Friday, February 22, 2008

This Post is Pretty Lame

I don't really have too much to say about the Toronto game. It was good to see the Sabres handily beat a team they should beat but I don't know, I almost felt a little bad for the Leafs' fans. Can you imagine watching a team that just looks like it wants the season to be over as soon as possible every night?

So as has been my habit lately, here are some quick hit thoughts:

- Want to know what I think about Chris Drury returning to Buffalo? Too bad. I'm sick of this story and he's not even here yet. Here's what I said before the first Sabres-Rangers game. It all still applies.

- Advertising on goalie's jerseys? No, thanks. I know there are ads all over the arena including along the boards but that's not the same thing as putting ads in the field of play. No, no, no. This is one of those things where I understand every single point brought up in favor, namely increased revenues, but I will refuse this until my dying day no matter how much sense it makes. This article from the Toronto Star features one of the proposed looks and it is awful. Anything that shrinks the team logo that much should be avoided at all costs. Anyone who thinks this is going to start and stop with ads on the goalies is kidding themselves. Also, Dwayne Roloson had this to say: "They have (uniform ads) in Europe and it doesn't take away from the true jersey look." Uh, Dwayne? Are we looking at the same jerseys, you and I?

Ad? What ad? I don't see anything!

- While I kind of understand why people would say a three year contract is an insult compared to contracts being handed out right now, I also hate that the NHL has gotten to the point where three years is looked down upon. I love the idea of players potentially being in one city for a long time, but I also love the idea of teams having some flexibility with their roster. If you're going to sign the entire team to long-term contracts, you'd better be sure you really, really, really like your team.

- Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jochen Hecht, and Paul Gaustad all missed practice today and Lindy Ruff seemed pretty concerned about some of them. Ummm... Yeah. If you said to me, "Hey, Heather, name four players the Sabres have to have come playoff time," you'd get a pretty similar list. Ryan Miller is the most important and I'd throw a defenseman (probably a Swedish one) on the pile, but the above list is not a good one. I have my fingers crossed that any and all x-rays are negative. IR isn't fun, guys! You don't want to join me here!

- I don't know how many of you read non-Sabres blogs but if you haven't read Pensblog's Fleury vs. Conklin trial, you're missing out on one of the best things I've ever read on these here interwebs. It is both ridiculous and smart and screamingly funny, the highlight being the meeting between Judge Charlie and the Daniel Alfredsson line in judge's chambers. I don't know how these guys pulled off this post but I can tell you this: Heather B = stunned.

- We all know that Sabres fans in visitor's arenas seem to have a pretty bad reputation. This photo, taken at the Florida-Boston game last night, shows Sabres fans at their very worst:


I mean, honestly, people. How could you mock Richard Zednik like that? That is so classless!

(Seriously, I'm sure there are people who've had truly dreadful experiences with Sabres fans but if all you got is, "They tried to drown out our cheering," "They booed our star player," or "They stepped on the promotional poster," spare me. That's called "Going to a hockey game.")

12 comments:

twoeightnine said...

One quick note. Everyone has been quick to jump on that picture without noticing this:
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SPENCER WYNN/TORONTO STAR

That's the Star's take on what it would like and fits in with the tone of the article. Change, change, change! This might be evil.

It's doesn't even match up with what was written in the article.

A second proposal depicts Brodeur's Red Devils jersey. The team's NJ on the chest is positioned above a large tag for the bank UBS and adjacent to an RBC logo. Bank Morgan Stanley's symbol could be featured on the goalie's sleeves and shoulders.

In other words, the Devils logo would probably remain the same size and there would be a bar underneath it and probably a chest patch.

S.A.M. said...

I think the Euro-look jerseys with ads all over them are stupid and distracting as all get-out. I'm with you, Heather, too much advertising is BAAADDDD.

And I'm not sure what to think about that picture at the bottom.. I don't think they were trying to be malicious? I mean, it was a freak accident, not something that a Sabres player did to take him out or anything so... I dunno?

Heather B. said...

289, you're right, I didn't catch that that was an illustration from the Star. I just assumed it came with the information they were given. Thanks for pointing that out. However, I still hate it. Change, change, change IS evil in this case :P

Sam, I was being sarcastic about those fans, I think it was an extremely thoughtful thing for them to do and I'm sure they had nothing but good intentions! Sorry for any confusion :D

Katebits said...

Those fans are HORRIBLE! Holding up encouraging signs like that! Classless! :D

I could not agree more about the ads on jerseys. I'm a little surprise the players are so gung-ho about the scheme. They really are whores.

Schnookie said...

Hether, your a classless beeyotch for posting that picture of those Sabres fans. Your just clouding the bigger picture by singling out the four nice Sabres fans. The rest of them were probably trying to doodle mustaches on pictures of Zednik's neck.

Heather B. said...

Schnoky, who's classless now? You Devils fans can't just be happy with killing hockey, can you? No, you have to try and bring the rest of us down with you.

Anonymous said...

Heather:

Apparently you were too stunned to notice it was Fleury v. CONKLIN. ;) That's okay, I completely understand.

I thought I heard something in all of this about a league in Europe where they put the advertising on the *refs*? (though I'm not sure if it was hockey.) That might work better than the goalies, though I suppose if the point is to get the goalies some extra scratch, it obviously wouldn't.

Why do we need more ads at hockey games again?

Oh, and speaking of advertising, I've been meaning to tell you that Official Mike Lange t-shirts are out again - I thought Mark would be amused!

(My favorite is the butcher's dog!)

Zach said...

I think that the only way a goalie's jersey would look good with advertising is to have it look like a soccer jersey. Not with the patch sewed on but with the logo melded into the jersey. It wouldn't stand out so much like a sore thumb.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you on the sweaters with ads on them. I REFUSE! Hate them so much. I would never by a sweater again and I don't want to look like a nascar driver.

Hopefully you get those guys back soon, I know what that's like this season.

Very classy of the Buffalo fans! Opposing fans make me laugh. The other night, Oilers fans were calling us classless for saying "Oilers Suck!" in GM Place.

Heather B. said...

DS, thanks for the correction. Conklin, Malkin... They're practically the same, right? :) And thanks for the link! The "Get in the Fastlane, Gramma!" is my favorite. I'm pretty sure Lange said that one in the game we heard and it cracked us up.

The other night, Oilers fans were calling us classless for saying "Oilers Suck!" in GM Place.

alix, really! Cheering against the other team? And with such how foul language? How dare you! :-) Again, I know there are obnoxious fans out there but some people are a little too sensitive, I think.

Gambler said...

Totally with you on the jersey ads thing. I've decided against getting an Adler Mannheim jersey (unless I magically stumble across a Hecht one) because, like alix said, I don't want to look like a Nascar driver. It's almost unrecognizable as a hockey jersey, especially when it's blank. Lame!

Aw, what a cute picture of Sabres fans! And the Sabres weren't even playing? How sweet! (I hope everyone told them how they're all traitors, though. Because they are.)

S.A.M. said...

`ok phew.. I feel better. I thought I saw some sarcasm there but I wasn't sure. It's so hard to tell without expressions and vocal inflections, ya know?

sorry I can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes.. heh it's been a long week.