Are you ready for some.... hockey??

Hockey's back. Deal with it.

I know all you football fans are licking your chops for the start of the season. And the baseball pennant races are approaching. You want to sneak a peak at the U.S. Open. Even the RNC is a distraction.

So who's got time for hockey? Well, I do. So should you. Not just because hockey won't be around much longer (if you listen to the doomsday hypnotists who would like us to believe the NHL won't survive another lockout), but because this is a great tournament. The NHL's best players will gather to represent their countries after a full two months off, meaning they are fresh and ready to play at their dominant best.

It may be tough to top the thrilling 1996 World Cup, which was the best hockey anyone had seen since the 80s-era Canada Cups. But when you envision a Canadian line of Mario Lemieux, Jarome Iginla and Vincent Lecavalier, or an American defense pairing of Brian Leetch and Brian Rafalski, or a goalie rotation of Brodeur, Theodore, and Luongo, you know you're in for some exciting stuff.

Here's a look at the top teams and their chances to win:

USA: The U.S. won the World Cup in '96, the last time the tournament was held. But it's been eight long years since then. Absent are MVP goalie Mike Richter and defensive standouts Phil Housley and Derian Hatcher. The forwards group looks different, too. John Leclair has been replaced by Bill Guerin. Pat LaFontaine is out; Scott Gomez is in. Joel Otto is long gone; Jeff Halpern and Jason Blake will try to fill roles as fourth-liners.

The U.S. still has plenty of superstars, but its question marks in net are troubling. Will Robert Esche emerge as the next great American goaltender? Will Rick DiPietro, the former No. 1 pick get a shot? If the last World Cup is any indication, one of those two men will have to be spectacular for the U.S. to have a shot.

Canada: Eight years ago, it was a talented, young USA squad that beat the fearsome, grizzled Canadians. This time around, the roles are reversed. Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis inject a youthful enthusiasm to this year's Team Canada, which already has Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, and Joe Thornton up front. With a fortress named Brodeur in goal and the best defensive depth in the tournament, the Canucks have to be considered the odds-on favorites to win. Call it a huge upset if they aren't in the final.

Sweden: Still trying to recover after a shocking quarterfinal loss to Belarus in the 2002 Olympics. Goaltending is the biggest albatross here: Tommy Salo was in goal when Vladimir Kopat's 70-foot slapper gave Belarus the stunning Olympic win, and his backups are unproven. Salo will have to be the man for Sweden to make a run.

On the plus side, the Swedes play a speedy, puck-moving style that should make it easy for them to assimilate and at least achieve a semifinal appearance. Mats Sundin, Markus Naslund, and Peter Forsberg are the stars up front. Nicklas Lidstrom and Mattias Norstrom will anchor the defense. With the right mix of goaltending and scoring, this team would not be a long shot for a title.

Russia: The traditional favorites have struggled on an international level, mainly due to a lack of top goaltenders. This time around will be no different. Superstar Stanley Cup winner Nikolai Khabibulin quit over the team's "lack of prepartion," leaving minor leaguer Ilya Bryzgalov as the leading man in net. The forwards are a dangerous combination of skill and slickness; the defense nicely stocked with NHL-caliber stars and role players. But the Russians will have to catch fire and score in buckets or they may be in for a short tournament.

Czech Republic: They proved in the '98 Olympics that you can win with lots of goaltending and no offense. That may not necessarily be the motto this time around. The Czechs have Roman Cechmanek and Thomas Vokoun manning the pipes, both of whom could carry the team if they get hot. Up front, Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias, Milan Hejduk, and Martin Havlat lead a dangerous group of forwards. The defense is solid as usual, with Roman Hamrlik, Tomas Kaberle, and emerging power play quarterback Marek Zidlicky leading a diverse and talented blueline corps. Don't be surprised if they end up playing for a championship.

The rest: Finland's top star, Teemu Selanne, may be on the down side of his career. They'll need a strong effort from rising star Olli Jokinen and a herculean effort from Flames star goalie Miikaa Kiprusoff.

Slovakia has a scary group of forwards but no reliable goaltending option and a suspect defense.

Germany has NHL star Olie Kolzig in net, but lack the firepower up front to create havoc against the world's best.

Predictions:
1. Canada
2. Czech Republic
3. USA
4. Sweden
5. Finland
6. Russia
7. Slovakia
8. Germany

E-mail Mike at michael.casey@newsday.com.

Go home, Mario

A little advice for Spanish men's basketball coach Mario Pesquera: Go home -- nobody likes a sore loser.

Pesquera embarrassed himself, his team, and his country by demonstrably confronting first the referees, and then U.S. coach Larry Brown, after his team played valiantly in a 102-94 loss to the Americans Thursday.

He only made things worse by later accusing Brown, one of the classiest coaches in the NBA, of showboating by calling a late timeout with the game out of reach. If Brown wanted to embarrass the Spaniards, he could have called over Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, and the rest of the team, and told them to play like they did in their first five games. The embarrassment would have been Pesquera standing on the podium, praising his team's upset over the Mighty Americans, who only yesterday showed the All-Star form we've come to expect from them.

Pesquera also moaned that "the game was played under NBA rules, not FIBA rules." Clearly Mario was not watching today's game, nor has he paid attention to any of Team USA's previous matches, which were officiated in such a bizarre manner, it's been impossible to predict whether even the most flagrant fouls will be called.

Mario cried, "The Americans have played to 40 percent of their capacity in two of their games. I think it’s very strange to take part in a competition that rewards teams that lose." I guess we're supposed to believe that, because his Spanish squad won all five of their preliminary games, they were the better team. But if the roles were reversed, would Pesquera be decrying the tournament set-up, or hailing his win as an upset of the great Dream Team?

The only thing Pesquera's team proved is that they could not stop a more talented, better-motivated U.S. basketball team. But it's OKAY, Mario! It's happened since NBA players were first admitted to the Olympics! It's nothing to be embarrassed about! Lose gracefully and move on.

Perhaps Pesquera's real frustration was that he didn't have his players mentally prepared to face a stronger American team. Perhaps he was concerned about his own job, which he will hopefully lose after today's loss and his subsequent temper tantrum.

Either way, the Olympics are better off without him. The last thing Athens needs is another whimpering bridesmaid.

E-mail Mike at michael.casey@newsday.com

Sometimes you don't catch the fever...

I don't have Olympic fever, particuarly.

I have some sunburn from last week's vacation, but I wouldn't consider myself Olympically savvy at the moment.

Sure, I've watched a few U.S. basketball games, caught a few swim meets, watched a few minutes of the ladies' and men's gymnastics. But I haven't exactly caught the sickness yet.

It's sort of a bizarre thing. Every year, the Olympics begin, and among average sports fans, it's barely even on the radar. You might watch a few minutes of the opening ceremonies -- but c'mon, what else are you really doing besides seeing if there are any cute Aussie athletes this year?

Ahem... Anyway, a strange thing happens. You are sitting there, with nothing else on except for Law & Order re-runs, and you flip on the Olympics. You watch. And you watch some more. Pretty soon, you start to care. Suddenly, gymnastics, beach volleyball, wrestling, judo -- they all start to mean something to you, against your will, almost. You identify with the athletes and want them to bring home the gold. You see the looks on their faces, watch their lips sing the anthem, and it stirs something inside you that makes you glad you watched. It almost never fails.

Of course, the only time it does fail is when you read the papers, skip the TV watching. You find out what happened the next day; you don't get wrapped up. There is no drama. There is no hope of watching Michael Phelps do the impossible. You don't see Paul Hamm rejoice as he discovers his miraculous victory. You don't stay glued to the set, watching a flawed group of U.S. basketball players try to live up to the standards set by Jordan, Magic, Bird and the Admiral.

The fever never catches you.

But you see. You know what you are missing. People around you chat energetically about Hamm, the Dream Team, Phelps. And you somehow feel less American because you don't watch. You think to yourself, I need to watch. I need to be involved. I need to help my country. It's patriotism run amuck, but it's ok. It's fun. It's sports. It's the Olympics. That's why we love 'em. They make us care.

E-mail Mike at michael.casey@newsday.com.

Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges

All we heard during the lead up to the Olympics was how safe they were going to be. In this time of war and terrorism blah blah blah.

Then I’m watching the Iraqi soccer team play Costa Rica. The Iraqis score and their fans run from the stands, onto the field and kiss the players. What kind of security is that? Is Morganna there too? Can you imagine her running onto the floor exercise to give the Hamm bothers a peck on the cheek?

It gets worse.

Yesterday, during the diving competition, a Canadian man, dressed in a diving hood, tutu and leggings, makes it all the way to the top of the diving board and proceeds to do a belly flop into the pool. Are you kidding me! He had a tutu on and nobody stopped him. Yesterday in Florida police used a tazer to stop a guy from going into his own neighborhood, which was half destroyed by a hurricane. Now that’s security.

I'm beginning to think that Athens may not be the safest place in the world. Maybe Kobe and Shaq were right when they stayed home due to ‘safety concerns.’ The good news is that terrorists seem to like a challenge, so if tutu-guy can skip into the Olympics maybe they won’t bother.

Dear Mr. Fantasy

It's that time of year. Fantasy football leagues are starting up again, which means that people all across the nation are gearing up for another season of trash talking and commitment-shirking.

New players can rest assured that they are in for a long season of cursing themselves over bad draft picks and wondering why their Jerry Rice selection in the fifth round didn't pan out.

It can be difficult for these fresh fish to make a splash in a league of established pros, but since I'm a charitable guy who likes to see the underdog slap around the cocky favorite every now and then, I have put together these rules of fantasy football:

1) Pay attention. If you don't log on to check your team at least two or three times a week, you're done. Trades and waiver moves happen every day, and you have got to be alert enough to take advantage when Dope McGuirk drops Marvin Harrison two weeks into the season.

2) Draft smart. If your league only has one slot for quarterbacks, it doesn't make any sense to have both Donovan McNabb and Peyton Manning, does it? Grab a top running back early, a couple of solid receivers, and try to get a premiere tight end (Shockey, Gonzalez, Heap). Quarterback is probably the deepest position. You can still get a very reliable QB even if you wait five or six rounds.

3) Find "your guys." As the season goes on, take note of which players are consistent performers, not just on your team but other teams as well. Look for guys who put up big numbers every week and don't fumble often or throw lots of interceptions. If you can find players like this who aren't superstars, even better. In future drafts, you should be able to grab them in late rounds. Plug them into your lineup and watch other managers fade into the distance.

4) Identify the weak link. Every league has one or two. These are generally teams run by 3rd graders who will trade you Michael Vick as long as you offer them a couple guys from their favorite team. If you're lucky, the deal you agree on will look just good enough to be approved by the league. Identifying and exploiting the bad teams in your league can turn a good squad into a great one.

5) Remember... Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. Use your free time to periodically check whether any starting QBs or RBs got seriously injured. If so, pounce on their replacements. Some of the best fantasy players in recent years have been backups who emerged after teammates went down (Kurt Warner and Tom Brady are prime examples).

Now that you've learned everything I have to tell you, I have only one request: Stay out of my league.

E-mail me at presspass@newsday.com

Our happy recap

I've been a Mets fan for as long as I can remember, which means that Bob Murphy was the only Mets voice I ever knew. That's not especially meaningful, until you consider there are people 25 years my senior could easily say the same thing.

When I flipped on the radio today and heard of Murphy's death, I felt a collective sigh from the baseball fans of New York. Mets or Yankees, you had to love him.

As much as I'd like be the one to eulogize Murph, I think that's best left to my colleagues at Newsday, who can speak more eloquently and comprehensively about what he meant to baseball, the Mets, and New York. Instead, I'd like to share with you, as a fan, some of my all-time favorite "Murphisms." I hope you'll enjoy them along with me.

5. The mishaps. One of the most lovable things about a pretty lovable guy was his on-air blunders. Anyone else remember the time he introduced broadcast partner Ted Robinson as Ted Kennedy? And there was the classic "d-bomb" uttered at the end of a gut-wrenching Mets win in 1990: "And the Mets win the ball game, they win the damn thing on by a score of 10-9!"

Whether it was a cough, a pause, or an occasional name mix-up, Murph's goofs reminded us that he, like the rest of us, was only human.

4. "Hiiiiigh fly ball hit deeeeeep to left field." Murph's voice crescendoed as the ball sailed towards the bleachers. You could hear the fans buzzing in the background. Finally: "Gone! A home run!" It may have been the most understated home run call in baseball. It was also one of the most evocative, and one of the best.

3. "Fasten your seatbelts." Translation: "Uh-oh. It's the top of the ninth, the Mets are up by one, and here comes John Franco against the heart of the order."

With three simple words, Murphy fashioned a tension that could only be replicated by the clenched teeth, sweaty foreheads, and praying hands of TV close-ups. No one called a tight game quite like Murph.

2. "Heeeeeeeee struck hiiiiim out!" No one's really sure why Bob's elongated phrases were so popular, but this was by far the most immitated. Whether it was Tom Terrific, Tug, Doc, Leiter or Franco on the hill, nothing was more satisfying than Murph's exaggerated strikeout call. Of course, those words will always have an exalted place in Mets history, since they described the final pitches in both the 1986 NLCS and World Series.

1. "The happy recap." Was there any doubt? It wasn't a Mets win without Bob's "happy recap." Murph took plenty of knocks for being too much of a homer, but in this respect he was only conveying the joy and excitement each fan felt after another big win.

More from Newsday.com:

'Murph' dead at 79. Read more

Share your memories of Bob Murphy. Click here.

Hear audio clips of some of Murph's calls. Click here.

See photos of Murph through the years. Click here.

We built this city on... ummm..... I forget

Does anyone else not feel particularly sorry for the Mets right now?

The latest in a series of boneheaded deals that have plagued the franchise since its inception brought in underachieving starters Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano, ostensibly to help the Mets' pennant race. Unfortunately, what nearly every Mets fan knew (but Jim Duquette apparently did not) was that the race was already over.

Seven games back and fading fast, the Mets' intrepid GM pulled the trigger anyway, selling off the team's best prospects for a pair of baggage-toting hurlers.

We can only speculate as to Duquette's motivations -- pressure from players, fans, and the media were likely all factors -- but maybe his misguided belief that his team was only a quick fix away from a playoff berth is the most disturbing one. Duquette fired the only bullets left in his holster and in doing so shot the Mets' rebuilding efforts in the foot.

Remember Duquette's promise to build the Mets around youth, pitching, and defense? Let's examine that, shall we?

Youth: David Wright has shown a bit of promise. He has two home runs in 11 games despite a .220 batting average. But the most alarming concern has to be his play in the field, where he's looked a bit overmatched.

Jose Reyes has impressed with his speed; but his fragility remains a major concern until he proves he can last five games without tweaking a leg or an ankle.

The only other youngsters remaining on the Mets' ledger are in the bullpen, and we all know how well they've pitched this year. Grade: C

Pitching: We'll give them a pass here. Duquette has built a talented, if eclectic, staff of arms that should be able to take the Mets deeper into games and squeeze out a few more wins. Of course, that's assuming that Tom Glavine and Al Leiter stay healthy, Zambrano stays in the strike zone, and Benson stays, period.

On the bullpen side, it's a disaster. Mike Stanton has been a bust. John Franco is one or two more bad performances away from retirement (or at least he should be). Braden Looper has been adequate, but his blown save against Florida last month could be pointed to as turning point in the season. The rest of the staff is unreliable and unproven in key situations. Grade: B-

Defense: The gravest miscalculation in the Jim Duquette era has been the signing of Kaz Matsui, a capable hitter who has yet been utterly hopeless as a shortstop. Worse still, Matsui's addition forced the Mets to move slick-fielding Jose Reyes to second, where his range and strong arm are wasted on shorter throws and fewer opportunities.

Mike Cameron has made some spectacular plays in center field this year, but the talk of him challenging Andruw Jones for the Gold Glove awards was clearly overstated. The Mike Piazza experiment has been wobbly at best. Speaking of wobbly, Wright has already made three errors. And Cliff Floyd's aching achilles renders him practically immobile in left field.Grade: D-