Macca

Gotta go with Pittsburgh this time GTG ... and would it be Nashville's first appearance in the final if they get through over Anaheim? It might be their first conference final appearance. Anyway, I'll be tuning in. Anaheim v Nashville Ottawa v Pittsburgh

Couple from 'Fall Out Boy' ...

The investigation is not necessarily a media driven thing ... it's actually an FBI investigation or at least it was. We may see an independent investigation now anyway or perhaps a bi-partisan involvement from both sides. As stated previously, they'll need to find a real link to the Russians and then proving that link is going to be awfully tough. And then what penalties could they bring? I do believe it will drag on for quite some time though. Maybe at least a year. Nixon was going to sack J Edgar but baulked at it once he realised how much dirt Hoover had on numerous individuals (Nixon included) ... Flynn and now Comey could have a bit to say now that both have been removed from office. From the New York Times ... In Firing Comey, Did Trump Unleash the Next Deep Throat?

Well I don't care about Hillary or the democrats ... you'll need to direct those sorts of comments to the left wingers here. I understand that your preferred candidate won but that stuff doesn't interest me at all once the dust settles. It's about the here and now so the winner (Trump) now gets scrutinised much like a footy coach does. Whoever talks about the also-rans in that sense? This is all about Trump and his team and the investigation ... and that investigation is a very real thing. It isn't going away despite Comey now being out of the picture. Unless of course the right-wing news outlets have decided to ignore the story. Oh hang on ... The left wing news outlets are often just as bad so for once you really are conversing with someone who is actually impartial. You're a free thinker Biff, you should join me. I can't see someone like you being all-in with Trump ... that makes no sense.

For what it's worth I reckon Trump would have won anyway ... albeit by a narrower margin. I'm not sure many flocked away from Hillary at the last moment ... they'd for the most part already made up their minds. I also reckon that it's going to be difficult to prove whether there was a link or collusion between the Trump team and the Russians ... maybe a 20 - 30% chance.

That's not what this is about Biff - you know that. It is obviously about whether there was any collusion between the Trump team & the Russians re the election process and whether there was any cover up. Time will tell (or maybe time won't tell )

Normally the announcement of a President sacking an FBI Director would be absolutely stunning news but because it's Trump pulling the strings, I don't think anyone is actually surprised. At first glance it looks to be a straight-out brazen move to get rid of someone who may be a real threat to his presidency (re the FBI investigation led by Comey into the possible Russian connection to the Trump campaign & the election etc etc) Or, at the very least, the sacking of Comey comes at an odd time ... it was only a few short months ago that Trump was singing his praises (Comey) Politically it's a clever move in terms of buying time if the motive is to disrupt the investigation but those who might have thought that there was nothing in the Russia investigation might now be having 2nd thoughts. Trump could have inadvertently upped-the-ante against himself. Nixon managed to delay proceedings with regards to the Watergate investigation for close on 2 years and this new saga is following a similar path (if indeed, the allegations turn out to be true) From the Washington Post ... Tuesday night firing of Comey: ‘Nixonian’ or uniquely Trumpian?

Here's a more than decent podcast made recently by the BBC about Kerry Packer and the World Series Cricket days ... 5 Live Sport Specials - Kerry Packer: The revolution that changed cricket

AP to the Saints ... low salary as well (3.5 mil per year for 2 years) He might give them 1 good year, maybe 2. At 33, he's nearing the end but because he's been great previously, he might have a bit left. A new team could be just the tonic. Beast-mode should end up at the Raiders and the same scenario applies - however, Lynch is only 31. Again, 3.5mil per year is not a lot of money by NFL standards.

Well I'm just a terrible tipster ... all the info in the world won't change that! St Louis v Nashville Anaheim v Edmonton Washington v Pittsburgh Ottawa v New York Rangers

Here's a One-Series-Wonder from the past called 'Nowhere Man' (IMDb link) All the episodes from this one and only series (released in 1995) have been uploaded onto youtube so if you like your drama/mysteries with a real twist, you may like this. The show is very much in the mode of 'The Prisoner' You can watch 'Nowhere Man' here

Went 3/8 myself so you win again (is that every time?) And yeah, with a bit of luck your Leaf's could have won that series ... all 4 losses were close and 3 of the losses went to O/T. I'll do the next lot of tips later on but the Pens/Caps series should be a beauty. Nashville could be tough to beat too - very impressive over the Blackhawks.

Well I'm nearly 'over-it' but mainly because I reckon the punishment was fair enough. What I would like to see is an admission of guilt and for the EFC club to face up to it's responsibilities to the sport - won't happen though. They remind me of common criminals who never admit to their crimes. Also, the AFL had a great opportunity to get really tough with regards to PED use ... but that didn't happen and almost certainly won't happen either. There's too much money at stake and in their eyes, PED use is far too difficult to curtail. So we get a softening in all areas - in turn, the footy public and the whole order of things is kept in check. Weekly blood tests which results in blood-passports would help enormously ... instead of that the players are subjected to 1 or 2 urine tests (on average) per season. Token.

Have any of the 34 players ever said a bad word about him? You would think they should especially after being rubbed out for a season. Strangely quiet though ... 4 years later. Anyway, some of us were saying exactly the same thing as to what you've said both here & elsewhere in early 2013 TF. Not that many of the footy loving public were ever listening back then. Even now many just want to turn a blind-eye. But that's the nature of sports fans the world over ... we shouldn't ever expect anything otherwise. The media will in turn reflect the public sentiment and there you have it. At a guess I'd say there's any number of copies of the records - and those records will almost certainly never see the light of day either. The big losers were the EFC ... they are still in recovery mode and will be for quite some time. As for the drugs-in-sport issue, most have come around to the realisation that all sports are tainted with PED use (with some more so than others) But there's big money at stake in sport and those monies must be protected. Could have said that 30 or 40 years ago too - it's not necessarily a recent phenomenon. I'm assuming that you've heard all of the above before but others might not have.

Can't complain with the Packers schedule either ... our home games are all winnable. We're @ Atlanta in week 2 with other road games at Dallas, Pittsburgh & Detroit but I relish the games against the good teams. Helps having Rodgers of course. We've got Seattle at home in week 1 - Lacy might have a bit to prove first up for the Seahawks. The Falcons are at the Patriots in week 7 (SNF) ... that will be interesting.

And just like that the EPL title race just got interesting again. It's still Chelsea's to lose as Tottenham would need to just about win-out but 4 points can be whittled down to 1 point in the space of 1 round of games. Ironically, Spurs play Chelsea next up in a FA Cup semi-final.

The Leafs made it ... tough series first up vs Washington though GTG. I've picked the Capitals but you may surprise. Still, it's playoff hockey where anything can happen and often does ... here are the 8 matchups with (for what it's worth) my picks in dark italics. East Montreal vs NY Rangers Ottawa vs Boston Pittsburgh vs Columbus Washington vs Toronto West Minnesota vs St Louis Edmonton vs San Jose Chicago vs Nashville Anaheim vs Calgary

Adam Scott would have to be a realistic chance as he does finish well and is only 3 behind. However, Justin Rose might just be too good in the end. 31 on the back 9 today from Rose might be pointer. Spieth, Garcia, Moore, Fowler, Hoffman & Schwartzel are all within striking distance as well. As always, high drama will almost certainly ensue. Especially on the back 9.

A few TV series to look out for ... Better Call Saul (season 3) April 10 Fargo (season 3) April 19 Silicon Valley (season 4) April 23 Orphan Black (season 5 final) June 10 The most recent seasons of Billions, Homeland & Baskets have already been released this year ... all up to their usual standards too. Big Little Lies might be worth a look ... just released on cable (foxtel) the show was written by Australian author Liane Moriaty and stars Nicole Kidman & Reese Witherspoon. Glitch looks the goods after a decent first season - this award winning Australian paranormal drama loosely borrows from Les Revenants (The Returned) I'm delving into some more Aussie drama with Jack Irish, Janet King, The Code, Rake, Tangle, Spirited, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Serangoon Road & The Doctor Blake Mysteries all on the must-see list.

For those who are interested in watching the replay, here's the edited highlights with the various players & coaches mic'd up ... the link can't be embedded so you'll have to clink on the link & watch on youtube ... 2 months later and I'm still 40/60 on Atlanta blowing it vs the great comeback by New England. Super Bowl LI - Patriots vs Falcons ... NFL Films

A big media gig awaits (CBS) I was thinking he might have landed in Houston ... seemed an ideal fit. Anyway, he was a more than decent QB who, with an ounce of luck, could have had a fair bit more success - when he finally started to hit his straps, injuries intervened.

I'd never watched the show in it's entirety before (Power Without Glory) ... when it was originally aired I wasn't as interested in these type of historical dramas and whenever it was repeated I'd always miss an episode or 3. House of Cards series 5 airs in late May but the real-life goings on at the White House and elsewhere means the TV drama is going to have to be even more 'out-there' ha ha

Yep DJ, noticed that ... I binge-watched it knowing that the show might be taken down ... it was a great, great Australian series. A veritable who's who of Aussie talent were involved too - Graham Kennedy, Graeme Blundell, Helen Morse, Gerard Kennedy, Rowena Wallace, Gus Mercurio, John Hargreaves, Briony Behets, Cul Cullen, Elaine Baillie, Frank Wilson and numerous others all played minor but memorable roles. Gets a rerun on free-to-air periodically so keep an eye out - @Sir Why You Little might be able to tell us when. Another favourite of mine from that era was a show called 'Boney' ... true story - the band 'Boney M' was named that way after the producer of the band caught hold of the Aussie detective series when it aired in Germany. Anyway, you can catch hold of the show at this web address ... it will cost you $3 per episode but unless you can somehow get hold of the DVD's, it's the only way to watch the show. I've watched a few using paypal.

Gawn paying 51.00* for the Brownlow ... nice odds. He could dominate a dozen games or more and with the no-third-man-up rule in vogue, he may stand out even more. 16 votes in his breakout year last season could be a pointer too. *gamble responsibly

Raiders heading to Vegas ... 2019, maybe 2020. Some are saying they should just go now ... interesting to see how their fans will react. It's a different culture over there so who knows?