Great Opening Week

Not bad for an aging rock band in their mid- late 40's.
Def Leppard's new Songs From The Sparkle Lounge has debuted at No. 5 on the Top 200 Billboard Album Charts for May 17, 2008. As Billboard points out it is the 11th straight Top 20 album for Def Leppard and the highest charting album since 1992's Adrenalize album which debuted at No. 1.

TOP ROCK ALBUMS
#1 Songs from the Sparkle Lounge - Def Leppard

TOP HARD ROCK ALBUMS
#1 Songs from the Sparkle Lounge - Def Leppard

Billboard top 200
#5 Songs from the Sparkle Lounge - Def Leppard

And thats a wrap!

Well, Im a little late on this one so I apologize for that. As expected, the Rangers were disposed of by the Penguins over the weekend. As disappointing as that was, it capped a good season for the Bullshirts who continue to evolve and improve as a contender in the NHL.

Now, the off season awaits. Which for a hockey fan, can be fairly interesting.

+ First up - Re-signing potential free agents that could become available July 1st during free agent month. Biggest unanswered questions; Jagr, Shanny and Avery. Jagr said he wants to come back.. if he comes back to the NHL. ie- He will test the open market, but probably sign with the Rangers. If thats the case, I expect them to part with Shanny although Im not sure I would endorse that. He may not be a 1st line winger anymore, but a 4th line winger, he could do nicely. And Avery.. goes like this. He is asking too much.. and he needs NYR just as much as they need him. He will not find such success elsewhere. So he will lower is price and re-sign. Now, that leaves a handful of D-men which for sure, some won't be back. But who? Backman, Rosival, Malik and Mara all are up in the air.

+ Then, in the midst of that, there is the Draft on June 20th that, while not as interesting or impactful as the NFL draft, still is worth keeping up with. Lots of young kids could make an impact. Rangers pick 20th.

+ Then there is Free Agent month which spans all of July, starting (obviously) July 1st. Last year, the Rangers added Gomez and Drury and made a huge splash. Look this year for them to make a move for either A- A winger for Gomez. Hossa anyone? B- A power D-man, potentially Brian Campbell. Both could be a stretch, but also could be in the realm of possibility. If the cap exceeds 55Mil, then we have a lot of room to make moves, especially if Jarg or Shanny walk freeing up at least 2-4 mil, and Mara and Malik walk.. freeing up an extra 5 mil of cap space. Should be a fun fun weak, as the first weak is always the best. Hell, the first DAY is the best.

+ Then there is training camp, which doesn't start till Sept, but news of who is invited from the younger group of kids on the Wolfpack will gear up at the end of August. Training camp goes thru Sept, with cuts being made along the way for the final square to begin the season in Oct.

So as you can see, there really is no true long off season in Hockey. And thank god for that. What else do I have to do besides follow this shit :)

End of an Era?

Would be a shame if tonight was the last game for Jagr and Shannahan, although it seems very likely, if not tonight, sometime in the next week unless a comeback of monumental proportions happen. Truth is, they are being beaten by a better team, but don't deserve to go out like this. They played a great Game 3 and the series should be 2-1. But its not, and tonight may be the end of the Rangers season. Put your rally caps on, tonight will be a hot one.

A memory that lasts a lifetime

No, unfortunately I didn't meat Shawn Avery.. but a friend of a friend did. And its worth noting that Avery has so much hate for Martin Brodeur that he mentions him in his autograph. Hate runs deep. Good times!

Other news.. the Rangers best lock it up in Game 3 & 4 vs the Pens. Great showing thus far, with neither team out playing the other. Good ol' hockey that could go either way. Lets hope those games go our way so I can see Crosby try a few more of his Greg Louganis impressions. Have a great Monday ya'll.

Pittsburgh or Bust

Well, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but Washington's Failure to get it done tonight vs the Flyers means we are headed to Pittsburgh. There is a part of me that believes the Rangers can win against anyone.. Pittsburgh included. And that this won't be an easy series for either team. There is another part that is scared to play them of course, because Pittsburgh is ultra hot. There are things to look at, things to take into consideration, but in the end, all the stats (Rangers are 5-3-0 vs Pitt this season), numbers (Rangers were unbeaten at home this season vs Pitt, but playoff hockey is a very different game), talking (actually, Geoff and I will not be talking the entire playoff series) and BS (Geoff thinks the Pens will breeze past this round, sadly mistaken. Then again, he has a man purse, so how can you trust him really) only really means so much. The fate rest in each teams hands. Start prepping now, this is going to be a hot one. At least we know it will all be a blast no matter what happens. I love the playoffs!

One down, one to go!

Ok, last one I promise.. but this is just too funny. Little known fact about me.. I hate 2 celebrities out there that you might not expect. John Lithgow and Chris Elliot. Well.. I just got one wish... Avery beats the shit out of Chris Elliot. Now if someone can please find the second unfunniest man in the world and kick his ass too, we would be in business.