THE WARMUP

Hamrlik unhappy

It almost seemed like Homecoming week last week, with many former Habs facing their old team. But a notable absence was Washington Capitals defenceman Roman Hamrlik, a healthy scratch for all three Canada games: Ottawa Wednesday, Montreal Friday and Toronto Saturday. Did head coach Dale Hunter discuss it with him? “No, he didn’t,” Hamrlik said. Did he know why? “I don’t know. You should ask him,” Hamrlik said. Hunter, second on the all-time penalty-minutes list, made the move after a penalty Hamrlik took early in a game Monday night. “It’s a difficult time to play hockey when you know you make a mistake you’re not going to play,” Hamrlik said. “It’s not easy. It’s really difficult on your body and your mind.”

Hockey task force

Because this is how they do things in academia, Boston University is instituting a task force to study the “culture and climate” of its championship men’s hockey team, according to Boston television station WHDH. Two players have been arrested on sexual assault charges this season. A group of faculty, staff and trustees will investigate. This will take months and no doubt involve nice honorariums to the participants. Hmmm. Elite, entitled college athletes acting up? Clearly an unusual situation only a bunch of scholarly types can figure out.

Nader’s new cause

The 1970s consumer activist now without portfolio, Ralph Nader, sent a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman last month calling for a ban on fighting in hockey. This month, his cause is the “egregious public handout” for the new Minnesota Vikings stadium. According to the Minneapolis Star-tribune, Nader sent a letter to the governor, mayor and city council, telling them what a really bad idea it is; they should spend the money on education and essential services and, in fact, that they should demand the Vikings share profits with the taxpayers. With his impressive grasp of the obvious, Nader should join that Boston University task force.

Manny is No. 1

After years of wearing No. 99, new Oakland Athletics player Manny Ramirez will now wear No. 1 – as soon as he serves his drug suspension and starts playing. “Everything starts with No. 1,” Ramirez said as a reason for the change. Forget about, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’”; that should be new 21st century sports slogan.

Dry Sox

First, it was a ban on driving their own cars to Grapefruit League games. Now, new Boston Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine is barring alcohol – not only in the clubhouse, but also on flights home to Boston after road trips. He says it has nothing to do with last year’s brouhaha about Red Sox players ordering chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during a game. According to the Boston Herald, Valentine said the reaction was “somewhere right in between a standing (ovation) and a standing boo.” Veteran slugger David Ortiz is for it. “We’re not here to drink. We’re here to play baseball,” Ortiz said. “It ain’t no bar.”

smyles@ montrealgazette.com