Hello New York and everywhere else, I'm Bird and you're in the Birdcage. First the good news. I finally got to the damned Post Office and shipped out the free hats won by readers from the Messier contest. I'm sorry about the delay but it's not easy getting all the things done I need to these days.

Wait....there's more good news.

This past Saturday the Rangers won the second of back to back, home and home games with the Leafs completing the sweep. Those wins came on the heels of a solid win against Ottawa. That Saturday afternoon I was at work and through the magic of XM radio, I was able to tune into the Islanders - Devils game that was broadcast on WFAN in NY. I couldn't help but laugh. I was reminded of the decision by WFAN to drop the NYR broadcasts and now instead carry the Devils games. While I thought it was a bad move by WFAN I did understand what they thought they were doing. Heck, they were looking at a team that was rebuilding and would probably suck for a few years. It's not like the Rangers had created a lot of casual fan interest during the past few seasons so on paper it did look like a good business decision. I mean, Lou and the Devs would thrive in the new NHL with the cap and all.....right?

With each Jagr goal.....with every Lundqvist save the guys over at WFAN have to be scratching their heads. How could they have screwed up so bad? Let's face it, even when the Devils were winning Cups there was little magic in being the flagship station of the Stanley Cup Championship New Jersey Devils. I know this is not that big a deal.....but I just think it's funny, that's all.

During the Olympic break I plan to take some time away from the computer for a little bit. I'll pop in I guess but I'm quite sure that HDH and Leedsy can handle the news without my help and the boards are in good hands with Rocha, Rightbug and Chris. I am however working on another "Free Stuff" thing.

As most of you know, I spent 17 years in the music biz and was lucky enough to work with some great bands over the years. One of my faves is from Aberdeen, Scotland. APB was a trio that had some catchy and funky tunes that club DJs had fun playing to packed dance floors in the 80s. WLIR and other stations played their records and the band came over to the states to play a bunch of shows. I got to host a few of them and each time had a blast. Recently I was contacted by their drummer, George. We had some fun remembering the old days back in NY and Pittsburgh. He also told me that the old recordings were being re-released. I was then put in touch with Iain Slater, the singer and base player. Thinking back on those days is always fun for me.

Anyhow, I have had a chat with the record company and we'll be giving away a few autographed CDs. The details are just now being worked out. Look for some new free stuff in a day or two.

So, sit back and enjoy the Olympics. Let's hope for an injury free tourney. As an American I have to root for the USA squad but we'll be watching Henke for Sweden and the Czech team closely. Canada should medal as they have a powerful team and Russia has as strong a team as they've had in a while. Even the Finns could be tough. There are plenty of Rangers playing in Torino so I'm sure you'll tune in for the games. I'm equally sure that HDH and Leedsy will cover the games although Leedsy may have to deal with a restraining order on account of his Lindsey Lohan addiction.

----}- Bird

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