Okay, well the Sabres and I had our day off... Now what? When can we start playing again? How long do we have to sit around? I've been watching some of the other series, but it's not the same, you know? Let's move on with Round Two! Forget these other slow pokes who haven't finished yet!
Random thoughts that are floating through my head as I watch the end of the Calgary-Detroit game (go, Flames, go!). I'm down with the flu so as you read, please remember that I'm currently full of various medications:
- The Rangers, eh? All right. They have some firepower but I'll take our depth. The series, like many, might come down to which goaltender plays better, Miller or Lundqvist. I do think it's hard to get a handle on the Rangers however because the Thrashers were just not there at all and got thoroughly outplayed and outcoached. I do think it'll be a tight series, but I say we pull it out in 6. This is totally off-the-cuff so maybe that'll change after I put some thought into it. Special note to Tim Connolly: Please tighten up your chinstrap and please, please, please keep your head up. (Sidenote: Ooooh, 4 minute penalty against Calgary in OT. That's not good.)
- Ottawa vs. NJ should be an interesting series. NJ is definitely going to play the Sens better defensively than the Pens did and it goes without saying that Brodeur is a totally different animal than Fleury. I think this is the round where we see if there really is a new mental toughness to the Sens since NJ is bound to put up more of a fight than Pittsburgh did. I'm going to have to noodle over this one for a few days before I make the final pick for my playoff pool.
- I've officially decided that I don't like Mike "Doc" Emerick. He was a little better during the NJ-Tampa Bay game today than he usually is, but most nights he doesn't even seem to be watching the play. He spends way too much time telling precious stories about players' childhoods and sharing oddball stats and anecdotes that really aren't that interesting. (Sidenote: Detroit had 17 SOG to Calgary's 5 in the first OT. Geez.) That would be okay I guess except that Emerick doesn't seem to have any ability to go with the flow. Once he starts a story, he's gonna finish it even if someone is currently onscreen taking the puck from end to end, making everyone on the ice look foolish in the process. It's like he's reading a script and he can't break away from it until he's read the whole thing which doesn't work well for a game that moves and changes as quickly as hockey does. Of course, I'm probably spoiled. Almost every hockey game I've ever watched has been announced by Rick Jeanneret who is a true play-by-play man. He may actually call TOO much action if that's possible - it's obvious he started on radio - but I'd rather a guy give me more detail than I need than appear to not be that interested in the game.
- I'm a little sad to see Tampa Bay go out for a couple of reasons. One, I've loved watching Vincent Lecavalier play this year. He seemed to play with an all new fire, atleast to my eyes, and even when he was scoring on my team it was really fun to see. Thanks for all the points you rang up for my playoff team before being eliminated, Vinny! Second, I would've really enjoyed seeing Tortorella and Ruff battle with each other. They're two of the most entertaining characters in the NHL. (Sidenote: Calgary, you'd probably have a better chance of winning if you'd get the puck away from your OWN GOALIE. Good grief!)
- I can't even put into words how tired I am of the Labatt Blue fish commerical. There are so many things that bother me about this ad.
- How does the fish get from the lake to the phone?
- How does the fish get the phone off the hook?
- How does the fish dial the numbers?
- Why does the fish call Steve at work and then act surprised that he's... at work?
- Why would a fish want more fishermen at the lake?
It's possible I'm overthinking this but seriously. Am I alone here?
- Brian Campbell's commericals for The Center For Excessive Sweating and Veins, Veins, Veins, on the other hand, are comedy gold. I give Soupy credit for injecting a little personality into his pitch (there's a Jason Pominville ad on the radio that features the most stilted, robotic reading ever - it's awesome in its awkwardness) but he totally comes across as a used car salesman. If you replaced the doctor's office background with a car lot and changed, "Your insurance WILL cover it!" to "We WILL finance you!" you'd never know you were looking at a hockey player. I smell a second career! (Sidenote: Detroit won AND Dom didn't seem to pull anything. The fans are chanting "Kipper!" as they darn well should be doing. There goes that pick.)
- If UPS tracking is accurate, I should have a shiny new jersey tomorrow! Yippee! (You'll have to come back later if you want to know what/whose jersey it is.)
Geez, I guess it was a good thing I was already planning on calling in sick tomorrow. It's really late.
5 comments:
Oh, Heather -- don't judge Doc by his play-by-play on VS and NBC! We also love Rick Jeanneret, but we can't not leave a comment here... Doc is the best play-by-play announcer in sports; no one works the flow of a game with as much knowledge and flair as he does. But on NBC and VS he is shackled with sub-par color guys who step all over his call, and we suspect NBC has asked him to tone down the hockey content in favor of the fluff stuff in order to appeal to non-fans. If you ever get a chance, take a listen to Doc working a Devils game on FSNY. We've had Center Ice for over 10 years and have watched every broadcast pair the NHL has had to offer over that time; Doc is simply the best guy in the business. (All that said, if we couldn't have Doc working our games, we'd take RJ!)
ic: I'll take your word for it since I've never seen Doc anywhere but on Vs/NBC. I know he does have a great reputation and I wouldn't be surprised if he has been told to make the broadcasts as casual fan friendly as possible now that you say that. If I ever have the chance, I promise I'll check him out on a Devils game!
I agree with you, Mike "Doc" Emerick is brutal! Some of the best play-by-play guys are guys who have actually played the game (i.e. ALL the HNIC announcers, have, I'm sure, laced up the skates) I doubt "doc" has even been near the ice, let alone on a sports team of any ilk.
He consistently uses terms like "knifed away", "overly cancelled out", "padded away" that are simply stupid when describing hockey. He should be saying, "poke check", "tough hit there", and "leg save". Newsflash, "doc"; watch HNIC for a few weeks and take copious notes. He is exactly what is wrong with hockey on U.S. television.
He has absolutely no flow, gets lost in his own inane, pointless ancedotes, and makes me want to vomit shards of my own pelvis everytime I hear his voice. AAAAAAhhhhgggg he SUCKS!
I am a 25 yr long Devils fan and he has fallen out of favor with me and I watch and listen all the time on FSNY. He does go on way too long and tries to finish story after story.
My son and I love the Sabres Broadcasts we do get from time to time and Mike Robitaille analysis. We have two years in a row adopted the Sabres as our team of choice to watch in the playoffs.
oh my god... i freaking hate doc emerick! his call is so annoying. he starts out calling a play THEN AHHHH, GETS ALL LOUD WITH THE NASALLY VOICE!
yea, i like to hear excitement, but this is deplorable. it's the first intermission of the red wings v. ducks (i live in detroit) and googled hate doc emerick to see what would come up. i'm just pissed cuz the game is only on nbc. i dont mind some of the other commentators in versus or nbc, whatever, but i just cannot stand emerick. geeez!
Post a Comment