Monday

Pssst! Hey Buddy! Yeah...you. Wanna know a secret? The VALOUR-IT fund raising deadline has been slipped 24 hours to include all of today. But don't tell anyone, just slip over to that "Donate" button on the right and...ya know... HIT IT! That way we can maybe be a lil less embarrassed and fulfill half our goal, like the Ground-Pounders and Jarheads have done. If you help, of course.

A Cold War Secret…Revealed. In today’s NYT:

He had all-American cover: born in Iowa, college in Manhattan, Army buddies with whom he played baseball.

George Koval also had a secret. During World War II, he was a top Soviet spy, code named Delmar and trained by Stalin’s ruthless bureau of military intelligence.

Atomic spies are old stuff. But historians say Dr. Koval, who died in his 90s last year in Moscow and whose name is just coming to light publicly, was probably one of the most important spies of the 20th century.

On Nov. 2, the Kremlin startled Western scholars by announcing that President Vladimir V. Putin had posthumously given the highest Russian award to a Soviet agent who penetrated the Manhattan Project to build the atom bomb.

Dr. Koval might have been born in the USA, but he was Soviet/Russian to his core. And he did a lot of damage. No message here, other than the fact the article is an interesting read from a bygone era.

And while we’re in the NYT, here’s a comment to an entirely lackluster editorial bemoaning the care provided to our returning veterans:

The best way I feel you can thank me as a combat veteran is not simple. It is not "benefits for life;" How does that thank our Heroes who are no longer alive to enjoy those benefits? The best way to say "thank you" is to answer the call of duty yourself and thus reduce the load I and especially those 22 year old Heroes who have returned to War three or more times face. Hard fact to acknowledge that we have Americans who only know War in their young adulthood. God Bless them! I do appreciate the little benefits we have as veterans, and I appreciate the "Thank-you's" and I appreciate the kind woman buying me coffee at Starbucks on the Jersey Turnpike, but there is more that Americans can do for their country. Just please give that some thought. Thank you.

— Scott, Florida

The emphasis is mine, and I agree with Scott in Florida. More to the point, Middle and Upper-Class America: change your mindset and encourage your sons and daughters to serve. You know, like your parents and grandparents did. Actions DO speak louder than words. They always have.

More of this, please:

At "Hockey 'n Heels" night, 88 women joined a behind-the-scenes tour of the arena, and talked about the challenges of being a female fan after a panel discussion with local media personalities. Many of the women heard about the event from announcements before other Penguins' games or on the Penguins' Web site. The $130 ticket included a meal and box seats for last night's game. Sarah Swartz, marketing coordinator for the Penguins, said the team wanted to reach an untapped market.

[…]

The break down for season ticket holders is now 50-50 men to women, she said. Swartz said the overwhelming response to the first "Hockey 'n Heels" event will lead to many more; there's "something in the works" to make the event even bigger, she said.

It’s the 50-50 season ticket holder bit that surprised me. Other than that? Not so much. After all, I’ve been to waaaay more than a few Wings games, and the women fans in Detroit are legion...as in: numerous. And vocal. The women fans I’ve known know their hockey. And lemmee tell ya sumthin: women hockey fans are HOT. Especially the Deetroit variety; case in point to the right. That’s probably true elsewhere, as well, but I have…um…an affinity for gals wearing Winged Wheel jerseys. Shared interests and all that.

Speaking of Deetroit…and the Wings…here’s Bill Clement, former NHL’er and hockey analyst for Versus and NBC, writing at MS-NBC:

Count on the Red Wings making a 17th straight playoff appearance as this team is driven to win its first Stanley Cup since 2002. And come June they certainly could be living that dream.

Detroit, which broke from the gate by winning 12 of its first 15 games, has the right pieces in the right places. The Red Wings don't fear any opponent, and if the playoffs started today they could beat any team. On coach Mike Babcock's roster are the best all-around forward and best defenseman in the game plus a whole lot of other talent.

Clement knows from whence he speaks, seeing as how he has a couple of championship rings from the Broad Street Bullies days. And I’d sure like to see ol’ Billy’s speculation come true. We missed the Cup last year by just this much (Visualize my thumb and index finger millimeters apart). I think the Wings might be hungry enough this year to win it all. That happens when you get close. Let’s hope they stay healthy, which is probably the longest pole in any team’s play-off tent. We’ve got a long way to go until May/June...but we're off to a brilliant start!