Goodbye, Jim Lorentz
Sep 26, 2007 NHL
Jim Lorentz announced his retirement yesterday, after 26 years as a Buffalo Sabres broadcaster. He shared the booth with two of hockey’s greatest play-by-play men, Ted Darling and Rick Jeanneret. He cited the long and grueling travel schedule (after 43 years as a player and broadcaster!) as the reason for stepping down.
Lorentz will be missed by Sabres fans of all ages. He has been involved with the team from the beginning, joining the Sabres in the 1971-72 season as a player. He played in the famous ‘Fog Game’ against the Broad Street Bullies, gaining the nickname ‘Batman’ from his future colleague Rick Jeanneret when he knocked a bat out of the foggy air. He joined the Sabres radio broadcast team in 1981 and switched to TV (and the current radio/TV hybrid) later.
Tags: B-Lo Sports, Jim Lorentz, retirement, sabres
Where’s a Pirate when you need ‘em??
Sep 25, 2007 Media
Female ninjas robbing gas stations. I guess real ultimate power requires less than $50 and some Slim Jims.
Decide the Fate of 756
Sep 17, 2007 MLB
Vote for great justice. Mark Ecko is apparently the buyer of Barry Bonds 756th home run ball. He has given we, the people, three choices for the ball’s ultimate fate: give it to Cooperstown as-is, brand it with an asterisk and THEN give it to the Hall, or shoot it into space. I’m voting brand it.
Tags: 756, Barry Bonds, baseball, MLB
First, take 10,000 gallons of water…
Sep 13, 2007 NHL
If you are like me, and wondered about the steps in the process to make the ice for a hockey rink, well, wonder no more. The assistant Chief Engineer at HSBC Arena gives a rundown on the process they are following this week while they prepare for training camp. Also mentioned is the fog game, one of the most famous hockey games in the history of the NHL.
NHL Training Camps Opening Up!
Sep 12, 2007 NHL
The Sabres report tomorrow for physicals, with the first practice on Friday. They are open to the public for the first week or two. A few teams have already opened camp. My lunches will now be taken at the Arena during the Sabres scrimmage. :D
Tags: B-Lo Sports, Hockey, NHL, sabres
Russia Builds ‘Most Powerful’ Non-Nuclear Bomb; Claims it Doesn’t Hurt Environment
Sep 12, 2007 Sci/Tech
The Russians claim it is equivalent to 44 tons of TNT, with a 990 foot blast radius. My favorite part of the article:
“The tests have shown that the new air-delivered ordnance is comparable to a nuclear weapon in its efficiency and capability,” said Col.-Gen. Alexander Rukshin, a deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, said in televised remarks.
Unlike a nuclear weapon, the bomb doesn’t hurt the environment, he added.
I’m sure an 8-ton bomb is great for the environment…I mean, it removes all those pesky people who are mucking things up, right?
Like its U.S. predecessor, first tested in 2003, the Russian bomb is a “thermobaric” weapon that explodes in an intense fireball combined with a devastating blast. It explodes in a terrifying nuclear bomb-like mushroom cloud and wreaks destruction through a massive shock wave created by the air burst and high temperature.
…
The report showed the bomb dropped by parachute from a Tu-160 strategic bomber and exploding in a massive fireball. It featured the debris of apartment buildings and armored vehicles at a test range, as well as the scorched ground from a massive blast.
Emphasis mine. Now, I know what they mean, but this isn’t exactly ‘no impact to the environment’, here. Anyway, more fun stuff from our ‘friends’ in Moscow.
Football Season!
Sep 7, 2007 NFL
I expected last night’s game to be closer but the season is finally here! I can’t wait for Sunday and a full slate of games. :D
Never mind…Ankiel the Cheater
Sep 7, 2007 MLB
Ankiel got a full one year course of Human Growth Hormone, stopping it’s use just before it was banned by baseball. Way to take a ‘feel good’ story and turn it into yet another black eye for baseball. Ugh.
Rick Ankiel
Sep 1, 2007 MLB
With all the negative/controversial stories in pro sports, I’d like to highlight one of the coolest of the current baseball season, the triumphant return of Rick Ankiel. He originally broke into the majors in 1999 and pitched a full season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000, going 11-7. He was a Rookie of the Year candidate heading into the postseason. Things came crashing down in the NLDS against the Braves, including a third inning in which he walked 4 and threw 5 wild pitches. The same thing happened in the first inning of an NLCS appearance, with 5 balls out of 20 getting past the catcher. As far as the coaches could tell, there was no issue with his mechanics so they decided it was all between his ears.
Ankiel bounced between the majors and minors for a few more years, never regaining the command he displayed in his rookie year. In 2005, after a practice session in which he was on target with only 3 of 20 pitches, Rick Ankiel announced he would switch to the outfield. He showed promise with his fielding and slugging, but a knee injury kept him on the shelf for 2006.
Rick again showed improvement as an outfielder in spring training this year, and was sent to AAA to ensure he got a lot of at-bats. Amazingly, he rolled up 30+ homers and went to the AAA All-Star game. Ankiel got his chance with the big show again on August 9th, hitting a homerun in the 7th inning of his first game back. On the 11th, he added two more and added a Grand Slam to win last night. His current statline reads: .328 BA, 5 HR, 17 RBI, .623 Slugging Percentage. It’s an incredible accomplishment, to make the majors TWICE at two different positions. Awesome.
