What’s it like being the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens? “I don’t even go to the grocery store anymore,” Carey Price told reporters during the Habs’ garbage bag day. “I hardly do anything anymore. I’m like a hobbit in a hole.” . . . O.J. Simpson was back in court the other day, trying to get out of jail for something or other. As Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald put it: “Someone needs to tell Simpson that court cases are not the NBA playoffs — it’s not best of seven.”
Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, who is likely to be a first-round selection in the NBA draft on June 27, has selected an agent. Olynyk, a 7-footer who had such a tremendous season with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, will be represented by the Los Angeles-based Wasserman Media Group, which has numerous NBA players in its stable of clients. . . . Carrie Underwood played Prince George on Tuesday and Abbotsford on Thursday. Like, we’re chopped liver, or what?
“Mike Keenan hired by Mettalurg Magnitogorosk of KHL,” tweeted Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register. “And they thought Putin was a tough guy.” . . . One night last week, the Cleveland Indians held $1 hot dog night. Before it was over, the crowd of 34,282 had eaten 67,000 of them. . . . After reading and hearing all about the firing of head coach Alain Vigneault and a potential replacement, doesn’t it seem as though the Vancouver Canucks are looking for another, uhh, Alain Vigneault? . . .
“The International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale is threatening to relocate unless the city upgrades its facilities,” scribbles Greg Cote of the Miami Herald. “Lauderdale residents who regularly visit the Hall are upset. Both of them.” . . . “Potato engineers at J.R. Simplot, of Boise, are resurrecting ideas for biotech potatoes that won’t develop those unsightly black bruises,” notes Ron Judd of the Seattle Times. “This is what we get for letting them get away with that hideous blue football field.” . . .
“Forget about the Kentucky Derby being the most exciting two minutes in sports,” writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, “now it’s Tiger taking a drop after he’s hit one in the water.” . . . One more from Lupica: “As far as I know, the Bulls are still listing Derrick Rose as day-to-day.” . . . Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel offers up the three longest-running shows in TV history: “3. The Simpsons; 2. 60 Minutes; 3. The 2013 NBA playoffs.” . . .
“NBC won multiple awards at the Sports Emmys in New York, including one for its coverage of the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics,” scribbles Judd. “Very exciting news for anxious U.S. West Coast viewers, who will see it for the first time a week from Sunday.” . . . When the Rolling Stones played the Staples Center in Los Angeles the other day, Mick Jagger told the folks: “You’ve been a fantastic audience, let me tell ya. The only reason we’re here is to make the Lakers look younger!” . . .
A Florida woman dropped her purse the other day, and a .25-calibre handgun discharged, the bullet striking a friend in one leg. “She told police she forgot about it,” notes Janice Hough, aka the Left Coast Sports Babe. “Wow, and I thought I had too much junk in the bottom of my purse.” . . . Here’s Hough after the Philadelphia Phillies signed right-hander Carlos Zambrano: “Wonder if it’s to pitch or replace the Phillie Fanatic?” . . . It hasn’t yet been announced, but TRU’s men’s and women’s soccer teams are preparing for their final seasons in the Pacific Western Athletic Association. Both teams will move into the CIS-Canada West for the 2014 season. . . .
“Our cherished sports tradition is throwing octopi,” Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press wrote while comparing Detroit and Chicago in advance of an NHL playoff series between the Red Wings and Blackhawks. “Theirs is throwing the 1919 World Series.” . . . Comedy writer Alan Ray had this review of the new movie Star Trek Into Darkness: “The crew of the Enterprise boldly goes where no man has gone before — to a Miami Marlins game.” . . .
San Jose Sharks defenceman Brad Stuart, in conversation with Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail, pretty much summed up the state of the NHL these days: “The way teams play now, it’s very low-risk. There are a lot of pass-it-up-to-the-red-line-and-tip-it-in-and-try-to-get-it-back type of plays. Every team’s doing it and if you don’t do it, you’re going to get beat.” . . .
How young are the Houston Astros? They cancelled their annual player wives charity gala due to a lack of wives. “Maybe the Astros should sign a power-hitting polygamist,” offered Matt Youmans of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. . . . After the Richmond Ikea store locked out its 350 employees, Richmond blogger TC Chong wrote: “More than 300 picket signs arrived in just three boxes, and have been assembled with just a screwdriver and a pair of pliers.”
(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears Saturdays, except when it doesn’t.)
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