Mike Richards In The Morning

Hour 1:

Sabres fire Lindy Ruff, an emotional night for the Los Angeles Lakers, & Scott MacArthur reports from Blue Jays training camp. Audio

Hour 2:

Pierre McGuire & Darren Dreger discuss the Buffalo Sabres decision to fire Lindy Ruff, & the NBA trade deadline is just around the corner... Audio

Hour 3:

Jack Armstrong previews the NBA trade deadline, Alex Marvez reports on the NFL Combine, & Sabres TV Host Brian Duff discusses the firing of Lindy Ruff. Audio

6:30 Scott MacArthur – Blue Jays Reporter

Scott MacArthur reports from the Blue Jays training camp, & discusses the possibility of R.A. Dickey having a personal catcher (either Henry Blanco or Josh Thole), & explains where Emilio Bonifacio fits into the Blue Jays lineup.

7:15 Pierre McGuire – NHL on NBC Analyst

Pierre breaks down the Philadelphia Flyers thrilling win vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, & discusses the Buffalo Sabres decision to fire Lindy Ruff.

7:30 Mike’s “TV Hot Chicks” – Pricilla & Irina

Pricilla & Irina join Mike in-studio for a fun chat.

7:45 Leafs Breakfast – Darren Dreger

NHL Insider Darren Dreger explains the firing of Lindy Ruff, and previews tonight’s Maple Leafs game vs. the Buffalo Sabres.

8:15 Jack Armstrong – NBA Trade Deadline

NBA on TSN analyst Jack Armstrong recaps the Raptors tough loss vs. the Grizzlies, previews today’s NBA trade deadline, & shares fond memories of Lindy Ruff.

8:30 Alex Marvez – Senior NFL Writer Foxsports.com

Alex Marvez explains which NFL prospects to “keep an eye on” during the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis.

8:45 Brian Duff – Sabres TV Host

Brian Duff breaks down the ramifications of the Lindy Ruff firing, & looks ahead to tonight’s game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hour 1:

Reaction from Jannik Hansen's hit on Marian Hossa, Scott MacArthur reports from Blue Jays training camp, & the new game show "Qien en mas Popular" Audio

Hour 2:

Pierre McGuire & Darren Dreger discuss Jannik Hansen's controversial hit on Marian Hossa, Jerry Jones calls in, & are the Raptors playoff bound? Audio

Hour 3:

NHL Insider Aaron Ward discusses Jannik Hansen's controversial hit on Marian Hossa. Audio

5:45 Pierre McGuire – NHL on NBC Analyst

• On Jannik Hansen's controversial hit: was watching the San Jose @ St. Louis game until "the phone started going crazy"

• Jannik Hansen's hit was unacceptable however, Hansen is not a dirty player

• "Sometimes players just get caught up in the moment…"

• These hits are the by-product of rivalries built through numerous playoff encounters (see Detroit vs. Colorado, Boston vs. Montreal, Edmonton vs. Calgary, Ottawa vs. Toronto, etc…)

• "Stuff like this happens, & sometimes emotions boil over"

• Thinks that Hansen's hit "will be looked at by the league"

• Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano got a 10,000$ fine for his slew foot on Dallas Stars forward Antoine Roussel last Sunday, what will happen to Jannik Hansen?

• Slew footing is not only frowned upon in the NHL, it is also an incredibly dangerous play

• On Toronto vs. Tampa Bay: Lightning was the better team, they won more battles & winning back to back in Florida is a tough task for any team

• Ben Scrivens had a terrible game last night & will have to work on his consistency

• On Detroit Red Wings: thinks that they make the playoffs due to the legendary Detroit brain trust, don't expect to see any panic "they know where they are & have levelled their expectations for this year"

• Watch out for Detroit they have a plethora of young prospects on the rise

6:30 Scott MacArthur – Blue Jays Reporter

• Saw R.A. Dickey's knuckle-ball up close and personal "it's a beauty"

• Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia seemed to have a hard time with Dickey's knuckle-ball

• So far Dickey has looked great in training camp; Jays fans should be in for a treat this season!

• Gibbons is expected to start Brandon Morrow Saturday afternoon during the Grapefruit League Opener vs. the Detroit Tigers

• Gibbons is expected to start Mark Buehrle on Sunday vs. the Baltimore Orioles

• The rest of the club will face the New York Yankees on Sunday where J.A. Happ is expected to get the start

• Monday will either be Josh Johnson or R.A. Dickey

• Doesn't expect to see R.A. Dickey pitch until sometime early next week

• Blue Jays players are scheduled to leave around March 2nd-3rd to play for their respective countries in the 2013 World Baseball Classic

• Canada's first exhibition game is against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 5th, followed by another exhibition game vs. the Cincinnati Reds on March 6th

• Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin wants to play shortstop for Team Canada because "they don't really have a player at this position with much experience"

• Brett Lawrie & Adam Loewen on Russell Martin: "don't underestimate Martin's athletic ability, there is no question he can get the job done"

• Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, & Esmil Rogers are expected to play for the Dominican Republic

• Jose Bautista will not play for the Dominican Republic due to off-season surgery on his left wrist

• Most of the Blue Jays players are still getting to know each other & trying to establish some chemistry before the 2013 World Baseball Classic kicks off March 2nd-19th

7:45 Leafs Breakfast: Darren Dreger – NHL Analyst

• On Jannik Hansen's hearing: when you conduct the hearing you present options

• A hearing is required to suspend someone & to also fine someone 5,000-10,000$

• Shanahan & Co. will try to " analyze & determine the level of intent"

• If you look closely at the incident Hansen "appears to give Hossa an extra shot with his forearm after making the initial contact"

• Hossa does have a history of concussions (see last year vs. Raffi Torres)

• On Toronto's loss vs. Tampa Bay: Lightning were the more desperate team last night & how did the Leafs leave Steven Stamkos alone in front of the net?

• Toronto seemed to lack the level of desperation they exhibited in previous games

• Biggest question for the Maple Leafs "how do they rebound after a loss?"

• History has show us that this season the Leafs have been able to rebound after a tough loss (see last Thursday vs. Carolina Hurricanes)

• Randy Carlyle has done a beautiful job of getting JVR "to use his size & go to the dirty areas in order to score goals"

• On Buffalo Sabres struggles: o Thomas Vanek started this season on fire but has since cooled off o Ryan Miller "has to be lights out good" pretty much every night o Robyn Regehr & the rest of the defense appear to be tired

• Are GM Darcy Regier & Head Coach Lindy Ruff on the hot seat?

8:30 Aaron Ward – NHL on TSN

• On Jannik Hansen's hit on Marian Hossa: its indictable but not egregious

• Looked over the incident many times, hard to determine if there in intent

• At the end of the day your responsible for what you do with your body, so sheriff Shanahan "will have something to say about this"

• Thinks that Hansen's hit was more reactionary

• NHL is very sensitive when it comes to head shots therefore a suspension of at least one game is highly likely

• On Mark Giordano's slew foot: it was a filthy play, because there are so many ways to get hurt with a slew foot

• When you slew foot someone that close to the boards the probability of snapping an ankle or breaking a leg is highly likely

• Giordano is lucky that he only got away with a penalty & $10,000 fine

• Giordano doesn't have a history of being a dirty player but still has to be held accountable for his actions

• On Toronto's loss vs. Tampa Bay: the Leafs were simply not good enough,

• Carlyle & Co. will have a lot of issues with some of the veterans

• Dion Phaneuf & Ben Scrivens really struggled last night

• Most disturbing thing for the Leafs: they haven't been able to beat teams that are ahead of them in the standings

• If you want to make the playoffs "You have to be able to beat some of the upper echelon teams in the Easter Conference"

• Let's give a bit of credit to Tampa Bay because "they are a completely different team at home"

Hour 1:

Ben Scrivens earns back to back shut outs, Scott MacArthur reports from the Blue Jays training camp, & Lakers owner Jerry Buss is fondly remembered. Audio

Hour 2:

Pierre McGuire, Darren Dreger, Jonas Siegel discuss the Leafs win vs. the Panthers, & country music superstar Tim McGraw! Audio

Hour 3:

Steve Simmons breaks down the Leafs/Raptors season, Jack Armstrong talks Raptors, & Tampa Bay Lightning voice Dave Mishkin previews tonight's game. Audio

6:30 Scott MacArthur – Blue Jays Reporter

• On Ricky Romero: feels he is primed for a bounce-back year, thrilled with the acquisitions during the off-season, & is comfortable with his place in the rotation

• The question mark for Romero this season: "how well will his knees hold up?"

• Romero has tendinitis in both knees, so time will tell how this affects the delivery/mechanics of his pitch

• On Josh Johnson: seems to be in form during the early stages of training camp & possesses a wide array of weapons (fastball, slider, curveball, cutter, etc…) remember Johnson is 29 years old & could earn a lucrative salary based on a strong performance during the 2013 season

• Jose Reyes on Josh Johnson: he has 2-4 legitimate options at his disposal, so "as a hitter, you never know what you never know what you're going to encounter"

7:15 Pierre McGuire – NHL on NBC Analyst

• On Toronto's win vs. Florida: good coaching, smart defensive play, Ben Scrivens did a great job of challenging the shooters & had excellent rebound control

• Only negative for the Leafs: they gave up 37 shots

• On Colton Orr: he understands his role, is reliable defensively, & "fights for his team, not for himself"

• Let's give some credit to former GM Brian Burke for "putting this thing together"

• On the Flyers 7-0 win vs. the Islanders: Islanders "just seem to mail it in" which is absolutely unacceptable at this level, hopefully they are better tonight in Ottawa

• On Nashville 6-5 loss vs. Colorado: Chris Mason struggled, Matt Duchene was exceptional for Colorado however, the refs really messed up by allowing Matt Duchene's off-side goal

• This is exactly why "there needs to be at least 1-2 coaches challenge per game"

• On Carolina vs. Montreal: Peter Budaj is a career backup as long as he stays in Montreal, but is still good enough to be in the league, this was an even game through 40 minutes, but Carolina really struggled without Tim Gleason, Joni Pitkanen, & Jeff Skinner

• On San Jose @ St. Louis: San Jose might have an advantage going into this game because the St. Louis had plane trouble after their game in Vancouver on Sunday night & isn't scheduled to arrive until later on this morning, then the Blues fly off to Colorado tomorrow, fatigue/lack of preparation could definitely play a factor in tonight's matchup

• On San Jose: forget the 7-0 start they really have to start scoring, "of all the elite teams, they have the least amount of foot speed"

7:30 Tim McGraw – Country Music Superstar

• Fun chat with country legend Tim McGraw

• Used to play every sport as a kid

• Initially went to school to become a lawyer

• Picked up a guitar in college "and never looked back"

• Very happy & pleased with this stage of his career

• Thoroughly enjoyed his experience as an actor in the movie "The Blind Side"

7:45 Leafs Breakfast: Darren Dreger & Jonas Siegel

• Dreger: the Leafs started off to a shaky start last night in Florida, but rose to the challenge & got the job done, Ben Scrivens has been brilliant in goal, let's see what happens tonight in Tampa Bay

• Siegel: Carlyle's message "don't get too overexcited" with the Leafs fast paced start, keep in mind "this team has only won ten games & is still a work in progress"

• Dreger: Phil Kessel has a quick release & is very accurate, but a lot of his shots are from the perimeter (hence the slow start to the season), however he has evolved into a more complete player under the guidance of Randy Carlyle

• Siegel: Randy Carlyle dictates his roster decisions based on who's playing well (see Mike Komisarek, John Michael Liles, being healthy scratches last night)

• Dreger: Mike Komisarek is a good guy but he is not the player the Leafs thought he would be when they signed him, Dave Nonis wants to do what's best, perhaps a move occurs a little closer to the April 3rd trade deadline

8:00 Steve Simmons – Sun Media & The Reporters

• On Leafs win last night: it's a good road win against a really bad hockey team

• This is a game that the Leafs would have lost last year

• Randy Carlyle has proved that he is an excellent coach & a difference maker

• Carlyle has given every player an equal opportunity to succeed (see Pat Burns first year in Toronto)

• Burns came in established a structure & got the most out of his team

• Best of all the 2013 Leafs are a pugnacious bunch

• Would Nazem Kadri have blossomed under the guidance of Ron Wilson?

• The Raptors probably can't play .700 basketball & make the playoffs, but they are 5-2 since the Rudy Gay trade & have 29 games left on the schedule

• The next 29 remaining games will tell you "what this team is made of"

• On Jerry Buss: he ran the best operation in every conceivable way "this guy said it, meant it, & delivered it"

• Jerry Buss is the greatest sports owner in North American history

8:15 Jack Armstrong – NBA on TSN

• Toronto can compete with anybody, the question is "how will this team respond when the pressure gets ramped up"

• Raptors are 6 games back with 29 games to play

• Raptors first have to focus on catching 9th seeded Philadelphia (currently 2 games back) & then "hope for some crazy things to happen"

• Next few weeks for the Raptors will be key

• Long term the Raptors have to focus on the development of Jonas Valanciunas & Terrence Ross

• On Terrence Ross: when they drafted him there were a lot of question marks, now those questions seemed to have subsided

• So far what we have seen is "a player who is just starting to scratch the surface"

• But the biggest question moving forward is "can Ross put all the tools together to become a more complete player?"

• Hopefully the experience from the All-Star game rubs off & gives Ross some increased confidence

• On Jerry Buss: he was a visionary/ahead of his time, helped establish/promote the "Laker brand", and was always committed to putting the best product on the court

• Mark Cuban has adopted this philosophy with the Dallas Mavericks

8:30 Dave Mishkin – Tampa Bay Lightning Radio Voice

• The Lightning always "come to play" even last year when they seemed to struggle at times (but still managed to win 25 games @ home)

• Biggest problem for the Lightning: they have been terrible on the road

• Thinks that both teams "will be ready to play tonight"

• The Lightning have never had problems scoring goals, but have really struggled defensively because "you can't score 4-5 goals every night"

• In some games the Lightning have had excellent defensive coverage, but are still searching for a sense of consistency & trying to limit turnovers

• On Guy Boucher: he is a great communicator/student of the game and feels that "players want to be talked to not talked at"

• Dave Andreychuk is having a blast in Tampa!

Hour 1:

Mike recaps the weekend action in the NHL, Northern Trust Open winner John Merrick calls in, & Jonas Siegel previews tonight's Leafs vs. Panthers game. Audio

Hour 2:

Terrence Ross wins the All-Star Slam Dunk contest, Pierre McGuire, Darren Dreger, Jim Ralph preview tonight's Leafs game, & Roberto Luongo calls in. Audio

Hour 3:

Bob Weeks discusses John Merrick's win at the Northern Trust Open, Terrence Ross chats about the Slam Dunk Contest, & Scott MacArthur talks Jays. Audio

6:30 Jonas Siegel – Maple Leafs Reporter

• Saturday's 3-0 win vs. the Senators was very important (especially after the Leafs poor performance vs. Carolina)

• Best part of Saturday's win: Leafs were able to get some contributions from unlikely sources (Frazer McLaren goal, Colton Orr getting 13 minutes of ice-time, Ben Scrivens with the shutout)

• Florida Panthers has lost 3 consecutive games in overtime, so their confidence might be a little fragile

• Tampa Bay has struggled defensively

• This combined with the Leafs stellar road record make this upcoming road trip a great opportunity to gain some ground in the Eastern Conference

• On Colton Orr: Randy Carlyle likes to have some "toughness" on his team, & Orr has earned the respect of Carlyle & Co. which is evident based on his ice time vs. Ottawa • Nazem Kadri admitted that he felt "he could do a little bit more, because no one would take liberties with Colton Orr on the ice"

• On Mike Kostka: we didn't expect him to play this many minutes this early in the season, however with the injury to Carl Gunnarsson, Carlyle has few alternatives

• Carlyle has also made an effort to curb Dion Phaneuf's minutes because "they were running him too hard"

• On Tampa Bay: they have really struggled defensively & their goaltending has been sporadic at times

• Toronto will have to keep an eye on Steven Stamkos who "always seems to light up the Leafs"

• Some struggling Leafs that need to step up o Tyler Bozak: his faceoff percentage at the start of the year was near the top of the league, but has regressed over the past few games (faceoff percentage has dropped from 55% - 40%) o Nazem Kadri: also appears to have struggled the past few games o Mikhail Grabovski: has been ok, but there is lots of room for improvement

7:15 Pierre McGuire – NHL on NBC Analyst

• Atmosphere at the United Center in Chicago

• Chicago is the best team in the NHL right now, & they do have the depth to win a championship (remember Antti Niemi's performance during 2010 playoffs)

• This is an incredibly deep team at the forward & defense positions, once Corey Crawford returns from concussion look out!

• On Buffalo Sabres: they are still searching for an identity & had to overcome a terrible start yesterday vs. Pittsburgh (2 goals in the first 1:27 in unacceptable)

• On Tyler Myers: there appears to be a disconnect, he will have 8-9 good shifts, & then on the 11th shift he will make a critical mistake, thus Myers is still searching for a sense of consistency

• On Leafs upcoming road trip: this is a huge part of the schedule for the Leafs, kudos to Ben Scrivens for his riveting performance vs. Ottawa on Saturday, Florida will be a hungry bunch especially after losing three overtime games in a row

• On San Jose Sharks: they can't win on the road (5-1-2 @ home, 2-3-1 on the road) they don't look very quick, & really lack secondary scoring, this is a critical part of the Sharks schedule

• On St. Louis Blues: Jake Allen was sensational last night vs. Vancouver

7:45 Leafs Breakfast: Darren Dreger & Jim Ralph

• Dreger: Florida has a 4 game home stand which wraps up vs. Toronto & they haven't played very well of late, most impressive thing during the Leafs victory vs. Ottawa on Saturday night "they rebounded beautifully after a poor showing vs. Carolina" Ben Scrivens seems to have calmed down the Maple Leafs goaltending saga for the time being….

• Ralph: sometimes you need the goalie to make "the big save" other times you need the goalie "not to give up the bad goal" this is the life of a goaltender

• Dreger: Colton Orr has worked very hard during the lockout/off-season to get himself "leaner & meaner" plus he is finally healthy (concussions almost ended his career) this is a testament to the excellent coaching abilities of Dallas Eakins

8:00 Bob Weeks – Score Golf

• John Merrick's unofficial PGA nickname: The Elephant Man

• But he did win a lot of money yesterday, so who's laughing now?

• On Graham DeLaet: he has worked very hard during the off-season to recover from back surgery & is very happy with his game (aside from his putting) he has had two good finishes in the last three weeks (inside the top 25) & is in good shape "to make his mark"

• Big fan of Charl Schwartzel (among the top 5 golfers in the world over the last 2-3 months)

• On Tiger Woods playing with Barack Obama: "when the president asks you to play golf, you don't say no"

• On the potential ban on belly putters: there is a proposal, but the PGA tour has not accepted the ban on anchoring putting, some feel that a ban would "hurt the growth of the game" therefore this issue "might not be a slam dunk"

8:10 Terrence Ross – 2013 Slam Dunk Champion

• Had lots of options during his college recruitment days but chose to stay close to home because "he felt it would be a better fit"

• Having a blast in Toronto which is starting to feel "more like home"

• On wearing the Vince Carter jersey: it was a way of paying homage/respect to one of the greatest Raptors of all time

• Looking forward to getting back on the court on Tuesday night vs. Washington

8:30 Scott MacArthur – Blue Jays Reporter

• Weather in Florida hasn't been that great so far…

• Jays training camp schedule: players usually trickle in around 7-8 AM, lots of live batting practice this week, which is basically the first opportunity for pitchers to tune up with hitters in the batters box, yesterday Buehrle, Dickey, & a number of relievers threw roughly 25-30 pitches each, Josh Johnson is expected to get "his first kick at the can" later on this morning

• Saw Sergio Santos pitch yesterday, which is huge for the Jays, which is huge because the Jay would love to go into the season with Janssen & Santos "ready to go"

• Biggest question for the Jays: how will Gibbons put this roster together?

• Emilio Bonifacio & Colby Rasmus could be huge wild cards for the Blue Jays this season

• On Josh Johnson: he will throw today, & is one year removed from his shoulder issues

• Johnson knows that he will have to have a big year so that he can earn a nice contract during the off-season