•Bosh won a suit against a cybersquatter, and gained control of 800 domain names. On a related note, welcome to Boshspin.

•Our top story this morning: In a preseason loss to the Celtics, Chris Bosh led all scorers with 21 points in just 28 minutes. He also added four boards and three assists, and is clearly primed for an MVP-caliber season.

•In non-Chris Bosh news, Michael Vick reportedly declined an invitation to visit with eight of his former pit bulls. Good move. I know a trap when I see one.

•Stafon Johnson appeared healthy and smiling, but didn't speak at a press conference yesterday. He's a walking metaphor for the Trojans: looks good, but falls silent under the spotlight.

•On the eve of the NLCS, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is separating from his wife. California is a community state, so the former Mrs. McCourt is entitled to exactly half. She will receive two losses to the Phillies.

•Boise State squeaked past Tulsa, probably the team with the best chance at ending the Broncos' undefeated season. And when you read that, you realize just how relative it is and why the BCS is a joke.

•Well, fuck it, if he can't heal himself, how can he be the Chosen One? LeBron has the flu, and he and the team is being tested for H1N1.

•Want to know how the young season is going for the Maple Leafs? Their defensemen are headbutting in own goals:

Ok, technically, using this spin-o-rama move on a penalty/shootout shot is not illegal—because it explicitly says so in the rule book. (Seriously, the NHL rule book contains the word "spin-o-rama." Amazing.) So it's fair ... but is it nice? The Devils' Bobby Holik doesn't think so.

"I know it's legal, but it's so un-hockey," he said. "I think it's B.S. There was so much back-tracking you could do pretty much anything. I know the league loves it because it's exciting, but the puck should always be moving forward.

He's not the only one who feels the move violates the spirit, if not the letter of the law. The book says the puck (and by implication, the player) should always be moving forward. But Stephen Walkom, the N.H.L.’s director of officiating, says if you could do it on a breakway, you should be able to do it on a penalty shot. There's being creative, and then there's playing the game the "right" way. These are the kind of debates that tear nations apart.

Or maybe if offensive guys can pull a whirling dervish, then maybe goalies should be pull out any trick they like. After all, if they're even going to be accused of throwing sticks even when they don't, what hope do goalies have in this world? Can't we all just get along?

You make the call: Is the spinarama a fair shootout move? [Star-Ledger]
Taking a Legal but Controversial Tactic for a Spin [NY Times]
Call It the Curse of Barry Melrose: Tampa Bay Gets Robbed in Shootout [Fanhouse]

''You're talking about the Vatican if you're Catholic, you're talking the centre of the hockey universe, you're talking about one of the most important jobs in hockey running the Toronto Maple Leafs,'' Burke said. ''It's a dream job.''

There is no questioning Burke's credentials, and he comes into a situation where things can't really get much worse. The question is whether his presence will change anything in business-as-usual Toronto, where decades of ownership futility have done nothing to diminish the city's lust for all things Leafs. And if you don't believe me, then you, my friend, have never bid against eighteen other diehards on eBay for a half-baggie of Wendel Clark's moustache trimmings.

Leafs introduce Burke as new President and General Manager [TSN]

Van Ryn was merely roughed up on the glass shattering incident, but on this one he suffered "a concussion, a gash on his forehead, a broken nose and a broken bone in his hand" and will probably be out a month. Tom Kostopoulous got a game misconduct and a five-minute major, which Toronto scored on to start what would become a 6-3 rout. Kostopoulous was also "visibly shaken" and apologized profusely, but the last time I checked apologies can't fix a deviated septum.

Mike Van Ryn Can't Win For Trying [Deuce of Davenport]
Grabovski helps Maple Leafs beat Canadiens [Yahoo]

You see, if all those die hard Leafs fans would quit paying for tickets and watching the games on TV and generally just stop caring whether their favorite team wins or loses, then maybe they wouldn't have anything to complain about.

Face it… you just can’t control yourselves. And, the folks on Bay Street love you for it… so much so, that they refused to budget for playoff dates next spring at the ACC. I mean, why go down the same path of futility for a fourth consecutive year? Season-ticket renewals are dispatched after the Stanley Cup tournament concludes, prompting a wild stampede to the mailbox — cheques faithfully enclosed; interest about to accrue. The extra kick in the wallet from 100 percent renewals in early summer surely takes the sting off lost playoff gates, don’t you think?

He also manages to work in a dig at Cubs fans, which is laudable, but misguided since the Cubs actually made the playoffs the last two years. Still, the idea that devoted fans who pay to support a losing team somehow get what they deserve doesn't really sit well with the Leafs Nation. So they're protesting. Or boycotting. Or signing a strongly-worded blog post. I'm not really sure what they're up to actually, but one thing is clear—they are mad as hell, and they are going to continue to take it for a little while longer! (But only from the team that continues to disappoint them, not the media.)

• Most Valuable Losers Once Again [Hockey Buzz]
• An Open Letter to Toronto Maple Leafs Fans [Pension Plan Puppets]

What you missed while making the jump into academia...

• MLB: The Padres become the first team in Major League history to win four consecutive games by a 2-1 score. How delightfully random.
  
• Boxing: "The Ghost" with the most, Kelly Pavlik, scores a third-round knockout over Gary Lockett. Better wash off that ectoplasm, Gary! HEY-O!
  
• New Coaches: Suns to hire Terry Porter, Maple Leafs to hire Ron Wilson. Should've gone with the monkey god.

The National Post points out — starting at around the 4:45 mark of this video — that team president Richard Peddie is mouthing the exact words being said by new interim GM Cliff Fletcher while he says them. That's how you make sure you don't stray from the company line; that interim tag won't exist for long!

Peddie Revealed As Leafs' Puppetmaster [National Post]

Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it? Just a few hours after MLSE president Richard Peddie said he erred in hiring Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr., the Buds did their best to save their beleaguered boss - but failed. Alex Kovalev scored twice in Montreal's 4-3 shootout win over Toronto - yes, the same Canadiens (12-8-3, 5th best in the East) that former Habs great Guy LaFleur called "a bunch of fourth-line players" in a recent interview. Carey Price stopped 43 shots in the win...but what about the three that went in? This is how we roll in Canada, people. Stakes is high.

Mothers, hide your children. Todd Bertuzzi was seen skating unsupervised at GM Place! (Seriously though, put the kids in the panic room) Actually, Big Bert's first game back in Vancouver was anticlimactic as the Canucks beat Anaheim 4-0. Roberto Luongo decided he wanted to be the big story on the night, turning aside 26 shots for his second consecutive shutout. Bertuzzi? He was minus-2 with no points and a missed breakaway, a performance that Canuck fans described as "familiar."

Yeah, you might want to cover that guyl Pavel Datsyuk. He's pretty good. Calgary ignored this bit of advanced scouting and watched in horror as Datsyuk scored two highlight-reel goals in a 5-3 Detroit win at Joe Louis. Mike Keenan further cemented his shoes for a swim in Unemployment Lake, pulling Mikka Kiprusoff after Detroit's third goal. "I guess if it's going to help the team. He (Keenan) wasn't happy how I was playing," Kiprusoff said. Translation: "When the hell are we getting rid of this guy?"

Apparently, the site — which calls itself "your No. 1 source for Canadian celebrity gossip," and christ, who hasn't been clamoring for that — has found a picture of Tlusty touching some dude's face with his tongue and decided he's gay. They even "interviewed" him about it.

Zack Taylor: What did you think about our post?
Jiri: It's funny... but I don't care!
Zack Taylor: Why are were there pictures sent to us of you and another man licking each other's tongues?
Jiri: Because was really good night after his birthday and we had really good time all our group from home town
Zack Taylor: Are you gay or bisexual?
Jiri: I am not gay or bi nothing

The site also has naked photos of the poor kid. That NHL, man, it's a tough racket.

Jiri Tlusty Speaks [Is This Happening?]

An upcoming movie called Breakfast With Scot tells the story of a gay former hockey player — played by "Ed"'s Tom Cavanagh, which means you know it's good — who comes to terms with being publicly outed. The now-broadcaster works for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which allowed the use of their logo in the film. That angered a bunch of idiots.

A couple of right-wing U.S. groups have already contacted the Leafs with their protests - and some conservative bloggers have posted offensive comments on message boards. Director Laurie Lynd has also received hate mail. He says he's shocked by the spiteful comments aimed at his "sweet film" about tolerance.

Listen, folks: They're making a movie about hockey. Even if you're a close-minded assbag, jeez, let the league have some pub for once.

Upcoming Film About Gay Dads Is Bothersome To Some Hockey Fans [Proud Parenting]