IKnowPhysics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3oHpup-pk

Nope?

I think if I worked at a local Ted's Hot Dogs, I would give Lindy Ruff an application for employment with his order and joke with him that I heard that he was looking for work, just for the slim chance of getting a photo op with him in a paper hat behind the grill. Hopefully it wouldn't be too soon.

The axe head has already fallen from the handle. Why still grind it? Vindication?

That was a 4-2 loss against the leafs. Saturday was a 5-3 loss against the Senators. Sunday was a 3-2 loss against WInnipeg. Catch 'em with their pants down. A solid three-period effort and containment of their top guys should be able to down this team.

What I'm not sure I like about F1 is the fact that Pirelli is forced to make ###### tires on purpose to promote pit stops because of tire degradation. They could make tires that last all race, but they're not allowed to.

You'd think if Cooper was 1st pick, because he's already in the organization, maybe he would be announced sooner (Tuesday morning) after Guy Boucher is let go (Sunday morning). Tampa played Sunday and Cooper was on the ice with Syracuse today.

Nobody. It doesn't have to be him. Let the NHL Board of Directors go into the HHoF and decide on the right referee the same way they elect a new pope. When white smoke pours out of the chimney, this nonsense comes to an end.

One of the interesting parts is the strategy involved because it's a two car team sport. If Vettel tries to overtake Webber (his teammate), and they even touch for a split second, both cars are pretty much instantly destroyed, and the team loses a 1-2 finish and the money that went into the two cars. Not like rubbing in Nascar. If one the cars burns too much fuel trying to overtake the other, it could finish with less than the FIA required 1 liter remaining, causing a disqualification of the car. It could also cause too much wear on the tires, forcing a pit. So the end of an F1 race between teammates isn't a flat-out burn to the end, it's a balance of all of the make-or-break end-of-race parameters on an open wheels car: fragility, tire wear, and fuel consumption. That all said, it is neat to watch the equivalent of ground-based jet fighters revving at 19krpm through turns.

Same here. I started watching Top Gear UK about two and a half years ago and have caught up on almost all of the episodes (they're on Netflix, btw). Can't get enough of it- the specials are really good. That got me a little curious about F1, then I saw the ads on NBCSN, decided to record the Australian Grand Prix, got a chance to watch it, and was like "######, this is pretty good." Watched the Malaysian GP yesterday, even better. Figure I'll give it the better part of a season to entice me as a viewer. Was also thinking about going to the Long Beach GP (which is IndyCar, not F1, but should still be cool).

Yep, TSN's calling it: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=419104

Two game suspension for you.

I was a big Nascar fan for a few years starting at about age 8, then lost interest in motor sports, despite remaining a "car guy." I started watching F1 this season (in HD with surround sound, I might add). Fascinating and entertaining. It's immediately obvious that three time champion Sebastian Vettel is a dick.

Yeah, the more I think aboot it, the more I like it. Take your best senior ref at his retirement from on-ice work, offer him double his salary, put him in Shanahan's position. Make it the ultimate uber-referee position. Then you have a true supplemental discipline czar that lays down the ban hammer like Judge Mills Lane layed down the gavel. Fair, tough, and universally respected*. When you want a Supreme Court Justice, you hire an experienced judge, not a convict. *Among boxing professionals and televised court circuits.

For what it's worth, which is nothing, Kerry Fraser thinks Nash's hit on Kopecky not resulting in penalty and suspension was horseshit. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=419086 Edit: Actually, there was redeeming comment from a user buried in there, calling for Fraser as Shanahan's replacement. Let's ignore the specifics. Refs at the pro level spend a lifetime trying to be as unbiased as possible; players are the opposite. Would former or promoted league referees be better suited than former players as the head of the player safety committee to dole out fines/suspensions/supplemental discipline?

Sounds like John Madden.

Not on the list!

Lot of speculation going into that one. Here's the original "report" from Jim Matheson: Davis then tacks on, claiming he talked with Matheson: Also, Jon Cooper looks like he was hired to the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa's affiliate, away from the Norfolk Admirals... He's listed as head coach for both teams: Crunch: http://www.syracusecrunch.com/staff.aspx?staff=39 Admirals: http://www.norfolkadmirals.com/release_story1.php?id=1930

And lack thereof. Columbus: Klesla, Leclaire, Nash, Zherdev, Picard, Brule, Brassard, Filatov, Voracek. All of Columbus' picks until 2008, all top-10 picks. Gracias.

Win now, win always. You want good players on the team? Trade for them or sign them. You want good players out of the draft? Draft well. You want the top pick? Trade for it or be compensated off of an offer sheet. To me, the inherent differences between a 1-3 pick and a 16-23 pick and the risks associated with the chance of success of selected players, including development, signing, and injury, and factoring the time it could take to develop the player into a useful contributor does not outweigh the damage to the organization in terms of revenue loss and damage to the perception of the team by free agents, holders of NTCs, and potential coaches. But more than that, the act of winning this season, would demonstrate that this team is capable, on some level, of winning. Ron Rolston would likely remain a candidate for a long term HC position. Darcy Regier would likely remain in employ. There would be much more convincing evidence about which players are committed to performing well, winning, and remaining with us and which players are losers to be shed of. If you lose flat out, you may not learn anything. Was it worth it to fire Ruff? Should we hire Rolston? Was Darcy the problem all along? Do you fire him and look for a replacement? Were the players underperforming? Were they never able to perform? Which ones? All of that becomes less clear with a dogshit record, and the path forward becomes less educated and more desperate. The chance of making mistakes that damage the franchise in the long term or cause long setbacks are greater in a total rebuild scenario, which is likely the scenario after a 1-3 pick. You think you might be the more competitive team by attempting to get the 1-3 pick, but what's really happening is that you're making a wager. You're betting 1-3 years of watching bad hockey, possibly worse than this season, on one 18 year old when there are so many less risky ways to acquire good players.

Guy Boucher fired by Steve Yzerman in Tampa. There's immediate speculation from several analysts that the leading candidate for his replacement is Lindy Ruff, who served as Assistant Coach for Team Canada, under Steve Yzerman, who served as GM for that team. Guy Boucher was the youngest coach in the league at the time of his hiring and had only one year of professional, non-NHL coaching experience. Lindy Ruff would likely be the best option if Tampa decides to seek a veteran coach. Ruff coaching against us in our division next year? No sir, I don't like it. edit: Derp: http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/21777-boucher-out-in-tampa/

Regier?

Just a pleasant Friday off reminding me why working 9/80s are the ######.

"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."