racingmeridian.com

Isn’t it a bit strange to hear Brett Hull being hailed as one of the greatest American players ever inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame? The petulant Hull was born in Belleville, Ontario…Stevie Y, of course. Brian Leetch, no doubt. Hull, naturally. But Lucky Luc Robitaille, Hall of Famer? Did someone have their head up a stats book as opposed to actually watching Robitaille play? Wonderful player, tremendous longevity, exceptional performer, but not deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame….I don’t know who the New York Islanders will take with their first overall pick in the NHL draft Friday but, due to Brian Burke’s antics, for the first time in ages I plan to watch. Burke has injected life and controversy in the moribund Toronto hockey scene and it is possible he will engineer a meaningful deal during the draft process. During my travels among the fine citizens of this planet my mantra is consistent; Brian Burke will turn this franchise around…Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has also announced his intention to trade up in Fridays draft…Chicago Blackhawk GM Dale Tallon has, gulp, expressed interest in Chris Chelios. The forty seven year old Chelios has been handed his walking papers by the Detroit Red Wings…thirty nine year old goaltender Dwayne Roloson is holding out for a long term deal from the Edmonton Oilers. There is the real possibility the Oilers star, off a sensational year, will be allowed to walk after July 1^st…Marat Safin’s surprising first round exit from Wimbledon yesterday doubtless had men in gray suits agitated. Tennis has been the background for a series of “fixed match” allegations and Wimbledon promised to be exceptionally vigilant this year monitoring gambling activity on sites such as Betfair. Interesting to see if many gambled on the 14 seed losing to number 133…so, all those who yapped at me for suggesting Rachel Alexandra should have started in the high profile, nationally televised Belmont Stakes; have you made plans to watch the filly in the Mother Goose on Saturday? Didn’t think so…Tony Dungy and Mike Ditka have questioned the maturity of new Chicago Bear pivot Jay Cutler. I’m delighted. With a torrent of negative press converging on the young man, I’m set to slam a Bears “over” for the upcoming season. Cutler is going to have a dramatic impact in Chicago, giving the defence time to rest and focus as he runs a dramatically improved attack…conferred with the Pinoys today and have been updated on Manny Pacquiao’s business approach to his upcoming fights. Manny has told the press back home that he compromised financially to make both the Oscar De La Hoya and Rickey Hatton fights happen. Now his expectation is that other fighters will have to bend to create a fight with him. He will not step off a 50-50 split for a Floyd Mayweather Jr fight, nor move from a lions share approach to the proposed Miguel Cotto fight…hmmm, Thomas Hauser tosses an interesting aside in his current Seconds Out column. Hauser mischievously notes the Klitschko brothers have physiques that would be envied by “baseball players who hit seventy home runs”. Now, we all know about those players, the Bonds, Sosa’s and McGwire’s. Is Hauser suggesting, by comparing the Ukrainian brothers to known steroid abusers, that their bods come from a bottle?…Sammy Sosa was also caught using a corked bat in 2003. A tad funny to realize the juicer went for an even further edge…I’ll be up early Saturday to watch the British and Irish Lions contest their second Test match against world champs South Africa. Rugby seems to represent the best of the NFL - ball control and violent ground skirmishes. Count me increasingly interested in the game…after a trip to Ireland I’m also staggering to my local at ungodly hours to watch the Gaelic Football and Hurling. Imagine, amateur sport, juice free, contested with overwhelming passion and intensity…out at the Queen’s Plate on Sunday, I implored my companions to join me in never mentioning the name of the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner. It’s a protest against a result that still turns my stomach…