I saw it twice, and am having a hard time liking it. 

It just didn't "feel" like Star Wars. I sorely missed the opening crawl and music. The way the planets were labeled on the screen was weird. The cameos seemed forced (e.g., Evazan, Threepio and Artoo). Vader looked weird and walked differently, like he almost had a hop in his step. Vader's "castle" seemed like something from Batman, complete with butler. The score was underwhelming and forgettable. Leia was completely wrong at the end and unnecessary. She seemed too gleeful when she answered that the plans were "hope." Plus, she looked too CGI. I would have preferred just showing her silhouette from behind, since we ALL know what ship that is and who's on it. When Vader starts cutting up the rebels, I found that also unnecessary. He would just have his troopers board the ship ahead of him and shoot the rebels, like at the beginning of ANH. The characters were okay, but forgettable. Cassian was hard to understand and seemed kind of like a jerk. He and Jyn embracing and almost kissing at the end was dumb and forced. I wanted more Galen Erso. He seemed like the most interesting character. What's the big deal about the Death Troopers? Black with different helmets, but still inept.

But I did like some things. Even though he was CGI, Tarkin was great. He is so integral to the first Death Star, that he was necessary for this movie. I like also that he essentially just steals the DS from Crennic. The battle in space at the end was excellent. I really enjoyed that part. Jedha was cool, but I wanted SO much more of it. The ships were great; TIE Strikers, U-Wings, etc.

I'd suggest taking a look at the Kodak camcorders. I have a Kodak PlayTouch and my wife has a PlaySport. Both are HD camcorders, but also 5MP still cameras. They easily fit in your pocket, and the video and still pic quality is great.

Setoguchi is a great pickup for the Wild, and the Sharks will miss him (hopefully not too much). However, Burns is a much-needed asset for the Sharks. Good trade for both teams.

There was no choke. Choking is when you lose to an inferior team or miserably fail to play up to your potential. The Canucks are a better team than the Sharks and SJ gave them all they could handle.

Seriously, I'm a little tired of this choker talk. All teams have had their fair share of choking in the playoffs. The Sharks have been good in the regular season for several years, yet whenever they don't win the Cup, they're labeled as chokers. They've only been around for 20 years, for crying out loud. The Canucks have been around for 40 and have never won the Cup, and until last year, it'd been nearly 50 years since Chicago had sniffed the Cup. I think the Blues and Caps, as well as some others have never won a Cup, either. Each year, the Sharks entertain and give fans hope in the playoffs.

I have no regrets about the Sharks' season. I'm just sad that's over already and now have to wait months for the season to begin again.

Yeah, Eager sort of went overboard, to say the least. I think Marleau started everything by trying to pick a fight with Bieksa, and then getting his face familiarized with Bieksa's fist. Marleau's NOT a fighter, but I think he was trying to get his team going. Instead, Eager took it upon himself to be personally offended that anyone would touch the delicate flower that Marleau is. 

But...

As a Sharks homer, I can't help but try to rationalize it all. They were losing 3-2 and playing a little flat. Marleau's been maligned by everyone for not being tough enough. Eager's been there before and he's a big presence on the ice (for good or bad). The Sharks need something to light a fire under them. If it takes Eager to get them going, then so be it; however, if it's just going to result in penalties then they need to rethink. It goes without saying that if the Sharks lose Friday, they're toast, but if they come out invigorated, then I might tend to think Eager's outburst was the catalyst.

Game 7 should be a classic. If I were a betting man, I'd probably put straight-up money on SJ, though I won't be surprised at all if Detroit wins. I do believe that beyond the scope of the playoffs, this game is a lot more important for San Jose than Detroit.

Go Sharks!

Lee signs with Phillies for five years, $120 million.

All those "experts" that were crowning Boston as the team to beat now need to rewrite their columns. The Phillies' rotation is now probably the best rotation...ever. Barring some weird injury or tragedy, I don't see how Philadelphia can NOT win the Series in 2011.

And I've got to give it up to Lee. Instead of just taking the money, he went where he had the best shot at winning a title. Though with $120 million, he's not exactly suffering.

As a Giants fan, though, this signing scares the hell out of me. But good job, Phillies.

I guess 7 is the lucky number. Werth, Crawford and (supposedly) Lee all getting enormous 7-year deals. Crazy. Lee might be the only one worth the money, but 7 years for a pitcher is risky business. The Werth deal was the craziest. The BoSox seem a little panicky, though. The Nats just seem desperate...almost Mets-like. Can't wait for the season to see where it all leads.