A Champion in Our Midst!!!

Check out this link to the Blues website. It seems as if our very own Joe won a bubble hockey tourney not too long ago (lol)

http://www.stlouisblues.com/fanstuff/coolbars/partypix-hotshots.html

I've already sent out a challenge to him for the next time I'm in St. Louis (since I'm not 100% sure as to if there is a bubble hockey game around here anymore. Maybe at Chuck E. Cheese...lol)

My Friends RULE!!!

Really, this started out as a pretty typical Sunday for me. I slept in WAY too late for my own good this morning. I had the night off on Saturday...a rare occurance this time of year. No games to go to around here. Originally, I was supposed to go to Kennewick with Kristi and Jacque for the Tri-Cities/Spokane game. But when I got home on Friday and saw that they were expecting 12-24 inches of snow in the mountain passes, I quickly called that trip off (lol). So I wound up staying home and finally watching the third Lord of the Rings movie. Which, for me, is an accomplishment upon itself. I think that all three are good movies. They're well-directed, the camera work rivals some of the best of all-time and I appreciate the grand scope of the whole story. But I'm just not that into sword and sorcery stuff. That and I can't stand looking at Elijah Wood (lol). I was hoping he would die sooner in the story. But I guess the end worked okay for me. Even though I was rooting for that spider (hahaha).

Okay...once again I have strayed off-course. Not unusual. But still regretable (lol). Anyway, I was so tired after watching the LOTR last night, that I just kinda got on the computer a little bit afterwards, then decided to just go to bed. Which just happened to be about 10:45. I was so beat, that I figured I would just lay there whether I fell asleep or not. Well, I did fall asleep...and didn't wake up until almost 11:30am! So I must have been a little tired (lol).

After I came to my senses, I gave Lindsay a call. Today is her 23rd birthday. So I had to shout out to her really quick. She's been having a good time all week. She's made a bunch of friends at work and they tend to enjoy going out after work and get sloshed (lol). Which is good for her. She's spent so much time at home these last few years by herself, not getting out much, that she deserves to let loose now. Although, I think she's starting to get an idea as to what it's been like for me over these last few years with working and traveling all over the place for the hockey games. She seems tired alot. Which I was, too. That's a big reason as to why I've laid off a little bit this season. Perhaps not as much as I had originally planned. But I'm still going to fewer games.

And today was almost one of those games that I missed...although it wasn't by design. After talking to Lindsay, I went and took a shower then headed out the door. It was about 12:30 at that point. I went up to the 7-11 to buy some stuff. And then, as I was walking out the door, I noticed that my right-rear tire was flat as a pancake! Somewhere along the short route between my apartment and the 7-11, I had ran over a nail. So I went back into the store, bought a can of "Fix-a-Flat" and filled the tire up.

At that point, I was pretty much content with just staying home tonight. But as I pulled back into my parking lot, I saw that both of Tom W's trucks were parked there. Briefly, I thought about calling him up to see if he wanted to go to the game with the ticket being on me. But then I remembered all the Seahawks glorious results lately and the fact that he still isn't answering his phone when I call (lol). So that idea was scraped pretty quickly. Then, I remembered that Karin said that she was working today and that Rick was going to the game instead. So I called Rick up to see if I could get a ride. He said that he was already up there, but that I should call Karin to see if she would drive me. "Isn't she working today" I asked. "Nope. She's home with that bad leg right now". So I thanked Rick and gave Karin a ring. I asked her if she would drive us up there with the ticket being on me. Of course she said yes...it really wasn't much of a sell (lol).

So Karin came to my rescue and up to Seattle we went. We got there about 10 minutes into the first period. But I wasn't complaining at all. At least I got to the game!!!

I felt a little better during the 1st intermission after hearing about all the woes Kristi and Jacque had earlier that day concerning Jacque's car. Apparently, they had to park it in a church parking lot the night before. And when they got out there this morning, the good people at the church had her car towed away. As always...the brotherly/sisterly thing to do (lol). So they went to the tow-yard or wherever it was to fetch the thing. And the woman behind the desk started flipping them all sorts of shit. The main one was how Jacque needed a Washington State driver's lisence or military ID to get her car back. She didn't have her lisence, but she did have a passport with her. That wasn't good enough for the woman behind the desk, though. Jacque told her that her lisence was somewhere in her room, but she didn't know exactly where it was. Which inspired that idiot behind the desk to make a snide remark about the state of cleanliness of her bedroom.

From what I could gather, the woman behind the desk changed her attitude when small claims court was mentioned somewhere in the conversation. Strangely enough, having a Washington State drivers lisence wasn't required all of a sudden. So I guess they got the car back at that point. But it was still good to know that I wasn't the only one having a shitty car day (lol).

To Jacque:

The three of us will get that roadtrip in one of these days. I text messaged Kristi last night asking about maybe going to Vancouver this Friday. But she said you had to work. And I think last night would have been a good one if it wasn't for all the snow. But that's the way things go this time of year. But after talking to Karin about it on the way up to the Key today, I came to the realization that I would love to take the two of you somewhere. That way, when Kristi eventually ditches us, I'll still have someone to hang out with (lol). We'll go out to some bar after the game, get shit-faced, hit on members of the opposite sex, laugh our asses off. Basically, have a great time (hahaha).

Oh yeah...the T-Birds lost to the Prince George Cougars, 3-2 in a shootout. PG is a pretty good team this season. Too bad they're in the same division as Kootenay, Vancouver and Kelowna. And the Thunderbirds are starting to pick things up. They had like 50 shots on goal tonight. But Real Cyr was dynamite for the Cougars in net. And the Seattle power play is starting to look good, too. They still aren't scoring all that much. But they're passing the puck around with confidence like a good pp unit does. If they keep it up, their man-advantage woes will be cured soon enough.

So that's about it for tonight. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have written about tonight. But I still had to thank my friends for coming through for me once again.

Thanks Rick for the advice on Karin!

Thanks Karin for the ride up there! (and back home again...lol)

Thanks Kristi, Jacque and yes....even Emily (haha)....for boosting my spirits!!!

Thanks Kelly for filling me in on the rally at Qwest Field today!

And last, but not least:

Happy Birthday, Lindsay!!!!!

You're still one of the best things to ever come into my life!!!!!

The Best Day of My Life

I am now one month away from turning 32. And this is the Seahawks 30th season in the National Football League. So, for pretty much my entire life, I've rooted for this team. And like no other. Sure, I like the Mariners and Sonics just fine. I want them to win. And face it...the run by the 1995 Mariners is still probably the most thrilling ride this area has ever seen (considering all the circumstances surounding it). And I was way more than thrilled when the Sabercats won the WCHL title in 1999. But for all my life, the Seahawks have always been #1 in my heart. I remember sitting in our first house on my dads lap watching their early years when the stars were Jim Zorn and Steve Largent. In the fall of 1979, my dad was telling me all week about how the Seahawks had to play the 49ers and their great running back, O.J. Simpson that Sunday. It turns out that he did all that to cover up the fact that my mom was leaving us that week. I still remember watching the game, and my mom calling me over to her so she could explain why she was leaving us. I remember I cried alot...then, after she left, I turned my attention back to the game on the tv. And I still remember the first Super Bowl we watched in our new house back then in 1980. It was the Steelers vs the Rams. And, at one point, I asked my dad if the Seahawks would ever get to play in the Super Bowl. "We'll get there someday" he told me.

And I sat there with my dad every Sunday for years and years after that. No matter what was going on that week, what we were arguing about, what we had to do that day, the two of us sat there watching every play, every down, every game. Whatever our differences were, we still had our basic love of the Seahawks to bring us together for at least those few hours.

They had a few good years back in the mid-80's. Led by Dave Krieg, Curt Warner, Steve Largent, Kenny Easley, Dave Brown (RIP), Joe Nash, Jeff Bryant, Fredd Young and Jacob Green. The coach was "Ground" Chuck Knox. Then there were the darker years. The Ken Behring era. For those not in the know, Ken Behring was simply a weasel. He bought the team from the Nordstrom brothers with the intent on driving the franchise into the ground so he could move them to California. Oakland was his first choice. But after the Raiders moved back to Oakland and the Rams took off to St. Louis, he tried to get them into Los Angeles. He even moved some of the teams stuff down there and held a make-shift practice...on the field of some junior high school, even! That proved what a cheep bastard he really was.

But the NFL said "no". They knew that there was plenty of fan support in the Puget Sound area. The Seahawks at one point had a 10 year waiting list for season tickets. And games in the Kingdome sold out just mere minutes after they went on sale in late summer. So they knew that there was a strong market here. They just had to find the right owner to prop the franchise back on it's feet. So they forced the weasel to sell the team.

------------------------------------------

For once, it was actually SUNNY today (lol). And it was one of those days that just had that feeling to it. For example; there's this one huge rock just off the on-ramp from 56th street on I-5 in Tacoma. As long as I can remember, it's always been full of graffiti. I think if you went up to it with a can of laquer thinner, you could probably go through about 6 inches of paint to get back to the original rock. Today, it was painted blue with a #12 on it and the words "GO HAWKS". Vandalism never looked so good (haha).

And all along the freeway in Tacoma, there were homemade signs that read various things like "Go Hawks" and "Fear the 12th Man". The 12th man flag on the Tacoma Dome flapped true. As we rode the bus up to Qwest Field, people would drive up next to our bus and give us the #1 sign with their fingers. And we, of course, gave it right back to them.

The atmosphere around the stadium itself was electric. People were jamming into the various sportswear shops up and down the street buying everything Seahawks. Chants were ringing through the streets like "Let's go Seahawks", "Panthers suck" and "Super Bowl". And after wading through a freakishly long security line, Touchdown City was about 10x's more packed than I had ever seen it. Alot of people stood around tv sets watching the Steelers dismantle the Broncos in the AFC Championship game.

And it was more of the same inside the actual stadium. The Seahawks team shop was crammed up like you wouldn't believe! I was sent on a mission in there for someone and failed miserably simply because I couldn't get around in there (lol). On the north steps of Qwest Field, the Husky marching band was putting on a show. People were already hi-fiving each other...and the game hadn't even begun yet. I personally lost count of the people who wanted to hi-five me at 15 (lol). Of course, I was more than happy to oblige anyone who wanted one.

After eating my usual Ivar's 5-piece fish and chips, I went out to meet and greet a few people. The first ones I went to were Jenna and her mom (who I never learned her name...lol). They sat next to me in Husky Stadium while the Hawks played there between the Kingdome and Qwest. I hadn't talked to them all season. So it was nice to catch up with them. Then I went over to chat a little with Jerry and Elizabeth. They had come over to my seat the last two or three games. So I told them when I was up in Everett on Friday night that it was my turn to go visit them (lol). Then it was back over to my seat to be with Dan, his new girlfriend (whose name I can't remember now. But she's really f'n cool...lol).

After going through all the pre-game stuff, they did the national anthem. Usually, at the Seahawk games, they do the anthem before they introduce the players. My best guess is that they do it that way to keep the crowd buzzing. FOX brought in some American Karaoke chick to sing it. Oh, she was hot and sang it well. But I think if it was up to us, we would have liked to have seen a Seattle singer sing it. Like, say, Ann Wilson or Geoff Tate (who have both done it numerous times before and are always popular). Even Sea-Gal Trina would have been a good choice (as she was last week. And, if I may say so myself, is a much better singer than the Karaoke contestant by far!).

After the coin toss, it was time for the raising of the 12th Man flag. Usually, it's not much of a secret as to who's doing it. But it had been all this week. While I was over talking to Jerry and Elizabeth, I asked them if they had any clue. One of their kids works in the Hawks front office and usually knows. But she couldn't tell Elizabeth when she asked her on Friday because she was ordered not to. But then, on Satuday, Julie went ahead and told Elizabeth anyway. So I was already in on the secret beforehand (lol).

Back in my seat, I could hear a little commotion behind us. Not a bad one. But one of joy and excitement. Then on the big screen, the introduction began. It went a little something like this:

His dad took him to Husky games as a young boy

And from that, a passion for football was lit

Then in 1995

In the franchises darkest hour

He saved our Seahawks

And that was pretty much that. The crowd immedietly knew who it was. And the stadium roared with a deafening level of noise that I had never heard before in my life. And it was at that point, we all knew that this was OUR day. That nothing....NOTHING....was gonna stop us. How could any visiting team not get flustered by that roar? How could a home team not feel invincible with all that screaming humanity behind them and their efforts? And the reason that it was us here in the northwest watching that game and making all that noise and not Los Angeles was the one and only Paul Allen. It was his passion (and face it...his money...lol) that had gotten us out of the Behring era and to this point. And once again, as they usually do, whoever puts the stuff together for the Seahawks punched all the right buttons with us. Unlike most of the other teams in other sports, the Seahawks make sure that they let us know that, in the beginning, middle and end, it's all about us...the fans. And that's been the message sent forth by Paul Allen from day one.

And rightfully so, it was Paul Allen who raised the 12th Man flag. Thank you Mr. Allen! Thank you for this day!

All of you saw the game, I'm sure. It was an ass-whuppen from start to finish. I won't go into the usual things about what happened during the game. But I will say this. All year long, the Seahawks have shut their doubters up. I think I heard one so-called expert pick the Seahawks to win this game. Everyone else went on and on about how Carolina was gonna win. They talked about how Steve Smith was gonna burn up the Seahawks secondary. Well, 5 catches for 33 yards isn't exactly burning up a secondary. They said Shaun Alexander isn't a big game running back. I think 130+ yards in the NFC Championship game pretty much took that sick dog out back and shot it. Now the early buzz is that the Steelers are the favorites in the Super Bowl. They're a tough team...no doubt about it. But this has been one of those years where the Seahawks have just gone out there week after week and shut the so-called experts up. So keep on doubting us. It's worked for us so far!!!

When it was all over, Dan and I didn't give each other our usual hi-ten. This time, we just shook each others hand. He's been a season ticket holder since day one. And he also has heard from me about how much the team means to me and how when I finally got up enough money, I bought my season ticket that I had always wanted. So we know how much this means to the two of us. And this Wednesday, I'm gonna make an exception to my weekday hockey rule and wade through the traffic on I-5 to go to the Silvertips game just so I can celebrate a little bit with Jerry and Elizabeth. As for Jenna and her mom...they'll just have to wait until next season (lol).

See, it's not just about only the team. It's about how the team (or, in the hockey realm for me, the game) draws us together. People we don't know ahead of time, we form this bond. People we turn out to really like that we wouldn't have met if it wasn't for the team. We live through all the highs and lows. And trust me...over 30 years rooting for the Seahawks, there have been alot of lows (lol). It's something we have in common. And on days like this, it's those friendships that make the teams success so much sweeter to us. That's what makes sports so special.

-------------------------------

Walking out of the stadium, I could hear my cell phone ringing and text messages being sent. I just ignored them all. I was still in a daze...trying to come to grips that what had just happened really did happen. Was it a dream? I mean, we're Seattle sports fans. Our teams are supposed to choke when it comes to crunch time. But the whole time, I could only think of one call that I wanted to make. The one call that would be the first after the game was over.

When I got on the bus and it started moving, I whipped out my cell phone and called my dad. When he answered, I immedietly told him "we did it, dad". After I said that, I know I was choking back the tears. I could tell he was too when he cracked out "yes we did". Then I said "you told me we would one of these days 26 years ago". To which he said "I know. You know I wouldn't lie to you". I said something like "yeah". Then he told me "you barely have a voice. You better rest it a little so you can tell me all about it tomorrow".

And I will. There's nobody else in the world that I want to share this time with more.

Shake, Shake, Shake....

It was a cold, rainy day. Okay......that's kind of a cliche (lol). But it was! Actually, that same opening line could go for any of the previous 28 days around here. Yup...for those not around here, we've had 28 straight days that featured some sort of rain. I accept the rain. It's just a fact of life up here. That's what we're known for, isn't it? I mean, California has the sun, Minnesota has the snow, the midwest has tornado's, the southeast has hurricanes and the northwest has it's rain. But almost a month of nothing but rain is getting a little old. At this point, I believe the record is something like 31 straight days (set in the 50's sometime, I also believe I heard). But on the way up to the Park & Ride today, I heard a little quote about our foul weather from Mike Holmgren's press conference earlier in the week. He said "we've broken all sorts of records this season. Why not break another one since we're on a roll"?

Indeed.

I also noticed last night when I was driving home from Everett that the Tacoma Dome is now sporting a 12th Man flag right underneath the American flag. So I couldn't bring myself to flip that rotten woodpile off like Tom and I normally do (shhhh.....please don't tell him.....lol).

Anyway, back to that cold, rainy day. The one thing that really sucked about it was that Touchdown City was held outside this time instead of inside the convention center. This was due to the fact that the Seattle Boat Show was inside. They actually canceled the boat show a couple days earlier than originally planned just because of the football game. But you could still see all sorts of expensive yachts that nobody who makes less than a million dollars a year could even imagine to own. I guess they just couldn't get all those boats out of there in the 16 hours that they had.

But I still hung out outside for about an hour before I went in. Which turned out to be pretty cool. It wasn't raining a whole bunch. So there were all sorts of people wandering around looking at whatever little was out there. There were a bunch of people hanging out at the KIRO booth watching them do the pre-game show. And we got to see quite a few Seahawk legends. Old-timers like Curt Warner, Jacob Green and, of course, Steve Largent. Warren Moon was pretty popular. Especially since he was recently named one of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I hope he makes it. But I have a feeling that he'll probably be one of those guys who gets voted in during a weak year of candidates. Especially since they only vote 4 guys in per year.

Trent Dilfer arrived to the quick, sporadic chants of "Dilfer" that we used to yell when he first arrived in Seattle and Matt Hasselbeck wasn't all that good. And Ken Hamlin also got a loud ovation when he popped in for a quick interview. When asked whether or not he would ever be able to come back and play football again, he said that he was planning on being in Cheney when training camp rolls around next July. But he was also careful by saying that he wouldn't do anything that the doctors told him not to do. The "Hammer" also got a rousing ovation just before kickoff as he was the one chosen to raise the 12th Man flag.

The game started off well. Hasselbeck completed an early 52 yard pass to Darrell Jackson to quickly put the Seahawks in scoring position. The Seahawks continued to march downfield and seemed destined to score on their first possesion. But Shaun Alexander commited a rare fumble on the Washington 11 yardline, which the Redskins recovered.

Then, on the next Seattle drive, we avoided what could have been a disaster. Shaun Alexander went down with a concussion that took him out of the game. Although I think that deflated the crowd a little bit, we still have faith in Maurice Morris. And Mo did a pretty good job the rest of the game against a pretty good Redskins run defense.

Washington took the first lead at 3-0. But the Seahawks came back with a good drive downfield that ended when Hasselbeck found Darrell Jackson in the endzone for a touchdown. I thought Darrell did a good job of adjusting to that ball. He turned his head around the opposite way that the ball was coming. But he was still able to twist his body around to make the catch.

By the way...you can take me off the "Darrell Jackson Haters" list (lol). Unlike the last two seasons, the guy now catches everything thrown his way. He's back to playing the way he used to. Still not the swiftest receiver out there, he's alot like Largent in that he can just find a way to get open and make the catch. And, much like Largent, he's clearly not respected as a deep threat. He caught two bombs today which were the result of being wide-open. It's like the Washington defensive backfield decided to ignore him.

So the Seahawks were up 7-3 at halftime. Walking around the upper deck during halftime was interesting. I ran into a guy who I sat next to on the bus earlier this season and talked to him for a few minutes. Before I left, he pulled a little shot-bottle of Jack Daniels out of his pocket and gave it to me. I cracked it open, and swallowed it down. That warmed me up a little bit (lol). There was also some guy marching around trying to get a "Forskins Suck" chant going. Crude, but what do you expect from a liquored-up football fan? And the lines to the restrooms were longer than any other I had ever seen! For the most part, there were two lines---one from each direction---to get into either the men's or women's room.

Crazy.

Matt Hasselbeck took the game over in the 3rd quarter. After leading the Seahawks on a drive downfield, he scored a touchdown by himself from about five yards out. That put the Seahawks up 14-3 after three quarters. The 4th quarter turned into a typical Seahawks hair-puller (lol). The Redskins scored a touchdown when a pass by former Husky, Mark Brunell, bounced off the helmet of a diving Andre Dyson and into the hands of Santana Moss. At that point, I decided to see what the line to the bathroom looked like. The line wasn't that long anymore, so I decided to snag that chance. When I got to the end of the line, a strange thing happened. Without even looking back, I could feel the life suddenly being sucked out of the stadium. When I turned around to look at the big screen, I could see a pile of players scrumming for a loose ball. Josh Scobey had fumbled the next kickoff. Luckily, all the Skins came away with was a field goal.

With the score 17-10, Josh Brown connected on yet another field goal to put the Seahawks up by 10. This was my favorite moment of the day. Not so much the field goal, but the fact that they started playing KC and the Sunshine Band's "Shake Your Booty" and it sounded like alot of people in the crowd were singing along with it. The game had turned into a giant sing-a-long (lol).

The Redskins made one more late run at the endzone. But it all came to an end when a 4th down attempt at the endzone by Brunell to Moss was batted away by Michael Boulware for an incompletion. The crowds reaction was strange, but not un-Seattle like. There was this strange silence that went through the crowd. I think the first question we all though to ourselves was "was that really an incompletion"? That turned into "are there any yellow flags on the field"? Which then went to "is this for real"? And as each and everyone of us realized that, yes, this is for real, the cheers got louder and louder. It took a good 15-20 seconds for us to soak in what had just happened.........

THE SEAHAWKS FINALLY WON A PLAYOFF GAME!!!!!!!!!

Now let's just hope they don't pull a Mariner job and blow it next week (lol).

Some final thoughts here:

Why didn't the Seahawks put another punt returner in the game? Jimmy Williams almost fumbled the first punt he received, got collered pretty good just after catching the second punt he caught (one that just about every other returner would have called for a fair catch) and fumbled the 3rd one. I mean, Bobby Engram wasn't doing much in the game. In an important contest such as this, why not put in a proven returner?

I hate rooting against Mark Brunell. Being that he was the main quarterback when the Huskies won their National Championship, it's kinda hard for me to whip up a bunch of animosity towards him. I still own his Jacksonville Jaguars jersey. And just watching his post-game press conference a few minutes ago, listening to all the love that he still has towards not only Seattle, but the Northwest in general (he's from Kelso), I actually feel a little bad for him. Not for Shawn Springs or the rest of the Redskins......just Mark Brunell.

Darrell Jackson is also the best interview in Seattle sports history (lol). Although I wasn't too thrilled with him over the last couple seasons on the field due to his butterfingers, I've always liked the guy on a personal level. I mean, how can you say bad things about a black guy who likes Metallica and NASCAR??? (hahaha) Hopefully one day he'll be in the same class of characters with Jay Buhner and Slick Watts.

And I hope that all those Hasselbeck haters eat a nice, large plate of crow sometime this week. All you ever hear from people across the country is "he's not capable of taking over a game" and "if Alexander goes down, Hasselbeck won't be able to do anything to help boost the Hawks offense". Well, what did he do today? Maybe he didn't have a huge 350 yard, 4 touchdown day. But he still took the game over. Whether it was through some audibles at the line, a makeshift route change in the middle of the play (Joe Jurevicius' only snag of the day was a slant route that Hasselbeck saw wouldn't work. So he waved Joe down field and lofted a soft pass that Jurevicius ran under and caught for a key first down) or running to paydirt for his own score, Mr. Hasselbeck DID take over that game and won it himself. And he did it against a damn good defense, too.

So I hope that I hear some respect for Matt Hasselbeck from the likes of Brian Cox, Jim Rome and Steve Czaban this week. But I do know one person who won't give Hasselbeck his props; Tom Winter (lol). And no....he's not answering his phone again (haha). Not too suprising. But, in a way, I hope that the Panthers beat the Bears tomorrow. Not so much because I think Carolina is a better match up for the Hawks. Rather, it'll just make the whole thing that much sweeter knowing that the Seahawks beat the Panthers....who are Tom's adopted team since he loves the Carolina's so much (lol). Of course, there are two downsides to that possibility. The first being that if the Seahawks do beat the Panthers, I probably won't hear from Tom for at least a month. And then there's the opposite. If Carolina does beat the Seahawks, then I won't get any rest for the next month since Tom wouldn't stop taunting me about it (lol).

But that won't happen-----will it???

Half-Way Report...and a Retort

I admit it...I've been slacking here alot lately. It's just that, as has happened over the last couple years with the email, I'm finding it harder and harder to find any time to type these things out. And when I actually do have some time, it's difficult for me to find any inspiration to sit down here and type away for a couple hours. But while I was sick last week, I came up with this idea of writing about how things are shaping up in the WHL this season so far. Well, at least in the US and BC divisions. So, while Kristi was sleeping in the car on the way home from Portland last night (which, if I may be so bold to say, she looked about as hot as I'd ever seen her last night...lol), I started forming some of these things in my head.

I'll first do some takes on the 5 US Division teams. Then, I'll share my opinions on some of the players in both the US and BC divisions. No real order here unless I say so (lol).

Portland Winterhawks

I'm starting with Portland since I've been seeing alot of them lately. I still stand by what I said at the start of the season; this is, top to bottom, the most talented team in the US Division. Maybe even the entire Western Conference. They started off well. But some injuries (especially to their defense) put them in a bit of a slump. Eventually, they came out of it. But I've been noticing lately that their overall play has become less and less disciplined. They've taken alot of bad penalties at even worse times. Not to mention quite a few majors and even a match penalty. And now, Brandon Dubinsky is down with a bum knee. The Dubinsky injury doesn't kill their chances. But they gotta tighten up those bad penalties. Sooner or later, with all the suspensions that start to take real effect, those will come back to haunt them. How about this??? Put Kevin Constantine behind the Winterhawks bench and, not only are they the best team in the WHL, they may even be the best team in all of junior hockey.

Seattle Thunderbirds

All defense, no offense. When you're 36 games into the season and your leading point getter has something like 28 points, you know you're in trouble. One stat that's decieving about this team is the shots on goal every night. They routinely get out-shot in just about every game. But when you look at it a little closer, it's not because the other team is firing puck after puck on net. It's more along the lines of the Thunderbirds just don't get many quality offensive opportunities. And the ones they do get, they tend to squander away. And when it comes to describing their power play, words like pathetic, clueless, awful, horrible, embarassing, lack-luster, impotent and disgraceful come immedietly to mind. Statistically, they're not the worst this season (unless things have changed, they've been around 18th out of 20 teams in the league), but this is a problem that's been going on for about three years running now. And until it's fixed, they're doomed to another first round playoff exit.

Everett Silvertips

As I've said before...Everett is Everett. But the scary thing is that now, their third season in, they're starting to see the fruits of their in-house program ripen. And Kevin Constatine is still the best coach in the Western Division (perhaps only outdone by Sutter in Red Deer). An example being that, with the new rules in place, their neutral zone trap is just about rendered useless. But with the better personel out on the ice, Constatine is now able to use a more conventional style of defense. And they're scoring alot more this season, too. As long as they listen and obey coach Constantine and the Winterhawk players don't pull their heads out of their ass, they'll win the division going away.

Tri-City Americans

For the most part, this team is still Logan Stephenson on defense, Carey Price in goal and a bunch of other guys filling out the ice. But looking at their game sheets from night-to-night, they're getting help from different players all the time. To be honest, I was kinda shocked last Friday night at the Key when they posted the league's assist leaders and I saw Ian McDonald's name up there in the top-5. Where the hell did he come from??? (lol). But I'm hoping most that this franchise gets things turned around for good. The last owner was a weasel. So hopefully Stu Barnes and Olaf Kolzig will help get things straight.

Spokane Chiefs

This one should be an "incomplete" since I've only seen Spokane three times in the regular season so far. And not since the day after Thanksgiving. But as I recall, they're sorta along the same line as Seattle. Only with a little more offense and a little less defense. Although I was a little suprised that they moves Klassen and Watt at the deadline yesterday. So maybe they're alot worse than I thought.

Now for some players.....

Chris Durand (Thunderbirds)

Apparently he had a good night against Spokane last week. But, for the most part, he's been a complete bust so far this season. An offensive forward in his third full season and a 2nd round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche should be, at worst, a point-a-game player. Although I really can't get into the players heads, he seems like he just doesn't care too much out there. He just kinda drifts around when he's on the ice. Sometimes, it's almost like he can't wait to get back to the bench. A major part of the rest of the T-Birds season depends on whether or not his attitude changes.

Michael Funk (Winterhawks)

Everybodies favorite whipping boy...and for good reason. Since about this time last season, I've been trying to think of the guy that Funk reminds me of. I mean, he's careless with the puck, doesn't play physically at all, is constantly out of position defensively and doesn't seem to take any personal responsibility when things go wrong in his end. But the moment it dawned on me was during a power play on New Year's Eve. I thought to myself "he's actually pretty good at quarterbacking the pp out there for the Hawks". And finally, after almost 2 years, the name came to my head; former Sabercats defenseman and captain, Scott Boston. It's scary...the two are spitting images of each other. The only real difference is that Funk is a much better skater than Boston was. And, much like Boston, Funk is doomed to a career in the low-minors unless he shapes up.

Carey Price (Americans)

Just silky smooth in net. It often looks like he's not putting any effort into making the saves. In my opinion, he's at the top of the list along with Steve Passmore and Dan Blackburn as one of the best goalies I've seen in this league. Hopefully, he won't suffer any career cripping diseases (Passmore) or career ending injuries (Blackburn) like the other two did.

Peter Mueller (Silvertips)

My personal favorite to watch. He's not a fast skater, but he is hard to knock down. Other than that, his hockey sense is off the charts. He seems to have this almost Brett Hull type knack as to where he has to be at any given time. And, much like Hull, he can zip a one-timer past the goalie before he even has time to blink. Oh, he won't be as good in the NHL as Hull. But there's no reason he can't be as good as, say, Cam Neely, John LeClair or Wendel Clark. He has a career in front of him. All he has to do is lose the mullet (hahaha).

Brandon Dubinsky (Winterhawks)

The kid can play...no doubt. But the one thing I hear from alot of people in the know is that he has character issues off the ice. His ACL injury isn't good. In the long run, the Winterhawks will miss the offense he creates. But my lasting impression of him this season will be at the end of regulation in the first Hawks/Birds game this season in the Rose Garden. After the horn sounded, there was a little scuffle in front of the T-Birds net. As Dubinsky skated by the Seattle bench, he pointed at his noggin and said "we play with our heads". Sadly, his words came back to haunt him as just a couple minutes later, good old Mike Funk literally gave the puck to Seattle's Mitch Fadden who then poked it up to Bud Holloway, who then scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway with nobody within at least 30 feet of him. I chalked his comment up to that he forgot about Funk (lol). Oh yeah......his mom's pretty hot, too.

Clayton Barthel (Thunderbirds)

I think he's the most improved player in the US Division this year. Most of the time, he seems to be the only T-Bird out there who has a clue as to what's going on. And he's playing alot more physically and has also developed a bit of a mean streak. To me, the Thunderbirds need Barthel to wear that "C" on his chest more than Aaron Gagnon.

John Lammers (Silvertips)

What a coup the Silvertips pulled in getting him from Medicine Hat. Lammers has turned into one of the top scorers in the league. But his greatest impact will come in another season or so when his attitude and work ethic begin to rub off on the younger Silvertips forwards (like Zach Hamill).

Bryan Bridges (Thunderbirds)

Since Kristi doesn't want me saying anything good about Bridges, I'll leave the rest of this blank (hahaha).

Garth Collins (Winterhawks)

Reading that Oregonlive Winterhawks blog, there was a mention by someone who said that Collins is the new Robin Big Snake. When it comes to fighting for the Winterhawks, I can see that comparison. But to me, he's more like the new Zack FitzGerald out there. Fitzy had a little more skill. But other than that, they play the same type of intimidating game. And on that front, I'll also recall something that I heard "Scooter" Vrooman make during a Winterhawks broadcast. In sort of defending his match misconduct during the line brawl on New Year's Eve, he said that "sometimes you have to go a little mad in order to send a message". After hearing that, I wondered if he was saying the same thing about FitzGerald last season when he got those two match penalties against Portland? I'm not making up excuses for any of those incidents on either side. But you gotta be consistant (like I always am....haha).

Dustin Slade (Giants)

The goalie that everyone (outside of Vancouver) hates. For a comparison, he's alot like Billy Smith or Ron Hextall. He's a goalie who treats every opposing skater in very cruel ways. But here's the secret....there's a method to his madness. Exhibit "A" is a game in Seattle about a month ago. Early in the 2nd period, he took not one, not two but THREE slashing penalties all within about a minute of each other. And, to top it off, he chased after Aaron Gagnon when he poked the puck into his net a good two or three seconds after the whistle had blown (an action by Gagnon that would have started a full-scale brawl not five years ago). And the penalties weren't of the little chippy type. These were all-out swinging from the shoulders slashes to the shins of the Thunderbird forwards that I could hear the impact of all the way up in my 15th row seat. Of course, the T-Birds couldn't score on the 6+ minutes worth of power play that they were awarded out of that (suprise, suprise, suprise). But the most telling sign that those slashes sent a message was the fact that I never saw another Seattle player within five feet of the crease for the rest of the game. Ultimately, Slade took control of the game and won it for the Giants.

And now for a little FAQ segment:

Last night during the game in Portland, Tom W called me and asked "do you know when Lindsay is coming up here"? Of course, as some of you know, he's been hoarding pucks like a squirrel lately and wanted a bunch of Blues and River Otters pucks from her (lol). But the same question has been asked of me five times now over the last couple weeks. And just so you all now know my answer.......I don't know (lol). But I'm sure that Lindsay and Joe will be here soon enough. So please....STOP ASKING!!!! (hahaha)

Last (but not least), a small addition to Emily's foul-mouthed comments she left me via Kristi regarding my clumsy ode:

She claims in there that "the only time you talked to me this season was when I sat in your section". That's half-true. I did tell her after whatever game it was that the woman sitting next to me won the Matthew Hansen jersey raffle that night (a jersey that Kristi wanted so badly that she was begging people to buy tickets for her so she could get it...lol). But I think she may have forgotten about our little run-in we had at the Tri-City tourney. Earlier that week, Kristi had told me that Emily was getting her wisdom teeth pulled just before the tourney started. So when Karin and I ran into Emily and Jacque during the first intermission of the 2nd game that Sunday, I asked Emily about getting her wisdom teeth pulled. She told me that it had been done and that they were still sore. But in the middle of a story I had about when I had mine yanked out, she noticed that outside the window the Thunderbirds were unloading their stuff from their bus. So in a very un-puckbunny-ish way, she skipped out of my story to go and stare at the guys outside (lol). I would have expected that type of behavior from Kristi or Kara. But not Emily (lol).

So there ya go......I've talked to you TWICE this season (hahaha). Here's my plate of leftover shiznit for you to finish up (hehehe). And I never said that you didn't want to talk to me. I just said that you don't talk to me (lol). I mean, you may want to talk to me in the worst way for all I know. Actually, I'd be suprised if you did want to talk to me that badly (lol). But I wouldn't know since you just plain don't talk to me at all (haha).

That's about it for now. Hopefully I'll have alot of cool things to write about the Seahawks game this weekend.

Another Blog

This is a blog by former Thunderbirds play-by-play guy, Ian Furness. It seems to be mostly about the Trailblazers. But I still think that, when it comes to being able to paint a clear picture of a hockey game over the radio waves, Furness is still by far and away the best I ever heard. And I've heard alot of them.

http://ian1080.blogspot.com/

If you wanna hear him, listen closely to the background in those new LeBron James Nike ads on tv (which I think are pretty funny). He's doing the play-by-play in those on the tv in the background.

Winterhawks Blog

Here's a "blog" from Oregonlive that I thought was pretty good. So I decided to post it on here. If, for no other reason, than for it to be here whenever I feel like reading it myself (haha)

http://www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/winterhawks/