What do NHL players do during the summer? Well, lots of different things, but few are quite as ambitious as Jack Johnson, who is working toward his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. Johnson turned pro after his sophomore year but has since been taking classes every summer toward his degree, a program he is continuing this summer. The Ann Arbor News took a look at Johnson’s studies…
Former Michigan hockey defenseman Jack Johnson keeps his word, continues to pursue degree
Go get em JJ. Thx Rich!
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Good for JJ. Glad to see he’s sticking to his goal of finishing school
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Good for him for keeping up with his education.
However, you don’t have to read through the lines much with this kid to see he will never consider LA home. Playing in Doughty’s shadow almost guarantees he leaves as soon as he gets the chance.
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holly Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
@Luke M,
I really don’t think the article says that at all. It does indicate that he has strong ties to the area and expects to return there when his playing days are over. Lots of athletes return to the area they grew up in, just as lots of people remain in the area they grew up in. It’s human nature to have a tendency to be drawn during your life to where your roots are. I don’t think that him stating that he eventually intends to return to the area says anything for a lack of dedication to his career, which we need to remember is really what this is about. He decided to leave school because it was the appropriate choice for his career. When and if he leaves LA (if by his own choice) it will be for the same reason.
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KINGSfan Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
@Luke M,
Wow, I don’t get that at all. I read him as a stand-up young man who follows thru with commitments.
That’s not to say he will stay a KING his whole carrer, but I don’t see him looking for an easy out as soon as way opens up.
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quisp Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
@lukem @KINGSfan,
JJ grew up in Michigan. His dad went to UofM. He went (and is going) to UofM. He’s understandably proud of it. (I also went there. And will bend people’s ears about the place — not that I have any desire to go back any time soon.) I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go back to Ann Arbor (A-squared, as they say) after he retires. A lot of players do that kind of thing. But I don’t think there’s anything to read into it.
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Luke M Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
@quisp,
I’m not referring to this article specifically, but all the statements made by Jack Johnson over the past two seasons. I would be willing to bet my season seats in section 103 that he is currently playing his last contract with the Kings aside from a contract resulting from arbitration next summer, which I suspect would result in him being traded by the deadline.
I have nothing against the kid. I think he’s going to do nothing but improve. I think he’s going to have a hell of an NHL career. If you pay attention, you’ll see he’s not all that happy here and it shows. He’s as good as gone, IMO. I’m not against him staying a King, I think it would be great, I just don’t see it happening.
Ann Arbor Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
@quisp, His father actually went to Wisconsin. His mom is the Michigan alumnae.
BallPointHammer Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
@Luke M,
I really don’t see where you’re getting this. Seems to me that Johnson, like most of the Kings young guys, sees LA as a great chance to be on a good team for a long time.
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Miller29 Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
@Luke M,
Jack Johnson could care less about LA, the Kings, or the fans. He’s going through the motions till he can get outta here either through trade of Free Agency.His attitude and demeanor (spat w/ Dean over MI doesn’t help)exude this. I see the guy as a frat-type momma’s boy who’s a bit of a prima-donna. I personally don’t consider him part of the “core,” and view him as expendable. As far as education goes, good for him but I could care less.
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Marc Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 3:57 am
@Miller29,
There’s no factual basis for anything you said. But I guess people believe what they want to believe.
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-J Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:42 am
@Marc,
Agree 1000% percent. The crap people make up and choose to believe is mind boggling.
Miller29 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
@Marc,
What do you expect, a notarized written confession? I basing it on observing him on tv, live interviews (or the refusal to do so), responses/quotes (short and defensive or with attitude), the spat w/ Dean in which he clearly doesn’t respect the boss (and maybe rightfully so) etc…That’s the way he comes across to me and I’ve been a pretty good judge of character my whole life. Could I be wrong? Sure, I’m not perfect, but I don’t believe I am in this case. See ya JJ.
Dominick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 10:55 am
@Luke M,
Everyones playing in DD’s shadow,except for the 2 who finnished ahead of him in the running for the Norris trophy.That includes ALL Kings defensemen.
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That’s our boy!
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Good for Jack.
He can play for the Kings a long time and still have plenty of time to spend at home, during and after his playing days.
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Good for Jack. It’s not so much the degree itself that is impressive, but the fact that he is committed to developing his mind with the same dedication that he is developing his body.
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I don’t know what a degree in general studies qualifies you for, but at least he will have a degree, and he can quit getting picked on by his 12 year old brother.
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I am sure my favorite poster will be bashing away if he has a bad game during fianls week. But, the rest of us support JJ attempting to better himself.
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I love it keep it up
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Sutton was my second choice at the trade deadline. What go you think as a replacement to OD? The only downside is limited playoff experience, but he may come cheaper if we give him 2 years?
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34459-THNcom-Blog-Top-10-remaining-UFAs.html
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John Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
@jet,
Mitchell’s a better option
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Dominick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:10 am
@jet, He’s a big boy.Saw him a total of 6 times last season so not to sure about his skating.
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gag me. kind of a blowfest story.
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Miller29 Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
@gboi,
LOL! Your description is a lot more direct than mine above, but true.
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This is great news; even the best hockey players in the world retire with most of their life ahead of them.
Just remember Jack, the Master’s Degree is only 30 more units past the Bachelor’s. When you start your Master’s work you can stay in LA and kick it at Pepperdine!!
Keep a journal of your experiences with the Kings and then publish it as a Master’s project!
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So… no Kovalchuk news?
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Steve S. Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
No
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Dominick Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 11:14 am
@Kevin Y,Here’s some news,Kovulchuk’s not signed.
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In seriousness, I always find it awesome when an athlete, making millions of bucks, wants to go and still get his college degree.
Congrats, JJ.
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What, no comment from Lombardi on the quality of a UofM education?
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Doc. Mark 1968 Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
@Skebo,
Laughing Loud!!
For those who don’t know, in the academic world U of M is considered a bit snobbish. There is big time elitism in academia. But I know JMFJ is not like that.
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holly Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
@Doc. Mark 1968,
There’s also been significant discussion on Lombardi’s opinion of college players in the past few years.
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Skebo Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
@holly,
No, not ‘college players’. Only U of M’s hockey program & coach. See DL’s positive comments regarding Forbort going to ND.
Doc. Mark 1968 Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
@holly,
Yes, I can think of one school and one coach in particular!
This kid has his head on straight. i like his integrity and his devotion. i hope he stays around with the Kings for a long time. he really showed what hes got during the playoffs.
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Attaboy Jack!
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He deserves alot of credit for following up on his education…not many players in any sports do so once they are drafted it seems.
HOWEVER…and this is my typical smartass response, though I am quite serious about what I have to say:
He did not play smart hockey this past season, so I hope he takes a class in common sense. Not only was his -15 the worst on the club of the top players, but his dumb penalties at crucial points in several games led to losses. The guy has an incredible physical skill set, but really seems to lack concentration!
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Skebo Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
@shades,
BINGO!!!
I think JJ sometimes gets tangled up in his immense skillset. He gets caught going through his toolbox, when he should just make the quick, easy, common sense play. But like Voltaire said, “Le sens commun est fort rare”.
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Steve S. Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
You are correct that his play had issues, and he had his share of puck management mistakes. He knows it too.
However, he elevated his play in the playoffs and gets better every season. No he was not like Drew right away but we all know that Doughty’s play is the exception not the rule. Jack is improving and does have the potential to be an excellent top 4 defenseman.
If this kid recognizes the importance of finishing his education, well he has his head screwed on straight. Most hockey players just finish high school. Good for him.
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Ok so you guys want kovi news you got it
one can only dream !! for the next few hours..
URGENT REPORTS ::::
mutiple is reporting that two offers on the table for kovi from last night
17 years 100 mil from the devils
and 15 years 100 mil from the kings..
And also there has been rumors of bernier trade to phili for gagne… ( kings have said NO on bernier ) well see what happens.
Also kings have their pick a seat today at staples center. What a nice treat it would be to have kovi walk in and tell people this is were you will be seating the next 15 years watching me !!
Any thoughts from you guys !!
Has anyone heard anything else !!
My opinion is he signs in la.
But question remains how do you ensure a 15 year contract. If iam not mistaken the largest contract is 13 years !
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snbrdsummit Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
@wewantkovi,
I just heard that we’re thinking about trading Hickey to the Flyers for Gagne. Reported via ESPN who cites Alan Muir of Sports Illustrated as the source.
Gotta say… I don’t like this move if they make it. One of my Kings reps said today he felt like Gagne is like Williams in that he’s prone to injury. When will we stop recruiting Flyers players?
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src Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
@snbrdsummit,
Interesting stuff some of these rumors. Kaberle for a top 6 forward? No question about his skill set and quality as a player, but 1 year from UFA=rental. Then you have Gagne. Gagne>=JW. Would we expect more than a top 6 D man, or 3rd line Grit player for JW?. Dont think so. Lots of homers out there.
I dont see anyone other than a real strong cup contender giving more than a second rounder or middle road prospect for either of these guys. Unless of course a contract exstention is worked out before the transfer. However in Gagnes case, I would not want an exstention until he shows he can play 70 games again.
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John Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 12:11 am
@snbrdsummit,
Gagne is much better option then paying some guy $100M. A ton more character too!
Sure, he is somewhat injury prone (averages 66 games a season). But that just gives a lot of our prospects a shot at a callup (Moller, Clifford, Kozun, Kitsyn, etc.). We’re defensively sound enough to withstand short term injuries now.
But as src rightly states, what would it cost us??
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-J Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:46 am
@wewantkovi,
You got all that from over at Eklund’s site, therefore it’s safe to say none of that is gonna happen.
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shades Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:30 am
@wewantkovi, IMO, the only player who the Kings should sign for 15 yrs and $100 Million is Doughty…in fact, they should give him 120 just so there’s no question about who the most valuable player on the Kings is right now!
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IK may well come to LA (although at this point I’m not sure I want him to), but the above is malarkey. Nobody is going to pay a hockey player over 40 that type of money, esp. Lamoriello or Lombardi.
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shades Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
@Steve S., they must have gotten it messed up some how…it should be more like 100 years (or as long as he can skate) for 15 million! Then, we’ll let him play here.
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Impressive. The guy has character.
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this is why i love jack johnson he is a man of his word and is a true michigan man
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Awesome stuff!! thanks for the post Rich. Jack, if you read this stuff…keep up the studies!!
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Great job JMFJ…..Keep it up!
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Hopefully he wont get any coaching from Red Berensen this summer.
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new update from helen elliot 6:38pm kinda squashes the rumor that the kings are about to make the offer that money mentioned on the radio. Im not buying this article though, I think shes been a little outta the loop and the kings are playing this very low key right now. she mentions the old 13yr 84 mil rumor but says the kings are likely standing firm having proposed their best offer already. I dont know if helen understands the cap or the front loaded deal though because the rumored 100mil over 15 yrs is only 100k more in cap hit the the 13yr 84mil offer
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/07/ilya-kovalchuk-kings-new-jersey-devils.html
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smitty Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
@kingfish, Trust me, helen is not “outta the loop”. oh, and by the way,I think she totally understands the cap and front loaded deals.
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kingfish Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
@smitty,
I dont know about that, I think she has been “used” by the kings in this whole thing when they wanted to get stuff out, when they dont she is left to speculate. As far as the cap she mentions the kings might have gone to a 7.5-8 million average on a shorter deal say 7-8 years which is way different than the cap numbers for the other deals, a number which sounds way higher than what DL has been trying to get. also she says lou lamoriello doesnt have “remotely” the cap space to sign kovy for 17yrs at $100 million when thats only a 5.8 mil cap hit, which is very do-able for NJ if they loose one guy.
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Having read and exchanged emails with Helene I can assure you she understands the cap as well anybody in the NHL.
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kingfish Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 3:32 am
@EASportsMgt,
cool, Im not trying to disparage Ms. Elliot, I like her passion for the Kings (even though the Times is a joke when it comes to the kings/ hockey) it just appears that she doesn’t fully understand the cap based on her reporting. Her suggestion that NJ cant fit the 17 yr contract in because they haven’t been able to trade Rolston and dont have cap room demonstrates a simplistic view of the cap and overall situation IMO. NJ could work this deal, not a big problem cap wise. She makes it sound as if NJ doesnt have a chance based on one trade not happening. Lou was quoted this week as saying “dont worry about my cap”. He’s right, he could make a move or two and make it happen. There is typically much better /analytical reporting out of canada and northern US markets than the sad excuse for local hockey news we get here in LA from our major outlets. Nothing against Helen in particular Im just tired of these blog bits from our “major newspaper” with no real analysis and a sentiment that no one is even reading the damn thing so just post it. As well it is buried on the Times website. In contrast Rich does real reporting on the kings.
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-J Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 5:51 am
@kingfish,
FWIW, Helene is not in the minority of reporters i’ve read (mostly from canadian rags) that see major issues with the supposed NJ offer. Quisp did a nice breakdown of the numbers here: http://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com/2010/7/7/1558262/new-jerseys-cap-situation-in-the
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EASportsMgt Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
@kingfish,
Kingfish wrote:
“Her suggestion that NJ cant fit the 17 yr contract in because they haven’t been able to trade Rolston and dont have cap room demonstrates a simplistic view of the cap and overall situation IMO.”
Again I disagree with you and believe it demonstrates her complete and real understanding of the cap and the situation in NJ. Lou wants you to believe he doesnt have a cap problem but the fact of the matter is he does.
He doesnt need to get under the cap now, but he will before the start of the season. I think it has been written before that he can go up to about an 8 Mil cap hit and reasonable unload assets before the start of the season. But there are two fundamental problems there. What Helene I believe was eluding to, and of course I dont want to put words in her mouth, but I believe Lou has not found any willing partners to trade with. Most GM’s in my opinion are holding him hostage in a sense knowing he has to unload assets therefore asking for far more than what Lou is willing to do. Second, he also needs re-sign some RFA’s including Parise who recently fired his agents and is still interviewing new agents before negotiations begin. So those issues I believe is where the problem with the cap for NJ lies. I am also fairly confident that DL knows this as well. And he knows that not until NJ does something else he has the relative room to wait it out longer and not seem to enthusiastic to sign Kovi. He is playing this quite smart. I do think in the end Kovi becomes a King and for a cap hit we are all going to love.
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DougS Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
@EASportsMgt,
To me, that sounds like the most logical explanation for the almost complete silence over the last several days, i.e., that both Team Kovi and DL are waiting to see if LL can, in fact, clear enough cap space to improve his offer. That’s also why DL is standing pat; he knows at this point, he would only be bidding against himself.
I also think that we now have some more insight into what motivates Mr. Ilya Kovalchuk. Is it winning? I would concede that it does, somewhat. His choice now boils down to two teams, one of which offers him a significant shot at the Stanley Cup within the next 1-2 years, and another that offers him a significant shot sometime within the next 10 years.
But if money and the egotistical value of being highly paid was not even more important to him, why drag on the process so long? By all credible accounts, he has had lucrative offers from both LAK and NJD. Either would work well is all he wanted was to win, so why stall? This just makes him look like a diva, and it’s also holding up the UFAs (like Frolov) who are waiting on him so they can draft in his wake.
Bravo Jack! I like you even better now, an educated hockey player is a smarter player, that is for sure!
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JJ, it takes a lot of pride and self motivation to continue your studies and have a career at the same time. Your setting a great example for all the young kids that look up to you. As far as Kovi goes, I hope something happens soon so we can set up our own lines and determine how we will do next season.
Once again great job JJ!
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Good work. Doing U. of Michigan and the Kings proud.
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Hopefully Jack is working on covering high-speed oncoming rushes and practicing ATTACKING the play rather than always collapsing back towards the goalie.
Most of the goals that glanced off him into the net last season were in that situation.
Study well, Jack!
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Booooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Where is Kovalchuk!
Okay, now that that is out of my system for an hour…..
Jack Johnson. Good job. You’ll never need or use it, but it says a lot about what kind of person you are. I approve.
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Rich, Thank you for news on THE KINGS!!!!
I know it will be hard and KINGS FANS want information on you know who, it’s time to move on. We have a good KINGS teams with or without you know who.
I would like you to report how Kopitar, Doughty, Simmons, Bernier, Shenn and the rest of our KINGS are hard at work getting ready for the coming season or becoming better all around like Johnson.
Thanks again Rich and GKG!!!
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More Kovalchuk please.
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Anybody else get the feeling some big news is coming tomorrow?
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I’m not the biggest fan of JJ’s(not a hater either) but he has my true respect for continuing his education. Well done son.
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“@darenmillard: Kovy-gate comes 2 an end tomorrow. Kings win the process.. Don’t want announcment 2 get overshadowed by WC”
HOLY SH*TTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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DLB Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
@tantrum4, I just saw that too. Hello, fellow addict.
More on topic: Good for JJ!
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tantrum4 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
@DLB,
Darren Millard works for Sportsnet here in Canada and is not a rumour monger. This is the first report that I believe is 100% true…I guess we’ll see tomorrow
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DLB Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
@tantrum4, yes, he is not the kind of guy to just go and say things…
Pins and needles time!
Michael Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
@tantrum4, JUST SAW THAT TOO!!! WOOHOO
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I sure hope Millard is legit cause I got that tweet too. Hopefully our web addiction is coming to a happy end.
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