CHL News etc.

-Last week Joe Ori signed a new contract with the Mudbugs only to jump the pond and sign with a team in Europe. But, since he did sign with the bugs first, if he does decide to come back to the US and play, he would either have to play for bugs or get traded. (link). He was one of the players I had hoped to see return, but really, I wouldn't be all that sad if no one from the past two season came back to play for us again.......unless they can figure out how to play playoff hockey, of course.

- The Corpus Christi Rayz have a new logo and name- "new" IceRays logo
- so do the Tulsa Oilers.......about the logo, not the name- as seen on the chl website

- I found this article on sportingnews.com, which goes along with another article in ranking the top non-conference schedules in the nation, here's an excerpt

"LSU and Kentucky should be embarrassed. Kentucky, to a point, is understandable: three gimme games are a must to reach bowl status. But LSU? Shameful."

Here is LSU's non conference schedule : Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas and Tulane. First, after last season, I'm a little nervous about Appy State coming into Louisiana's version of the Big House, on the season opener no less.......the other 3 teams may be shameful, but at least mention the first potential landmine, eh? and 2nd, how many good teams really want to play LSU? even playing the first game of the "home and home" is just putting off the inevitable showdown in Death Valley....which will most likely be at night since CBS is out of the picture (not an SEC game). In case you didn't know, LSU loses a home night game about as often as you hear someone say something good about George W Bush.....unless you live in Texas, obviously. So, any school that signs a contract to play LSU knows before hand that A) They are ending their chances at undefeated season, years before that particular season even starts, or B) Should they happen to win, they know for a fact that they better schedule their bye week for the week following the game vs LSU because of the toll it will take on their players. Just ask Virginia Tech.

Of course, USC was ranked at the top....funny they didn't mention their conference schedule, or LSU/Kentucky's for that matter. Oh well....

check the link of the day for the greatest chant ever, brought to you by the students of Wisconsin University(warning, may not be suitable for children)

end of the week tidbits

From the NHL:
-Scott Niedermayer has put off retirement and will play for the Ducks next season
-Loui Ericksson earned a two year contract extension from the Stars worth 3 million-ish.
-Vincent Lecavalier reportedly has a new 9 year 77 million dollar contract with the Lightning....thats way too much money, but its good to see a player stay with the same team for that long.

From the NBA:
-that draft thing was last night. Rose, Beasley and Mayo were the first 3 picks in that order
-OJ Mayo and Kevin Love were traded. For those scoring at home, Mayo is a now a Memphis Grizzley
-the Celtics won the Championship...oh wait....a little late on that.

From the NFL:
-trying to figure out where Pacman went and who this Adam Jones guy is.

From Europe:
- Spain beat Russia 3-0 and will play Germany in the Euro 08 final on Sunday

College Football.....still 60 some odd days away

I was carefully reading through the college football page on ESPN.com to see if I had somehow missed anything interesting to read, and lucky for me, I had. A great article by Pat Forde about the dead zone that is the month of June concerning college football, and Mark Schlabach's uselessly early bowl prediction...... both of which apparently either had been recently added or went unnoticed the last time I checked the site. I also re-read Schlabach's preseason top-25, which has LSU at #12. That doesn't bother me given the quarterback situation and the tough road schedule, what does bother me is that Clemson and Texas Tech are ranked ahead of the Bayou Bengals. Not to discount the .....ahem.....other Tigers, or the Red Raiders, but when is the last time Clemson actually lived up to preseason expectations? And really Mark? Texas Tech? An adequate QB in a spread formation with a flashy wide receiver and a supposedly "improving" defense doesn't impress me. I'm not saying they don't deserve to be in the Top 25, but they aren't in the same league of talent that division rivals Texas and Oklahoma inhabit, while LSU most certainly is.

Anyway, back to Schlabach's bowl predictions. He predicts Georgia and Ohio State (ugh) for the national championship game. He also thinks LSU will play Texas in the Cotton Bowl, which I think is an accurate estimation of where both teams should expect this year: Good, but one win short of a BCS game.

Check out the links of the day for the articles mentioned, or go to the college football page on espn.com and look for "midsummer nights dream", " revised top 25" and "bowl predictions".