* Nice touch by the Lightning to salute former play-by-play broadcaster Rick Peckam with the “Rick Peckam Broadcast Booths” at Amalie Arena. He was recently honored at the Hockey Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster. Two quick thoughts. First, Peckam was a first-class professional, who called a great game. Second, I remember a conversation we had when I asked him how he could call everything in a game that was frenetically-paced, with personnel changes every minute and a puck that wasn’t always visible. His answer: “I don’t.” Duh. Peckam excelled at giving viewers the “big picture.” Hockey has to be the hardest sport for a broadcaster.
* I miss the UF-FSU game of old. An in-state rivalry where national implications were a given. No longer. Last Saturday’s version was sloppy and annoying. An on-side kick in the final seconds that ended in a (FSU) kicker whiff seemed symbolically appropriate. And no help from the booth, with ESPN’s Robert Griffin III (remember “RG3”?) conflating intensity and enthusiasm with histrionics, lack of discipline, boorish demeanor and punk attitudes.
* The NHL and its players have until Jan. 10 to make the final call about participation in the Beijing Winter Olympics. That impacts a lot of Bolts’ players.
* Priorities: the NHL still doesn’t play games on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas, something the NFL, NBA and NCAA can’t claim.
*The 13th-ranked USF women’s basketball team defeated defending NCAA champ Stanford.
* “The Matildas”: the Australian nickname for its women’s soccer team.