FRONT OF THE NET

Random thoughts for 6-17

2009-06-17T22:45:00.002-04:00

I'm watching the 2008 Capital One Bowl (Michigan against Tebow's Florida, Lloyd's last game), as part of BTT's full Michigan day. Naturally, Michigan's playing great...and then here comes Rich Rod into the booth! Immediately, Mike Hart fumbles on the four-yard line. Go figure.

Another great part about this segment is that every question asked to Rich Rod prompts this general answer: "Well, that's a good question." Why did you take the Michigan job? "Well, that's a good question." Why did you go to Michigan after not going to Alabama and signing a larger contract? "Well, that's a good question." If you were playing for the national title, would you have taken the Michigan job? "Well, that's a good question." Clearly, this is what Coach Rodriguez means by a more media-friendly program. Short, dodging, backhanded compliments. How could you lose to Michigan State? "Well, that's a good question." Are you planning on having a quarterback this year? "Well, that's a good question."

By the way, uh oh for 2009. Good thing there's plenty of Michigan victories on tape.

My top 100...an explanation.

2009-06-17T22:42:00.001-04:00

Back in 1999, the Detroit newspapers published a book entitled "Century Of Champions". This book was a comprehensive history of Detroit's sports history, with articles on every decade, the city's top teams, et cetera. One prominent feature was a countdown of Detroit's top 100 athletic figures, which was a daily sports section feature. Every day featured one person, until the #1 pick on the date of the book's release.
With the actual rankings dating back to around 1998, I figured that the list could be updated. Upon finding an old newspaper that had every one of these "Top __!" lists from December 1999, I had my starting point.
What follows is the list from my perspective, updated through today. Athletes have been added from the last decade, and athletes active at the time of the list have also been slotted with consideration to later accomplishments. On the other hand, figures with tarnished resumes have been removed or bumped down, as their greatness was diminished.
Before getting to the list, here is a breakdown of the 100 by team or sport, because hey, no one's gonna read anything after a 100-line list. Two people are listed twice, Mike Ilitch (Red Wings/Tigers) and Kirk Gibson (Tigers/Michigan State).

Tigers - 18
Michigan - 17
football - 11
basketball - 3
hockey - 1
baseball - 1
AD - 1
Red Wings - 12
Lions - 11
Michigan State - 10
football - 7
basketball - 2
hockey - 1
Pistons - 9
boxing - 4
track - 3
speedboat racing - 2
auto racing - 2
U of Detroit - 1
Stars - 1
figure skating - 1
bow hunting - 1
weightlifting - 1
golf - 1
kayaking - 1
bowling - 1
high school basketball - 1
beach volleyball - 1
women's hockey - 1
speedskating - 1
horse racing - 1
tennis - 1

Here's the actual list. Significant changes have been made when I publish mine.

1 Joe Louis, boxing
2 Ty Cobb, Tigers
3 Gordie Howe, Red Wings
4 Isiah Thomas, Pistons
5 Magic Johnson, Michigan State
6 Al Kaline, Tigers
7 Bobby Layne, Lions
8 Steve Yzerman, Red Wings
9 Bo Schembechler, Michigan
10 Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State
11 Charlie Gehringer, Tigers
12 Hank Greenberg, Tigers
13 Barry Sanders, Lions
14 Joe Schmidt, Lions
15 Tom Harmon, Michigan
16 Gar Wood, speedboat racing
17 Fielding Yost, Michigan
18 Terry Sawchuk, Red Wings
19 George Webster, Michigan State
20 Tara Lipinski, figure skating
21 Ernie Harwell, Tigers
22 Charles Woodson, Michigan
23 Joe Dumars, Pistons
24 Ted Lindsay, Red Wings
25 Hal Newhouser, Tigers
26 Jim Abbott, Michigan
27 Thomas Hearns, boxing
28 Night Train Lane, Lions
29 Jack Adams, Red Wings
30 Doak Walker, Lions
31 Bubba Smith, Michigan State
32 Sparky Anderson, Tigers
33 Chuck Daly, Pistons
34 Scotty Bowman, Red Wings
35 Emanuel Steward, boxing
36 Mickey Cochrane, Tigers
37 Biggie Munn, Michigan State
38 Don Canham, Michigan
39 Sid Abel, Red Wings
40 Dutch Clark, Lions
41 Harry Heilmann, Tigers
42 Alex Delvecchio, Red Wings
43 Cazzie Russell, Michigan
44 Fred Bear, bow hunting
45 Alex Karras, Lions
46 Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan
47 Red Kelly, Red Wings
48 Sugar Ray Robinson, boxing
49 Earl Morrall, Michigan State
50 Norb Schemansky, weightlifting
51 Sam Crawford, Tigers
52 Fritz Crisler, Michigan
53 Walter Hagen, golf
54 Dave Bing, Pistons
55 Ron Kramer, Michigan
56 Jud Heathcote, Michigan State
57 Ron Mason, Michigan State
58 Bill Muncey, speedboat racing
59 Greg Barton, kayaking
60 Dave DeBusschere, Pistons
61 Hughie Jennings, Tigers
62 Lem Barney, Lions
63 Billy Sims, Lions
64 Bill Laimbeer, Pistons
65 Kirk Gibson, Tigers/MSU
66 Buddy Parker, Lions
67 Eddie Tolan, sprinter
68 Aleta Sill, bowling
69 Willie Horton, Tigers
70 Anthony Carter, Michigan
71 Desmond Howard, Michigan
72 Shirley Muldowney, auto racing
73 Mickey Lolich, Tigers
74 Glen Rice, Michigan
75 Harry Kipke, Michigan
76 Larry Aurie, Red Wings
77 Denny McLain, Tigers
78 Bob Lanier, Pistons
79 Chris Webber, Michigan
80 Mike Ilitch, Red Wings/Tigers
81 Bill Davidson, Pistons
82 Frank Navin, Tigers
83 Turkey Stearnes, NL baseball
84 Terry McDermott, speedskating
85 Lofton Greene, high school basketball
86 Bob Chappuis, Michigan
87 Gus Dorais, Lions
88 Red Berenson, Michigan
89 Julie Krone, horse racing
90 Hayes Jones, sprinter
91 Roger Penske, auto racing
92 Lorenzo White, Michigan State
93 Dennis Rodman, Pistons
94 Bob Calihan, U of Detroit
95 Lisa Brown-Miller, women's hky
96 Vladimir Konstantinov, Red Wings
97 Jean Hoxie, tennis
98 Karch Kiraly, beach volleyball
99 Doug Kurtis, hurdler
100 Trammell + Whitaker, Tigers

The Solomonic Wisdom of Chris Osgood

2009-04-21T21:41:00.001-04:00

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs #7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Game 1     Columbus   1      DETROIT   4     Apr16
Game 2     Columbus   0      DETROIT   4     Apr18
Game 3      DETROIT   4     Columbus   1     Apr21
                Detroit leads, 3-0

"Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes." - Proverbs 14:29

Will there ever be a more obvious mistake, and then a wonderful sequence of plays than the Stuart hit, and the aftermath? We had Brad Stuart just destroying Umberger, in a completely clean hit. We had random Columbus players trying their hardest to hit Red Wings, culminating in Mike Commodore checking himself into the Red Wings bench in a desperate attempt for revenge over something that is a normal, if awesome, hockey play. And finally, as a capper to this monument of unfocused play, Columbus allowed Henrik Zetterberg, all-World hockey player, to get in front of the net for an easy one-timer. 3-0 Red Wings, and good night.

I don't want to seem like a cocky Wings fan, but...bring on the second round opponent. That was just a pathetic sequence for Columbus, and it just showed how far down the team is. They were good enough to get this far, and played hard during the season. Yet, when everyone stepped up their game, Columbus couldn't go higher. Good night, Ohio.

This penchant for mistakes was a storyline all game long. All pregame, Columbus was talked about as maybe having some momentum coming home. It took 1:07 for Columbus to make an error, and the Wings to capitalize. Giveaway, two shots and a rebound later, and Homer has his first of the playoffs. The biggest thing that Columbus needed to do is change the momentum, and the game was barely started before the Wings had a lead.

Just like that, the crowd is silenced. Huge start for the Wings. The goal was very random, but what goal hasn't been random in this series?

The same can be said for Cleary's goal. Bad bounce for Columbus, and the Wings took advantage. The Wings are not using all of their weapons to blow out Columbus, instead, they are just hanging back and waiting for the inevitable mistake. It almost seems as if the Wings are experimenting on the power play and so forth, as those Blue Jacket mistakes make up for more than enough scoring.
Even our hitting is stronger. The Wings seem to be making the hits when the play warrants it, and that situation is coming to them. Columbus is running around looking for someone to hit, and that approach just won't work. Every part of this series has featured the Red Wings' calm, cool, and collective attitude, in comparison to the hurried and frantic Blue Jackets.

Meanwhile, Chris Osgood has stepped up his game in the playoffs, like always. As FSDetroit showed, Osgood is 16-4 in his last 20 playoff games, and has a significantly lower GAA in the playoffs for his career. Just like we've all tried to say, Ozzie steps it up at this point of the year. He's going to the Hall Of Fame some day. Deal with it, media.

Even when Columbus looks to have scored, the Wings and Ozzie step up and make a save...somehow. It's simply remarkable. Luckily, all of these bounces are coming in the playoffs. Simply amazing, and good for Ozzie. He deserves it, especially with how he has been treated for his entire career.

Series Fun Fact: Chris Osgood's shutout streak was for 144:27, over three games. Not bad, eh?

A Rebuttal to Gary

2009-04-21T20:50:00.002-04:00

The Napoleonic leader made an appearance for ten minutes during the 2nd intermission of the Wings game. He talked salaries, ticket sales, and penalties. My rough rebuttal is as follows.

- Surprisingly, Gary thinks everything is working! With incredible competitive balance! Of course it is.

- How can the playoffs be completely unpredictable? Almost every series had a 2-0 lead. Some teams are clearly better than others. It's not like the NCAA tournament, where any team can pull an upset to advance. In a best-of-seven series, the better team wins almost every time. And if everything is so perfectly even, every series would go to six or seven games, and that won't happen.

- Bettman looks away a lot, and blinks a lot. He seems so shifty. Constant head movement, constant sense of unease. Uncomfortable passes at humor. All of this. He just seems so uncomfortable, and that he is trying to pass off a proverbial lemon of ideas.

- Of course Gary doesn't think most fans feel that way, regarding penalties. What fans is he talking to? Gary thinks that fans love the way that the calls are going, and that just is not true. He added that fans of skilled teams should especially love how it is. That is completely not true. This is because the Wings are the epitome of the skilled team, and none of us want to see the stupid penalties, because it hampers skill. The good teams can't play, because there is a demand for constant penalties, because every type of hockey play could hypothetically be a penalty. Good teams can't get into any type of flow, because the game constantly gets held up for a needless penalty, in an effort to create fabricated offense. A good team will find ways to score no matter what, without the artificial juicing of opportunities

NHL Game Notes, 4/20

2009-04-21T20:04:00.002-04:00

#1 Boston Bruins vs #8 Montreal Canadiens
Game 1 Montreal 2 BOSTON 4 Apr16
Game 2 Montreal 1 BOSTON 5 Apr18
Game 3 BOSTON 4 Montreal 2 Apr20
Boston leads, 3-0

As I've mentioned earlier, Boston and Montreal have long been playoff adversaries, with Montreal having a commanding lead in their matchups. Every time it seems that Boston has a chance to put away Montreal, the Canadiens come back for something heartbreaking. Except for the early-'90s, when Cam Neely mysteriously had Patrick Roy's number, Boston has always lost terribly.

Tonight, on Patriot's Day of all things, the Boston Bruins may have put a nail in the coffin of Montreal's centennial season. Coming home, Montreal needed this game to make any effort of a comeback. Obviously, it's rare for any team to come back from down 3-0, making tonight a day of judgement for many. Montreal seemed to play with a sense of urgency early, playing the first half of the game at a pace clearly superior to that of the Bruins. The Canadiens were hitting, the play was all in Montreal's favor, and the chance was there for them to get a decisive, potentially season-changing win.

Yet, Montreal's sloppy play kept Boston in the game. That first goal by Boston, where a bad clearing attempt turned to a shot on net and a tip-in goal by Phil Kessel, was a play that cannot happen at this time in a series. Montreal needed to lock down a win, and had a 1-0 lead at the time. Sure enough, a play that Montreal coach Bob Gainey described as "a punch to the mid-section" came back to bite the team.

For the first time all series, Montreal scored first, and then gave up that lead. They would never get that lead back, as Boston scored early in the second for a 2-1 lead, and former Canadien Michael Ryder gave Boston a 3-2 lead. It seems to be quite fitting that Michael Ryder was able to give Boston the win. This season, Boston has Montreal's old coach in Claude Julien, and old winger in Ryder. Considering that Montreal had a self-glorifying attitude all season with their centennial, and that the Montreal hockey culture has just eaten up the Habs this year, it seems oddly fitting that guys spit out by the team came back to bite them in the end.

Series Fun Fact: Tonight, the Montreal fans decided to act like classless jackasses and boo the US National Anthem. As seen here in this video from 2004, that won't be reciprocated in Boston, if Montreal happens to win Game 4.

#2 Washington Capitals vs #7 New York Rangers
Game 1 NEW YORK 4 Washington 3 Apr15
Game 2 NEW YORK 1 Washington 0 Apr18
Game 3 WASHINGTON 4 New York 0 Apr20
New York leads, 2-1

For the first time all series, Washington played as they should have been playing all series. The Capitals were in a 2-0 hole that they really shouldn't have been in, with the question being that of 'can Washington turn the offense back on?'

Obviously, they did. Washington finally played like the Cup contender that everyone thought they'd be. The biggest surprise of this round has been Simeon Varlamov, the rookie goalie who made his first playoff start in Game 2. While Varlamov is apparently the Caps' goalie of the future, could anyone have seen a 0.50 GAA, and a shutout during a must-win game at the beginning of this series.

With the Capitals winning, the pressure goes back on the Rangers. Game 4 turns into a game the Rangers need, as they can wrestle momentum back their way, and maintain a lead that was in peril for the last two games. If Varlamov matures quickly into a hot goalie, the series will be Washington's if they go back home tied at 2 games apiece.

Series Fun Fact: In a previous era, Washington was a divisional rival with all of the teams in the Atlantic Division, and part of the pre-Ovechkin apathy towards the Caps stemmed from a forced diet of 24 games per year against four divisional teams that no one cared about.

#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs #5 Calgary Flames
Game 1 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 OT Apr16
Game 2 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 Apr18
Game 3 Chicago 2 CALGARY 4 Apr20
Chicago leads, 2-1

A series that should have been relatively even is starting to sort itself out that way. Chicago won two games with relatively cheap goals, and Calgary got some of those last night. Now, it seems that Calgary can win another at home, this series can continue on its eventual path to seven games.

Both of these two teams are very equal, and obviously flawed. In Calgary's case, it's that Miikka Kiprusoff is tired, thanks to Mike Keenan's idiotic coaching. Keenan, among other things, is always known for treating goalies poorly, either from overuse, showing no confidence, or just personality conflicts. Yes, Keenan always seems to win for a year or two. But every time, he resigns or gets fired over bad terms. Every time. I honestly don't think this team can go deep into the playoffs with Keenan behind the bench, and his stamp on the team. His teams make the playoffs, but typically don't do extremely well.

In Chicago's case, this year's Blackhawks are just too young. They are playing fairly well, but I don't think they can win past this round. Can the Blackhawks outplay a defending champion Red Wings team? Can the Blackhawks solve Luongo, when they hadn't played at that level before? I don't think so.

This game followed the formula of the home team getting some good bounces, and turning that into goals and wins. That formula is bound to continue.

Series Fun Fact: For the first time since the creation of the Central Division, four teams from the Central are in the playoffs in the same year. The previous high was three, when Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis all made it. The Wings won the Cup, and St. Louis beat Chicago in the first round, before losing the Detroit in the second round.

Sean Avery: Performance Artist

2009-04-20T10:31:00.001-04:00

(Ed. note: This is something written for a journalism class, one where I had to review something. I reviewed Avery's antics.)

Hockey has long been about the team long before the self. Every truly great player must win a Stanley Cup. A legacy is not built on individual achievements, but instead almost all glory comes the team. Unlike any other North American sport, nothing else really matters.

This makes the case of Sean Avery all the more curious. Avery is a forward for the New York Rangers, and yet to most, he is far more than that. Avery tries his hardest to be a celebrity, and get that media attention. He dates actresses! He makes controversial comments! He enjoys women's fashion, despite being a tough guy hockey player! Look at Sean, look at him!

All of this is despite of his marginal skills as a hockey player. Avery is best known for being an agitator. He doesn't score that many goals, and doesn't make that many great plays. Instead, he simply tries to anger the opposing team, whether it's through a cheap shot to a player from behind or a mean-spirited personal comment. All the while, Avery refuses to back up his actions in any way, forcing the other team into taking penalties.

This begs the question: is Avery acting out off of the ice to become a media fixture, just as he acts out on the ice to justify his role on the team? And, in the sport of hockey, can those two roles co-exist?

To answer the first question, yes. Everything Avery does is calculated in some way, on-ice and off-ice. Nothing seems to be done on accident. For this observer, it does not seem like a coincidence that Avery happened to make his obscene comments. He signed a multi-year deal with the Dallas Stars, a team out of the media spotlight; and with little mainstream attention paid to hockey, he needed to get out. So, he made enough of a disturbance to get waived by the Stars, and get picked right back up by the Rangers, one of the most well-covered teams in the media capital of the country. Along the way, he was the biggest story in hockey, which couldn't have hurt.

It seems to be the same way with Avery's off-ice exploits. Much has been made of his Vogue magazine internship in the summer of 2008, and how much more that brought Avery into the spotlight. Again, it does not seem like a coincidence that the position was prominently announced by Avery in April of that year. In the hockey calendar, April is when the regular season ends and the playoffs begin, with increased attention on the NHL. Avery knew the media well enough to know exactly when to leak his story, allowing for everyone covering the playoffs to constantly repeat it, making him all the more famous.

v However, can this type of behavior work in hockey. I don't think so. Hockey, more than any other sport, revolves around the concept of the team. Avery has proven, time and time again, that he is not about the team in any sense. He lusts for attention, good or bad, and at almost any cost.

Hockey commentator Don Cherry, the most well-known man in hockey, described Avery's comments in this way: "That was pre-meditated. He had been thinking about that, and in fact, if you look closely, he said to the cameraman "hey, come on", and waved his teammates over, saying "watch this, this is going to be good." We in hockey have a code. You can fight, you can hit. But we're not like other sports. We've had 3,000 drug tests, and have had one guy get caught. We don't shoot each other. We don't stab each other. And you do not say stuff like that. That's part of the code."

An example of Avery violating the code amongst his teammates is the March 8th game between the Boston Bruins and Avery's Rangers. This game was the first game back in New York for Avery; and just happened to be televised nationally, as NBC's game of the week. With under two minutes to go, Avery had not done much, yet New York was winning by a score of 4-3. The Rangers cleared the puck out of their zone, and Avery just needed to go retrieve the puck to kill time off of the clock. Instead of outskating his opposing player to the puck, Avery instead shoved that guy into the boards, resulting in a penalty.

For any hockey fan watching, that is a stupid play on every level. The team needs all the wins they can get, and Avery takes a dumb penalty? The team is beating one of the top teams in hockey by one goal, and Avery takes a penalty now?

For a media observer though, it's a good move for Sean Avery. Selfish, but good. That penalty forces his picture on national television, and forces announcers to talk about him. In this conflict between the self and the group, Avery chose the self.

As a hockey player, that type of choice does not go over well with everyone else in the sport. Sean Avery will eventually have to choose between being a hockey player, and being a celebrity. And it seems that the choice that he is making is an unpopular one.

NBC + Versus: A Brief Comparision

2009-04-20T05:56:00.001-04:00

All week, I've been watching a lot of hockey. Two games on FSDetroit, two on NBC, and many on Versus. So, what little things have I picked up on as a communications major, when it comes to telling the story of a hockey game? There's three, in fact. Game buildup, visual graphics, and camera quality.

The first thing that I enjoy about NBC's presentation of any game is that it feels like a big game. Yeah, they have their faults, but who doesn't? As a hockey fan who grew up with HNIC, the NHL on NBC presents itself as a true American game of the week. The NBC crew seems to be doing its best to present their particular game, and the sport of hockey, to the best of their ability, despite the restrictions of American standards. For this, they must be commended.

The other American station with the NHL is Versus. Versus seems to be the opposite of NBC, as their presentation does not seem to give off that big-game atmosphere. Everything seems cheaper on Versus, almost like the station got it on some type of discount. There seems to be the general design qualities of something from around the year 2000. An example is Versus' playoff ads. Quick cuts of zoomed in images? Doesn't that seem like a Dodge truck ad from 2001? Just images, with little graphics around them? Doesn't that seem like ESPN's simplistic black + white television commercials of the late-'90s?

Speaking of graphics, I enjoy the package used by NBC. The network uses it for all of their sports, as it pops well visually with the logos and jerseys of the game. The modern-style graphics also give a similar feel to the game, making the game seem a bit more exciting in that way. It's not much, but things like the scoreboard are constantly a presence, and each thing about it just looks classier.

On the other hand, Versus does not deserve the same praise. Every graphic on the station is centered around a black and red color scheme, which does not suit the great majority of the teams. With it focusing on the black, with red accents, there is little to be excited about. That black-and-red coloring is not subtle in any way, as everything possible has this dull combination. Scoreboards, interstitials, the studio set, even the split-screen camera shot gets dominated by these colors.

Another thing that really sticks out about NBC is how clear every picture seems. While I don't know what kind of cameras or equipment gets used by NBC, everything seems a tad sharper, and brighter when on this network. That change does not go unnoticed.

For Versus, everything seems to actually be worse than when covered locally. Everything seems far darker, although that just may come from so much peripheral black. The picture is grainier, almost like a broadcast of ten or more years ago.

Part of what can make Versus a legitimate network someday has got to be in the little things like these. You cannot compete with ESPN if you present your network as so clearly second-tier. Upgrade the little things, and viewers will notice, even if they can't put their finger on what exactly they are seeing differently. Everything surrounding your brand will seem to be upgraded if you do the little things right, and this is the business lesson that NBC seems to know. At some point during this playoff season, I hope they send that message to Versus.

NHL Game Notes 4/19

2009-04-20T03:49:00.002-04:00

It's Sunday night, and there's a week of school left. That's about it, I don't have anything else for these intros today. Other than for today, and for the rest of the round, the bits are in the order that the games were played.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1 Philadelphia 1 PITTSBURGH 4 Apr15
Game 2 Philadelphia 2 PITTSBURGH 3 OT Apr17
Game 3 Pittsburgh 3 PHILADELPHIA 6 Apr19
Pittsburgh leads, 2-1

Philadelphia came out as they had to. Two quick goals, fights after every whistle, and a complete refusal to back down. This is the game that any lower-seeded team has to win, and the Flyers did that and more. They took the momentum of the series back, and Pittsburgh has to figure out a way to gain some type of edge in Game 4.

What really struck me about the Flyers in this game was how their attack produced multiple goals, to really take Pittsburgh out of it. The opposite will be discussed later on, but the Flyers took control by getting a quick two-goal lead in the first five minutes. While those leads can be given up, and that particular one was, you have to figure that Pittsburgh was shaken. The game had barely begun, they're on the road, and already down two.

It took Pittsburgh one period to recover, and they did tie the game with goals that sandwiched the first intermission. Again though, the Flyers came back with two more goals, and again, Pittsburgh's in a hole. The attack kept on to begin the period, as any adjustments couldn't prevent a fifth Philadelphia goal. Game, Flyers.

From the opening face-off, it was clear that the Flyers were motivated. Philly came out fired up, took control, and came back after every punch. Now, this Game 4 becomes that more important for Pittsburgh, as another road loss sends them home for a must-win game, or else they'd be playing for their season in Philadelphia. With this year's playoffs having so many 2-0 series leads, some series-changing games needed to appear in the Game 3's, and Philadelphia definitely had one of those.

Series Fun Fact: Remember how excited I was to see the Flyers' God Bless America on NBC, and how awesome it'd be to show some traditions unique to a team? NBC elected to show commercials, and give it the novelty "look what happened while we were away!" shot as they returned. Glad to see they take this game seriously. Naturally, CBC did show it, as they always do with any pregame things. Here's the YouTube video of it.

#3 New Jersey Devils vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1 Carolina 1 NEW JERSEY 4 Apr15
Game 2 CAROLINA 2 New Jersey 1 Apr17
Game 3 NEW JERSEY 3 Carolina 2 OT Apr19
New Jersey leads, 2-1

Again, this is a series that no one can watch, and very few people seem to care about. However, it's close, meaning that we could eventually see Games 5-6-7 on Versus, if some of those 2-0 leads turn into 4 or 5 game series.

New Jersey won today, which is nice for anyone who is from New Jersey, from Hartford, or just doesn't like Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos. Because every Hurricane victory means Kwame Kilpatrick's company wins, and no one wants to see that.

Series Fun Fact: If the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup, a clause within Kwame Kilpatrick's contract states that the beer's on him.

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 St. Louis Blues
Game 1 St. Louis 1 VANCOUVER 2 Apr15
Game 2 St. Louis 0 VANCOUVER 3 Apr17
Game 3 VANCOUVER 3 St. Louis 2 Apr19
Vancouver leads, 3-0

Just like Philly, St. Louis needed to come back strong at home. They were facing a beatable team that had a hot goalie, and had to win. Early on, a St. Louis goal. Following the Flyers' formula? Not exactly. The Blues never kept that momentum, and could not put that second goal in for a commanding lead. Instead, the Blues could only score when fighting back to tie the score, more than 30 minutes later.

St. Louis had to win, and had to come out stronger than this. This is not the game that allows for upsets, and because of the uninspired play, the Blues may be playing for pride in Game 4. Tonight was their game to win, and they didn't go get the W.

On the other hand, Vancouver needs to send themselves to the second round with some type of dominating win in Game 4 (or 5). Each win has come from a narrow margin, or some fluke goals. Of the three games, none of which were clear Canucks victories. Instead, all three could have gone to the Blues, if just a couple of bounces had gone a different way.

For this team to show that it's more than Luongo within the postseason, the Canucks need to show how and why they are clearly the better team.

Series Fun Fact: Vancouver's uniforms are loosely modeled after the team's original jerseys from the '70s. Along with the Canucks, five other teams have brought back retro style jerseys in the past couple seasons. Those teams are Philly, Buffalo, NY Islanders, Washington, and Edmonton.

#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Anaheim Ducks
Game 1 ANAHEIM 2 San Jose 0 Apr16
Game 2 ANAHEIM 3 San Jose 2 Apr19
Anaheim leads, 2-0

In San Jose's defense, they did score in this game. And, they did look pretty good at the end. They almost came back to tie the game, and the game did end with momentum favoring the Sharks.

On the other hand, when you win the President's Trophy, and have a reputation for playoff let-downs, it's not good at all that you're down 2-0. Also, when your opponent may have intentionally played poorly, just so they could face you, that's not a good sign either.

At least San Jose can build on that last five minutes or so. That was the Sharks' lone saving grace from these first two games, and that might carry over to Game 3. The team really showed intensity for the first time, and showed some sense of urgency.

On the other hand, the Ducks are still up 2-0, and when the urgent Sharks finally surfaced, Anaheim kept the puck down in the Sharks' zone in such a way that Nabokov couldn't even be pulled. Yeah, their goals are flukes, but they are an 8th seed. The standards are lowered from a team like Vancouver. The Ducks are not dominating play, but just grinding and looking for those little rebounds.

Anaheim isn't in complete control of this series, in terms of play. But, they are going home with a 2-0 lead, which is all they could have hoped for. We'll see what the Sharks are made of in the next game, as the Ducks have shown us all that we've expected.

Series Fun Fact: The San Jose Sharks are 17 years old, and have a goalie with the last name of Nabokov, which has to amuse those literature buffs out there.

Now I know!

2009-04-20T02:38:00.001-04:00

See how nicely the last piece was? It's got formatting, a visually appealing layout, and all of that. I got offered the ability to send blog entries via email, so I tried it out. Turns out, it works better than when I spend 15 minutes trying to make everything look perfect, and then none of those changes get conveyed (like the current penultimate entry). It looks like I've found my solution to make this place prettier, one bit at a time. Hooray.

We've got that winning feeling...

2009-04-20T02:34:00.001-04:00

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs #7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Game 1     Columbus   1      DETROIT   4     Apr16
Game 2     Columbus   0      DETROIT   4     Apr18
                Detroit leads, 2-0

Earlier on in the playoffs, I was talking to a buddy about when last year's Red Wings really seemed to be better than every other team. There were definitely some moments, ranging from the domination of Colorado, to thoroughly beating Dallas, the the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, to killing off that 5-on-3 against Pittsburgh in Game 4. Everyone seems to have a different moment where everything clicked for them. For that matter, there's people who didn't really accept that we'd won until after the scariness of the last game.

This season, we might have already had the one defining moment of the season. The Red Wings are up two-nothing in games against Columbus, and both wins were just crushings. We're outhitting them, outskating them, everything. The only perceived weakness of the team, Chris Osgood, has a GAA of 0.50. He is also working on his fourth Stanley Cup, and is going up the various goalie records lists. Every other guy on the roster is scoring just as much, with goals coming from Zetterberg (woo!), Jiri Hudler (yeah!), and Jonathan Ericsson (yea, wait really, Jonathan Ericsson?!?). This team is coming together in every way possible, and I don't see the team coming down.

Granted, the Columbus Blue Jackets have played in the style that suggests how they're just happy to be in the postseason. Pucks are going off of Blue Jackets like there is no tomorrow, and with that trend, there actually will not be a tomorrow for them. Steve Mason is not playing near what this team needs to contend, and no Columbus player is playing that impressively in front of him.

Obviously, this team could win a game at home, entirely because Dan Cleary will get whistled for a penalty once the game begins, regardless of whether he's on the ice or not. Gary Bettman's coming into Columbus for Game 3, so...something could go wrong.

Still, the Wings are clearly the better team, and are just rolling over Columbus. Detroit is going into the second round as hot as possible, and barring injury, has to be the Cup favorite.

Meanwhile, there isn't a single potential opponent that has played as well. San Jose is reeling, down 2-0 as they go to Anaheim. Vancouver is playing just good enough to win every night, as they are getting a huge boost from Roberto Luongo. Chicago is surprising everyone, including Befuddled Mike Keenan. Among the seeds 5-8, only Anaheim may advance, and they are getting by on a down opponent and fluke bounces.

These Red Wings look like another team of destiny. Last year, it didn't feel like it until the end. This year however, I haven't even left college before that relaxed feeling is here.

First-Round Briefs

2009-04-19T01:21:00.002-04:00

Ah, the signs of spring. College girls are sunning themselves outside my window. I've got a week left of classes. And, the NHL playoffs are in full bloom. So, here's my thoughts on each first round series, starting with the Eastern Conference. Detroit/Columbus is much longer than these briefs, so that will be a separate post. Go!

#1 Boston Bruins vs #8 Montreal Canadiens
Game 1 Montreal 2 BOSTON 4 Apr16
Game 2 Montreal 1 BOSTON 5 Apr18
Boston leads, 2-0

Fight, fight, fight! This series, another rite of spring for years, has been marked by scrums since the last week of the regular season. Already, the B's Matt Hunwick is out for the playoffs because of this, and who knows if we'll see more of that.

For Boston, everything is going right. This team can play either a physical or finesse game, and both sides are coming out to play in this series. Boston has been very patient with their puckhandling, with excellent passes leading to easy goals. An example of this are the repeated cross-ice passes that lead to open-net goals, as Boston is just passing right through any defense that Montreal throws at them.
The other thing that Boston seems to be doing is staying focused. Game 2's 2nd period ended with Tim Thomas firing a length-of-the-ice pass, which led to a Bruins goal at the 19:58 mark of the period. Plays like that are inexcusable for the opponent, and can be a backbreaker.
Mentally, Boston is in the game, and Montreal is losing control from their inability to get in any Bruin heads. Montreal's best hope is to steal Game 3, and see what happens from there. Not to state the obvious, but this Bruins team does not seem like past squads that failed when it came to stomping out the Canadiens. If the two games in Montreal are a split, Boston will finish it in Game 5. A Montreal win on Monday night might propel them into another win two days later, which would guarantee that they at least go back to Montreal for Game 6. Anything else, and their season is effectively done.
Series Fun Fact: In the shared playoff history, Montreal is leading in series wins, 24-7, including wins in 2002, 2004, and 2008. Weirdly enough, this rivalry seems to favor long periods of dominance by one team. Before 2002, the Bruins won five out of six meetings from 1988-1994, and before that, Montreal won eighteen straight series from 1946-1987.

#2 Washington Capitals vs #7 New York Rangers
Game 1 NEW YORK 4 Washington 3 Apr15
Game 2 NEW YORK 1 Washington 0 Apr18
New York leads, 2-0

For the last two days, every Game 2 has featured the statistic that around 87% of playoff series that have a team go up 2-0 end with that team winning. Right now, despite being a Cup prediction for many, Washington is down 2-0, and going to New York for a definite must-win game. Can they do it?
Looking at past series where teams have come back from such a deficit, there's a couple common factors. First is that a team can make a comeback if they're playing a weak goalie. This was the case in 2002, when the Red Wings won four straight to beat Vancouver. Like Washington, the Wings were the top seed who just couldn't get things together. Unfortunately, Henrik Lundqvist is a far better goalie than Dan Cloutier.
Second, teams have made comebacks when they're coming home, and using that home crowd to change things. Yet, Washington has to go into New York. This one won't apply here.
Third, any team who comes back has to win four straight. Since 1996, nine out of ten teams who have gotten out of the 0-2 hole had a six-game series win. While we don't know if this applies to the Capitals yet, look for a momentum-shifting play in Game 3 or 4. The 2002 comeback by the Wings had a long shot goal from Nick Lidstrom. The 2001 comeback from the Kings over Detroit had a huge Game 4 overtime comeback win. Some moment must turn the tide for Washington. Will that moment come? Maybe.
Series Fun Fact: Some of this can be applied to the rest of the playoffs, since as of Saturday night, six of seven series have a team up 2 games to none.

#3 New Jersey Devils vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Game 1 Carolina 1 NEW JERSEY 4 Apr15
Game 2 CAROLINA 2 New Jersey 1 Apr17
Series tied, 1-1

This series is the apathy winner for the first round. There is little buzz surrounding this series, because neither team is exciting at all. Not one bit. This is the only series that has not been on Versus so far, and it's that way for a reason.
On the New Jersey side, the franchise seems to be committed to nothing exciting whatsoever. Despite one of the best goalies ever, the Devils are known for the left-wing lock, an offense that tries to have as little actual offense as possible, unchanging and dull jerseys, and Lou Lamoriello.
For Carolina, everyone cared far more about them when they were in Hartford, when no one cared about hockey in North Carolina. Thirteen years later, no one still cares about hockey in North Carolina, despite a Stanley Cup that has to rank among the most depressing events in recent hockey memory.
This is the only series tied at one game a piece, and anything can still happen. So, as I've watched nothing from this series besides highlights, and no one cares about this one, let's leave it at that.
Series Fun Fact: Back when Carolina won in 2006, the second round featured only red and black teams in the East(Carolina, New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa); and blue/greenish teams in the West (Edmonton, San Jose, Colorado, Anaheim). Now you know.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Game 1 Philadelphia 1 PITTSBURGH 4 Apr15
Game 2 Philadelphia 2 PITTSBURGH 3 OT Apr17
Pittsburgh leads, 2-0
The Penguins and the Flyers have waged another playoff war over their first two games. Unlike some other series, the Flyers have seemed to be in control. The Penguins just get that one little break to give them a win. In Game 1, Sidney Crosby appeared to kick in the first goal of the series, which led to a win. In Game 2, Jeff Carter (the Flyers' leading scorer) happened to find the one toe that was covering a wide-open net, and Pittsburgh came back to tie and win the game.
Philadelphia hosts the next two, and I think that home crowd will combine with the frustration of the Flyers for some wins. Philadelphia will make a strong comeback, it's in the franchise's nature. Pittsburgh will get beaten up, and will have to fight through it. They have to know that this is coming, and luckily for them, they got a couple wins back home. The Flyers do not give up quickly, and I do think that the series will even out and potentially go the full distance.
One thing that makes this series remarkable is how largely even the two teams are, despite the different sets of talent. Philadelphia has some solid players, and no MVP candidates, but they do have a deep roster. On the other hand, Pittsburgh has Crosby and Malkin, but a thin roster that is only now gelling together after a lot of new additions. Despite that, the teams match up really well, which can lead to some interesting games.
Tomorrow's Game 3 will be a matinee, and will be a great one. It's NBC's game for Sunday, and I hope it can get some new viewers to our great game, in the best time of the season.
Series Fun Fact: Since the Flyers' Cups, the team has God Bless America instead of the national anthem for big games. The team wins something like 80% of games with the song, and it's one of the best known traditions of the Flyers. The original version from Kate Smith is now paired with live verses from the current singer, Lauren Hart. Philly does not announce when they're going to have this, so the surprise leads to the excitement of it. With tomorrow's game on national TV, and the Flyers down 2-0, expect God Bless America tomorrow.

#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Anaheim Ducks
Game 1 ANAHEIM 2 San Jose 0 Apr16
Anaheim leads, 1-0

San Jose has never been a playoff team. The Sharks have a well-deserved reputation for choking in the playoffs, and have never really gone that deep with any success. San Jose's deepest run was in 2006, with a conference finals loss that was one of those rare 0-2 comebacks for Edmonton.
Luckily, that reputation is continuing. The Sharks ended the season on a terrible note, and that anti-momentum continued into the playoffs. The offense looked terrible against a weak Colorado team in that last week, where they just couldn't score. Again, that continued in Game 1. San Jose did not score, and looked lifeless. There was no emotion, and the loss can only be the fault of that effort. Nabokov played only passable, and let in some weak ones, but that's no excuse for the rest of the team.
Yeah, every talking head says that "the series doesn't really start until Game 2" and "teams lose Game 1 all the time before winning the series." Yet in my view, Game 1 wasn't an isolated incident. This team is not playing their best, once again. A simple change won't fix the Sharks' problems. Something big needs to change for them, and it has to come from an offense that has been mailing it in for a while.
For Anaheim, the usual strategy has appeared for this team. Hit people, kill off penalties, ride a hot goalie, and see if you can steal some games. Again, it's working for them. In this season though, the hot goalie is rookie Jonas Hiller, and the team has to play tough teams all the way through. Not to seem cocky, but I don't think that Anaheim can fight their way through both San Jose and Detroit. Maybe only one.
Series Fun Fact: This series is getting featured billing on Versus, thanks to every game starting at 10 pm EST. This means that any San Jose collapse will come with the entire nation watching these games and these alone, only intensifying any criticism. Just saying...

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 St. Louis Blues
Game 1 St. Louis 1 VANCOUVER 2 Apr15
Game 2 St. Louis 0 VANCOUVER 3 Apr17
Vancouver leads, 2-0

This series will be remembered for the violence and punchery that has become a solid mainstay of any highlight package. It could just as easily be remembered for Roberto Luongo. This guy is the best goalie in hockey today, and this series has shown it. St. Louis cannot buy a goal, and Luongo has put the Canucks on his back. Vancouver gets the cheap bounces that come against an average goalie, while St. Louis has sure goals become what-ifs.
Any fan of another Western Conference contender has got to hope for some Blues wins, if only to tire Luongo. Hopefully, the Blues can get him off of his game, just enough for a team, any team to beat him. If not, Vancouver will make a deep run, no matter what. As a Wings fan, this is the only team in the West that scares me.
To get back to the first point, fights! This series will be the chippiest yet, as we've seen everything from your basic scrums in front of the net, to a suplex that may have been learned during a road trip to Calgary. Every game has ended in fighting, and that pattern will continue. Again, as a fan of a future Canucks opponent, you've gotta like this. Just as we're getting beat up, so are they. Just as their goalie might be stealing games, their offense is getting worn down. This is what we all have to cling to.
Series Fun Fact: At the current pace, Vancouver could be the lone Canadian team in the 2nd round, as the label of Team Canada might apply to them. As you know, every year has one Canadian team make a deep run, and everyone kinda rallies around them to bring Stanley back to Canada. In 2008, Montreal lost in the 2nd round. In the three previous seasons, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Calgary all lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the two years before that, Ottawa and Toronto made runs to the conference finals. Vancouver is the only team to not be Canada's Last Team in recent memory, and this year could be their year.

#4 Chicago Blackhawks vs #5 Calgary Flames
Game 1 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 OT Apr16
Game 2 Calgary 2 CHICAGO 3 Apr18
Chicago leads, 1-0

The resurrection of the Chicago Blackhawks has been a theme of the last couple years. Despite the main catalyst of an atrocious owner's passing, the NHL has trumpeted the Blackhawks as the "new NHL's" model franchise. This is all well and good, but the Blackhawks are still a little while away from winning.
In the first round though, teams like this win games. They're young, they're bonding, they've got momentum. In the first two games, those three things have given the city of Chicago the first pair of playoff wins in over a decade. The common thread in both wins has been a heartbreaking comeback. In Game 1, Chicago tied the game at 2, and then scored the quickest OT playoff goal in my lifetime. In Game 2, Chicago came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2, as the Flames looked on in stunned silence. The Blackhawks are flying high, and really, why shouldn't they be? It's a young team that doesn't know any better, and they're experiencing career highs that they've dreamed of.
Meanwhile, Calgary is feeling the effects of Mike Keenan running star goalie/magical Finn Miikka Kiprusoff into the ground. Kipper played in roughly 125 games this season, with the defensive strategy of "let him stop it, and we'll clear" not helping matters much. This has led to a very tired goalie, and one not suited for a comeback.
As this series goes back to Calgary, expect a split out west. Then, Chicago will get their season highlight, a series win at home to advance in the playoffs for the first time in years. However, the jury is still out as to if that will be the last such highlight.
Series Fun Fact: You know how advertising is tailored around the audience? Investment firms run ads during golf tournaments, and AXE Body Spray runs ads during Adult Swim? Well, since Game 2 was not on local TV, I listened to the Blackhawks radio broadcast, and these were the general themes of each ad during the third period.

- Don't drink and drive
- Talk to your kids
- Don't drink too much
- Read a book
- Read to your kids
- Use a designated driver
- Crime prevention at work
- Don't drink and drive
- Be a parent
- Dave Matthews Band, for designated driving
- Cybercrime/sex predators on the internet
- Abusive/neglectful parents
- Diabetes testing
- Don't drink too much
- Be nice to veterans

Apparently, as observed during the Winter Classic, Blackhawks fans are complete degenerates, which explains the exclusive anti-Detroit cheers, as opposed to pro-Chicago chants. They do love to drink, but I had no idea how rampant child abuse was amongst the United Center "faithful".

As mentioned earlier, the Red Wings' series is being done separately. Look for that later on tonight.

Responding to PD commenters...

2009-03-23T22:12:00.003-04:00

Here are some responses from the PD post that prompted the last article. That post can be found here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Could-economic-downturn-determine-fate-of-Joe-Lo?urn=nhl,149899&cp=7#comments

From Scott C:

"People aren't going to the Joe because tickets for the Wings are always overpriced. Sure, the venue sucks, but no one in metro-Detroit can afford their mortgages, bills, insurance payments, rent, etc., let alone $30 a pop to sit in the back of the upper-bowl. In short, a new arena would rule, but people in Detroit and the suburbs can't afford crap as it is."

Red Wings tickets are not always overpriced. Earlier in 2009, some upper bowl tickets were just $7. At other times this season, there have been many affordable ticket deals and packages. There have also been partial season ticket packages that have not been there in the past, including 9- and 19-game plans, named the Howe and Yzerman plans respectively. If you are alert, you can get really cheap Red Wings tickets.

And as I said in the other article, there is that mindset that Wings tickets are always overpriced. Here is an example of that.

----

From Penguins&Wings Fan:

"What about not paying too much more and moving to the more convenient Palace at Auburn Hills."

The Palace is owned by the Davidson family (as their patriarch Bill recently passed away), and that option would never be possible. Also, that arena is set up largely for basketball, and the ice quality is terrible. While the Wings would improve that, the most recent hockey game of Michigan vs Notre Dame featured some ice that bordered on unsafe.

In some revisionist history of sorts, the Red Wings were offered the chance to have a new arena in downtown Pontiac in the 1970's. Pontiac is a large suburb of Detroit, right in the middle of rich Oakland County. Ultimately, the Wings settled for a favorable lease at the new Joe Louis Arena. It was only the Lions that took the offer to move north, and they proceeded to move into the Silverdome.

The Pistons were still downtown at that point, and the team decided to build the Palace after not wanting to share the Joe, and not wanting to have an arena built by public funds. So, there actually could have been the Wings in the suburbs already, but those plans just didn't work.

----

From mark t:

"Screw any major renovations to the Joe. Just add another entrance or two."

First, how is that possible? The structure of the Joe would need major renovations for any type of renovation, as the building just isn't set up for something minor like that. It is positioned right on the river, with roads or Cobo all around it, and the ice at ground level. This means that any new entrance, for example, would need a large set of stairs built, and the land isn't there for that.

Any major renovations would have to be somewhat cramped, or those roads and Cobo would have to be moved in some way. Yet, the team has invested in the Joe, by renovating suites and doing little cosmetic things within the rink. Those little things include new HD scoreboard screens, new concession stands, new bathroom troughs, and renovated suites.

----

From someone who I can't find...

"Here's a thought.......move the team to the center of the state so that all Michiganders can enjoy them without a 3 hour trip to D-town. Pick a spot say close to Grand Rapids, where after all is the home of the farm team Grand Rapid Griffins. GR has many hotel rooms a great airport and is centrally located to many cities."

As someone who goes to college in west Michigan, it's apparent that the attitude towards Detroit over here is that the city is pretty much like RoboCop, only with no robotic cops. I've even had to convince people that it was safe to go to a Red Wings game, as they watched every game but were just too scared of the city to actually attend one.

If you really wanted to, someone from the suburbs can attend a Wings game while staying exclusively on Wings-owned property. The highway going to the Joe has an exit that literally goes right into the parking garage, and there's an elevated tunnel that takes people into the rink. After the game, you take that same tunnel back to the parking garage, and have to drive for less than a mile in Detroit before hitting a highway, if you truly wanted to. There is nothing in Detroit that allows someone to spend the minimum amount of time in Detroit like a Wings game.

Speaking of G-Rap, that metro area has 1.3 million people. The Detroit metro area, for comparision, has 5.5 million people. Even though most people of moved out of the city proper, there are way more potential ticket buyers in the metro Detroit area than in west Michigan. Teams are where the people are, sorry rest of Michigan.

----

From Motown Mike:

"They didn't design it for television games either....which is why that have to put make-shift camera spots over the damn tunnel entrances and that is why there is always some retard from Taylor with his Probert/Primeau jersey trying to stand up and wave at the camera to get on tv not realizing he was already on an episode of Cops or Springer."

Okay, that's actually pretty funny. But come on, Motown Mike, nobody owns a Primeau jersey. That guy sucked, and couldn't hit a wide-open net if the life of Mickey Mouse depended on it.

The correct combination there was "Primeau/Kocur jersey". Thank you.

What attendance woes? What need for a new arena?

2009-03-23T22:05:00.004-04:00

For years, I've always thought that the Joe Louis Arena was one of the best arenas in hockey for the average fan. There's no mid-level suites, so even the upper deck has seats close to the action. There's very little of the "modern fan experience" that has ruined the game day experience for me in other places, like the constant sponsorship and promotions associated with other rinks. And, it's always relatively easy to get in and out of the Joe, thanks to its position right off of a couple major highways.

However, the question was posed on Puck Daddy today: "Does the Joe contribute, at all, to some of the team's attendance issues?" My simple response: NO. My more elaborate response? There are a couple reasons that are a more realistic cause of blame for poor attendance, which are as follows...

1. It IS partially the economy, stupid.

There is just less money for everything, including hockey tickets. Most Detroiters have cut back on all forms of discretionary spending, including hockey tickets. It doesn't help that Detroit is largely a one-industry town, and that industry isn't doing well locally.

2. The Red Wings have long been perceived as an impossible and expensive ticket.

From 1995-96 to 2003-04, the Red Wings were the hottest team in Detroit. Tickets were near impossible to get, and the tickets always seemed pricey. There were never even advertising campaigns for the Wings, as every game was sold out well before game day.
Despite the Wings now needing to advertise, that perception is still there. A Wings game is "expensive", no matter what the numbers show. I've talked with many Wings fans who never attend games, solely because of this misconception. While the Wings have lowered ticket prices, they still haven't changed the mindset of high ticket prices in the minds of Detroiters.

3. The Red Wings aren't the clear "popular team" in Detroit.

During that time period listed above, the Wings were the most popular team in Detroit. The Wings were covered more than everyone else, the Wings had far higher TV ratings than everyone else, and the Wings had an aura about them that went beyond just the team on the ice.
However, after the Wings lost in April 2004, the Pistons won a NBA title, and the Wings took the next year off. During that time, the buzz and coolness that centered on the Wings moved north to Auburn Hills, as the lower-bowl bigwigs all started going to Pistons games. (Since then, that coolness moniker shifted to the Tigers for a short time.)

Because of this, the Joe isn't the cool place to take a business client, or for the casual fan to go to. However, that doesn't mean that fans aren't showing up, and that attention isn't paid to the team. It's just that the casual, bandwagon-y fans aren't following and attending the games like the die-hard fans any more.

----

Yet, as someone who is as big of a Wings fan as anyone, it really doesn't seem like attendance woes are a big problem for the Wings. Games always seem to be sold out, as I try to get tickets for games and am always rebuffed as the cheaper seats up top are all gone. The Joe has been packed recently, with the only empty seats coming from the corporate tickets that are going unused. Instead, it seems as if the hockey world has hopped on the idea of Detroit's Low Attendance, and is trying to paint a picture that just isn't there.

An example of this is from a December piece that I wrote but just never posted. Please enjoy, and then I'll get back to the issue at hand.

"I got home tonight around 11:15 pm, just in time for Hockey Night In Canada's sixth period of the day. The TV was clicked on just as PJ Stock went through the day's highlights. What do you know, it's Red Wings-Kings up first! Perfect timing! Yet...rather than focus on a back-and-forth hockey game, CBC and Stock decided to go with a tired storyline. As a shot of a partially-empty Joe is shown, Stock intones "they're really having crowd problems in Detroit, this was a great game, too bad no one was there to see it!" Again, after a couple game highlights, Stock continued. "The Wings are selling two tickets and two hot dogs and drinks for $44, can you believe that? They're struggling to sell tickets at Joe Louis Arena," Stock added, as the score/scoring screen was shown.

There is one huge problem with all of this. I was at that game. For the first time all year, I was at a Detroit Red Wings home win. The game was a great one, another comeback victory. Leads went from one team to the other. The Joe was packed, with some empty seats, but not many, especially considering how the metro Detroit area was just hit with around a foot of snow (with more on the way tonight). All things considered, it was a fantastic night for hockey, and I'll talk about that later. Instead, as a Red Wings fan, I have to defend us in Hockeytown.

Everyone has been ripping Detroit recently. For that matter, people have been ripping Detroit for decades. Yeah, the Lions are terrible. Yes, President Bush just bailed out the auto industry. Those are legitimate problems. But when we're doing something well, don't try to turn it into a negative. Tonight, the Wings fans came out despite the weather-related adversity. We should be rewarded for that, not bashed under an unflattering light.

On the subject of that camera shot...that was early in the game, as seen by the score bug in the corner. Going from personal experience from tonight, I got inside the Joe seating bowl around two minutes into the game, just as the Kings scored the game's first goal. I was late, but I did have a legitimate reason, namely the snow. Everyone was late coming in, due to stop-and-go traffic that was on every Michigan highway. When I got in, there were still hundreds of people coming in, and the walkway connecting the Joe to the parking garage was filled with people that I passed while jogging up to the door. To show that early shot as a representative of the whole night is just ignorant, from a journalistic standpoint. Where were the shots of a full Joe celebrating a Wings goal?

Another thing that backs up the notion of a full crowd was my parking spot for the game. Getting into the parking garage at 6:45, I was taken to the top level of the structure. The garage was later declared full, and closed for the game. If the crowd was as sparse as it was presented, how could the parking garage be full?

The third piece(s) of evidence that I'll throw out here are my pictures from the game? Where are the vast sections of empty seats that Hockey Night in Canada showed? I didn't see any while I was there, and I don't see any now.

After the problem of getting inside the rink was solved, the crowd was an excellent Wings crowd. Let's Go Red Wings chants were plentiful, the concourse and every booth on it was always full, and the fans were into the game. It was an exciting night to be at the Joe Louis Arena, and most certainly not what was portrayed on the highlight reel.

If anything, the crowd deserves a great deal of credit for the game tonight. With other cities, the context of the weather is shown, and the fans are praised for their perseverance in getting there. Buffalo gets hit with a storm, and Sabres fans are complimented for coming out to support their team in those conditions. Ottawa is hit with snow, and Senators fans are showing how much they care by coming out. Detroit gets hit with snow...and the Wings have an apathetic crowd for not being able to get there exactly on time.

Like anything else in Detroit, the Wings aren't thriving in unbelievable financial success. There are ticket deals. There are promotions. There are packages. But, what team doesn't have these types of things? These only seem unheard of because it's the Detroit Red Wings we're talking about. Red Wings fans are still coming out though, in multiple ways. Tickets are being sold, and TV ratings are high as always.

Hockey media, please paint a realistic picture of this. If I had arrived home from any other form of spending Saturday night, I'd be a little unhappy that we in Detroit got picked on during an off-night. This wasn't an off-night though, and I was there. Give us our praise when we earn it, and we earned it tonight. Let's go Red Wings, as always."

Now, it's not like much has changed since December. If anything, the crowds have just gotten bigger, as Wings games are constantly sold out, despite outside factors like the economy.

Greg (and others), the Wings aren't doing that bad. Things are going great down at the Joe, yet it seems as if outsiders, whether they are national or local, are determined to paint the Wings as struggling. Heck, the Pistons actually are struggling, as the team's downturn correlated with an attendance downturn. The articles on that though aren't even centered around that one case, instead it's how "Detroit teams are struggling!"

The exact same thing happened in the fall, when Lions games stopped selling out. Obviously, part of that was the economy. Another part though, was how those Lions were the worst team in the history of the NFL. Again, the Wings got brought into the discussion because...we're only 90-95% full? The Wings are having to advertise?

In both cases, a Detroit team begins to lose rapidly, and ticket sales have gone down. And in both cases, the Wings get pulled in, as whoever is writing the article can't have a clear outlier that happens to represent the city for many casual sports fans.

The Wings are still succeeding. The Wings will continue to succeed. The playoffs are coming up, and I'm completely sure that every game will be sold out. National media, stop trumpeting the supposed downfall of Hockeytown, as the numbers don't back up your arguments.

YouTube Classic: CBET Sports, 1987

2009-03-12T01:39:00.001-04:00

Here's a YouTube clip that really needs to just be seen. Classic '80s stuff, on every level.

Quick Hits 3/7

2009-03-07T13:51:00.002-05:00

- There is a huge "Viva CUBA!" advertisement in right field at the SkyDome. Since it's Canada, they can do that, but are there any bonuses for hitting the name of a declared enemy with a ball?

- In the Dustin Pedroia MLB '09 commercial, there's a couple brief shots of in-game action. Since I assume the actual company wouldn't chip in any cash, there's a shot of Placido Polanco turning a DP at home, with the "Admiral Motors" fountain in the background. Nice touch, nice touch.

- On a related note, those John Hancock commercials with the concerned people messenging reminds me of the soulless depressing places that are airport terminals. There's no soul to any of those places, because there's nothing to be attached to. You only go there to leave. However, isn't that kinda fitting for a financial institution? Money isn't something to be attached to, it just gets you to something or somewhere else.

- In the 7th inning, Pedroia knocked one off the Cuba sign! Right off the word Cuba too! Dustin Pedroia, American Hero.

Quick Hits 3/6

2009-03-06T14:54:00.002-05:00

- Today, Bill Simmons gave his thoughts on Twitter, and how he feels it's inane. Clearly, I must create the most intentionally inane Twitter feed possible. This must be done.

- I was listening to an interesting podcast today that went into what chimps do when attacked. First, they break your jaw, so you can't bite them. Then, they try to rip off your genitals, so you can't rape them. After that, they try to tear or remove anything that might hurt them, like your hands and feet.

After hearing this, why the hell would some elderly woman keep a giant chimp inside her house, like some incredibly hairy degenerate nephew? I mean, that thing was bigger than she was, and it's still a wild animal. Yeah, it can brush its teeth. Yeah, it watches television. But, that doesn't make it a person. And that's how you get your face ripped off. That's how.

- I'm watching the World Baseball Classic and this is really kinda depressing. It's "Chinese Taipei" vs China, in Tokyo, in the Tokyo Dome. This stadium is straight out of the Metrodome mold, only somehow more depressing because the Japanese don't even try to weakly give it any personality. It's largely empty, because most of the fans are Japanese that took the chance that their team would drop their first game, and be in this "loser's bracket" game. It's maybe 15-20% full, but almost everyone is right behind home plate. The rest of the stadium is maybe 2-5% full. Between the lack of atmosphere, and slightly disconcerting Asian camera feeds...let's go USA! Check out this Top Ten list from Letterman!

Hey, there's Curtis! And Pedroia! And Youks! Haha, that's funny...FUCK YOU JETER. YOU SUCK, YOU RETARDED MUPPET. YOU SUCK. Now, it feels like baseball season.

Some quick hits...

2009-03-03T23:36:00.002-05:00

Obviously, I haven't been around in a while. My computer broke down, I've had mid-terms, and stuff like that. Also, it always seems like I have to write a feature-type story to make this worthwhile. And I don't update, so it feels like I'm neglecting, and then need something big. So, instead, I'm gonna post some quick thoughts here for the rest of the season, alongside longer articles. Here's the first one of these shorter things. Possible future features articles may include:

- Why Detroit should become a giant artist/hippie collective
- Praise of old stadia and architecture
- Breaking down the WWE by NHL team
- Dick joke compilations
- Large previews of things (like the CCHA playoffs!)

But until then...today's quick hits:

I got the letter from the Michigan Secretary of State this weekend, the one about how now that I'm 21, I need to get a new driver's license (!). This means that I've gotta go get a new picture, again with the Wings jersey on. Last time around, that Wings license got me into places at the Joe, and out of a parking ticket. Hopefully, this pattern continues. Although, should I go with the regular white jersey, or should I change it up? Maybe go with a red jersey, or one with a Cup Finals patch or something. Important decisions here.

The Red Wings are the best team I've ever seen at those little shot-passes that turn into redirection goals. It seems like every game features at least one of these, along with an intentional shot just wide off the end boards, to a waiting winger right next to the net. No other team seems to have these different types of automatic little plays.

I'm pretty sure Rod Allen is cross-eyed or something in those FSN+ commercials. He just doesn't look right. After watching this during so many Wings games, I'm pretty sure he's looking at cue cards above the camera, and he doesn't have or can't use the peripheral vision needed there.

It's U2 week on the Late Show, which is a wonderful promotion. I love Letterman, especially his old Late Night stuff, and I love U2. Now, Letterman is discussing the Lewinsky Era as "prayers being answered, and the Golden Age Of Politics." And in 30 minutes, U-Bleeping-2!!! Prayers being answered indeed.

There are a whole bunch of Viagra commercials. There are just way too many of them, and most of them are just bizarrely vague for most of it. It's not like any potential consumer has not heard of Viagra yet. Stop bombarding us with advertising about old people having sex, Viagra. Just stop. I don't want to keep having to wade through erectile dysfunction ads in between faceoffs.

The NHL is constantly behind trends in sports. This isn't anything new, but I was reminded of this on Monday. Back in 2006, the NFL made a huge deal of having their marquee game on NBC be "flex-scheduled", meaning that the best possible matchup would be picked two weeks in advance. This is to keep terrible games off national TV. Naturally, the NHL has VS in an exclusive window on Monday nights, and scheduling it so that their predetermined matchup is the only game on the schedule. This led to the exciting matchup of last-in-the-West Colorado facing off with last-in-the-East NY Islanders on national TV, with no other hockey that night. Just a brutal night of hockey.

Later, all.

CCHA ROUNDUP - 2/16

2009-02-16T23:04:00.004-05:00

With three weeks to go in the 2008-09 CCHA season, the end is in sight for college hockey fans throughout the region. Teams are beginning to play for seedings for the CCHA tournament, and every weekend series has a big impact on the final standings. Below is the CCHA standings, and the remaining schedule. On the right of each record are the possible seedings for each team in the final standings.

Since I did have to explain this on Saturday night to someone, here's how the CCHA tournament works. The top four teams receive byes for the first round. Teams 5-8 will play teams 12-9 respectively, in best-of-three series entirely at the better seeded team's rink. Those winners are then reranked, with the lowest seed playing at the #1 team, and so on, and so on. The winners of those best-of-three series play at the Joe Louis Arena, in one-game semifinals and finals. Therefore, it does make a big difference to make that cut into the top four, or top eight.

Here's a small brief on every team, in order of the current standings.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

Currently ranked: 1st

Remaining schedule: Nebraska-Omaha on the road, home and home with Michigan State

For most of this season, Notre Dame was far ahead of the CCHA in first place. Points-wise, some teams have gotten closer to the Irish, but no one has caught them. Looking at their remaining schedule, Notre Dame must stay consistent to hold onto their potential CCHA crown. None of the remaining opponents are in the top tier of teams, and any ND loss would be an upset.

What has made Notre Dame so good is that their defense takes away virtually any scoring opportunities for the opposition. When watching their games against Michigan, scoring chances were squashed out as they were developing, and before Michigan even got into the offensive zone.

At the same time though, the ND offense has been just good enough to win. They are not winning by large margins, despite the lock-down defense. For any team to beat Notre Dame, even a slightly good offensive performance could be strong enough to steal a game or two.

Potential Rank: 1-3

Future: Notre Dame locked up a first-round bye. At the very worst, they'll be third, but the Irish will probably win the conference.

MIAMI REDHAWKS

Currently ranked: 2nd

Remaining schedule: Northern Michigan at home, home and home with Ohio State

What happened? Miami was up there with Notre Dame all year long, but recent losses have caused the Redhawks to be vulnerable. Although Miami has a strong team, the squad is weaker than in past years.

Just how vulnerable is still to be determined. But it's a terrible sign for a team of Miami's caliber when they are only 6-5-1 in 2009. Yes, they're 6-0-1 in the last seven. But championship college hockey teams don't lose five straight, especially in the way that Michigan beat them for two of those.

Potential Rank: 1-4

Future: Miami can be caught by Michigan. If they slip up at all against Ohio State, Michigan will capitalize. A loss against Northern would be a back breaker for the Redhawks. I think this team will finish in third.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Currently ranked: 3rd

Remaining schedule: Ohio State on the road, home and home against Ferris State

Hail to the victors! Michigan has been on fire since the College Hockey Showcase, and that momentum has pulled them very close to Miami, with a small chance of catching Notre Dame. This team is clicking on all cylinders right now, and a CCHA championship would be very likely if the Wolverines hadn't gotten screwed against the Irish.

The big surprise of the year has been Bryan Hogan. As a sophomore, Hogan beat out senior Billy Sauer for the starting job, and has been lights out all year long. He's a keeper for years to come.

Furthermore, this team is just getting stronger. Original captain Mark Mitera will be returning from a knee injury soon. Fellow defenseman Steve Kampfer has overcome a ton of injuries to play a solid role on the blueline. Guys like Caporusso, Turnbull, and Palushaj have matured into great scorers. This is a team to be feared in the postseason.

Potential Rank: 1-4

Future: I'm gonna say second, for now. Michigan will sweep Ohio State this weekend, and also maybe sweep Ferris State. Both of those series are very winnable, especially given Ohio State's current condition. Anything else depends on what the other top two teams do.

ALASKA-FAIRBANKS NANOOKS

Currently ranked: 4th

Remaining schedule: Ferris State at home

Alaska is part of the second tier of teams, although their biggest weakness right now is that lack of a schedule. The traditional ending of the college hockey season in Alaska is a weekend series between the CCHA's Alaska-Fairbanks and the WCHA's Alaska-Anchorage. While it's a cool matchup, it always gives Alaska a disadvantage at the end of the season. There's a lot less to work with for a late season push.

However, Alaska is always dangerous with their home-ice advantage of a long trip up north. Combined with a senior Hobey Baker candidate in net, in Chad Johnson, Alaska can definitely win at least one playoff series.

Potential Rank: 4-8

Future: Alaska has clinched home-ice advantage for the first or second round. A sweep against Ferris State can provide some distance with the teams chasing them, and even eliminate a couple. Those wins could also distance themselves too far from Ohio State, who face a tough schedule...

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Currently ranked: 5th

Remaining schedule: Michigan at home, home and home with Miami

Ohio State has not impressed me much this season, considering that Michigan thoroughly beat them in Ann Arbor, and Michigan State beat them and took them to a shootout last weekend. The Buckeyes have been a so-and-so team, and I'm pretty sure they've been a team that has benefited from shootouts.

Nothing has particularly impressed me about Ohio State. They're just good enough to be one big notch below Notre Dame, Miami, and Michigan. This team, if they get a bye, are very likely to be upset in the CCHA tournament.

Potential Rank: 2-8

Future: Ohio State has 29 points to Alaska's 30, but the Nanooks are done after next weekend. The Buckeyes choked away their big opportunity for points last weekend, and if Alaska wins, it will be very hard to finish 4th.

NEBRASKA-OMAHA MAVERICKS

Currently ranked: 6th

Remaining schedule: Notre Dame at home

Last weekend was not the best for Nebraska-Omaha. A blowout loss on Friday, and a blown lead on Saturday. The Mavericks really did not look good against Michigan, and the schedule ends with a tough team in Notre Dame. The schedule hurts this team too, with the impact felt even more by a team needing to catch up, instead of pull away.

Nebraska-Omaha seemed to have some offensive capabilities, but Michigan was just that much better. This weekend, Notre Dame will stand a good chance of shutting that offense down, and it will be hard to keep a repeat of the last two games from happening again.

Potential Rank: 4-9

Future: N-O's schedule ends here, and they need help to move up. They are a real long shot from getting the bye, as they need to sweep the Irish and have everyone around them lose out. They'll be in seventh or so, and will get taken to a Game 3 at home in the playoffs.

FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS

Currently ranked: 7th

Remaining schedule: Alaska on the road, home and home against Michigan

Ferris has always been in this general range. They are occasionally a very good team, but never really a bad team. Once again, this team is almost exactly at .500 for the year.

This team has been alright for most of the year, but their remaining games are tough. Both opponents are gunning for high positions, and will be on top of their respective games. Yet, Ferris State has put themselves in a good spot, and may just stay there.

Potential Rank: 4-11

Future: Although I don't think the Bulldogs will gain more than three points from here on out, it'll be hard for two teams to pass them. I'd assume that Ferris will host a playoff series, although there's still a good chance of them finishing just out of that playoff revenue.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN WILDCATS

Currently ranked: 8th

Remaining schedule: Miami on the road, Lake Superior at home

In my years of attending Michigan hockey games, I have never seen Northern Michigan play. The Wildcats are the only team in the CCHA with this distinction. On one hand, that weekend's tickets always seem to go elsewhere. On the other, Northern hasn't been that notable.

I don't have much to add here other than that a friend's dad from my church went to Northern, and he's a really nice guy. That's it for them

Potential Rank: 4-12

Future: This year, Northern has put themselves in a pretty good spot. They are three points up of Western, and can clinch a home playoff spot with a couple wins. Those wins will probably have to come against Lake Superior, although an upset against Miami would be very nice for this Michigan fan.

WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS

Currently ranked: 9th

Remaining schedule: Lake Superior on the road, Bowling Green at home

Western is playing against two teams that are below them in the standings, so there's no real excuse for a losing streak now. With a couple wins, the Broncos could even pass Northern, and host a playoff round.

Western did play well against Michigan, after all, with a weekend that included a win at Yost, of all things. With a couple more wins, they may be playing their postseason in front of a strong home crowd.

Potential Rank: 6-12

Future: The schedule is set up very nicely for Western Michigan to run the table and sneak into the top eight of the CCHA. Consistent play will bring at least two more home dates.

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE LAKERS

Currently ranked: 10th

Remaining schedule: Western Michigan at home, Northern Michigan on the road.

Lake State just played a strong series against Michigan. Yeah, they lost both games. Yeah, Friday night was a blowout. But they did show me something last night. Lake State held their own against Michigan, with many close calls bring unable to rattle them.

Last night, Lake State played a very close game, with the standings showing that last night was not an outlier. The Lakers have the most ties or shootout losses in the league, with five. This tells me that this team has been good enough to contend in a lot of games, and just hasn't gotten the bounces. So, they've got some late-season upset potential, and could even win a second-round game or two.

Potential Rank: 7-12

Future: Right now, Lake State is tenth, and one point back of Western Michigan. If they can win games at home, that last weekend of the season could be for home ice advantage in the playoffs.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

Currently ranked: 11th

Remaining schedule: Home and home with Bowling Green, home and home with Notre Dame

Obviously, this is one of the worst seasons in Spartan history, and the worst in recent memory. From the constant and unprecedented losing, to the Conboy/Tropp incident, this is a season to forget for Michigan State.

Yet...last week the Spartans got three points from a stronger Ohio State team. The Spartans are playing for pride, and that's fueling wins. State will win at least one, if not two, games against Bowling Green, and will contend against Notre Dame.

Potential Rank: 7-12

Future: Michigan State has a faintly realistic shot at hosting a playoff round, and will get there only with an upset win or two against Notre Dame. If not, they will go on the road as the biggest chance to upset a home team in the first round of the playoffs.

BOWLING GREEN FALCONS

Currently ranked: 12th

Remaining schedule: Home and home with Michigan State, Western Michigan on the road

Speaking of largely irrelevant, Bowling Green! While writing this article, I couldn't even think of this school's nickname. This is a team known for ugly, Cleveland Browns-style jerseys, and typically finishing in the latter half of the league standings.

This season proved to be no different, as the Something's highlight was most likely an upset of Michigan at Yost back in January. On the other hand, this is a team that could one day be a good reclamation project for an up-and-coming coach.

This year though, they'll be in last, or near last.

Future: If they can sweep Michigan State, and maybe sweep or split against Western, this team can finish in at least 11th. If not, this squad will probably get swept by Ohio State or Nebraska-Omaha in a month.

---

If you've made it this far, congrats. Enjoy the games this weekend, with Michigan/Ohio State on the Big Ten Network on Friday night. Go Blue!

Before the CCHA preview...

2009-02-16T21:24:00.003-05:00

...here are the initial Hobey Baker candidates from the CCHA. In a month, this list will be narrowed to ten, followed by the list going to three, with the winner getting named during the Frozen Four.

Aaron Palushaj - Michigan - So - F
Bryan Hogan - Michigan - So - F
Carter Camper - Miami - So - F
Chad Johnson - Alaska - Sr - G
Chris Frank - Western Michigan - Sr - D
Dan Sexton - Bowling Green - So - F
Dustin Carlson - Ohio State - So - G
Jeff Lerg - Michigan State - Sr - G
Jordan Pearce - Notre Dame - Sr - G
Louie Caporusso - Michigan - So - F
Patrick Galivan - Western Michigan - Sr - F
Tyler Ludwig - Western Michigan - Jr - D

The only two things that I have to add are that I'm surprised with Western's three nominees (only Michigan has as many), and that Michigan is the only team scheduled to have more than one nominee come back next year. All of Michigan's three are sophomores, which is a GREAT sign for next year. This team came together great last year, and is still on that very high level.

The Trials Of Alex

2009-02-09T19:50:00.001-05:00

For years, Alex Rodriguez wanted to be the face of baseball. He wanted to be the greatest of his era, and potentially the greatest of all-time. In a weird way, he might still be that guy.
Baseball has never really admitted much, steroid-wise. It's always been an issue that is there, but isn't there. A-Rod's place in history may be the cleansing player, the player who did it, admitted to it, stopped, and still had a successful career.

One of A-Rod's biggest faults has been his appeared goal of perfection. He wanted everyone to like him, to the point that he did whatever possible to mold himself into his idyllic goals. This led to a lack of discernible personality, a constant insecurity, and a lack of performance when that pressure got to him.

Now, that intended goal is gone. He'll never be perfect again. Yet, Americans don't want perfect heroes. We like that redemption story. Even our biggest heroes had big imperfections. Kurt Warner came from nothing, played his way to the top, disappeared again, and repeated his rise to glory. Steve Yzerman went thirteen years without winning a Cup, and was constantly talked about in trade rumors as a player who might never win one. Now, those two guys are beloved.

Obviously, A-Rod isn't anywhere near as clean as those two. And he won't ever get there. Instead, this new revelation will give A-Rod what he needs most: less pressure. A-Rod's biggest problem has been that he has always tried to be everything for everyone. He wanted to be that big ticket contract for Scott Boras. He wanted to be on the top team in the world, and would do whatever it took to get there, wherever it was. He even let Madonna manipulate his image for his own purposes.

A-Rod's second biggest problem has always been a lack of self-confidence. He has always seemed to doubt himself, which could lead to great Aprils and terrible Octobers. He has never seemed completely comfortable in the public eye, and those insecurities may lead to further problems elsewhere.

Ultimately, this is what apparently caused A-Rod to start using steroids. He thought that he had to be superhuman for Texas, and didn't have the self-confidence to believe he could live up to that contract. He even admitted it as such.

That lack of self-confidence is also what always hurt him in New York, and Yankee fans always seem to want the gritty role players who overachieve, instead of this personality-free prodigy.
Like Derek Jeter. Derek's a great player. But his best quality is intangibles.

On the other hand, A-Rod is everything but intangibles. And that lack of a quality seems to eat at him, because he wants to be everything. He needs what he can't have. The only thing that matters to him is being accepted as a Yankee. Sadly for him, he doesn't have a ring, and doesn't have intangibles.

Now, he can have that niche, and have those intangibles. A-Rod now has a past, for better or worse. That past will give him the role of being the guy to bring baseball past the steroid era. He was a brief part of it, admitted, and moved on to greater success than what he had with drugs. If Alex can accept this role for himself, and continue to excel, he will be one of the greatest ever.

That role will come partially because of on-the-field things, and partially for off-the-field things. Admitting everything was the first step. Now, he must take it into the next phase of his career, and become a true role model, warts and all. A-Rod now has a defined purpose within the history books of baseball. It's now time for him to fulfill that purpose.

Red! An article about Our Leader

2009-01-27T23:12:00.002-05:00

Back in the old days, Time Magazine had an article on Red Berenson of the St. Louis Blues. Given that it is the week between State Weekend and Notre Dame Weekend, I thought I'd post it, in its entirely. Also, check out those incredibly dated derisive nicknames in paragraph #1. I think I have a new name for the Gary Teams.

Red of the Blues
Friday, Jan. 17, 1969

When the National Hockey League created a new division made up of six expansion teams last season, cynical fans talked of the "dogmeat wing" or the "humpty loop." The derisive epithets disappeared when the upstart St. Louis Blues won the West Division playoffs, then forced the vaunted Montreal Canadiens into two overtime games before losing the Stanley Cup. St. Louis rooters can document to the day the start of their team's surge. It was the moment the Blues first saw Red.

Seven weeks into their first season, the Blues were last in their division and badly in need of some offensive punch. Coach Scotty Bowman made some quick trades and acquired Gordon ("Red") Berenson, a bench warmer for the New York Rangers. Berenson, 29, the son of a Regina, Sask., fireman, had all the makings of a top scorer. He learned his swift and violent trade as a boy, skating on the frozen ponds of his home town, but like many young pros, he had found it hard to make a dent in the talent-heavy NHL. As a teenager, he turned down several pro offers in order to earn a degree in business at the University of Michigan, where he was an All-America hockey player. Belatedly he joined the pros in 1962 and spent the next seven years on the fringes of the big time—never quite making the first team of the Canadiens or the Rangers, "I've known many fellows who had great potential," he says, "but they were just never given the chance to develop."

Every Move.
The trade to the Blues was the chance Berenson needed. He came out of cold storage and turned into a fireball, scoring 24 goals and 30 assists to become the division's most valuable player. This season "the Red Baron," as the St. Louis followers have dubbed the 6 ft., 190 lb. center, is still going strong and, as a result, so are the Blues. They are a runaway leader in the West Division; to their ever expanding pride, their 18-11-10 record includes a respectable 5 wins, 9 losses and 6 ties against the veterans of the East. They lead both divisions in defense, having allowed opponents a miserly average of only 2.07 goals a game. That distinction is largely due to Old Pro Goalies Glenn Hall, 37, and Jacques Plante, 39.

As for offense the Blues have Berenson. Both Hall and Plante agree that he is well on his way to becoming the league's newest and most exciting superstar. Says Hall: "Red's got every move in the book and then some. He's big. He skates like an express train, and he shoots as hard as anyone in the league, including Bobby Hull."

Premature Gesture.
Last week Berenson received the largest number of votes in his division for the N.H.L.'s first East-West All-Star Game on Jan. 21. Though he is leading the division in scoring, he rated the honor simply on the basis of one remarkable performance against the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this season. After scoring one goal in the first period, he netted two more in the second period to turn a hat trick for the first time in his N.H.L. career. "I dove into the net for that puck to save it as a memento," he recalls. As it happened, it was a slightly premature gesture. In the remaining minutes, Red slammed home three more goals to become the first N.H.L. player in 24 years to score six times in a single game.

Rumblings

2009-01-23T16:03:00.002-05:00

Word on the street is that Bettman has issued an ultimatum: If Datsyuk and Lidstrom don't show up to Montreal to participate in the Game, they're out.

This is confirmed by this page.

It's crap, it's inappropriate, and it's going to cause massive unrest within the player base.

More on this later, as it develops.

Let Our Jerseys Go!

2009-01-22T20:50:00.002-05:00

In 2006-07, Upper Deck began producing "Letter Marks" hockey cards. These were cards that were basically a jersey letter pasted onto cardboard, occasionally signed by the player. Someone could try to get every letter in a subject's name, and spell out D-A-T-S-Y-U-K. Someone could try to get every letter in their own name. Or, someone could look at these and see the differences between every team's design, like me.

What makes hockey uniforms so cool is how each team has different lettering, and these cards are a physical example of it. The Red Wings have a vertically arched nameplate, so every letter seems slightly italicized. The Maple Leafs use a very thick, blocky blue letter. The Bruins use many layers of twill, for a very full looking letter. The Sabres have a very skinny font, making their cards seem qutie empty by comparision.

The reason why this has become such a hot topic is that Gary and Reebok (pardon me, RBK) has decided to come up with a new way to alter jerseys to improve performance (jack up the price) of jerseys around the league. Coming off of the raging success of the RBK EDGE JERSEY PERFORMANCE SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY MAGIC REVOLUTIONTM comes the SmoothfitTM idea.

From NHL.com:"the jerseys that will be worn by the Eastern and Western Conference NHL All-Stars will include Reebok's patent-pending Smoothfit™ performance name and numbering technology, which allows players to move more efficiently on the ice and will contribute to improved moisture management. The Smoothfit™ performance name and numbering technology eliminates up to 35 percent of the weight inherent to the traditional name and numbering system, which in many cases, includes multiple layers of twill."

This isn't a step forward in technology whatsoever. First, it's going to be a blatant attempt to raise the cost of jerseys, by creating a "new technology." Last time, the price of an authentic jersey doubled, as Gary tried to sap more money out of an already disgusted fan base. This time, a couple years later, he's at it again. Needless to say, next season could be another "here come the new jerseys!" ad campaign.

Second, the process appears to just make the jerseys look a heck of a lot cheaper. Those layers of twill show the quality. Chain-stitched front emblems on Blackhawks jerseys, the many layers of stitches on the Red Wing, those are what we're playing for, and what makes NHL players look like professionals at the highest level. As long as Gary and his company keep pushing for radically cheap looking uniform changes, the players will look less and less like the professionals they are. Every single one of these changes does nothing but help Gary and RBK.

Just as our wallets showed that new jerseys weren't going to fly with fans, it's time for us to speak up about the quality of our jerseys, before Gary ruins them like he has tried to do with every tradition in our great game.

A prediction!

2009-01-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

MICHIGAN vs OHIO STATE

See, normally if you go one-on-one, with another team, you've got a 50-50 chance of winning. But Michigan's a genetic freak, and they're not normal. So, you've got a 25%, at best, of beating me. Then you add Michigan State to the mix, your chance of winning drastic go down. See, at a three-way, you've got a 33 and a third chance of winning. But Michigan, Michigan got a 66 and two-thirds chance of winning, because Michigan State knows they can't beat the Wolverines. They're not even going to try. So, Ohio State, you take your 33 and a third chance, minus Michigan's 25% chance, and you got a 8 and a third chance of winning on Saturday. But then you take Michigan's 75% chance of winning, if they were to go one-on-one, and you add 66 and two-thirds chance percents, and Michigan has a 141 and two-thirds of winning on Saturday.
See, Ohio State, the numbers don't lie. And they spell disaster.

-Michigan 141.66, Ohio State 8.3

Random Hockey Thoughts, 1/23

2009-01-15T19:26:00.003-05:00

The NHL did not appoint a Red Wing to the All-Star Game to replace Nick and Pavel. Obviously, our Napoleonic leader didn't think that his little weekend needed a representative from the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Or the team that just gave the NHL its biggest regular season rating since this author's father was in college. Or the team that sells more of any hockey commodity, whether it be tickets or merchandise, than any team in the world. Clearly, you don't need them.

****

And remember, Gary...

"Napoleon was imprisoned and then exiled to the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, 2,000 km from any major landmass, where he later died of stomach cancer."

Watch over your wee shoulder, especially since you're in French-Canada, you little twerp.

****

Shea Weber is rapidly going from underrated to overrated, as every NHL writer feels the need to write the "Look at Shea Weber, look at him!" column. You know why no one has heard of him? He plays in Nashville. No one cares about Nashville. Nashville does not care about Nashville. Eventually, he'll go to Calgary or Edmonton, and he'll be a star. Let's all just be patient, guys.

****

The Winter Classic should always be held in the winter climate. Gary, shut up about having a game outside in Pasadena and Vegas. Nobody wants to watch that. People want to see Wings/Hawks at Wrigley. Penguins/Sabres at the snowiest city in the US. But Kings/Sharks on melting ice in front of 5K+ in a non-hockey city whatsoever? That'll fail. And the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day? Don't they usually have something going on? Luckily, these stories are proving everyone correct, in that once something successful happens with the NHL, Gary Bettman will try to fuck that thing up as soon as humanly possible. Or, force Crosby down the throats of us anyway.

****

The NHL All-Star Game needs more stars. We've got thirty teams, let's just expand the roster! Let's take like 26 guys per conference! Or just let the fans vote on who will start from an already named team of players. Because really, Detroit and San Jose needs more than two representatives each. And the Islanders don't really deserve one. Or hey...let's just not have any Red Wings! Whee!

****

Like the NFL, NBC has flex-scheduling for its NHL games. So, here's my picks for what games will be on, and the other choices, if they stand a realistic shot..

Jan18 NY Rangers-Pittsburgh
The only choice, and one that was pre-selected at the start of the year.

Feb 8 Detroit-Pittsburgh
No matter what the other choices are, this is a rematch of the highest Stanley Cup Finals in decades, and that has to be picked. It just has to. Yet, this is the NHL...

Feb15 Philadelphia-NY Rangers
While San Jose-New Jersey and Colorado-Detroit are also potentially good games, East Coast teams and divisional rivalries will usually get the nod instead.

Feb22 Pittsburgh-Washington
Not only is there no way NBC would pass up OVECHKIN!-CROSBY!!!, but the only other option is Colorado at Carolina. Ratings-wise, Carolina is the anti-Pittsburgh.

Mar 8 Boston-NY Rangers
We could have Pittsburgh-Washington again, but an Original Six matchup and a first Boston appearance will hopefully sway NBC's sports execs.

Mar15 Right now any of the possible games (Philly-NY Rangers, Boston-Pittsburgh, Detroit-Columbus) are in play, since NBC could pick whatever Eastern team is hottest at the time or go
with the typical Western ratings boost of the Red Wings.

Mar22 Philadelphia-Pittsburgh
Not only is this a big rivalry, but the other games of LA-Chicago and New Jersey-Boston aren't that compelling.

Apr 5 Minnesota-Detroit
A Western matchup. And of the smaller opponents, Minnesota is the only one from a strong hockey market.

Apr12 This last week could be one of two matchups: Detroit-Chicago or NY Rangers-Philadelphia. We'll see who is doing better at the end of March.

****

CBC is having a vote on what 49 songs should represent Canada in a playlist for President Obama. The Hockey Song, by Stompin' Tom Connors, is on the list. Good.

Random Hockey Thoughts, 1/15

2009-01-15T19:26:00.000-05:00

Shea Weber is rapidly going from underrated to overrated, as every NHL writer feels the need to write the "Look at Shea Weber, look at him!" column. You know why no one has heard of him? He plays in Nashville. No one cares about Nashville. Nashville does not care about Nashville. Eventually, he'll go to Calgary or Edmonton, and he'll be a star. Let's all just be patient, guys.

****

The Winter Classic should always be held in the winter climate. Gary, shut up about having a game outside in Pasadena and Vegas. Nobody wants to watch that. People want to see Wings/Hawks at Wrigley. Penguins/Sabres at the snowiest city in the US. But Kings/Sharks on melting ice in front of 5K+ in a non-hockey city whatsoever? That'll fail. And the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day? Don't they usually have something going on? Luckily, these stories are proving everyone correct, in that once something successful happens with the NHL, Gary Bettman will try to fuck that thing up as soon as humanly possible. Or, force Crosby down the throats of us anyway.

****

The NHL All-Star Game needs more stars. We've got thirty teams, let's just expand the roster! Let's take like 26 guys per conference! Or just let the fans vote on who will start from an already named team of players. Because really, Detroit and San Jose needs more than two representatives each. And the Islanders don't really deserve one.

****

Like the NFL, NBC has flex-scheduling for its NHL games. So, here's my picks for what games will be on, and the other choices.

Jan18 NY Rangers-Pittsburgh The only choice, and one that was pre-selected at the start of the year.

Feb 8 Detroit-Pittsburgh No matter what the other choices are, this is a rematch of the highest Stanley Cup Finals in decades, and that has to be picked. It just has to. Yet, this is the NHL...

Feb15 Philadelphia-NY Rangers While San Jose-New Jersey and Colorado-Detroit are also potentially good games, East Coast teams and divisional rivalries will usually get the nod instead.

Feb22 Pittsburgh-Washington Not only is there no way NBC would pass up OVECHKIN!-CROSBY!!!, but the only other option is Colorado at Carolina. Ratings-wise, Carolina is the anti-
Pittsburgh.

Mar 8 Boston-NY Rangers We could have Pittsburgh-Washington again, but an Original Six matchup and a first Boston appearance will hopefully sway NBC's sports execs.

Mar15 Right now any of the possible games (Philly-NY Rangers, Boston-Pittsburgh, Detroit-Columbus) are in play, since NBC could pick whatever Eastern team is hottest at the time or go
with the typical Western ratings boost of the Red Wings.

Mar22 Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Not only is this a big rivalry, but the other games of LA-Chicago and New Jersey-Boston aren't that compelling.

Apr 5 Minnesota-Detroit A Western matchup. And of the smaller opponents, Minnesota is the only one from a strong hockey market.

Apr12 This last week could be one of two matchups: Detroit-Chicago or NY Rangers-Philadelphia. We'll see who is doing better at the end of March.

****

CBC is having a vote on what 49 songs should represent Canada in a playlist for President Obama. The Hockey Song, by Stompin' Tom Connors, is on the list. Good.

BREAKING NEWS!

2009-01-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

Feces-throwing monkey on the loose in Tampa Bay

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- Wildlife officials said a rhesus monkey known to throw feces when mad is on the loose in Tampa Bay. Authorities have been trying to capture the primate since Tuesday afternoon, but it managed to evade a bucket truck and tranquilizer dart.

Gary Morse with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the adult male is thought to have escaped from an unlicensed source. It was last seen in Clearwater.

The monkey is not considered dangerous.

Finally, the news story we've all been waiting for! Wait, I mean...

Lions hire Jim Schwartz

The Lions have hired the Titans D-coach, a Georgetown grad who worked under Belichick, a guy known for his use of statistics and tough defense. This can only be a good thing, we hope. Yay (?)

What a weekend!

2009-01-15T15:53:00.002-05:00

Red Berenson isn't the type of guy to hype up an upcoming game too heavily. Red is a coach, pure and simple. So, when I saw last weekend's matchup against Miami described as "a weekend where we'd see what our team was made of, and what the rest of the season would be like" by no less than Red...these games only were even more anticipated.

Adding to those comments, Michigan needed some victories. We came in ten points back of 1st-place Notre Dame, and nine points back of 2nd-place opponent Miami. Part of that deficit came from the only winless weekend of Michigan's season, a sweep in Miami's rink down in Oxford. Those games were both close, but Michigan just couldn't score. 2-0 and 2-1 losses, both of which could have been victories.

And if you needed any more reasons to be interested...it was Michigan's first CCHA weekend in just over a month. Michigan was ranked 11/10 in the rankings to Miami's 8/6 positions.

The games were so big that we all were delayed a day, after some stonework fell off of Yost. For the first time in anyone's memory, a game was delayed due to Yost. This only gave us another day to wait excitedly, and hope for the best. Could Michigan avenge the sweep? Could Michigan score some goals against Miami's two star goalies?

Those questions were answered quickly. The only question was how do you want your goals measured? Chris Summers scored 28 seconds in, 1-0 Wolverines. Within five minutes, Michigan had two more, from Winnett and Naurato, for a 3-0 lead. And in case you thought the offense just got a quick start, Carl Hagelin added a (shorthanded!) goal with eight seconds left in the period. After a 2nd-period Miami goal, and a 3rd-period Michigan goal, Michigan had their answer. 5-1.

Obviously, this was the type of performance that Wolverine fans were waiting for. Yes, that kind of offense was seen frequently since the last Miami weekend. However, those opponents were not of Miami's caliber, save Minnesota. Saturday night showed what this team is made of.

This brings up to the rare Sunday game at Yost. And this time, the result was largely the same, with a 4-0 victory. Hogan got the shutout, and the goals were more evenly spaced. One in the 1st, one in the 2nd, two in the 3rd. Another blowout win in an important game.

Coming out of that weekend, Michigan has moved up in all of the major polls. The team went from 11th/10th to 6th in both polls. Only Notre Dame is ranked higher at #1, and Michigan is creeping up on Miami and Alaska within the CCHA standings. Last weekend will be seen as a major turning point for the season, with Bowling Green up next.

After that, there is the Michigan State home-and-home, and then...Notre Dame. Home-and-home. That game will be huge, especially if Michigan can get into a position to pass the Irish for 1st. Until then, we'll see. There's plenty of hockey left, especially after the bright lights of last weekend.

Endless Roadtrip...

2009-01-15T15:24:00.003-05:00

There is really nothing that kills the mood of a game quite like it being played on the West Coast. For some reason, the crowd seems dead, the lights are a bit lower, I'm already tired, and the game just isn't as awesome.

This means that January 2009 is a rough month for us Wings fans. Since last Saturday's game against Buffalo, the Wings are two games into a six-game, 19-day road stretch, which includes a solid week off for the All-Star break. Yes, the Wings are 1-0-1, but where is the excitement? The team is coming off of an iconic victory in Wrigley Field, and that momentum from the fans could be lost.

Later tonight, the Wings will be in Los Angeles, to take on the Kings. Is there any buzz around this game? Where is the appeal? Personally, I want to see Michigan legend Jack (MF) Johnson, but sadly, he has been out almost all year. Meanwhile, LA is in last place. In reality then, this game is one where the Wings should simply win easily, pick up the two points, and get out with no injuries. This game is just one example of a typical West Coast Wings game - 10:30 start, lackluster opponent, no atmosphere, and a surefire win.

The only real highlight of this trip is Saturday night in San Jose. First-place overall against the defending Cup champs. Yet...it's Saturday night at 10:30 PM EST. The NHL is showing Pittsburgh/NY Rangers on Sunday at noon. There couldn't be another game on Saturday too? This game should be featured, and not an afterthought.

Speaking for myself, a college student staying for the weekend, 10:30 PM on Saturday night for anything on TV is a bad combination. Any other night, for the most part, and it's got a chance. But a weekend night? Yikes.

Still, that game should be a huge point of the season. After the roadtrip ends, the summarization of those games will begin with the matchup against the Sharks, and may end with that game as well. Right now, with the Sharks having 69 points and the Wings with 66, we could be looking at a battle for 1st overall in the NHL. This game will be talked about more later, but we have Wings/Sharks to look forward to at least.

For many fans, the beginning of February will really mark the beginning of the run for the playoffs. January's hiatus will be over, and we'll be back to regular hockey again. Until then, we're just going to be staying up for a while.

Winter Classic Mini-post

2009-01-01T17:22:00.003-05:00

The Winter Classic today was a great success, in terms of the gameplay, the atmosphere, the promotion, and the event itself. Wrigley was filled with people, cheering on their teams. The teams played a back-and-forth game that opened with stellar Blackhawk performance, before the Wings locked down and scored 5 goals, including two in a 16-second span.

The game ended with a score of 6-4, with the last Blackhawk goal about 9.4 seconds before the game ended. It was well played by both teams, saw great moves by Datsyuk, two goals by Happy Hudler, and smiles all around.

NBC had some great video packages about outdoor hockey, including family footage from some of the younger players on the Blackhawks. They did a great job of presenting the event, though the airplane-cam was a bit disorienting at times.

All told, a great event with (as far as I'm concerned,) a great outcome.

More will go up tomorrow from Gord, who was at the event and will have a greater range of articulate things to say.

Happy New Year to you all.

Winter Classic Fun Facts!

2008-12-24T01:33:00.002-05:00

While looking on the NHL's Winter Classic page, I noticed this "Classic Fact Of The Day." Let's partake in it, shall we?

For a ballpark known for its baseball, Wrigley Field has staged its share of other "sports." One example: Three rodeos were held here in 1946, 1947 and 1952 (this last event was under portable lights). The rodeos, ahem, proved challenging for the grounds crew. "After the rodeo, we had to do a lot of sodding," said one grounds crew member. "The animals had 'gone' all over the infield. It was rough."

Now there's a fun fact for you to bring out at your holiday parties. There are a couple things here that need to be addressed.

Part one of the Fact is as follows, if we take this FJM-style:

For a ballpark known for its baseball, Wrigley Field has staged its share of other "sports." One example: Three rodeos were held here in 1946, 1947 and 1952 (this last event was under portable lights).

Now, the NHL probably did have some Facts on the Bears playing at Wrigley, or soccer at Wrigley, or the Cubs, or drinking outside Wrigley, or things of that nature. Since 1947, over 5,000 arrests for public drunkenness or indecent exposure have occurred on Wrigley Field property. However, none of those things are broadcast on Versus, the official network of second-tier sports everywhere. Way to go in terms of brand synergy, NHL. Way to get that bull-riding audience from Versus to come watch the Winter Classic. Watch hockey, it happened at the same spot as bull riding!

Yet, at the same time, the NHL puts "sports" in those quotation marks. Gary will find this, and he won't be happy. Not after his Honda Zamboni was destroyed in that tragic incident that I will most likely always find amusing.

Second, there are always two questions that are on everyone's mind when it comes to animals. Question #1 is "Can I touch it?" Question #2 is "When does it poop?" (Question #3, incidentally, is "If I touch it, will that cause it to poop?) Luckily, the NHL knows that line of questioning, and provides us with this Fact's logical conclusion of...

The rodeos, ahem, proved challenging for the grounds crew. "After the rodeo, we had to do a lot of sodding," said one grounds crew member. "The animals had 'gone' all over the infield. It was rough."

And now you know. So when you're watching the Winter Classic, just remember...a long time ago, someone crapped on that infield. Namely, the Chicago Cubs every summer. (Hey-o!) Also, bulls. Merry Christmas, everyone.

The greatest summary of Canada, ever.

2008-12-19T18:25:00.002-05:00

One of the big YouTube videos from today is a man guessing the exact price for a Showcase on The Price Is Right. However, the true gold of the clip comes at the three minute mark. No one has ever simplified something so great in such few words. It exactly starts at the 3:02 mark.

Random Thoughts: Snowed In Edition

2008-12-19T17:59:00.001-05:00

Personally, one of the best things about the giant snowstorm is having to go push dozens of incredibly stupid drivers out of the snow. Every time that one gets out, here comes another down the hill! Hey, really, you can't drive up that hill in your two-wheel drive Prius? You can't just rocket through the eight inches of snow? Dumbasses.

Kevin Smith was on WDIV talking about how the Lions are gonna be working hard on 1st down, 2nd down, 3rd down, 4th down, 5th down, whenever. Clearly, that's what's hurting the Lions this year. Lack of 5th-down conversions.

At this point, all I want from the NFL is for the Lions or Bills to be contending on Week 17 next year. That's it. That's how far I've fallen. Please, someone just do alright. Please.

Bob Ryan just ripped Eastern Michigan on PTI. On Tyler Hansborough's UNC scoring record, "if this was someone breaking the Eastern Michigan scoring record, we wouldn't be talking about it." Eh, well, good point.

Another fun thing about the snow is how Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm actually cut the plowing budget this year. Looking back in a couple years, Obama's better personnel moves will include not placing JenJen anywhere near his administration.

Speaking of Michigan, isn't it poetically beautiful that the Honda-branded Zamboni broke down before the Winter Classic? You know, if it was a Chevy, it wouldn't have broken down....

On that note, considering that every other country buys their homemade cars, why doesn't the Big Three just have a bunch of patriotic, rally-the-country style commercials? Get out the flags, Rick Wagoner, get out the flags.

Doesn't everything feel a little bit better after last night's Wings game? Last night was the first night that the defending champs were truly that. And, San Jose was in playoff form! That game will be one of the defining moments of the season, no matter what happens at the end of the year.

Mats Sundin has signed with the Vancouver Canucks, ending Canada's long national nightmare. Keep in mind that while he made his decision, Canada's Parliament was overthrown and recrafted, almost an entire NFL season from preseason to the start of the playoffs occurred, the two American political parties went from nominating potential candidates to now having a President-Elect, and Rich Rodriguez metaphorically punched me in the face. All thanks to the NHL salary cap. Remember the good old days, when July 1st meant that every team in the NHL just loaded up on free agents? Remember when the Wings, Colorado, Dallas, and St. Louis all got big names on the same signing day in 2001? For that matter, remember how the Wings had the team of Hall-Of-Famers in 2001-02? Thanks to Gary's salary cap, all of that is gone. At least crappy teams will be rewarded when good teams give up homegrown stars because they just have too many, I guess. Gary, you suck.

WHEEEEE raises hands

2008-12-18T22:23:00.002-05:00

"What a night, what a night. And this final will have them talking in the hockey world in the morning." - Mickey Redmond.

6-0. Detroit Red Wings 6, San Jose Sharks 0.

Remember everything that I said earlier? Tonight though, all was changed. The Red Wings SHOT THE PUCK. They shot at random times, and they shot on net. They were looking for goals all the time, and not going for the perfect shot. Everything that I wanted to see out of the Red Wings...happened!

Just like that, two Red Wings goals in the first. Both goals came on quick shots, and both plays are the type of things that the Wings need. Going into the next periods, this play kept up. Four more goals. A full 60-minute performance for the Red Wings.

Tonight, the Red Wings were sharp for the whole game, and this was best exemplified with Datsyuk's third period goal. This one featured a clean strip off a Sharks defenseman, followed by a quick play to the net, and a goal. What we in Hockeytown have been waiting all year to see...came in the form of an early Christmas present. A little bit late from what was expected but we'll take it.

The story of the game was far more than just the scoring, although that was most obvious to hockey fans around the league. The Wings beat San Jose to loose pucks for the whole night, playing with the intensity of a playoff game. Checks were finished from the men in red in a consistent fashion, and the hits never stopped coming. The defense was strong, with the biggest evidence of that being the shutout. This game was a complete victory for the Red Wings, and one that will be fondly remembered when the season is looked back at.

Still, we need to see how they'll do against Los Angeles...but that's for another day. Instead, the top team in the league got blown out, to the point that the third period featured Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond discussing how the Sharks "look like they just want to get out of here" and "this is a learning experience, you can't win them all."

Against the Red Wings, who had a six-goal win! The same Red Wings that, after Datsyuk's 5th Wings goal, prompted a discussion on how the team had not one blowout win on the year. There was one 4-0 win over Edmonton, but that's it. No statement game, no "here are the DEFENDING champs" victory. Until tonight, that is. Six. Six!

"You can feel the buzz" was how Ken and Mickey described the mood inside the Joe, and that enthusiasm reflected throughout the fanbase. Just from personal experience, I was fired up for today's game. Since I am on break, my mind was on this matchup all day long. Listening to pregame coverage on the radio, putting an old Wings tape in the background while I worked around the house, all of it. Tonight was a big game in my mind.

That anticipation showed in tonight's crowd. Finally, our crowd responded to the team this year. The Joe crowd was loud, was full, and was singing late in the game to the PA. With two minutes to go, and the Wings up six, there was a "Let's Go Red Wings" chant. The night ended with FSN's cameras showing an appreciative crowd showing their joy with a lengthy standing ovation to end the game.

This was not just a statement victory for the Red Wings. This was one for the fans too. All year, the crowds haven't been there as much, thanks to the economy. The Joe has seemed empty at times. People have wondered about the popularity of the Wings, considering the status as defending Cup champs. We came out tonight though. We, a complete team, beat the Sharks.

Random Notes: This Saturday, the Wings are giving away Niklas Kronwall growth chart posters. Sadly, this is a missed opportunity for a marketing goldmine: the Jiri Hudler Growth Chart Poster....In the third period, the Joe PA played Rick Astley. Rickrolling, ye have reached your pinnacle...Five games to go until the Winter Classic, with the next game coming up this Saturday against Los Angeles at home.

WINTER OF CONTENTMENT

2008-12-18T18:45:00.000-05:00

Watching the Wings, one thought immediately comes to mind. These guys are completely relaxed. There is no urgency. The 2008-09 edition of the Detroit Red Wings is almost disinterested in the basic goal of winning games, and is instead trying to win with style.

All of the signs of disinterest are there. Too many passes before a shot, leading to the notion that this team figures they can score anyway, so why not do it with some flair. Bad periods in each game, leading to the notion that the team figures it will win anyway, so why try as hard as possible. Constant one-goal victories, leading to the notion that the team does just what it can to win.

After a Colorado game when scoring chances were squandered with too many passes, the team came out firing tonight. Finally, the Wings were passing to shoot, and not seemingly passing to pass. And now, the Wings are taking control of games, as was intended at the start of the year.
This leads to another notion regarding this year's Red Wings team, that of daily interest. This game against San Jose was intended to be a statement game. Interest and buzz around the match up was high, considering San Jose's season and Detroit's status as defending champions. This game, like earlier match ups against Montreal and Pittsburgh, was a marquee game. And the Wings came out firing.

However, what about other games? What about the road trip to Anaheim or Phoenix, teams that aren't necessarily top competition? What about the common divisional games against Columbus or Nashville? We can't tell, because the consistency just isn't there. The troubling thing about this team is that the squad plays to the competition at hand. Instead of a consistently dominating effort, every game seems to be close. The Wings are almost wanting to make games interesting in the form of a comeback. Down by two to Calgary in the third? Boom, back come the Wings. Losing in the third to Colorado? The Wings get going. This should not be the case, these teams should be getting thoroughly beaten.

Obviously, this season started with high expectations. This team was picked to do amazing things. 1st place in the division, conference, league, all-time! Four 50-goal scorers! A half-dozen All-Stars! This all reached a pinnacle with Marian Hossa's SI cover, which is a unique feat for anything hockey-related. Combine the hype with the performance, and there are reasons to be concerned about the day-to-day performance of the team.

I'm not worried about the overall status of the Wings, don't get me wrong. This team obviously can turn it on, and win any game they set their minds to. Instead, I'm worried about the tendency of waiting until a time of urgency to turn said performance up. In this city especially, there is one prime example of this dangerous apathy: the Detroit Pistons. For those non-basketball fans in the audience, Detroit sports fans constantly hear the typical soundbites from Pistons players every spring. We're not concerned about the playoffs. We know we're gonna go deep this year. We've won it all before, remember? Don't worry about us, we're gonna win again. All of these soundbites are followed by a loss in the conference finals, to a team that just looked more into the game than the Pistons.

We've never heard anything like that from the Wings, or any hockey players for that matter. It's just not how hockey culture works. Yet, signs of that attitude are creeping into the Wings' play. It's showing, and it's too late in the season to blame the things on a lack of cohesion. It's time to turn it around.

Sean Avery, Threat To Our Children

2008-12-03T00:52:00.002-05:00

Every week on Hockey Night In Canada, Don Cherry comes out with a new montage of the same play, ad nauseum. Two players will be chasing down a puck to either cause or negate an icing, and one player will go crashing into the boards. The consequences of this are horrible, with broken legs, torn ligaments, and ruined careers. Even worse, some of these examples feature one player tripping up the other, sending the victim to the disabled list, as Don pleads the League to do something about this. Nothing has been done.

Earlier this season, goalies for the Tampa Bay Lightning wore masks decorated with characters from the Saw movie franchise. These movies, for those who are disconnected from culture, feature people getting ripped apart in ways disturbing to even the most jaded viewer. Again, people brought it up to the league, and nothing was done.

This brings us to a hastily choreographed suspension from just yesterday. Sean Avery, hockey's favorite heel, was suspended for making a comment that the League found just too offensive for its tastes. Avery was suspended for tonight's game, and is out indefinitely, with that time including a hearing with NHL Czar Gary Bettman.

The exact comments, as posted from TSN.ca: "I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada," Avery said on camera this morning in Calgary. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."

Now yes, it's a stupid comment. It's an offensive comment. It's a stupid thing to say, and it was easily something that could warrant punishment. However, is it that much worse than a blatant attempt to injure a player? Is it even on par with any such incident, such as the Todd Bertuzzi incident or the Ryan Hollweg incidents? Of course not. Nobody got hurt, and nothing ultimately happened because of it. If anything, the NHL protected Avery from getting a much-deserved asskicking, as his ex-girlfriend's new man is none other than Calgary's giant D-man Dion Phaneuf.

Furthermore, it's not like offensive things have never been said on the ice before. Take for example, when the Ducks' Corey Perry threatened various Red Wings players to intimidate them, and it was picked up by Versus mics? Nothing came of that. Remember when none other than Sean Avery made comments to Jason Blake during pregame warmups, that were apparently related to Blake's battle with cancer? Nothing came of that, except for discipline for the guys who stood up for their teammate.

This appears to be an easy attempt by the NHL to publicly grandstand about how goshdarned family friendly they are, by blowing up a stupid comment. Avery did not do anything that was much worse than any one thing in his past, none of which got him suspended.

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the League suspended Avery because"...first is his specific choice of words, two words to be precise, 'sloppy seconds'. It's vulgar, the imagery is not good and in the mind of the National Hockey League, it's misogynistic, shows a lack of respect and objectifies women..."

It's vulgar? Really? We hear the constant mentions of obscene language by players on the ice, with the occasional slipup in a TV interview sprinkled in. Writers such as Bill Simmons have jokes about NHL broadcasts on HBO, so uncut conversations from the ice can be sprinkled in. This "problem" is by no means relegated to Sean Avery interviews.

The imagery is not good? We just saw those Saw goalie masks earlier in the season, one of which featured a mouth being torn apart. That imagery is so much better for the League's family friendly image, than one bad joke made to the Calgary media? I don't have the numbers right offhand here, but I assume that far more people in both markets watched the NHL regular season games that featured masks with movie serial killers than the number of people that watched a midday, midweek media briefing. Without the media repeating this line, nobody knows about it. Yet, it's worse than those goalie masks?

It's misogynistic, shows a lack of respect and objectifies women? First, it's not like the League has done wonders to not objectify women, as evidenced by the continued existence of the "puck bunny." For those unfamiliar with the term, one such girl enjoys the meeting of hockey players, in the Biblical sense, as one of her favorite hobbies.

An example of this would be Elisha Cuthbert, the noted film actress who has a penchant for dating hockey players like...Sean Avery! And Dion Phaneuf! Also Mike Komisarek! Personally, I'm just glad that the NHL is sticking up for Elisha and giving her the proper respect that a noted film actress such as herself deserves. With a resume that includes playing Kim Bauer Who Is Being Chased By A Wolf on 24, an ex-pornstar in Girl Next Door, Paris Hilton's costar in House Of Wax, and a Razzie-nominated performance as a model being tortured in Captivity, Elisha has a legacy of honor that must be upheld by the National Hockey League.

God forbid that the NHL allows the defamation of such a noted film actress. It's not like she encourages such publicity. It's not like she spends as much time as possible allowing the paparazzi to take candid pictures of her and Dion frolicking on beaches, attending movie premieres, and things of that nature. Finally, the NHL is protecting someone that they should be protecting, instead of people like the actual players that the league has.

And really, if such a comment is suspendable, why not other, similar comments. If the biggest issue facing the League is comments that might offend women, wouldn't a comment like "I'm going home to jerk off to you now. And that's a big compliment." warrant suspension? Once again, that's an Avery Original, and no, he was not suspended.

A suspension may have been warranted in this case. But, NHL, be consistent. It's why we complain about random penalty calls, it's why we complain about unnecessary rule changes, and it's why we complain about suspensions. If there was a concrete standard, these complaints would be silenced.

One down, eighteen to go!

2008-12-01T14:15:00.003-05:00

Waaayyy back when I started this, I had a list of 19 things that I wanted to see the NHL do. Let's look back, at one of them.

16. The league should license Panini stickers again. Those were great, and they should come back, because they are part of the Euro-Canadian influence that the NHL is trying to subdue.

Well, the NHL has actually done this! Unfortunately, they didn't pick Suggestion #1, but something is better than nothing, right? What follows is the Zata one, since this blog needs more pictures. And, Zata, right?

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T22:38:00.002-05:00

To whatever readership we may have: Happy thanksgiving. Hopefully, by now, you've entered that post-dinner coma phase and are happily snoozing away in front of the sporting event/film/television event of your choice.

The Lions lose, as everyone expected them to. 47-10 is a pretty scary score to have leveled against you, but I think it proves that the Lions have it in them to go 0-fer.

And, of course, Allen Iverson is a douche. But we all knew that, right?

Critical Analysis: Hockey Night In Canada

2008-11-24T20:14:00.002-05:00

Almost every year or so, a media critic will complain about how there just is not anything that unites all Americans. There is no television show, movie, or event that can bring everyone together. Inevitably, the conclusion will be that our culture has fractured to the point of no repair, and the days of record-setting ratings and sales for one single thing are long gone. However, this entire case can be easily rebuffed by looking north, to Canada.
A weekly presentation of Hockey Night in Canada, on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the greatest historical artifacts in Canadian media history, serving as a weekly representation of Canada through the screen of its beloved game. Each week, games are constantly portrayed as the next act of multiple stories. Those stories range from rivalries between two teams, to the league-wide quest for the Stanley Cup, to even the development and career of an individual within the game. All of these storylines are intertwined in each broadcast, making the game a narrative artifact on so many levels.
For this example, I will first look at the narrative criticism inside Hockey Night in Canada, and how the presentation and structure of the program provides a greater meaning to the game and country. This narrative is presented strongly inside the characters, setting, and events of the televised games, as each part contributes to the larger narrative.
Historically, HNIC is telecast on a Saturday night across the nation, with the games generally featuring teams based in Canada. The broadcasts have been airing since 1952, and have typically featured the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens. As the NHL expanded and added more Canadian teams, the other four teams in Canada have also been featured. In the present form, the broadcast goes from 6:30 to 12:30, with a doubleheader of games. The first game, at 7 pm, usually features one of three eastern Canadian teams (Toronto, Montreal, or Ottawa). The second game, starting at around 10 pm, is typically hosted by one of three western Canadian teams (Edmonton, Calgary, or Vancouver).
Within any sporting event, there are players and teams that take center stage. On HNIC, those primary characters are the players that comprise the six Canadian-based NHL teams. Each week, at least two games will feature at least two of these teams. Due to the small pool of Canadian teams, each team is featured regularly, allowing for personalities to develop over one or many seasons. Furthermore, the players of the opposition also get a portion of the spotlight, as those who are Canadian-born or simply star players will also be focused upon.
Each of these players has a background within the game, and that background is brought up. The hometowns, childhood coaches, and junior teams of Canadian players are referenced in the banter from the press box. Video footage of a player when he was younger will be shown during a low point in the game. All of these things are used to integrate the game into all levels of Canadian hockey. The game at hand becomes a representation of the highest level possible, and these flashbacks serve the purpose of tying tonight’s matchup to all of the levels underneath the professional leagues.
In terms of setting, HNIC takes place primarily in the six NHL arenas, the ones belonging to the six Canadian teams. Unlike a United States television broadcast though, HNIC tries to present this setting to the fans with as much detail as possible. There is a legitimate effort to convey the game-day experience, atmosphere, and traditions of each city to the viewers at home, and it shows.
Because of each detail, teams and cities can create a much greater sense of cultural identity and tradition. Thanks to this, uniquely Canadian moments are regularly shown during the pregame ceremonies. Whenever a Canadian athlete wins a major event, whenever Canadian soldiers return home from Afghanistan, and whenever anyone is to be honored, that ceremony
will take place on a Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada, so the whole nation can watch the honored guest.
An example of such a moment being covered is how CBC presented the Toronto Maple Leafs' honoring of Remembrance Day on November 8th. The entire ceremony was shown, complete with Canadian veterans from World Wars I and II coming out onto the ice, to the appreciative cheers of a full arena and both teams. The poem In Flanders Fields was read by one such veteran, as the piece is a symbol of Canada's armed forces, and is a Canadian cultural artifact itself. Moments like this are always shown on HNIC, allowing for the home viewers to experience more than just the game.
While some observers may think that this style is how any important game is typically presented, I present the example of the Detroit Red Wings’ 2008-09 season opening game. The game was televised nationally on both CBC and Versus (an American cable station). CBC showed the full pregame ceremonies, which honored the 2007-08 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, complete with the raising of the championship banner, player introductions, and the like. Versus elected to show none of this, save for a 15-second video clip as they were going into commercials. This type of scene-setting gesture does wonders for new viewers to the game, and CBC’s enhanced coverage shows the importance of such scenes to the overall game at hand.
CBC’s style turns that ceremony into a major event within a larger narrative. In this case, the event may represent the closing of the last season and the opening of the new season. It may represent the new role within the League of the Red Wings as defending champions. It may represent the gap between Detroit, who just won a title, and Toronto, who has not won in over 40 years. However, only the CBC elected to use this to create a narrative.
During these games, the narrative of the event is represented by the numerous career arcs
that are playing out on screen. The most obvious narrative is that of the two teams’ seasons. This is represented before and during the game, with the broadcasters referencing the most recent play of each team. The second most important narrative is the history between the two teams. In some cases, this leads to an emphasis on the bad blood stemming from a long playoff series last May. In other cases, the focus is on the long rivalry between two teams, which can span across many decades. Thirdly, there are the storylines surrounding individual players. An example of this could be a rookie from Ontario who is playing his first NHL game in front of his family, or a veteran player with the leadership to get the younger players around him to improve.
These narratives try to intertwine many factors into the game, in a way that attempts to easily educate any viewer. This is important as it allows anyone to watch one game, and come away with a greater knowledge of the sport. For an institution like HNIC, this knowledge must be given to the viewer, especially considering the diversifying population of Canada. These narratives allow the new viewer to learn a great deal, while indirectly allowing a potentially new Canadian to culturally integrate into Canada with greater ease. Someone may not know anything about how the Canadian tax forms work, but at least they know that the Leafs need a win on Saturday to pass Montreal in the standings. Like it or not, that bit of information might just be the one to bring someone into a country’s culture.
This brings the writer into another form of criticism, that of the ideological. CBC’s broadcasts create the dominant tone in Canada for hockey, and this tone creates a strongly romanticized ideology of the relationship between Canada and hockey. Every part of the broadcast creates this ideology, from the teams on the ice to the stories between periods.
The relationship between Canada and hockey is constantly referenced and affirmed in both direct and indirect ways. The broadcasts have a twinge of patriotism, for both an individual city and the country as a whole. The underlying narrative of how hockey is truly Canada’s is constantly there, under the surface of a single hockey game. Even the opening montage of each game features great players from past and present, skating inside an arena where a shining map of Canada was originally on the ice.
The most direct example of this ideology is the annual Hockey Day In Canada, where CBC devotes the entire programming day to hockey in Canada. Each year, the CBC crew travels to a different small town, with the day’s coverage originating from there. This town is featured all day long, with the history of the game within that city receiving an extensive profile. Furthermore, CBC sends reporters around the country, with each one providing hockey-based field reports from other small towns around the nation, all of which are typically quite touching. In between all of this, there are three NHL games, which feature the six Canadian teams.
Hockey Day in Canada has become the centerpiece of hockey coverage in Canada, with the day becoming an unofficial national holiday. When CBC visited Stephenville, NF, in 2006, city leader Darren Roberts stated that "it's probably surpassed discussions about Santa Claus. That's all the kids talk about now. It's not Christmas. It's Hockey Day in Canada.” This joy shines through the broadcast, as the day strives to show and encourage the connections between a country and the game it loves.
In this case, the narrative is directly focused on this relationship, with far less screens than on a typical game night. Hockey Day is the day where those other levels of the game are in focus, with the actual hockey games serving as the minor attraction. This day is when the stories from around Canada are told, all of which center on a particular theme. In 2008, the theme was the underprivileged within the game. In other years, stories have been centered on families in hockey, or the small-town volunteers that manage the rinks in a daily basis. All of these stories are positive, and all of them affirm how magical the relationship between Canada and hockey is.
While this may make the viewers’ hearts warm, the coverage does not tackle any hard issues within the game that could be addressed or even changed on that day. There are no
feature stories on how the NHL ripped two teams from Canada during the 1990’s, and the economic impact on those cities. There is nothing on the rising cost of hockey equipment, as the many pieces of gear may discourage those in the lower-class of Canadians from pursuing the sport. None of these issues are ever covered, despite the broadcast running for around 14 consecutive hours.
Before last year’s Hockey Day, one writer tried to argue against the dominant ideology. William Houston, of the Globe and Mail newspaper, tried to make the case that “a dose of reality would be a welcome counter to the image of the game, largely mythologized, that Hockey Day presents.” When this line of questioning was brought to the CBC, the official response was that the day was to celebrate the game, and not to change it. Ideologically, CBC’s perspective may reflect an unhealthy ideology, but any contrary ideology simply cannot compete with the media presence of the CBC.
Another, lesser form of dominant ideology shows in the distribution of HNIC games per Canadian team. For many years, the CBC has constantly been criticized by hockey fans as being biased towards the Toronto Maple Leafs. The evidence of this is how the Maple Leafs play on CBC during almost every Saturday night broadcast. This perceived bias stems from the perception of Canada’s media capital as a controlling force in Canadian culture. With almost all of the major newspapers and broadcast networks in Toronto, everything must come through that city. This includes hockey, as the Maple Leafs might not necessarily deserve the immense amount of national coverage that they receive from the media.
This claim plays into the larger point that Toronto is the source of cultural power in Canada. For anyone to make a true impact, it must come through Toronto. To back this claim up, it must be said that both the CBC and CTVglobemedia are located in Toronto. These two
companies control almost all of the Canadian television airwaves, as well as radio stations and newspapers. If any city were to control the ideology of Canada, it could only be Toronto.
Since hockey results can only be controlled on the ice, the only form of bias can come in the form of coverage. In that realm, all signs point to a Leaf bias. Before getting into the raw data, here is some of the recent history on the six Canadian franchises. Every team has played in
the Stanley Cup Finals since 1993, except for Toronto. Most recently, Ottawa went to the Finals in 2007, Edmonton went to the Finals in 2006, and Calgary went to the Finals in 2004. None of the Canadian teams ultimately won their series, as the last Canadian Stanley Cup champion was Montreal in 1993. Speaking of the Stanley Cup, Toronto has traditionally underachieved, as the team has not played in a Stanley Cup Final since 1967.
Yet, despite the recent failures of the Maple Leafs, CBC has seemingly always had a game in Toronto on Saturday Night. Meanwhile, those other teams around the nation don’t get nearly as much primetime. A report from The (Montreal) Gazette in the summer of 2007 stated that a specific clause in the CBC’s new contract limited the network to only 17 Maple Leafs games, a measure not taken in the coverage of any other team.
However, this inclusion does not make the playing field even. In 2007-08, Toronto, which did not make the playoffs in 2006-07 or in 2007-08, played 25 games on HNIC. Montreal, who ended up winning the Eastern Conference in 2007-08, played 17 HNIC games. Ottawa, who was coming off a Stanley Cup Finals, played only nine games on national TV. This scheduling error was not by pure coincidence, as the three western Canadian teams all played on HNIC in fairly equal numbers. Edmonton and Calgary had 14 games apiece, and Vancouver played 13 games on the network.
This perceived bias towards the Leafs shows in their coverage, and it is a portion of how Canadian culture must go through Toronto. This ideology creates a cultural rift in Canadians, as a backlash against the dominant city is formed. This backlash results in little more than fans of other Canadian teams disliking Toronto. However, non-visible signs could also occur across Canada. If all Canadian culture must go through one big city, which is located quite far from most of the country, how much of the rural culture gets lost or unappreciated? Could a gifted musician never make it outside of his local area, and have his gifts and potential go wasted? Could an Inuit writer fail to get the stories of his culture to the masses, since he cannot go through Toronto? Both of these scenarios may have happened, and may continue to happen.
On a slightly more positive note, Montreal actually has more games than Toronto on HNIC this season, by a count of 25 to 24.7 This is a result of CBC noticing the backlash, and not wanting to alienate the viewers. Another aspect may be that Montreal is a Stanley Cup favorite, and Toronto is expected to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. While this number may seem insignificant, the figure may be the first sign of another ideology creeping into the mainstream. Outside influence in other realms of culture might come into widespread acclaim.
In conclusion, Hockey Night in Canada plays a large role in Canadian culture. With that role, the CBC has helped to create and spread the culture of hockey throughout Canada, placing the viewer into a living artifact of the country. However, any negatives surrounding the game are rarely discussed, and the emphasis on certain teams may help contribute to an uneven distribution of cultural power in one city. Yet, the game is still something that unifies Canadians, and allows a country to gather together. Ultimately, that is its greatest success.

A modest proposal

2008-11-17T15:25:00.003-05:00

Rich Rodriguez, read this: The A-11 offense.

I've been talking about trick plays with my friends. We've tossed about the idea of putting all three quarterbacks in at once. We talked about running the wishbone, the single wing.

Let's do something different in Columbus on Saturday.

Make this historically bad season go out on an interesting note. Not with a whimper, but a bang.

Ranking the NFL Playoff Teams, by my liking.

2008-11-16T20:09:00.003-05:00

Every week, there are roughly 1,250 different "NFL Power Rankings" with any number of variables. And every week, there aren't any that cater to the one thing that I care about most: how much I like that team doing well. Well, that ranking is finally here. GordRanking Week 11, commence!

First, let's say goodbye to all of the non-playoff teams. They will not be included in the ranking, because they either suck or in the case of the Detroit Lions, go beyond basic levels of suck into some swirling black hole of losing. Goodbye Detroit, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Oakland, Seattle, St. Louis, San Francisco, Houston, Cleveland, San Diego and Jacksonville. See you at the Draft, where you will all stifle your laughter as the Detroit Lions, with the #1 overall selection, forget to bring the card up to Roger Goodell. Now, onto actual football teams....

#1 - BUFFALO BILLS (5-4, playing tomorrow)
This selection is two-fold. First, I've got family in Buffalo, and have visited there for just about every summer since I can remember. This is a great city that deserves a winner, and they LOVE the Bills. Yeah, the Sabres are loved too, but not as much as the Bills. If the Bills were to make a playoff run, the whole city would probably shut down until it's over. The last time Buffalo made the playoffs, they lost to Tennessee on the Music City Miracle play. Buffalo needs a more recent playoff memory than that.

Second, my grandpa, who was a Bills season-ticket holder for many years, died this past year. Considering all the bounces that have gone to Buffalo's opponents over the years...it seems like this could be the year where those plays go towards the Bills. I'm just saying. Just remember that Wide Right happened in what is now the parking lot of Super Bowl XLIII's host stadium.

#2 - TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-3, 2nd in NFC South)
I've got family down here too, since this is where my grandparents spent their winters. So, I've got relatives working the Super Bowl, meaning I'd like to see a home team try to win it all in their home stadium. Add that to a Nana who is working for the host committee, and I'm pulling for the Bucs.

Also, isn't Jeff Garcia due for a big playoff run, right?

#3 - GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-5, lead NFC North)
For years, everyone always complains about teams catering to their superstars, instead of holding strong to their vision of the team. Brett Favre knew the writing was on the wall when Aaron Rodgers was drafted, and he just figured the Packers would just keep revolving around him. Well, the Pack held their ground, and Brett went to New York. If you're an NFL GM who has ever had to deal with a mouthy wideout, a boss with employees who are both lazy and unfireable, or anyone who has had to deal with one annoying subordinate, you must root for the Pack.

Besides, even if you're not that, the Green Bay Packers are consistently a fun team to watch, since they are unique in all of pro sports. No team is a small-town franchise run by shareholders. And, thanks to my college in West Michigan, I know many a Packers fan, all of whom would be ecstatic with a Super Bowl run.

#4 - PITTSBURGH STEELERS (7-3, lead AFC North)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a fine example of a truly legendary football franchise. Throughout their history, the Steelers have been a good example of an NFL team, from Art Rooney convincing everyone to share certain financial deals for the good of the league, to only having two head coaches for seemingly forever, to winning numerous Super Bowls with defense. This is a team that is always good for the league, and should be rewarded when able to.

On a personal note, my dad and uncle both love the Steelers, so it's another family connection to an NFL team. Furthermore, the closest I've ever been to a Super Bowl was three years ago in Detroit, when the Steelers' fan base invaded the metro Detroit area, in one of the best football experiences of my life. So, good luck Pittsburgh, and you are not Hockeytown whatsoever, by the way.

#5 - CHICAGO BEARS (5-5, lead NFC North)
Another seemingly local homer pick, but still...wouldn't it be nice to see President Obama being his administration with a Bears playoff run? This is a man who went on Monday Night Football, back when it mattered on ABC, and hinted at his presidential run before declaring his allegiance to the Bears instead. If you thought the media went crazy for Barack's Puppy, just imagine the stories about our President rooting on his favorite team.

And, SNL can bring him in for his long-overdue cameo, during a Da Bears sketch. They can even do one of those CNN-esque hologram things of Chris Farley, to truly make the sketch memorable. Nothing can inspire a team to victory like having President Barack Obama and Dead Hologram Chris Farley on their side. Bear down, Chicago!

#6 - ARIZONA CARDINALS (7-3, lead NFC West)
The Detroit Lions have sucked forever. However, thanks to Barry Sanders, they have never been able to attain the crown of Worst NFL Franchise, as the Arizona Cardinals have always held that title. No matter how bad the Lions are, the Cardinals have been worse.

Now, the Cardinals lead their division, and the Lions are 0-10. If Arizona makes the playoffs, which they are virtually assured of doing, there will be at least three-plus hours of "Who is the worst team now? The Lions!" talk. It's time for the Lions to descend to their rightful spot. Make it happen, Arizona.

#7 - New York Giants (9-1, lead NFC East)
Eli and the Giants are playing an exciting brand of football, and are truly defending champions. Combine that with the back stories of Eli being the younger brother, David Tyree's emergence into the spotlight, Jeremy Shockey being exiled...and the Giants are a fun team.

Also, it's great to see Tiki Barber's former team doing so well. Nobody was as dull as Tiki for his entire career, and absolutely nobody was that sad after his retirement tour in '06. All year, Tiki talked about life after football, and he doesn't want to be remembered as a football player. Well, he won't be, because he wasn't memorable. He retired early because he'd rather engage in artificial conversation on a cable news morning show than play the most popular sport in the country in the biggest city in the world, injuries be damned. And now, his team is on fire, and he's on MSNBC calling his co-host a "total medal cunt" at the Beijing Olympics. Good choice, you idiot.

#8 - TENNESSEE TITANS (10-0, lead AFC South)
There is no real reason to root for Tennessee, other than they are always consistent, and never blow everything up after one or two sub-par seasons. That willingness to stay the course pays dividends...and now they're undefeated despite blowing two high draft picks during the rebuilding process. That all shows signs of a quality organization at work.

#9 - MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-4, 2nd in AFC East)
#10 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-5, 1st in NFC North)
#11 - INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (6-4, 2nd in AFC South)
#12 - BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-4, 2nd in AFC North)
#13 - DENVER BRONCOS (6-4, 1st in AFC West)
#14 - WASHINGTON REDSKINS (6-3, playing now)
#15 - NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-5, 4th in NFC South)
#16 - CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-2, 1st in NFC South)
Teams #9-16 all don't really do anything for me. I can't really root for or against them, so they are all this amorphous blob. So these teams are in this order because....Miami has Henne and Long from Michigan...Minnesota's a place I've visited and they're good people...I like Tony Dungy...I like Ray Lewis...I've got a friend who moved to Colorado...Clinton Portis, Eastern Motors...Drew Brees seems like an alright fellow...I have nothing to say about Carolina.

#17 - NEW YORK JETS (7-3, 1st in AFC East)
That Brett Favre, he's a gunslinger. And he's having fun out there. He just loves to play football. Look at how excited he is! I'm Peter King, and I endorsed this message.

Now just imagine that for three solid January hours on your local NBC station this winter. Yikes.

#18 - PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-4-1, 3rd in NFC East)
I don't like the people of Philadelphia, they are cretins, I'm not happy the Phillies won, and I want that city to get the losing they deserve.

Also, if you tie the Bengals, you don't deserve to win. I don't like NFL ties because they screw up the standings, and the quicker that the Eagles get eliminated, the quicker I can eliminate the tie column from any NFL standings spreadsheet. Booo, Philly, booo.

#19 - NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-4, 2nd in AFC East)
Tom Brady is my all-time favorite football player. Ever since he was at Michigan, he was my guy. This season has had a real void, since he's not been here. Therefore, to validate his place in history, the Pats cannot win this year. If Matt Cassel leads New England to a Super Bowl, everyone will put an asterisk by Brady, as he's "just another great system QB." Tom's not a system QB, he's a great QB. And since he's the franchise player, the franchise cannot win without him. It just can't happen.

And watch, Cassel WILL be a great system QB, and will inevitably fail after the Lions give him a huge contract this March. Just watch.

#20 - Dallas Cowboys (5-4, playing right now)
Outside of Dallas, nobody likes the Dallas Cowboys. Or, nobody should. This is consistently a bad team to root for and an annoying team to have around, and this year is no different. Between Terrell Owens' constant potential for selfish, ego-stroking behavior, Jerry Jones' role as cocky Texas owner, strip joint connoisseur Pacman Jones, the Cowboys' new billion-dollar stadium which is surely compensating for something, and Jessica Simpson's Boyfriend Tony Romo, this is a team that gives me a reason to turn off SportsCenter for at least 45 minutes per week. There is no reason for me to ever root for this team. Ever. I hope they miss the playoffs, and that they fade back into the 8-8 mediocrity that they were at during the beginning of this decade.

For that matter, Texas, as a whole, is quite despisable. Think to yourself, right now, if anything you like came from Texas. Now think of all of the bad things that come from Texas. In the first group, I can only list three athletes, all just playing for Texas-based teams and not from the state, and a nice girl I know who goes to Texas A+M. Oh, and Mike Leach's pirate obsession. And Mike Leach.

The second list is comprised of the Dallas Cowboys, Texan oil companies, the attitude of most Texans, Tony Parker, Eva Longoria, the University of Texas, excessively fried foods, endless/hopeless deserts, cowboys (in general), people who drive pick-up trucks unnecessarily, the Bush family, and, listed separately, George W. Bush. When the most hated person in the world is truly a personification of a state...their football team must lose.

Detroit Basketball

2008-11-14T23:40:00.004-05:00

So, this blog is largely about hockey, and football, as you may have noticed. However, since Basketball has a net too, I think it falls into the purview of the writings here—and, since I'm one of the writers, and I want to write about it, so I'm damn well going to.

The trade sending Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson is a betrayal of the spirit of the Detroit Pistons.

The 2004 Championship was won by a bunch of "some guy" type players. Sure, they were all known entities, but there was not a Bryant/Jordan/James type player. There were the two Wallaces, Chauncey, Rip, and Tayshaun. They weren't big-name guys. Ben Wallace hadn't been much with the Washington Bullets or Orlando Magic—it was in Detroit that he came into his own. Chauncey was a backup player, journeyman-type until he came to Detroit. Rip played for the Wizards but never got much attention until he came to Detroit. Tayshaun Prince was drafted by Detroit, so he didn't have much of a name, despite being a good college player. Rasheed Wallace, again, was known to his local fans, but didn't get constant media attention.

The Pistons seemed like a relaxed, friendly bunch, producing a silly, laid-back, but focused team that acted more like a bunch of childhood friends than a bunch of superstars.

Even when Ben Wallace left, the tone remained. There were still no big-name players in the lineup, nobody who would appear on Sportscenter every night (though Rasheed came close often, with his fun-loving antics, his passionate belief in his view of the game, and his tendency to comment on the fact that the ball does not, in fact, lie...)

But now, Detroit has acquired Mr. Allen "Practice" Iverson. A character who draws more attention to himself for his off-court antics than is appropriate. Is he a good player? No, he's stellar. He is an incredibly impressive presence on the court, and his addition will certainly make the team more successful.

It just bothers me that the Pistons have abandoned their heart, in a way. When they won in 2004, the VH1 show "Best Week Ever" declared that it was the "Best Week Ever" for "Some Guys". They commented how the Pistons had won the championship as a bunch of "Some Guys", not as a bunch of superstars. This was their charm.

This was why I could really like them.

Until Iverson participates in the creation of a new Jingle Bells video... I won't be sold on him as part of the real Detroit Pistons.

Oh, Versus.

2008-11-12T15:01:00.003-05:00

Apparently, last night's Red Wings/Penguins game on Versus featured a commercial for SilverTech Socks, a high-tech sock company that apparently sells miracle socks. Championship-caliber socks. Dynasty-in-progress socks. At least, that's what their high-quality graphics are trying to portray. That, or they are ripping off the Red Wings' Wing. See for yourself. The logo is from the company's website.

Whoa there, Sid!

2008-11-12T14:54:00.003-05:00

Here's a picture of what appears to be Stephen Crosby intensely copping a feel on Brian Rafalski, to Brian's obvious discomfort, during last night's game. Adding to the subtle humor of this photo, Getty Images labels this photo with the following terms: "Game, Sport, Horizontal, USA, Michigan, Detroit, Fighting, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Brian Rafalski, Sidney Crosby, Joe Louis Arena, National Hockey League, Puck."

Fighting, really? Really? Come on.

Red Wings/Penguins Game Day 11/11

2008-11-11T11:45:00.002-05:00

Hockey is back! Red Wings hockey! For this author, the Wings' current home stand was a long time coming. A road trip, followed by almost a full week off, meant that some boring nights filled last week. My Friday morning exam was intensely studied for, as there was literally no point or reason to take a break. With President Obama's Tuesday night victory, there wasn't even political coverage to put on in the background.

I aced the test, waited out the break, and am in the metro Detroit area for the game tomorrow against the Penguins. This is all thanks to the norovirus (!), which canceled two days worth of classes at Hope College, and led to a student in exile that was forced to do such things as attend a Lions game (see another post). Finally, it is time for some hockey.

As many of you know, the Red Wings officially returned to action on Saturday night, with a 3-1 win over the Brodeur-less New Jersey Devils. In case you missed it, Marian Hossa is still an offensive genius, and Darren McCarty is still awesome. Old-Time Hockey IS Back In Town, to reference the Wings' ancient marketing slogan.

This all brings us to Red Wings versus Penguins, or...
ZETTERBERG
CROSBY
DATSYUK
MALKIN
HOSSA
CROSBY
A STANLEY CUP FINALS REMATCH
TUESDAY NIGHT
ONLY ON VERSUS
VERSUS (It's Probably On Your Cable System Somewhere!)

Obviously, this is one of the marquee matchups of the season. It's Hossa's first game against the team and fan base that he left over the summer, and it's the first big Red Wings game of 2008-09, in terms of the pure matchup. We need this game to sell out, and we need a big win tonight.

Luckily, this game will mark the return of The Mule, #93, Johan Franzen. According to Helene St. James of the Free Press, "Johan Franzen, who has been out with a sprained knee, said he expects to play. Mike Babcock said the decision won't be made until tomorrow, but Franzen sure sounded like he expects to play."

The Mule's return leads to the potential return of the Red Wings' original line combinations, creating the top two power lines of scoring, a third line of grinders and scorers, and the fourth line of everyone else. Honestly, the Wings do have the best roster top to bottom in the whole league, with the Franzen addition bringing the team back to full strength. Sadly, the addition of Franzen means the demotion of Darren. Good thing Mac got his big fight in during the last game. Again according to the Free Press, here are tomorrow's lines, with Ozzie starting in net:

Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa
Franzen-Zetterberg-Filppula
Cleary-Draper-Samuelsson
Hudler-Kopecky-Maltby

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Lilja-Meech

Both of the contributors to this blog will be attending the game, and expect some pictures and a recap sometime tonight or Wednesday. There will also be pictures of the two new statues at the Joe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio, along with the usual warm-up and scene setting shots. And as always...LET'S GO RED WINGS.

A day in Ford Field....

2008-11-11T10:45:00.004-05:00

For the first time in twenty seasons of football during my lifetime, I spent a Sunday afternoon at a real NFL game. Or, actually, a Lions game. It's the closest we can get here in Detroit. Nevertheless, the experience was a unique one to say the least.

The reason why I had never done this is twofold. First, the usual cost of attending a Lions game is pretty expensive, for more than any other team in Detroit. As a Red Wings fan first and foremost, I would always pick multiple Red Wings games over a single Lions game, especially since the choice would typically be multiple wins over one loss. This factor got negated by StubHub and an 0-8 record, which allowed me to get lower bowl seats for $12. Sometimes, bad football and widespread apathy lead to good things. It did for me.

Second, I always have church on Sunday morning, and that is non-negotiable for multiple reasons. Service that gets out at noon and a game that starts at 1 is a difficult problem. This week though, I drove separately, so I left almost right after service, only seeing a couple key people before I left.

This led to a sign that the day would not be the Detroit Lions'. By attending church, I was cutting it close on arriving before the game. Ultimately, I missed the first couple plays, with an arrival of about 1:07 pm. The first play that I saw from the Detroit Lions, on Sunday afternoon, in person...was an interception by Daunte Culpepper. One play. That didn't last long.

However, that bad omen couldn't ruin the day. After all, the first NFL game I attended was a Monday Night Football game back in 2001. This game was the last to be held at the Silverdome, and was game #4 of the Matt Millen Era. Believe it or not, we were all still positive about Millen back then. Really, we were. And in that game, the 0-3 Lions fell to 0-4, losing to the St. Louis Rams by a score of 35-0. My dad and I left at halftime.

So really, I just needed a touchdown. One scoring drive. There's no way that I could go 0-2, with two shutouts. On the Lions' second drive, Drew Stanton threw a one-yard TD pass on his first NFL pass, and I have blurry photographic proof of it. The Lions could score! And it only took seven years after first seeing a game for my first in-person TD. Not that much time really, considering the organization.

However, Jacksonville could also score touchdowns, exemplified by a run of five straight touchdown drives, effectively sealing the game. 35 consecutive points will do that to a game. Thanks for showing up, guys. Glad that Tampa 2 defense is really showing its worth. Wow, the Lions suck.

Luckily, there was redeeming aspects to this game, namely the presentation of the Detroit Lions' All-Time Team. Naturally, not a single member was a Matt Millen product, with the only active player on the team being Jason Hanson, our kicker since 1991. The highlight of this was Barry Sanders, the greatest football player of all-time. I, and 55,000 others gave Barry a well-deserved standing ovation...followed by most of that crowd leaving for the afternoon. Everyone stayed for Barry, and Herman, and Chris, and Robert, but they were not staying for any more present-day Lions football.

This meant that I could almost move around at will through the lower bowl. I sat right behind the bench, right in the end zone, and basically followed the Lions down the field to a garbage-time TD, moving through the sections of seats just like the backups walking down the sideline.

Not only that, but the Lions were wearing the awesome Thanksgiving Day throwback jerseys that haven't been used in a couple years, and the closer seats allowed me to take some close-up pictures like the ones used in this post. Those jerseys were the only thing about the Lions that looked good all day.

Bizarrely enough, there was absolutely no traffic heading home. Just about everyone left early, and the crowd leaving after the game was far easier to deal with then that of any Red Wings crowd. It felt like driving home on just a regular day. Sadly for Lions fans, a blowout loss is a regular day.

There is much to be said about what the Lions need to do for improvement, and that can be discussed at a later date. Clearly, the team needs something to turn around. However, judging by the atmosphere on Sunday, the fan base seems lost. Something must be done to re-establish hope. And that can be the only first step for the franchise to finally reverse their direction.

Team Naming Rationales, an Open Question

2008-11-10T23:28:00.002-05:00

Earlier this season, the U of M Hockey Team faced Boston University.

U of M lost, in a "7-2 embarrassment" as the Michigan Daily termed it. Last year, at home, U of M won in a rather enjoyable game—BU has a team member with the last name of "Yip". This is not a joke. He still plays with them, still. He's great fodder for the student section to mock, and it only gets better when you find out the team's name.

This is the setup, not the joke, of course.

The Boston University athletic teams are named, as many are, after an animal. A vicious, brutal, feral animal.

The Terrier.

No, I'm not kidding.

I think the major impetus behind the choice of the name was for headlines like this:

'M' collapses against tough Terrier attack, or at least, that was the title when it was published in the Michigan Daily on October 27th of this year.

So what's your opinion? Why do teams choose strange names? Is it to embarrass their opponents? Is it because, when they were founded, they thought it was a good idea? (Viz, the Chicago White- or Boston Red-stockings, or New York Knickerbockers).

Let's hear the theories.

Michigan Hockey, Halloween Weekend

2008-10-28T14:54:00.003-04:00

Friday night is, of course, Halloween night, and here in Ann Arbor, that means two things. First, it means that all the girls who have finally gotten away from their overbearing, repressive, "oh my god she won't let me do anything" mothers, and have decided that they should dress up differently for Halloween by donning short, tight dresses accessorized in different colors and with different hats to represent various "sexy _____s."

Much more importantly, though, is the fact that Friday Night is a hockey game against a not-rival team, Ohio State University. They're 2-3-1 Overall, 1-2-1-1 (W-L-T-SW).

A note: The CCHA has instituted a shootout rule,

Conference games tied after 65 minutes advance to a three-player shootout with the winning team receiving an extra point in the standings (denoted in the SW column).

which has not been adopted by the NCAA overall yet.

Friday night's game promises two things: First, U of M will definitely get some padding on our CCHA Record, which is currently 1-1 after a split weekend at Northern Michigan University two weekends ago; Second, it will see a huge number of wonderful hockey-themed Halloween costumes, like the group of referees who hate the Wolverines the most; There's always strange outfits too, and girls in the slutty outfits, but the sheer creativity of fans in coming out, supporting their teams, and enjoying Halloween in a different way than the majority of college students—they're not a rowdy, drunk, dry-humping morass like so many frat houses and clubs.

So what's the outlook for the weekend? Two games await. It's likely that U of M will take the first one off of Ohio. They're 2-3-1, while U of M is 4-2-0, and the second loss came this past Saturday to Boston University, a big loss to a team that was about at the same level as the Wolverines. That game proved that the Wolverines need to pull themselves together better and start playing more responsible hockey, tightening up on the power play—which has, to this point, been largely ineffective—and playing stronger defense.

The second game is always a toss-up with U of M. The other team makes adjustments to the Wolverines' playing style, and there's not much that Blue can do but try to play well a second game in a row, against a team that knows the trick plays, knows what to look out for, knows what they need to know. OSU has already done the split-weekend thing against decent teams, so it's quite possible that they steal the second game from U of M, but my bold-faced prediction is that Election Day will see a 3-1/6-2 U of M hockey team.

WOOO DEADSPIN WOOO

2008-10-28T11:33:00.004-04:00

So, yesterday's Bill Martin feature was linked to on Deadspin this morning. If only there were some video of Andrew Bynum making it rain that was quickly available!

http://deadspin.com/5069738/morning-blogdome-show-some-love-in-this-club

Fun Halloween Costumes for Kids!

2008-10-27T22:17:00.002-04:00

Hey kids and/or adults that are grasping onto the last strands of childhood! Right now, you're probably thinking that you need a Halloween costume, so that you too can show your failed childhood dreams to the world! For one night, you too can be a firefighter, even though you're an investment banker! You too can be a policeman, even though you have never shown any hint of testicular fortitude throughout your life! Or for a certain segment of the female population, you too can dress up like Sexy____, even though you really shouldn't be wearing anything even close to that genre of costume! Put that away! Really! You should invest in, I'm just saying here, sweatshirts and pants!

Luckily, your friend Gordie is here to give you some cheap Halloween costume ideas based on well-known personalities from the world of televised sports that enhance our viewing experience or haunt our dreams at night. Just to make it easy on you, Reader, all of these require a slightly cheap suit, the kind that can easily be found at most any Goodwill or Salvation Army store. Since I'm watching the World Series right now, let's start with....

JOE BUCK

No matter what is going on at the party, speak in a slightly bored, almost monotonal, almost catatonic state. The most gorgeous woman in the world can walk in, and your reaction must be that of someone stuck at a cubicle all day long.

There is only one exception to this: when you can reference a potential product or sponsor. If your buddy asks you if you want a beer, raise your voice an octave and loudly ask "Is it a Budweiser, the King Of Beers? Or a Bud Light, where the Difference is Drinkability? Or another Anheuser-Busch product?" This is the only time you ever get excited.

TIM MCCARVER

Say random inane things about the general scene at the party, and make comments on the incredibly obvious. Screw up basic people's names, by calling them their sibling's name, or a classmate's name, or the person who had their job before them. There is never a time when you don't have something to say. Never.

JOE MORGAN

Do the exact same thing as with Tim McCarver, only repeat the same point over and over again. Force that crappy observation into the ground. If a guy drops a plate of food, just keep referencing it. Ask to see replay of said incident. When people forget about it, because it was such a minor non-event, bring it back up.

At the same time, make sure that whatever angle you take is incorrect. When people try to correct you, hold your ground on your incorrect position. And make sure to mention Barry Bonds, whenever possible. And statistics are for losers who live in basements, and don't you forget it.

CHRIS BERMAN

Make up nicknames for people, hit on all available women, be the life of the party. If you can, get a leather jacket. Reference songs of the 1970's and 1980's in those nicknames. Also, make some jokes about Buffalo, NY. NOBODY CIRCLES THE WAGONS LIKE THE BUFFALO BILLS.

FRANK CALIENDO

You can dress up as anything, just make sure it's over the top. And constantly harass one person at the party. Just get up in their face, whenever they can turn around. Make sure they see you as much as possible. When they finally get tired of you and angrily snap, move on to the next person.

PAM WARD

Just so we can get some gender equality in here, here's a costume option for the ladies that has the same outfit as all the ones for guys. Also, it's a fun alternative for women who don't want to dress sexy.

Marian Hossa, we salute you!

2008-10-27T15:44:00.003-04:00

Remember how I said that the Wings needed to play well going into the road trip? Of course you didn't, because I don't think I have that many readers. But anyway, the Wings are tuned into form once again, and are back in first place.

The Wings climbed back into first with a big win over St. Louis, and has followed that up with two more that really should be the start of a long winning streak. That optimism might seem unwarranted, but it's safe to say anything is possible with Marian Hossa and Pavel Datsyuk together in Detroit. That combination, or even just Hossa, has been just amazing to watch. It's like watching a master artist at work, or a skilled musician on an extended freeform solo. Just wow.

Plays like that inspire unlimited optimism. I mean, there is potential for even more like that, especially since Hossa regularly has attempts like that which do not pan out. He can have the puck and be facing three opponents, and still try to fake all of them out. And for another example, check out this shootout.

Both Datsyuk and Hossa have what seems like an unlimited amount of moves. So, pardon the thoughts that the Wings might never lose again this year.

Seriously, what the hell, Bill Martin.

2008-10-27T15:05:00.004-04:00

Since I've been gone in Ann Arbor all weekend, way too much has gone on. Almost every sport had something major happen, resulting in a logjam of news at the opening of SportsCenter. Luckily, crisis was averted when the time was just given to Stephen A. Smith to rant on something inane. Whew. That was close.

But seriously, the Rich Rodriguez Era has reached even more bizarre lows this weekend, as Rich Rod broke an 18-year home winning streak over Michigan State, and JUST signed a contract. He's only been in the position of Michigan Head Football Coach for about ten months now, and we're only getting around to signing him to a contract? Weren't terms of said contract announced at his press conference back in January?

This leads to two burning questions, at least for me. First, has Rich Rod been getting paid this entire time? Has he been getting cheques based on his hypothetical contract? Or has he just gotten envelopes with handwritten I O U notes signed "B. Martin"? Will he now get ten months of back pay this week? What exactly has changed due to the signing of the contract, and why does it need to be announced?

Second, what does Bill Martin do all day? He's had this coach for ten months, and you'd think signing the coach of the most well-known team on campus to an actual contract would be somewhat of a priority. Since terms of the contract were already announced, was the issue something that was just forgotten about, and then revisited when Martin was cleaning his office? Bill Martin said that this was something that goes on often, but...really? Is it just me, or having multi-million dollar coaches with no contract a bad idea? Especially considering said coach's past in regards to leaving schools that he supposedly had a long-term commitment with?

I mean, does he just go try to suck money out of alums all day long, like some diurnal vampire? Does he just sit in his office watching old Amaker-era basketball games on tape and crying about what went wrong? Or does he just sit and home, trying to avoid the criticism coming into the office on all fronts, from football players assaulting hockey players, to stripping people of parking passes to give to donors, to the entire 2008 football season? What does he do, besides, I don't know, I'm just speculating here...SIGN COACHES TO CONTRACTS. Shouldn't that be Job #1?

Apparently, I'm wrong on this list of priorities, since I'm not an official part of Michigan sports, I guess. I mean, I only drive hundreds of miles, if not thousands of miles, to Yost and the Big House for games. I spend an inordinate amount of time reading about Michigan football and hockey in newspapers and websites, and watching games on TV.

Heck, I was probably the only one at last year's NCAA basketball tournament making frantic phone calls in the Ford Field concourse to find out the score of the Michigan-Niagara hockey game while Stephen Curry was leading Davidson to a victory over Wisconsin. I'm also probably one of the few people to drive over from their actual college in West Michigan to attend a seemingly meaningless Michigan-Miami game, and actually think at the time that this team really could do pretty well. I mean, what do I know, right?

And it's not just me, it's everyone. Every Michigan fan has some unique connection to these teams, spawned primarily from how much we care. That's what makes this contract thing so stupid. It's like Bill Martin does not care, past how much money he personally is making.

What Martin can't realize is that the way to make money in the long-term is investment. And that investment is in the fans, when it comes right down to it. You invest on good coaches, those coaches win games, and fans come to pay for the right to be there for those wins, and just happen to buy programs, t-shirts, and pizza while there. You let those long-time ticket holders keep their tailgating passes, because that tradition will get passed on, and the money from those people will keep coming to the school. You give up a little bit now, to get more in the future. You can't just go for constant cash grabs.

Sadly, Bill Martin does not know this, despite whatever degrees he may have. And until he or his successor figure this out, there will be more 2008's in Michigan's sports future.

Under construction, obviously....

2008-10-27T14:50:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be working on this site today, to change some colors, add some graphics, stuff like that. Stay tuned.

GAMEDAY POST: Red Wings at Blues, 10/22

2008-10-22T13:10:00.004-04:00

DETROIT RED WINGS vs ST. LOUIS BLUES
OCTOBER 22, 2008

Standings for both teams:

CENTRAL GP W L OT PTS
St. Louis 5 4 1 0 8
Detroit 5 3 1 1 7
Columbus 6 3 3 0 6
Nashville 6 3 3 0 6
Chicago 6 2 2 2 6

Storylines going into tonight:

For Detroit, the team is just starting to come together after a relatively slow start to the season. Marian Hossa's first goal as a Red Wing could kickstart an offense that was expected to dominate all year long, and which hasn't necessarily done so to this point. Surprisingly, the Red Wings are in second place right now, to tonight's opponent, the Blues. St. Louis comes into this game riding high, as the Blues' power play unit has been the best in the league by far, with a success rate of 40.9%. In comparision, no other team has more than 30%, with the closest being Edmonton at 29.4%.

Injury/Roster Update:

- Andreas Lilja had an emergency appendectomy yesterday, and will be back by the end of the week. Apparently, Lilja had some stomach pain on Monday, and was rushed to the hospital on the next day. The surgery was fairly minor in procedure, so he'll be back quickly. Derek Meech will be replacing Lilja, on the roster and possibly in the defensive pair alongside Brett Lebda.

- Darren Helm is going down to Grand Rapids, to most likely make room for Zetterberg to return. According to the Detroit News, Zata skated today and said he's going to be a game-time decision.

- In a somewhat related note, Darren McCarty has cleared waivers, just as Aaron Downey did earlier in the year. This doesn't mean he's going to Grand Rapids quite yet, but it does help him move back and forth easier. He could be in the lineup tonight, if Zata cannot play.

- Brad Stuart is playing tonight, after missing a game to due a bruised knee, also from the Detroit News.- Ty Conklin is tonight's starter, according to published reports.

Tonight's pregame conversation:

Gordie: Amazingly enough, the detroit red wings are not in first place right now. and a win puts them there, over st louis. so, did anyone expect st louis to be anywhere near first this season, at any point?
Aaron: I don't think so.
Gordie: I mean, this is a team that lost a #1 overall pick to a golf cart in the preseason.
Gordie: If anything, I'd expect Chicago to be the early season surprise #1.
Aaron: I'm expecting good things out of Chicago overall, but yeah... anything but St. Louis. Hell, I think Nashville could have beaten them.
Gordie: Nashville? Do you mean Hamilton?
Gordie: Now there's a constantly fun joke.
Gordie: The St. Louis Blues were nobody's pick. And now, they have to prove themselves against the Wings.
Aaron: They still have Legace, right?
Gordie: They do.
Gordie: They also have...let's see...
Gordie: Paul Kariya, still?
Gordie: Hey, the Red Wings' official address is "19 Steve Yzerman Drive"
Gordie: The Blues have Kariya, Keith Tkachuk, Brad Boyes, and that's about it. And a couple barely registerable names like Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman, Calder Trophy winner.
Aaron: Yeah, alright. I know, uh, two of those.
Gordie: That's not a good sign.
Gordie: I mean, this isn't a stacked roster. Also, one other guy, TJ Oshie, a rookie who beat Michigan in the '07 NCAA playoffs for North Dakota is the only other guy I know.
Aaron: Well there ya go!
Gordie: That's the key right there! One college hockey trained rookie!
Aaron: Yes indeed.
Aaron: We could call up Abdelkader, counter college with college!
Gordie: We could!
Gordie: We do have Lebda though, from Notre Dame.
Aaron: also true
Gordie: And an injured Cheli, from Wisconsin of a LONG time ago.
Aaron: well, yeah
Gordie: Meanwhile, Hossa might finally feel at home in Detroit.
Aaron: I think the 300th goal finally coming, and coming as the deciding goal, will go a long way to help him become a really good part of this team
Aaron: Any word on whether Zata will be back in the lineup?
Gordie: Not that I've heard.
Gordie: Obviously things could change, but I'd kinda not force anything, so Zata is completely alright.
Aaron: So he and his hot girlfriend need to explore some alternatives, then.
Gordie: His hot girlfriend needs to settle down for a bit, and not screw up our season.
Aaron: yeah, well, I mean.... hot girlfriend.
Gordie: But still.
Aaron: So yeah.
Gordie: Hey, guess what i saw at dinner today
Gordie: A white NY Islanders edge jersey
Aaron: interesting
Aaron: Ducks win in OT
Gordie: Sadly.
Gordie: This could be a long year on HNIC.
Aaron: How's that?
Gordie: Well, Anaheim beat Toronto, and the Leafs are thoroughly terrible.
Aaron: aha
Aaron: Well, there's always the senators.
Gordie: And the Canadiens.
Gordie: And, the NHL apparently might add a second team in Toronto!
Aaron: ...why?
Gordie: I have no idea. To screw Hamilton, I guess.
Aaron: Is this Gary attempting to placate Canadians?
Gordie: I mean, there are no upsides to that. They would always be second to the Leafs.
Aaron: If you want to give Canada another team, you have all kinds of options of different cities, ones that have an established hockey tradition—Winnipeg, Hartford, etc.
Gordie: Apparently Gary is scared of Winnipeg on the Stanley Cup Finals marquee.
Gordie: Because clearly, the Jets in the Final would cancel out the ratings bonanze that is a potential Ducks-Hurricanes matchup.
Aaron: I'm confused.
Aaron: The Wings could offer to pay winnipeg what we owe them for Kris Draper's awesomeness.
Gordie: Gary doesn't want a small-town Canadian team because TV viewers might not want to watch a Canadian team.
Gordie: Actually, Draper already paid Ilitch back for that trade.
Gordie: But seriously, wouldn't a Whalers/Hurricanes matchup be great?
Gordie: Who wouldn't want to watch "die-hard small town gets their team back, only to play the team that left town and broke their hearts"?
Aaron: that would be wonderful
Aaron: I mean, it would appeal greatly to the pre-existing hockey fan-base, but!
Gordie: Even better yet, Gary can sit with Karmanos.
Aaron: it would be awesome.
Gordie: Still, I can't believe the NHL doesn't market the Canadian teams, and their passionate fans.
Gordie: I mean, aren't sporting events more exciting with crazy crowds in the background?
Aaron: Yes they are! Viz. Yost.
Gordie: Viz?
Aaron: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viz.
Gordie: Okay.
Aaron: but yes. Crazy crowds make everything better.
Aaron: That's why even the worst Michigan football game is still better than a Lions game, because at least at The Big House, the crowd cares.
Aaron: Especially now that "Fire Millen" is a moot movement.
Gordie: Exactly.
Gordie: And that's why any Canadiens game is better than any Southeast Division game.
Aaron: I wonder what the line for profitability on a hockey team is.
Gordie: I believe it's the Mason-Dixon Line.
Aaron: Because I think Nashville could do a really good thing by grabbing a smaller stadium, selling tickets for less money, and making hockey more accessible to the common-folk.
Aaron: How can you say that a southern hockey team can't be successful? You've got the Stars, who have supposedly built a great hockey culture in Dallas; You've got the Atlanta Flames—er, Thrashers, who have the support of Lil' John (YEAH!); You've got TWO teams in Florida—a state with PALM trees!
Gordie: Dallas has built a great hockey culture. No one really cares about the Thrashers or Panthers or Hurricanes, and the Lightning will be fighting for relevancy soon with the Saw guys in charge of their team.
Aaron: Seriously?
Gordie: Yes.
Aaron: The Saw guys are in charge in Tampa?
Gordie: The Saw guys own the team now.
Aaron: That's...
Aaron: Huh.
Aaron: I predict that fans will have to kill each other to be able to see a game at some time in the future.
Gordie: That'll be nice. Exactly what Gary hopes for.
Gordie: Hey, you know how Gary thinks fighting is bad for hockey because it's not family friendly?
Aaron: yeah
Gordie: Saw-themed masks with the villains pulling a body apart on them? Perfectly alright.
Gordie: Fun for kids.
Aaron: lord
Aaron: seriously?
Gordie: Seriously. Ladies and gentlemen, your Tampa Bay Lightning.
Aaron: That's....
Gordie: I'm glad that the people responsible for movies that are known as "extreme horror porn" are involved in the NHL.
Aaron: This shit writes itself.
Gordie: It's like the league is run by a complete moron.
Aaron: Oh wait!
Gordie: It is!
Gordie: I mean, MLB didn't want Mark Cuban to buy the Cubs, because he's loud and enthusiastic.
Gordie: And the NHL lets literally whoever buy up teams.
Aaron: Alright. So let's summarize: Go Wings. The Blues are not as good as they seem to be, the Wings are better than their record suggests. This game should be a good one to watch, seeing as the Wings have a good road record, and the Blues have to start sucking some time.
Gordie: Yes, indeed.
Gordie: The Blues will suck at some point, and Hossa can only improve.
Gordie: Prediction?
Aaron: Wings, 5-1.
Gordie: I was gonna say Wings 5, Blues 2, thanks to a bad penalty call.

TV Options:

Only Ken and Mickey on FSDetroit (the new name, by the way) for tonight. No other hockey games are on basic cable TV tonight in the Detroit area.

Wings and the King, just chillin'...

2008-10-22T11:39:00.002-04:00

Today's YouTube video of the day is a clip of the Red Wings' Swedish contingent driving around GM cars at the company proving ground, with the King of Sweden. Because if the King of Sweden visits the States...he's coming to see the Red Wings.

Will the Wings' road trip define their first half?

2008-10-21T14:55:00.002-04:00

Even the most intense Red Wings fan must concede that the team is not in the forefront of Michigan sports fans right now. Despite a Stanley Cup win, the team is behind such issues as the meltdown in Ann Arbor (should Rich Rod be fired?), Michigan State's great improvement (will it continue?), and the ongoing saga of the Detroit Lions (LOLions!!!). Outside of sports, attention is being placed on the coming presidential election, and the economic crisis of the state of Michigan, as our state continues to suffer under the not-so-watchful eye of Jen.

In my mind, I don't think the Wings will get much attention until November, when college football wraps up, the elections are over, and the Lions are forgotten. This means that with the slow start, the Red Wings will be defined by the Detroit masses after this upcoming West Coast road trip. After Friday's home game against Atlanta, the Wings travel to Chicago before going up the West Coast for four games next week. This is followed by six days off, and then a couple home games against New Jersey and East champion Pittsburgh.

This road trip is crucial for the perception of the Red Wings. When they come back, those two games will get a lot more attention than any game since the home opener, especially Pittsburgh. People will be tuning in and going to the first Wings/Penguins matchup of the season, which will be on national TV as well.

The Red Wings are 3-2 right now, or officially 3-1-1. Obviously, that is not the start that Wings fans expected, considering how close every game was. The one loss could have been a win, considering the opponent in Toronto. And every other game was won by just one goal, and could have gone either way. The team is still coming together, and signs of that were shown with the last Wings play to date, an overtime goal by Marian Hossa. Still, they are doing just enough to win, which has led to some fluke goals given up, and some close misses by the opposition.

All of this leads into the next six games. A strong stretch, and the team is greeted by Here Come The Red Wings (Again) headlines in the national media. A weak road trip, going into that Pittsburgh game will lead to the inevitable speculation of whether or not Hossa is right for the team, and musings of a championship hangover. The Wings are going to define themselves to Detroiters that will start following the team next month, and that perception will lead into the rest of the season. Last year's record breaking start led to a lot of attention, and a ton of wins going into the Penguins game will have the same effect.

Luckily, this road trip should not be that hard, except for the grind of travel. Going by TSN's Power Rankings for this week, they'll be playing against the #4 overall team in San Jose, in between matchups with teams #16, #18, and #27. These games should be incredibly winnable, once the Wings click together. The Pittsburgh game will be talked about more as it gets closer, but everything leading up to that night will provide the storylines for that night and many more to come.

Our Changing Joe - The statues of the future...

2008-10-21T14:38:00.002-04:00

Three home games into the season, and the Red Wings are finally done with ceremony nights. Last week, the Wings had two nights to celebrate team legends with two more statues on the concourse, as Delvecchio and Lindsay are now alongside Gordie Howe.

Logically, there can only be more statues in the team's future, and there are still three retired numbers that don't have a statue as well - Yzerman, Sawchuk, and Abel. So, here is my proposal on what the Wings should do with honoring legends in the years to come.

Next year should feature the installation of Terry Sawchuk and Sid Abel statues, which would be flanking the current three. That way, that entrance, the Gordie Howe entrance, would celebrate the Red Wings of the 40's-'50s-'60s. All of the players from that age would be honored down there, and the Wings could even tailor the end to fully replicate the Olympia, with retro concession and souvenir stands, and assorted other things.

After next season, the Wings should start building up the riverside entrance as the Steve Yzerman entrance. Hang up Stevie pictures everywhere, have the program stands with the '90s covers, stuff like that. And of course, put in an Yzerman statue, which would either be holding the Stanley Cup, or jumping in the air a la the '96 playoff OT winner. In the coming years, add a Vlady statue (and officially retire #16), and once Nick retires, do the same thing for him. After that, guys like Sergei, Shanny, and Ozzie might be under consideration to get their numbers retired.

Eventually, due to the potentialy clogged concourse, an expansion of the Joe might be in order. There are at least a couple spots inside that I could see being removed, so that fans could easily get in and out. But until then, keep the statues coming.

Banner nights, and why they should stay in local control...

2008-10-21T14:23:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I turned on my TV with the expectation of hearing Budd Lynch, the Red Wings' longtime PA announcer introducing "the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings!" to a Joe Louis Arena crowd for the first time in the new season. I expected to see what the Wings could do for the fourth Stanley Cup banner ceremony in recent memory, and the what hopes to be the first of many for this new era of the team.

Instead, there was no FSDetroit coverage of the game. They only way I could watch it at college was on Versus. And instead of showing the Red Wings' ceremony...there was Def Leppard. Yes, a band that hasn't been culturally relevant in my lifetime, since the NHL deemed that it would be better than the victory celebration. A band that isn't even from North America, and one that would later disgrace the Stanley Cup. And a concert that was forced onto hockey fans by an out-of-touch NHL, and a commissioner who consistently creates these desperation plans to make the NHL seem like a second-tier league.

The idea for this came from the NFL, who has done similar kickoff-style celebrations in years past. However, the NFL gets the A-list artists of today, and the NHL gets the B-list artists of twenty years ago. So, the NHL comes off poorly.

Furthermore, the Red Wings apparently had a beautiful celebration, but no one could see it. We don't want this nationalized crap. We want to watch the Wings. We want Ken and Mickey talking about last season.

Personally, I am watching to watch hockey when I turn on a game, which is something that other sports might not be able to say. The Super Bowl is the most basic example of this, as its commercials get more attention than the game. For hockey fans, I don't think that we want that type of spectacle. We just want solid game coverage, with everything else complementary to the game itself.

Part of that coverage includes everything surrounding the game. Pregame ceremonies to raise banners or honor players, the national anthems, the players coming onto the ice...all of this stuff is what I want to see in the pregame. Not a forced concert, not a bunch of talking heads. I want to, as best as the TV can show, experience the events at the rink. And of course the network that does this is CBC, which the NHL should force everyone to follow. Go figure, the country that Gary is always against...does hockey better than he does. Who knew.

...and we're back!

2008-10-21T13:48:00.001-04:00

Yes, I haven't been here except for the first night. However, midterms are over, and I'll be writing. A bunch of stuff from the last couple weeks will get posted today, with regular Wings/Michigan updates to come as the seasons proceed. Sorry about that.

Michigan's College Gameday Record

2008-10-08T03:14:00.004-04:00

In tune with the last post, here are the Michigan appearances on College Gameday, with the score of that game attached. Michigan wins are in bold.

Sep10 1994: #6 Michigan at #3 Notre Dame - Michigan, 26-24
Oct15 1994: #3 Penn State at #5 Michigan - Penn State, 31-24
Sep14 1996: #10 Michigan at #5 Colorado - Michigan, 20-13
Sep13 1997: #7 Colorado at #13 Michigan - Michigan, 27-3
Oct25 1997: #5 Michigan at #14 Michigan State - Michigan 23-7
Nov 8 1997: #4 Michigan at #3 Penn State - Michigan, 34-8
Nov22 1997: #4 Ohio State at #2 Michigan - Michigan, 20-14
Jan 1 1998: (Rose Bowl) #1 Michigan vs #8 Washington State - Michigan, 21-16
Sep 5 1998: #5 Michigan at #24 Notre Dame - Notre Dame, 36-20
Sep 4 1999: #18 Notre Dame at #7 Michigan - Michigan, 26-22
Sep25 1999: #4 Michigan at #17 Wisconsin - Michigan, 21-16
Oct 9 1999: #3 Michigan at #11 Michigan State - Michigan State, 34-31
Sep30 2000: #14 Wisconsin at #9 Michigan - Michigan, 13-10
Aug31 2002: #9 Washington at #10 Michigan - Michigan, 31-29
Nov23 2002: #9 Michigan at #2 Ohio State - Ohio State, 14-9
Sep13 2003: #14 Notre Dame at #7 Michigan - Michigan, 38-0
Nov22 2003: #4 Ohio State at #5 Michigan - Michigan, 35-31
Jan 1 2004: (Rose Bowl) #4 Michigan vs. #1 USC - USC, 28-14
Nov18 2006: #2 Michigan at #1 Ohio State - Ohio State, 42-39
Jan 1 2007: (Rose Bowl) #8 USC vs. #3 Michigan - USC, 32-18
Nov17 2007: #7 Ohio State at #23 Michigan - Ohio State, 14-3

Overall, Michigan is 13-8 when playing in the College Gameday featured game, and is 7-2 when the show comes to Ann Arbor.

YouTube Classics: Bo at the Big House

2008-10-08T02:42:00.002-04:00

One thing that will be a regular feature is videos of awesome old things I find on the internet. First up is this video of Bo Schembechler touring Mitch Albom around Michigan Stadium. This was a segment on ESPN's College GameDay in 2002. That game, against Washington, is the second video on this post, with a compilation of that game's highlights. Enjoy.

Cities on an iPod....

2008-09-24T00:42:00.002-04:00

So, there are cities that you can set the time from on any iPod. The American and Canadian cities are listed below.

- Anchorage
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Boston
- Calgary
- Chicago
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Halifax
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Los Angeles
- Manchester
- Memphis
- Miami
- Minneapolis
- Montreal
- New York
- Ottawa
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Portland
- Regina
- Salt Lake City
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- St. John's
- St. Louis
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Washington D.C.
- Winnipeg

Now, looking at this list, there are some random cities. Knoxville, really? Manchester? Although really, Edmonton got screwed here. They are the only Canadian NHL city that you can't set your iPod to. And Regina, St. John's, Halifax...all got in. Eh. And what list of Canadian cities is complete without a mention of Winnipeg? Bring back the Jets!

The NHL List Of Demands, Volume #1

2008-09-24T00:25:00.000-04:00

There are many things that I'd like to see the NHL change. After Puck Daddy's highly successful 5 Things I'd Change, here are my list of 19 demands that I'd like to see in 2008-09. A lot of these can actually be implemented fairly easily. And there's 19, of course, for the Captain, Steve Yzerman. They begin with an obvious one....

1. Gary Bettman must be fired immediately. And led out of the NHL offices by force, in a public show.

2. Due to his previous position as a Red Wing broadcaster, Dave Strader must cover all Red Wings games on Versus and NBC.

3. Show more than one game on Versus. Because I don't want to get stuck with any more Carolina/Florida games.

4. The Red Wings must go back to Red Wings, My Red Wings after home games. Because it's awesome.

5. Gordie Howe needs to stop having all of his products just say Mr. Hockey. Because, as a Gordon who is named after him, I'd like to see the Gordon name out and about.

6. White jerseys at home again, at least for part of the year or against certain opponents. While I've adjusted a little bit, why not have the third home game against a Central team be in white,
eh?

7. Bob Cole should be the lead on HNIC, this is non-negotiable.

8. Red Wings, please continue to give away stuff like last year. Because it shows you care. Possible suggestions include a take-home bowl of Cheli's Chili, plastic mules with FRANZEN 93 on the sides, and a car sunscreen thing for the windshield of a Holmstrom backview, allowing any potential thieves the same view of your car that opposing goalies get of a Lidstrom shot.

9. Put all of the NBC and Versus games online. Better yet, put them on iTunes for free, as a podcast. I'd even pay a small fee for this.

10. The second lane in the parking garage must continue to remain unblocked, so I can drive right in as usual. Always a great time.

11. The return of the 1991-92 throwback jersey for the Winter Classic. It's my favorite jersey, and I want to see it one more time. Or more than that! I will definitely pay for one of these jerseys, Mr. I. Just to let you know. Marketing boom here.

12. Let's retire Vlady's number. It's about time. Let's do it while he still has former teammates on the active roster.

13. Promise to not put a team in Las Vegas. It's a stupid idea on so many levels, and would be the quintessential example of a Gary Team.

14. The defending Stanley Cup Champions should get some sort of marking to signify that status,
such as a Cup logo painted on the ice. Although the team won't have possession of the Cup, there should be some constant "home of the champions" reminder.

15. The Winter Classic of next season should be announced during the Stanley Cup playoffs, as a way to hype the coming year. For that matter, the whole schedule should be announced during the NHL draft. There should be some tangible links to next season far before the middle of July.

16. The league should license Panini stickers again. Those were great, and they should come back, because they are part of the Euro-Canadian influence that the NHL is trying to subdue.

17. Speaking of Canadian influence, CBC must have precedence over league scheduling for TV, in the playoffs. CBC has had it for over 50 years, they get priority. This might seem unimportant, but it will come into play if and when Montreal goes deep into the playoffs as the season's Canadian flagbearer.

18. The last two weeks of the season should have nightly hockey on Versus, as they just simulcast the local broadcasts of playoff-significant games. Every night, a different game or two, as viewers can be attracted before the first round begins. This also allows for storylines to develop naturally, and allow more teams exposure to a national stage.

19. NBC and Versus should show games from Montreal, Toronto, and other Canadian cities, because places like that are what makes hockey unique from other sports. All of these teams are the biggest things in their cities, and that passion can translate through the television. This passion is unique to the NHL. Embrace these unique qualities, NHL, embrace Canada!

And so it begins....

2008-09-22T16:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my thoughts.