Thursday, May 25, 2006

Randomization: 05/25/06

Imagine an American crowd doing this. Thanks to USCHO Fan Forum poster "Brenthoven" for this link. OLN apparently doesn't want to get anyone to understand what makes hockey fans so special, and they apparently have no interest in giving their largely American viewership any kind of idea about the passion of Canadian hockey fans. Otherwise, things like this would easily make it on the air. If you don't have speakers on your computer, or you're at work and don't want to play the video, or just don't want to watch it for whatever reason, the video is of the fans at Rexall Place singing "Oh, Canada" before Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night. There was a singer on the ice who started the song, but he stopped about halfway through and just let the crowd finish it, which led to one of those cool "Goosebump Moments" that you get every now and then (if you don't get goosebumps watching this, you need to have your pulse checked). They're hard to duplicate, but here's hoping that whoever is assigned to sing "Oh, Canada" tonight in Edmonton is smart enough to let the crowd take over if they're singing it like they were before Game 3.

Truly a special moment that will probably never happen in the United States, where people are more interested in making sure they don't spill their beer during the national anthem than they are in actually learning the words and singing along with the performer. Congratulations to the fans in Edmonton, and not just on the fact that the Oilers are on the verge of the Stanley Cup Finals. In an era where we're too busy booing national anthems and athletes, the Oiler fans have provided us with a blueprint on how the national anthem should be treated.

Word from Edmonton fans on various message boards is that Edmonton fans also sang along with most of the Star-Spangled Banner, which would only serve to further embarrass U.S. sports fans, many of whom don't know half the words, and the majority of whom would never think to sing along.

Proof that the NBA draft lottery isn't rigged. The Toronto Raptors won. The New York Knicks didn't, though they don't get to keep their pick, anyway, since Isiah Thomas traded it to Chicago for three future second-round picks and the rights to two hot-dog vendors he had been eyeing (or, maybe it was Eddy Curry that Thomas got for the first-rounder).

Anyway, who rigs a lottery so Toronto can win it? Then again, with how this draft looks right now (plenty of depth, no sure superstar), this would be the year to "let" a small-market team win the top pick. That way, when there is a sure superstar at the top of the draft, you can rig it so a big-market team wins and no one would notice.

So maybe this isn't proof.

By the way, the Timberwolves will be blowing the sixth pick in the draft next month. Congratulations.

(For my money, by the way, LSU's Tyrus Thomas will be the first pick, and the Timberwolves will probably draft a point guard with their first pick. Either that, or they'll try to get some help for Kevin Garnett inside.)

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