Ripping heads in the NHL

Okay, Alexander Ovechkin gets a two-game suspension after treating Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Brian Campbell as if he's a playground swing with a kid on. Campbell got his clavicle dislocated as a result thus the suspension for Ovechkin aside from the 5-minutes stay inside the bin.

It was not supposed to be a bigger issue had it been the first offense of such kind by the Caps star and also, had it not happened after a slew of blind-side hits in recent games. We have seen Mat Cooke's failed attempt to rip the head of Marc Savard and not get a suspension. These NHL penalty decisions just draws the line in a blurry manner. Clearly, Mat Cooke has the intention to injure Savard while in contrary Ovechkin's intent was for the play-not the player.

And you have Mat Cooke escaping a suspension? I feel Don Cherry's remarks that other players might consider this as an open season for blind-side hits having seen Cooke get away with it.

No arguement that Ovechkin should get a suspension as it states in the rule:

23.5 Fines and Suspensions - Stick Infractions, Boarding and Checking from Behind Category - In regular League games, any player or goalkeeper who incurs a total of two (2) game misconduct penalties for stick-related infractions, Boarding - Rule 42, or Checking from Behind - Rule 44, shall be suspended automatically for the next League game of his team. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty, the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.

Except, you can argue whether Ovechkin did it to injure the other player but that's not what the issue in the NHL is. Clearly, the issue is the unbalanced implementation of the rules' penalties. It almost make it look subjective despite consulting a concrete rule book. Simply, if Ovechkin got that kind of penalty, then the likes of Mat Cooke should get more.

Here, Don Cherry offers his thoughts as we are left to watch horrendous montage of Cooke's murder attempts.

Sampras-Agassi brings back time by acting like grade schoolers

Final dump for the day.

Howard-Pujols Trade brewing,brewing, brewing, gone

It's either a brewing possibility or a brainchild of a complete gossip between two soccer moms discussing about men with exactly the same names. Reports of a Phillies-Cardinals negotiation to trade their respective star first basemen-Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols-gathered some steam enough to make the rounds on the web.

Clearly, Pujols is a way ahead of Howard when it comes to all-around performance although the reason seen for this "trade" is that Pujols might ask for the continent of Africa once he's a free agent after 2011. Certainly, it might rival that of A-Rod in 2007 when he was promised the whole nation of Bhutan as payment.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, in an article from ESPN.com, denied such kind of talks going on.
"That's a lie. I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie." Well, I think such a short retort is enough to convince me.

Castillo leaves us with the "10th round" memory

As the rest of us pugilists fans were left with a stuff of legend that Joshua Clottey trained for his fight against Manny Pacquiao by replacing the filling of a punching bag with his own self, a relatively quiet decision right after an undercard was made. A combatant in one of the greatest fights boxing has ever witnessed is calling it quits.

Jose Luis Castillo decided that it’s time to hang up his gloves after retiring on his stool between the fifth and the sixth round of his fight against Alfonso Gomez. It did not take a while for the former lightweight and junior lightweight champion to realize that he doesn’t have it anymore.

“I just found out tonight I don’t have it anymore,” Castillo said. “I want to apologize to the public and I am definitely announcing my retirement.”

Of course, as a boxing fan, it’s difficult to find a reason on why we should forgive him for there’s hardly a reason why he should apologize in the first place. He was one in the great line of Mexican warriors of this generation drawing close fight with the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. and several other class fighters.

But there is only one bout that will forever be associated with his name. A brawl so memorable not even Alzheimer’s can make me forget-at least for that one improbable round.

It was his fight with the late Diego Corrales in 2005 when in round 10 he managed to put Corrales down on the canvas twice. Corrales appeared to be very unstable at that moment that is seems Castillo is about to commit murder on national TV should the pummeling continue. And in a stunning reversal of the situation, Corrales managed to dig deep for those last drops of power to score a TKO. No words is enough to translate what has just transpired during those moments.

It was the boxing version of “Shock and Awe”.

Now that Jose Luis Castillo is done as a boxer, he leaves the ring with a 60-10-1 record and the memory of this legendary fight a true boxing fan will not forget.