1) Im about to read your mind. You want to pick the Los Angeles Kings to win the Stanley Cup, but you think theyre tired and you know the New York Rangers are well-rested, so youre not sure. But I am. Im right, arent I? 2) When Steve Ballmer told his friends he was investing two billion dollars in a sports venture, do you assume they asked him which league he was buying? 3) Do you know what FIFA stands for? Im starting to think that one or both "Fs" stand for "Fix". 4) Would it jinx Mark Buehrle if I told you that Roy Halladay was 7-2 on this day 11 years ago and went on to set the Blue Jays record with 22 wins? Thus, jinx or not, Buehrle is well ahead of Halladays 2003 pace with his 10-1 record. 5) For all the times you might have said you couldnt cheer for LeBron James, did you ever think that would be as easy as Lance Stephenson made it during the Heat-Pacers series? 6) I dont root for the Chicago Blackhawks or for any other team, but can you understand that Chicagos 7th-game loss to the Kings saddens me because it means anthem singer Jim Cornelison is off for the summer? 7) And speaking of big voices, wouldnt you drive to work with more enthusiasm if Bob Cole was describing the trip from the passenger seat? 8) If Steve (Basket)-Ballmer has another two billion dollars, which he does, do you think he might like to buy the Buffalo Bills, move them to Los Angeles and become Steve (Foot)-Ballmer? 9) Are we getting ahead of ourselves if we watch this weeks Blue Jays-Tigers series and imagine that its a playoff series? 10) I know its pro sports and theres no room for sentiment when tough decisions have to be made, so its clear we shouldnt feel sorry for Peter Budaj. But how do you ignore the fact that Carey Price called him "one of the nicest people Ive ever met"? 11) What should I make of the following - when once I raised eyebrows by saying I might watch soccers World Cup, I now raise eyebrows by saying I might not? 12) I know you never thought youd see this, but Im saying youll never see it again - two batters (KCs Billy Butler and Omar Infante), after hitting apparent singles to right field, were thrown out at first base by Jose Bautista in back-to-back games. Do you think you might see that again? If so, let me know and Ill bet you two billion dollars. 13) The Memorial is otherwise known as Jack Nicklaus golf tournament. Is it time to admit youre old if you remember the events that used to bear the names of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Sammy Davis Jr., Joe Garagiola, Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin, Ed McMahon, Danny Thomas and Jamie Farr? 14) Are you curious to know why Los Angeles Kings playoff hero Alec Martinez didnt take up baseball like Dennis, Edgar, Pedro, Victor, Carlos, Buck, Dave, J.D., Nick, Tino etc. etc.? 15) When Torontonians read about citizens the world over who have voted against Olympic bids by their cities, do they have trouble remembering when they voted to support the staging of the 2015 Pan-American Games? 16) A Toronto Argos press release began with the announcement that Chad Kackert had been named the teams strength and conditioning coach. Shouldnt the first line have dealt with the retirement of the 2012 Grey Cups most valuable player? 17) Do you wonder, as I do, why NHL players on their way to the Stanley Cup final refuse to touch the trophies that signify conference titles, but have no trouble donning hats that do the same thing? 18) I thought it sounded silly when David Ortiz declared "war" on David Price of the Tampa Rays, but let me ask you this - if you were casting a movie and you needed someone to put fear in the heart of the enemy, wouldnt Big Papi fit the part? (As long as he wasnt talking about baseball, I mean). 19) Alex Ovechkin called Barry Trotz to welcome him to Washington. Just in case the new coach might wonder whos boss? 20) And finally...if the Stanley Cup Final finds you humming the 70s disco hit "From New York to LA", you should know who sang it. Do you? (See below, music lovers). Video - "From New York to LA" - Patsy Gallant (Campbellton, New Brunswick). Fake Adidas Jerseys . - Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. Fake Baseball Jerseys . - Tom Brady was upset that his New England Patriots hardly looked like a division champion in the first half. http://www.fakejersey.com/.C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C. Fake Jerseys Website . Both sides of the deal have formally announced acquisitions: TFC introduced Jozy Altidore as a designated player on Friday, while their counterparts announced a three-and-a-half-year deal with Jermain Defoe. Fake NFL Jerseys . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. DENVER -- Patrick Roy was quite calm and even cracked a few jokes as his team went through a light workout. No signs of stress at all. Of course, the first-year Colorado Avalanche coach has been in a few pressure-packed Game 7 situations as a Hall of Fame goaltender -- 13 to be exact. His players? Not as much experience. A dozen had never been to the post-season before this year. And yet Roys hardly fretting over his teams emotional state heading into a decisive final game Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild, with the winner moving on to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. On the contrary, Roys reminding his youthful team of one simple thing: Enjoy the moment. "How good is this?" Roy said. "Theyre excited about it and they should be. ... Were playing Game 7 in our building, in front of our fans." In this series, home ice is a pretty big deal. All six games in this tightly contested matchup have been decided during the waning moments, with the home team capturing each one. Wild coach Mike Yeo has a stirring pregame speech all prepared for just the occasion, a few well-chosen words to put into his players ears before they hit the ice and hear the clamour of the crowd. Care to share the highlights? "Then it wouldnt be very inspirational," Yeo joked. Minnesota will try to neutralize the noise with another sizzling start. The Wild have scored the first goal in four of the games. "(Game 7s) are the best and also the worst," Yeo said. "You have so much on the line -- the players laying it all out there, the passion and the energy of the building and the fans. Theres just so much at stake." Avs forward Maxime Talbot stressed "having fun" to rookie Nathan MacKinnon, whos tied with Zach Parise for most points (10) in the NHL playoffs so far. Talbot knows the butterflies will be present for players such as MacKinnon -- and its something to embrace. "Thats why we play the game," said Talbot, who scored twice in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final to lift Pittsburgh to a 2-1 win over Detroit. "Thats the coolest thing about hockey. As much experience as you havve, you have to take these butterflies and turn them into excitement and energy, and thats definitely the feeling I have right now.ddddddddddddquot; Roy believes that Game 7 will hinge on, what else, the goalies. Semyon Varlamov won a team-record 41 games in the regular season, breaking the mark held by Roy. The goalie nicknamed "Varly" has faced a barrage of shots in this series, coming up big in several games. "Varlys always the brick out there," Talbot said. "We know hes going to make the big saves." The same can be said of Darcy Kuemper, who has a 1.53 goals- against average since stepping in for Ilya Bryzgalov in Game 2. Although Kuemper cant ever remember playing in a Game 7, he said that Mondays game -- a 5-2 win in which the Wild sealed it and extended the series by scoring two empty-net goals -- was good practice. "Now, both teams are in the situation," Kuemper said. "So theyre going to be a little bit more desperate than they were last game. Weve been through it before, so we should be pretty calm and confident with it." The intensity level is something the Wild are embracing. They know its going to be a hostile environment, but its not as if the Wild have been blown out inside the Pepsi Center. No, the Avalanche have needed to rely on some late magic, pulling Varlamov for an extra skater in Games 1 and 5, get big late goals and to send it into OT, where they found a way to win. "We feel good about the way weve been playing," Parise said. "Hopefully, we can get a win here." Colorado received a boost last game with the return of Matt Duchene from a knee injury. The teams leading scorer in the regular season is still rounding into shape, but with every shift hes getting back his quickness. "This is just another game," Duchene said. "Thats how you have to treat Game 7s." The previous time the Avs were in a Game 7 was 2003, when they were eliminated by the Wild in Roys last game. "Thats not going to have a big effect on our team," Roy said, smiling. "Because there are not that many players from then that are still with us." ' ' '