NFL News:

• Troy Vincent is having a No Fun League day:
  • He announced the Competition Committee will be looking into amending the personal foul rule to allow immediate ejection after a dangerous hit.
  • The Eagles will propose a rule change to prohibit leaping over the line to block a PAT or field goal
  • The League will be “developing an educational training video for players to show clear examples of appropriate and inappropriate celebrations.”
• somewhere quiet, a former teammate weeps for what his colleague has become

• NFL Spring meetings take place March 26-29 in Phoenix, and the Raiders proposed move will be front & centre on the agenda.
  • Based on a projected completion date of 2020, the Raiders would have to play out their lease in Oakland (to 2019) and play one year in a temporary facility.
    • Carson, anyone?
    • Or, even funnier, Santa Clara. Too bad they tore down Candlestick already.
    • if the vote doesn’t succeed, the thinking is that Davis might unilaterally move the team rather than stay in Oakland, like the daddy’s boy he is.
  • the proposed relocation fee is rumoured to be between $325-375 million, a bit more than half what the Rams & Chargers were billed for their move to LA.

Chuck Barris died today. He was 87.

If you grew up in the 1970s, you know him from the shows he developed & babysat you when you were home sick from school.

The Dating Game:

The Newlywed Game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xq0-A09XiA

The Gong Show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDxDYIQL6Nc

The original reality TV. It was all crap and I loved it. Go down that rabbit hole for a while, and marvel at what got on TV in the 70s. So many entendres!

His “unofficial autobiography”, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, was made into a movie by George Clooney.

The CIA actually issued a press release refuting the book & movie, all to Barris’ amusement. Hell, I expect his will to contain references to Yakov Smirnoff & helping Trump get elected.

RIP you delightful monkey.

The question was asked last night, “Hey Beerguy, why u no mention Blackhawks game? You hatin’?”

^{Pick the one that offends you least.}

And while the Canucks fan in me cannot deny perennial resentment towards the current Kane-featured Blackhawks,

there is a perfectly logical reason why I didn’t mention that game: It wasn’t available for everyone.

The reason for the list I list is because I want to make sure the games we can all talk about are national broadcasts (in the US or Canada). I don’t want to list a game we can’t all shit-talk. Last night’s Blackhawks game was a CSN or WGN regional broadcast in the US, and a Sportsnet Pacific broadcast in Canada. It wasn’t a national game.

According to the Blackhawks website,

Nationally, the Blackhawks will appear exclusively on NBC (including NBC and NBCSN) 11 times, the maximum allowed per the league’s national television agreement. Additionally, the Blackhawks will appear in ten non-exclusive nationally televised games, totaling a league-high 21 national appearances.

meaning that those non-exclusive games are also shared with a regional partner, likely the other team’s broadcaster but with the NBCSN crew calling the game.

In Canada, there is the same headache. Tonight, for example, the Oilers play in Anaheim, but that’s only available on Sportsnet West, which is just on the Prairies, and the same geographical broadcast restrictions apply.

That’s why I always include the channel listing, and that’s why I didn’t list that game. Hope that makes sense.

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Leafs at Blue Jackets – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
  • Islanders at Rangers – 8:00PM | NBCSN

• 2017 World Baseball Classic: U.S. vs. Puerto Rico – 9:00PM | ESPN2 / Sportsnet1

• NBA:
  • Hawks at Wizards – 8:00PM | ESPN
  • Cavs at Nuggets – 9:00PM | TSN2
  • Knicks at Jazz – 10:30PM | ESPN

• MLS:
  • Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC – 7:00PM | TSN2

That’s it for me this week. Hippo’s got you for the Madness threads (and likely some rage), and tWBS has got your Sexy Friday action. SEE YOU MONDAY!