D-Day

For those wanting to keep up on all the crazy goings-on, the Goose's Roost boys and a bunch of other Buffalo bloggers will be chatting all day. In addition to their glorious commentary, they'll also be aggregating all the must read Twitter feeds from people like Mirtle, Puck Daddy, the TSN guys, and Bucky Gleason. Just kidding, Bucky's Twitter will probably never ever be used again. If you want to jump in and check it out, you can enter below. I won't be contributing for most of the day because of this little job I have to go to, but I'll be excitedly trying to catch up when I get home.

A few quick words about the trade deadline. Despite my crankiness on Twitter during the game tonight, I have to admit that when I read this little blurb on Sabres Edge about Darcy Regier, I came away thinking he's mostly right. There aren't a lot of players other than rentals being offered and none of the rentals are particularly exciting. We can all agree that the Sabres need a sure-thing goal scorer and a power play QB, but where are those guys? Not on the block it seems. There are few sellers and a lot of buyers and while Darcy doesn't say this, that means players are probably going to cost more than they should. There will be better players available in the off-season (Tomas Kaberle, for example, can be traded anywhere if the Leafs don't make the playoffs) and those players are more likely to make an impact beyond June.

I also think that Darcy is right when he implies that this isn't the year to go big. Ryan Miller is having a great season, and everyone's high from the Olympics, but he's 29 and just entering his prime. He should have more great seasons. (Though don't get me wrong, I have worried all season that this is going to be his career best year. If there's any major worry I have, it's that one.) Tyler Myers is a just-turned 20 rookie. There really is a lot of talent in - yes, I'm going to say it - Portland. Darcy doesn't come out and say this, but I get the feeling management is surprised the Sabres are sitting in such a good spot right now. I think they expected this to happen next season. While on one hand, it really makes sense to take advantage of that spot, on the other hand I'm still struggling with whether this team is really good enough for one of the rental players being bandied about to make that much difference. There's no Hossa out there right now.

Don't get me wrong, I want a shake-up. I want at least one of the top 6 forwards switched out, and I'll gladly exchange more than that. But I don't need it to happen right this second. I want Derek Roy outta town, but I don't want him out for a non-playoff team's spare parts. If something happens today, fabulous, I'll probably be excited. It's always fun when there's something to talk about. But I share the feeling that today is not necessarily the best day to continue building a team which is what, like it or not, the Sabres are still doing. If we start next season look at the same mugs in the top 6 well, then check in with me again.

All right, here's the chat box. No matter how I re-size it the words are still all off-centered, but when I open the box everything looks okay. If you jump in and it doesn't work, check out The Goose's Roost instead. That link should take you right to the chat.

How the Olympics Made Me Hate Roy-Z Even More Than I Already Did

One of the most fun things about Olympic hockey is having a fling with players whom I either don't see that often or players I do see but am now seeing in a different way.  In the former group would go guys like Ryan Kesler and Bobby Ryan.  In the latter group would go, above anyone else, Zach Parise.  I've seen Parise play plenty of times of course, and I'm more than familiar with him thanks to being buddies with Devils fans Pookie and Schnookie of Interchangeable Parts.  If you'd asked me three weeks ago how good Parise was, I would have said very good.  But I don't know, he was still a total revelation to me.  Above all else, I'm amazed at how hard he plays.  He plays hard every single second of every single shift and I'm sure he'd take double the amount of shifts it was up to him. 

I'm not sure what exactly it was about Zach Parise that made me think of Derek Roy.  It could be that they're both pretty small in stature.  It could be that they both wear number 9.  But watching Parise made me think of Roy and let's just say Roy comes up pretty darn short (short! ha!) in that comparison.

More than almost any other player on the roster right now, I wanted Roy to be good.  I really thought that of the core forwards (Roy, Jason Pominville, Paul Gaustad, Thomas Vanek), he was going to be the heart of the team, the little spark plug that kept everyone going.  I cut him a lot of slack even when other people were really starting to come down on him because I really, really felt he was going to be something special.  I was excited we had him locked up, and I was even more excited we had him locked up at the price we did. 

But he is so freaking lazy.  I'm reluctant to criticize guys for not playing hard because I think it's easy for us to say that from the outside, but I'm sorry, he does not play hard.  I think I've mentioned this before, but at one of the last game Kates and I were at, there was a brief fifteen seconds or so when Roy suddenly zipped across the ice.  Those fifteen seconds were so noticeable because he hadn't hit that gear before in the game and he didn't hit that gear again the rest of the night.  If he'd skate as hard as he did in that fifteen seconds for sixty minutes, we'd have Zach Parise because he has the talent.  Instead we have well, Derek Roy.

Every second I spent watching Parise play like medals were going to be awarded at the end of his shift, I could feel myself getting more and more infuriated with Roy.  Gaustad, Pominville, and Vanek all have their weaknesses, and maybe some of them aren't going to turn out to be what we thought they might be, but I really don't have an issue with their effort.  I think they want to be the best they can, and I think it genuinely bothers them when they aren't.  I think Roy is perfectly content to be pretty good at hockey and that's so frustrating because I think he could be very good at hockey, some nights maybe even great at hockey.  I've said before, mostly in jest, that I'd like to punch Roy in the face, but I'm positive that had he walked through my living room during a U.S. hockey game, I would have tackled him to the ground and beat him to a pulp.  How frustrating to watch a guy who could be one thing settle for being something else, something lesser.  Why in the world would you want to be Derek Roy when you could be Zach Parise?  Derek Roy's a punk ass bitch and Zach Parise is totally awesome!

I kid you not, last night I had a dream about Parise.  He was diagnosed with a brain tumor, given two weeks to live, and hooked up to a respirator.  But he still suited up for the Devils and he still busted his ass.  Clearly even my subconscious is being eaten alive by this.  For a long time I would have included Roy on the list of Sabres untouchables.  Now he's the guy I hope is traded most.  Preferably for Zach Parise.  Hey, like I said, they're both small, they both wear number 9.  I'll bet the Devils wouldn't even notice.

U-S-A! U-S-A!

Listen, Team USA.  Even though you all looked like you wanted to collectively kill yourselves as you were being awarded your silver medals, you done good.  Before the tournament started, most people weren't even predicting you to medal and you came within one shot of winning the whole shebang.  That's pretty good.  I understand it's impossible for you to think that way right now, but hopefully you'll come around.

 Seriously.  So sad.  (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

I have no idea how many casual fans were really watching the previous U.S.-Canada game or the gold medal game and I have no idea how many of them will become real hockey fans, but you guys absolutely delivered on your end.  Back when the U.S. roster was selected I wasn't that excited about the team - honestly, I still look at it and wonder where all that affection came from - but for two weeks I was more than happy to watch and cheer for you.

Ryan Miller, come on home, and kick some ass.  Because lord knows, I never want to watch another postgame interview like the one today.  He was standing there talking and his face was all big, wet brown eyes and he was all wobbly voiced.  :::sniff, sniff:::  I hope Darcy Regier saw that because if he did he'll do WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep it from happening again.

Seriously though, the Olympic break did exactly what I needed it to do and made me miss the Sabres.  Except for Derek Roy.  I found myself hating him more and more with every U.S. game.  But you'll have to read about that tomorrow because unfortunately there's sociology homework calling my name...

(Grrr... I had an AWESOME screen cap of Ryan and Lindy planned for this post my DVR screwed me because Time-Warner's DVR SUCKS.  Just close your eyes and pretend, please.)

Andrej and Toni

So at the beginning of the night I thought I was cheering for Finland to win bronze but for Andrej Sekera to play well enough for Slovakia to either get out of the Sabres pressbox or be tradeable.  But it turns out that was all wrong which is one of the most fun things about the Olympics (and the non-Sabres playoffs).  I watched the first period of the game at a babysitting gig.  By the time I got paid, chatted with the parents for a few minutes, picked up something to snack on, deposited my money in the drive-thru ATM, and got home, Slovakia had taken a 2-1 lead.  And I was REALLY happy about that.  I didn't know until that moment that I was cheering for them.

Poor Andrej Sekera.  Look at this kid.  He knows he's going to go back to Buffalo and ask to play only to have Lindy sneer at him and ask him where HIS medal is.

 

Awwwwww. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Only slightly related but I was really glad to catch this moment on the TV broadcast of the US-Finland game the other day.

 

"I hope Canada kicks your scrawny ass."

"Suck it, Eurotrash."

Let's go USA!

Rambling Thoughts on AMERICA! and TBN

I just tweeted this without really thinking about it: I love Ryan Miller, I love the United States, but I admit, part of me really wants Toni Lydman to come home with the gold medal.  I did clarify in a later tweet that I'm not really cheering AGAINST the United States - I'm surprised actually at how much I've enjoyed watching them play considering I was not the least bit excited about them coming into the Olympics - but I would be perfectly fine with Finland winning the whole thing.  

I'm sure a lot of people don't understand that but here's the simple truth at the center of the issue: I love Ryan Miller.  I'm really glad he's a Sabre, I hope he's a Sabre for a long time to come.  As I've said before, I'm really proud of what he's done in the Olympics so far.  He deserves every bit of attention he's getting.  But I love Toni Lydman.  If you asked me who was more valuable to the Sabres, of course I'd say Ryan Miller.  But if you asked me who I favored more, I'd say Toni Lydman.

I was resigned to the fact going into the Olympics that the Sabres playing on European teams weren't going to get much attention from The Buffalo News, but as far as I can tell, they haven't gotten any at all.  I totally understand why Ryan Miller is THE local story.  He plays for the United States.  He's the face of the Sabres franchise.  He's a goalie, and his contributions to the U.S. team have been crystal clear.  But I cheer for Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman, Jochen Hecht, and Andrej Sekera from October to April or May every year.  I don't suddenly not care about them at all because they're not American.  Tallinder's had an awesome season - completely rejuvenated and an important part of the Sabres success so far - and he was representing his country for the first time in the Olympics.  You're telling me there's no story there?  Really?  Come on.

I've been pretty disappointed with TBN's coverage all the way around.  Internet coverage has grown by leaps and bounds just since the last Olympics.  It's nearly impossible to make it to the prime-time broadcasts without knowing what's going to happen.  By the time the local newspaper hits doorsteps the next morning, readers have read or watched countless interviews with the medalists.  It's definitely a different challenge for a newspaper today than it was four years ago.

TBN seemed to have the right idea, setting up an Olympics specific blog and Twitter feed but then they plugged in... Bucky Gleason.  Really?  Their solution to coverage was to ramp up the online material - a fabulous idea - but they went with the one guy on staff who seems to hate the Internet and the interaction with readers that the Internet brings.  Okay then.  I mean, listen, I have my issues with Bucky, but I think I'm being pretty objective when I say that he's shown no skill for or interest in blogging and that his Twitter is obviously something he's been forced into doing.  I just do not understand that decision at all.  Mike Harrington spent 10 or so days covering the World Series (admittedly a smaller event than the Olympics) and cranked out a huge amount of material for the Inside Pitch blog, his Twitter feed, and the newspaper, all of it at a high quality.  He's usually entertaining, he throws out information that a lot of journalists might overlook, he includes little photos and videos, and crazily enough, he actually responds to readers.  And he works on the hockey beat so it's not like Bucky has a huge advantage over him in regards to relationships with the hockey players involved in the Olympics.  So you look at those two guys and you go with Bucky?

I'm sure there's probably some politics involved.  Columnists always seem to get gigs like this, and TBN seems to hold Bucky in very high regard.  (I don't understand either of those things, by the way.  It seems like if you need someone to write a lot of material in a short time you'd go with a beat writer, and I think TBN is highly overvaluing Bucky.)  But as someone who reads the paper, it doesn't make any sense at all.  From my point-of-view, it seems like a huge mishandling of talent, and I think it's hurt their coverage.  Harrington would be blogging and tweeting the heck out of everything as opposed to Bucky who's only personal insight into Ryan Miller's Olympic debut was, "Ryan Miller pitching a shutout through two periods vs switzerland."  Thanks, Bucky.  That's earth-shattering news considering a large number of us were actually watching the game at the time.  He wrote one really good column about how hard it was to describe how beautiful Vancouver is, but even that's a sign of how much he doesn't get - or doesn't care to get - new media.  He could have been posting photos of the views and mountains to his blog or Twitter feed for the last week and a half.  

I can't imagine that Bucky is too dumb to figure this stuff out so I'm going to assume he just doesn't care.  And if that's the case, he should stop getting plum assignments like this, at least when the majority of the coverage is going to be online.  I don't know if TBN genuinely doesn't understand the difference between what someone like Harrington (or Keith McShea of the terrific Prep Talk blog) does and what Bucky does or if they just think Bucky's going to magically come around on the whole internet thing if they keep pushing it on him, but either option makes me question how on top of things they are and how dedicated they are to providing me with the best possible coverage.

This is not at all where I intended to go with this when I started, but the bottom line is this: If Harrington were in Vancouver, I'll bet I would have gotten my Henrik Tallinder story.  In the end, I think we can all agree that that's really the most important thing.

Unofficial Poll

Who would you rather see go home without medaling?  Canada or Russia?  I'm going with Russia.

Illogical and Heart-Felt Pride

We've been talking about Ryan Miller playing in the Olympics for so long that for me, it had started to lose all meaning.  It was just another talking point this season.  Tyler Myers is really tall, Lindy Ruff has been here through 1,150 NHL coaching changes, and Ryan Miller will probably start in goal for the United States. 

                           

He's ours, Buffalo. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

But now I'm sitting on my couch, a little teary-eyed, remembering exactly what it means.  Ryan looked amazing tonight, holding down the fort while his team got out-shot 45-22.  He looked cool and calm and as excited as you know he was about winning that game, he was humble and down-to-earth in his postgame interviews.  What a long way he's come from that kid who got pummeled in Detroit and cried in the postgame all those years ago.  You guys, he's the best United States goalie and arguably the best goalie in the league right now and he's ours.  He just stopped a team consisting of some of the most talented hockey players in the world and he's ours.  He didn't do it by himself - among other things, Ryan Kesler's empty netter was the most well-deserved empty net goal I've ever seen - but he held his teammates in it when they were struggling to get their feet under them.  And he's ours.  He's OURS.  Every time someone on the broadcast said "Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres" I got little chills.  I've written before about how crazy it is to feel genuine attachment to athletes, people who wouldn't recognize us on the street, and while it makes no logical sense, I'm absolutely bursting with pride right now.  I'm so proud of him.  I'm so proud of how hard he's worked and how far he's come.  I'm so proud that lots more people are suddenly appreciating how good he is.  I'm so proud of how smart and articulate and seemingly good-hearted he is.  I'm so proud he's representing us.  I know it's just the preliminary rounds and the United States could still go down, but for tonight wow, what a terrific moment for him, for the Sabres, and for us.

Let's go Buff-a-lo!

Small Complaint I've Been Meaning to Make Forever

I've been meaning to mention this in the last couple of blogs after attending live games and I've forgotten and it's really probably not worth posting by itself, but now that I've remembered I'd forgotten, I can't stop thinking about it...

The Sabres have started doing this thing during the games where they recognize someone in the crowd from the military, usually someone who's just gotten back from overseas, which is a very nice thing.  Those guys and girls certainly deserve the spotlight and appreciative applause.  But while they're doing that they play the chorus from Martina McBride's Independence Day.  While those specific lyrics ("Let freedom ring/Let the white dove sing/Let the whole world know that today is the day of reckoning") fit the situation, I guess, it really bothers me that they use it because the song is about domestic abuse!  It's about an abused woman who burns down her house, with her in it, while her poor kids watches!  To loosely paraphrase a wise old man, this is not the independence we're looking for!  The Bisons always use it in their Fourth of July fireworks accompaniment too - along with Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son - and that bothers me too.  Sports people of the world, these are not, I repeat, NOT "Yay, America!" songs.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

One of the things I did not anticipate about going back to school is how curious my students are about it.  I usually bring a textbook and notebook with me in case I have a few free minutes (a hilarious thought), and they're always flipping through the book and marveling over all the notes I take and asking if I have to write reports and take tests.  It's very cute.

A few days ago, one of them asked me why I was going to school.  "Are you going to be a counselor?"  I told him that I had thought about being a counselor but for now, I wanted to be a teacher instead of an aide. 

He got a panicked look on his face.  "Which room are you going to be in?" 

"Oh, I don't know," I said, deciding to skip explaining that I might not even work at our school.  "We'll have to see."

"Noooooooooooooo!"

"What, you don't think I'd be a good teacher?"

"No, I just don't want you to be someone else's teacher before you're done being my aide."

And that's my story.

Derek Roy, Take Your Penalty Lap

I'll admit, I'm not a huge Olympics person.  Left to my own devices I probably wouldn't watch much beyond hockey, but friends Schnookie and Pookie were in town this past weekend and we all more or less crashed at Kate's house.  We spent roughly 48 hours in front of the TV, breaking only twice and then only for food.  That's how I came to spend much of my weekend watching the biathlon which is, quite simply, one of the greatest things I've ever seen.

The combination of skiing and shooting is hilarious to begin with.  It sounds like something a guy would make up in order to create something he'd personally be really good at.  It's amazing how hot it is to watch really handsome men swing guns on and off their backs.  I feel actual physical pain watching biathletes chug-a-lug uphill.  I appreciate how utterly exhausted they are when they cross the finish line unlike say a skier who cruised down one hill and then called it a day.  I love watching the pile-up of prone bodies getting larger and larger as more and more guys finish.  But there's one thing about the biathlon that makes it the best Winter Olympics sport.  Nay, one of the best sports anywhere ever.

Penalty laps.

PENALTY LAPS.  A quick primer for those of you who've never devoted any of your time to watching the biathlon.  (It dawns on me right at this very second that what we were watching might not have been the biathlon because there was also ski jumping involved, but one of the good things about these sports is that I won't see them again for four years so I don't really need to bother to learn the specifics.)  Anyway, these guys start out cross-country skiing and they ski and ski for what seems like forever.  And then at various points during the race, they suddenly have to stop, whip the rifle off their backs, and shoot at five very small targets.  Right next to the shooting station there's an extra loop in the track and for every target they miss they have to do a lap around the loop.  Forget what I said about some guy randomly throwing together the two activities he happens to be good at, this sport was clearly invented by a P.E. instructor.  These guys are literally running laps when they screw up!

 PENALTY! LAP!

Every sport needs to add this immediately.  Can you imagine how much fun we could have with this?  Jason Pominville misses the net?  Take a lap around the rink.  Thomas Vanek fails to shoot on a breakaway?  Take a lap.  Derek Roy gives the puck away trying to carry it through four people?  Take four laps, one for each defender.  Ryan Miller gives up a softie?  Take a lap.  In your gear.  How entertaining would it be to watch Ryan waddle around the rink as fast he can while the Sabres scramble to defend the net until he gets back?  I would be fine and dandy with the Sabres raising season ticket prices if we could get the penalty lap system up and running across the NHL.

On a side note, we had an extra long weekend at work.  For our winter break we were off Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.  (I use winter break loosely because we used to get an entire week off.)  Thursday we talked to the kids a lot about the Olympics and one of the events that came up a lot was the luge.  For days now I've been picturing my kids sitting down in front of the TV to watch luge highlights because Miss Heather said it was SO AWESOME and being traumatized for life.  We'll just chalk that up as an educational experience, I guess.  (I don't know what I was thinking anyway because the luge is horribly, horribly boring.)

ETA: I have no idea what time the stuff in the day's newspaper goes live on The Buffalo News website,  but as of right now, the only story about the first U.S. hockey game is from the AP.  I know it's early rounds, and the games might not be that exciting, but the entire season has been building up to Ryan Miller starting in net for the United States.  Seems like maybe the TBN reporter on-site should have gone to the game especially since that's where local interest lies.

ETA: D'oh!  I just realized I broke my promise to not blog about the Sabres on the FIRST DAY.  Stupid Sabres.

About the Sabres

Hi, there.  Remember me?  Yeah, I barely do too.

So here's the deal.  There are a million things to talk about regarding the Sabres.  What's to blame for the long skid?  Was the San Jose game them getting back on-track or just a blip?  Was their streak really any different or any more concerning than the losing streak teams like the Capitals and the Senators have already gone through?  Are the real Sabres the team that played the first few months of the season or the last month of the season?  Should the Sabres make a move now?  What kind of move?  Is this the season they should go all in and make a big move or should they be cautious and keep an eye on next season or the season after that? 

Here's the problem.  I don't care.

I don't.  I hit the hockey wall weeks ago and then the Sabres started playing like garbage and now I just need a break from them.  I'm glad they went away on a positive note, but I'm glad they're going away so I can miss them.  For the next two weeks I'm not going to think about the Sabres at all.  Even the Sabres Olympians will be thought of as "that slightly crazy US goalie" and "that really handsome Swedish d-man."  I'm planning on blogging in the next two weeks, but it won't be about them.  It'll be about work or school or TV or the Olympics.  (Why do the moguls have those little couches at the bottom?  Why don't ALL the events have them?  How is it possible that a cross-country skier toting a guy can be so amazingly hot?  Forget Apolo, how adorable was the other American speed skater?) 

In two weeks, I'll be refreshed and ready to talk about all the Sabres-related minutiae you could possibly want to hear about, I promise.  Those douchebags better be refreshed too.

My Olympic hockey predictions:

Gold - Sweden
Silver - Canada
Bronze - Russia

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

 

Click to get the full dose of adorableness.

Those little headphones kill me.  (I apologize for not crediting this photo to its photographer, but I came across it via Twitter with no name attached. )