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Suspension plenty

I find myself in the minority when it comes to Rick Rypien going after a fan in Minnesota last week.I think a six game suspension is plenty.
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I find myself in the minority when it comes to Rick Rypien going after a fan in Minnesota last week.I think a six game suspension is plenty.In fact, I feel the NHL is sending the wrong message to fans by suggesting that anything goes when it comes to taunting and verbal abuse. What if that fan had made a threat on Rypien's life?Rypien deserved a suspension, but the NHL also needed to make a statement concerning idiot fans who constantly push the envelope in this manner. Yes, the fan paid good money to go to the game, but that doesn't give him the right to say or do anything he wants.Furthermore, let's pretend Rypien just experienced a family tragedy and that fan touched a nerve with an inflammatory remark. Or, what if that fan made a racial slur or commented on the player's sexual orientation?All I'm saying is don't be quick to say fans pay good money and therefore can verbally attack players without repercussions.

To me, the Saskatchewan Roughriders look like a team that has lost confidence in their coaching staff.I'm not saying they'll lose every single game remaining, but it wouldn't surprise me either.At the end of the day, the Riders have the most talent in the league and they could, possibly, get by on that alone. I hope not.Changes are needed and a big win in the West Division Semi-Final may camouflage that.

The New York Yankees losing to the Texas Rangers is like me playing one-on-one soccer with my six-year-old daughter and despite my strongest efforts, also losing.To my disappointment, however, is that any World Series that doesn't have the Yankees in it is destined to be a television failure.That, my friends, is why salary caps are bad for sports. Nobody cares about a Texas-San Francisco World Series, but that's what you'd get if Major League Baseball had a salary cap.

We take a lot for granted in our small city and that was personified over the weekend when news broke Saturday night of a mysterious individual or individuals going around Winnipeg and shooting people at random. Two men are dead and a teenaged girl is in critical condition.In Yorkton, if someone knocks on the door, we answer it and there is, generally, no trouble.

I think it's time to re-sync the traffic lights on Broadway.Usually, if you are waiting at one of the first lights in the sequence and it turns green, you should be able to breeze through the majority of the remaining lights. That hasn't been the case as of late.

I see Saskatoon Minor Hockey is considering following the lead set by Calgary and force parents to watch an anger management video before allowing kids to play hockey.It sounds great, but if you turned the video on and then walked away and took care of your chores, are you really watching it?Minor hockey is something that is a touchy subject for me. I'm really involved in hockey, so I really come across like a hypocrite for saying this; but the politics in hockey is a big reason why my own kids haven't played. I feel parents should not be allowed to watch at all, except for rare cases like a major tournament game. It should be like dancing where parents drop their kids off, and then trust the person in charge will do what is best.

Russell Williams is going to prison for a very long time, but is still going to get his $60,000 a year pension from the military.That ensures another crime is committed on a yearly basis.We live in a very strange country if it's going to allow a monster like this to collect a handsome salary despite him rotting in jail. Left wingers will say rules are rules and because we live in a democratic society we can't do anything about this.I couldn't disagree more. If we, as a nation, threatened our politicians' jobs by demanding action, it would get done. Don't hold your breath, however.We are one of the more passive countries on the planet.

If you stayed home and missed the performance of Virsky at the Gallagher Centre last Wednesday night, I feel sorry for you. You don't have to be Ukrainian to be entertained by such talented people. I don't necessarily understand the meaning behind the dances, but you don't need to. The one thing I would like to know is how many costume changes took place?

Nice person mentions this week to Karen Standish, Jana Szabo, Jay Boyd, Neil Lamberty, Troy Hunter, and Lucas Froese.