The Final Score

Brooks, I'll give ya $100.00 on Jan 2 if you get Baumbach to autograph that picture.

Or I'll simply donate the $100.00 to Jim's favorite charity for my own autographed copy of that picture.

In related news......

Last night Canadiens assistant coach Doug Jarvis was unable to attend their game due to personal issues.
Injured player (and LONG ISLAND native) Mike Komisarek (who has NEVER COACHED HOCKEY AT ANY LEVEL) was named interim asst coach for the game and took up duties behind the bench.
The Canadians won the game.
So Komisarek is now 1-0 as an assistant coach.

Does that count in your your book Jim?

I haven't seen this story yet, too stuck in Plax stuff, but as you say, the head coach was not present, and he was ruled to be the head coach. Works for me.

Hey, if Ted Nolan stepped away, and Al Arbour flew in to replace him, I would have been on board. But that's not what happened.

Had lunch today with Brooks. We discussed Al.

How do you feel about Joe Paterno "coaching from the booth" as he continues to pad his Division I victories record?

He's still getting paid a hefty sum to be the head coach.

So if Arbour had accepted a one-game contract for say 50K, that would have been acceptable in your book?
It's all about the money?

I would have no problem crediting Arbour with the win if he was the head coach.

He was NOT the head coach that night.

He even admitted he didn't know all the players' names.

Okay, now we've morphed from salary being the issue to "knowing the names of players".

Do you honestly believe that 82 year old Joe Paterno knows the names of all 80 or so Happy Valley Football Players?
I am speculating here but, I would guess that Joe Paterno doesn't even know all the names of the 22 members of his 1st and 2nd string defensive players.
This is a guy who "coaches from the booth".

Very interesting Jim.
You defend Joe Paterno now.
A guy who is currently nothing more than a figurehead coaching a Major College Football Team.
A guy collecting 500K a year to sit in a press box and oversee his realm while taking on what can best be described as a very minor role in running the team.

And Al Arbour didn't even take a nickel for doing it for one night.

Your Anti-Islander bias is showing again Jim.
At least own up to it.

No anti-Islander bias.

I have a bias toward messing with record books.

And Joe Paterno continues to pad his all time NCAA win totals?

Your Anti-Penn State bias is showing again Islander505.

At least own up to it.

Okay, fair enough..........

I can't stand Penn State.
What the hell is a "Nittany" Lion anyway?
How can a D-1 football program play their games in "Happy" Valley?
In fact, if anyone has ever been to "Happy Valley" they would soon discover that there is nothing "Happy" about it.
It's nothing but a centrally located bad air collector for their industrialized neighbors to the west and southwest.
That team has the most boring uniforms and color combinations...ever.
"Joe Pa" looks like he is more suitable to running a hit squad out of Biltmore Shores in Massapequa than he does running a football team.
For a school located in one of top 3-4 breeding hotbeds of football in America, they sure do suck when it comes to winning national championships.

There ya go, Jim.
I've come clean...

Your turn.
(Just post the links to all of the negative articles you've written about the Islanders. And yes, I KNOW about your Dubie feel good article. But he's gone now).

Nicely done.

Anyway, click here:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-jimbaumbach,0,1212172.columnist

Lots of Isles columns in recent months. You decide.

Agreed, you have been better.

Now......just burn your book and acknowledge the Arbour victory and all is well.

Yes, I acknowledge that the Islanders won on Al Arbour Night last year.