Are you F**king Kidding Me?

Photo by Me

That sucked. Really. I don't remember the last time I was THAT angry at a game. And I never leave games. I suppose I only have myself to blame for my own masochism. But that was... without a doubt... the worst officiating in a Lightning game I have seen in a very long time.

Yeah, I might have lost some class by responding to the Sabres' fans cheer with "No Cup Buffalo!". But during a streak of 12 home games I was bound to snap sooner or later.

As I was driving home from that gruesome defeat, John Fogerty's "Centerfield" came on my iPod. I remembered that there is a truck filled with Red Sox equipment heading south and I had to smile.

Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again

Photo by Steve Silva / Boston.com

Truck Day is a difficult thing to explain to non baseball fans. Well, more specifically non Red Sox fans. Simply put, Truck day is the day in February where a big 18 wheeler gets loaded up with all of the uniforms, bats, vacuum cleaners , etc and starts the journey down to Florida. Truck Day means Spring Training is just around the corner and with it, the boys of summer coming back into our lives for another year.

Yeah, I know it's silly to get excited about a truck. Pitchers and catchers don't officially report for a few more days and we're even further away from Opening Day. We haven't exactly had a blisteringly cold winter here in Florida, but I am ready for baseball. Forget Punxsutawney Phil, THIS is a sure sign of spring. It means that soon we'll hear the sounds of bats cracking and the sharp thumps of baseballs in leather gloves. Soon the Red Sox will be back out on the diamond, and how can that be a bad thing?

I think that Truck Day has taken on a special meaning for Red Sox nation because we are so intensely involved with this team. We eat, sleep, and breathe them 12 months a year. Truck Day means that Next Year is here. And with the line up that Theo & Co. put together in the off season, who wouldn't be excited by that?

Our Trophy Is Better Than Yours

Photo by Me

Everyone else was focused on the Super Bowl this evening. And I can't lie, I had the game on the tv. Today's main sporting event was the Lightning hosting the St. Louis Blues this afternoon. I made sure to get there early as the Stanley Cup was in front of the arena for three hours before puck drop. The Cup was in town last season, but you couldn't get anywhere near it. The last time I got to touch it was 2004 before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Not only did I touch it then, I gave it a big kiss. Today, we were able to get really close and I got a bunch of great pictures. It is an absolutely stunning trophy.

My bias really started to come out while watching the presentation of the Lombardi trophy after Green Bay became Super Bowl Champs. The Stanley Cup is the best trophy in sports. Not just because part of the trophy is over 100 years old. Not because it's made of sterling silver. Because of what it means and because of how hard it is to win it. And when your team does win it, every person gets 24 hours with it. Every single member of that team gets their name engraved on it. As Marty St. Louis and Tim Taylor said after the Lightning won, that team walks together forever on the Stanley Cup. For all to see.

The Stanley Cup is also a guaranteed way to make a tough hockey player verklempt and speechless. THAT is how much it means.

If I Fall Back Down

Photo by: AP Photos

Being a Red Sox fan has done a lot of really positive things for me when it comes to my rooting for my teams. I am insanely loyal, almost to a fault. I am very invested in my teams. My family has had Jacksonville Jaguars season tickets since the inception of the team. When I moved to Tampa, one of my goals was to buy season tickets for the Lightning and I have been a season ticket holder for the last two years. I continue to hope and believe that my teams can achieve until they have been mathematically eliminated or things are so bad there's no possible way a playoff berth can be won.

Unfortunately, there is a darker side to having a deep seated Red Sox fandom in your brain. The sinking feeling there behind all of the good stuff, that the other shoe will drop. Especially when things are going well and your team is winning. The Lightning were riding a 6 game winning streak going in to last night's game against the Capitals. They soundly beat Philly on Tuesday and the Flyers have the best record in the Eastern Conference. All that success just made me terrified of meeting the Capitals. Things had been going TOO well. It's times like this that I hate being right.

Some of my friends are blaming the new logo being announced this week and being placed all around the arena. Pretty much the only place where the old logo is still being used is on the jerseys the Lightning will play out the rest of the season in. The idea is that the Bolts had a good thing going and all of the change messed with the ju-ju. I don't know if I would put last night's loss on the altar of the supernatural just yet. Things weren't sharp. The defense just wasn't there. When a team as fast and creative as the Capitals comes to town, you have to keep the puck away from them. And nothing seemed to work.

A win would have been good. We're getting to the point in the season where it would be pretty difficult for a division rival to overcome a 7 point deficit in the standings. It's also impossible to win every single game. I would really have liked to come out with the two points last night though.

A few random thoughts about the game:

When did Teddy Purcell become such a sniper? He has been really impressive the past two games.

Steve Downie was like a wild beast let loose from a cage last night. Good to see him playing with that edge, it was really missed when he was injured.

Wow.

Yes. Lightning owner Jeff Vinik is spending $35 million of his own money to completely redo the St. Pete Times Forum.

The news broke yesterday and I am still blown away. All the fans were told to make sure we are in our seats early before tomorrow night's game against the Capitals for a special video presentation. After a week of surprises, who knows what is coming next?

I said it on Facebook and I said it on Twitter and I'll say it again. I haven't felt THIS good about the Lightning since the 2004 playoffs.

For Amy. And Isaias. And Sue. And Dziadzius. And Aunt Barbara.

To say that everyone's lives have been touched by cancer is a huge understatement. Mine definitely has, so my friend Amy's cause is very close to my heart. See, her cousin's son Isaias lost his battle in 2009. Just days before his 10th birthday. Amy used him as the inspiration behind Project Cupid, which is having it's second charity date auction event this Friday night at Whiskey Park in Boston.

More information can be found at: http://www.project-cupid.org

If you are in the area, definitely try to attend. You can bid on dates with some eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. There will also be a ton of memorabilia and gifts up for auction. I know the Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics have all donated items. 100% of the proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

If you can't be there in person, you can donate via the website: http://www.project-cupid.org Any amount can help, no matter how small.

To paraphrase Amy's husband Josh and my brother from another mother: This is why we fight. In memory of those who have lost their battles and in hope for a future where a cure will be found.

Thunderstruck

Photo by AP Photos

It's late and I need to get to bed, but I am still riding high on the Lightning's 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. I had concerns about this game. The team hadn't played since the 25th and in all of the post practice stories from today Coach Boucher said they were sluggish. I guess that wore off pretty quickly with Teddy Purcell's goal 19 seconds in to the game.

Dwayne Roloson posts his 4th shutout in 11 games. Purcell has two goals. Steve Downie manages not to fight someone. Steven Stamkos scored his league leading 39th goal of the season. This was a match up of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and for tonight, mine came out on top. The Flyers come back to town in a few weeks, so that one should be interesting.

One of the most encouraging things I noticed about tonight's game was that the home fans outweighed the visiting fans. For big markets this seems like no big deal. But for a Sunbelt team, in state with as many transplants as Florida has it is a huge deal. The building had some of the old energy back in it. It's bringing back a lot of good memories. Tonight, I am happy.