The Morning Hit - December 31, 2009: Tiger gets dropped by big sponsor, Team Canada will cause some concern, Gold medalist loses $1 million

Team Canada's Olympic Hockey Roster Announced - Well after many months of speculation, injuries and preview shows, Steve Yzerman and his crew have formally announced Team Canada's Olympic hockey roster. I find it awesome how other countries are just putting out one-liners regarding big names that are on their teams, but we have a 14 hour special event. Gold medal pressure anyone?

Some unexpected names on 2010 Canadian Olympic hockey roster - It's the call Canadian hockey players dream of getting - official notification that they will play for Team Canada at the Olympics. Big, slow, Pronger. That's just one example from me.

Twitter hath cometh to the MLB - At exactly 3:56pm on December 14th, 2009 sports reporter Jon Heyman dropped a bombshell - via Twitter. Finally the MLB has caught up to some other leagues when it comes to the internet. Sort of.

Olympic gold medal skating champ says manager embezzled $1.1 million - Olympic figure skating champ Alexei Yagudin has sued an automobile shop owner he hired as his financial manager, saying he stole more than US$1 million from him. I had no idea figure skaters made that much money. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go buy some sequins and work on my death spirals.

AT&T ends sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods - AT&T says it will no longer sponsor Tiger Woods, joining Accenture and Gillette in dropping support for the golfer after numerous allegations of infidelities. AT&T joke incoming: They dropped Tiger just like they drop your calls. Right? But seriously - I'm pretty sure the heat has blown over and AT&T would have been just fine. Everyone hates them already as it is.

The Cheapies! Best Example of Hell-Hath-No-Fury Like-A-Billionaire-Scorned

And the winner is... Jim Balsillie. The Blackberry Baron really took being a thorn in Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors' side to the next level in 2009. First there was the sliiiightly dodgy way he and Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes arranged the original sale of the team, then there was the Bettman backlash, THEN there was Make It Seven and a (mostly Canadian) PR media blitz where Jimbo seemed to be making his case to the people directly.

Did it work? Well, no. And ol'Jim may have ruined his chances of getting an NHL team by being such a ball-buster and not kissing the various rings of the NHL's board sufficiently to gain favour. But what he DID do is rile Canadian hockey fans sufficiently that now, even with Balsillie on the sidelines, Bettman & Co. are openly talking about putting another team in southern Ontario and even getting Quebec City and Winnipeg into the conversation. Jim also let fans believe that there were still guys with bucketloads of cash who are passionate about the game itslef as much as profits AND willing to pony up to own a hockey team.

Will he ever get one? Hard to say. But we're pretty damn sure Mr. Balsillie's not done trying.

(photo via the Globe & Mail)

The Cheapies! Best City For Sports Fans Who Like Winning

And the winner is... Pittsburgh! Steel City. Iron City. Hamilton of the South. Whatever you want to call it, if you were a fan of football, hockey and winning, this was the place to be in 2009. The Steelers won the Super Bowl then the Penguins went on to hoist the Stanley Cup. Not too shabby. And the Pirates... well, they had their 17th consecutive losing season. To paraphrase the immortal Meatloaf, two out of three ain't bad.

(photo from Cowtools Flickr)

Team Canada: Where the D stands for Debate

Well, THAT was dramatic, non? Now that we know just who will be wearing the maple leaf in Vancouver this February, it's time to start that age-old Canadian custom of second-guessing. The know-it-alls who put together that disastrous collection of players that went to Italy four years ago have given Canadian hockey fans more than enough reason to eye any international roster with many a raised eyebrow, but this time it's Stevie Y! He's not an arrogant old codger, but a guy who seems genuinely interested in what others have to say. And let's face it, no matter who was named to the team, there was always going to be a raging debate because this is hockey and we're Canadian. And so we begin our contribution to the raucous howls with a statement about the blueline: Chris Pronger shouldn't be there.

OK, OK, we know Pronger is a future hall-of-famer, a dominant force, blahblahblah. But his style of play and proclivity for stupid penalties make him a bit of a risk in such a short tournament. He's proven he can dominate over an NHL season, but how well does his style translate to the Olympic game? Is his defensive abilities and veteran experience enough to make up for the exclusion of, say, Mike Green? Tough to say, but what the hell. We would've went with Green. Yes, even over Bouwmeester and Phaneuf.

Now, our Pronger hate-on might be because of straight-up stats (he leads all other Team Canada d-men with 49 PIM, putting him 6th among NHL blueliners so far this season), but part of it has to do with the Turin in 2006. We were covering the '06 Games and after, I think it was the 2-0 loss to Switzerland (to SWITZERLAND!?), Pronger was in the media area acting incredulous that he was being asked questions like, "What the hell happened out there?" and "What's wrong?" by the Canadian contingent. There was a surprising level of arrogance to his answers, one of which was of the "If it ain't broke.." variety, an attitude that summed up a lot of what was wrong with that eventual 7th-place finishing squad.

Word is that Bouwmeester was the last cut on the blueline, but if there are any regrets, it says here one will be that we didn't have the best offensive defenseman in the NHL -- and someone that knows a certain Mr. Ovechkin quite well -- on the team.

Team Canada's Olympic Hockey Roster Announced

Well after many months of speculation, injuries and preview shows, Steve Yzerman and his crew have formally announced Team Canada's Olympic hockey roster.

We'll spare you the narration, hot air and pointless details (that's what the CTV guys are for - we're lucky they got through the line-up / interviews / milking of commercial time before the Olympics actually started) and get right down to the line up.

Forwards

Patrice Bergeron, L'Ancienne-Lorette, Que. (Boston Bruins)

Sidney Crosby, Cole Harbour, N.S. (Pittsburgh Penguins) Alternate captain

Ryan Getzlaf, Regina, Sask. (Anaheim Ducks)

Dany Heatley, Calgary, Alta. (San Jose Sharks)

Jarome Iginla, St. Albert, Alta. (Calgary Flames) Alternate captain

Patrick Marleau, Aneroid Sask. (San Jose Sharks)

Brenden Morrow, Carlyle, Sask. (Dallas Stars)

Rick Nash, Brampton, Ont. (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Mike Richards, Kenora, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers) 

Corey Perry, Peterborough, Ont. (Anaheim Ducks)

Eric Staal, Thunder Bay, Ont. (Carolina Hurricanes)

Joe Thornton, St. Thomas, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)

Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg, Man. (Chicago Blackhawks)

D-Men

Dan Boyle, Ottawa, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)

Drew Doughty, Ottawa, Ont. (LA Kings)

Duncan Keith, Penticton, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)

Scott Niedermayer, Cranbrook, B.C. (Anaheim Ducks) - Captain

Chris Pronger, Dryden, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers) - Alternate captain

Brent Seabrook, Tsawwassen, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)

Shea Weber, Sicamous, B.C. (Nashville Predators)

Tenders

Roberto Luongo, Montreal, Que. (Vancouver Canucks)

Martin Brodeur, Montreal, Que. (New Jersey Devils)

Marc-Andre Fleury, Sorel, Que. (Pittsburgh Penguins)

So what do you guys think? Gold medal? Any notable absences? Big surprises (Pronger...)? Sound off in the comments.

The Morning Hit - December 30th, 2009: Team Canada to be announced today, Jason Bay might be headed to NY, WJHC continues as Canada stays strong

Decision day looms for Canada's Olympic hockey roster - The gut-wrenching wait is about to end for the 30 or more NHL players considered candidates for Canada's Olympic hockey team. I hope I made it. But seriously, any team they put together will be great on paper, let us just hope they are cohesive. Again, check out our full WJHC coverage here.

Taylor Hall's hat-trick lifts Canada 8-2 over Slovakia at world juniors - Taylor Hall was a little put out that his teammates were piling up goals while he was shooting blanks at the world junior hockey championship. Canada plays the Americans on New Years Eve, possibly their first test in the WJHC so far.

Jagr selected for Czech Olympic hockey team - Former NHL superstar Jaromir Jagr has been included on the Czech Republic's Olympic squad for February's Vancouver Games. Didn't Jagr retire to become a hairdresser like 9 years ago?

Person familiar with negotiations: Mets, free agent slugger Jason Bay reach preliminary deal - Free agent Canadian slugger Jason Bay and the New York Mets have reached a preliminary agreement, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday. I didn't see the Mets coming at all. Secretly I was really hoping Toronto would somehow land him. But I guess he wants to be on a team that makes the playoffs...

15-year-old Japanese speedskater Miho Takagi clinches Olympic berth - Fifteen-year-old Miho Takagi become the youngest Japanese speedskater to make an Olympic squad when she won the women's 1,500 metres at a qualifying meet to secure a berth at the Vancouver Games. Hmm, at the age of 15 I could barely walk without falling as I dealt with growth spurts and the awkwardness of puberty.

The Cheapies! Best Use of Autotune in Sports

And the winner is... George Brett! Well, at least the folks who took the time to make what might possibly go down as the funniest sports-related autotune remix of all time. You remember this don't you? In case you don't, it consists of the Hall-of-Famer spinning a yarn about a certain ill-timed intestinal issue that plagues him from time to time. To simply say, "George Brett sh*ts his pants" when describing this song would be like summing up The Sun also Rises as, "dude takes a trip to Spain."

Add to the rich description and fine-tuned attention to detail, the most popular music-making technique of the past year and you've got some special brand of magic on your hands. The sound of autotune isn't new -- anyone who's suffered through "Frampton Live" knows that -- but thanks to guys like T-Pain, it became absolutely ubiquitous in 2009. Hell, the guy even put out an iPhone app.

The only thing that would make this George Brett story/song funnier is if it was double-tapered on a boat.

The Cheapies! Best Sports Movie That Also Happened to Unexpectedly Slay the Box Office

And the winner is... The Blind Side. It's a feel-good, based-on-a-true-story family flick about Michael Oher's journey from homelessness to the NFL by way of his adopted family. Based on the book by the always-worth reading Michael Lewis, the movie stars Sandra Bullock (not, shockingly, as Oher) and surprised many U.S. box office watchers when it had a $34 million (USD) opening weekend and has gone on to pull in more than $180 million to date. They say it could be Bullock's highest grossing movie yet which, for anyone who saw Speed 2: Cruise Control or Forces of Nature, must come as a TOTAL shock. The film also eclipsed the blood-sucking, teen romance juggernaut "Twilight: New Moon" by its third weekend, thanks to an eclectic mix of Christian-focused marketing and people who didn't really feel like drooling over shirtless teenagers who turn into wolves and/or the undead.

If you haven't seen the movie yet or don't plan to, do yourself a huge favour and crack the CliffNotes of the story here, when Lewis wrote about Oher in 2006 issue of the New York Times magazine.

The Morning Hit - December 29, 2009: Canada starts WJHC with a bang, Crosby the male athlete of the year, we give out some awards

Eberle, McMillan lift Canada to 6-0 world juniors win over Switzerland - Jordan Eberle has picked up right where he left off at last year's world junior hockey championship. Soon Canada will face some good teams and we'll see how they stack up. I think they'll do just fine. Check out our full WJHC coverage here.

Source tells AP that Tracy McGrady's reps ask for trade from Rockets - A person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press that Tracy McGrady's representatives asked the Houston Rockets to trade him. Imagine demanding to your boss that you trade jobs? I wish we were all so lucky as to be paid to play a game and then be able to cry about being traded.

Bourque's hat trick leads Flames to 4-1 win over provincial rival Oilers - Calgary Flames forward Rene Bourque enjoys playing against his provincial rivals from Edmonton, and it shows. This round of the 'Battle of Alberta' goes to the Flames. The Oilers just can't seem to play hockey right now.

Sidney Crosby named Canada's male athlete of the year - Sidney Crosby has always focused on carving out his own path. But his career is starting to resemble those of the great players who came before him. How many times over his hockey career do you think he'll win this award? I am guessing 5.

Introducing... The Cheapies! (AKA Gratuitous Year-End Awards) - It's the last week of 2009 and, like anyone who writes about anything ever, that means it's time to continue the longstanding media tradition of compiling a list of Best Ofs, Worst Ofs, and Top This and Thats in order to properly distill an entire calendar year down to a few overly general summations, some pithy comments and maybe a smattering of chuckles. Ready? Huzzah!

The Cheapies! Best Fast-Food Snacking Option Named for an NHL Coach or GM

And the winner is... Barry Trotz' Ring of Fire Chili! (Get it? Because his last name sounds like a particularly violent form of diarrhea...) OK, not really. The real winner is the Air Canada Centre's simultaneous homage to the Leafs GM and tasty tubular meats, Burkie's Dog House.

Sure, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to name an arena hot dog stand after a new GM who hasn't won anything with the Leafs, but what the hell, it's fun. And that Maple Dog sounds a like a little slice of awesome. Plus, Burke seems to have a good sense of humour about the whole thing. As he told the Star, "I figure I'm immortalized until about 10 minutes after I get canned here, then it's going to be somebody else's doghouse."