BUG Community

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the
world of sports. Randy Moss Pink Jersey . This week, they
discuss NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, the Calgary Flames, the Montreal
Canadiens and Norfolk Admirals head coach Jon Coopers inability to land an NHL
job. Dave Naylor, TSN: My thumb is up to NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr
for his decision to include 31 players in his bargaining team, while inviting
any and all who care to be part of the process to join in. Fehrs approach comes
from the years in which he helped the Major League Baseball Players Association
maintain its position as the strongest union in all of professional sports; one
that never crumbled and always appeared to be in sync with its leadership under
Fehr. Duplicating that approach will make it far more difficult for the hockey
owners to employ the strategy that worked so well for them last time: divide and
conquer. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the Calgary Flames for
the surprising signing of defenceman Dennis Wideman. Its not that I wouldnt have
traded for him or signed him. Its the five years, $25 million, no-trade clause
part that I dont understand about this arrangement. Maybe they have him
confused. Maybe they think hes a star. Wideman is, lets be nice, an average NHL
defenceman. Hes better offensively than he is defensively. But if you watched
the Washington Capitals during the Stanley Cup playoffs, he was no better than
the fifth defenceman on that team and often the least dependable in his own end.
You dont pay star money and give star term for a guy on his fifth team in seven
years. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is down to the Montreal
Canadiens because Mathieu Darche will be eligible for free agency today. For a
relative pittance, Montreal could have locked up Darche, the conscience of the
team. Instead they lowballed the 35-year-old winger with an offer of a two-way
deal that also included a cut from his current $700,000 at the NHL level. There
are more effective fourth liners on the market but not one will treat it an as
an honor to play for the Canadiens like Darche did. There is scant room for
sentiment in pro hockey, but there should always be room for a man of character.
Dave Hodge, TSN: With all the coaches who are hired to replace all the coaches
who are fired, I have to wonder why theres not an NHL job for one Prince George,
BCs Jon Cooper, and so I say thumbs down to the fact that Coopers sensational
record with the Calder Cup champion Norfolk Admirals didnt vault him to the NHL.
The numbers said it—the Admirals won 70 regular season and playoff games and
they lost only 21 outright. Those who watched the Tampa Bay farm team dominate
the opposition saw Coopers work reflected on the ice. And to those who have
followed his coaching career from its start in the U.S. junior ranks, last
season was hardly a surprise. Hell get to the NHL, youd think, and he should get
the next available job, youd think. And its bound to come soon. The way the NHL
spits out coaches, that we know. Carlos Rogers Super Bowl Jersey . —San
Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is taking on another coach. Y.A. Tittle 49ers Jersey . Carpentier has
secured a ride with RAB Racing at the upcoming NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR
Nationwide Series race on Aug. http://www.47superbowl49ersjerseys.com/frank-gore-jersey
. Captaining the team to its very first FA Cup win, that epic victory over Real
Madrid to capture for the current European Champions its maiden European trophy
these days, Harris can be seen each Stamford Bridge match day fulfilling his
club ambassador role. Patrick Willis Grey Jersey . Or call it a big
underdog trying to gain some sort of mental edge on the eve of a big game at the
Olympics. Perrish Cox Jersey . Prosecutors questioned
Pozzato over his alleged links to Michele Ferrari, a doctor who in 2002 was
banned for life from the sport by the Italian Cycling Federation.INDIANAPOLIS—
Andretti Autosport isnt lamenting the loss of Danica Patrick to NASCAR. Michael
Andrettis drivers say they are working like teammates again. Though nobody on
the team has publicly cited Patricks departure as the sole reason for the
change, this is a team that clearly has a new zest for racing and it doesnt seem
like much of a coincidence that the results have changed, either. “I dont know
about friction, but there wasnt a lot of trust and things like that and when it
isnt happening its all forced and you cant force those things to happen,” the
team owner said after Fridays final practice for Sundays Indianapolis 500. “The
trust is there. They figure it you give something to one, the other will give
something to you. Thats what the old regime had back in 2005 and weve been
looking for that ever since.” Patrick joined the team in 2007, and apparently
the feelings about the split are mutual. On Thursday at Charlotte, Patrick told
reporters that when she watched last weekends Indy qualifying, it rekindled
memories of her own experiences on the 2.5-mile oval. But she acknowledged she
needed a fresh start. “I didnt feel like I wanted to be there,” she said. “Im
very pleased that Im in NASCAR. Im very happy, Im having a lot of fun. Im
looking forward to a different challenge this weekend.” Patricks departure was
the biggest change since last season when Andrettis team employed four full-time
drivers—his son, Marco, the soft-spoken Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay and
Patrick. Marco Andretti, Conway and Hunter-Reay reached Victory Lane in 2011
while Patrick produced one top-five finish in 17 starts and drew more attention
for her struggles than her successes. James Hinchcliffe replaced Patrick in the
Andretti lineup and Conway was left without a job when the team decided to run
only three full-time cars . The three regular drivers qualified second, third
and fourth for Sundays race—a stark contrast to the past two years when
Michael Andrettis team was still trying to get drivers in the race on Bump Day.
The difference comes down to teamwork. “Thats when you know that yooure dealing
with real people, when youre competing against your own people for the pole and
not playing games behind peoples backs,” said Marco Andretti, the 25-year-old
American with the strong racing lineage. Anthony Dixon Womens Jersey. Marco declined
to cite any specific drivers for the problems. “There was just not a lot of
honesty in the past. Do I resent it? No, because were all competitors,” he said.
“But the big picture thing is to get Andretti Autosport ahead of Team Penske and
Target Chip Ganassi. Now am I going to throw someone under the bus? No.” Patrick
was IndyCars most marketable personality but it wasnt always a smooth ride. When
she struggled in qualifying at Indy two years ago, Patrick told the crowd that
the problem was her cars setup. Fans showered her with boos, and then-teammate
Tony Kanaan later urged Patrick to have more fun and change the attitude. Last
year, when rain threatened to keep Patrick from making a Bump Day qualifying
attempt in her final Indy appearance, some fans even acknowledged they enjoyed
watching Patrick fume as she sat on pit road, the cockpit covered with an
umbrella. Patricks former teammates wont go that far. “I dont know about games,
but I know we are one tight-knit group of drivers who all want to win races,”
Hunter-Reay said. “We get along off the track. We dont let egos get in the way.
Weve started making progress and weve been able to work as a group.” Hunter-Reay
quickly pointed out his comment was not intended as a shot at Patrick. “I had no
direct issue with her, I just knew we worked closely with her,” Hunter-Reay
said. “Its not that we werent going backward, we were just not going forward.”
Thats not the case now. Hinchcliffe was one of the favourites to win the pole,
missing by .003 mph, the closest pole battle in 500 history, and Marco Andretti
goes into race day as one of the favourites after having one of the fastest cars
at the speedway all month. “You always struggle for that camaraderie. When you
have it, you have it,” Michael Andretti said. “You either have it or you dont.”
’ ’ ’