Talk about playing to a tough crowd

If there was any question about whether Chicago hockey fans are a lunch pail crowd, such doubt was dispelled last night during a game in the Windy City with the visiting Winnipeg Jets.

With Chicago on its way to a 4-1 victory late in the game, Jets defenceman, Adam Pardy found himself digging a puck out of his own corner when Hawks forward Brandon Bollig rode him into the boards. A pane of glass was dislodged and Pardy went half way over the boards with it.

At that point, the Jets player appeared to try to keep the glass from falling onto spectators. What did he get for his trouble? As a melee ensued behind him, pinning him in his precarious position, a young guy in the crowd reached down and yanked his helmet off. You can see his arm reaching down in this shot.

Not to be outdone, the man's companion, a young "lady", decided she had a better purpose for her beer than drinking it, and doused the Winnipeg player's head with it. In the meantime, her (boy)friend had already donned the player's bonnet, much to the delight of the partisan crowd.

Watch the video:

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Strange creatures

I'm at this moment watching the Toronto Blue Jays beating up on the Chicago White Sox. "Doc" Halladay has just struck out his eighth batter trying to improve his record to 9 and 1 and for the team to extend their American League East lead. Last week, Doc beat the Yankees and his (Doc's) most excellent student of last year, A.J. Burnett. A.J. left the Jays at the end of last season after a terrific (I believe) 18-win season for a contract of about $80 million with New York.

But I'm not here to talk about Doc or the Jays or Burnett for that matter. A few minutes ago, I noticed something a bit strange and amusing. I've seen it many tmes but never really thought about it. If you've watched any baseball, you've probably seen it, too. A pitch was tossed into the dirt and immediately after the catcher caught it, he extended his glove back so that the umpire can take the ball. The umpire raised the ball toward his eyes and examined it. The thing is, every time they do that, they always discard the ball. I mean always. And yet, they consistently go through the ritual of having a look at it before doing so. Why bother? Why not cut out the middle man and have the catcher toss the ball aside? I guess it gives the umpire an air of superiority and power that only he can make the decision as to the fate of the ball. In reality, the decision is made the moment the ball hits the ground.

I'm thinking the gesture the umpire makes is sort of like the other useless habit many people have--the disgusting habit of examining the itsy bitsy piece of foreign material they pick out of any one of various orifices like the corner of their eye, their ear, or worst of all, their nose. Funny creatures, humans.