Prior to Monday's game six in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against Boston, Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, who should've known better, guaranteed the series would go to a 7th game.
What happened? The Bruins dismissed the Blue Jackets, 3-0, to win the series, 4-2.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Columbus drops the other shoe and drops Tortorella like a bad habit.
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I didn't see the race---I was covering a high school baseball game at the time----but the controversy over the Kentucky Derby should be dying down.
In case you missed it, Maximum Security crossed the finish line first, but, after a stewards' review that took nearly a half hour, Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, and dropped all the way down to 17th in a field of 19. Country House, the 65-1 longshot, was declared the winner.
Kentucky racing laws don't allow for appeals, but Gary West, owner of Maximum Security, convinced his horse didn't do anything out of line, is planning to appeal to the courts.
SERIOUSLY?
Now, ye scribe doesn't follow horse racing as closely as in the past, but this is a fool's folly all the way.
By the way, neither Country House nor Maximum Security will run in the Preakness on May 17. There are still folks who want more lead time between Triple Crown races, to give the horses significant, sufficient time to rest. I don't see a problem with that, but this is one tradition that won't be broken for any amount of money.
Right now, the three races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) are run over the course of a six week period (The Belmont will run on June 8). Taking into account the rash of horse deaths at Santa Anita in California, advocates calling for the longer lead time between races have a clear cut case. It's the TV money involved that's a stumbling block. NBC holds the rights to the Triple Crown, and they're the ones to blame for the races being delayed to nearly 7 pm (ET), to milk ratings. That's been going on for a while now.
I can remember when CBS had the rights, and didn't air any "undercard" races. They got it right, and so did ABC when they took it over. I guess they think it's necessary to flood Joe Sixpack's brain with useless information for four hours before the race.
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As long as WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon is forging ahead with XFL 2.0 next February, he's got the TV deal in place.
Fox, FS1, ABC, & ESPN will be the places to go in 2020. Considering Fox will be picking up Smackdown come October, their involvement is no surprise. WWE has a cozy relationship with ESPN as well. As long as WWE personalities don't appear during XFL games like they did in 2001, and Vince keeps a low profile this time, maybe they can succeed where Charlie Ebersol's Alliance of American Football failed. The AAF folded a few weeks ago, unable to finish their lone season, and many believe the XFL is headed for that same fate.
Somehow, though, Fox XFL Saturday or ESPN's XFL Countdown don't sound so promising, although in the latter, it would give Jonathan Coachman, a former ESPN guy between WWE runs, something to do.
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We brought this up over at Tri-City SportsBeat, but it bears repeating here.
When Monday Night Raw rolls into Albany in two weeks, even though advertising is promising low prices of $15, a check of the Times-Union Center website showed that hadn't been the case, as the low price on the site was $20 higher ($35). I am guessing it's to cover renovation costs on the arena.
Meanwhile, NXT figures to be in town in August, right before Summerslam, but not at the acoustically-challenged Washington Avenue Armory. Instead, early word is that NXT will move down the hill to the Capital Center, which hadn't listed it on its website at last check, so I can't quote ticket prices just yet.
Then again, I've advocated ever since the Capital Center opened that NXT should be there. The Albany All-Stars women's roller derby moved there a couple of years ago, even though they weren't selling out the Armory.. I think they, too, realized the sound issues...........
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