Roundup.....

First off, I demand to know where summer has gone. The sun has been hiding for 5 days now and it's been rainy and miserable. Uncalled for since it's still August. Even in PA, summer usually still exists in August. Of course this fall-like weather just ushers in those feelings of football and hockey creeping back into our everyday lives. Now the question is how many days left till the first puck is dropped and I'm so glad you asked. Please click on this handy dandy link to find out. Seriously someone must be losing his or her mind waiting for the season, but this is pure genius. Love it.

The Penguins had to go into damage control somewhere between last night and this afternoon thank to a tweet from Josh Rimer of NHL Radio on XM. Rimer tweeted "Hearing from 3 sources now that Sidney Crosby won't b ready 2 start season. I hope it's not true because the NHL needs its best players!" Of course this set the free world into a frantic frenzy that Crosby was dying again. Seriously people, he most likely suffered 2 concussions in a 5 day period and the symptoms from the first at the Winter Classic never came to a head till the second one really rattled him. Yes, it was scary and still is, especially since he's only 24 and has been out this long, but the Penguins have set the new standard for how a concussion should be dealt with if you ask me.

SuperShero held a media scrum this afternoon to defend against Rimer's tweet. He said the same stuff anyone with half a brain already had figured out. Crosby has been practicing, he's been ramping up his workouts and it's when he tries to be superman that he begins to have issues. Well Shero didn't say that exactly but based off what people have said about his off-season workouts over the years, they aren't for the faint of heart and we all already now what is acceptable for the average hockey player is probably an F in the Crosby school of grading. I have faith he will be okay in the end.

Shero of course pointed out the obvious once again since some people in the world don't quite get it yet. "....That’s the thing for me and for the organization is the bigger picture with Sidney Crosby making sure that he is 100 percent cleared and ready to play when he does come back. He’s not going to be pushed to come back to practice or play. I want to make sure a year from now, three years from now, five years from now that he’s still the best player in the league and take the appropriate steps and back him, and go from there." Couldn't have said it better.

Another gem from this media scrum was when someone asked if he thought it would be better for Crosby to be in Pitt and not in Nova Scoita. "No, I don't think so. I think he’s a creature of habit and this is what he does in the summertime." Understatement of the year that Mr. Crosby is a creature of habit. This is the guy who walks around the arena to avoid the visiting locker room door and has to have a PB&J like a 5 year old before every game, just to name a few of the quirks he exposed us to on 24/7. I'm sure him being in Pitt for the off-season would be similar to a lost puppy dog.

One positive piece of news out of the Crosby world was he celebrated his 24th birthday last week. Yes, 24. He's already won everything in hockey so I guess he'll be looking for duplicates and triplicates now. A cup ring for each finger? No clue, but this is why he won't be rushed back. He's a whopping 24. The real question is when do people stop referring to him as Sid the Kid? I'm thinking 25 might be the cutoff but what do I really know.

Moving away from Crosby and onto the Great One's son. Trevor Gretzky has signed with the Chicago Cubs and will be playing in their farm system for the time being. Probably the smartest thing Trevor ever did was pick up a baseball bat. It's one thing to follow your father into a sport. It's another when he's considered the Greatest one to play the game. He's much better off making and breaking records in a sport where he won't be compared to or put down by critics if he doesn't match his father's records. Wayne was a generational talent and by not having his son follow him into the NHL I think will let Trevor truly be a great baseball player in his own right.

Captain oh Captain....
Many teams wait till training camp to announce new Captains and Assistant captains and many let it be a team vote/decision which really justifies the title of Captain to me. Of course many Captains are obvious choices so here are 3 teams with some easy decisions that should have little drama surrounding them.

The Flyers have apparently been Chris Pronger's team but the wrong guy was wearing the C. Since shipping Mike Richards to the Blue Jackets, the C is Pronger's for the taking. Unless the equipment guy sews the C on 68 by mistake, this a shoo-in.

Another no brainer is the Rangers putting a C on Ryan Cahallan's chest. Since he got a 3 year deal done to avoid arbitration, I don't see why there would be any issue. I also would put money on the home grown talent of Marc Staal and the $60 million dollar man that is Brad Richards to be wearing the A's this season.

Parise wearing the C for the Devils should be a no brainer. Since he only has a one year deal, I wouldn't be shocked for the Devils to go with 3 A's this season or a rotating C (which to me is the most ridiculous thing to ever happen in the world of Captaincy). I vote for 3 A's and if they get a long-term deal done with him then give him the C he has earned. No point in making him a Captain if he could leave after a season.

NFL Corner
The NFL pre-season officially began this past weekend!! Woohoo. About time. I think the most interesting thing I've learned is that even the most die-hard of Eagle fans are scared of their "Dream Team" busting up at some point. I kind of love it. Especially since they acquired Steve Smith of the NY Giants with his surgically repaired knee, now it seems the Eagles have backtracked a little bit on how ready he really is. Didn't the Giants say this all along?

I also would love to know what Kevin Boss was smoking when he signed a contract to play for Al Davis. Forget the fact that it's the Raiders, the man agreed to play for one of the craziest owner in all of sports. I understand few players will stay for less money but I'd stay for less if it meant I'd never have to decipher the cryptic sayings of my owner. Good luck because I seriously think you might need it.

I've become something of a twitter head this summer. I write something sporadically but the best part of twitter is stalking people. Especially famous people and athletes. I've been following some semi-boring, semi-interesting and highly amusing athletes this summer and will share with you tomorrow my thoughts on social media and it's place in sports. Plus my take on who has the most fun and uses it best. Hint: BizNasty takes the cake.