New Kid

DHG posted on the Penalty Box this morning (and Heisenberg also posted) that tUMD has a new recruit, Kyle Osterberg. Kyle played for Lakeville South, but will now be with the USNTDP. He is a centre, left handed, and Heisenberg has him listed as 5'7, 150. Perhaps his name is actually Kyle Connolly? He will be joining us in 2012.

Anyone have any other information on Mr. Osterberg they would like to share with the class?

Phun with Photoshop

I'm sorry, this isn't very nice, but this picture (from the official arena site) is really hilarious.












I'm not really sorry, though, because if I was sorry I wouldn't be making fun of it.

First of all, that's Al. Were there no photos of Kenny available? He has been in town for a few weeks. Just put the pads on for a few snaps with the camera. I am sure Larry R. would do it. This photo might be fake anyway, because there's no trace of another player. Or a puck. Hm. Plus a jumbotron would never have this kind of a view.

I really wish they could have put UMTC or something instead of Guest, just to make it more realistic. Assuming the Gophers will have a player who can put the puck in the net.

Hey, I know, I have rotten Photoshop skillz too, which is why I can say this. Hey, some of my best friends are terrible Photoshoppers!

Ah well, the real one will look... not like this, I hope. Especially the crazy metal plating on the background of the bottom part. Hmm. But we're going to FINALLY HAVE A JUMBOTRON, which is AWESOME. Now when I miss a goal or exciting play because I am not looking, I can also miss its replay.

Results Show

40 days!!! Only 40 days to go!!! Are we going to make it??? I don't know. I guess we've still got baseball, Vikings football, and UMD football (who won 35-10 yesterday, yeah!)

Last year I posted for 40 days straight leading up to the season. That's not going to happen this year. I am busy working on my WCHA Fantasy Hockey research. Also I used up some of my ideas already.

But I did a couple of polls in the past few weeks and should probably share the results with you.

For the season finish:
5 people believe we will be national champions
7 people believe we will be national champions and win the league
22 people believe we will be national champions and win the Final Five
26 correct people believe we will be national champions, win the league and win the Final Five.

The winner of the Matt Niskanen Award for Most Anticipated Freshman is Justin Faulk, by a landslide, capturing 44% of the vote. In second place was Max Tardy with 19% of the vote; Max must have had a late push because last I looked, J.T. Brown was in second; he ended up in third, with 17% of votes. Joe Basaraba came in fourth with 14%, Christian Gaffy took fifth with 5%, and Luke McManus, who took last place with 2%, will probably make us all regret overlooking him as he displays his defensive prowess. I know that adds up to 101% but I was rounding.

And finally, we come to our experiment in trust. As we know, in the most recent poll, rather than list every Bulldog player who a. is a returning player and b. has not already had a breakout season (decided by me), I decided to select a few that I thought most likely, and then allowed write-in votes. And, comrades, you did not let me down, as I knew that people would be unable to resist writing in votes that made no sense.

Dylan Olsen and Jake Hendrickson tied with 16 votes, Kyle Schmidt was one vote behind with 15, Mike Seidel had 6 votes, and Wade Bergman had 4. Those were the only players I listed. Seven people wrote in Dan Delisle, one wrote in David Grun (they actually wrote "Grun - yes, Grun," as if I wouldn't believe them, but he's great!), one wrote in Drew Olson (yay! Let's hope he gets the chance), and one wrote in Chad Huttel. I wonder if that was Bruce's son.

So... then... the rule breakers. We had one vote for Hoagy and one for Kenny Reiter to have a "breakdown." Two people said no one. One person was just spamming for their website. One was a test vote from me. FHG told me he voted for a mysterious "Howie F." Another person voted for Dustin Abreu, and one voted for my cat. One voted for Aaron Marvin, another for the pot-smoking Josh Birkholz, and one for Danny Kristo, which breaks two rules because Danny doesn't play for UMD and has already had a breakout season. It breaks a third, unspoken rule about voting for gingers.

I have run out of ideas for polls. I mean, there are always boring ones like who will be the top scorer, but I'm going to skip that. There's only one possibility: My Jacky. I like polls, though, so I hope that I'll have another good idea later on. Maybe about road trips or something.

Unpopular

This is probably going to be the most controversial opinion I ever put on here, but no one who would find it controversial actually reads RWD. Since there is nothing going on in the NHL this off-season (at least nothing interesting), bloggers are getting the vapors over the inequity between traditional sportswriters and themselves. Because bloggers are SERIOUS JOURNALISTES!!111!!, yo.

But, once more unto the breach, dear friends: 99.9999999% of bloggers do not warrant press credentials.

This is not an issue I've ever broached here before because though I may joke about it sometimes, I do not and never have considered myself a serious journalist or even a journalist at all. I don't even want press credentials. I would be escorted out of the press box after 30 seconds. 15 seconds if we're playing St. Cloud. 5 seconds if I see Kurt Davis.

I am happy to pay for my season tickets. I love sitting in the crowd, dressing in crazy costumes, screaming my larynx out, waving derisive signs, circulating the rink to say hello to my friends.

Granted, I write about hot guys, I make up stories, I do inappropriate things with Photoshop. I'm not your typical blogger. (Well, I'm not your anything.) I don't think there's a whole lot of value I could add to RWD by giving me a press pass. Although imagine the thoroughness of my All-WCHA Hottie team research. I could do crayon rubbings of everyone's abs. It is my understanding that a press pass would allow me to touch a player anywhere above the equator.

Attending a press conference might be fun, I guess, but I'd probably breach some sacred sportswriter etiquette, and I'd also probably sit next to Bruce Ciskie and irritate him by elbowing him to get his attention and then whisper snarky comments while he is trying to listen to Sandy mumble out how he thought it was a good game. I don't write about anything that might be mentioned in a press conference.

But even those who do don't really deserve all-access passes to do their journalistic thing.

First of all, many bloggers do a lot of things that violate copyright laws. I mean, I do; I'm always stealing people's images without giving credit or asking permission. But hey, guess what, bloggers? You can not re-post an entire article, written by someone else, and then toss in a sentence or two of "analysis" and count that as original. You can't do that whether you cite the source or whether you link the source. Professional sportswriters like Kevin Pates or Brad Schlossman can do that because they work for newspapers who subscribe to the Associated Press. You probably do not.

Many bloggers also have terrible grammar. I find that most offensive of all.

Most bloggers are redundant. This is not very nice to say, but it is true, especially at the professional level. Donald from The UAA Fan Blog is not redundant. Moe from Bronco Hockey is not redundant. An acquaintance of mine just retired from blogging the Fargo Force because he felt he was redundant. I am semi-redundant. I have to stop saying redun er, the "r" word. Newspapers have beat writers, teams have official blogs, sports networks have blogs, and then there are the unaffiliated masses. Bloggers who want press passes need to transcend blogging.

(I don't think of myself as a blogger. I think of myself as an armchair sportswriter. Which is worse. What is the opposite of transcend?)

This petulant whining about equal treatment for bloggers stems from the arrogant assumption that bloggers are writing about something that is interesting, thoughtful, and well-written. Most blogs are bad. Even the good ones are not good all the time. Hey, most sportswriters are bad, too, or at least boring. But do we need to subsidize any more boredom? No. Lots of bloggers feel like they are looked down upon by traditional media, as if they have been sold into bondage or something. As if bloggers are taking the high road on that one. But hey, people, be your own copy editor and honestly assess your work. Or I can do it for you. Ask Biddco about my editing skillz. And my brutal honesty.

So what is a blogger going to do once they get their grubby hands on a press pass? Get a credential and then blog when they feel like it/have time/the kids are in bed/work doesn't get in the way? Bloggers are asking for the privileges of beat writers without the pitfalls. Anyone who reads Russo's Rants knows he is a big whiner about the life of a beat writer. Are bloggers prepared to be left behind by the team when the goalie gives them the stomach flu and they are puking in a hotel room? Blogging is a hobby. I repeat: bloggers who want to get press passes need to transcend blogging.

What exactly is a press pass going to do for a blogger? I get to hear every Wild press conference. Where? On the radio, whoa-oh-oh-oh on the radio. What is a blogger going to ask that 1. isn't already asked or 2. isn't going to get them the bum's rush? I'm sorry, I know everyone likes to think they are super creative or super bold, but whatever. Snark doesn't work in the locker room. I mean, some of these guys barely speak English. And that includes some of the Americans and non-Francophone Canadians. And for those folks who are creative, isn't that creativity a product of your lack of access?

Press credentials would take away a lot of what separates blogs from traditional media. In fact, they could be used against us. It would be a way for NHL execs to take back some of the PR control they lost when blogs became widespread. Don't like what a blogger says? Yank their credentials. Blacklist them. Facing players in the locker room might make some folks less willing to be critical or be funny. Accountability could shutter quite a few blogs. Even blogs that aren't particularly controversial, but just never thought they'd have to face the people they critique. And how many bloggers would have the guts to risk their precious, hard-won press passes asking the tough questions they wish they could ask, or call out sportswriters for avoiding?

I don't know. What is the point, anyway? It's somewhat indicative of overall American society; wanting what someone else has. Wanting validation. Wanting to feel like a contributor. Wanting the inside information on the team. Wanting free tickets to the game. A sense of entitlement for all the sacrifices made for the love of blogging. Really, what is next? A ride on the team's chartered plane? Socialists!

I write a blog. I read blogs. I write good posts and bad posts. I read good blogs and bad blogs. I'm guilty of almost everything I'm complaining that others do, except I don't care if I'm considered equal to a beat writer and I'm a grammar freak. I also have a small readership and no designs on making it bigger or making this my career, so there are going to be a lot more people who tell me to STFU. But hey! Maybe this will get me more hits! Angry mobs carrying pitchforks always make for lots of hits! Then I will make monies and get a press pass and own the world!

North Dakota Fans Will Buy Anything

UND fans are bidding on a signed jersey. Signed by... Jonny Toews? No. T.J. Oshie? Nope. Not even Papa Oshie. It is signed by SARAH PALIN.

Good lord. I mean, I'm a conservative and all, but THIS JERSEY IS NOT EVEN GAME-WORN OR EVER WORN BY A PLAYER AT ANY TIME EVER AND SARAH PALIN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH UND HOCKEY, THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, OR REALLY ANYTHING AT ALL WORTH PAYING FOR.

The article states the jersey is currently at $3759. Never have I ever wanted to swear so much on this site.

Note to former UND players who are not NHL millionaires: if you need money, just skate in a drop-in beer league hockey game, slap a Sioux logo on the jockstrap you wore, and put it on E-bay. You're bound to net at least 10 grand.

Voting Often

97 people voted in my last poll! That's amazing! I voted twice, so that means 95 people voted, and I think Corrin voted twice too, so that's still 94! Well, maybe other people voted multiple times and now we're back down to like 5 readers.

All right now, comrades. This poll is a little bit different. We are trying a little bit of a trust exercise, for in this poll you can enter your own answers. I'm going to set a few guidelines here:

1. People who have already had a "breakout" season are ineligible. People I consider to have had a breakout season already are: Brady Lamb, Travis Oleksuk, Jack Connolly, Mike Connolly, Mike Montgomery, Kenny Reiter and Justin Fontaine.

2. In case it is not COMPLETELY OBVIOUS from the RETURNING PLAYER part, freshmen are not eligible.

3. Please don't vote for your mom. Or my mom. Sophomores, juniors or seniors from the 2010-2011 UMD Bulldogs men's hockey team only.




Commence.

*Like*

Did you know you can "friend" AMSoil arena on Facebook? You should do it. I'm not sure what it has to say, but it is single, so if you know of any other arenas looking for a date, you could maybe pass along a phone number or arrange to all meet somewhere.

**EDIT**
Ok, I guess you can't anymore, the FB page was deleted. How sad.

Notes

Couple quick new notes:

1. This is temporary so it's not going in the sidebar, but here's a blog about National Lampoon's Michigan Tech's European vacation.

2. This is not temporary (well, I can't guarantee that, as a lot of blogs are...), so it IS going in the sidebar: Beaver Hockey Hub. Let's just pretend there's only a single entendre. Warning, there's horrible music playing on the site, but you can just pause it. Nickelback sucks! Nickelback sucks!

Rostermania

Not a great title. But an exciting day! Now we know what's what and who's who and where's where and who's on first.

Goalie
#30 Christian Gaffy (fr)
#31 Aaron Crandall (fr-rs)
#35 Kenny Reiter (jr)

Defence
#2 Brady Lamb (jr)
#4 Dylan Olsen (so)
#5 Trent Palm (sr-rs)
#6 Scott Kishel (jr)
#8 Drew Olson (so)
#21 Luke McManus (fr)
#24 Mike Montgomery (sr-C)
#25 Justin Faulk (fr)
#26 Chad Huttel (sr)
#28 Wade Bergman (so)

Forward
#7 Kyle Schmidt (sr)
#10 Dan DeLisle (so)
#11 Travis Oleksuk (jr)
#12 Jack Connolly (jr-A)
#14 Keegan Flaherty (so)
#15 Jake Hendrickson (so)
#17 Mike Seidel (so)
#18 Joe Basaraba (fr)
#19 Max Tardy (fr)
#20 Cody Danberg (sr)
#22 Mike Connolly (jr-A)
#23 J.T. Brown (fr)
#27 David Grun (jr)
#37 Justin Fontaine (sr)

Comments:
1. Stafne is not on the roster. I'll discuss this later.
2. Trent Palm IS on the roster. Welcome back, Trent!
3. Travis Oleksuk has worn 3 numbers in 3 years. #13, #21 and now #11.
4. Kyle Schmidt is #7. Why switch now?
5. Before Faulk, Ryan Geris was the last Bulldog to wear #25.
6. Max Tardy takes over #19 from fellow Duluth native Rob Bordson. Let's hope he can develop as well as (or more quickly than, even!) Bordo, too!
7. JT Brown might have to exorcise some demons from #23.
8. This is the first post labeled seventh season! Wow!