the 4th star

Here we are, all of us sad suckers wallowing in New York Giants Nation, waiting on former Buffalo Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell to take the defensive co-ordinator position and erase the stench of the Bill Sheridan 16-Game Experience, and this comes out tonight. Jerome Bettis breaks the news that The Jaw, Bill Cowher, is holding a torch not for the Carolina Panthers but for the New York Jints head coaching gig. Interesting (if true).

Behold Bettis, via the Daily News:

“That’s the team that he really coveted,” Bettis said. “This is where he always wanted to be. The Mara family, he’s been very close to them. … He’s known them very well and was on the inside track – before the Giants won the Super Bowl – for that job. And I think he’s holding out for that opportunity if it presents itself.”

Bettis added that he believes that Cowher “is going to be with the Giants” eventually – possibly as soon as next year. “He would have definitely gotten the job (after the 2007 season, if the Giants hadn’t gone on a run),” Bettis said. “And if Coughlin doesn’t get that team back in the right direction next year I think they’ll pull the plug.”

Great. Nothing beats heading into a new season with a coach doing the limbo.

With faint embers from Burrows-gate glowing in the fireplace after the league quickly dumped a bucket of cold water on the issue, will the Vancouver Canucks find themselves under the heat-lamps again? It seems Mike Russo, who drives the bus buys the first round covers the Minnesota Wild for the Star-Tribune, reported via his Twitter account that Alain Vigneault told his players to send a message at the end of the 5-2 loss to the Wild last night. Alex Bolduc had the stuffing beaten out of him in one bout, but it’s the tilt between Darcy Hordichuk and Derek Boogaard that prompted this *tweet* from Russo after the game:

According to Boogaard, Hordichuk told him, “‘The coach is making us fight you guys.’ I don’t really agree with that.”

That’s a pretty damming accusation, no? TSN picked up the story here, with denials from Vigneault and the player. You mean Hordichuk isn’t going to risk his tenuous employment position by throwing his coach under the bus? So what we have here is a player on the Wild telling a friendly Wild writer something that may or may not be true (it is only from one source), and the Canucks denying the claim. Mr. Russo, please fire up the Twitter account and provide us with the appropriate amount of sarcasm we need for this expected turn of events:

Welcome to the Year 2010: Where maybe is a story and everything that follows is up for debate.

So I’m heading down to a press conference this morning and on the way, I see a bumper sticker on a truck in front of me at a light. The truck was red. A Toyota. The sticker was of a coyote, a Phoenix Coyote. There’s more — it was the old logo, that crappy Lego-themed design. I laughed and I laughed. Yes, a possible throwback to a time where a few jilted Jets fans continued to pine for their team after being dumped for greener pastures. A rite of passage for some.

After laughing and wondering if the guy bought the truck third-hand or if he put the sticker on himself after the last Save Our Jets rally, I thought about the current edition of the Coyotes. I knew they were having a great year on the ice, but what about at the gate? I realized I never really bothered to check the attendance numbers at the end of the summary. Not once this year. Heading over the bridge into Saint Boniface, I made a mental note to check that number when I had some time.

Fast forward to 10 minutes ago. Wouldn’t you know it, just as I’m wondering what’s going on with the fans in the desert, the granddaddy of all the Puck Daddies out there includes the Coyotes in his ‘Stunning Numbers’ post. Thanks for saving me an extra mouse click, Wysh. (By the way, word on the street has Mr. Puck Daddy chiming in on the Hustler & Lawless show tonight, six bells, CJOB)

According to ESPN, here’s what’s going on in Phoenix: a 10,672 on average and a 61 per cent capacity. No surprise. As PD points out, that number is not only last in the National Hockey League but it also puts the Coyotes as one of SEVEN teams who register attendance below 80 per cent capacity. Carolina, Long Island, Atlanta — no surprises on the list there, either.

What is surprising is how that NHL list compares to the NBA one. As you can see, eight NBA clubs fall short of the 80 per cent capacity mark. A closer look shows that the basketball fan is staying away from the NBA in traditional basketball markets. Indiana has just a 74 per cent capacity. Indiana. All they do there is play basketball. Here’s a bigger head-scratcher: Philadelphia — home of Dr. J and the playground site where Will Smith spent most of his days — comes in at an eye-popping 65.5 per cent.

So what does this all mean? Absolutely nothing.

This post brought to you by crippling writer’s block and the fact I don’t get paid to do this.