SB Nation User Blog: Bob in Boulder

2009-2010 Avs: Doing the Limbo

Bob in Boulder — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:21:07 -0000

2009-2010 Avs: Doing the Limbo

Terry Frei makes his early Western Conference predictions for the upcoming season just in time to include Super Joe's retirement. On the Avs:

15. Colorado Avalanche
Tony Granato is the luckiest man in Colorado. He had two years left on his contract and won't have to coach this team. The "family" reason Patrick Roy cited when turning down the Avalanche's virtually carte blanche offer to be coach was probably that he didn't want his family to see him so miserable in such a bad situation. Under ousted GM Francois Giguere, the Avalanche continued their mishandling of both the salary cap and personnel decisions, leaving little opportunity for short-term fixes under new GM Greg Sherman (like Giguere, a former accountant).

The good news for promoted Lake Erie coach Joe Sacco is that expectations are limbolike low, and owner Stan Kroenke is a basketball guy now caught up in the success of the Nuggets. Joe Sakic's retirement announcement is coming Thursday. Decent goaltending from Craig Anderson -- signed from Florida -- or the beleaguered Peter Budaj will help Colorado avoid complete embarrassment. Under the circumstances, the Avs would be best advised to keep Matt Duchene, the third overall choice in the draft, with Brampton for another season.

Excluding Zetterberg thinks Wings should sign Lappy

Bob in Boulder — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:22:08 -0000

Excluding Zetterberg thinks Wings should sign Lappy

Buried within his 400th "we will sign Hossa for far less than market value because we are so great" post, Bill over at EZ spews the following:

Laperierre is the guy I’d go after if Hossa leaves. The firepower you lose in watching Hoss go is compensated for by the hunger and feistiness of a guy like Laperierre. Is it an equal trade off?

Well, considering the sobs you’d hear from the Dive bloggers when their hero "Lappy" signs with the enemy? That in itself would be warming. And, listen. If Laperierre does come here? He’s not "Lappy" anymore. That’s for exclamation point users. To us he’ll be something cool like..."Lap Dance."

Avs down to one Cody Mac

Bob in Boulder — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:16:06 -0000

Avs down to one Cody Mac

McCormick not tendered a qualifying offer by the Avs so they are letting him walk as a UFA.

Pensblog thinks Mile High should get a shot at the Winter Classic

Bob in Boulder — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:58:36 -0000

Pensblog thinks Mile High should get a shot at the Winter Classic

And I agree with a ton of what this article says. The game looks stupid in a baseball stadium, with some fans a half mile away from the rink. And the new Mile High would be an awesome venue .... assuming the Avs have a team worth watching again someday.

Among the quotes:

If the NHL doesn't want Colorado playing a home game
with the Rockies in the background of camera shots, they are high -- a mile high, even.

More Pensblog Hilarity

Bob in Boulder — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:25:35 -0000

More Pensblog Hilarity

This one all at the expense of Hossa. I like the one of the Cup with the Geico stack of money google eyes and a caption "It's the cup you could have won by staying in Pittsburgh."

We may have Ti4T after all?

Bob in Boulder — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:06:19 -0000

We may have Ti4T after all?

Islanders beat writer thinks le Isle will pick Duchene.

Hypocritical Aholes

Bob in Boulder — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:01:52 -0000

Many of you have heard the buzz about Sid the Kid not shaking everyone's hand after the Stanley Cup final. A buzz created by the whiniest little ass in NHL history, Kris Draper, and surprisingly fortified by Henrik Zetterberg, who I thought was a pretty decent guy, especially for someone wearing the winged wheel. For a laughable and completely inane take on the whole thing, you could go to an A2Y post that includes this little gem:

Interesting. Can anyone recall a single time Kris Draper’s said anything to the media that could be construed as controversial or critical of another player? Even after his face was ravaged by one of the more cowardly hits in NHL history, Draper said little to nothing.

Draper, who’s never shirked his responsibilities after Wing losses, who’s never said an ill thing about an opponent, who’s respected league wide...is now just making stuff up. Right?

“Nick was waiting and waiting, and Crosby didn’t come over to shake his hand” in the traditional handshake line. He added that, “that’s ridiculous, especially as their captain, and make sure you write that I said that.”

Wow, that is wrong on so many levels. First and foremost, the author, Bill, is flat out making shit up about Kris Draper so incorrect that it pretty much destroys any credibility he ever may have had as an NHL hockey expert, fan, enthusiast, ... hell, I don't even think he could qualify as anything but a Red Wing puck bunny at this point. Well Bill, when little Krissy's face was "ravaged," he actually had this to say:

"Look at my face. I came here to play a hockey game and look at my face."

Subsequent whining in the weeks, months, and many years that followed by Draper and other Wings did fuel one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports. Something else that caught my attention in Bill's misguided and completely asinine assertions was the "who's respected league wide" part. Respected for what? Hitting people from behind? Is Bill aware that Draper led the league in boarding calls during the 2007-2008 season? Generally being a dirty little PoS who has his teammates back up his BS because he can't? I think I've mentioned this before, but I actually heard a St. Louis Blues radio announcer declare that "Draper is a dirty little player."

For more sane takes on the Crosby non-event/Red Wing whinefest, go here (for a great Draper motivational poster) and here (for the final word) on Pensblog. Basically, Draper is a whiny little bitch and Lidstrom left the ice before Sid had a chance to shake his hand (they even have time-stamped video proof of this).

Now on to the "hypocritical aholes" part. Certainly, the Wings, in their storied history, have always managed to honor the code they now choose to whine profusely about, right? Riiiiiiiiight. After the Lemieux facial on Draper in 1996, accused RW pedophile Dino Ciccarelli questioned his own handshake with Claude with his famous "I can't believe I shook his freakin' hand" remark. Following the 1997 RW-Av series, won by Detroit, Darren McCarty, the noble warrior who had cowardly attacked Claude from behind in the March 1997 brawl at the Joe, did refuse to shake Claude's hand. Heck, even as recently as 2007, Chris Chelios, the fine, upstanding NHL citizen that he is, refused the shake Anaheim player hands after that brutal series won by the Ducks. So, in short, please just STFU RW players, fans and idiotic bloggers. You don't have a real issue in the first place, but your own players have more intentionally disrespected the code in the past.

Post your favorite Gasol whiny face pics here.

Bob in Boulder — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:47:30 -0000

Post your favorite Gasol whiny face pics here.

What the heck is this, Jonestown?

Bob in Boulder — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:32:12 -0000

Sorry guys, but I just refuse to drink the MHR koolaid. And believe me, I'd love to, as a long-time Bronco fan who bleeds predominantly orange and blue. But this was a good draft? Given what it followed and what resources were at our disposal prior to the draft? Really now?

Being a sports fan junkie, I often listen to sports radio, and one of my favorite national guys is Colin Cowherd on ESPN 1600 AM in the mornings. He commented quite a bit on the draft this morning, and among his takes:

1. The draft is a crap shoot and anyone who claims to be able to grade how every team did is just full of crap (I'm paraphrasing him). However, what he was able to do is evaluate teams that did well based on how they have obvously upgraded their teams. Thus, he gave out I believe 6 As. One of them? Chicago because of the Cutler trade. The Broncos (surprise surprise) weren't in this group of 6.

2. A caller asked him about the Broncos. He didn't comment on their draft, but did say they are in a world of hurt right now. And he didn't even mention the bumbling, stumbling, fumbling job McZanders did during the draft.

But I will. Since when is trading away a future first round pick, probably a very high first round pick, for a 2nd round pick ever a good thing? And you don't think McZander's phone wasn't ringing off of the hook after that one? Think blood, Sharks, and a small swimming pool. Holy cow, who the hell is running the show at Dove Valley now? Dumb and dumber?

So, before the draft, hoodie junior made some statement about "letting the draft come to him," and not pushing things. Yet he does something like this to jump on a 2nd rounder? Later, he would trade for a high 6th, of course trading this year's 7th and next year's 5th (does he even have one of those damn pick value charts?). Another, more minor wtf, but another one nonetheless.

Throw all of this into the fact that he didn't address the teams most glaring needs (front 7 on D, we'll be wishing Orakpo were in predominantly orange, believe me), and double dipped on what he had already addressed via free agency (RB and secondary). I can't say, even for all of the wtf's Shanny treated us to over the years, I can ever remember anything quite like this. The Cutler trade is now done. By squandering away a likely top 10 pick in next year's draft, he killed all future value in that trade. I hope Ayers is a fricken monster. Because if he is anything less, man are we ever screwed.

New GM Candidate: Brother of Sunshine and Rainbows?

Bob in Boulder — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:12:56 -0000

New GM Candidate: Brother of Sunshine and Rainbows?

In a new blog about Feaster whoring himself to the Wild as well, AD has this interesting tidbit about another possible Av GM candidate:

Another name I would keep an eye on is David McNab, the assistant GM with the Ducks. He has an obvious connection with the Avs, with his brother, Peter, being the longtime color guy.

Good grief.