It's amazing... when you can't see the mullet, he sort of looks just like another drunk uncle.
Thanks as always for reading Barry Melrose Rocks this year, from the bottom of the cold black heart shared by Loser Domi and myself. Maybe, just maybe, we can get some hockey in the new year so she and I have something to write about.
Merry Christmas to you all, and thanks for reading!
XOXO
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Earlier this month, folks with Random House Canada contacted us about receiving a copy of Dropping the Gloves by Barry Melrose. For whatever reason, they suspected a site named "Barry Melrose Rocks" to positively review this book.
Unfortunately, I haven't had time to read it quite yet, but I have been able to leaf through it, check out some topics covered and read the press release. It is a very thorough, but easy to read look at all levels of hockey in North America, from juniors to the NHL, and from Melrose's time at ESPN.
Like I said, I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, and when I do, I will have a more thorough review after the new year. In the meantime, I encourage you to check out the book on Amazon as a potential gift this holiday season for the hockey fan that doesn't currently get any hockey.
The best part? It's under 300 pages, so if the seasons DOES start at the beginning of the year, you can finish it in time, and be more knowledgeable of the game!
The best part of this entire scuffle, to me, anyways, is that the referees have absolutely no problem separating the kids. Also, the penalty box being filled to capacity. It's really a splendid time.
Hello, folks! It's that time of year again! In a few days, I'll be done with semester one of graduate school, and I'll find myself with time on my hands. The question remains: would you like a hockey themed holiday card? I'll do whatever kinda thing you want (except nudes, no nudes.) Just direct message me on the twitters or email me at loserdomi(at)gmail.com with an address I can send stuff to. Hell, it doesn't even have to be your own place. I'm sure your mom or your work wouldn't mind if you got mail from some random person from the internet. I'll even do stuff for Habs fans. All I ask is you tell me sooner rather than later, espeically if you're not in the U.S., because postal systems are a pain to deal with.
Yeah, the lockout still sucks, but hey, you have the opportiunity for hockey holiday cheer in your mailbox! And that's awesome.
Today is Kevin Schultz's birthday. If you don't know, Schultz founded this site, invited me and Loser Domi to write here, and now weeps quietly to himself on Long Island as we slowly drive it into the ground. In honor of his birthday, here is Kevin's favorite image of all time:
Feel free to harass Kevin about his birthday on Twitter. You have my permission. He is an Islanders fan, is very happy about them going to Brooklyn and really enjoys Civil War reenactment. This is his 47th birthday. The big 4-7! Use all of this information in any harrassing birthday related tweets.
You know what, I'm looking at that picure and wondering what it would be like if Snoop was involved with the labor negotiations. I don't know what kind of arbitrator he is, but I can assure you things would be a lot more mellow.
But anyways, happy birthday, Kevin.
In honor of the holiday, American Thanksgiving, I wanted to thank you all for bearing with this hockey blog when there is no hockey to speak of. In honor of the day, I wanted to share with you this shaky video of a hockey game between Greece and Turkey. Get it? Thanksgiving? Greece? Turkey? It's as good as you get until there is actual hockey somewhere. Anywhere.
Happy Thanksgiving, I guess.
You think I'm joking?! I am not! I'm all about Albanian soccer! Really! Let's do it! Here are a couple of fun facts about Albanian soccer:Dear @nhl , You have now dropped to behind the Albanian Superliga in my list of favorite sports leagues
— Ryan Henning (@VictoriawxRhino) October 18, 2012
Ever since sports started, team owners have been trying to take advantage of athletes. The mentality was that the owners were the smart people, the ones with the money. Players were property, just big dumb oxes that went out and ran around and tackled and skated and pitched for owners. They were paid whatever the owners wanted to pay them. Competition for their services was a textile factory.
But while there were some dumb oxes (and there still are) a few smart seeds out there saw the value in worker rights, and players started making more money with the advent of free agency, some of which they could use to hire people even smarter than them to negotiate fair market value. Of course, sports owners were making more money, and their franchise values were skyrocketing. It was a necessary expenditure, spending on the product that earned money. Players still weren't human, but at least they were a commodity and not property.
Then, the players unionized. The players were trying to be treated like humans. They wanted to make sure silly things happened, like their health was taken care of, and their contracts were honored. Eventually, the unions had smart enough people representing them that they, collectively, were as bright as the ownership that had once taken full advantage of them. Where ownership recognizes that they are on the same level as a species with the players, there is labor peace [see: Major League Baseball... except in Miami]. Some leagues [see NBA/NFL] still view players as commodities, and there are some serious tete a tetes.
Of course, in the NHL, ownership refuses to to regard their players as anything but a subhuman group of mouth breathing idiots. In fact, the players recognize the problem with the league (a discrepency between the wealthy and poor teams), but the league won't listen. They want to be respected and have their contracts honored. But the league still views the players as property, to be payed what they want them to be paid.
Ownership refuses to get with the times. They have broken the fans (I have heard people pleading with the players just to give in) but not the players. Perhaps that's because they thought they had been more than accomodating 7 years ago, and now it's clear that the owners are just trying to fuck them. The owners can't just treat their players like property. At least bump them up to market regulated commodities. Figure it out. No more hiatuses. No more stunts. Stop being dicks.
For the time being, I'm done with the NHL. I still love hockey, and I love Barry Melrose Rocks, but the NHL can suck it.
Pierre Lebrun and Katie Strang, both hockey journalists for ESPN are obivously professional and hard working, whether or not ESPN covers their sport or not. In fact they have made the best of their present situation covering labor negotiations, opting to make a video update from the site of the current labor negotiations. So what if the only place to do so was next to the bar, with spirits on the table?
Katie is talking about the tense situation....
Pierre about his "make hole"....
Sparks.
The NHL isn't airing on NBC this year, but they wanted to make sure to show that they could still provide on ice entertainment, so with more eyes on them, perhaps at any other time this fall, they made sure to go to the rink outside of Rockefeller Center.
The electoral map during the election was displayed on the rink, in what was decidedly a thumbing of the nose at hockey fans. "Oh, we can get people to watch ice rinks WITHOUT the NHL. We don't need the lockout to end! And by the way, that's the AMERICAN election. We have nothing for you, Canada! Up yours! Screw you AND your Prime Minister!"
