FSN Cuts Games, Wild Need Furry Person, Underoos, and More

Happy Friday to all! (That may or may not include management-level employees of the franchise currently located in North Carolina). Let's get right to it:

- DUDE, WHERE'S MY TEAM? From the "We Proudly Support Our Local Franchise" department, Fox Sports Net Florida has decided to reduce the number of Panthers games it televises, from an already shaky 70 to an embarrassingly minor-league 65, as reported by On Frozen Pond's George Richards.

Must be a glut of B-list celebrity poker and Texas-style open-fist cage-fighting to occupy all that dead airtime. Their brethren at Sun Sports probably visibly cringed upon the Lightning capturing the Cup in '04, knowing they'd be obligated to cover the team for another two hours.

Beyond giving anti-Southeast Division bottle throwers even more ammunition, this is a serious blow to those of us waiting all summer for the return of Rap Cat.

- PAM DOESN'T LIKE IT WILD, BUT YOU MAY Ever been intrigued by the opportunity to get decked out in duds hotter than Peter Mayhew's when filming third unit pickup shots in Yuma, all the while tickling small children and sliding four-wheelers across a sheet of ice? The Wild are minus a mascot. Think you fill the bill?

Must possess "An acceptable driving record with a valid driver’s license."

Acceptable? Like less than two vehicular homicides? Thanks, Kukla's Korner.

- OH NO Kevin at BMR gives his always enjoyable take on the recent spate of "R" columns, as in "relocation", and the dreaded 11-letter "C" word. A good read.

"In fact, (Florida) sold 80% of their tickets last year, which is far and away better than the last place team for the NBA or MLB and is actually better than what they did in 2006-07."

- THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH The Pensblog continues to prove its genetically superior status first by setting the world on fire with the wildly popular WWGRD bracelet (would it work as well in blue, black, and silver?). Now they've got an even better product idea.

Can an official Litter Box underoos set be far behind? Guess I'd better finish that title bar that's taking longer to create than Brian writing his novel.

Cats Acquire First-line Center!

Well, not really.

For my inaugural post, I present: Nothing!

It's August 11th, people. Other than standing idly by waiting on His Highness Lord Sundin to decide his fate, there's not much left to ponder. Unless, of course, the highly-anticipated return of Janis Sprukts to the Sunrise clan gets your goat. Playoffs, here we come!

• The Gretzky Trade 20th Anniversary Extravaganza has come and gone (though admittedly, I was intrigued by the prospect of his going to Detroit).



• The - real - Olympic Games are only a year and a half away...and on this continent, no less. Hats off to watching AHL-calibre hockey on NBC with an easy to digest three-hour time difference for those of us on the only coast that matters to western civilization.

• Anyone else really jonesing for a reprise of those completely awesome Checkers hamburger commercials featuring Rap Cat? Based on the Panthers' performance from that season, RC was 50% of the fun in watching the telecasts. Two out of three hockey-loathing roommates would agree.



• For the record, I am ecstatic about the hiring of Peter DeBoer.



• The Cory (a GREAT name, BTW) Stillman pickup was addition by, well, addition. Just getting him out of the hands of the Carolinas and Tampas of the world improves our point total by six. The guy killed us. Even if he only nets 8 goals, we have prevented an equal number from going the other way. In the division.



• Speaking of Tampa Bay: