Who is best #1 center for Toronto Maple Leafs?

Brad Richards, Zach Parise or Paul Statsny???

As I do not believe that Stamkos can be pried away from Yzerman and Tampa, it seems the Buds' pursuit of a first-line center may boil down to pursuit of Brad Richards as a UFA, Zach Parise as a RFA, and Paul Stastny via trade.

Leaving aside the costs of acquisition, which will be steep for any of these guys, which of the 3 do you believe is the best fit for the Leafs over the next three to five years, and why?

Top contenders for 2011 North America Cup at Mohawk

Here is my updated list of top 2011 Pepsi NA Cup contenders

40 Top Colts: 2011 Pepsi North America Cup

#1 - Big Jim -- 5/2
#2 - Shadyshark Hanover -- 6-1
#3 - Feel Like A Fool -- 6-1
#4 - Rock To Glory -- 6-1
#5 - Custard The Dragon – 7-1
#6 - Mystician – 8-1
#7 - Fashion Delight -- 8-1
#8 - Foreclosure N -- 10-1
#9 - Prodigal Seelster -- 12-1
#10 - Big Bad John -- 12-1


#11 - Grams Legacy -- 15-1
#12 - Powerful Mist -- 18-1
#13 - Joe Palz -- 18-1
#14 - Watermelonwine -- 20-1
#15 - Lookinforadventure -- 20-1
#16 - Roll With Joe -- 25-1
#17 - Wink N Atcha -- 25-1
#18 - Prana -- 25-1
#19 - Eighteen -- 28-1
#20 - Dutch Richman -- 28-1


#21 - Dapper Denzil -- 30-1
#22 - Up The Credit -- 30-1
#23 - Just Asign To Me -- 35-1
#24 - Wind Me Up -- 38-1
#25 - Arsenal -- 40-1
#26 - On The Radar -- 40-1
#27 - Reckless Ric -- 45-1
#28 - A And Gs Express -- 45-1
#29 - Betterthancheddar -- 48-1
#30 - Drain Daddy -- 48-1

#31 - Bettors Green -- 50-1
#32 - Ohmygosh Hanover -- 50-1
#33 - D M Bodatious -- 50-1
#34 - Keystone Velocity -- 50-1
#35 - Mach Of Ballykeel -- 55-1
#36 - Bestofbest Hanover -- 55-1
#37 - Draconian -- 55-1
#38 - Facebook -- 55-1
#39 - Four Starzzz Z -- 55-1
#40 - Dreamfair Kovu -- 55-1

Zdeno Chara needs to step up for Boston to win Cup

Both Bruins and Leafs win with Kaberle deal

Tomas Kaberle 16:31 +7 - 18 games 8 Points

Zdeno Chara 28:17 +11 - 17 games 5 Points

Tomas Kaberle is gradually winning over Bruins fans, and the calls may soon be for Chara to pass occasionally (3 assists in 17 games!) rather than for Kaberle to shoot more. I'm not knocking Chara's massive role, as he has been a monster prowling in his own end. Something's gotta give, and the Bruins would be wise to try Chara and Kaberle together if they get behind by a couple of goals in any game.


"Genius" Brian Burke lands 2nd round draft pick from Bruins

The final shoe has dropped in the Bruins-Leafs trade for Tomas Kaberle. In addition to Boston's first round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, and the promising young centre Joe Colborne, the Leafs will now also receive the Bruins' 2012 2nd round pick. This option kicked in if Boston re-signed Kaberle, or if they reached the finals of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, which they have just done.

Though most believe Burke lost the Kessel trade, and that may indeed be the case, my own feeling is that a big move was required at the time and Phil Kessel became the second piece to go with Luke Schenn. The Dion Phaneuf trade added the third impact player and James Reimer rose through the minors to become the fourth.

Kaberle was moved at the perfect time and brought in a significant bounty for the Maple Leafs. Fans of the Boston Bruins have tempered criticism of the trade in recent days, and if the boys in black and gold bring Lord Stanley's Mug back to Beantown, then TK may actually ascend to local hero status.

Leaf fans know his crisp passes will be required against Vancuver's swift defense, while Bruins fans are learning this now, game by game.

Custard The Dragon, Drain Daddy sharpening for 2011 North America Cup

Unofficial Advance Odds - 2011 Pepsi NA Cup

It's awesome to see the top 2011 North America Cup three year old colts warming up for June's big event, and though last year's two year old sensation Big Jim grabbed the headlines this weekend, the wicked performances were laid down by Custard The Dragon in the Hempt Final (1.50.2), and Drain Daddy in the Upper Canada Cup eliminations (1.50.4).

40 Top Colts: 2011 Pepsi North America Cup

#1 - Big Jim -- 5/2
#2 - Shadyshark Hanover -- 9/2
#3 - Feel Like A Fool -- 5-1
#4 - Rock To Glory -- 6-1
#5 - Custard The Dragon -- 8-1
#6 - Foreclosure N -- 10-1
#7 - Fashion Delight -- 10-1
#8 - Drain Daddy -- 12-1
#9 - Prodigal Seelster -- 12-1
#10 - Big Bad John -- 12-1


#11 - Grams Legacy -- 15-1
#12 - Powerful Mist -- 18-1
#13 - Joe Palz -- 18-1
#14 - Mystician -- 20-1
#15 - Lookinforadventure -- 20-1
#16 - Roll With Joe -- 25-1
#17 - Wink N Atcha -- 25-1
#18 - Prana -- 25-1
#19 - Eighteen -- 28-1
#20 - Dutch Richman -- 28-1


#21 - Dapper Denzil -- 30-1
#22 - Up The Credit -- 30-1
#23 - Just Asign To Me -- 25-1
#24 - Watermelonwine -- 35-1
#25 - Wind Me Up -- 38-1
#26 - Arsenal -- 40-1
#27 - On The Radar -- 40-1
#28 - Reckless Ric -- 45-1
#29 - A And Gs Express -- 45-1
#30 - Betterthancheddar -- 48-1


#31 - Bettors Green -- 50-1
#32 - Ohmygosh Hanover -- 50-1
#33 - D M Bodatious -- 50-1
#34 - Keystone Velocity -- 50-1
#35 - Mach Of Ballykeel -- 55-1
#36 - Bestofbest Hanover -- 55-1
#37 - Draconian -- 55-1
#38 - Facebook -- 55-1
#39 - Four Starzzz Z -- 55-1
#40 - Dreamfair Kovu -- 55-1



More colts still eligible and hopeful for the 2011 Pepsi North Americxan Cup at Mohawk Raceway:

Jackson Killean -- 55-1
Nakai Hanover -- 60-1
Risk Management -- 60-1
Townslight Hanover -- 60-1
Doin Time Together -- 60-1

Ideal Joe -- 65-1
Rockabillie -- 65-1
Western Alumni -- 65-1

Big Time Rocks -- 70-1
We The People -- 70-1

Lyons Elite -- 75-1
Roll On -- 75-1
National Interest -- 75-1

Celebrity Citation -- 80-1
Mickey Hanover -- 80-1
Oil Tumbles -- 80-1
Rock Camroller -- 80-1

Achilles Blue Chip -- 90-1
Audreys Dream -- 90-1
Dm Big Dog Daddy -- 90-1
Talkin First -- 90-1

Fearless Diablo -- 100-1
Lyons Johnny -- 100-1

Best wishes to the 63 talented young colts still eligible for the 2011 Pespi North America Cup at Mohawk in Campbellville, and to each of their owners, trainers, drivers and grooms.

2011 NA Cup advance odds; 40 strong contenders

Rock to Glory, Big Bad John, Powerful Mist gearing up to challenge Big Jim

Here is my updated list of the 40 best contenders for the 2011 North America Cup at Mohawk:

40 Top Colts: 2011 Pepsi North America Cup

#1 - Big Jim -- 5/2
#2 - Shadyshark Hanover -- 4-1
#3 - Feel Like A Fool -- 5-1
#4 - Rock To Glory -- 6-1
#5 - Fashion Delight -- 7-1
#6 - Foreclosure N -- 10-1
#7 - Prodigal Seelster -- 12-1
#8 - Big Bad John -- 12-1
#9 - Powerful Mist -- 12-1
#10 - Joe Palz -- 15-1

#11 - Mystician -- 18-1
#12 - Lookinforadventure -- 18-1
#13 - Wink N Atcha -- 20-1
#14 - Grams Legacy -- 20-1
#15 - Custard The Dragon -- 22-1
#16 - Prana -- 22-1
#17 - Just Asign To Me -- 25-1
#18 - Dutch Richman -- 28-1
#19 - Dapper Denzil -- 30-1
#20 - Up The Credit -- 30-1

#21 - Eighteen -- 35-1
#22 - Roll With Joe -- 35-1
#23 - Wind Me Up -- 38-1
#24 - Arsenal -- 40-1
#25 - On The Radar -- 40-1
#26 - Reckless Ric -- 45-1
#27 - Watermelonwine -- 45-1
#28 - Betterthancheddar -- 48-1
#29 - Bettors Green -- 48-1
#30 - Ohmygosh Hanover -- 48-1

#31 - D M Bodatious -- 50-1
#32 - Keystone Velocity -- 50-1
#33 - Bestofbest Hanover -- 55-1
#34 - Draconian -- 55-1
#35 - Facebook -- 55-1
#36 - Four Starzzz Z -- 55-1
#37 - Jackson Killean -- 55-1
#38 - Mach Of Ballykeel -- 55-1
#39 - Nakai Hanover -- 60-1
#40 - Risk Management -- 60-1


More colts still eligible and hoping for the big prize:

Townslight Hanover -- 60-1
Doin Time Together -- 60-1

Dreamfair Kovu -- 65-1
Ideal Joe -- 65-1
Rockabillie -- 65-1
Western Alumni -- 65-1

Big Time Rocks -- 70-1
We The People -- 70-1

Lyons Elite -- 75-1
Roll On -- 75-1
A And Gs Express -- 75-1
Drain Daddy -- 75-1
National Interest -- 75-1

Celebrity Citation -- 80-1
Mickey Hanover -- 80-1
Oil Tumbles -- 80-1
Rock Camroller -- 80-1

Achilles Blue Chip -- 90-1
Audreys Dream -- 90-1
Dm Big Dog Daddy -- 90-1
Talkin First -- 90-1

Fearless Diablo -- 100-1
Lyons Johnny -- 100-1

All the best to the 63 colts still eligible for the 2011 North America Cup, and to their owners, trainers, drivers and grooms.

$900,000+ horse racing carryovers, Thur 12 May 2011

Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park have 6-figure carryovers

Hollywood Park carryovers, for Thursday, May 12th, 2011

There are carryovers in both the Player’s Pick 5 ($107,487) and the Pick 6 ($91,681) when racing resumes tomorrow, Thursday, May 12th.

The Player’s Pick 5 begins in race 1 at 1:00 p.m. PDT. The Pick 6 starts with race 3 at 2:03 p.m. PDT.



Churchill Downs carryovers, for Thursday, May 12, 2011

There are also two oversized carryovers at Churchill Downs, which will resume its Spring/Summer meet Thursday after a four day break.

The Churchill Downs Pick 6 carryover is $514,583 and the Super High 5 carryover is $220,430. The Churchill Downs Pick 6 begins on the fifth race. Scheduled post time for the start of the Pick 6 is 11:53 a.m. PDT.

Best of luck to all horsemen, handicappers and racing fans; let's make it a great day!!!

Management goals for 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs

Autumn of NHL season will be crucial months

Though it may require the Maple Leafs to sign NHL free agent Brad Richards plus another offensive threat, after so many years of being sent out to golfing pastures, it is no longer enough to just dream of and plan for making the playoffs. Teams that compete strenuously for Lord Stanley's Cup have loftier objectives, so here are my worthwhile targets for the management of the Toronto Maple Leafs to consider.

Objective One - Toronto Marlies win the AHL's Calder Cup

With all the draft picks and impressive young talent in the Leafs system, this is the year to give the Marlies three goalies and twenty two skaters even if it means not everyone dresses every night. The team was raped by the NHL club last season as injured guys and players shipped out by the Leafs were replaced by seven callups from the Marlies, decimating the playoff chances of the American Hockey League franchise. Winning a Calder Cup will provide several graduates to the Leafs each of the next few years, and many "assets" with winning resumes that Burke can package in trades for impact players.

So if some players have big seasons in the AHL and don't get called up, deal with it. Significant holes on the big club will have to be filled via trades before and at the deadline, for this is a year we add talent that's ready to win.


Objective Two - First in Northeast Division on January 1st, 2012

Some may doubt that the Leafs can compete successfully with Boston, Montreal and Buffalo, yet Toronto finished just eleven points back of Montreal and Buffalo, and competed on equal footing with all three clubs during the second half of last season.

The Leafs need to focus on each five game and eight game stretch and perhaps win days off by winning these "mini-seasons", for the first three months of the 2011-2012 NHL season are crucial. I'll accept first place in the division on New Year's Day, or 2nd place but within five points of the top.



Objective Three - Round Two of NHL playoffs

I don't want to hear any excuses about who the Leafs draw in the 2012 NHL playoffs. If we're the favoured team then I expect us to win, and if we're the underdogs, the fans have waited long enough they deserve to both hope for and experience a NHL playoff series win.


So there you have it, my 3 goals for Toronto Maple Leafs management. Build for the future, shoot for the top, drive to the net.

Go Leafs Go!!!

Brad Richards; How to structure a Leafs contract

Leafs need to think beyond just making the playoffs

I'll soon be posting my goals for the 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs season, and to achieve them, the Leafs will need to bring in Brad Richards plus a high scoring forward, or an up an coming offensive centre and another two offensive threats. The Buds have to think about a Big Nine up front, and a Big Six in front of Reimer, if and when they want to be taken seriously as a Stanley Cup contender.

Although it is likely that Richards will sign with New York Rangers, there's no reason why Brian Burke and his Toronto Maple Leafs should not make an offer that makes sense to the Buds.

Leafs cannot afford a full no-trade clause in a Brad Richards contract

Part A - Intangibles

Brad Richards would become a clear offensive leader on a goal-starved Leafs team, however the significant age differential between Richards and the youthful core means that a pure no-trade deal wouldn't work for Toronto. One scenario would have a no-trade clause in the first year, an 8-team clause (8 teams he'd be willing to be traded to) for year two, and a 16-team clause for year three. Beyond that, no guarantees.

Part B - Financial

It's crucial that an extended Leafs contract not impact the Leafs negatively a few years down the line, so here are suggestions for contract offers to Richards, that could also make sense for the Maple Leafs.

One year deal - $9.5 mil


Two year deal - $17 mil

Year 1 - $9.5 mil, Year 2 - $7.5 mil



Three year deal - $22.5 mil

Year 1 - $9.5 mil, Year 2 - $7 mil, Year 3 - $6 mil


Four year deal - $28 mil

Year 1 - $9.5 mil, Year 2 - $7.5 mil, Year 3 - $6 mil, Year 4 - 5 mil


Five year deal - $35 mil

Year 1 - $10.5 mil, Year 2 - $9.5 mil, Year 3 - $6 mil, Year 4 - 5 mil, Year 5 - 4 mil

Considering that it's likely a three to five year deal will be required to ink Richards, it is worth reflecting on the fact that 22 to 35 mil would go a long ways towards the Leafs being able to sign other free agents and keep all or most of the most promising talent in the system.

I wouldn't be surprised if Burke only offered Richards a one to three year deal, with Brad picking the term. This way the full cap hit will be only $9.5 to 22.5 mil; a 3 year deal would create significant room in the 2014-2015 season, when Burke could then try and resign Richards (who will be 33 by then) if it was working out perfectly, or use the money to re-sign younger players if that was deemed wiser.

It may all be moot if Richards has no intention of considering Toronto, however the PEI connections of current and former leafs, plus the team's dominant fan base there, means that Toronto should be in the game, unless it gets prohibitively expensive and constrictive (eg severe no-trade clauses).

30 Three Year Old Colts with a shot at the 2011 North America Cup

Big Jim formidable; Big Bad John, Powerful Mist tuning up

Top 30 Contenders for the 2011 North America Cup

#1 - Big Jim -- 5/2
#2 - Shadyshark Hanover -- 4-1
#3 - Feel Like A Fool -- 5-1
#4 - Fashion Delight -- 6-1
#5 - Foreclosure N -- 10-1
#6 - Prodigal Seelster -- 12-1
#7 - Big Bad John -- 12-1
#8 - Powerful Mist -- 12-1
#9 - Joe Palz -- 15-1
#10 - Mystician -- 16-1

#11 - Lookinforadventure -- 18-1
#12 - Wink N Atcha -- 20-1
#13 - Grams Legacy -- 20-1
#14 - Custard The Dragon -- 22-1
#15 - Prana -- 22-1
#16 - Rock To Glory -- 25-1
#17 - Just Asign To Me -- 25-1
#18 - Dutch Richman -- 28-1
#19 - Dapper Denzil -- 30-1
#20 - Up The Credit -- 30-1


#21 - Roll With Joe -- 30-1
#22 - Wind Me Up -- 38-1
#23 - Arsenal -- 40-1
#24 - On The Radar -- 40-1
#25 - Reckless Ric -- 45-1
#26 - Watermelonwine -- 45-1
#27 - Eighteen -- 45-1
#28 - Betterthancheddar -- 48-1
#29 - Bettors Green -- 48-1
#30 - Ohmygosh Hanover -- 48-1

Still in the hunt:

#31 - D M Bodatious -- 50-1
#32 - Keystone Velocity -- 50-1
#33 - Bestofbest Hanover -- 55-1
#34 - Draconian -- 55-1
#35 - Facebook -- 55-1
#36 - Four Starzzz Z -- 55-1
#37 - Jackson Killean -- 55-1
#38 - Mach Of Ballykeel -- 55-1

More colts still eligible and hoping for the big prize:

Nakai Hanover -- 60-1
Risk Management -- 60-1
Townslight Hanover -- 60-1
Doin Time Together -- 60-1

Dreamfair Kovu -- 65-1
Ideal Joe -- 65-1
Rockabillie -- 65-1
Western Alumni -- 65-1

Big Time Rocks -- 70-1
We The People -- 70-1

Lyons Elite -- 75-1
Roll On -- 75-1
A And Gs Express -- 75-1
Drain Daddy -- 75-1
National Interest -- 75-1

Celebrity Citation -- 80-1
Mickey Hanover -- 80-1
Oil Tumbles -- 80-1
Rock Camroller -- 80-1

Achilles Blue Chip -- 90-1
Audreys Dream -- 90-1
Dm Big Dog Daddy -- 90-1
Talkin First -- 90-1

Fearless Diablo -- 100-1
Lyons Johnny -- 100-1

Good luck to all 63 colts still eligible for the Pepsi 2011 North America Cup, and to all their connections.

05MAY: $10,000+ Exotic wagering carryovers, largest Pick 6 pools

Biggest horse racing carryover pools

Track - Pool - From - Carryover

Churchill Downs Pick 6 Wednesday, May 04, 2011 $32,129.51

Belmont Park Pick 6 Wednesday, May 04, 2011 $17,532.79

Churchill Downs Super High 5 Wednesday, May 04, 2011 $12,242.57

Golden Gate Pick 6 Sunday, May 01, 2011 $11,472.16