All World All Sports

-Digger's Daily-

It's NHL Playoff time. A few big upsets by lower ranked teams stunned Stanley Cup favorites. It's also the time when many fans recollect their most memorable upsets and players from prior years. I'm no different. I was fortunate to see some top notch regular season rivalries and playoff games. A couple changed the NHL for a few years.

So many remember the great games. They've been covered and rebroadcast a ton of times. I went a step further. Instead... how about waking up a few sleeping ghosts of the game? Players selected are some favorites from days of old. Not all were superstars. These guys were impact players in games I watched or teams I followed regularly. I've presented them in line form based on personal popularity or where I felt they best fit. Terry O'Reilly is on my top 3 list but in no way fits 1st line status. All done in fun. Some of the games greatest have been left off since they didn't crack my favs list. See how many you remember. Click on their names if you're stumped.

Line 1
LW Michel Goulet
RW Guy LaFleur
C Phil Esposito
D Ray Bourque, Al McInnis
G Martin Brodeur

Line 2
LW Brendan Shanahan
RW Alexander Mogilny
C Joe Sakic
D Larry Robinson, Mark Howe
G John Vanbiesbrouck

Line 3
LW Luc Robataille
RW Lanny McDonald
C Peter Stastny
D Chris Chelios, Brad Park
G Patrick Roy

Checking Line
LW Al Secord
RW Terry O'Reilly
C Darryl Sittler
D Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko
G Gerry Cheevers

Power Play Specialists
LW Bobby Hull
RW Cam Neely
C Wayne Gretzky
D Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch
G Tony Esposito

Enforcers
LW Tiger Williams
RW Tie Domi
C Dale Hunter
D Marty McSorley, Jeff Beukeboom
C Ron Hextall

Practice Squad/Leftovers
LW Bill Barber
RW Rod Gilbert
C Steve Yzerman
D Ron Greschner, Dave Babych
G Rogie Vashon

(www.allworldallsports.com)

SportsRagePage... Home for sports scandals & misfits. Check it out!

All World All Sports

-Digger's Daily-

Out with the old, in with the new. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has built the NFL's newest treasure. Cowboys Stadium is ready for its' 2009 debut. State of the art has taken on a new meaning.

Architecturally manificent encompassing all that is Dallas Cowboys. Stylish, classic, full of team history and geared towards fans. Average ticket price is $84.00. Not bad for a $1.1 billion mega complex. This stadium has it all from superb construction, plush stadium suites, great seating angles to view games, top notch eateries and a magnificent scoreboard hanging above the field. I think Jerry should call the Steinbrenners and explain how profitability can be reached with affordable seating for everyone (Yanks initially charged $2,500.00 per premium seat).

Cowboys fans are excited as ever. Another promising team chasing Super Bowl dreams will be ready for opening day. America's Team is hoping their new stadium washes away recent disappointments in Playoff competition.

Jones just announced no naming rights have been sold. Glad to hear it (sort of). I'm tired of team owners selling out naming rights which have nothing to do with host teams. Citi Field (New York), Land Shark Stadium (Miami), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)... give me a break! How about team recognition with stadium naming rights? Whoever eventually ponies up dough to plaster their corporate name on stadiums should have some sort of team connection. Cowboys Stadium presented by X sounds and feels a hole lot better than corporate egotistical donors flinging around other people's money!

I can't wait for my next trip to Dallas. I plan on taking in a game to see this megaplex for myself. Old Texas Stadium was one of the NFL's most recognized venues. New Cowboys Stadium figures to be one of the greatest in the nation.

(www.allworldallsports.com)

All World All Sports presents...."Sports Rage Page"

-Digger's Daily-

Here's a great internet site dedicated to sports scandals, cheaters and jailbirds. "Sports Rage Page" (www.sportsragepage.com) is the place to find your favorite disobedient characters. Lots of info for viewing from the Olympic Basketball scandal to Mike Tyson's numerous incarcerations. Corked bats, greased baseballs, drug traffickers and muderers. Who's your favorite degenerate?

Some of the big time names on this list include: OJ, Roger Clemens, Mercury Morris, Pete Rose, Chris Webber, Sonny Liston, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Michael Vick, Jeremy Mayfair & Roscoe Tanner.

So what makes millionaire sports figures go berserk? What possessed Rae Carruth to hire hitmen to kill his pregnant girlfriend? Why did Michael Vick fund dog fights? There's no accounting for poor judgement by superstar players. Let me not forget the wannabee's like Tonya Harding who wasn't good enough to beat out her competition. Instead, she had Nancy Kerrigan beat up.

"Sports Rage Page" (www.sportsragepage.com) is fun to read. Check it out.

Visit All World All Sports

-Digger's Daily-

"American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime" is a new book written by four New York Daily News reporters which was released this week. Roger Clemens, once again, vehemently denies he's ever used steroids or performance enhancing drugs (PED's) despite allegations and testimony provided by people close to the majors 354 game winner.

Clemens has long denied using any type of PED's. Remember his famous denial tour in Washington before testifying? He made a huge splash signing autographs and handing out memorabilia leading up to his testimony which is now subject of a potential perjury investigation. He was interviewed countless times by sports tv and radio stations... issuing denial after denial. He claims his former trainer lied and close friend Andy Pettitte "misremembers".

Roger now has a new denial tour thanks to release of this new book. ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning interviewed Clemens (listen here) on the same day American Icon was released. Clemens had been staying away from the media in recent months. Now he's back on the attack in the spirit of protecting his name. Too late!

Tales of Clemens alleged usage ignited another firestorm. Allegations of his extramarital affairs became front page news after reports he had been keeping company with other women, including a minor. Roger's on again off again retirement quickly became permanent as MLB teams distanced themselves from the 7 time Cy Young Award winner.

I wish some of these players would just fade away. How many denials do we really need to hear from suspected players anymore? In sports, it seems the guiltiest scream loudest. When it comes to Clemens... I really wanted to believe this guy. The controversy surrounding alleged evidence seemed suspect at first. Plus, Clemens workout dedication had been reported for years. So much for hope when it comes to tainted players. Apparently, evidence does exist with Roger's DNA. Friend and former teammate Andy Pettitte supposedly testified of knowing Roger doped up. Rumors swirled of Roger's wife using as well.

This story can only get uglier. I'm betting it will. Who knows what juicy details will emerge from American Icon book? The book book coupled with regurgitating Clemens denials will certainly speed up perjury proceedings. At least, that's what I'm hoping to see sometime soon. Steroids are not the cause of Clemens downfall. It's been his mouth. Shut up Roger and just fade away. It's time to move on.

(www.allworldallsports.com)

All World All Sports

-Digger's Daily-

News of Manny Ramirez 50 game suspension and release of an ARod tell all book reignited baseball's steroids saga. So, I decided to have a little fun by assembling some of the games most famous abusers by position. Here's my Steroids All Stars (note: some players may not have been proven guilty, most "suspected" abusers).

First Team
Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez
1st Base: Mark McGwire
2nd Base: Brian Roberts
3rd Base: Alex Rodriguez
Short Stop: Miguel Tejada
Left Field: Barry Bonds
Center Field: Lenny Dykstra
Right Field: Sammy Sosa
Designated Hitter: Jose Canseco
Starting Pitcher: Roger Clemens
Closer: Eric Gagne

2nd Team
Catcher: Benito Santiago
1st Base: Rafael Palmeiro
2nd Base: Chuck Knoblauch
3rd Base: Matt Williams
Short Stop: Mike Lansing
Left Field: Gary Sheffield
Center Field: Rondell White
Right Field: Juan Gonzalez
Designated Hitter: Jason Giambi
Starting Pitcher: Kevin Brown
Closer: John Rocker

ESPN commentator and former MVP/All Star Joe Morgan stated his personal disbelief regarding how steroid usage spread like wild fire throughout baseball. He questioned how players who were clean never spoke up loud enough for the league to take notice of what was happening in every major league clubhouse. In most cases, players taking steroids saw their statistics improve leading to bigger salaries. As players challenged and broke decades old records they were financially rewarded. Gate receipts increased around the league. New stadiums were financed with taxpayer dollars. Television contracts spiked to record revenues. How much did clean players suffer financially? How can they ever be thought of as clean and playing by the rules. This has become one of the biggest guilty by association scandals ever.

(www.allworldallsports.com)