Blog Etiquette?

My lack of creativity is being exposed without the input from pointstreak, but I must struggle on!

The session is just starting, I want to thank everyone who has sent me ideas for stories and directions to take the blog. . . to better serve our community. And, thank you to all of you who have just offered me some constructive comments and compliments.

What I'm not sure how to address is the complaining about one thing:

Anonymous commentors

Not long ago, on a blog post not far away, BC and I came to issue on this subject. I do not have access to the net during business hours (I'm on the road, all day) and though I try to moderate the comments on the Blog as best I can, some racy ones sometimes make a short life on the site. My line and BC's are in slightly different positions, but he saw one that I would have most likely removed and went ballistic, removing the comment function entirely. After a cooling-off period he reinstated the commenting, with the understanding that things would have to be civil, and "PG".

For the most part, everyone has done him proper.

While this fiasco was working it's way out, I was hit from all sides about the evils of anonymous commentors. How they should be abolished. Why they are the worst part of the Blog experience. I couldn't disagree more.

Some of the funnier comments have been anonymously posted, and the anonymity is usually integral to the humor. I would never want to stifle these creative commentors. A "fake" commentor can be funny, when this same creativity is applied, satiring Yockey, Ginger, or myself. It can get old fast, though. I especially love the sublime giggle of reading a complaint about anonymous comments from an anonymous commentor. . . GENIUS!

I understand the difficulty of spotting sarcasm and satire in print format, but when I read the comment section, I choose to believe that only the highest minded commentors read our Blog, and a biting comment only needs a second thought to grasp the meaning of. Blogging I have discovered is not often about giving a second thought. But, hey, what can you do? Everyone has the right to their own opinion, and I for one welcome the airing of those opinions.

If you request me to remove a comment from the Blog, I will consider it, but it all comes down to the comment itself. Not everyone can agree with everyone else, so I won't remove a comment unless I think it is completely out of line: vulgar, racist, or just plain MEAN. I'm not in the business of protecting your reputation.

So bring those comments on my lovely, high-minded, clever commentors. . . please don't bother finishing the "mean people suck", thing. I like it but it doesn't belong here.

Major in Hockey, Minor in Baffoonery

Pointstink does not have any of the information for our opening day, I only know how things went on the gold rink so I will give you my best effort. . .

Patriots 2
Stickmen 1

In the opening frame the offenses for both teams were stymied, great defense and goaltending dominated the play but in the second it was the Pats who penetrated the fabulous fat man in the Stick net. Only a short time later, Ellis playing half-awake at the other end, is caught off his angle and beaten low stickside. In the third- Patriot sub, Bryan Brookman, cut behind the Stickmen's net after dumping the puck into the low slot. As he emerged around the opposite post the puck landed at his skates, he somehow manages to shoehorn the puck between Blubaugh's pads and the post for the lead. Even with most of the third left to play, the Sticks were unable to muster the tying goal. The Stickmen are DONE! Too bad, they still have a meaningless season ahead of them.

Lone Star Imports 3
Grave Diggers 0


The returning Hitmen (who have now re-branded themselves as an auto dealer) strike hard and often in this battle royale. In the first Ellis tries to prevent the puck from moving in front of the post, but Kuo manages to muscle the puck in for the first tally of the game. In the second a shanked shot from the top of the slot is redirected high blocker past Ellis by Gabe Rivera. Not long after that, Levesque follows the rebound off her breakaway attempt an gets her unassisted first goal of the session out of the way. The third was all Ellis, he secures the Digger's defeat with stellar, meaningless play allowing no goals in the final eleven minutes. The Diggers are DONE! It wasn't that long ago that this team was clamoring for an I-league minor, the Yock delivers and the Diggers choke again.

Komets 3?
Brewzers 1?


The Brew Crew scored first and made as if they were the '98 Stars, riding the goal out until the end of the game. Unfortunately, they are not the '98 Stars. They hold-up through the third period but the Komets are building on last session's successes, they score two or possibly three goals with the inspiring words of coach Al. Coach Al was quoted after the game, "These Komets are poised to take the Keg this session. With consistent offensive outings of two or possibly three goals and my inspiring words, who can stop us?". The Brewzers are DONE! The top four finish of last session was proven to be a mirage in the play-offs, and the trend will continue throughout this session as well.

Ice Bats 11
DFW Titans 2


The Titans were strong in the opening innings, working the count, manufacturing runs, but the high octane Ice Bats, fresh from Austin, are stacked in the back half of their line-up. The seventh alone was comprised of three Bat home runs with six runs all together. When Ice Bat closer, John McNabb, took the bottom of the ninth with three outs on four batters, the work-a-day Titans were left to pick up the pieces of their season, even as this is game one. The Titans are DONE! This team will no longer be the bride, the bride's maid, or even invited to the reception.


Blue Devils 2
Snipers 1

Either the Snipers have moved up to I major or the returning Keg champs have dropped to I minor, either way we all had a feeling what the outcome would be for this game. The outcome may have been predictable but the game itself was anything but. The Devils score first, a flurry in front of the Sniper net is punctuated by the artful, rising backhander of Val Kuntz, putting the Snipers behind early. Coach Bateman, however, would not let his team go gentle into that good night, they storm back and score one of their own leaving two periods to battle it out for the win. That would not be enough, the Snipers escape with an overtime loss when a deflection through traffic makes it just inside the left post for the Blue Devil's win, Ellis collapses like Fanny Mae. No doubt the Devils have smelled the coffee and will have no rust left for next week's game. The Snipers are DONE! How could this team have ever expected to compete in the highest of I-leagues, Euless I-league, major?


Puckers 0
Chiefs 0


In the first round, the Chiefs were ablaze firing-off lightning fast combinations, catching the Puckers off balance with a hard left at the end. Time after time the Puckers tried to wait out the eager young Chiefs with the rope-a-dope, the plan paid off in the fourth as the tired Chiefs made for the finishing left they were caught in the ribs with a Pucker right. The Chiefs lost their bravado and proved not to be able to fight a cautious bout, they could not answer the bell in the eleventh and the Puckers get the TKO. In the press box, the bickering betwixt Stone Cold and Ginger quickly evolved into a palpable sexual tension. The Puckers and Chiefs are both DONE!


Team Euless 3
Silverwings 1


Ladies and gentleman, may I direct your attention to the center ring. How many clowns are there in this tiny little locker room? Bryan Brookman and his staff have entertained the crowned heads of Europe with this same juggling routine. Observe the spectacle of the two headed goalie! The roaring you hear from the cage, the ill-tempered Sergio Castillo, which no man can tame. The high flying Super Girl, carrying all the hopes of the Wing offense. . . The Silverwings are DONE! What is this team Euless thing? This session's Moose?




The Privateers played the Whalers earlier in the week, I understand. A bunch of Pirates versus a bunch of Big Fisherman, I don't know. In Moby Dick, the whale killed all of the whalers except one. In the Swiss Family Robinson, I remember the line from Francis, "I see a Pirate getting SQUISHED!", I guess both of these teams are DONE!

My prediction: Blue Devils lose to the Pats in the Keg finals.

P.S. Is this a good name for a kid's toy?

Fine Tuning

The final week of practice, and I have to shut my mouth. . . I chose sleep over hockey practice. So what, I attended two practices last week, I think I deserve a pass.

So far no schedules out for either I-league, Major or Minor, but this promises to be a new breed of I-league, roster control from the Yock, a separate peace for the so-called "true I-league-ers", and firm grip on the purse strings (all you hockey whores, look out!). Will this reformation bear-out or fade away like so many other pre-season promises? Will penalties and MHOA be held to a higher standard as well, or is that too much to put on the plate right now? This platform of change may be lacking some substance.


So far the promises have been kept. In the last games of last session, I know that at least a couple of players were removed from games due to roster issues.

The financial upheavals of late are certainly putting a pinch on my hockey habits, but rest assured, I have E-mailed my congressman, and expect a bailout package to be directed our way soon. Everyone else is in line, why not us?

See you next week for the opener
bc III

P.S. watch your shower shoes!

Practice Makes Perfect

Hockey is breaking-out all over. . .


Self professed hockey mom, Sarah Palin, is drawing the attention of politicos and milf hunters alike, even here in Dallas, where she received a special Stars jersey from the team. Should we draw any conclusions on the fate of our hockey hopes based on her ultimate success or failure in the election? I doubt her connection to the team is strong enough to draw any parallels, but as Palin's public ratings slide, the pre-season rolls on. . .

Stars hockey is fast approaching and the pre-season is not making me feel especially conifident. I do take solace in the fact that the full roster has been present for all of no games, and it is only PRE-season. There is much to look forward to. Turco continues to prove that he is one of the best goaltenders in the league (I say, he is the best). James Neal, who lead our prospect team to a tournament victory in Traverse City this summer, may see a significant amount of time our roster. And, let's not forget Sean Avery. Like him or not, the eristic forward is sure to make this an interesting season to say the least.

And finally at the extreme opposite end of the talent spectrum, the fall session is underway. Yes, practice is technically part of the session. I made it to my scheduled events, but it appears that not many others placed much priority on building their skills. The player to coach ratio for the Pats was 2:1, most people would be paying three or four hundred dollars an hour for this kind of personal instruction (instruction, that word sounds so familiar). I don't have any totals for the remaining teams.

And coming soon, a new feature for SNH. I received an e-mail from Mel "Supergirl" Knourek who thought it might be a good idea to put the spotlight on some of the women of I-league, find out what it is that draws them into this male dominated sport and I thought it might work. A picture might even make it work more better-er. My tentative title would be. . . "Body Check: the women of SNH". If you have any suggestions for this venture, leave me a comment or e-mail, so that I can ignore it. I wonder who should be the first subject? Mel? Ginger? Val? Ryan? Hmm, so much potential for controversy.

See you at next week's practice, right?

More Fun Than an Afternoon of Freecell

The championship has come and gone, and yes, I have finally gotten around to writing something up about it.

What is that you say? Back to back wins for the Blue Devils? I don't know if that means that a team should move up or not. If you are taking advantage of your coach's experience and advice, and paying attention to the better players around you, and by all means having FUN, then that sort of performance should inspire you to keep at it until you reach the pinnacle of I-league, just like the Devils. For me, I see a bull's eye. . . right on the front of the Blue Devil's jersey, specifically, David Blubaugh's.

Perhaps the Blue Devil's win inspires you to recruit half of the free world to your roster, I'm just sayin'.

Overall, it was a great experience, short line at the poo-poo platter, reasonable competition on the ice (only a couple of blow-outs, and one doesn't really even count), and plenty of fellowship among the. . . athletes? The Iceholes even appeared to be quite jovial despite losing the big one, again. With the crowd that hangs around the Holes, it's hard to imagine feeling too bad after a loss.

Here's a quick look at last week's events:

Snipers (3-7-0) 0
DFW Titans (5-3-2) 3

The Titans whip up on the Snipers to finish out their schedule. In their net was their coach, again, making strides in his goaltending game and collecting an easy shut-out on fourteen shots. Matt Walker for the Sniper's goal, performed well. He allowed two goals in the second to Sean Dugan. And in the closing minutes of the third just misses finishing the game with a save percentage over 90 when Mark Seacht (on Dugan's line) pops in the rebound to end the scoring.

Hitmen I (5-5-1) 2
Moose (1-7-0) 7

It wasn't really a game. The Lone Star Imports showed-up at both ends of the ice, in matching home and away jerseys for a dress rehearsal for their tournament in Las Vegas. The Netminder for the Moose, whose name I do not know, donated his stats to my profile, so I think he's pretty awesome. In the first Erik Todd scores for the Moose off of a Levesque assist, then Levesque scores off of a Todd assist, then the go at it again, this time Levesque sends it to Todd for the goal. The Hitmen collect one via the Sparrow. Thumb twiddling in the second. The third has more Moose, Levesque starts it off, then James Macha gets two in a row. Melissa "Smiley" Daniels receives the smile of the Hockey Gods and tickles the twine for the last Hitmen goal. Levesque shows everyone up by netting her fourth goal of the game, a seven point night! AMAZING!

Grave Diggers (4-4-2) 9
Whalers (0-8-1) 0

The Whalers have some cool looking jerseys. . .


Brewzers (6-4-0) 3
Stickmen (6-3-1) 2

The Brewzers lost in the first round, but demonstrate tonight that they do belong in the top four. After a scoreless first period, Damon Flores drains the first Stickmen goal before a minute can pass. It takes until the final minute of the period for the Brewzers to even the score with a shot from Joshua Sutton. Val Kuntz wrestles back the lead for the Stickmen early in the third. One shift later it's Sutton again to tie it all up. It goes to the shoot-out, and the Brewzer's John Parker makes the only goal of the exhibition. Brewzers=clutch?

Komets (5-2-2) 3
Patriots (7-3-0) 4

The Komets line-up, for the third week in a row, against Jon Ellis. Scottie Baldree
scores at a minute five to put the Komets in the driver's seat. It takes the better part of the first period for the Pats to get on the board, but in the second the Patriots come up with the lead off the stick of Roy Haenselmann. After more than seven minutes of scoreless play, Haenselmann scores again to put the game away for the Patriots. . . Not so fast. Baldree picks-up the rebound to bring it within one, and Ryan Smith comes away with the tying goal with only forty seconds left. It takes a shoot-out to resolve this one, and John Newell scores the lone shoot-out goal for the Patriot win. Too bad!

Blue Devils (9-0-1) 2
Ice Holes (8-1-1) 1

A great game to watch, even if it didn't look anything like my prediction. The first period was a deadlock, the Devils fought through one Icehole power play and managed to escape the frame with more shots on goal than the Holes. Finally in the second, the Devils get their chance on the power play. Jayson Jones, who had played a stellar game to that point begins to feel the fog of the painkillers propping his back up and allows a goal to Matt Weinrich. The Holes have never panicked when trailing into the third, and just over two minutes into the period the shot from Joe Picardo on the point (destined to fulfill his pledge to his kids) finds a key deflection from Joan Crook (her first goal this session, I think) to beat Blubaugh for the tie. The Holes prevent the Devils from taking the game in regulation but find it difficult to get out of their end with the puck. Over time was more outstanding blue line play, and no scoring. That takes it to the shoot-out. After four periods of hockey, both goalies were beginning to tire (unbelievable!) but still turn away the first three shooters, Blubaugh makes one in desperation falling to his left, then standing triumphantly with the puck securely in his glove. As the first Blue Devil extra shooter approached the net, slowly, then moved blocker side, then slowly backward and to the glove side, leaving Jones sprawling unable to stop the questionable shot. With a goal on the board, all the pressure was square upon the shoulders of David Blubaugh. The I-league "money goalie" confessed his trepidation as Raul Gilbreath skated toward him. After considering and re-considering his course of action, he goes for the poke, and barely makes contact with the puck, barely securing his second Keg. Jayson Jones at the other end has decided this game will be his I-league swan song, making his commitment to higher leagues. So where does this leave the Holes for the coming session? Can the Devils complete the three-peat? Not if I have anything to say about it!

Chiefs (5-3-1) 4
Puckers (4-5-0) 0

For the Puckers to win, Donaghue must play well, actually more like outstandingly. The Chiefs and Rich Wojcio make the first dent in the game, leaving the Puckers with a hill to climb after only two and a half minutes of play. They hold up well through the remainder of the first and all of the second, but don't come up with a goal of their own. In the third the eminent collapse arrives with a goal from Bill Broad, another from Wojcio, and Mark Millard in garbage time. Donaghue will have a clean slate for the new session, can he get some support this time?

Privateers (4-5-0) 3
Silverwings (5-4-1) 5

Okay, it's getting late and even the Silverwings players are turning their backs on their minis, so this one is short and sweet. Cody Payne scores first for the 'Teers, and Corey Howard ties it up. Paul Reid gains the lead for the Wings, Robert Massengale ties the game and Jason Neal puts the Wings back on top. Joel Bush ties it again, but Reid and Neal both score to cement the Silverwing win. The Privateers live to fight another day.

Hippo!!!!!!

The Blue Devils are your back-to-back keg winners tonight in a 2-1 thriller over the Ice Holes. Ray "Dancing Hip-Hop-apotamus" Workman gets the winner on a shootout goal.

Way to go, Raymond. Way to go, BDs.

BC