Scooter Chronicles

Screamin’ Nigel
So Nigel has taken up a new pastime the last couple of days. He screams. Now, I don’t mean crying. What I mean is that while he is playing, and he is getting very intense while playing with toys, he starts screaming. It is cute, but annoying. What worries me is the new neighbor downstairs. Hope he doesn’t hear it.

Go Get ‘Em Tigers!
So it’s just a couple of days from All-Star break and the Tigers still have the best record in baseball. And boy is their starting pitching doing great! Another obvious reason is new manager Jim Leyland. I know quite a few Phillies’ fans that are ticked off they didn’t hire Leyland last year instead of Charlie Manual.

Hopefully the Tigers can hold onto at least the Wild Card spot. If anything, it will be nice to see some new blood in the playoffs instead of the Yankees and Red Sox every year.

New Tennis Rivalry?
It appears that we are headed for the second straight Federer-Nadal Grand Slam Final. Federer destroyed Jonas Bjorkman earlier today (6-2, 6-0, 6-2), and Nadal is taking care of business against this year’s Australian Open runner-up Marko Baghdatis. This is obviously good for the game.

Red Wings Need a Goalie
My poor Red Wings are in dire straits for a number one goalie. They parted ways with Manny Legace after this season, and have told Chris Osgood that plans are to keep him as the back-up (which Ozzie is cool with). But all the options the Wings were looking into seem to be drying up. And could desperation be setting in? Reports are that they are bringing in “Psycho” Eddie Belfour for a physical. I am NOT liking that! Belfour’s best days are long behind him. Plus, like the nickname suggests, he’s not the most stable of guys, on or off the ice. The only other option seems to be making a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who appears to be the odd man out now with Ilja Bryzgalov making his pitch for the number one job this past spring.

Either one doesn’t make me feel secure, though Giggy would be the better of the two by far. At least he has a Conn Smythe Trophy on his mantle. But I am beginning to think they should make prospect Jimmy Howard the back-up and let Ozzie take the number one job again. If they have talent playing in Grand Rapids then they should use it in Detroit. No one is going to become a great NHL goalie while playing in the AHL.

Additional note: I DO NOT want to hear Hasek’s name used in the same sentence as “Wings’ number one goalie.” Unless someone says, “The Wings’ number one goalie has to be younger, and not a stuck-up idiot like Dominik Hasek.”