Age - It's just a number!!!

Jetlag is over and its time to get back to my weekly scheduled blog on the top 5 news stories I am following around the world of sports. Before I get into that I wanted to mention a few other things. The fall TV season has begun and there are definitely some new shows worth watching.

- For people who like a good Suspense/Action/Drama like 24, a great new show is Prison Break that airs on FOX on Monday Nights at 9pm (ET). My girl Solitaire pointed out a bonus reason to watch this show... Wentworth Miller!! He is definitely "Fyne" in my books. Aside from the fact that Mr. Miller is the star of the show, the plot is a very interesting one of man trying to break his elder brother (who is on death row) out of prison. If you haven't seen it yet... you are missing out so go try to get your hands on the first few episodes.

- The next show I am going to recommend has gotten a ton of press and not all positive. Mary Louise Parker stars as a widowed mom in this single camera show Weeds that airs on Showtime. (For my friends in Canada... Downloading is the way to go since we don't get the show on TV here unless you get showcase where the show is premiering on October 12th.) The premise is of a typical suburban family that was left without a husband/father and so the mother turns to selling weed in the fictional town of Agrestic, California. The dialogue witty, the acting superb adds to a story that took things a bit out of the box and put a reality on TV. Ofcourse, a show dealing so openly with the use and sale of marijuana has gotten its share of negative press, but its worth checking this one out.

- Next week the new season of America's Next Top Model begins and I cant wait. The new group of women look great and from the buzz on the net these women are much more prepared for the world of modeling than the previews seasons. On a side note... does Tyra Banks have a thing for brunettes?? From the pictures I have seen only 2 of the girls in the new season actually sport a blonde coiffe.

- Last but not least is the Apprentice series. This season we get double dosage of the hit reality show as contestants vie to get a job with "The Donald" (Donald Trump) and additionally this year with Martha Stewart.
To be honest, I don't know if this Martha version is going to work for me but curiosity prevails and I will be tuning in to see the premiere of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart next Wednesday on NBC. As for The Donald.. Word has it that he was disappointed in a few things from the last season and this year went and hand picked his contestants. I found last season to be pretty disappointing as well in terms of the people chosen and I am looking forward to seeing the Apprentice return to its first season glory. Tune into NBC next Thursday for the premiere... If nothing else you get another look at that terrible combover he has going for himself.

Now back to the world of sports... I begin with a quote from a sports legend
"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender" - Vince Lombardi

#5: Jerry Rice: I'm done!!!
He has had a storied career as the most successful wide receiver that has ever played in the NFL. At age 42, legendary WR Jerry Rice retired from the game of football after a 20 year stint in the league. His role with his current team had been reduced to a 4th or 5th receiver and he figured this was the time to go out rather than be a cheerleader on the sidelines. Rice ends his career with 38 NFL records, including the most career receptions (1,549), yards receiving (22,895) and touchdowns receiving (197) on his list of accomplishments. He also led the San Francisco 49'ers to 3 superbowl titles and set the standards for future wide receivers who enter the game. A guaranteed spot in the hall of fame awaits Jerry Rice who said last week, "I never thought I'd ever see this day" (Denver -AP)

#4: Andre Agassi - 35 and in the U.S. open finals
He had the expression of a 7 year old as he won his semi-final match against Robby Ginepri... Andre Agassi was the oldest Grand Slam finalist in over 30 years. 35 is not considered old to most but in the world of tennis it is near ancient. Agassi headed into the finals against Roger Federer as a huge underdog but from everything I saw on the court this 8 time grand slam title winner was not ready to close out his career. He mastered his game in the later stages in his career as it became brain over brawn for him and as he challenged his opponents and pulled out wins. A dynamic personality on and off the court Andre has helped evolve the sport for the modern day fan and helped bring tennis back to the forefront. I hope we haven't seen the last of him...

#3: Mark Messier - Stepping of the ice for good
A 25 year career comes to a close as Mark Messier at age 44 and what a glorified career it was. Messier who retired as a New York Ranger won 6 Stanley Cups; 5 with the Edmonton Oilers and 1 infamous one with the Rangers where he had guaranteed the city of New York a cup in 1994. Amassing 694 goals, 1,193 assists, 1,887 points and 1,910 penalty minutes in 1,756 games Messier was never about personal statistics and was known to be the perfect captain in the locker room. To most around the league he will be remembered as one of the greatest men to ever play the game and to those who had the chance to be a teammate of his, they will have had the honor to have been on the ice with the man who will soon find a home in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

#2: NHL - Where the drama never ends...
Training camps are underway and there have been a flurry of retirements in the National Hockey League but behind the scenes there are still problems. What the media has tagged a "rogue group" is against the hiring of new NHL Player Representative Ted Saskin. The small group of players, mostly veterans in the league, believed he was elected without a proper vote and feel that the process may have been tainted. Ted Saskin has offered to re-open the voting for his election for the job and it seems that now the players will have a silent vote to confirm the decision to keep Saskin as their new player rep. Hopefully by the end of the week this issue will be resolved and we can get ready for the real action... On the ICE!!!

#1: J. Rose v/s Rob Babcock v/s Raptor fans
"Whether we win or lose more games than last year, I think if you look at us on paper, we probably will not win as many games as last year." Rob Babcock said to the Toronto Sun. Never shy to speak his mind, Jalen Rose voiced his displeasure in reaction to the General Managers words. "Even bad teams have optimism. You don't want to take away the optimism so early in the season. The Bad News Bears coach wouldn't even tell (his team) that." Jalen told the Toronto Sun. Meanwhile fans of the Raptors are understandably furious and were trying to buy into the youth movement but no one ever expected to have to hear such negative words towards their team from the man who is supposed to be building a winner. There is a lot of controversy in the air and rumours of MLSE wanting to sell the Raptors have even emerged. This issue may have been taken out of context and Rob Babcock has gone ahead and tried to clear up his mess (read) ,but it better calm down before it becomes just another distraction in the Raptors locker room heading into training camp. Raptors fans thought they had seen the end of this saga that is the Raptors organization but they may have been a little to quick to jump to that conclusion.