Personally, I always think this is the best time of the NFL season to look back at the silly picks we all make at the start of the season, and, because I'm a Detroit native and Lions fan, I always put the 2 together in one blog.
Anyway, on to the review of my picks...
The picks.
Lets see, at the start of the year I picked the Patriots, Colts, Chargers, Arizona and the entire NFC East to take some steps back this year and, given the number of teams on this list, I didn't too bad I think.
I'm not surprised at all about the Colts, Arizona or the NFC East-especially Dallas and the Redskins. How did I know? If you read my picks post way back in September I stated why: these teams are on the old side on both sides of their interior line positions. The Chargers are a total surprise. I know, I know, they do this just about every year-a late season charge into the playoffs; but, how many times can the same core group of players do this?
The Patriots really aren't a surprise to me. No team lead by Bill Bellichick or Tom Brady will ever surprise me. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting them to have a losing record, just to not have those double digit wins this year. I picked them to be on the slide for 2 primary reasons: youth on defense and the same age issue in their interior line play on both sides of the ball. Well, I was wrong about the Pats, and, since they are my "2nd" team, I have no problem being wrong about them this year.
Teams on the rise: Packers, Lions, Falcons, 49ers, Houston, Tennessee and Miami.
OK, so I was wrong about all here except for the Falcons and Lions.
Of all of these, the only team at the start of the year I had issues with picking to be on the rise was the 49ers-I simply bought into their hype. The rest, except the Lions, I legitimately believed would be playoff teams this year-particularly Houston and Tennessee. So much for that idea eh?
That all said, I did believe the Falcons would win their division this year, but I didn't (and still don't) see them as a possible Superbowl contender. They are living up to my expectations and, within in a couple of years, I expect them to actually be as good as their record is this year.
My Superbowl pick was the Ravens vs. the Packers. Since the Pack aren't going to make the playoffs-thanks to my Lions :)-this idea is waaaaaay out the window, but that is OK because this is why we love football-any given Sunday anything can happen, and, more often than not, the best laid plans are useless when it's all said and done.
The Lions.
How close was this team to 8-8 this year? They were close-very close. Perhaps as close as that blown call at the Bears opening week. Think what might have been had that call gone the other way? The Lions road and division loss streaks would have ended, and that monkey they wouldn't have had to carry on their back most of the season.
The Lions had 5 or 6 games (off the top of my head) that were decided by less than 5 points-2 or 3 of which I believe they would have won had they just gotten that call opening week. Up to this week, they led 10 of their games at the half. Over the last 2 weeks us Lions fans have, I believe, watched our Defense grow up a lot and learn how to close out football games-at the very least they have learned to not let them get away by giving up big plays or crucial scores late. At the same time, for the first time in over a decade, we are seeing a team that, even with nothing to play for, is still playing hard for their coach and not quitting. This is an important sign as it tells me that a) we finally have a good core of quality, hard working talent that actually cares about their job and b) we have a coach and staff worth keeping for more than 3 years...
A few words about Suh
Suh is a beast, lets just be straight up honest about that. The guy is the first top 5 pick since Manning that I can remember actually living up to the hype of his draft status. The guy is a rookie, gets double and triple teamed every play and still wreaks havoc on offensive schemes. He leads all D tackles, much less rookies, in sacks and is-did I say-a freaking rookie! I can't believe that, as a Lions fan, we actually can say we have a "dominant defensive line"! Wait, let me pinch myself...OW!...Yup, not dreaming-the Lions have a dominant defensive line and all they need is a true lock down corner or an above average outside linebacker and they could have one of the top 5 defenses in the league within 2 years.
The most impressive thing about their D-line play is that the guys around Suh are good enough to take advantage of their one on one match ups. It's amazing really-my whole life the only truly great thing about the Lions was their running backs. Both Billy Sims and Barry Sanders fell within my Lions lifetime of viewing, but the team never could do jack shit on Defense-which is where you build winning programs from...
I'll leave the rest of the Lions chatter for my regular season wrap up, for now all I can say is that, for the first time in almost 2 decades, I am truly excited about the Lions and their future...Better go pinch myself again...OW!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Everblades week in review
Facing Greenville
If you had the chance to see the Everblades last week during their 3 game set against Greenville, you got to see some pretty good hockey despite the Blades dropping 2 of those 3 games. If you remember, when they left on that road trip right after Thanksgiving, the team had pretty much just turned in the first performance of the year where they put in a full 60 minutes of effort. That performance carried them to a 7 game winning streak that was stopped Friday at the hands of the Road Warriors...
As a whole, I don't think that the Blades played all that bad Friday and Saturday against Greenville and it was the opinion of the coaching staff that what it boiled down to was "bounces of the puck". Unfortunately, that really doesn't bode well for the Blades, who are a disappointing 2-6 (as of today) against Greenville this year, and will probably have to go through them at some point in the playoffs.
To be fair, the Blades lost Lemieux and Pistilli to an AHL call up after Wednesday game-the one they won. Both were hot-Lemieux had just won player of the week honors for the league and Pistilli turned in one of his best overall performances of the year Wednesday night. But losing guys to call ups in the ECHL is part of being in the league, so it's no excuse-every team has to go through it and the Blades are no exception, except in the fact they have 2 affiliates to the NHL.
That aside, as a fan I hate to say it, but I think that Greenville just has their number.
Greenville plays a style of neutral zone trap that Florida is unable to counter unless they have their full compliment of speedy players-which includes Lemieux and Pistilli. This doesn't mean that I think the Blades have no chance of doing anything in the playoffs, it just means that I think they have to have all their best players available to them and playing at the top of their game to beat Greenville. Those 2 things, or Greenville needs to feel the pain of call ups and injuries the way the Blades always seem to at crucial points of the season. Knowing the ECHL and the Blades the former isn't very likely to happen, but we-as Everblades fans-can always hope that Greenville gets their share of call ups and injuries as the season wears on...
Can I get a penalty shot?
Twice against the Road Warriors, last week, Coach Poss questioned "what does it take to get a penalty shot in this league?"
On Wednesday and Saturday nights, an Everblade player had a breakaway chance on their goalie; on both occasions the Blades' player was seemingly hooked or tripped to the ice. To myself, and the officials within ear shot of me, Saturday night's missed call was the more obvious of the 2 that should have resulted in a penalty shot for the Blades. Wednesday's missed call wasn't so blatant, but not even a penalty was called on that occasion (if my memory serves me right), where as on Saturday night, the Blades at least got a PP out of the missed shot.
I can't say that I'm wholly surprised no penalty shot was called on either occasion. In the almost 6 total years that I have covered the team in some way, I have seen only 2 penalty shots called, and on both occasions it was called because the offending player pretty much tackled the would be shooter to the ice, leaving little room for doubt as to the call. What I have learned is that, just because it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its not necessary a duck in the ECHL. In other words, to get a penalty shot in the ECHL it has to be flagrant, otherwise the refs just let it go...
Radio woes
In case you don't know, you can catch the Everblades on The Avenue-AM 1410 in Lee County or AM 1660 in Collier county. I am under a verbal contract to start soon at those stations and one of the things that is being kicked around for me to do once started there, is to produce Blades games when they are on the road.
This week, it got back to me that some fans were having issues listening to the Everblades on the radio when they couldn't make it to the games...
I have been told by management at The Avenue that most of the problems in hearing the games have been resolved. However, 2 issues remain that can't be helped/fixed.
The first is a roughly 10 mile "dead zone" that exists between the 2 stations starting at Alico Road in Lee county and stretching down to Bonita Beach Road. It is a problem The Avenue has had since it's creation and, I am told, it is trying to work with the FCC to correct the issue. The 2nd is in broadcasting the games itself.
For the games to make the airwaves, Kevin Reiter has to dial up a Comrex, which then connects his equipment to equipment at The Avenue's studio's. Sometimes things go wrong and, so long as no one is in the studio to make sure that Kevin is "dialed in" (as we in radio would say), you can't always guarantee that they will be on the air. Of course, to solve the issue, all you need is someone to be in studio to make sure it happens. Of course I can't be there for home games, but in the future this should no longer be an issue when the team is on the road-hopefully; but only time will tell. In the mean time, I hope everyone stays patient with the teams new radio partners...
Someone also asked me this week why the Blades always seem to be changing radio partners every year or 2...Although I have been fortunate to be privy to most (not all) of the reasons why this has been the case over the years, I do not feel that it would be proper for me to go into those details on my blog without the permission of all those companies. I will say this, however, about their former radio partner, Fox 1240-had that station stayed on the air, the Blades would have most likely stayed with them as I hear they were, for the most part, happy with that partnership...
As always, you can catch me during intermissions on the outside of the smoking section by the suite level entrance. Come say hi and talk some sports with me,
RR
If you had the chance to see the Everblades last week during their 3 game set against Greenville, you got to see some pretty good hockey despite the Blades dropping 2 of those 3 games. If you remember, when they left on that road trip right after Thanksgiving, the team had pretty much just turned in the first performance of the year where they put in a full 60 minutes of effort. That performance carried them to a 7 game winning streak that was stopped Friday at the hands of the Road Warriors...
As a whole, I don't think that the Blades played all that bad Friday and Saturday against Greenville and it was the opinion of the coaching staff that what it boiled down to was "bounces of the puck". Unfortunately, that really doesn't bode well for the Blades, who are a disappointing 2-6 (as of today) against Greenville this year, and will probably have to go through them at some point in the playoffs.
To be fair, the Blades lost Lemieux and Pistilli to an AHL call up after Wednesday game-the one they won. Both were hot-Lemieux had just won player of the week honors for the league and Pistilli turned in one of his best overall performances of the year Wednesday night. But losing guys to call ups in the ECHL is part of being in the league, so it's no excuse-every team has to go through it and the Blades are no exception, except in the fact they have 2 affiliates to the NHL.
That aside, as a fan I hate to say it, but I think that Greenville just has their number.
Greenville plays a style of neutral zone trap that Florida is unable to counter unless they have their full compliment of speedy players-which includes Lemieux and Pistilli. This doesn't mean that I think the Blades have no chance of doing anything in the playoffs, it just means that I think they have to have all their best players available to them and playing at the top of their game to beat Greenville. Those 2 things, or Greenville needs to feel the pain of call ups and injuries the way the Blades always seem to at crucial points of the season. Knowing the ECHL and the Blades the former isn't very likely to happen, but we-as Everblades fans-can always hope that Greenville gets their share of call ups and injuries as the season wears on...
Can I get a penalty shot?
Twice against the Road Warriors, last week, Coach Poss questioned "what does it take to get a penalty shot in this league?"
On Wednesday and Saturday nights, an Everblade player had a breakaway chance on their goalie; on both occasions the Blades' player was seemingly hooked or tripped to the ice. To myself, and the officials within ear shot of me, Saturday night's missed call was the more obvious of the 2 that should have resulted in a penalty shot for the Blades. Wednesday's missed call wasn't so blatant, but not even a penalty was called on that occasion (if my memory serves me right), where as on Saturday night, the Blades at least got a PP out of the missed shot.
I can't say that I'm wholly surprised no penalty shot was called on either occasion. In the almost 6 total years that I have covered the team in some way, I have seen only 2 penalty shots called, and on both occasions it was called because the offending player pretty much tackled the would be shooter to the ice, leaving little room for doubt as to the call. What I have learned is that, just because it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its not necessary a duck in the ECHL. In other words, to get a penalty shot in the ECHL it has to be flagrant, otherwise the refs just let it go...
Radio woes
In case you don't know, you can catch the Everblades on The Avenue-AM 1410 in Lee County or AM 1660 in Collier county. I am under a verbal contract to start soon at those stations and one of the things that is being kicked around for me to do once started there, is to produce Blades games when they are on the road.
This week, it got back to me that some fans were having issues listening to the Everblades on the radio when they couldn't make it to the games...
I have been told by management at The Avenue that most of the problems in hearing the games have been resolved. However, 2 issues remain that can't be helped/fixed.
The first is a roughly 10 mile "dead zone" that exists between the 2 stations starting at Alico Road in Lee county and stretching down to Bonita Beach Road. It is a problem The Avenue has had since it's creation and, I am told, it is trying to work with the FCC to correct the issue. The 2nd is in broadcasting the games itself.
For the games to make the airwaves, Kevin Reiter has to dial up a Comrex, which then connects his equipment to equipment at The Avenue's studio's. Sometimes things go wrong and, so long as no one is in the studio to make sure that Kevin is "dialed in" (as we in radio would say), you can't always guarantee that they will be on the air. Of course, to solve the issue, all you need is someone to be in studio to make sure it happens. Of course I can't be there for home games, but in the future this should no longer be an issue when the team is on the road-hopefully; but only time will tell. In the mean time, I hope everyone stays patient with the teams new radio partners...
Someone also asked me this week why the Blades always seem to be changing radio partners every year or 2...Although I have been fortunate to be privy to most (not all) of the reasons why this has been the case over the years, I do not feel that it would be proper for me to go into those details on my blog without the permission of all those companies. I will say this, however, about their former radio partner, Fox 1240-had that station stayed on the air, the Blades would have most likely stayed with them as I hear they were, for the most part, happy with that partnership...
As always, you can catch me during intermissions on the outside of the smoking section by the suite level entrance. Come say hi and talk some sports with me,
RR
Monday, November 29, 2010
"Rich Rod" has to go.
I've been a Michigan Wolverine fan for all of my life, and I've never been so disappointed with the football program as I have been these last couple of years...
When Rich Rodriguez was hired to lead the football program at Michigan 3 years ago, non northerners here in the South cheered the change, while the old school southerners, knowing the extreme differences between the style of football played in the north vs the south, raised an eyebrow of questioning at the move. Personally, I was on the side of the those questioning the move.
Big 10 football is drastically different from that played in the south. True, Rodriquez didn't necessarily coach in "the south", but the style of football he utilized at West Virginia was very similar, if not identical in many ways, to that played in the south: small, fast, athletic linemen and linebackers on defensive combined with an athletic quarterback who could run at will and complete passes when necessary. In the north, its big, strong linemen, controlling the line of scrimmage to utilize a ground and pound running game to wear opponents out heading into the 4th quarter when defenses are too tired to get any sort of pass rush to slow down a balanced passing attack...
After 3 years at the helm of Michigan Football, it should be obvious to all U of M fans that this style of football just doesn't work in the Big 10. Over the last decade, multiple programs-from Ohio State to Indiana-have learned the hard truth that this is no way to consistently win in the Big 10, much less compete for the league or BCS championship coming out of the Big 10; and now we can add Michigan to that list.
The style just isn't conducive to winning in a northern climate, against teams who field big, strong linemen, and who can run the ball down your throat to wear you out. No where else should this be more evident than when Ohio State beat Miami for the BCS Championship almost a decade ago. Ohio State took traditional Big 10 football to Miami for 4 straight quarters, and when the game was on the line late, Miami-despite all their speed and athleticism-just didn't have the energy left to hold Ohio State off the scoreboard.
The bottom line is this: the style doesn't work in the Big 10.
Rich Rod has wasted 3 years of recruitment's on a style that has made the greatest football program in college football history a laughing stock to the rest of the Big Ten (and the nation). Teams like Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue no longer fear coming to the Big House with the hope of simply wanting to play "respectable" against a dominant college power. Now, those teams look at U of M on their schedule and, before the season even starts, tick them off as a probable win.
Who to replace Rodriquez with is a question that will be discussed to death over the coming weeks because the cry from most fans and media people nationwide is their for the removal of Rodriguez. Currently, the big name being tossed around as a possible replacement is Jim Harbough at Stanford, but I don't know if he is the answer either.
At this point, the Michigan Football program has serious ground to make up just to gain respectability again, and it is going to take years to fix-not 1, not 2; but, in all likelihood, 4 years to correct: a full student cycle by one coach to rid the program of the wrong talent, while replacing it with the right talent to compete in the league.
That process should start now.
Rich Rod-the experiment has failed. It is time for you to go.
When Rich Rodriguez was hired to lead the football program at Michigan 3 years ago, non northerners here in the South cheered the change, while the old school southerners, knowing the extreme differences between the style of football played in the north vs the south, raised an eyebrow of questioning at the move. Personally, I was on the side of the those questioning the move.
Big 10 football is drastically different from that played in the south. True, Rodriquez didn't necessarily coach in "the south", but the style of football he utilized at West Virginia was very similar, if not identical in many ways, to that played in the south: small, fast, athletic linemen and linebackers on defensive combined with an athletic quarterback who could run at will and complete passes when necessary. In the north, its big, strong linemen, controlling the line of scrimmage to utilize a ground and pound running game to wear opponents out heading into the 4th quarter when defenses are too tired to get any sort of pass rush to slow down a balanced passing attack...
After 3 years at the helm of Michigan Football, it should be obvious to all U of M fans that this style of football just doesn't work in the Big 10. Over the last decade, multiple programs-from Ohio State to Indiana-have learned the hard truth that this is no way to consistently win in the Big 10, much less compete for the league or BCS championship coming out of the Big 10; and now we can add Michigan to that list.
The style just isn't conducive to winning in a northern climate, against teams who field big, strong linemen, and who can run the ball down your throat to wear you out. No where else should this be more evident than when Ohio State beat Miami for the BCS Championship almost a decade ago. Ohio State took traditional Big 10 football to Miami for 4 straight quarters, and when the game was on the line late, Miami-despite all their speed and athleticism-just didn't have the energy left to hold Ohio State off the scoreboard.
The bottom line is this: the style doesn't work in the Big 10.
Rich Rod has wasted 3 years of recruitment's on a style that has made the greatest football program in college football history a laughing stock to the rest of the Big Ten (and the nation). Teams like Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue no longer fear coming to the Big House with the hope of simply wanting to play "respectable" against a dominant college power. Now, those teams look at U of M on their schedule and, before the season even starts, tick them off as a probable win.
Who to replace Rodriquez with is a question that will be discussed to death over the coming weeks because the cry from most fans and media people nationwide is their for the removal of Rodriguez. Currently, the big name being tossed around as a possible replacement is Jim Harbough at Stanford, but I don't know if he is the answer either.
At this point, the Michigan Football program has serious ground to make up just to gain respectability again, and it is going to take years to fix-not 1, not 2; but, in all likelihood, 4 years to correct: a full student cycle by one coach to rid the program of the wrong talent, while replacing it with the right talent to compete in the league.
That process should start now.
Rich Rod-the experiment has failed. It is time for you to go.
Everblades week in review
With the way the team played the night before Thanksgiving, I thought I would give it some time before posting another blog-just to see if they were still playing well...
The 2 games at home last week were definitely Jekyll one night, and Hyde the next. Tuesday's game was awful. So awful in fact that it prompted Craig Brush to speak out during the interview session with the coach after the game. I know some of what Brush said was quoted in other writer's stories (my editor cut it from mine) but Brush said that it was opinion that the team has a certain amount of arrogance; of an expectation that, because they are so talented, they should just be able to show up on most nights and win. In the past, this could have been said to be true, when there were teams like the Ice Pilots and Lynx who were typically not very good. In those days, the league was watered down horribly at 30 teams; but with only 19 teams left in the ECHL this year, the talent pool is considerably more condensed. There are no more gimmies in this league anymore (which, in my opinion, is good for the fans and the league) and fans should look no further than Greenville-a first year expansion team who is only 1 point out of first in the division (and have the 2nd best record in the entire ECHL)-to see exactly how hard it is going to be for teams to be successful this year...
Brush's calling out of the team Tuesday night seems to have gotten the message through: since that time, the Blades have locked down on defense and played a much more balanced offensive attack. After the shut out Wednesday night, they went on the road to Reading and Elmira this past Saturday and Sunday, winning both, and tying their season best winning streak at 3. Based on what I have read from the game wrap press releases on these games (everyone can read them at http://www.floridaeverblades.com/), the team is playing solid defense and, through hard work, creating quality scoring chances which they are capitalizing on.
Florida's record is 12-9 as of today (11-29-10); they are by no means out of the playoff race, but they do have some catching up to do. Fortunately, they still have pivotal series against both Greenville and Gwinnett...
Giving thanks
I know that this is normally done before Thanksgiving, but since there is little normal about me...
Fans, I think, should be thankful for team president Craig Brush. There aren't many team presidents like Brush in all of sports, of any level. In my opinion, Brush is in the caliber of the Joe Dumars', Bill Parcels, and Ken Hollands of the sports world. I think fans sometime forget just how hard it is for any sports team to make their league playoffs 13 straight years-a feat doubly hard at the ECHL level because rosters are never the same month to month. True, the Blades have yet to win it all, but all fans should be thankful that we get to watch hockey into late April-early May every year.
This year, the team should thankful for Mitch Fadden. The kid is sick on the ice almost every night. He leads the league in points and assists. His passing ability is off the charts for this league (Wednesday's pass to Reid in the corner for their 2nd goal was, without a doubt, NHL caliber). In sum, the team, and the fans, should be glad to have him for as long as we do-because the way he handles the puck, its not going to be for much longer.
Personally, I'd like to give thanks to everyone who reads my blog and my stories online. I make no claims of being a great writer-I just try to do my job with the passion of fan; all I know is that every time I post a link to my blog, I get dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of hits to it. For that, I say thank you-I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a wondering Christmas and new year :).
The 2 games at home last week were definitely Jekyll one night, and Hyde the next. Tuesday's game was awful. So awful in fact that it prompted Craig Brush to speak out during the interview session with the coach after the game. I know some of what Brush said was quoted in other writer's stories (my editor cut it from mine) but Brush said that it was opinion that the team has a certain amount of arrogance; of an expectation that, because they are so talented, they should just be able to show up on most nights and win. In the past, this could have been said to be true, when there were teams like the Ice Pilots and Lynx who were typically not very good. In those days, the league was watered down horribly at 30 teams; but with only 19 teams left in the ECHL this year, the talent pool is considerably more condensed. There are no more gimmies in this league anymore (which, in my opinion, is good for the fans and the league) and fans should look no further than Greenville-a first year expansion team who is only 1 point out of first in the division (and have the 2nd best record in the entire ECHL)-to see exactly how hard it is going to be for teams to be successful this year...
Brush's calling out of the team Tuesday night seems to have gotten the message through: since that time, the Blades have locked down on defense and played a much more balanced offensive attack. After the shut out Wednesday night, they went on the road to Reading and Elmira this past Saturday and Sunday, winning both, and tying their season best winning streak at 3. Based on what I have read from the game wrap press releases on these games (everyone can read them at http://www.floridaeverblades.com/), the team is playing solid defense and, through hard work, creating quality scoring chances which they are capitalizing on.
Florida's record is 12-9 as of today (11-29-10); they are by no means out of the playoff race, but they do have some catching up to do. Fortunately, they still have pivotal series against both Greenville and Gwinnett...
Giving thanks
I know that this is normally done before Thanksgiving, but since there is little normal about me...
Fans, I think, should be thankful for team president Craig Brush. There aren't many team presidents like Brush in all of sports, of any level. In my opinion, Brush is in the caliber of the Joe Dumars', Bill Parcels, and Ken Hollands of the sports world. I think fans sometime forget just how hard it is for any sports team to make their league playoffs 13 straight years-a feat doubly hard at the ECHL level because rosters are never the same month to month. True, the Blades have yet to win it all, but all fans should be thankful that we get to watch hockey into late April-early May every year.
This year, the team should thankful for Mitch Fadden. The kid is sick on the ice almost every night. He leads the league in points and assists. His passing ability is off the charts for this league (Wednesday's pass to Reid in the corner for their 2nd goal was, without a doubt, NHL caliber). In sum, the team, and the fans, should be glad to have him for as long as we do-because the way he handles the puck, its not going to be for much longer.
Personally, I'd like to give thanks to everyone who reads my blog and my stories online. I make no claims of being a great writer-I just try to do my job with the passion of fan; all I know is that every time I post a link to my blog, I get dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of hits to it. For that, I say thank you-I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a wondering Christmas and new year :).
Monday, November 22, 2010
Everblades week in review
An FYI
Because the paper I cover the team for doesn't ask me to do coverage for the Everblades while they are on the road, I become a little disassociated from them while they are on the road. It is a feeling I don't like because I do enjoy covering the team, and to provide the best product for those who enjoy my coverage, it is best that I stay as engaged with what is going on with the team as much as possible; to that end I always at least try to talk to the coach every week-whether they are in town or not...
Bad trends?
Florida's recent 2 week road trip was a tale of 2 weeks: in the first week, they took 2 of 3 from the Stingrays; week 2 they were swept in Greenville.
Just going on records, the Growl are the 4th best team in the conference, and only a game out of first place in the south division. South Carolina is in last place in the south division and one of the 3 worst teams in the conference.
Last week, the Blades hosted Toledo 3 times, beating them twice-Toledo is also in the bottom 3 of the conference.
The supposition I"m drawing is obvious: the year is still relatively young, but so far, the Everblades have yet to take more than one game against an oppenent with a winning record, that they play multilple times in one week.
Poss was particular after every game last week...
The 4-2 win Wednesday night he was not happy with at all. Yes, they got the win, but he was not happy at all with the teams overall play-particularly on defense. It was obvious to me, at least, that in his view, Wednesday night was a lucky win.
There was nothing to be upset about in Friday's game: when you score 8 goals in less than 30 shots, it is easy to overlook the almost 40 shots that you give up defensively.
Saturday, however, was another thing altogether.
Poss took Saturday's play by the team very personal. He was angry and depressed at the same time, and it was obvious in his mood and his words: the team doesn't have enough grit or physical presence, in his opinion, to win on a consistent basis during the regular season, much less win in the playoffs. Poss didn't go so far as to say that he didn't think the Blades were gonna miss the playoffs, but he seemed pretty clear that, if they were to make it that far, they most likely couldn't win a series with their current roster. To that end, he more than implied that he was going to take a long look at the current roster, and, if there was someone worth going after, he was going to pull the trigger and make the move. In sum, every defensemean (at the very least) should be put on notice, that the coach isn't happy with the teams overall defensive play.
The trends: no passion or physicality on defense, and an offense that can easily dominate the weaker teams in their division and conference...
Stars fiasco
If you have read all of my Blades blogs, then you are aware that the Naples Daily News writer does not participate in choosing the 3 stars after each game. It is not place to go into why this writer chooses not to participate, but that is their problem, not mine. However, it does become an issue when the News Press writer isn't at games-which happens often during the first 2-3 months of the season. As a result, I have no other input into the 3 stars than my own, and perhaps the gentleman who sits to my left that keeps track of hits, turnovers and quality scoring chances.
On Saturday night, I took a lot of heat from fans and officials for not including Florida's goalie-Jaroslav Janus-in the stars list for Friday night...
There is no question that Janus deserved to be on the list-the guy kicked away 40 freaking shots for crying out loud; but I had no other input in the stars that night.
I began writing my story 5 minutes into the 3rd period. At that time it 5-0, Janus had turned away 30 shots (pretty normal for an ECHL goalie), and hadn't faced very many quality scoring chances (5 or so, at that time). At that time, I had 2 guys with 4 points on the stat list and another with 3. In the end, those 3 guys: Fadden, McKenzie, and Lemieux, all made my stars list Friday night, and Janus-because, with the game already decided and I was trying to get my story done-missed out.
Janus wasn't the only one who deserved to be on the stars list that night: Ross Carlson deserved it as well.
Sure, his 2nd goal was basically in garbage time, but the guy played a hell of a game all night by playing outstanding on the penalty kill and causing general havoc for the Toledo offense when he was out there.
My point: I'm human, I make mistakes, and I'm not ashamed to admit to making them, but on that night I had no other input, and no one to even discuss the stars with-the NDN writer hasn't liked me from the day he met me, which is his prerogative; but, personal differences aside, he isn't even capable of being professional around me, which is his problem, not mine. Despite this persons attitude toward me, I am always polite and professional around him. Even when I cross a line in referencing him (as I did Saturday night), I am quick to apologize: the work environment is no place to hash out personal differences, or talk behind each others backs. This person knows exactly how I feel about his professionalism since I've made it clear to his face more than once, so I'm not saying anything here that he isn't already aware of...
Anyway, to all who were upset with the stars, or anything else you may have heard-my apologies. I can only say that I will try to do better next time when in that situation.
As always, I am available to all during intermissions in the smoking area outside section 110. I can be found standing outside the railings by the suite entrance, where I am usually talking to season ticket holders that have become friends of mine over the years. Don't be afraid to give it to me either-I'm a man, I can take it. All I ask is that you not be rude and say what you have to say to my face,
RR
Because the paper I cover the team for doesn't ask me to do coverage for the Everblades while they are on the road, I become a little disassociated from them while they are on the road. It is a feeling I don't like because I do enjoy covering the team, and to provide the best product for those who enjoy my coverage, it is best that I stay as engaged with what is going on with the team as much as possible; to that end I always at least try to talk to the coach every week-whether they are in town or not...
Bad trends?
Florida's recent 2 week road trip was a tale of 2 weeks: in the first week, they took 2 of 3 from the Stingrays; week 2 they were swept in Greenville.
Just going on records, the Growl are the 4th best team in the conference, and only a game out of first place in the south division. South Carolina is in last place in the south division and one of the 3 worst teams in the conference.
Last week, the Blades hosted Toledo 3 times, beating them twice-Toledo is also in the bottom 3 of the conference.
The supposition I"m drawing is obvious: the year is still relatively young, but so far, the Everblades have yet to take more than one game against an oppenent with a winning record, that they play multilple times in one week.
Poss was particular after every game last week...
The 4-2 win Wednesday night he was not happy with at all. Yes, they got the win, but he was not happy at all with the teams overall play-particularly on defense. It was obvious to me, at least, that in his view, Wednesday night was a lucky win.
There was nothing to be upset about in Friday's game: when you score 8 goals in less than 30 shots, it is easy to overlook the almost 40 shots that you give up defensively.
Saturday, however, was another thing altogether.
Poss took Saturday's play by the team very personal. He was angry and depressed at the same time, and it was obvious in his mood and his words: the team doesn't have enough grit or physical presence, in his opinion, to win on a consistent basis during the regular season, much less win in the playoffs. Poss didn't go so far as to say that he didn't think the Blades were gonna miss the playoffs, but he seemed pretty clear that, if they were to make it that far, they most likely couldn't win a series with their current roster. To that end, he more than implied that he was going to take a long look at the current roster, and, if there was someone worth going after, he was going to pull the trigger and make the move. In sum, every defensemean (at the very least) should be put on notice, that the coach isn't happy with the teams overall defensive play.
The trends: no passion or physicality on defense, and an offense that can easily dominate the weaker teams in their division and conference...
Stars fiasco
If you have read all of my Blades blogs, then you are aware that the Naples Daily News writer does not participate in choosing the 3 stars after each game. It is not place to go into why this writer chooses not to participate, but that is their problem, not mine. However, it does become an issue when the News Press writer isn't at games-which happens often during the first 2-3 months of the season. As a result, I have no other input into the 3 stars than my own, and perhaps the gentleman who sits to my left that keeps track of hits, turnovers and quality scoring chances.
On Saturday night, I took a lot of heat from fans and officials for not including Florida's goalie-Jaroslav Janus-in the stars list for Friday night...
There is no question that Janus deserved to be on the list-the guy kicked away 40 freaking shots for crying out loud; but I had no other input in the stars that night.
I began writing my story 5 minutes into the 3rd period. At that time it 5-0, Janus had turned away 30 shots (pretty normal for an ECHL goalie), and hadn't faced very many quality scoring chances (5 or so, at that time). At that time, I had 2 guys with 4 points on the stat list and another with 3. In the end, those 3 guys: Fadden, McKenzie, and Lemieux, all made my stars list Friday night, and Janus-because, with the game already decided and I was trying to get my story done-missed out.
Janus wasn't the only one who deserved to be on the stars list that night: Ross Carlson deserved it as well.
Sure, his 2nd goal was basically in garbage time, but the guy played a hell of a game all night by playing outstanding on the penalty kill and causing general havoc for the Toledo offense when he was out there.
My point: I'm human, I make mistakes, and I'm not ashamed to admit to making them, but on that night I had no other input, and no one to even discuss the stars with-the NDN writer hasn't liked me from the day he met me, which is his prerogative; but, personal differences aside, he isn't even capable of being professional around me, which is his problem, not mine. Despite this persons attitude toward me, I am always polite and professional around him. Even when I cross a line in referencing him (as I did Saturday night), I am quick to apologize: the work environment is no place to hash out personal differences, or talk behind each others backs. This person knows exactly how I feel about his professionalism since I've made it clear to his face more than once, so I'm not saying anything here that he isn't already aware of...
Anyway, to all who were upset with the stars, or anything else you may have heard-my apologies. I can only say that I will try to do better next time when in that situation.
As always, I am available to all during intermissions in the smoking area outside section 110. I can be found standing outside the railings by the suite entrance, where I am usually talking to season ticket holders that have become friends of mine over the years. Don't be afraid to give it to me either-I'm a man, I can take it. All I ask is that you not be rude and say what you have to say to my face,
RR
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Everblades week in review
Firstly, my apologies to all the Blades fans who have been reading these for getting this done so late. It is my intention to get these posted before the Tuesday following the Blades' weekend home games, but I am very busy and since this is something I am doing for fun, and for the fans, it is getting lost in the shuffle that is my ever changing schedule. So that these can be counted on in a more timely manner by you who are reading them, I will here on put them in my Sunday schedule and look to have them posted earlier because of that. As an FYI, with the Blades being on the road for the next 2 weeks don't expect a post from me-I might try and throw something together after I conduct my phone interview with the coach, but I doubt I will have anything worth blogging about...
Now that we are 8 games into the regular season, we can say there are some definite trends developing around this years version of the Everblades, the most disturbing of which is their tendency to let their opponent score first. It took until their last game this past week against the K-Wings before they finally were first to score.
Their power play and penalty kill made noticeable improvements this last week.
For those that were at Florida's open weekend set of games, their special teams were, in a word, lousy. They couldn't score, and they weren't doing a good job of clearing the puck and closing the shooting lanes on the PK. Poss has obviously worked the team hard in practice to change that because against the K-Wings, special teams was a primary reason why the Blades got the sweep.
They also got better at winning face offs as the week went on.
All of these things point to coaching and should give all Blades fan's hope that this coach could be the one to bring the Kelly Cup to Germain Arena...
Of their 3 games last week, Wednesday's stood out to me the most. I know that from a fan perspective it was a very boring game until the 3rd period (a friend of mine showed up to see the game, only to leave after the 1st period because it was "the worst sporting event I've ever been too"-don't worry, I handed it to to him afterward). That game the Blades fell behind early, played a terrible 2nd period, and stole it in the 3rd. Looking back at this game after the way they won the following 2, Wednesday's contest was a true reflection of the personality of this years Blades team-this team isn't going to fold at any point of a game.
They are going to fight to the bitter end (which they had to do in Saturday's game) and give everything they have, collectively, as a team...
My offer still stands: I will Tweet the Blades if you would like me too. As of now, I know many of you have read that particular post but I have gotten no response back as to whether or not some of you would like me to Tweet the Blades. I will leave the offer open until the New Year-either approach me at the games or leave me a comment here...
Sorry for not having more behind the scenes stuff for you this week, I promise to do better next time and not let it go so late.
Now that we are 8 games into the regular season, we can say there are some definite trends developing around this years version of the Everblades, the most disturbing of which is their tendency to let their opponent score first. It took until their last game this past week against the K-Wings before they finally were first to score.
Their power play and penalty kill made noticeable improvements this last week.
For those that were at Florida's open weekend set of games, their special teams were, in a word, lousy. They couldn't score, and they weren't doing a good job of clearing the puck and closing the shooting lanes on the PK. Poss has obviously worked the team hard in practice to change that because against the K-Wings, special teams was a primary reason why the Blades got the sweep.
They also got better at winning face offs as the week went on.
All of these things point to coaching and should give all Blades fan's hope that this coach could be the one to bring the Kelly Cup to Germain Arena...
Of their 3 games last week, Wednesday's stood out to me the most. I know that from a fan perspective it was a very boring game until the 3rd period (a friend of mine showed up to see the game, only to leave after the 1st period because it was "the worst sporting event I've ever been too"-don't worry, I handed it to to him afterward). That game the Blades fell behind early, played a terrible 2nd period, and stole it in the 3rd. Looking back at this game after the way they won the following 2, Wednesday's contest was a true reflection of the personality of this years Blades team-this team isn't going to fold at any point of a game.
They are going to fight to the bitter end (which they had to do in Saturday's game) and give everything they have, collectively, as a team...
My offer still stands: I will Tweet the Blades if you would like me too. As of now, I know many of you have read that particular post but I have gotten no response back as to whether or not some of you would like me to Tweet the Blades. I will leave the offer open until the New Year-either approach me at the games or leave me a comment here...
Sorry for not having more behind the scenes stuff for you this week, I promise to do better next time and not let it go so late.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Legislating "devastating" hits-what is the NFL thinking?
I get that the NFL wants to protect its players, but I think they have gone too far now.
After a weekend full of some serious mano y mano contact on the field, the powers that be in the NFL have apparently decided that the hitting is now too vicious and, as of today, they are dishing out fines (and possible suspensions, though those haven't been given as of yet) to all those players whose hits which they find to cross whatever imaginary line it is that they have drawn in their heads regarding the matter...
This is freaking stupid and ridiculous. American Football (I have to specify that lol) is, by nature, a violent game. These are big, fast, strong men who hit the field with the intention of beating their opponent physically, mentally, and emotionally. By telling them, via these fines and possible suspensions, that they can no longer play "all out" on the field of play, the NFL is not only going to water down the game, but raise the possibility that more players will suffer more serious injuries because they will be holding back their bodies as they collide around the field...
I could rant and rave on this for much longer, but I will digress, and let everyone else say for me what else I have to say...
The bottom line is that this is a bad idea by a bunch of stuffy, old men, legislating from their back rooms; and, in short order, they will regret doing this as the fans, players, and advertisers make some sort of stance against it.
After a weekend full of some serious mano y mano contact on the field, the powers that be in the NFL have apparently decided that the hitting is now too vicious and, as of today, they are dishing out fines (and possible suspensions, though those haven't been given as of yet) to all those players whose hits which they find to cross whatever imaginary line it is that they have drawn in their heads regarding the matter...
This is freaking stupid and ridiculous. American Football (I have to specify that lol) is, by nature, a violent game. These are big, fast, strong men who hit the field with the intention of beating their opponent physically, mentally, and emotionally. By telling them, via these fines and possible suspensions, that they can no longer play "all out" on the field of play, the NFL is not only going to water down the game, but raise the possibility that more players will suffer more serious injuries because they will be holding back their bodies as they collide around the field...
I could rant and rave on this for much longer, but I will digress, and let everyone else say for me what else I have to say...
The bottom line is that this is a bad idea by a bunch of stuffy, old men, legislating from their back rooms; and, in short order, they will regret doing this as the fans, players, and advertisers make some sort of stance against it.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Everblades opening weekend review
Extras on the games
From a reporters perspective, I was glad that the Blades weekend turned out the way it did because I got to see what Coach Poss was going to be like after a hard fought win, and a loss where the team played, well...bad...as a team...
From my first meeting of Poss I tagged him to be much like Gerry Flemming, and he had lived up to that billing until Saturday night. Like Flemming, Poss doesn't get to high after a win, but unlike Flemming, he lets his emotions show after a loss...at least bad ones like Saturday night.
It was hard to describe his anger in words for my story (you can see it here http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/519974.html?nav=5015), and since I was bad this weekend and didn't read my fellow writer's stuff as I normally do, I don't know how they described our interview with Poss, but at the start he was obviously pissed off-which is a good thing because it shows he cares about, not just his team, but his job performance. He also mentioned the fans multiple times and how it was an embarrassment for the team to play that way on opening weekend.
He didn't scream and yell, but he was definitely upset, he just showed it differently than the past 2 coaches: Flemming, liked to keep the office door closed when he was pissed off about the team; Cameron would blatantly call out the entire team in the work out area of the locker room-making sure everyone could hear him; Poss leaves the office door open-regardless of a win or loss. It may not seem like much, but to someone who conducts interviews with people in leadership positions on a regular basis, it tells a lot about their personality...
After seeing the Gladiators, and the way the 2 teams played Friday night, I really thought that, at least for the Everblades, we were going to see a lot of 1 goal games and games that would go to shoot outs, but after Saturday, I'm not so sure now. Just goes to show: I should know better than to prognosticate-it never comes out well lol...
Speaking of Shoot Outs, did you notice the new rule change heading into OT? It's a subtle one, but one I think will lead to more shoot outs this year-the Zamboni's no longer come out and clear off a middle strip of ice...
The goalies
I had the chance to speak to both goalies that were on the team this weekend: Goepfert Friday night, and Markowicz at the Media luncheon-both are a rare breed, at least in my experience with the Blades.
Both are well spoken and not afraid of interviews (Shantz stands out particularly in that regard-the guy was just plain shy). I don't know if it's because of their age, or just their general attitudes, but both were very well spoken and very quotable. Fans didn't get to see Markowicz play this weekend-which I think is a shame-and he wont make the team as a regular goalie (though he should be the EB all year) because the team has to leave a place for another goalie from one of their other affiliates. I liked Markowicz as a player. He is a traditional butterfly goalie with a good feel for the game. He recognized that he wasn't the most skilled guy in net on the team (he even pointed to Goepfert as "being a better goalie than I am" when I spoke to him), but it was my impression, just by the way he talked about the game itself, that he would have liked an opportunity to coach in the future. Hopefully we will get a chance to see some of his play this year.
Goepfert was a great interview after the game Friday. I didn't talk to him after Saturday's game but based on the way he spoke Friday, he probably took most of the blame for the way the team lost.
Goepfert should get plenty of press this year, so I'll leave more on him for later...
3 stars and the job
Every year I get asked countless times about picking the 3 stars-why "we" choose this guy over that guy, how we do it, what criteria we use, etc, etc...Since I'm doing blogs on the team this year, I'm going to head these questions off now.
The team asks all members of the media who are present to select the stars of the game-we don't have to do it because there is nothing riding on whether we do it or not, but we are asked, and expected, to do it. Since the 3 of us writers are the only 3 that are typically at every game (and go to practices), it falls on us to pick the 3 stars.
There was never a problem with the 3 of us getting together and picking the 3 stars until the Daily News got a new writer for the Blades last year. Even though I know this person has "called me out", and criticized, me publicly in the past on his blog, it is not my style to do so, and therefore I will not; but this person doesn't help with picking the 3 stars because he's "not paid to do it". The result has caused a professional rift amongst the 3 of us, with the person from the News Press, a man I've known for several years now and whom I respect and like as a writer, sometimes taking the Daily News' writers side at times because, to be honest, it gets in the way of our job at the end of the game when we are all trying to make deadlines.
You can draw whatever conclusions that you want about the Daily News writer, and his view of doing his job when he is in the Everblades press box covering a game, and the effects it is having on the 3 game stars being choosen, but as for me: I happen to enjoy my job as a freelance sports writer. It is not my primary source of income. It is a nice 2nd job that I keep because I enjoy doing it (it certainly isn't because of the money or that I think I'm particularly good at it lol); I am a legitimate fan of many of the teams I cover (particularly the Everblades and FGCU stuff), and, because I am a freelance writer, it gives me access to some nice perks that I can take advantage of which "beat" writers, under contract by a paper, aren't allowed too (I know having access to those perks is a privilege, so I don't take advantage of them too often).
As a whole, I consider just having the job a perk-I respect and cherish the opportunity I have to cover the Florida Everblades: they are a class A sports organization that we in southwest Florida are lucky to have as a part of our community. As such, I go out of my way to do anything they ask of me and, because I am a freelance writer without a large corporate backed paper behind me, it falls on me to form my own relationships with the team, the coaches, the building staff and the organization as a whole. I like to think I get along pretty well with just about everybody in the organization whom I come into contact with on a game by game basis, but I'm not naive enough to think all these people like me. The point is: I love my job and work hard at it when I'm called upon to do it. I look forward to doing it every game and meeting all the fans I get to meet, and I hope that it shows in my writing and in picking the stars. So, if you don't like the stars that myself and the other writer choose, you can always tell me so-I"m not scared of the criticism and I will definitely appreciate the input since I don't get it from everyone that I'm supposed too.
Fun stuff
Because of Cameron's rules during his 2 years, Friday night was the first time I had been in that part of the locker room in over 2 years. All I can say is-ewwwww...The smell actually got to me so bad that I had to step away for a moment or 2 after getting what I needed from Goepfert, making me almost miss the group interview with Fadden (who, other than needing to get rid of the mohawk, is a great kid lol)...
I know a lot of fans like to know about the music tastes of the team since the Andy Kent days at the NDN, but I've rambled on way long enough for this entry-I'll get around to it another time. Besides, I haven't really had a chance to ask who likes what and I've only heard one weekends worth of tunes-it always gets better as the year progresses.
Till next time,
RR
From a reporters perspective, I was glad that the Blades weekend turned out the way it did because I got to see what Coach Poss was going to be like after a hard fought win, and a loss where the team played, well...bad...as a team...
From my first meeting of Poss I tagged him to be much like Gerry Flemming, and he had lived up to that billing until Saturday night. Like Flemming, Poss doesn't get to high after a win, but unlike Flemming, he lets his emotions show after a loss...at least bad ones like Saturday night.
It was hard to describe his anger in words for my story (you can see it here http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/519974.html?nav=5015), and since I was bad this weekend and didn't read my fellow writer's stuff as I normally do, I don't know how they described our interview with Poss, but at the start he was obviously pissed off-which is a good thing because it shows he cares about, not just his team, but his job performance. He also mentioned the fans multiple times and how it was an embarrassment for the team to play that way on opening weekend.
He didn't scream and yell, but he was definitely upset, he just showed it differently than the past 2 coaches: Flemming, liked to keep the office door closed when he was pissed off about the team; Cameron would blatantly call out the entire team in the work out area of the locker room-making sure everyone could hear him; Poss leaves the office door open-regardless of a win or loss. It may not seem like much, but to someone who conducts interviews with people in leadership positions on a regular basis, it tells a lot about their personality...
After seeing the Gladiators, and the way the 2 teams played Friday night, I really thought that, at least for the Everblades, we were going to see a lot of 1 goal games and games that would go to shoot outs, but after Saturday, I'm not so sure now. Just goes to show: I should know better than to prognosticate-it never comes out well lol...
Speaking of Shoot Outs, did you notice the new rule change heading into OT? It's a subtle one, but one I think will lead to more shoot outs this year-the Zamboni's no longer come out and clear off a middle strip of ice...
The goalies
I had the chance to speak to both goalies that were on the team this weekend: Goepfert Friday night, and Markowicz at the Media luncheon-both are a rare breed, at least in my experience with the Blades.
Both are well spoken and not afraid of interviews (Shantz stands out particularly in that regard-the guy was just plain shy). I don't know if it's because of their age, or just their general attitudes, but both were very well spoken and very quotable. Fans didn't get to see Markowicz play this weekend-which I think is a shame-and he wont make the team as a regular goalie (though he should be the EB all year) because the team has to leave a place for another goalie from one of their other affiliates. I liked Markowicz as a player. He is a traditional butterfly goalie with a good feel for the game. He recognized that he wasn't the most skilled guy in net on the team (he even pointed to Goepfert as "being a better goalie than I am" when I spoke to him), but it was my impression, just by the way he talked about the game itself, that he would have liked an opportunity to coach in the future. Hopefully we will get a chance to see some of his play this year.
Goepfert was a great interview after the game Friday. I didn't talk to him after Saturday's game but based on the way he spoke Friday, he probably took most of the blame for the way the team lost.
Goepfert should get plenty of press this year, so I'll leave more on him for later...
3 stars and the job
Every year I get asked countless times about picking the 3 stars-why "we" choose this guy over that guy, how we do it, what criteria we use, etc, etc...Since I'm doing blogs on the team this year, I'm going to head these questions off now.
The team asks all members of the media who are present to select the stars of the game-we don't have to do it because there is nothing riding on whether we do it or not, but we are asked, and expected, to do it. Since the 3 of us writers are the only 3 that are typically at every game (and go to practices), it falls on us to pick the 3 stars.
There was never a problem with the 3 of us getting together and picking the 3 stars until the Daily News got a new writer for the Blades last year. Even though I know this person has "called me out", and criticized, me publicly in the past on his blog, it is not my style to do so, and therefore I will not; but this person doesn't help with picking the 3 stars because he's "not paid to do it". The result has caused a professional rift amongst the 3 of us, with the person from the News Press, a man I've known for several years now and whom I respect and like as a writer, sometimes taking the Daily News' writers side at times because, to be honest, it gets in the way of our job at the end of the game when we are all trying to make deadlines.
You can draw whatever conclusions that you want about the Daily News writer, and his view of doing his job when he is in the Everblades press box covering a game, and the effects it is having on the 3 game stars being choosen, but as for me: I happen to enjoy my job as a freelance sports writer. It is not my primary source of income. It is a nice 2nd job that I keep because I enjoy doing it (it certainly isn't because of the money or that I think I'm particularly good at it lol); I am a legitimate fan of many of the teams I cover (particularly the Everblades and FGCU stuff), and, because I am a freelance writer, it gives me access to some nice perks that I can take advantage of which "beat" writers, under contract by a paper, aren't allowed too (I know having access to those perks is a privilege, so I don't take advantage of them too often).
As a whole, I consider just having the job a perk-I respect and cherish the opportunity I have to cover the Florida Everblades: they are a class A sports organization that we in southwest Florida are lucky to have as a part of our community. As such, I go out of my way to do anything they ask of me and, because I am a freelance writer without a large corporate backed paper behind me, it falls on me to form my own relationships with the team, the coaches, the building staff and the organization as a whole. I like to think I get along pretty well with just about everybody in the organization whom I come into contact with on a game by game basis, but I'm not naive enough to think all these people like me. The point is: I love my job and work hard at it when I'm called upon to do it. I look forward to doing it every game and meeting all the fans I get to meet, and I hope that it shows in my writing and in picking the stars. So, if you don't like the stars that myself and the other writer choose, you can always tell me so-I"m not scared of the criticism and I will definitely appreciate the input since I don't get it from everyone that I'm supposed too.
Fun stuff
Because of Cameron's rules during his 2 years, Friday night was the first time I had been in that part of the locker room in over 2 years. All I can say is-ewwwww...The smell actually got to me so bad that I had to step away for a moment or 2 after getting what I needed from Goepfert, making me almost miss the group interview with Fadden (who, other than needing to get rid of the mohawk, is a great kid lol)...
I know a lot of fans like to know about the music tastes of the team since the Andy Kent days at the NDN, but I've rambled on way long enough for this entry-I'll get around to it another time. Besides, I haven't really had a chance to ask who likes what and I've only heard one weekends worth of tunes-it always gets better as the year progresses.
Till next time,
RR
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tweet the Blades?
Based on the response I have gotten from the links I have posted around for my Blades stories on my blog, I got the idea yesterday that maybe some of you would like me to "Tweet" the games...
I know that another local beat writer covering the Everblades Tweets them, but, as far as I know, all he does is Tweet scores-because of the way I take notes on the games, I can very easily do more than that.
But, for me to do it, I have to know the support is there for it.
So, if you would like me to do it, follow me on Twitter-my name there is ryanryles. I also post links there to new posts on both of the blogs I keep (if you're not into politics or current events, stay away from the other one lol).
I will decide after this weekends home games whether or not to do it based on the response I get to this email in terms of new followers on Twitters, or comments you leave for me here.
Thanks, and hope to see you all at the games,
RR
I know that another local beat writer covering the Everblades Tweets them, but, as far as I know, all he does is Tweet scores-because of the way I take notes on the games, I can very easily do more than that.
But, for me to do it, I have to know the support is there for it.
So, if you would like me to do it, follow me on Twitter-my name there is ryanryles. I also post links there to new posts on both of the blogs I keep (if you're not into politics or current events, stay away from the other one lol).
I will decide after this weekends home games whether or not to do it based on the response I get to this email in terms of new followers on Twitters, or comments you leave for me here.
Thanks, and hope to see you all at the games,
RR
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Everblades season preview: first impressions
NOTE: For those who don't know, I am a freelance writer for the Cape Coral Daily Breeze. Before I came along, the Breeze only did game coverage. In the 5 years I have covered the Blades for them, I have tried my best to turn it into a beat. This year is the first year I will do blogs on the Blades.
This is my personal blog. I have permission from both the team and the Breeze to do these blogs, but out of respect to those organizations I will refrain from using direct quotes and speculation as much as possible-you will find no tabloid type speculation or word twisting here. I don't hide the fact that I am as much a fan of the team as anyone else, but I am still a professional doing a job, so if speculation is what you want then go someplace else for it-its not that hard to find.
It is my intention to do a Blades blog once a week when they are in town for home games, and/or just before they hit the road. I will post links to every blog I do on them where you found the link to this one.
Thanks,
RR
I have to be honest-after all the changes the Everblades were expected to go through this year, because of the disappointments of the last 2, I really didn't have high hopes for the team. In fact, until this past weekend, I expected the Blades to miss the playoffs this year for the first time in team history-I really wasn't expecting them to be very good.
Until this weekend, I was predicting a 20 win season at best...
I've been covering the Blades in some capacity for 5 of the 8 years I have lived here. I've known Craig Brush for 20 years. I'm a big boy, and I can admit when I am wrong, and in this case I'm pretty certain I'm wrong-really, really wrong.
Maybe its because the league is smaller this year and the talent pool more condensed, but from purely a size and speed standpoint this is the biggest and fastest Everblades team I've ever seen.
Only 2 guys on Defense are smaller than 6 foot. Five of the remaining 6 are 6'2" or taller.
Their forwards measure the same way: only 4 of the 13 forwards on their season opening roster as of Tuesday are under 5'11. Of those 4, two of them are definitely on the Brad Zancanaro size-5'7 or 5'8, but solidly built-and, as I said in my season preview (as of this post, I don't have a link for it, but it can be found in the sports section of http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/ ) for the Breeze, Deeth should remind long time Blades fans of Zancanaro in the way he plays,which would be a good thing, I think, because Brad always flew under the radar with a lot of opponents because of his size. The rest are all 6 foot or taller...
To no ones surprise, Coach Poss is a complete 180 from Cameron. In the locker room, Poss is very laid back, where Cameron was always something of a control freak: guys weren't allowed to make to much noise when Cameron was around. For example, music wasn't allowed to be too loud-even after wins, and us media types were always restricted to the weight room area-in other words, we never had completely open access to the players.
Poss is more like Flemming-the locker room and the players are freely open to the media (we are back to conducting coaches interviews in his office), and he lets the guys be guys.
I wasn't able to catch Friday's preseason game, but after Saturday's win the locker room was a much...happier...place than I remember it under Cameron after wins. It was loud, guys were joking and laughing as they got to know each other (the media luncheon was also like that today-much more laughter than when Malcolm was around). This isn't to say Cameron treated the players as a whole badly, Cameron just ruled his ship with more of an iron fist. It's funny how things like that can go unnoticed when you aren't really looking for them...
The hiring of an assistant coach was not a surprise to me. I asked Brush about it during training camp-whether or not it was Poss's idea. Brush made it clear that it was his idea to have an assistant this year. According to him, it was an opportunity he didn't want to pass up-the right guy at the right time kind of thing. Personally, I get the impression that Brush prefers having an assistant coach. He never commented about it under Cameron, or said anything about Marks when he was brought in for the playoffs, but it was definitely an impression I got from day one under Cameron-that Cameron basically insisted, against Craigs better judgment, on not having an assistant. I can't say if Brush ever pressed the issue with Cameron, but I know Brush's hockey background pretty well because I've known him so long, and I can say with some certainty that Brush prefers having a 2 coach system.
Tapper, I think, will make as good an assistant as Nobili did. He strikes me as a very capable guy and, since he played under Poss in Germany, he knows Poss's style and expectations as a coach. They look very comfortable together...
At the media luncheon Tuesday I decided to interview former players (which is my s.o.p. for the event). I spent time with Mathieu Roy and Ross Carlson. When I do a general interview like these, I ask the same questions the same way because I find the difference in perspectives interesting.
I asked both about their feelings on the upcoming season: Roy has always been something of a character-a good sense of humor and full of energy. He was almost too excited to get started.
Ross had the general air of a businessman with me. Maybe Ross don't like me, I don't know-that is his prerogative. Don't get me wrong, Ross was professional with me and answered my questions, but he was always a pretty sarcastic guy when Cameron was around, and seemed happy. Today, it was hard to tell whether or not he was excited for the season to start.
Both, however, pointed to Evgeny Timkin, when asked about players they are excited to see play.
Timkin is a stud, that's for sure.
At 6'3 the guy is huge on skates, and he sort of glides around the ice with the ease of an ice skater instead of a hockey player. The result is that he is deceptively fast, which showed Saturday night. It is obvious why he spent most of last year up in the AHL, so we can only hope that we can keep him for most of the season. Funny thing about Timkin-he speaks barely a word of English. Because of it Vladimir Nikiforov-who is born American to Russian parents and speaks Russian-is his room mate and translator while he is in Florida...
The new affiliation with the Lightening also comes as no surprise to me. I know that Craig knows Steve Yzerman-the teams new GM. Both are members of the same country club in metropolitan Detroit-something I also knew before hand; so when I heard about the new affiliation it was no surprise to me. Other writers locally may speculate wildly about why and how this new affiliation came about but I caution readers to not pay attention-those that would do this have no clue what they are talking about. All that Blades fans should know is that this new affiliation, because of the personal connection, will be a much better fit for the Blades than the Panthers were...
I'm not arrogant enough to make any predictions for the season, but I will say that I shouldn't have had such low expectations for this years team. Brush, like him or not, knows what he is doing. He and Poss have put together another team with the potential to win it all again. Hopefully, it will happen this time...
I am easy to find at the games and have no problem talking hockey with the fans: I used to be a smoker, so during intermissions I used to go outside and smoke by the smoking section. Although I quit smoking over the summer, I made many friends who are season ticket holders that smoked. Because of that, I will still be found outside by the smoking section during the first intermission of all home games-though don't count on it during the 2nd intermission. I'm easy to approach and have no problem with criticism, so if you want to take it out on me-call me an idiot, an asshole, a know nothing, etc, feel free. Just know that I'm not afraid to dish it back at you. Anyway, come by and say hi to me, hope to see you there sometime...
This is my personal blog. I have permission from both the team and the Breeze to do these blogs, but out of respect to those organizations I will refrain from using direct quotes and speculation as much as possible-you will find no tabloid type speculation or word twisting here. I don't hide the fact that I am as much a fan of the team as anyone else, but I am still a professional doing a job, so if speculation is what you want then go someplace else for it-its not that hard to find.
It is my intention to do a Blades blog once a week when they are in town for home games, and/or just before they hit the road. I will post links to every blog I do on them where you found the link to this one.
Thanks,
RR
I have to be honest-after all the changes the Everblades were expected to go through this year, because of the disappointments of the last 2, I really didn't have high hopes for the team. In fact, until this past weekend, I expected the Blades to miss the playoffs this year for the first time in team history-I really wasn't expecting them to be very good.
Until this weekend, I was predicting a 20 win season at best...
I've been covering the Blades in some capacity for 5 of the 8 years I have lived here. I've known Craig Brush for 20 years. I'm a big boy, and I can admit when I am wrong, and in this case I'm pretty certain I'm wrong-really, really wrong.
Maybe its because the league is smaller this year and the talent pool more condensed, but from purely a size and speed standpoint this is the biggest and fastest Everblades team I've ever seen.
Only 2 guys on Defense are smaller than 6 foot. Five of the remaining 6 are 6'2" or taller.
Their forwards measure the same way: only 4 of the 13 forwards on their season opening roster as of Tuesday are under 5'11. Of those 4, two of them are definitely on the Brad Zancanaro size-5'7 or 5'8, but solidly built-and, as I said in my season preview (as of this post, I don't have a link for it, but it can be found in the sports section of http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/ ) for the Breeze, Deeth should remind long time Blades fans of Zancanaro in the way he plays,which would be a good thing, I think, because Brad always flew under the radar with a lot of opponents because of his size. The rest are all 6 foot or taller...
To no ones surprise, Coach Poss is a complete 180 from Cameron. In the locker room, Poss is very laid back, where Cameron was always something of a control freak: guys weren't allowed to make to much noise when Cameron was around. For example, music wasn't allowed to be too loud-even after wins, and us media types were always restricted to the weight room area-in other words, we never had completely open access to the players.
Poss is more like Flemming-the locker room and the players are freely open to the media (we are back to conducting coaches interviews in his office), and he lets the guys be guys.
I wasn't able to catch Friday's preseason game, but after Saturday's win the locker room was a much...happier...place than I remember it under Cameron after wins. It was loud, guys were joking and laughing as they got to know each other (the media luncheon was also like that today-much more laughter than when Malcolm was around). This isn't to say Cameron treated the players as a whole badly, Cameron just ruled his ship with more of an iron fist. It's funny how things like that can go unnoticed when you aren't really looking for them...
The hiring of an assistant coach was not a surprise to me. I asked Brush about it during training camp-whether or not it was Poss's idea. Brush made it clear that it was his idea to have an assistant this year. According to him, it was an opportunity he didn't want to pass up-the right guy at the right time kind of thing. Personally, I get the impression that Brush prefers having an assistant coach. He never commented about it under Cameron, or said anything about Marks when he was brought in for the playoffs, but it was definitely an impression I got from day one under Cameron-that Cameron basically insisted, against Craigs better judgment, on not having an assistant. I can't say if Brush ever pressed the issue with Cameron, but I know Brush's hockey background pretty well because I've known him so long, and I can say with some certainty that Brush prefers having a 2 coach system.
Tapper, I think, will make as good an assistant as Nobili did. He strikes me as a very capable guy and, since he played under Poss in Germany, he knows Poss's style and expectations as a coach. They look very comfortable together...
At the media luncheon Tuesday I decided to interview former players (which is my s.o.p. for the event). I spent time with Mathieu Roy and Ross Carlson. When I do a general interview like these, I ask the same questions the same way because I find the difference in perspectives interesting.
I asked both about their feelings on the upcoming season: Roy has always been something of a character-a good sense of humor and full of energy. He was almost too excited to get started.
Ross had the general air of a businessman with me. Maybe Ross don't like me, I don't know-that is his prerogative. Don't get me wrong, Ross was professional with me and answered my questions, but he was always a pretty sarcastic guy when Cameron was around, and seemed happy. Today, it was hard to tell whether or not he was excited for the season to start.
Both, however, pointed to Evgeny Timkin, when asked about players they are excited to see play.
Timkin is a stud, that's for sure.
At 6'3 the guy is huge on skates, and he sort of glides around the ice with the ease of an ice skater instead of a hockey player. The result is that he is deceptively fast, which showed Saturday night. It is obvious why he spent most of last year up in the AHL, so we can only hope that we can keep him for most of the season. Funny thing about Timkin-he speaks barely a word of English. Because of it Vladimir Nikiforov-who is born American to Russian parents and speaks Russian-is his room mate and translator while he is in Florida...
The new affiliation with the Lightening also comes as no surprise to me. I know that Craig knows Steve Yzerman-the teams new GM. Both are members of the same country club in metropolitan Detroit-something I also knew before hand; so when I heard about the new affiliation it was no surprise to me. Other writers locally may speculate wildly about why and how this new affiliation came about but I caution readers to not pay attention-those that would do this have no clue what they are talking about. All that Blades fans should know is that this new affiliation, because of the personal connection, will be a much better fit for the Blades than the Panthers were...
I'm not arrogant enough to make any predictions for the season, but I will say that I shouldn't have had such low expectations for this years team. Brush, like him or not, knows what he is doing. He and Poss have put together another team with the potential to win it all again. Hopefully, it will happen this time...
I am easy to find at the games and have no problem talking hockey with the fans: I used to be a smoker, so during intermissions I used to go outside and smoke by the smoking section. Although I quit smoking over the summer, I made many friends who are season ticket holders that smoked. Because of that, I will still be found outside by the smoking section during the first intermission of all home games-though don't count on it during the 2nd intermission. I'm easy to approach and have no problem with criticism, so if you want to take it out on me-call me an idiot, an asshole, a know nothing, etc, feel free. Just know that I'm not afraid to dish it back at you. Anyway, come by and say hi to me, hope to see you there sometime...
Trending the NFL through week 5
It always drives me nuts when ESPN, Fox sports and local talk shows fall into the trap of "trending" NFL teams after just one or 2 games-what the hell can you tell about a team after it plays only one or 2 opponents?
Anyway, I have always believe that, in football, trends about teams don't fully develop until all teams have played at least 4 games. And, with the first bye week having come early this year, now that each team has played 4 games, we can, in my opinion, justifiably look at who's who what's what in the NFL...
Preseason predictions
Like all wanna be pundits, I made several predictions at the start of the season (you can see the post here http://wordofmouthonsportsbyryanryles.blogspot.com/2010/09/lions-and-2010-nfl-season.html). And, perhaps better than most, many of my predictions have come true: the NFC East is a mediocre at best; the Colts and Viqueens are showing their age at key positions which makes them at best 500 clubs; and Atlanta looks to be primed to overtake the Saints as the "cream of the crop" in the NFC south.
Where I have been wrong so far is: the Patriots (I'm glad about that one, since they are my 2nd team); the 49ers (I should have never jumped on that bandwagon); the Packers (what is up with that?); and my Lions (I'll get to them separately).
What we can tell so far
From my perspective, this year, so far, has become exactly what I thought it would become over the summer: a year of parody beginning a period of transition in the NFL from the players who dominated the last 10 years, to the players who will dominate the next 10.
Let's be honest, the "shelf life" of players at most positions in the NFL isn't very long. Running backs, for example, on average, only survive 3 to 4 years at the NFL level. Over the last decade non quarterback all pro's like Jeff Saturday, Julius Peppers, Ladian Tomlinson, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis, etc, etc. have, well...gotten old, by NFL standards. All of the aforementioned players still play, and still play at a relatively high level, but all look slow compared to their younger counterparts. The perfect example was this past MNF between the Jets and the Viqueens: Moss, back in Minny, was being covered one on one by Cromartie-a man 2 inches shorter, but almost 10 years younger than Moss. Moss, failed to get any separation from Cromartie, and everyone remembers the 2 games last year he spent on "Rivas Island". These were things we had never seen from Moss in years past-his fortay had always been his ability to separate himself from DB's when going deep down field.
The reason why he couldn't is simple-Moss is old (by NFL standards).
Jeff Saturday, the perennial all pro center on Indianapolis, is another example. He rarely, if ever, allowed any pressure on Peyton, but this year, he gives it up on most plays-he is old.
In sum, the generation of players we have watched dominate the league over the last decade have had their day in the sun, and they are being pushed aside by a younger, faster, more athletic set. The old guys are just refusing to go quietly into the sunset and the result, at least for this year, will be parody-because the old guys still have some game, just not the continuously dominate game they used to have...
Mid season moves
Only one move, so far, this year has caught anybody's attention: the trade of Randy Moss from the Patriots back to the Minnesota Viqueens.
Everyone and their unborn grandkids called this the blockbuster move that "guarantees" Minnesota a Superbowl birth-are you kidding? Seriously, what drugs are all these people taking? How do they figure an old reciever player for an older quarterback translates to a Superbowl birth just because they used to be dominant?
I digress...The problem all these pundits have/had was they were living on the actions of the past. There was a reason why Bellichick and his Offensive Coordinator weren't drawing up plays for Moss anymore-he is slower than he used to be, and, as such, is better used as a decoy.
The proof that this was a better move for the Patriots than the Viqueens was witnessed last night-true, Moss how much impact could Moss have after only 4 days to prepare with them, but, despite 2 important catches in the 2nd half, his presence really didn't mean jack shit to the overall outcome of that game: Minnesota is still old at all but the Running Back position, and the Jets are still younger, faster and better, at every position on the field (compared to Minnesota, which is, again, this years favorite to represent the NFC in the Superbowl).
The amazing thing about that trade is that New England, as of yesterday, now has 2 picks in each of the first 4 rounds of next years draft-hooooooolllllly shit...
My Lions
Of course, I have to spend a little time on my Lions.
The homer in me said they would be 8-8 this year, but the professional sports writer was a little more laid back and said 7-9, no worse than a good 6-10 (if there is such a thing)...
As of now, they are 1-4, but they are the best freaking 1-4 team I've ever seen.
How the heck was I supposed to know that Stafford would go down by the end of the first half of their first game this year and be out for 6 weeks? If he hadn't my home team would be no worse than 2-3, and most likely 3-2, and would be well on their way to achieving that homer 8-8 prediction of mine this year. As it stands, they look better-on a game by game basis anyway-than even I thought they would, and, as a result, they still might actually make that 7-9 or 8-8 mark if they can scrape a win this weekend against the Now Weak Giants...
You gotta love football!
Anyway, I have always believe that, in football, trends about teams don't fully develop until all teams have played at least 4 games. And, with the first bye week having come early this year, now that each team has played 4 games, we can, in my opinion, justifiably look at who's who what's what in the NFL...
Preseason predictions
Like all wanna be pundits, I made several predictions at the start of the season (you can see the post here http://wordofmouthonsportsbyryanryles.blogspot.com/2010/09/lions-and-2010-nfl-season.html). And, perhaps better than most, many of my predictions have come true: the NFC East is a mediocre at best; the Colts and Viqueens are showing their age at key positions which makes them at best 500 clubs; and Atlanta looks to be primed to overtake the Saints as the "cream of the crop" in the NFC south.
Where I have been wrong so far is: the Patriots (I'm glad about that one, since they are my 2nd team); the 49ers (I should have never jumped on that bandwagon); the Packers (what is up with that?); and my Lions (I'll get to them separately).
What we can tell so far
From my perspective, this year, so far, has become exactly what I thought it would become over the summer: a year of parody beginning a period of transition in the NFL from the players who dominated the last 10 years, to the players who will dominate the next 10.
Let's be honest, the "shelf life" of players at most positions in the NFL isn't very long. Running backs, for example, on average, only survive 3 to 4 years at the NFL level. Over the last decade non quarterback all pro's like Jeff Saturday, Julius Peppers, Ladian Tomlinson, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis, etc, etc. have, well...gotten old, by NFL standards. All of the aforementioned players still play, and still play at a relatively high level, but all look slow compared to their younger counterparts. The perfect example was this past MNF between the Jets and the Viqueens: Moss, back in Minny, was being covered one on one by Cromartie-a man 2 inches shorter, but almost 10 years younger than Moss. Moss, failed to get any separation from Cromartie, and everyone remembers the 2 games last year he spent on "Rivas Island". These were things we had never seen from Moss in years past-his fortay had always been his ability to separate himself from DB's when going deep down field.
The reason why he couldn't is simple-Moss is old (by NFL standards).
Jeff Saturday, the perennial all pro center on Indianapolis, is another example. He rarely, if ever, allowed any pressure on Peyton, but this year, he gives it up on most plays-he is old.
In sum, the generation of players we have watched dominate the league over the last decade have had their day in the sun, and they are being pushed aside by a younger, faster, more athletic set. The old guys are just refusing to go quietly into the sunset and the result, at least for this year, will be parody-because the old guys still have some game, just not the continuously dominate game they used to have...
Mid season moves
Only one move, so far, this year has caught anybody's attention: the trade of Randy Moss from the Patriots back to the Minnesota Viqueens.
Everyone and their unborn grandkids called this the blockbuster move that "guarantees" Minnesota a Superbowl birth-are you kidding? Seriously, what drugs are all these people taking? How do they figure an old reciever player for an older quarterback translates to a Superbowl birth just because they used to be dominant?
I digress...The problem all these pundits have/had was they were living on the actions of the past. There was a reason why Bellichick and his Offensive Coordinator weren't drawing up plays for Moss anymore-he is slower than he used to be, and, as such, is better used as a decoy.
The proof that this was a better move for the Patriots than the Viqueens was witnessed last night-true, Moss how much impact could Moss have after only 4 days to prepare with them, but, despite 2 important catches in the 2nd half, his presence really didn't mean jack shit to the overall outcome of that game: Minnesota is still old at all but the Running Back position, and the Jets are still younger, faster and better, at every position on the field (compared to Minnesota, which is, again, this years favorite to represent the NFC in the Superbowl).
The amazing thing about that trade is that New England, as of yesterday, now has 2 picks in each of the first 4 rounds of next years draft-hooooooolllllly shit...
My Lions
Of course, I have to spend a little time on my Lions.
The homer in me said they would be 8-8 this year, but the professional sports writer was a little more laid back and said 7-9, no worse than a good 6-10 (if there is such a thing)...
As of now, they are 1-4, but they are the best freaking 1-4 team I've ever seen.
How the heck was I supposed to know that Stafford would go down by the end of the first half of their first game this year and be out for 6 weeks? If he hadn't my home team would be no worse than 2-3, and most likely 3-2, and would be well on their way to achieving that homer 8-8 prediction of mine this year. As it stands, they look better-on a game by game basis anyway-than even I thought they would, and, as a result, they still might actually make that 7-9 or 8-8 mark if they can scrape a win this weekend against the Now Weak Giants...
You gotta love football!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Florida Everblade Ernie Hartlieb retires
To Florida Everblades fans, Ernie Hartlieb is what Dan Marino was to the Dolphins, or Joe Dimaggio to the Yankees-he embodied everything that "Blades" fans loved about their team. On the ice, he was a tough, gritty forward who could score a goal just as easily as "dropping the gloves" with an opponent, and after a nice 6 year career in a Blades uni, "big Ern" retired...
Hartlieb was brought to the team in '04 at the insistence of team President Craig Brush. Brush got to know Hartlieb when he played junior hockey in the metro Detroit area-where both are from. Ernie quickly became a fan favorite for his grit and willingness to dig pucks out of the corner to help set up plays, or to clear them on the penalty kill. After 6 years, Ernie leaves the Blades ranking amongst the top 5 all time in goals, assists and penalty minutes, and has played more games in a Blades jersey than any other player in the teams 12 year history.
As a writer, Ernie was always one of the most approachable guys in the locker room and, whenever a quote was needed, Ernie never hesitated to step up to the plate. I will always have a soft place in my heart for Ernie because it was he, along with Reggie Berg, who helped me settle in as a writer covering the team-during those first couple months, when I was unsure of myself and didn't know the names or faces, Ernie and Reggie always were willing to point out who I needed, or get them for me when necessary.
Over the summer I ran into Ernie during a round of golf at a local country club. At that time I took the opportunity to casually ask Ernie about his future plans and whether or not he was going to return for a 7th year as an Everblade. I could tell then, by his response, that he most likely wasn't going to come back-he just didn't have the gleam in his eye, or the excitement in his voice-things that I have come to associate with athletes who were looking forward to another year of competition-about coming back for another year.
Ernie will be missed by all who are associated with the team-from the ushers at the doors to the stick boys; from the marketing staff to team President Craig Brush; and even us lowly reporters who cover the team. One thing that will soften the blow for fans of Ernie is that they can expect him to be around for home games, more often than not, as a fan himself.
So long Ernie, and may all your future endeavors be successful ones.
Hartlieb was brought to the team in '04 at the insistence of team President Craig Brush. Brush got to know Hartlieb when he played junior hockey in the metro Detroit area-where both are from. Ernie quickly became a fan favorite for his grit and willingness to dig pucks out of the corner to help set up plays, or to clear them on the penalty kill. After 6 years, Ernie leaves the Blades ranking amongst the top 5 all time in goals, assists and penalty minutes, and has played more games in a Blades jersey than any other player in the teams 12 year history.
As a writer, Ernie was always one of the most approachable guys in the locker room and, whenever a quote was needed, Ernie never hesitated to step up to the plate. I will always have a soft place in my heart for Ernie because it was he, along with Reggie Berg, who helped me settle in as a writer covering the team-during those first couple months, when I was unsure of myself and didn't know the names or faces, Ernie and Reggie always were willing to point out who I needed, or get them for me when necessary.
Over the summer I ran into Ernie during a round of golf at a local country club. At that time I took the opportunity to casually ask Ernie about his future plans and whether or not he was going to return for a 7th year as an Everblade. I could tell then, by his response, that he most likely wasn't going to come back-he just didn't have the gleam in his eye, or the excitement in his voice-things that I have come to associate with athletes who were looking forward to another year of competition-about coming back for another year.
Ernie will be missed by all who are associated with the team-from the ushers at the doors to the stick boys; from the marketing staff to team President Craig Brush; and even us lowly reporters who cover the team. One thing that will soften the blow for fans of Ernie is that they can expect him to be around for home games, more often than not, as a fan himself.
So long Ernie, and may all your future endeavors be successful ones.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Why Tiger shouldn't have made the Ryder Cup team
I'm as big a fan of Tiger Woods as the next guy, but when I heard this week that Tiger Woods had made the Ryder Cup team as a Captains pick, I have to say, I was a more than a little surprised.
All sport's are "what have you done for me lately" professions: one bad outting by an NFL quarterback, and he is warming the bench in lue of his back up; a goaltender gives up 3 goals in a period, and he is yanked for his back up; a pitcher gives up 4 runs in the first, and out he goes. These may be all team sports, but those positions are fair comparisions to a golfer, who plays alone, and it should be no different in golf, or for Tiger Woods.
The Ryder Cup is golf's equivalent of the World Cup: Europe and the US pick teams of the greatest players of the last 2 years to play in an event that chooses the worlds greatest team of golfers. It is about pride and honor for where you are from, and 2 years worth of bragging rights to the winning team. It is also considered the most important, and unique, event in Golf-by both pro's and fans; as such, I think that only the best at the time, should play in it. 2 years ago, Tiger was still the best in the world, but in the last year he has been nothing more than an, dare I say, average PGA tour pro: he hasn't won a single event in over a year, he failed to even make the final tournament of the Fed Ex Cup-Golf's version of a playoff system, and really only showed up in one major-the Masters, where he finished in the top 5.
Further going against Woods this year, is his historical performance at the Ryder Cup of 10-13-2. Thats not exactly impressive for a player who otherwise dominates in match play of any kind and is struggling through the worst year of his career, and putting him on this years Ryder Cup team is detrimental, in my opinion, to the US repeating as champions of the event...
Tiger may still be the #1 player in the world, but not because of his play in the last year. All that that ranking shows right now is how dominant Woods was for all those years, and, like it or not, "was" doesn't cut it in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of sports.
All sport's are "what have you done for me lately" professions: one bad outting by an NFL quarterback, and he is warming the bench in lue of his back up; a goaltender gives up 3 goals in a period, and he is yanked for his back up; a pitcher gives up 4 runs in the first, and out he goes. These may be all team sports, but those positions are fair comparisions to a golfer, who plays alone, and it should be no different in golf, or for Tiger Woods.
The Ryder Cup is golf's equivalent of the World Cup: Europe and the US pick teams of the greatest players of the last 2 years to play in an event that chooses the worlds greatest team of golfers. It is about pride and honor for where you are from, and 2 years worth of bragging rights to the winning team. It is also considered the most important, and unique, event in Golf-by both pro's and fans; as such, I think that only the best at the time, should play in it. 2 years ago, Tiger was still the best in the world, but in the last year he has been nothing more than an, dare I say, average PGA tour pro: he hasn't won a single event in over a year, he failed to even make the final tournament of the Fed Ex Cup-Golf's version of a playoff system, and really only showed up in one major-the Masters, where he finished in the top 5.
Further going against Woods this year, is his historical performance at the Ryder Cup of 10-13-2. Thats not exactly impressive for a player who otherwise dominates in match play of any kind and is struggling through the worst year of his career, and putting him on this years Ryder Cup team is detrimental, in my opinion, to the US repeating as champions of the event...
Tiger may still be the #1 player in the world, but not because of his play in the last year. All that that ranking shows right now is how dominant Woods was for all those years, and, like it or not, "was" doesn't cut it in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of sports.
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Lions and the 2010 NFL season
Finally! After what always seems like longer than the 8 or so months it is, the NFL season is back following a rematch of last years NFC championship between the Viqueens and the "who dat" nation Saints. Personally, I was disappointed-I thought the Saints would come out and toss the ball all over Minnesota: Favre, to no surprise to me, looked old-as did half of the Viqueen defense at times-but New Orleans failed to capitalize on Minnesota's spotty play.
Regardless, the season is officially underway and I wouldn't be doing my duty as a freelance sports writer if I didnt toss out my 2 cents worth as to how I think the NFL season will go. So, departing from past trends, I will lay down who I think will be up this year, who will be down, and of course spend some time on my 2 teams-the Lions and the Patriots.
On the slide: The entire NFC East; Arizona; the Patriots; the Colts and San Diego.
What am I thinking? Simple really, with the exception of Arizona and San Diego every single one of the teams on my list here all have one theme in common-as a team, they are old. Of course, in the NFL, old is very relative, but when all of your key positions are held by guys who are injury prone and in their early 30's, well...In the NFC East, the Giants, Eagles and Skins all have far to many issues to list: Eli's decisions making looks as pathetic as I've always suspected it to be with his offensive line now average at best; and on Defense they are just play old and slow looking. The Skins seem to be over the hill everywhere except at Tight End.
Philly is young for the most part, but Colb doesn't look ready and the rest of the team reminds me of a chicken with its head cut off-no clue where its going, its just going somewhere.
The Cowboys have one of the most talented teams in the league-on paper. But with all those fighting ego's, all it will take is one bad loss to send them on a downward spiral. They will win their division by 2 or 3 games, but it be by default due to the rest of their division being no better than .500.
Arizona's demise is obvious to everyone, I think. The loss of Cromartie on Defense, Warner-their leader-and Boldin on offense, and with no one to really replace any of these important pieces, they will be lucky to finish 6-10 this year.
The Colts and Pats are just getting long in the tooth-especially on Defense. Their decade ong dominance has to end at some point, and I think this is the year with both of their divisions getting a lot better over the last couple of years. I think the Colts may still be able to swing a 9-7 record this year, but, I think that my 2nd team the Pats will be lucky to make 8-8 this year-their defense just has too many questions marks, and on offense they are over due to loose some speed given their age on that side of the ball.
On the Rise: the Packers; the 49ers; the Falcons; the Lions; Houston; Tennessee; and Miami.
The common theme here should also be obvious-youth. Especially at the quarterback positions.
San Fran should be stout on D this year, their only real question mark will be with their QB-will Alex Lewis finally live up to expectations? All the signs apparently point to yes, but only time will show us.
It's Matt Ryan's 3rd year in Atlanta. The problem last year wasn't so much with Ryan, as it was with Atlanta's defense and injuries. I think Atlanta will give New Orleans a run for its money this year in that Division.
Tennessee and Houston should be obvious picks to everyone. Given that we saw the apparent rise of Vince Young after he lead his team back to .500 after starting 0-6; with Chris Johnson running the ball, and Jeff Fisher-arguably one of the best coaches in the game-at the helm, I expect them to be 11-5 this year. Houston has finished .500 or better 3 of the last 4 years, but their problem has always been the Colts-a hill I think they will finally get over this year due to their downfall.
Miami has simply made all the right moves since Parcells took over the front office 2 or 3 years ago. They have gotten rid of their aging players on Defense in return for draft picks; signed Brandon Marshall to give Chad Henne a true deep threat, and smartly hung on to Ricky Williams who, despite being in his early 30's, has young legs given that he was out of football for a year and has played the back up role the last 3 to Ronnie Brown.
The Lions: I'm being a total homer, but my pick for the Lions this year is 8-8. Crazy, right?
Here is why: They finally have people in charge-Mayhew and Schwartz-who seem to know how to build a winning team, and seem to have managed to get Ford Sr. to but the hell out...
They are building the team from the interior lines out-just as every other team who has turned it around quickly, as well as creating long term success, has; they are young, fast and talented at their skilled positions on offense; for the first time in my memory they have heavy hitters and leaders on defense; and Stafford seems to have made huge leaps in understanding the offense and in making decisions. But, the most impressive thing to me so far has been their offensive line play.
I know it was only preseason, but wow-if Barry had a line like the Lions appear to have now, the Lions would have won a superbowl or 2 during the 90's (yeah, these guys look that good to me).
Ok, so I may be a little crazy there, but that is just what I see. Even more crazy is my signature win for them this year: thanksgiving day against the Pats.
Early Super Bowl pick: Baltimore vs. Green Bay-flip a coin for the winner.
Regardless, the season is officially underway and I wouldn't be doing my duty as a freelance sports writer if I didnt toss out my 2 cents worth as to how I think the NFL season will go. So, departing from past trends, I will lay down who I think will be up this year, who will be down, and of course spend some time on my 2 teams-the Lions and the Patriots.
On the slide: The entire NFC East; Arizona; the Patriots; the Colts and San Diego.
What am I thinking? Simple really, with the exception of Arizona and San Diego every single one of the teams on my list here all have one theme in common-as a team, they are old. Of course, in the NFL, old is very relative, but when all of your key positions are held by guys who are injury prone and in their early 30's, well...In the NFC East, the Giants, Eagles and Skins all have far to many issues to list: Eli's decisions making looks as pathetic as I've always suspected it to be with his offensive line now average at best; and on Defense they are just play old and slow looking. The Skins seem to be over the hill everywhere except at Tight End.
Philly is young for the most part, but Colb doesn't look ready and the rest of the team reminds me of a chicken with its head cut off-no clue where its going, its just going somewhere.
The Cowboys have one of the most talented teams in the league-on paper. But with all those fighting ego's, all it will take is one bad loss to send them on a downward spiral. They will win their division by 2 or 3 games, but it be by default due to the rest of their division being no better than .500.
Arizona's demise is obvious to everyone, I think. The loss of Cromartie on Defense, Warner-their leader-and Boldin on offense, and with no one to really replace any of these important pieces, they will be lucky to finish 6-10 this year.
The Colts and Pats are just getting long in the tooth-especially on Defense. Their decade ong dominance has to end at some point, and I think this is the year with both of their divisions getting a lot better over the last couple of years. I think the Colts may still be able to swing a 9-7 record this year, but
On the Rise: the Packers; the 49ers; the Falcons; the Lions; Houston; Tennessee; and Miami.
The common theme here should also be obvious-youth. Especially at the quarterback positions.
San Fran should be stout on D this year, their only real question mark will be with their QB-will Alex Lewis finally live up to expectations? All the signs apparently point to yes, but only time will show us.
It's Matt Ryan's 3rd year in Atlanta. The problem last year wasn't so much with Ryan, as it was with Atlanta's defense and injuries. I think Atlanta will give New Orleans a run for its money this year in that Division.
Tennessee and Houston should be obvious picks to everyone. Given that we saw the apparent rise of Vince Young after he lead his team back to .500 after starting 0-6; with Chris Johnson running the ball, and Jeff Fisher-arguably one of the best coaches in the game-at the helm, I expect them to be 11-5 this year. Houston has finished .500 or better 3 of the last 4 years, but their problem has always been the Colts-a hill I think they will finally get over this year due to their downfall.
Miami has simply made all the right moves since Parcells took over the front office 2 or 3 years ago. They have gotten rid of their aging players on Defense in return for draft picks; signed Brandon Marshall to give Chad Henne a true deep threat, and smartly hung on to Ricky Williams who, despite being in his early 30's, has young legs given that he was out of football for a year and has played the back up role the last 3 to Ronnie Brown.
The Lions: I'm being a total homer, but my pick for the Lions this year is 8-8. Crazy, right?
Here is why: They finally have people in charge-Mayhew and Schwartz-who seem to know how to build a winning team, and seem to have managed to get Ford Sr. to but the hell out...
They are building the team from the interior lines out-just as every other team who has turned it around quickly, as well as creating long term success, has; they are young, fast and talented at their skilled positions on offense; for the first time in my memory they have heavy hitters and leaders on defense; and Stafford seems to have made huge leaps in understanding the offense and in making decisions. But, the most impressive thing to me so far has been their offensive line play.
I know it was only preseason, but wow-if Barry had a line like the Lions appear to have now, the Lions would have won a superbowl or 2 during the 90's (yeah, these guys look that good to me).
Ok, so I may be a little crazy there, but that is just what I see. Even more crazy is my signature win for them this year: thanksgiving day against the Pats.
Early Super Bowl pick: Baltimore vs. Green Bay-flip a coin for the winner.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Big Ten divided is a better Big 10
Welcome to the 21st century college football fans.
A century where money talks and you know what walks-right over every fan of every college football team in America.
Don't get me wrong-I'm definitely no bleeding heart Socialist. I'm all about making as much as you can, but when it comes to public entities like Universities, who owe their existance to the communities they serve, a line has to be drawn somewhere in "going for the gold" so to speak.
With so much money available in television deals, and growing support for a college football playoff as opposed to the BS...uh, BCS system, it was inevitable that we would see conferences make pushes to add teams and get bigger-which is exactly what we saw this past summer with the Pac 10 and Big 10 looking to expand to 16 and 14 teams, respectively, at the expense of the (now former) Big 12 conference.
Of course, neither succeeded-yet, but both made significant additions to their conferences.
Between the 2, the Big 10 stands out to me-not because its the conference of my home college teams, but because they landed the bigger fish in Nebraska; and because landing that fish meant some big changes for a conference that, until the 1990's, shied away from change.
How deep those changes would go, all Big 10 fans found out yesterday when the Big 10 released its new "division" structure-a structure that preserves the placement of the biggest rivalry game in all of American sports history and, in some ways, makes it even better.
To the surprise of many, but to no surprise to me, the powers that be within the Big 10 had the wisdom enough to place Ohio State and Michigan in separate divisions. Placing them in separate divisions was a no brainer to me: if you are the Big 10, your dream conference championship match up is the Suckeyes (sorry, old habits die hard) vs. the Wolverines. And what better way to possibly set up that contest than to have it potentionally be a revenge match between the 2.
Had the game been moved, as many believed it would be, or had the 2 teams been placed in the same division, the rivalry would have lost much of its luster: had it been moved, the historical importance of the game would have been lost-that being that it usually determined the conference champion. Had the 2 teams been placed in the same division, then you are quaranteed to exclude one of the 2 most important teams to your conference.
Needless to say, I think the Big 10 got it right, and now they-as a conference-are poised for success in the 21st century. If only they could get those pesky Irishmen to bend to their will and join the conference THEN Big 10 fans would have something to boast about.
Regardless, change is a good thing-especially in the 21st century-and in the case of the Big 10, a Big 10 divided is definitely a good thing.
A century where money talks and you know what walks-right over every fan of every college football team in America.
Don't get me wrong-I'm definitely no bleeding heart Socialist. I'm all about making as much as you can, but when it comes to public entities like Universities, who owe their existance to the communities they serve, a line has to be drawn somewhere in "going for the gold" so to speak.
With so much money available in television deals, and growing support for a college football playoff as opposed to the BS...uh, BCS system, it was inevitable that we would see conferences make pushes to add teams and get bigger-which is exactly what we saw this past summer with the Pac 10 and Big 10 looking to expand to 16 and 14 teams, respectively, at the expense of the (now former) Big 12 conference.
Of course, neither succeeded-yet, but both made significant additions to their conferences.
Between the 2, the Big 10 stands out to me-not because its the conference of my home college teams, but because they landed the bigger fish in Nebraska; and because landing that fish meant some big changes for a conference that, until the 1990's, shied away from change.
How deep those changes would go, all Big 10 fans found out yesterday when the Big 10 released its new "division" structure-a structure that preserves the placement of the biggest rivalry game in all of American sports history and, in some ways, makes it even better.
To the surprise of many, but to no surprise to me, the powers that be within the Big 10 had the wisdom enough to place Ohio State and Michigan in separate divisions. Placing them in separate divisions was a no brainer to me: if you are the Big 10, your dream conference championship match up is the Suckeyes (sorry, old habits die hard) vs. the Wolverines. And what better way to possibly set up that contest than to have it potentionally be a revenge match between the 2.
Had the game been moved, as many believed it would be, or had the 2 teams been placed in the same division, the rivalry would have lost much of its luster: had it been moved, the historical importance of the game would have been lost-that being that it usually determined the conference champion. Had the 2 teams been placed in the same division, then you are quaranteed to exclude one of the 2 most important teams to your conference.
Needless to say, I think the Big 10 got it right, and now they-as a conference-are poised for success in the 21st century. If only they could get those pesky Irishmen to bend to their will and join the conference THEN Big 10 fans would have something to boast about.
Regardless, change is a good thing-especially in the 21st century-and in the case of the Big 10, a Big 10 divided is definitely a good thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)