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It’s A Great Frigging Day For A Sweep
by IwoCPO on 05/01/08 at 11:53 AM ET
Comments (31)
465 comments on the extended Game 3 Live Blog. Went through some old administrative records and noticed something that might interest you: that’s a world record. No blog post in the history of world-wide sports blogging has ever accrued that kind of commentary.
I see that while I was away the tension has increased significantly between the Dive bloggers and the 19. I just blocked and deleted a long post I’d written addressing some of the points brought up in the debate that has continued even through this morning. What I’d written was redundant after reading all the comments.
O-joe, or however you’re spelling it today with hyphens, accents, those little twirly things, or whatever, has been brilliant. Hap was logical and equally effective. Nathan, your description of a Red Wing fan was better than I could have written. Team Dub your juvenility is the hallmark of A2Y. Outstanding work young man.
As for S’hane, Gobbles, Boob and the rest of the Dive fans/bloggers who have participated: credit for continuing to stick to your guns and defend your lifeless team. You’re obviously more than welcome to stay, even after the Wings finish this thing off tonite. But a word of advice. This is not the place to point to our immaturity and expect us to take a step back, ponder it and change our ways. We are not adults. We are not responsible or conscientious. Statistics mean nothing unless we can use them to prove the Wings’ dominance. Logic is useless, unless it suits us. And I have to say this. We simply don’t care if other fans don’t like us. In fact, we thrive on it.
And the feelings we have for your organ-I-zation? Passion for the Wings may be the soul of this site, but hatred for the Dive is the blood that keeps A2Y pumping.
Now, as stated earlier, I’ve been out for a day. I haven’t had a chance to see or read anything. Let’s take a gander.
From the Anti-Digger yesterday.
A couple of odd name mistakes on the Denver airwaves from today ...
-- A sports talk radio station had Scotty Bowman on this afternoon. But they called him Scotty Campbell. When he apologized, the host said that Scotty Campbell is one of the crew on the show. Well that explains that.
-- A local TV sportscaster was showing the video of Peter Forsberg high sticking Mikael Samuelsson in Game 3 (complaining that it wasn’t penalty worth). But he called the Red Wing Ulf Samuelsson. He never corrected that mistake.
Sorry, just had to vent.
Vent away Highlander. There can be only one of you bastards anyway. What an odd relationship between Wing fans and an entire city. I don’t know that any other rivalry is like this one. Not only do we have the team to point to: getting destroyed. But we have the fans: a target rich environment if there ever was one, as seen in the aforementioned live blog. But the community of idiots that deserve even more of our attention is the Denver media. Looks, dumbasses: you’ve had a team for twelve years now. Hockey is not new anymore. Your mistakes can’t be shuffled aside due to inexperience. Scotty Campbell?
Adrienne Dater made a name for himself as a prolific, outspoken blogger. I didn’t agree with much of what he wrote and said so. I think he’s a big time homer and that more than a little bit of what he writes slants toward the sensational to gain readership. Neither one of those descriptions offend me though. I find it hard to understand how he and the rest of the Dive beat writers and columnists fell off the face of the earth after Game 2 though. I mean there was nothing but crickets for four days. Oh, and here’s an unsettling thought. The Deep Diggers, our DDs, have been kicking your asses. Did any of the Denver writers have any idea Smyth was out for 3? What were you waiting on? Xrays? Every one of the DDs had it, posted it, published it, well before any of the Denver rags mentioned it at all.
And when Dater returned, aside from a sobbing paragraph about the ultimate sobber Ryan (Jason) Smyth (Smith) sitting out Game 3, he was an idiot. I mean, a raving idiot.
I also thought Samuelsson dove on that “high-stick” of Forsberg’s in the second, giving the Wings a four-minute PP. Yeah, Forsberg got him with the stick, but it wasn’t all that high and Samuelsson looked like he’d just been hit with a cannonball. It’s called “selling the call”, folks.
It’s called “watching the game” idiot. Oh, he came back and corrected himself. And, honestly, good on him for not just deleting it when he was proven wrong. Our Deep Diggers could take a lesson in that.
But even his correction didn’t make him look any smarter.
But I still don’t think Forsberg’s stick was very high. It was more of an accident to me than a high stick.
It’s called, “knowing the rules” Adrienne. Because it was an “accident”, Samuelsson shouldn’t have reacted. Because it was an “accident” no penalty should have been called? That would be a new interpretation of the high sticking rule, one I’m not aware of.
And here’s who I really want to hear from. I laid off this frigging tool bag when he published his “Hooyitown” column. And, no I don’t care if I misspelled that idiotic word. Bernie Linicome? You wanna sling arrows, put yourself out there with your anti-Detroit slams? Well, it’s time to take your medicine. I expect answers for this:
And, so, back to Hockeytown.
Well, there are worse places, though the list is short. An active landfill. Reality television. Inside Dick Cheney’s head.
How, exactly, this became Hockeytown is unclear except the notion goes unchallenged, possibly because everyone else thinks the name is a practical joke that only Detroit does not get...After the Avs win the thing in six, a new name might be Loserville.
Oh, I know. It’s the cool thing to do for rival sports writers. Slam Detroit when the opportunity presents itself. But let me remind you Bernie. Your boys are getting pasted, and soon will be swept. This sweep will have to be referenced in every future story you write, “the Dive host Detroit tonight, still smarting from a Sweep in last year’s playoffs.” “Three or Four, still haunted by the sweep at the hands of Detroit last season...” “Forsberg, the frail little girl who tantalized the Dive fan base last year only to opt out when the going got tough in the midst of getting swept by the hated Red Wings...”
Bernie came back today, essentially conceding the series. A smart move. But, I’m curious about a few statements from today’s piece of trash.
“Before Tuesday night’s game, the chore was daunting, to win four of five from the best team in hockey.”
“...what is also true is that even at full strength, the Avs would need extraordinary good fortune to beat a team that is, man for man, vastly superior.”
“...compared to the Red Wings, the Avs’ top talent is a bit beyond the sell date, and Detroit’s is just coming ripe. Henrik Zetterberg, 27, is a star ready to shine for a long time, as is center Datsyuk, 29. Franzen, 30, has become the star of the series.”
Best team in hockey. Man for man, vastly superior. Avs top talent, compared to the Wings, is a bit beyond the sell date. Care to re-address your original assessment of Hockeytown asswipe? Loserville? You threw yourself under the bus Bernie. A few admissions of greater talent--something everyone already knew--isn’t enough. Time to admit you were wrong. I won’t hold my breath.
While I’m waiting, I guess I’ll just read the Denver Post’s Jim Armstrong.
Those bumper stickers are all wrong. As difficult as it is for hard-core Avs fans to admit it, these guys are really good.
You’re F’ing A right they are Jimbo.
So really good that they’re going to sweep the Dive. This thing ends tonite. And let me tell you what that means. Just one more bullet, one more nugget of ammo to add to the growing stack. The statue of liberty, the 7-0 whitewash, the McCarty beatdown, the McCarty hat trick, the regular season dominance and now a sweep. The idiot, really only one, who used to frequent this site and claim Wings like Franzen were nothing but “pluggers” and that Holland--I still have to laugh at this--is an inferior GM, the “worst in the league”? Care to answer to that?
Oh, that’s right. You can’t. Woops.
Let’s go a step further with this sweep thing and pretend for a minute that I just didn’t jinx it, which we all know I probably did. Gobbles and S’hane and Boob and Joe...the Dive bloggers. Your arguments have been largely stale, but that’s understandable. You thought you might be debating a group who responds to logic and, as pointed out earlier, we’re not really--as the kids say--down with that.
Do we stress when the Wings lose? Yes. Do we gloat when they win? Yes. You’ve had a hard time understanding that and gotten a little uptight about it. Noted. We don’t like your team, or the vast, vast majority of the fruitcakes who claim to be fans of it. But it takes a certain amount of fortitude to come on here even after your team loses. You’ve done that. We’re going to move on after this series, probably against Dallas. And our attention will be turned to those idiot rednecks. It may seem like we’re ignoring you, and that may make you sad. Don’t let it.
We’ll see you again next year, 4 more times...if Gary lets us. Ass.
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Comments
When it rains, it pours.
The Tigers traded The Human White Flag, Jason Grilli, to the Rockies.
Eat that!
Posted by Matt from Chicago on 05/01/08 at 11:04 AM ET
Well played Chief. And don’t worry, you alone didn’t jinx it. Our collective swagger has me plagued by thoughts of the Vag coming back and winning this series. It wouldn’t just be a playoff defeat. It would be the worst thing that’s ever happened anywhere in the history of man.
I’m not giving up my seat on the train. I’ve soiled it, left fingernail marks in the armrests, and my feet are stuck to the floor. We’re not through this yet, and even a likely win tonight is doing nothing to calm my fears that we’ve been unusually lucky in the injury department so far.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 05/01/08 at 11:40 AM ET
It would be the worst thing that’s ever happened anywhere in the history of man.
I’ve run this blog since 1977, and that may be the most honest, accurate sentence ever published here.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 05/01/08 at 11:43 AM ET
Not to worry. There is no jinx.
Knock.Knock.Knock.
Therefore,"BRING IT ON!”
Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!
Posted by Kate from Pa. on 05/01/08 at 11:57 AM ET
I’m not giving up my seat on the train. I’ve soiled it, left fingernail marks in the armrests…
I got off the Stress Train as soon as I found out the Analanche would be the second-round opponent. I’ll be back aboard after the sweep, though, knowing the Stools (who are playing very well) are next on the agenda.
...and my feet are stuck to the floor.
Yeah, sorry about that. That was me. All the sleeper compartments were booked. Did you at least find the magazine I left in the seat pocket in front of you?
Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 12:40 PM ET
Don’t mean to thread-jack here, but ultimately, wouldn’t we show ourselves to be better human beings if we just laid off the Dive, and started predicting the exact moment Marty Turco drops his trousers and grabs his ankles in the next round?
Sure,we have another “game” to “play”, and as much fun as it is poking fun at an apparently helpless opponent, I’m afraid we will collectively wake up tomorrow morning and feel badly about ourselves, like we did when we were 5th graders and threw rocks at the waterhead kid down the block.
Maybe we should just take it easy on them the rest of the day.....Whaddaya think, gang?
Yeah,that’s what I thought, ME NEITHER!!
I wanna see Jose pulled during the warm up, because he left a big yellow spot in his crease area. It’s not enough to beat this team down. I’m thinking total humiliation is in order. Hold ‘em down and spit in their mouth, because they can’t do a damned thing about it.
Other than that, I’m ready to move on to Dallas....
Posted by dougie on 05/01/08 at 12:41 PM ET
Do you think he’s resting up for next season!? Who do you think he’s gonna play for!? Gosh, I can’t wait to see what Floppa does next.
This guy is done. Couldn’t play consistently for two months after resting and daily application of summer’s eve for way longer than that. He was definitely a warrior but those days are gone. You gotta know when to say when.
I agree. I’m nervous now about this game too. But that’s usually how it goes.
Posted by AndrewB from TN on 05/01/08 at 12:57 PM ET
A great day for hockey today! We are getting a spring snowstorm in Colorado, and tonite the Dive have the potential to get snowed under! Even though I am upset I will probably not be at the game tonight, Red Wing fans must take over the AssCan! Just like we have before. You know how much the Dive fans and their media dislike us “transplants”. Give them a nice summer going away present. Be Loud and Obnoxious in a fun way of coarse. Terry Frei will really enjoy it
Posted by Jeff from Loveland, CO on 05/01/08 at 12:58 PM ET
No Forsberg or Smyth tonight. Lets just humanely put this team out of its misery.
Posted by KP on 05/01/08 at 01:07 PM ET
Franzen, 30, has become the star of the series.
He may be 30 in Linicome Dive years.
In the real world Franzén is 28. Born December, 1979. Expect him to get better still.
Posted by lilja4ever on 05/01/08 at 01:09 PM ET
Lilja, they add a couple of years to everything. It’s how they can justify retiring Borque’s number. He played for them for like 4 or 5 years.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 05/01/08 at 01:14 PM ET
This guy is done. Couldn’t play consistently for two months after resting and daily application of summer’s eve for way longer than that. He was definitely a warrior but those days are gone. You gotta know when to say when.
Agreed. If he took a year off and couldn’t come back and play for 2 months his body can’t hold up.
Lilja, they add a couple of years to everything. It’s how they can justify retiring Borque’s number. He played for them for like 4 or 5 years.
And just to make it worse, he played for 2.
Posted by Jibblescribbits from San Jose, CA on 05/01/08 at 01:22 PM ET
Lilja, they add a couple of years to everything.
That’s been the mantra in the Denver media (and regurgitated by the tards that read them) for awhile, now—that the Wings are old (not to mention soft).
Take away the #5 defenseman and current back-up goaltender and you have a relatively youthful team, the perfect mix of youth and experience, actually.
As for the soft part, well, one of the two teams playing in Denver tonight looks as brittle as my grandmother’s femur and I’m pretty sure even Woody Paige can figure out which team that is.
Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 01:29 PM ET
Damnation Gabe:
We’re not through this yet, and even a likely win tonight is doing nothing to calm my fears that we’ve been unusually lucky in the injury department so far.
Go sacrfice a cat or perhaps even a canine for even uttering those words. WTF is that all about!!
Geez, I know the “Stress Train” isn’t all that superstitious or anything, but c’mon man; don’t be tempting the Hockey Gods with any new ideas.
Good Grief!!
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 05/01/08 at 01:29 PM ET
Gobbles and S’hane and Boob and Joe
Out of those four, I only want Boob’s blood. Jibble and Shane get the nod from me for coming back and arguing; Joe, for putting up that giant Avalanche FAIL logo as a game recap.
Boob on the other hand never came back here to get the as whooping he deserves. Come back and comment you snide moth#$#@$ and suck the dirt from my toes.
Dive bloggers; tell that little slut to come back here and man up like you did.
Posted by Osrt on 05/01/08 at 01:41 PM ET
It’s clear Colorado’s done, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them put up a pretty stiff game tonight—elimination is usually harder than anything leading up to it. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they pick a fight or two either—if only out of pride.
That said, if they duck and we run them out of their own building, it’s going to be a great day.
One thing that’s fun to watch, though, is the look on Sakic’s face on the bench. The kids out there may not know what they’re seeing, but the veterans sure as hell do.
Posted by Chris from balmy Washington, DC on 05/01/08 at 01:44 PM ET
Just a heads-up for everyone, The Highlander just posted a story about tonight’s Game 4. Forsberg, Smyth, Stastny are all out for the game.
Posted by Chris in Hockey Hell from COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE on 05/01/08 at 01:53 PM ET
Boob from Boulder is, bar none, the whiniest beyotch I’ve ever come across on any fan blog anywhere on the tubes. Go read his comments under the Game 3 entry at MHH. Every two minutes he’s whining about something--the refs, the Wings, Wings fans, what have you. It’s hilarious.
Whiners like Boob tend to be cowards, as well. You won’t see him here again.
Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 02:02 PM ET
Here are some lovely stats on “Lose 3 0r 4”, from the CBC.ca, that should slow-down the Stress Train:
Theodore has allowed four goals in each of his three starts against the Red Wings and sports a bloated 6.55 goals-against average in the series.
His career record in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs is 2-16, including 14 consecutive losses.
“I thought Jose played well,” Colorado coach Joel Quenneville said of Theodore’s 31-save effort in Game 3. “The goaltending was fine. I think he looked sharper. He looked good in practice again (Wednesday). I don’t think the goaltending is an issue.”
Caoch “Q’s” comments really make you wonder what exactly is in the air in the Mile High city?
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 05/01/08 at 02:03 PM ET
Geez, I know the “Stress Train” isn’t all that superstitious or anything, but c’mon man; don’t be tempting the Hockey Gods with any new ideas.
Ah, but see Jeff, I’ve taken superstition to the next level.
Yes, commenting on something positive, like a shutout, is heresy before it happens. However, worrying out loud about something negative, such as injuries, before they happen is a good thing. We were fine last year until Schneider broke his wrist. You see, we weren’t offering up the proper amount of worship (in the form of stress) to the hockey gods, and they reminded us who was really in power. Once we were appropriately frightened, the Gods allowed Homer to keep playing, even after Pronger and Neidermeier tried to drive his head through the boards. You see, they are cruel and vengeful Gods, but are also merciful and forgiving.
I admit. I’ve given this an unhealthy amount of consideration, but it’s all about respect and reverance.
I can PowerPoint the whole thing out if necessary.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 05/01/08 at 02:12 PM ET
THERE IS NO SUCH THINGS AS JINXES GODDAMNIT!!
Not a single damn thing that us fans do at home matters. Think the Wings win because you wore your hockey sweater? WRONG. Think the Wings lose because you’re sitting on the left side of the couch? WRONG. Think the shutout will be blown because you said the word? WRONG.
We are pasengers on this run, so we better stop acting like a anything we do at home or on the internet will affect the outcome of the game.
What we CAN do is defend our team from the onslaught of ingnorance around the league, and scream our heads off while at games.
So don’t feel like you are jinxing anything by talking SWEEP… yeah that’s right mofos we are going to SWEEP their asses tonight, and put pile all in the corner of the AssCan. And if we don’t sweep it’s not because of what you said or wrote, it’s because the Dive finally showed up for a game.
Which means I will show up at JLA for Game 5 to be one of the loudest guys in the arena (have my tix ready to go) and watch as we beat them in 5. So it’s win - win for me either way tonight.
Posted by VooX on 05/01/08 at 02:13 PM ET
Ummm...Thanks for the reminder VooX. We were, you know, almost confused about how the Law of Physics works; we already learned about Physics’ Law from Sasquatch last year.
Posted by Osrt on 05/01/08 at 02:35 PM ET
Congratulations on the tickets though; I hope you won’t get a chance to use them! Exchange for Semis with Dallas!
Posted by Osrt on 05/01/08 at 02:36 PM ET
offering up the proper amount of worship (in the form of stress) to the hockey gods
I gave my liver..et tu?
Posted by Rumbear from Sandy Eggo on 05/01/08 at 03:02 PM ET
I wonder if Forsberg is hurt or just doesn’t want to shake hands with team that he could never play for (hmm).
Posted by mike from Detroit on 05/01/08 at 03:26 PM ET
We were, you know, almost confused about how the Law of Physics works; we already learned about Physics’ Law from Sasquatch last year.
Actually, I believe that hexes, jinxes, and curses fall under metaphysics more than physics.
From the Philosophy Dictionary (via answers.com):
According to Bradley, metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct, although as Broad remarked, to find these reasons is no less an instinct. Originally a title for those books of Aristotle that came after the Physics, the term is now applied to any enquiry that raises questions about reality that lie beyond or behind those capable of being tackled by the methods of science. Naturally, an immediately contested issue is whether there are any such questions, or whether any text of metaphysics should, in Hume’s words, be ‘committed to the flames, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion’ (Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Bk. xii, Pt. 3). The traditional examples will include questions of mind and body, substance and accident, events, causation, and the categories of things that exist (see ontology).
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/01/08 at 04:21 PM ET
THERE IS NO SUCH THINGS AS JINXES GODDAMNIT!!
Finally! I completely, 100% agree, VooX. I get so sick and tired of people doing the same thing for each game because they think it’ll somehow magically help the Wings win. It’s so ludicrous.
...and if the Wings win the cup, you better give this rant every year from now on.
Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 05/01/08 at 08:21 PM ET
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Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome:
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Head to Hockeytown
Blogs the Chief Likes
How about this from a Detroit journalist?
“The key in the series has been getting early leads, although the subpar performance of Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore does give credence to the notion he has actually been the Red Wings’ MVP, at least the last three games.”
and this:
“Rafalski hasn’t only been excellent on the power play, he’s been solid overall. He is a step up from Schneider, which says a lot because Schneider is a top-line NHL defenseman.”
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/050108/spo_sports03.shtml
Posted by w2j2 on 05/01/08 at 11:00 AM ET