The I-76 Series

Before the season started, I had Minnesota beating the Philadelphia for the Stanley Cup. Goodness, was I wrong with the Wild. The Flyers, however, are keeping my hopes for a .500 season, so to speak, on life support. It certainly doesn't look any easier against Pittsburgh, who just dispatched the Rangers.

If memory serves me correctly, a lot of people, especially those whose job it is to know such things, picked the Rangers to win it all. I guess I shouldn't feel so bad.

Either way, this Eastern Conference championship oughta be one whale of a series. The Flyers have knocked off some big teams in the Capitals and, most recently, the Canadiens. The Penguins, conversely, haven't really been tested. Plus, they hate each other.

With little more than 300 miles -- a five-hour ride and $17.25 in tolls -- separating these two more-grit-than-glitter cities, let me be among the first to call it the I-76, or Pennsylvania Turnpike, Series.