When we last got together, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick had yet to do their WWE impersonation, Patrick Carpentier had a job, Jack Sprague's job was with Harvick (my he's had a busy week), and Jimmie Johnson was leading the points coming into this weekend's race at Charlotte... um, Concord... er, Lowe's.  Well, at least one thing has remained constant.

First things first.  This is the second straight year Edwards has had a meltdown in the Chase.  As you'll recall, last year there was the on-camera post-race threatened punch-out of Matt Kenseth.  This year, he's following a masterful job of psyching himself out at Talladega with an even more masterful job of not knowing how to stop apologizing to those who are in no mood to hear any of it.  A simple "you know I also took myself out in that deal, right?" would suffice.

Anyway, this weekend finds the Cupsters and claims jumpers at Lowe's.  No, not the store.  If it were it'd sell nothing but Johnson merchandise, although considering how dominant he's been here over the years it seems that way.  Lowe's is a mile and a half, a length the house of Roush has excelled at over the years.  Then again, so has Johnson.  Those trying to catch him in the Chase can't be feeling all that good about things right now.  As to the prospects of an exciting race, fans can't be feeling all that good about things right now either.  But at least it's a night race.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Generally, the Sharks and opening night go together like disco and music.  Just because words are often found in the neighborhood doesn't mean they form a harmonious convergence.  Last night was a terrific exception.

After a tentative first period by both teams, San Jose put on such a dominating display in the second one would have thought new coach Todd McLellan brought more than only a Detroit-like system with him but for good measure last year's Red Wings decked out in teal.  His philosophy of the defense aggressively pushing play not just into but in the other team's zone worked to near perfection, the puck almost never leaving Anaheim's end of the rink.  What's more, the days of hot potato passing wine and afraid if you shoot you'll get stuck by the thorns of roses were mercifully absent.  Instead, it was SAC time, in this case not Strategic Air Command but rather Shoot And Crash (the net).  Perfect for Jonathan Cheechoo's game, as his two goals attest.  The third was more even, but even then the Sharks kept the Ducks at bay in terms of scoring chances.  Or would that be at pond.

One surprising aspect of the game was how un-chippy it was.  There were plenty of hard checks being thrown by both teams, but almost no hugging without loving after the whistle had blown.  However, before the next five games between the two teams this season have run their course there is little doubt feathers and fins will fly.

Yes, it was only one game, blah blah blah.  Still, it was sweet.

Next up are the Kings tomorrow night at San Jose in the first of a home and home.

Player note: Devin Setoguchi, should he continue to play like he did last night, will be a slick scoring stud this year.  Having Joe Thornton feeding you the puck helps, but the kid has got both moves and hands that are the stuff of nightmares for all other teams.

	@
0-0-0		0-0-0
T-1st Pacific Division		T-1st Pacific Division
T-1st Western Conference		T-1st Western Conference

Nothing like getting things started off with a flourish, what say?

The Sharks made it official today: they will not offer Jeff Friesen a contract.

I suppose Tomas Plihal and Lukas Kaspar have more of an upside.  To be honest, I haven't seen eneough of them to know if we can expect anything from them.  I do recall Plihal resembling a deer caught in headlights whenever he was on the ice last year, which is why he wasn't out there very often.  Maybe he's over that, maybe he has potential, maybe maybe maybe whatever.  I'm still ticked that the Sharks waited until the last possible second before saying thanks for the memories and don't let the door hit you on the way out to one of the most popular players in franchise history.

Yes, I know you can't assemble a roster based on your heart and not your head.  That said, Plihal and Kaspar had better show something and show it quick to justify why they'll be in uniform tonight and the only Friesen uniform being worn will be on a few fans who still don their #39 jersey before heading to the Tank.

In other news:

• Kyle McLaren will accept an assignment to Worchester while the Sharks figure out what to do with him.  There are some possible scenarios in which he could be brought up, but it's most likely he'll be traded ASAP.  For San Jose's sake the players had better hope it's to an Eastern Conference team so they won't have to face him very often and that he isn't fully recovered from the injuries he's incurred in the past lest monster hip checks be applied on anything in teal.
  
• Tonight's probably line combos and defensive parings according to David Pollack, who since he got them from Todd McLellan ought to know:
  
  

  Marleau	Thornton	Setoguchi
  Michalek	Pavelski	Cheechoo
  Clowe	Roenick	Grier
  Shelley	Plihal	Kaspar

  Vlasic	Blake
  Lukowich	Boyle
  Murray	Ehrhoff

I'm pretty sure in a couple of days Joe Ike's voice will boom inside the Tank, "And now, let's meet your San Jose Sharks -- right after someone makes up their mind who they are."  Which hasn't happened yet.

As best I can decipher it, math is not the Sharks strong suit.  A NHL team during the regular season has a 23 man roster.  The roster does not include players on injured reserve, so for a couple of months Torrey Mitchell need not be considered.

Now, bear in mind Kyle McLaren technically is still on the roster if no one claims him off of waivers, but should he not be claimed by tomorrow when his twenty-four hours on waivers is up he will either be cut or asked to hang out with the kids at Worchester so his salary won't count against the cap.  The NHLPA would go bat guano crazy were the team to attempt talking him into re-negotiating his contract at a lower salary, so scratch that off the list of possibilities.  However it plays out, he's gone.

Also bear in mind the Sharks put Riley Armstrong and Brad Staubitz on waivers today in the hope no one claims them so they can be sent to Worchester.  Why weren't they simply sent there?  Couldn't be.  They've been up and down the maximum amount of times allowed.  So regardless of whether someone claims either or both of them they're gone.

And now, the math part.  In order to avoid the same mistake the Sharks seem to be making, let's get some professional help with this (all right, I heard that "you've needed professional help for years" comment out there):

Now, let us begin:

Two... two goalies (Nabokov and Boucher).  HA-HA-HA!

(dramatic flash of lightning -- no, not Tampa Bay -- and crash of thunder)

Defensemen... Blake, Boyle, Ehrhoff, Lukowich, Murray, Semenov, Vlasic.  Seven... seven defensemen.  Nine... nine players!  HA-HA-HA!

(repeat dramatic flash of lightning -- no, still not Tampa Bay -- and crash of thunder)

Forwards... Cheechoo, Clowe, Goc, Grier, Marleau, Michalek, Pavelski, Plihal, Roenick, Setoguchi, Shelley, Thornton.  Twelve... twelve forwards.  Twenty-one... twenty-one players!  HA-HA-HA!

(yeah yeah we know... dramatic flash of lightning, blah blah blah.  Get a new shtick already, will you?  Even the four year olds are getting tired of this one.)

Now, Lukas Kaspar is still in town.  As is Jeff Friesen.

So doesn't that equal twenty-three?

Then why does the Sharks Web site have the following:

There are a couple of situations that are still in play with regards to the roster. Jeff Friesen remains in camp as a tryout player and has obviously made an impression. At this point, he would be the 24th rostered player and that simply cannot occur.

If Friesen were to be eligible for opening night, he would have to beat out a player like Lukas Kaspar or Tomas Plihal. Kaspar though has played very well himself. The Sharks have not placed Mitchell on the long-term injury list, meaning they could still possibly see some financial relief.

Either way, the Sharks should have the lineup set quickly as Wilson doesn’t plan to let Friesen’s situation play out too long.

“The only player we still have the luxury of time with is Friesen,” said Wilson. “He is not under contract. We’ll wait for the injury updates. We want to see how Marcel (Goc) is. Lukas Kaspar had a heck of a camp. There are four guys competing for two spots. It will be sooner rather than later.”

When the lineup takes to the HP Pavilion ice on Friday, it will be who Todd McLellan wants to see.

“Todd will decide who plays,” said Wilson.

Friesen will continue to do what he can control and hope for the best.

“I’m focused on hockey,” said Friesen. “I’m still here, but they haven’t made any decisions. It’s as simple as that.”

“Jeff is still involved,” said McLellan. “He’s competed well for a job.”

So am I missing something, as in someone, here?

The talk is even with McLaren subtracted from the mix the Sharks have salary cap issues.  Grabbing the numbers from the NHLPA site, including Kaspar but not Mitchell (who's listed at $715,000) since as long as he's on IR his salary doesn't apply against the cap the Sharks have $53,181,667 on the books for this year.  The cap is $56,700,000.  So again I ask: other than my mind, what am I missing here?  I'm not seeing the problems.

If I'm off on either the number of players or the team salary, feel free to let me know.  In the meanwhile, back to waiting for opening night.

P.S.  Forgot to mention Goc is having back issues, so his status for the forseeable future is unknown.

True confessions time: I was too busy doing other things to listen to the Sharks final pre-season game tonight, a 3-1 win over the Kings played in Salt Lake City.  Actually, I was too busy trying to recover from the NASCAR race at Talladega today... which judging by the post-race post I have yet to recover from.  Ah well.

While the Sharks' opening night roster remains a mystery, it won't have either Logan Couture or Derek Joslin, the former returning to his junior squad and the latter going to Worchester.  No big surprise in either case; not yet ready for prime time.

Joe Thornton has managed to put a scare in all aficionados of Los Tiburones with a tweaked groin, but says he'll be ready for opening night this Thursday.  Brad Lukowich did play tonight, so apparently he'll be ready to go this Thursday.

And now comes three and a half days of impatiently drumming fingers on desktops and constantly looking at the clock muttering why doesn't it hurry.  Opening night cannot come soon enough.

In honor of Miley Cyrus' sixteenth birthday party being held tonight at Disneyland...

... and because I can't stand the thought of writing a normal post-race report after today's wackiness at Talladega, I offer the following.

We probably shouldn't say this

But at times we get so scared

When we think about the previous

Plate races that we've shared

They've been awesome but some lose it

It's not possible for us not to care

And now we're waiting through the strain

But nothing's ever gonna change the crashes here, oh dear

The seven things we hate about you

The seven things we hate about you oh you

Cars pass so fast but with the draft

They're here then they are gone

You make us laugh, you make us cry

When we watch our driver sigh

"No friends, just jerks

Wrecking everyone, just know it hurts

I wanna draft with someone I know"

And the seventh thing we hate the most that you do

You make us love you

It's awkward watching Edwards

As we wait for him to say

"Biff, I'm really sorry

I ruined everyone's day"

If you mean it, we'll believe it

But Kenseth will still delete it

Let's be clear

Oh no one's coming back

From taking seven wrecks here

The seven things we hate about you

Reuit blows a tire, there goes Jeff's day

Junior's soon to pay

Poor Hamlin slammed the wall so hard

We're glad he came out unscarred

Johnson hung out

And somehow missed it all just to say

"I wanna be out of here right now"

And the seventh thing we hate the most that you do

You make us love you

And compared to all the weird things

That would take too long to write

We probably should mention the seven that we like

The seven things we like about you

So good to see Smoke win a race

With a smile upon his face

You make us laugh although we cry

As so many kiss the Chase goodbye

JJ feels fine

His lead is a sign everything's all right

And now he goes to his "home" track Lowe's

And the seventh things that 'Dega knows that we do

It makes us love you

You do

First, the starting lineup for the 2008 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 5, 2008:

Did Not Qualify: # 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. #; # 10 Patrick Carpentier

Considering some of the names starting up front (translation: cars at an impound race set up for qualifying) and at the back for one reason or another (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson), the beginning part of this race could be far more interesting than has been the norm lately.  There should still be a good portion of the hang out for 400 and hellbent for leather for 100 mindset, but at least the possibility for early action remains.  Preferably not of the Big One variety.

Individual strategies also come into play regardless of the teams involved.  As an example, while Johnson and Jeff Gordon are planning on hanging back for a while, Earnhardt Jr. intends to be all out from the get-go.

As far as the top three Chasers are concerned, based on past results Johnson has a clear advantage.  But here, anything can and will happen.

At any rate, by the time it's done it'll be Talladega.  Little more need be said.

See you in the Comments area.