Let's Go Predators!!
Lots of things in the news today, not the least of which is a new under-reported poll that says this:

Q: If George W. Bush vetoes the legislation, do you think Congress should pass another version of the bill that provides funding for the war without any conditions for troop withdrawal, or should Congress refuse to pass any funding bill until Bush agrees to accept conditions for withdrawal?

Fund the war without conditions: 43%
Withhold funding until Bush signs: 45%
Don't know: 12%

But my focus today is on one of the most fun times of the year for me these days - the start of the NHL playoffs. The Predators are well-positioned for both a long run - if their veteran players show up and the team is disciplined, and well-positioned for a huge disappointment - since they're playing probably the toughest team in the West right now and have alot of question marks with key players returning from injury.

Sadly, if you don't live in or around Nashville you can't watch the first 2 games of the series unless you go to a sports bar with the hockey package. But I'll be there making as much noise as I can. And I'm pumped for game-time! Nothing's more exciting than a rocking crowd for playoff hockey - completely different from the regular season, at least it has been in past years. So, I'm going to leave the wars, environmental crises and incompetent federal leadership aside for a little while and focus on hockey. If you get the Versus channel to watch the dynamite Penguins (or Fox Sports South for the Preds), I suggest you do the same. You can watch the first batter in the Red Sox game (Dice-K vs. Ichiro) and then switch over.