You get up at ungodly hours to pack heavy equipment bags into an SUV and then drive untold miles to rinks 30 towns away. You spend your weekend sitting on cold metal bleachers, drinking bad hot chocolate until the last player waddles out of the locker room to make the long drive back home. 

You are the hockey mom, whose dedication knows no bounds ... and whose gratitude is, unfortunately, an occasional flying puck slamming into your torso. Ouch.

Internet panel company uSamp has just announced that it has acquired research and sampling technology DMS Insights (aka Digital Marketing Services) from AOL. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Time for another Michigan run, and that means it's time to keep an eye on your gas tank. For whatever reason, fuel mileage always plays a major role at Michigan, and the teams that can manage their gas consumption can often manage to pull out a dramatic win.

One of sports' great indignities is the fact that most Hall of Fame-level forefathers earned less in their entire careers than most middle-of-the-road players make today. But for a select few, the post-career rewards can be rich indeed.

Walk off the basepaths and crack a beverage because Eric Byrnes(notes) no longer has to work nights and is available to serve as a ringer in your local softball league.