It's total blasphemy. In the Stanley Cup playoffs Wednesday night there was a two overtime game between Nashville and San Jose.  To top it, there was a four overtime game between Dallas and Vancouver.  And, then there were cries that maybe this overtime thing in the playoffs is outdated and we should just settle it with a shoot out.

That loud whirring sound you hear is the ghost of Toe Blake spinning in his grave.

There is nothing more compelling in sports than extended overtime in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Even people that don't like the sport know about it.  Sometimes (although now that the games are on versus I doubt it) people happen to be tuning across the dial, find an overtime game and just sit there and watch it until someone scores.

It is what hockey fans live for.  It is what hockey players dream of.  It is, as one said last night, a "badge of honor."

The NHL has already made the sport unrecognizable in a lot of ways.  Older fans like me are sick about some of the things they changed (obstruction comes to mind as well as some interpretations of penalty calls) but remove extended OT from the playoffs and hockey becomes soccer.  And God knows no one wants that.

Lightning Round

• The White Sox took down the mighty Indians last night 6-4 at the Jake, ruining Cleveland's first official home game not played in Milwaukee.  Juan Uribe was a Juan man wrecking crew last night against the tribe, knocking in four runs.  Jermaine Dye added a two run homer. Javier Vasquez pitched well, but gave the Sox only 6.1 innings, forcing Ozzie to go early to the bullpen.  Andrew Sysco, David Aardsma, Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks held the fort, although Jenks had another rocky outing.  Still only topping the radar gun at around 93, Jenks gave up consecutive hits to start the inning before settling down and allowing a two fielder's choices  and a pop out. 
• Before the game, on Chicago sports station WSCR, Jenks told Chris Singleton in a pre-game interview that he isn't quite ready yet and is continuing to build strength in his arm after a late start this spring.  The fact is, without being able to pin the needle at 99mph and a curve ball that isn't there yet, Jenks is very hittable.In addition, by using five pitchers tonight, manager Ozzie Guillen may run into problems tomorrow when rookie John Danks makes his second start.  If Danks falters early, it will be up to Nick Masset to come in and clean up the mess and pilot the Sox until at least the seventh.  Only Masset and Mike McDougal did not see action Friday night. Overall, a great win, a 3-1 road trip so far, but, it looks like Ozzie is on pace to burn his pen out early like he did last year.
• Some okay hockey last night, highlighted by Nashville's fight filled 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.  One of the concerns I had about the Preds going into this series was that San Jose was a much more physical team.  You wouldn't know it by the game last night.  The Preds not only beat the Sharks with their speed, they pounded them on the boards all night long.  The series, which may get even uglier, resumes Monday night in San Jose.  Dallas evened their series with Vancouver while the Ducks went up 2-0 on the Wild.
  
• Lou Piniella, Dusty Baker, Casey Stengal, it doesn't matter.  They are still the Cubs.  I will say this much: Michael Wuertz is a pretty good stopper out of the bullpen.  Will Ohman, not so much.  Mt. Lou erupted after the game in a Jim Mora Sr. like tirade.  Too bad it's April and it's too early to ask Lou about the playoffs.
  
• It's been a long week for Michael Waltrip.
• Carla Berry, the LSU Women's assistant coach who turned in Pokey Chatman is leaving the program.  Rumor has it she is opening a cheese shop because rats are very fond of it.
• After his one season in the NBDL, Greg Oden moves on to the big leagues.  Hope you lick that foul problem before you get to the Association, kid.
• How good would Carl Crawford be if he played for a team that mattered?
  
• Nick Saban is making the media in Alabama angry by closing his practices, limiting interviews and otherwise just showing them who runs the program.  That's exactly why he'll win there. 
  
• Michael Jordan's divorce could cost him $150 million.  That's one night of black jack in Atlantic City for those of you keeping score.
• On the Imus front, why is it that every article you see has a provocative headline?  It's not "Rutgers team forgives Imus" or "Rutgers team forgives Imus for comments" but "Rutgers team forgives Imus for racial slur."  Imus definitely got "death by media."
• Here's an interesting point of view on Imus, which gets to the root of the real problem with the whole incident: Butch Crywolf and the Clueless Kid.  The writer, Roger Kimball nails it when he says "Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are ready to call a hundred press conferences and accuse everybody in sight of racism whenever they think they can get away with it." 
  
• Here is a radio station owner who is about to open a can of whupass on himself.  If you read the contract Mr. Yokel, you would realize that you don't own the shows, CBS does and you just can't rebroadcast something when you feel like it.  I'm sure CBS has already shared that insight with him.
  
• Chicago did something the entire nation would like to do: Give Dick Cheney the bird.