NHL to Vote on Expanding Regular Season to 84 Games

With this weekend having the NHL All-Star Game, club owners have gathered in Atlanta to consider league business. One of the most important proposals to be voted on concerns expanding the regular season from 82 to 84 games. This is an important critical matter to make scheduling more balanced and realistic. Prior to the '04-'05 lockout, the schedule was unbalanced and unpredictable with, for example, some Eastern Conference teams playing at Western Conference teams only once or twice a decade. Since the resolution of the lockout, the league has weighted the schedule heavily towards divisional games with only ten nonconference games each of the last three seasons for clubs. With an increase to 84 regular season games, a balanced regular schedule could be implimented. This would mean three home/three road games against each of a team's four divisional opponent for a total of 24; two home/two road games against a team's ten nondivisional intraconference opponents for a total of 40; a home and away game against the five teams in one division in the other conference for a total of ten; a home game against five teams in the second nonconference division for a total of five; and a road game against five teams in the third nonconference division for a total of five. This would total to 84 games. For example, Western Conference teams would host all Eastern Conference teams twice every three years and play games on the road at each Eastern Conference team also two of every three years. This new plan could easily go into effect starting in the '08-09 regular season.

Adopting this new 84 game schedule with its balance and logic would give the NHL the second best schedule arrangement of the major four sports instead of the worst which it has now. The NFL scheduling system is easily professional sports' best. The NBA would be strongly encouraged to follow the NHL lead as they also play 82 regular season games with 30 clubs. A compromise would be to keep the 82 game schedule by having teams play nondivisonal intraconference opponents that finished in the same position in the standings the prior season two less times, one on the road and one at home. For example, if Minnesota won the NW, San Jose the Pacific, and Detroit the Central, Minnesota would play at San Jose just once, host Detroit just once, and Detroit would host San Jose but once the following season. A similar plan could also be implimented in the NBA.

Baseball has serious scheduling woes. With the NL having sixteen clubs and the AL fourteen, imbalanced, unfair schedules are the rule. The only solution is expansion to 32 clubs, and eventually 36. With 32, there would have to be four divisions which would eliminate the wild card. With imbalanced divisions such as exists now (NL Central with six clubs, AL West with just four clubs), there is no balanced and logical solution. Even if the AL were to expand and have five teams in the AL West (expandees Portland and Las Vegas, for example, and Texas moving to the AL Central), a schedule imbalance would still occur but there would be some improvement. Lets hope MLB figures this out and begins planning for at least two new expansion clubs in the next few years so the scheduling imbalances and injustices is mitigated to a small extent.

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/mckenzie/?id=228124

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2008 Academy Awards Nominees Announced

Earlier this week, this year's Academy Awards nominations were announced. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Academy Awards that honor excellence in all aspects of film. The awards will be announced on Sunday 24 February starting at 6pm and will be broadcast on ABC. A potential snag does exist with the ongoing writers strike which may result in the cancellation of the awards show leaving just an announcement of the winners. Lets hope that does not eventuate. What follows are the nominees for the big six categories as at least 24 total awards are planned for. [ * My early picks]

Best Picture:

Atonement

Juno

Michael Clayton

No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood *

Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett, in Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Julie Christie, in Away From Her

Marion Cotillard, in La Vie En Rose

Laura Linney, in The Savages

Ellen Page, in Juno *

Best Actor:

George Clooney, in Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis, in There Will Be Blood *

Johnny Depp, in Sweeney Todd

Tommy Lee Jones, in In The Valley of Elah

Viggo Mortensen, in Eastern Promises

Best Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett, in I'm Not There

Ruby Dee, in American Gangster *

Saorise Ronan, in Atonement

Amy Ryan, in Gone Baby Gone

Tilda Swinton, in Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actor:

Casey Affleck, in The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Javier Bardem, in No Country For Old Men

Philip Seymour Hoffman, in Charlie Wilson's War

Hal Holbrook, in Into The Wild *

Tom Wilkinson, in Michael Clayton

Best Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson, for There Will Be Blood *

Joel and Ethan Coen, for No Country For Old Men

Tony Gilroy, for Michael Clayton

Jason Reitman, for Juno

Julian Schnabel, for The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

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Rockies Ownership Surprisingly Stepping Up

The actions by the Monfort brothers, owners of the Colorado Rockies, in the last few weeks are quite heartening. They have signed several key players from the successful National League winning pennant team to long term contracts and indications are that more players are being pursued for the same end. I, like many other fans and friends of mine, have a seriously negative and cynical attitude about the ownership after many years of poor decisionmaking and gross inaction in regard to past situations when making a commitment towards players was not being done. Their recent moves point to a new philosophy, at least on a small level, towards maintaining a competitive, entertaining club that captures the imagination and loyalty of fans and results in greater satisfaction for everybody. Lets hope the reports of imminent signings of Hawpe, Adkins, Fuentes, and a longer term contract for Holliday, are indeed true.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3210878&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=341409

http://www.purplerow.com/story/2008/1/21/111348/513

http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_8022077

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7703798?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

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In a More Perfect World...

If we had a more perfect world, things like this could really happen. Baseball is a wonderful sport and I love it and follow it closely, but its business model leaves much to be desired. The huge disparities in broadcast revenues between clubs due to market size is an ever growing problem and an area for serious concern.

The National Football League has gotten it right for years in pooling broadcast revenues for all clubs to share in equally and Baseball needs to get to this point quickly. The disparity in revenues from wealthy clubs in larger population markets like the Yankees, Redsox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets compared to small market clubs like the Pirates, Royals, Brewers, Rays, Twins, and Reds is resulting in a differing tier of performance and results on the playing field as these smaller revenue drawing clubs are in a constant struggle to create and maintain a product that is a winner on the field and off. Kansas City has not been a contender for nearing two decades; Pittsburgh has had fifteen straight losing seasons; Milwaukee had its first season of contention since 1992 in 2007; Tampa Bay has yet to win 70 games in a season since it came into existence; Cincinnati has struggled for years; and Minnesota cannot maintain a winning presence on the field as players' salaries get too expensive for them to maintain in their market. The Florida Marlins can all be included in this lower revenue group in spite of winning a championship in '03. In contrast, the seven big money clubs have largely been regular participants in postseason for years and are also generally at the top of the list for largest payrolls. They can more easily afford to make mistakes and have greater flexibility to retool if they do not find success with their most recent roster.

I hope forward thinking, brighter heads and minds can reach an understanding with the next labor agreement to work quickly towards an agreement on fully equally sharing all revenues generated from broadcasting, be it from television, radio, satellite, cable, or internet. The current system of payroll taxes is simply not working and is highly inadequate.

It is always great to see clubs from all size markets be able to compete in the NFL and NHL. I really would like to see the same be true for Baseball as well.

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/01/24/royals-leading-santana-race/

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End of Open Access to this Blog Nears

Friday 25 January 08 marks the end of free open access to the Colorado Cowboy Professor Blog. With the initialization of the new Mountain Time Zone Perspective Blog which will be dedicated to issues in the news and public policy, the CCP blog will focus on personal matters such what is happening in my life, hobbies and interests (for example the weather, sports, music, and the arts), and other items that are not really in tune with being on a more formal opinion viewpoint blog.

I tried to notify all those whom I would like to be able to access the CCP blog, but I lack email addresses that are handy for nieces and nephews. I welcome them to be able to read the blog, so please have them submit a license request for permission to read the CCP blog to this email address:

mtzperspective@mail.com

When I embark on the autobiography blog soon, it will be under the same access restraints as the CCP blog.

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New Blog is Live

The new blog is up and running.

The email address one can use to mail requests for license to access this blog is:

mtzperspective@mail.com

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Postings to Return Here and Elsewhere

Due to my severe head injury and the complications associated with it, I have not posted here on the blog in more than one week. I anticipate returning to this duty in the next few to several days as I feel better.

A new blog dedicated to news articles and public policy and my opinions on these items will be launched within the next two weeks. A couple of working titles are under consideration. Once this new yet untitled blog goes live, the Colorado Cowboy Professor blog will become a restricted blog discussing other issues and observations that are more personal and private that will only be able to be accessed by a limited number of approved readers, almost exclusively family and friends and those requesting access. A special new email address will be initiated to facilitate processing requests for access and will be announced for about a week to ten days before access becomes restricted. Rules for posting comments will remain the same on both the existing and the new blog as were announced on 9 December 07.

The plan for an autobiographical blog still exists but has yet to be undertaken. Given my head injury and the thoughts that come mind on the fragility of life and the ever shortening number of days I have left to live (be it 30 or 300 or 3000 or 10,000), it is a good idea to get this particular new blog, the third one I will have, going in the coming weeks or so to get as much information, memories, reflections, and observations on it for it to be preserved in cyberspace history for all of time.

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Improving

I am feeling better today and was able to sleep without waking up for about 14 hours. The headaches are less often and less harsh in the last two days. The problems I had with balance, dizziness, and vision are gone. I am able to eat food and drink water without getting sick since Friday morning. I think I can work again Monday so I will try. For tonight and Sunday I will stay home but I do have to try to drive on Sunday to the grocery store so I can get some milk. I think I will be okay.

A Hard Week That Get Better at the End

I suffered a head injury Sunday night and did blackout for some time and it is unclear how long. I slipped on ice on the street in front of my truck and behind another vehicle. I hit my head and was knocked out by the ice or the curb next to the sidewalk. When I came to I was groggy and somehow made it back to the apartment. What happened and how much time went by is unclear as I have memory trouble for that night and for the next two days. I must have had a concussion and I did cut the back of my head as I later found blood on my pillow. I got really sick and had vomiting and other sickness and I may not have been able to see for some time by I dont know about that for sure. And the headaches were very big and there were also bodyaches. I either sleep or was passed out Sunday night and Monday and I also had a loss of balance and dizzyness as things were knocked over and spilled and dropped and I do not remember these things happening and being sick and out of my mind I made a big mess of myself and was not good. By Tuesday morning I started to be myself and where I was. I found my phone and luckily I was able to call work and be excused. These last three days I have rested and gotten back better but there are still things wrong. I feel dazed and not all there and cannot focus. Headaches, bodyaches, and sickness are much less and I am sleeping longer now with less interuption. I think I will be okay after the weekend and will go back to work Monday. I am able to eat without getting sick all day Thursday. I have concussions before once when I fell out of a delivery truck when I was working about 10 years ago but I cannot remember the other ones. I know I have some memory loss but I am unclear how much and what kind. Thursday was best day since I fell so I think I should be pretty good in a couple days.
Maybe I will write more on the blog then when I feel better and can think better.

Important Resources for Digital TV Transition

On 17 February 2009, about 400 days from now, analog broadcasts of television signals will cease. Most individuals will not notice due to the fact they have satellite or cable television. But for those who do not or have televisions in their home, work, and automobile; or portable units one takes with them on the run to various locales - the purchase of a digital converter box will be necessary. The US Department of Commerce is administering a coupon program which will provide consumers with up to two $40 coupons that can be used towards the purchase of a converter box from an approved list of manufacturers and suppliers. It is essential to act on application for the coupons post haste, as the number of coupons is limited. Converter boxes are expected to go on sale within 90 days at various retailers, and there is sure to be an advertising campaign to make citizens aware of the availability of this product. Act now so you will not miss out. Links to all the necessary information and online coupon request are at...

https://www.dtv2009.gov/Default.aspx

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Northeast US Winters Increasingly Milder

Scientific evidence of the changing climate in the northeastern US is discussed in this link below. My memories of winters when I was a boy living in upstate New York include the endlessness of that season every year, starting around early November and lasting into April. Lots of snow, lots of snow, winds, icestorms, no going outside, and bundling up. When Spring did arrive, it was nice and wonderful to be able to go outdoors again after months of not being able to except when going from buildings to automobiles to buildings to automobiles to buildings. Which is what I am still doing now where I live as the winter here is seemingly terminal.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22625211/

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Coming Soon: Robotic Soldiers

Technology marches forward without interuption or consideration. One of the most significant changes that will occur in the next generation or so will be the mass robotization of society, particularly in the US and the Western World. As usual, the first place where this will be employed and become mainstream will in the military. By 2040, many jobs in this nation and elsewhere that do not require any technical training or advanced education will be done by cost efficient, perfectly programmed, tireless robots that will look exactly like people and behave and act like them in ways as desired and demanded by their owners and users. Most, if not all, employment that I have held in my life will be filled by robots since the work was largely mindless, mundane, and not requiring any special or sophisticated training or education. By 2065 all adult human beings will be capitalist owners, students, governmental employees, technocrats, professionals, or retired. No other occupation will exist for the most part.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3463/robocop_in_iraq/

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Wanna Be Dictator Chertoff Shoving REALID Down Our Throats

Chertoff is a maniacal, power-hungry, greedy bureaucrat wannabe despot and nutcase, and hopefully more states will join the seventeen that already have decided his interpretation of this legislation is way out of bounds, illegal, and an usurption of states rights to consolidate federal power. REALID is totally unconstitutional and unnecessary in every way.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/secure_driver_s_licenses;_ylt=AhHt9v4F92ekTLMyc4sk5E.s0NUE

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Capsulizing My Economic and Political Beliefs

These three definitions capture much of my belief structure and thoughts economically and politically. But none go enough to match my fervor on setting limits and controls on the size, market share, power, freedoms, and influence of business and maximizing competition in all sectors of the economy through governmental exertion, influence, power, and funding for entrepreneurs and start ups.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communitarianism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_center_%28politics%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_way_%28centrism%29

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The Bastards Better Be Afraid

The first article points out the fear of corporate wealthy elites of having John Edwards as the next President or in the next administration in some capacity. These greedy pigs have been exploiting and destroying America's middle class and poor for decades now all to line their pockets and weaken democracy and the standard of living across the land. Destruction and substantial weakening of big businesses in our society is absolutely essential to save our nation and ensure a reasonable standard of living and quality of life for ourselves and the children of today in the near and distant future.

The second article makes a good argument about why Edwards is the choice even for individuals with a heritage and experiences that are removed from what Edwards is talking about.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7217369

http://therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisdataswitch=0&thisid=788&thisview=item

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Mountain West Conference Hoops Heads Full Throttle into Conference Play

With the completion of all non-conference games but one earlier this week, the MWC gets into the struggles and ordeal of the conference games schedule with its heavy travel and diverse difficult venues of play.

One can basically trisect the nine team conference into teams that will make the postseason, will try to make the postseason, and will not make the postseason. The three teams that are going to be there all year and should be playing in the NCAAs are New Mexico, San Diego St, and Brigham Young. All three are outstanding clubs capable of winning the conference. The three clubs that are close and could make the postseason are Nevada-Las Vegas, Utah, and Air Force. All three are not fully complete teams and a notch below the elite three. But they each could gel and coalesce into strong contenders and prove to be surprises as the season continues on. The three teams at the bottom, Texas Christian, Colorado St, and Wyoming, will struggle and seem certain to have losing campaigns for both conference and overall play. TCU could play spoiler at times but its looks like a long winter in Fort Collins and Laramie.

I would expect BYU and SDSU to qualify for the NCAAs; New Mexico needs to have a great conference season and MWC tournament to get in as there has been a long standing bias against the Lobos by the NCAA tournament committee. UNLV, Utah, and Air Force all could reach the tournament but are more likely to be in the NIT. I look for five or six MWC teams to be playing in the postseason in late March.

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National Hockey League Reaches Halfway Mark

All 30 clubs in the NHL have now played at least 41 games which marks the halfway point of the regular season. It has been a quite competitive season as all but a handful of teams still harbor hopes or expectations of a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the East, Ottawa got off to a great start and has never looked back, setting the pace in their division and conference all season. New Jersey leads the Atlantic, but it is a close race with the four other divisional clubs playing well and competitive for the divisional title and postseason. Carolina has set the pace in the Southeast and has opened up a little space over the other four clubs, all whom having losing records. In the Northeast Montreal has stayed within sight of the Senators and the Bruins have played better than expected, but Buffalo and Toronto have underperformed and will have to play much better to get to postseason. It would not be surprising to see all five Atlantic division teams in the postseason and just one from the Southeast.

As for the Western Conference, the conversation starts and ends with one club: the Detroit Redwings. Detroit is a machine, methodically destroying its opponents as they have racked up 70 out of a possible 90 points so far in the campaign for a winning percentage of .778. They are threatening to have the best record in league history, exceeding the great 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. The Redwings lead the Central Division by 21 points over St Louis so its all but over there. In the Pacific, a good three way dogfight is underway as San Jose, Dallas, and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim are all neck and neck with surprising Phoenix just 7 points off the lead. Los Angeles is the league's worst club and buried in last place. In the Northwest, another good three way dog fight is ongoing between Minnesota, Vancouver, and Calgary all tied at the moment with injury-racked and powerplay goals-deprived Colorado just 5 points back. Edmonton has played better than expected and is just 8 points back. Look for three teams each from the Pacific and Northwest in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with St Louis joining overwhelming favorite Detroit in the postseason from the Central.

The regular season continues on with the finales wrapping up on Sunday 6 April with the playoffs scheduled to start on Wednesday 9 April to begin the best postseason in sports.
Hopefully the Avalanche get healthy and find their mojo on the powerplay so they can meet preseason expectations of winning the Northwest Division title. No way can we have the dreaded evil Redwings play for and win the Cup !

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NFL Picks for Divisional Playoffs

Here are my National Football League picks for the games being played in week nineteen, the Divisional Playoffs, on Saturday and Sunday 12-13 January.

Saturday 12 January

SEA(11-6) @ GB (13-3); 2:30pm MST (FOX)

Seahawks (+7 1/2) 30, Packers 27

JAX (12-5) @ NENG (16-0); 6pm MST (CBS)

Patriots (-13) 27, Jaguars 20

Sunday 13 January

SD (12-5) @ IND (14-2); 11am MST (CBS)

Colts (-10) 32, Chargers 20

NYG (11-6) @ DAL (13-3), 2:30pm MST (FOX)

Giants (+7 1/2) 29, Cocaineboys 24

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Insecure Wyomingites Do Not Like to be Ignored

I would rather the borders were to be closed to keep any more illegals from coming into the state...

http://www.thespeciousreport.com/news.aspx?newsnum=7070129

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Recommended Book for Reading

Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and StickYou with the Bill) - - by David Cay Johnston

http://www.buzzflash.com/store/items/908

http://www.amazon.com/Free-Lunch-Wealthiest-Themselves-Government/dp/1591841917/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199937544&sr=1-1

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