racingmeridian.com

Rumours surrounding Boston Bruin winger Phil Kessel refuse to die. Kessel’s current contract demands (he is a restricted free agent) would push the club over the salary cap, so GM Peter Chiarelli continues to explore the option of moving the sniper. At some point the Tomas Kaberle to Boston rumours are going to reignite; Kaberle’s reasonable stipend would suit Boston while Toronto is desperately in need of a frontline goal scorer…the Chicago Tribune simply delights in the Martin Havlat reveal that ex GM Dale Tallon and Blackhawk President Jack McDonough waged an incendiary feud over the last year or so. Havlat states McDonough was driven to distraction by Tallon’s inordinate success and was determined to fire him. Obviously this story is going to circle back to Tallon’s failure to furnish his restricted free agents with their qualifying offers. The question must be whether Tallon was sabotaged and, if so, why does Tallon remain silent and a part of the Hawks? This story promises to play out over the next few months. Another question is going to be who, exactly, authorized the ludicrous Marian Hossa contract? Havlat implies McDonough wanted to have his “own” guys in the organization. The Hossa signing seemed so reckless and out of character for Tallon (the Hawks will almost certainly lose Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith because of a lack of cap space) that it is fair to ask if the impetus for the deal originated in the upper echelons…twice this season, on Oct 3^rd and Oct 24^th, all 30 NHL teams will be in action, a feast for poolies and gamblers…because of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Canucks will be forced to embark on the longest road trip in NHL history; fourteen games between Jan 30^th and March 10^th, 2010……some Green Bay Packer fans view Brett Favre’s decision to play for rival Minnesota Vikings an egregious betrayal. A website, judasfavre.com, offers a forum for the release of angst and rage. You can also purchase purple jerseys emblazoned with the number 4 and the word Judas…Lisa Mayfield, the stepmother of NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, has signed an affidavit stating she personally witnessed his abuse of methamphetamines on at least thirty occasions. No word if the two are estranged, or if she has an axe to grind, but it certainly appears that Mayfield’s driving career is coming to an ignoble end…Tiger Woods is currently the 9-4 favourite to annex the British Open at Turnberry this weekend. I’ve taken a flyer on the worlds 5^th ranked golfer, Sergio Garcia, at a plump 25-1…watched ESPN’s 50 Most Outrageous Moments in Sport last night and it was quite a laugh. The top two moments were boxing events, with number two the Mike Tyson decision to bite Evander Holyfields ear, and number one the appearance of Fan Man in the middle of the second Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe fight…at a promotion for his Aug 15^th match with Jeff Lacy, Roy Jones turned up dressed as a pirate. Captain Hook, to be exact. It’s just wild to see a man who would was so surly and inconsiderate in his prime suddenly decree it’s costume time. Jones pissed away years of his career blitzing part time janitors and teachers, studiously avoiding the burgeoning European scene, and now he is consumed by the bitter knowledge that his skills have precipitously eroded. To stoke interest, the Florida Commission should actually allow Jones to fight garbed in his festive buccaneer threads…turn to You Tube if you want to see a grainy clip of the end of the UFC Henderson-Bidsing fight from last Saturday night. It ends in an unparalleled act of stupidity and barbarity…here’s something I am not interested in reading; Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have already begun the verbal sparring concerning the money split in their proposed match-up. They’ll sort it out, right? Do we really need the endless posturing and pointless threats relayed on a daily basis? Hell, no. In fact, I think the pair should spend time focusing on their upcoming opponents. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the pair could both be dumped by the gruesome duo of Juan Manuel Marquez (fights Floyd on Sept 19^th) and Miguel Cotto (fights Manny on Nov 14^th)…Rachel Alexandra will face the boys again in the Haskell Invitational August Aug 2^nd at Monmouth. Belmont winner Summer Bird and hotshot Munnings are possible opponents for the famous Preakness winner. The plot really thickens after that race. Will Rachel storm the historic Travers Stakes at Saratoga? Or will her team attempt to engage West Coast superhorse Zenyatta in a monumental showdown?..