If I weren’t so effed up right now, I decry my need for...um...Cat.

I miss seeing beautiful women. I miss beautiful women interested in Rushdie, Heidegger and hip-hop more.

Posted by Osrt on 07/08/08 at 09:41 PM ET

Whoa...I am confused.....Baroque is in Rome learning about Dylan hanging out with a girl in a referee shirt?

Mon...a few days in LA and I lose track of evryting.  Time for some Boat Drinks and Buffett.

The Summer of Stanley continues.....

Posted by Rumbear from Sun D'Eggo on 07/08/08 at 10:22 PM ET

What about Mac and Downey? They’re no Drake, but they don’t really need to be.

So you’re saying 4:54 TOI will replace Drake..?

Be interesting watching either of them kill a 5 on 3.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 07/08/08 at 10:29 PM ET

As if Drake ever killed any 5 on 3s ... ?

During the regular season Drake was a fourth line energy guy who ate some minutes and provided some physicality. Mac can do that. And Kopecky definitely can. I think this kid can play the Drake role and provide some offense with this roster. He just needs to recover from his knee surgery.

Posted by Pete K from Chicago, IL on 07/08/08 at 11:28 PM ET

HTT, you continue to misread my comments and I’m not sure why.

I was responding to your comment about TooToo specifically, and his potential to run at us without punishment. As Pete just said, that takes physical recompense, which all the players listed in the comments thus far can provide: Kopecky, Franzen, Kronner, Stuart, Mac and Downey. Add Cleary to that bunch as well.

And, even more oddly, the comment you quote from me has the words

They’re no Drake, but they don’t need to be

So how am I suggesting that they are replacing his 5 on 3 abilities and what not?

Besides, who needs them to? Even Drake wouldn’t see that time this year if he played. Z, Pav, Fil, Draper, Cleary, HOSSA, Fraznen et al. can and will be the go to guys.

Posted by Osrt on 07/09/08 at 05:39 AM ET

Y’know, I do like Dylan, but I’m under no illusions about him.  He has sounded like an asthmatic donkey since the early Seventies.  However, for more on awful voices, see two other of my favorite artists-- Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen.  Doesn’t really bother me as long as the song is good.

Was Dylan with VH before or after Gary Cherone?

Oh, long before.  In fact, Dylan got his start in hard rock shortly after the electric guitar controversy.  Deciding that if he was going to go electric and alienate his folk fans, he might as well go the whole way, he hooked up with the fledgling Led Zeppelin on his 1965 tour of England.  Drawn together by a shared love of the blues, their brief collaboration ironically came to an end when the normally pacifist Dylan and Jimmie Page came to blows in a fight over who was the best bluesman, Blind Willie McTell or Robert Johnson.  Nevertheless, the rock legends kindled in Dylan a deep if hidden love of hard rock, and he would go on to join Eddie Van Halen in the early days when they were still called Tambourine Van Halen, and would write some of the little-known early songs such as “The Times They Are A Rockin’” and “Badass Like The Rolling Stones.”

It’s true.

Wow, I was having erotic fantasies about Baroque

RWBill, first hockeychic, now Baroque.  You must have something for ladies named Catherine (or variations thereof).  Wait...you’re not responsible for Catherine MacKinnon being the way she is, are you?

Andrew, I wish I was armed with that knowledge while I was still there!!

Sorry A II R!  My “European Travel Guide For The Red Wings Fan” will be in stores next year.  Ask for it by name, or wire $29.99 to my Swiss bank account and I’ll send you a copy.

I’m impressed by your fiduciary fortitude if you went to a club in Stockholm-- I’m assuming you bought alcoholic drinks.  Normally when I’ve gone to clubs in large Scandinavian cities, I’ve had to take out a second mortgage if I want a double.  Seriously though, I know the tax on booze is coming down in Sweden, but it still has a long way to go.

But the fact that you spent time arguing about the Wings with some guy, and didn’t bother to talk to any women in the club, well...I’m disappointed.  Priorities, man.  Priorities.  Head back there in the winter and go to a game if you want to talk hockey.  When you’re there on the too-rare long summer nights, carpe diem.

A completely different tangent here-- did you fly there?  If so, what airport did you use?  I’ve come into and flown out of Arlanda, and as airports go (bleh) it’s one of the loveliest I’ve ever seen.  As relaxing as an airport can be, and built in classic modernist Swedish design.  Understated walls and lighting.  Though driving over the Oresund Bridge is impressive too, but it’s a different ‘experience.’

Anyway, if you’re looking for cities in that same vein, Budapest should be your next stop (with Prague a close second).  I’ve never seen a city quite like it, where the town is as beautiful as the women.  Grand architecture and buildings of all different design, and vibrant nightlife full of friendly good-looking people.  And I’ve never eaten dinner there without some form of live musical accompaniment.  Also, from the romance point of view, you’d probably fare pretty well in Iceland of all places.  In general, the women there seem to LOVE Americans (I’m assuming you’re American...).  In Reykjavik I was with a friend from Northern Ireland, back when Irish accents were trendy, and they would briefly acknowledge him before falling off of me.  And I’m not really good-looking!  (Okay, I’m fugly.) Strange thing, but they’re so Ameriphilic, even Icelandic men have started to feign American accents in order to pick up women.

Back to swealtering Rome for you though...lucky you.  It’s been raining here on and off for the past week, and supposed to keep up until at least the weekend, when it might clear up on Sunday.  I’m thinking of buying a rowboat.

Uncle Mike is envisioning Kopecky taking on more of that type of role next season

That’s what I think.  No need to sign a Drake replacement when we’ve got a banger like Kopy lined up to fill the same role.  If he can take the first Bubba game and show their guys that he means business, lay down a few big hits, I think we’ll be okay.  And our abrasive second pairing will keep some of them honest.  As long as Kopecky, Stuart, and Kronner are healthy (knock knock KNOCK), then I think we’ll be okay.  If they’re not, Downey or D-Mac in the lineup to police the ice.

Gramps, as for killing five-on-threes, what’s wrong with using Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Fil, etc. for that role?

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the first-class cabin of a 747, sipping champagne on 07/09/08 at 05:43 AM ET

Hey! Close enough to my age!  W00t!

Just don’t make me need a restraining order, Bill. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/09/08 at 07:12 AM ET

Gramps, as for killing five-on-threes, what’s wrong with using Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Fil, etc. for that role?

They’ll do the job well, but one thing to remember is usually it is one of your top penalty killers that become the second man in the box.  Anyone remember “The Shift”?

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 07/09/08 at 09:00 AM ET

As if Drake ever killed any 5 on 3s ... ?

Yes, he did.  Team may have been short due to injuries, but I remember thinking ‘oh crap’, and then ‘why don’t they use him for this more often?’.

Did you miss many games?

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 07/09/08 at 09:09 AM ET

Anyway, if you’re looking for cities in that same vein, Budapest should be your next stop (with Prague a close second)

I second that. Prague was ridiculous. I mean, any place with a wall made of skulls is tops in my book. Plus the “clubs” were absurd. If I could only tell you the things I saw for $20. I’d love to party there RWBill, although I’m not sure either of us would live.

Also a great part about Prague is the Czech money. 1) Its called the Kroner. 2)The bills get progressively bigger, so that by the time you get to the equivalent of a $20 bill, its like carrying around one of those novelty sized checks.

Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/09/08 at 09:54 AM ET

Its called the Kroner

scratch that. its the koruna. means crown. close enough. i’m an idiot.

Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/09/08 at 09:58 AM ET

Vienna’s still my European city of choice....a close second would be Sofia, but Bulgarian isn’t so much European. Would love me some Scandanavia one of these days…

BTW....WTH are you doing where you could be sitting in 1st class sipping Champagne at 7am? Get me some of what you’re doing Andrew!!!

/jealous
//Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits are just plain wierd...I’ve always thought they were the kind of musicians that people ‘get into’ because someone else said they were cool. Whacked out lyrics, simplistic if not sophomoric melodies, and sand in your bathingsuit voices. To me, they are the Britney Spears’ of the bohemian types.
///GIS Rodrigo y Gabriella for musical talent
////HUGE BNL fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wings and Barenaked Ladies...it’s what’s for dinner.

Posted by Scott H from Kalamazoo on 07/09/08 at 10:39 AM ET

Barcelona.
Just don’t expect to talk about hockey.

Posted by BobS. on 07/09/08 at 10:51 AM ET

So, maybe it’s because it’s still only July and I’m not getting enough drama in my life, but when is it acceptable for me to officially start worrying about the Blackhawks?

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/09/08 at 11:35 AM ET

from an ESPN article on Western Conference player moves…

“Still, the team lacks enough offense to compete with the other big boys in the West and Burke would like to move defenseman Mathieu Schneider to rectify that situation.”

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3476586

I wonder how Schneider feels about leaving Detroit for Anaheim.  It would have been funny if Stuart didn’t re-sign and Holland picked up Schneider again right away.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 07/09/08 at 11:43 AM ET

So, maybe it’s because it’s still only July and I’m not getting enough drama in my life, but when is it acceptable for me to officially start worrying about the Blackhawks?

I’ve been worrying since the end of the regular season.  One of my biggest worries was that they would pick up Marian Hossa as a free agent - Campbell is good, but Hossa would have fit that team to perfection.

Then again, maybe I’m not the best arbiter of what is “acceptable.” I haven’t been to all these cultured European cities that everyone else has, so I guess I count as a yokel. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/09/08 at 12:36 PM ET

when is it acceptable for me to officially start worrying about the Blackhawks?

IMHO, there are at least six items—probably more—on the check list:

A.) They have to actually get under the salary cap
B.) Toewes and/or Kane don’t suffer any type of “sophomore slump” or serious injury
C.) Brian Campbell “shows his teammates his personality” and they don’t barf all over his apparent self-love (Whatever happened to the old-fashioned concept of just fitting in? Oh yeah, that’s why players come to Detroit.)
D.) Martin Havlat proves he can stay healthy for more than half a season
E.) Khabibulin and Huet avoid a “Hasek/Cujo” scenario
F.) Robert Lang doesn’t run out of hair care product

It would have been funny if Stuart didn’t re-sign and Holland picked up Schneider again right away.

Funny in the sense of spending about $2 million more per year for a smaller, older player who some say never really bought into Uncle Mike’s program? Or in the sense that Schneider’s slot as an “offensive D-man” has been filled extremely well by Rafalski, who many believe is a better two-way player? Or maybe it would be funny in the sense that it would have reduced the amount of money available to sign Hossa?

(Sorry, my smartass reflex is working overtime lately.)

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 07/09/08 at 12:44 PM ET

YZ,

I think they’ll find a way to get under the cap without hurting the team. The other questions are questions that every team in the league has to deal with to some extent.

1. Don’t suck at hockey
2. Stay healthy
3. Get along with each other

Although they’re looking to be like they could end up being the team I would least like to see against the Wings in the playoffs, I’m still confident that Detroit is poised for a repeat.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/09/08 at 01:33 PM ET

Still, the team lacks enough offense to compete with the other big boys in the West and Burke would like to move defenseman Mathieu Schneider to rectify that situation.

I read that earlier and thought it was odd for Burke to shop one of his most offensive d-men to get more offense. Sorry, most offensive=Pronger. I’ll restate: odd to shop a d-man with lots of points.

Posted by markw from Scotland on 07/09/08 at 01:50 PM ET

From msn.com

DENVER - A man accused of checking out hundreds of books and DVDs from libraries around the Denver area and then trying to sell them will be doing all his library borrowing from now on behind bars.

Denver prosecutors say 34-year-old THOMAS Pilaar was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered Tuesday to pay $53,549 in restitution. He pleaded guilty in May.

Hmm… could This be why Thommy’s blog disappeared this spring?  Maybe he wasn’t really trying to sell them but was trying to use all that info to create a new spreadsheet!!

Guess we’ll never know.

Posted by Dahrken from Grand Rapids, MI on 07/09/08 at 02:07 PM ET

Schneider was an effective player for us, but those comments about Homer stealing his goals after he left pissed me off. And, obviously, his decision to jump ship a few weeks after the season; but, thank goodness he did. I like Raffy a lot more, although watching him get drilled almost every shift is a little disconcerting; he’ll be a great mentor for Meech too.

I have some friends in Munich and Romania that I’m trying to visit, and do a larger Euro voyage during the same time.

Posted by Osrt on 07/09/08 at 04:17 PM ET

I have some friends in Munich and Romania that I’m trying to visit, and do a larger Euro voyage during the same time.

See, I royally suck at keeping track of people.  I could know people I went to college with in Europe right now, and would have no idea because I haven’t kept in touch since then.

Plus I’d probably tick off the airport security and get myself arrested, so best I stay right here. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/09/08 at 04:47 PM ET

J.J., how about reading: http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/07/second_day_equals_time_to_make.html if you haven’t already and are a bit bored?

It’s an epic post by Malik.  Since we’re in need for a franchise goalie for the next decade, I always find it interesting to read about the up and coming goalie prospects.

The interview with Daniel Larsson is great and also slightly surprising.  Either it’s because of Malik’s superhuman abilities — I mean, he posts like 20 hours per day *and* has time to make field trips and interviews? — or Larsson is just a very open kind of guy.  His English seems pretty impressive for a young guy who’s only been over a few days.

In any case, Malik if you’re reading, this must qualify as post of the year, even in your book?  Great stuff.  Also, I think the equipment talk is great even if doesn’t directly mean a lot to some of us.  It opens up new angles in the interviews, like with Larsson above.

ps.  I saw you’d already been on there Osrt, but I thought it was still worth sharing.

Posted by lilja4ever on 07/09/08 at 04:59 PM ET

lilja4ever,

Great post, thanks for the link!

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/09/08 at 05:43 PM ET

I admire George a great deal, as most of us do, and am all for him engaging the equipment dork in his soul. I don’t think you can play any sport without getting caught by this bug, especially if you ever get your chance to play with high-end stuff.

I’m looking forward to his post tomorrow; I wish the practices were open to the public!

Posted by Osrt on 07/09/08 at 06:24 PM ET

Plus I’d probably tick off the airport security and get myself arrested.

I’m a brown male in my twenties...everyone looks at me at the airport
“Where are we flying today sir?”
“Ft. Lauderdale”
“Business-pleasure or terrorism?”
“Pardon me?”
“Business or pleasure sir?”

Posted by Osrt on 07/09/08 at 06:30 PM ET

Seriously. That linky to the Malik post us just good stuff. Red Sox Nation my arse, to us 19 it is THE WING NATION.
Having ties to Europe for nearly a decade and having been to Europe 4 times… I can say just pick a spot you’d think you’ll like and go.
I will second or third Andrew about “prioritizing” on a summer eve in Sweden, like seriously, drop the puck talk and get your groove on. Damn drinks are pricey… hence the Swedes taking the ferry to Denmark to drink all night and then back home in the morning. And I know this how...?
There’s also something to be said for hearing the Irish pub song in the wee hours of the morn’....
I hate the travel but love the destinations.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 07/09/08 at 07:46 PM ET

scratch that. its the koruna. means crown.

Given the Czech economic conditions and the current right-wing government in the Czech Republic, it’ll probably be the last European currency left after the Euro consumes us all like a giant fungus.  Eh.  I joke, but I really wouldn’t mind if the Euro looked at least a bit better than it does.  “Our money sure is gay.”

I’ve always thought they were the kind of musicians that people ‘get into’ because someone else said they were cool.

Funny you should says that-- I’ve always thought that about Shostakovich, especially because he’s one of the trendiest new thangs among young Eurotrash.  I certainly got into both on their own merits, not on the recommendations of others.  And while I’ll agree with you about the melodies to an extent-- Cohen using synthesizers and pedestrian arrangements in order to focus listeners on the lyrics, and Waits’ early work being simplistic derivations of preceding forms (but his later experimental work being highly adventurous and decidely non-sophomoric)-- that really isn’t what attracts me to them.  It’s primarily about the lyrics, and if all you can say about them is wacked-out, then maybe you just don’t get it.  And tell me what’s wacked out about this:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

It’s not so much about the song as it is about the poetry of the lyrics.  Cohen, in fact, started out as a poet and only became a musician when somebody suggested that he set his poetry to music.  As for the voices, well, in Cohen’s folk niche there’s never been a call to have a great voice, and Waits is very skilled at picking, composing, and arranging songs that fit his voice.  It ain’t honeyed, but the way it drips with emotion sometimes is enough to move you.

And now that I’ve pissed you off, I’ll keep my opinions on Vienna to myself for fear of causing further damage.

WTH are you doing where you could be sitting in 1st class sipping Champagne at 7am?

I was at work.  Not actually in first class sipping fizz.  That was only in my imagination taking flight.

I guess I count as a yokel.

Yes, but you’re OUR yokel.  Besides, haven’t you been to St. Petersburg?  One day in The Hermitage and I suspect someone like you is already more sophisticated than the hordes of wealthy gawking globe-hoppers fresh off the plane I see every day will ever be.  Conde Nast my ass.

Funny in the sense of

I think that was funny in the sense of you’re eating a two week-old piece of pizza you found behind the fridge and you think to yourself, “This tastes funny.”

His English seems pretty impressive for a young guy who’s only been over a few days.

A consequence of his nationality, probably.  Pretty much every Swedish student since the early Fifties has learned English as their second language in school.  It’s rare to meet anyone in Sweden who does not speak at least a little passable English.  Only the much older generations don’t know any, and the very young ones often speak it with no discernible difficulty (including in pronunciation).  Some speak English excellently (Nick Lidstrom), while some not so excellently (Tomas Holmstrom), but all generally speak it.

Am I the only one surprised by the fact that Pavol Demitra still hasn’t signed?  Either he’s massively overvaluing himself or teams are way undervaluing him.  He’s still a good player and provides an offensive spark, and would be a good addition to quite a few teams with anemic offenses.  Including his ‘former’ team.  It’s not like Minnesota have a wealth of top-six talent.  And he’s the best pure offensive player left on the market (no, I’m not considering Sundin to be on the market yet).  So why hasn’t he found a home?

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from wet ground, watching the sun peek out on 07/10/08 at 03:25 AM ET

Yes, but you’re OUR yokel.  Besides, haven’t you been to St. Petersburg?  One day in The Hermitage and I suspect someone like you is already more sophisticated than the hordes of wealthy gawking globe-hoppers fresh off the plane I see every day will ever be.  Conde Nast my ass.

Yes, but I also scratched my initials in the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress next to those of everyone else who walked by that spot. 

Moscow, too.  I actually liked visiting a small town named Pskov best, because the group went to an old kremlin that was a frontier fortress for the empire centuries ago and it was being excavated so you could see the remains of the walls.  Same onion domes on the towers, but they were covered with rustic wooden shingles instead of the polished gold finish.  I actually liked it more than some of the more modern architecture.

There’s a lot on this continent that I haven’t seen yet, though - I absolutely need to get back to the Grand Canyon and walk out on that glass walkway they have built now.  How cool would it be to be able to look down between your feet and see the magnitude of the drop into the Grand Canyon?

Am I the only one surprised by the fact that Pavol Demitra still hasn’t signed?

I thought he was signing with Vancouver, but it might not be officially signed yet.  Situation is fuzzy.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/10/08 at 05:50 AM ET

And now that I’ve pissed you off, I’ll keep my opinions on Vienna to myself for fear of causing further damage.

Hardly! I have the utmost respect for you...especially for your ability to find something appealing in what many consider ridiculous. I, myself, went through a Cohen phase...mostly it was his resonant voice. I couldn’t figure out how a guy with a Casio keyboard and no backup band could mesmerize an entire studio full of people....he was on a late night show of some sort and as he sang “First we take Manhattan.....then we take Berlinnnnnn” I was
subliminally required to purchase the CD.

I soon purchased other ‘trendy’ discs by Velvet Underground and soon after my interest wained. They captured me for a moment, but didn’t have legs to keep me interested.

As far as Shostakovich....wasn’t specific to him...was trying to show dissimilarity, but you were able to tie him in to the cadre of hipsters of the era, again...I salute you. You are a smart man.

St. Pete was too polished for me. Was like the Russians knew that only had 1 place to ‘capture’ the western appeal before devouring it into it’s inner sanctum of despair and bleakness. Sort of a metaphor for Hasek, but maybe that’s only in my mind.

Is Demitra still playing these days? Haven’t heard that name for a very, very long time.

Posted by Scott H from Kalamazoo on 07/10/08 at 08:14 AM ET

I’m going to say it… get ready…

Van Halen, any era, any front-man… not that good.

Can Eddie shred the guitar? There is no doubt. But despite his amazing technical ability, and the massive influence his distortion and soloing style has had on guitar playing, his song writing was corny as all hell, and I pretty much blame him for the awful generation of arena rock garbage where each band looked and sounded the same.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 07/10/08 at 10:28 AM ET

I also scratched my initials in the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Ooh-- must confess I didn’t do that, though I did have an Ugly American Tourist moment when ordered stroganoff at a restaurant and had to send it back because it wasn’t what I had expected.  Paprika?  WHY?

a small town named Pskov best

Sergei Fedorov’s hometown.  Talk about a pilgrimage…

Never been.  Only been to St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Novgorod (shudder).  But I’ve seen photos of the Izborsk Fortress in Pskov-- that’s what you saw?  It sounds nicer than I would have thought, and if I’d known about it at the time I was in Minsk, I would have headed east to see it.  Ah well, there’s always next time.

There’s a lot on this continent that I haven’t seen yet, though

Unintentionally, I think you may have hit on the reason for my voracious travel appetite on this side of the ocean.  When I was young, my father and I used to go all over the US and Canada camping-- if we went to visit relatives in California or DC, we’d drive all the way and see the sights.  Later in my teens, I went on road trips with friends during breaks.  I’ve canoed the majority of the Missinaibi River, hiked all over the Rockies and even climbed Mount Shasta, got eaten alive by blackflies in Maine, ridden airboats in Florida swampland, eaten oysters in New Orleans and felt like I was roasting alive in Needles, Arizona.  I’ve seen the world’s longest natural arch and faced a thousand-foot sheer drop down a rock wall without any safety barriers at all.  I’ve laughed at more jackalope tchochkes than I care to remember, seen Mount Rushmore, Old Faithful, Crazy Horse, and Wall Drug.  I’ve gotten fuzz in my hair from Pa’s cottonwoods in De Smet.  I’ve sat in Anasazi kivas.  I’ve seen the Grand Canyon from the north and south rims, and was blinded by the light in Las Vegas.  I’ve...you get the picture.  And been to Mexico a few times.  But then, I’ve never actually walked over the Grand Canyon.  Hmm…

I’d only ever once been to Europe for one month in the summer on a foreign exchange program before I moved here in my early twenties.  The time of life when you’re hungering for new experiences, I guess.

I have the utmost respect for you…

Scott, sir, you are a better man than I.  Were the positions reversed, I probably would have just been quick to anger.  In any case, I’ve always been heavy on the lyrics, as my musical acumen is somewhat limited.  But hell, I’ll listen to anything on its own merits.  And probably find something redeeming in it.  But you really just can’t help what you like, I suppose.  If I have rather pleb and prole tastes...I’ll live with it.  I don’t suppose I get any points for liking Einsturzende Neubauten and Frank Zappa, do I?

Still.  If there’s one thing I can do, it’s debate with a worthy opponent.  So nothing meant by the Shostakovich comment, though I’ve yet to hear his work on any significant scale, so you’re probably on to something.

before devouring it into it’s inner sanctum of despair and bleakness.

You can say that again, though you might as well substitute ‘Soviet’ for ‘Russian.’ I remember when I thought Warsaw was grim...that was before I’d visited Riga.

So I suppose you could make a case for St. Petersburg being Hasek.  They’re both one-of-a-kind.

As for Demitra (who is still playing, yes), I’d heard the rumors as well, Baroque, but I’ve heard them for a couple of days now.  You’d think that if it was going to happen in this UFA time, it would have by now.  And it’s not like the Canucks can be picky here-- they don’t exactly have a wealth of options up front.  But that’s true of so many teams, and with free-agency being as barking mad as it is, you’d think some GM out there would have thrown a satisfactory wad of cash his way by now.  He’s not THAT injury-prone or old.  So something is going on.  Hell, even Ray Emery’s signed for a team!  Ray-zor in Russia...what a freaking soap opera that’ll be.  Too bad he didn’t opt to make some extra money by turning it into a reality television show.  I’d watch it, and not just because I didn’t get enough fireworks this July Fourth.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from safe at home protected by the firewall on 07/10/08 at 10:57 AM ET

Andrew--have you been to Istanbul? I am going next weekend. Any suggestions besides dodging bullets?

submit this word: lik 14 ely...Shanny coming back?

Posted by A II R from Rome, ITA on 07/10/08 at 11:18 AM ET

Sergei Fedorov’s hometown.  Talk about a pilgrimage…

Had no idea at the time, though.  Don’t recall the name of the fortress - it was in 1990, so the details are fuzzy.

It was nice for our group to get away from the big cities and spend a couple days in a smaller town where we weren’t getting accosted by people trying to sell us stuff everywhere we went.  Well, except for the fact I nearly got lost in the woods when it was getting dark - I was just going for a short walk, but started following a trail of computer punch cards, got turned around, and managed to find my way to the road and picked the right direction to take to get back to the hotel with no one else the wiser. 

(We weren’t supposed to go off on our own, so I had to be sneaky.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/10/08 at 11:49 AM ET

submit this word: lik 14 ely...Shanny coming back?

I’d welcome Shanny back with open arms, but he’d have to play for much less than his worth.  Besides, who do you get rid of to get him back?  I like the guy and I appreciate what he did for us, but right now I don’t even think he would crack our second line.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/10/08 at 11:53 AM ET

Erice, Sicilia, Italia.  That’s my favorite town in all of the towns I’ve visited in Europe (in 1993 as a student abroad and in 2007 with my parents on a Seven-Day Mediterranean cruise). 

Back in 1993, I was in Ormskirk, Lancashire County, England as a student abroad when I experienced the awesome scenery in The Lakes District further north of Ormskirk.  Simply one of the most spectacular sceneries I’ve ever seen and I still think it ranks up there with the Amalfi Coast and Dover Cliffs for breathtaking vistas.

My next travel ambition is of course the Scandinavian countries but I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the fjords in Norway.  Heard the women are just as stunning.  LOL!

I’m pretty much resigned to news.google.com search term:  “Mats Sundin” because that’s just about the only news left in the NHL.  With the ‘08-’09 regular season schedule due to come out on July 16th, I believe, there’s not much else going on.  The Stanley Cup Blog on NHL.com is fun and that’s taking up pretty much my whole summer NHL reading.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 07/10/08 at 11:58 AM ET

Bored like a two-by-four…

At least we don’t have one of the worst logos ever - the Iowa Chops!

http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2008/07/this-logo-is-making-me-hungry.html

I laugh harder each time I see it. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/10/08 at 12:17 PM ET

Demitra sigs with VAN, so there’s one less mystery for us bored bastards to ponder.
I haven’t seen or heard anything about Shanny, but last I heard he was on the fence.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 07/10/08 at 01:01 PM ET

Speaking of Summer of Stanley, follow it’s progess for the summer......
http://www.hhof.com/html/exSCJ_2008.shtml
It won’t reduce Baroques 2x4 into any 1x2’s but it’s kinda cool just the same.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 07/10/08 at 01:05 PM ET

Andrew--have you been to Istanbul? I am going next weekend. Any suggestions besides dodging bullets?

Yes, and most definitely YES.  Though you don’t need to worry about dodging bullets quite yet.  There is a growing Islamism in the country, but the military remains committed to Ataturk’s ideal of a secular state and liberal democracy, and opposes the religious ruling party in government in their attempts to make the state observant.  And the Turks in Istanbul and the tourist areas around Bodrum and Izmir are generally friendly and agreeable.  Just don’t expect them to know anything about hockey.

As for recommendations, the first one will be a weird one.  Buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke it.  A hookah at a pinch, but cigarettes are better.  But they have to be Tekel-- this is the Turkish government tobacco monopoly.  I guarantee you have not tasted how good tobacco can be until you’ve had a genuine Turkish cigarette.  Had a good Cuban Cohiba?  So have I.  Doesn’t even come close to real Turkish.  Lovely.

Hummus-- don’t order it at a restaurant, it’s overpriced and will be overly fancy and Western-style.  Go into a greasy kebab joint and order it there.  It’s fairly-priced-- cheap-- and is usually finished with spices fried in olive oil on top.  It’s GREAT.

Hagia Sophia, is definitely worth a visit.  You don’t appreciate just how HUGE it is until you look up at the top of the dome from the middle of it.  And the view out over the city from the top of the dome is great.

If you get out to Leander’s Tower, take some photos.  I didn’t get to go out there and would have loved to see the views of the mainland from it.

I was just going for a short walk, but started following a trail of computer punch cards

Wow, it’s Hansel & Gretel for the modern age!  Don’t tell me you came up to a house made of motherboards…

I experienced the awesome scenery in The Lakes District

Agreed, the Lake District is lovely and cozy.  Good food too.  And the scenery is great, though not as dramatic as the Scottish Highlands.  It’s got that classic Little England feel to it.  I went up Sharp Edge on Blencathra when I was there-- one of the scariest ridge climbs I’ve ever done, up there with the Midi Plan Arete in France.

At least we don’t have one of the worst logos ever - the Iowa Chops!

Hmm.  There are just so many connotations that can be read into that...didn’t they realize?  The unfortunate nicknames, the snorting at games, the throwing of slops onto the ice…

And yet, nobody will ever ever EVER top the ‘Macon Whoopee...’

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macon_Whoopee

The logo actually had a bird and a bee.  Top it.  I dare you.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Long Island, looking for the Gorton's Fisherman on 07/10/08 at 02:01 PM ET

I was at work.  Not actually in first class sipping fizz.  That was only in my imagination taking flight.

You work?

Posted by Osrt on 07/10/08 at 02:24 PM ET

Andrew,
The Gortons Fisherman is on Rogers Street in Gloucester Mass.... I deal with Gortons at the day job.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 07/10/08 at 02:49 PM ET

...though not as dramatic as the Scottish Highlands.

I’ll second you on that Andrew. I’ve lived on Skye for the past five years and am in perpetual wonder of the landscape. Sea in the front yard and mountains in the back. It’s a shame about the six months of rain. I suppose you take the good with the bad.

Posted by markw from Scotland on 07/10/08 at 03:33 PM ET

You work?

I think he’s a professional nomad. Or his parents travelled so much because he was with the circus. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/10/08 at 03:45 PM ET

Alright you Retards - er, sorry, but I can’t think of a better description - had me spitting out my lunch laughing again as I was catching up today.  The question is is our humor getting so esoteric that no one else would get it?  Well, I don’t care if people stare at me for LOL in a public place, this is the Summer of Stanley by God. What a mixed bag in this thread: babes, Euro travel, early and 80s Rock, and a couple of posts about hockey.

And I do not exaggerate when I say these two probably weren’t in the top 20 I saw that night. They were literally EVERYWHERE. Posted by A II R from Rome, ITA on 07/08 at 10:30 PM

If I weren’t so effed up right now, I decry my need for...um...Cat.Posted by Osrt on 07/08 at 10:41 PM

And Icelandic women fascination with Americans and...ditto Osrt.

Whoa...I am confused.....Baroque is in Rome learning about Dylan hanging out with a girl in a referee shirt?The Summer of Stanley continues.....Posted by Rumbear from Sun D’Eggo on 07/08 at 11:22 PM

This one made me spit out my lunch, in public, but I also was having trouble following this thread...referee shirt LMAO.

Just don’t make me need a restraining order, Bill. Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/09 at 08:12 AM

Yeah!! Like that helped Karen Newman!!  w00t!

RWBill, first hockeychic, now Baroque. Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor

To be accurate, first Barbara Eden,...skipping ahead...my neighbors wife who still has the figure of a 19 year old...Elisha Cuthbert, Karen Newman, hockeychic, THEN Baroque!!  And no, Restraining Orders have not worked for any of them.

so that by the time you get to the equivalent of a $20 bill, its like carrying around one of those novelty sized checks.
Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/09 at 10:54 AM

ROFLMAO.

when is it acceptable for me to officially start worrying about the Blackhawks? Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/09 at 12:35 PM

Hey, a hockey comment! We can start now, and also worry about the teams that are already planning to punch out the Wings with career ECHL tough guys.

so I guess I count as a yokel.  Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/09 at 01:36 PM

Why do you keep making yourself more attractive to me, Brandine?  Just call me Cletus the slackjawed yokel.

I absolutely need to get back to the Grand Canyon and walk out on that glass walkway they have built now.  How cool would it be to be able to look down between your feet and see the magnitude of the drop into the Grand Canyon?Posted by Baroque

If I ever get near the edge of ANYthing my groin muscles sag and I immediately void myself.  This has been a problem since I was 4 and my Dad put his hand on my back and kept pushing me to the edge overlooking the pictured rocks and Lake Superior.

Also, given the band and travel discussions I will never again worry that one of my posts about hockey is too Friggin long !!

LMAO what a Crazed group of bitches you are!!

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 07/10/08 at 07:56 PM ET

He..He..He

He said

two-by-four

Never underestimate the influence that Baroque has.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 07/10/08 at 09:41 PM ET

You work?

Eh, you jokers you.  Course I work.  I gotta get paid to keep me in the bling and Courvoisier to which I’m accustomed.  Seriously though, my job keeps me moving, in more ways than one.  So yeah, I work.  Although how it can be called work when sometimes I just sit and let my butt grow fat in an office chair is beyond me.

I wouldn’t mind joining the circus or a Bedouin caravan if they could afford me.  Though I’d probably have to leave behind the bling and/or cognac.

The Gortons Fisherman is on Rogers Street in Gloucester Mass

Islanders fans in Bruins territory?  That’s asking for trouble.  I bet NY Rangers fans were crushed when the Islanders dropped that logo and went back to the awful Seventies colors.  No more can they chant “We want fish sticks!” when the Uniondale faithful come to Madison Square Garden.  And the best part about it was that he appeared to be modeled on Stan Fischler...Stan FISH-ler…

Still.  The Macon Whoopee.  Southern hockey at its finest.

I’ve lived on Skye for the past five years

Lucky man.  I’ve heard about it, though never been-- there’s supposed to be the absolute best ridge scramble in the British Isles up on Skye.  I’ll get up there someday.  What brings a Wings fan to someplace so remote?  If you tell me you work in a distillery, you realize I’ll probably kill you and steal your identity…

RWBill, now you’re starting to scare ME...and I’m not even the one you’re fixated on.  If we don’t hear from Baroque today, I think we can safely assume she’s taken a copy of your blog replies down to the courthouse and is getting that restraining order.  With a stop at a personal security firm on the way home.

So Demitra’s signed.  Guess you were right, Baroque, though four million a year is overpriced, even if he does stay healthy.  If his signing helps to further inflate Val’s value at the arbitration hearing, I’ll be marching with Osrt to after Gillis after all…

Anyone else see that CSKA Moscow is demanding half a million from the BJs just for DRAFTING Nikita Filatov?  The guy’s contract has expired, for god’s sake, and he WANTS to come to the NHL.  If the KHL thinks it can flourish by making absurd demands and resorting to Soviet-era tactics to keep their young players at home, well then, they’re just making themselves look stupid.  I’d say that the owners obviously leave their business sense at home when they go to the rink, but the fact is most of the owners don’t have any business sense either-- they were handed their moneymakers by former Party apparatchik cronies after the breakup of Communism.

And we’re apparently supposed to fear these guys as competitors.  Pheeeeuw.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from beneath the Red Flag, saluting it on 07/11/08 at 03:35 AM ET

Never underestimate the influence that Baroque has.

Now I have to work on putting the puck in the net with the power of my mind!

If Lidstrom winds up haveing a shooting percentage of 65% with a crazy bouncing goal every two weeks or so, you will know that my telekinesis ability has reached a very high level. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/11/08 at 07:54 AM ET

Anyone else see that CSKA Moscow is demanding half a million from the BJs just for DRAFTING Nikita Filatov?

Yep.  There’s a word for that ... searching ... searching ... oh, there it is - extortion.

I love how the league figured if they threw a bunch of money at Malkin that he would come back and play in Russia - after what he went through in order to get out of the country, the last thing he would be doing is going right back.

Russians defected to the NHL when the threat they faced was a lot more severe than “we will sic our lawyers on you!  And maybe we won’t let you play for the national team in international competitions, therefore ensuring that our team is worse without your talent!” If they are determined to play in the NHL, they will.

If we don’t hear from Baroque today, I think we can safely assume she’s taken a copy of your blog replies down to the courthouse and is getting that restraining order.  With a stop at a personal security firm on the way home.

Not yet.  I’ve decided to trust in his good nature and hope that he’s content with his own imagination. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/11/08 at 08:07 AM ET

putting the puck in the net with the power of my mind!

The glare of Stevie seemed to have that persuasion on the puck at times. And your bouncing comment brings Cloutier to mind here. Tee hee.

The question is is our humor getting so esoteric that no one else would get it?

Or have we become entranced by the Babblespeak and are adopting into that line of speaking?

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 07/11/08 at 08:26 AM ET