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