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Tuesday Links - ROCK FLAG AND EAGLE

There's free agency and stuff today and a bunch of links and shit, but in the grand scheme, the only thing that matters today is that Team USA plays Belgium and I prefer eggs and bacon over waffles, so fuck Belgium for at least one day. AMERICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Donut King

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I, too, believe that we will win.
I, too, believe that we will win.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Free agency? Meh.

GIVE ME AMERICA OR GIVE ME DEATH.

BLUES NEWS:

  • Not shockingly, the Blues extended qualifying offers to RFA's Vladimir Sobotka, Jaden Schwartz, Sergey Andronov, David Shields and Sebastian Wannstrom . . . that keeps these gents with the club. Meanwhile, the team did not extend such offers to Brett Ponich and Tyler Shattock, which means these two become UFA's today. [Blues]
  • Free Agency starts today, as you know. Norm Sanders says the Blues need to make a splash with a bold move . . . such as, perhaps, signing Our Town's Paul Stastny to join the club. [Belleville News-Democrat]

HOCKEY NEWS:

  • Here's 16 guys that suck at hockey. Chemmy at PPP put together a matrix of them for a special "Don't Sign These Guys" Bingo card. Hey, look! Steve Ott! Brenden Morrow! (S/T to J-Mill) [Pension Plan Puppets]
  • No-trade clauses are a pain in the ass, writes Ryan Lambert in his weekly What We Learned piece. [Puck Daddy]
  • The Avalanche(s), who need defensive help and probably will lose at least one of their top centers (if not two) and possibly one of their top defensemen, traded P.A. Parenteau and a 2015 fifth round pick to the Canadiens for Daniel Briere, who is not a defenseman and not really a center anymore. [Pro Hockey Talk]
  • This is cool . . . Gino Odjick, who recently revealed he may only have weeks to live, received some great support from Canucks fans and supporters from his tribe in Quebec. Even if you hate(d) the guy's guts, this is awesome. [Puck Daddy]
  • Phillipsburg, MT is not too far from my surrogate hometown of Missoula. Their youth hockey association recently got a nice gift from the NHLPA. [KPAX 8]
  • A Lightning(s) fan made a tribute video for Sam Gagner, who was with the club all of . . . what, two hours, maybe? LOL. [Puck Daddy]
  • Ryan Johansen is apparently getting the shaft from the Blue Jackets and therefore the two clubs are at a bit of an impasse as he hits the market as a RFA today. I'd offer-sheet him, but of course, we know how offer sheets on John Davidson players works. [Blue Jackets Xtra]
  • In other Conference III matters . . . the Predators took a gamble on Michael Del Zotto being a good piece for the team's future, and struck out. So he's a UFA today. [The Tennesseean]
  • The Panthers placed Ed Jovanovski on buyout waivers. This very well might end JovoCop's career. [Panther Parkway]

2014 FIFA EGGS AND BACON TRUMP WAFFLES EVERY FUCKING TIME WORLD CUP:

  • In yesterday's first match, France got a late goal to take a late lead and added another one even later to defeat Nigeria 2-0 and advance. [Dirty Tackle]
  • And in the second match, Germany and Algeria were deadlocked through 90, but an extra time beauty and a second insurance tally (which, as it turns out, was needed) put the Germans through 2-1. And now France and Germany get a rematch of World War II or some shit. [SB Nation]
  • The United States and Belgium square off against each other, and it appears Jozy Altidore will at least be available for the match, which is great news. [CBS Sports Eye on the World Cup]
  • Goddamn right we do, Mix. [Twitter / @MixDiskerud]
  • Speaking of believing . . . apparently, Jürgen Klinsmann told his squad to book their flights out of Brazil on a date AFTER the World Cup Final. Which is interesting, considering his prior comments about looking ahead to what the team would be in 2018. [CBS Sports Eye on the World Cup]
  • And in the other match of the day, Switzerland will see if they can overcome heavily-favored Argentina in São Paulo. [SB Nation]

OTHER SHIT:

  • First thing I thought of was the late, great Tim Wilson's "Church League Softball Fistfight". Even though it didn't involve sports. Though it did involve a church . . . and fists. [Y! / AP]
  • Apparently, ten months of the Houston Astros' internal discussions about players was leaked. And apparently, the FBI is investigating. [Deadspin]

VIDEOS:

Just a couple to get you jacked for the match. First, the old standard from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia:

ROCK FLAG AND EAGLE.

Second . . . imagine, instead of the Soviets and hockey, imagine Herb Brooks is talking about Belgium and soccer:

Fuck yeah.

Surely there will be updates throughout the day on any signings the Blues make, but send links on just about everything else to me:

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