I would love to see Deadspin use Toronto as a case study on how not to act as a player (Kessel, Versteeg), carry yourself as a fan (tossers of waffles and jerseys), use your media influence to feed trolls (Steve Simmons is the worst, Damien Cox isn't far behind), exploit your influence with the league office…

Aside: how much can a billboard ad like this actually cost in Detroit? A ham sandwich? Extra cheese?

I'm just asking you this because you know what you're talking about: doesn't it seem like this has happened more and more frequently in the last 3-4 years? Hell, this isn't even Tallas's first go-round as an emergency guy. Then I seem to remember a staffer with Anaheim getting multiple calls in the last few years as…

On the topic of old school goalie phenomena, King Clancy also once played all six positions in a game. Back then, if a goalie got a penalty he had to serve it. Rather than leave the net open, King Clancy stepped in.

You're saying that the plate discipline that led him to swing at a ball that landed in the dirt helped rather than hurt his production. OK.

Check swing, anyone? Maybe wait to see the pitcher's hand before deciding you're swinging no matter what?

Phil, you know what's "embarrassin'?" A Wisconsin boy with a Canadian accent who says "eh."

Not to be the wet blanket here, but: I can see swinging at balls low enough to scrape your shoelaces. I can see reaching way outside to go oppo. And I can see swinging eye level when you need that HR and the closer just needs to blow one more by you so the catcher stands up to take it (Varitek did this all the time…

FWIW, Colorado ate half of Talbot's deal. That detail (plus various minor-league flotsam that I'm sure were added to thr trade as the teams were on hold at 3PM) didn't come out until later.

Caught that as well. And holy run-on sentences, Batman!

Hey, so when does the Short Hispanic Sidekick Shouting Things schtick get old? Because I feel like it needed to die in 2009.

That's what got me to see it. Then I squinted and looked at it and saw black and blue.

It makes things really screwy at the beginning of the season, though. Lots of paper demotions/recalls and the GM can almost never spend to the cap to start the season. Boston's gone through it since Savard went on LTIR.

John Terry: *CTRL+F* "Players."

"Royally screwed up" is too strong, but my mom wore a white dress. To her son's wedding. Like, really, really white and shiny.

Huh. "It ain't happen yet" is the DUAN thread the day before many expect that the Dez Bryant video will be released. Reading too much in to it or will the next 36 hours hold some big things around here?

Local news anchors. Always forgetting that they don't have thoughts.

Kris Letang: 6'0" 200 lbs

Leggings are more important for a kid than for an adult (I wear a top coat) but I can't recommend them enough. It's -11° wind chill right now, I just walked for 20 minutes and the only parts of me that are cold are my neck and ears. Aside from that, completely warm in a merino wool sweater, light button-down, and…

Shot means it hit the goalie or went in.