RANDOMIZATION: 04/15/08

Did you pay your taxes? Wait, I already did this bit two years ago. Sorry.

Kiszla strikes again. I wrote about this here. In summary, Mark Kiszla is a columnist for the Denver Post. He is one of these guys that just writes about whatever the big story is at the time. He's not a beat writer for the Avalanche or Nuggets or Broncos or any single team. Just a columnist. And he sucks at his job. Instead of provoking thought and expressing his thoughts and opinions, Kiszla would rather incite and anger. It's a rather annoying trend that sportswriters tend to carry with them. I don't know if it's all the bad press box food, or if they're born that way.

Michael Russo, who covers the Wild for the Star Tribune and does a wonderful job, says fans should calm down. In reality, he's right. Kiszla got the reaction he wanted out of his hatchet job on the Wild. Fans are irate with him, mainly because his rant came across as completely uninformed and ignorant about how hockey works.

Russo's point is pretty simple. This guy's a moron, he doesn't know anything, and it shouldn't bother you that he doesn't like the Wild, how they play, or what they wear. Russo, however, is clearly losing patience with the ignorance that spews from the Denver media when it comes to the Avalanche and the NHL.

I’m not into ripping other writers. But at some point here in Denver, the Avs jerseys should come off and impartiality and professionalism should trickle back into the business.

I’m sure I’ll be regretting that line later today, but I’ve bit my tongue all series.

Surely, Russo's tired of Kiszla's crap, especially when the prospect of dealing with the likes of Woody Paige and Jim Armstrong still exists before the series is over. Oh, and the Avalanche beat writer at the Denver Post is potentially unstable, too. Fun!

I feel sorry for any real hockey fans in Denver, and there are many (I've met a few of them). The fanbase is full of a bunch of bandwagoners, and the media there is clueless about anything that doesn't involve John Elway.

As for the hockey...The Wild are in a good spot tonight. They'll have to weather a storm, as Colorado knows they have to win to avoid a 3-1 series hole. While it's nice to not be the team with all the pressure on them (as Minnesota would be if they had lost last night), things aren't yet all rosy with the Wild. Their top three available defensemen (Brent Burns, Kim Johnsson, and Martin Skoula) have all played admirably well, but all are playing a lot more minutes than they're accustomed to. This is going to be a problem if the series goes long, and a Colorado win tonight ensures at least six games.

So while Colorado has a lot of heat on them tonight, the Wild can't lollygag through this one. This is the time to show some killer instinct. A five-game series win would be huge for the Wild, as it would allow these defensemen to rest, and it would allow Nick Schultz to work himself back into shape so he can play again in the second round.

Minnesota hasn't scored a first- or second-period goal in this series yet (six in the third and two in overtime). To get that coveted 3-1 advantage, the Wild probably need to reverse this trend. It would help to get Marian Gaborik going, and they took a huge step in that direction last night. Gaborik led the team with nine shots on goal. If he can keep putting that kind of pressure on the Avalanche defense, it's bound to pay off for him.

In other series in the West, Dallas is mere minutes away from their shot at a 3-0 lead over Anaheim. No one gave them much of a chance in this series, and for them to have a 2-0 lead is shocking enough. The Stars need to do it. Even though Anaheim is the defending champion and completely befuddled by their poor play in the first two games, Dallas has pressure on them tonight. They don't want to let the experienced and tough Ducks back in the series.

San Jose is on their way to another classic playoff collapse, this time in the first round against Calgary. Will this one cost Ron Wilson his job?

Give plenty of credit to Boston for hanging in there against Montreal. The same can't be said for Ottawa, who is in the midst of folding like a cheap tent against Pittsburgh. It's somewhat fitting that it is the only first-round series still with a chance to end in a sweep. Ottawa did little down the stretch, and they just can't match up with Pittsburgh's high-end talent because of all their injuries.

I loved what Sean Avery did Sunday night in New York. I also understand the league's position, especially when it comes to the prospect of copycats and further hijinx from Avery. But I still laugh when I see the video, and I think people who talk about this being some sort of "black eye" on the NHL are being silly. Avery is a pest, and he'll think of other exciting ways to get under the skin of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur. The two don't exactly exchange Christmas cards every year.

NBA Playoffs. Who cares?

NFL schedule is out. Only in the NFL could this be a story. Some key dates, and then I'll bring you the Packers and Vikings schedules.

Week One
Thursday, September 4: Redskins at Giants
Sunday, September 7: Bears at Colts
Monday, September 8: Vikings at Packers and Broncos at Raiders

Week Six
Patriots at Chargers

Week Nine
Cowboys at Giants
Patriots at Colts

Week Thirteen
THANKSGIVING
Titans at Lions
Seahawks at Cowboys
Cardinals at Eagles

Week Fifteen
Giants at Cowboys

VIKINGS SCHEDULE

Wk	Date	Matchup	Time
1	Sept. 8 (Mon.)	at Green Bay Packers	7 p.m.
2	Sept. 14	Indianapolis Colts	1 p.m.
3	Sept. 21	Carolina Panthers	1 p.m.
4	Sept. 28	at Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.
5	Oct. 6 (Mon.)	at New Orleans Saints	8:30 p.m.
6	Oct. 12	Detroit Lions	1 p.m.
7	Oct. 19	at Chicago Bears	1 p.m.
8	Oct. 26	Bye
9	Nov. 2	Houston Texans	1 p.m.
10	Nov. 9	Green Bay Packers	1 p.m.
11	Nov. 16	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1 p.m.
12	Nov. 23	at Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.
13	Nov. 30	Chicago Bears*	8:15 p.m.
14	Dec. 7	at Detroit Lions	1 p.m.
15	Dec. 14	at Arizona Cardinals	4:05 p.m.
16	Dec. 21	Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.
17	Dec. 28	New York Giants	1 p.m.

PACKERS SCHEDULE

Wk	Date	Matchup	Time
1	Sept. 8 (Mon.)	Minnesota Vikings	7 p.m.
2	Sept. 14	at Detroit Lions	1 p.m.
3	Sept. 21	Dallas Cowboys	8:15 p.m.
4	Sept. 28	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1 p.m.
5	Oct. 5	Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.
6	Oct. 12	at Seattle Seahawks	4:15 p.m.
7	Oct. 19	Indianapolis Colts	4:15 p.m.
8	Oct. 26	Bye
9	Nov. 2	at Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.
10	Nov. 9	at Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.
11	Nov. 16	Chicago Bears	1 p.m.
12	Nov. 24 (Mon.)	at New Orleans Saints	8:30 p.m.
13	Nov. 30	Carolina Panthers	1 p.m.
14	Dec. 7	Houston Texans	1 p.m.
15	Dec. 14	at Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.
16	Dec. 22 (Mon.)	at Chicago Bears	8:30 p.m.
17	Dec. 28	Detroit Lions	1 p.m.