We Be Puckin' on The Exchange

via Tampa Tribune

So if you missed the first three episodes of The Exchange, do yourselves a favor and take a listen to each. For quick recaps:

• Our debut featured Lahne Mattas of Steelergurl, one of the more popular Pittsburgh Steelers-themed sites going. We chatted on the NFL Draft that would take place later that week, including potential picks and the cloud that loomed over the festivities with the ongoing lockout.
  
• Our second show provided a lengthy conversation about the ongoing NBA playoffs, some quick points on the previous week’s NFL Draft and a quick moment to reflect on the death of Osama bin Laden.
  
• Last Tuesday’s show – extended to 90 minutes – gave us a fantastic discussion on sports ratings, the narrative of big versus small markets, announcers and the ‘Inferno of Idiocy’ thanks to Paulsen of Sports Media Watch.

Tomorrow, Sumit & I chat up hockey.

Say what?!?!

No, for real, we’re talking puck this week. We’ll have two guests this week:

• Angie Lewis (@LadyHatTrick) covers the Washington Capitals for The Hockey Writers as well as local high school teams for the Washington Post. She also runs All We Do is Puck. You can check an interview she did explaining more on the game with friend of Scribe, Mia Jackson of Sideline Pass.
  
• Andrew Bucholtz (@AndrewBucholtz) – who contributed to this Norman Einstein’s piece for me last year – is the editor of Yahoo! Canada’s CFL blog, The 55-yard Line. He also runs Sporting Madness, where he talks up pretty much anything where there’s a game, including hockey.

There are plenty of readers and listeners who are unfamiliar with the game, but find themselves caught up in it this time of year. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are arguably the best in all North American sports and these last few weeks have once again lived up to those lofty claims. We figured this would be a great time to give you a chance to learn a bit about the players, coaches, teams and other intricacies of the game.

Yet, the NHL has also made waves for other reasons in the last several days; Sean Avery’s (New York Rangers) public support of gay marriage & a few reactionary tweets that it inspired, relocation rumors involving the Atlanta Thrashers & City of Winnipeg, the shocking death of Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard, etc. Whatever we can address in a timely manner, we shall as some of these matters might seem familiar to other sports.

So do yourselves a favor and tune in. If you haven’t, follow and get into The Exchange on BlogTalkRadio.

Recommended

A few recommended articles to check out (if you haven't done so already):

• Yankees fans beware... but Red Sox, Angels, Mets, Dodgers and Cubs fans, don't show that grin too much. Your financial comeuppances are near.
  
  
• Continuing with the business side of sports, here's BusinessWeek's annual 100 Most Influential People in the Business of Sports.
  
  
• With the NHL season about to begin this weekend in Europe (Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh plays Ottawa in Stockholm, Sweden while the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning tango in Prague), they hope to build off of the creeping marketing momentum of the past three post-lockout seasons.
  
  
• A slight diatribe before the next referenced article: Something that has always stuck out to me in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was the immediate response from athletes. Whether it was the Manning brothers or Kevin Garnett or the charity game organized by former NBA guard and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, I found myself marveled by their sense of urgency and their understanding of their stature (fair or not) as public beacons for entertainment and social causes. Yet, I was simultaneously screaming at the television about the "Johnny-come-lately" actions of the many levels of government and (dare I say) other entertainers who essentially sat by and waited to be told what to do. However, the continued efforts of one former athlete should be lauded and exemplify how someone used his former standing to try to make a dent in the mess in New Orleans. Respect due to the so-called bust, Jonathan Bender.
  Because while folks are talking about change these days, the basketball player who was forced to give up his physical gifts changed his own life by giving to others.
  
  
• Something that I wanted to expound an argument on earlier this week is still on the radar, but at least for the moment, ask yourself this question: is this the best sports year ever?
  Usually, I hate these best-ever questions, mostly because of how VH1 and others have driven that phrase to the ground. However, it's an intriguing thought.