NHL Schedule announced

NHL Schedule came out today.

Caps are looking at a bruin sandwich this year. They open up on October 1 at Boston and close on April 11 hosting Boston.

The Caps, however, do not get to play Boston on New years Day in the Winter Classic. That slot went to the Philadelphia Ph**kers...er Flyers.

Rumor has it, though, that the Caps game at Montreal on November 28 will be in Olympic Stadium, which is now a closed-roof venue.

The biggest "HUH" for me on the schedule is that the NHL waited until January to let Sid and the Pens and Alex and the Caps square off. (GARY BETTMAN...THIS IS WHY THE CAPS AND PENS NEED TO BE BACK IN THE SAME DIVISION, YOU PUTZ! FIX THIS!) After the excitement that the Caps/Pens 7-game series brought, you would think they would have found a way to get those two back together on opening week, on a national broadcast.

So there you go. August will bring you pre-season football and Fantasy Football Drafts. Then college and NFL through September...and BANG, Hockey's Back before you know it.

You can check out the full NHL schedule here.

All D-Bag Team: NHL

We had 20 votes in the NHL leg of our All D-Bag Team Poll. A whopping 40% went to Sean Avery.

(To the tune of the Bud Lite Real American Heroes jingles):
Here's to you Mr. I called Elisha Cuthbert my "sloppy seconds" (Jack Bauer's gonna kick your ass) You who smacked the Bruins Tim Thomas in the head with your stick when he wasn't looking (It's gotta be hard being such a classy son of a bitch), and who sucker punched Simeon Varlemov in the jaw en route to costing the New York Rangers their first-round series against the Caps. (I've got my own spot in the penalty boooox).

In the rest of the voting, Gary Bettman and Sidney "The Whiner" Crosby tied for 2nd with 25% of the voting, each. And Alex Semin and the NHL Refs each pulled 1 vote a piece.

We'll be moving on to MLB next week...to coincide with the looming All-Star Break.

Runnin' on Fumes 6/26/09

Aptly titled blog for the last 2 weeks of racing. Michigan came down to fuel mileage, again, but at least this time guys just went for it instead of pitting with 2 to go.
Sonoma was similar, who will, who won't have enough fuel to go the distance? Poor Robby Gordon stayed out one lap to many or he might have won the race.

Random Ramblings

Here we go, 10 races to the chase. Its like the stretch run in baseball, the last 4 games of the NFL regular season and the last 2 month of basketball and hockey (whose seasons are WAAAAAY TOOOOO LOOOONG).
3 weeks ago I said that it was down to the top 17 to have a real shot at making the chase...looking at the numbers now I'm sticking by that prediction. As much as I would like to see Marcos Ambrose make the chase....its a real long shot with him being 213 points from 12th.
Here are the current top 17:

1 -- Tony Stewart 2364 Leader
2 -- Jeff Gordon 2280 -84
3 -- Jimmie Johnson 2207 -157
4 -- Kurt Busch 2084 -280
5 +1 Carl Edwards 2051 -313
6 -1 Ryan Newman 2046 -318
7 +3 Denny Hamlin 2009 -355
8 -1 Greg Biffle 1992 -372
9 -- Kyle Busch 1962 -402
10 +1 Matt Kenseth 1957 -407
11 -3 Mark Martin 1926 -438
12 +2 Juan Montoya 1917 -447
13 +2 Kasey Kahne 1914 -450
14 -1 David Reutimann 1877 -487
15 -3 Jeff Burton 1871 -493
16 -- Clint Bowyer 1852 -512
17 -- Brian Vickers 1794 -570

I'm going out on the thickest of limbs here and saying that the top 3 are a lock to make the chase. Of those currently out I would give Kahne, and Vickers the best shot at getting in. Of those currently in I think Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Martin are the most likely to fall out. There just isn't a whole lot of consistency from those 3.

Double file restart
Success! NASCAR listened to the fans and got something right. I always liked road course races, and the DFR made it exciting to the end, even for those fans who bitched about road courses before.

RPM gets its first win. Come on really? The RPM name is a marketing ploy. Richard Petty is a figurehead, much like the Queen of England (he is the King after all). It makes for great PR and photo-ops and sucks in a bunch of fans, but we all know that the Gillett family is the real backbone of this team. I'm happy to see it happen, but can we really credit RPM with its first win in 10 years? Talk to me when the 44 or 43 hits victory lane.

Around TITB you may have noticed the all D-Bag team poll going on (must not be football season yet). Here are my nominations for when we get to NASCAR, and why:

Kyle Busch - arrogant, doesn't have any respect for the history of the sport, and damn he is a good driver....broke the guitar he won at Nashville a-la Pete Townsend, not that i think it was wrong, I just think it was a preconceived stunt to get more headlines.

Jack Roush- remember when Toyota was coming to NASCAR, Jack was the most vocal opponent of the addition. Whine whine....I have 5 teams and NASCAR is making me cap them at 4. Plus he has 3 of the most douchy drivers, Kenseth, Biffle (sniffle), and Edwards (who always has his media face on, just one of 2 that he has).

Red Horse Racing for not finding enough sponsorship to keep the defending truck champion in the series. Or being willing to ride it out with a blank hood and quaterpanels until they found one.

NASCAR for the two pit stop rule in the Truck Series. No gas and tires on the same stop. Uh what?

All four manufacturers, not for their financial woes, but for cutting their support mid-season instead of just doing so at the beginning of the season when they knew they were going to have to do something.

Now its your turn. Who do you think deserves to be nominated? Put it in the comments section and I'll put them up when the time comes.

All Douchebag Team - NHL Poll

So one roster spot on our All-Douchebag team has been filled.

Brett Favre needs some company (although we hear he's not that big on working with teammates).

On to the National Hockey League.

As we did with the NFL nominees, our staff nominated 2 or 3 NHL players for their varying acts of Douchebaggery over the last year.

We also had a special guest addition, from North of the Border to our nominating committee. Teebz, from Hockey Blog in Canada chimed in with some nominees.

So, here are our nominees. Some nominations came with comments...some did not. So I've added the comments below the nominees, where applicable.

The poll is on the right-hand nav bar (over there) --->

Please vote...please spread the word and tell your friends to vote.

Poll will remain open until Monday, June 29 @ 11:00 am.

Sean Avery:
-On the ice, he is certainly the guy's most douchiest player. The guy has no talent; he cheap-shots and sucker-punches players on a constant basis, and the BEST part is that he really isn't that great of a fighter! Of course, his total lack of talent or class don't prevent him from constantly running his mouth, create bad PR for the league, and act as an ongoing distraction to his own team....truly pathetic!

-Um...nuff said.

Gary Bettman:
-is there really anything more to say?? The man's name, face and history are synonymous with douchery! I won't recap the hundreds of bad decisions he has made over his career, but in his NEWEST act of douchery, he has successfully prevented billionaire Jim Balsille (the richest man in Canada, worth over $3 billion!) for the third time from buying a bankrupt NHL team (in this case, the hockey hotbed of Phoenix, where the team has NEVER made a profit since moving there in 1996) and moving to hockey-crazed southern Ontario, where the franchise value would have easily doubled overnight! After all, what would the Bill Gates of Canada know about business sense, right??? And never mind the dozens of economic reports that ALL say Toronto could EASILY support two teams, and let's not bring in a maverick owner that will create some buzz around the league.....my god, this guy is such a DOUCHE!!!

Daniel Carcillo

Sidney Crosby:
-Wah, They threw more hats for Ovechkin's hat trick than mine. Wah, Babcock called me a headhunter. Wah, I tried to shake hands...but they're saying I didn't. Shut the f*** up Crosby.

Dany Heatley:
-Shut up and play.

Joe Nieuwendyk:
-Fired Dave Tippett after Tippett had led the Stars to the playoffs in five previous seasons, missing them only this year during his tenure. Tippett did nothing but juggle an aging and injured line-up while dealing Sean Avery and Brett Hull. Tippett deserved far better. If Nieuwendyk thought the Stars looked bad this year, wait until next season.

Alexander Semin:
-how do you rip Crosby and then not show up in the most meaningful playoff series of your career???

The Zebras (NHL Officials):
-Granted, most of these guys are decent men on and off the ice....but, if you watch hockey on a consistent basis, you cannot help but be struck at the baffling nature of penalty calls anymore! At least three or four times during a regular season game I see a penalty called on instant replay, and I REALLY cannot see anything worthy of a call! Meanwhile, they will also let blatant slashes and cross-checks slide while calling the most infinitely small holding or hooking calls you'll ever see in your life! It's almost like they make random calls whenever there is a lull in the action to spice the games up with some power play action....not to be a conspiracy theorist or anything.

So those are the nominees. Hit the poll. Leave your comments below...and spread the word!

All D-Bag Team: NFL

We had 17 votes in the NFL portion of our All-Douchebag Team poll. Brett Favre took 35% of the vote and is our NFL Douchebag of the Year.

I feel like I should have the Bud Lite "Real American Hero" music playing.

"Here's to you Mr. I Want to Stick It To My Old Team So Badly That I'm Willing To Throw Away My Standing As A Packer Legend" (Who needs a leg-a-cy?)

Terrell Owens was the runner up w/ 23% of the votes, Dan Snyder was in 3rd, and Vince Young & Jerry Jones tied for 4th with 2 votes each. Jay Cutler, Al Davis and Rex Ryan all came out of the poll unscathed, receiving no votes.

Praise for Baseball

I usually hate MLB. From the tied All-Star game, to a pathetic drug policy, to "this time it counts", there is much to loathe about the "national pastime". Here is where I now praise them.
I don't know how many people actually have the MLB network, but their nightly baseball highlight show is one of the best I have seen. I like Harold Reynolds, always have, and Al Leiter is a smart ex player who actually offers an insightful opinion. But wait there's more. Unlike Baseball Tonight on ESPN, MLB Tonight actually has real time "look in's" of games. Its almost like watching the best part of any game's highlights, but in real time. This allows the analysts to comment on the pitching sequence while it happens and immediately following the at bat. It also keeps me from channel surfing from game to game because I get only the best parts, without all the lengthy delays from a normal game. I have a new after the wife goes to bed show that is perfect background for doing homework or whatever. And if you are a fantasy geek....

The Tiger and The Terp

Scott Van Pelt has been added to the Tiger Woods 2010 game from EA Sports. Van Pelt is a Maryland grad...and huge Terp fan. (I see him at Terp football games all the time).

He and Tiger became good friend back in Van Pelt's pre-ESPN days, when he was one of the first on-air personalities for The Golf Channel, and Woods was just breaking into the PGA.

These bits are funny...and I'd imagine we'll see a LOT of them as the US Open is broadcast this weekend.

2intheBox All Douchebag Team - NFL

We throw the term "douchebag" around a lot here at Two in the Box. It's become our preferred term of scorn for several individuals in the Sports World.

Well, we thought it might be fun to put together an All-Douchebag Team.

So over the next several weeks (to fill the void between the end of hockey and the start of football) we're going to run several polls on the right-hand side of the blog. We will crown a top D-Bag in NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, NCAA (football and basketball), and "Other" (NASCAR, Golf, Olympic, etc..). The top D-Bag in each of those sports will comprise our 2009 All-Douchebag Team.

But wait, we're not done yet. Once we have our 6 D-Bags on the All D-Bag team...we'll put the 6 of them head to head for your votes as the Biggest Douche of the Year.

Today, we kickoff the 2008-2009 All Douchebag Team voting with the NFL.

Our staff has nominated 8 individuals from the NFL. The voting period is the last year. So events from last July through the entire season, and playoffs and up to this week.

So please, head over to the right hand side and vote for your choice for the 2008-2009 NFL Douchebag. The voting in this poll will be open through 11:00 am on Friday.

In some cases, the nominations came with explanations. So I'd like to share some of those below:

Jerry Jones:
a) Refuses to admit he still loves T.O. and wouldn't have cut him if he thought he could get anyone willing to coach him
b) Had prior knowledge that the practice facility roof wasn't the best quality and didn't fix it until after it collapsed and caused serious injuries to staff.
c) Owns the Cowboys
d) Continues to string Wade Phillips along by the short and curlies as a lame duck, just-waiting-to-be-fired head coach. Not cool.

Brett Favre:
-seriously, is there anyone outside of his nuclear family that is NOT thoroughly sick of him by now?? Sure, Farve, come on back.....have more inconsistent outings, alienate some more locker rooms, and make painful turnovers late in big games because you think you're superman.....great to have you play your 74th season, Brett; you're a timeless f**king classic!
- ENOUGH with this freakin guy already!

Vince Young:
What is this crap about him complaining about his playing time, and "threatening" to go elsewhere?? Hey Vince, if you want to talk to the media, why don't you tell Titans fans that you're sorry for a career of lackluster and disappointing performances, and maybe give huge chunks of that unearned salary to local charities....sound good, captain overrated???

Rex Ryan:
What we've learned from Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, and Bill Parcells: If there's anything more irritating than a mouthy egomaniac player, it's a mouthy egomaniac coach!! We'll see how much he likes flapping his gums when his rookie QB and lack of running game have him several games under the .500 mark....

T.O.:
Uh...Duh! Dude should have a Summer's Eve endorsement deal, he's such a big d-bag.

Dan Snyder:
For the way he and Vinny "the Lapdog" Cerrato jerked Jason Campbell around this off-season...and for being Dan Snyder.

So please hit the poll on the right...and leave your take on why they are deserving on our first All D-Bag Team....or if you think we missed someone, feel free to let us know.

Tonight, someone dances with Lord Stanley

We know a couple things for sure:

Tonight, an exciting NHL season will come to a close.
Tonight, we will be treated to a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals, one of the rarest of treats.
Tonight...someone will raise the Cup above their heads.

What remains to be seen is which of these sweaters the person raising that Cup will be wearing.


















Will the Red Wings win their 5th Cup in 12 years?
Will Sidney Crosby graduate from 'really good' to 'all-time great'?


This Finals has been crazy. Back and forth, trading home wins...at one point the Pens seemed out-classed, as if they didn't belong on the ice with the Wings. A sweep looked likely. But the Pens showed resolve, bouncing back first from a 2-game deficit in the series....and then from an absolute swamp-stompin' BEAT DOWN in Detroit in Game 5...but they came home to Pittsburgh each time and stayed alive...what more could you ask for? The only thing that would make this Finals more compelling would be Overtime.

It's fitting, really, that this Final would go 7 games. In the first round, the Canes & Devils and Caps & Rangers went to Game 7. In the second round, 3 of the 4 series (Wings/Ducks, Pens/Caps, Canes/Bruins) all went 7 games.

Ducks fans and Caps fans, who saw their teams take the two Finals participants to the brink in their own Game 7s will wonder what could have been "if only." (I don't think the Caps would have had much problem with the Canes...I don't know how they would have fared against the Wings, though).

So Penguins Fans, Red Wings Fans...enjoy your moment of history. Someone wins the Stanley Cup every year. Sure it's special...but to do it in a Game 7...well that's Legen...wait for it...DARY! Tonight, Sidney or Lidstrom will lift that Cup skyward and join the ranks of Legendary.

As much hate and scorn that we throw at the Pens here...even this Caps fan can't argue that Sid, Geno, & Co were indeed the better team this year, and that they have proven that they belong in the Finals.

This is going to be a very long day for the Detroit fans...that little voice in the back of their heads that Pittsburgh could just pull the upset off will get louder and louder as the day goes on...as the clock counts down to the puck drop.

And then 3 (or 4) hours later, the dust will clear and a Champion will be crowned.

And then all the rest of us will look to September for the start of training camps...and our teams' chance to start the chase all over again.