Calgary count-down
By Kent Hill



After seven playoff-dry seasons the Calgary Flames are making an unprecedented comeback this year and last Saturday's game was just another example of this. It was game three of the playoff's, Calgary vs. Tampa Bay, with stats from this season stacked in favor of Tampa. When a fight broke out in the first few minutes of the game between Calgary's Jarome Iginla (current premier forward in NHL) and the Lightning's Vincent Lecavalier, a very physical atmosphere was set for the game.
"I think that fight was huge and really set the tone physically for us. They've got a lot of skill, and we knew we had to establish a physical presence." Said Chris Simon, a player of huge proportions from Calgary. Actually, Simon played a significant role in this playoff game by scoring a rebound off Iginla's lead after a period and a half of heated but scoreless play. This was a strange incidence for the Flames' player known most infamously for ranking second in the NHL for penalty minutes.
Simon's reaction to scoring his fourth point during the playoffs was also quite strange, "I was just so excited. I didn't know what I was doing out there. It was just emotion and you know, just so happy to score a goal. I really don't have much of a [goal-scoring] celebration, so, you know, that's mine. I guess my type of celebration is jumping into something." This was Simon's response after a post score wall body-slam.
The game ended with the same physical resonance and heated shootouts that it started with leaving Tampa Bay in the ice shavings 3-0. Shean Donovan scored the teams second goal just minutes behind Simon and Iginla sealed the game with the final shot at just 1:32 ahead of the clock.

 

 

Pirates pull ahead



MBL player Rob Mackowiak of the Pittsburgh Pirates has really been living up to all his potential over the past few days. In Saturday's game he hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and a two-run double for his career-high five RBI, which elicited a huge response from the crowd. “That's one of those things that doesn't happen to you, it happens to somebody else," he said in his feelings about the crowd's overwhelming ovation.
On Friday reasons to celebrate just didn't stop flowing in for Mackowiak who happily became a father for the first time, hit a grand slam to win the first game of a doubleheader and to top it all off hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the second game, sending it into extra time.
"He has just been tremendous," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "He's certainly swinging the bat extremely well, he believes in his ability and doesn't panic at the plate. The game seems to have slowed down for him."
Mackowiak's fourth-inning homer proved to help the Pirates in overcoming a 5-1 deficit. He had three homers in just two days and also had eight in May, including seven just in his last 13 games.
"We're not pitching him right or he's just hot right now," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "What's he have, 11 RBI in three swings of the bat or something?"
Pittsburgh pulled ahead with five runs in the bottom half on Wilson's RBI single, Jack Wilson's run-scoring double and Mackowiak's homer which topped it all off. "It's just excitement," Mackowiak said. "I want very much to come through for the guys on the team and the last two days have just been tremendous."
This was the fifth loss in a row for the Cubs, which haven't seen so many consecutive losses since September 27, 2002. The Pirates won their third straight game over the struggling Chicago Cubs 10-7 Saturday night.

 

 

Bad news for Scotland



Full-back Robbie Kydd has sadly been ruled out of Scotland's Australasian tour due to a recent fractured cheekbone. The unfortunate injury was suffered just 20 minutes into his debut against the Queensland Reds.
Kydd was born in Auckland, New Zealand on January 19, 1982 but started playing for Saracens in December 2003. He qualified for entrance into the team on account of his Scottish father. During his first game for Scotland last Saturday he collided with Queensland winger Scott Barton who was seen walking around the team base on Sunday hiding his black eye behind a pair of sunglasses.
When Scotland coach Matt Williams was questioned about the recent injury, he replied, "Robbie had a head clash that was a pure accident."
This is definitely a disappointing way for Kydd's first Scotland tour to end and he will be flown home as soon as medics give the okay. Now all he can do is recover and get back out there as soon as possible.
Coach Williams will not be calling out any replacements for Kydd as of yet, though there is one change sure to be made in the tour party line-up. Euan Murray is being forced to leave the tour and go back home after failing to fully recover from a recent thigh injury.
Rotherham tight-head Colin Noon, age 28, has been named as Murray's replacement. Noon is to arrive into the Gold Coast on Monday along with Scotland's new assistant coach Willie Anderson.
The former Ireland captain, Todd Blackadder will also join the tour. However, he will only be there in a strictly observatory capacity, though Williams is still encouraging him to take part and make an input on the training field where there is still plenty of work to be done. This point was pounded in on Saturday when Queensland tore an inexperienced Scotland side apart 41-5.