I love trades.

But I had mixed emotions after Wednesday's NHL trade deadline came and went.

There were a record number of deals involving a record number of players changing teams. But there weren't any blockbuster deals that sports fans love.

No Ray Bourque to the Avalanche, for instance.

Speaking of my beloved Avs, they made a move which I hope works out. They traded 24-year-old left winger Wojtek Wolski (17 goals, 30 assists) to the Coyotes for 21-year-old center Peter Mueller, who had a good rookie year but has been a dud since.

The biggest move -- forward Ilya Kovalchuk from the Thrashers to the Devils, came weeks before the deadline.

I guess I just have to wait until July 31, for MLB's trade deadline.

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The NFL's free agency period started at 12:01 a.m. Friday, and Chicago has made the biggest splash so far, signing sack-master Julius Peppers, formerly a defensive end for the Panthers. Da Bears also signed away running back Chester Taylor from the Vikings.

Meanwhile, the Ravens traded for unhappy Cardinals wideout Anquan Boldin, and the Broncos' diva wideout, Brandon Marshall, was supposedly getting the red carpet treatment from the Seahawks on Saturday.

Marshall is a restricted free agent, so if the Seahawks make an offer and the Broncos don't match, then Seattle surrenders a first-round draft pick to Denver.

Marshall is a talented wide receiver, but my guess is Broncos coach Josh McDaniels will part ways with him if another team wants the wideout.

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The gold medal game last Sunday drew record viewers as the U.S. men's ice hockey team played rival Canada. Canada won Olympic gold on an overtime goal by Sid the Kid in a breathtaking game that displayed all that is good about hockey.

Of course, the TV talking heads opined afterward what does this mean for the NHL? Will more people watch?

The answer is ... no.

Most U.S. sports fans don't care to watch the Flyers play the Islanders in January. I am the exception to the rule, so don't go by me.

What hurts the NHL is that it insists on having Versus be the carrier for its games, instead of ESPN. While ratings are up on Versus, they still are miniscule.

The NHL belongs on ESPN, on basic cable, and not on Versus, where you have to pay extra to get it.

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ESPN announced Friday that Orel Hershiser will be joining Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the booth for Sunday Night Baseball. Last year, ESPN had Steve Phillips in the booth, but he has since been banished by the network after his sex scandal with a young staffer.

Hershiser will be a nice addition. I know a lot of fans don't like Joe Morgan, but I think he's fine. And Jon Miller is simply the best, mixing in droll humor with a great call.

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The Thunder is causing quite a storm in the NBA.

The NBA franchise in Oklahoma City (used to be the Seattle Sonics) is becoming an exciting, young team to watch. You can catch some of the games on channel 23 on Hays cable.

Scoring machine Kevin Durant is rapidly becoming the next big thing in the NBA. Russell Westbrook is a dazzling point guard, and the team has great complementary pieces, most notably former Kansas Jayhawk forward Nick Collison. Every night, if he isn't diving for a loose ball, he's taking a charge. Collison does the little things every team needs to be a winner.

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Former MLB pitcher and Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky was in the news recently.

Bunning, who is retiring from the Senate (even the GOP didn't want him on the ticket), was holding up a measure that would have provided a 30-day extension of federal unemployment benefits.

The extension will cost the federal government about $10 billion. Bunning said he wanted to find a way to pay for the extension before playing nice.

Bunning finally relented, days later. Whether he was right or wrong can be debated endlessly.

What gets me is what Bunning whined about on the floor of the Senate while he was blocking the bill. Bunning had the nerve to complain that by staying until near midnight, he was missing the Kentucky-South Carolina basketball game.

Say what?

Kentucky's unemployment rate is 10.7 percent, and Bunning is upset about missing a basketball game?

No wonder people think Washington is full of nitwits concerned only about themselves.