#10 You know ahead of time you can plan family vacations just before the Finals.

#9 You will never have the most technical fouls on the team. (Google ‘Rasheed Wallace’)

#8 You get to hang out at a Palace with a guy named Prince.

#7 Great chance of attending a victory parade next year . . . (Google ‘Red Wings’).

#6 If you don’t like a coach, relax, every few years you get a new one.

#5 Where else can you refuse a coaches order to go into a game and get away with it. (Google ‘Ben Wallace’)

#4 There are great housing deals.

#3 If you’re ever accused of under-achieving, you can divert the attention to the Lions and Tigers.

#2 There’s no pressure to perform-a coach drove through a Wendy’s naked and is still with the team. (Google idiot Lions Coach Joe Cullen busted for driving thru Wendys naked’)

#1 If you decide to look for another line of work, the Mayor’s position is open soon.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Thrashers opened their 2008-09 season with a 7-4 win at home against the Washington Capitals.

In a game that saw Washington out-shoot Atlanta 43-31; goaltending proved to be the difference. Washington goaltender, Jose Theodore, the only addition to the Capital roster this year, was pulled at the halfway point of the game after letting in 4 goals on just 17 shots.

There were six different goal scorers for the Thrashers with Bryan Little’s second goal of the game at 13:57 of the third period being the game-winner.

Thrashers Coach John Anderson made his debut behind an NHL bench and was pleased with his team’s offensive performance. Anderson has an impressive resume in minor league hockey, including winning last year’s AHL Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves. He was facing his longtime friend and former Maple Leaf teammate, Washington Coach Bruce Boudreau, last year’s NHL coach-of-the-year.

Anderson received a raucous round of applause when introduced during the pregame introductions. After last year’s debacle in Atlanta, the fans of Blueland are hoping Anderson’s winning ways will rub off on the young Thrashers team.

The Thrashers, who had a tough time putting the puck in the net during their six preseason games, scoring only 14 goals in 6 games, found their offensive groove, turning the red light on 7 times in their first regular season contest.

Washington dominated play early with fierce fore-checking, controlling the puck and outshooting Atlanta by a landslide. Once the Thrashers settled down, they scored the first three goals of the game, including a power play goal by newly-acquired defenseman, Ron Hainsey.

Zach Bogosian, No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, became the youngest player to ever play in a Thrashers uniform. The eighteen-year-old rookie had a rough first shift, turning over the puck deep in his zone then later on the same shift, being forced to take a holding penalty to compensate for a mistake.

Russia was well-represented in this contest with Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov going head-to-head against Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, Sergei Federov and Viktor Kozlov.

Ovechkin, last year’s NHL scoring leader, was awarded a penalty shot four minutes into the third period after Tobias Enstrom closed his hand on the puck in the crease. Ovechkin made a nice move on Thrashers goalie, Kari Lehtonen, who made a last-second save, kicking it out with his left skate to keep the score knotted at four.

Ovechkin has had great success against the Thrashers scoring 20 goals and 40 points in 24 games but was held scoreless in this contest.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

ATLANTA – As a teen, Zach Bogosian dedicated his summers to taking long road trips across the Canadian border from his hometown Massena, NY to Ottawa to attend vigorous workouts with premiere NHL players like Daniel Alfredsson and Daniel Briere.

Ottawa is a three-and-a-half hour round trip from Massena. Bogosian made that trek routinely over three summers, sometimes hitting the road before dawn to make a scheduled skate. The training in Ottawa was much more intense and Massena offered little to no hockey that time of year.

Possessing these strong work ethics and born competitive to the core, it was no surprise when the seventeen-year-old American was selected No. 3 overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2008 NHL draft.

Bogosian comes from a family of hard hitters with football chromosomes in their blood. His father, Ike, was a safety and captain of the Syracuse University football team and his Uncle Steve played defensive tackle at Army.

The 6′ 2″, 200 pound hard-hitting blue liner is a fierce competitor, capable of playing with a mean streak. Watching him compete and battle on the ice, it’s no surprise his favorite movie is “Gladiator”.

When asked what player he wants to model his style after he responded, “Chris Chelios was always my favorite player. He’s a warrior and a leader. He’ll do anything it takes to win.”

Bogosian has reached his first goal of making the Thrashers NHL line up. His first game will be on opening night, October 10th in Atlanta when the Thrashers take on the Washington Capitals.

Bogosian’s offensive-minded style is a perfect fit for new Thrashers coach, John Anderson. Anderson wants his defensemen to be aggressive with the puck and loves the style of play his young rookie brings to the Thrashers. “If there’s a lane open, he can take it. It’s up to the forward to drop back and cover.”

Although most young draft picks take years to develop before making a roster in the NHL, Bogosian found himself in a unique position, being drafted by a team that is rebuilding and looking for young stars.

Bogosian’s journey from the small town of Massena to Atlanta, a city five million people strong, has been one full of challenges and commitments. Now that the young prospect snagged a spot on the Thrashers roster, he can concentrate on winning games and become a part of a team in search of new leaders.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are in one of the most unique situations ever seen in the NFL at this point of a season. Only four games into the season, they are desperate to make some moves but their hands are tied.

Owner William Ford, with the coaxing of his son, Junior, made a long overdue move after week three when he fired wannabe NFL exec, Matt Millen. Millen has packed up and is gone but like week-old fish, his stench remains.

That stench comes in the form of Coach Rod Marinelli and the athletes Millen has compiled over his historic record run of failure and there lies the unfixable problem.

After the 34-7 slaughter by their rival Chicago Bears at Ford Field on Sunday, Lions fans were reminded that nothing has or will change until yet another total overhaul is done.

Marinelli needs to go, there is absolutely no doubt about that, but no one on the Lions coaching staff is qualified or capable of stepping in for the remainder of the season. Do you feel that rope getting tighter on your hands, Mr. Ford?

Mike Martz, who’s San Francisco 49ers took it to the Lions in week three of the season, had head coaching and Super Bowl experience with the St. Louis Rams and could have moved up. But he, like many of the past Millen-hires have been fired and have moved on to greener pastures. Whether another NFL team, the broadcast booth or even the moon, most anywhere offers greener pastures than this Lions organization.

Marinelli and the Lions are stuck in a stressful situation that may last until the New Year. This is the NFL and the playbooks are complicated. (if you doubt that, take a look at Sunday’s lowlight of Roy Williams slanting in and Kitna throwing to the sideline.) Bringing in an entire new coaching staff simply cannot be done. When coaches get fired midseason, a current coaching staff member steps in.

Joe Barry, defensive coordinator and benefiter of Detroit’s nepotism program, has managed and created the worst defense in the NFL over the past two seasons. He’s not doing his job so obviously he cannot step up into his father-in-law’s position. (see our NFL section for “Lions Nepotism Article”)

Besides Millen, Barry may be the biggest cause of this year’s implosion. If he had half of a conscience, he would refuse his paycheck and step down.

Offensive coordinator, Joe Colletto is in the same boat as Barry, looks lost and incompetent and his squad has contributed greatly to the Lions 0-4 record, so who can this organization turn to? Line coach, Joe Cullen, the coach who was busted for driving through a Wendy’s naked?

The remainder of this season is not going to be any sort of roller-coaster ride for Lions fans, it’s going to be a steady nose-dive; all downhill from here, coasters have a few quick jaunts uphill.

There’s a great chance the Lions and their fans are stuck with Marinelli, but there’s always hope for a No. 1 overall pick and the good news is, this time it will not be Millen making it.

In the meantime, Lions fans should try their best to survive Millen’s leftover stench and this horrible coaching staff. Then they can begin next season with a new coaching staff, dozens of new players, a new GM and chant, “Maybe this is the year.”

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Pitt at Jax – In a rematch of last year’s AFC wild-card game that the Jags won 31-29 in Pittsburgh, the Steelers will try to repay the favor and take it to the Jags in sunny Florida.That will be quite a challenge with a depleted running game and questionable ‘O’ line. Running backs Willie Parker is out with a knee and first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall is out for the season. The Jaguars sacked Big Ben six times and picked him off three in that 31-29 game. Things to watch for: Big Ben running for his life. The Jag cheerleaders who are some of the hottest in the league.

Oakland Bye Week – Since Raiders owner Al Davis fired Coach Lane Kiffin, the two are locked into a soap-opera style dispute over the remainder of Kiffen’s $3.5 million salary.

Davis referred to Kiffin as a “flat-out liar” and accused him of “disgracing the organization.” Kiffin responded by saying he was “hurt and saddened” by what he heard from Davis, saying he was “kind of embarrassed for Davis, to be honest with you.”

Davis is also accused of denying Kiffin the opportunity to say good-bye and hold a final meeting with his players. Things to watch for: Kiffin getting the money he’s owed and Davis continuing to make himself look like a senile old bastard.

Chicago at Detroit – Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris is suspended for today’s Norris Division match-up against the 0-3 Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit. Harris was docked by the team for showing up late for rehab and a meeting earlier in the week. Harris, who sat out practice this week due to an injury wasn’t expected to play anyways.

Chicago players, Tillman, Vasher and Booker also did not practice most of the week due to injuries and it is unclear which of these players will be on the field against the cowardly Lions.

As Lions fans continue their raucous celebration of GM Matt Millen’s ouster to the tune of ‘Ding dong, the witch is dead’, could this be the upset of the week?

With Millen gone, Joe Barry, defensive coordinator and son-in-law of Coach Ron Marinelli, may begin to get more attention from lynch-mobbing Lions fans if his defense gives up another quick 21 points at the start of the game. Thing to watch for: Freshly painted “Fire Barry” Signs in the stands and ‘Fire Millen” T-shirts specials outside the stadium for 70% off.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

DENVER – Don’t expect Travis Henry to play in the NFL for a very long time and probably never. The former Denver Broncos running back who is notorious for fathering nine children from nine different mothers appeared back in court this week.

But this time it wasn’t to discuss child support.

Henry was popped for allegedly participating in a drug deal Tuesday that was set up by the DEA. The DEA orchestrated the deal after Henry and an accomplice were identified as the dealers in a September cocaine deal that allegedly involved three kilos of coke and six pounds of pot.

Henry is now in prison drag after being jailed and accused of a laundry list of charges including conspiring to distribute cocaine. He has a hearing scheduled for Monday.

Henry was playing with a $22.5 million five-year contract with the Broncos until Denver Coach Mike Shanahan released him on June 2 saying the running back was “lacking commitment.”

It’s hard to choose but is this pathetically sad or just plain remarkably stupid?

After several other failed attempts, Henry has accomplished the feat this time, throwing a dream professional career out the window.

Henry who has 1488 carries for 6,086 yards and 38 TD’s over 7 years in the NFL, played one season for the Broncos, carrying the ball 167 times for 691 yards. After testing positive for drugs in Denver, he was suspended for one season but won an appeal against the NFL and was reinstated.

Shanahan publicly supported Henry back then and swore his RB was innocent and a victim.

Shanahan also praised NFL referee, Ed Hochuli after Hochuli blew an obvious call late in a game earlier this year, and handed Shanahan’s Broncos a victory against the Chargers. During that post-game press conference, Shanahan said, “That was the best crew we’ve had in 20 crews. They did a heck-of-a-job.”

When asked about Henry’s bust, this time Shanahan wisely refused to comment.

The charges against Henry carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $4 million fine.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

ATLANTA – It seems like an eternity ago when the Atlanta Thrashers’ roster was overflowing with high-profile, star-caliber players, won the Southeast Division and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Philips Arena was rocking with wall-to-wall fans in blue with dreams of their team orchestrating a long playoff run . . . a run that could possibly lead to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

It may feel like distant history but that was actually April 2007 and that dream ended abruptly when that star-studded roster was easily swept by the New York Rangers 4-0.

Just like that, four games and out! Barely a week into the playoffs and the high-salaried, underachievers from Blueland had an early exit onto the golf course.

GM Don Waddell carefully built that roster around proven veterans with tons of playoff experience and leaders who had been on Stanley Cup winning teams. The main acquisitions were Bobby Holik who signed for 4.25 million per year and Marian Hossa, one of the brightest NHL stars, who went on to tally a club record 100 points that season.

In addition to Holik and Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov, Alexei Zhitnik, Keith Tkachuk and captain Scott Melanby wore Thrashers blue that year but a lot has changed in Blueland since then.

After under-achieving again last season and unable to make the playoffs, this year’s 2008-2009 roster is looking quite different. When the Thrashers take the ice at Phillips Arena this October, all the above-mentioned stars have exited through trades or free agency except for Kovalchuk and Kozlov.

Last year’s Thrashers Mark Recchi and Pascal Dupuis have also moved on. The only transactions worthy of mentioning since the ‘garage sale cleanout’ are the signings of puck-carrying defensemen Ron Hainsey and Mathieu Schneider and forward Jason Williams.

Hainsey, a former first-round pick and Schneider are expected to add much needed help on the blue line on this roster packed with young less experienced players, including No. 3 overall pick, Zach Bogosian.

Waddell made an aggressive attempt to sign premiere veteran free agents like Brian Campbell and Brian Rolston before they decided to sign in NHL cities where it snows several times a year. Working against him was the fact Atlanta is considered one of the least desirable places to play in the NHL.

A few months ago, Lightning’s Dan Boyle who loved it in Tampa finally agreed to waive his “no trade clause” when he was threatened with being placed on waivers and landing on the Thrashers. He was then traded to the San Jose Sharks.

The bottom line here is approximately 60 goals departed with Hossa, Dupuis and Holik and in today’s low-scoring NHL that’s a huge void to fill.

Kovalchuk is one of the most talented players in the league but he will be forced to carry a majority of the load, game in and game out, and with a grueling 82 game schedule, it may wear him down to the point of inefficiency.

With this current roster, an injury sidelining Kovalchuk could put an immediate end to any hopes of the Thrashers having a productive season.

With a new man behind the bench, John Anderson, who has never coached at the NHL level, it will be interesting to see how the team responds. Thus far they are 1-3 in the preseason and have some final roster moves to make.

The regular season opens against Washington on Oct. 10th at Philips Arena. With mountains to climb and the outlook bleak, the biggest challenge facing Waddell and the Thrashers organization may be trying to NOT make the arena feel like a ghost town; they need to sell some tickets.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

BEIJING – The IOC governing body concluded its investigation into the Beijing Olympics gold medal winning Chinese gymnast team who were accused of being under age.China handed over passports and other documents for He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan proving the girls fell within the required age range.

The International Olympic Committee released a statement on Wednesday, “We are satisfied with the information provided by FIG, and we now consider the matter closed.”

There were questions about the ages of China’s team months before the games began and after they competed well and won the gold, other countries, like the USA, began screaming for an investigation into the matter.

Some of the Chinese team was rumored to be 14 years-old but the investigation proved otherwise.

There is said to be an advantage to performing at a younger age in the sport. The younger gymnasts are more flexible and usually have not experienced prior injuries from the sport.

Underage gymnasts have been an issue ever since the age requirements were increased, from 14 to 15 in the 80’s and again from 15 to 16 in 1997.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

ST. LOUIS – Some NFL owners are making a very strong statement this year . . . win now or pack your bags. The first victim of the axe, which was five years overdue, was Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen.

During Week Three, Mike Martz and the San Fran 49ers threw a can a’ whoop-ass on Millen’s Lions. A few days later, with a little coaxing from his son, Bill Jr., Owner William Ford gave the dysfunctional Millen his walking papers.

For years, Millen put bad teams, followed by worse teams onto the field, drafting an assembly line of wide receivers and first-round flops.

Yesterday, the St. Louis Rams followed suit and fired their third-year coach, Scott Linehan. The Rams are the only team that may be worse than the Lions this year and after starting 0-4, Linehan got the axe.

Oakland Raiders Coach, Lane Kiffin is another coach that is sitting on a white-hot burner right now. Kiffin’s Raiders lost to the Chargers Sunday to drop to 1-3 putting his job in more jeopardy than last week. One of the hottest rumors around the league, prior to this loss, was that Kiffen was getting the boot from Owner Al Davis.

Payrolls and overhead have gotten out of hand and owners have such huge investments in their organizations, they expect a return. With a short 16 game season, a slow start out the gate can put these owner’s “investments” in an improbable position for finding success.

With Kiffin hanging on by a thread and other coaches like Marvin Lewis, Rod Marinelli and Romeno Crennell struggling to put a team on the field that even remotely resembles an NFL squad, expect a few more coaches to be ducking the axe early in this NFL season.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Washington at Dallas – Solid against the pass but struggling against the rush, the Redskins ‘D’ will have to step up huge with Jason Taylor out. The Cowboys were bitch-slapped in the last meeting between these rivals, 21-6 in the final game of last season. This is still one of the favorite rivalries in the NFL, no matter who are wearing the pads so expect both teams to come out fired up! Thing to watch for: Jerry Jones on the sidelines showing everyone the pictures of his new $1 billion stadium.

Cleveland at Cincinnati – This Bengals lead this series 35-34 and both teams come in with a decent amount of talent but identical, underachieving 0-3 records. This game is a toss-up so if you’re going to Vegas, flip a coin to make your pick. After having a Pro Bowl season last year, Browns QB Derek Anderson is playing on probation this week. Things to watch for: Brady Quinn standing on the sideline with his helmet on from the opening kickoff.

Arizona at NY Jets – It’s ‘do or die’ time for the Jets who go into this game 1-2. This week will give us a better indication on which Brett Favre the Jets received from Green Bay. Is he the brilliant, bomb-slinging  leader from last year who won 13 games or the hit-the-defenders-in-the-numbers moron that faithful Cheese Heads learned to tolerate the two seasons before. Many people forget about the two seasons Favre had prior to last year when his performance was piss-poor and reeked “Retire Now”. Things to watch for: The NY media going nuts on their Blackberrys every time Favre hits a defender in the numbers with a spiral.

The Zebras – After Ed Hochuli’s controversial game-stealing call against the San Diego Chargers a few weeks ago and another blown call by another guy in stripes last week, all eyes will again be on the zebras. Expect plenty of zebra huddles between snaps this week on any plays even remotely questionable. Things to watch for: Head-scratching, ass-picking, dumbfounded looks; the usual things that occur in zebra huddles.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax