Shaq with the Suns… he was alright.

J-Kidd with Dallas… s’ok.

The real magic last night was with the Cavaliers.

Yuck.

Walleye, a moniker the Mud Hens first sought through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in May of 2005, will be announced as the mascot for pro hockey in Toledo at an 11 a.m. news conference today.

It’s not bad enough you’ve got to stick us with a wacky animal mascot… but this? The Chiefs, Bombers, Falcons, Gladiators, Everblades, and Nailers are going to fear… The Walleyes?

Here are some choice cuts from the press release:

Toledo Arena Sports General Manager, Joe Napoli said, “There are the Biscuits of Montgomery, the Nuts of Modesto, the Lugnuts of Lansing, and of course, the Mud Hens of Toledo. What makes these team names amongst the most popular in Minor League sports? Not a whole lot, until you develop a word mark, logo and mascot that is unique, indigenous and fun for all age groups.”

The Mud Hens get a pass because they’ve been around for ages (oh, yeah, and MASH. Can’t forget MASH). The Biscuits are awesome because I enjoy biscuits with butter and jam on Saturday mornings. This is trying too hard. Plus, not to mention, that all of those teams are baseball teams. They can get away with teams like the Red Barons, Osprey, and the Isotopes. With the exception of the Manitoba Moose and the Macon Whoopie, hockey teams generally aren’t “fun for all age groups.”

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Wednesday:

Friday:

Oh. Okay.

Over here, Matt Sussman puts into words what I won’t even attempt. Not only does he express our deepest thoughts and sympathies to those affected by the shootings at Northern Illinois University, but he also delves into why we seem to feel this personal connection with a school community that we really only knew prior as “that team with the short guy at running back”.

If it wasn’t obvious when the Jackets went and lost 6 of their last 7 before yesterday, last night’s absolute embarrassment at home should make it clear: The Blue Jackets will once again miss the playoffs. Or, as some folks on the HFBoards put it, they’ll remain “the only team in the NHL without a playoff loss!” It has been absolutely heartbreaking to watch this team, who scrapped all season long in a fight for respect, fold it up against teams like Chicago and Los Angeles. And the reason is simple… the young guys are still too young, and the old guys are too old.

That being said, I went into this season hoping to snag at least third in the division, and to be this far out before losing all hope for the postseason is much more than I expected. I knew that Ken Hitchcock had a year to get his plan in action, but new GM Scott Howson needs more time to clear the air of Nationwide Arena of the stench of Doug Maclean.

And in that sense, at least there will be no more confusion… the Jackets will be sellers at the trade deadline. Howson will be able to bring in the players he wants, get rid of some of the flotsam and jetsam, and start building a team that Hitchcock can actually work with (although I’m still a little pissed that Jody Shelly was traded away, and his protogé Jared Boll hasn’t quite stepped up).

But next year, no more excuses.