MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM NETFLIX

So I decided to get a Netflix.ca account today as I'll be travelling a bit over the Holidays and figured live streaming of movies may come in handy.

Problem is, I typed in about 20 movies to watch and a whopping sum of 0 were available.

Then, I tried the top ten movies of 2002 according to a couple of popular websites and found 0.

There are a lot of movies available, but most of the ones I'd want to see are old selections that I've already seen or don't want to ever see.

There are also a whole host of movies I've never heard of.

As far as discovering a TV series?  Forget it.

Maybe I'm using it wrong.  This is supposed to the 'it' of movies and live streaming.  I'll stick to iTunes if I want to pay an over-inflated price and there is another website out there called movieberry.com and it's much better; although I'm told Movieberry's tech service is pretty much non-existent.  To this point, I haven't needed it! 

To compare:  The Hangover, The Expendables,and A-Team are all available on movieberry.  None of those are available on Netflix.

THIS WORKS (Your age by Beer Math)

YOUR AGE BY BEER MATHS...its extremely accurate..... 


Don't tell me your age; you'd probably lie anyway-but the BUD Man will know! 

YOUR AGE BY BEER MATHS

This is pretty neat. 
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST! 
It takes less than a minute. 
Work this out as you read. 
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun. 


1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have a beer(more than once but less than 10) 

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold) 


3. Add 5 


4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator 


5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1760 .. 
If you haven't, add 1759.. 


6... Now subtract the four digit year that you were born. 


You should have a three digit number 


The first digit of this was your original number 
(i.e., how many times you want to havebeer each week). 


The next two numbers are 



YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!) 


THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2010) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS. 
BEER Calculator.......... 
 
   

BIG DEAL, SO REX RYAN'S WIFE HAS SEXY FEET....

Nothing and I mean NOTHING is off limits.

Look at the great lengths deadspin.com has gone to expose a part of Rex Ryan's life that, really, is just not something that should be reported on.  There is no illegal activity here, just a lifestyle being exposed.

Trash.

http://deadspin.com/5715741/this-may-or-may-not-be-rex-ryans-wife-making-foot+fetish-videos?skyline=true&s=i

THROWING WAFFLES A PEACEFUL PROTEST?

I wonder if this guy has the right to protest the same way radicals do during political conventions.....first glance would indicate that he does not.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AsnyNS.r6WMeOYuIAQQBg4hShgM6?slug=capress-hkn_waffle_thrower_charged-5475124

SPORTS QUESTIONS

--If the Toronto Maple Leafs were planning on making Nazem Kadri a healthy scratch for two games, why not assign him to the AHL so he can serve his two game suspension?  Is he never returning to the 'A'?

--Does anyone else remember Brian Burke saying at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft that he could have landed John Tavares, but he wasn't about to trade Kadri (7th overall selection) and Luke Schenn for him?  Sure, Tavares isn't developing as fast as Matt Duchene, for example, but I consider that a by-product of where Tavares is playing.  Besides, Burke could always have drafted Duchene if he had made that deal for the #1 overall selection.  If Brian Burke's name was anything but Brian Burke, he would have been canned already.

--When was the last time Rogers Communications did something for the benefit of their customer base without the bottom line being the most important factor?  If you can't remember, don't expect the Toronto Blue Jays to spend money to try and usurp the New York Yankees and/or Boston Red Sox in the AL East.  It would be more likely that the Jays tease their fan base for awhile before bailing because they don't want to add salary.

--MLB teams in Kansas City, San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Florida should all be contracted, shouldn't they?  The Marlins and Padres have had success by accident, but there is no doubting that all of those teams have no intention of ever actually trying to field a competitive team.

--Wouldn't it be quite a storyline to see an NFC championship game between Michael Vick's Philadelphia Eagles and Vick's former team, the Atlanta Falcons?  Vick is an exciting player and maybe, just maybe, he's turned his life around.  Still, taking into account all aspects of building a franchise (on-field, off-field, etc.) I would rather have Matt Ryan, who's an excellent player and has a reputation as a guy to be that of a total gentleman.  Ryan won't put up the eye popping stats that Vick does, but he's plenty good and I don't think you'll have to worry where he spends his free time.

--Are the World Junior Hockey Championships truly a 'future stars' competition?  At random, I looked to see who the leading scorers at the 2001 tournament were and here they are:  Pavel Brendl, Jani Rita, Jon DiSalvatore, Vaclav Nedorost, Andy Hilbert, Jeff Taffe, Zdenek Blatny, Ville Hamalainen, Jamie Lundmark, and Rostislav Klesla.  The top goalies were Tomas Duba, Rick DiPietro, Ari Ahonen, Maxime Ouellet, and Henrik Lundqvist.

--Am I alone in hoping Donald Fehr is so tough on the NHL owners that he runs a few of them out of business?  I think it may, inadvertently, help cities like Winnipeg and Quebec City get their teams back.  If he can bleed Phoenix, Florida, and Atlanta completely dry they'll need to be relocated.  Bettman can put one of them in Las Vegas and then give the other two to Winnipeg and Quebec.  Maybe Carolina, Tampa Bay, or Nashville will fall by the wayside too and another team can go in Hamilton or Toronto.

BOECHLER'S GET CHRISTMAS WISH

Brian Boechler sent this email last night just after 6pm:

Hello Everyone,
We've just returned from our meeting with the doctor and he gave us all the greatest Christmas present possible - he's sending Luke home.  All tests have now come back and all is clear.  He indicated all (100%) blood cells are donor (which is what we wanted to hear) and that given the good test results, he felt there is a very low possibility of the leukemia returning (which we also wanted to hear).  Liver function is still a bit abnormal but no medication or intervention is needed and the Saskatoon clinic will monitor it - the doctor said he is optimistic that it will take care of itself over time.  Luke gets his "Hickman" catheter (used to administer chemo and draw blood) removed from his chest tomorrow and Brittany finishes teaching Wed. at noon and will ride back to Yorkton with us - leaving at about 12:01!

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, thoughts, and incredible support - there is no question it made a difficult situation much easier to cope with.  Our best wishes to you for a happy and safe Christmas season and a new year filled with all of God's blessings for you and your loved ones.  We look forward to seeing you all in the next short while.

Merry Christmas!
Brian, Jeannine. Brittany, Paul and LUKE!

FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

--Brett Favre started tonight?  Really?  Wow, Favre is widely criticized as much as he is praised; but even his biggest detractors have to admit that was an act of courage and toughness tonight.  He gets full marks from me.

--Austin Collie should think very seriously about whether or not playing football again is really worth it.  Collie has missed five games to two or three different concussions this year.  You can't put a price on health.

--Colin Cowherd made a great point today about Tom Brady.  He says Brady may be the best ever when you consider he's won three Super Bowls and done so without other stud players on offense, for the most part.  Dallas had Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.  The 49ers had Jerry Rice.  If Brady and the Patriots win again this year, who made up Brady's supporting cast?  Remember, this is a team that chucked Randy Moss overboard and many experts figured they were nuts for doing so.

--My pick for NFL Most Valuable Player is Tom Brady.  Runner-up is Philip Rivers and honorable mention to Michael Vick; although Vick maybe wins this if he plays all sixteen games.

--I never figured Scott Milanovich would leave Montreal for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  I pegged Milanovich as being a guy that would wait out Mark Trestman's tenure and simply take over the Alouettes.  If Milanovich ends up being the next Rider head coach, then full marks to the Rider management team for luring him to Rider Nation.

GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP (Flin Flon - Battlefords)

--PJ Musico didn't have his best game last night.  Still, he made a couple of fantastic stops.  Musico plays the puck like no other goalie I've seen in the SJHL in recent years.  Russell Abbott, from Notre Dame, is an active stick handler outside the crease and Melville's Zach Rakochy likes to play the puck too; but neither do nearly as much as Musico, who's also not afraid to come out almost to the blueline to make a play.  The last goalie I can remember that was this active was Chance Gieni, and Musico might even be more busy than Gieni when it comes to puck handling.

--Dillan McCombie has a future in this game.  Wow.  He doesn't turn 16 until December 29th.  He scored a nice goal last night and made lots happen whenever he was on the ice.  He's only 5'7", but plays a lot like 6'1" and if you didn't know any better, you'd think he was 19 years-old.

--The bad news for Flin Flon last night was that the Riley Storzuk-Doug McLeod-Jay Young line was their best.  That's supposed to be their checking line.

--Tyler Mah impressed me on defense.

--The Bomber powerplay is not good at all.  They are ranked 12th for a reason.  I'm no expert, but it looked like they were trying to do too much and looking for that perfect shot.

--Kyle Birch was sensational for the North Stars.  He made an amazing stop in the final seconds when the game was still 5-4.  Goaltending isn't an issue for this team.  Overall team defense might be, but in the several times I have seen the Stars play, I have felt both Birch and Graham Hildebrand have given the team a chance to win.

--For all the talk about Battlefords having issues keeping the puck out of the net, it's worth noting that after the big three of Colin Phaneuf, Keith Grondin, and Blake Tatchell that the next four leading point getters on the Stars are defensemen.  To get more balanced scoring, Phaneuf and Grondin played with Kyle Hall last night; while Tatchell was with a few different combinations; but mainly Tanner Schwab and (I think) Sam Fortier.

--Martin Smith says Tatchell can stick handle in a phone booth.  He's right.  You can't take the puck from this guy.

--Too bad about Brett Miller, who's scheduled to undergo season ending surgery next month.  After last year's playoffs, Miller (to me) was a darkhorse candidate to win the scoring title.  He's a big loss.

--I love the way Brody Luhning plays the game on the powerplay.  He's not afraid to shoot.  The Stars would never give him, but he'd immediately make that Flin Flon powerplay better!

--Someone should give Cade Kimery more props.  He's not flashy, won't get points, doesn't lay out big hits, but the kid gets the job that is asked of him done very efficiently.

BAD ROAD CONDITIONS NEAR FOAM LAKE TODAY

I am getting old.  There was a brief hold-up on the #16 Highway at Foam Lake this morning as a couple of semis were blocking the road after an apparent accident.  A significant line built up before we were all allowed to proceed.  Road conditions weren't great, but that didn't stop little cars from blowing by me and my four-wheel drive doing about 130 km/h.  I admit that I'm not the most careful driver in the world.  I drive too fast most of the time and sometimes feel as though I'm in some phantom race against time.  But, when there is blowing snow and icy highways, I tend to slow down to a regular speed.  I hope none of these speed demons get into an accident, but it wouldn't surprise me as a few of them that past, did so despite blowing snow that definitely reduced visibility.  I mean, I didn't even see them behind me until they started to pull out into the passing lane.

Memo to drivers that don't pay attention to things happening around you locally (that would be me and those like me):  You can no longer take that short cut road just after Smith Steel to get onto the Yellowhead (#16) Highway.  I think there is another road further down that is also supposed to come out onto the Yellowhead, but that's been capped too.  So, the best way out of town (for those on the west end of Yorkton) is through Gladstone.

LOTS OF SNOW, Wi-Fi NOW AT GALLAGER CENTRE

-There have been ads in various local media outlets from the City of Yorkton advising people not to call and complain about a snow grader leaving a big snow bank at the foot of your driveway.  So, if you got a nice surprise yesterday (like our family did) and arrive home to a huge ridge that doesn't even allow you to get into the driveway....don't complain.  The only thing I will say, is that a loader should come by and clear out that area by the fire hydrant at the end of my driveway!

-I would like to see a sidewalk machine remove some snow, especially after a big dumping.  Honestly, if I didn't have a snow blower, there is no way I would shovel the sidewalk at my house.  We live on a corner lot, so there is a sidewalk in front and off to the side.  I've talked to some residents who say they see a snow removal machine on their sidewalk every once in a while.  I'm not trying to say Circlebrooke Drive is more important than any other street, but the traffic (both foot and on wheels) indicates to me that it should rank up there.

-By the way, kudos to the snow removal crews for getting out so quick this week.  Two thumbs up.

-I got an email yesterday from Don Kunkel, who points out the Gallagher Centre is now fully equipped with WiFi internet.  My recent Soapbox column where I mentioned all city recreational areas should have this feature has nothing to do with it.  The process was ongoing at the time of my writing.  One area where we can all affect change at the Gallager Centre, however, is with people abusing the handicapped parking stalls.  Kunkel says there are able bodied individuals using handicapped parking passes because someone in their family may be disabled.  "I see it time and time again and you can't ticket them," he says.  This is one area where we, as citizens, should self-police and make an effort to speak up if we see something like this going on.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Dec 15)

There was a significant court case in Saskatchewan last week that was tossed out when it was determined an illegal search was conducted by police, who stopped a vehicle on the side of the highway.  I pointed out on my blog that the accused did, in fact, have drugs in his possession; but wasn’t going to be convicted due to this technicality.  I find this to be a miscarriage of justice.  The real issue isn’t the search.  It’s whether or not this person had drugs in his vehicle.  If the answer is ‘yes’, he should still be found guilty of something.  Just because the search isn’t legal doesn’t mean he didn’t have drugs.  One individual commented on my blog that my reasoning is somewhat moronic because if we didn’t have rules in place to guard against illegal searches, we may have to subject ourselves to full cavity searches or residential searches without due cause.  Fair comment.  But, I re-iterate that if police want to waste their time looking at my dirty laundry or admiring the spare tire I carry around under my t-shirt, then more power to them.  I’m of the believe that if you have nothing to hide, there isn’t a reason for you to fear an intrusion of privacy by authorities.

Kelly Chase is one of the good guys.  The Porcupine Plain native returned to Saskatchewan over the weekend and Karen Ransome pointed out that she attended the WHL Blades game on Friday night and Chase, along with Battle Of The Blades figure skating partner Kyoko Ina teamed up with the Blades to donate $145-thousand dollars to the Children’s Hospital.  Kelly’s nieces and nephews contributed $5500 and in front of the crowd on Friday night, one of Kelly’s nephews announced that he was excited about raising a large amount of money on his own because he knew it would make Kelly cry.  According to reports, it worked!

Bob McCown is, probably, the most entertaining talk-radio host on the airwaves in Canada today.  He can be heard on Fan 590 out of Toronto on weekday afternoons.  Thursday, he opened his show with a clever bit about Christmas that was meant to be funny, but also echos as a true fact.  The older you get, the greater the discrepancy between what you spend and what you receive for Christmas.  As a young boy, you receive a ton of gifts while your expenses are pretty much nil.  By the time you reach your 50’s, which is how old McCown is, you get virtually nothing and spend a fortune.

If you’ve read my column with any regularity, you know that political correctness is something that drives me crazy from time to time.  A story out of Seattle shows, yet again, just how dumb we, as a human race, can be.  It seems some high school basketball referees decided to use pink whistles and donate game cheques to a cancer organization.  Their supervisor felt differently and said the refs were out of line and out of uniform.  For the record, the supervisor refused to allow three other teams of refs to use pink whistles who did, in fact, ask permission.  So, permission isn’t the issue here.  The supervisor claims that it sets a bad example for kids.  As punishment, the officials were banned from working the final two games of the season.  You can’t make this stuff up.

Doctors in Moose Jaw, recently, took a professional development day and, therefore, there was no physician on duty in the entire health region for that particular day.  It caused a debate as to whether or not doctors should be considered an essential service and, therefore, not be permitted to take this type of labour action as this, really, was simply a protest dressed up as something else.  The reality is that if we have money to seriously contemplate building a new football stadium, then we have money to keep our doctors happy.  I know they get paid more than most of us, but I still don’t think it’s enough.  Furthermore, if doctors are leaving the province, it is because they can’t manage the massive case load, they can make more money somewhere else, the working conditions are less than ideal, or all of the above.  

Ever wonder why it’s a struggle to get more dollars put into a health care budget, but there doesn’t seem to be a problem throwing several extra million into fighting terror in Afghanistan?  And, how and when did the federal program of medicare get dumped into the laps of provincial governments?

Nice person mentions this week to Jim and Angie Mamais, Kristen Gabora, Dean Brockman, and Carl Crawford.

GREATEST SPORTS WRITER EVER

http://espn.go.com/blog/rick-reilly-go-fish/post/_/id/680/incredibly-annoying-decisions

HOW SAD....NO PARENTS OF THE YEAR AWARD HERE

Jordan Henry Crowe found not guilty in death of three-year-old stepsonNO

WENDELL VYE AND NEEPAWA NATIVES PART WAYS

Predictably, Wendell Vye didn't last a full season with the Neepawa Natives.

I was skeptical about the length of this marriage when the acquisition was made over the Summer and now comes word from CKLQ in Brandon that Vye has left the Natives and requested a trade back to Dieppe in the Maritime Junior Hockey League.

I should point out that I don't know Wendell or Bryant Perrier on a personal level at all.  But, people in hockey circles talk and the scuttlebutt that I received over the offseason led me to believe this was not going to be a full hockey year together.

When I, originally, posted in the Summer on my blog; I made some comments that were not fair to the Natives or to Vye.  My comments prompted a call from Cam Dickie, who was involved in a lot of  the player moves for the Natives, and Dickie told me the Natives got Vye based on a family connection in Neepawa and that Vye was simply a young man looking for a place to play.  Surely, playing time wasn't the issue as he factored in 30 decisions in Neepawa's 32 games.  Did the family member move away?  Or, is it something else altogether?  Incidentally, Dickie's association with the Natives also, recently, ended. 


The truth may never be known. Usually a player has one side to a story and a coach will have another and the truth is somewhere in between the two versions, regardless of who the player and who the coach is in these types of situations.

Neepawa is 10 points out of first place with two games in hand, so the competitiveness of the team shouldn't be an issue.  The club has gone through a lot of turnover this season and doesn't resemble the one that made some very intriguing offseason acquisitions that would lead a Junior 'A" hockey observer to believe the Natives may have been positioned as the division favorites going into the start of the year.

This much can't be denied when it comes to Perrier and the Natives:  they generate a ton of interest.  Six of the seven most recent threads on the MJHL Message Board (Network 54) are about the Neepawa Natives.  I don't remember any one person or team dominating the hot stove like that.  Jeff Pister and Jeff Wiest were both coaches that people would post passionately about, but neither of them can hold a candle to the present day state of affairs in Neepawa.

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week Dec 8)

Our family spent the weekend in Regina for a soccer tournament, and, I usually have a great time; although this particular visit left me a little unsatisfied.  The soccer tournament was excellent; but our hotel stay had a couple of problems.  The parking at this particular venue, on Albert Street South, was lacking.  They, simply, didn’t have enough spots to accommodate all of its guests.  In their defense, they offered to allow me to leave the vehicle at the front and they’d park it in a stall when one became available.  However, by this point in time, there were a dozen vehicles that had taken up the hotel on that particular service and I also had to surrender by keys (I lose keys more than anybody in Saskatchewan).  I didn’t like that idea so I ended up down and across the street for both nights.  When we got home Sunday night, we decided our next visit to Regina in late January will be with a different hotel, so we attempted to cancel our reservations.  Easier said than done.  Because the reservation was done over the internet, they cannot refund the credit card.  This is especially puzzling when you consider the booking (in my mind) was done directly through the hotel’s website and not a third party such as Expedia.  If this situation is resolved, I’ll pass it along in my column.

The indoor recreation facilities at Brandt Centre are second to none.  At least to me they are.  I was shocked to hear some Regina people discredit the indoor soccer playing area because fan viewing was a little crowded for one of the gold medal games.  Instead of whining about it, I felt the folks should be thrilled that a couple hundred people were interested in watching the game.

Chances are pretty good that Jordan Rusnak doesn’t read Yorkton This Week.  He’s on my son’s Under-10 soccer team and the only person I ever knew to read a newspaper when he was 9-years-old is yours truly.  Still, Jordan deserves a big shout out for the heckuva weekend he had.  He scored 10 goals in four games, and maybe had a couple more; but I lost count after awhile.  On Sunday, he had all four in a 4-3 win.  By the way, the Yorkton United U-10 emerged as gold medal winners this past weekend.

I bumped into Linda Koroluk on the weekend and she mentioned something to me that probably should be put to rest, publicly.  The CAA office on Broadway was not closed due to the flood.  In fact, their renovations were planned and a long time coming. They had nothing to do with the disaster that took place on Canada Day. 

I would like to send an open message to the person(s) responsible for slashing our big inflatable snowman to pieces while we were away on the weekend:  please come back while I’m home so I can see your cowardly face(s).  I’m assuming you won’t take me up on this offer or you wouldn’t have waited for us to be away in the first place. 

Whether it’s slashing an inflatable snowman or stealing memorabilia from a legendary dead hockey coach; I sometimes am left to think that maybe human beings were derived from apes after all.

This guy running WikiLeaks should try crossing North Korea the way he has upset the ‘good guys’.  Enough said about that.

Ken Miller is out as head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the top two candidates to replace him are Richie Hall and Doug Berry.  Honestly, I don’t think I would take issue with either of them; but sometimes the most successful coaches are the ones with aspirations to move on to bigger and better things.  I’m thinking Kent Austin, Mike Riley, Steve Sarkisian (I don’t know if Sarkisian coached in the CFL or not, but he’s made a nice name for himself south of the border), etc.  Coaches are no different than players.  A bigger goal down the road may be motivation to do a good job for the Riders.  It was for Austin and look at the high regard people have for him here.  I don’t have any names to throw into the mix, but I wonder what Dave Dickenson’s end game is as a head coach.  Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons is correct, though.  This is a prime job in the Canadian Football League and Saskatchewan should be able to pick whoever it wants to succeed Miller.  If there is a man out there who wants to coach CFL players, he should have his resume into the Rider office.

Nice person mentions this week to Rob Hart, Mitchell Blair, Shannon Hahn, Deanne Arnold, and Jackie Roberts.

ILLEGAL SEARCH

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/12/07/sk-drug-case-evidence-motor-home-101207.html

If you have committed a crime, shouldn't you have to do the time even if the means used to find the drugs are not the conventional way?

The reality is that just about every 'out of province' vehicle that police see in Saskatchewan should be checked.  If it's revealed to be a rental, it should be checked further.  Bleeding hearts won't allow something this simple to take place because they will say you can't just search someone because he/she is from out of province, so they have to come up with other 'legal' ways to do it.  I'm assuming police noticed this type of vehicle (not unusual type to be trafficking drugs), also noticed it was from out of province, and also may have noticed the driver didn't look like Ward Cleaver.  So they made up the story about swerving, acting nervous, etc. to try and get a legal search done.  When will we stop protecting criminals in this country?

My other thought is that publishing this information in open court and allowing defense lawyers to ask certain questions, it allows drug traffickers to study police habits and methods when it comes to unearthing these kinds of drug seizures.

Finally, if a police officer ever wants to violate my rights and search my vehicle I will not object and will not file a complaint simply because they won't find anything.  It may be annoying and slow me down, but big deal.

UPDATED SJHL POWER RANKINGS

1-La Ronge...they've got it all and are extremely fun to watch.  Marc-Andre Carre had the goal of the year on Saturday against Battlefords. 

2-Yorkton...not as flashy as the Ice Wolves, but every bit as good.

3-Melfort...a ton of moves by Darrell Mann on December 1st; but they've now got the depth to go along with some top heavy talent.  Can he keep everyone on the same page?

4-Flin Flon...PJ Musico had a whale of a game on Saturday against Kindersley.  If that's par for the course with him, then the Bombers are poised to upset come playoff time regardless of their talent leve at other positions.

5-Estevan...This team is looking more and more like a team built for the playoffs and may be a little bored right now.

6-Kindersley...Just when you think they are going to wilt and go away, they pull through with a gutsy win, such was the case against Flin Flon on Saturday.  Sean Cahill may be the answer they were looking for in goal too.

7-Humboldt...Something isn't right.  Tough decisions ahead for Dean Brockman.  They should be much better.  Much, much better.

8-Melville...After unsuccessful SJHL stops in Estevan and Battlefords, Alex Sirard has given the Millionaires quality netminding. If it continues, look out.

9-Weyburn..Some of their key players just aren't experienced enough right now.

10-Battlefords....I can see why Hildebrand and Birch have bad goals against averages.  It's not always their fault.  Hildebrand played well on Saturday and still, his team was on the hook for five goals against.

11-Notre Dame...They may fall out of the race and you know the phone will be ringing with regards to their veterans, namely Russell Abbott.

12-Nipawin....Like the Hounds, they have a hot commodity in goal with Brody Hoffman.  I would think there would be a line forming for Matthew Spafford too.

Note that these rankings are not official and more weight should be given to those issued straight from the SJHL Head Office.

SPORTS AND WINNIPEG CRIME NEWS

How do some of the Regina sports personalities keep their sanity after fielding opinions from Saskatchewan Roughrider fans?  I caught about five minutes of The Sports Cage this evening and that was more than enough.  Rod Pedersen was accepting calls from listeners to submit their opinions on who should be the new head coach of the Riders.  Holy smokes.  Some of the suggestions are crazy.  Some maybe  have merit.  Almost all of the reasoning is goofy.  Ken Miller has made many correct decisions in his three years as head coach and I suspect whoever he chooses to succeed himself will also be a good one. 

I just finished watching Washington blow a three goal lead to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs.  I don't watch the NHL nearly as intently as I did half a dozen years ago; but I think I've seen enough to say Sidney Crosby is a much better player than Alex Ovechkin.  Ovechkin may even rank third right now behind Steven Stamkos as well.  The Caps look like San Jose East.  A lot of talent, fun to watch, but just not willing to go that extra mile to win in the playoffs.

Full marks to Rex Ryan.  I just turned to the NFL Monday Night Football game and New England is pasting them.  It really shouldn't be a shock, I guess.  Who would you rather have leading your team? Tom Brady, a Super Bowl champ, or second year pivot Mark Sanchez?  After awhile, you can't hide the fact your quarterback is really nothing more than a caretaker.

Josh McDaniels made one right decision during his tenure in Denver:  he shipped Jay Cutler out of town.  After that, it was all down hill.

Mike McIntyre, of Winnipeg Free Press, reported on a case today involving a killer who was sentenced to just seven years for stabbing a complete stranger three times, ultimately to death, because he and his buddies had run out of beer.  Apparently, they decided to rob random people so they could continue their drinking binge.  I guess the judge bought the defense's argument that the man has been an alcoholic since he was 12, and therefore it's also the fault of the alcohol.  Zero accountability and it's becoming more and more acceptable in society.  It's like another story relayed to me about a company Christmas party that was held in Yorkton last year.  I guess some guy took off all of his clothes and started partying in his birthday suit on the tables.  He was not fired because the man has a problem.  Technically, I suppose the company could be in a position where they not only can't fire the man, they may have to pay for some alcohol rehabilitation as well.

McIntyre also reported on a case where a young man admitted to his role in a fatal vehicle crash involving a Hummer he had stolen.  In fact, the guy has been involved in two fatal crashes with stolen vehicles.  Figures that neither time was the thief killed.  It seems like the innocent always get the shaft.  His lawyer is doing a heck of a job defending him.  He's asked for a report on his native background and could use it to ask for a lighter sentence based on precedence set in a case involving Jamie Tanis Gladue from 1999.  Gladue got a three year sentence for stabbing her common law spouse to death after she suspected he was cheating on her with her sister.  There was evidence that suggested she even jumped up and down as he bled to death, saying, "I got you, you bastard."  The defense filed an appeal saying the trial judge did not adequately consider aboriginal circumstances and the Supreme Court agreed; although they left the sentence intact.  Gladue was out in six months on electronic monitoring.  While the trial judge should have given more consideration to her aboriginal circumstances, the court said, the sentence was reasonable.  Furthermore,
in its 7-0 judgment, the court said aboriginals are imprisoned in grossly disproportionate numbers. A male treaty Indian is 25 times as likely to be admitted to a provincial jail than a non-native, and a female treaty Indian is 131 times as likely. This reality, the court said, is "so stark and appalling that the magnitude of the problem can be neither understood nor interpreted away".

NO PARKING AT TRAVELODGE

Our family spent the weekend in Regina for our kids' soccer tournament and we coughed up over $130 a night to stay at the Travelodge on Albert Street South.  Ordinarily, I have no beef with this as we've stayed at this hotel before and it's a good place; but this time it was a total inconvenience as it appears as though the hotel does not have enough parking stalls to accomodate all of its guests.  Friday night, I checked in at the front desk and was told by a front staffer, who was very nice, that I had plenty of options for parking.  As he was going through them all, I kept saying that I already knew these areas were full.  Finally, he tells me to park at the chiropractor's office because he's closed on Saturdays and I won't get towed.  Well, I find out that lot is also full!  Fortunately, the Shoppers Drug Mart across the street had an available spot (notice I said 'spot' and not 'spots').  I parked in front of Shoppers both nights of our stay.  To me, this is unacceptable.  In their defense, the Travelodge will park for you if you leave your vehicle in front of the hotel.  They'll wait for a spot to open up and then take your vehicle to that particular stall.  Still, it's inconvenient and I think we'll switch for the next time we have to go in late January.

My favorite pizza is Vern's Pizza; but I can't order from there because they no longer deliver.  Imagine going to pick up a pizza from Vern's and then returning to the Travelodge to try and park!  Besides, as good as it is...don't you have to able to do deliveries in order to be taken seriously?

We came home tonight to discover our big inflatable snowman had been slashed to pieces and destroyed by vandals over the weekend.   It takes a real brave person to do something like that when there's nobody around. 

Sounds like I didn't have a very good weekend, but it's not true.  Yorkton United played very well in all age groups; especially the one that our son was playing with, the U-10 Division 2, as they emerged gold medal winners.  Jordan Rusnak has a future in this game.  I think he scored 10 goals in four games, but I also wasn't keeping a firm count.  He may have had more!

VARIOUS THURSDAY THOUGHTS

--Full marks to Ken Miller for stepping down as head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  If we took him at his word two years ago, this wouldn't be a surprise.  And, we should have taken him at his word because he's never ever gone back on anything he has said.  Miller is a rarity in professional sports and I think that's why he, ultimately, got the most from his players:  he's a straight shooting honest man with a great deal of integrity.  Imagine Brett Favre's legacy if he retired when he said he was going to retire...the first time!

--I listened to a Regina radio station today and during their call-in show, I heard a number of people suggest Chris Jones as Saskatchewan's new head coach.  Judging by the call-in show in Calgary following the Stampeder loss to the Riders, I think Stamp fans would be very happy to see that happen.  There is some speculation Richie Hall is going to be reunited with Marcel Bellefeuille in Hamilton as their new defensive coordinator.  Odds are Doug Berry will get the head post with the Riders.  If Berry gets hired as the head coach, would Marcus Crandell get the offensive coordinator position?  I'll throw this out there:  Dave Dickenson.  Dickenson was also heavily criticized by Stampeder fans following the Saskatchewan loss.

--This same Regina radio station was running an ad today for a person willing to host community events around the provincial capital.  Once upon a time, that was an expected 'extra' performed by radio announcers.  I guess when you pay a guy/girl peanuts to be on the air five days a week, the announcer has to draw the line somewhere.  Still, I can't help but think community people want to see the person they listen to during the day when they are being entertained at a community function.  This is not to slam a specific company, but rather all broadcasting companies, in general.  To me, a radio announcer is a professional and should be paid more than someone working at the local gas station.  However, as long as there are kids out there willing to work for next to nothing just so they can brag to their friends that they 'met' Nickelback or 'hang out' with Kitwana Jones.......


--Kevin Yates is going to need to find a new job.  He may be the best MLA in the entire province, but he's going to lose his seat in the next provincial election to Gene Makowsky.  So, before the election even begins, the SaskParty leads 1-0 over the NDP.

--Mike McIntyre is a very interesting writer with the Winnipeg Free Press and also has his own Sunday night radio show on CJOB.  His Twitter account is also one of the better ones I follow.  He re-tweeted someone's response to a story regarding a man who is going to be found not criminally responsible for killing his cousin (who was in remission from leukemia) while she slept because he was hearing voices.  The person, basically, asked McIntyre why these strange people that hear voices only hear the voices to tell them to do crazy things.  You never hear tell of a 'crazy' person who has a fixation for taking out the recycling. 

--This dude who runs Wiki Leaks and is exposing American secrets should try releasing a secret on Russia or North Korea and South Korea.  While Canadian and American authorities decide whether or not he should be charged, a lot of other countries would already have eliminated him.  It's one thing to have strong convictions, it's another to pick your spots the way this website has.  Very cowardly and it borders on being a terrorist website when it reveals certain Afghan citizens who were helping out American forces because it ends up putting those lives at great risk.

--If you like downloading movies and watching them on your Ipod or desktop computer and don't mind paying a minimal fee, I suggest you check out movieberry.net . 

STACKHOUSE SOAPBOX (Yorkton This Week December 1)

Giving coaches their due | Columnists | Yorkton This Week, Yorkton, SK