Down goes Federer!

Novak Djokovic upset the defending champ in straight sets early this morning calling a halt to Roger Federer's 40-match win streak and handing him his first straight sets loss since '04. Fighting back nerves of which have hindered his game in the past and a pro-Federer crowd, the 20-year-old Serbian had 50 winners to reach the Australian Open final. He will play against unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday. Tsonga upset world #2 Rafael Nadal yesterday.

While you can't deny that Roger is the best in the world and possibly the greatest men's tennis player of all time, I am glad to see some new talent keeping men's tennis interesting. With Roddick and Nadal out I didn't think I would have much motivation to watch the Final but I am excited to watch these two young guys go at it. I can't say that I am rooting for one over the other but I have seen more of Novak and really enjoy his personality on the court. Some interesting points about Novak's win....

On Saturday, another Serbian in Ana Ivanovic will take on Maria Sharapova in the women's final. Not a fan at all of Sharapova and it has nothing to do with her looks guys (which are overrated IMHO)....I cannot stand the screaming and the cheesy fist pump after EVERY SINGLE POINT! Plain and simple, she annoys me.

"HOOOOAAHHHHAHAHHHHAHHAHAHAHAHHA"

The Penguins lost to the hated Philadelphia Flyers last night by a score of 4-3. Yes folks, the Pens have lost all four meetings with Philly this year who just a season ago was one of the worst teams in the league. The loss drops the Pens to third place in the Atlantic Division. Geno, Sykora and Ryan Whitney scored and Georges Laraque did what he does best....get in fights and pick up penalties. He picked up two majors before capping off his night with 10-minute game misconduct after hitting Steve Downie from behind into the boards. I have yet to see the hit but I suppose if the Flyers (some of the dirtiest players in the league) are calling the hit worthy of a suspension it must be cringe-worthy. Considering Laraque's reputation I'm sure it gets a look by league officials.

The NHL All-Star game will be coming at ya from Atlanta this weekend. Sidney Crosby, Dan Heatley, Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur all big names that are out of the game with injuries. Pens are back in action next Tuesday at New Jersey. The Devils and Flyers now sit atop the division so this will be a big game for the Pens.

Friday News Links:

LeBron continues to give a big eff you to the fine fans in Cleve-Land. So he wore the Yankees hat to Jacobs Field last year....alright. Now this....talk about a bitch slap! I don't know that I would buy a pair of shoes that has the word "suckers" stitched on them....but that's just me.

I know that we all are biased towards our own fan bases but to call the Eagles' fan base "the best"? If best means you are the loudest, most petulant, arrogant, beer throwing a-holes then no arguments here.

Amy figured out that smoking crack is wack. Or at least her record label did. So it's off to rehab for Miss Winehouse. Who wants to start the pool on how long she makes it??? P.S. Apparently blondes don't have for fun as Ames is "back in black". As you can see she looks nicer heading to detox than she does on stage.

More details continue to surface regarding Heath Ledger's death. First it was reported the apartment he was renting was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen which was denied by her camp. Now the police are saying that the masseuse thought MK should be called before the paramedics...in any case MK finally gave a short statement.

The Florida Primary elections are this Tuesday. Get your asses out and vote Floridians. Still not sure...here's some help. VOTE!!!!

It's pretty rare to feel the need to start off a post with celebrity news but it feels appropriate today. As you probably heard, actor Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead in his NYC apartment earlier today. A drug overdose is suspected at this point. Two years ago he was nominated for an Oscar and now he's gone. How fast they can fall. Sad....even worse is that he leaves behind a two-year-old daughter....

1979-2008

Double whammy for the Pens...they lost last night at home to the Washington Capitals in a shoot out after playing a pretty shotty defensive game AND received confirmation that Sidney Crosby is out for up to eight weeks with a serious ankle injury. Not good news at all even though we are in sole possesion of first place in the division.

The only Penguin to score in the shoot out was Jarkko Ruutu. Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin both scored on Conklin after he replaced Dany Sabourin in goal after Ovechkin scored his second goal of the night at 7:58 of the third period. On a positive note we picked up three out of a possible four points without Sid and our records stands at 27-17-3. Geno continues to play well after two goals, an assist and a sweet hit on Ovekchin. It was also announced that Malkin has been added to the Eastern Conference roster for the All-Star game on Sunday. The Pens cross the state to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

So, we were hoping for some upsets on Sunday and one of two ain't bad. Eli Manning and the New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl after Brett Favre turned into Brett Favre and threw a really dumb pick in OT. So who do we think is happiest...Tom Coughlin for getting his ass off the coaching hot seat, Eli for finally living up to those ginormous expectations, or Lawrence Tynes who was able to kick the winning field goal after two big misses? Not sure but I can tell you who probably isn't happy....Tiki Barber. That guy left in a huff, threw just about everyone associated with the Giants under the bus and can't figure out why no one likes his whiny ass anymore. Damn I wish the Super Bowl was on NBC this year!

"What are the Giants going to do without me....they're going to the Super Bowl?...oh."

What else is going on in the NFL....Holmgren's staying in Seattle, Tony Dungy staying with the Colts, Tom Brady's foot is in a walking cast and Cedrick Wilson doesn't know how to run routes or pick girlfriends. Hey Ced, Tarentum, PA is not the place to pick up baby mamas....just saying....

8 straight!

Pens won their eighth straight game ending a 12-game losing streak against Tampa Bay last night winning 4-1. Ty Conklin remains undefeated (9-0-0) and that is amazing considering this kid hanging out in Scranton about a month ago. The Pens seem to be clicking on all cylinders right now and Staal scored for the first time in seven games. Fleury is due back from injury soon but I think Michel Thierrien would be nuts to mess with the vibe on this team right now. Historically Tampa Bay has been a tough place to play for the Pens (they hadn't won there since 2003) so this was a big win on the road. The Pens remain one point behind New Jersey as they travel to Atlanta tomorrow night to take on the Thrashers.

I have been scouring the 'net looking for sports news worth talking about (ok, that I am interested in talking about) when I remembered that for some of you football season isn't over. So I guess it's my obligation to cater to all demographics. On that note, the NFL Playoffs continue tomorrow. It appears that the Jags are no longer the "team under the radar" as I have heard lots of sport folk picking them to upset the Pats this weekend. I expect to see a good game and I do think the Jags have a shot to win in Foxborough. However, I hope Tom Brady lights them up like a Christmas tree. The bandwagon is getting crowded here in Jax...don't strain your backs jumping on! (Reader Mrs. B probably needs a heating pad right now...)

Oh yeah, the Seahawks are traveling to Green Bay tomorrow for the NFC divisional game. Since I wouldn't mind old Brett Farrrvreee winning it all this year I guess the Packers are my pick. Anyone have the over under on how many times the broadcasters will use the following sentences; "He just has so much fun out there!", "That interception wasn't his fault.", or my fave, "He's a gunslinger!!" You can't deny he is a funny guy though. Here's some classic video.

A cool story from Big Ben News....Ben is involved with PROTRADE, a twist on fantasy football where you buy and sell players based on their market value. The winner this year was a guy named Bob from Rochester who traveled to Pittsburgh last month to hang out with Ben. He blogged about his trip and took plenty of pics.

To read Bob's story click this link: http://www.protrade.com/content/DisplayArticle.html?sp=Sb6ae7d38-bf11-11dc-ba00-574828460f5a

Our favorite Brit is up to her old tricks. Whether blondes have more fun has yet to be determined. At least in Amy's case.

So far...not impressed with '08

Happy New Year all! Took a few days off to head home to the 'burgh again. Drank too much beer, spent a lot of $$ and had my roast beef from Primanti's. In other words, it was a full trip. Ready to get back into the swing of things (if this damn computer would cooperate) so let's get to it....

I thought this was an appropriate photo to represent a game that I would be sorry I attended if it wasn't for the motorcoach ride complete with a police escort and the sweet tailgate. The Gators lost to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando yesterday. Timmy spent most of the afternoon running for his life and the defense made Lloyd Carr look like he knows what he's doing. Chad Henne had all day long to throw the ball and I think Florida was penalized at least five times per quarter. Afterwards they carried Carr off the field...after all...there is nothing like being Capital One Bowl champions. Do I sound like a sore loser? Well, if you haven't figured it out yet this must be your first stop here...

Speaking of losers....anyone spot Rich Rodriguez on Michigan's sidelines yesterday. BOOOO!

In other Gator news....former Gator, current Steeler Max Starks is out for the year. I'm waiting for the Rooneys to announce an open tryout for left tackle. Also looking for some help with our superb special teams, former Olympic skier/Philadelphia Eagle Jeremy Bloom was signed as a return specialist. I'm not sure about his football skills but he certainly ups the overall hotness factor in Pittsburgh.

In any case, at least he is used to cold weather.

If you are looking for sports radio here in Jax and you don't have satellite radio your choices are pretty limited. One option is listening to some douche bag named Mike Dempsey. Mr. Dempsey recently referred to Steelers Nation as a "myth" after he saw Steelers fans leaving the game against the Jags a few weeks back. Well, some Steelers fans in Jax got pretty pissed and starting flooding his in-box with nothing but kind words I'm sure. He ended up getting into a war of words with a guy called Mr. Steeler who runs a pretty large Steelers club here. It ended up being covered in the Folio Weekly, a local rag. Now one of the local stations is going to run a story about the large contigent of Steelers fans living on the First Coast on their Friday morning show. If you have some time check out the article or you can send Mike an e-mail at pressbox@1010xl.com.

More bitching out of J-Ville...Fred Taylor has called Heinz Field's turf "a lawsuit waiting to happen." A little foreshadowing perhaps...he is due for an injury. He can't possibly play for a full season AND in the post season, can he?

Finally...something good to talk about. The Pens defeated the Sabres 2-1 in The Ice Bowl yesterday afternoon, in front of the largest NHL crowd ever. Sid scored the game winning goal, natch, and brought the Pens to within a point of first place New Jersey. The Pens have won four straight games and take on Toronto at the Igloo tomorrow night.

The Blowout Championship Series got off to a predictable start last night as Georgia blew out Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. We'll see if WVU has better luck against the Sooners tonight. Although the Fiesta Bowl has not been kind to Oklahoma...I'm sure it was super fun watching those Statue of Liberty highlights all year long.

Looks like the WVU kicker is still not mentally recovered from the death threats either as he just missed his first field goal try. WVU defense is looking tough thus far but I think I am going to go with the new ep of Gossip Girl tonight. Yes, I love sports and trashy shows targeted at teens.

XOXO! (If anyone who reads this blog understood that sign off I should give you some kind of prize!)