The Foo Fighters just got done rocking Madison Square Garden last night according to Devil buddy Steve Lepore who was one of the lucky fans in attendance. He told me via a chat that it was basically a Greatest Hits show with a couple of songs off the great Grammy Award winning rock album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

You really can’t go wrong with their music because it just totally kicks cerebral ass.

The biggest hit off that 2007 album is Grammy winner for Best Hard Rock performance ”The Pretender” which is frequently played on several radio stations. I hate overplayed music but that’s never going to change because most radio shows aren’t innovative enough and want desired ratings. Like most stations.

Thing is this song is a great listen because it’s enjoyable. The unique blend of guitars, bass along with awesome drumming gives it a very cool sound. Plus former Nirvana drummer now lead singer Dave Grohl of this very cool band has so much energy.

They just performed on Letterman and were awesome. I can totally see why Lepore was ecstatic about that concert. To quote part of what he said in a chat last night:

“They just brought it.“

And well, you either have IT or you don’t. They do. So it’s very easy to conclude that I need to score tix to a future show. Now it’s added to my concert laundry list which includes another one of my fave acts Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now if only Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and 2Pac were still around.

Oh. And would it kill Axl and Slash to freaking talk once and form an original GNR reunion? I know it will never happen. There’s a better chance of Hell freezing over and the Knicks somehow morphing into a title contender.

I really wish AOL didn’t suck ass because I can’t even link videos on this thing. I’m going to link it up the old fashioned way instead.

Foo Fighters: “The Pretender”

You can really feel their music.

Somehow, the rest of this entry got lost. I will try to have more cool Foo Fighters stuff up later tonight.

“You would’ve expected them [Knicks] to come out with more energy off last night.”

The words of the always analytical and poetic all-time great New York Knick Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who was left in disbelief at just how uncompetitive Lord Isiah’s NBA team looked in getting pulverized by an average at best 76er team to the tune of 124-84 in the City of Brotherly Love.

Well, that sadly is what quintessential Knick basketball has become. Where the unthinkable becomes possible. Ah. But they only allowed 72 first half points to a team who entered with seven more victories. Just imagine if they’d gotten to 80 points in the first 24 minutes. Btw…that would mean only four fewer points than the Orange and Blue totaled. What a team!

Well, there was a Lunar Eclipse tonight. In keeping with that theme, our frequent contributor Rob “Kraze” Davis notes the following of these Knicks:

“Maybe they should’ve shot the Knicks into outer space with that missle they’re shooting to blow up the spy satelite that fell out of orbit and could crash to earth.“

Well, hey. Imagine if they tried. Maybe they’d have been down by only 22 instead of the eye dropping 46 in the third quarter. These were the 76ers. To quote WFAN’s Steve Somers, “Not to be confused with the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons.”

So, how uncompetitive was the second of a league mandated back-to-back? The Knicks already trailed by 20 (37-17) after one quarter.

Defense and passing apparently were optional for Isiah’s club. Much like it has been almost all season setting back basketball over a century.

How bad was it? The Knick starting five of Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Eddy “Fat Albert” Curry, Christmas team ornament Quentin Richardson and crucial Isiah 2007 Draft acquisition Zach “Happy Meal” Randolph combined for just 44 points while turning the ball over 16 times. They had 14 assists finishing minus-two in the assist to turnover ratio.

But even better were the plus/minuses of this fearsome five:

Crawford: team worst minus-36

Robinson: minus-15

Curry: minus-30 in 24:29

Richardson: minus-22 in 23 mins

Randolph: minus-24 in 19:28

Minus-127 for the starting five

How is it even possible to be that brutal on a basketball court? I’ve seen high school players with a much better grasp of what it takes to win at this sport. Heck. A grammar school could probably take them.

This just in. In keeping with team tradition, Isiah blamed the 40-point humiliation on Stephon Marbury.

So, what did everyone’s least fave NBA exec (unless you happen to root for one of the other 29 teams which he’s improved) have to say about the latest double digit loss which de-proved his team to 16-38?

“We’ve had our good moments and we’ve had our share of bad moments. We’ve got to keep working. All we can do is keep working.”

Yep. They’re working alright. On probably the worst season in franchise history.

Did he actually say that with a straight face?!?!?!?!?!

The 76ers got to the century mark thru three quarters and led by a cool 43.

Like taking candy from a baby. That’s the Dumb and Dumber Clown Mgt 101 philosophy.

Now with the deadline tomorrow at 3 ET, watch Isiah somehow work a deal and add even more absurd contracts.

Well, look at the bright side as head chairman Jim Dolan would point to. They’re still 1-1 post All-Star Break. That playoff push should be coming any day now.

Hey. Rookie Thaddeus Young was happy to see the Knicks. The former Georgia Tech star went for a rookie career high of 20 points (8-of-11 FG) while grabbing eight boards (four offensive)- two more than any Knick. He did it in 24+ off the bench too.

Also of note, the 76er bench outscored the Knicks starters 55-44 with three players reaching double figures. The Knick bench accounted for nearly half (40) their 84.

In case you wanted to appreciate what other NBA teams think like, Philly leading scorer Andre Iguodala had this to say following the big win which helped them keep pace with the triumphant post-Jason Kidd Nets:

“We want to compete hard every game and make the playoffs.” 

Well, there’s always tomorrow. Hey. It worked in Annie.

I’ll be hosting tonight’s New York Hockey Report with probably co-host Gary Harding joining me at some point and possibly Patrick Hickey.

We’ll be talking Rangers, Devils and Islanders as well as more puck. So come check us out! :-) 

Who knew that Zach Randolph was such a great teammate? Well, of course Portland knew and if you had polled a vast majority of the NBA’s executives, they weren’t oblivious to The Big Zach Attack (not to be confused with Saved By The Bell’s Zach Morris).

Ah. But then what would life be like in this league without Lord Isiah to bring in Mr. Happy Meal to destroy even more credibility to a once prominent basketball franchise at 33rd and 7th. The latest form of team unity by the ex-jailed Blazer (no pun intended) was to toss water on Nate Robinson while on the bench late in the fourth quarter of what amounted to a stirring comeback win (113-100) over the Wizards in the nation’s capital last night.

Congress just ordered an full federal investigation of how Washington could get outscored 8-1 at the end of regulation and give up the first 11 in overtime translating to an absurd 19-1 Knicks’ run which gave them their 16th win against 37 defeats with 29 games left.

Afterwards, a jovial Isiah boasted about how his team improved to 1-0 post All-Star Break. He needed to pitch this as much as possible to change Dumb and Dumber Clown Mgt 101 ring-leader Jim Dolan’s mind about being unable to take on more contracts like a four-course meal at the NBA trade deadline.

“Brings out the dog out you,” Christmas team ornament Quentin Richardson said after contributing 19 points and six rebounds regarding the spat between Randolph and Robinson. “Play harder. I guess that’s what he’s saying. I guess we’ve got to do whatever it takes to keep pushing your teammates.”

“We haven’t been winning. We’ve been playing well. … It wasn’t frustration. It was just heat of the moment. We’re just playing. We don’t like to lose. It’s going to be the heat of the battle amongst each other, but we got to keep playing, kind of push it over the edge to make us play harder and harder.”

Randolph obviously wasn’t satisfied with his touches finishing 9-of-18 from the field for a team best 24 to go with 10 rebounds recording a double double which he confused with a double Whopper. Can you blame him? The man’s hungry. He’s got to eat.

Robinson, who admittedly struggled until draining a big trey late which started the run had 19 points, eight boards and five assists in a starting role, responded by tossing a towel in Happy Zach’s direction. Nothing like a little team unity.

“It’s just unacceptable, our approach to the game,” disgusted Washington coach Eddie Jordan said. “We just didn’t play hard enough. We didn’t play with a lot of purpose, and maybe we thought they were just going to give us the game, and it was just the opposite. … There was just no enthusiasm.”

Maybe his team which dropped to a dismal 1-7 this month picked up their opponents’ bad habits. Either that or they just can’t wait for leading scorer Gilbert Arenas to return so he can jack up nearly all the shots.

When he found out his team took the regular season series 2-1, Isiah immediately pointed toward the Randolph addition for this team-wide accomplishment. Too bad they’re 14-36 against everyone else.

Maybe they should secede from the NBA with Washington. The Wizards could change their team name to the Generals. Oh wait. That’s who the Harlem Globetrotters bitch slap.

Maybe they should just relocate to Siberia. They could then have a valid excuse to their remaining loyal fans including a frozen Spike Lee for why they rarely win. They were too cold. Paging the Polar Bears!

Knick basketball. Ya gotta love it.

Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! In a game they once trailed 5-0, the Montreal Canadiens rallied from that deficit for the first time in their proud history to comeback and defeat the New York Rangers 6-5 in a shootout before an electric capacity home crowd of better than 21 K.

This was one of the wackiest games you’ll ever see. How unpredictable was it? It started when Ranger rookie Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery got their team on the board with goals 14 seconds apart.

With the momentum theirs, Brendan Shanahan’s one-timer blast off a nifty Jaromir Jagr setup with Alex Kovalev in the box made it a three-goal lead sending rookie netminder Carey Price to an early shower.

When Shanahan redirected his second of the night off a Paul Mara shot pass to make it 19 consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals, it looked like the rout was on. Especially when Chris Drury later also scored on the back end of a double minor penalty for his 20th popping one top shelf.

But a resurgent Habs team rallied thanks to a couple of strong shifts by their fourth line resulting in a couple of Michael Ryder tallies before the second period was done.

Three goals with a period left was no longer insurmountable. Not with the kind of speed, aggressive attack and grinding they had. Continuing to batter the Rangers, they kept getting pucks in and having great shifts resulting in chances. When Kovalev notched his first of the night off an Andrei Markov pass, suddenly it was 5-3.

They weren’t done. Just nine seconds later, another Ryder shot ricocheted off Mark Streit’s leg past a stunned Henrik Lundqvist. They were within one with over 13:00 to play. Could the Blueshirts hang on for dear life? The answer was a resounding no thanks to Kovalev, who whipped a one-timer via Montreal’s No.1 ranked power play past Lundqvist for his 29th. It was shot so hard and accurately that the ex-Blueshirt fell over before celebrating with teammates.

The OT was almost all Habs as well with the exception of one solid Scott Gomez chance but the playmaking pivot couldn’t redirect a Shanny slap pass past Cristobal Huet instead pushing the puck wide.

And so, this topsy turvy edge of your seat thriller needed a shootout to decide the outcome. Not surprisingly, Les Habitants prevailed thanks to a breathtaking two deke forehand finish by captain Saku Koivu. Jagr’s backhand deke missed everything and the Habs celebrated like they’d won a Stanley Cup.

Why not? It’s not every night a team comes back from that kind of deficit. Never in their history had they and never had the Rangers ever blown a five-goal lead to lose.

The history book was re-written thanks to a great performance by the Canadiens who fed off their rabid fans.

I’ve been talking up this team for a while and for good reason as it was on display allowing them to keep pace with Ottawa for tops in the conference.

Can you think of any other team who would’ve been able to pull that out? I can’t.

Kudos to them. For the Rangers, it’s back to the drawing board wondering how the heck could they have allowed this to actually happen. Oh. The Habs are good. Better than them. They might only trail the Habs by seven points in the standings but it’s for good reason.

This was the Habs’ night. Let’s leave it at that.

For more on this exciting game and the entire Eastern playoff picture, please refer to our BONY blog game recap. 

More HB reaction: This game had it all. Quick end-to-end action. Plenty of goals along with stuff you just don’t see. It’s rare that teams score so quickly as these two teams did in this game. It’s hard to score 14 seconds apart let alone a ridiculous nine which the Habs pulled off to make their comeback chances realistic.

Even more, I loved the feistiness. It felt like a playoff game. You had nastiness. There was Dubinsky and Mike Komisarek getting together for a scrap which the nasty Montreal blueliner easily took. The goalies had to be on their toes. It was that on your edge. This was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen. I’d love to see these teams have a playoff series rematch. Preferably in the second or third round. Just wait and see.

Dubi also went for a Gordie Howe hat trick scoring and setting up the first couple of goals. The former second rounder in 2004 is going to be the Rangers’ next home grown star. It’s a rarity for them to produce any forwards. Well, he’s the exception because he has all the tools to be a really good second line center. Playing with Jagr and pest Sean Avery hasn’t hurt. He has really played well.

The Habs got their only win tonight in the four-game season series. They’re tied with the Sens with 75 points- two more than both the Devils and Pens, who each lead the Atlantic.

The Rangers are sixth with 68 points- two better than both the Bruins and Flyers. With so many teams in this wild race, it’s going to be interesting to see which teams are buyers at the deadline. Who will sell? Not Mortimer.

With more and more players reporting down to the Tampa Yankee complex to get ready for the season, that also includes plenty of former Baby Bombers that we were fortunate enough to cover over the past couple of summers.

One of those ex-Staten Island Yankees who was an integral part of the 2006 New York-Penn League repeat was relief pitcher Nick Peterson. The 23 year-old University of Tampa product is living out a dream pitching in the Yankee organization trying to climb his way up the ladder.

Selected by the club in the 12th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Peterson has made the smooth transition from starter to reliever. In his first pro season spent out here with the Staten Island Yankees, he appeared in 30 games going 5-3 with a solid 1.93 ERA saving 14 games while fanning an impressive 53 in 37 and a third innings. Such notable numbers earned him NYP Mid-Season All-Star status.

Down the stretch of that special season, he shifted to a setup role to make room for closer prospect Mark Melanchon, who shut the door on Tri-City in a deciding Game Three to help the club become the first Penn League repeat winners in more than two decades.

Peterson’s second pro season didn’t go as planned. With Single-A Charleston, he struggled with control problems walking 19 batters in only 13-plus frames before being sent back to Staten Island to get it ironed out. After returning to a familiar setting near The Ferry Terminal, he was two-for-two in save opportunities before elbow tendonitis sidetracked the affable reliever who enjoyed his stay in the big city.

Though it was an uphill battle to get back, Peterson proved that he was healthy by the end of the season tossing six scoreless while fanning 11 to conclude his second Baby Bomber stint with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 12 K’s.

Entering his third pro season, he’s hoping for a healthier 2008 looking to progress in the organization. But first things first as he’s back close to home training and was kind enough to give us a few minutes.

Hitting Back: How was your offseason?

Nick Peterson: The offseason was great! I took a few weeks completely off just to let my body rest. As you know, I had a little tendonitis so the rest was much needed. Sometime in October I started going in to the complex to lift and keep the conditioning up. Hit the weights pretty hard but didn’t start tossing till close to January. The offseason is nice, but after a couple months of no ball I start chomping at the bit to get started again.

HB: You had a setback last summer and had to shut it down for a while. How tough was it not being able to go out on the mound?

NP: Yeah tendonitis got me and we had to shut down the throwing for a couple months. Unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do but rest and rehab it so I could finish up with a few innings before the end of the season. It’s a common thing among pitchers so I tried not to get too dissapointed about missing games. Of course watching everyone else throw from the bench is tough, but I tried to keep a positive attitude. I just thank the Lord it wasn’t anything serious.

HB: You returned and finished strong. Would you say you were you 100 percent back?

NP:  I did come back and end the season with a couple weeks of solid innings. I felt like I threw the ball well. After plenty of rest, conditioning and arm exercises, the tendonitis was gone and my arm felt 100%.

HB: As someone who was an integral part of a Penn League winner, you got to participate in an exciting rivalry with Brooklyn. How much did you and the guys get up for those games?

NP: Well, anyone who’s played for Staten Island or the Brooklyn Cyclones knows there’s an intense rivalry between the two teams. Victory was always sweeter when it was over the Cyclones. The crowds are into the games. And any kind of New York fan knows their sports. That’s why it’s always exciting to play in front of them. But yes, there was always that extra boost of adrenalin when playing the Cyclones.

HB: Have you kept in touch with many of your former teammates?

NP: I do try to keep in touch with some of the guys over the offseason. And one or two of them even live in the Tampa area, so hitting the links to play a round of golf was always nice.

HB: Can you talk about the mentality coming out of the pen as opposed to starting? Is it a different approach?

NP: Since playing professional ball I’ve only been a reliver, but I did start in college so I have had the chance to compare the two roles. And yes they are two different mentalities. For me, as a starter, it was always better to be relaxed and be prepared to pitch deep into the games. As a short relief guy, I’ve found that the blood flows a little quicker. Especially when closing. You’re either the hero or the goat. If you happen to have a bad inning, then you’re most likely walking off the field with a Loss. As a starter you have that next inning to rebound. When coming out of the pen it’s very likely that you could throw back to back days. And the key to being successful to that is to have a short memory. You have to forget what happened the night before and be ready to pitch again the next day.

HB: You had some control issues with Charleston last year. Was there something you worked on with pitching coach Jeff Ware to correct the problem?

NP: Yeah we were toying around with some things in Charelston and it resulted in a disastrous couple months. Before heading to SI, I spent a week or so in Tampa working with Gil Patterson and Carlos Chantres. We had to go back to the basics and start over fresh. I actually think getting out of there and clearing my mind was better than staying and struggling. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to stay there with the team, but at the time I wasn’t helping them win. They had a great season and unfortunately I didn’t get to stay longer to enjoy it with them. Once in SI Jeff Ware worked with me and he did a great job of helping me keep my mechanics simple and pitch the way I know I can.

HB: Being from the Tampa area, what’s it like getting to train close to home at the complex?

NP: Having the complex and the facilities so close to home is extremely convenient. Having a stength trainer, athletic trainers and pitching coaches on site is definitely a plus. And with the warm weather the ability to be on the field through the offseason and winter was a blessing in disguise.

HB: Do you have any specific goals heading into your third pro season?

NP: I feel as if I’m more prepared for the full season this year since I’ve now been through one. I just want to stay healthy this year and I believe I’m physically in shape and ready for it. Of course we all have places we want to be at this year or numbers we want to achieve, but I think my focus needs to be on just pitching like I know how to pitch and taking the season one game at a time. I feel like I’m blessed with an ability and I’m confident that I have the stuff to pitch with the best of ‘em, and that’s all I need to know going into this season. The rest of it I can’t control. I can only control what I do out there.

HB: Final question: What did you enjoy most about New York City?

NP: New York City is something else. Like I said New York fans are the most exciting to play for. They’re really into their baseball and I think that makes the game and experience so much more fun. Aside from baseball, a couple trips over to the city were necessary to get out and take advantage of being up there. There’s a lot of places I’d still like to visit in the city and plan on one day living up there!

Special thanks again to Nick for taking time out of his busy schedule to grant us a few minutes. Best of luck this season to him and the rest of the players I had the pleasure of covering.

These days, there’s so much going on. It’s impossible to keep up with everything but let’s see what’s on my agenda anyway. In no particular order:

1.There’s a lot of talented freshmen in men’s college hoops right now but is anyone better than Kansas State’s Michael Beasley?  The 6-9 235 pound athletic lefty forward is averaging 25.7 PPG (fourth in nation) and 12.6 RPG (leads nation) for the 18-6 Wildcats in the Big 12. In a recent 37-point blowout win over Missouri, Beasley went for 40 and 17 rebounds. Just ridiculous.

This kid’s a beast. He can beat you inside and out. There’s no way to guard him. He’s the best player in the nation. I even have to agree with my Hard Hits colleague John “JPG” Giagnorio when he calls Beasley much better than former Texas standout Kevin Durant. They’re different players. One’s an athletic scorer who isn’t a wide body who gets many rebounds while the other is a house and projects even better in the NBA.

Teammate Bill Walker isn’t bad either netting over 16-a-game and nearly seven boards. Together, they’ve combined to lead the No.24 ranked Wildcats to an 8-2 conference record- tied for second with Texas half a game behind fourth ranked Kansas.

It should be interesting to see how Beasley and Co. fare down the stretch as March Madness arrives.

2.Just imagine if this Jason Kidd deal to Dallas didn’t get done and the NBA All-Star had to stay in New Jersey. To think that a two bit scrub like Devean George was holding it up. Now he’s been replaced by retired former Net Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell. Only in the NBA.

3.Is a soon to be 35 year-old Kidd really enough to put Mark Cuban’s Mavs over the top? Unless Dirk Nowitzki magicly turns into a dominant inside force, they’re still a soft perimeter oriented team. Also, how can both Kidd and Jason Terry co-exist? The other problem is that the West is so loaded that any of the higher seeds could get bounced out in the first round.

4.The trade for Mike Bibby was a smart move by the Hawks adding an experienced guard to a young athletic roster. It’s still amazing to think that a team seven under .500 is “going for it.” When was it exactly that the East became this bad? You have to cringe everytime you check the standings.

The sixth seeded Wizards, seventh seeded Nets and eighth seeded for now 76ers are a combined 16 under (71-87). The Hawks (21-28) have dropped four straight. Sadly, the 10 under Bulls and 11 under Pacers are still alive. When the 15 below Bucks and Bobcats are within four games, it speaks to just how pathetic it’s become.

Maybe the NBA needs to re-assess the playoff format and seed the top 16 teams. It would be a heck of a lot more fair to those much more competitive Western teams such as Houston and Portland who could be on the outside looking in.

Here’s what I say. If you can’t field a roster which finishes at least .500, then you don’t belong in the playoffs. It’s a joke just to even be 41-41 and qualify. That’s being generous. It’s high time David Stern stopped worrying about what his employees wear to games and started figuring a way to improve the playoff format. You just can’t take it seriously anymore.

5.Speaking of playoff formats which need addressing, how is it exactly that not one Southeast team will have more points than the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds. Figure the Flyers to get untracked too and wind up with more points than whoever wins that mediocre division. Maybe it’s time for everyone’s favorite weasel Gary Bettman to consider rewarding teams who have better regular seasons than division winners. If butt buddy Stern could do it, then why can’t the NHL commish?

6.Andy Pettite handled himself well earlier today during a one-hour conference call with reporters down in Tampa but can he please stop with the God references already?!?!?!?!?! Enough’s enough.

He’s still a lot more likeable than former buddy Roger Clemens but when you put that stuff into your body and lie, you automatically give up the right to talk about religion. We might’ve argued about much on a heated show last night but three of my co-hosts: Giagnorio, Nate Sousa and Rob Davis were right on the money about that.

7.Wonder how Clemens feels now about getting his day in court against Brian McNamee. How arrogant could you be?

8.I love all this talk about the Mets being the team to beat over Jimmy Rollins’ Phillies. That’s cause they are. Especially when you add Johan Santana to their roster. On paper at least anyway. They still got to beat the Phils on the field. Something they never did last September. Let’s wait until some real games are played.

9.It’s now nine and counting for Jim Calhoun’s UConn Huskies. The more I see of A.J. Price and emerging big man Hasheem Thabeet, the more I believe this team could go very far next month.

10.Remember when the Knicks had an actual watchable basketball team? Neither do I.

11.I sure wish I could find a way to score some tix to the Foo Fighters for tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden.

12.I like how our government can investigate Pats coach Bill Belichick for this Spy Gate nonsense but never really consider examining if there’s a steroid epidemic in the NFL like they have with baseball. Oh wait. That’s right. Football players are perfect. Almost forgot.

13.When does that same government with all these great politicians start fixing our inner ghettos? Would any of these elitists even step foot in those places? How come nobody ever wants to do anything about that problem? Because they’re either too scared or would rather ignore it like the plague. I’ve driven through a couple of poor areas to get to games down by St. George Ferry Terminal and it saddens me.

14.Four months till the Baby Bombers open up at Richmond County Bank Ballpark for their 10th season.

15.Remember the last time St. John’s had a good college basketball team? I kind of do but it feels like forever.

16.Somehow, the Devils are tied with Ottawa and Montreal for a share of the Eastern Conference lead. Amazing how things never seem to change over there. As long as Marty Brodeur is in goal, they will always remain competitive. 

17.It’s kind of amazing to think that Ted Nolan has his banged up team sitting only a point out of the final spot. They’re leading scorer is Mike Comrie, who will never be confused with Sidney Crosby. Bill Guerin’s performed very well as team captain notching a couple of more assists in a come from behind 3-2 home win over the Sharks today. Rick DiPietro might be cocky but he’s also a heck of a goalie.

It’s still hard to see that team getting in. Especially with the blueline suffering and not much firepower. How is it possible for a team which has scored 24 fewer goals than they’ve given up to be right there? It’s the coach.

18.If these Rangers continue to play the way they did this weekend, they’re still a team nobody would want to draw in the playoffs. Especially if King Henrik has it back together now that he’s got his brand new contract.

19.I still say the Canadiens have the best shot to knock off the Sens and come out of the East. They’re only one of the deepest teams in the conference with quality forwards, an underrated blueline and two capable goalies. Alexei Kovalev is playing some inspired hockey these days. Maybe that motorbike incident was a reality check.

Find me a more versatile center in the conference than Tomas Plekanec. Ditto for Long Island product Chris Higgins who can play center or wing. Those Kostistyns are pretty good around the net. Andrei Markov’s the best defenseman nobody talks about. And Roman Hamrlik was a suitable replacement for the injured again ex-Hab Sheldon Souray.

This is the best team Les Habitants have had since that 1993 team which Patrick Roy carried all the way to the Original Six franchise’s 24th Stanley Cup. It ironically is still the last Canadian team to win the Cup. Maybe that finally changes this year by the same team. Who would’ve ever considered it a possibility at the beginning of training camp?

20.Staten Island Moore Catholic product Kyle McAlarney continues to make a name for himself starring in the Notre Dame backcourt. Read SI Advance writer Cormac Gordon’s latest article on the 20 year-old junior guard whose averaging better than 15 points along with 3.7 assists for the Big East’s third best team which is ranked 21st in the country. He also shoots it 45.1 percent from downtown. He’s come a very long way since last year.

21.Just in case you missed St. Peter’s thrilling three-point comeback from 14 down over Curtis to win the SIHSL championship again, you need to check out the Advance’s video. It looked like a great game. Glad I can catch it anytime over on Digital Time Warner. That’s the cool thing about living out here. They always do a splendid job covering HS sports. It gave kids like McLarney exposure and gave it that extra appeal which made it- particularly that tournament all the more special.

22.If the Hoosiers were going to fire Kelvin Sampson for recruiting violations, it would’ve happened already. Kind of hypocritical from the same university who axed legendary coach Bob Knight. He might’ve been a hot head but the former IU coach who led the school to three national championships ran a clean program.

23.Wouldn’t it be ironic if Santana replacement Livan Hernandez somehow wound up with more victories than the Twins’ former lefty ace? Not to Mets fans.

24.Jason “DH” Giambi. Doug Mientkiewicz. Shelly Duncan. Morgan Ensberg. Wilson Betemit. Who’s on first again for the Pinstripes?

This is something which is dedicated to all the people who deal with all sorts of bullsh*t from total assholes who realllly think they know you when they don’t know jack and need to check themselves.

“You Think You Know”

You think you know

But you’re way off track

You say you know

But better step the hell back

This ain’t some fun ass game

Which is going on inside my head

It’s all the frustration and pain

As I lie here awake in bed

You always got it all figured out

Maybe it’s time for a dose of reality

Putting into action all the unknown doubt

Where you suddenly open your eyes and feel self pity

Welcome to my eternal hell

Where it’s never ever the same

And you feel like you never should’ve rang my bell

Where the sun rarely shows with a lot more rain

Don’t sit there and assume so much bullshit

How about talking to me first and looking me in the eye

It just might be enough to make you finally sit

All your assumptions are utter nonsense even if I’m a bit shy

Try sitting across from me and finding out what I’m really about

Then get a completely different perspective and finally have a clue

This way I don’t always have to scream and shout

I’m not trying to tell you that we’re completely through

Just hear my message and you’ll finally realize

It will be that much better for future days

Then maybe the sun shall finally rise

Feeling better instead of completely dazed

You think you know

But need to look at things in a different light

You say you know

But must realize there are other ways to be right

It might not always be the way you portray

Or come out quite your way

Sometimes we all need to check ourselves

And open up some brand new shelves

You think you know

But now finally see things my way

You say you know

But now understand what I’ve been trying to say

U2 Live Aid 1985: “Bad“

U2 has had many great hit songs over the years. I happen to like this Live Aid version of “Bad,” played from 1985. It’s just played so awesome and sang so well by lead singer Bono.

It also happens to be one of the Irish band’s best tracks originating from The Unforgettable Fire. 

Some of the lyrics:

I’m not sleeping oh no

If I could you know I would

If I could then I would

During this live extended version for a worthy cause fighting world hunger, Bono sings a little bit of Groovy Tuesday.

When: 10 PM to midnight on the East coast

Topics: Clemens vs McNamee, crooked politicians, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, NHL Eastern playoff races heating up, Rangers, Devils, Islanders plus some Spring Training stuff and other random things.

So tune in people!

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