Star Ocean 3

Heaven's wish to destroy all minds...Holy Explosion!

not that I believe this one...

Time's current, place me in your whirlpool! Haste2!

Life's refreshing breeze, heal from the sky! Cure2!

The actual match was pretty good. Run-ins are overdone, but this was a unique way of getting everyone's stories out there. There was also probably more actual wrestling than most episodes.

Doug Benson was a jerkass.

Some of my spam is becoming avant garde. This tagline does contain a certain brilliance in its effectiveness: I now wish to purchase pharmaceutical products online. The sparse punctuation, and genius capitalization do more than any dire pharmacy could. If only all advertisements could be this vague and thought-provoking.

"Really" isn't necessary in that sentence.

Don't worry, it shan't be posted in again until the one year, and subsequent anniversaries of the Ducks' victory.

Also, Game 9 lasted 9 hours 50 minutes 30 seconds, exactly the length of one Jupiter day.

edit - Wait, the Sharks would've won the series with Game 8. Oh, well.

My pick for next year's Stanley Cup Finals: Ducks over Sharks in 9. The two teams are ready to face each other in the first round of the playoffs, but Commisioner Bettman calls an audible, deciding that such a matchup should only be played for the Cup. He cancels all other playoff series, and declares this the Finals. San Jose wins Game 7 in Anaheim, but Bettman makes another daring move, and, in lieu of presenting the trophy, extends the series to 9 games because it is awesome. The Sharks players, instead of being angry, applaud the decision, aware of the good it would do for the world. The Sharks win Game 8 at home, and the day of Game 9 is declared an international holiday. In honor of the event, the game is played in complete silence, the only sounds being the wispy flicks of the puck, and whispers of the blades amongst the melting Anaheim ice. The mighty Sharks yield to the home team, who hoist the Cup not just for themselves, but for humanity. Knowing that hockey of this caliber could never be matched, the NHL folds, and the sport is banned from ever being played again, under penalty of torture. The Earth plunges into the Sun, creating a massive force of energy that eventually destroys the entire solar system, and surrounding galaxies. All matters of space and dimension collapse. A beginning finds itself, time drifts. A butterfly floats in the distance.

I went to this. I saw them fly the Cup in on a helicopter, the look on Giguere's face as the fans chanted "resign Jiggy" to the GM, got an overpriced shirt...but the best part was Governor Arnold's speech. Even Selanne did a Terminator joke, even though it led to an awkward moment where he wouldn't say if he's retiring or not, but that was the color commentator's fault for asking. Apparently people camped out for 14 hours for this thing so there are at least a hardcore few. As long as I've followed hockey I've never cared about the Kings one way or the other, and it's easier to see them just because they're closer, but wow, what a terrible franchise. The ownership is doing some great things for LA, like revitalizing the downtown area, and signing Beckham, but hockey is just stagnating.

oh yes.

This is the first time a major team I like wins a championship...the 49ers won last decade, but I didn't follow football like I do know. Obscure trivia I found - the Ducks have been in the playoffs 5 times, and had every possible result throughout. 1st Appearance: Eliminated from Conference Semi-Finals 2nd Appearance: Eliminated from Conference Quarter-Finals 3rd Appearance: Eliminated from Stanley Cup Finals 4th Appearance: Eliminated from Conference Finals 5th Appearance: Won Stanley Cup

THAT'S RIGHT.

If I were a player skating with the Cup, I wouldn't kiss it, just rub my face against it. Of course, I don't know how to skate, so that probably won't happen.

Somebody must be piping in that "Emery" chant.

Listen to Tim Cowlishaw and contract some teams. There should've been an Around the Horn special with nothing but him talking hockey.

I don't think the Ducks were lucky Detroit and SJ faced each other. Ducks pretty much had the Sharks number all season. You can say the regular season means nothing, but I don't know what SJ could do differently to beat Anaheim, Fatigue didn't beat Detroit. Giguere is integral, though. By nature I prefer smaller, speedier teams and the Ducks obviously aren't that, but it's more than luck that Burke did what he did. edit - I let this paragraph sit for 20 minutes before posting, and now King says it much better. Well.

The dynasty begins tonight.

I'm happy.

This isn't a charity. "Give it to Ottawa, they'll appreciate it more!" Screw that. I don't live in Anaheim, so I can't speak for them, but I think most of them know where hockey's place is in their lives. Of course there's no deep-rooted tradition, where it's life or death with every game. This is simply one more entertainment option amongst many, and I have absolutely no problem with that.

I hate you for saying that. Well, at least you have a good reason. Add DQVIII. I didn't think it was horrible, but the music is less tedious.