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A team needs more than skill. More than good coaching. More than heart & desire. Sometimes you need a little luck. So with the (whatever number pick this is) the Northern Lights Five are proud to select "Lucky" Luc Robitaille. - Calder Trophy winner in 1987 - Scored 40+ goals 8 times in his career, including 2 seasons in the 50s and one in which he scored 63 - 10th all time in goals scored with 668 - Highest scoring LW of all time A goal scorer like Robitaille & a playmaker like Crosby is 2/3 of my top line. Robitaille was one of 5 guys that I'd been debating between, and he was the one most likely to get taken before I picked again, so I had to pull the trigger on him. And I want to agree that - at times - this is taking far too long; this is my "short break" between picks, and it was still 6 days since I last chose. I figure I won't need to make my next pick until the second week of June. We should try to arrange a time that all/most of us are online at the same time and try to rip through a round or two.

Are you picking the Leetcher, or just using his image & name for your team?

Nick didn't go to jail because the kid got hurt - he went to jail because he drunkenly raced and crashed his car. The kid's injuries is what made it impossible for Nick to get out of it with a "boys will be boys" slap on the wrist. The fact that Nick bragged about getting pulled over - repeatedly - while doing 100+ mph probably didn't really help his case, either. No, Brooke looks like a douchebag in this case, too ... she's the one that posted on her myspace that the kid with the crushed skull was 'never home and always at our house' as if that proved that his mother wasn't a good parent or something comparable. How about this: most kids would hang around at their rich friend's house, especially if that kid's parents bought him beer and pretty much let him do what he wanted. It has nothing to do with how bad of a parent the other kid's mother was ... it's how bad of parents the Bollea parents are.

I've been paying passive attention to this draft, and was chomping at the bit for the selections of both Brody and the MVC. I thought that the latter would have gone much sooner (I think they're comparable to the Road Warriors, Midnites, Bulldogs & Steiners in terms of worth to a federation) and Brody would have been one of my first few picks. I was shocked to see how long both lasted ... and then both went in about 35 minutes yesterday afternoon.

Yeah, from what I've heard - and these rumors seem to be changing constantly - the proposed Rangers/Bruins game at Yankee Stadium might not come to fruition, and if it doesn't happen, Chicago hosting Detroit is the second option. Obviously I'd prefer the former, as it (1) involves the team that I support & (2) is close enough that I could go to the game ... but Hawks/Wings would be fine as well. And I've also heard a rumor that Pittsburgh & Philly are pushing for an annual game between those two teams, at Penn State. I'd like to think that the league will limit the number of outdoor games each season (any more than "1" is too many) and will also try to showcase as many different marquee teams, players and cities as possible. Sorry, Pennsylvania, no annual game for you.

I'm using a memory from like 20 years ago, and one that was born from an Apter-mag, but hadn't Garvin already signed with the WWF at that point? I remember reading how unusual it was for Vince to allow a contracted wrestler to appear in another federation; is there any chance that Garvin was allowed a match to relinquish the title but wasn't allowed to be pinned or submitted?

A lot of the players that were selected lately were on my wish-list, but were players that I thought would be available in a few rounds. Hopefully this means that the players that I want more - but presumed would be taken earlier - will be available for me.

Are you looking with the same eyes that saw a Detroit team that couldn't beat Colorado, Dallas, and Pittsburgh? Or have you gotten your vision checked yet? I don't think he embellished; just because he reacted late doesn't mean it didn't hurt. You certainly see it enough with things like pucks, where the guy hasn't had enough time to fully process everything before he feels it. Plus, it doesn't make it any less classless to punch a guy whose had concussion symptoms. I also forgot to mention Talbot's kick to the back of Frazen's leg. You can't possibly defend that crap. I hate to say it, but it has to be expected in the Cup finals. If Franzen had a bad knee, players would be going after that; if he had a bad back, players would be going after that. So while I recognize that going after a head injury is a bit more callous than going after a knee or a back, it's part of the game. It was a cheap-shot, but a to-be-expected cheap-shot.

I'd presume that Chelios - the slowest & most aged Wings defensemen - being healthy-scratched would help the Wings blueliners keep up with the Penguins. Don't get me wrong, their second pairing has played much better than I anticipated. But removing a 46 year old defensemen is bound to help a team keep up with a younger team.

I've selected a great goaltender and a great defensemen. But neither of them are the kind of guy that you'd put on the cover of your media guide, or the kind of player that guarantees that the networks will want to show your games. Neither one is a face of a franchise. But Sidney Crosby is that kind of guy and that kind of player. And while there are players with better career numbers, I'm going with what he's capable of doing rather than what he's already done. The Northern Lights Five are proud to select Sidney Crosby with their 3rd round selection. In lieu of a picture, I'm going to ask everyone to watch the Stanley Cup - there's a slim chance that they might show him or talk about him there. - 100+ points as a rookie - led the league in scoring in his second year, becoming the youngest player in North American sports to do so - won the Hart Trophy as a teenager - dives & whines with the best of them

I'm pretty sure that Lidstrom is off the board; selected by Max. And I think the decision was 12 forwards, not 4 LW / 4 C / 4 RW

It's a trap.

CG, can you modify the original post to indicate if a person was selected as coach instead of as a player? So far it's been pretty obvious role what the person is going to fill (e.g. I don't think that Coach Gretzky would be picked so high in a draft) but there might be some that aren't quite as obvious. And while I'm asking for favors: what would y'all think about deleting or hiding the early posts that are just all of us signing up to participate or debating the rules? It'd be nice to see the draft starting on page one & all that jazz.

I was using "indy" as a euphemism for "amateur" or "cheap". If you were a fan in the boom years that stopped watching when the boom busted, and had only seen WWF or WCW, and flipped past TNA, you'd see a 6-sided ring, in what looks to be a compartively small arena. So it's immediately starting off looking more amateurish than what you'd seen in the past. And if you saw Joe doing a promo or what have you, you'd see a guy that looks out-of-shape (which I'll reiterate I'm not holding against him in this conversation, because there have been a lot of out out-of-shape wrestlers in the past), wearing a frat-guy necklace and tights that look like swimming trunks. So you as a former fan might not use the word "indy", but (IMHO) you'd think that he & TNA look less professional, less polished, than what you'd seen in the past. And the tights? I hate to word it this way, but they're not tight enough. Not that I want to see Joe in a second skin, but it's how wrestling trunks normally look: tight. Other than when it's part of a gimmick (such as wearing jean-shorts like Cena), you normally don't see a pro wrestler in trunks like Joe's. Hey, it's just one person's opinion, and obviously most of you disagree with it.

In order: Yes, wearing the same style of trunks that have traditionally been worn by wrestlers would help him look like a pro wrestler. I don't care if they're shorter or down-to-the-boots. But what he's wearing now look more like swimming trunks than wrestling tights, IMHO. No, fake tan isn't necessary, his skin tone is a-Ok. Tribal tats aren't necessary, either. Losing weight wouldn't hurt, but as you correctly pointed out it's not a prerequisite. (although I could make the argument that the undefined guys you pointed out as part of your argument were a sumo-gimmick and two mid-carders. But that's besides the point) And "the crowd" that you refer to might be different than the one that I am. You seem to be talking about him being more over with the crowd in the arenas and the TNA fans. I'm not. I'm talking about casual fan that might stumble across TNA while flipping around one night. The fan that used to watch wrestling during the boom period but doesn't watch anymore. And a fan like that would see Joe and think that he looks as much a backyarder as a stereotypical "professional wrestler". I'm sure the crowd that you're referring to would embrace him more if he was booked better ... but I'm thinking of the person that doesn't even watch long enough to see how he's booked. Is it speculation? Yes, I haven't done any research or polling or anything. Just going by what I, as a former wrestling fan who occasionally pays half attention to a few minutes of a TV show each week, sees and thinks.

We'll have to agree to disagree. You'll keep referring to how he's booked. And I'll keep referring to people not sticking around to see how he's booked. And I think we're using too different definitions of "professional". I don't mean sloppy or unkempt; I mean amateurish. From what I've seen of CM Punk, he wears "standard" tights, he doesn't have a surfer necklace on his neck, and other than his lip-piercing, everything seems pretty much in line with what we were conditioned to expect from a pro wrestler. Now, if I meant sloppy or unkempt when I said "unprofessional", his tattoos, wrist/hand tape and scraggly beard would be applicable.

Duly noted, max, but it still doesn't change my mind. The guy is going to play his game, which includes blocking shots. He missed 15 games this year because of the way he plays the game. Add in two more years of age, and those 15 games are likely to increase, IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have him back and think that he'll help the team next season ... it's the second year that has me more concerned. (And I agree with you 100% on the money, it's terrific for someone of his skillset - he could have gotten more on the open market and it's always nice to see a guy take a 'hometown discount')

I don't think it has anything to do with his appearance, it's because he is being booked poorly. Yokozuna, Adrian Adonis, Bam Bam Bigelow, etc. all proved weight didn't matter. Goldberg, Austin, etc. all proved ring gear doesn't either. Joe was over in ROH. Granted, that is a niche crowd, but he was over, despite being fat and wearing terrible ring gear. In TNA, he was over early when he wasn't talking much and was putting on consistantly good matches. Then, as his popularity grew, TNA decided to thrust him into storylines and whatnot, and that's when things went sour. People just lost interest because he's a complaining pussy instead of a no-nonsense ass-kicker. People can see a complaining pussy everyday at work. Jingo, I think you missed the point of that paragraph. My point was that he looks so unprofessional (for lack of a better word) that a casual fan wouldn't bother watching to see how he was booked. The beaded necklace? Fine for a frat party, not so fine for a "world champion". The trunks? They just don't look professional to me. Add in his lack of definition, and he just comes across as too "indy" for a mainstream audience.

The Northern Lights Five are proud to select Doug Harvey with the (whatever # pick this is) pick. 7 time Norris trophy winner 6 time Stanley Cup champ Tremendous offensive skills from the blueline IMHO, the second best defensemen in the history of the game. And since I wasn't around to explain my selection of Ken Dryden: Like Max, I was planning on building from the net out, so I knew I wanted a netminder with my first choice, and it was between Dryden & someone else. I ended up going with Dryden because (1) he helped lead the Habs to 6 Cups between '71 & '79 (and that's not including his hold-out year), (2) 5 Vezina trophies in 7 years, and (3) I wanted a smart, intellectual player to neutralize some of the more bombastic players that are on my wish-list. And Dryden is most assuredly intellectual. MF'erExtreme, you're up.

The NHL had a Stanley Cup of Edmonton v. Carolina. If they rig the playoffs, they do an awful job at it Carolina made perfect sense; Bettman needed a team that he relocated to be successful & regionally relevant, and what better way to achieve that than by having them play for & win a Cup? And Edmonton? He just threw a bone to the Canadians. Having said all that: no, I don't think the NHL is manipulating anything to give a certain team a Cup or anything. This isn't Stern & the NBA we're talking about.

I don't think it's Joe's physique that hurst him as much as the total aethetics of his appearance. The beaded necklace, the trunks he wears, and his physique all combine to look very, very "indy". And while that's fine to an actual wrestling fan, who might realize that "indy" isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you're a passive fan that was raised on the glitz & glamor of the WWE, or even WCW, you're not going to give him the chance to impress you. He just doesn't look like what people have been conditioned to expect. You can compare him to JBL all you want, but at least JBL - other than his lack of definition - looks more like a "pro wrestler". And a few pages ago cabbageboy said that Selinas "detracts from the bad ass mentality". I think that Hector, a MUCH older guy that doesn't look like he's part of the gangbanging lifestyle that LAX is projecting, looks more out of place than Selinas. Most of the gangs that I've seen - admittedly on TV and whatnot, I haven't had the pleasure of really spending much time with Latino gangs - have had female hangers-on and whatnot.

Just because it doesn't enhance your life as a baseball fan, or doesn't give you any excitement, doesn't mean that it's irrelevant to everyone. Perhaps the majority of people would prefer to see the final three outs of a no-hitter; evidently ESPN feels that the majority of people would prefer to see those outs, as if they thought that they'd be pissing off the majority they wouldn't do it. (for instance, I can't see them cutting into an NBA playoff game to show the final 3 outs of a no-hitter.) And you forgot one comparison in your "breakdown of important games". Part of a no hitter > part of another game.

I remembered where I saw that Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse talked about the numbers; I'm too lazy to search out the original source, but here's the c&p from another board:

Does anyone know if whatifsports allows people to load custom teams for a game or league? If so, we could just add our teams to that site and let their computer simulate the games for a tournament or season.

While I'm thrilled to have a veteran blue-liner that's a good locker room presence back, I have real concerns about his health. He battled injuries throughout this past season, and as he gets older those aches & pains will be tougher to play through. Hopefully they can ease Stuart or Lashoff into more playing time and limit Ward's minutes. He doesn't help anyone sitting in a suit on the 9th floor of the "Garden".