There isn't much that I love more than a win over Michigan.

Then again, a outright (and 5th straight) Big 10 championship is nice.

Oh yeah, and that Rose Bowl birth, gotta love that.

It's a nice year for Ohio State sports. If anyone is calling for Coach's head, they ought to STFU. We're beating Michigan, we're winning the Big 10, we're doing our thing. You say our conference sucks? Find me one conference that doesn't this year. Big 12? Down. SEC? Down. ACC, Big East; you name it, they're down. So thank you once again, Coach Tressel. I can't wait to play Oregon (or Oregon State... or heaven forbid Arizona) on January 1st in Pasadena.

That is all.

Go Bucks!

Yes, it's that time again folks. Time for the idiot driver of the week.

Coming from Ohio, I'm surrounded by idiot drivers. None more idiotic than the woman on Monday who tried to pass me in the turn lane that I was about to get into. News flash - she was driving into oncoming traffic to get into the turn lane before it was even a lane! And she was foolish enough to honk at me as I got into the lane, as if it were my fault that she was in the wrong lane. Thanks lady! Next time I'm on a 2 lane street, i'll definitely check my blinds before getting into the new 3rd lane. Mhm.

2nd idiot driver comes from today.  There was an accident on Broad Street that closed off a lane so everyone had to get into the right lane to get through. I noticed this about 200ft before I got to the accident so I turned on my blinker and slowed down. As I slowed down, several cars passed me in the turn lane on the left before realizing that they had to get over 2 lanes again. Even then, these people were jumping in front of the cars with very little space on the right side. I was patient enough to wait for someone to let me go, but the idiot driver was the woman in the pink Cadillac who was the last to try to pass me, and when she realized she was about to drive into an accident, attempted to swerve back into my lane where I was sitting waiting to turn. RIGHT. Fortunately one of the cars on the right had given me enough room to start getting over. I pounded the horn and she realized her mistake. I'm not sure how she didn't realize it since she had only been in that lane for 15 seconds. Ah well.

3rd idiot comes from Sunday. The guy in the white Lexus who instead of pulling all the way into his parking spot, left his car half way out in the parking lot. He was parked in the first spot so nobody could pull in or out if they had a car any bigger than mine. Well done, bonehead. Next time lay off the booze when you're parking.

That's what I've got. I'm leaning towards #1 right now. Anyone else have any nominations for this week?

:EDIT: Not two hours after I post this and we have #4! I was on my way home from the doctors and I'm on the freeway doing my thing in the far right lane, since the next exit was mine. I pass an entrance onto the freeway and out of nowhere this guy comes speeding up behind me and along side me on the merge divider. I'd never been so scared driving when I heard the little tire buzz thing. I look over and he was close enough that our mirrors could have touched. Instead of just slowing down and merging in behind me, he sped around me, cut in front and slammed on his brakes. Real nice fella. But whatever.

Let's start with the top lines and work our way down.

Nash is having a phenomenal start of the season, showing why the Jackets signed him to a huge offseason extension. He is also 5th on the team in hits and is 3rd on the team in time on ice. Nash is 2nd in the league in goals and 4th in points, both the highest a Jacket has ever climbed. He comes to win every night, plays physical and gets the job done.

Vermette is having a fairly solid campaign this year.  It helps when he has Nash and Juice around you, but he's had his problemt his year as well. He seems to go hot for a few games and then disappear. But he makes great passes and sets up the big dogs for great goals. He's also a great asset on the power play, and leads the team with a 54.1 faceoff %. If the first line stays healthy this year, I'm sure he and Nash will be putting up even bigger numbers.

Juice missed a few games to injury but has come back strong and played a few great games this year. He has been absent in a few as well, like linemate Vermette. Juice does make some good passes but he also leads the team in turnovers. If he would be just a little smarter with the puck, the team would be a bit better in the goals against category. Either way, he's looking better this year than he did last year, so we'll see how he turns out.

In the absense of Jan Hejda and Mike Commodore, Rusty has been forced up to the 1st line, a role that he has embraced fairly well.  He's 4th in hits and 1st in blocks, and has shown that he'll sacrifice any part of the body to keep the puck out of the net (including his face). He's played good physical hockey but needs to be just a bit smarter when dishing around. Still, it seems like a lot of the Rusty-haters

Hedja missed 8 games earlier this year, and it showed. The team gave up almost 6 goals a game in his absense. He is the strongest and most physical player on the team, and he will beat you to death if you come into his zone near the boards. It's no surprise that he leads the team in +/- again, and is climbing the charts on hits and blocks. He also averages 23 mins a game, 2nd on the team.

There is no member of this Blue Jackets team that has improved his game more in the past year than Jakub Voracek. He flies to the puck and handles it smartly. He has a good shot but loves to dish. However he has found himself on the breakaway a few times this year, and made the best of them. He is one of the biggest hustlers on the team and knows what to do on the defensive end as well. He will be a serious star in the future. His maturity is one of the main reasons for the Jackets power play successes in this early season.

Nobody is quite sure what happened to Derick Brassard over the off-season, but he has come out this year a little less shine and speed than he did last year, when he tallied 10 goals and 15 assists in 25 games. He originally started the year on the top pairing but struggled and has since been demoted. He's also scraping bottom on faceoffs, winning a dismal 36.4%. However he is played good physical hockey and doesn't turn the puck over much, despite not making the best of his passes. He'll come around, I'm sure. But for now he's got a while to go. At least he has 2 PPGs and 4 PPAs.

Chimmer has come out with his usual hustle and an extra step in his legs now that they are healthy. He's a scrappy player who's not afraid to tangle and get dirty to get pucks to the net. He has no problem parking in front, nor playing defense on the PK. I'm glad we haven't shopped him away yet, but as the younger players mature, he may be a big move at the trade deadline.

Tyutin has made Scott Howson look like a genius for trading Nikolai Zherdev away for him last year. He's come out with a strong offensive showing this year, including some good work on the power play (4 PPAs) as well as on the PK (2nd on the team with 34 blocked shots). Fedor has been shipped around the first two lines due to injury but has found a home paired with another offensive force, Anton Stralman.

Stralman was acquired right before the first game of the year as an offensive defenseman and has not disappointed in that respect. Where he might not be as physical as guys like Hejda, Commodore and Methot, he brings a fire to the power play that the team has never had before. He leads the team with 8 PPPs (2-6-8), and has been the other reason for the teams success (currently ranked 11th in the league on the power play). He needs to get a little stronger in his end or he will surely be the lowest rung on the +/- chart.

Everybody in Columbus loves RJ Umberger. It's not just that he played at Ohio State University, either.  He is a tough gritty player who is not afraid to give up the body to keep the puck away from the net. He leads all forwards with 16 blocked shots, and is absolutely fearless in front of the net. He's perfect on the power play, as well as the penalty kill. He's spent a good team of time this year at C due to injuries, and has won 48.8% of his faceoffs. He plays smart, doesn't give up the puck too much, and always sticks up for his teammates. Plus, he can score. What a package.

Pahlsson has been basically as advertised; great checking center, excellent penalty killer, not much offensive upside. It's a shame, because he could be the ultimate weapon if he could shoot the puck. But he does what he has to do to keep the opposing teams players away from the goal, and has won 53.8% of his faceoffs this year. Nobody misses Manny Malhotra when Sammy is out on the ice. If only he played offense...

Anyone remember Gilbert Brule? I sure as hell don't. And I can't believe we got a fierce scrapper like Raffi for him. Torres can always be found parked in front of the net, battling it out with big defensemen and scoring huge goals. He led the team with 6 GWGs last year despite only played 51 games and scoring 12 goals due to injury. He picked right up this year with a handful of game winners and leads the team with 4 PPGs. He is 2nd in the team with 8 goals, and leads all wingers with 31 hits. Hang in there Raffi!

Okay, so Marc Methot hasn't been quite what the team expected this year, but he's played mostly strong hockey in his own end, despite his inabilty to control the puck.  Methot plays big and loves to throw bone-crushing hip-checks. He leads the team with 36 hits, but is 2nd with 8 giveaways. I think most people expected more offensively from him after scoring 4 goals last year, but he's just not that type of player. Once he starts keeping the stick on the puck, he'll be an even bigger asset on defense.

It's hard to watch Kris Russell and hear about him being this burgeoning "offensive defenseman" when he can't get the puck int he net. He's also still way too small (5'10, 185) to be a truly effective physical force. He tries hard but he still only has 4 goals in  149 career games. Maybe he'll end up turning things around, but I think once Commodore is fully healthy, Russell with more than likely end up being the 7th guy. Most figured that Russell would really come out after getting his contract extended, but Methot has out-produced him defensively so it seems Methot will be the guy who sticks.

Derek Dorsett is the 2nd most exciting player on the Jackets team. He flies around the ice, knocks guys around and isn't afraid to fight.  Simply put, he comes out and plays hockey. He brings energy to the 4th line, which is actually producing goals this season. You never know what's going to happen when he's on the ice, and he NEVER turns the puck over, so you know it's going to be good.

Most people thought that Jared Boll might be on his way out as Derek Dorsett continued to produce, but Boll has held his own and even scored a highlight reel goal last week against Carolina. Everyone knows that he could score, but he's not that fast and I don't believe he's smart enough either. But he sure as hell can fight, and he's as physical as any of the big boys out there. He still may be dealt this year, but I don't mind having him around on the 4th line.

Though Blunden has not produced offensively or in the faceoff circle, he has brought an energy and a physicality to the bottom line that the team needs.  He may only log 7 minutes a game, but he goes out and gets his job done every 7 minutes. He has shown some offensive potential in the minors in previous years, and I think in a couple years he may be ready to bring that to the bigs.  He's also only played 9 games this year due to injury. We'll see how he plays when he comes back.

Murray is my favorite Jacket. He goes in, gets dirty, and plays great defensive hockey. He is not only a 4th liner but a solid penalty killer when healthy. However he's been out with a torn muscle in his shoulder and it will be quite some time before he returns. Here's hoping for ya, Andrew.

MacKenzie was called up when Andrew Murray went down and has been serviceable as a center on the 4th line. He's never going to be a giant scorer or an NHL star, but he's a good gritty player who cames to play every night. He's won 52% of his faceoffs and is a good center man for guys like Filatov and Dorsett/Boll.

Here's to you, Niki. Only 19 and oft-criticized, I take my hat off. You sure can score, if only you were given the chance. Filatov is incredibly fast, and deadly with his moves. His ineptitude on the defensive end has led to him being scratched in 7 of the first 19 games. But let's give this kid a break. He was only drafted last year and IS only 19! I think his hat trick last year spoiled everyone. We'll see how he progresses/if he stays with the team.

Commie has been injured a lot this early season, playing only 7 games so far. But he's been strong in his end. I just wonder how much more his legs have in them.  He's already 30 and showing signs of wear. Plus he's not as quick as guys like Tyutin, Stralman and Russell. I'm sure he'll stay a Jacket, though. I'd just like to see him healthy as soon as possible.

It hasn't been quite the 2nd season that Steve Mason or the Blue Jackets were hoping for. But he's made some great saves and shown some flash from last years Calder Memorial Trophy winner. But he's been giving up for too many rebounds and hasn't been quite as quick with the leather, and that has translated to goals. Plus, the top defensive pairing (Commodore + Hejda) has been injured. He's slumping, but I'm sure he'll be able to turn things around. He's already been pulled in 3 games this year.

Here's to another fantastic off-season signing. Garon had a shutout in his first game with the Jackets and has won his last two starts, both in shootouts. Garon has been an awesome fill in for Mase when he's tired, and I'm sure he is. After playing all those games last year, it's nice to know we have an accomplished backup to hold the fort. Garon has been strong and quick, and made a mind boggling glove save against Anahiem last week that made all the highlight shows. Eventually Mason will right his ship, but it doesn't hurt to have a guy who can spell him.

That's that. The team is 11-6-2 with 24 points, 10th in the NHL, and 2nd behind Chicago in our division.  We are right now 11th in goals per game (2.95), despite being 28th in goals against (3.42). A lot of that came from a 9-1 loss to Detroit, however, and should even out over the year. We are currently an astounding 17-73 (23.3%) on the power play, good for 7th in the league.  Our penalty kill has had some troubles but is currently ranked 23rd, killing of 73.2% of the penalties we draw.  We're also 2nd in the league with 3 shorties. We've exhausted 2 of our 3 West Coast trips this year already, so we should be fresh for most of the rest of the year. Plus there's the Olympic break in February. We'll see how that affects the team.

Carry the Flag!