Valentine's Day Meetings

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Valentine's Day Meetings
Currently Listening
Kill (Bury Me)
By 30 Seconds to Mars
see related
After this morning - with Diamond breaking my crystal vase followed by what I consider to be a time wasting staff meeting, all I really want to do is go home and hide out.
You know...it's just one of those days. Besides I really want to unload about the staff meeting, however...
I have tickets to tonight's Florida Everblades game against the Gwinnett Gladiators. Erf...
In minor league hockey, a Valentine's Day game usually means something unusual. In this case, they're wearing special jerseys which will be auctioned off afterwards to benefit the Heart Association.
My initial thought was green and pink -- ugh -- but I saw the draft and they actually don't look too hideous, nor do they look terribly Christmasy, which was my other concern.
I did ask Sean if he had special music lined up for the game and he said "Yeah, I guess I need to do that." Jeez, I can just imagine it will be a lack-luster effort, but that's part of the problem the Blades have been having. Lack up updated effort.
Swampee comes out, skates around before the start of the game with an American Flag. Then he throws T-Shirts to the crowd. Then we introduce the team and sing the national anthem. Then....it goes on and on.
I had gone to a Valentine's Day game in 2001, the Florida Panthers vs. the Phoenix Coyotes, a game I remember fondly, not because the Yotes won. They didn't, they lost 4-3. But more because they did play Valentine's day music and make an effort at working it into the holiday.
Travis Green had gone to the box at one point, to the tune of "Lonely...I'm Mister Lonely...I have nobody...to call my own..." When he realized they had him on the Jumbotron, he looked up, got a shit eating grin on his face and waggled his eyebrows. It was HYSTERICAL!
Pavel Bure scored a hat trick - something which he seemed to do every time I showed up for game. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to enough games that season, and so he wasn't scoring enough hat tricks, make it worth the Panthers while.
Kevyn Adams had the game winning goal. The problem I had, was that Brad May had the hook on him, and he didn't take it.
"You should have set the hook," I told him after the game. Sunrise doesn't like the fans to hang out after the game, but he likes to talk to his fans, and knew I was there, so we waited back the fence to the loading dock and he came out. I knew he would. He was, if nothing else, happy to see me.
"I would have gotten thrown in the penalty box."
"Like you've never been in one before?"
"Coach would have gotten mad. They would have given him a penalty shot."
"Esche would have stopped it." Goalies always have the advantage on penalty shots and shoot outs.
"But what if he didn't?"
"Then you would have lost, which you did anyway. At least this way, you would have had a chance to preserve the tie!"
Never argue hockey with a hockey player.
After missing most of the season following reconstructive shoulder surgery, May returned to the Colorado line up in time for the 6-3 loss to Atlanta Thursday, a game in which he was -1 with four shots on goal and four penalty minutes.
He did have an assist Sunday against the Dallas Stars (another loss) and was pretty much a non-factor in last night's win over the (no longer Mighty) Ducks.
I know that many of the Colorado fans still have a problem with him, but he really is a great guy to meet on a one-to-one level.
As for the Blades, I will have pictures up, hopefully by this weekend. The shots from Friday night's game against the Ice Pilots are available here. After tonight, Florida is off for three games on the road. While I'm going to the mid-week games for the next two weeks, this is pretty much going to be my last "free" weekend, as Spring Training starts and next weekend, I'll be down at the ballpark, having a look around.
We're also getting into a work crunch where I'll have to start putting in Saturday time as well as tax season is really starting to kick into gear. Ah well, I need the money. No rest for the weary and all of that. I wouldn't mind it so much if we weren't spending time in time wasting staff meetings!