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June 5, 2006 1) 2K Sports, the company that makes the popular sports video games for platforms like Xbox and PlayStation 2, recently simulated the outcome of the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes. According to the simulation, the Hurricanes will have to go through an epic seven-game series to win the title. Carolina better not take Edmonton lightly. The Oilers are the first number-eight seed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, and they did it by beating Detroit (the top seed in the playoffs and winner of this year’s President’s Trophy), San Jose and Anaheim. This will be Edmonton’s first appearance in the Finals since 1990, when the franchise earned its fifth Stanley Cup. For Carolina, this is their second Stanley Cup Finals in the last four years. The Hurricanes lost in their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance to a more experienced Red Wings squad in 2002. The Stanley Cup Finals start on Monday night, June 5, at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Don’t be surprised if it goes the full seven games. 2) The NBA Finals, meanwhile, will feature two teams that will get their first taste of championship-series glory. The Dallas Mavericks joined the league as an expansion team in 1980. Prior to this year’s playoffs, they had never advanced beyond the Western Conference finals, losing in 1988 to the eventual champion Lakers and in 2003 to the eventual champion Spurs. The Miami Heat was part of the Future Four expansion class of 1988, which included the Hornets, the Magic and the Timberwolves. They’ve endured their share of frustration as well, losing in the Eastern Conference finals in 1997 to the eventual champion Bulls and 2005 to the Pistons. Offense has not been the Mavericks’ problem in recent years; it was their defense that did them in. But with Avery Johnson at the helm, Dallas has become a more complete team, and it showed during their playoff run this year. And after a shakeup in which Pat Riley came out of the front office to replace Stan Van Gundy, the Heat exploited a Detroit team that looked more sluggish than spectacular in its attempt to make its third straight appearance in the Finals. Regardless of which team wins, American Airlines should come out of this series smelling like a rose. For the first time in NBA history, the Finals will be played in two arenas title-sponsored by the same company. American Airlines Center in Dallas will be the site of Games 1 and 2, and American Airlines Arena in Miami will be the site of Games 3 and 4. Game 5 is in Miami, if they need it, while Games 6 and 7 will be back in Dallas, if needed. Game 1 is Thursday night, June 8. 3) I spent a lot of this weekend watching the Benson marathon on TV Land. It’s been a long time since I last saw this series, and I forgot how funny and touching it was. Benson, for those of you who may not remember, was a spin-off of ABC’s cult classic series Soap, and featured Robert Guillaume in the title role. Running on ABC from 1979 to 1986, Benson worked because of Guillaume’s tart exchanges with co-star Inga Swenson, who played the Teutonic housekeeper Gretchen Kraus, and his ability to keep James Noble, who played the earnest but clueless Governor Gatling, from looking like a complete idiot. Benson takes its regular time slot on TV Land at 11 PM Eastern Time on Monday, June 5. 4) I’ve been playing around on a very neat website called YouTube.com. The site features video clips from vintage TV shows, as well as classic music videos and homemade movies. Among the more interesting files I’ve found on the site are the music videos to the songs “Sharp-Dressed Man” from ZZ Top and “Twilight World” from Swing Out Sister, and a montage of winners from the game show The All-New Treasure Hunt. There are thousands more, available to view for free. Registering on the site is free, and entitles users to upload their own videos, among other benefits. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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