Hockey Check, 1-2, 1-2

Well for the few who actually like hockey, the sport has resolved its labor woes, and the NHL will be back on ice for the '05-06 season.

Why Should You Care?

Well for one, what about those lonely fall nights when basketball isn't quite back on the hardwood for real, the World Series just ended, and it's not a Sunday or Monday night? Yep, hockey will be a good way to pass the time. I can see the slogan now: "The NHL: because you can't implore your spouse to make love every single night!"

Also, the new rule changes will take effect to make the game cleaner, faster, and much more comprehensive. So that means those damned New Jersey Devils and their Russian-style trap defense (defence in Canadian) is about to be out of style faster than Eriq LaSalle's curl in "Coming To America." Basically, more goals will be scored due to goalies not being able to wear the kitchen sink, the absence of ridiculous off-sides calls, and less room behind the net for goalies to show their wanderlust skills.

Those are the only two reasons I can think of, but who else is picking the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup? I am, and I'm a Colorado Avalanche fan for Goodness' Sakes! Not only do they have one of the all-time greats playing and owning the team ("Super" Mario Lemieux), but they have the draft rights to this kid who allegedly is the next Wayne Gretzky, and his name is Sidney Crosby. 5'11, 200 pounds, super-quick with the puck and a well-spoken young man, who although speaks English, decided to learn French while playing for a juniors team in the province of Quebec. How "awww, what a good kid" is that? So Super Mario and the Cros...I don't give a damn what other problems the Pens have, they can outscore everyone and win the Cup. I'll make a more informed predicition when the time calls for it.

But for now, the words "He shoots, he scores," will return to the North American lexicon this fall, for better or for worse to some folks. In this all-around sports fan's case, it's for the better. Now where's my red light and horn?

The Dog Days of a DSU summer

Well right now, the heat is really picking up, and anytime you step outside, you are guaranteed to sweat, as comedian Ralphie May said, "Like R. Kelly at the Kids' Choice awards." I picked this week to walk around campus instead of wasting gas money, not the smartest thing I've ever done, but it's exercise.

Meanwhile, the heat is on for DSU athletics, with the announcement of Chuck Bell as athletic director last week, and his first press conference will be Thursday at 3 p.m. on the fourth floor of The Admin Building. This should be quite interesting, especially since he's a white AD at an Historically Black College/University (well, allegedly black). Questions are already being raised by Board of Trustee member Norman Oliver (who I've known for quite sometime), alumni, and legislators who are wondering about the current course Delaware State University is on, especially hiring white administrators and professors to teach black kids.

In case no one's noticed, the diversification effort among the students isn't taking a strong of a foothold as originally thought, at least among traditional students. I've been around campus for freshman orientation, and to no one's surprise, black kids are still in the majority of those coming to DSU fresh out of high school. As former Hornet editor-in-chief (now AP journalist) Michael Feeney said in an editorial last school year, "you can't remove history."

Back to sports, the Hornet football team has tapped into the NCAA division I-A transfer market (http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/SPORTS08/507190337/1002), grabbing defensive linemen and another quarterback, Shane Lopes from Arizona, although it looks likely that the red-shirt freshman from Chi-Town, Vashon Winton, will go into summer practice in about two weeks as the number one guy at that spot.

The defensive lineman coming in are expected to be in an improvement in the lone area that the defense needed work in, and the word is that running back Emmanuel Marc will be a significant upgrade in the backfield, which aside from the now-graduated Afumiya McFadden, was non-existant in the offensive scheme of things last year.

The Hornets' opening game at Florida A&M September 3rd has already been called "The Question Bowl," due to the tumultuous off-seasons that both schools have had. However, FAMU still has not answered the question of who will be their head coach. This could be a domino game for the MEAC football season, whoever wins this game will probably have the inside track for one of the top three spots in the conference, although it's universally accepted that Hampton and South Carolina State will be duking it out for the conference crown and the automatic berth to the I-AA playoffs.

But as Chris Berman always says "That's....why they play the games." With the start of the season about a month away, this could be one of the most intriguing seasons in the history of the conference, it could be anybody's game this year.

Can't wait for the games to begin.

Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but damn, why pick on me?

In case the one or two people who read The Post Game Show have no idea what I'm talking about, allow me to backtrack. In December, I wrote a commentary for Black College Wire saying that the MEAC should abandon all I-AA football championship dreams, revive the Heritage Bowl and challenge the SWAC to see who's top dog in I-AA HBCU football ( http://www.blackcollegewire.org/sports/041215_meac/). So on the MEACFANS message boards, my story shows up as a thread headliner this week (http://www.meacfans.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/ubb/get_topic/f/43/t/005939.html), and I was called a moron by a couple of folks.

Now I'm not bitching by any stretch of the imagination, but damn, whatever happened to just saying "I disagree," and moving on? Funny thing is I responded to one of the posters saying "everyone's entitled to their opinion," which is true, but damn I didn't suggest anything out of the way. I just stated my opinion, backed up with some true to life detail that says we make no money from the playoffs. Making money from showcasing how we do it, from the bands to the actual game, would be a lot easier than going on the road to play Georgia Southern, University of Delaware, and Montana, and coming back with nothing to show for it. But, as I was once told, if they're not talking about you, then you should worry.

That's it and that's all.