Olympic Hockey: The Better Team Won

What else can I say? Team Canada played harder and better, and deserved to win. They outplayed the U.S. for 59 minutes, and it was only a fluky goal that put the New Jersey Devils' Zach Parise in position to score the equalizer with 24 seconds left that gave us any hope.

Still... Did it have to be Sidney Crosby? The diving little... He would have fit in perfectly on Manchester United or Chelsea. Oh well, I guess it's better than the Gold Medal-winning goal being scored by DUI-homicide driver Dany Heatley.

And give Canada credit: They beat the Russians before we had a chance to try. Good.

I can't even be happy for Martin Brodeur: While he was the starting goalie on their 2002 Gold Medal team, he was just a backup here, and it's a lot harder to cheer a 2nd win than a 1st one, anyway.

Anyway, Canada put on one of the best Olympic Games ever, showing nationalism without chauvinism, and, despite a lot of grousing, in the end, they did "own the podium." The U.S. set a record for most medals won at a Winter Olympics, and came up with several heroes: Lindsey Vonn, Hannah Kearney and Seth Westcott; Bill Demong winning our first-ever "Nordic combined" Gold Medal, and the bobsled team captained by Steven Holcomb winning our first in 62 years; repeat performances from Apolo Ohno, Shaun White and Shani Davis; and even a fully-redeemed Bode Miller.

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Spring training is underway. Yesterday, at Port St. Lucie, Jose Reyes hit a triple in an intersquad game. His running seems to be back on track. His hitting? Take it with a grain of salt: He hit it off a Met pitcher.

Aaron Boone retired. Although he didn't get a hit after coming back, he did come back to play Major League Baseball again after open-heart surgery. And what does it say about the Mets' organization that Boone came back from open-heart surgery before Reyes came back from... whatever injury he had?

I hope Johnny Damon does well in Detroit. From April through September. But if they make it to October, I hope the Yankees beat them in the Playoffs. I'm still ticked off about that '06 Division Series.

The Nets are still on track to finish 8-74, setting a new NBA record for futility. All they have to do is win one out of every six games they play for the rest of the season, and they'll avoid it. But can they? I'm not optimistic.

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Days until the Devils play another local rival: 8, a week from tomorrow, at home against The Scum. Three days later, a trip to The Island to play the Fish Sticks.

Days until Opening Day of the 2010 baseball season: 33, the Yankees playing the Red Sox at Fenway for the ESPN Sunday-night season-opener. A shade over a month.

Days until the next North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham: 39.

Days until the Yankees' 2010 home opener: 42. 6 weeks.

Days until the 2010 World Cup begins: 90. 3 months.

Days until the World Cup Final: 131.

Days until Rutgers plays football again: 186. A shade over 6 months.

Days until the new Meadowlands Stadium (still unnamed) opens: 187.

Days until East Brunswick plays football again: 192.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving clash: 268. Less than 9 months.

Days until Derek Jeter collects his 3,000th career hit: 456.

Days until the Rutgers-Army football game at Yankee Stadium: 620.

Days until the 2012 Olympics begin in London: 878.