The Unknown Poster

Here is an example of "stupid": Monty "Kip" Sopp, better known as Billy Gunn, was fired today as a trainer by World Wrestling Entertainment. Sopp was fired due to testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone in a powerlifting meet on July 25. Sopp's drug test at the meet came up with a 37-1 testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, well over the 4-1 limit, and he was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Sopp, 52, had returned to WWE as a trainer in 2012 after several years away from the organization. He worked as an agent and a trainer, as well as had a New Age Outlaws nostalgia run as a tag team, winning the tag team titles in early 2013. He had done occasional run-ins at the end of some NXT shows with he and the babyfaces wrestlers ending shows doing DX crotch chops. Most recently, he had appeared on television as one of the trainers on Tough Enough and Breaking Ground. WWE officials were not aware of him competing as a powerlifter until a few weeks ago or his suspension from that sport.

Ladd might be the odd man out. He wants top line money and franchise term. I'd be happy if he retires as a Jet but business is business. We're weak on the left side and have guys now and coming that will be top six anywhere from next season to 3-4 seasons from now so they cant pay Ladd 1LW money for 7 years. One could argue he's nearing replaceability with Ehlers now. You could probably put Perreault in his spot and not see a drop off. if they value what Buff brings to the table they might present Ladd with a take it or leave it offer and if its leave it, he could be the guy to go sooner rather than later. The problem is, the teams willing to give up a good package are probably not giving us a top line replacement right now. Picks & Prospects or something like Buffalo did last season, unloading good players they dont need/want. I said in the summer that this season could easily be a "one step back" season.

Im getting the sinking feeling Ladd isnt long for this team.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: Marty Havlat has left STL for personal reasons. He's on unconditional waivers for purposes of mutually agreed termination of contract.

Ten years ago today, Eddie Guerrero passed away. There are very few wrestlers in history who combined talent, charisma, look, professionalism, effort and pride like he did. Truly one of the greatest of all time. If he was around today and 10 years younger, he'd have the world at his feet (and probably be the #2 guy in WWE). I'd like to tell a story about meeting Eddie if you will oblige: I was incredibly lucky to have worked with Eddie in 2002. We booked him on our official company launch which drew over 1700 fans at the IGAC at the UofM. It almost didnt happen. He had worked the previous night for a promotion in Illinois (I believe it was Ian Rotten). Eddie's home base was Florida so the way three-way bookings work is the first promoter (Ian) would fly Eddie from his home in Florida to Illinois, we'd split the Illinois to Winnipeg leg and then we'd fly him home. We asked Ian to make sure Eddie got into Chicago as early as possible after the show because his flight was pretty early the next day. My partner and I went to the airport (this was a Sunday) to meet Eddie. We're waiting downstairs at International arrivals and all the passengers clear but no Eddie. We'd eventually learn this was routine with wrestlers coming through Winnipeg. I receive a phone call on my cell and it's Eddie. He reports customs is hassling him. When we booked Eddie he had previously been arrested on a DUI but the case was before the courts and he expected it to go away. About a week before the show he ended up pleading no-contest. That posed a problem for coming into Canada. Long story short, Customs deemed Eddie a risk to Canada and wouldnt let him in. Because we knew of the DUI, we had spoken to our corporate attorney and received some advice, which amounted to throwing himself on the mercy of the customs agent. I gave Eddie the hard sell about how important he was to the show etc. A few minutes later, a customs agent came out and explained that while Eddie was deemed a risk to Canada, that risk could be assuaged by paying off Customs by getting a special permit (I cant remember how much it was). So we pay that and Eddie comes out looking very, very tired. He explains that after the previous night's show, the promoter basically left him on his own. He managed to get a ride into Chicago from someone on the ring crew but had to wait til he was done tearing down the equipment. He tried several hotels that were all booked due to a convention in town. He eventually just called a friend and slept on his couch for about two hours before he had to go to the airport and come to Winnipeg. Our show was a Sunday and Eddie was flying back to Florida on Monday and then was leaving to Japan on Tuesday morning for a long tour that was very important to him as far as proving to WWE that he was fully beyond his prior issues. So originally he had been reluctant to come to Canada so close to that date. Once he came in, he told me that when Customs was hassling him he was close to just getting back on the plane and going home but my speech to him inspired him to come in and work for us.... For the 24 hours he was with us, he was incredibly nice, kind, professional. Being exhausted, he just wanted to go to the hotel and sleep. We had arranged a telephone interview with local radio and an in-person autograph session and TV interview. He did both without complaint. We had put him up in a hotel close to the University and told him he could rest until close to match time but he insisted on coming down early and being around the boys. He watched several of the matches including a tag team TLC match and joked about having to follow them. He went out and had a great match with a young guy that while good for a young local guy was not nearly in Eddie's league. Eddie even suggested a finish to the match which involved his opponent and his opponent's ally ending up in the 69 position and Eddie frog splashing them both. He asked to address the roster in the post-show meeting and gave a wonderful speech to all the boys. He insisted on attending the after party even though it was very late and was in a bar (Eddie was a recovering addict and didnt drink). He put on a "PCW" shirt and happily took pics with everyone who wanted and politely declined several offers of drinks and shooters. He quietly approached our booker and asked if he'd mind if he made a suggestion on a future match. Eddie offered to come back and work Rey Misterio. Before he left he told me to keep in touch. I drove him to the airport the next day and he was very gracious. His tour of Japan had been a success and rumors sprung up that Misterio was signing with WWE and Eddie might be next. I called Eddie and asked if Rey was still available. He told me to "kayfabe" (ie. keep it a secret) but no, he was no longer available. I asked "what about you" and he paused before saying "It looks like I wont be either". He later called me to recommend Jerry Lynn. As luck would have it, our little promotion ended up being Eddie' last North American appearance before he re-signed with WWE in April 2002. He ended up doing a Ring of Honor show after he had signed with WWE. In fact, I think he was IC Champion when he did ROH as he returned to WWE and immediately won the IC title. It might seem odd to say that a guy we knew for such a brief period made such a huge impact but he really did. When he died, it was heart-breaking to so many members of our roster who had met him. We had a tribute show that was very emotional. Here is a news story from Eddie's Winnipeg appearance: The Honky Tonk Man appears in the news story as well and an amusing footnote is that he was very upset with our booker because he didnt know Eddie was booked. He thought it was unprofessional because our booker had told HTM that he and Brutus were the main event and then booked Eddie. I ended up talking with Honky about it and he was mad that Eddie got paid so much more than him using the logic "is Eddie going to dance? Is Eddie going to sing? No, so why do you pay him more than me". I replied "Because he's Eddie Guerrero and everyone came to see him" (silly reply) and Honky retorted "Oh really, do you have special Eddie Guerrero tickets that people bought that said they were there to see him and not me?" lol Here is the match, Eddie vs Will Damon (dont judge us too harshly, this was 2002!)

Figured this thread was as good a place as any. Rumor has it Slash and Axl are on speaking terms again and now this from Rolling Stone: Rumors of a Guns N' Roses reunion have been swirling for months, but things went semi-nuclear earlier this week when an article on Dish Nation flatly said it was happening and Brandi Glanville, a friend of Duff McKagan's wife, blurted out "Guns N' Roses is coming back, motherfuckers!" in a video interview. Tweets from the official Guns N' Roses account fueled speculation: "Surely they'll read between the lines," "If only they could read lips ...," "Of course today everyone is a jouranlist [sic]" and "What ever happened to no news is good news?" And yesterday, Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe chimed in with his own two cents.

They might if the car drove at them. I might have missed something but was the car moving when they riddled it up with bullets I dont know. Just making a point that the media cant say no gun means the cops committed murder. There are other factors.

I believe it was Lowry between Stafford and Thorburn. Burmi with Petan and Copp. I heard 4th line was not good. Thats a young line but Burmi is practically a veteran. I really think they might need to re-evaluate Petan. Maybe they see him developing...maybe the plan is to make him a defensively responsible player before unleashing his offensive skills but it has to be tough for a kid to go from a top line player in junior scoring like crazy to playing 5 minutes a game on the 4th line. If they arent going to play, let it be Thorbun and Peluso with Copp. Or Cormier. Hell, even move Copp to the Moose for awhile. I think the Jets' options for success rely on their young players being good and ofcourse they will have slumps. We have to be patient but realistically, we're pretty weak on the left side as far as scoring goes. Might be time to move Stafford up to 2nd line LW and move Perrault to Lowry/Burmi. I love Ladd but I see Wheeler busting his ass and Little seems to always be making something happen and Ladd just doesnt seem able to keep with with those two guys. How about Ehlers with Little and Wheeler for a few shifts.

Lawless was speculating about Ladd and it bears repeating. He's either hurt or his contract situation is bothering him I'll also add that Wheeler has continued to get better and little too. Ladd isn't a first liner on a great team. We're weak down the left side.

They might if the car drove at them.

I was half listening and jeard Myers name a lot. Good game?

Sorry Brandon. Maybe mod can merge. Yeah it not as black and white as "no gun = murder". But the media has a tendency to make news rather than report news nowadays.

If they lose there are going to be calls for something to change. It's not dire but the issues are pretty clear.

oh well

The wars Obama was going to end?

I agree about Petan. Tough on the 4th line but he has to do something soon or regroup with the moose. Moose need him.

Too old. What the heck has happened to Jeb. Come on man!

Perhaps the idea is to give the 4th line more ice time, which this would seemingly do. Burmi makes them more defensively sound and adds some offensive upside. The fact they think Thorbun will helop the 3rd line offensively might have less to do with Burmi and more to do with style. Thorburn is a more straight ahead player and might create opportunities by force. He's probably easier to play with in that he's more predictable. And does that move Stafford back to the LW?

Gave it its own thread as this is a pretty significant story in Winnipeg. Here's an interesting take from The Black Rod: Wednesday, November 11, 2015 Shooting Mark DiCesare: Did he have a gun? Or was it murder? Manitoba's shiny new office to investigate police shootings has failed its first major test. When 24-year-old Mark DiCesare was surrounded by a veritable army of gun-toting police officers and blasted to eternity in an empty field in River Heights, the public wanted an answer to one, and only one, question. One. Count 'em. One. Did he have a gun? That's it. That's what everybody who heard the shocking news wanted to know. Did he have a gun? Once people knew the answer to that simple question, they could debate the need to shoot but at the same time would let the investigation take its course. "A police source" told the Winnipeg Free Press on Friday, Nov. 6, the day DiCesare was killed by Winnipeg police, that he did have a gun. And CJOB reported that "Brendan", who goes by one name like Madonna, also saw DiCesare with a gun, a "large" one. Yet, since the day police unloaded their deadly weapons, they've been strangely reticent when it comes to discussing a gun in the possession of the man they killed. Deputy Chief Danny Smyth held a news conference Saturday where he obliquely said that DiCesare was shot by five Winnipeg police officers. “Five officers have been identified as directly involved officers. What that means is that they were involved in the lethal-force encounter at the standoff in the field,” he said, hiding his meaning behind as much bafflegab as he could. But, according to the Winnipeg Sun, "Although witnesses say they saw Dicesare waving a gun, Smyth could not confirm that either." The Winnipeg Free Press put it more succinctly: "Smyth would not say how many shots were fired in total or whether a gun was seen by officers before or during the confrontation because it is part of the IIU investigation." And Zane Tessler, executive director of the bravely-named Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, cautioned the public not to expect quick answers. "There is a fine balance between the desire for expediency and the expectation for thoroughness," he said. In short, I've got nothing to say about a gun. Which is extremely troubling. For, you see, the last time police killed a man, in September, not so long ago, Tessler, a former Crown attorney, tried the same stonewall tactic. But less than 24 hours later, he changed his mind. As reported by CBC: Shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. Sunday near intersection of Highway 59 and Kirkness CBC News Posted: Sep 21, 2015 4:56 AM ... "[Officers] conducted a stop of that vehicle and then dealt with the occupant," said Tessler. "Moments later officers were required to use their service weapons and discharge their firearms … can't confirm whether or not the driver of the van did have a weapon on his person." Tessler later clarified a weapon that didn't belong to police was found at the scene, but he could not confirm if it had been fired. So, in September, Tessler quickly confirmed that the man killed by police had a gun in his possession, regardless of how convolutedly he tried to phrase it. He flip-flopped probably because news photos showed the gun on the highway near the scene of the shooting. Now, four days after the fact, Tessler tries to dampen discussion about a gun. That's not good. In fact, that's very, very bad. Because that's starting to look like there was no gun. And if Mark DiCesare had no gun, then five Winnipeg police officers should now be under investigation for second degree murder. Tessler is not a Crown attorney any longer. If he has evidence that five Winnipeg police officer shot an unarmed man to death in an empty field he has to turn the matter over to the provincial prosecutions branch. The five must then be treated like murder suspects and read their rights, not given a group hug by police and IIU officials. Everything about this case reeks. 39 police cars involved in a car chase? When was the last time you heard of 39 police cars chasing a suspect in Winnipeg. Start with NEVER. And why were they chasing him? The story has mutated almost daily. * Friday night CTV reported the chase started as the result of a tip. * Then it became a female driver who saw a man in a car waving a gun. * Then the female driver became a female police officer whose attention was drawn to erratic driving. * Then it was a man sticking his head out of the sun roof on his car and brandishing a large gun. (If he had his head out the sunroof, does that mean his was driving standing up, steering with his knees, maybe?) * Then it became a female police officer who noticed unexplained "erratic behaviour." There's no question that there was a police chase. Two, actually, given that the driver of the Audi lost police the first time they tried to stop him. The car wound up in an empty field. It would take one second to see whether the car actually drove over a spike belt. News photos show the car was boxed in tight. The driver couldn't go forward or backward, and couldn't get out the driver's side door as police vehicles blocked him everywhere. His only egress was out the right passenger door, into the killing zone, a small box of empty space zeroed in by armed police. Then there was a lengthy lull, estimated at 20 to 30 minutes by witnesses, more than enough time to bring in a police dog. "It ended when Mr. DiCesare took action and officers responded with lethal force." said Deputy Chief Danny Smyth, whateve that means. We don't know what DiCesare did. We know what police did. At least five officers fired a volley of shots. You can count 12 in DiCesare's car. Two shots blew out the window of a police car.One shot went through DiCesare's car windows and wound up who knows where. How many 40-calibre bullets hit DiCesare we don't know. This wasn't in an alley in the dark of night. It wasn't in a scary dark rooming house. The shooting took place in broad daylight in the early afternoon. It happened at least 20 minutes after the end of a wild police chase straight out of the Blues Brothers movie. The suspect wasn't threatening anybody; he was in an empty field. He wasn't going anywhere; he was surrounded by more than a dozen police cars and at least 25 armed police officers, one step in any direction and he would have been tackled by a dozen uniformed men, and maybe women. Even if he pulled a gun, he would have been instantly shot be police behind and to his side. If he had a gun. If he didn't, we're looking at potentially the worst police scandal since the murder of Paul Clear in 1981 by two active-duty policemen. The public demands an answer to a simple question, not systemic stonewalling by the police department and their alleged watchdog.

Gordon Sinclair makes me want to gag Wrestling with his demons Eadie makes confession after drunk-tank incident $columnist.title By: Gordon Sinclair Jr. Posted: 11/12/2015 3:00 AM | Last Modified: 11/12/2015 8:10 AM | Updates | Comments: 48 City Coun. Ross Eadie, who sits on the police board, speaks to Gordon Sinclair Jr. about being taken to the drunk tank last weekend. He revealed it wasn't the first time his drinking sparked police action. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS City Coun. Ross Eadie, who sits on the police board, speaks to Gordon Sinclair Jr. about being taken to the drunk tank last weekend. He revealed it wasn't the first time his drinking sparked police action. Purchase Photo Print There's always more to a story. Especially a news story in which a politician decides it's in his self-interest to add details that had been withheld. So it was that Tuesday morning Mayor Brian Bowman -- out of concern, no doubt, about how his police service was looking in the media -- finally loosened his self-knotted gag and not only told reporters why a senior police officer called him Saturday to report a city councillor was taken to the drunk tank over the weekend, but revealed the identity of that senior officer. The mayor said Chief Devon Clunis made the call out of concern for the legally blind Ross Eadie, who happens to be a member of the police board that oversees the Winnipeg Police Service. By the time the mayor could round up one of his staff to get to the Main Street Project, Eadie was not only sober, he was gone. It was between 10 and 10:30 a.m., according to what Eadie would tell me later, when a homeless man beat the mayor's staffer to it and helped guide the man he saw leaving the drunk tank who was wearing sunglasses and carrying a long, fold-up cane. Eadie, grateful for the gesture, got the man's name. He caught a bus home thinking the story would end there. As it had last autumn when... Well, I'll let him explain it in his own words. Those words and others that add even more to the story. As only seeing public figures in a human way can. We met near city hall over a late lunch. Earlier in the day, Eadie had met in his office with Clunis and Deputy Chief Art Stannard, who walked from the Public Safety Building to explain the call had been made out of concern, not malice, and to offer details about what happened early Saturday morning. Details such as how, after a friend saw Eadie get into a taxi meant to take him home, police were called when the driver didn't know where to take him. Officers tried to find a friend's place before finally dropping him at the Main Street Project. "I live alone," Eadie wrote in a letter of apology Monday. Alone in the North End where he grew up, much of which he now represents at city hall in his Mynarski ward. 'I can sit down and have a beer, socialize. But there are days when you're going to party, right? And the point is at what point do you stop partying?' -- Coun. Ross Eadie What wasn't mentioned is Eadie and his wife are separated. So taking him home wasn't an option for police -- whom he reportedly verbally abused in his drunken state -- or for the cabbie. The apology was written after the Free Press broke the story of the drunken incident involving Eadie. "I don't know who called," Eadie said over lunch. "Maybe it was a police officer who was really pissed off at me," Eadie said with a laugh that quickly trailed off into these words: "I just want it over." But it's not over. Eadie could lose his position on the police board, which would be a blow to him and maybe even the police. He said he gets along well with Clunis. "I'm a big supporter. I love the direction he's going." But while Eadie likes Clunis, he said he has become closer with Stannard. Which prompted me to ask if Clunis, who's a former police chaplain, and Stannard had asked if he's getting any help for the depression he alluded to in his letter of apology, or for his drinking. "I've talked to Art," he said. Then Eadie surprised me with a confession. Or at least the beginning of one. "This happened to me last year. Around this time of year." 'Fall has never been good for me' "What did?" I asked. At first he shied away from answering directly. "Fall has never been good for me," he said. It was in the fall, he explained, at Thanksgiving, when he left a home where his parents were fighting and drinking, and ran to the street. He would end up briefly in a foster home and in the Manitoba Youth Centre for breaking into a laundromat coin box to support himself. By then, Eadie, who was bullied as a youngster, was already blind in one eye. He was only nine when someone threw a tree branch at him that struck his right eye. By the fall of 1984, at age 24, he had lost the sight in the other eye during a drunken house party when he was sucker-punched. "And my prescription glasses shattered into my left eye. So, I'm touchy." Eadie knew he would be blind for life. He remembers an ER physician trying to calm him down. He punched the doctor in the stomach. "I don't like being confined," Eadie said. He thinks that's probably why he was so disruptive with police last weekend. That and his being so drunk he can't remember what happened. It was drinking that helped him cope with being blinded. He drank for two years after he lost the sight in his second eye. Until he was tired of going nowhere and decided to go back to school. In the fall, that terrible time of the year for Eddie. Which brings us back to the rest of his confession about what happened last fall that resulted in Eadie sharing personal matters with his police pal of sorts, Stannard. "Art and I had a discussion," Eadie said. "I was taken to my girlfriend's last year." "By the police?" I asked. "Yeah." "Because you were drunk somewhere?" "But," he responded, "I wasn't as drunk as I was this time." Eadie said it's police protocol to drive someone to a safe place if they're intoxicated. Obviously, that incident was kept quiet. Maybe because Eadie went more quietly and gratefully at the time. Eadie had ordered a glass of Riesling for lunch, which as we wrapped up two hours later he still hadn't finished. I told him I was concerned about him and asked if he would look for help with his drinking. This was his best answer. "I can sit down and have a beer, socialize. But there are days when you're going to party, right? And the point is at what point do you stop partying?... So I just have to refrain from that sort of thing." He said something else about last weekend. "I should have just went home." But there was no one there. Which reminds me. Remember the homeless man who helped guide him out of the Main Street Project? Eadie gave the guy his card and, if the landlord approves, the homeless man won't be homeless anymore. And Ross Eadie won't live alone anymore.

lol Well, it makes the 4th line better!

@WiebeSunSports: #NHLJets HC Paul Maurice has been added to Team Europe staff as an assistant coach under 'Toban Ralph Krueger for 2016 World Cup of Hockey

@reporterchris: The #flames acquire goalie Kevin Poulin from #TBLightning and assign him to AHL. @reporterchris: The #flames acquire goalie Kevin Poulin from #TBLightning and assign him to AHL.

I didn't hear but historically Maurice platoons Peluso or Petan depending on the size and speed of the opposition up next. I know that much but the tial end I heard was him saying he wanted more speed on the 3rd line "with Lowry and Stafford".

When Vince panics he goes back to what he knows - big, lumbering giants. There has been speculation that he sees Strowman as a suitable opponant for Undertaker at WrestleMania, if you can believe it. So this *was* the WM plan. Hunter & Steph vs Rock and Rousey, switched to Hunter vs Rock, switched to Hunter vs Rollins. Roman vs Cena Undertaker vs Brock (moved to HiaC) Then supposedly, Cena vs Undertaker and Roman vs Brock. As of this week, everything is up in the air. They were relying on Rock (and hopefully Ronda) to be the big draw but Ronda is not available and Rocky is having insurance issues. Not to mention I dont see Hunter vs Rock as a major draw. If its me, I turn Roman heel and I bring back Bryan at the RR to win and you tell the story of him being almost forced to retuire and being one bad bump away from being finished for good. Bryan goes on to win the title at WM. (also works with Brock as champion vs Bryan, leaving Roman to work Cena or possibly Hunter and Cena vs Taker).