Real Denver Sports

The Improbable Season of Tim Tebow

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:21:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Luck is often dismissed in sports. Derisively by the losers. Players and teams characterized as lucky are not often characterized as good, as well. Surely the elite have their share of luck on occasion? Perhaps it’s overshadowed by the skill and the execution?

For the Broncos, and more specifically, Tim Tebow, the run of luck is bordering on the unbelievable.

Take week 14, the Broncos won in very unlikely fashion against the Chicago Bears when Marion Barber made not one critical mistake but two. Running out of bounds and then fumbling the ball in OT.

This sort of improbable story line is often unbelievable and trite in literary fiction. A literary situation that many have addressed, but not quite like JRR Tolkien. You may be familiar with Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings books that were adapted into the movies. In his prequel The Hobbit, Tolkien uses luck as a pivot in his iconic novel.

JRR Tolkien seems to be writing the script for the Denver Broncos.

But Tolkien took simple luck to a new level and coined the term "Eucatastrophe" to describe the happy ending of "fairy-stories." He describes it as the "…sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears..." If that isn't this Bronco season I don't know what is.

The situation that Tolkien calls the Eucatastrophe is exactly what we enjoy the most about sports. It’s in fact the very essence of what is going on right now with the Tim Tebow mania. On a seemingly regular basis Tebow has faced certain defeat at the hands of his opponent and yet some unlikely turn of fortune ends up benefiting the Broncos and enabling their victory.

This week it wasn’t enough that the Broncos were facing the mighty Steelers. A late fumble by the Broncos’ McGahee seemed to spell doom, and yet the Broncos survived. The Denver Broncos aren’t the only ones that have benefitted from Eucatastrophe. Go to any rabid fan in any town and ask about their favorite sports team pulling their ass out of the proverbial fire. They will have a story. It’s the classic game that everyone remembers.

I like equating fairy tales with sports. People often point out that those boys aren't in the real world anyway. And sports do function as the ultimate story-time for many of the world's adults. All of us that think we are all grown up and jaded and aren't affected by unbelievable happy endings and implausible heroes, better take a second look at that. Because sports is all about fiction becoming fact. It's just that we don't write the story; it unfolds before us on Sunday afternoons.

When the Broncos wrapped the season with three straight losses you wonder, where's that luck in that? Well they still made the playoffs.

If you've ever read The Hobbit, you might have noticed that Bilbo, the "hero" of the story was nothing, if not lucky. Then again, you may not have noticed it due to Tolkien's style of pointing out just how lucky Bilbo was time and again. He managed to draw your attention away from how ridiculously lucky his main character was by pointing it out repeatedly. At the end of the book, even Bilbo ponders the happy ending of his story.

Gandalf chuckles and says, "You don’t really suppose…that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? …you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all." In other words this isn’t just for the benefit of Mr. Tebow, it’s for everyone’s benefit.

But to extrapolate on Gandalf’s point, someone other than Bilbo might not have been the perfect companion for this quest, the lucky number as he was dubbed. Gandalf takes all the credit for picking the right companion for the quest. Corollary: Tim Tebow seems to be the right guy for this quest.

Divine intervention, fate or faith? Sometimes people are lucky. Tolkien framed it as prophesy in his writings. How about that old saying about the harder you work the luckier you get?

Call it what you want. Tebow's got it in spades. The question now is; is there any left for this Saturday? I'm bettin' yeah, there's more where that came from. Tune in Saturday for story time!!

Avs Can’t Play 60 Minutes? It Might be Worse than That

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:18:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

I was listening to Two Guys One Puck yesterday and they got me to thinking about the Avs’ woes of late. The problem is well known but just to cover it quickly, they don’t start the game on time as coach Sacco likes to say. They don’t play a full 60 minutes...blah blah blah. The thing that occurs to me is that the Avs might be in worse shape than we realize. When the Avs spot a team 2-3 goals as they did in the recent games against Calgary/Islanders it’s natural for teams to relax a little. All teams do it to some degree. The Avs appear to have this 3^rd period gear that they kick into and all of us fans ask the question, well why can’t they play this way the whole game?

Unfortunately I’m afraid that I’m beginning to doubt that the Avs are elevating their play in the 3rd as much as the other team is lowering theirs. All of a sudden the Avs are skating into the zone, getting good chances and controlling the puck.

So why not the whole game? Because they really aren’t good enough to do that the whole game? That’s my fear. The opponent is letting them do it. It’s the old prevent defense strategy. It’s easy for the Avs to look good when the other team is sitting on a lead.

The Avs only look good after the opponent starts sitting back, sipping a cold one and enjoying the lead. This is not good.

What about the Pens game you shout! The Avs were killing it at the beginning of the game. Well my theory is that the Pens looked at the Avs with little or no respect took the Avs lightly and got a wake up call. And if you have any doubts about how good that Pens team is you shouldn’t after that. They answered the call and then some.

Shout out to AvsGuildRyan and the guys on the podcast. One thing I love about their ‘cast is that they say “we” when talking about the Avs. Love it, keep it up. I wrote a piece HERE about why that is a good thing. If you are still one of those people that rips people for that I think you’re missing a key component of the sports phenomenon in society. In fact, you are in denial.

I certainly hope I’m wrong about the Avs with the theory I have presented above. I picked the Avs to sneak into the playoffs this year and hopefully I haven’t misjudged them. But maybe the naysayers were right.

Why NHL Hockey is Better Off as a Niche Sport

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:43:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

I don’t consider myself a hockey snob. I have no standing in that elite club, no pedigree, no place at all. I wasn’t born north of the border and I didn’t grow up in a traditional hockey hot-bed. Denver is still considered by many as a pretender, a football town and a cow town.

And in part I’m here to sell you on the idea that Denver as a football town is not just ok, it’s great. There’s room in this town for hockey and football and those other sports as well. After all, we do have a lot of wide open space, mind the cow pies.

I understand the whole, er…I hate to use this term to describe the situation but I think it gets the point across…I understand the whole capitalist approach to growing the sport. For survival in this ever expanding world of entertainment of ours, it’s necessary to try to keep up with the Jones. But I often find myself hoping that the NHL simply maintains the status quo as the fourth major sport.

And I LOVE hockey, don’t misunderstand, I don’t think you will if you are reading my blog. You must be able to deduce that I love hockey. But sometimes, deep in my heart, I hope that the NHL is never, ever as popular as the NFL. Never the #1 sport. And most of all never the big money sport that the other big three have become.

Big money breeds big corruption. The saddest thing in the world to me would be the slow corruption of the great sport of hockey. And if the NHL started to look like the NFL with the prima donnas and the drugs…well it would be the beginning of the end. Next time you are cussing the marketing department of your favorite NHL team, take a minute to reflect on the fact that if the NHL was wildly successful just how much would those tickets be for opening night? And yes, I agree that Bettman could make better decisions, but as long as this great sport doesn’t get run over by its own Zamboni I think it will be fine.

It’s all about the attitude. While the NFL sits atop its throne as the biggest sport in North America its foundation is rotting. It strikes me as odd that the NFL has been so over-marketed that fans are more interested in fantasy teams than the ones that actually exist. And then there is the success of NFL Red Zone. Doesn’t that validate the boring nature of about 60% (correlating yards to percent) of the game?

The way I see this is that as long as the NHL is striving for respect and working for new fans, taking nothing for granted, it will be all that much better. It’s the underdog mentality that makes it a better experience for me. I don’t want to be #1. I really don’t.

What do you think, Mike?

Peter Forsberg in Belize

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:17:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

I have an odd little Forsberg memory I thought I would share with you.

It was spring, 2001 and I was going to Belize, not a hotbed of hockey coverage. The trip took me on a four-seat, single engine plane to a strip of asphalt with three shacks, two of them abandoned. Next it was an hour drive to a resort with zip for communications.

I was having a great time in Belize but that I sure wish I knew what my Avalanche were up to. I heard there was a Canadian owned resort down the beach and that they had a satellite feed for watching hockey in the bar!

It was the April 30^th game against the Kings and I spent the first period enjoying the game. It was into the second with the score tied up when the feed blinked out. The owner promptly headed to the back and eventually the feed blink on again. Now the score was 2-1 Avs, goal by Forsberg and I missed it! This occurred several more times in the third with the score changing, very frustratingly, every time the feed was out. Before the game was over the feed went out for good.

I had a relaxing vacation punctuated by trips down the beach trying to catch Avs games. I was well informed by the owners as to the status of the series, they couldn’t get another Avs game on the feed. He told me that they were stealing the feed so it was very unreliable.

The timing of the final game didn’t allow me to get any info before leaving for home. I was in the airport in Houston when finally I saw some hockey news start scrolling by on the crawler. It said that the Avs had advanced to the next round, YAY!!!

And then it said that Peter Forsberg had season ending surgery…WHAT?????

That was it, no more information and next thing I knew it was time to get on the plane to Denver. That was a long trip home wondering what the hell was going on! It’s safe to say that Forsberg losing his spleen in that game was memorable but so was the suspense I was in while traveling.

Mile High Stadium, there was only One

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:32:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Now that the Invesco name is about to be stripped off of the stadium the Denver Broncos call home, the cry for naming it Mile High is once again at a fever pitch.

Never mind that naming rights are part of the money machine that is the NFL of today. The option to forgo naming rights just isn’t possible in this league. But more to my point is the recycling of this name. To me it just doesn’t make sense. Why keep the name of the greatest stadium of all time in Denver history when in fact it is a different structure?

If you had the best dog ever and his name was Buddy would you name every dog after that Buddy?? I don’t think so. That was a special dog. No other dog can replace Buddy. Buddy was the one and only Buddy.

New dog. New name.

And besides, I sat in Invesco on opening night and I still remember what a let down it was. It wasn’t the same or better in any way. It was clean and concrete and sterile. Nothing like the Mile High that was now irretrievable rubble and dust.

Mile High was gone, just like Buddy.

Mile High represents a place and time that was magic, but that’s in the past. It should stay there in order to sanctify that time and space in Orange Crush history.

There's only one old Yeller and only one Lassie. And there's only one Mile High.

Colorado Avalanche Trade History with Washington Capitals

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:01:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Over the course of franchise history the Colorado Avalanche have engaged in a lot of horse trading with the Washington Capitals. Perhaps as much as with any eastern conference team. I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at them. Here’s the list with a little commentary on the more interesting transactions.

July 1995 Avs trade a 3rd for John Slaney who was later traded for a pick that would become Brian Willsie. Nothing too exciting there.

April 1996 the Avs trade Anson Carter for a 4th rounder that never amounts to squat. Carter went on to score 40-60 points in the next six of eight seasons. Ben Storey, the Avs pick with that 4th rounder never made it to the big dance.

November 2nd, 1996, Keith Jones and a 1st rounder were traded to the Avs for Curtis Leschyshyn and Chris Simon. One good year for Jones with the Avs and kaput. Oh, and that 1st was Scott Parker. Really, blow a first round pick on Scott Parker? At least he stuck with the team quite a while. Jones goes down as one of those promising players that were plagued by injuries. On the up side Jones was traded for Shjon Podein, a fan favorite.

June of 1998 Avs traded a 3rd for two 4th’s and a 5th. No outstanding players emerged, no surprises.

March, 1999 – Avs bring in Dale Hunter and a 2nd round pick in 2000 (Sergei Kliazmine) for a 2nd round pick in 1999 (Charlie Stephens). All of this rigmarole was simply for Hunter’s benefit; he was traded to the Avs with the hope that he would finally win a Cup.

July 1999, Avs trade Craig Billington to Caps for future considerations. Like what, letting him come back? I dunno, anyone know?

October 22nd, 2003 - The Colorado Avalanche traded Bates Battaglia and Jonas Johansson to the Washington Capitals for Steve Konowalchuk and a 3rd round pick. The pick was later traded to Florida. While the Avs clearly bent over the Caps on this one a career ending condition would mean a premature end once again. Fortunately Kono has come back to the Avs in a coaching capacity. This marks the second captain that the Caps have traded to the Avs, the other was Hunter.

July 2005 Avs trade a 1st in ’05 for two 2nd’s. It’s a wash.

Nov 2010 the Avs send Scott Hannan to the capital city for Tomas Fleischmann. We all know how the Fleischmann situation has turned out for the Avs, yet another trade highlighted by injury. The lingering question is whether or not Flash will continue to have a productive career in the NHL.

Eh, maybe the Avs ought to stop trading with Washington? Not a very good track record. The injury bug that follows the high-level players in these trades is uncanny.

And the deepest fear of course is that the current trade for Semyon Varlamov will be no different.

Thanks to Avalanchedb.com for the awesome site they maintain. Couldn’t have done this without it.

Giving Dater Props

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:23:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

It’s time I mention that I think Dater is improving.

Yes, I know that you and Darcy Tucker are stunned by this admission.

I think his Twitter personality took a good shift towards a more mature nature I expect from a pro journalist. He quit getting in stupid twitt-fights. He learned how to stand up for himself much better instead of just blocking people all the time.

As an Avs fan the last thing you want is to have the access you get from him blocked because you dared to disagree with him. Something I’d like to see him do is go through his Twitter account and unblock everyone. I think it would be a good reboot for his social media persona.

No, this isn’t a suck-up post. Many of you know I was blocked long ago for daring to criticize Denver’s favorite hockey son, Chris Drury. Was I trying to provoke a reaction? Probably.

That’s water under the bridge. I’m Twitter savvy enough to still figure out what he is tweeting about regardless. And yes, I still want to know ~~what he has to say~~ that info only he has access to. I enjoy the minute-by-minute updates of the practice skates, who’s in who is out, who’s injured, who’s healing. It keeps me primed during the off days and pregame. It’s an inside scoop. I miss the chatter when Frei is on the beat instead of Dater.

I’m not too sure about the dire game commentary…has that continued? I’ll admit I’m not sure about that. It certainly isn’t a very popular part of his feed but to be fair, lots of fans do the same thing.

All that said, one thing that did suck last season was that the Post clearly quit sending Dater on the road with the Avs as the season withered, wilted and died. But there were still games to play and the fans were just as interested in information. But the Post wasn’t playing and Dater either couldn’t or wouldn’t admit it publicly.

Also, I am glad to see Frei on board with the blogging, even if it is occasional.

One very odd thing that I have noticed is Dater’s karmic ability to be out of touch when the big stuff happens lately. I think when Forsberg signed he was on a plane, Liles was traded and he was stuck in traffic…I have the impression that some other ones are out there but don’t recall the specifics. Maybe you can remind me in the comments?

It makes me wonder if Sherman has an assistant that stalks Dater. Anytime Sherman is going to make a move he checks with the assistant to see where Dater is. Whenever Sherman can do it, he pulls the trigger when Dater is in the air, has the day off, anything to mess with the guy. Probably not, just funny to imagine it.

So I guess that actually turned into a small overview of the Post coverage of the Avs, not just Dater. As fans in a one newspaper town we tend to really be critical of our team’s coverage. We want the best, we want it all the time and we want them to get it right.

Ryan Smyth Traded Again, and Again...

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:29:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Is it "The Ryan Smyth Curse?"

It seems to me that if you mess with Ryan Smyth you get nothing!

Let’s look at the trail of nothing left behind this guy

Edmonton trades him for Robert Nilsson (bought out & now out of the NHL) and Ryan O'Marra, (who has scored all of one goal in the big leagues because he can’t break out of the minors) and a first rounder that turns out to be Alex Plante, another guy still in the minors. Not only do these guys look to be a bust, one is for sure, but team has been a bust ever since the trade of Smyth.
Isles lose him for nothing and have been in the bottom 5 ever since.
Avs trade him for essentially nothing. Quincey minus Tom Preissing net sum is zero. And a 5th rounder, Luke Walker, yeah, who cares.
LA tries to trade him to Edmonton for Gilbert Brule and a fourth-round draft pick, Brule was going to be bought out by the Kings. That fell through and eventually ended up as Colin Fraser and a 7th rounder. Fraser is better than Brule who was just going to be cast aside but it still isn't much.

So Edmonton ends up getting Smyth back 4 years after they balked at his request for a $5M per year contract and guess how much he is making? Yep. In hindsight, amazing stupidity.

The exciting part is that we may get to see the contract negotiation fireworks between Smyth and the Oilers again even before the season is at the halfway mark as the Oilers would be smart to start and finish that aspect before Ryan Smyth is traded away once again due to an inability to come to an agreement. Look at the path of destruction that he has already paved.

The safest thing the Oilers can do for the sake of the franchise is get him signed for the future.

There’s no crying in Hockey

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:03:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Well, yes there is. Once a year on the last game of the season, grown men cry. They do it with millions of people watching them on television. Some do it openly. Some hang their head, their stick forgotten in a limp hand as they slump on the bench.

Gloves that were previously used to agitate an opponent are now used to dry their own tears. The first ones to cry are the losers. The clock ticks down the moments before the end of a dream. From role players to superstars, sometimes you only get one shot at the Cup. Grown men sit on the ice with a stunned look on their face when it’s over. It’s the end; they know it could be the end of the dream.

Eventually they gather themselves and do what good men do, they suck it up and congratulate the opponent. The handshakes come in all varieties. Heartfelt congratulations with just a hint of sadness, the stunned handshake, and the guys that used to play together really are happy for a former teammate. It runs the gamut.

The winning team is the polar opposite, screaming, cheering and celebrating. But when that Cup is brought out the mood changes. This is it, this is what they have worked so hard for. A trophy that players refuse to touch unless they’ve earned it will bring the toughest guys on ice to tears. Tears of joy.

Whether it’s game four or game seven, this is how it plays out. But the suspense that has been building for game seven makes it all the more exciting. It’s gonna be a good one.
The last ones to cry are the fans. When the Cup is off-camera, all the analysis is over and the excitement finally wanes. It’s over. Another season of hockey has come and gone. The tears well and the sniffles start. What to do all summer? The empty feeling gnaws at our souls.

Tapeleg and the Dead Blog Challenge

I just want to say a few things about what’s been going on here on the blog these last two weeks. James “Tapeleg” did a great job getting a lot of bloggers off their duffs and blogging again, including me. Thanks dude.

Today is technically the last day of the challenge but with game seven tonight I’ll likely have a post tomorrow. Very quickly it will be draft day and free agency too; I will probably make some words about that stuff as well this month. Also, I’m working on a post that will probably surprise a few of you; it’s not quite ready but in a few days.

Not only did James put in the work on his blog, he also provided links and bonus content that was very cool. There was the Twitter pep talk he gave me when I was about to bail on posting every day. That was good for two posts right there. That was good stuff. Overall, a successful endeavor.

Yes Lappy, I’m serious! It was great!

Five Things About Game Six

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:30:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

I’ve never played this “5 Things” game here on the blog. Seems like a great way to get the writing juices flowing and since I’ve been struggling to finish up Tapeleg’s challenge, I need all the help I can get. And now that there will be a game seven, I will be blogging at least an extra day. And…hit it!

Elimination game in Boston against a Canadian team and the house is playing Rush?

If Luongo wins the Cup, how does he even look himself in the mirror? Seriously? Can he look in the mirror and say to himself that he played at the top of his game? There are all kinds of examples of guys playing well enough and winning it all. Playing not to lose. Manage the game as they say in football. Not possible as the goalie on a hockey team. Luongo gets all the blame if they lose the Cup. Little or no credit if they win it. I think that’s fair. (This is a hilarious photo zipping around Twitter)

Early in the game a Canuck was hurt, down on the ice for quite a while and I was somewhat disturbed that the Boston crowd didn't even seem to care that a player was hurt. They were too busy chanting and didn't even give him applause off the ice. I know this series has become brutal on and off the ice. But that surprised me.

Unfortunately, these early blow out games are boring during the wrap up. But I don’t really how we get there, as long as we get to game seven.

Late in the game the NBC crew was discussing whether or not Luongo should be allowed to face the press, post-game. They agreed no. Really? What about the fact that Luongo has already shown that he couldn’t handle the pucks coming at him. But he can’t handle questions either? That just makes him look worse in my opinion. He’s supposed to be a veteran, a leader, former captain…and they need to shelter him? I’m writing this as the game is still on so I won’t change my opinion regardless, just that it is being discussed is amazing to me.

This isn’t specific to this game, just specific to Tim Thomas’ beard. I think any minute he is going to go wading out into the middle of an icy cold stream, grab a jumping salmon and have a pre-game meal. Nom nom nom.

Next Colorado Avalanche Captain

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:46:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

I’ve made my case for Matt Duchene being the next Avs captain, here. That was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek piece about that Avs plotting his ascension to the captaincy. But I am serious about this; make him captain.

A lot of people think Milan Hejduk or Paul Stastny or John-Michael Liles should/could or would be a better/more suitable choice. I think a lot of this is simply based of seniority in these people’s eyes. They don’t necessarily know that is how they are making their choice. But I think a lot of people do it and then will rationalize their way to the end point.

The time to challenge Matt Duchene as a leader is now. This team isn’t ready to go all the way, we know that. Duchene knows that, everyone knows it. What it does, is give him time to grow into the role so that when this young team does need that leader, he isn’t green. Wait till the team needs quality leadership to tip it over the edge into greatness and you’ve waited too long.

Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk are cut from the same the cloth. The aw-shucks, good guy that works hard and produces on a consistent level. But Matt Duchene is a driven individual on a different level. He wants to lead. Not that Hejduk or Stastny would turn it down; I think they would be honored and go all out. But Duchene is the guy that lies in bed at night and thinks about how to be this team’s captain. Really wants the opportunity.

I think Liles is the most well suited veteran for the job. But I’m not sure the coach is on board the Liles-train. Seems to be some doubt there and he’s always trade-bait. That just isn’t the best situation for a captain.

So what are the Avs waiting for? Adam Foote was named captain a week or two before training camp. This team isn’t likely to change much between now and then. Certainly not in a manner that would shift the candidates for captain.

Do it now. Let it marinate on the fans during the off-season. Let Matt Duchene get comfortable with it over the summer. You want Duchene to elevate his game? Give him responsibility and I think you will see it happen.

I don’t think that is a Real Sport…

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:51:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Maybe you think that all I do is watch hockey. I have a confession to make about Real Sports. As you may already know, I wrote about what I thought was a real sport here. I probably make it sound like if it wasn’t a real sport, that I don’t like it.

Not true. In fact I was probably hiding behind some macho BS to guard against some of the sports I do like…and don’t want anyone laughing at me for digging them.

Of course I know people laugh, my Canadian friend loves badminton and tried to tell me repeatedly how bad-ass it is. I never heard much, I was laughing too hard. Well, I’ve got a couple of those too.

He was famous for doing back flips, sans helmet

Might as well get the toughest one done first: I love figure skating. Yep. Not that ice dancing crap, but the women’s short and long programs as well as the men. Love the jumps. I think Scott Hamilton probably got me into it at some point, which shows my age. But that guy had the best foot work ever. Ever since then I have judged skater’s foot work based on him. Being a big music guy has probably led me to enjoy the choreography of the programs. To overly technical skaters don’t do it for me, give me the emotion. An emotionally charged program is always the best. Just like music, if it’s got no feeling, who cares?

Sailing. Frankly I don’t know a darn thing about it. Not even enough to really explain why it’s so exciting to me. But years ago I was on vacation in the Caribbean and had a great experience that really got me into it. We went sailing at this place that does these mock races in some of the old America’s Cup boats. You get a chance to do some simple crewing, it’s all rather fun. I’ve always loved sailing and the strategies of a race, even at my limited ability to understand, are like chess on water.

Speaking of chess. Is chess on TV? Not really. Maybe in Russia? But I do love chess; I’ve read a few books about historic figures and such. Just found a sci-fi/fantasy short story collection, all chess stories.

Well I’ve gone from sports to games. Nonetheless, it’s certainly not the rough and tumble – must have a helmet – type of stuff I was talking about earlier.

Confession time is over for me.

What’s your favorite sport that you don’t want anyone to know about? C’mon, you can tell me. Leave an anonymous comment.

Zombie Quenneville

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 03:53:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Seems Zombie Hunters was scoping out an area around Vancouver and caught Coach Quenneville and a troop of Zombie Goalies on their way to Stanley Cup Finals game five.

I always knew Coach Q was a goalie killer. I didn't know just how sinister it was.

Chris Drury

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:56:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Chris Drury is about to be on the UFA market.

Discuss.

I'll get us started. I kinda feel sorry for Chris Drury. He's a decent top six guy that has been thrust into No. 1 line expectations. He's a character guy that's had Mark Messier expectations of leadership put on him. And now he's unemployed. Reports say the Rangers will buy out his remaining year, a cap hit of $7.05M. He's not going to be a captain for his next gig and he sure as hell ain't gonna be pulling down as much green. It's a tough fall from the pedestal he's been on since his rookie year in the NHL.

Then again, Drury is as guilty of allowing himself to be placed on high as all the hyperbole-laden fans and media that have told us how supremely talented he is. What an amazing leader he is. He's chased the money every chance he has had. And that is bound to have some repercussions.

I do believe Drury is a good hockey player and a natural leader. But he's never come close to the scoring expectations that his salary demands, and yes, that salary demands goals. Only big scorers and top goalies get that kind of money. As for the leadership, I have no doubt he was captain material for the right team. The Rangers just weren't that team. I doubt he will get another chance. Drury will have to make that tough transition into the 'veteran leader' role. He'll take a huge cut in pay (though NY will still be sending checks), hope to get on with a team that has playoff potential and pine for one more chance to play for the Cup.

Parroting the NHL

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:16:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Myths, half truths and things people repeat without thinking

Real hockey towns don’t have Ice Girls? Boston, Chicago, Caps, Devils, Flames, Ottawa, Vancouver, Islanders, Pittsburgh…who else?

The Original Six are “real” hockey towns. Oh, so all those empty seats in the Joe and Chicago’s arena were just smart fans staying away from a bad product? And there’s absolutely NO bandwagoning going on in Chicago these days…right….!

The shoot out is a skills contest-this is a team sport. The OT should go from 4-4 to 3-3 to 2-2, etc. Wait, I thought you said this is a team sport!

Players that are suspended for injuring another player should have to sit out as long as it takes the injured player to return. Actually, the player’s association might want to look at negotiating this one into the next CBA because this will undoubtedly increase the number of men that get a shot at the NHL by at least a 1,000 players. There will be so many players sitting on their duff at home waiting for such-and-so to get healthy that the minor leagues will be exhausted of players. Of course never mind that all the players sitting on said duff will need to be paid…so watch those ticket prices go thru the roof! Great idea.

Southern Hockey doesn’t work. How long have the Blues been operating? Wasn’t it Buffalo and Washington that went bankrupt long before Phoenix?

+/- is the most worthless stat in the NHL – that is until it supports that argument you are making about such and so player. Then all of a sudden it’s ok to add it to the argument, though often with a CYA caveat / cliché, “Even though +/- is the most worthless stat in all of hockey…blah blah blah”

What are your hockey pet peeves?

Avalanche Goalie-Go-Round

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:32:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Ever since the Avs went with Budaj/ Raycroft it’s been a joke. What you say? But Craig Anderson! Yes, yes. BUT. But, if you can be honest with yourself, that was a shot in the dark, a gamble, a roll of the dice. Ok, over doing the metaphors? It wasn’t a complete shot in the dark, maybe a shot in a dimly lit room.

Read the rest at Hockey Independent

Denver Broncos Season Ticket Glut?

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:36:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Is the end in sight? If so it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it would certainly be the end of the world as we know it.

Who are we and what am I talking about?

We are the Denver Broncos fans, players, staff and the owner and I’m talking about the end of the Broncos decades of sellout crowds.

As a long time season ticket holder I received an email recently about my request to upgrade my tickets. In the past they did this via mail/phone and you were given one or two choices. This year it’s online via Ticketmaster. The interesting part of that is that I can see a diagram of the whole stadium and what sections have seats available for me to upgrade…or downgrade.

Here’s the diagram.

Today was deadline day so this represents about how things stand going into next season. If you haven’t made your payments you are no longer a season ticket holder.

The dark blue represents sections with available seating. There are about 135 sections total. Of those, 82 have seating available. That’s about…what? 60% Ok, that’s real rough ciphering cause all the sections hold varying amounts of people, different prices, etcetera. The point is, if you want to move around in the lower priced sections, about 60% of the stadium, you can. That hasn’t always been true. I know cause I’ve moved a lot. It took me years to get to the sideline seats I now have. And granted, those sections on the first level are still jam packed with season ticket holders. But they aren’t who you might think they are.

Don’t be surprised that the first level seats are all sold out. That’s where I sit, but that’s also the seats the ticket brokers buy. They have the highest return value. Especially where we sit, on the visitor side. For the last two years I would estimate that about 50% of the seats around me are owned by brokers. If not then the fan that owns them sells every seat for every game. One of the issues this has created is a near complete lack of consequences for the guy in a scalped seat. Short of criminal behavior the worst he can expect is to be kicked out of the game. As a season ticket holder I have to behave myself or possibly lose my tickets. The out-of-town guys that buy one game have no such worries and their behavior proves it.

But, it isn’t just this that the Broncos should find troubling. It’s that the stadium used to be 99% loyal Broncos fans. That has slipped away and yet they maintained their sellout streak. The modern NFL fan is more mobile and tickets are more easily obtained if you’ve got the cash. Fans root for players as much or more than for teams these days, another factor that leads to the mixed crowds. But now you see that something like 60% of the stadium has at least some seating available for the potential season ticket buyer. I have friends that got on the list for season tickets 5 years ago. They expected to wait 10 or more years, that was the plan so the kids would be old enough to really enjoy the games. Well the Broncos came calling this year.

That fabled wait list is as thin as the mile high air.

Smell the Glove

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:04:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

The Boston Bruins have turned the volume up to eleven.

They are taking Alex Burrows' dirty game to higher ground. No? Think they are being childish? I can see that. But I frankly think it's hilarious. While most after-the-play scrums involve stupid hugs and lots of shoving, sticking a couple fingers in a guys face and watching him squirm uncomfortably is rather bizarre. It gives me that awkward feeling the first couple times I watched The Office. It's such a little thing physically but so in your face mentally. It's bothering the Nucks as much as an actual bite, and that's the brilliant part of it. The Bruins are so hot coming off that game that I'm afraid someone is going to spontaneously combust!

Successful Writers do It

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:37:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Today’s post is likely to be a shorty. I can’t think of much to write about. I’m just typing away waiting for something to flow out of my fingers and through this laptop. I’m simply doing the most basic thing I can. Writing for the sake of writing.

I hear it all the time. “Write every day.”

Over and over I read this advice. Everywhere I turn I’m told about, and by, successful writers that it takes practice. That it is a daily routine. And sometimes it’s even reduced to the unromantic notion of “work!”

Where does this work concept come from? Aren’t these writers that are so freely giving advice also telling us how much they love to write? Does it feel like work to them? Well certainly there is this word being thrown around in my tiny little sphere lately: challenge. And a challenge isn’t accepted without some idea that work will follow. The challenge even talented writers must face is what is commonly called “voice” in the blogging circles. Of course voice is not a new concept, just a new tag. Jack London is a favorite writer of mine and over a hundred years ago he was talking about the importance of voice.

In 1899 London wrote to aspiring writers: “…put the stamp of “self” upon (your) work - a trade mark of far greater value than copyright.” And London asks, “…how can you have something fresh for the jaded ear of the world?”

How indeed?

“To comprehend the characters and phases of any movement, you must know the spirit which moves to action individuals and peoples, which gives birth and momentum to great ideas…the sum of all this will be your working philosophy, by which, in turn, you will measure, weigh, and balance, and interpret the world. It is this stamp of personality of individual view, which is known as individuality.”

Or, voice. Your voice. To find your voice you must write. Practice. London was well known for his practice of writing 1,000 words a day, six days a week. But you must also study the world. None of us live in a vacuum with nothing but hockey. Well, some of you do…but all that other stuff is what makes hockey (or whatever you are writing about) more than a set of rules in black and white. More than an ice cold rink with perfectly straight lines and nets of all the same, exact size. More than a frozen puck. It’s who is in net, who is defending that blue line and who is skating with that puck.

Another guy I like to follow for writing advice is John Scalzi. This guy has turned his daily blog into a phenomenon. It’s amazing to me how he can post a picture of his cat and get 100 comments. But the bottom line is he worked at posting to that blog on a daily basis for years. He’s built a following. If you haven’t checked it out I suggest it, he often gives advice about writing. http://whatever.scalzi.com/ Of course, he also recommends that you write every day.

Now both of these guys are/were fiction writers (primarily) but I don’t think that their advice is lost on a guy like me just because I don’t aspire to write the great American novel. The advice is still valid. How else am I going to find something to write about if I don’t want to fill my blog with boring game recaps? Voice + practice = something better than a rehash of the game I just watched.

Well, well, not so short after all.

A quote I’ve never seen from London before has just manifested itself on my blog today.

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” -Jack London

And finally, London has this to say, “If you cannot find time, rest assured that the world will not find time to listen to you.”

What's in a Name?

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:46:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Are the Atlanta Thrashers going to be the "Winnipeg Jets?"

We have been told by the mayor that they aren't going to be the named the Winnipeg Jets. Much to the apparent disappointment of the Winnipeg population.

The Manitoba Moose is the well established and now homeless minor league team on the way out of town. But True North Sports, the ownership group bringing back the NHL, has spent a lot of money and effort to market the Moose. So why not keep the name? It's rumored they may.

So...what's in a name ?

It's like naming a child. Harold or Albert probably aren't going to be the life of the party or the star quarterback. I knew girl in school named Bambi. That can be a tough name to live with. Or the parents can go with Joe or Mary. Plain, middle of the road name. At least that is less likely to shape your kid than an overly odd name. Ah, but reward goes to those that risk!

But! A name that attracts negative attention can result in a goofy kid. Kids are cruel.

Fans are too.

So what will it be? Safe middle of the road name or the go for broke or the no-chance dork name?

Just in case they need some ideas. I've got a few:

Manitoba Maulers - submitted by a loyal reader!
Manitoba Mad-hatters - kidding!
Manitoba Marauders

Oilfield angle? Not likely with Edmonton around but there's still some possibilities:

Manitoba Jughounds - too close to Juggalos!
Manitoba Swampers

The agriculture angle:
Manitoba Turnips - there's that get-you-beat-up-at-lunch name I was taking about. No, no more of those names.

Logging angle?
Manitoba Loggers - then you will have a bunch of Logger bloggers!

My aces are these two:

Manitoba Mounties

Manitoba True North

Unfortunately True North is also the name of the owners and of course this would appear to be self serving and out of touch. But really, it's too bad. I think it sounds great, it's also from a line in O Canada, "The True North strong and free."

So Mounties it is. Better than a moose any day!

A Little Vancouver History

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 07:15:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Hockey Hall of Fame

This isn't the first time Vancouver has played for the Stanley Cup. They were in the hunt in 1982 and 1994, as the Canucks. But what about before the Canucks?

In 1917-18 the Vancouver Millionaires faced the Toronto Arenas in a best of five series. The first four games were split and Toronto won the fifth game and the Cup.

I believe it was a much smaller cup at that time.

But Vancouver wasn't in the NHL, they were in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) along with Seattle, Portland (later Victoria) and the recently departed Spokane.

Vancouver's star player was one Fred "Cyclone" Taylor who liked to boast that he once skated backwards through the whole Ottawa team and scored a goal. Taylor once played for the Renfrew Creamery Kings, so I would say the Millionaires was a step up.

It's amusing that a team would be named the Millionaires when the players certainly were nothing of the sort. In fact in the Montreal team was sold for $11,000 around this time.

In the playoffs of this era the format was a little different, to say the least. Two games and team with the most total goals across those two games, wins. Bizarre.

The 1918-19 season saw Seattle win the PCHA, beating Vancouver in that bizarre format, 7-5. That's goals, remember?

The 1919-20 season again matched up 1st place Seattle and 2nd place Vancouver for the chance to play the NHL champion Ottawa Senators for the Stanley Cup. Once again Seattle prevailed in the two game format with a 7-3 victory.

It's interesting to note that Seattle's red, white and green uniforms were too similar to Ottawa's red, white and black uniforms for every one's comfort. So the Senators agree to change to white sweaters. Hmmm, beginning of the home whites tradition we all pine for these days?

The 1920-21 season again saw Seattle and Vancouver matched up in the two game playoff duel for the right to play for the Cup. This time the Millionaires badly beat Seattle 13-2. In the east Ottawa was once again the champs and this match with the Millionaires attracted a record 11,000 fans to the first game. The teams split the first four games and once again Vancouver was denied the cup in the fifth and deciding game.

The 1921-22 season saw a lot of change. The PCHA introduced the penalty shot and had a new competitor in the west, the Western Canada Hockey League. Seattle finished first in the PCHA but lost the playoff to Vancouver, 2-0, (that's still goals, by the way). Regina from the new league challenged Vancouver for the right to represent the West in the battle for the Stanley Cup. Vancouver prevailed and headed east to play Toronto for the Cup. Toronto was now known as the St. Patricks and again the series went to game five. Doesn't that sound odd? Toronto prevailed and once again Vancouver went home as the forgotten runner-up.

1922-23 saw Vancouver finish first in the league and advance through the playoff. This time Ottawa traveled west to take on Vancouver, eliminating them and then dispensing with the WCHL Edmonton team as well to win the Cup.

The 1923-24 season again saw Vancouver advance through the playoff of the PCHA and Calgary won the WCHL. Both teams traveled east to face Montreal for the Cup. Montreal beat both teams to hoist the cup. Did they "hoist" it then? I don't know.

The next two seasons were nothing but turmoil for both of the western leagues and in short order there was nothing left of either league. Vancouver did not appear in the playoffs in either year.

Now I must admit that I might have tricked you a little bit, Vancouver did win the Stanley Cup in 1915 against Ottawa. However, that league was then known as the NHA, not the NHL. It's the one and only Cup win for the city of Vancouver...1915, that's almost a hundred years ago...

Source: The Complete Encyclopedia of Hockey edited by Zander Hollander and Hal Bock, 1974, Prentice-Hall

Living Next to Canadians – What is it Good For?

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:31:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Absolutely nothing.

I used to live next to a family of Canadians. One day, a day when the Avs were playing the Blues, a hot day in May...it was the Western Conference Finals...and I stepped outside between periods. It was May 12th, 2001 and according to weather records it was about 80 degrees. Yep, that’s how I remember it. My eyes rebelled against the bright sun, after all I’d just spent a couple hours locked in my cave-like living room, all outside light blocked so I could see every detail of the game on my 27” standard definition tube television set. We've come a long way baby.

And there was my Canadian neighbor smoking a cigarette on her porch. “How are the Avs doing, eh?” She asked, clearly aware of the game yet seemingly indifferent, just making conversation. And yes, she really did say “eh?” always, and with every sentence. But none of the rest of the family did.
I stared in astonishment at my Canadian neighbor and asked, “Aren’t you watching?” Resisting the urge to say “eh?”
“No, we like baseball.”
Dead silence.
They were from Quebec. Bitterness? She didn’t seem bitter. I became nervous about the silence as I tried to reconcile “eh?” with a love of baseball.
Thankfully she proceeded by asking how Roy was doing.
“Um, fine.” I said, not really thinking about it.
I couldn’t get back inside fast enough.

Thinking back I realize they never even introduced me to poutine. That right there ought to be a crime!! Maybe they liked wings better??

In the end I decided that they had been exiled…for obvious reasons, eh?

Hockey: the Perfect Game

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:01:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

Clearly Vancouver was offside on that play. Notice that they didn’t have the video to “prove” he was onside till the end of the game? Well, even with today’s technology it takes time to doctor video.

But anyway…I have a different topic for today.

At a very high level, the game of hockey has been perfected. By that I mean the large concepts of the game; the red line, the blue line and the number of players on the ice. Professional hockey was once played with six skaters a side and I believe the five skaters are perfect. As well, the 5-on-4 play is perfect for the game when a penalty is levied against one team or the other. The 5-on-3 is fine for the occasional situation involving egregious offenses.

I’m not real hot on the 4-on-4 play that we see pretty often. Many argue favorably that it opens up the ice while others argue against, that it favors certain teams. I certainly think that every team in the league builds a team to compete 5-on-5 and for the special teams of penalty killing or the power play. In other words, 5-on-5 or 5-on-4. The remaining situations can’t be much more than a small percentage of the game as a whole. That would be 5-on-3, 4-on-4 or God forbid, 3-on-3.

At the risk of sounding like the purists that I have chided in the past: 4-on-4 is roller hockey and 3-on-3 is pond hockey. Nothing against either of those games. I have the accessibility of roller hockey to thank for getting me into the sport. But the three are different games with different goals and strategies. When you try to play NHL hockey with only three or four players to a side, it changes the game. And not for the better in my opinion.

Last night in the Stanley Cup finals, in the second period there was a 5-on-3 for mere moments before the team with the advantage was called for another penalty resulting in a 4-on-3 situation. As I’ve already made clear, I think that is a ratio best left to the other games, not the National Hockey League.

The solution?

Instead of putting another guy in the box, let’s let one out. So instead of a 5-on-3 turning into a 4-on-3, it shifts to a 5-on-4. A ratio that I feel is more suited for the rules that govern this game.

Here’s how it works: anytime there are there are two guys from one team in the box there is a chance for my new rule to take effect. If the team on the power play commits a penalty resulting in neither team icing five skaters the rule kicks in by putting one of the two players in the box back on the ice instead of the power play team losing the offending player to the sin bin. I'm only talking about minor penalties.

But obviously this is going to make a lot of people howl at the injustice of a player committing a penalty and not ending up in the box. Look at it this way, players commit “good” penalties, you hear that phrase all the time and isn’t that a matter of working the rules to your advantage? The fact is with this new rule the offending team will still only have a one player advantage; it will be 5-on-4 instead of 4-on-3.

To keep the game flowing I would also like to see this done on the fly. Like a delayed penalty the referee will indicate the penalty but will not stop play. Here’s where it gets a bit hairy, but it would really be slick if it worked: the team with two guys in the box (aware of this new rule) would be on the alert for just such a call. The box official also must be on high alert as it is his job to quickly open the door to release the player with the least time left on his penalty. This player will integrate right into the play just as any player would after finishing his time in the box. All this done, the referee lowers his arm indicating proper completion of my nifty new rule.

See, I told you I’m not a purist.

Stanley Cup Finals Blog Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:17:00 +0000

by J. Scott Moore

That Tapeleg guy is a rascal. Yesterday morning I innocently clicked on a link to his latest blog post and next thing you know I’m calling him names on Twitter.

He starts this shit about languishing bloggers and I start looking over my shoulder, guiltily.
Crap.
I challenge you to write everyday till the middle of June, he says.
Crap. That’s a lot.
He says: that might seem like a lot.
Whoa.

What a bastard. Like I don’t have other things to do. One thing I know I can always count on is Tapeleg tweeting about something motivational, completely sensible and irresistibly important. Jerk.

There’s no getting around it. I’ll be working on this challenge for the next 15 days. It’s just the kick in the pants I needed. Thanks ~~you bastard~~ Tapeleg!!

Well this is certainly a good time to predict my Stanley Cup finals winner. Boston in six. Has to be six so they are at home. Sure, sure, seven games with double OT would be exciting but I really want the Bruins to win at home. So it won’t be seven games and I’m not so greedy as to predict a sweep by the Bruins. Although it would be sweet like cherry pie!

This is purely based on fandom of the lowest kind: rooting against the other team, no stats, no analysis. I hate the Canucks. The only way I would root for them is if they were playing the Red Wings, which isn’t currently possible. And this isn’t just about the past. It’s about the fact that Roberto Luongo is a douche-bucket. The Sedin twins are creepy, times två. By the way, what’s with Yahoo listing one as 6-1 and the other as 6-2? There’s a conspiracy for ya Vancouver!! And I’ve never been one to blindly root for a team just because they are in my team’s division.

In addition, I simply want to see Tim Thomas win the Cup

Joe Sakic Enters the Avalanche Illuminati

noreply@blogger.com (J. Scott Moore) — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:55:00 +0000

by J Scott Moore

So the salary floor hugging Colorado Avalanche has recently added another executive to the top heavy management structure already in place. Yes, I know who that man is and the implications of his employment with this team. But the fact remains that the players are the ones that play the game and if the Avs are on a budget, shouldn’t they spend a little more on the ice instead of behind the desk?

The Avs landed a decent goalie in Craig Anderson only to lose him with ten year old negotiating tactics that are as dead as the days of sell-outs at the Pepsi Center. One contract offer: take it or leave it. That was all fine and dandy in the old glory days. Players wanted badly to be a part of this wining, star-studded team. But when the circumstances change around this team, and boy-howdy have they changed, the management needed to respond. They didn’t, they haven’t. I hate to say it but Pierre Lacroix doesn’t know how to do the rebuilding that this team needs. He was handed a team that was already full of future stars in a time before salary caps. He made the Roy trade that sealed the deal and made him a genius for the next decade. That team conveniently went on to win a cup and win the hearts of this city. It was a gravy job to manage this team after that.

But free agents no longer hanker for our cow-town. Premier players no longer add Denver to the short list when ask to waive a no trade clause. And long ago the so-called home town discount has disappeared into the Denver thin air. Players won’t come here just to play with Sakic, Roy, Forsberg and Foote anymore. Because they aren’t here! It seems ridiculous to state the obvious and just as ridiculous that it needs to be stated.

It needs to be stated and understood in the offices and secret places inside the Pepsi Center where apparently the Avs illuminati think Ryan O’Reilly and TJ Galiardi are the Emperor’s New Clothes. And I’m afraid it’s up to Joe to set things straight.

The symbiotic relationship between Joe Sakic and the Illuminati has been renewed. There is a lot of synchronicity in a relationship between the two. Quoteless Joe they called him in the locker room. Well that sounds like the perfect match for the organization that likes to keep their fans in the dark about everything. Parade Joe up there to do a lot of chit-chat to the media every now and again and when it’s all over you realize he didn’t tell you a darn thing. He’s a natural.

Ok, so I’m being pretty cynical about it, right? Well, I don’t know about that. But let’s look at it another way. The popular line of thinking is that Sakic offers the experience of a player that has won it all, was well known to be a committed and dedicated guy as well as being highly respected in the community. From the management’s point of view he’s also the guy that always said the right thing in any situation and never said too much. He could handle the pressure of the media, didn’t get flustered and had the company line down pat. Put the two together and viola! The perfect former player turned executive in charge of turning around his former team. And I’m sure he is 100% sincere in his efforts. Let’s just hope that the guys that hired him are on the same page as Super Joe.