A Strange Sunday

I went to two games this weekend. Both up in Seattle. Friday night, the Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips 2-1. Bryan Bridges put in one of the best goaltending displays I've seen in recent memory as he stopped 39 of 40 shots on the night. But the highlight came with about 3 minutes to play in the 3rd period. Everett head coach, Kevin Constantine, threw a pretty good hissy-fit after one of his defensemen shot the puck over the glass, giving Seattle a late power play. Frankly, I have no clue as to what he was so upset about. I mean, it was pretty obvious as to what had happened. And that new delay of game rule is pretty cut and dry...you shoot the puck over the glass in your own end without anyone else touching it and you get a penalty.

Anyway, in his trademark red-faced rage, he ripped his jacket off and threw his lineup cards out onto the ice. And then, to cap off this unbelievable scene, he seemed shocked when the referee told him he was thrown out of the game. Again, how can you be so shocked when a ref tosses you out after throwing something onto the ice. Not just in hockey, but in every other sport, officials tend to frown on coaches (or players or anyone else for that matter) who throw things onto the playing surface like that in a fit of rage.

Listen, Kevin Constantine is the best coach not only in the WHL, but probably in all of junior hockey. He does more with less than coaches with more talented teams. But he eventually has to learn that, just because he's a former Jack Adams award winner in the NHL (coach of the year), he's not above the law. And the more he treats the refs like they're below him and he continues to bully them, things will only get worse for the Silvertips. Reputations eventually catch up with you. The Tips are already known...right or wrong...as a team that dives alot. I'm not gonna sit here and say they do. But, from my neutral eyes, they do tend to "fall down" quite easily alot of the time. So the last thing they need right now are more refs making calls against them that they maybe didn't deserve. And Kevin Constantine better curb his ways before that starts happening.

I was supposed to go to Everett on Saturday night. But after working on Saturday morning and coming home and drinking some rum, I fell asleep in my chair and didn't wake up until about 6:00pm. So I just scrapped that game. Instead, I stayed home and watched "The 40 Year Old Virgin" on dvd. It was an okay movie. It had some funny parts in it. But I just thought it was one of those films that you could have slashed off a good 30 minutes or so and still had a good movie.

Just as I was putting that disk back in it's case, Tom gave me a call around 9:00. He thought I was at the game up in Everett. So he was pretty suprised to learn that I was home. For some reason, he started asking me questions about "Caddyshack". The first was had I ever seen it. I had to tell him that in the summer of 1986 (our first with a vcr) I had watched that movie 45 times (lol). And I really did! Everytime my dad would take us up to the video store, he would always tell me "no Caddyshack tonight". So I'd pick out another movie. And, when we went back the next evening, I would simply get Caddyshack again. And this went on for the entire summer. I remember my other two favorite videos were "The Blues Brothers" and a pro wrestling video called "Great Steel Cage Matches of the 70's".

Ahhhh.....those were the days.

Anyway, after answering his questions about Caddyshack, I asked him why he was so curious. "Because they're having an 11:40 showing of it at the Grand Cinema and I was thinking of going". Of course, I invited myself to go and he accepted.

The Grand Cinema really isn't all that "grand". It's this tiny little theater that caters to the art-house film fanatics on the out-skirts of downtown Tacoma...not too far from Wright Park. Which isn't too far from the Hilltop neighborhood. Which is one of the two areas of Tacoma (along with the Portland Avenue area near I-5) which gives this otherwise great city it's poor reputation. I've seen several great movies there over the years; Run Lola Run, Fargo, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Limey, Ghost Dog; the way of the Samurai and even an old, grainy showings of 2001; a Space Odyssey and The Maltese Falcon. So I figured why not add Caddyshack to that list?

So I did. And I got home really late.

Sunday was a different beast all together. Perhaps there was a full moon out or something. I don't follow such things. But I would guess that might be the main culprit.

Things started out normally enough. I left home a little earlier than normal. For some reason, I had this urge to eat at Dick's Drive-In ever since I had woke up. So after parking my car in my normal lot, I walked over to Dick's in the rain. I ordered my food and took a seat. At some point while I was munching on my burger, I saw this car pull up in front of the window I was sitting at. There was a guy at the wheel who stayed in the car. And there was also this farily attractive young woman who got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. I didn't really think too much of this at the time. But after she walked into the joint, she didn't walk up to the counter to order any food. She just kinda walked around the dining area looking at people. Eventually, she spotted me in the corner and walked up to me and sat down. "Hey there" she said, "my name is Amy. Wanna go out on a date"?

I had a mouthful of burger and a few things running through my head. While I was chewing, I turned my head towards the window and saw the guy in the car smiling and nodding his head. Then I looked back at her sitting there twirling her blonde hair in her fingers. This wasn't the first time this type of thing had happened to me. In fact, the other two times were very similar. They even used the same line on me..."wanna go out on a date"? One time was about 6 or 7 years ago while I was on my lunch break at work in the parking lot of the 7-11 I go to. That woman was a burned-out hooker who was riding shotgun to the real life Huggy Bear. She first told me that I had a "really cool car". That "cool car" was my old 89 Camaro RS. After stiffling a laugh and saying "thanks", she asked me out for a "date". I turned her down.

The other time was about 4 years ago in Spokane. After a Chiefs game, I went back to my hotel. As I was walking up to my room I passed this car that had backed into a spot. The rear window rolled down and a girl asked me if I wanted to "go out on a date". I told her no and went into my room. About 15 minutes later, there was a commotion outside. The night manager was out there arguing with them and threatening to call the cops "again".

If there's one thing in life I've learned, it's that hookers can spot me from a mile away (lol). So I keep that little fact in my back pocket. The fact that, even though nobody else in the world wants to love me, the hookers always will...at least my wallet (lol).

So with Perry Farrell singing his great line in my head ("Love them whores they never judge you. But what can you say when you're a whore"?) I turned her down claiming that I was meeting my girlfriend here in a little bit. Of course I don't have a girlfriend. But it was my way of easing her dissapointment and maybe even curtailing a beating from her pimp out in the car.

After hanging around outside with Kristi, Jacque, Jeff and Jennifer during the first intermission of the hockey game, I went back inside to track Karin down. But before I could get too far inside, this guy wearing a red Kelowna Rockets jersey that I see all the time at the games walked up to me and said "hey buddy! I haven't seen you since the Memorial Cup! Remember that"? I had never spoken to this guy in my life. Oh yeah...needless to say, he was drunk off his ass.

"Nope. I wasn't at the Memorial Cup up in Kelowna" I told him. He looked at me puzzled and said "are you sure? I swear I talked and went out drinking with you". I acted like I was thinking a little bit and said "noooo. Can't say I was there". So he looked at me and said "well, okay. If you say so. Talk to ya later, buddy". And he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.

I was just starting to shake off that bizarre encounter when I saw Karin walking up to me. I stopped and started talking to her a little bit telling her about my strange meeting I just had. Then she started walking in the same direction she had already been going. Which, of course, was straight back towards that drunkard I had just escaped. I tried slowing our pace down a little bit so the guy could stumble ahead of us a little more. But my efforts were fruitless.

He noticed me again and said "are you sure you weren't in Kelowna for the cup"? "No. No I hate to say that I wasn't. I wish I was, though" I answered. Then he asked me "do you have a twin brother or something"? Karin jumped right into the fray and said "he wouldn't know if he did". And I was proud of her...jumping in on the act like that. Karin still may have a future running around with Tom and I (lol).

I simply agreed with her and said "perhaps I have an imposter...someone posing as me. I'll have to look into it". At that point, the drunk kinda threw his hands up at me and walked away. The two of us just kept on walking our beaten path, shaking our heads. "Why are all the weirdo's in life attracted to me" I asked Karin. She said something to the effect of "I hang around you. So I must be weird". I agreed (lol). I then said that's why I like hanging out around the likes of Kurt and Jacque since they're about the most normal people in my little world. "They're normal" Karin asked. "Well" I started "I grade normalcy on a huge curve". She laughed at me and gave me her trademark "I see".

Really, that's about it. Kelowna beat Seattle 4-2 in the game on Sunday night. It wasn't much of a game. Two teams out there on the ice who were each playing their 3rd game in three nights. And the results were about as expected...sluggish play on both sides. If I do have one take on the game, it's how the Rockets exposed how far the T-Birds have to go still. Seattle out-played Kelowna the entire night. But, in the end, the Rockets gutted out the victory. They won that game on sheer will-power. Those are the types of games that championship teams win. The Thunderbirds had their chances, but squandered them away. Yes...they still have a way to go.

I'm off to Portland after work tomorrow. Hang out with Kurt at the game between the Winter Hawks and Silvertips. I'm just hoping to avoid the weirdo's for a night...or am I???

Seattle Is Bad.....Want Some Popcorn?

Interesting times this weekend. A roadtrip to the best city in the world with not one, but TWO new roadie partners. It didn't quite turn into the drunk-fest that I thought it might of been (well, at least for two of us. The third seemed pretty wasted by the time we got back to the hotel...haha). But I still had a fairly good time. Here's about how it went.....

Saturday morning started off on a shitty note for me. First, Tom came over just before I left. Now, I had told him the night before that I was leaving at 11:30am. So what does he do? He comes over at 11:25am and proceeds to talk and talk forever. The guy may be my best friend, but he has to learn when to take the phrase "I gotta go" to heart. Then, once he left and I got everything together, I went out to my car only to find it blocked by a truck and trailer by the people who were moving out of the apartment across the court from me. I stood there for about a minute until the old guy came out with a box of stuff. I asked him if he could move his truck so I could get out. He told me "we'll be done in about a half-hour". I couldn't believe that! "But I gotta go now" I answered. He shot me the skunk-eye and said "tough. You'll have to wait".

No way. I had people I had to meet and I was already running behind. So I marched down to the managers office and drug her outside. The two of them proceeded to get into a shouting match. You can learn alot in shouting matches. Like the fact that some people don't feel like paying for rent. Not that they couldn't afford it. They just flat didn't feel like forking over the dough. Well, after about 10 minutes of bickering, the manager finally whipped open her cell phone and called the cops. Not too suprisingly, that action convinced that old fart to finally get his ass in his truck and move it out of my way.

Okay...now instead of getting there a few minutes early, I was running a good 30 minutes behind. It didn't help out much that I was sorta misled by mapquest with their directions to Jacque's salon. According to the website, it was supposed to be on the right side of the road. Well, it wasn't. So I drove a good 10 blocks further than I had to trying to find it before I finally turned around and called Jacque for help.

We left my car in the parking lot there. Which, to be honest, worried the hell out of me. Every now and again as Saturday and Sunday morning rolled along, I would worry about it a little bit. So it was a huge relief when we got back there this morning to see that it was still intact (lol).

Riding along with Jacque is a great experience. I described her driving style to Karin as like riding with Tom W...only without the daredevil antics brought on by senseless acts of road rage (lol). But she's a pro. She even handles the downtown Vancouver traffic with ease. She's been there quite a few times. So she can handle that madness without much effort. And for those of you who haven't had the chance to drive around downtown Vancouver, take Kristi's quote here (that she told me later on at the game) to heart. She said "dude, you were right about the traffic downtown. There's no way I could ever drive in that shit".

Exactly.

The tunes were blaring out of the speakers non-stop. Our DJ was.....yes, Emily (lol). She brought her I-Pod along. And the thing was definitely full. She had all sorts of music on there; new rock, classic rock, hip-hop, pop. There was even a bunch of country music that I was forced to listen to (lol). But they were smart about it. Unlike Lindsay a couple years ago on my first trip to St. Louis, they never asked me my opinion of country music (lol). But it was okay. It's not like it was a never ending string of that. I just grinned and beared it.

Due to popular demand by the public (specifically the three girls in the car...lol), I was ordered to write about the "highlight" of the music portion. At one point, as we were closing in on Vancouver, Emily played the jilted female anthem "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. All three of them sang/yelled and danced along to the song. The funniest part was watching Emily use her Coke bottle as a microphone. I think of all the things, that'll be the lasting image in my mind of this trip (lol).

Closing in on the border, there was this sign up on an overpass that said the wait at the border was 20 minutes at the Peace Arch. It also said that the wait was 5 minutes at the truck crossing. We all needed money, so at first we decided to cross at the Peace Arch. But when we got there, the line stretched all the way back to the freeway! Jacque and I both said, at the same time, "fuck that". So we turned around and doubled-back to the truck crossing. That one wasn't as bad...maybe about 20-30 minutes. But it still wasn't close to the 5 minutes that was posted on that sign.

As we approached the truck crossing, we noticed that there was a sign on the window of the Duty-Free store saying that you can exchange cash. So we pulled off there and headed inside. Of course, as it almost always happens, we got stuck behind the guy who had $1200 worth of cash to trade in. After waiting through 10 minutes of paper signings and ID checks, we got our chance. It took Kristi, Jacque and I a total of about two minutes to get our Canadian cash.

Things were uneasy for a little bit while we waited in line. Not because of what was lying ahead at the booth. Rather, there was a bit of tension in the car as we sat next to a small bus full of people in turbans. See, you have to remember that they're always telling us up here how the border crossings are terrorist targets. So even though it was never said, I think we were all thinking "please don't blow us up". But as we passed them, I started feeling ashamed of myself a little bit. I couldn't believe that I was falling victim to Dubya's Kingdom of Fear like that.

After getting through customs, it was now time to head to our hotel in downtown Vancouver. We stayed at The Listel on Robson street. It was a little more spendy than I usually get. But it was in a prime location. I think the only room I ever paid more for was the one I had in Chicago last summer. That one was on the top floor and had killer views of the Sears Tower and Lake Michigan. The best The Listel could offer was a view of the many condo's Vancouver has to offer. Oh, they're nice buildings. But it's not Chicago (lol).

Our fridge was stocked full of liquor. You name it, they had it. Beer, rum, scotch, whiskey...it was all there. But we figured we better not drink any of it since those little bottles would probably run about $10 apiece.

After ooing and awwing at our room, it was time for us to head out to the PNE. On our way out of the hotel parking lot, we pulled right up behind a Lamborghini Gallardo. Good Lord.....that thing looked like it was going 225mph just sitting there idle! Jacque stated the obvious when she said "I'm more worried about ramming him from behind than I am about anyone else on the road". Frankly, I didn't blame her. I was nervous for her at the same time (lol). But along the road, I sat there wondering to myself what would it be like if I was driving a car like that and everyone along the sidewalk was staring at me as I drove by. Which is what was happening. Then the thoughts turned to "what would it be like if I even had enough money to afford a beast like that"? That train of thought started depressing me. So I tried thinking about other things.

Ahhhh Hastings Street. Nothing quite like it. Although, as we drove along there, I was suprised that there weren't as many transients and junkies along there like there normally is. But I wound up finding where they were. There was this one alley that had three or four dumpsters that people were digging through, along with several "transactions" taking place between various people. And I'm sure that they were all legal (lol).

A small argument broke out along the way about who saw this billboard of Keifer Sutherland first. I now knew how Karin probably found my reaction to that Portland LumberJax billboard by the Rose Quarter so strange (lol).

As we were approaching the hotel we were dropping Kristi off in, the Holiday Inn across the street from the PNE, Jacque came up with an ingenius idea. We would have Kristi register Jacque's car under her name so we could park in the Holiday Inn garage for free. Perhaps not as devient as Tom and I skipping out on that parking bill downtown there a couple years ago. But I still enjoyed skirting the system like that.

We were all hungry. So we went to the finest dining establishment in all of Vancouver; the Burger King a block from the Holiday Inn. When we sat down, I looked at the packets of ketchup and told Jacque that I had to find some Canadian ketchup for Joe in St. Louis. Then, once again as has happened a couple times over the last few months, a debate broke out as to what was better...American or Canadian ketchup. If I remember the sides correctly, Kristi and I said there was no difference and Jacque and Emily said there was (I think. I may be wrong there as to which side Kristi and Emily were on). Eventually the debate petered out and we ate our dinner.

As we approached the Pacific Coliseum, we ran into a scalper out front. Jacque asked if he had any tickets in the front row. He said he didn't have front row, but he had second row in the corner behind the net the T-Birds goalie would be defending twice. That was perfect for them, so they bought the tickets from him. It's not exactly where I like to sit, but Jacque paid for my ticket. So I wasn't complaining (lol).

The people sitting next to us was a dad and his three sons. The youngest of which was probably around 3 or 4 years old. He had a Giants emblem painted on his face. He also cried alot. So that emblem was a mess by the time the game was over (lol). At one point, the dad told his youngest "we're rooting for the Giants. They're from here in Vancouver. Seattle is bad.....want some popcorn"? For some reason, that line struck me as funny. I told Kristi (who was sitting next to me) right then and there that that was gonna be the title for this story (lol). The dad was also drinking like a fish in a brewery. At first, I was kinda worried about that. But later on, his wife and the kids mom came along. She seemed sober, so I felt a little better.

As for the game; it was Vancouver all the way. For the second night in a row, the Giants beat and pounded the Thunderbirds up and down the ice. The final score was 4-1. Kristi was happy since she was rooting for Vancouver. Jacque and Emily took solice in the fact that the T-Birds at least "won the fights". Which I think was fairly accurate. Although I didn't think Thomas Hickey did all that well in his scrap. But hey.....winning 4 out of 5 fights isn't all that bad. Especially in a debacle like that (lol).

My drinking started at the game. I had three beers there. But they were spread out over each period. I bought Krisit a couple Smirnoff Ice's (since she apparently had no money). And I think Emily and Jacque had a beer apiece. So I was already off and running...even though I felt bad that I broke my promise to hold back and wait for Jacque so we could start at the same time (lol).

When the game was over, Kristi went along her way and Jacque and Emily went down to the locker room area to talk to some of the Thunderbirds. I wasn't too up to hanging around outside a locker room like that. So I went outside and just waited for them there. Out by the doors, they had this cool standing heater thing. It looked like a standing lamp. So I stood there under that to keep warm. But after about 15 minutes, some guy who worked at the arena came out and took it away from me (lol). But it still helped out in keeping me warm.

After a little bit, I saw Jacque and Emily walking out towards the door. But then, they peeled off and started walking towards the White Spot. I thought to myself "don't they know how cold it is out here"? But it turns out they had a good reason. Emily had lost her drivers license somewhere in the Coliseum that night. Which obviously sucks. But there were no worries about her getting back into the States since she had a passport. I made a note to myself that I still have to get one of those for me sometime soon here (lol).

After sneeking out of the Holiday Inn garage, we went back to our hotel to drop our stuff off. At first, we decided to hit the bar there in the hotel. But as we walked up to it, we noticed that it looked a little high-brow for us. So we decided to go across the street to the place Kurt and I haunted last December...Fogg & Suds.

The place was more busy on Saturday night than it had been when Kurt and I were there. We even had to wait to be seated. But that happened farily quickly. What wasn't quick was our waitress. You could tell she was being paid by the hour since that's about how long it took her to visit our table each time. We each ordered something to eat. I had a small pizza that was about the same quality as one of the frozen ones you can buy at the grocery store. Jacque ordered some nachos and calimarri (which wasn't all that good). And Emily ordered a shrimp cocktail. Which, ironically, was the same thing Kurt ordered when we were there.

Oh yes...the drinks (lol). I just ordered Molson. Jacque had what was called a Kermit's Third Leg. Which, according to her, was pretty much a blue tropical martini. She let me take a sip of it. And it was pretty fuckin' good. Emily drank rum and coke. So we sat there drinking away. When it was all done, I had a really good buzz going in my head. I wasn't all-out shitfaced like I thought I might get that night. I think there were two reasons for that. The first was that it was announced to me earlier that day that we had to get up early so we could get Kristi back to work by noon on Sunday. And, for some strange reason, I just didn't feel like drinking much more after my second beer there. I still had another one. But it just seemed like I had my fill of it that night.

Jacque didn't seem all that bad. And neither did Emily...until we got back to the hotel room (lol). It turns out that Jacque and Kristi were right...Emily does get kinda crazy when she's drunk (lol). She got all hyper and was laughing alot. At one point, I tossed a wadded up scrap of paper at her and, when it hit her, she just about jumped through the roof (lol). She also chided me about not getting drunk enough. I had about the same amount to drink that night as she did. I think she was drunker since she's this tiny little thing and I'm a little bigger than she is (lol).

Just a theory though.

I was the first one to wake up on Sunday morning. I had a small headache which I blamed on the night before. So I popped a couple of Tylenol that I had in my bag. But it turns out that it wasn't all that bad. I went outside for a few minutes after that and by the time I got back to the room, it was gone. So I just wasted two Tylenol capsules (lol). When I did get back to the room, Jacque and Emily were up and around. We all woke up well before we wanted to. So it was nice to kinda take our time getting ready.

While we were, I gave Lindsay a call. I had asked her the day before if she wanted me to buy her a Vancouver t-shirt at the little shop they had downstairs. She said that would be great. But while I was outside, I noticed that the shop was closed on Sunday's. So I called her to tell her that I couldn't buy her that shirt. Apparently Emily could hear Lindsay's voice on the other end. "How can you have friends who are so cheery in the morning like that" she asked me. I explained that I was talking to my friend in St. Louis. And that not only were they two hours ahead of us, Lindsay also fancies herself as a "morning person". To which Emily replied "ugh...St. Louis". From what I've gathered over the last couple weeks, Emily didn't enjoy her trip to St. Louis last summer. She apparently has the same feelings towards St. Louis as I have towards Des Moines, IA (lol).

We checked out of the hotel at about 8:00am and headed over to the Holiday Inn to pick Kristi up. After that, we went on a bit of a wild goose chase trying to find a store that was open so I could finally buy Joe his Canadian ketchup and his girlfriend her Dill Doritos. After we did that, it was off back to our own country.

While in line at the border, for some strange reason a truck driver couldn't read the signs and tried to take his 18-wheeler through the normal customs instead of the truck customs. We were wondering what was gonna happen to the trucker. After a little bit, a customs officer came walking up to the truck. We turned the music down and rolled the windows down so we could eaves-drop on the conversation. When the official got to the truck, he asked the driver "how ya doing"? After the trucker answered (we couldn't hear what he was saying), the officer then asked "what the hell are you doing"? After yet another silent answer, the officer instructed the driver of the truck as to where they were gonna have him turn around and gave him directions to the truck customs.

As far as the entertaining part of it goes, that was about that. Oh, we had some laughs and giggles on the way home. But the excitement part of it was over. We were all pretty tired at that point. We all had a long day and a short night to sleep it off. But all-in-all, I had a pretty good time. I can't speak for the other three. But they seemed to like it, too.

Although I did kinda get the impression that Jacque and Emily were a little let down by it. I think that maybe they were expecting a time similar to the ones I've had in the past with Tom, Kristi and Kurt. I blame myself for that, though. As most of you know, I'm not always 100% comfortable around groups of people I don't know all that well. A prime example of that might be the St. Louis trip in November of 2004 when Lindsay introduced me to her brother, Ryan, and Joe. Granted, I was still pretty wiped out from the trip up to Vancouver with Kurt the night before. But I kind of felt out of place with the other three there since I didn't know them too well. But then last summer, after I knew Joe better, he came away with a completely different impression of me (or at least he said as much at the time...lol).

Granted, I knew Jacque and Emily alot better than I knew Joe at the time. But there were alot of times I kinda felt out of their loop (along with Kristi). But as I thought about it for a time at the Fogg & Suds when they went outside for a little bit, I figured that each one of them would probably feel the same way if one of them were on a trip with Tom, Kurt and I. The three of us have our own little language we speak with our own catch-phrases and other stuff that goes over most people's heads (lol). So after coming to that conclusion in the bar, I felt alot better.

And I think it paid off. Really, I think the best time the three of us had was when we were still cracking jokes with each other after we went to bed for the night. I don't remember what we were joking about. But we were just laughing away at each other like a bunch of kids at a sleep-over (lol). So my final decision on them is...


Jacque and Emily KICK ASS!!!

I'm really hoping that the three or four of us can take another trip of some sort sometime soon. I'm pretty sure that, now that we know each other alot better, the next time will be even better!

See, the thing is that it took Tom and I several trips together before we ever hit our "stride". You know....doing our act in Vancouver, the Navigators game, etc. But the one thing that Jacque and Emily have over Tom is that we had a start 100x's better this weekend. Well, that and they're a helluva lot better looking than Tom (lol).

So trust me...the best is yet to come.

Something Is Fishy In Here

Last weekend was a good one for us northwest hockey fans. Two Seattle/Portland games. One in the Rose City and the other in the Emerald City. Not to mention another game in Portland between the Winter Hawks and the Everett Silvertips.

Friday nights game down in Portland was a blow-out. The Thunderbirds thumped the Winter Hawks 9-1. Portland looked like they didn't even care out there. Well, there were two exceptions. The first being Kyle Bailey's big hit on Seattle's Scott Jackson and the resulting fight with Bretton Stamler. The bodycheck was clean and Stamler did what he had to do. After Bailey won the scrap, I told Kurt that perhaps that was what the Hawks needed to get things back on track and get back into the game. Famous last words...Seattle scored a short-handed goal about 20 seconds later to extend their lead. And they kept scoring...and scoring...and scoring. Then, with about a minute left in the game, there was yet another line brawl that have become a staple in the Seattle/Portland rivalry over the years. Other than that, it looked like the Hawks didn't even want to be in the old Coliseum that night.

Things started out a little better for Portland in the rematch on Saturday in the Key Arena. They came out the more aggressive team and held a 1-0 lead after the first period. But Seattle scored twice in pretty quick fashion, and it was all over for the Winterhawks. The Thunderbirds wound up winning that game 6-2. And we all went home with a coupon good for a free medium pizza. In fact, I walked out of the Key with five of those in my hands. But that rotten bastard Tom W took them away from me and gave them to someone else. Oh well...maybe Seattle will score 6 goals again sometime this season (lol).

But in that game in Seattle on Saturday, there was a happening for the ages near the end of the game. With about 6 seconds left in the 3rd period, someone finally got around to tossing the traditional fish out onto the ice. For those not familiar with that, for years and years, during Seattle/Portland games in Seattle, there's always some wahoo who sneaks a fish into the arena and tosses it out there onto the ice at some point. It's been happening for a good 80 or 90 years now. Anyway, the fish landed at the feet of Portland defenseman, Max Gordichuk. And good old Max took his glove off, picked up the fish and tossed it right back into the crowd! I had never seen that happen before (lol). I haven't heard one way or the other, but I'm pretty sure he'll get a suspension of some sort out of that. In face, I told Karin after the game that his doing that was so priceless, I'd be happy to pay his fine for him just because I hadn't had a good laugh like that in a long time.

The Portland Winter Hawks have been plain awful lately. After Saturday's loss to the Thunderbirds, they had lost 11 games in a row. So outside the Glass Palace on Sunday afternoon, there was a buzz of anticipation. Would this be a record-tying night for the Hawks? The franchise record is 12 losses in a row. But alas, they choked away their chance at history. The Hawks scored a late goal to tie it up and wound up winning the shootout against Everett to break their streak. Tom went with me to that game and was particularly proud of his favorite player, Michael "GRAAAAAND" Funk for not only scoring the first goal of the game, but also for scoring the only goal in the shootout.

One of the sponsers of the game on Sunday was the local Jesus station in Portland. They had signs all over the Coliseum. There was one inside the seating area that had a multi-colored Jesus fish on it. Tom claimed they got that fish straight out of the Willamatte River. I dubbed the seats above it the "Gordichuk" section.

Another highlight was the t-shirt toss. One of the shirts went flying over Tom and into the hands of one Brandon Dubinsky. Tom begged and pleaded with Dubinsky to give him the shirt. After giving him a "is this guy crazy" look, Dubinsky finally gave the shirt to Tom. The joke was on old man Winter, though. It was a kids shirt. So he swallowed his pride and gave it to a boy sitting a couple rows in front of us.

Here's one for the "Tom W Hates Everything About Seattle" file; with Kurt as my witness, he actually claimed that the Seahawks getting to the Super Bowl was "tainted" because...his quote here..."they played all their playoff games at home".

Huh?

I asked him if he would prefer it if the Seahawks had thrown a couple of those games so they had to go on the road in the playoffs. Afterall, isn't that why they play the regular season...to get homefield advantage? He answered "they should throw all 16 games down the toilet so they never win".

Not too suprising (lol).

That's about all for this week. But stay tuned for my next update. This Saturday, I'm heading up to Vancouver. But this trip will be a little different. No Tom, but Kristi is going. Along with Jacque, some chick named Stephanie and her boyfriend and....yes....even Emily (lol). So that should make for some interesting stories.

Super Bowl XL

I'll start by saying, once again, I'm not all that bitter about the outcome of the Super Bowl between the Seahawks and Steelers. Yes the refs blew quite a few calls. Darrell Jackson's "pass interference" was chincy at best. But if you see it again, take a look at the Pittsburgh d-back. He slaps away at D-Jack, too. But if that turned out to be an incompletion, I wouldn't have been crying for a pass interference call on him, either. I mean, it's the Super Bowl...let the PLAYERS decide the outcome! As long as they aren't blatantly interfering with the play, let them go.

The touchdown by Ben Roethlisberger was bogus. The thing that got to me on that play was how the linesman first started signaling like he didn't get in and was gonna spot the ball. Then, all of a sudden, he signaled "touchdown". He seemed like a blind umpire behind homeplate that's easily fooled by a catcher framing an obvious ball for a called strike. But would that have mattered? It would have been 4th down at that point. And I would think that the Steelers would have gone for it anyway. If they scored, a few more seconds tick off the clock. If they don't, it's Seattle's ball deep in their own territory. Pittsburgh also could have just taken the three points. Either way, the finale of that drive wouldn't have been good for the Seahawks.

But the one call that still irks me is Sean Locklear's phantom "holding" call. When it's all said and done, I do believe that penalty killed the Seahawks morale. You saw it on the next play when Pittsburgh scored the sack on Hasselbeck. And even in the next play when, out of desperation, Matt air-mailed a pass clear over his receivers heads and into the hands of an opportunistic Steelers defender. Then, of course, there was that hideous "chop-block" call on Hasselbeck during the return. Has anyone in football history gotten credit for a tackle AND a chop-block penalty all on the same play?

But more than anything, it all comes down to the fact that the Seahawks couldn't finish the job in most cases. Outside of Jerramy Stevens td catch, Seattle squandered chance after chance all throughout the game. And the Steelers capitalized on a few of theirs. Some examples:

Stevens dropping like 3 or 4 passes

That horrible management of the clock near the end of the first half

Alexander's false start on a key drive

Josh Brown missing two field goals (albeit from over 50 yards. But still within his range)

Pittsburgh's 75 yard touchdown run to start the 3rd quarter

The end-around pass from Randel-El to Hines Ward

And, probably the one play that pissed me off the most...Seattle not being able to stop Pittsburgh on that 3rd and 26 in the 2nd quarter. For just about all of Mike Holmgren's tenure here in the Northwest, you've heard me yelling not to insert that STUPID prevent defense. It's killed us so many times in the past. The Rams game here at Qwest Field last season, for instance. All game long, the corners and safties pummeled and intimidated the St. Louis receivers. And the front seven got constant pressure on Marc Bulger. And the results for the first 52 minutes of that game was Bulger being forced to throw bad passes at receivers who weren't open. And then, with about 8 minutes to go in that game, the coaching staff decided to take their foot off the Rams throat and let Bulger have plenty of time to find recievers who were wide open, running around the field freely. By the time it was over, the Rams had made an amazing comeback for the win in overtime.

Perhaps it wasn't quite as dramatic in the Super Bowl. But the play and the situation were similar. Roethlisberger was getting pressured the entire game and forcing bad throws to receivers who weren't open. And then, just one play after a Rocky Bernard sack that made it 3rd and 26, they let their foot off the Steelers. Big Ben had plenty of time to scan the field until he finally found a wide-open Hines Ward for a first down on the 3 yardline.

Now, if the Seahawks had called a defensive play similar to the ones they had been calling all game, I would say that chances are the Steelers wouldn't have made a first down and, at worst, would have had to settle for 3 points.

But that's not what happened. And the result was a 7-3 lead going into halftime. A 7-3 lead that shouldn't have been had only Seattle stuck to their defensive game plan.

As you know, I'm not one to blame the referees for my team's loss. And, believe it or not, I don't here, either. Yes, they were a huge factor. Yes they cost us points. But the Seahawks still had plenty of chances to overcome those bad calls...and didn't. You can't blame the refs for that interception Hasselbeck threw. You can't blame the refs for those passes dropped by Stevens. You can't blame the refs for the Seahawks not tackling and being out of position on that long td run. And you can't blame the refs for that great pass from Randel-El to Ward.

I'll also say this; Mike Holmgren's comments at the rally at Qwest on Monday were embarrassing. If he said something like that during the game or just after, it would have been more understandable. Not the smartest thing...but still understandable. But almost 24 hours after the game? Come on Mike...show a little class. The world saw what happened and knows we got jammed out there. But spouting off like that (especially in his position of power) does nothing to help the Seahawks cause. In fact, it probably hurts us down the road.

I do see some bright spots, though. If there's one thing the Seahawks have shown over the last couple years is they learn from their mistakes (outside of that STUPID prevent defense). I think if they can re-sign Shaun and Joe Jurevicius, there's no reason that they won't be back in the Super Bowl next season. And by that time, HOPEFULLY, they will have learned their lessons from this season and finish the job.

That's about it.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers!

GO HAWKS!!!!!!

SCREW A&M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!