A Change and Some Ducks

For those Chris Gift fans out there, he'll be in the garage tomorrow. First floor, right before you go in. And a hell of an article for the game too. Be sure to ask him why his jersey says Jackman but has a "C" on it.

In other news, I'm really excited about this issue, I think you all will like it.

And in other news, the staff and I are doing three issues in five days. Who likes sleep deprivation? Raise your hands.

How come no one has their hands up except me?

Buncha jerks.

Just A Couple Random Notes

The Blues play a couple roadies before they come home on New Year's Eve, so check out the message board for Game Time threads on the actual games. They are starting slow, but I think they'll be a fun place to be soon enough. For some reason, making wise-ass comments and crazy-ass predictions during a game is entertaining. More fun than making them to your asleep on the couch wifeditor. Or so I've been told. By others who have wifeditors.

Moving on.

I may be stealing this from Blues Blog Brad, but, can't we all just agree that the guy who gets elected "Fan of the Game" at every home game is just a giant tool? I saw the Fan of the Game on Monday as he was seated near me. He had a helmet on and was carrying a Blues-adorned, home-made, cardboard 'n foil Stanley Cup replica.

So, that, by itself, is really funny to me. But when you're clearly chasing the cameras around and trying to get on TV and to get the FoG award, well, funny turns to lame pretty quickly. If I see that guy getting wasted and sitting with his arm around his leaning tower of foil in the next seat, he's hilarious and he's got a good sense of humor. Especially since he's watching his team get pummeled 6-1 and being sent back to last place in the whole league while he non-chalantly drinks beer and wears a helmet and cradles a faux Cup. Hell, that guy probably becomes a friend of mine. But this guy is not.

Once he starts chasing the cameras though, he goes right into the Sad bin. Funny v Sad. It's all in the execution.

Meet The Staff

Chris Gift, our lone every game columnist, will be out selling papers on Saturday. Chris is a great guy and has written some really funny stuff for us. He's also written some stuff that is pretty heartfelt. Which is a definite zig for the Game Time's usual zag. Anyway, for those of you who like Chris' stuff and would like to chat, he'll be out at the SW corner of 14th & Clark streets (where the Metro comes out) on Saturday afternoon hawking the paper. So, if you like his stuff, or if your boyfriend has a jersey that has "Chuckers" written on it, stop by and say howdy.

And Finally...

If you're carrying around a partial six-pack of 16oz beers in a plastic ring...that's as close to '70s Burt Reynolds as you can get nowadays, right? I mean, I'm not trying to be like '70s Burt or anything, but, it's definitely close.

Stars v Blues

Ever been to a game where the crowd is staying around just so they can see the shutout broken? I have. It was tonight, and that was about the only reason everyone was there. I'm glad Wideman got the goal, as I'm sure it's good for his confidence.... Assuming he can somehow forget the six goals against.

I wrote a From The Editor article last night that I thought might cause some problems. It basically bashed a few people, but then turned on St. Louis sports fans. You can read it on the main page. But, I expected to hear about it, and I still might, as fair-weather sports fans across the region call me every name they can come up with. But the fact of the matter is that this region has a reputation it does not deserve. If the people around here were tru fans, the rink would still be full, or at least close. But it's not. Anyway, without being too redundant, most of the people around here who say they are 'big fans' are basically just 'big liars'. Just ask those who count attendance at Blues and Rams games.

But, it turns out that when surrounded by the regulars down at the rink, I'm not alone in this thought. Everyone down there is talking about the fair-weather fans. This town has had it too good for too long. Twenty-five years of playoff hockey. Seven years of respectability with the football team. A baseball team that is always competetive, or at least has a brawny homerun hitter on the roster who may or may not have taken steroids.

I can't speak to what things were like before those times, but I imagine it was similar to what we're seeing today; lots of people not going to games and talking about what good fans they are.

Huh. I've lost a lot of respect for the sports fans of this town. I used to respect their knowledge and passion. But now I can only scoff. Just admit it, you like to watch winners, which is not a big deal, everyone does. Winning is more fun than losing. Just stop pretending like you're above the fans of most of the other cities in America. They only back winners, too.

A Plea For Positivity

Hey, can we all just agree that it's time to let the kids play? Jason Bacashua got killed tonight. But he held San Jose to just one goal in a brilliant effort. The kid needs to play. This year is going to get bad and stay bad. Let him play and get a few scars on him. Maybe next year he'll be ready. Maybe not. But let's let him take a few whippings. It's working for Wideman, who has been highly touted for some time, but has played his first NHL games as a Blue and has really played well.

Petr Sejna has been too good for the AHL and too bad for the NHL so far. So let's see what the deal is on him. He's at a crucial point in his development, so bring him up and let him get 50 games in a row in the big league. If he doesn't show any improvement, he'a a career AHLer. If he figures it out and starts to score, then, hey, experiment successful.

Throw more names in the hopper: Woywitka. Lynch. Blake Evans. Mike Mottau. Colin Hemingway.

Let me see them sink or swim. Let's find something to take away from this year.

Because all I've learned so far is that people in St. Louis aren't as big fans as they think they are.

Blues v Duckies

I don't even want to talk about it. Four in the first? Just like that? Christ, if you're gonna bang the newbie that hard, at least get him drunk first.

But the crazy thing is that if the Blues had been able to crank down a little more, they could have made a game of this. How the hell do they keep scoring goals with this lineup? Brewer's goal was cool, especially since everyone has been talking shite about him lately. It's easy to say that he looks disinterested this year, but let's give the guy a break. First of all, he has to hear the words, "acquired for Chris Pronger" every other day. Secondly, look at the blueline corps he is anchoring. Eric Weinrich should seriously consider taking that visor and just teach shooting lessons down at the range full time. He's maddening out there. The rest of his fellow defensemen are young, inexperienced, young and somewhat inexperienced. They are also young and inexperienced. I'm a proponent of giving the youngsters playing time this year, but don't expect Brewer to be Pronger or to even look like a lesser Pronger with these guys. Let him get his feet. Wait until this season is over and the new owners have given him some help and these youngsters have started to figure things out.

Everyone wants to give Kitchen another chance, but Brewer? Too late for him. He's got to go. That's crazy. His trade value is low, low, low right now. Wait until he gets adjusted. You can convince me, if you have a good argument, that he'll never have a chance here and HAS to be traded to shake the whole Pronger thing. But you can NOT convince me that he should be traded this year.

Here's a line I'd like to see work: Mayers, McClement and Dutchie. Right now they are energy guys, I suppose, but I could see them becoming a fun line. Mayers creates more chances than your wingman buddy who does parlor tricks. He just has no hands. Like he has hands, but just thumbs and no actual fingers on them. How many breakaways does that guy get a year that he blows with his crappy stickhandling? Tons. But, if quick McClement or Dutchie can race into the play with him, that breakaway turns into a 2-on-1. And McClement and Dutchie can finish in situations like that. It hasn't happened yet, and the GT Rookie, Stempniak, had zero shots, one giveaway and a minus-2 tonight. Plus, he has yet to score since the "Give Stempniak A Nickname" Contest. But he can, we've seen it. And McClement has the ability, too. We just haven't seen it.

In the meantime, I'll take some more Cash, someone who can pot Weight's passes and well, maybe a win against the Sharks on Friday. But I'm not holding my breath.

Blues v Coyotes

I heard a lot of this game, but saw none of it. And that shades some of my perception, because when I see a game, I can throw out the commentator's ridiculous remarks and/or observations if I don't agree. Over the radio, I have no choice but to believe what they are saying, which is frustrating to a hockey know-it-all like myself.

But, on the radio, it sounded like the boys in Blue won a game that they didn't really deserve to win.

Thank you, bouncing puck of fickle fate. We don't get nearly enough bounces that go our way as Blues fans. Defenders throwing pucks into our own net in the playoffs. Turek giving up a center ice blast with just seconds left in the first period of a pivotal Game 7. A shot breaking a guy's knuckle. A clearing pass nearly ending Chris Pronger's career. A shot nearly ending his life. An idiot career fourth liner like Nick Kypreos ending Grant Fuhr's season and the Blues' one chance at a playoff run with Wayne Gretzky in the Note. These are the things that happen to Blues fans.

Aaron Downey and Jamal Mayers seal the lead for the Blues in a game that everyone can agree they sucked in for 40 minutes? Wha? Aaron Downey? Seriously?

According to the radio guys, Bacashua looked good too, except for one goal. Great, but let's not get too high, here, Blues fans. Once Cash starts stealing a few more games, then we can start fawning all over him. Until then, let's reserve the halo, but not put a down payment on it. Although I guarantee we'll have a 'Bacashua' jersey sighting by January 2nd. Hell, someone probably placed the order on nhl.com just a few minutes ago.

Playing Anaheim tomorrow will be interesting. Both teams played Tuesday away from Orange County, and Anaheim lost a demoralizing game against the Sharks, where their coach spent an extended period of time screaming at the players on the bench. Perfect setting for a Blues team that is feeling positive.

Announcers

Since I'm talking about our radio guys anyway, I might as well drop my fan's perspective on them, too. I did not like Chris Kerber when he first started doing the Blues' broadcasts, but he has grown on me. I've never met Kerber, and I've always thought that his calls of the action were

1. Clearly 3-4 seconds behind the action. I can hear the arena horn blowing and he's still finishing the last pass and shot.
2. Was lacking in detail. He usually gets the scorer, but the guys who assist are often a mystery. Sometimes, he is describing action on ice and doesn't mention anyone's name for a few seconds. It can be maddening.

But, I guess I've grown accustomed to it. I hear the horn and start punching the roof of my car. Kerbs can finish his call under the sound of my horn honking. So, he's not right on it. I don't care. I still think he's solid enough that I won't bitch.

Kelly Chase, on the other hand, I love as a broadcaster unequivocably. His comments on referees are the best. He knows they are all idiots and isn't afraid to say so. He also loves the fights (of course) and his comment of, "and no one left the building" is always true. Too many players-turned-'casters are completely inane. At least Chase tells you what the players really think, while avoiding the horrible Magic Johnson, "and he's saying, 'aint no way you're coming to my house tonight. Not with all the guests I already have. And I aint even picking you up at the airport. You get out of my lane, brother,' you know what I'm sain?" comments.

No Magic, we don't.

Instead, Chase has that street cred. He doesn't go overboard, but he gives us a look inside what is actually happening on the ice from a players' perspective. Too bad he was out with some sort of illness tonight. But I thought Dallas Drake did a good job in his place. He'd probably be a good color guy someday, too.

New Blogger

Do me a favor and click the link up to the right on Brad's Blue Blog. Brad Lee is one of our regular contributors and he's funny. He's going to do a dueling-banjos-on-blogs with me. between the two of us, there should be some new content here every day. Check him out at this spot starting... NOW! Brad, like columnist Chris Gift, will also be guest-vendor at an upcoming game. It'll be like "Meet the Staff" Night.

Anyway, check out Brad's stuff. He's got the same skewed attitude as, well, you do if you're reading this.

Flyers v Blues

Did you think the Blues would win tonight? Of course not. I mean anything can happen, but really, the odds were not leaning our way. No Tkachuk, yes rookie goalie, yes Forsberg. No Blues. Sorry.

But there were some good moments. I wrote them down on my GT so I wouldn't forget them. I left the game and went to a notoriously wild Christmas party, so I knew I'd forget some crap. Wild party in the suburbs. I have to add that while it sounds like I'm being sarcastic, I', m not really. Someone literally brought their own table to the party so they could dance on it. I'm not even kidding. How prepared are you for a party when you bring your own table? People also ended up on the kitchen counters and on the kitchen island because they didn't fit on the imported dance table. So there. I'm not always being sarcastic.

Anyway, some notes.

I spotted my first Wideman jersey tonight. Sitting right in front of me. That's pretty wild because as good as he's been, he's still a rook. What's the over/under on how long before the first Stempniak jersey gets spotted. How long before we see a Dutchie 12 jersey?

Selling GT is weird, because you start to profile people. Younger fans, like in their lower 20's, almost never buy. That I understand. In my lower 20's, every dollar I have is committed to pre/during and post game beer cash. If I come up short by $4 on my last beer run, I'd be pissed I bought that bitchin' ass program. Yes, I'm in the know. No, I cannot pay for these beers.

You know who else doesn't buy GT? Guys in leather jackets. I wish I knew why, but you dudes just don't buy GT. Did you spend all your cash on the leathah? Are you too cool to buy from a street vendor? Are you just a dick and I never realized there was a leather coat/dick corollary? I have no idea. I just know you cow-wearin' bitches aren't buying GT.

Videjumon - pokey. Sometimes I shouldn't try to write notes on the way home. I have no idea what this one is. Unless I promised some dude named Videjumon that I'd put him in print.

Although, Videju does remind me that I did get some compliments on the website tonight, so I appreciate that. I also got the coolest compliment on the paper tonight, too. Regulars usually tell me that they like the paper and whatnot, but this one takes the prize for now.
"I always get the paper. It's righteous."

Righteous.

One last note for tonight. High school hockey player: I'm sure you and your team are very good, but you are not as good as the guys you are watching. Stop commenting on, "no! Why do you make that pass? You suck."

And "no, why do you shoot then? A wrist shot on your knees? No!" Look, dickwad, even if you are on the best team in the area, and I bet you are not, even the worst Blues player you see tonight is 112 times better than you. Your high school career will likely lead to a club hockey career down at Mizzou, followed by your exemplary years with a rec league here in St. Louis. These guys were getting drafted by NHL teams at the same age that you are now. They are better than you. I'm sorry, but it is true. Try to enjoy the game a little more and complain a little less. Look around for the fun stuff. Hell, there's a guy wearing a Wideman jersey just three seats down from you.

Let's all agree to enjoy the details and not worry about the generalities of Blues hockey right now.

Merch and Message News

Our new merch people are working away on a logo as we speak. If we get a prototype that needs some work, I'll post it ad get your feedback. If it rocks, you get no vote, we just go with it. I have gotten enough pressure to finally start the messgage board. I didn't want to start it up until we had some sort of following, but there are actual requests for it now, so it will be.

We have eight days until the next home game, so I have a lot of time to work on the stuff that is open, so you'll see some more message board stuff, some more blog stuff and some more, well, righteous stuff.

Blues v Blackhawks

For a game that started in such a great way (with Jamal Mayers and Matt Barnaby fighting right off the drop of the puck), this thing ended horribly for the Note. Tkachuk out for 4-6? A 5-1 loss to the Hawks, including a even strength goal with under 2 seconds left? Crap.

The only real positive out of this nightmare is that the two teams are starting to really hate each other again. I'm really pulling for a good old fashioned hatred, bad-blood rivalry between these two teams. Remember how fun those games were at the Arena? I still believe that the new scheduling is going to help the rivalries get nasty again. We'll always hate the Wings, but renewed rivalry with the Hawks would be great and there is a rivalry with nashville brewing that could be fun, too. The potential is there to get heated with Columbus, but it just has been slow to develop.

This new ownership group that has come into play is a little worrisome. I don't think they'd overtly damage the franchise the ay the Lauries have done lately, but they definitely look like a pump-and-dump outfit to me. As long as they actually help the on-ice product and the game day atmosphere, then I'll help them increase the value of the team by going to games and buying gear and beer. I just hope that it helps give the local groups a couple years to get the plan together for when the Blues go up for sale again in a few years. Check out my editor's article in the issue tonight for more detailed info.

More Content

For those of you who enjoy this blog, I have good news. Brad lee, who writes some fan perspective stuff for us regularly in the paper, will be adding a blog on here later this weekend. Brad brings a funny take on the game day experience and the blog gives him an outlet to drop a few thoughts that don't fit into the paper format too well. More info as it is avaialable.

I'll try to do some more here tonight after the game. See you at 14th & Clark.

Rimble-Ramblin'

OK, so I forgot. In accordance with prophesy. I actually considered going by J. Bucks and trying to spot the Dutchie. I was on 170 at around 5:20. It would have been easy. But then I heard a guy I know on the radio rimble-ramblin' and next thing I knew, I was past Hoitie-Toitie Highway (aka Ladue Road) and turning back around to go hang with the pseudo-influential and the local partially-non-famous seemed like it just wasn't worth it.

Besides, Dutchie is a rookie, so he's gonna have to do crap like this a couple more times. I'll catch him sooner or later and freak him out by calling him Dartmouth Dutchie or something equally stupid.

Support The GT Troops
My writers (and I say that with pride, I claim them as my own) have been kicking ass. I really feel like every issue is better than the last and that has to go for my production stuff as well as the content you're getting. We're all starting to get a better feel for what works and what you don't care about. Based on the amount of comments that I'm getting from people at the games, these guys are making you laugh. Or making you look at things differently. Or something. Anyway, share the love with them. Everyone here has an email that is their last name @ stlouisgametime.com. Anyone who doesn't will have their email re-routed to me and I'll get it into the right hands. Let 'em know what you like. Hell, let 'em know what you don't like too. We don't care, we just want to hear from you. I'm sure you'll get a response.

I'm about to get all Sally here, so I'll quit while I'm even.

Later skaters.

Penguins v Blues

Now that was all-right. Lots of hardcore fans in the stands tonight (which always bodes well for GT sales) and I can say I saw "The Kid" back when he was just 18. It's also a good thing that I got to see him, because he won't be back here until he's 21.

A couple quick takes on Crosby. If you got your copy of GT tonight, you know I fawned all over his skills in the team matchup stuff on page one, but I've never seen more of him than I did tonight. I was impressed. Scoreless, yes, but the flashes were there. More importantly, I saw young Sidney Crosby stand up for himself. I'm not even talking about when Barret Jackman backed him into a corner, I'm talking about stuff that couldn't have been on TV. Way behind the play, as he was getting ready to jump on the Pens' bench, Crosby boarded (legally) McClement and then pinned him a bit before shoving him. Good for him. He's going to see a lot of static, so he better be able to stand up for himself. I respect that.

I do have one pet peeve about "The Kid" (and that will be the last time I make the effort to put in the quotes and caps), which I might as well go into here, since I don't want to save it for three more years. When he scored his first NHL goal, a jam-in near the net, he skated around to the corner, and as he was backing into the boards awaiting his teammates, he intentionally popped his helmet/visor, presumably so that all the photos and video taken of him would show more of his face. I assume he knows that those shots will be more auotograph-worthy or something, because it was a deliberate move.

So, I'm left thinking that this 18 year old kid has been sitting around worrying about the marketability of his first goal.

"Gotta see the face, Sid, that'll make more money."

Granted, most kids envision how they'll celebrate their first NHL goals, I'm sure, but most probably have their plans go out the window when the excitement and emotion of the moment overtake them.

Probably a small problem, but still it bugs me.


The building was nearly full tonight because of the Pens and the kid, but when I say 'nearly full', it isn't like when we used to say 'nearly full' last season. Lots and lots of seats open, but at least more than usual.

I liked the Blues effort tonight as they recognized that with all the injuries that Crosby was a one-man show. They shut him down and that was that. What happened to Ryan Malone, by the way? That kid was invisible tonight, and he was a 20+ goals scorer last season. Was he playing with Mario back then? I really don't know, but he was a ghost.

Boguniecki was back for one last time after the trade just a couple days ago. He did his Tyson Nash impression and ran around hitting everyone, but was largely ineffective. Which is why, of course, he was traded for an ineffective defenseman like Steve Freakin Poapst in the first place. I did enjoy seeing Bogie taking a run at Poapst late in the second though. He hit him hard into the corner, but no one really got hurt. It was a nice try, and consistant with what we expect of Bogie. He was never the same player as he was when he came up two seasons ago and scored goals because no one knew to pay attention to him. He'll never be a 20-goal guy again, but he's a likeable player for fans and teammates, and one that the folks from Pittsburgh will grow to like.

A Realization

For whatever reason...scratch that. I know the reason. Because my first-ever contest was about Lee "Dutchie" Stempniak and the amount of references I've heard to him since that contest, I realized that Stempniak has become my second-favorite player who wears the Note. Drake of course holds the top spot, but I now find myself looking for #12 on the ice at every opportunity. If you check my editors article from tonight, you'll see that I really think the Blues are missing an opportunity here. Dartmouth Dutchie and Harvard Ryan? It's a natural. In related news, Dutchie will be tending bar at J. Buck's tomorrow in Clayton from 5:30-6:30.

I'm sure that not many GT readers hang at J. Buck's a lot and that not many people who frequent J. Bucks will recognize a guy like Stempniak behind the bar unless he's wearing a sign that says, "I'm Lee Stempniak. I Play For The Blues. Really. What? No. The Blues Are A Professional Hockey Team Here In St. Louis." Yes. A giant, giant sign.

But, if you do, please drop a Dutchie on him at some point. He's the official Game Time Rookie, after all. I'd love to go, but I'm sure I'll forget.

Rangers v Blues

I was acting like a maniac tonight. I was talking to someone who had just bought a paper from me before the game and I said, "this would be a big win for us." Normally a win over an eastern team is not a big win. Really, who cares if you beat the Rangers? It doesn't really prove much. But this year, with just five wins (two of which are against freakin' Columbus), a win against one of the best teams in the league would be a big win for the team's confidence.

And they almost did it. They battled back from 3-2 (and shorthanded) to tie. And they scored with 7.8 seconds left to tie it at 4. The pulled goalie and everything.

So, I went a little nuts. Up in the Top Shelf, I was talking to Gift and his buddy, who was admittedly not a huge hockey fan, and I was anti-social as hell. Kept stopping mid-sentance to watch play. And I jumped up and down like a wild man when that goal went in with 7.8 seconds left.

For a last-place team. I went ape shit again. I'd do it again, too. 7.8 seconds? That doesn't happen for us, it happens against us. So, what the hell, let's go crazy.

I gave a paper to a guy up in the Top Shelf who had on the leather coat with a Bluenote on the back. Now, that is a fan. I love the Blues and all, but a leather coat is a commitment. Plus, as an added bonus, dude was yelling at his girlfriend/wife/whatever after the goal because she was putting on her coat (sans Bluenote) and telling him that it was time to go with 27 seconds left in the game.

So, good for that guy. How pissed would you be if you've spent a ton of cash on a Blues leather bomber and then you leave 20 seconds before the Blues score a pulled-goalie equalizer with just 7.8 seconds left? You'd be pissed. I don't even want to think about how far that woman would have had to walk if that had happened, because she wouldn't be getting a ride from him. So, that dude gets a paper. I hope he enjoys it. I bet he does.

I'm overly optimistic, we've established that. So, maybe this isn't surprising, but I had fun tonight despite the loss. The Blues played a good game and coulda/shoulda won. Lost on a horrible goal. But when you only have 5 wins, a point for the OT loss feels just fine. Jagr and his traveling euro band could have kicked the crap out of these guys and I would not have been surprised. Instead, we had a good effort.

And leather jacket dude didn't leave 19 seconds too early. So good for both of us.

Oh, and two last notes. Thanks to whoever it was out there that gave the tickets to Amy. You got two GT people in and we appreciate it.

Lastly, got paid in Sacajaweas again tonight. I didn't even know they were around anymore and yet I keep getting paid in these things. Not that I'm complaining, I just find it quirky.

Working on Saturday's Rangers' Issue

I just spilled beer on the official Game Time laptop. Just on the screen, so no biggie, but man, do I need to be more careful. Normally I don't imbibe on the day before game days, so I can focus, but we have tons of content tonight and I just came from Tamale Night and... well, it was a close call, but I got away unscathed.

Of course, now the door is open on the over/under on how many days I own this laptop before I take it into the bathroom with me so I can keep working. That's a threshold I'm worried about crossing.

In other random thoughts, I wish Jagr still had that wicked mullet. All my eurotrash jokes would be so much better. Oh well, he's still pretty greasy.

See you Saturday.

Blues v Lightning

Technically, the Lightning should have to be the Lightnings. The Avalanche should have to be the Avalanches. Teams are groups of people. They are Blues. They are Jackets. They are Rangers. They are not Lightning.

Meanwhile, the Blues blew another third period lead to the Lightnings. How many times is this going to happen before the Note realize that teams can no longer sit on leads. Since you can't hook and grab and otherwise mug guys who may or may not have the puck, you cannot clog the neutral zone. You can't drop back and drag everyone down who comes below the circles.

So, you have to skate. And sitting in a shell against teams that are skating results in, well, more losses. Look, I'm no coach, and I'm sure that the Blues' coaches see this...scratch that. I don't know that they see this. I'm sure that video coach, Jaime Compon, who is universally respected for his skills, he sees it. Maybe even the assistant coaches see it. Maybe even Kitchen sees it. But either they cannot get it through to these guys or they are not saying the right things at the right times. This team lacks confidence. I don't know if it's a lack of confidence in each other, their coaches, or what. But a confident team wouldn't be shrinking, trying to protect a one goal lead.

Someone's gotta go in the hot box soon, because hazing is the only thing we have left to use. Someone better start getting hazed!

More on that in Saturday's column.

T-Shirts Are Cool

I've got an unbelievable merch company on the line now, so we're gonna get some great gear soon. These guys are a DIY outfit geared towards punk rock bands and they have some really great stuff. Their attitude is like ours, and I think we're a gtreat fit. Like I said to them, hockey fans are like punk rock fans. It's a small base, but it is loyal.

More news as it becomes available.

An Offer for YOU!

Despite the fact that I go in to every game after we're done selling, I do not have season tickets. So, I end up scrounging every time. Usually it works out fine, but I want to throw this out to you.

If you have a ticket you want to unload and you don't want to deal with the scalpers, I will trade you that night's GT for your extra. I only need one, and attendance being what it is, I don't care about the location of the seat. Simply take your extra to the NE corner of 14th & Clark (the streets, not the bar) and talk to my vendor John. Tell John that you have Gallagher's ticket and he'll tell you one of two things:
1. Great, here's your paper.
2. Sorry, man, already got one.

I'm not in the ticket re-sale business, so I don't want anything else. First come, first papered.

Random Thoughts

-Still not ready to call Gamache a player. That's just how I am. Plus, I'm still bitter that the Blues took him instead of Hainsey.
-Tkachuk has six points in his last two games and there are still tons of people who can't wait to trade him, despite his statements that he loves it here and wants to stay here until he retires. What more do you turbo-negative dicks want? He is trying to do it all himself. He is saying all the right things. He wants to win. He's willing to stay with a craptacular team to try to turn it around. You slobs who want to wallow, feel free. Feel sorry for yourselves as fans. Blame Tkachuk for everything that is wrong here. You're pointing at the wrong guy.
-Any guy who is mostly pasty, smokes and wears a lot of black? Call him Nigel. It's funny as hell for some reason and he'll hate it.

Isles v Blues

I will never make a mid-game post about how the Blues are making a comeback again. I swear.

Boy, sometimes when I write the front page to the paper and I'm trying to figure out the match up, I look at good players who are struggling. For tonight's game, I figured the injury to Kvasha would put Mike York into a good spot to redeem himself. Mark Parrish and Trent Hunter have the ability to score and Parrish has played well lately. So, York goes out and puts up five points out of the six goals they scored tonight. Damn. I thought he might have a good game and put up some points, but I didn't know he'd take advantage of a weak Blues team to go for personal records.

Was I the only person who found the Matt Walker v Arron Asham 'fight' hilarious? Asham checked Walker from behind in a fairly dangerous move. Then, when Walker dropped the gloves and went after him, Asham could clearly be seen yelling something to Walker. What he was yelping about is that he couldn't legally thow a punch because he had tape on his hands from some injury. If he threw even one punch, it's an automatic "Puttin' on the foil, coach" penalty and suspension.

Walker didn't seem to care, as he kept bombing away at the ducking and screaming Asham. Y'know what? When you check me from behind, you're gonna get blasted. If you have tape on your hand? Even better. Because now I can fire away with abandon. I wish the rest of the team was as fiery as Walker. Yes, he makes mistakes due to the way he leads with his emotions. But what more could we ask from a team that is going to get killed a lot this year? If the team finishes last, and it's starting to look like a very good possibilty, we might as well ice a team that skates hard and hits harder. The new kid, Dallman, got into a fight tonight, which is not his role. I think that's a smart move for him. He's already been effectively cut from another team this year by hitting the waiver wire. He'd better do everything in his power to make his name known, or it could happen again.

Would a team full of youngster forwards who skate like crazy and a blueline of youngster defensemen who hit everything that moves put more butts in seats? I bet the answer is yes.

I know that Eric Weinrich is becoming my postermanchild for the things that are wrong with this team, but here we go again. In order to not offend everyone who still loves Kurt Warner around this town, and therefore must somehow love Weinrich, the guy is ready for the scrap heap.

Like Warner, Weinrich still has skills. He's just not right for this team anymore. He's old and he's taking minutes away from a youngster who could be filling that spot. Trade him to a team that appreciates the shooting-range yellow visor and get some underachieving youngster or a draft pick for him. Bring up some kid from Peoria who could make this team some day. Hell, even if he's just a placeholder but he hits hard, bring him up.

Honestly, if we dumped Weinrich and brought Doug Lynch and/or Jeff Woywitka back up, would we lose games 6-3 or like 8-3? Would it matter?

As long as I'm callin' fellas out, and I am, it wouldn't break my blue-pumping heart to wake up tomorrow to hear that Scott Young, Dean McAmmond, Peter Cajanek, Eric Boguniecki or Mike Sillinger had been traded. Honestly, they are all good hockey guys and if our team was competitive, they'd be key extra players that would make our team bridge the gap from great to dangerous. But this team is not dangerous. This team is barely even worrisome. So, while Sillinger has been a good soldier and done everything asked of him (plus some), and McAmmond seems to be the only guy who really wants to score some nights, and I can't help but like Young because of my memories from when he was here the first time playing with Turgeon, the time has come.

Show me more Petr Sejna. Make him be good. Force him. Show me more Jay McClement. He has to be able to do something. Is Jon DiSalvatore just an AHL scorer, or could he pot some with a guy like Weight on his line? Give me more of Dutchie. Stempniak can make some things happen out there. Give him some ice.

By the way, I cannot begin to explain how strange it was to hear a complete stranger call the kid 'Dutchie' for the first time. We are an army. Small, but ferocious.

But my point remains. If this team has to suck, suck with purpose. Be the swashbuckling pirates of the waiver wire seas. Any kid who has ever shown promise or hands, grab him. Dump a vet in his place. Every kid who throws the body with abandon, bring him up.

And Patrick Lalime? We all know that he's not about to turn the corner. We know that he's not about to reach that magical age when goalies go from good to dominant. We know that once a game the officials have to grab a beachball out of the net that has been thrown from the stands and somehow eluded him. Let's dump that guy like the five year old mayonaise you find in the community fridge at work. His best days are behind him. Maybe he can end up backing up Olie Kolzig in Washington. Wait, Brent Johnson already has that job.

Look, I don't care how it gets done, just make room. We have Curtis Sanford who has shown the ability to be good against bad teams. Jason Bacashihua is in Peoria and could be the real deal someday. Why can't he get a taste today?

If I'm paying $55 a seat, and I'm not (but I'm paying $10 to scalpers and sneaking down to the $55 range), I'd rather see a team lose with effort than a team lose and look like the game has left them behind. When your team is FULL of reclamation projects, IT is a reclamation project. When your team is full of young, hungry kids, your team is young and hungry. Which one would you rather market?

So, that's my point again.

Notice that I didn't mention Tkachuk or Weight or Drake. There's a reason for each.

Tkachuk is truly dominant and is falling into the leadership role. He can still put up points against even good teams. I still believe in Tkachuk. Even if some people are hell-bent on talking about how bad the trade was for the Blues (I'd do more here, but you can find it in a previous post below). Hell-bent on blaming his acquisition on Nancy Laurie and not Larry Pleau. Hell-bent on how bad he's been in the playoffs. Tkachuk is expensive, yes. Next year he's a relative bargain. And he wants to be here. He scores goals. Goals win game. He scores goals. Keep him.

Weight would be a great playmaker to help other youngsters tally points. I think he's gone at some point, but now isn't the time. I really believe that he gets traded at the deadline to a contender. Maybe that's when the Blues get something good for him, but not now they don't. I'd go into more here, but I have a whole column on this at stlouisgametime.com under the editor articles, you can see it there.

And Drake, well, Drake could get traded at the deadline, too. I hope he doesn't, but he probably will. The guy is a warrior and that's why he should stay. The youngsters need a guide. They need a guy who will not accept excuses. They need a guy who shows you that sometime you have to get your nose broken for the team. Again. Dallas is that guy. I'd launch into a Drake for President diatribe here to highlight how his type of grittiness and unquestioned heart would be good for this country, but he's a Canadian and never went to freakin' Yale to join the Skull and Bones, so he's out anyway.

If Drake gets traded, that team becomes my playoff team. Unless, of course he goes to the Wings. In which case my head would spontaneously explode.

Odds and Ends. More Blues Stuff Later Tonight.

I wasn't sure about posting my football picks, but it worked out to be good luck for me. Got the Upset Lock, missed only three games and won for the week. Hmmm.

Islanders v Blues just got interesting as Tkachuk buried one. We'll have to see. I have a good feeling about the Rangers game. It might be well attended and might, just might, remind us of what it was like when that building used to be full.

Looks like we got another wiseass on the staff, as Brad Lee writes for GT for the first time tonight. Anyone who can get a Towel Boy blast and call for jihad on the Cotton Eyed Joe guy in the same article is a guy I want on the team.

The Rink Rat looks to be a dead column, as my former columnist has gone unaccounted for. His spot will be replaced by Chris Moresi, Brad Lee and others as space permits. You can find the Moresi and Lee stuff in the Rink Rat section on the main page. I will be updating new articles the day after game days. Can't give it away for free, y'know. If you want the stuff early, you gotta subscribe. Email sales@stlouisgametime for email subscriptions. You know its worth it.

More rambling later tonight.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I know that it seems like I'm completely obsessed with hockey. Well, I am. But, I also find time to ignore my family on Sunday (when there are usually only like two NHL games on) by watching the NFL go to work.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I grew up a suffering Bear fan, and then became a Ram fan in accordance with ordinance STL8c56.67t-7: Chicagoans Relocating to St. Louis. The ordinance requires that, while not dropping alliance with the Bears (due to the large number of fans in St. Louis and So-Ill thanks to the Crapinals Football team that once played here and the absence of any football for eight years after they left), still requires allegiance to the local affiliate. The ordinance has some tricky language concerning the Cardinals/Cubs and virtually no mention of the White Sox (of course, even Chicago barely recognizes the ChiSox, even after the WS win). There is a codicil about the Bulls v Hawks, but most of that is largely considered archaic. I imagine that it'll come up in some meeting, but not until the new owners buy the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets and move them to Gateway City.

But, I digress. I participate in a NFL pool where everyone picks the winner of each game against the spread. Against the spread being the key phrase. Picking winners isn't easy, but it's not nearly as hard as picking against the odds that the devils in Vegas make it. On top of that, you are allowed to select one "Lock" and one "Upset" pick. The Lock is your "can't miss" pick. That team WILL cover. If you hit your Lock, you get an extra two points. If you miss, you lose two points. Your Upset also garners you two points. Missing the Upset doesn't hurt you.

Bottom line, at this point of the year, there are 16 games every week, so a perfect week would be 20 points. Winners usually net around 13-15. Hitting the Lock and Upset usually puts you in the running. Blowing the Lock means you're out for the week.

Since most hockey fans have at least some passing interest in football, here are my picks for the week. By the way, I'm damn near the bottom of the pile this year, picking at a 45% rate against the spread, but the got-damn Locks have been killing me. In fact, I didn't pick a Lock right for five weeks, when I finally fell onto Pats over Falcons. I followed that with an good one on an inexplicable Raiders Lock against the Titans (I hate that team) in week eight and a Chargers over Saints Lock (OT, unbelievably) in week 12. That's it. Three Locks in 12 weeks. No wonder I'm a bottom feeder. The blown Locks are even more amazing that the ones I hit. Rams v 49ers seemed like a, well, Lock until the Rams fielded the opening kickoff with one foot out of bounds on their own 1 yard line. Doh! After that it's a roster of bad decisions and non-covering jackasses. Taking the Ravens v Titans in week 2. Taking the Chiefs (and a bunch of points) v Broncos. The Bengals by 7 over the craptastic Texans [still burns me]. The list goes on and on.

Anyway, here are my picks for the week, and the flawed logic that Vegas is counting on.

Falcons at Panthers (-3). I'm taking the Falcons, despite the grass on the road. I've seen the Panthers play like, once in the last four years. Jake Delhomme looks like the gym teacher at my high school who was a rumored coke addict. So, I'm going with Mike Vick and the ATL running game against the Coach Coke stunt double and quiet Steve Smith.

Bills at Dolphins (-4). If there is any team I know less about than the Dolphins, it's the Bills. What I do know is that neither of these teams have a quarterback that ever make headlines except for those that start, "[QB] Can't Rally Team Late." Four points seems huge for these two, but it could also be a rout. In the end, I'm going with the Bills and MaGahee in the town where he starred in college over the supereior coaching of Saban v Mularkey. By the way, how much confidence can you have in a coach named Mularkey? I mean, it's a term your grandparents used, but still, it's hardly a confidence inspiring surname. Mike Killer or Mike Executioner is going to have a better record than a Mike Mularkey, all other things being equal. I guarantee it.

Bengals at Steelers (-3.5). The Gals. These guys are Colts Light and the Colts beat these guys by 19. I'm guessing the Le Tigre come up with at least a 7 point win. I'm so confident on this one, that I'm doubling up my special points situations and taking the Gals as my Upset-Lock. I think that they'll win outright, mainly because Rudi Johnson will keep 'em honest, while Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson go Peyton-Rodney on them. Did you hear the story about how they drove to an Indy together? Of course you did. It's the most over-played story since saints tight end Ernie Conwell bought a Katrina victim an engagement ring for his girlfriend. Enough, already.

Cowboys at Giants (-3). I forgot to mention that my pool has no push, so a 3 point win on a 3 point spread is a winner. This game is a field goal game. At home, I'm taking the Giants. In Dallas, I probably go the other way on this.

Packers at Bears (-7). Soldier Field now looks like a UFO smashed into it. That doesn't mean jack shite when it comes down to this: the Bears and their fans hate the Packers more than anything. Bear fans would be OK with a 2-14 season as long as the two wins were against Green Bay. The Packers suck so bad this year that you can actually get tickets to a game in Lambeau. But this game isn't in Lambeau. It's in Alien Soldier Field, and it's going to be loud in there. And Lovie Smith and Brian Urlacher and the rest of the defense will be great. Kyle Orton and the rest of the offense will be safe/adequate and the Bears will walk away with a seven point win.

Texans at Ravens (-8). Houston could have had their last good breath stolen from them by the Rammies last week, but they aren't giving up an 8 pt loss to the "What's offense" Ravens. Even on the road. Tejas, bay-be.

Jags (-3) at Browns. This was a no-brainer until soon-to-be-McNair got hurt (again). Can't his linemen just carry him around like they had to in college? I'm taking the Brownies, just because I know how crazy that stadium can get during crappy games. I'll regret this one when the replacement kid goes Fitzpatrick on us and wins the game with his arm.

Vikings (-3) v Lions. As a Central Division kid, I'm just hoping that both teams lose. Barring that, I'm going with the Vikings, who are using old-ass Brad Johnson to play young-ass Kyle Orton safe football and win close games by not having Daunte Culpepper throw 5 picks a game.

Bucs (-3.5) at Saints. Saying that the Bucs are AT the Saints is like saying Katrina kinda screwed up the Superdome. The Saints had one good emotion game in them, and that was the first game of the year. These guys suck and their QB Aaron Brooks, as mediocre as he is, is still one of the most over-rated QBs in the game. What's his killed-my-team to saved-my-team ratio? Got to be at least 5-1. Bucs fo-shizzle. In fact, this one was damn near my Lock. Hell, after this week, I might Lock the Saints' opponents the rest of the way.

Titans at Colts (-15). This used to be a good game. I would have taken the points on this until I saw the Steeler game. Colts.

Cardinals (-3) at 49ers. Look, I understand that the Niners can get squirelly. I also know that they can surprise teams who look past them (Rams/Seahawks). But come on, Kurt Warner, who God and Brenda and Kevin Slaten clearly want to win, knows he's playing for a contract right now. Warner knows that if he gets benched or plays crappy the rest of the way, he is done in the NFL as a starter. He'll be the vet backup for another couple years and then he's on the downhill slope from back up to clipboard holder to motivational speaker to assistant financial advisor to Sunday school teacher to grocery store checker. Leaving him one step ahead of where his Cinderella story started. How bad would it suck to be his bag boy? Anyway, for today, I'm taking him and the Cards.

Skins v Rams (-3). Going with the "Rams at home, opponent on the road" scheme here. More interesting than the game is the Over/Under on the times you hear the name "Harvard" during the TV broacast. I'm saying it's at least 14 times.

Broncos (-1) at Chiefs. This division eats itself alive. Too much offense on both teams, and with KC at home, I'm going with the Chefs. Great googeley moogeley. Plus, while the Broncos get the Mile High oxygen advantage in Denver, the KC boys get the Barbeque Lung effect their opponents have to counter.

Jets at Pats (-10). Ok, the Jets are so bad that even Testeverde has been signed and benched, but this isn't a Patriots team that can beat anyone by 10 anymore. seriously. Even when they were good and had a secondary they didn't beat anyone by ten. Jets (points).

Raiders at Chargers (-11) . Eleven is a weird number, but Kerry Collins has underthrown more balls to a wide open Randy Moss than a newby porn star has under... y'know, I'm gonna let that one go. Bottom line, the Raiders are not good and the Chargers would LOVE to stick one to them in SD. Plus, LaDainian is good for two scores himself.

Seahawks (-4) v Eagles. This had potential like six weeks ago. Now the only real concern is whether the hawks can win on the road or not. They always seem to blow up away from Seattle, plus they blow up at home a lot too. Who wins, the Seahawks, or the opponent of the Suicidal Seahawks? This feels like the "Want To Live" Seahawks.

So, there you go. Absolutely do not bet anything based on this, because I know way more about hockey than football, and Vegas knows lines better than me. Go Bears, go Rams.

Did you hear that our QB went to Harvard?

Dot Freakin' Com

Finally the website has gotten to a point where I'm comfortable promoting it. I know a bunch of you have found this blog, probably in spite of the spartan website, but now I hope we'll start to see even more traffic. Hell, one of my editor articles has damn near 200 hits on it and it's been up for less than 24 hours. And despite what Gifter might think, I didn't fire that up 198 times to inflate my own ego. I swear.

The sequencing on some of the arties is messed up, but that'll be fixed soon. My webmonster is enjoying some Rn'R in Columbia this weekend, and after busting his tail to get this thing looking right by the weekend, I can't wish him anything but a good time. I'll bug his internet savvy ass on Sunday when he's all hungover, hungry (despite not being able to even look at food) and sweating (despite the fact that he isn't wearing anything other than a t-shirt and shorts). I'm sure I'll have his utmost attention. Ah, Columbia, siren song of the big partier. Driving down, you know you're going to have fun. Driving back, your soul hurts, you don't remember too much to confirm all the fun, and you keep tasting chilli when you burp.

Anyway, the site is getting to where we want it to go. I hope you all enjoy catching up on the articles that you missed when you weren't at the game. Remember *plug alert*, you can subscribe for cheap and get this all on game days, when it's hot. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until after the games to see what we have. Plus, it's good for your personal karma to subscribe and help out a struggling DIY publisher.

So, Now We're That Kind Of Loss.

After losing in a very poor effort against the Blues last night, the 29th place Jackets have sent seven players to the AHL affiliate in Syracuse. A demotion in anyone's book, the C-Bus GM Doug Mclean tried to put a bow on the crappiest present ever by saying that the youngsters were going down because the BJs don't play for a week and that'll keep them from getting rusty. Riiight. Because everyone knows that it's the youngsters that get rusty when they get time off. Not the old guys. No, old guys are excited just to be in the building and jump right in.

No, actually this is a message to the youngsters, especially Nik Zherdev and Dan Fritsche, that if they don't start playing like they are interested, they'll be riding buses for the next six months. The other guys that went down are minor league type players (what's a Motzko and how did you get it?) or guys who are between levels, like goalie Pascal Leclaire. The heir apparent to the Columbus crease, Leclaire has been too good in the AHL to keep down, but not quite good enough to be the starter in Ohio.

No, the message isn't for those guys. McLean is sending a message straight to Zherdev, and an oblique threat to Fritsche. Get your shit in one bag, or the good life becomes a dream again. For Fritsche, it's a quick reminder of life as a college hockey player. The parties are still pretty great and the ladies love the guy with the black eye, but riding buses to go play in falling down buildings flat out sucks.

For Zherdev, the message will be clearer, even through his translator Sasha: you are starting to suck. Wake-ov up-ov.

Zherdev has played for elite money/government teams in Russia and then the NHL club ever since he turned teenager. Riding buses and living in crappy motels and carrying your own gear is not something he has had to do since the days before pubes (BP). But I'll bet that if he comes back up next week when the Jackets play the Isles on Thursday and he looks as uninterested as he did against the Note yesterday, that kid is off to upstate New York later that night.

But back to my point. It's a sad state of affairs when your team becomes that team. The team that when you lose to them 4-1, the GM pulls his head out of his Tanqueray martini and says, "I might just lose my job if I don't do something."

Remember back in those heady days of the last NHL season, and every season before that, when the Blues would lose to a team like, say the Jackets? Everyone would be outraged the next day. "How did we lose to those minor leaguers. That team blows. If we can't beat them, then the coach just can't reach these players anymore!"

Great, now we're that team. Hell, even the freakin' Jackets consider us to be that team.

Sigh. I started a paper this year, why?

An Update

I forgot to mention my favorite comment about the improved website. Seconds after handing me a complimentary Busch beer (must have gone on the Chris Gift Industries corporate credit card), I got the second most backhanded compliment I've ever received.

Gift: I like the website, it looks good.

Me: Thanks, we've been cranking on it to get it updated this week.

Gift: Yeah, every link goes to your weblog, you egomaniac.

Thank you, goodnight.

Blue Jackets v Blues

Finally winning a game they are supposed to win, the Blues looked like the hardworking team that has been advertised this year. Of course, the Jackets played just last night in Minnesota before travelling here over night. They also lost Manny Malhotra and Gilbert Brule to injury last night and played some guys named Joe Motzko and Geoff Platt in their place. Zherdev still looks uninterested and Fedorov is still ineffective. On top of that, the goalie, Pascal Leclaire played his first back-to-back games in the NHL.

So, the Blues are supposed to win that one. But, there were some positives to take away from the game on top of the two points.

One, that Wideman kid looks like he's settling in. Got his first NHL goal and looked solid defensively. As I've admitted before, I don't follow Blues' prospects much, but this kid strikes me as a player who could stick here. Of course, I keep saying that about Peter Sejna, too, and he's back in Peoria again.

Two, Dallas Drake made the fans at the rink get on their feet and scream their guts out during a penalty kill. He blocked several shots, all of them blistering, and was seemingly killing that 5-on-3 by himself. That's the Captain. That's the guy I was telling you about. I hope he can keep it up and make my post from a couple days ago the kind of thing I deny having written.

Three, Simon Gamache got his first goal of the year in his first game wearing the Note. After I've been bashing him for three straight days. As I told my buddy, #8, tonight at the game, I'm not ready change my stance on him yet. He's got to score more than one goal for me to switch from 'fourth liner' to 'offensive spark'. It's just a rule I have.

Four, Tkachuk with three points tonight and he played well with Weight. I still believe that he'd be better off with Cajanek and Weight would help keep McAmmond productive. Barring that, I'll just be happy to say that I saw Tkachuk looking dominant again. Against the Jackets, yes, but still, he was dominant.

Now, the Blues have a few days off, as the next game isn't until Tuesday against the Islanders. Because of the new scheduling, this is the last time we'll see the Islanders for three years, so expect the crowd to contain every transplanted LonGilandah who lives within 300 miles in the building. Since there won't be much Blues news unless the current rumors about a pending sale come true, I'll try to get some new content here for you. Which reminds me....

Game Time News

The website is getting better every day. I know from the hit counters that people are looking for more articles and I will have them up shortly. In fact, I expect the first items will get on there starting Friday night. My webmonster has been busting his tail to get us to where we are, and I highly recommend his services. His link is on the bottom of the homepage if you need web services.

Anyway, look for our archived articles to start hitting the site throughout the weekend, followed soon by our message board, where you can slam me, bitch about the Blues or just troll for trouble with my writers, who will be checking in there often.

In other news, Game Time subscriptions are available by email for those of you who like what we do, but don't get to every home game. When you subscribe, you get an email on game days a couple hours before the puck drops. The email will have an Adobe Acrobat attachment that you can download for the game. The file is exactly what is sold at the games. The cost for the rest of the season is a bargain basement $56. Playoff issues will be free. Insert your own joke here.

Hard copy subscriptions are also available, but they are slightly more expensive due to printing and mailing costs. They are also slightly less useful, as they won't arrive until a couple days after the game is played, since our issues aren't completed until game day. But, the option is still available. Email gallagher@stlouisgametime.com if you are interested in a subscription.

Thanks for all the support, check the website this weekend for stories, and hope for another one of those euphorious two-game win streaks come Tuesday.

Later skaters.