Pens at Rangers - Rags win 4-2

Although the Rangers scored first, the Pens tied midway through on a goal by Sergei Gonchar. The Rangers got a late powerplay goal on the first half of a double-minor to Gary Roberts, for high sticking and roughing, for a 2-1 Rangers lead after one. The Pens PK, which had been stellar the previous 5-6 games, allowed two goals this night, going back up 3-1 after two. Both teams would add a goal in the third, including Mark Recchi's 1st goal since opening night, but Lundqvist was stellar yet again, despite the Pens dominating play in the third.

Crosby extended his point streak to 15 games, extending his career long, and Malkin extended his to 9 games, including an 8 game assist streak.

Stats update, game 16 (Only Hall, Laraque & Talbot in plus territory, but Ruutu, Kennedy and Malone are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 16 9 15 24 -2 16
Malkin 16 5 17 22 -1 14
Gonchar 16 3 11 14 -4 22
Sykora 16 7 5 12 -6 6
Talbot 16 4 4 8 +3 10
Whitney 12 3 3 6 -3 2
Recchi 16 2 5 7 -2 8
Roberts 15 1 6 7 -4 8
Malone 16 4 3 7 E 21
Hall 15 2 3 5 +1 9
Christensen 14 2 1 3 -6 2
Orpik 16 0 3 3 -3 4
Staal 16 1 1 2 -6 9
Laraque 8 0 2 2 +1 7
Armstrong 13 1 0 1 -5 4
Kennedy 6 1 0 1 E 2
Scuderi 16 0 1 1 -1 4
Sydor 16 0 1 1 -5 4
Ruutu 9 0 1 1 E 10
Eaton 16 0 1 1 -1 2
Nasreddine 4 0 0 0 -2 2
Fleury 11 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 8 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The loss dropped the Pens record to 7-8-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and leaves them 4th in the Atlantic Division, still three points behind the Flyers, and only 1 point ahead of the Devils.

Pens fall to Flyers 3-1

The Flyers scored 28 seconds into the first, and made it 2-0 about five minutes in en route to a 3-1 win over the Penguins. Ryan Malone redirected a Sidney Crosby shot into the net in the last minute of the first period to close within 2-1 on a delayed penalty call against the Flyers, but that was all the Pens sniffed, as goaltender Marty Biron was on his game. All four goals scored in the game featured the Pens top line of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone on the ice, leaving the trio each -2 for the night.

Crosby extended his point streak to 14 games, extending his career long, but the team's power-play goal scored streak ended 14 games.

Stats update, game 15 (Only Hall, Laraque & Talbot in plus territory, but Ruutu, Kennedy and Malone are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 15 9 14 23 -2 16
Malkin 15 5 16 21 -1 14
Gonchar 15 2 10 12 -4 20
Sykora 15 7 5 12 -5 6
Talbot 15 4 4 8 +3 8
Whitney 12 3 3 6 -3 2
Recchi 15 1 5 6 -2 8
Roberts 14 1 5 6 -4 2
Malone 15 4 3 7 E 19
Hall 14 2 3 5 +1 9
Christensen 13 2 1 3 -6 2
Orpik 15 0 3 3 -3 4
Staal 15 1 1 2 -5 9
Laraque 7 0 2 2 +1 7
Armstrong 12 1 0 1 -4 2
Kennedy 6 1 0 1 E 2
Scuderi 15 0 1 1 -1 4
Sydor 15 0 1 1 -4 4
Ruutu 9 0 1 1 E 10
Eaton 15 0 1 1 -1 2
Nasreddine 3 0 0 0 -1 2
Fleury 10 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 8 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The loss dropped the Pens record to 7-7-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and leaves them 3rd in the Atlantic Division, now three points behind the Flyers.

Pens beat Devils 5-0, Sabourin gets 1st career shutout

Sidney Crosby scored a power-play tally in the 1st, and Adam Hall had a deflection off of a Brooks Orpik shot to go up 2-0 after one. Petr Sykora and Erik Christensen added tallies in the 2nd to go up 4-0 after two periods.

Crosby extended his point streak to 13 games, extending his career long, and the team extended its power-play goal scored streak to 14 games. (At least one PPG for in each game this season - NHL record is apparently 21 games).

Stats update, game 14 (Only Hall, Laraque, Malkin, Malone & Talbot in plus territory, but Ruutu, Kennedy, Scuderi, Nasreddine and Crosby are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 14 9 13 22 E 16
Malkin 14 5 15 20 +1 14
Gonchar 14 2 10 12 -3 20
Sykora 14 7 5 12 -5 6
Talbot 14 4 4 8 +3 8
Whitney 12 3 3 6 -3 2
Recchi 14 1 5 6 -2 8
Roberts 13 1 5 6 -4 2
Malone 14 3 3 6 +2 19
Hall 13 2 3 5 +1 9
Christensen 12 2 1 3 -6 2
Orpik 14 0 3 3 -2 4
Staal 14 1 1 2 -5 9
Laraque 6 0 2 2 +1 7
Armstrong 12 1 0 1 -4 2
Kennedy 5 1 0 1 E 2
Scuderi 14 0 1 1 E 4
Sydor 14 0 1 1 -4 4
Ruutu 9 0 1 1 E 10
Eaton 14 0 1 1 -1 2
Nasreddine 2 0 0 0 E 2
Fleury 10 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 7 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The win improved the Pens record to 7-6-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and leaves them 2nd in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Flyers.

Pens blow 2nd 2-0 lead in a row, lose to Isles 3-2

Ryan Malone scored a power-play tally in the 1st, and Tyler Kennedy scored is first career goal 1:48 into the 2nd period, but it would not be enough, as the Pens allowed a goal midway through the 2nd, and two more in the third as the Pens dropped a 3-2 contest at the Islanders.

Crosby extended his point streak to 12 games, extending his career long, and the team extended its power-play goal scored streak to 13 games. (At least one PPG for in each game this season - NHL record is apparently 21 games - it was errantly reported here as 14 in last game's summary). The Pens went 1 for 2 on the night, but got few chances compared to the 6 the Islanders got.

Kennedy's goal required a video review near two minutes later at the next whistle, as the referee initially waved it off thinking it hit the crossbar. His goal secured points for all position players except for Alain Nasreddine, who played his first game of the season tonight.

Stats update, game 13 (Only Malone & Talbot in plus territory, but Ruutu, Kennedy & Hall are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 13 7 13 20 -2 16
Malkin 13 5 14 19 -1 14
Gonchar 13 2 9 11 -4 18
Sykora 13 6 4 10 -6 6
Whitney 12 3 3 6 -3 2
Recchi 13 1 5 6 -2 8
Roberts 12 1 5 6 -4 2
Talbot 13 4 2 6 +1 6
Malone 13 3 3 6 +1 19
Hall 12 1 3 4 E 9
Staal 13 1 1 2 -5 9
Christensen 11 1 1 2 -7 0
Armstrong 12 1 0 1 -4 2
Kennedy 4 1 0 1 E 2
Laraque 5 0 1 1 -1 5
Scuderi 13 0 1 1 -1 4
Sydor 13 0 1 1 -5 4
Ruutu 9 0 1 1 E 10
Orpik 13 0 1 1 -6 4
Eaton 13 0 1 1 -1 2
Nasreddine 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Fleury 10 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 6 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The loss dropped the Pens record to 6-6-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and leaves them 2nd in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Flyers.

Several old posts moved over from PDT blog

This evening has seen several old posts off of the Relantel blog on PDT - moved to the same date/time stamp on this blogspot site. Most of the PSU poll blather from 05 and the prior Penguins game recaps and cumulative stats game by game have not been moved, and likely will not be.

Pens blow 2-0 lead @ Colorado, lose 3-2

Crosby had two goals as the Pens stormed out to a 2-0 lead after 1, but surrendered 3 goals in a span of 3:30 in midway through the 2nd, as the Pens dropped a 3-2 contest at Colorado.
Crosby extended his point streak to 11 games, besting his career long, and the team extended its power-play goal scored streak to 12 games. (At least one PPG for in each game this season - NHL record is apparently 14 games)


Stats update, game 11 (Only Malone, Talbot, & Hall in plus territory, but Ruutu, Laraque, Kennedy & Scuderi are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 12 7 12 19 -2 12
Malkin 11 5 13 18 -1 10
Sykora 12 6 4 10 -5 6
Gonchar 12 2 9 11 -3 18
Whitney 12 3 3 6 -3 2
Recchi 12 1 5 6 -1 8
Roberts 11 1 4 5 -4 2
Talbot 12 4 1 5 +1 6
Malone 12 2 3 5 +1 17
Hall 11 1 3 4 +1 9
Staal 12 1 1 2 -4 9
Christensen 10 1 1 2 -6 0
Armstrong 12 1 0 1 -4 2
Laraque 4 0 1 1 E 5
Scuderi 12 0 1 1 E 4
Sydor 12 0 1 1 -4 4
Ruutu 9 0 1 1 E 10
Orpik 12 0 1 1 -6 4
Eaton 12 0 1 1 -1 2
Kennedy 3 0 0 0 E 2
Fleury 9 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 6 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The loss dropped the Pens record to 6-5-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and leaves them 2nd in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Flyers.

Pens beat wild, 4-2

Crosby had a four-point night, while Malkin added two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. It was a strong peformance by the line of Crosby-Malkin-Malone, netting three even strength goals, while the Pens added a power-play goal in their lone opportunity to do so, while killing off the two opportunities the Wild had. Crosby extended his point streak to 10 games, tying his career long, and the team extended its power-play goal scored streak to 11 games. (At least one PPG for in each game this season)


Stats update, game 11 (Only Malone, Talbot, Hall, & Scuderi in plus territory, but Malkin, Ruutu, Laraque and Kennedy are now Even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Malkin 11 5 12 17 E 10
Crosby 11 5 12 17 -2 10
Sykora 11 6 4 10 -5 6
Gonchar 11 2 7 9 -4 18
Whitney 11 3 3 6 -2 2
Recchi 11 1 5 6 -1 8
Roberts 10 1 4 5 -4 2
Talbot 11 4 1 5 +1 6
Malone 11 2 3 5 +2 17
Hall 10 1 3 4 +2 9
Staal 11 1 1 2 -4 7
Christensen 10 1 1 2 -6 0
Armstrong 11 1 0 1 -4 2
Laraque 4 0 1 1 E 5
Scuderi 11 0 1 1 +1 4
Sydor 11 0 1 1 -3 4
Ruutu 8 0 1 1 E 10
Orpik 11 0 1 1 -5 4
Kennedy 2 0 0 0 E 2
Eaton 11 0 0 0 -2 0
Fleury 9 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 5 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered. As of October 31, 2007, this error has still not been corrected.

The win improved the Pens record to 6-4-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL) on the season, and ensured they finished October above .500 for the month, finishing with 13 points in 11 games. Crosby and Malkin each have 17 points on the season, good for 4th on the league list with a game or two in hand on those in front of them. Zetterberg of Detroit leads with 22 in 13 games.

Pens shut out Rangers 1-0

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins pitched his first shutout of the season, 1-0, over the visiting Rangers in the first of eight meetings this season. The Pens lone goal came on the powerplay in the 2nd, by Evgeni Malkin off of a sick pass from Ryan Whitney (Note to Versus: his name is not Brian), following a cross-ice pass from Sidney Crosby. That would be all they would need this night as they shut down Jaromir Jagr once again. Fleury stopped 36 shots, and was named number 1 star.

Stats update, game 8 (Only Talbot, Hall, Scuderi & Ruutu in plus territory)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Crosby 8 2 8 10 -4 6
Malkin 8 3 6 9 -3 4
Sykora 8 4 3 7 -1 8
Gonchar 8 1 5 6 -4 12
Roberts 8 1 4 5 -1 2
Talbot 8 4 1 5 +2 2
Recchi 8 1 4 5 -1 8
Whitney 8 2 2 4 -4 2
Hall 7 1 2 3 +2 0
Malone 8 2 1 3 E 15
Staal 8 1 1 2 -3 0
Christensen 7 1 1 2 -1 0
Armstrong 8 1 0 1 -2 2
Laraque 4 0 1 1 E 5
Scuderi 8 0 1 1 +1 2
Sydor 8 0 1 1 -1 4
Ruutu 6 0 1 1 +1 8
Orpik 8 0 1 1 -2 4
Eaton 8 0 0 0 E 0
Fleury 7 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 3 0 0 0 -- 0

It should be noted that the stats above reflect the correct scoring from the first Toronto game, where Recchi was given a phantom assist at the expense of Malkin. This scoring change was made after the game, and the official NHL stats have not been corrected. Emails to the NHL and ESPN.com that same night have not been answered.

The win was the Pens third straight, and improved the Pens record to 5-3-0-0 for 10 points, and dropped the Rangers to 2-5-0-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL)

Pens storm back from 3-1 deficit at Leafs, win 6-4

Although the Pens scored first, they found themselves down to the Maple Leafs 3-1 before they stormed back in the 2nd period to take a 4-3 lead, and added two more in the third period en route to a 6-4 win at the Air Canada Centre. The goals were from Erik Christensen (1st), Sidney Crosby (1st-2nd), Maxime Talbot (2nd-3rd) and Ryan Malone (2nd). Adam Hall and Evgeni Malkin each had two assists, while Sergei Gonchar, Darryl Sydor, Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal and Gary Roberts.

The NHL game stats inexplicably have credited Mark Recchi with the 2nd assist on the 5th Penguins goal, when the play went from Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin, to Darryl Sydor, who shot it on goal, with Crosby with the tap in for the goal. While Recchi was on the ice, and was stationed in front of the net, he did not touch the puck, and even if he did, he would have had to have been the primary assist, not the 2nd assist. The NHL page took more than an hour after final buzzer to be marked "Final"; the play was originally correctly credited to Malkin, to which TSN followed for most of the night. But ESPN went with Recchi initially, and TSN later followed suit to the NHL page. Emails noting the error to NHL.com and ESPN.com have not been returned. At least the Penguins official recap by Joe Sager correctly has the assist assigned to Malkin.

Stats update, game 4 (Only Malone, Talbot & Hall in plus territory, at +1)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Malkin 4 1 5 6 E 4
Sykora 4 2 2 4 E 0
Crosby 4 2 2 4 -3 4
Talbot 4 3 0 3 +1 2
Recchi 4 1 2 3 -1 2
Roberts 4 0 3 3 -2 0
Malone 4 2 0 2 +1 6
Christensen 4 1 1 2 -1 0
Hall 3 0 2 2 +1 0
Gonchar 4 0 2 2 -2 4
Armstrong 4 1 0 1 -2 2
Whitney 4 1 0 1 -2 2
Laraque 3 0 1 1 E 0
Scuderi 4 0 1 1 E 2
Staal 4 0 1 1 -1 0
Sydor 4 0 1 1 E 2
Orpik 4 0 0 0 E 2
Ruutu 2 0 0 0 E 2
Eaton 4 0 0 0 E 0
Fleury 4 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 2 0 0 0 -- 0


The startling stats of the game: The Pens won 57% of the faceoffs, and the Pens had 52 shots.

Pens win home opener over Ducks, 5-4

The Pens rebounded from their season opening loss at Carolina by defeating the defending Cup Champ Anaheim Ducks tonight by a score of 5-4. The Pens had goals by Petr Sykora (2), Colby Armstrong, Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone. Gary Roberts had two assists, and Malkin, Sykora, Sidney Crosby, Georges Laraque, Robert Scuderi and Erik Christensen each had assists.

Anaheim came out strong, and scored the first goal on an early power play. The Pens would return the favor, with the 2nd unit scoring on the powerplay. The game would be tied at 1 at the first break. Anaheim would score early in the 2nd to take a 2-1 lead, but Armstrong and Malkin scored 20 seconds apart to put the Pens up 3-2 just over 4 minutes in, a score that would hold up at the 2nd break. A little over 6 minutes into the third, Anaheim tied it at 3, where it would remain for 7 minutes until Sykora and Malone scored 19 seconds apart to put the Pens up 5-3. Anaheim would score with 22 seconds left to pull within one while their goaltender was pulled, but it was too little too late, with the Pens winning 5-4.

Stats update, game 2 (several minus players after game 1 broke even; only Sykora is in plus territory after 2 games)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Sykora 2 2 1 3 +1 0
Malkin 2 1 2 3 E 2
Roberts 2 0 2 2 -1 0
Armstrong 2 1 0 1 E 0
Recchi 2 1 0 1 -1 2
Malone 2 1 0 1 E 6
Gonchar 2 0 1 1 -2 4
Crosby 2 0 1 1 -2 2
Laraque 2 0 1 1 E 0
Christensen 2 0 1 1 E 0
Scuderi 2 0 1 1 -1 0
Orpik 2 0 0 0 E 0
Ruutu 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Talbot 2 0 0 0 -1 0
Whitney 2 0 0 0 E 0
Staal 2 0 0 0 -1 0
Sydor 2 0 0 0 E 0
Eaton 2 0 0 0 -1 0
Hall 1 0 0 0 E 0
Fleury 2 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 1 0 0 0 -- 0

The Pens next play on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at home vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Crosby will attempt to increase the pace of his slow start, with only one assist to show for two games.

Pens lose season opener

The Pens opened the 2007-2008 season with two poor periods, falling behind 4-0 by the 2nd intermission. Only a late powerplay goal by Mark Recchi avoided the shutout, with the final score 4-1. Carolina had lost their opener on Wednesday to Montreal, and they clearly seemed to want it more. Cam Ward was sensational in goal - continuing the theory that the Pens seem to find a hot goaltender more often than most teams.

Stats update, game 1 (most minus, a few even)
Name GP G A P +- PIM
Recchi 1 1 0 1 -1 0
Malkin 1 0 1 1 -1 0
Gonchar 1 0 1 1 -1 2
Crosby 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Orpik 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Ruutu 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Laraque 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Talbot 1 0 0 0 E 0
Armstrong 1 0 0 0 E 0
Whitney 1 0 0 0 E 0
Sykora 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Christensen 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Malone 1 0 0 0 -1 2
Staal 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Roberts 1 0 0 0 E 0
Sydor 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Scuderi 1 0 0 0 -2 0
Eaton 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Fleury 1 0 0 0 -- 0
Sabourin 1 0 0 0 -- 0

The Pens return home tomorrow to face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks, fresh off a loss to Columbus tonight.

FDT Enters race with a bang

I previously endorsed Fred Thompson here, and noted my first contribution here, but now that he has formally announced, I have backed up my endorsement with an additional contribution. You too can contribute. Lots of Fred stuff is available online now as well, including slews of different bumper stickers and other decals. A wide variety from window decals to actual bumper stickers, and for those with space enough for signs, loads of them too.

Fred made a splash with his Leno Annoucement, and with his appearance on FNC's Hannity & Colmes last night, and Fox & Friends this AM. He is the right man at the right time. The other candidates in the race have been fighting amongst themselves for far too long, making a mockery of the process. States playing games of one-upsmanship have not helped matters either, shifting the earliest primarys forward in January 2008. Fred rightly decided not to play that game, and in the process has debuted a first-class organization at the right time.

Once again, Fred Dalton Thompson for President.

Jersey numbers: What to make of Sykora and Sydor?

Back when Sykora was with the Devils, he often piqued my interest as possibly coming to the Pens - but then as he bounced around the league, it seemed as if he was in a decline. Yet now the Pens signed him as a free agent from Edmonton, where he wore 71. That already being taken by the Pens (Malkin), Sykora will take 17.

Daryl Sydor is the other signing, a defenseman that won the cup with Dallas in 1999 and Tampa in 2004. Sydor has worn #5 since the dawn of time, practically, so when the Pens re-signed Robert Scuderi, the current holder of the Pens #5 jersey, it wasn't as clear which way that would go. It was but a few days ago that the Pens website showed both as the #5 - yet it was updated yesterday to show Sydor as #5 and Scuderi as #4. Class act by Scuderi.

The drafting of Esposito (whose preferred number is #7) makes one wonder if that consideration had anything to do with the Pens letting Michel Ouellet go? Position wise, it seems Sykora for Ouellet is an upgrade, but maybe that move gives Jonathan Filewich or Ryan Stone a chance at making the roster.

NASCAR hits hard at Hendrick - but not that hard

NASCAR came down hard against the 24 and 48 teams today, giving them identical penalties that befell the 8 team after Darlington: 100 points (owner & driver) lost, $100,000 fine, and a 6 week suspension for the Crew Chief. This was on top of both teams being unable to practice on Friday, and unable to qualify as well, forcing them to settle for the 41st and 42nd starting spots, respectively. Gordon finished 7th, while Johnson finished 17th in Sunday's race at Sears Point.

While the COT penalties were identical to that of the 8 team, their effect is not. Gordon had led the points by 271, now it's only 171. He is still up on 13th place by 700+ points, and still has the same amount of wins bonus at the Chase cutoff as he did before. Johnson falls from 3rd to 5th in points, but remains 366 points behind Gordon, and is up on 13th place by about 350 points. Like Gordon, Johnson also still has the same amount of wins bonus as he had before.

With 10 races until the Chase, barring a major injury keeping either from several races, they will make the Chase. The 8 car is on the bubble - they were in Chase territory when the penalty was applied, and had to climb back into place. The 8 is 96 points ahead of 13th - but would have been 196 and in 10th place.

Esposito - the steal of the draft

A year ago, Angelo Esposito was predicted to be the #1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. Since then, he slid down several charts but was still thought to be a top-10 pick. No one expected him to fall down the board as he did last night - falling all the way to #20 and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He is a center, and God knows the Pens are loaded at center with Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot and Christensen, but GM Ray Shero stuck to getting the best player available when the Pens turn came. If he can transition to a wing as well as Staal did, combined with not having the pressure of being "The Guy" with the Pens (that he faced in Jr this past year), he will thrive in Pittsburgh.

In other news, my prediction of the other night turned out incorrect - it was announced yesterday that the Pens had re-signed both Roberts and Recchi. I had predicted that Recchi would stay but that Roberts would be lured elsewhere. Good and glad to be wrong in this case - Roberts brings a lot to the team.

Pre Draft thoughts - will Recchi and Roberts stay or go?

With the 2007 NHL Entry Draft just 24 hours away (the first round is in prime-time on Vs, DirecTV channel 608, tomorrow evening at 7pm), and free agency not far behind, the question in Pittsburgh is whether 8 and 10, Recchi and Roberts, will stay or go. Both are unrestricted free agents, free to negotiate with any team after midnight on July 1st.

Roberts waived his no-trade clause in his prior contract to come to Pittsburgh from Florida at the deadline. He has said he wants to be close to his daughter in Toronto, and it was rumored he would only waive the no-trade clause for the Maple Leafs or the Senators. The NHL world was surprised when he landed in Pittsburgh, and many speculate that the Sens failure to get him cost Ottawa GM John Muckler his job early this week when he was fired. (The Sens beat Roberts' Pens in the first round, 4-1, and made it to the Stanley Cup finals, but lost 1-4)

If Toronto or Ottawa is determined to shell out $, they should easily be able to beat what Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero is willing to offer.

As for Mark Recchi, the Pens brought him back for 2006-2007 at the $2.28M that his contract option would have been had it be exercised by Carolina after the Pens had traded him at the deadline. Carolina declining the option allowed Recchi to sign with any team he chose to do so with, even though he had just won the Cup with Carolina, and Recchi gladly took the Pens offer. Recchi had a strong season overall, but he struggled down the stretch. The question is, how much will Recchi be willing to take to stay in Pittsburgh? It is thought that he would have few other suitors, and his offseason home is still in Pittsburgh from when he was here the first time. Ideally he will retire a Pen, but there is yet some life in his legs.

Gut prediction: Roberts gone, Recchi back at a reduced salary.

A good read on TNT rushing to Van Helsing

John Daly of the Daly Planet expresses well what had bothered me yesterday but I did not take the time to write about, where TNT started the Van Helsing movie with near 15 minutes left on their NASCAR time slot.

He writes:

Basically, TNT did the mandatory interview with the winner, interviewed both DEI drivers, and then sprinted for the airplane. There was not a moment after the race where anyone except Larry McReynolds was "fired up" about what just went on during the race. If this had been an event that ran long on time, fans might understand. After a long rain delay like Pocono, leaving quickly is understood.

But, for a network like TNT who has only six NEXTEL Cup races in their entire schedule for the year, this was strange. When you add-in the fact that fifteen minutes remained in the scheduled time slot for this event, it becomes even stranger.

NBC was guilty of this last year, and some of the team are the same (Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach, Jr., for example), of rushing off into the sunset, sometimes with barely more than the winner's interview. In most cases, the race went past the scheduled allotment of time, and it was hurry up to get back to whatever other programming was on. As Mr. Daly notes, last week's Pocono coverage makes one wonder who runs the operation over there, as TNT stayed with the rain delays much longer than expected, even though it was well past the original time slot.

DEI surprises with two top-5s at Michigan

DEI drivers Martin Truex, Jr., (2nd) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., (5th) finished strong at Michigan, in a race where Truex led lots early, and Earnhard led once during green flag stops midway through. Carl Edwards broke a near-two-year losing streak in earning the win, with Truex some 2 seconds back. Truex beat 3rd place finisher Tony Stewart to the line by some 17 seconds. Only 9 cars finished on the lead lap, as Edwards lapped 10th place finisher Michael Waltrip (made the race and had a good finish, but is still 48th in owner points) coming to the white flag, and almost lapped Jeff Gordon (9th) at the checkers.

The finishes put both DEI drivers in the Chase, with Earnhardt finally overcoming the 100 point penalty after Darlington. Truex sits in 10th, Earnhardt 12th, with 11 races left to the cutoff. Truex's runner-up finish continues an average finish of 2nd from two races to three, having finished 3rd at the rain-shortened Pocono race and having won at Dover.

Crosby nets "triple crown" - Hart, Pearson & Ross

The Penguins Sindey Crosby took home all the hardware last night at the 2006-2007 NHL awards ceremony - he already had clinched the Art Ross Trophy as the regular season point leader, and took home the Lester B. Pearson Award (best player voted by players) and the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP as voted by the writers). He won both the Pearson and Hart going away.

Penguins Rookie Evgeni Malkin came away with the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year, winning over Paul Statsny by a wide margin. Pens rookie Jordan Staal came in third in the voting. Coach Therrien accepted on behalf of Malkin, who was out of county. Therrien made a joke that he left messages for Geno in English and in Russian - and that his "Russian must not be so good".

The only trophy the Pens were up for but did not win was the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. Pens coach Michel Therrien finished third in the voting behind Vancouver's Vigneault and Buffalo's Ruff. The other two were separated by less than 10 votes, with Therrien

It must be bad news for the rest of the field...

Fred hasn't even formally announced yet and he's already pulled even with Giuliani in the polls for the GOP nomination. The other Republican candidates are quaking, and the Democrat candidates are sending attack-dogs out after Fred as well.

Fred has a dirty secret - his stances are well known, and they aren't changing. That is one of the things that brings voters to him, and that is not good news for others who have problems with changing their mind over time.

NHL Awards Banquet tomorrow

Thursday marks the last step in the 2006-2007 season in the form of the Awards Banquet, where the winners will be announced for the major awards, and the trophies presented. It will be televised on the Versus network.

Next up after that is the 2007 Entry Draft, to be held in Columbus on Friday June 22 (Round 1 @ 7pm) and Saturday June 23. (Rounds 2-7 start @ 10am) The draft is quickly followed by free agency on July 1.

Thoughts on Dale Jr going to Hendrick

As odd as the thought seems in the abstract, this factoid from an evening NASCAR.com article sheds new light on the whole "enemy" concept some Dale fans may have concerning Earnhardt and Hendrick:

Hendrick, with six total championships on NASCAR's premier series, fits with Earnhardt's desires to drive for a contender and to continue to pilot Chevrolets. The Hendrick team also had ties to Earnhardt's late father, who shook down the first car the organization ever built, and was behind the wheel when team owner Rick Hendrick recorded his first NASCAR victory in a Busch race at Charlotte in 1983.

When Jr. made his announcement in May that he was leaving DEI, there were three possible locations given his self-restriction to Chevrolet: Childress, Gibbs & Hendrick. Childress was always the sentimental favorite, since Dale Sr won 6 championships in the RCR 3 car. But the pressure Dale Jr would face there would be intense, something it seemed he was not ready for. Gibbs refusal to have a sponsor such as Budweiser all but ruled him out, even though Dale Jr would have fit very well with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Hendrick had a full stable to NASCAR's 4 team limit, but would seem to be the best fit for Jr.'s career development.

I don't have to like Jeff Gordon or Hendrick as a person, but my guess is I will mellow over time, much like once JG broke the 76 barrier, what does it matter to me how many more he wins? I think the dislike had more to do with the Sr-Gordon rivalry of the mid-90s, even knowing the two were friends off the track.

Enter today, and the leak of information that Jr will announce tomorrow he is indeed moving to Hendrick, and the rampant speculation he will supplant Kyle Busch in the 5, much like he did earlier in the year at Texas, after Busch had wrecked Jr, and left the track thinking his car was done. Jr was asked to get in the car as a favor to a friend on the 5 crew, so he did. Speculation ensued that Jr might be going to Hendrick then, well before his May announcement he was leaving DEI.

(EDIT - I saw this ESPN article by Terry Blount Wednesday morning, with some thought similar to mine, but perhaps better said)

Craftsman Twin-75 night at ODS

Last night I was able to attend an evening at Old Dominion Speedway for the first time since the 2006 season. Although the day itself was a roaster, the evening was quite pleasant. The adult admission was $15 for this slate of races - Twin-75 lappers for the Late Models, 50 laps for the Grand stocks, 30 for the mini-modifieds and 30 for the speedway sportsman. The fields were smaller than I had remembered - there were 5 cars in the speedway sportsman race, and even the late models only had 11 for the first race.

The programs are again $3 this year, but the cover is on heavy gloss paper this year, an improvement in quality over last year. Fosters no longer has the food concession at the track - I was a bit disappointed to learn that after I had arrived, as I had only though to bring bottles of water and did not pack in food. (I would later order takeout from Philadelphia Tavern in Manassas - the best cheesesteaks around - not as good as Geno's in Philly, but it'll do in a pinch)

There were plenty of spins and wrecks on the night - including one on the first lap of the first Late Model race that knocked out the eventual 1st and 3rd place finishers in the 2nd late model race. Lots of loose race cars, and the occasional black-flag for spinning another competitor... Results

Craftsman Tools was the major sponsor for the night - from gifts to fans, both those wearing Craftsman logo items to those ticket numbers randomly pulled, to larger gifts to the winners of the major race divisions.

Also different for 2007 was the moving of the track entrance from along the frontstretch where it had always been over to off of turn two. The former location now sports a brick wall backed by a dirt berm. There have also been some wooden stands erected in turns 1 and 4, apparently for local TV, as it was announced that Comcast has been televising select races from select nights on their local cable outlets. In addition, the track itself apparently tapes every race, and gave out a few DVDs of those to people with birthdays.

I for one am glad that the track has survived to another season, and would hope that they will race again in 2008, and I look forward to making it back several more times in 2007.

ODS lives another year

I am a little late to the party, only learning today that Old Dominion Speedway (ODS) in Manassas, Virginia, has survived to open for the 2007 racing season, both on the short-track and drag-strip.

Last season, the track was sold to developers, and it was thought that 2006 would be the last season of racing. Enter the slight downturn in the Northern Virginia real estate market, and a temporary reprieve from demolition.

ODS presents an evening of racing that is still affordable to the masses - with adult prices ranging from $15-20 depending on the card. The Saturday night on the short-track features 5-6 racing series each night, with shorter distances and breaks in between that you don't see at the major league NASCAR level. ODS's premier division, the Late Models, competes against other tracks in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, and ODS had the 2003 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series National Champion, Winchester's Mark McFarland. (McFarland would later get a ride in the NASCAR Busch Series in the 88 Navy car for JR Motorsports for 2005, and part of 2006 before he was replaced by Shane Huffman) McFarland won a whopping 15 of 17 late model races at ODS that season - and finished 2nd in each of the other two. That same season, he ran late models at another track in Southeastern Virginia on Friday nights, and won the track title there too.

Day 52 - silent again

Day 52 sees GM/Saturn/Saturn of Manassas silent again. It has been 23 days since Saturn of Manassas was last heard from (that was by phone from the service clerk).

Busch penalty puts Truex in Chase top 12

The heavy penalty against Kurt Busch (#2 Miller Lite Dodge) that NASCAR imposed on thursday, that of a 100 point hit in the standings, both driver and owner, moved Martin Truex, Jr., into the 12th and final spot for the chase, still 632 points behind the leader, and bumped Dale Earnhardt, Jr. into 14th in the standings, just 23 points behind Truex. The surprise in the mix is Mark Martin, who, despite missing three races, sits in 11th in Driver points and is still in chase contention.

Truex's win on Monday was the first for the DEI #1 car since Steve Park at Rockingham in February 25, 2001 - a week after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap at the Daytona 500. The only other time the DEI #1 car won was in August of 2000 at Watkins Glen, also Steve Park. DEI's cup wins now stand at 17 for the #8 car (All Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), 4 for the #15 car (all Michael Waltrip, three at Daytona and one at Talledega), and now 3 for the #1 car, for a total of 24 team Cup wins, including three Daytona 500s. DEI has also won the All-star race in the #8, and the Bud Shootout as well in the #8, and a Nextel Open event with the #1 car this year.

Anaheim Drinks From The Cup

The Anaheim Ducks (Formerly the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) won hockey's holy grail last night, beating Ottawa in 5 games. They became the first team west of Colorado to win the cup since 1925's Victoria Cougars, before the NHL took full control of the Cup.

Day 51, no green card from Saturn of Manassas; no reply from GM

Thursday June 7, 2007's mail delivery came and went with no items from Saturn, GM or Saturn of Manassas. Today is two weeks since Saturn's Jill Lajdziak received our letter, with still no response by like means. Saturn of Manassas is still AWOL on the green return-receipt card - they should have gotten their copy of the letter prior to the three Detroit GM addressees. GM received their copies 9 days ago and have not made any further contact. Perhaps it is time for a letter directly to GM about Ms. Lajdziak's failure to respond.

Fred Dalton Thompson for President

I previously endorsed Fred Thompson here, but now that his fundraising machine is live, I have backed up my endorsement with a contribution. You too can contribute.




RedState has some details behind the new I'm With Fred site.

Day 50, Awaiting response; GM receipt cards in, SoM AWOL

Two weeks ago today a letter was Fedexed to the General Manager of Saturn Corporation, Jill Lajdziak. No response has yet been received. Copies of this letter were sent certified, return receipt requested to three at GM in Detroit and Saturn of Manassas on Friday, May 25, 2007. The green reciept cards for the three at GM arrived today, Wednesday June 6, 2007. The one local, that of Saturn of Manassas, still has not arrived.

Now that receipt by the three at GM (Chairman & CEO G. Richard Wagoner, Jr; President of GM North America Troy A. Clarke & VP of GM North America for Sales, Service & Marketing Mark R. LaNeve) has been confirmed, now we await a response. All three were signed for by the same person, a D. Anderson, on Tuesday, May 29, 2007.

Day 49, GM silent still

Day 49, Tuesday June 5, 2007, saw still no return receipt cards from any of the GM Detroit addressees, nor the Saturn of Manassas local addressee.

more subaru - on subarutribeca.blogspot.com

I've branched out some of the Subaru content to http://subarutribeca.blogspot.com/ - check there for additional posts about the ongoing experiences with our new Tribeca.

Truex breaks through with 1st win at Dover

DEI driver of the Bass Pro Shops #1 Chevrolet, Martin Truex, Jr., scored a breakthrough win at the rain-delayed race at Dover today. Truex started 26th on the field, but went on to lead 216 laps en route to his first career NASCAR points win. (He won the Nextel Open two weeks ago at Charlotte, to transfer into the All-Star race, but that's not a points race. He won't have to race the open next year, as this win gets him directly in the All-Star race in 2008). Polesitter Ryan Newman led 135 laps, but finished 2nd, some 6+ seconds behind Truex.

Truex's win broke Hendrick's five-race winning streak, and was the first non-Hendrick car to win a Car of Tomorrow race. (Kyle Busch and two each for Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson) For 2007, there has been one ford win (Kenseth @ California), and of the 12 other races, all have been won by Chevrolet -- Hendrick has won 9, split 4 for Jimmie Johnson, 3 for Jeff Gordon, and one each for Kyle Busch and Casey Mears; RCR winning two, Harvick at the Daytona 500 and Jeff Burton at Texas, (plus Harvick won the All-star race); and now Truex at Dover.

The sad news: NASCAR announced the death of William C. France (Bill France Jr) during the race, spoiling some of the celebration for Truex. France had overseen the modern era of NASCAR, taking over for his father in 1972. It is a sad day for NASCAR - as much as his father was responsible for getting things off the ground, it was Bill France Jr who saw racing into the national limelight and #2 sport.

Kudos to Subaru of America

Our recent purchase of a 2007 Subaru Tribeca featured version 1.1 of their navigation software. A visit to my.subaru.com this AM saw version 2.0 for sale on there, for a price of $248. I was curious how long the new version had been out, so I sent an email from their contact form online. Specifically, I wanted to know whether the 2.0 had been released before we had purchased our Tribeca on 5-30-07. The answer was yes, but that 1.1 was current when our vehicle was manufactured. I had stated I didn't feel paying $248 was right if 2.0 had already been released, and although I did not specifically request it, Subaru will be sending the 2.0 version to us free of charge.

Subaru's response was lightning fast for a web form - under two hours. And in a stark contrast with Saturn, Subaru did not attempt to make excuses, they made it right. Subaru appears to understand customer service. $248 might not seem like much after purchasing a car of over $30k, but Subaru exhibited yet another reason why they are a good company to deal with.
Their small act of "goodwill" will get retold as much as Saturn's failure to back their product.

Day 48, still no green cards from GM, Saturn of Manassas

Monday, June 4 passed with the four green return-receipt cards still out there, not yet delivered to my mailbox. GM's timing is almost understandable, as they would have gotten the letter copies on our about May 29-30. Saturn of Manassas's is not - as they would have gotten their copy on May 26, 2007, more than a week ago.

One begins to question whether they are refusing to sign for their mail - and in the process deepening their sink into poor customer service.

This story is getting around - to more people and in more states than GM would care to admit. The more I tell the story, the more it gets retold, by people here in Virginia, and as far away as Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois. It spreads from there to Maryland, California, Texas, Massachusetts and Georgia.

Day 46, Still Awaiting GM's response

Just like day 45 (Friday), Saturday June 2, 2007 passes with no green return receipt cards in the mail, not even from local Saturn of Manassas, who should have received the letter on 5-26. (The copies of the Saturn letter were sent certified, return-receipt requested, from the Fairfax main post office, 22030, on Friday, May 25, 2007 - Saturn of Manassas is local at 20109)

One must wonder if Saturn of Manassas is refusing to pick up their mail.

Day 45, Still Awaiting GM's response

Friday June 1 makes day 45 in the saga, with no response yet from GM or Saturn of Manassas, and none of the green return receipt cards have arrived yet, not even from the local dealer, whose copy of the letter should have been delivered to them on Saturday, May 26, 2007.

Day 44: Awaiting GM's Answer

Thursday, May 31, 2007 marks 44 days since the timing chain failure, and as yet, no answer from GM, and no receipt card from Saturn of Manassas.

Manassas Subaru - a pleasant experience

The team at Manassas Subaru, specifically Sales Manager Roger Holt and Assistant Sales Manager Wolf Asser, make car buying a wonderful experience. Starting with prompt answers to inquires, followed by phone calls, followed by staying late to meet with us, through the end of the process, they performed above and beyond expectations.

We bought a 2007 Subaru Tribeca Limited 7-passenger - and both took time to explain the features in detail - and Mr. Holt insisted on a test-drive Tuesday evening, even though we arrived at 8:35pm, a scant 25 minutes before closing. Having agreed in principle on price Tuesday, the rest of the team had already gone home as Mr. Holt had stayed a half-hour after closing, so we agreed to come in after work on Wednesday.

When we got there Wednesday afternoon, we discovered there had been a glitch in the DVD system on the one we had looked at the night before, so Mr. Holt had taken the liberty of moving the auto-dimming mirror to the other one, and rather than de-install a few additional options, threw those in no-charge. Mr. Asser walked us through the final paperwork, with his dog in tow under his desk, as if no one else was there. All told, the final paper process took less than 90 minutes, including extended warranty spiels and registration.

All told, a painless experience, but even better, an enjoyable one thanks to the efforts of the sales team involved. I would recommend them to anyone looking to purchase a Subaru in the Northern Virginia area.

Manassas Subaru is a participant in the buying programs of Costco, NavyFed and USAA.

Day 43: Awaiting GM's answer

Today, May 30, marks Day 43 in the Saturn L200 timing chain debacle.

Yesterday's mail did not contain the expected return receipt reply card from Saturn of Manassas, and no further contact from them has been had since Wednesday, May 16, 2007.

There is yet an opportunity for GM to make it right as far as the L200 is concerned, but they have shattered our trust in them, and that will take a long time to restore. I only pray that GM supports its Saturn VUE platform better.

(To see a list of all posts related to the problem, view the "Saturn Cars" category)

Will GM Corporate respond?

As noted here on Friday, the Saturn division of GM failed to respond in kind to a written request instead pretending to "note concerns" and insisting their head (Lajdziak) "reviewed" the letter, but saying so in a late afternoon phone call.

The Copies of the letter that went to the corporate level at GM should be delivered by the USPS today, Tuesday May 29, 2007. The copy that went to Saturn of Manassas (And thus, finally "informing" them of what corporate has been doing) ought to have been delivered to them on Saturday, May 26, 2007, and the return receipt card should be in my mailbox today.

Today is day 42 since the timing chain failure and resulting engine damage.

Saturn ignores letter to corporate General Manager

As I initially blogged here, I have been having issues with Saturn over a 2001 L 200. On Wednesday, May 23, 2007, I Fedexed a four-page letter, with 9 pages of email thread transcript, and 12 pages of printout from NHTSA: my complaint filed 5-18-07; the 24 prior complaints filed; and the two recent investigations by NHTSA, the most recent of which has Saturn acknowledging a high failure rate of the timing chain amongst the Ls manufactured November 2000 to February 2001.

That letter, addressed to Saturn Corporation's General Manager, Jill Lajdziak, was delivered on the morning of Thursday, May 24, 2007. This same letter was copied to G. Richard Wagoner Jr, Chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation; Troy A. Clarke, President of GM North America; Mark R LaNeve, GM North America VP for Sales, Service and Marketing; and Tom Tellepson, General Manager of Saturn of Manassas.

This afternoon, about 4:20 PM EDT, the aforementioned "Adrienne" called, stating that Saturn had received my letter, that Ms. Lajdziak had reviewed it (when asked if she had "read" it, this Adrienne repeated the "reviewed") and referred it back to "Adrienne". She then proceeded to claim that Saturn stood by their previous position - one which admitted responsibility but only offered a 15% discount. Either they are responsible or they are not - there is no in between.

When I asked that Ms. Lajdziak call me herself, I was told that "that would never happen" and Adrienne seemed disinterested when I informed her that Saturn's refusal would be publicized far and wide, and that they cost GM a loyal customer, as I will not buy another GM product again, since it is obvious that GM cannot be trusted.

It also seems apparent that Ms. Lajdziak never read my letter. We'll see if the three in Detroit read it - each was addressed to the correct mail code for the particular individual, sent certified return receipt requested.

Saturn refuses to take responsibility for their product

Saturn, the division of General Motors, made a design change in the middle of the 2001 model year on their L-series cars that increased the size of the lubricating nozzel [sic] of the timing chain. This change was reflected on cars manufactured after it was implemented, but the existing cars already manufactured were not corrected or remedied. We purchased an L200 new in June of 2001 from Saturn of Fairfax, after the design change, but it was manufactured in November 2000, and thus was not corrected. The vehicle was purchased with a 36,000 mile "Car Care" service package, which was extended to 60,000 miles before its expiration, a package which also served as an extended warranty.

We learn all of this after the timing chain failed at 84,700 miles, and subsequent searches of NHTSA investigations, findings and service bulletins. Saturn itself has stated that the chain is scheduled to be replaced at the 90,000 mile service - an implied warranty that the part should last at least 90,000 miles - but Saturn's filings with NHTSA all state that the failure is never supposed to happen while the vehicle is in operation.

WRONG.

Ours broke on April 17, 2007, in Richmond, Virginia, while pulling out of a stop sign. Instantly dead in the water, I had to wait half a day to be towed back up to Northern Virginia. Initially, the timing chain seemed the likely diagnosis, but upon review, the break during operation damaged the engine itself beyond repair. If I had not stopped to eat before hitting I-95, it would have broken on I-95 at highway speeds, increasing the chance of damage to life, limb or property.

It was taken to Saturn of Manassas, the same location where the car's entire service history took place, where between the local entity and corporate both have been dragging their feet - finally offering a 15% discount off of a warranty price on a new engine - an Insult. 15 percent on something that they are 100% liable. I suppose they wanted to see if we would accept that low-ball. The appearance is they were not concerned with RESOLVING the situation, but rather trying to drag it out into oblivion. Well, we would not accept it. The same local retailer who claimed to not have any clue what corporate was doing, even when corporate sent an email stating clearly that the local retailer's service manager, Tom Tellepson, was delegated to review the situation. (And we still have not heard from Mr. Tellepson, as even the 15% offer call was by the Service Clerk)

Saturn's "Customer Service" (in quotes as they apparently do not believe in it) area in Tennessee assigns "Area Managers" to a case - Managers who don't return calls timely, and assume that the customer is unimportant. This from a position that is supposed to be the liaison between the customer and the local retailer. Very poor at best in this role, this manager had trouble getting calls returned from the local retailer, and then we end up hearing the 15% insult from the local retailer's service clerk a full two days before the "area manager" called back, and even then, that was only after several subsequent emails to the main e-mail@saturncars.com address. Things are so shady there that you can't even get a last name or a direct phone number for one of these "managers", and when you ask for their supervisor, you are told that they have none. (Somebody had to hire them...) Finally when pressed, they give up the name of the "General Manager" of Saturn (purportedly a Jill Lajdziak), but the way they act, who knows if that is true or not. The "area Manager" could not (or would not) name the head of GM - that I found by accessing GM's 2006 annual report.

This particular Saturn was #2 of 4 we purchased new in the past 8 years. Our reward for loyalty to Saturn? A product that could not even make it to that 100,000 mile threshold - the instant-photo line-up at any Saturn retailer. And even with an admitted safety and mechanical defect, one which Saturn knew about from the start, Saturn, and by extension its corporate parent, General Motors, have refused to back their product. This in the face of their current vehicles bearing 100,000 mile warranties, and current brochures of theirs claiming "customer service" was key. Perhaps it would not be so bad if the part failed as Saturn stated in its prior NHTSA filings it should - at startup. That would have meant only a timing chain to replace. But Saturn's filings were at best inaccurate, for this very situation proved their prior filings wrong. So in their infinite wisdom, they would rather stick it to a loyal customer than admit that they were wrong. That they should have recalled the existing 2001 L-series models when they made the design change. There is a message for GM in all of this: loyalty cannot be blind, and it cannot be one-way.

This story will be retold, and they will be sorry they thought so little of customer service. Saturn and GM have in an instant shattered our confidence in them, and the safety of our remaining Saturn. So much for their claims in their current brochures, "you'll get as much attention after you're a Saturn owner as you did when you first walked in the showroom." or "There is a way to treat people like always." - it seems Saturn's true treatment has been revealed.

Complaints have already been filed with NHTSA and the Center for Auto Safety among others, and more will come. Letters to the aforementioned Jill Lajdziak, to the Chairman and CEO of GM, G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., and the President of GM North America, Troy A. Clarke, are awaiting response. They have a chance to make things right.

First round ruminations, OTT/PIT

After three games, the Pens are down 2 games to 1 to the Sens. The Officiating has stayed as bad as the regular season, even worse at times. Through three games, Sidney Crosby has three goals and two assists, but has had two goals disallowed on top of that. One would have closed game 1's deficit to 4-2 early in the third, and the Pens later scored twice more. In Game three, it would have tied the game - only to have been blown dead on a whistle just before the puck crossed the line due to a roughing scrum in the neutral zone. Instead of tied 2-2, Ottawa scores shortly thereafter to go up 3-1, and all but clinch the game.

One wonders why Kerry Fraser is sitting out these playoffs, as one of the most senior referees. He could do no worse than the inconsistent product that is being trotted out - and it cuts both ways. Serious infractions such as high sticks, punches to faces, blatant interference and boarding go uncalled, while ticky-tack hooks and holds are being called (at times). And by in large the poor calling is across the board, but players don't know what will be called and what won't.

For Pittsburgh, it means they have to win 3 out of 4, and win a second game on Ottawa ice while holding serve at home. Not impossible - but it is near critical they win Game 4 on Tuesday to tie the series at 2 games apiece. Then it becomes a best two out of three.

Pens close out season with a 2-1 win over Rags

It looked early on that the game might mean the difference for home ice in the first round, but that was crushed by a huge Ottawa burst vs Boston. The Pens held on for a 2-1 win, giving up the goal just under 2 minutes into the third. The Pens scored on two powerplay goals in the 2nd, Roberts from Crosby and Gonchar 53 seconds into the period, and Recchi from Crosby and Christensen at 15:54.

The two assists gave Crosby 120 points on the season, finishing with 36-84-120, 18 more points than last year but 3 fewer goals. His closest chaser, San Jose's Joe Thornton, had three points today to reach 114, but it was also his last game of the year. Crosby took the lead four months ago in a 6-point night vs the Flyers, and has never looked back. For a while, it looked like he might get 140, but the stretch games where they all got tighter, and the obstruction crackdown ebbed, Crosby battled through it. He becomes the youngest to win the scoring title, and the 12th time a Penguin has won the Art Ross Award as the league's leading scorer. The previous 11 were split between Jaromir Jagr (5 - 95, 98, 99, 00, 01) and Mario Lemiuex (6 - 88, 89, 92, 93, 96, 97), with a run of 7 straight between 95 and 01 between the two. The 12th Art Ross extends the Penguins lead over the Montreal Canadiens (9) for most Art Ross trophies won since its inception in 1948. (It should be noted that a Montreal player led the league 7 other times prior to its inception, and its last winner was Guy Lafleur in 76-77-78, 10 years before the Pens first trophy) The Pens had 11 in 14 years, and now have 12 in 20, perhaps the first of many for young Sidney Crosby.

It was disappointing that Jordan Staal did not get goal number 30 - it would have marked the first time that three players under 21 would have had 30+. As for the team awards before the game:

• Baz Bastien Good Guy award: entire team for press cooperation (Presented to 20,29 on behalf of team)
  
• Masterton Nominee: 32 Alain Nasreddine
• Caggiano Award: 87 Sidney Crosby
• Edward J. DeBartolo Award: 8 Mark Recchi
• Briere Rookie of the Year Award: tie: 71 Evgeni Malkin and 11 Jordan Staal
  
• Player's Player Award: 8 Mark Recchi
• MVP (overall contribution to team): 87 Sidney Crosby

Nasreddine will be up for the league-wide Masterton trophy, to be selected from among the the nominees of each of the 30 teams.

Maxime Talbot scores winner over Ottawa with 9.8 seconds left

The improbable even-strength goal (the only one of the night, coming 4 on 4) by Maxime Talbot with 9.8 seconds left in Regulation propelled the Pens to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, leaving both teams tied at 103 in the standings with one game left each. Earlier in the evening, New Jersey had beaten Philadelphia to clinch the Atlantic Division title and 2 seed. That leaves the Pens and Senators locked into a first round playoff matchup, with the only question left as to which team will have home ice.

Aside from Talbot's winner, all of the other goals were on the powerplay, two for each team. Ottawa scored first, the Pens got two during a major penalty to Ottawa's Jason Spezza for elbowing Jarkko Ruutu to take a 2-1 lead into the 1st intermission. Ottawa scored during the last seconds of a 5 on 3, after a delay of game call against Rob Scuderi, combined with an unusual 6 minutes assessed to Joe Melichar, two for crosschecking and 4 for high-sticking. The Pens would go on to kill the rest of Joe's penalties.

Scoring Race with 2 games to go

Scoring race with two games left:

Crosby: 117
Thornton: 109
Lecavalier: 107
Heatley 101
St Louis 101
Hossa 97
Briere 95
Sakic 95
Jagr 94
Savard 93
Ovechkin 92 *one game left
Selanne 91
Iginla 91
Datsuk 86
Jokinen 86
Malkin 85 (rookie leader)

Rookie Race:

Malkin 85 (leads in goals, assists and points)
Stastny 73 (3 games left)
Kopitar 59
Wolski 48
Penner 44
Staal 42 (leads in SHGs with 7 - a rookie record for a single season)
Zajac 42
Carle 41
Radulov 36
Clowe 34

Another night temporarily in 2nd seed

The Pens staged a furious comeback from a 4-1 deficit to tie the Leafs with 4 seconds to go in regulation, earning at least a point, but lost with 1:05 to go in the OT. The point gives them 101 points on the season, but formally eliminates them from catching Buffalo for the top spot in the conference. The 101 points also puts them back into 1st in the Atlantic, one point in front of idle New Jersey. The Devils have a game in hand (4 games left to 3 for the Pens) and control their own destiny, needing to go only 3-0-1 to win the division over the Pens should the Pens win out.

The point also means the Pens retain control of their own destiny over Ottawa - but with Ottawa's win over the Islanders tonight, giving them 102 points with 3 games left, means the head-to-head game in Ottawa has to be won by the Pens in regulation. Ottawa also plays New Jersey on Tuesday, April 3rd in a game that may well decide who is seeded where. The Pens host Buffalo on Tuesday - the Pens are 2-1-0 vs the Sabres this year, with one win coming in a shootout after Buffalo tied the Pens late in regulation.

The game at hand, at Toronto, was mostly Toronto for the better part of two periods, but the Pens started coming hard at the Leafs late in the 2nd, with a Maxime Talbot goal with three and a half minutes left in the period. The Pens had a minute of 5 on 3 time early in the third but did not convert - but got a goal from Crosby with just under 5 minutes remaining to make in 4-3, and Ryan Whitney's goal with 4 seconds left to tie it.

There was an extensive delay between regulation and overtime due to a medical emergency in the stands - a fan had a heart attack - and one can only surmise what effect the extra rest had to the teams. The overtime period was wide open, with chances at either end, before Toronto won a face-off cleanly with 1:08 remaining and scored three seconds later on a shot by Kaberle.

Pens take temporary custody of 1st in the Atlantic with 4-2 win over Bruins

Sidney Crosby had three assists, while Erik Christensen had two goals and an assist as the Penguins beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 at TD Banknorth Garden. The other two goals for were Colby Armstrong and Evgeni Malkin. Boston's Phil Kessel had two assists as Marc Savard's line was held scoreless. If not for the play of Boston's Tim Thomas in net, the game would have been much more lopsided.

The win gives the Penguins 100 points on the season, and temporary hold on 1st place in the Atlantic Division and the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. NJ still holds a game in hand and controls their own destiny. The Devils play the Flyers on Friday. The Penguins play at Toronto on Saturday. The Maple Leafs currently hold down the 9th spot with 85 points, one point behind Tampa and Montreal, who are tied for 7th.

The Pens have won the three previous meetings against Toronto, including an 8-2 drubbing in Pittsburgh on January 20th.

Crosby extended his lead in the scoring race to 12 points over San Jose's Joe Thornton, 116 to 104, although Thornton has 5 games left to Crosby's 4.

NJ loses to Buffalo

New Jersey lost its game in hand on the Penguins in the Atlantic Division race, in the form of a 4-3 loss at the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams are tied with 98 points with five games remaining each. As the Devils hold the wins and head-to-head tiebreakers, they still control their own destiny, with a magic number of 10. The Penguins magic number would be 11, or one more than their max possible points on their own. Should NJ fail to gain the full 2 points in any game down the stretch, control would shift to Pittsburgh (assuming Pittsburgh wins out).

Both teams have already clinched the 5th seed or better.

Playoff Bound!

The magic number for a playoff spot is no more, as the Pens have clinched a playoff berth with their 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals. In addition, the can be seeded no worse than 5th by virtue of the 6-7-8 teams all losing in regulation tonight. The Pens, along with Ottawa and New Jersey, each have 98 points, to Buffalo's 103, all four of which are locked into the show.

Pens reduce MN to 3 in 5-0 win over Boston

The Pens won their 2nd in a row, and 6th in a row on home ice, this afternoon in a 5-0 win over the Boston Bruins. The win improves the Pens record to 43-23-10 for 96 points, tying them with NJ for the Atlantic Division lead, for the second time in two days, but NJ retains a game in hand over the Penguins.

The Pens jumped out to three penalty kills early in the first period, but scored on 3 of 3 powerplay chances in the 2nd half of the period, on goals by Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Gary Roberts. They scored the three on a scant 1:14 of powerplay time.

The Pens Ryan Malone scored shorthanded in the first two minutes of the 2nd period to extend the lead to 4-0. Sidney Crosby added his 2nd of the game, and 34th of the season on even strength in the 3rd, just after NBC had cut away nationally from the game. (This viewer was temporarily in territory still able to see it, having just attended the game the day before, the 2-1 win over Atlanta - although the DVR at home would have been stuck with the DC area NBC feed, which did switch over to the Rangers-Islanders feed)

For the day, Crosby was 2+1, Roberts 1+2, Gonchar 0+2, Malkin and Malone 1+0, and Armstrong, Christensen, Eaton and Whitney each 0+1. Malkin's opening goal gave him 6 game-winning goals on the season, retaking sole possession of the rookie lead from Colorado's Peter Stastny. Crosby's 3 points gives him 111 on the season, now 7 points up on San Jose's Joe Thornton with 6 games remaining each.

The win reduces the Pens magic number to clinch a playoff spot (8th or better) to 3 points with 6 games left, although the number is the same to clinch the 6th spot or better, and is but 4 points to clinch the 5th seed or better.

Pens blow opportunity to tie Devils for Atlantic lead

The Devils did their part by losing 3-1 to Tampa, but the Pens could not capitalize on Long Island, falling 3-1 to the Islanders. The Pens Colby Armstrong scored first, but the Pens allowed two goals in the 2nd, and Evgeni Malkin had an unsuccessful penalty shot in the 2nd with a chance to tie. Viktor Koslov scored in the first minute of the third to make it 3-1.

In other news, Crosby's Art Ross lead shrunk to 6 points tonight, as Joe Thornton of the Sharks had his 2nd straight 3-point night, coupled with Crosby going scoreless in two straight. Thornton had a strong close to the 05-06 season to win the Ross and the Hart (MVP). He appears to be doing the same again. The question is, will Crosby step it up against Atlanta, Boston and Washington the next three games?

The Pens loss leaves their magic number at 7 points to clinch a playoff spot. They fell 4 points back of Ottawa, who won tonight. It seems it may be easier for them to catch the Devils (only 2 points back even in games) than Ottawa (4 points with a game in hand and a head-to-head matchup). The Pens would lose a wins and head-to-head tiebreakers with the Devils if tied in points, while the Pens are 3 wins behind OTT, so winning the game in hand and the head to head would leave them tied in points, but short a win. Although the win against OTT would give the Pens the season series edge, that would only come into play if the two teams were even in wins. (it would take OTT losing 2 in OT combined with the Pens catching up on a win to come to that).

NJ & Pit have 8 games left; OTT has 7. Pens have three in four nights starting on saturday (with the first two back-to-back afternoon games at the Igloo), and have 4 in 6, and from there go every other day to end the season. ATL BOS was bos tor BUF ott NYR...

Lets go Pens.

Ottawa benefits from League's incompetence

Tonight saw two obvious goals for the St. Louis Blues not awarded - and as a result, Ottawa got 2 points it would not have gotten toward the Prince of Wales Conference playoff race. Had the result been the opposite, Ottawa would still have 92 points, and would have lost the tiebreaker with the Pens on more games played, flip-flopping the 4-5 slots for a third straight night. Instead, Ottawa moves up with 94 points, although they have one fewer game left than Pittsburgh, and they play the Pens once more.

Back to the Blues-Senators game - there is absolutely no excuse in this age of DVR and the League's war-room in Toronto that they cannot get these calls right. The league claims every playoff goal is reviewed - it should be no different in the regular season, specially with these playoff races so tight. The result all but doomed the Blue's slim chances of making the playoffs - but on the heels of the call in Pittsburgh the night before, were there was no conclusive proof the puck went over the line prior to the whistle - marks at least a 3 point shift in the 4-5 race due to officiating alone, and perhaps as much as a four point shift.

The streak ends on a fluke

The streak was bound to end, on a night where the Pens played their 5th game in 7 nights, having won the previous four, but not on earth did you think they would lose this way.

They did not play great tonight, save for Jocelyn Thibault in net, and yet were in the game, tied 1-1 with under a minute to go in the third period. The Rangers rush in, and on a seemingly harmless play, Jaromir Jagr throws the puck out in front from behind the net. It caroms off of Pens defenseman Rob Scuderi, and underneath Thibault. It was not over the line, and the ref (Massenhoven) could not see the puck, yet inexplicably did not blow the whistle. There is no on-ice ruling initially, the goal light was not on, and instead of going upstairs first, Massenhoven waits, waits, waits, until Thibault moved, but by that point the puck was over the line. There was no way of knowing where the puck was when the whistle did or did not blow - as there had been further contact by a Rangers player with Thibault after the initial stop.

In the end, they gave the Rangers a goal where it could not be proved it was over the line when the play was stopped. The ruling also keeps the Rangers alive in the playoff race, and kept the Pens from narrowing NJ's division lead by at least a point. The Magic Number is still 7, and they still trail the Devils by 2 points, but now the Devils have the game in hand. The loss also dropped them from the 4th slot to the 5th slot by removing the game-in-hand advantage on Ottawa (also with 92 points overall), leaving Ottawa with the tiebreaker on wins (42 to 41).

The way the team (save Thibault) played, perhaps they deserved to lose. But they did not deserve to lose on the incompetence of the officials. It is unfortunate that the officiating has become just as much a part of the game as they players themselves, where no one is happy.

Pens edge Sens in SO again

The Pens let a 3-2 lead after two escape by way of a late PP goal against for Ottawa, but came back to win in the Shootout on a goal by Jarkko Ruutu.

Crosby was 1+1, as was Ryan Whitney, and Sergei Gonchar had two assists, and were named the three stars of the game.

The win reduced the Pens magic number to clinch a playoff spot to 7. The SOL loss also reduced Ottawa's magic number to 7, as they are tied with 92 points. The Pens have a game in hand, and as such are technically in the 4th spot in the standings.

The Pens play the Rangers at MSG tomorrow night.

Pens streak on, 6-3 over Habs to reach 90 points

The Pens scored their 40th win of the season tonight, 6-3 over the Montreal Canadiens. Sidney Crosby and Erik Christensen each had two goals, with Gary Roberts and Michel Ouellet chipping in one each, all even-strength goals. The Pens gave up 3 PP goals to Montreal, the only stain on an otherwise good night.

The win, combined with Toronto's 5-1 loss to Washington, reduces the Pens magic number to clinch a playoff spot to 10 points with 11 games remaining. They again leapfrog Ottawa for the 4th spot in the east (Ottawa won on Thursday), and are again just four points behind the Devils, even in games. (The Devils also won last night, over Carolina) Their magic number to clinch 5th seed or better is 13 on the loss by Tampa.

Pens out-Devil the Devils, 3-0 to close within 4

The Pens shut-out the New Jersey Devils at the Continental 3-0 tonight, gaining two valuable points, closing the Atlantic Division gap to 4 points, and widening the gap on 9th place to 11 points. The win also reduced the Pens magic number to 13 points with 12 games remaining.

Jarkko Ruutu was the force of the night, scoring the first goal late in the second period off of a Sidney Crosby assist. He had an assist on the Pens 2nd goal midway through the third, feeding Erik Christensen for a 2-0 lead. Alain Nasreddine had the other assist, giving him a two-game point streak. Jordan Staal scored with a little more than 2 minutes to go from Evgeni Malkin and Michel Ouellet for the final margin.

With Ottawa off tonight, the Pens leapfrog them into the 4 slot in the standings for the first time in two weeks, and evens them up in number of games played at 70.

Fred Dalton Thompson for President

Fred Thompson is what the GOP field has been missing. It seems the two-plus years since his senate term ended have refreshed him, enough so that he is talking about running.

I am not enamored by most of the current crop - the McCains and Romneys of the world. I could perhaps live with Guiliani, but he would not be a first choice. I could vote for Newt, but he carries baggage that would prevent him getting the nomination. I cannot see myself ever voting for John McCain in the primary. I would grudgingly support them in the general election over the likes of Hillary, Obama or Edwards, but I would not be happy about it.

Fred Thompson is a different story. He is a conservative, and he is a communicator. In many ways, he is the closest thing we have to Reagan's abilities today. Sure he is an actor, and has played many famous roles, including currently as the DA on NBC's Law & Order, but he is also a Lawyer by trade.

Yesterday's appearance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace exemplified his on-camera presence. He makes no secret where he stands - pro-life, anti-Roe, pro-Iraq war, pro-America.

I would support Fred Dalton Thompson for President. And I could vote FOR him.

EDIT: Redstate commentary suggesting a draft Fred Thompson movement can be found here.

Pens beat Rangers in OT

The Penguins gave up a goal with 43 seconds left in the first, and another just 1:11 into the 2nd period to fall behind the Rangers 2-0, but stormed back on Powerplay goals by Evgeni Malkin (31st) and Sidney Crosby (28th) to tie the game at 2-2 just after 6 minutes in. The game would stay tied until the 1:19 mark of OT, when Colby Armstrong scored to win it for the Pens.

The win gives them 84 points on the season, reducing their magic number to 18 points. The extra point over the Rangers increases their lead on 9th place to 10 points with 14 games left.

Crosby's goal gave him 100 points on the season, 28 + 72, to become the youngest player to have two 100 point seasons, and the only one to do both before the age of 20.

Pens tie, but lose in SO to Devils

The Pens twice tied the game in the third period, once on a shorthanded goal by Sergei Gonchar, and the 2nd time by an even-strength goal by Michel Ouellet. But it was not enough, and the teams went to a shootout. Brodeur stoned EC, Geno & Crosby, while Fluery stopped the first two, but could not stop Elias on NJ's third attempt, giving NJ the extra point. Elias skirted the rules of the shootout, stopping his forward motion toward the net, but just like the game itself, the Refs overlooked much of the rulebook in this game.

The SOL, combined by the Toronto loss, reduces the Pens magic number by 3 to 20 points with 15 games to go. Toronto now has the 9th most possible points at 101. With 102 being the points necessary to stay ahead without tiebreakers, and the Pens currently having 82 points, yields the magic number. It is not the current 9th place team that matters but the 9th most max points. (The Pens max points, for example, is 112 if they would win their remaining 15 games) It does help that the Pens are 9 points up on the current 8th, 9th and 10th place teams, and they play each of them before the end of the year.

Pens stage unthinkable comeback, win @ Ottawa

The Pens led early, but trailed 3-1 after 1, and 4-1 early in the 2nd. They looked dead, but somewhere the message didn't get through that the game was lost. Starting by killing nearly 100 seconds of 5 on 3 Ottawa power-play, and several other powerplays in the period, they survived into the 2nd intermission still down only 4-1.

Ottawa had a powerplay that began in the 8th minute of the 3rd, when Evgeni Malkin went to the box. Jordan Staal must not have been listening, either, as he scored his 27th goal of the season, and his 7th shorthanded, in the 10th minute. Staal's record-breaking goal, that being shorthanded goals by a rookie, brought the Penguins to within 4-2.

Just under two minutes later, Gary Roberts scored off of an Erik Christensen feed to make it 4-3. And a mere 68 seconds later, Ryan Malone tied it at 4-4 from Jordan Staal and Georges Laraque. Tied it would remain, through overtime to a shootout, the 2nd straight for each team. Thibault made a save on Dany Heatley, Erik Christensen scored for the Pens, Thibault made a save on Vermette, Evgeni Malkin was stopped by Emery, Dean McAmmond scored for Ottawa, leaving it up to Sidney Crosby to win it. And win it he did, scoring in his 3rd straight shootout, and sealing two points for the Pens. They were once 1-5 in shootouts this season, and now they are 8-5 in such games. Christensen is 7 of 11, and is near automatic of late.

With the win, the Pens move to within 1 point of Ottawa for the 4th seed still with a game in hand, 81 points to 82, and are 8 points up over 8th and 9th place with 16 games left. Their magic number is 23 points. They play New Jersey at home on Thursday, before hosting the Rangers for an afternoon game Saturday.