NHL 22!

NHL 22 is now available at Toywiz!

NHL 22 is a very interesting set. While it has some of the better players in the league, it also includes some of the players that are on the fringe, and those that changed teams since McFarlane announced the set.

The biggest head scratcher for me is why they included Saku Koivu in the set, after his better years have passed.

While only a few years ago he was one of the best centers in the NHL, he is now at best a second tier player. What makes it even more interesting is that he switched teams in the off-season, something that any pedestrian hockey fan saw coming.

The addition of Mats Sundin was also a curious one. Mats Sundin is, to say the least, the Brett Favre of the National Hockey League.

Every off-season is filled with "will he or won't he" talk and currently he is not signed to any team. He is depicted in a Vancouver Canucks jersey, a team he only spent about 3 months with last season.

I do like the addition of Daryl Sittler to the set. While I am not a hockey historian, it's always nice to see a throwback player mixed in with current players.

Sittler is most famous for his 10 point game, which is a record that stands until this day.

Always nice is the addition of Alex Ovechkin and Miika Kipprusoff to the set. While Ovechkin is very quickly being played out in McFarlane sets.

I have always been of the mind that Kiprusoff has not really received his due in the NHL due to the fact that he plays for the Flames, a team that is rarely consistent.

All things said, it's a set that is work checking out.

NHL 22!

NHL 22 is now available at Toywiz!

NHL 22 is a very interesting set. While it has some of the better players in the league, it also includes some of the players that are on the fringe, and those that changed teams since McFarlane announced the set.

The biggest head scratcher for me is why they included Saku Koivu in the set, after his better years have passed.

While only a few years ago he was one of the best centers in the NHL, he is now at best a second tier player. What makes it even more interesting is that he switched teams in the off-season, something that any pedestrian hockey fan saw coming.

The addition of Mats Sundin was also a curious one. Mats Sundin is, to say the least, the Brett Favre of the National Hockey League.

Every off-season is filled with "will he or won't he" talk and currently he is not signed to any team. He is depicted in a Vancouver Canucks jersey, a team he only spent about 3 months with last season.

I do like the addition of Daryl Sittler to the set. While I am not a hockey historian, it's always nice to see a throwback player mixed in with current players.

Sittler is most famous for his 10 point game, which is a record that stands until this day.

Always nice is the addition of Alex Ovechkin and Miika Kipprusoff to the set. While Ovechkin is very quickly being played out in McFarlane sets.

I have always been of the mind that Kiprusoff has not really received his due in the NHL due to the fact that he plays for the Flames, a team that is rarely consistent.

All things said, it's a set that is work checking out.

Derek Jeter

With Derek Jeter's 2,721st hit on Tuesday night, he tied Lou Gehrig for All-Time Hits in a Yankee uniform.

There are so many things that one can say about Derek Jeter. He is one of the all-time great Yankees, and it's almost hard to imagine the Yankees without him at shortstop.

The best thing about Derek Jeter is the fact that he does not seem to be one of the typical conceited athletes, who feels that everything is owed to him and he is the be all and end all of human existence.

Furthermore, when all of the craze revolved around American League shortstops in the late 1990's, Jeter seemed to be lost in the bunch. He was eclipsed at the time by Alex Rodriguez, then of the Seattle Mariners, Miguel Tejada, then of the Oakland Athletics, and Nomar Garciaparra, then of the Boston Red Sox.

But here it is, 2009 and Jeter is the only one still on the big stage at the shortstop position. Rodriguez, now Jeter's teammate, moved to third base because he knew there was no unseating Jeter at his position, while Tejada and Garciaparra are finishing out their careers in relative anonymity in Houston and Oakland, respectively.

And that's Jeter's lasting legacy. Without a hint of arrogance, he remains one of the greatest players, on one of the greatest teams in Major League Baseball.

Derek Jeter

With Derek Jeter's 2,721st hit on Tuesday night, he tied Lou Gehrig for All-Time Hits in a Yankee uniform.

There are so many things that one can say about Derek Jeter. He is one of the all-time great Yankees, and it's almost hard to imagine the Yankees without him at shortstop.

The best thing about Derek Jeter is the fact that he does not seem to be one of the typical conceited athletes, who feels that everything is owed to him and he is the be all and end all of human existence.

Furthermore, when all of the craze revolved around American League shortstops in the late 1990's, Jeter seemed to be lost in the bunch. He was eclipsed at the time by Alex Rodriguez, then of the Seattle Mariners, Miguel Tejada, then of the Oakland Athletics, and Nomar Garciaparra, then of the Boston Red Sox.

But here it is, 2009 and Jeter is the only one still on the big stage at the shortstop position. Rodriguez, now Jeter's teammate, moved to third base because he knew there was no unseating Jeter at his position, while Tejada and Garciaparra are finishing out their careers in relative anonymity in Houston and Oakland, respectively.

And that's Jeter's lasting legacy. Without a hint of arrogance, he remains one of the greatest players, on one of the greatest teams in Major League Baseball.

Favre is Back!

So once again, Brett Favre has decided to go back on his word and join the National Football league once again.

Just to ensure how truly slimy he is, he went and joined his former teams biggest rival in the Minnesota Vikings. The real question is though, should anyone really care that Brett Favre is back?

I am a life-long Giants fan but was always sympathetic towards the Jets and always made sure to check out their games on Sunday. However, I couldn't stomach the thought of watching the team last season with Favre under center.

I can't pinpoint my disdain for Favre, because let's be completely honest with ourselves. He has never been convicted of a crime, he has never tested positive for anything not allowed in the NFL and he apparently loves dogs.

So why does the general public, myself included not seem to have that warm, fuzzy feeling towards him?

Favre is Back!

So once again, Brett Favre has decided to go back on his word and join the National Football league once again.

Just to ensure how truly slimy he is, he went and joined his former teams biggest rival in the Minnesota Vikings. The real question is though, should anyone really care that Brett Favre is back?

I am a life-long Giants fan but was always sympathetic towards the Jets and always made sure to check out their games on Sunday. However, I couldn't stomach the thought of watching the team last season with Favre under center.

I can't pinpoint my disdain for Favre, because let's be completely honest with ourselves. He has never been convicted of a crime, he has never tested positive for anything not allowed in the NFL and he apparently loves dogs.

So why does the general public, myself included not seem to have that warm, fuzzy feeling towards him?

Jessica Simpson-Tony Romo Break-Up: Does it really have an effect fans?

-Joe Burgett

For a long  week or so now, I have heard some really crazy things regarding the upcoming NFL season.

Whether its the Vikings continuing to go after Bret Favre, or Micheal Vick's whole 4 game suspension thing.

But the craziest thing of all involves the Cowboys. "America's Team", or so they say, has really started to look great.

Why? Because star QB Tony Romo broke up with his Country Singing/Actress Jessica Simpson. Of course this is something that will help the Cowboys right? Well right?!?!

To me, only an idiot would say the Cowboys are going to be good this season, even Super Bowl contenders, because Romo dumped Simpson.

People talk about him being distracted, but seriously, the dude is not going to play better because he broke up with the girl. If he plays better this season, it will be because he worked on his game.

We all know he is a good regular season QB, but is he a good post-season QB? I'm not so sure. He has never gotten past the first round, despite having a good enough team. Keep in mind, that he played Football as a starter for Dallas before he met Simpson. So while people want to make her the excuse for the horrible play, he is actually the problem.

I know this is something sacrilegious to say, but its completely true!

I feel the Cowboys will be worse in fact. Before he broke up with Simpson, people had the Cowboys possibly out of the play-offs. That is including some of Dallas' own fans, mind you.

Once Romo broke up with Simpson, people now have Dallas as a top contender? Are you kidding me?

I feel the loss of Terrell Owens is huge for the 'Boys. Owens had the most in yards and TDs over the past few years with the team. He was basically Romo's #1 target, and now he is gone!

Who do they have? Witten is the only guy there that can really say he started more than a few games and actually scored in most. Roy Williams seems to be as overrated as Charlie Weis' Head Coaching. Williams did improve, but I saw nothing that can make me think he can replace Owens.

Then you have the two running backs in Marion Barber and Felix Jones. Both are great RBs, but they can't run the whole game. Romo is in trouble, so I hope he is focused. If he gets into the play-offs, the weaknesses will show.

The impact of Simpson being dumped is basically nothing. It won't hurt or help the team, and it should have never been an issue to begin with. The fact that it was brought up was a personal issue between he and Simpson. Just because she was at games, it didn't make Romo play better or worse.

He was just as focused on the games whether she is there or not. He is a pro-ball player, wouldn't you think he could do that by now. I think so.

If anyone is to blame, its the Cowboys for playing like garbage and making Romo do everything. I'm Just Saying.

Jessica Simpson-Tony Romo Break-Up: Does it really have an effect fans?

-Joe Burgett

For a long  week or so now, I have heard some really crazy things regarding the upcoming NFL season.

Whether its the Vikings continuing to go after Bret Favre, or Micheal Vick's whole 4 game suspension thing.

But the craziest thing of all involves the Cowboys. "America's Team", or so they say, has really started to look great.

Why? Because star QB Tony Romo broke up with his Country Singing/Actress Jessica Simpson. Of course this is something that will help the Cowboys right? Well right?!?!

To me, only an idiot would say the Cowboys are going to be good this season, even Super Bowl contenders, because Romo dumped Simpson.

People talk about him being distracted, but seriously, the dude is not going to play better because he broke up with the girl. If he plays better this season, it will be because he worked on his game.

We all know he is a good regular season QB, but is he a good post-season QB? I'm not so sure. He has never gotten past the first round, despite having a good enough team. Keep in mind, that he played Football as a starter for Dallas before he met Simpson. So while people want to make her the excuse for the horrible play, he is actually the problem.

I know this is something sacrilegious to say, but its completely true!

I feel the Cowboys will be worse in fact. Before he broke up with Simpson, people had the Cowboys possibly out of the play-offs. That is including some of Dallas' own fans, mind you.

Once Romo broke up with Simpson, people now have Dallas as a top contender? Are you kidding me?

I feel the loss of Terrell Owens is huge for the 'Boys. Owens had the most in yards and TDs over the past few years with the team. He was basically Romo's #1 target, and now he is gone!

Who do they have? Witten is the only guy there that can really say he started more than a few games and actually scored in most. Roy Williams seems to be as overrated as Charlie Weis' Head Coaching. Williams did improve, but I saw nothing that can make me think he can replace Owens.

Then you have the two running backs in Marion Barber and Felix Jones. Both are great RBs, but they can't run the whole game. Romo is in trouble, so I hope he is focused. If he gets into the play-offs, the weaknesses will show.

The impact of Simpson being dumped is basically nothing. It won't hurt or help the team, and it should have never been an issue to begin with. The fact that it was brought up was a personal issue between he and Simpson. Just because she was at games, it didn't make Romo play better or worse.

He was just as focused on the games whether she is there or not. He is a pro-ball player, wouldn't you think he could do that by now. I think so.

If anyone is to blame, its the Cowboys for playing like garbage and making Romo do everything. I'm Just Saying.

Hendo Knocks Bisping Out...

Dan "Hollywood" Henderson, or Hendo to you, knocked Bisping into space. What a face-smashing he gave him, clearly stiffing him up on the ground like a surfboard. But that wasn't good enough for Hendo, he just had to get one more leaping, mini superman punch in for good measure to "shut him up for good". Now, I'm a HUGE Dan Henderson fan, and even I thought that last punch was a little, um, lets just say 'not very nice'... But this is the UFC, right, not tennis?!? LOL!
UFC Action Figures

Hendo Knocks Bisping Out...

Dan "Hollywood" Henderson, or Hendo to you, knocked Bisping into space. What a face-smashing he gave him, clearly stiffing him up on the ground like a surfboard. But that wasn't good enough for Hendo, he just had to get one more leaping, mini superman punch in for good measure to "shut him up for good". Now, I'm a HUGE Dan Henderson fan, and even I thought that last punch was a little, um, lets just say 'not very nice'... But this is the UFC, right, not tennis?!? LOL!
UFC Action Figures

Lesnar Destroys Mir...

...And that's putting it nicely. After a 2 round beating, Mir, who came into the ring looking as confident as ever, left looking like he just left a pinata party... and he was the pinata. He took a good 4-5 shots too many in my opinion, but I'm no professional ref. Lesnar wasn't exactly a gentleman after the fight, but he was so amped up, and hated Mir so much that he couldn't help himself. No matter, UFC 100 was an awesome night of fights, and Lesnar beating, er, I mean demolishing Mir, was well worth the money...
UFC Action Figures

Lesnar Destroys Mir...

...And that's putting it nicely. After a 2 round beating, Mir, who came into the ring looking as confident as ever, left looking like he just left a pinata party... and he was the pinata. He took a good 4-5 shots too many in my opinion, but I'm no professional ref. Lesnar wasn't exactly a gentleman after the fight, but he was so amped up, and hated Mir so much that he couldn't help himself. No matter, UFC 100 was an awesome night of fights, and Lesnar beating, er, I mean demolishing Mir, was well worth the money...
UFC Action Figures

NHL Free Agency

The best day of the hockey off-season arrives today, in the form of the opening of the 2009 free agency period.

All season long, the talk was of the big names who would be hitting the open market, which big names would be traded, and so on and so forth. Today is the day in which all the excitement unfolds.

Although free agency doesn't officially begin until 12:00 noon today (thanks again, Gary Bettman!) a few big names have already found new homes, some willingly, some not so willingly.

Scott Gomez and his 7-year, $51.5 Million contract was traded from the New York Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens, as part of a 6-player deal which brought back Christopher Higgins to the Tri-State area.

Gomez loved playing in New York and I can't imagine him being thrilled when he found out he was heading North of the Border.

The deal frees up the Rangers to make a big splash today, something that Glen Sather craves.

The other big name in the news yesterday was Jay Bouwmeester.

He had been a member of the Florida Panthers, before being dealt to the Calgary Flames for Jordan Leopold.

That gave Calgary the exclusive rights to talk to Bouwmeester before he officially hit the open market.

The Flames got the deal done yesterday and are now the proud owner of one of the best Defenseman in the NHL.

Another one of the big story makers yesterday was what did not get done, either.

Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators had "requested" a trade because he was not happy with the playing time he would be receiving under a new head coach.

As is the norm for star players in sports, he has a no-trade clause which allowed him to veto any deal he was not in favor of. He submitted a list of 6 teams that would be open to being a part of. Unfortunately for the Senators, the Edmonton Oilers were not one of those teams.

Even worse for the Oilers, they completed a deal for Heatley that would have instantly made their team better.

Heatley very quickly shot down the proposed deal, which would have brought rising stars Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano to Ottawa.

What complicated matters even further is that he is due a $4 Million bonus if he is still a member of the team by Midnight, July 1st.

Initially there was some confusion as to whether that deadline was on June 30th, or July 1st. It seems now that the deadline is in fact tonight and therefore could still be on the move.

For my money, I would look for one of three players to don the Blue, Red & White by the end of the day.

The typical rumor has Marian Gaborik, he of the Minnesota Wild bringing his exciting European style of play to Broadway. This rumor has been brewing so long, it almost feels like Gaborik has been coming to the Rangers since before he came to America to ply his trade in the NHL.

The next on the list in Martin Havlat, latest of the Chicago Blackhawks. You may remember him last getting his face knocked in by Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals.

He recovered quickly and was able to return, but that injury was far from his first. Before appearing in nearly all of the Blackhawks games this season, he average just about 40 games a season.

Hardly reliable, he's just another athlete who is insanely talented, but because of his reckless nature will always be injured.

The third player, who would be a natural fit in the Big Apple is Marian Hossa.

Hossa has played in the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the last two seasons. He made big news by delaying his big free agent deal to make a move to the Detroit Red Wings for one year, knowing that with even a halfway decent season, he would be able to parlay that into an even bigger deal, which he certainly will receive at some point today.

That is, of course, if he decides to pull another move like he did last year and sign a one-year deal with a contender and hope that he could win his first Stanley Cup and then finally receive his big payday. He's an offensive playmaker who would be perfect on Chris Drury, or Brandon Dubinksy's wing.

Today should be interesting, for the deals that get done and the always surprising places that the big names

NHL Free Agency

The best day of the hockey off-season arrives today, in the form of the opening of the 2009 free agency period.

All season long, the talk was of the big names who would be hitting the open market, which big names would be traded, and so on and so forth. Today is the day in which all the excitement unfolds.

Although free agency doesn't officially begin until 12:00 noon today (thanks again, Gary Bettman!) a few big names have already found new homes, some willingly, some not so willingly.

Scott Gomez and his 7-year, $51.5 Million contract was traded from the New York Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens, as part of a 6-player deal which brought back Christopher Higgins to the Tri-State area.

Gomez loved playing in New York and I can't imagine him being thrilled when he found out he was heading North of the Border.

The deal frees up the Rangers to make a big splash today, something that Glen Sather craves.

The other big name in the news yesterday was Jay Bouwmeester.

He had been a member of the Florida Panthers, before being dealt to the Calgary Flames for Jordan Leopold.

That gave Calgary the exclusive rights to talk to Bouwmeester before he officially hit the open market.

The Flames got the deal done yesterday and are now the proud owner of one of the best Defenseman in the NHL.

Another one of the big story makers yesterday was what did not get done, either.

Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators had "requested" a trade because he was not happy with the playing time he would be receiving under a new head coach.

As is the norm for star players in sports, he has a no-trade clause which allowed him to veto any deal he was not in favor of. He submitted a list of 6 teams that would be open to being a part of. Unfortunately for the Senators, the Edmonton Oilers were not one of those teams.

Even worse for the Oilers, they completed a deal for Heatley that would have instantly made their team better.

Heatley very quickly shot down the proposed deal, which would have brought rising stars Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano to Ottawa.

What complicated matters even further is that he is due a $4 Million bonus if he is still a member of the team by Midnight, July 1st.

Initially there was some confusion as to whether that deadline was on June 30th, or July 1st. It seems now that the deadline is in fact tonight and therefore could still be on the move.

For my money, I would look for one of three players to don the Blue, Red & White by the end of the day.

The typical rumor has Marian Gaborik, he of the Minnesota Wild bringing his exciting European style of play to Broadway. This rumor has been brewing so long, it almost feels like Gaborik has been coming to the Rangers since before he came to America to ply his trade in the NHL.

The next on the list in Martin Havlat, latest of the Chicago Blackhawks. You may remember him last getting his face knocked in by Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals.

He recovered quickly and was able to return, but that injury was far from his first. Before appearing in nearly all of the Blackhawks games this season, he average just about 40 games a season.

Hardly reliable, he's just another athlete who is insanely talented, but because of his reckless nature will always be injured.

The third player, who would be a natural fit in the Big Apple is Marian Hossa.

Hossa has played in the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the last two seasons. He made big news by delaying his big free agent deal to make a move to the Detroit Red Wings for one year, knowing that with even a halfway decent season, he would be able to parlay that into an even bigger deal, which he certainly will receive at some point today.

That is, of course, if he decides to pull another move like he did last year and sign a one-year deal with a contender and hope that he could win his first Stanley Cup and then finally receive his big payday. He's an offensive playmaker who would be perfect on Chris Drury, or Brandon Dubinksy's wing.

Today should be interesting, for the deals that get done and the always surprising places that the big names

Muhammad Ali

These really cool new action figures came in the other day, featuring the great Muhammad Ali in his fighters pose.
There's even an action figure that's in Black & White. How cool is that?
It's a pretty solid figure.

Muhammad Ali

These really cool new action figures came in the other day, featuring the great Muhammad Ali in his fighters pose.
There's even an action figure that's in Black & White. How cool is that?
It's a pretty solid figure.

Sammy Sosa

Sammy Sosa announced his retirement yesterday, ending a career that was shrouded in doubt.
Sosa, who along with Mark McGwire had a legendary chase for the all-time home run record of 61 in 1998, heard the whispers about his steroid use and decided he didn't want to do more damage to his already shaky reputation.
Along with the whispers of his steroid use, Sosa was also caught using a corked bat in a game against Tampa Bay early on this decade.
Sosa is basically the poster boy of the steroid era, along with McGwire and Barry Bonds.
Will Sosa eventually make the hall of fame? He does have over 600 home runs and there's no doubt that he was a popular player in his better years.
Should hall of fame voters be swayed by a player's personal history? Sosa never failed a drug test, so should he be penalized because of doubt?

Sammy Sosa

Sammy Sosa announced his retirement yesterday, ending a career that was shrouded in doubt.
Sosa, who along with Mark McGwire had a legendary chase for the all-time home run record of 61 in 1998, heard the whispers about his steroid use and decided he didn't want to do more damage to his already shaky reputation.
Along with the whispers of his steroid use, Sosa was also caught using a corked bat in a game against Tampa Bay early on this decade.
Sosa is basically the poster boy of the steroid era, along with McGwire and Barry Bonds.
Will Sosa eventually make the hall of fame? He does have over 600 home runs and there's no doubt that he was a popular player in his better years.
Should hall of fame voters be swayed by a player's personal history? Sosa never failed a drug test, so should he be penalized because of doubt?

Johnny Damon Is In The News Again

Word on the street is that A.J. Burnett's children have really connected with Johnny Damon.
Let's be honest, Damon probably has more in common with A.J. Burnett's kids than he does with Burnett, being that he was one of the "idiots" in Boston.
Before the weekend, A.J.'s kids gave Damon a WWE championship belt. As you may know, since then, the Yankees have been on a tear, sweeping the Minnesota Twins, with three "walk-off" wins and a solid 7-6 victory last night.
Since Friday, the belt has been passed around like a badge of honor. It was presented after Friday Night's walkoff win to Melky Cabrera, who won the game for the Yanks with a 9th inning home run. It was then presented to Alex Rodriguez after the game on Saturday after he hit a HR in the 11th inning and finally, it was presented back to Damon after the provided the heroics on Sunday with a game-winning HR in the 9th inning.
The exact details of the championship belt haven't been disclosed, but how cool would it be to own the same belt that the New York Yankees have been using as the proverbial "game ball," presented to the one who provided the team with the victory? I say very cool.

Johnny Damon Is In The News Again

Word on the street is that A.J. Burnett's children have really connected with Johnny Damon.
Let's be honest, Damon probably has more in common with A.J. Burnett's kids than he does with Burnett, being that he was one of the "idiots" in Boston.
Before the weekend, A.J.'s kids gave Damon a WWE championship belt. As you may know, since then, the Yankees have been on a tear, sweeping the Minnesota Twins, with three "walk-off" wins and a solid 7-6 victory last night.
Since Friday, the belt has been passed around like a badge of honor. It was presented after Friday Night's walkoff win to Melky Cabrera, who won the game for the Yanks with a 9th inning home run. It was then presented to Alex Rodriguez after the game on Saturday after he hit a HR in the 11th inning and finally, it was presented back to Damon after the provided the heroics on Sunday with a game-winning HR in the 9th inning.
The exact details of the championship belt haven't been disclosed, but how cool would it be to own the same belt that the New York Yankees have been using as the proverbial "game ball," presented to the one who provided the team with the victory? I say very cool.