EGR 4 EK 3

A week ago, I was talking to East Kentwood coach Todd Bell, asking him about his upcoming game with East Grand Rapids. Here's what he told me: "I don't want to play those guys right now."The reason for his reluctance was no secret: East Grand Rapids is hot. After losing 10 straight to start the season, EGR reeled off a 6-1 record, with its only loss coming to Kentwood on Jan. 5th. The

Be My Valentine

I created this scandalous image as an e-card for The Stranger...folks can add their own message to that big middle block and a bunch of them will be printed in the paper! So g'wan over and send someone some love already!

Muskegon Catholic Central 5 Northview 2

Muskegon Catholic Central got goals from five different players and outshot Northview 38-15 en route to a 5-2 victory at Griff's. The Crusaders got goals from Evan Valk, Kyle Kampenga (short-handed), Steve Westerberg (PP), Jeff Musselman and Kyle Zeppenfeld. MCC's fab frosh Tommy Marine started in net and Luke Kordecki finished, each allowing one goal.

Chronicle Highlight's RP's Ben Sikkenga

Nice story in today's Muskegon Chronicle about Reeths Puffer's Ben Sikkenga. You can access the story here.

Miss Mandrell If You're Nasty

Apparently, me + a curling iron = Barbara Mandrell. At least according to some of my whiskey-soaked friends last night. I am totally okay with this though I was actually going more for something like this:



Britney is really going to extreme lengths to prove how much of a die-hard Van Halen fan she is!

Dear Britney, I will see your laxative and Adderall and no panties and being a bad Mom and raise you by kicking an old man in the shins and claiming there is a Nazi conspiracy to hurt Randy Quaid. - Sincerely, Randy Quaid's wife.

Hey Jessica Simpson, what team and all of its' fans hate you? Yep, that one.

Speaking of football, apparently some people can't tell the difference between Jeremy Shockey and Richard Branson. Here's a hint: I am disturbingly hot and bothered by one of these guys:



One time, the semi-known comic Brian Posehn suggested that were the two of us to transport back in time we would go to prom together. But we would get bored and bail early and go drink Mickey's in a graveyard together. Let me take this chance to publicly proclaim that Joe Butcher is the only person in the world I would want to drink Mickey's in a graveyard with:



Sorry Brian.

New Comics Day: Westward, HO!

This story is the last of the really inventive McGraw-Hill tales I did...there are a few others, and they're perfectly good little stories, but they're pretty straightforward and textbook-y, and lack the goofy energy of stories like "Where Stalks the Snakehead". It doesn't get much goofier than this one...the concept I was given was to imagine the westward expansion of settlers across the United States as if it were a reality show. I really went with it, and got into all the reality show tropes like a confessional area and an annoying host (Barry Bartman, modeled off Kirby's huckster of all hucksters, Funky Flashman).

I should also point out that this story contains the most direct and egregious swipe I've ever committed in a project I got paid for. Free sticker goes to whoever can point it out. Enjoy!

The Amateur Softball Association's 50-player "watch list" for possible national collegiate Player-of-the-Year honors has been announced by USA Softball.

Based on my recollections of how various players did last year, I'll go out on a limb and name a "Dandy Dozen" really serious candidates, as follows alphabetically by team:

Taryne Mowatt (Arizona) Sr. P

Katie Burkhart (Arizona State) Sr. P

Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State) Jr. OF

Kirsten Shortridge (Baylor) Soph. P/OF

Brandice Balschmiter (Massachusetts) – Jr. P

Angela Findlay (Michigan) Soph. OF

Samantha Findlay (Michigan) Sr. 1B

Lauren Eckermann (Oklahoma) Sr. P

Megan Gibson (Texas A&M) Sr. P/1B

Amanda Scarborough (Texas A&M) Sr. P/1B

Krista Colburn (UCLA) Sr. OF

Ashley Charters (Washington) Sr. IF

Wednesday Night Hockey-UPDATE

Looks like if you want a West Michigan high school hockey fix tonight, you're going to have to head north to Traverse City. The big rivalry game for the Jeff McCullough Memorial Challenge Cup - named for a TCC player who succumbed to cancer - will take place at Howe Arena tonight. Virtually all of the other games on the schedule (in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and the lakeshore) have been

The 101th YOU Go Live in Utah Post

Things that brighten my day....

The Seattle Supersonics pistol-whipped the San Antonio Spurs. Well, won by three but still it's SEATTLE. And Tony Parker is out "indefinitively" with a heel bone SPUR. Oh irony, you are a cruel mistress. I mean, besides Tony Parker's actual mistress(es).


I have fantastic news! It's not too late to waste your time and money in a feeble attempt to wedge yourself permanently into Soulja Boy's Top 8 friends on Myspace. At least, I assume that's what this grammatical train wreck of a message from Soulja himself is saying.

This is why the internet is my boyfriend: In 1986, Disney TV aired the Disney Valentine's Special which I taped and subsequently watched one billion times until the tape broke. As a 5 year old, it was pretty much my Citizen Kane. Mostly because it featured vignettes of all my favorite Disney characters in romantic situations set to the pop hits of the day. It was where I discovered my love for The Stray Cats and Madonna since Garland only got MTV added to its' cable channel selection post-House of Style.






The "Dress You Up" clip was especially heartwarming for me to find as I have a scar on my pinkie from a tragic dance-ident (dance-related accident) that was a direct result of that clip. Having a single Mom who was earning her Masters at night while teaching school during the day means you get plenty of time to dance around the house in your Mom's clothes to the pop hits of the day. Or, say, put on satin robes and lots of necklaces and dance to your Disney tape. Unfortunately, it's also possible to get so into the moment that your pinkie gets tangled in one of those necklaces and you end up slicing your finger open. Thanks Michael Eisner, you ass.

I bring all this up because one of my other favorite moments was the Mickey and Minnie courtship set to "Tell it to My Heart" by Taylor Dayne. Another dance floor favorite of 5 year old Me. Which is why this pains me so.


Also, if Disney's Valentines Special was my Citizen Kane, surely Mr. Boogedy was my Third Man:



I guess what I am trying to say is that as a 27 year old, the things that make me happy are knowing that Bush is almost gone, that Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs are third in the Western Conference and the mere thought of Disney made-for-TV movies.

Wednesday Night Hockey

Not sure what the situation is about hockey tonight. From what I can tell from media websites, all public and private schools are closed from Portage up to Petoskey. Even if there is no school, games could be played if the ADs of both schools agree -- those decisions typically must happen by about 12:30 or 1 p.m. The conventional wisdom is that since the rinks are primarily private

All Smiles

Hockey Night in St. Paul

6:00 pm - Pregame at the X.
10:05 pm - Puck Drop at Aldrich.


View Larger Map

HOLY SHIT!

OH MY GOD! CAN IT REALLY BE TRUE? PLEASE DON'T TEASE ME WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS!

So most people would read that article and thing "Hmmmm, interesting. Jason Kidd back in Dallas? That could be good depending on what the cost is."

And yeah, whatever, you can think like that. Let me say that I don't like Jason Kidd and I don't think he's worth much to us. And he's no spring chicken. However, there are supposedly two potential scenarios in which Jason Kidd would end up back in Dallas. One involves trading Devean George, DeSagana Diop, Jerry Stackhouse and a draft pick for him. That's stupid. Let's not even dignify that idea with a response.

Scenario two is:

Trade Jason Terry and Devin Harris in return for Jason Kidd and......get ready.......seriously, sit the fuck down.......are you sure you are ready?........

THE RIGHTS TO KEITH VAN HORN!!!!

Let me stress that I think losing George, Diop, Stackhouse, Jet OR Devin Harris is a terrible idea. Especially for an aging asswipe. That being said, this blog was established for one reason and one reason only. To talk about Keith Van Horn. Mostly about how badly he played. Also, I think I frequently brought up the following quote from an article about him:

"His voice is that of a boy turned rapidly into a man, simultaneously soft and deep in the manner of an acoustic bass. He enjoys the music of tranquil crooners Toni Braxton and Baby Face."

I am proud to discover today that if you google "Keith Van Horn" and "Babyface", this very blog is your third result below the two archived copies of the original article.

I started this blog to express my love for a basketball team that, ironically, I came to love after seeing a 1994 Mavs game featuring hot rookie Jason Kidd. But I'm not 13 anymore and Jason Kidd hasn't been a hot anything in about five years.

How about New Jersey keeps Jason Kidd and we bring Keith Van Horn back to Dallas to replace Mavs Man? Or maybe he can go to massage therapy school and get his massage degree or whatever the fuck they call it and he can become the official team massage therapist. With his soft, deep acoustic bass voice. And his Tony Braxton mix tape.


Dear God,

I miss Keith Van Horn. Not his basketball skills or lack thereof. I just miss him.

Sincerely,

Your Tow-Headed Creation

FOX TV Highlights the Hockey Blog

The news staff at FOX-17 did a feature piece on the Blog last night, and I have to tell you: high school hockey fans must be watching FOX. I woke up this morning to dozens of voice mails, emails and comments about the piece. Unfortunately, I didn't see it because I was already asleep (this flu bug is kicking my butt!). If you'd like to see the piece, it is on the Fox website.Thanks to

More Advance hockey coverage

More coverage coming from the folks at the Advance, including this story on EGR's overtime win over Hudsonville and this report on the FHC win over Kenowa last week. The WMSHS Blogger was both these games, and I think it's great that the Advance has given them such in-depth coverage because now you can see if my reports are accurate or totally off the mark. You can also read up on Jenison's

MHSHCA Rankings Updated

No major moves among the West Michigan teams, and only a few noteworthy moves overall. Most pointedly, Cranbrook moves up to #2 in D-3 right behind its opponent in the state finals the past two years: GRCC. DIVISION 11. Livonia Stevenson2. Detroit Catholic Central3. Livonia Churchill4. Brighton5. Marquette6. Grosse Pointe North7. Traverse City West8 Clarkston9. Orchard Lake St. Marys10. Port

Long Time, No See

Well, not that long...but my pledge to post every day in January was undone by a crushing stack of deadlines to tend to over the weekend. I'm still getting on top of it all, actually...but I thought I'd chime in real quick to attempt at least some semblance of an update! To that end, here are a few sketches I did the weekend before last at my wife's parent's house...it's the protagonist of the graphic novel that I keep trying to delude myself into thinking I'll ever finish.

Michigan Hockey Online features Mona Shores

Michigan Hockey Online's Warrior High School Hockey Report features a story this month on "up and down" Mona Shores as it prepares for the stretch run. It's on the third page of the PDF file.

Players of the Week

Drew Preston, forward/Forest Hills Central -- The senior had a natural hat trick in a critical OK-2 conference game against Kenowa Hills to lead a comeback 4-2 victory, and also helped propel the Rangers to a 7-0 league win against Grand Haven.Adam Pieczynski, forward/Muskegon Catholic Central -- The Crusaders' forward is riding a 10-game goal-scoring streak and helped lead MCC to two wins this

Advance Coverage

Read about Grandville's 3-3 tie with the TC Bay Reps, as well as Forest Hills Northern/Eastern's victory over Novi.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ok, so that picture has absolutely nothing to do with Devin Harris' ankle or the Mavs or anything I plan on writing about in this blog entry. But it's pretty fucking rad.

Devin Harris has a bone bruise in his left ankle. The word "bruise" means, to me at least, an ouchie that heals quickly. Apparently, I am wrong. Devin Harris will be out for two to three weeks. Which is very bad news if you have been watching the past three or four Mavs games. There was even a highly scientific "text your answer to" poll during the Lakers v. Mavs game asking who fans thought was the Mavs MVP of January. Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki came in second and third, respectively, to Devin Harris. Did I mention that Jerry Stackhouse is out with a hamstring injury?

If you're a fan of scrappy Puerto Ricans who at one point were banished to the Developmental Ft. Worth team, have I got great news for you. JJ Barea (along with Jason Terry) will be seeing much more action in the following few weeks. Barea was pretty hot for the short time he was in the game on Friday.

Thanks to Wikipedia, I have just learned that Devin Harris was brought to Dallas to train as a junior point guard under the tutelage of Steve Nash. How rad would that have been? They could have become a Point Guard Dream Team and there would be a made-for-ESPN movie about their professional relationship. There would be a montage of shots of Steve Nash standing behind Devin Harris helping him on his swing and follow through on the driving range. There would be footage of Devin Harris catching flies with chopsticks while a wise Steve Nash sits cross-legged in the corner on a straw mat. There might even be an emotional scene towards the end where Steve Nash is traded and Devin Harris stands outside Steve Nash's house in the rain with a boombox blasting Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" and crying.

It's just a thought.

Down but not out

The WMHSH Blogger seems to have caught a touch of the flu, so I'm working slowly today and haven't had time to blog. Fear not, I will be posting the popular Players of the Week feature later this evening. There were, of course, many good performances to choose from last week. Tune in tonight to see who the difference makers were. Thanks for your patience.

GR Press Highlights Hockey Races

Nice story by the GR Press high school hockey writer, Steve Vedder, about the league championship races in the OK Conference's three tiers. Also includes a note about the GRCC win of the City League championship for the fourth consecutive year.

Scores

Saturday GamesRockford 3 Kenowa Hills 0Marquette 6 Mona 1TCC 4 Kentwood 1EGR 4 Hudsonville 3 (OT)Reeths Puffer 3 Jenison 2Portage Northern 3 Big Rapids 2Forest Hills N/E 5 Novi 1Portage Central 8 Blades 0Grandville 3 TC Reps 3Muskegon CC 7 Cheboygan 2Lowell-Caledonia 4 West Catholic 0Forest Hills Central 7 Grand Haven 0Gaylord 7 Escanaba 2Mattawan 3 Stevenson 2 (OT)Manistee 0 GR South Christian

The Morning After (In the Evening)

Would like to tell you all that there was so much to consider about the past week's games that I spent the whole day cogitating. Reality: I had a lot of stuff to get done to pay the bills and get my house in some semblance of order. But let's not let my mundane existence outside of hockey permeate the WMHSH Blog too much. Some news and notes from the week that was.Friday's 5-2 loss to the #1

SWMHSHL Standings Updated

Took a stab at researching and updating the standings for the SWMHSHL using the reports from the team websites, the Kalamazoo Gazette and the USHSO scores site. To the best of my knowledge this is the current state of affairs in Southwest Michigan and things will heat up this week. Wednesday night is PC vs. PN (Part 2), as the Portage teams battle not for a canoe but for first place in the

OK Conference Standings Updated

Three different tiers with three different stories this week in the OK Conference. Tier 1 had no action at all, so the standings remain unchanged with Kentwood up top, but Mona still undefeated in league play and Forest Hills Northern/Eastern is nipping at both teams' ankles.In Tier 2, the standings got more confusing, as Forest Hills Central took two points from previously unbeaten Kenowa Hills

Gaborik vs. DiPietro

Hey Rick, whadya do to your hip?


UPDATE (1/28)
Hey Rick, how's the hip. Oh - Sorry, Rick.


(I like how Doc Emrick announces to DiPietro: "Here's Nash" - in case he wasn't paying attention. Which he wasn't)

East Grand Rapids 4 Hudsonville 3 (OT)

Hockey people are a superstitious bunch. That may be why Hudsonville Coach Jason Caster wandered over to me as the third period wound down with the score tied 3-3 and said, "I was going to send you home after the second period."Caster has been a supporter of the Blog since early on, and he no doubt knows that about 10 of the "games to watch" the WMHSH Blogger has attended, including two previous

Reeths-Puffer 3 Jenison 2

Reeths-Puffer gets a 3-2 win over a "feisty" Jenison team in OK Conference Tier 2 action. Scott Nelson got the Rockets on the board just 8 seconds into the game and then Ben Sikkenga added one later in the first to put Reeths-Puffer up 2-0. Jenison answered with a goal in the second by Taylor Irrer to cut the margin in half, but RP's Jake Hambidge scored early in the third to give the Rockets

Portage Northern 3 Big Rapids 2

Two West Michigan teams -- Big Rapids and Portage Northern -- hit the road this weekend to attend the SMCC Hockey Tournament in Monroe and ended up facing off against each other in the consolation tourney game. Big Rapids fell to #9 Riverview and Portage Northern was defeated to #2 SMCC the night before. It wasn't hockey night in West Michigan, but it sure felt like it, as two of the WMHSH

Grandville 3 Bay Area Reps 3

A tight game up north that ends in a tie. Grandville gets one in the first, and then the Reps tied in the second. Both teams tally twice in the third to force an extra session. In OT, the Reps outshoot the Bulldogs 11-1, but junior goalie Ryan Wysocki comes up big to save the tie.Grandville gets goals from its senior leaders Ian Straayer and Andy Grypma (2). The Reps got goals from Brandon

Muskegon Catholic Central 7 Cheboygan 2

While it was inadvertantly left off the WMHSH Blog's Hockey Night schedule, the rematch between Muskegon Catholic Central and Cheboygan did happen last night. The MCC Crusaders had played the Cheboygan Chiefs up north in December and won a hard fought battle 4-2. The Chiefs were looking to even the score with a trip to Lakeshore Sports Center in Muskegon Saturday night, but the Crusaders were

Marquette 6 Mona Shores 1

Arch-enemies of the Raving Reporter are urged to reread headline above, note the score, and stop reading here.Since there’s not a whole lot to do in Alpena in January, Sailors fans filed into the Northern Lights Arena for round 2, the Consolation Game vs. the Marquette Redmen and their head coach Joe Papin (a.k.a. “Joe Pa”) who had lost to Cranbrook Kingswood on Friday night by a score of 5-2.

Rockford 3 Kenowa Hills 0

Good matchup between a leader in the OK Tier II Conference Kenowa Hills and Tier I Rockford. Kenowa was looking to flex their muscles again versus Tier I teams after tying Kentwood and beating Forest Hills in recent weeks. Rockford was looking to see if they could extend their winning streak to 2 games after a 4 game drought. Rockford started the scoring early in the game when Adam Hoard (

My Best Friend Chad's Thoughts on the Mavs v. Lakers Game

This is my best friend Chad. He is probably the funniest person I know. He is a retardedly talented musician who twinkles the ivories for such bands as Budapest One, The Drams and The King Bucks. He never can decide if his favorite nickname for his dearest friends is "you old salty bastard" or "you old cooch" (yeah, we've brought that up but he's sticking with it). If you're ever having a bad day, you can call Chad's phone and listen to his outgoing voicemail message and suddenly your frown has been turned upside down.

I like watching sports with Chad because the opinions he expresses during games are 10000000x more interesting than anything Dale Hansen has said mid-bender. Chad hates the Fox Football robot guy who points and struts in the lower left corner of the screen during NFL games. Chad LOVES Patrick Crayton.

So I asked Chad to watch the Mavs v. Lakers game last night with me so that I could take notes and finally document his hot Mavs opinions. He doesn't know I have done this and I hope he's not mad.

Chad's Thoughts:

on Kobe: "Kobe is ok. He's got some little moves."

on Avery Johnson: "Cool. Sharp dresser."

on the Mavs getting in a rut and missing 6 shots in a row: "Come on someone. Do something."

on Jet's subsequent long 3 that went in: "HA HA! YES! SUCCESS!"

on Barea (who is now his favorite Mav player): "Barea is young and spunky and has things to prove."

on Mavs Man:



"I don't know if I can get behind that dude."

on Trenton Hassell's name: "It's like a bad cop show. 'DAMMIT, HASSELL!'"

on Devin Harris: "Smooth and graceful"

on a Lakers miss: "Nice try there, wise guys!"

on the hard foul that Dampier delivered to Mbenga (or as Chad pronounces it, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmbenga!") in the 3rd quarter: "A sandwich is a sandwich but a Manwich is a meal. That was a Manwich foul."

on Dirk's flailing third attempt for a rebound in the 4th quarter: "He's like a bear in the woods."

Some other miscellaneous Chad quotes from the game:

"I think razzle dazzle begat razzmatazz."

"Everyone is turning into rodeo clowns"

"Dirk. The german pattycake."

Also, after the game Chad issues a Big Buck Hunter challenge. The challenge was met and during a particularly intense round of Big Buck Hunter, Chad screamed "Fuck you, you little cunt. I want to eat your meat" at the animated whitetail deer running across the video game screen.

Yeah, my friend Chad is pretty rad.

Hockey Night in West Michigan

I'm sitting in the Global Infusion with laptop fired up, sipping on a fair trade Cuban coffee (sounds like an oxymoron), and watching the snow blow outside. The caffeine is starting to kick in, and I'm getting severely geared up for Hockey Night in West Michigan. Unfortunately, it's going to have to be a short burst -- ergo, the Cuban, which is two shots, no water and some milk and sugar at

Lowell-Caledonia 5 West Ottawa 2

Lowell-Caledonia moves to the top of the OK-3 with a convincing 5-2 win over West Ottawa. Lots of hitting in this one. A ton of hitting. I was walking behind the L/C bench and there was literally a pool of blood and water on the ground. At one point, I heard Drake Chittenden tell the L/C trainer: "This is the first bloody nose I've ever had." He got his money's worth because it was a

Alpena 5 Mona Shores 1

Haters: Please re-read the headline above and stop reading here. Friends, family and fans of Mona Shores hockey may continue to read at their own risk below:It was my first trip ever to Alpena, or more specifically, Thunder Bay. And I had a lot of work to do to prepare, this being my first time in Canada. But with a pocketful of Loonies, my French to English Dictionary, passport, my toque, and

The USA Today/NFCA preseason softball poll came out a couple of days ago, and the overwhelming No. 1 choice is two-time defending NCAA World Series champion Arizona (see link to poll in the right-hand column). The Wildcats received 27 of the 29 first-place votes. Taryne Mowatt, Arizona's pitching stalwart in last year's World Series, returns for her senior year. Two seniors who powered the Cats' offensive engine last season, Caitlin Lowe and Kristie Fox, are of course gone, leaving somewhat of a question mark about this year's run production.

The remainder of the projected top 5 include (in order)Texas A&M, Arizona State, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Major teams' returnees and senior losses from last season are summarized here.

I'm a University of Michigan alumnus (Ph.D., 1989), so maybe I'm looking at things through maize and blue-tinted glasses, but a preseason No. 12 ranking seems unduly low. Samantha Findlay, who hit the big home run to lead the Wolverines to the 2005 NCAA championship, returns for her senior year, accompanied by soph sister Angela Findlay. Also, by the end of last season, newcomer Nikki Nemitz (now a sophomore) had established herself as a solid pitcher.

Hudsonville 5 Grand Haven 4

After a four game stretch of non-conference games that saw the Eagles go 3-1, it was back to work in the battle for the O-K Conference Tier 2 Division title as Hudsonville faced off against Grand Haven this evening at the Georgetown Ice Center. The Buccaneers came to play and started the scoring 3:25 into the game when Cody Horton finished of a couple of passes from Tyler Rusco and Dan Brady.

GRCC 7 GRCH 2

The Cougars got a hat trick from Paul Ziemke and two each from John Dery and Clayton Brackett to beat Grand Rapids Christian 7-2 in the last City League contest between the teams. Jordan Rose had two goals for Christian and Eagles goalie Bryant Hansen turned aside 41 of 48 shots, but it was not enough. Adam Janecyk picked up the win, with Adam Schmieder coming on in relief in the third period.

Death by Eraser

From a recent Virginia Living "Olden Times" column...the story of a mysterious workplace fatality. Records from the time are spotty, but this much is known: one guy attacked another guy, but the aggressor somehow had the tables turned on him and ended up on a slab. Exactly how he met his end is another story...the death certificate enigmatically lists cause as "by eraser"!

I went back and forth about how to illustrate the "erasures" coming form the victim...nothing I tried seemed to represent the real thing very well at all. Then a pal of mine suggested I simply scan a bunch of actual bits of eraser and add them in Photoshop. Eureka!

Friday Night Hockey

West Ottawa vs Lowell/Caledonia at Patterson (5 p.m. @ Patterson) - Tonight's early game pits the top two teams in the OK Conference Tier 3. Both are undefeated in league play and both teams are on a tear after slow starts: West Ottawa has won 8 of its last 9 and L/C is 8-2 over its last 10 games. The winner tonight gets a significant leg up in the OK-3, which appears to be a two-horse race

Hockey Falls II and Mikko's Monday

Guys, whose turn is it to get the beer?



*I'm fully aware that after I put the last Hockey Falls video it took us a month and a half to score a goal, but I figure that by stating this up front, the hex brought upon the Diablos will be negated, or at least minimized.



I've been trying to get highlights from NHL.com embedded into the blog, but for some reason their code is goofy. I may have figured it out. I thought the Mikko Koivu goal at Vancouver on Monday and the following call out to the Vancouver bench was sweet as hell.

*There may be an advertisement at the beginning of the video - sorry, blame the NHL.

McShosh Named BK Athlete of the Week

Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior defenseman Lucas McShosh has been named the Burger King Athlete of the Week by WBBL-AM 1340. McShosh anchors the Cougar defense and has a +12 rating with a goal and an assist. His most impressive stat: a 4.2 GPA (that's grade point average not "goals per assist").

Charlotte Minicon 2008

Last weekend the fam and I braved the promise of bad weather and trekked south to North Carolina, both to visit the grandparents and so that I could spend Saturday hawking my wares and hanging out with friends at the Charlotte Minicon, hosted by the organizers of Heroes Con!

I arrived just in time Saturday morning at 10:50, the show slated to begin at 11. Heroes Con founder and organizer Shelton Drum showed me to a nice little corner of Fireman's Hall, a charming, cozy little building that also hosts wedding receptions and the like, and has a good bit more character than the hotel banquet halls and cavernous convention centers that typically host comic book shows. J Chris Campbell, Duane Ballenberger, and Justin Gammon, my pals from Wide Awake Press, arrived soon after, and the show was on!

The day breezed by pretty quickly...You could see the snow falling all day outside the windows, which is always cool. The boys from The Dollar Bin recorded several interviews, and I made some good sales and did a few sketches for fans. We had lunch from Phat Burrito, and I had a good long talk about the virtues of America's Funniest Home Videos with Heroes Con mastermind Dustin Harbin, a true gentleman if ever there was one.

After the show, the guys and I dropped by the shop that gave Heroes Con it's name, Heroes Aren't Hard To Find. I'd never been there before, and I found it to be a pretty spectacular shop: well organized, fun, comprehensive selection, the works. People speak highly about it, and I can see why. I picked up the latest issue of King-Cat and the second Pin-Up Art of Dan DeCarlo collection...I was pretty close to picking up the Batman action figure from DC's New Frontier toy line, but decided against it at the last minute. Then, after I got home, I realized that all toys in the shop were on sale that day for 25% off. Curses!

Anyway, the snow continued to fall, and we all decided that it'd probably be best to get to where we were going before the conditions got any worse. I drove back in beautiful, steady snow for about the first 45 minutes, before it turned into boring ol' rain. It kinda reminded me of living up north, where it snows all the time, so eventually you have to go out in it. It was a nice ride, and a nice break...I listened to some music, got a burger and shake from Cook-Out and simply enjoyed not having to rush to be anywhere.

Anyhow, here are some pitchers. Enjoy!

Adam chats with Justin and Duane:



Justin makes his best "Get that damn camera out of my face!" face:



Another Charlotte convention, another hot Zatanna:



Justin and J Chris furiously sign and draw sketches in copies of Wide Awake 666:



Trying to capture my awkward drawing face as I sketch Supergirl:



JCC and Duane talk to The Dollar Bin about 2007's best comics. Kinda like the Mcneil-Lehrer Report, only nerdier:

Game Time Change for L/C vs. West Ottawa

The start time has changed for tomorrow night's match-up between Lowell-Caledonia and West Ottawa has changed. The puck will drop at 5 p.m. tomorrow night (Friday) at Patterson. This is one of my "games to watch" tomorrow -- it features the only two undefeated teams in the OK Tier 3 and should be quite a battle. A 5 p.m. start makes it a perfect game for students and guys like me who need an

A mid-winter's fantasy tournament

The hockey guru over at the OK Hockey website has created an awesome fantasy hockey bracket of all the West Michigan high school teams. Check out the bracket here and then you can cast your votes here. He's got play-in games up for voting right now, and will be adding the first round games in a few days.Be assured, this is no whimsical bracket. The OK Conference guy created the bracket based

New Toronto GM

Toronto extended their GM drama Wednesday when they hired Cliff Fletcher (and apparently it worked - they beat Washington last night 3-2). However, they could have hired Captain Crunch, Wendell Clark, who was one of the toughest SOB's ever to wear a C on his jersey. Clark put up 564 points and 1690 penalty minutes in 793 games over 14 seasons. Plus he was a badass.



Here's his dream rink - pretty cool.

Trio of West Michigan Players Cited by MHSHCA

Call it a hat trick of West Michigan talent. Congratulations to Grand Haven's Derek Moore, East Kentwood's Ben Grover and Hudsonville's John Kersaan on being named the state's "Players of the Week" by the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association (MHSHCA). You can read about it here.

Forest Hills Central 4 Kenowa Hills 2

Things just got really interesting in the OK Conference Tier 2, with FHC winning a 4-2 contest over the previously undefeated Knights. For a while, it looked like a typical Kenowa Hills game. They were getting outshot by a large margin and Forest Hills Central was just buzzing in the offensive zone, but Knights' goaltender Zac "Fuzzy" Smith kept it close at 1-0.Then Kenowa got on the powerplay

Mona Shores 5 Reeths-Puffer 1

Mona got two quick ones in the first, but RP battled back with a PP goal to make it 2-1 after one period. The Sailors scored one on the PP (10:41) and a shorthanded goal (4:04) in the second to put the game on ice. Mona gets one more in garbage time, scoring with 11 seconds left to make the final score 5-1.Sailors goals were scored by Austin Zaloga, Taylor Moore, Brock Carlston (2), and Ryan

The Charlotte Bobcats......Come on.....You Can Do This...Baby Steps....

Alright, I know Adam Morrison is out all season with a knee injury that makes me vomit to even think about. But I will use any excuse to post pictures of everyone's favorite Rage Against the Machine fan.

As you may have heard, the Dallas Mavericks got spanked by the Gilbert Arenas-less Washington Wizards. And you can't blame Dirk Nowitzki or Josh Howard, both of whom actually pulled their weight.

So let's go back to things like eeking out wins against the Charlotte Bobcats. Is that easy enough for you? Would you like for them to move the basket down a little? Maybe ask really nicely if the Bobcats would mind playing with three or four players on the court for like, maybe one quarter?

In other news, this is actually the definition of schadenfreude.

If you work somewhere in Victory Park and hear a loud cackling sound, that's me.

Wednesday Night Hockey

Forest Hills Central vs Kenowa Hills (7 p.m. @ Walker) – There's still a lot of OK Conference hockey to be played in Tier 2, but this game is an important one, particularly for Forest Hills Central. The Rangers (2-1-1, 5 points in league play) are three points behind Kenowa Hills (4-0, 8 pts.) in Tier 2. They've been playing very good hockey against some very tough competition over last month,

Geography and apologies

The WMHSH Blogger didn't grow up in Michigan and that's really no excuse, but when I kept noticing that Manistee was playing teams here in town, it occurred to me that I should look at a map. Oops. I guess a town that sits on Lake Michigan between Muskegon and Traverse City really should be covered by a blog that throws around the phrase "West Michigan" so loosely. So I've added the Chippewa's

New Comics Day: My Life as a Cartoonist

This week, another comic from Richmond Magazine, this one from their "Comics in Richmond" feature from a few years back. I was asked to create a strip that'd address what it's like to be a cartoonist in a smaller city. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially the center panel, which I find hilarious. Sadly, I've had even less time than usual to work on comics since this strip saw print, with several ideas and projects backing up in my brain like cars in the Lincoln Tunnel on a Friday afternoon. Ah well, I'll keep at it anyway!

MHSHCA Rankings Updated

The updated rankings are posted on the MHSHCA website. There are no changes to when it comes to the West Michigan teams; however, the teams from the left side of the big mitten did have an impact on overall rankings. For example, OLSM fell three spots in D-1 after losing to Mona Shores and tying Portage Central last week. In D-2, Wyandotte moved up two spots to the #2 ranking based on its

Advance Hockey Coverage

For some reason, the high school hockey pickings are kind of slim this week over at the Advance. There is an excellent, lengthy write up of the EK-FHN/E overtime thriller, as well as a good story about Kenowa Hills important league win over Muskegon Reeths-Puffer. Plus, there's a quick summary of the EK vs. Rockford game from last week. One complaint: there's a graphic of the area rankings,

Bottoms Up!

Fabulous Freshman

Pictured above: Freshmen Michael Dery (left) and Alex Huizenga battle for the puck in a recent contest between GR Catholic Central and GR Christian. Both 9th graders made varsity and find themselves battling for ice time on senior-laden teams, Dery as a third-line wing and Huizenga as a top-4 defenseman. Making the varsity hockey team as a freshman is both a blessing and a curse. On one

OLSM Cribs From the WMHSH Blog

Am jacked up on coffee -- fair trade Sumatra from my friends at Global Infusion in Grand Rapids -- and was doing some late night writing and research. I found this news article online at the Orchard Lake St. Mary's website. I wonder if the administration there will start to get hate mail based on the nicknames and literate ramblings of the Blog's roving/raving Lakeshore reporter. Honestly,

Dogs

Didn't get home from NC until late this afternoon, so my promised Charlotte MiniCon report'll have to wait a bit longer. I did manage to download the photos off the camera, though, among them several my wife snapped of our dogs over the weekend. I really dig the one with Puck looking out the window. He's been my boy for going on nine years now, and I think this shot really captures his personality. The other one...well, don't worry, I haven't gone all Michael Vick on ya...this is just what the kids look like when they're playing around. They were both lying on the floor and Puck was licking Betty's ear twenty minutes later. Scary stuff in a still photo like that though!

Players of the Week

An expanded list of players of the week today, given the quantity -- and incredible quality -- of games played. Lots of examples of players overcoming adversity to lead their teams to victory. All of these winners were nominated by coaches except one, which the WMHSH Blogger took the liberty of naming himself. The honorable mentions are ones I've heard about from you in comments or emails.

Big Win vs. the Ak Bars

Another Metaphorical Highlight Video

Diablos 4 - Ak Bars 2

Diablos Melt the Snow Leopards

Sunday, January, 20, 2008.

Maplewood, MN. The stars were aligned for an upset with the second regular season meeting of the AHA D1 Diablos and the Ak Bars at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood Sunday night. The Ak Bars, Russian for Snow Leopards, had hit a skid after a strong start with two ties in their last four games and only just squeaked out a win over the Muskies D1 in their last game. The Diablos were rolling on a five game winning streak and had finally solved their nemesis the Nemesis two weeks ago. The Ak Bars had owned the Diablos with wins in the preseason and regular season and had outscored the team from hell 6-1 in the two games. The Diablos brought their A team and played a strong game to beat the Ak Bars 4-2 and earn a share of first place with the Ak Bars and Nemesis in a tightly contested D1 Western Division.

The Diablos opened the scoring in the middle of the first period when the line of C Ted Reiff, RW Ryan Carroll and LW John Blasingame broke the puck out of their zone and started an odd man rush into Ak Bar territory. Reiff took a pass from Carroll and buried it at 8:33 for the Diablos' first regular season goal against the Ak Bars behemoth goalie Trey Cain. The Ak Bars returned the favor at 3:21 of the period on the power play when winger Drew Jahr shot one past Diablos goalie Justin Alderink for his first goal of the season. Ak Bar standout J. Anderson and captain Larry Curtis picked up assists on the play. The Diablos took three minor penalties in the period but held the Ak Bars to just one power play goal.

The second period belonged to the Diablos despite having to kill off two more minor penalties. At 6:18 of the period LW Jarick Losey proved "that you should always put the puck on the net because good things can happen" when he flipped a shot from the corner toward the front of the net. The puck ricocheted off an Ak Bars defender and beat the Ak Bars' goalie for the Diablos' second goal of the game and a lead they would not give up again. No assists were awarded on the play, but C Dave Christenson and RW Monique Lindquist were instrumental in keeping the puck in the zone for Losey's shot. The eventual game winner came at 3:34 of the period when C Steve
Nelson broke out of his scoring funk and tipped in a D Andy Claypool shot from the blue line. Nelson's line of wingers Dean Groth and John Driscoll was the energy line all night and it was nice to see them rewarded.

The third period dissolved into a parade to the box for both teams with the Diablos taking five minor penalties and the Ak Bars three. The Diablos opened the scoring at 14:53 of the period when D Pieter VanZyl wristed a shot on goal from the left point that hit Blasingame in the seat of the pants as he screened the Ak Bars' goalie. Blasingame recovered his senses quickly and passed the puck across the crease to a waiting Reiff who buried it for Diablos fourth and final goal. The Ak Bars had a prime chance to get themselves back into the game at 14:09 when they went on a five on three power play and then a five on four, but they failed to convert.

Things were chippy at the end after the Ak Bars scored again to claw within two. At 5:59 of the third the Ak Bars' Anderson snuck another one past Alderink with assists from Curtis and Jahr. At 3:37 the Ak Bars' Trevor Tjelmelund, the team's second leading scorer behind Anderson, tried to pick a fight with Diablos' D "Big" Andy Suerth. Tjelmelund was frustrated because Suerth had shut him and the Ak Bars out all night with strong play and great positioning. As Tjelmelund's teammates and the referees rescued Tjelmelund, the Ak Bars' Pavel Zakharov tried to start something with Alderink.

Apparently the Ak Bars were not comfortable with being on the losing end of a game. Offsetting penalties were handed out and no damage was done. The Ak Bars had a last chance when they went back on the power play at 00:27 of the period. They pulled the goalie, but even at 6 on 4 couldn't beat Alderink. The best chance of the final flurry came when Reiff sent a shot on goal from his own end toward the empty net. An Ak Bar defender hustled back and just made the save to keep Reiff from his hat trick.

The Diablos got contributions from all four lines and offensive help from the defense to win an all round solid game. One goal came on a rush, one from hard work in the corner and two from shots from the blue line and hard work out front. Defensemen Suerth, Claypool, VanZyl, Captain Todd Ewing, and Mike Monroe played very well all game and phenomenally on the PK. C Peter
Sinesio's line with wingers Mat Lindquist and Rocco Bonello, while they didn't score this game, was solid and took the game to the Ak Bars all night. The only blemish on the night was the ten penalties assessed the Diablos, but penalty killers Reiff, Driscoll, Sinesio, Groth and Nelson, along with the defense, were up to the task. Shots on goal: Ak Bars 7-1-11 for 20, Diablos 8-6-6 for 20.

Both teams no doubt look forward to their final meeting on 03-08-08 in a game that could decide the season.

Up next:

The Ice Gators back at Aldrich Arena on Wednesday 01-30-08 at 10:05pm. Official AHA Scoresheet. - JB

OK Conference Standings Updated

Here's the lastest and greatest from keeper of the standings, Mike Ballard. The races in all three tiers are still wide open. In Tier 1, East Kentwood has crept into first place, though they've played two more than undefeated Mona Shores. FHN/E's loss to EGR on Friday and the OT loss to EK last night has them slipping back a bit, but they're still in striking distance.In Tier 2, Kenowa Hills

PN Huskies Get New Coach

I was checking some stats on the Portage Northern website and saw that they recently added a coach to their roster. You can see him listed on the PN site when you click on the team banner. Evidently, this guy coached Red Wing Chris Chelios when he was growing up. Click below to see the video of Cheli reflecting on the coach who taught him the "inglewood jack." Click on the image below to see

Brother Rice 3 Mona Shores 2 (OT)

More ravings from our roving reporter in Mona Shores Sailor country: The new hospital where I am currently residing has been very helpful with my blogging. They bring us to the rink for MS hockey games, feed us microwaved pretzels during intermission, let us log on to the WMHSHB for updates, and have recently allowed me an extra half hour of computer time to complete my writeups. As you know,

The Morning After

Trying to put a little context on what happened yesterday and over the past week, which has been a great one for high school hockey in West Michigan. Some things we've learned.Three straight losses, including two in conference play, have put a question mark on Forest Hills Northern/Eastern's season. Every coach I talk to says the same thing about them: "They're one of the most talented teams

Christian vs. Hudsonville Pix

Check out these shots from the GR Christian vs. Hudsonville game at Jolly Roger on Saturday. Thanks to hockey dad Shane Hansen, whose son plays goalie at GRCH.

WMHSH Blog Scoreboard

Saturday ScoresEast Kentwood 5 FHN/E 4 (OT)Wyandotte 2 GRCC 1 (OT)Brother Rice 3 Mona Shores 2 (OT)Portage Central 0 OLSM 0 (OT)Kenowa Hills 2 Reeths-Puffer 1SMCC 9 Mattawan 1Big Rapids 3 Jenison 0Portage Northern 11 Kal United 3Marquette 4 TC Central 1Hudsonville 6 GR Christian 2Rockford 6 West Catholic 0Kalamazoo Eagles 9 Wayland 4West Ottawa 5 Northview 1TC West 4 Alpena 1Friday ScoresEGR 3

Hockey Night in West Michigan Roundup

This really was a great Hockey Night in West Michigan. I had a feeling going into it. Look at the "games to watch" picked below. All but one were one-goal games, and the one that wasn't was a 0-0 tie. Three went into overtime, and we haven't even begun to talk about GRCC vs. Wyandotte game in the finals of the East-West Invitational (another OT game). Plus, there were a couple of

Big Rapids 3 Jenison 0

Big Rapids and Ferris State University welcome back coach Vincent Owen (Jension coach and ex-Ferris State Bulldog goalie) to town, but it's Cardinal goalie Curtis Hanba who gets the 3 - 0 shut-out win for Big Rapids. Scoring opened in the first period at the 10:00 minute mark with Matt Sigmund getting the first goal of his high school career with assists going to freshman Justin Reams and Jon

Rudy on Ice

So I'm watching Mattawan and Wyandotte play last night and it's late in a 4-1 game. The Mattawan coach pulls his goalie, presumably so his team can get a late one and take a positive away from the final few minutes. Wyandotte gets control of the puck and a kid deposits an empty netter to make it 5-1. The players and fans just start going crazy. Like pounding on the glass and whooping and

Hockey Night in West Michigan

Tonight is truly a great hockey Saturday in West Michigan. Some great conference rivalry games that will make a big difference in the standings, and some of the best teams in the state playing on this side of the big mitten today. I wish I could be zig-zagging from rink to rink like the puck on Rick Nash's stick the other day, but I will be at Griff's for the consolation and championship of

Mona Shores 4 OLSM 1

From our roving -- and some would say "raving" -- correspondent out on the Lakeshore comes this dispatch: They were a motley crew, a loosely organized cast of characters thrown together on the ice with a new leader and from a variety of different hockey clubs, faced with what appeared to be the insurmountable task of going against the hockey machine, the Red Army, the Beast of the East...Only the

Friday Roundup

Around the rinks in West Michigan...EGR nets a 3-2 upset over Forest Hills Northern/Eastern. Jeff Kallil, Greg Afendoulis and Joe Glendenning scored for the Pioneers. Ian McDonald gets the W in goal...Mona scores a 4-1 win over highly rated Orchard Lake St. Mary's. David Coppock, Adam Meloche, JC Boyd and Brock Carlston put the Sailors up 4-0, before OLSM scores one late. Scott Tiefenthal

Lowell-Caledonia 4 South Christian 1

L/C rebounds from loss to Hudsonville with a Tier 3 victory over South Christian. L/C was led by the line of Jordan Steger, Jon Kuzava and Bo Adams as L/C outshoot South by a count of 34 - 15. The line combined for 10 points as Steger scores 2 with 2 assists, Kuzava scores 2 with one assist and Adams gets the playmaker (ie, 3 assists). Corey Phillips stops 14 of 15 for the victory. Eric

Diablos vs. Ak Bars

The D1 West gets the shocker here Sunday.


View Larger Map

It's been a long time since I last posted, but the start of the 2008 season is only a few weeks away and it's time to get going again!

The Big 12 conference just announced its pre-season coaches' poll, and Texas A&M is the favorite to win the conference title. I am on the faculty at one of the Big 12 schools, Texas Tech, and this press release from the school's athletic department presents an optimistic view of the Red Raiders' predicted seventh-place finish.

GRCC 8 SMCC 7

What a game. After an evenly played first period, GRCC jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second and then extended it to 7-3 in the third before Saint Mary's Catholic Central came roaring back to tie it at 7-7. The Falcons scored four goals in a span of three-and-a-half minutes to shock the Cougar faithful. Second-team all-stater Kevin Boman came to the rescue with an amazing goal with with 5

Cheaters

Well, those goddamn Patriots won again. I hate those bitches. At least I'll get to wear this shirt I ordered to the Super Bowl party. Provided it gets here in time, of course...I imagine just about everybody in America who watches football would like to have one. And no, I don't think this shirt will look nearly as good on me.

BTW, all comments by "anonymous" will be deleted immediately, so don't bother, lame-o's.

Canary

Yesterday was a blast at the Charlotte Minicon, despite snow falling all day, which usually makes poeple timid about venturing out, at least south of the Mason-Dixon. Among other highlights, I finally delivered the commission piece pictured below. Look for more blabbing about the show and some photos tomorrow!

Friday's Games to Watch

EGR vs. FHN/E (8 p.m. @ Patterson) - The last time these two played, EGR hung close for two periods before FHN/E took it to them in the third. Since then, the Pioneers have started turning their fortunes around wins in 3 of their last 4. Forest Hills continues to play at a very high level. They're deep and talented, but tonight will be without two of their senior leaders, who are serving

Un - frigging - believable Goal.

A better look from NHL.com

Watchin' TV

I was watching LAW & ORDER last night and noticed they have a new female detective partnered with Chris Noth's character. I don't know if I buy her as a cop...she doesn't seem like much of an actor (with the schlocky, terrible writing on LAW & ORDER, who can tell?). But she's a cute redhead, so she's all right with me!

Hudsonville 4 Lowell-Caledonia 0

All the best hockey coaches I've ever known want to learn something from their games, especially the losses. With that in mind, I asked Lowell-Caledonia head coach Mike Ballard what he learned from his team's 4-0 loss against Hudsonville tonight, despite outshooting them 34-22. His answer: "We learned that Hudsonville has a pretty good goalie."True enough. H'ville's senior goalie Pete Herman

Thursday's Game to Watch

Hudsonville vs. Lowell-Caledonia (7:30 p.m. @ Georgetown) -- A non-conference game between the offensive-minded teams that currently occupy the top spots of the OK-2 (H'ville) and OK-3 (L/C). Lowell-Caledonia is on a roll, having won 7 out of their last 8 since getting back three key players in mid-December. L/C is tied for the OK-3 lead after wins over Northview and Wayland by a combined 16-2

FOX-17 Highlights

Hard as I try, I just cannot keep up with the FOX-17 team, which gets to more high school hockey games these days than the WMHSH Blog! Click here to get video highlights of the Rockford-Kentwood game as well as the Mona Shores-Grandville match.

MTV Cribs: Kickin' it NHL Style

If you haven't seen this yet, it's pretty cool.

Tour the Wild Locker Room

Of course, those Diablos that have season tickets have already made this visit. If you look closely, you'll see Suerth's name written in Sharpie in the steam room.

Old Crazy Eyes Shall Inherit the Cowboys

First off, I cannot get enough of that picture. We all have a bad drivers license photo. A passport picture where (in my case) you look like a drunken forest sprite. But to have that be your official photo? Wow. I guess the lesson learned here is that there are no second chances in NFL staff pictures.

But more importantly, I do believe we've confirmed what I have suspected for a long time. Peepaw Phillips will probably only be around another year or two but essentially the Cowboys coach is, for all intents and purposes, Jason Garrett. He's turning down head coaching offers from Baltimore and Atlanta to stay on with Dallas. Jerry Jones' sphincter is probably tightening as we speak while he mumbles "two million a year, that's my offer" under his breath through pursed lips. Now don't get me wrong, I love Peepaw more than most people (and though I am not inclined that way, I will even admit that his daughter is ridiculously hot) and was genuinely upset to see his playoff collapse record go unblemished. But he frustrates me sometimes. If I was choosing which NFL coach I would most like to eat s'mores and wear matching footie pajamas with, Wade Phillips is number one with a bullet. With maybe Lovie Smith coming in a distant second. However, a Wade Phillips press conference is quite possibly the most disheartening, disinterested, vaguely depressing and completely apathetic event a human can witness outside watching REM record a new album.

I must admit that I don't remember being particularly blown away by anything I have ever heard Jason Garrett say on camera or into a microphone. But whether it's his youth or his head of flaming red hair, I have to believe that he will be a slightly more enthusiastic cheerleader (not literally although if you've seen how much makeup Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders wear in person, it's not outside the realm of possibilities) than Wade "just give me a biscuit and a cup of buttermilk and let me watch this Perry Mason" Phillips.

I'd also like to bid adieu to Tony Sparano who is leaving his post for the sunny and slightly gay climes of Miami. I don't know what they offered him but I have sat here trolling my mind for what kind of compensation I could be offered to be around Bill Parcells for any extended amount of time. A new car? A house? A guaranteed seat at the right hand side of God's throne for a clear line of sight during the Rapture? Nope, I can't think of anything that could make the Tuna tolerable. I don't mean to be body fascist but Bill Parcells' figure disturbs me deeply.



Bill Parcells shown offering Terrell Owens a sip of his imaginary custom-mixed Route 44 Mr. Pibb/Countrytime Lemonade/red eye gravy drink.

I would also like to bid a premature farewell to Julius Jones. Sorry you can't run the ball well. Take it sleazy wherever you end up, dude.

Now might I suggest that Flozell Adams spend his off-season playing Whack-a-Mole until his reaction time becomes more fine tuned than ohhhhhhh say, Liza Minelli's as she falls from a bar stool? Mmmmmmkay thanks!

And finally, I sure am happy that somewhere out there in the world tonight Tony Romo is teaching Jessica Simpson new and exciting words and numbers and stuff. You kids have fun! Who needs a championship ring when you've got a hot blonde d-list actress to bang while her father whittles a crucifix in the corner? You are truly the Bogart and Bacall of this crazy Who Wants to Skate With Dead Celebrities on an Island of Love? post-apocalyptic world.

East Kentwood 3 Rockford 2

East Kentwood hung on for a 3-2 win over Rockford tonight in an important OK Conference league game. The Falcons dominated much of a very physical first period, netting two quick goals in the first six minutes of play. Travis Miller got EK on the board first with a PP goal at the 9:58 mark, assisted by Jeff Sanders and Matt Herman. The Falcons struck again just 57 seconds later on a goal by

Mona Shores 9 Grandville 1

This just in...a report has been filed by our anonymous Mona Shores correspondent. Read on, or click here for the box score. Honestly, this is one of his best posts yet. It’s always interesting to observe the intensity in the moments before an important High School Hockey Game (HSHG): the anxious, stern looks on faces, the stare-downs, chest thumping, nervous body language, sizing up of the

MCC 4 Mattawan 3 (OT)

A great game tonight in Kalamazoo between two very stubborn teams. Muskegon Catholic jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period with goals from Kyle Kampenga and Adam Pieczynski. Mattawan answered back later in the first period with goals by Josh Davidson and Austin Avery. The Wildcats then took the lead early in the second period when Drew Reenders fired a wrister over the glove of MCC's

Portage Northern 9 Kalamazoo Eagles 1

The 1st period of this game was outstanding and Portage Northern figured to be in for another hard fought league battle. But, in the end, the Huskies had too much fire power for the visiting Kalamazoo Eagles. Nicco Braganini continued his torrid scoring pace for Northern by netting 2 goals in the first period. Bobby Miller brought the Eagles back by banging home a rebound from a Kane Smith shot.

Charlotte Minicon This Saturday!

I'm getting a little bit of an early start on con season this year, at the Charlotte Minicon this Saturday. I don't know a ton of details about the show, but I know that several great artists will be there, including J. Chris Campbell (who created the fine (if a little bi-curious) banner above) and Dave Johnson (and I guess, me), and that it's put on by the same fantastic folks as Heroes Con, so it's certain not to disappoint!

C'mon out, buy some comics, and maybe even a sketch! I'll be the guy in the corner looking nervous!

Jolly Roger Sold to Devos

Following months of rumor and speculation, the WMHSH Blog has confirmed the sale of and immediate future plans for the venerable Jolly Roger ice rink. The deal closed yesterday. The buyer is one of Rich Devos' companies, reportedly MVP Sportsplex. The seller, of course is another venerable figure, Tom Reges, who built the rink in 1972. (There's a great history of the rink on the old Jolly

Only One Packers Video This Week.

However, when they win on Sunday...

Wednesday's Game to Watch

Rockford vs. East Kentwood (7 p.m. @ Walker) -- Should be a good matchup between two teams on the brink. Rockford is fast, experienced and extremely skilled, while a youngish Kentwood team relies on solid defense, good goaltending and offensive bursts. Both are coming off tough conferences losses last week and know that a win here is critical if they want any chance at the OK Tier 1 crown.

New Comics Day: Credit Card Frenzy

This week, it's another of the McGraw-Hill stories...this one teaching lessons about smart financial sense and keeping good credit. Sounds a little boring, I know...but I love this story, and I think you'll find it pretty engaging. Either way, it's a good lesson, and one I wish I'd gotten in junior high! I spent most of my twenties dodging calls from collection agencies of every stripe, and lemme tell ya, it was no picnic. And it seems I'm not the only one...if you've been paying attention to the news lately, you've no doubt heard that Americans are continuing to spend more than they earn, even in these shaky financial times. Paints a depressing picture for the future.

This Week's Games

It's a busy week in high school hockey (and for the WMHSH Blogger), so I'm posting all of this week's games on Wednesday so you can plan your schedule. As noted, there are some great games this week with conference rivalries, as well as some of the top teams in the state -- including OLSM, Brother Rice, SMCC, and Wyandotte -- traveling to the West side for games.Wednesday Jan. 16thMuskegon

GRCC hosts top teams in East-West Invitational

Three of the state's top teams square off in GR this weekend as part of the inaugural East-West Invitational, hosted by Grand Rapids Catholic Central. The four-team tournament features the host Cougars, the Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central Falcons, the Wyandotte-Roosevelt Bears and the Mattawan Wildcats. All games are played at Griff's.The first game features the two top-ranked teams in D3.

Mr. Hockey Talk

The Detroit News, in a prep hockey column, offers its midseason suggestions for "Mr. Hockey" candidates, including GRCC's own Adam Janecyk. You can read it here.For a list of the 2008 Dream Team and the official Mr. Hockey, click here.

OK Conference clarifies rulings on ties

The OK Conference has "clarified" its position on points earned for ties. Coach Ballard of Lowell-Caledonia has forwarded the WMHSH Blog an email from a conference representative that says: "Here is clarification on the hockey discussion we have been having. I must have still been on Christmas vacation or half a sleep when I sent out the last email. After reading the OK Conference Handbook

A Little Something for the Folks...

...who couldn't care less about the state of minor-league baseball in Richmond:

The Sub-Mariner's cousin, Namorita!

Boyd, Smith earn Player of the Week honors

Mona Shores forward JC Boyd and Kenowa Hills goalie Zac Smith were named "Players of the Week" by the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association. Boyd was cited for his two goals, including the OT game-winner, against East Kenwood. Smith's performance against FHN/E, including 37 saves and an assist on the game-winner, as well as another win, were highlighted. Having seen both performances

GR Press features Lowell-Caledonia

The Grand Rapids Press joins the chorus with a story about the streaking team from Lowell-Caledonia. (No, that doesn't mean they're running naked, it means they're 7-1 in their last 8 games, after a 1-5 start). Check out what our good friend Coach Mike Ballard has to say about the team as it pursues a Tier 3 crown.

Advance Hockey Coverage

The Advance newpapers kick off their week of high school hockey coverage with a story about Kenowa Hills' victory over FHN/E as well as Lowell-Caledonia's win streak. You can read about Jenison's tough times on the ice last week, and catch up on how South Christian is turning its season around. Plus, there's coverage of East Kentwood's win over Portage Central in the consolation of the Stan

Coaches Notes: Impact Players

Another entry in our occasional series on Impact Players from around West Michigan, as selected by the area's high school coaches. Coaches were asked: "If you could pick one player from another team in the area, who would it be and why?" Here are a few more players that local coaches would love to have.Brock Carlston, Defenseman/Mona Shores -- Mentioned by no fewer than five coaches, who

(No Longer) Home of the Braves

About a year and a half ago, I created a strip for Richmond Magazine about our local minor league baseball team, the Richmond Braves, and the questions about the stadium in which they play, the Diamond. It was mainly a bitch-fest...since I can't stand the team's parent club, the Atlanta Braves, I find it nearly impossible to root for a team that shares their name. Their colossally dickish policy of making all the minor league teams share their name is even more galling. Similarly, the stadium in which they play is a shithole, and pretty much has been since the day it opened, a soulless, cavernous concrete bowl that lacks personality of any kind. It's typical Richmond...not that great, but it'll do. It was not a fun place to watch a game; I live less than two miles away and went to exactly one game last season, on opening day.

Anyway, negotiations have been going on forever as to when and how the city would replace the existing ballpark. The Richmond city government, in their usual style, has been unable to get anything done or come to any kind of conclusion. The Braves, in turn, have been hinting at picking up and leaving town. Today, it was announced that they will move, and will play in a suburb of Atlanta starting in 2009. On one hand, I'm glad to see them go...unlike most minor league teams, the R-Braves were owned by their parent club and not a local organization, and were usually treated as an afterthought. On the other, I'm pretty sure (despite what I say in the strip) that Richmond will not be able to get its shit together and get another team, so baseball in the city is pretty much dead for the foreseeable future.

Fuck the city government of Richmond for being such a bunch of useless, do-nothing fucktards, and fuck the Atlanta Braves (and their parent corporation, whoever it is this week) for being a bunch of thoughtless, apathetic dickholes who never gave a shit about Richmond in the first place.

Gazette features Kalamazoo Blades' Simmons

Nice feature story on Scott Simmons, the junior forward for the Kalamazoo Blades. He currently ranks fifth in career points for the Blades with 108, and is on pace to break the all-time Blades mark of 152, set by Jeremy VonEitzen in 1999.