So here comes the breakdown....

I am sick, I am tired, I am done. I can't take this any more seriously. After finals, I will be so happy to leave this place for a few weeks. Sure, I'll miss my friends, but right now I'm pretty fed up with life here. Of course its stupid shit, and I try really hard not to whine on this thing, but it's hard not to when that is all that I want to do.

Years ago, I promise my self I would never cry over spilled milk, and this past week has really tested me. I don't feel like delving into that anymore so I propose a new topic.


Alright, the first topic I though of is the New York Rangers, players and coach. If you do not like hockey, stop reading now. If you hate the Rangers, you might want to stop. If you love Jagr, never come back to this page again.

Let's get this straight, the Rangers have always been a team compiled over washed up superstars, feisty guys who can't control themselves, and a few young guys that need years more in the minors. That has been the Ranger way, until the salary cap. For you see, franchises that aren't in hockey towns, can't seem to make money. Logically, they should be broken apart, players traded, and assets sold off.

However, I, nor a person with common sense, am not in charge of the NHL, rather Gary Bettman is commissioner of the NHL. Now, I can spend 3 years going on and on about how Gary Bettman has ruined the NHL by trying to turn it into a commercial sport. Changing the rule, keeping teams in cities that have no way of financially supporting a team (let alone a team in a sport that is not important to most Americans), and poor marketing will be Gary Bettman's legacy. This buffoon probably has Maurice "Rocket" Richard rolling in his grave. Oh and to top it all off, Gary Bettman is responsible for the NHL Lock Out, the worst winter of my life.

But right not I'm not worrying about Gary Bettman and the state of the NHL, I'm more worried about my boys. The Rangers have been struggling for the longest time. With Glenn Sather as GM, and Tom Renney as Head Coach, we, I mean they, are in for a few more hellish years. These two men are horrendous. They struggle to put together a cohesive team that is capable of working together. For the longest time, the Rangers had a few great players that knew how to inspire the team (ex. Mark Messier,Wayne Gretzky, Adam Graves, and Brian Leetch); but age eventually caught up to them and retirement was their only option. The Rangers were left with guys, who, in their day were fantastic and could skate circles around other guys, but now could barely fire the puck in the right direction.

In 2004, with bizarre contingencies, Jaromir Jagr was traded from the Washington Capitals to the New York Rangers (yes, I didn't link them because I'm getting lazy.) Unfortunately, his Garden debut was delayed as season thanks to the aforementioned Lock Out. During this time, Tom Renney decided that the best thing for the Rangers was to build the entire team around Jagr. Not the best plan considering Jagr is not the most dependable guy. You see, Jagr knows he is good, and he knows that he is needed. Jagr uses that to his advantage all the time. Constantly throwing tantrums, demanding special treatment, and a few other things made Jagr the diva of the NHL. The man only plays because he has a horrible gambling problem, only aided by the fact that Atlantic City is a 2 hour drive, and Connecticut casinos are not much further away.

But since Tom Renney was in charge, Jagr became the golden boy. Any form of clutch plays involved Jagr, power plays, overtime, and shootouts all had appearances by Queen Jagr. The only problem? He's not aggressive, he won't hit another player, he avoids contact with anyone, and he won't take a shot but won't pass it to another player. There is nothing you can do while on the ice with Jagr. The saddest thing about him? If he actually grew a pair and started to swing, he could do some serious damage. Six feet, six inches with skates, 250 lbs, and a butt that enters the ice 20 minutes after he does? Jagr could really take down some other players. Instead, Queen Jagr tucks in his sweater, skate around everyone (slowly, that butt don't move itself), or even better, refuses to play. When was the last time anyone saw him in a shoot out? Its been months! He tells the press that he's lost his confidence, but thats all bullshit. He knows he can't make those shots, and rather than fessing up to it or practicing, he just whines his way out of it.

And for years now the whole team has been built around him and him only. This was proved at the end of 2005-2006 season when in the first game of the first round of playoffs, Jagr dislocated his should against the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers fell apart. They were unable to compete against the Devils and were swiftly eliminated. Now, I hate the Devils, and I won't deny that they have had some decent teams over the past decade, but that year, the Rangers should have been able to play at their level. Without Jagr, the team didn't know what to do. This pattern has continued until this year.

Jagr's contract is up at the end, and unless he reaches, what is now an unreachable goal, a set amount of points (I think its 84), he will become a free agent. Most people think that he will not reach his needed points, but it really doesn't matter if he doesn't. He becomes a free agent, and he could potentially resign with New York. If this happens, you will hear my screams all over the world. Honestly, he really needs to retire. Get a handle on your gambling so you can manage to live comfortable on roughly $22 million, plus whatever he gets for appearances.

Currently, the Rangers have a fantastic team without him playing. Scott Gomez leads a whole lot of rookies, including Marc Staal and Fredrik Sjostrom, that have so much potential. If the Rangers continue to move in this direction, they could have a team ready for the 2008-2009 season that isn't a laughing stock. Granted, they would have to get rid of more the Jagr, Marek Malik and Petr Prucha need to go as well. Tom Renney and Glen Sather must hace a pact with someone to keep playing these guys for immortality, because they are just as bas as Jagr. Prucha, I was his biggest fan his rookie year. He had so much potential, and more importantly, so much heart, but it clearly wasn't enough to generate momentum to keep him playing at, not even an amazing level, but a decent level.

Now, there's not much I can do about the Rangers tonight, so I think I better head to bed before I think of something else that's wrong with the franchise, and I know I can do it.