Jim Lang

Jim Lang can be seen anchoring Connected on the weekends with Evanka Osmak and is the senior NFL reporter for sportsnet and sportsnet.ca. Jim is also a regular contributor to sportsnet.ca. For more you check out Jim's website, www.jimlang.ca

From the squared circle to the halls of fame, Clubber answers all of your questions in his weekly mailbag.

I would like to give a special shout out to the fine staff of the Niagara Parks Police. I was in Niagara Falls during March break for some family time and my Mom lost her cell phone. The Parks Police came through big time and helped save the day. And now on to this week's questions.

Chris from Esterhazy, Saskatchewan

Comment: Hey Jim, love the blog. I once read a Scott Carson column explaining how MLB players get inducted to the HOF by obtaining 75 percent yes votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Now I am wondering how other professional athletes in the NHL and the NFL get inducted into their HOF.

Answer: Hi Chris. Esterhazy? Isn't that like about an hour south of Yorkton? Let's start with the NHL. For the Hockey Hall of Fame there is an 18-person selection committee. They then hold a secret ballot where a 75 per cent vote is needed to be inducted. Hockey fans will never know if a guy like Doug Gilmour, (for example's sake), missed getting selected by a single vote.

In the NFL, there is a 44-person selection committee. A minimum 80 percent of the vote is needed for one of the 17 final candidates to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Like the NHL, the NFL vote totals are not announced, only the names of who made it in.

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A Man Called Hooch

Comment: Doesn't Vince McMahon look like the biggest criminal you have seen?!

Answer: Hi Hooch, is that kind of like Sir Richard Harris in a Man Called Horse? No way does Mr. McMahon look like a criminal? Now if you asked me about Eric Bischoff, well that's another story. That man just can not be trusted. I can't believe that Mick Foley almost got sucked into Bischoff's evil world on TNA wrestling. I was so freaking geeked up to see Foley slap the mandible claw on Bischoff and shave the head of that little rat.

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Randy

Comment: Hey Jim, question, surprised? I was wondering in an NHL game, does a penalty shot count as a shot on goal? Assuming it goes in or the goalie saves it?

Answer: Hi Randy. If you look in the NHL rule book under sub-section 25, you will find a detailed explanation. Long story short, a penalty shot does count as a shot on goal.

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Mark

Comment: Hey Jim, as I watched some NCAA basketball last week, I noticed the players had their championship hats and shirts on right after the game. What happens to the hats and shirts from the losing team?

Answer: Hi Mark. Much like losing teams in other leagues and sports, they are shipped off to needy countries around the world. So somewhere in one of the poorest countries in the world, you will find someone walking around with a Utah State, 2010 WAC Men's Basketball Champions t-shirt.

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Heath

Comment: Hey Clubber,

Love the column. Your Royal Rumble answer was some of the best reading in a while. As a follow-up question from one old-school wrestling fan to another, what are some of the worst gimmick wrestlers in history? To get you started, I think "the Goon", Bob "Sparkplug" Holly, and Bastion Booger are three of the worst. The Goon could hardly walk on those "skate boots" of his. Ridiculous!

Answer: Hi Heath. Thanks for the kind words. You want ridiculous? How about Jay Leno and Diamond Dallas Page? I mean who could buy Leno in the ring, with Page, beating up Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff? You can not be serious.

I have to admit I would love to see Conan O'Brien and the Undertaker hooking up with Leno and George Hornswoggle in a Hell in a Cell match. Who wouldn't love to see Coco choke slam Leno?

That dude who went by the handle "The Tugboat" was so bad that it almost defies description.

I never liked Scott Steiner and the whole "big poppa pump" routine. Other than flexing his 20-inch pythons, I never thought Steiner could really wrestle.

Let's face it, Vince McMahon and the WWE know what they're doing, but every once in a while they come up with an idea that is a complete disaster.

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Rob from Newfoundland

Comment: In honour of St-Patrick's Day, what is your best party story?

Answer: Hi Rob, that is a difficult question to answer. To be honest Rob, the strict rules that govern the sacred Code of the Road prevent me from going into too many details.

Now having said all that, there are a few parties that stand out in my mind. The first took place in June of '93 when I worked at CHOM-FM in Montreal. We had this event called the kick-off to summer featuring the Pursuit of Happiness. All I can say is that I remember watching the sun rise the next morning and that Moe Berg had to be carried on to the tour bus by the rest of his band.

During the summer of 1995, I was working at The Fan in Toronto and Mike Hogan and I were invited to an event with a bunch of the Argos. I made the fateful mistake of trying to go beer for beer with this big-ass offensive linemen from Oregon. I swear I was hung over for nearly two days.

The piece de resistance took place on a fateful Friday night in St. John's Newfoundland during the Scott Tournament of Hearts back in 2005. As luck would have it. My hotel was walking distance to George Street. My trusted cameraman Mario and I decided to hit the famous pubs of George Street with all our might. The problem was that George Street hit us back, and she hit us back hard. Thank you Bubbles, I owe you one.

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Andrew

Comment: Looking at your crew there at Sportsnet, I have a feeling that you'll be able to answer this question my buddies and I have been pondering for way too long (since we can't find a guinea pig amongst ourselves to try it). So if you put the hand of someone sleeping into a bowl of water, will it really start the 'waters flowing' from them?

We've been wondering this for quite some time, but no one wants to test this theory. I'm betting that someone there at Sportsnet knows the answer to this from their own experiments.

Answer: Hi Andrew. For obvious reasons, I conducted an anonymous poll with the crew here at Sportsnet. Here's the thing, the old "hand in the water" trick has been attempted by every guy I have ever known at one time in their life. Anyone who has played competitive hockey or baseball and has spent time on the road has definitely tried the "hand in the water' trick. So after conducting a scientific poll that would make the top minds at the University of Geneva proud; I discovered that the success rate of the "hand in the water" trick runs about 60 per cent. The key to success comes down to the temperature of the water. If it's too cold, your buddy will wake up. If it's too hot, he will be scalded and giving a guy second-degree burns is just not cool. It has to be warm, but not too hot. Once you achieve the right temperature, then your poor buddy who had one too many will be in for a very big surprise.

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After weeks of research, I have finally discovered where I can buy a pair of those righteous Norwegian curling pants from the Vancouver Olympics.

Feel free to go out and buy a pair for yourself as well. I will talk to you next week.