work work work

I have a three day weekend off from work, and we are all working anyway. Dan and the kids are busy doing work for money, including putting in full days today, on the holiday. I have been busy here at home - I cleaned both bathrooms (which were filthy) today floor to ceiling.

I am sad that the Wings have pretty much hit the salary cap and that most of our free agents are walking - though they signed the two most important ones in Zeterberg and Franzen during the regular season. It is actually sort of a joke seeing how much money some of these guys are signing for with other teams - Kopecky and Samuelsson in particular. I had to laugh to see how much money other teams are signing our third and fourth liners for in contracts. And while Hossa is a regular season beast, a true stud, he is certainly not worth that much more money than Hank Zeterberg, who is a much more complete player, and who actually shows up during the playoffs (unlike Hossa, who goes from being Hoss to Ghost Horse once the playoffs begin). I have the feeling Chicago just signed away their future with that contract, as they have some young studs that will have to be signed to contracts themselves in a year or so - and the Hossa contract is going to nuke their salary cap.

Gary Bettman - the worst thing to ever happen to the NHL - has wanted parity (which can legitimately be seen as a code word for mediocrity). That means that the good teams, the quality teams, have to be torn down. And that the money from the successful teams is sucked away and endlessly funneled to the bad teams in locations that just do not make sense like Phoenix. What a rotten business model! This is the first year that the Wings are really getting hurt by the salary cap, and as a fan I do resent it.

I should add that I do wish all of the Red Wings free agents well - and I do not blame them for going for the big money. At any time any of them could get a career ending catastrophic injury (due to the nature of the sport), and the contracts they have been signing will set them and their families up for life. I want them to suck in games against Detroit, but otherwise I hope they shine on their new teams!

At least the Tigers have been doing OK. First place in a terrible AL Central, with the dreaded Chicago White Sox breathing down the backs of their necks. The Tigers won a really important extra innings game against the Twins in the Terror Dome last night in 16 innings.

We have one week until our vacation, a week camping on a sand dune overlooking Lake Michigan - and I cannot wait! So peaceful. So beautiful.