by GABRIEL MORENCY

We are now nearly two months into the National Hockey League lockout and unfortunately for puck-heads across North America there is no end in sight. There are no games being played, but Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman have employed a neutral zone trap in logical thinking that would make Jacques Lemaire proud. Both sides are obviously waiting for Bob McKenzie and Pierre McGuire to solve the problem, as TSN has put more thought and effort into resolving the situation than either the league or union has. There are only so many times you can run Canada Cup games from years past before even Liam McGuire has had enough.

He's not alone. Third- and fourth-liners across the league are quickly realizing this is not about them or, as the union heads say, "about the guys before us." If it really is about the guys before them, then why would respected Hall of Famers such as Mike Bossy and Guy Lafleur tell them to take the money and shut the hell up? You don't have to be Pierre Dagenais to realize that life has gone on for the league's owners, who have an average wealth of over $500-million each and are in no rush to be once again extorted by the players' union. With more than a quarter of the league's players skating overseas and, as Sheldon Souray recently said, "loving it," and another quarter under contract to AHL teams, the only ones who are desperate to get a deal done are the fourth-liners and Canadian television networks whose bread and butter is the NHL.

When you think about it, why would Patrice Brisebois be in a hurry to come back from Switzerland? The money is good, there's no media scrutiny and best of all, this is as far as he has been into a season without being booed!

Slam Punks

You know that another National Basketball Association season has started when a Portland Trail Blazer gets arrested. This year, Jailblazer forward Qyntel Woods couldn't wait for the season to start and got picked up on animal abuse charges for participating in pit-bull fighting. He'll miss the first five games of the year because of a failed drug test last year, but that's another story. Throw in Kobe "It Was Consensual" Bryant and Jayson "The Rifleman" Williams and his attempted comeback after being involved in the shooting deaths of both his limousine driver and his dog and it would be naïve to believe that the league's biggest problem is its superstars demanding to be traded, as commissioner David Stern recently stated.

The real problem is that today's players are better shooters off the court than they are on it. The only "defence" they understand is their lawyers' in a court of law. With today's players coming into the league straight out of high school, the game has been left void of any fundamental skills. More than half the league's players wouldn't be able to hit an open 10-footer if a weekend in Vegas with Beyoncé was on the line.

At least Shaquille O'Neal is doing what he can to improve the league's image by joining the Miami Police Department and will be walking the beat when the season is done. Kobe better keep his nose clean!

Random Rage

The Concordia Stingers men's basketball team could be the city's best kept secret, as they are playing a brand of ball that is normally only seen south of the border. At last month's Nike Invitational the Stingers took the Virginia Cavaliers to the wire before beating the University of New Hampshire.

The Alouettes are off until Nov. 14 and are awaiting the winner of Friday's game between the Ti-Cats and Argonauts, but that doesn't mean there is no football being played this weekend. There's CIAU action as the Carabins de Montréal host the McGill Redmen on Saturday. The Carabins are 8-0 and are in contention for a national championship in just their third year of play. n

Pigskin Prognosticator

Friday, Nov. 5
Hamilton (+7) at Toronto: Toronto
Sunday, Nov. 7
Saskatchewan (+4.5) at Edmonton: Saskatchewan
Houston (+6.5) at Denver: Houston
New Orleans (+6) at San Diego: New Orleans
New England (-3) at St. Louis: St. Louis
Monday, Nov. 8
Minnesota (+7) at Indianapolis: Minnesota
Morency's season record: 13-8

Shameless Plug

Come celebrate Sports Rage's second anniversary at the Père Gédéon (6615 Côte-de-Liesse), Thursday, Nov. 4, 10 p.m.

Sports Rage with Gabriel Morency is vented weeknights 11 p.m.-2 a.m. on TEAM 990 AM. This column appears bi-weekly. Comments: sportsrage@team990.com