Saturday, September 21, 2013

"It Girl" of the week: Tammy Torres

This week's "It Girl" is Tammy Torres








Former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, sentenced to six months in jail

Some said that former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington should have been thrown in jail for trading Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings once upon a time. Those people are getting their wish, even if it is 25 years later and for a completely different reason.

Pocklington will begin a jail sentence on December 9 for violating his probation on a previous perjury conviction related to a bankruptcy fraud case. He has been sentenced to six months in jail, followed by six months of house arrest and two more years of probation

The assistant U.S district attorney who prosecuted the case had asked for nine months in prison, while Pocklington sought to avoid jail altogether so he could continue to care for his wife of 40 years, who has serious heart problems.

According to court documents obtained by CTV News, in 2011 and 2012, Pocklington was ordered to disclose his monthly income to a probation officer -- but he didn't share details about all the money he was making.

Investigators found Pocklington had millions of dollars worth in unreported income over both of those years -- money that was kept in the bank accounts of resource companies he was involved with.

Pocklington bought part ownership of the Oilers in 1976 and the team won five Stanley Cups in the 1980s. He sold the team in 1998.

That means that the dealmakers in the famous Gretzky trade, Pocklington and former Kings owner Bruce McNall will both have spent some time behind bars.


Is Chris Webber a Hall of Famer?

The Basketball Hall of Fame debate seemed to start earlier this summer, when a couple of former superstars who had brief stints with the Detroit Pistons ended their careers: Allen Iverson (reportedly) and Tracy McGrady.

An ESPN writer has added one more name to the debate, and not only is he someone who’s eligible for voting next year, but he’s someone we watched grow up, literally.

The person under grantland.com scribe Zach Lowe’s microscope is Chris Webber. The former Mr. Basketball/Fab Five star/No. 1 overall pick/ex-Piston (again, briefly) was, and still is, a divisive character. In fact, Lowe alludes to this, but mostly crunches the numbers to say C-Webb is a Hall of Famer.

“Here is the total list of players who piled up at least 17,000 points and 8,000 rebounds, while averaging at least four assists per game with a career PER (player efficiency rating) above 20: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Bird and Webber. There's some unfair cherry-picking there, since Webber barely exceeds all those thresholds. But cutting the criteria still produces a ridiculously elite list of just 11 guys, all current or future Hall of Famers — plus Webber.”

Lowe goes on to concede that Webber’s shortcomings include his lack of a world championship — though he was the best player on those early-2000s Sacramento Kings that nearly knocked off the Lakers. And he mentioned, more in passing, his short, yet dazzling, culturally impactful and tainted college career as a Wolverine.

Also presented in Webber’s case file was the fact that his numbers tended to decline a bit in the playoffs. But much of Lowe’s argument hinges on Webber’s talent level, especially as a passer.

If you haven’t yet, read Lowe’s analysis and his 17 stray thoughts, mostly on his NBA career. And no, none of his half of season in 2007 with the Pistons, where he averaged 11.3 points and 6.7 assists on a bad knee factor into this Hall of Fame equation.