I sit here yearning for the start of hockey so I have something to discuss. As I perused my daily readings of Sabres blogs I found I missed an entry from The Goose's Roost with a link to pics of The Aud. This in turn sent me looking for some You Tube videos. So here you go.
Enjoy.
28 August, 2008
21 August, 2008
I Men's Field Hockey semifinal game between Germany and The Netherlands came down to a shootout penalty shots. This is the semi-finals in the Olympics, and they can't come up with anything better? At least the NHL knows enough to ditch the shoot-out for sudden death overtimes in the play-offs. (For the record I agree with the notion that the NHL should make 10 minute sudden-death OTs with a tie given if no goal is scored. I know that at least Heather agrees with me on this one, and many others agree, but she's the only one where I can easily find the URL for the link)
Well, I missed a week. I was going to give my thoughts on Teppo's contract once they were released, but I got busy then figured most people had expressed my opinion (in a nutshell it's a good deal for a veteran with a lot of experience to pass along.) Then I was visiting friends in WNY, and proceeded to visit the Philly area for a while. I figure I owe you all something about why I love hockey and a few things about myself.
I love how quickly a game can swing. You can go 2 periods of being ahead, even be up by 2 or 3 goals, then suddenly in five minutes it's tied or you're losing. It's a game where no one can afford to let their guard down. One missed assignment can lead to a devastating goal (as we Sabres fans have seen many, many times this past season). It's a game where even with 10 or 7 seconds left you are never safe if you're only ahead by one. In baseball there's a measure of safety and comfort when you're ahead. Sure there can be an inning where the other team rallies, but you know that you'll have your chance next. Basketball often has run-away scores. I've tuned into the end of enough basketball games to know that the momentum shifts take longer in basketball. Football just takes too long with its constant pauses in the action. But in hockey you have such a fluid game that can change in less than five seconds. One missed assignment and someone has a shot to catch the goalie out of position. One quick poke check and you have a breakaway. And one stupid move and you have a powerplay opportunity.
Now a few things about myself. (1-25)
1. I'm the 3rd of 5 kids, and the first 4 of us are boys.
2. Both my older brothers are married and have kids. My oldest brother has 4 kids, and the next has 2 kids.
3. I lived in the same house until I moved to college. My parents have lived there for almost 28 years.
4. I am in the National Guard.
5. My maternal grandpa is 92 years old, and my maternal grandma is 84
6. Growing up we had a dog, a duck (well, more than one, just one at a time), a parakeet, a quaker parrot, hermit crabs, fish, a turtle, and cats.
7. I'm a Christian.
8. I'm working towards becoming a chaplain. I still need to get my master's degree, then I plan on going active duty.
9. I'm going to be deploying soon. I start my stateside training before the pre-season starts, but I should still be able to go to at least one game this year.
10. Since I live outside of WNY I have to listen to most games on WGR's website.
11. I'm currently single but not really looking.
12. I usually weigh about 8 pound more in the winter than the summer since I'm far less active.
13. I don't own a TV right now.
14. My favorite foods are Beef on Weck, REAL Buffalo Wings, and Steak and Potatoes.
15. I have seen an open heart surgery. It was really neat, and I was staring over the sheet into the chest cavity when the patient's heart started beating again.
16. My favorite color is green.
17. My favorite holiday is Easter.
18. I call the day after Halloween "Candy Day" because I usually buy a lot of candy when it's half-off.
20. One of my hobbies is running sound stuff. I'm running sound for a friend's wedding next week.
21. My favorite thing to order from Burger King is the Rodeo Cheezburger.
22. I hate tomatoes and ketchup, but love BBQ sause.
23. I still try to see the falls at least once a year. I've been very successful the past few years.
24. I took 2 semester of Biblical Hebrew, which is slightly different from Modern Hebrew.
25. I own an antique rifle. It's a Russian M-44 from 1944, and my unit has one of the exact same model they captured in WWII in a display case in our armory. It's the first and only firearm I own.
I love how quickly a game can swing. You can go 2 periods of being ahead, even be up by 2 or 3 goals, then suddenly in five minutes it's tied or you're losing. It's a game where no one can afford to let their guard down. One missed assignment can lead to a devastating goal (as we Sabres fans have seen many, many times this past season). It's a game where even with 10 or 7 seconds left you are never safe if you're only ahead by one. In baseball there's a measure of safety and comfort when you're ahead. Sure there can be an inning where the other team rallies, but you know that you'll have your chance next. Basketball often has run-away scores. I've tuned into the end of enough basketball games to know that the momentum shifts take longer in basketball. Football just takes too long with its constant pauses in the action. But in hockey you have such a fluid game that can change in less than five seconds. One missed assignment and someone has a shot to catch the goalie out of position. One quick poke check and you have a breakaway. And one stupid move and you have a powerplay opportunity.
Now a few things about myself. (1-25)
1. I'm the 3rd of 5 kids, and the first 4 of us are boys.
2. Both my older brothers are married and have kids. My oldest brother has 4 kids, and the next has 2 kids.
3. I lived in the same house until I moved to college. My parents have lived there for almost 28 years.
4. I am in the National Guard.
5. My maternal grandpa is 92 years old, and my maternal grandma is 84
6. Growing up we had a dog, a duck (well, more than one, just one at a time), a parakeet, a quaker parrot, hermit crabs, fish, a turtle, and cats.
7. I'm a Christian.
8. I'm working towards becoming a chaplain. I still need to get my master's degree, then I plan on going active duty.
9. I'm going to be deploying soon. I start my stateside training before the pre-season starts, but I should still be able to go to at least one game this year.
10. Since I live outside of WNY I have to listen to most games on WGR's website.
11. I'm currently single but not really looking.
12. I usually weigh about 8 pound more in the winter than the summer since I'm far less active.
13. I don't own a TV right now.
14. My favorite foods are Beef on Weck, REAL Buffalo Wings, and Steak and Potatoes.
15. I have seen an open heart surgery. It was really neat, and I was staring over the sheet into the chest cavity when the patient's heart started beating again.
16. My favorite color is green.
17. My favorite holiday is Easter.
18. I call the day after Halloween "Candy Day" because I usually buy a lot of candy when it's half-off.
20. One of my hobbies is running sound stuff. I'm running sound for a friend's wedding next week.
21. My favorite thing to order from Burger King is the Rodeo Cheezburger.
22. I hate tomatoes and ketchup, but love BBQ sause.
23. I still try to see the falls at least once a year. I've been very successful the past few years.
24. I took 2 semester of Biblical Hebrew, which is slightly different from Modern Hebrew.
25. I own an antique rifle. It's a Russian M-44 from 1944, and my unit has one of the exact same model they captured in WWII in a display case in our armory. It's the first and only firearm I own.
08 August, 2008
No Hard Feelings...
Welcome Back, Teppo!
The defense man has signed with the Sabres for another season. I'm looking forward to what he brings to the team in terms of veteran experience (all those "intangibles," as much as I have come to loathe that buzzword), though we all know it will be an adjustment after missing almost all of last season. But hey, now we have a feel-good story!
EDIT: Well, of the Sabres blog I read I am apparently the first to mention this, proving that I need to get off my butt and go do something else.
The defense man has signed with the Sabres for another season. I'm looking forward to what he brings to the team in terms of veteran experience (all those "intangibles," as much as I have come to loathe that buzzword), though we all know it will be an adjustment after missing almost all of last season. But hey, now we have a feel-good story!
EDIT: Well, of the Sabres blog I read I am apparently the first to mention this, proving that I need to get off my butt and go do something else.
06 August, 2008
Well, I'm around for now with regular internet access! That means you get to read my ramblings on a more regular basis. I knew when I started this blog that I wouldn't have great access during the summer. But I figured if I could post relatively regularly through the summer then the season shouldn't be any problem at all. My summer plans did get changed, but I did an almost decent job.
Now onto some hockey related ramblings. As of right now both Teppo Numinem and Nolan Pratt are unsigned UFAs. Earlier this summer there was talk that Teppo was still interested in another season with the Sabres. I'd love to see him play as I think his veteran leadership will help the defense out quite a bit. Of course the is a bit of a question as to whether or not he'll be able to keep up since he missed all of the last season recovering from open heart surgery, but there are still the intangibles he brings -- after years of play he's got great instincts. As for Pratt I'm more ambivalent since I didn't actually get to watch a lot of games last season. (Although I did listen to many of them thanks to WGR's webfeed).
One of the many things I love about hockey are the goalies. Here in Buffalo we have been spoiled with great goalies for almost as long as I can remember. When I was in upper elementary and middle school, and even my freshman year of college one name was synonymous with the the Sabres -- Dominick Hasek. Even those of us who sucked at sports still would go outside in the winter and pretend to copy his moves. Although I have since learned that his style is not the norm, for those of us who grew up as Sabres fans the Dominator's style was the only style.
After he left Buffalo, causing many of us to hate him in process, Buffalo wondered who could replace his big skates. Marty Biron stepped up, though we still sucked. Yet not every year with Hasek was a play-off year as many of us remembered. After the lockout a young star decided to buck the trend, and we got to see the stylings of on Ryan Miller. For a while we even enjoyed two co-starters sharing the goal. Now we have pinned our hopes for the next 6 seasons on Miller.
So here's to Buffalo's goalies, past and present. I have omitted other great Buffalo goalies since they were really before my time.
Here's a little something else about me. I enjoy running sound. It's become a hobby of mine. I started my freshman year of college helping another guy run sound for a youth ministry, and eventually took over that position and I ran sound for my church in Scranton for a couple years. I'm even running sound for a friend's wedding later this month. (no pressure there, haha) I'm starting to buy my own sound equipment now, though I only have a mixer and some odd cables. I'd like to eventually own my a small sound system.
Now onto some hockey related ramblings. As of right now both Teppo Numinem and Nolan Pratt are unsigned UFAs. Earlier this summer there was talk that Teppo was still interested in another season with the Sabres. I'd love to see him play as I think his veteran leadership will help the defense out quite a bit. Of course the is a bit of a question as to whether or not he'll be able to keep up since he missed all of the last season recovering from open heart surgery, but there are still the intangibles he brings -- after years of play he's got great instincts. As for Pratt I'm more ambivalent since I didn't actually get to watch a lot of games last season. (Although I did listen to many of them thanks to WGR's webfeed).
One of the many things I love about hockey are the goalies. Here in Buffalo we have been spoiled with great goalies for almost as long as I can remember. When I was in upper elementary and middle school, and even my freshman year of college one name was synonymous with the the Sabres -- Dominick Hasek. Even those of us who sucked at sports still would go outside in the winter and pretend to copy his moves. Although I have since learned that his style is not the norm, for those of us who grew up as Sabres fans the Dominator's style was the only style.
After he left Buffalo, causing many of us to hate him in process, Buffalo wondered who could replace his big skates. Marty Biron stepped up, though we still sucked. Yet not every year with Hasek was a play-off year as many of us remembered. After the lockout a young star decided to buck the trend, and we got to see the stylings of on Ryan Miller. For a while we even enjoyed two co-starters sharing the goal. Now we have pinned our hopes for the next 6 seasons on Miller.
So here's to Buffalo's goalies, past and present. I have omitted other great Buffalo goalies since they were really before my time.
Here's a little something else about me. I enjoy running sound. It's become a hobby of mine. I started my freshman year of college helping another guy run sound for a youth ministry, and eventually took over that position and I ran sound for my church in Scranton for a couple years. I'm even running sound for a friend's wedding later this month. (no pressure there, haha) I'm starting to buy my own sound equipment now, though I only have a mixer and some odd cables. I'd like to eventually own my a small sound system.
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