| Same teams, boring result
Since the NHL resumed play after becoming the first major professional sports league to cancel an entire season in 2004-05, players have been reticent to criticize their sport. After all, the more tickets the league sells now — or doesn't sell — the more it affects their take-home pay. But players can no longer stifle themselves about the league schedule, which has each team playing a divisional opponent eight times. In the Avalanche's case, it will play a Northwest Division opponent for the 10th time in the past 11 games when it hosts the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center. "I'm against the eight games against your own division. That's just too many times," Avs veteran Andrew Brunette said before .
Late third period goals halt Thunder comeback
BLOOMINGTON -- The Bloomington PrairieThunder staged one big comeback Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. | Photo galleryA second proved too much to ask for.After squandering a 3-0 lead, Port Huron bounced back with goals by Brian Felsner and Tab Lardner late in the third period and then held on for a 5-4 International Hockey League victory before a crowd of 3,041.The sputtering Thunder (5-9-0) struggled again offensively for most of the game while suffering its second home loss in as many nights to Port Huron and sixth defeat in its last seven games overall.“We have to win these (home) games or at least get a point," said a visibly frustrated Thunder coach Derek Booth. “Go to overtime or something. We can't give away points, and that's what we've done."It was a different story for the Icehawks (9-8-0), who claimed their third road victory in three days.
NFL NOTES
ATLANTA: Facing millions in claims from banks, creditors and prosecutors, suspended Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has put his seven bedroom, 8 1/2-bath house in Duluth, Ga., up for sale. The asking price for the sprawling home and $1.5 acres grounds? $4.5 million. Only buyers with proof of income sufficient to buy the property and house are provided access to the home. The Web listing for the house has attracted more than 10 million page views. Vick is in a Virginia jail and awaiting sentencing Dec. 10 for felony dogfighting charges. CAROLINA: Memo to Saints fans: As you watch Panthers quarterback Vinny Testaverde (Nov. 13, 1963) do his thing today at the tender age of 44, keep in mind that he is 46 days older than Saints Coach Sean Payton (Dec. 29, 1963). TAMPA BAY: Today's game between the NFC South-leading Buccaneers and Washington will be the Redskins' fourth at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., in less than 25 months and the sixth between the teams in five years.
Sports Briefs: Michael Vick starting prison time early
RICHMOND, Va. — Michael Vick got a head start on a possible long prison stretch, surrendering three weeks before he was to be sentenced for his involvement in a bloody dogfighting ring.The disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback surrendered to U.S. marshals in what his lawyer said was another step in his public repentance."From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions, and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance," Billy Martin said in a statement. "Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter, and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time."Vick pleaded guilty in August to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge after his three co-defendants pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with authorities.Federal sentencing guidelines suggest he could expect to serve a year to 18 months, but Vick, who has admitted bankrolling the Bad Newz Kennels, faces a maximum of five years in prison.He’s scheduled to be sentenced Dec.
TV-RADIO NOTEBOOK: NFL is very fortunate how schedule plays out
In the spirit of this holiday season, let us resolve to take NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at his word regarding the eight-game NFL Network schedule that began Thursday night with the Colts-Falcons. That means we will stipulate to Goodell's assurances that the NFL did not rig the schedule to ensure the league-owned network would have attractive matchups and, more importantly, games it could employ to apply maximum pressure on cable carriers that don't carry the service, such as Time Warner, Charter and Cablevision. And so, given that assumption, we are left to conclude that the NFL this season is not conniving, merely fortunate. Next Thursday, NFL Network will air Packers-Cowboys, a potential preview of the NFC title game. The game will air on over-the-air TV in the teams' home cities but not in some of their most important secondary markets � among them Waco, Austin and San Antonio, all serviced by Time Warner Cable, and Madison, Wis., a Charter Cable market.
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