at the advanced age of thirty eight. His monumental achievement? He simply disappeared in the third period of every loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. On the phone he was cackling with glee. “I AM Harry Houdini! Not even my teammates could find me!” he giggled. And, of course, I mumbled, your eight points, meaningless points, will have the mouth breathers lauding your contribution. (”I know!” he squealed). You’ll get another contract. They’ll blame the Sedins. They’ll blame Luongo. But you, the bland, invisible Swede, you’ll  gather up your little collection of three goals and five assists, and trundle down the road to your next contract. No one could find you at any critical juncture, I complained. (”I don’t need the stress” he gasped, before erupting into laughter). And then, he became serious. Very serious. “I told you I could do it. I can float, and never give a damn about your Stickley Cup…and they will love me. They will love me. Give me my money and you can all go to hell”. I hung up and arranged to have my phone number changed…the Anaheim Ducks played a five man unit last night; Scott Neidermayer and Chris Pronger on defence supporting Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf. The unit was deadly and a major factor in the Duck’s surprising Game Six win…stretching back to 2006, the Carolina Hurricane franchise has won three straight Game Seven’s. They should be ultra tough Thursday night after a pair of embarrassing efforts. They’re too good, and too tough, to exit so mildly…Marc Andre Fleury will have his first taste of a Game Seven tonight. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is blunt in their assessment of the Pittsburgh Penguin goalie. His .874 save percentage against the Washington Capitals has prolonged the series and endangered his clubs chances at making it back to the Stanley Cup final. Fleury needs a big game tonight to calm disquieting rumbles about his play…the Caps are -145 faves tonight. The Penguins are +125. I have Steeltown bet to win the series (as well as the Blackhawks, cha-ching, and the Hurricanes) but I intend to raise the stakes with additional funds. Sid the Kid has, to this jaded observer, demonstrated he is the best player in the game and tonight can serve as the punctuation point…I’ve been out and about watching as much hockey as possible these past couple of weeks. The reaction of the average dude to the Penguin - Capitals series has been amazing. One bar hound loudly proclaimed the series the best hockey since the 1987 Canada Cup. Y’know what? No one at the bar disagreed…can’t make this stuff up; Roger Clemens is now stating a family history of heart problems precluded him from ever considering steroids. Cited by the Rocket Man? The medical records of his stepfather…Thomas Hauser has a fascinating piece on Manny Pacquiao currently available on the Seconds Out website. The Pac Man apparently ran away from home as a child, never to return, after his father cooked and ate his dog. Pacquiao lived on the streets, using cardboard boxes as protection from the elements. Despite the harshness of this early existence, Manny is feted for his humble and welcoming disposition. He is not a bitter Tyson clone, angry at the world. Instead he speaks of being an inspiration for the poor and downtrodden…Hauser also challenges some of the silliness on the net which seems unaware of the depth and dimensions of the PacMan’s accomplishments. He has achieved greatness since bursting into the consciousness of North Americans fight fans with his stoppage of legend Marco Antonio Barrera. His decision loss to Erik Morales was avenged in two subsequent meetings. Dumb guys love to claim Juan Manuel Marquez deserved decisions in both their encounters, but nothing could be further from the truth. While Marquez was marvellous in their first fight, perhaps deserving of a draw, the second fight was a straightforward Manny victory, certainly by a margin of three or four points. Manny hit the high publicity double with savage performances against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, and is now on the cusp of one of the biggest fights in history, a showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr…Rachel Alexandra could hook the speedball Big Drama in the early stages of Saturday’s Preakness. This will be a test of the filly’s ability to relax and rate. A couple of runners, Papa Clem and Pioneerofthe Nile, should get perfect stalking trips. I’ll stand against the filly and the Derby winner in an attempt to get a square price…