on the shore of the ultimate sea

Today’s news

Originally uploaded by nparish.

If this is someone’s idea of a joke, it’s damn funny:

“World Markets Plunge on News of Ledger Death, Brady Cast

The news that Tom Brady was seen wearing a cast, followed by the death of Heath Ledger wreaked havoc on foreign markets and Wall Street. ”

Sports books generally aren’t very good. At least for the sort of people who prefer reading to sports. But Jeff MacGregor nailed the crossover in his most recent, Sunday Money. It was by far my favorite sports read last year, and if you’re looking for an introduction to NASCAR you’d be hard pressed to find a better primer.

Stevie’s just trying to fit in.

Please allow me to preface the following with an explanation of my baseball talent:

Previous to this “pseudo-professional” (Rocker’s words) at-bat, the most recently I’d picked up a bat was during a cameo appearance on “No Comment,” the Fordham student paper’s club softball team. I went 2-3 against the yearbook team in a pathetic effort by the Ram squad.

I played little league until I was twelve or so, mostly as catcher. I couldn’t engage the game long enough to play infield, as my coaches and parents learned one fateful day when I was stationed at third. I guess my attention wavered, and a liner that should have been an easy out hit me square in the forehead. Knocked out cold. The last thing I remember was hearing the bat and looking up at the ball flying toward my face. When I came to, with my dad and the coaches around, the first thing the coach said was “Well, that’s why they call it the hot corner.”

So my history makes this all the more improbable, exciting, and, well, awesome. I’d like to thank the inventors of Lasik, who allowed me to take the batter’s box without Rec Specs for the first time in my career, as well as Deadspin’s Will Leitch. Will took the photo, offered words of encouragement, and, well, a least common denominator. I mean, what would the world be coming to if print guys are outhit by bloggers?

The Czechs are out of the gold medal hunt. John Davidson said they looked drained, and during the 7-3 loss “they were just not there, and the Swedes were.”

The rest of the Rangers were back on the ice Wednesday night, looking chipper.

In the most lively game I’ve ever seen in the NCAA’s oldest Division I gym, Fordham let a lead slip away — a feeling most fans are altogether accustomed to.

Credit Marcus Bennett, who stung the entire place with nasty outside shooting, and of course Mark White, for the inspiration.

But signs point to the program turning the corner, and I can see Fat Joe sitting courtside in the near future if the Rams make a run for the Tourney. During my tenure, Joey Crack filmed a video in the gym; he’d back a snazzy team.

Olympic levity reigned Thursday in the Rangers’ locker room, with traditional displays of patriotism from Jaromir Jagr and the Czechs supplemented by a career day by little Loki Darius Kasparaitis.

A few sentences into a statement about getting the start tonight in front of a hometown Toronto crowd, Kevin Weekes looked toward the door near the training room and cracked up. There, peeking around the corner, was a 2′ x 3′ portrait of himself, shirtless with a steely Zoolander gaze. It danced back and forth in the doorway, then the holder revealed himself as Darius.

After a few minutes of prancing around the dressing room with the portrait in front of him, peppered with comments of how handsome he was, Kaspar put the likeness in Weekes’ locker. A genuine laugh riot. But it wasn’t done.

Dominic Moore was off to the side, doing a television interview, which was probably already disrupted. But that didn’t stop Kaspar from again securing the portrait and doing the same little dance behind the camera while Dom looked over his shoulder with a mix of annoyance and suppressed amusement.

So what? Well, after tonight these guys leave their first-place perch temporarily and go their separate ways. And Ranger fans, not having tasted cohesion like this, being so unused to a smooth-running team unit that can score and win, have got to be concerned if they can pick up where they left off.

Magnetic Resonance bounced around Amare Stoudamire’s reconstructed left knee, tracing the results of last year’s microfracture surgery and showing things were on course in his recovery. If you cruise to the newsstand this month and want to hear the big man’s take on his recovery, pick up this month’s Slam, with Allen Iverson on the cover. In addition to the regular Bball goodness, I got Amare’s take on his injury and the patience required for recovery.
His return is still up in the air, and estimates vary wildly. One tidbit with little regard to dates or places relates to performance: due to increased resistance training during rehab, it’s rumored his vertical could increase by as many as four inches.
What does this mean for the Suns? Well, the timing of the announcement — Amare beginning light jogging in early February — suggests it’ll be at least March before he’s ready to suit up. Their schedule this month is light, with two homestands and the All-Star break. A series of winnable games to put distance between themselves and the Clippers. But faced with the option of easing Amare back into the lineup against mid-grade players in the conference or in March, when key matchups include two clashes with the Spurs and one with the Clips, I’m sure Mike D’Antoni would rather the former.

Even if it takes the hapless Penguins, the Rangers had someone to flex their special teams on last night, scoring two power-play goals and a shorthander courtesy of Steve ‘Rugged and Raw’ Rucchin to beat the Pens 3-1. But just as they’re dialing in, play is tapering down. Continuing strength after the Olympic break when the remaining Flyers games (five, after February) take on pennant race flair is the key.

Well, it looks like the NHL hasn’t changed too much — Darius Kasparaitis is in the news again for his physical play. I’d argue guys are having a tough time adjusting to the pace of the game while still being conscious of a wrecking ball like Kasparaitis on the ice, and that’s what we’ve got in these most recent cases.

So heads up out there, and if you need a refresher on who to watch out for, check this out. Dan McGillis’s bus route is running through Albany, and Scott Stevens retired, but the rest are still prowling.