Mayday!

So I've been a lazy blogger. I've been reading and writing other things and bored out of my mind. Unemployment doesn't suit me at all. I'm really looking forward to going back to school next month just to have something to do. Anyway on to hockey-related thoughts.

I'm not going to lie. When the Sabres lost 4 in a row I was starting to worry they were falling into old habits, but they've pulled out. Kudos to LaLime for his win over Chicago of all teams. I have much more confidence in our back-up than I did before. I'd like to take a moment and reflect on back-up goalies. A few years ago I met John Blue, former back-up for the Sabres (and the Bruins) at a church-planting conference run by The Chapel. He is now working with a new church in Orange County, California. I definitely didn't expect to meet a former Sabre there, but it was cool. After one session which was held over Buffalo wings the guys from my church and I were talking with him. One of the guys from my church brought up hockey, and Mr. Blue mentioned how as a back up goalie they have to be ready for anything. They never know when they will be called up to jump in the middle of a game due to an injury or start with very little notice. Yet if a back-up loses a couple games then all confidence in them can be easily lost. I never really thought of what kind of nerves they must have to fight before that. But think about it -- a good back-up is easily forgotten. They come in for a game or too and if they are good they win them or at least keep it close, yet no one will remember the good back-ups because if they were really good then they'd be a starter. It is assumed that a back-up isn't that great. On the other side of the coin a bad back-up goalie is remembered for being, well, bad. Why did Lindy Ruff fide Miller so much last year? Because we had no faith in LaLime. I'm very glad that LaLime has improved and I think he can become a very dependable, (and, unfortunately, forgettable) back-up.

How great is it to see different guys stepping up? Hank has double his goals from last season already, which rocks. Who really expected Kaleta to have 2 goals in a game and get us a win the other night? Certainly not this guy. It's great to see our rookie defenseman getting in on the scoring action as well. Yes, I know, the top six need to contribute more, but it's refreshing for me to see more guys stepping up that Goose and Miller. Granted my perspective on last season is a bit skewed since I had very very limited internet access last season (it still blows my mind that I actually had a more dependable connection in Iraq than I did at the posts I was at for training before then). Mid-November to the week before Christmas last year was a total loss for following the team, but it seemed that when I would check in on the Sabres it was the same comments from bloggers (and at times Miller and Goose as well) about lack of effort and how 2 guys were carrying the team. This year more guys are stepping up in enough ways to pull wins out of games that would have been lost last year.

Finally the reason for the title of the post. I was looking up funny pictures today and this one just made me think "What in the world is going on here?" It's one of those 1 in a billion shots where you can't help but think "That is the most awkwardly timed picture ever."


That's certainly not how I remember Brad May. For more entertaining sports pics go here

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.