A few random things:
Congratulations to Thurman Thomas on his Hall of Fame induction. I wasn't in Buffalo during the Bills' heyday and I can't remember ever watching him play, but Buffalo has gotten to me so much (in all its crazy, woe is me, inferiority complex ways) that I couldn't help but get teary-eyed when he talked about how great the fans in Buffalo are and how much he loved playing here. Take note current Bills and Sabres! This is what happens when you decide to love us the way we love you. We never forget you, we'll defend your honor to the death, and then we'll arrive by the busload at your Hall of Fame ceremony and make sure that everyone knows we're there and that we're there for you.
Michael Peca, I'm begging you to sign somewhere as soon as possible because I really can't take reading another word about why we should/shouldn't bring you back to Buffalo. Please. I really need you to do this for me. Note to Buffalo fans: If Darcy Regier decides not to sign Peca it might not have anything to do with personal feelings - though let's keep in mind that Peca was a total punk his last season in Buffalo and has allegedly taken every opportunity to badmouth the organization to other players since his departure. It's possible that Regier simply feels that Peca doesn't make the team that much better than it already is. Crazy, I know, but see if you can wrap your brain around that theory.
In a fit of jealousy and rage, my husband Marky Mark has started his own blog. (I'm kidding about the jealousy and rage thing. It was more along the lines of, "Hey, that seems like fun.") That's right, the B's are taking over the internet. His blog is called Sabres Dance and it promises "unbridled optimism" so those of you worn down by Buffalo cynicism and gloom and doom should check it out.
Speaking of Mark...
Why I Love Hockey #18 - Marriage Therapy
I'm convinced that becoming a hockey fan is one of the best things I've ever done for my marriage. Don't get me wrong - Mark and I had a very good relationship already. We have a fair amount of common interests and we're similar personalities in a lot of ways, the most important being that we both prefer to stay at home in peace and quiet than go out and interact with other people. But there was a time when I'd complain through much of hockey season. "Are they on again? Geez, how many games do these people play?" Eventually I fell in love with the Sabres and those complaints switched to "There's no game again? Geez, how many nights off do these guys think they deserve?"
Watching games together - Mark on the couch and me in the recliner unless the Sabres need a bit of a shake-up - is one of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world. Mark's lifelong status as a hockey fan sometimes combines with my relatively new fandom to create some interesting conversations, my personal favorite being WHY DOESN"T THE GOALIE HAVE TO SIT IN THE PENALTY BOX? It goes a little something like this:
Me: Wait, who was that penalty on?
Mark: Marty.
Me: He doesn't have to go to the box?
Mark: (laughing hysterically) No, of course not.
Me: Why not?
Mark: Because he's the goalie.
Me: So?
Mark: So who's going to play goalie if Marty's in the box?
Me: Well, who plays left wing if the left wing is in the box?
Mark: Nobody really. Everyone sort of adjusts because then they're short-handed.
Me: So why can't they adjust to cover for the goalie?
Mark: (losing all semblance of patience) Because it woud be too easy for the other team to score if there was no goalie!
Me: So maybe the goalie shouldn't be taking stupid penalties like that. Ha! I win!
Mark: (long pause...) I might've liked it better when you didn't watch hockey.
Other great conversations in the annals of Stately B. Manor include WHY DO SOME COINCEDENTAL PENALTIES CREATE A 4-ON-4 SITUATION WHILE OTHER COINCEDENTALS CANCEL OUT AND WE STAY 5-ON-5, HOW CAN SOMETHING BE A PENALTY AND A DIVE, and of course, SERIOUSLY, HOW UGLY ARE THOSE UNIFORMS? (Me: Seriously, how ugly are those stupid slugs? Mark: (wearing blue slug jersey) Don't call it that! Me: Oh, I'm sorry. Slug. Slug! Slugslugslugslugslug!)
This past year was a pretty darn crappy one all the way around for the B. family. I won't go into details because I'm sure it's not very interesting for anyone who isn't us, but whether we were watching at home or at HSBC, for a few hours the Sabres helped us forget about all the real world stuff and enjoy a little frivolous fun together. There's nowhere better to be than at HSBC watching the Flyers getting pulverized side-by-side with my Marky Mark.
Something About Me
I met Mark on the internet. DC Comics used to have a huge section on AOL and we "met" on one of the messageboards in the Batman section. We started emailing and IMing regularly, occasionally even speaking on the phone. After six or seven months, we decided to meet in person. Evidently it went well because Mark, who had never lived anywhere but Buffalo, moved to Birmingham, AL where I was living and attending school at the time. He was there for a couple of years, we got engaged then married, and moved back to Buffalo. We'll celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary in October. The celebration will probably consist of ordering in pizza and watching the Sabres.
Something Else About Me
I still think it would be kind of awesome if goalies had to serve their two minutes in the penalty box.
9 comments:
This Mark guy seems pretty cool!
Yeah, it's nice not having to watch the games alone anymore. High fiving myself was getting really, really old.
And thanks for the plug, baby!
Aww. This post is a cutie.
Guess what, Heather? I'm out of the woods, but my computer totally died. I'm writing this from the Apple Store in the mall.
Heh loved your blog. I just celebrated my 2nd anniversary on the 3th of Aug. We are huge Sabres fans living here in WNY...
Can't wait to read more!
You forgot to mention the part where Florida was playing Alabama for the first time in five years, went into second overtime and was pretty much the most exciting game of the decade and I was stuck that that wedding thing of yours.
How great! It's so great to find a hockey fan to love, let alone a like-minded one. I see you had to import one from up north. Maybe I should try that. They're pretty sparse here in Texas.
See, Heather, now you've gone and made me cry. I know, it's not hard, but that is such a sweet post!
Dude, I think it's only fair that the goalies get some time in the sin-bin too!
And as the others have said, great post! It's good to know hockey is actually good for a relationship :D
Personally I think, if a goalie is stupid enough to get a penalty he should get an even worse punishment than everyone else. Like maybe, play without pads for one period.
Mark on the couch and me in the recliner unless the Sabres need a bit of a shake-up
Superstition??
I've converted the BF into a hockey fan (he's originally from Louisiana) and now that he's really getting into it it's much easier for me to insist that we watch every televised game.
Post a Comment