GOP Hypocrisy: Oil Subsidies Edition

Who should we bo more angry with: Oil companies or congress?
Are they really lying to our faces? If this doesn't make you angry, you bicycle to work.

EX-Isles, Heroes In Tampa

So, yesterday I'm speaking with my good friend, Dr. David Lubin from Tampa. He was the 7th Man Award winner in 2004 for the Lightning and is a Bolts season ticket holder. He is also a family doctor, humanitarian and accomplished photographer with his own website. David and I have discussed the ups and downs of his team and mine for years now. (Some times the debates have been heated.)

But this season, he wanted to let me know how thankful the Tampa fans are for the two ex-NY Islanders who seem to have made the difference in the Bolts line-up.

Sure, they already had Vinny and Marty and that kid named Stamkos. They also have the kid I actually wanted instead of JT named Hedman, but until this season they never got very far.

That all changed with the arrival of Stevie Yzerman and Guy Boucher and a deal made in January for a 40-year-old goaltender named Dwayne Roloson.

Yep. Roloson's Tampa debut was a shut-out and he's been stellar for them ever since. I can't help but think that Yzerman and Roloson should send Garth Snow fruit baskets thanking him for the deal.

You add 1st round draft pick Sean Bergenheim and his seven playoff goals to the mix and you have a team that has now made it to the Eastern Conference finals. Not bad.


Now, Dr. David's seats are WAY up there in the nosebleed section of the St. Pete Times Forum. But then again, if I told you how much he pays for his playoff tickets (as an Islander fan) you'd puke. Let's put it this way -- his seat for a playoff game cost him less than it costs me to put two gallons of gas in my car. You do the math and then get sick.

David sent me these photos of "my boy Sean" yesterday. My my.... he's all grown up. No wonder they keep talking about him on all the hockey shows. He HAS finally arrived!

So thanks for the photos David. Maybe you can send me some when he lifts the Stanley Cup too. ;o)

Bergenheim: One Goal Away From MY Prediction

It's not proofed but I had to do it. Here on HockeyBuzz.com is my entry on the now productive ex-Islander Sean Bergenheim.

You all know how I've felt about Sean, but even I knew it was time for him to move on or he would never turn into the player I knew he could be. Well, he's found that home on the third line of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And I couldn't be happier for him!

Eighteen Minutes With Garth Snow

Yes, finally it is complete and proofed. For sure, you'll find some typos since I conducted the interview on Monday and have had to change a few things since then.

Nothing Earth shattering, of course, but still a few answers about (or at least a touch of insight into) what is hoped for next season.

Pull up a chair, pour a beverage and click here . Due to the nature of my narrative writing, it will take almost as long to READ the account as it did for me to experience it.

Of course, I had to leave out the additional 15 minutes I spent without the recorder on. As I Tweeted out on Monday afternoon, you know the on-the-record portion of an interview is over when the GM leans over and turns off your recorder for you. There are those who told me I need to hide another recorder that he can't turn off. But I could never do that. My eyes would give me away, and I'm afraid Eric Cairns would shake me down to get at it.

And while I have always called Mr. Snow "The Big Guy," Eric Cairns would definitely be "The REALLY Big Guy," and I wouldn't want to piss him off.

We all know what happens when you piss off Eric Cairns.... ;o)

Death of the Draft Dream

This will be more of a politically charged entry than a hockey blog, but the truth of the matter is I can't take this any more.

When I heard that the draft this year would be in St. Paul MN, I was excited. I thought for sure I'd be able to get there. After all, I wouldn't need a passport and it wasn't a six hour plane ride. No. I should have been able to get there.

Last week I realized that dream was dead. There is one reason, and one reason only why it is.

Gas Prices. I was trying to squirrel away money each week in order to pay for the trip. But then the gas prices started to rise and rise and not stop.

I changed cars to try to save money. That didn't exactly work. While my monthly payment is almost $140 a month LESS than before, I spent $3,000 getting the damn piece of crap. Yes, I turned in a $30,000 car for a $17,000 car, but my gas mileage increased by only about 3 MPG.

The problem is, I work 23 miles from my home. The arena I loved so much is at least another 16 miles from there. One Saturday when I not only went to the Islander game but also the morning skate, I put 120 miles on my brand new blue tin can. That day cost me $20 in gas.

That was April. Now my daily trip to and from work alone without any other driving costs me $50 a week. Let's add in what the gas prices have done to my food bill. While for years I was able to survive on a certain amount of cash per week for myself, (I hate calling it an allowance, but I suppose that IS what it is) I now have to take out an additional $80 a week just to get by.

This means I no longer eat out or buy anything extra.

Yesterday I was in Payless and bought two pairs of sneakers for a whopping $27 because it was a BoGo sale. After I went to Pathmark for groceries I had $3 left for the week and only a 1/4 tank of gas.

I am not a happy American consumer. I yelled at the gas station attendant asking how many effing times a day do they raise the price of a gallon. It actually jumped six cents from the time I went to work to the time I returned home, from $4.13 to $4.19.

New Jersey Devils writer Michelle Kenneth asked me why I don't take public transit. Well, this is Long Island. Our mass transit system is sub par and beyond inadequate. I looked to see if I could find any way of getting from my home on the east end of the South Shore to my office in Farmingdale. There isn't.

The one train station that is within a 1.5 mile walk of my office is the Pine Lawn Cemetery station. Service to that stop is extremely limited. So I could get into work at 11 am and have to leave by 3:30 to make the 4 pm train. My boss would not be amused. So, I drive and I pay.

There isn't even really any bargains from station to station. So while Mobile has posted a profit this quarter over 40% higher than this quarter last year, my mortgage is late and my dream of heading to St. Paul has faded along with so many other dreams I've had that all required ca$h.

If the government doesn't do something about gas prices and the bloated profits of big oil companies, I would hope there should be an American mutiny. The price of gas hurts everyone and everything. Our nation is in serious trouble and the oil companies are raking in BILLIONS.

It also breaks my heart that I can't send any money to those people effected by the devastating tornadoes in the South. That hurts me. I'm hoping I can find an organization looking for clothing to donate to help. That, due to my brat baby, I have plenty of to give -- mostly still with tags on.

So Dear Big Oil: Stop the PRICE GOUGING!
Dear Politicians: Fix the problems and stop wasting time barking at each other!

and lastly:

Dear NHL: If you can find someone to sponsor a blogger so I can make it to St. Paul, I'd be very grateful. I also don't need a per diem for meals, just air-fare and hotel accommodations for two days would be fabulous. Thanks.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put air in my bicycle tires so I can pedal up to the deli because we're out of milk -- which is now $2.49 for a half gallon.