http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/04/03/tempers-flare-at-spirited-practice.html

04-04-13-preseason-schedule

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New Blue Jackets GM Kekolanan pulls off a bevy of deals to bolster Columbus’s drive to the play-offs, by bolstering offense with Gaborik trade…

Jackets are buyers at the deadline and the new GM and President have in one day done more than the awful Scott Howson did in years in Columbus…

The trade did send tough grinding Derek Dorsett out of town as did another trade dealing the once promising goalie Steve Mason.

by Mike Zimmer, CBJ Fan

A year ago, the Scott Howson era hit rock bottom.  The team didn’t move Steve Nash in a trade deadline deal but instead, they gave him away over the summer and gutted what little luster they had in named star power and offense.  That deal still smarts as the team has suffered from a serious lack of offense.  All the while, Howson is gone a new regime is in and they’ve seemingly blossomed and been inspired by his dismissal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were buyers at the trade deadline today.  No, really.

Currently sitting on the cusp of the play-offs with 12-crucial games left to play in this shortened season, the Blue Jackets and their new Finnish GM Jaro Kekolanan made a splash at the trade deadline, getting former 40-goal scorer and offensive threat Marian Gaborik from the NY Rangers.  The trade sent oft-disappointing and former #1 pick Derek Brassard east along with grinder and alternate captain fan fav Derek Dorset.  Draft picks were also included, none of which was one of the 3-first rounders this club has going into the summer.

But the Blue Jackets weren’t done: they dealt struggling goalie Steve Mason to Philadelphia and also got a bargain in dealing draft picks to Calgary for Blake Comeau who once upon a time was a talented, tough goal scoring prospect with the Islanders who has floundered in the dismal Calgary franchise’s mess.  All tolled, the CBJ had a haul that instantly upgrades their team.

Gaborik is instant offense.  The team has lacked offensive fire power all season and now has a guy that had put 40-biscuits in the basket a couple different times.  The Czech is moody though, but waived his no-trade to get the hell out of New York and their coach John Torterella.  It was rumored the two did not like one another.

With the move, the Blue Jackets also take on a big salary too.  But, with it, potentially they have star power, offense and something special that might get them to the play-offs for just the second time in franchise history.  Again, more happened today for the positive than did in the entire long lost period the club suffered under the incompetent Scott Howson.

The CBJ were buyers today.  That’s a good sign C-bus.  The Jackets might have just turned a corner (http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/04/03/0403-jackets-trade-mason-to-flyers.html).

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Braves wonderkind Catcher/Outfielder Evan Gattis once roamed the wild west in search of his soul and his amazing journey took him from pizza boy, to janitor, to soul searching and back to baseball on a long road to redemption and falling in love with the game again…

Dubbed ‘El Oso Blanco’ or ‘The White Bear’ after a monstrous winter league in South America, the power hitting Catcher made his debut in Atlanta tonight…

In his MLB debut, he homered in his second at-bat, bringing his story full circle.

by Mike Zimmer, Braves fan

With Brian McCann still recovering from shoulder surgery from last fall, the Braves brought in big-fat Gerald Laird to be the main catcher for the team until McCann is rehabbed.  Also on the roster is a young prospect.  And no, it’s not Christian Betancourt who is regarded as one of the best prospects in the game.  Instead, its a big burly kid who looks just like Brian McCann in reverse when he’s up to bat with his wide stance from the right side of the plate, his beard and a powerful swing also looking familiar.  The kid’s name is El Oso Blanco.

Well, that’s not his real name, that’s just the one that the legend is attached to.

Evan Gattis made the Braves opening day roster.  Tonight, he started behind the plate, making his major league debut.  He homered.  That alone would be a great story for any ball player, especially a rookie who had high expectations and took the long way to success.  (See this story too:  http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130327&content_id=43378524&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb)

Gattis earned the nickname ‘El Oso Blanco’ or ‘The White Bear’ in South America playing winter ball and hitting 16-homers in 53-games.  But the story is longer and bigger than that.  Once a prized prospect who had a bright future ahead of him at college at Texas A&M in 2004, but he never showed up.  Anxiety over failure got to him and he freaked.  He then self-medicated with pot and booze and went off the deep end a bit.

Gattis bounced around, moving to Colorado where his sister was to be a pizza boy, then to work at a ski resort.  He got back into baseball in 2006 only to quit after a half year at a community college that had a pretty good baseball program.  After that he moved to Texas to be a janitor, then to Yosemite to work at the national park.  Once back in Texas, he found his spirituality, got clean and started the road back to baseball, re-discovering his love of the game.

The Braves drafted him after he got back on track at another Texas college and the kid has quickly risen through the ranks, jumping from AA last year to the majors this on raw power and determination.  That paid off tonight when The White Bear went yard off of Roy Halladay of the Phillies in the 4th inning.  A towering shot in his second at-bat in his first major league game.  A great story, a great night.  Good for the kid.  El Oso Blanco lives!!!

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The Bengals are still among the leaders in cap space cash, keeping them as in the elite of cheapskate clubs…and oh by the way, they signed another back-up QB…

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/03/11-teams-still-have-more-than-10-million-in-cap-space/

Meanwhile Pat White is still stupid…the former WVU and Miami Dolphins QB signs with of all teams, the Washington Redskins where he’ll never play…

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/03/redskins-sign-pat-white/

Uncle Rico (Vince Young) still thinks he can play, and still just can’t get it why no one wants to waste time with him…

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/03/vince-young-you-cant-say-im-not-a-hard-worker-and-a-leader/

Off the Marcus-JaMarcus Russell is STILL fat…still trying to make a come back…yet I still won’t take him serious until he weighs less than I do.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000156954/article/jamarcus-russell-sheds-weight-in-comeback-attempt

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If I had thought of this first, I’d be a thousandaire in no time!!!

Pennsylvania beer company offering their beer with a beer can where the entire top comes off…

Expect Bud and Miller to soon follow suit.

http://dallas.culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-30-13-food-drink-pennsylvania-brewery-sly-fox-changes-world-360-lid/

Me thinks this conference will suck and not last very long when all is said and done.

The Catholic schools are taking their Big East Conference name with them so the remaining old Big East Football Conference will be known as…AAC???

Yes, the American Athletic Conference will debut this next year but they don’t want to be known as the AAC…

Yet, don’t you think they could have done better than the AAC?  I mean, come on, while America 12 was not very good either (plus probably not a good idea considering this league is going to be in flux), don’t you think they could have come up with something better???

I have a feeling my suggestion may not take traction.  What’s wrong with the Orphaned Bastard Conference or OBC???

by Mike Zimmer, Buckeyes fan

If you don’t want to be confused with the ACC, don’t call yourself the AAC.  If you don’t want to be referred to as the AAC, don’t make your initials…AAC.  So it goes for college football’s bastard, orphaned, spit out group of schools that were formerly the Big East.

With the Catholic schools who founded the Big East taking their ball and their name with them for basketball only, the conference of Cincinnati (though they’re pleading with anyone else to take them), UConn (they are too), USF, UCF, Temple, Memphis, East Carolina, SMU, Houston, Tulsa, Navy (football only), Louisville (not for long) and Rutgers (ditto) were left without a name.

So today, they announced that they’ll be the AAC.  The American Athletic Conference.  But don’t call them the AAC (http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/03/old-big-easts-new-name-american-athletic-conference/).

The AAC is dumb.  Seriously.  While the name America’s 12 was quickly dismissed (mostly because they more than likely won’t have that many teams soon), you’d think they could have come up with something better than something they’ll not be able to distinguish themselves apart from the ACC.  The AAC is just too tempting and stupid.

Sure, you wanna keep America in the name.  But guess what, perhaps that’s a bad idea when Conference USA is already taken and The Mid-American Conference already has a better name.  Oh, yeah, anything with America in it will probably get you confused with the ACC for better or worse.  Perhaps an appropriate name should have been applied: Orphaned Bastard Conference?  The OBC has a ring to it no?

They shall hence forth be known as the AAC or the OBC in my mind.  Just for spite.