As the NHL nears its mid-season sabbatical known as All-Star Weekend, the usual grumblings about All-Star snubs have reared their ugly (yet mostly warranted) heads. If the league based its All-Star rosters purely on performance this season and not on subjective fan voting (I’m talking to you, Montreal Canadiens fans), here’s what the lineups would have looked like:

Eastern Conference:

Evegeni Malkin, Center – The Penguins star rightly deserves his place in the starting lineup. Although he is defensively lacking at times, Malkin leads the NHL in points by a wide margin and has emerged as a bona fide star along with teammate Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. Geno, as he is known by his fellow Pens, is big, fast, and has a wicked shot. He may not speak the best English, but Malkin is sure to delight fans all over who speak the language of hockey.

Alexander Ovechkin, Wing – That Ovechkin was not elected to the starting lineup speaks to the power of the Pittsburgh and Montreal voting blocs. The Great Eight is the best all-around player in the league, and though he might not win the points title this season, he still scores at a prodigious rate. There have been numerous games where Ovechkin has just decided the Caps are not going to lose and puts the team on his broad shoulders. Perhaps the best example of this was when he scored two goals to lead the Capitals to a comeback victory against New York after the Rangers took a 4-0 lead. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau was openly angry about his star’s snub, and he’s not the only person in the league who feels that way. It seems that the only one who does not care is Ovechkin himself, who continues to play each game with such abandon that the glory of an All-Star contest is just another date on the calendar.

Phil Kessel, Wing – The Bruins’ 22-year-old sniper has been spectacular in what amounts to a breakout season. Three years after he beat testicular cancer, Kessel is among the league leaders in goals. He recorded an extremely impressive streak of 18 straight games with at least one point already in the season, and he is a major part of Boston’s rejuvenated squad. Sadly, Kessel was recently diagnosed with mono and could miss a month. When he returns, don’t expect road crowds to forget the fact that he was out with the “kissing disease.”

Andrei Markov, Defense – Markov was elected to his first All-Star game last year and has kept up his elite level of play this season. He ranks second in the NHL in points by a defenseman, and has been a stalwart on Montreal’s blue line all season. Also, since the All-Star game is being held in Montreal to celebrate the Habs’ 100th anniversary, it is fitting that they should have one representative on this team.

Dennis Wideman, Defense – Boston’s meteoric rise to the top of the Eastern Conference this season has gone hand-in-hand with the improvement of this blue liner. Wideman has the best plus/minus ratio of any defenseman with a plus 26, and his offensive playmaking ability is evidenced by his 21 assists. Add those numbers to a big frame that can bang around in the corners, and it is easy to see why Wideman is an All-Star caliber defenseman.

Tim Thomas, Goalie – Thomas, the winning netminder in last year’s All-Star game, is an obvious choice for this position. He is sixth in the league in wins despite splitting starts with Manny Fernandez, and ranks first overall in save percentage. That Carey Price is starting over him in the actual game is a travesty and makes you wonder about Habs fans frequent claims that they are the smartest fans in the league.

Western Conference:

Ryan Getzlaf, Center – The Duck’s leading man rebounded from a mediocre 2007-08 season to rank fourth in the league in points. He is scoring at a pace greater than last year’s and has tallied 12 points in his last nine contests. With the Ducks having a relatively down season so far, Getzlaf has been the one truly bright spot in Anaheim with his all-around dominance on the offensive side of the puck.

Patrick Kane, Wing – Last year’s Rookie of the Year is a joy to watch. Seeing Kane maneuver his 5’10”, 170 pound frame around and between defenders always brings cheers from the crowd, as do his precise passing and his superb vision on the ice. Oh, he also leads his team in points, which is pretty good as well. He is one of the main reasons that the Blackhawks franchise is experiencing a renaissance in Chicago.

Pavel Datsyuk, Center – The Red Wings’ top forward showed a national audience what he is capable of with his brilliant goal in the Winter Classic. Red Wings’ fans, on the other hand, see this brilliance every game. Datsyuk is silky smooth with and without the puck: He is among the top five in the league in points, and is widely regarded as the best defensive forward in the league. Throw in a set of hands that may be the softest in the NHL, and you’ve got one of the most complete packages on ice.

Dan Boyle, Defenseman – Boyle was the San Jose Sharks’ biggest off-season acquisition, and this season he has consistently proven why. He is the best offensive-minded defenseman in the game. On Saturday night, for instance, he provided a goal and an assist in the Sharks’ big win over the Red Wings. Boyle has thrived on a Sharks team that is the best in the Western Conference and has also quelled any doubts about being weak on the defensive side of the puck.

Dion Phaneuf, Defenseman – Phaneuf is the exact opposite of Dan Boyle in that he is a solid, defensive-minded defenseman in the mold of Scott Stevens. The Flames’ fiery French-Canadian is known and feared for being among the biggest hitters in the game, and can change the course of a team’s play with his body checks. However, Phaneuf can also handle the puck, and has 29 points to show for it this season so far. His intensity would be welcome in the All-Star game, which sometimes features players skating at half speed.

Steve Mason, Goalie – Mason is the frontrunner for both the Calder and Vezina trophies at this point in the season. He has posted six shutouts already, including three in a row during one incredible stretch. His play in net has allowed the Columbus Blue Jackets to stay in playoff contention so far. Oh, and did I mention he is just 20? Yeah, that’s sure to make NU seniors feel good about their current achievements in life this far.

Even though Opening Day is five months away and it’s hard to even think of picking up a glove in twenty degree weather, here are five predictions about what will take place over the course of the winter and during the upcoming season.

1. The Opening Day starter for the New York Yankees will be CC Sabathia: Some have speculated that Sabathia may spurn New York’s mega deal and opt for the warmer climates and designated hitter-free environment offered by the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, money and titles speak more than the chance to hit once every five days, and Sabathia will be hard pressed to find a team and a fan base who crave his ability to eat up innings (and everything else in front of him) and pitch in big games more than in the Bronx.

2. The Chicago Cubs will not win the World Series for the 101st straight year (Unless they start looking at the right players): While the Cubs go fishing for arms to shore up their bullpen and starting rotation (See: closer Kevin Gregg, possibly Jake Peavy), they are turning a blind eye on what cost them a run at the championship last year: A lack of hitting. Chicago needs to focus on the dead spots in their lineup, particularly in center and right field. Only then can this team focus on taking a serious shot at the title that has eluded it for over a century.

3. The Rays will prove that last season was no fluke: Because Tampa Bay is built around rising young stars instead of aging veterans, you can expect that this team will only improve over the next five years. Last year’s American League pennant run showed all of baseball that Tampa’s combination of speed, defense and relief pitching could overcome a minute pay roll, and that the Rays could play with the big boys. The skills of youngsters such as B.J. Upton, Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria and James Shields will only be improved next season, so look for Tampa to have another shot at a World Series title.

4. The Dodgers will win the National League: In their first season under Joe Torre, the Dodgers exceeded everyone’s expectations but their own in reaching the NLCS. Once there, they fell to the red hot Phillies, but the same thing will not happen this year. Los Angeles will resign Manny Ramirez, who will not be able to turn down the short yet sweet contract the team is offering him. Other members of the team, from first baseman James Loney to second year pitcher Clayton Kershaw, will come into their own. The Dodgers played great baseball down the stretch last year, and will play that way for the majority of next season.

5. …But the Angels will win the World Series: That Anaheim did not win it all last year remains a mystery to me. Like the Cubs, the Angels, so dominant during the regular season, did not show up against the Red Sox during the Division Series. This team is too good to let that happen again. With a top of the line rotation, a powerful batting order and a good bullpen, the Angels are a force to be reckoned with. Manager Mike Scioscia will not let his team forget its October collapse. Granted, this team might be somewhat diminished if it does not sign closer Francisco Rodriguez and first baseman Mark Texiera, who could surprise the world by signing with his hometown Baltimore Orioles. Nonetheless, owner Arte Moreno and company will find a way to plug the holes and the thunder sticks will be banging again come October 2009.

Everyone in the NHL has now played more than ten games and in the next few weeks we should start to see some separation between the Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders. But as of right now most teams are tightly bunched and 21 of the 30 teams have records of .500 or better. However, that doesn’t mean there has been no trends. Here are some notes about who is moving up and who is striving to be the NHL’s Detroit Lions.

Three Up:

1.San Jose Sharks: The Sharks have been the hottest team in the NHL of late, and have the league lead in points to show for it. Forward Patrick Marleau is playing up to the level he was at two years ago and has 16 points. San Jose’s offense in general has been prolific: 54 goals through Tuesday were tops in the NHL. The only weak link on the team is starting goalie Evegeni Nabokov, who has been injured. Once he gets healthy expect the Sharks to put some distance between themselves and the second place Anaheim Ducks.

2.Chicago Blackhawks: A fellow hockey fan asked me if I would consider Chicago for this week’s article, and I realized that the Hawks had flown beneath my radar the past couple weeks, just like they had for almost everybody else in the league. Whether people realize it or not though, this team has gotten its act together. The Blackhawks demolished Calgary 6-1 on Sunday, and everybody from Patrick Kane (18 points) to defenseman Aaron Johnson (plus 11 on the season) is stepping up. Even perennially underperforming winger Martin Havlat is skating well (at least until he gets injured). If the Hawks continue their success Chicago will turn back into the hockey city it has always been and the United Center will become an extremely tough place to play.

3.Boston Bruins: With the Patriots and Celtics in action, the Bruins get little coverage in the Boston media. That might change soon. After beating a strong Sabres team on Saturday, the Bruins stand tied with Buffalo atop the Eastern Conference’s Northeast Division. The Bruins have been buoyed by the superb play of goalie Tim Thomas, who is making an early case for the Vezina Trophy with a 1.85 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Young Phil Kessel of Madison, Wisconsin is finally coming into his own on the offensive end of the ice, and defenseman Zdeno Chara remains one of the NHL’s toughest defenders. For now at least, it seems that Boston, a low playoff seed last year, has set its sights on a division championship.

Three Down:

1.New York Islanders: The Isles have dropped eight of their last ten games, and now own the worst record in the NHL, having accumulated only ten points to date. Nothing seems to be going right for this team: Franchise goalie Rick DiPietro is out with a knee injury, forward Mike Comrie is not producing points at the level he normally does, and their special teams have been middling. Playing in a tough Atlantic Division does not really help either.

2.Calgary Flames: For a team laden with stars on offense, defense, and in net, the Flames have been unimpressive in a weak Northwest Division. As usual, captain Jarome Iginla has picked up the slack and practically carried the offense by himself, and it is time for the rest of his teammates to start contributing. In the past week Calgary lost to both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Phoenix Coyotes. This is not to say that Calgary probably won’t make the playoffs, but it needs to start acting like a contender soon. Otherwise, it will be a long cold winter until rodeo season.

3.New York Rangers: The denizens of Madison Square Garden gave up five goals to Toronto in one period last week and have lost four out of their last five, including a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the rival Islanders. Pittsburgh has closed the Rangers’ division lead to just six points and if the slide continues don’t expect the New York press to cut the team any slack.

For this installation of North by Northwestern’s weekly hockey blog, I will be focusing on players, and not teams, that have been making an impact (or lack thereof) on the season so far.

Three Up:
1. Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals: With Washington’s other Russian Alexander in a bit of an early season slump, the third year forward has helped to jumpstart the Capital’s offense. He leads the team in goals, assists, and plus/minus rating. Some questioned Semin’s effectiveness after last season, in which he tallied only 42 points. But, it looks as if the 2007-2008 campaign was only a fluke for this talented winger. If Semin can keep his play at this level, the Capitals will be tough to face.

2. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres: Miller had an up and down season last year, and as a result the Sabres missed the playoffs. This year, the netminder has been nothing short of stellar. He leads the NHL in goals against average, and ranks second in save percentage. Most importantly, he is not letting in the kind of soft goals that last season crippled his confidence and undermined his teams’ efforts. With both Miller and forward Thomas Vanek performing at All-Star levels, Buffalo looks like it will make up for last year’s playoff absence.

3. Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis Blues: What a start to the season for this 17 year veteran. Tkachuk scored in each of his first six games, and has eight goals so far for the surprisingly decent Blues. He, along with players such as Scott Neidermayer of the Ducks and Ray Whitney of the Hurricanes, keeps proving that the NHL is not just a young man’s league. Yet, Tkachuk’s hot start to the season does not really come as a surprise: he netted 27 for the Blues last year.

Three Down:
1. Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild: The Wild’s speedy Czech forward has only played in two games this season. Gaborik has a reputation for being injury prone, but this season has to be particularly frustrating: His contract with Minnesota is set to expire at the end of the end of the year, and so he should be motivated not only to help his team but to make himself look like he’s worth being paid millions of dollars to score goals. At this rate, Gaborik is only slated to play sixteen games, and his skill has taken a back seat to his propensity for being on the injury report.

2. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks: After being named Vancouver’s captain during the offseason, Luongo, a nominee for the Hart Trophy last season, has underperformed during this year’s campaign. His .899 save percentage is much worse than last year’s mark of .917. He will have to start standing on his head to spark the Canucks, who have started a middling 6-6, to play well enough to keep up in a strong Western Conference.

3. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lighting: Sure, Vinny leads his team in scoring, as any great forward should. The problem is, that team is the Lightning, who have picked up their play of late but are still offensively challenged. Lecavalier was tabbed by some to be a contender for both the Hart and Art Ross trophies, and will have to step back into his accustomed role of offensive juggernaut in order to both meet expectations and help his team to continue to improve (as of Monday, the Lightning had won three straight).

On Saturday against the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals forward Sergei Fedorov scored goals number 474 and 475 of his career, becoming the all-time leader in goals scored by a Russian player. Fedorov was already the career leader in points by a Russian, but reaching another milestone reminded hockey fans just how good he has been throughout the bulk of his illustrious career. Fedorov was a graceful, immensely skilled point machine for the Red Wings during the ‘90’s, twice tallying over 100 points and winning the Hart trophy in 1994 — the first Russian-born player to do so. He was a major factor in Detroit’s dominance in the latter part of the decade, and amazed fans and players alike with his spectacular displays of offensive wizardry. Lately, Fedorov has provided a veteran presence on a young, up-and-coming Capitals team. However, Fedorov was not the only star who dazzled fans this week. Here’s a look at who in the NHL is hot and who’s colder than Chicago in November.

Three Up:
New York Rangers: The Rangers remain at the top of this list because they are still firing on all cylinders. With 19 points through 12 games, New York not only leads the league in wins but has also matched their best start in franchise history. The key to their fast start has been the play of King Henrik between the pipes and the success of the Rangers penalty kill. With two goals against the Islanders on Monday, captain Chris Drury seems to have finally found his scoring touch. Don’t expect this team to lose momentum anytime soon.

Minnesota Wild: The only team that has not yet lost during regulation, the Wild have surprised those who predicted that they would have a down season this year. Center Mikko Koivu has picked up the slack for injured superstar Marian Gaborik by tallying 13 points, and Minnesota has yet to allow a power play goal. But, like the Rangers, the real key for the Wild is goaltender Niklas Backstrom. The Fin has only given up more than two goals twice this year. He always gives his team a chance to win, even when the Minnesota offense is struggling.

Detroit Red Wings: After a loss to Vancouver on October 16, the Red Wings have won five straight and are now second in the NHL with 15 points. What makes them so good is their depth: One night the team may be carried by superstars Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg or Marian Hossa, but the next it might be veteran Brian Rafalski or center Valtteri Filppula that takes charge. Detroit has definitely shown no sign of a championship hangover.

Three Down:
Dallas Stars: The emergence of highly touted rookie Fabian Brunnstrom has been the lone bright spot for Dallas so far. The Stars were a Western Conference finalist last season and were supposed to build on that success this year. Right now, they are a sub-.500 team with a struggling goalie: Postseason hero Marty Turco is allowing almost two goals more per game than he did last season.

Ottawa Senators: The talent-heavy Senator team was expected to pick up its game this season after a miserable playoff performance last year. Instead, Ottawa has once again proved that big names do not always equal success, losing four straight before beating Buffalo on Monday. The bright side for the Sens is that their top line of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson combined for seven points in that contest, perhaps gave the team something to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Although the Lightning won their first game only a week ago, they suffered three straight overtime losses (including one in a shootout) directly beforehand. This team is not being blown out — it just needs to find ways to score late in games. Tampa Bay has proven leaders in Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis and will improve as the season goes on.

You will hear a lot of commentary this World Series, from broadcasters and coaches, players and fans, about why it’s so nice that the Tampa Bay Rays have made it into the Fall Classic. They will expound on the importance of small market teams such as the Rays and their opponents, the Philadelphia Phillies, saying that baseball cannot always be about teams from Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Purists will laud Tampa Bay for cultivating its young, homegrown stars such as Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton and will tout the team as an example that solid defense, relief pitching and timely hitting are more than a match for clubs with monster payrolls.

Personally, I too am overjoyed by the fact that the Rays have made it this far. I do not claim to be a fan of the little guy and, though I have loved baseball for the vast majority of my life, I would not consider myself a purist. What I am is a Yankees fan. And that means I care about only one thing: that Tampa Bay beat the Boston Red Sox, and that the Sox will not be playing for their another Series title.

Now, I know that to the average baseball fan, my claim seems like an immensely nearsighted view. Many people ask me how I can possibly dislike a team so much that I will root for whoever they are playing. Usually, I cannot give a concrete answer; I am a Yankees fan, ergo I despise Boston. This time, however, I think I can rationalize my feelings a bit.

If the Red Sox made it to the World Series and won, they would become baseball’s latest dynasty. Three titles since 2004 would make them almost equivalent to the Yanks of the late nineties. I would not be able to deal with a world in which the Sox are considered the most successful team of any decade. They needed to lose to the Rays for the same reason that the Cubs needed to lose to the Dodgers: baseball needs its losers (OK, I know that the Sox are no longer losers, but two straight championships would make it borderline impossible to keep denying that fact).

From an actual baseball point of view, Boston getting another ring would would have also been a catastrophe for my Yanks. See, the only thing that the Steinbrenner clan and their cronies hate more than the Yankees losing is the Red Sox winning. And, as the team’s mantra for the past decade, if both happen, the obvious solution is to throw money at guys like Kevin Brown, Jason Giambi and Carl Pavano, to name a few. So, if Boston beat the Rays and then won the Series, it would take all of five minutes for Hank Steinbrenner to start bullying General Manager Brian Cashman into paying $80 million for an aging superstar with bad knees.

Besides, I did not want to see Dustin Pedroia on television any more this year. I can only hear the word “scrappy” so many times over a given autumn.

The 21-year-old McCormick junior is a die-hard Arsenal fan, an English team, and has been playing and following soccer his entire life. His mother and father, who grew up in Ehtiopia and Nigeria, played soccer and became Manchester United fans when they moved to London. The Ogunros brought their love of the game to the U.S.

Ogunro is, however, the lone Arsenal fan in a family of Man. U supporters, and ascribes this fact to having “always been the deviant in the family.” Of course, if his family still lived in England, he probably would have been disowned for soccer treason. Ogunro plays on the club soccer team at Northwestern and cites “the passion behind the game” as one of his reasons for loving soccer. He credits the school’s diversity for his finding a sizeable amount of soccer fans on campus, including a bunch of fellow Arsenal fans. His web homepage is ESPNsoccernet.com.

In 2006, FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, released its second “Big Count,” a survey that determines how many people across the globe play soccer. The number that came back was impressive: 265 million players, plus another 5 million people involved with the game in a non-playing capacity. Even more staggering than these figures, however, is the number of American citizens that play soccer. According to the Big Count, it’s almost 24.5 million.

Despite these statistics, soccer ranks somewhere between NASCAR and badminton in terms of generating public interest. The Northwestern sports scene is no exception. It is easy to find fans of baseball, football and basketball but soccer aficionados are harder to come by.

There are still those on campus who actively follow the “beautiful game” and are more than willing to share their passion.

“I’ve been surprised about how many kids like soccer here” says Mark Scoptur, a 20-year-old Weinberg sophomore and supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, a team that happens to be Arsenal’s rival. Scoptur has been following Tottenham for about three years and says he was turned on to the sport by his older brother, who is a Manchester United fan. When picking a Premier League team to root for, Scoptur said he “didn’t want to pick a team out of the Big Four clubs [the quartet of traditional Premiership powerhouses that consists of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool],” and that, “Tottenham had the potential to be good, but were historically underachievers.”

At Northwestern, Scoptur follows the Spurs by watching them at his fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau, whenever possible. Scoptur, along with a few other soccer fans in the fraternity, watches his favorite team on a regular basis, even if it means getting to the house at nine in the morning on a Saturday. Some of his non-soccer-following friends occasionally watch the games with him, and Scoptur said he “think[s] once people actually see the games, they realize it’s not a boring sport.”

Unlike Scoptur and Ogunro, JP Lona is not part of a fraternity and cannot watch his favorite team, the Danish club Aalborg BK, on a regular basis. “If I could I would,” says the 19-year-old Weinberg sophomore, who lived in Denmark for his last two years of high school. Still, Lona is able to keep track of his team by visiting their website multiple times a week. He has not let his inability to watch Aalborg live dissuade him from following a game he’s played all his life. He concedes that, “there are a few people” he regularly talks soccer with in order to see what other people know about the current state of the sport overseas.

A self-described Arsenal fan “since I learned what soccer was,” 19-year-old Weinberg sophomore James Dawson grew up in London and was immersed in the game from an early age. In addition to Arsenal matches, he watches any game that is on television. Dawson is a perfect example of the small yet devoted group of soccer enthusiasts that populate Northwestern: students who prove that, while it may not be the most visible of sports, soccer on-campus is still alive and kicking.

On Saturday, the second-ranked University of Tennessee came into Memphis and spoiled the top ranked Tigers’ chance at a perfect season with a thrilling 66-62 win. It was the first time the in-state rivals had played each other while being ranked first and second. Even though Tennessee did not get great production from its star guard Chris Lofton, its role-players put in enough to take down the last unbeaten team in the country.

With the win, the Volunteers secured the first no. 1 ranking in the history of their men’s basketball program. They would not hold on to the position for long. On Tuesday night in Nashville, the fourteenth-ranked Commodores of Vanderbilt beat the Vols 72-69 in another close game among top-flight Tennessee basketball programs. The victory was Vandy’s fourth-straight win on their home court against a number one ranked team. With a streak like that, even Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl’s neon tangerine jacket didn’t stand a chance of guiding his team to victory.

Finally, Northwestern beat Michigan to win its first Big Ten game of the year! Hooray.

Yes, that’s right, that squeak you just heard was the hockey trade deadline passing! In all seriousness, this year’s deadline was an exciting one for the NHL. The Dallas Stars, a team jockeying for top-billing in a strong Western Conference, bolstered its offense by getting center and former Conn Smythe trophy winner Brad Richards from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for young goalie Mike Smith and two other players.

The two other big trades of the day involved Eastern Conference teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that could very well win the conference, received Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers. Hossa is a phenomenal two-way player coming off a 100-point season and makes them an automatic Stanley Cup favorite. In a questionable move, the Montreal Canadians sent their no. 1 goaltender Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals for a mere second-round pick. While the Caps are overjoyed to have an upgrade over the venerable but declining Olaf Kolzig, Canadians fans have to be shaking their heads over a trade that may weaken one of the East’s hottest teams.

Action in the NBA this week proved a couple of things. First, that the Kobe Bryant Experience featuring Pau Gasol is very, very good. The Lakers are 10-1 since they acquired the Spanish big man, including winning their last nine. For me, they are the ones to beat in the Western Conference. Second, the Phoenix Suns are probably not much better with Shaq in their front-court. The (former) most exciting team in the league has alternated wins and losses with the Diesel in the lineup. He scored a measly four points in their win over Boston last Friday. The news of the week, however, was that Yao Ming will be out for the rest of the regular season with a stress fracture in his left foot. The injury is a serious blow to the Houston Rocket’s playoff hopes, even though the team has won its last 13 games, they are demoted to a second-tier team in the West.

Finally, in baseball, blah blah steroids blah blah blah Roger Clemens is getting investigated by the FBI blah blah more steroids blah blah Andy Pettite blah blah blah steroids blah blah Congressional hearings blah blah blah. Also spring training is in full spring. I am truly looking forward to the start of the season so we all can forget about this steroids nonsense.

NBA

Shaquille O’Neal is going to the Suns. He is pictured here with Stanley Roberts and Chris Jackson in 1989.
Picture by Vedia on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

First, let’s check in on the world “Where Amazing Happens,” otherwise known as the NBA. Given the rash of big-name players who have changed teams in the last week, I personally motion that Commissioner David Stern should change the league’s slogan to “Where Blockbuster Trades that Nobody Really Saw Coming Happen,” but that’s just a suggestion.
With Pau Gasol going to the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal to the Suns and Jason Kidd to the Mavericks, the Western Conference, already light years ahead of the East in terms of top-tier teams, gets even scarier.
Gasol has been great in helping Los Angeles to six straight wins, the most recent one against Shaq and the new look Phoenix Suns.
Although the Diesel put up a pedestrian 15 points and 9 rebounds in the loss and will probably make basketball in the Arizona desert slightly less fun to watch, I think he will be instrumental in helping the Suns make a deep run in the playoffs.
Kidd lost to the Hornets and Chris Paul in his debut with the Mavs, and while some people think that Devin Harris, who was traded to the Nets in the deal, may have been a fine fit with Dallas, Dirk and Co. are perfectly happy to be playing with the best point guard of our generation.

MLB

Now on to baseball. Even though the temperatures in Evanston are still way below freezing, elsewhere in America players are reporting to training camps.
There is a cloud over the early stages of spring training, however, in the form of Roger Clemens’ recent appearance before a Congressional committee in which he again denied using steroids and stayed true to his Texan roots by making up words such as “misremembered.”
Even Alex Rodriguez was caught up in the steroid storm when he told reporters that he was tested “9 to 10 times” last year for illegal substances, a number that is extremely high given the randomness of the league’s testing policies. A-Rod later said he was kidding, but any way you look at it, last year he had a hell of a stat line: .314 batting average, 54 home runs, 156 RBIs and 9 or 10 passed drug tests. No wonder he was the American League MVP.

NHL

For the four or five hockey fans reading this, the NHL-leading Red Wings snapped a six game losing streak by beating the Colorado Avalanche, but lost star defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom for three weeks with a knee injury.
The trade deadline is also approaching, and though no big deals have been suggested yet, there are rumors that Atlanta Thrasher’s forward Marian Hossa, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin will be moved before the deadline passes.
Also, my beloved New York Rangers played a stinker against Montreal Canadiens, losing 6-5 in a shootout after being up 5-0. This loss caused me to momentarily renounce all things Canadian, until I came to my senses after realizing I couldn’t listen to Celine Dion’s lovely voice while I worked.

NASCAR

Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500.
Picture by phillip8589 on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

In NASCAR news, Ryan Newman won the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500, after being helped by a push from Penske teammate Kurt Busch on the last lap. The win was also the first Daytona 500 victory for car owner Roger Penske, who holds more Indianapolis 500 wins than any other car owner.

Women’s College Basketball

Finally, in women’s college basketball, Tennessee junior Candace Parker announced she will skip her senior year at school and pursue a professional career. Bad news for the Lady Vols, but perhaps good news for all of us out there that were disturbed by Tennessee men’s coach Bruce Pearl painting his naked torso orange and showing up to women’s basketball games. With their star player gone, maybe they won’t give Coach Pearl a reason to show up.