Morning Head: There was a lot to like about yesterday

Brittany Daniel, who is the rare beast who's looks weren't able to overcome her acting ability. If you look like that, you should be in more movies that people want to see, but since she did "Joe Dirt" she's fallen off the radar a bit. Thankfully, the brilliant people at "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" have kept her career alive.

There were so many reasons for optimism that came out of the Red Wings' Game 1 win against the Coyotes last night. Jimmy Howard was superb, the Red Wings penalty killers were equally great, Pavel Datsyuk continued to own the Coyotes, Johan Franzen continued to be a playoff beast and Jiri Hudler found the back of the net. The Wings, when they're playing at their best, are simply too much for Phoenix to handle, which brings me to the only problem with last night's game, the Wings saw that they can win even if they sleep-walk through most of a period. If Howard is playing like he did last night, the only thing that can stop the Wings is being lackadaisical. But that's just me nit-picking after a terrific win. (Freep)

In Phoenix, fans aren't panicking, which they shouldn't be after a Game 1 loss on the road. But I stand by my point that last night proved what we all knew going in, the Red Wings are simply a lot better than the Coyotes. I do take exception to two of his bullet points, however. Shane Doan is a pest, and it's his job to get under players' skin. But for one, teams have been trying to get under the skin of the Red Wings for years, and the last team that successfully did that was the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. Since then, it's been a better team, ridiculous goaltending or general lack of intensity from the Wings that has cost them series. And if you think getting under Justin Abdelkader's skin (not by grit, but by putting him in a fireman's carry behind the net) is going to win you a series, you're in for a long series. Second, Klesla did not drop Bert, Bert fell. Think Dicky Eklund vs. Sugar Ray Leonard. (Five for Howling)

There were four other games last night: The Capitals beat the Rangers in overtime, but have to be a little concerned about their lack of offense; the Penguins shut out Tampa Bay, showing that playoff experience can out-duel talent; the Canucks got a great game from Roberto Luongo in a win against the Blackhawks; and the Nashville Predators stole one from Anaheim, scoring four goals, which for the Predators is like scoring eight goals. (Puck Daddy)

My initial reaction when Brandon Inge hit his walk-off home run yesterday afternoon was, "Oh shit, the Inge lovers are going to eat this up." My second reaction was, "Hey, a win!" So yeah, it appears my hate for Brandon Inge has reached a dangerous level. (DetNews)

The Pistons closed out their season that nobody cared about with a win. I don't even know who they played. But here's an end of season wrap-up, and hopefully the last thing we have to read about the Pistons until October. (MLive)

Kobe called a ref a faggot and was fined $100,000 for it. Can we agree that this is not a big deal, and if the camera hadn't caught Kobe saying it so ESPN and the Internet could play it over and over again, nothing would have happened? Yeah, it's a shitty word, but if you watch the video, it looks like Bryant just kind of muttered it to himself after yelling toward the ref. Can we also agree that a $100,000 fine is easily enough punishment for doing such a thing? OK, good. Let's move on. (Off the Dribble)

Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice, which basically means nothing in his case. (SF Chronicle)

Today's Amazingness shows us that when you mix The Black Keys with rappers, it can be really awesome: