So long lilja.  I won’t miss you. 

OJ, again, you’re a bitter, bitter man.  You’re seriously going to call someone you’ve never truly met a lying sac of shit?  Pretty idiotic if you ask me.

And just because it’s juvenile doesn’t mean there aren’t some good tidbits here and there.  It also doesn’t mean it’s not fun to play on the juvenile folks here a little bit.

And again, if you think I’m just shilling my blog - to Red Wings fans apparently *shakes head* - then don’t visit it.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 04/30/08 at 07:58 PM ET

Hap,

How dare you have a rationalized reasonable perspective on Avs fans. Don’t you know that this is no place for those kind of down-to-earth thoughtful responses.

I was going to chastise him, but you seem to have taken care of that.

I don’t come here for reasoned, down-to-Earth responses. I come here because for an entire 82 game hockey season I live in enemy territory and listening to their whining drivel day in and day out is enough to drive me to drink. I come here because I can’t go to a bar down the street and shoot the breeze about the Wings.

The “hold hands and sing cum-ba-ya” posts make no difference to me, but they’re not my style. I don’t believe in a community of hockey fans. You’re a Wings fan or you’re not. If you’re not; I hope your team fails every single time it plays the Wings, beyond that I don’t really care how your team does against the rest of the league.

Posted by wingsfanindenver on 04/30/08 at 08:08 PM ET

I don’t come here pimping for page views.. what good are pageviews? i don’t run adds so i don’t make money.  I want people to read my blog, but only if they enjoy it.

If I wanted more pageviews i’d just post pictures of hot celebs nearly naked. I posted an Elisha Cuthbert pic a year ago (in a reference to sean avery), and that pic still gets me more pageviews than all other links combined.

But i posted her pic because it was (marginally) relevant to the topic at hand. I write because it’s fun and i want to share my thoughts with people who care about them. I com here and argue because it’s fun to talk some shit, as long as everyone knows it’s in good fun, and because i like getting the enemies point of view

Posted by Jibblescribbits from San Jose, CA on 04/30/08 at 08:42 PM ET

That wasn’t “nearly naked” at all.  Complete disappointment.

Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 04/30/08 at 09:20 PM ET

I would call this nearly naked

Posted by Jibblescribbits from San Jose, CA on 04/30/08 at 09:24 PM ET

Jibblescribbits: I now have a new computer wallpaper.

Posted by DerekW on 04/30/08 at 09:58 PM ET

Scary...she’s got a bigger bulge than Floppa!

Posted by Scott H from Kalamazoo on 05/01/08 at 12:11 AM ET

Scary...she’s got a bigger bulge than Floppa!

LOL! Yes, definitely time for some trimming.

What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring—caring deeply and passionately, really caring—which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives.

Roger: I disagree. We still care about a great many things in our lives, and care deeply. However, that caring may have become atomized in our society and sports teams allow us to participate in *collective* caring. Perhaps not even caring, but a solidarity.

To the rest of you: I like fighting with opposing bloggers but seriously, I hope nobody is taking anything personally.

Some of you are acting like your opponent has actually done something to you personally, rather than type some faceless words on the comment section of a blog. To those of you who realize this and are ‘playing’ serious hatred, carry on. And in that spirit:

Shane and Jibble: your motherf$%$@&s;are hermaphrodites. The way you switch between self-righteous indignation and taking on the very habits/ language/ attitude that you condemn is only possible if you can contort and penetrate yourself.

BTW Jibble, we have been advocating for Larry Aurie for a long time. We even asked people to sign this petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/larry-aurie-to-the-rafters.html

You also don’t realize who the F%&$ you’re dealing with. Not only are we bitch smacking you in the series, we revel in our own juvenile-illogical- hypocrisy. This is our safe place; group therapy for the fanatically insane.

And your hermaphroditic arguments simply don’t effect us.

p.s. on a slightly philosophical note, I hope you have realized by now that human beings are not rational actors behaving according to the mandates of reason, logic or even ethics. Look at the world around you.

Posted by Osrt on 05/01/08 at 03:08 AM ET

Jibble: that ain’t nearly naked man. You need to spend more time on the internet.

Ask TeamDub to show you around the intertubes…

Posted by Osrt on 05/01/08 at 03:11 AM ET

Why do the names of S’hane and Gobbles appear in light blue type at the bottom of their comments?

Is that because they’ve entered a web address in the URL field of the comment box?

Yes, I think so.

What would happen if a reader chose to click on either of their names?

Would the reader’s computer be redirected to their respective blogs?

Yes, I think so.

Blog pimps.

Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 07:18 AM ET

Shh!-anus and Gobbles.  Bitter, oh so bitter.

Does gracious in defeat mean nothing to you?

Posted by lilja4ever on 05/01/08 at 08:02 AM ET

J.J. from Kansas: it seems your point is that you haven’t been watching the Wings that long and already have a very deep interest in them and their success.  you also said:

The next season, I watched more games, picked up on more of the Wings’ history and found myself drawn to them as a model of a high-class organization.

which exactly makes my point.  had there been no history and a model of a high-class organization (i.e. the Avalanche) would you have become such a dedicated fan so quickly?

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/01/08 at 08:39 AM ET

I’m not saying you HAVE to grow up with a team to like it. I’ve got no problem with fans that adopt teams for other reasons, so long as they stick with them.

My point is that it’s simply different. I think there’s a reason that European football fans are so nuts about their hometown clubs. It’s a tradition they grow up with. It’s as prominent in their homes as a crucifix or the Bible is in middle-America (not a religous attack on my part, just trying to illustrate that football is on the level of religion for many in Europe).

The point isn’t that it’s right or wrong to root for an adopted team. The point is that it’s just plain DIFFERENT when you grow up with it, and almost never feel like you have a choice. It becomes part of you, part of the family. Something you have stupid emotions about that you can’t completely control no matter how hard you try.

Look, I use hyperbole to make a point. I don’t throw things and have tantrums when they lose. We don’t REALLY (save TeamDub ) defecate when they lose.

But does it have an impact? You’re damn right. Have I lost sleep over a Wings loss? Unfortunately, yes. Have I yelled horrible words and phrases while watching playoff games, likely scaring the crap out of my neighbors? Uh, yeah. When the Wings lose a game, does it ruin my day/night? More often than it probably should.

Maybe the ultimate answer is that since we’re adults in every other facet of our lives, we cling to the Wings as a last link to childhood.

I don’t know. Maybe we aren’t that different. Maybe if you think about what I’m saying you’ll realize you fit the bill exactly, and the only reason we’re butting heads is because of our team affiliations. If that’s the case, I apologize for having insulted your fan-dom. But it also means that you need to get off your soap box about us being immature for “living and dying” with our team. I’m willing to meet halfway and acknowledge that we’re probably more similar than we are different.

Regardless, I have no choice but insult you for being a Dive fan, and I wouldn’t want you to do anything but chant “Red Wings Suck”.

Posted by Nathan on 05/01/08 at 08:44 AM ET

“Does gracious in defeat mean nothing to you?”

Does gracious in victory mean nothing to you?

And again, OJ.  Don’t click the link if you don’t like it.  Don’t worry, it won’t hurt my feelings.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 05/01/08 at 10:18 AM ET

I’m with Nathan on this one.  No disrespect to those of you who have adopted a team, and while that includes pretty much every Dive fan out there, it doesn’t mean you can’t be just as passionate about the fortunes of your team, or welcome in the communities that surround it.

But when you are born and raised with it, you don’t really have a choice.  It is inseperably entwined with every fiber of your being, practically part of your DNA itself, and win or lose, it affects you.  It goes some way to define who you are, as much as religion or upbringing or sense of place.  And it is generally out of your control.  No matter how much willpower you have, there is at least a twinge of anger when you see a loss, a little smile inside when you see a win.  Much as I still cringe a little when I hear about the horrible state of the economy in Michigan, even though it doesn’t really affect me.  How the Wings do has nothing to do with my life, but it has everything to do with who I am.

If that means we’re over the top in our reactions, so be it.  I grew up with these teams, and couldn’t imagine switching allegiances, in the same way that I’ll never be from New York or a Lutheran.  If that doesn’t make any sense to you, then like I said earlier, you’ll never understand.  If it doesn’t make any sense to you and you choose to judge me negatively on it, f*ck off.  If it doesn’t make sense to you but you still want to hang on a Wings blog with me?  Pull up a beer and let’s watch the game, brother.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the long pantheon of Michigan sports greats on 05/01/08 at 10:26 AM ET

Does gracious in victory mean nothing to you?

Where have you seen me post?  Which sites?  Oh, only A2Y?  Which is meant to be read by Wings’ fans, mind you.

Unlike you, Shanus, I’m not posting on opposing teams’ blogs, whoring for page views.

It’s funny, Darren Garcia is such a good representative of the average Dive fan.  Guess you can’t take the whore of out a dive fan.

Posted by lilja4ever on 05/01/08 at 10:40 AM ET

lilja, you’re a bit of a dick, aren’t you?

One of the fields on Kukla’s Korner is URL.  My URL happens to be my site.  It auto-fills b/c I’ve used it on this site other times I’ve made comments.

Yes, I do enjoy having new readers but I truly do not want you as a reader nor any of the other people who think I’m being disingenuous here. And maybe you should check out opposing teams blogs so you can see the other side of the story. You do know there are two sides to any story, right?

I’m posting here b/c it’s a bit like a car wreck.  I just can’t keep myself from looking.  And when I see people attacking my character and the character of other Avs bloggers and fans, it’s hard to keep my mouth shut.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 05/01/08 at 11:49 AM ET

“doesn’t mean you can’t be just as passionate about the fortunes of your team”

Finally someone said it

“If it doesn’t make sense to you but you still want to hang on a Wings blog with me?  Pull up a beer and let’s watch the game, brother. “

Again, finally a bit of sense.

Although I won’t hang here during the game, I do enjoy stopping by to see what Red Wings fans thought of the game after spending my time in Avalanche-ville.

It’s just unfortunate there isn’t more game talk and less digs at the Avalanche fan base.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 05/01/08 at 11:52 AM ET

Shanus said:

lilja, you’re a bit of a dick, aren’t you?

And you whine like a bitch.

Posted by wingsfanindenver from 'lancheland on 05/01/08 at 11:55 AM ET

Sure, lilja, you can go read the Av’tard blogs.  But don’t dare post anything that remotely crosses whatever fine line they drawn in the sand as to what’s acceptable to them.  Or they’ll ban you.

I wonder if their husbands blog, too.

Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 01:04 PM ET

*they’ve

Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 01:08 PM ET

I just can’t keep myself from looking.  And when I see people attacking my character and the character of other Avs bloggers and fans, it’s hard to keep my mouth shut.

Your character? Seriously? Take a look again at the stakes of this whole debate and especially those “personal” attacks. Move on dude; lets talk hockey.

Also, you should get a petition going to get JQ fired; that man is a waste behind the bench.

Posted by Osrt on 05/01/08 at 01:11 PM ET

...it’s hard to keep my mouth shut.

Now we’re back to the shower room at the suburban Denver Gold’s Gym.

Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 01:12 PM ET

Also, you should get a petition going to get JQ fired; that man is a waste behind the bench.

We’ve been doing that all season

Posted by Jibblescribbits from San Jose, CA on 05/01/08 at 02:59 PM ET

Where have you seen me post?  Which sites?  Oh, only A2Y?  Which is meant to be read by Wings’ fans, mind you.

Unlike you, Shanus, I’m not posting on opposing teams’ blogs, whoring for page views.

He shoots!  He scooooooooores!!

lilja, you’re a bit of a dick, aren’t you?

Uh-oh, Doc, it appears S’h’anus got butt-hurt on the play.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ButtHurt

Posted by O’Long-apo~J’oe on 05/01/08 at 03:44 PM ET