Just Want To Say

Happy Thanksgiving. Right now I'm watching the Detroit Lions against the Atlanta Falcons, getting ready for dinner. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

What the Heck is This?

I'll say it right now: this will not be a political entry-this will be a rant of mine about sports (actually, two in general: hockey and NASCAR), so get used to it, this ma happen more often.

Last night I was watching my beloved hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings, just total suck. Sure, they got five goals and went into overtime, but lost. Sure, they got a point out of it. But, if you were watching the game between the Wings and the Edmonton Oilers.

For a little background into the season so far with both teams, here are some stats:

Out of 21 games played, the Wings are 15-4-2, and have a total of 32 points so far, making them first in their Division (Central), first in the confrence (Western), and first in the league. They have 78 Goals for, and 51 Goals against. They are 8-2-1 at home, 7-2-1 away, and have a 5-3-2 for the last ten games. The Wings are 2nd in the league on Power Play Percentage (PP%), 24.8%. The Wings are 6th in the league for Penalty Kills (PK), at 85.1%.

For the Oilers, they have played 21 games as well, with a 11-9-1 record and 23 points so far, making them third in their Division (Northwest), seventh in the Western confrence, and 13th in the league . They have 66 Goals for, and 64 Goals against. They are 4-2-1 at home, 7-7-0 away, and have a 7-3-0 in their last ten games. The Oilers are 15th in PP%,18.4%. The Oilers are 18th in PK, 81.4%.

You would think that the Red Wings would do well against the Oilers, but sadly, that was not the case.

1st Period: at 14:28, the Oilers score. Not unusual, it happens. At 16:26, the Wings tie it up 1-1. End of first.
2nd Period: 3:37, Wings score, maing it 2-1. At 4:50, they score again, making it 3-1. That's it for the second.
3rd Period: The meltdown. 5:30, Oilers score. 6:59, they score again, tying it up 3-3. 8:12, another Oilers goal, 4-3. 12:25, gues what? ANOTHER Oilers goal, this time 5-3. COMPLETE DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN!!! The D would swat at the puck and it would go to an Oiler, which is then shot, hits the goalie, rebound, the D FAILS TO TAKE THE REBOUND AWAY, goes to another Oiler, shot, goalie, rebound, taken by YET ANOTHER Oiler, shot, score. Three DIFFERENT Oilers get a shot at our goalie in about a minute. The Wings gave up 4 STRAIGHT goals to them. Somehow, the Wings managed to get two goals, 16:40 and 17:42, forcing over time. In between all of this, our OWN goalie purposefully knocks the goal off its moorings, causing a penalty to them. Since goalies cannot be sent to the box, they send someone else that was on the ice at the time of the penalty to serve it. That happened around the middle of the 3rd. Near the end of the 3rd, with maybe a minute left, one of our guys interfers with the Oilers goalie, drawing an overtime 4-3 Oilers power play, in which they scored on us at 33 SECONDS!!!

How the Hell does one go from 3-1 after the second to blowing it all in the third and losing in overtime? I thought for a minute I was watching the Detroit Lions on skates! Our next game is with the St. Louis Blues (3-12-3), but based on our performance last night, I am really worried about our chances.

Okay, now on to NASCAR.

My one of my favorite drivers, Bobby Labonte, will the switching over from the Joe Gibbs Racing number 18 to the Petty Enterprises number 43 at the end of the season. Good move? Hope so, because this season hasn't been good. Of the 35 races run as of now, Bobby has aquired no wins, 4 top-5s, 7 top-10s, and 10 DNFs. Average finish: 22.3. Compare that to his championship year (2000):

4 wins
19 top-5s
24 top-10s
0 DNFs.
Average Finish: 7.4

WTF happened? He just went downhill from there. The past 4 seasons have been less than stellar. God, I hope that going to Petty will help him some.

November 11, Veteran's Day

In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, written in April 1915

This poem is the most well-known poem of World War I, and is often recited in Canada on Remembrance Day, after Armistace Day (Veteran's Day). But this poem isn't just Canadian; it is global to all nations who took part of that bloody battle, though Germany does not reconize it.

This is the day where we remember all those who wore the uniform of the United States military, past and present. It is also a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to freedom. It is also for those who have never been found, those who are Missing in Action (MIA), and to those who are or were Prisoners of War (POW).

Let us never forget the sacrifice to their families who have to endure the deployment of their loved ones overseas, those who didn't have a Christmas or Thanksgiving or birthdays with their loved ones.

Never forget. God Bless America and her military.

Happy Birthday

Today is the 230th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Some fast-facts on the Marines:

• Formed by the Continental Congress in 1775 as the "Continental Marines"
• Disbanded after the Revolutionary War in April 1783, but re-formed on July 11, 1793
• The first line in the Marine Corps Hymn references to their famous battles in Tripoli in the early 19th century and the assault of the Chapultepec Palace in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
• Probably the most famous part of the Marines is their attack on Mount Suribachi and raising the 2nd American flag by five Marines and a Navy Corpsman.

The Marines have a reputation of being very aggressive and are proud of thier gung-ho attitude. They are respected by our allies and feared by our enemies. Their ability to adapt to the situation and seize the initive have had many people wishing to become a Marine (myself included).

My hat's off to not only our young Marines, but to all of America's men and women, who stand in the way of oppression and tyrany and protect the freedoms of the world. God Bless our military and America.

(Info from Wikipedia: Marine Corps

What The Hell?

Well, the Liberals decided to shutdown the business of the United States Senate on more important issues (like reducing the deficent and the bird flu) to rehash an already answered question of prewar intel over the War in Iraq (answered by an bipartisan committee). I.N.S.A.N.E. The Liberals are losing it. They can't win in elections, they don't have a message/platform for the American people (other than "We hate Bush"), and are now wasting precious time over something that has already be finished.

Right now they are done with the close session. Blogs4Bush has more info, as well as FOXNews.com.

Screw the Liberals.