Agreed. It's the same with baseball. I can see why they want to get the fans involved, but the entry to play in an All-Star game should be done by stats. You have to earn it by actually being a star! Then maybe have a few wild card spots that the fans can vote for.Originally Posted by Yves
Meh.
In hockey, it's no big deal. It's an exhibition game for fans, and doesn't mean anything, so I'm fine with it.
Baseball, on the other hand, has to change. Bud Selig, in one of his dumber moves (and that's really saying something), decided that the All-Star Game has to count, and screwed-up everything.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Sometimes (when the Leafs or Habs are visiting) that's the way it looks in OttawaThe wearing of Leafs shirts will be banned at all Leafs games. Only people wearing the opposing team's colours will be allowed entry.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
Uh, Yves, I hate to rain on your parade, but Girgonsons of Latvia got voted in the same way and trust me, it ain't the whole country. I'm guessing it's a computer club/hacker group that has a bot net or something similar that makes it look like individuals are voting.Going back to the All-Star game....
They need to take that out of the fans hands. It's just a popularity contest. The Montreal Canadiens have 2 representatives:
Carey Price (yeah... makes sense)
Jiri Sekac... say wha? who the fuck is he, asks the rest of the NHL. He's a guy from some small country in eastern Europe where the ENTIRE COUNTRY voted for him. Meanwhile a guy like Pacioretty, with 21 goals, stays at home.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
rottersclub, that team of yours is very fast and hard-working! Hell of a goalie too! It's too bad there really isn't much to show for offensively other than Karlsson and a couple others. Did Bobby Ryan play last night??
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
It's funny. Ryan has worked really hard at his 200 foot game this year and he is playing so much more physically than last. On top of everything, he is playing with a broken finger. So I'm giving him a bit of mulligan this year. He really should be on the top line with Turris and MacArthur - that's where is was last year on track for a big year until he had to shut it down with a sports hernia. He's still getting his share of points, but both coaches this year have been determined to constantly mix up the lines, so there is very little consistency from one game to the next. I've been maintaining this since the start of the year that they are two or three top 6/top 4 players from being a playoff team. They are extremely young and there are a couple of guys who should be replaced. Unfortunately, one them is the guy we got back from Dallas for Spezza. Chiasson is too slow to play in the NHL.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
It was just a figure of speech. He plays for Montreal but it wasn't the Montreal fans who voted him in. I won't be watching regardless. I don't even watch the skills competition.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
I like the skills competition, but that's all I'll watch.
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
Agreed.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
By the way, Scott...why is Rinaldo allowed to play in this league? lol I know you're not a fan. This guy is a hit away from killing someone and really provides nothing other than that.
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
No, not a fan. Not at all.
What's frustrating is that I think he has the skill to actually play in this league, but he's a freaking moron. I'd have no problem if they just cut him.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Nobody voted for him. We was one of six rookies selected by the league to participate in the skills competition (not the all-star game), and most likely as an injury replacement for Tanner Pearson. Still a stretch considering he's only 13th in rookie scoring.
After last night, Ottawa's Mike Hoffman is leading all rookies in goals with 16. He is also a none-too-shabby +19. Nashville's Filip Forsberg is the runaway leader in points, +/- and he should win the Calder if he continues to play at this level.
The Leafs did not look good in any aspect of the game for the first 30 minutes. They started to get something going in the second half, but they were in too big a hole to climb out.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
You guys ever check out the Youtube videos "NHL players mic'ed"? Hilarity!
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
This doesn't make up for only 3 wins in the last 17 games, but it's still pretty cool...
I felt like I was watching a Trans-Siberian Orchestra video. LOL!
You gotta get SOME entertainment to justify the outrageous ticket prices in Toronto! The team isn't going to supply it!
I think Toronto fans need to start boycotting Leaf games en masse. Make it embarrassing to have a half-filled arena in what is considered to be hockey's largest market.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
Now THAT was cool !!
It's crazy isn't it? When the Blue Jays were hot in the late 80's and winning World Series' in the early 90's, they sold out 50,000 seats every game. The police had to shut down roads after the games to manage the exiting crowds. Then when they started sucking in the late 90's (and ever since) people stopped going. They went from selling 50,000 to being lucky to sell 15,000. They probably sell about 20,000 a game now...I'm guessing.
The Toronto Rock (lacrosse) have won 6 championships since 1999 and have only missed the playoffs twice. Tickets are cheap. You can buy a game ticket for under $20 and a season pass (9 games) for $119. But they can't sell out 20,000 seats. They average about 13,000.
The Leafs suck. Haven't made the playoffs in almost a decade (Not counting the lockout season because I'm pretty sure that if was a full season they wouldn't have made it). Ticket prices are outrageous. And every game is sold out with people still looking to buy from scalpers. If I didn't already have tickets for a game in February, I wouldn't be dishing out money to see them now.
I'm sure it's not just Toronto. In general I think that sports fans are mentally unstable.
Baseball is a tough sell because there are so many games. It died here because there were only about 10,000 die-hard ball fans. They played in the shitty Olympic Stadium, which did not help things. Aside from that Montreal supports its teams. The Alouettes sell out almost every game, the Impact (MSL) also draw well, and the Habs are virtual sellout season after season. However, Montreal fans are very demanding. A few years back the Habs were the worse team in the East and 2nd worse overall. Attendance started to drop and people booed the team mercilessly. The entire team was overhauled from the GM down. Now, we have a top 10 hockey team that can make the playoffs and do some damage.
Why does this never occur in Toronto? One of the main reasons is that Toronto is not a really passionate city. It's a money city. They pay lip service to "passion" but that's about it. I was at Game 7 in 2012, outside the ACC. Aside from the people up really close to the giant screen, most of the people were there only because it was a happening. They were more concerned with taking selfies of themselves at the happening than paying attention to the reason for the happening. That's Toronto. Had this occurred here, all eyes would have been on the game. In the 50s, they suspended the Rocket during the playoffs and it resulted in a bomb scare at the Forum. That's Montreal. This difference is what makes Montreal a perennial contender and Toronto an eternal pretender. Leaf fans have to finally lay down the gauntlet and hit the organization where it hurts: the bottom line. But Corporate Toronto will keep shelling out for luxury boxes and the average fann will keep paying the highest face value ticket price in the league to keep Toronto Maple Leafs Inc in the black every year, regardless of the product.
Rant over.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
The Philadelphia 76ers do something similar.
Again, when the actual team sucks, you have to resort to other ways of entertaining the crowd...
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Yves, I can't disagree with very much of that except that the average fan can't afford a Leafs ticket. And even if they can, good luck finding a ticket since most of the best seats are corporately owned. If you want to watch a game with average Leafs fans, you'll find them at just about any sports bar.
On the other hand, you don't see Torontonians making bomb threats or burning police cars. I can live with that.
And Yves, it's my understanding that corporations hold a lot of seasons tickets in the Bell Centre too. Maybe not quite to the same extent as in Toronto. I remember being able to buy standing room tickets for any game(?) at the Forum at the bus terminal in Ottawa along with bus tickets to and from the game. And it wasn't very expensive.
This is not the case in Ottawa where the federal government is by far the largest employer in town and the government does not buy seasons tickets and more crippling to the hockey team, the government does not accept free tickets from it's vendors (i.e., no wining and dining which might prejudice spending decisions). Ottawa usually runs a baseline of 11,000 - 13,000 seasons tickets, and the rest are "walk-ups" including rabid Leafs fans driving up from Southern Ontario to see their team at a more reasonable cost.
Think of a book as a vase, and a movie as the stained-glass window that the filmmaker has made out of the pieces after he’s smashed it with a hammer.
-- Russell Banks (paraphrased)
You know, every now and then I get invited to a corporate box for a Leafs game by one of our suppliers (I changed jobs within the company last year so it doesn't happen as often as it used to). I refuse to go to a sporting event in a business suit. I'm often the only one or one of the few people who show up to the box in a Jersey. I'll concede to the business atmosphere by wearing dress pants instead of jeans, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna show up at a game without my jersey.
Unless you're part of the coaching staff, a sporting event is no place for a suit.
I can see how the Gov't thing would affect ticket sales in Ottawa. My husband works for the Ontario Gov't and he's not even allowed to go out for lunch with a supplier and let them pay for lunch . It's very strict.
Love it!
The % of fans at Caps games in jerseys is off the charts, easily better than 50% - I'd commented last game I attended to my friend that it's the greatest I've seen
Here is my latest one
NYY.jpgNYY1.jpg
I never thought I'd wear a Rangers jersey, but the logo patch was red / blue so I wanted a red / white / blue jersey to build around
The font style is iconic, and I've seen them 13 times at MSG so probably fitting
BG
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
Congats to Jim and Mindy; our 2 lucky fans chosen to play goal.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
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