random facts, tidbits, articles and most importantly my thoughts about things that i find while aimlessly surfing the web...
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Architecture, College Football, Baseball, Hockey, March Madness, The Economy, Corporate Corruption, Incomptent Leadership, Tulane, Atlanta, Florida, etc.
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travacado's thoughts
or at least "others'" thoughts that I find interesting...
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Friday, February 27, 2004
Sullivan, Vokoun power Predators
The Western Conference playoff standings amount to a nightly game of hopscotch. Yesterday, the Predators leaped forward and felt safe saying they'd kicked one player out of the game.
With a 4-0 win over Minnesota, Nashville upped its point total to 71, moved into a fifth-place tie with Dallas and edged three points ahead of ninth-place St. Louis.
The Wild fell 10 points out the playoff picture.
''We can kind of put them away,'' said forward Andreas Johansson, who scored the Predators' final goal while they were shorthanded. ''We talked about it before and we did it. That's the sign of a good team, when you can achieve your goals.''
Goalie Tomas Vokoun got his third shutout of the season before 13,033 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
Nashville couldn't have had a better night on special teams. The Predators got power-play goals from Dan Hamhuis and Steve Sullivan and calmly killed off seven Minnesota man-advantages.
Late in the second period Sullivan sparked the Preds as he has so often in his first five games with the team, boosting their lead to 2-0 with the sort of power-play goal that's becoming common.
Positioned to the left of the goal, he passed back and forth with Scott Walker, who was at the half boards.
Finally satisfied with the spacing, Sullivan resisted a return pass and turned on goal with the puck. Twice denied, his third stab jammed it past goalie Marty Fernandez inside the near post.
Vokoun stopped Minnesota's best shot, quickly crossing the goalmouth and gloving away a close-range try by Brent Burns.
With roughly 15:00 left, Sullivan had a shorthanded goal waved off and was sent to the box for hooking. Clinging to a 3-0 lead, Nashville survived 1:40 of five-on-three play that could've changed the game.
''We put the nails in the coffin with that kill,'' Sullivan said. ''You look ahead of you (in the standings), but you also take a quick peek behind you and see who's gaining on you. They are not as much of a threat now as they were.'' (By Paul Khuarsky, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Preds officially entered in playoff race
Think it's easy to make the playoffs in the National Hockey League?
After all, there are 16 spots available, and, what the heck, not everybody can be good every year, right?
Well in this day and age there are a lot of good teams in the NHL. They're not all great, and only a handful are true Stanley Cup contenders, but good teams abound and, sometimes, good teams don't make the playoffs.
The Nashville Predators this season are one of those teams. They're good -- just ask the Detroit Red Wings who trail the season series 3-2 with one game left -- but that doesn't mean they'll grab one of the eight playoff berths available in the West for the first time in the franchise's six-year history.
Still, they're making a run at it.
For the first time since the team's inception, general manager David Poile made a move designed for one reason: to win more games right now. He swapped a part of the team's future -- second-round draft picks in consecutive years (2004 and 2005) -- for Steve Sullivan, a scoring winger who makes $3 million a year but who can help the club right now.
In addition, Poile reportedly is shopping for at least one more defenseman, preferably a veteran who can steady the team in its own end.
Still, the addition of Sullivan alone was no small move for a franchise that hoards draft picks the way the New York Rangers throw around money. Even before the Preds got the Chicago Blackhawks' leading scorer, the team was on pace for a record year in goals scored. But given that every win, tie and overtime loss is proving to be the difference between being as high as fifth or as low as ninth in the conference, Poile felt more offense was needed to improve his team's chances. In Nashville, that's called going for it.
"Certainly it's a statement and one we haven't made to our fans in past years," said Poile. "In the past perhaps some of our deals were perceived as something we did for the future and not the right now, and I don't disagree with that. We also saw a little of an aftershock there with people saying we were committed more toward the future than this season.
"Certainly that's not the case this time. Steve Sullivan is a big commitment and he's not just a rental. He's not unrestricted, he's more along the lines of an asset. You hope it works out in terms of re-signing him, you hope he likes it here and we like what he does for us, but this is more than just someone coming through. He's an asset. He may take us to arbitration if we qualify him, but the goal here is to make him a part of this team and re-sign him."
Poile has reason to be optimistic. His team has 31 wins so far, four shy of the most in franchise history. It has already set a franchise record for wins at home (20) and there are still 19 games left in the season.
Long viewed as offensively challenged (the franchise best in a season is 199 goals), the Predators scored seven goals in Sullivan's debut Feb. 18 against the San Jose Sharks, including a team-record five power-play tallies and a hat trick by their newest player. They produced a franchise-record eight against the Phoenix Coyotes three nights later and are now on pace to score 210 goals. They've already set a team record with 12 short-handed goals, surpassing the previous mark of 9, and likely will shatter the team record for power-play goals in a season (58, they are at 53), as well.
In addition, the Predators have a 16-7 record in one-goal games and are 24-20-6-1 against the rest of the Western Conference. They've beaten the teams they need to beat: besting division rival Columbus four out of five times, as well as conference rivals Anaheim (3-0-1) and Phoenix (3-0-1). They've also beaten the teams they weren't expected to beat: Aside from Detroit, they've had success against St. Louis (2-2-0) and Colorado (2-1-0).
It's not surprising that the Predators haven't gotten national attention for their achievements. In a 30-team league it takes more than a little while for a team to make a statement and longer still to have it recognized, especially when the organization is perceived as dull and defensive-minded, and is without a single player whose performance resounds with league-wide magnitude.
Although dedicated to the concept of team defense, the Preds are not and for the most part never have been a trapping team. Instead, they are strong on the attack, forecheck relentlessly and generate a good deal of their offense, especially on the power play, by sending their defensemen up into the play. Two of their defensemen -- Marek Zidlicky (39 points) and Kimmo Timonen (35 points) -- have been among the top 10 in the league in points at the position.
Their forwards aren't explosive offensively -- Sullivan became the team's leading scorer the moment he arrived -- and they lack overall size. But they have their fair share of playmakers -- Scott Walker, David Legwand and Martin Erat rank in the top 20 in assists -- and seven players have registered double-digits in goals.
Tomas Vokoun has provided above-average goaltending since he took over the No. 1 role in December 2002 and earned his first All-Star Game invitation this season. His 3.20 GAA and .884 save percentage since the break has caused some concern, but Chris Mason has proven to be a good backup during Vokoun's swoons.
Nashville has weathered over 200 man-games lost to injury and has committed the types of mistakes that go along with one of the youngest lineups in the league. But the mindset of "no excuses" allows for, well, no excuses.
"We've put a lot of emphasis on that this season and some of it comes from our disappointments in the past," said head coach Barry Trotz, the only head coach the Predators have ever had. "We've gone through some tough times together and we've become a better team. There are a lot of new faces on the team, especially on defense. But for the guys who have been here awhile, it's been a learning process and I think we've grown into a team in that regard.
"When bad things happen to us, we have some experience in regards how to handle that and we deal with it."
Despite the successes, there is still a chance the Predators won't make the playoffs. Lots of teams try hard and some, quite simply, are better. Others might prove to have just a little more veteran savvy, an important ingredient when it comes to handling the pressure of a playoff race. The schedule (nine home, 11 away) doesn't exactly play to their advantage either.
But this edition of the Predators won't stop trying.
"We were at a point early in the season where we went into Detroit, and we hadn't had much success against that team. We were trailing by three and we came back to win it 4-3. In a sense, I think that's where this team and this season were born," Poile said. "Since that time we've played much better as a team, we've been much closer and the belief went way up. I like to attribute that to both the players and the coaches. I think we became a team and if you look back, maybe that's where it all came together for us." (By Jim Kelley, ESPN.com)
TIDAL 7:17 AM
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Eight is enough: Preds set team goal record
PHOENIX, Ariz. — That little boost Steve Sullivan was supposed to provide the Predators?
It's turned into more of a hydraulic lift.
The 5-9, 155-pound forward is looking more and more like one of the biggest trade acquisitions of the NHL season following the Predators' 8-2 win over Phoenix last night.
In his third game with Nashville since being traded from Chicago, Sullivan turned in what's become a routine performance, collecting a goal and three assists. He's totaled five goals and five assists in three Predators contests, helping Nashville outscore the opposition 18-7 in three consecutive wins.
The Predators not only set a franchise record for goals, but more importantly moved into fifth place in the Western Conference standings with 21 games left to play.
''I don't think anybody would have thought we'd be here,'' Nashville Coach Barry Trotz said.
''But we've still got a long way to go. There are still 40 points to be had and we need as many as we can.''
The Predators (30-22-7-2) actually trailed 1-0 34 seconds into the contest before rattling off eight consecutive scores.
Greg Johnson tied matters with a short-handed goal before Sullivan gave the Predators the lead, collecting Scott Walker's pass from the sideboards and beating Brian Boucher with a wrist shot.
Marek Zidlicky, Martin Erat, Kimmo Timonen and Jim McKenzie all scored, putting the Predators ahead 6-1 and chasing Boucher from the net.
Walker finished with three assists, giving him 10 points — two goals and eight assists — in the last three games.
''Hey, it's fun and we've got to enjoy it while we can,'' Walker said.
Timonen, McKenzie and Johnson all totaled a goal and an assist, while David Legwand collected a pair of assists.
''Hey, it's fun and we've got to enjoy it while we can,'' Walker said. ''Sully is playing great and he's making everyone else a little better. Everyone is playing with a little more confidence because he's playing with so much confidence.''
McKenzie's goal was his first of the season.
The win gave the Predators a 3-1 record in the first four games of the team's busiest single week. Nashville will complete a stretch of five games in seven days tomorrow in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes (20-24-14-3) may have suffered a deathblow in their quest for the playoffs. Phoenix began the night nine points out of eighth place. (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 9:23 AM
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Edwards for the Democrats
Democrats in Wisconsin and elsewhere owe much to Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and candidate for the presidential nomination of their party. Perhaps more than any other candidate in the race, the long-running Dean has set the thematic framework and identified the critical issues in the coming battle with President Bush. Those themes and issues by now are familiar to voters: the conduct of the war on terrorism, justification for the invasion of Iraq, globalization and the loss of manufacturing jobs, outsourced services, health care costs and coverage, tax cuts skewed to America's most prosperous citizens and a deficit-burdened fiscal policy.
On these and other issues, there are distinctions, but not significant differences, among the Democrats. On Sunday night, for example, a debate at Marquette University sponsored by the Journal Sentinel, WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) and Journal Communications Inc. provided another forum for the candidates to call attention to what separates them. Instead, they continued to demonstrate the ties that bind: a belief that Bush has botched the job of president, hurt the U.S. economy with his policies, gone to war under false pretenses, failed to internationalize the military effort in Iraq and damaged America's reputation in the world. And they generally agree on how they want to set matters right.
For Democrats, then, the challenge is to nominate the man who can take his party's common vision for the nation and convince voters that it offers the right course for America. That man, in our judgment, is Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. We urge Democrats to vote for him in Tuesday's primary.
Edwards, of course, is an underdog; in public opinion polls here and nationally, he runs well behind Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who has won 14 of 16 primaries and caucuses and who plainly is the odds-on favorite for the nomination. Many Democrats want to declare an end to the primary process and effectively coalesce around Kerry.
We understand the impulse: Democrats sense Bush is vulnerable, and they want direct engagement as quickly as possible. But Kerry has collected only a bit more than a quarter of the delegates needed to secure the nomination. So-called Super Tuesday arrives in two weeks, when voters in several delegate-rich states - California, New York and Ohio, for example - cast ballots; on March 9, voters in Florida and Texas weigh in. That's just three weeks away. If Kerry's momentum runs through those primary dates, then the race for the nomination will truly be over. It's not too long for Democrats to wait.
Meantime, we invite Wisconsinites to take an unblinkered look at Edwards - and not because Kerry lacks the right stuff to be president. Quite the contrary: Kerry would be a formidable nominee if Democrats choose him.
But we believe Edwards would be more than Kerry's match to lead his party in November. It's true that Edwards cannot touch Kerry's distinguished military record or his long career in public life. Kerry, 60, has served in the Senate for nearly 20 years; Edwards, 50, was elected for the first time in 1998. But that also means Edwards does not carry as much baggage for his opponents to exploit.
His boyish good looks suggest a precocious intelligence, but there is nothing childish about his central message. In speeches and at plant gates, Edwards talks about two Americas - one for the very wealthy, one for the rest of the nation. Middle-income wage earners, he says correctly, work more hours each week than they did two decades ago, but their incomes have barely grown. Meantime, the share of taxes paid by the broad middle class has grown while the share paid by the the top 1% of Americans has declined.
Edwards extends the theme to health care, education and more. His solutions, as we said earlier, do not differ markedly from those of his primary opponents. He and Kerry, for example, would roll back a portion of the Bush tax cuts - those for taxpayers earning more than $200,000 a year - and use the resulting revenue in part for programs to promote education at every level and to ensure that more people without it get affordable health care.
Like Kerry, Edwards has placed increasing emphasis on the nation's jobless recovery, the disappearance of manufacturing jobs and the "outsourcing" of factory and service jobs to other countries such as India, Indonesia and, especially, China. He's wise enough to avoid the trap of protectionism: "That's putting your head in the sand," he says. He and the other candidates want to use America's diplomatic and economic leverage to force these countries to impose basic labor and environmental standards or to live by existing ones they widely ignore. The club at America's disposal: access to U.S. markets.
The two Americas message - and job loss, acute in Wisconsin, is a part of it - resonates with audiences partly because Edwards peppers it with statistical support, partly because the messenger delivers the message so skillfully. That talent is part of his compelling personal story. Edwards was born in a South Carolina mill town to poor parents who worked their way into the middle class. After college and law school in North Carolina, he became an enormously successful trial lawyer winning suits especially on behalf of injured children. That experience before juries helps to explain his extraordinary political skills.
Edwards is smart, engaging and upbeat, comfortable before any audience and often inspiring. Perhaps most intriguing of all, his optimistic campaign, free of attacks on his Democratic rivals, suggests something important about his character: Here is someone who seems to believe that the power of persuasion doesn't have to include excoriation and the politics of personal destruction.
The three other candidates still in the nomination race have all contributed to the debate. In our view, however, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and the Rev. Al Sharpton are niche candidates who could not be elected. Neither could Dean, given the way he was stigmatized - in many respects, unfairly - in the early caucuses and primaries.
If Democrats are serious about winning in November, they have two choices at this point. John Kerry would make a strong run at President Bush and might defeat him. But we think John Edwards, with his combination of message and method, may have the stronger legs in this long distance race.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 15, 2004
Preds add offense, trade for Sullivan
Looking to inject new life in their offense for the stretch run at the playoffs, the Predators acquired veteran right wing Steve Sullivan from Chicago last night.
The Blackhawks' leading scorer currently has 43 points (15 goals and 28 assists), which bests the total of Nashville's most productive player, Scott Walker, who had 37 at the start of last night's game in Columbus.
''This is the first time at this time of the year that we've made a significant acquisition,'' Predators General Manager David Poile said. ''Usually I'm asking other GMs what they would like from our team."
''We legitimately feel we have a good chance to make the playoffs, and we're going to do everything we can. … I think he's one of the best forwards in the league.''
Sullivan, who has played in 573 NHL games, is on pace to top 20 goals for the sixth season in a row. In 18 career playoff games he has four goals and three assists.
''To be able to go play down the stretch for a chance to make the playoffs, it's just going to rejuvenate me for sure,'' said a surprised Sullivan last night.
The Predators parted with two second-round draft choices, one this year and one next year.
In exchange they get a player who will sit at the top of the team's salary list. Nashville will pay the full remainder of Sullivan's 2003-04 salary of $3 million, which amounts to $800,000. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen was previously the team's highest paid player with a salary this season of $2 million.
Sullivan will become a group two restricted free agent next year, which means the Predators can retain his rights with a qualifying offer of $3 million in June.
Poile indicated the team sees its new forward as a long-term addition, not a rental.
Sullivan, a nine-year NHL veteran who will turn 30 on July 6, was a ninth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1994. He was with New Jersey for two seasons and Toronto for four seasons before Chicago claimed him off waivers in 1999.
''To me, he's a guy every game who makes a contribution, one of the hardest working players in the game,'' Poile said. ''For a team that needs to add more offense, he can add a terrific lift in the last 25 games.''
Sullivan will likely jump into one of Nashville's top two lines tomorrow night when the team hosts San Jose at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
Though he's now a right wing, Sullivan has experience at all three forward spots and said ''anywhere up front, I'm OK with.'' He painted himself as a quiet leader with a strong work ethic that will fit in with what he knows about the team from playing against the Predators as a division rival.
''Hopefully Sullivan will make other people better,'' Poile said. ''Wherever we play him, he's not only going to do his thing but lift other guys. …I think this takes us up a notch in our own depth and quality. I'd like to think these forwards are good enough to get us there.''
A similar addition to the defense could already be in house. Defenseman Stan Neckar, signed as a free agent in November, has yet to play for Nashville because of a groin injury. The 29th pick of the 1994 draft by Ottawa, he could join the team as early as next week.
Nashville is expected to make a move today to create a spot for Sullivan, likely putting center Wyatt Smith or center Jason Morgan on waivers. If Smith or Morgan were to clear waivers, he would head to the team's Milwaukee affiliate. (By Paul Kuharsky, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 5:50 PM
Monday, February 16, 2004
Stay calm, this has yet to play itself out
My God, if there has been a more bizarre baseball sequence than this one in the 21st century, none of us has seen it.
This is stranger than Grady's infamous stroll to the Yankee Stadium mound -- The Little Walk to Nowhere -- last October. This beats Bud Selig throwing up his hands to halt an All-Star Game and Steve Bartman sticking out his hands to halt the Cubs' march to the World Series.
Alex Rodriguez, longtime Red Sox obsession, is a New York Yankee.
While I still don't believe the trade is devastating to the Sox on the field (I'll explain later), it certainly has triggered a few side effects among their fans.
I hate to be so honest in front of our smirking neighbors in New York, but the romance of Rodriguez was and is humiliating. Simply thinking about the time and energy spent on the man is enough to bring on nausea, dizziness, and belly knots of confusion.
The Sox were prepared to make A-Rod Inc. the face of their organization while shipping their soul, Nomar Garciaparra, out west. They longed for Rodriguez so much that they closed their eyes and actually thought they were slow dancing with their leading man. They awoke to find they were holding nothing more than a mannequin in a Rodriguez T-shirt.
How could the Sox play "50 First Dates" with Rodriguez for six weeks and then watch him run into bed with the Yankees after just a couple days?
What was it that principal owner John W. Henry saw that prevented him from signing off on the $15 million difference that separated the Rangers and Sox from making a deal? Henry's background is in numbers. His strength is making sound investment decisions based on formulas and logic, not emotion.
There is nothing but emotion now in Boston and the Bronx. Here, we force smiles through clenched teeth so the enemy can't detect the embarrassment. There, they laugh and laugh, giddy at the thought of placing a 6-foot-4-inch lightning Rod atop the House that Ruth Built.
How did this story, which amounted to nothing more than a Fenway wish, push everything else in the New England sports consciousness aside for more than a month?
Nomar and his agent were angry, but it was all right. Rodriguez was coming. Henry called the agent hypocritical, Kevin Millar said he was looking forward to playing with the one-man corporation, and Sox fans kept one eye on their Christmas gifts and the other on the daily Rodriguez deadlines.
All of that for a man who will be 200 miles away, playing for the next team he always wanted -- wink, wink -- to play for. He wanted to be a Met four years ago. He wound up a Ranger. He wanted to be a Sox. He is now a Yankee. He is most likely the No. 3 hitter in a lineup that resembles a Best-Of All-Star team, representing the top talent of today and the mid-1990s.
A couple of the trade's aftershocks have got to be frustrating to Theo & The Trio. They realize they cracked open a door that is going to be tough to close. Nomar always will remember that his bosses wanted the boy next door over him. It sounds petty, but it's one less issue the Sox needed in a clubhouse full of soon-to-be free agents and a first-year Boston manager.
The management team also understands it misjudged Tom Hicks's market options. Everyone knew the Rangers owner was playing a political game when he named Rodriguez a Texas captain and said he would be the team's shortstop on Opening Day. Hicks is clearly the kind of guy who couldn't find the truth if you gave him T-R-U-T and told him the last letter was somewhere between G and I.
But the (erroneous) feeling was that Hicks had to deal with the Sox if he were going to deal with anyone. He was losing money, and no other team in baseball was willing to take on the remaining $179 million of Rodriguez's salary.
Except the Yankees.
Of course.
This is usually the point in the story when someone who is not affiliated with the New York media complains about the evil Yankees and their payroll. That won't happen in this space.
The Yankee payroll is not the focus of their matchup with the Sox; the starting pitching is. New York spent more than everyone in 2001, '02, and '03. George Steinbrenner's team then watched the Diamondbacks, Angels, and Marlins win the World Series.
In every case, the Yankees lost to teams that had better pitching. As loaded as their lineup is now, they are going to see -- for the first time -- better pitching from a team in their own division. Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and Derek Lowe are better than any three starters the Yankees have, and they're better in the regular season and postseason.
It is difficult, understandably, for anyone in New England to be soothed by that argument. For one, all baseball fans become residents of Temptation Island before the real games are played. Big bats and the big names that carry them mesmerize us, no matter how many times we've been drilled about good pitching and strong defense up the middle.
Plus, there is always some reminder of a decades-old topic that distracts many a New Englander. It's the fear that New York has something Boston covets. A budget. A manager. A player. Something.
New York has someone Boston wanted, but this time the theme is not a tragic one.
Bizarre? No doubt.
A dose of humiliation after a whole lot of flirting? Uh, yeah.
Tragic? Nah. The Sox have some people who can play a little bit, too. (By Michael Holley, The Boston Globe)
TIDAL 6:46 AM
Defense lets down Predators
Much as the Predators might have enjoyed springing ahead in the Western Conference standings, they'll have to be content with not having to look back.
Nashville's 2-2 tie with Edmonton yesterday left the Predators one point shy of moving into a three-way tie for sixth place in the conference. But it did serve as another damaging shot to the playoff hopes of the Oilers, who remain seven points behind the Predators with 24 games left in the season.
''It was a mixed result,'' Predators Coach Barry Trotz said.
The Predators (27-21-7-2) were within half a period of sending the announced crowd of 14,276 at Gaylord Entertainment Center home with a victory, as Andreas Johansson's power-play goal with seven minutes left in the second had given Nashville a 2-1 advantage.
But a defensive miscue helped the Oilers (23-25-9-1) tie matters with 9:52 left in the contest.
Defenseman Marek Zidlicky tried to pokecheck Oilers forward Ethan Moreau at the Nashville blue line, missed both the puck and Moreau, and then saw Moreau beat Tomas Vokoun from close range.
''Unfortunately, one play tied it up,'' Trotz said. ''(Zidlicky) didn't take the man. When you don't take the man, a lot of times the guy will walk you.''
The Predators had taken a 1-0 lead on Scott Walker's team-leading 17th goal of the season, a power-play score, just 1:33 into the game. But the Oilers tied it 2:03 into the second on another power-play goal, as Radek Dvorak sent a blueline shot past a screened Vokoun.
''I thought it was a good effort from two teams that are pretty desperate right now,'' Oilers Coach Craig MacTavish said. (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 6:26 AM
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Preds respond to alarms
A three-game skid inspired this analogy from Predators Coach Barry Trotz yesterday: ''Slumps are like soft beds. They are easy to get into and hard to get out of.''
The Predators answered their alarm clock last night, climbing out of the cushy slumber they sandwiched around the All-Star break to earn a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
''It's huge, probably the biggest game of the year so far,'' said defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who played more than half his 24:21 on power plays or penalty kills.
''We lost three games and played bad. We didn't give up many chances to them. That was the game we were supposed to play.''
The announced crowd of 13,486 filled the cheaper 300 level, leaving significant gaps in the sections below them at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
Nashville's rejuvenation arrived thanks to a spunky first period that featured two early goals and two early fights that led to a match penalty against Jordin Tootoo.
Scott Hartnell and Vladimir Orszagh got the scoring started, and Hartnell finished with two goals and an assist. Marek Zidlicky and Wyatt Smith chipped in with goals, too, while Martin Erat and Timonen each had two assists.
Nashville outshot the Capitals 36-19, making life easy on backup goalie Chris Mason and tough on Washington's rookie netminder Maxime Ouellet.
Two of the Predators goals came on the power play, and they killed off six man-advantages for Washington.
Coach Barry Trotz said his team had thoroughly discussed getting back to its style and he was pleased to see it follow through.
''We said, 'Let's not play uptight, let's play our game' and we did,'' he said. ''We didn't spend a lot of time talking about the Washington Capitals. We talked more about ourselves, and guys responded very well. That was a pretty solid game.'' (By Paul Kuharsky, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Honky-tonk fears the worst after building sold to competitor
A barroom brawl of sorts is brewing between arguably the most well-known honky-tonks on Lower Broadway.
To hear Libbi McCullough, one of the co-owners of Roberts Western World tell it, the proprietors of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge have designs to take over her business.
''They're trying to put us out of business,'' said McCullough, sitting in a small office upstairs from her lounge this week.
The troubles between the owners of these famous watering holes — which are just a stone's throw away from the mother church of country music, Ryman Auditorium — came to a head last summer. That was when a businesswoman sold the building that houses Roberts Western World.
Roberts, which prides itself as the ''home of traditional country music,'' received national publicity as the place that launched country-retro band BR549. Merle Haggard, Tom Petty, Tracy Byrd, Kid Rock, Alison Krauss and Rascal Flatts are just a few of the bar's famous patrons.
Tootsie's history is the stuff of country music legend. Patsy Cline drank beer there. A depressed Willie Nelson reportedly once lay down in the middle of the street outside the bar in hopes of getting run over by a car. And it has been patronized by Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall, Waylon Jennings, Faron Young, Webb Pierce, Roger Miller and many more.
McCullough and her business partner, Jesse Lee Jones, bought Roberts from Robert Moore in August 1999. Jones is a native of Brazil who grew up worshipping country music. McCullough grew up in Arkansas listening to Haggard and other greats and came to Nashville to be in the health-care industry.
The building that housed the business was owned by Inez Silverfield, a woman now 80 years old who has a long history on Broadway, including some notoriety for renting her properties to adult-oriented businesses in the district.
In 2001, McCullough signed a 15-year lease with Silverfield and made another deal: If Silverfield ever intended to sell the building, McCullough would get the first shot at buying it.
The crux of a court complaint by McCullough and Jones is that they never got that chance.
Last summer, Silverfield sold the building that houses Roberts to the owner of Tootsie's, Steve Smith, and his business partner, Al Ross.
Attempts to contact Smith were not successful. Ross referred all questions to their attorney, Eddie Davidson, who could not be reached for comment.
Silverfield's attorney disputes the complaint by the owners of Roberts.
''Ms. McCullough was made aware that others were interested in purchasing the building,'' said Barry Weathers, who represents Silverfield. ''She indicated at the time she was unable to pay an amount near the amount that was offered,'' he said, referring to an amount offered by Smith and Ross.
McCullough and Jones say they believe that Smith, Tootsie's owner, and his business partner had been eyeing the building.
''The situation was just perfect for them to come in here and bully their way into this property,'' McCullough said, adding that she and her business partner were not told the building had been sold and found out through a friend that they had new landlords.
According to court papers, Smith and Ross made a deal with Silverfield to buy two pieces of property, the building that houses Roberts and the building that houses The Wheel at 421 Broadway, for $1.2 million.
McCullough and Jones filed suit in Davidson County Chancery Court in July and asked that the deed to the property be set aside and McCullough be allowed to buy the property.
''The owners of Roberts still have 13 years left on their lease and Smith and Ross are bound to it,'' said Ken Jones, a lawyer who represents Roberts. ''They've said under oath that they intend to honor the lease. But they've also said under oath that they want to put a recording studio on the second floor, but the second floor is also part of the lease.''
The owners of Roberts doubt that Smith and Ross intend to honor the lease. To them, it makes no business sense for the operators of Tootsie's to fork out $700,000 for the property just to be collecting Roberts' $2,500 a month in rent.
''They really think we're going to lie down and play dead,'' said Jones, whose band, BrazilBilly, plays regularly at Roberts. ''This is really our lives they're playing with. This is more than just business. This is my life. This is our hearts.''
Silverfield's son, according to court documents, says McCullough wouldn't offer to pay more than $400,000 for the building. In court documents, Ross and Smith claim that the owners of Roberts knew they wanted to buy their building.
Court papers filed by Ross and Smith's attorney cite a letter from McCullough to Silverfield. ''As I understand it, you are still in negotiations with Al Ross, Steve Smith and … in regards to my building and the ones across Broadway. I do hope you have reiterated to these people that even though they may purchase the building, the business is not for sale.''
McCullough doesn't deny that she told Silverfield she couldn't pay more than $400,000, but she said she should have been given the same opportunity that Ross and Smith got.
Silverfield, in court documents, says that the owners of Roberts not only knew about the sale to Smith and Ross but had more than enough time to make her a better offer.
The case is now before Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle. (By Sheila Burke, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 11:07 PM
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Preds set goal for playoffs
Predators Coach Barry Trotz sizes up the NHL standings and sees a magic number.
Lumped in with three other Western Conference teams in a seventh-place tie at 60 points, Nashville will need 34 points in their 28 remaining games to make the playoffs, he said.
''Ninety-two to 94 points has gotten you in the last five years,'' Trotz said. ''I'd rather be safe than sorry.''
As the Predators start the final third of their season tonight in Chicago, they are confident they can reach that point total despite their failings down the stretch in their first five seasons. The team has averaged 24 points after the all-star break, with a high of 28 points last season.
Before this season, Nashville had just one winning February (8-2-1-0 last year), one winning March (7-5-1-1 in 2000-01) and no winning Aprils (just five wins in 24 games).
Trotz and his players largely dismiss the history. They've never been as good at the break as they are right now, 26-20-6-2, so it makes sense they'll be better after it too.
''It's time to break some new ground,'' Trotz said. ''This team's gotten it done for 60 games, I see no reason why we can't get it done for 28.''
If the Predators maintain their current pace they would wind up with 90 or 92 points. Edmonton collected the final playoff slot in the Western Conference last season with 92 points.
Nashville left wing Martin Erat said that in previous seasons the Predators always reached the break on the outside of the playoff bubble, with ground to make up. Now that they are above the cutoff line, there's no feeling that some big, magical jump must be made.
''We are in position and that's where we want to stay,'' Erat said.
Last season the Predators were just one spot and three points out of the playoffs with 15 games left. They didn't win a game the rest of the way, finishing with a miserable 0-10-3-2 run that included shutouts in three of their final four games.
''When you're out of the playoffs, you try different things, you try new guys,'' right wing Scott Walker said. ''We weren't playing for much. Now, these 28 games mean a lot. I think you'll see a different team than any other year.''
This year's version of the Predators won't be pondering the play of the team in year's past, defenseman Kimmo Timonen promised.
''I'm not worried. We played so good before the break, January was a big month, I don't want to look back,'' he said. ''Thinking about it might hurt you. We're not playing games from last season.''
Captain Greg Johnson likes the loftier goals and the look of the big picture, but he's quick to narrow the perspective.
''I am looking at Chicago,'' Johnson said. ''Three or four points seem like a mountain at this point. It's time to zero in and think about Chicago. And I think we will.'' (By Paul Kuharsky, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 7:10 AM
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Leipold gaining influence in NHL
Much as the Predators have engineered a surprisingly quick rise to playoff contention status this season, the team's owner has made a similar ascent into the NHL's sphere of influence.
It first became apparent Craig Leipold was making a mark in hockey circles last October, when he was one of just four NHL owners — along with Calgary's Harley Hotchkiss, Boston's Jeremy Jacobs and Carolina's Peter Karmanos — invited by Commissioner Gary Bettman to sit in on a negotiating session between the league and the NHL Players' Association.
The request was one of the factors that in turn impressed The Hockey News, hockey's most widely read periodical, to rank Leipold No. 27 in its recent annual listing of the sport's top 100 people of power and influence.
That marked quite a leap for Leipold, who'd never been included at all in the past, but now found himself outranking far more recognizable names, such as NHL greats Brett Hull (Detroit) and Scott Stevens (New Jersey), Minnesota Coach Jacques Lemaire, New York Rangers Coach/General Manager/President Glen Sather and bombastic Hockey Night in Canada commentator Don Cherry.
What's behind Leipold's increased standing these days?
Tenure is one reason, as somewhat surprisingly, Leipold already ranks about 10th among NHL owners in that department. But seniority isn't the only explanation for his current status.
For the last year Leipold has been a member of the NHL's executive committee, a group of roughly a dozen presidents and/or owners that Bettman looks to for feedback and advice.
In addition, Leipold's backing of the commissioner likely makes him one of the eight owners Bettman needs to block any potential policy moves with which Bettman doesn't agree.
That may grow increasingly important in the upcoming months, as the NHL and NHLPA try to agree upon a new collective bargaining agreement that would avoid a looming work stoppage in September.
''I think Craig's ranking is an indication of two things,'' Calgary President Ken King said. ''The significance of his contributions, and the shift in focus of what people are considering of great importance.
''He and some other owners moved into the top 100, and that shows the focus of things is changing a little as we look more and more at the (collective bargaining issues). His contributions have been very important so far, and I'm sure they will be in the future.''
The owner of the team with the league's lowest payroll at about $23 million, and a man whose franchise will lose money for at least a third consecutive season, Leipold is expected to be a strong backer for some type of cost certainty — or salary cap — that would theoretically bring mean more parity among NHL teams.
The Hockey News' short description of Leipold notes that he's an advocate of the ''level playing field school,'' one that Bettman is pushing for as well.
''(Bettman's) values and what he believes are important in the new economic system are the same values as my own,'' Leipold said. ''It's about the ability of all teams to be competitive, protecting the small-market teams and protecting the Canadian market teams. I'll say this: Our market in Nashville can't survive with the current economic system in place.''
It's clear that Leipold's support of Bettman is reciprocated, as evidenced by Bettman's invitation to join the high-level negotiating session in October.
The commissioner appears to see Leipold as a worthy representative of the league's small-market teams.
''I think the league really wants him on their side to buttress their argument that the small markets need help,'' said Mark Brender, one of The Hockey News' senior writers who helped compile the list of 100.
''He gets along well with people, tries pretty hard to have good public relations and is very visible. He's the kind of guy the league would love to get involved so it can say to the players: 'Hey, here's a guy who's doing everything right in the current system and it's still not working.' ''
Leipold's heavy activity in the league's economic future would seem to fare well for Nashville hockey fans, bringing further security to a market that always seems to get nervous whenever potential franchise moves are discussed.
It also shows that Leipold, a highly successful entrepreneur even before he purchased the Predators franchise, isn't about to watch an $80 million investment slide down the drain.
''I think anyone who knows the financial situation of the Predators knows that it's not necessarily all that bright,'' said Canadian-based TSN television commentator Bob McKenzie, who's ranked No. 69 on THN's list.
''Here's a guy who's concerned about his investment. The next (collective bargaining agreement) will determine his future, as well as the viability of this franchise."
''He wants to be as active as possible. He wants to be one of the standard-bearers who helps deliver this new system.'' (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 9:17 PM
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Preds top Sharks in OT thriller
With last night's overtime win over Pacific Division leader San Jose, the Predators kept alive hopes of stretching their home non-losing streak over a span of three months.
The 3-2 thriller came before a roaring capacity crowd of 17,113 at Gaylord Entertainment Center and extended Nashville's non-losing streak at home to 11 games.
Marek Zidlicky reached into a cluster of players to chip in the winning goal with 15.5 seconds remaining in overtime. Scott Walker and Kimmo Timonen were credited with the assist.
''It was a good chance,'' Zidlicky said. ''It was good to help out.''
What might have appeared to be confusion around the net, according to Walker, actually was what the Predators were hoping for at the end.
''I saw Marek skating hard, gave it to him and he made a move, then gave it to me, and all I thought of was drive to the net hard,'' Walker said.
''Everybody's tired at that point. You just gotta go to the net and cause some commotion and hope if I couldn't put it in somebody could come and bang on the rebound. I didn't really get to see the puck because I was laying on the ground, but Marek made a great play.''
The Predators haven't lost at home since falling to Vancouver in overtime Dec. 16. Their first game of this month comes Tuesday when Detroit visits.
''It was a great win,'' Coach Barry Trotz said. ''San Jose is really a terrific hockey team. They're almost infallible when it comes to having leads after two periods. It was huge win for us.''
San Jose erased Nashville's 1-0 lead and moved ahead 2-1, scoring two goals over a span of 3:24 in the second period.
The Sharks tied it with 4:51 remaining in the second when Patrick Marleau barely got the puck by Tomas Vokoun, who was lying on his belly. Officials reviewed the shot before declaring it a goal.
With 2:17 left in the second, Wayne Primeau shot past Vokoun for San Jose's go-ahead goal.
The Predators tied it up again with 12:11 left. Nabokov deflected a shot, Legwand flipped the puck to Walker, who fired from the left making it 2-2. (By Mike Organ, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Sharks let lead slip away in OT loss to Predators
Team needs to refocus, Wilson says
NASHVILLE - When analyzing their 3-2 overtime loss to Nashville on Saturday as well as their 3-1 regulation setback at Dallas on Friday, the Sharks stressed that they haven't been playing their game.
They aren't fooling.
Goals by Patrick Marleau and Wayne Primeau gave them a 2-1 lead entering the third period against the Predators. Usually this has translated into success. The Sharks were 20-1-3 when ahead after two.
This time Scott Walker tied it in the third when the Sharks got hemmed in. Marek Zidlicky scored on a scramble late in overtime.
"We're not making big mistakes, but little mistakes can hurt you,'' said Evgeni Nabokov, who posted 27 saves.
Similarly, the Sharks had gone ahead 1-0 Friday in Dallas. They had been 17-2-7-1 when scoring first. But defensive miscues allowed Jere Lehtinen to score the winner with less than three minutes left.
"We haven't played a 60-minute game in a long time,'' said Marleau, who had accepted responsibility on Lehtinen's goal. "That's what we need to do to win.''
By winning neither game of this trip, the Sharks saw their six-point lead over Dallas in the Pacific Division shrink to three.
Another strength -- penalty-killing -- betrayed them. The Sharks had entered Friday ranked No. 1. But Brenden Morrow converted for Dallas and David Legwand did the same for the Predators on a deflection.
Of equal concern for Coach Ron Wilson is the type of penalties his team took.
Vincent Damphousse committed two hooking penalties in Dallas. One led to Morrow's goal.
To start Saturday, Wilson had Wayne Primeau instead of Damphousse skating with Marleau and Marco Sturm. Later he elevated Niko Dimitrakos into Sturm's spot.
"Some guys have struggled; Preems deserves a bump,'' Wilson said. "As the game went on, so did Niko. They ended up making the great play to put us up 2-1.''
Since sustaining a chest injury Jan. 13 against Dallas, Sturm has zero goals and two assists in six games. He also sat out two games because of the injury and another because his wife was giving birth.
On defense, Brad Stuart has been guilty of some uncharacteristically puzzling decisions lately, including one on the sequence that led to Walker's goal, a rebound of Legwand's rip from the slot. Wilson didn't name names but Stuart was the one out of position.
"You see where the other defenseman was on the play?'' Wilson said. "It was like he was playing wing up at the far blue line. I don't think we should consider ourselves tired but maybe the January blahs have set in. I have to find a way to get some guys to refocus. It's got to start in practice.''
Despite the problems, the Sharks could have iced the game early in the third but botched chances.
Then Dimitrakos and Stuart were sprinting for a scoring chance in overtime just moments before Zidlicky's goal. But Dimitrakos, trying to set up Stuart, lost the puck.
"Odd-man rush and I screwed up,'' Dimitrakos said. "I tried to get back but sometimes when you make a mistake like that, it burns you.''
The Predators improved to 17-5-4-1 at home. Only Detroit (19) has more home wins.
Nashville also extended a streak of gaining at least one point at home to 14 games (9-0-4-1). During this run, they beat Stanley Cup champion New Jersey and three division leaders -- the Sharks, Detroit and Colorado.
"They play a lot more in-your-face than what they do on the road,'' Marleau said. (By Victor Chi, The (San Jose) Mercury News)
Bush embraces its divisiveness
In Massachusetts, Karl Rove has unearthed a weapon of mass distraction-related program activity.
You may recall that the state's Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling in November legalizing gay marriage. That ruling allowed Rove, President Bush's political handler, to change the subject.
He didn't want to go into the presidential campaign talking about the issues that matter most in the life of the republic: the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the gargantuan (and growing) budget deficit, millions of lost jobs. He didn't want Bush to have to defend his decisions on the environment, his pandering to Big Business, his knee-jerk allegiance to the wealthy. On those issues, the president is vulnerable.
So Rove badly needed a distraction -- a sure-fire appeal to voters' baser instincts. And he found it with the Massachusetts ruling.
Now, Bush can run a campaign that whips up fear and hate, primal instincts that often overrun common sense. Gay marriage doesn't affect the household income of the average voter or his children's chances for getting into good colleges. It doesn't outsource jobs to India. And it doesn't contribute to the decline of heterosexual marriage. (We haven't needed any help with that.)
But it does stir the blood and cloud the judgment of many Americans, persuading them to vote for the candidate who pledges to protect them from it. At the very least, Bush believes his signal of support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage will inspire conservative Christians, whose legendary organizational skills could give him the margin of victory in November.
(In case Bush's gay-bashing isn't enough, the word is out to state Republicans to foment homophobia in time for the presidential election. In Georgia, for example, GOP legislators are leading a push for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, although there is already a state law enshrining that particular brand of intolerance. If the Legislature passes the proposal calling for an amendment, it will appear on the November general election ballot.)
The White House's gay-bashing strategy is a sign of its desperation. Bush had planned to campaign as the steadfast commander in chief, but he now finds that this approach invites suspicion -- if not derision.
David Kay has not only confirmed that there were probably no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (only weapons of mass destruction-related program activities), but, adding insult to injury, Kay has speculated that President Clinton ended Saddam Hussein's weapons-building capacity with surgical strikes in 1998. Rove doesn't want to call attention to that.
Besides, Bush's emphasis on a continuing threat is counterintuitive. Although he peppered his State of the Union speech with countless references to "war" and "terror," the president and his advisers frequently tell us that the country is safer now that Saddam is in custody. And didn't he stand on the deck of a carrier a few months ago to grandly parade in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner?
That leaves Rove with few tricks left. The Mars mission hasn't been mentioned since Bush's early January announcement, perhaps because polls showed Americans had little enthusiasm for it.
While the president's immigration reform proposal did garner a brief mention in the State of the Union address, that plan is not polling well, either. Though the proposal -- which calls for expanded guest worker visas -- has real merit, Bush is unlikely to burn precious political capital getting it passed. Steroids? Hardly a rallying cry.
The Massachusetts ruling came to Rove's rescue, allowing him to run a campaign that feeds on the nation's last broadly accepted prejudice. (All the more so if the Democratic nominee is Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.) It is a stunning second act for a president whose first campaign claimed he was a uniter, not a divider.
But the sad thing is, a vicious campaign that plays on prejudice and fear could boomerang Bush right back into the White House. That's why politicians take the low road. It often leads to high places. (By Cynthia Tucker, The Atlanta Journal-Consitution)
Cheerleader of the Week
Lauren Brisby, (Carolina) TopCats
TIDAL 11:52 AM
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