We'll Take A Cup of Kindness Yet For Auld Lang Syne

Photo by: Me

After about a foot and a half of snow, flights being canceled, and a 21 hour drive from Brooklyn to Tampa, I am back home. The city of New York could have solved all of it's plowing/shoveling issues by getting all of the Floridians who are amazed by the snow to shovel it. Seriously. We couldn't get enough. Until our flight was canceled, then things were much less romanticized. I got plenty of sleep and am finally feeling more alert. On the drive back, I started writing a post comparing the sports fandoms of Boston and New York. But Auld Lang Syne is running through my head and I am thinking of the past year.

Frankly, I'm glad to see 2010 go. The new Lightning ownership and seeming resurgence of the franchise has been very welcome, but to see if they can keep it up and have success in the playoffs the calendar needs to change. In the meantime, I can revel in a thrashing of the Candiens to end 2010, Cedrick Desjardins' NHL debut and victory, and Steven Stamkos' 30th and 31st goals.

I had an interesting relationship with the Red Sox this year. Even as the injuries continued to pile up, they still found ways to win. In spite of all of the frustration with pitching and lacking guys like Pedroia or Youkilis in the line up, they were still competitive. Combine that with the sensational off season moves and the waiting for spring training is definitely the hardest part.

I'm excited and looking to the future. 2011 looks to be a good year, sports wise and for my personal life. And that's what I'll be thinking of when the clock chimes midnight this evening. Cheers and Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas To All

Photo by: Me

Part of what makes the holidays unique is my annual trip to New York City to spend Christmas with my family there. If posts are light for the next few days, that's the reason why.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

A Public Service Announcement With Guitar

Before the 2008 elections and the artist Shepard Fairey became known for his Hope posters of President Obama, he made the above print of Joe Strummer back in 2002. I have one of those signed, numbers prints on the dresser in my bedroom. And I will pretty much never be convinced to sell it.

December is a bit of a melancholy month in spite of the hopeful Christmas music and all of the twinkling lights. I observe the passing of two of my musical heroes this month. John Lennon died on December 8th 1980. Joe Strummer died on December 22nd of 2002. Both made music that profoundly influenced my life and the way I view the world.

What does this have to do with sports? I'll tell you. I grew up in a family where there were two children, both girls. My father made sure to teach us about sports. Baseball, football, etc. Sports were a part of our lives. It wasn't until I got older and realized that not every girl had that same upbringing. That my passion for sports is sometimes even seen as an oddity. I never let that stop me. I love what I love without apology. My gender has absolutely no bearing on my capacity to enjoy the game. Because I grew up and into punk rock and rock & roll, rebellion has been embedded in my subconscious. And I have guys like John Lennon and Joe Strummer to thank for a lot of that.

Back to sports tomorrow. For now, I'll listen and be thankful.

That Just Happened

Photo by Me

Back at the beginning of November, I wrote about how impressed I was with the Lightning and Steven Stamkos' play at that point in the young NHL season. Well, they have floored me again. I was at the Lightning's 5-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes last night and the milestones were flying all over the place. Teddy Purcell had his 13th point in 13 games. Vinny Lecavalier tallied his 750th career assist. Marty St. Louis passed Vinny to be come the franchise leader in game winning goals scored. These are all fantastic, but one milestone stands out a bit more.

At 16:26 in the second period, Steven Stamkos scored his 100th career goal. That statistic is impressive enough without anymore detail. But wait, there's more. Stamkos is only 20 years old. He has only played two and a half NHL seasons. He is now one of six players to reach that mark before his 21st birthday. Some of the other guys who have done it: Wayne Gretzky, Jimmy Carson, Brian Bellows, Ilya Kovalchuk. This kid keeps getting better.

I am really enjoying seeing what will happen next. The team is off to their best start in team history. There is some nagging doubt at the back of my mind. Like all masochistic sports fans, I can't just sit back and enjoy the good times. I have to worry about our goal tending inconsistencies. Mike Smith was just starting to get hot and he's out 2-3 weeks due to a knee injury sustained at yesterday's practice. Will he be able to pick up that momentum when he gets back? Yes, Dan Ellis did play his best game of the season last night. But can we really count on him for more of those performances? His teammates aren't always going to have an flurry of offense and score 5 goals. We have Cedrick Desjardins on the bench as a back up. I was very impressed with him during training camp, but he is untested in an NHL setting.

Then I go on and worry about what happens at the end of this season when Stamkos needs a new contract. I am very, very worried that the Lightning won't be able to hang on to them given their current contract restrictions with some players. I know there is nothing that one fan can do to change what is going to happen. I am just really enjoying this season. And I don't want that feeling to end anytime soon.

I'm All In For Life

Photo by: Linda Hamilton

I had big plans for today's post. I took my parents to the Lightning/ Buffalo game last night and we had a great time. We taught my mom about icing and offsides. The more Labatts that was enjoyed meant that icing and de-icing were confused a few times. We ended up closing down the bar, Shots, that is outside of the arena and got home around 1 am. So I'll keep things brief.

Congratulations to Steven Stamkos on his 25th goal of the season. It was an absolute beauty. I tried finding it on Youtube, but my tired fingers are having trouble spelling.

A good night and a good win. Good celebrating with good friends. This is one of the best parts about being a sports fan.

Road To the Winter Classic Episode 1

Brief update before I head off to sleep. Due to not having HBO and being at the Lightning/Thrashers game last night, I missed the debut of HBO's 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic. I got around to watching it tonight and have quite a few thoughts. And am actually surprised I enjoyed it so much.

I'm sure that I am like most hockey fans who are not Capitals or Penguins fans in that I'm kind of sick of the manufactured rivalry between those two clubs being hyped beyond belief. Going into the mini series, I fully expected it to be four weeks of following Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. I should have known better. HBO does a lot very well, especially when it comes to their sports documentaries. Sure Ovie and Sid were part of the show, but they weren't the whole show. We saw a team riding high on a win streak and another team struggling just to win games. We saw home games and road trips. Guys at home with their families, teams going on the road and hotel pranks.

One of the most interesting parts is hearing what the players and coaches say when they're on the bench or the ice. So many fans like to consider ourselves to be knowledgeable, but this kind of view behind the curtain is unprecedented.

The best part? HBO has made the game of hockey look FANTASTIC. The shots of skates being sharpened, sticks being taped, and the footage of the games being played. It is a feast for the eyes and I honestly can't wait until the episode. Whoever decided the NHL should be involved in this deserves a huge pat on the back. It is intriguing.

My only gripe is having to look at Sidney Crosby's straggly mustache until Christmas. That thing is just creepy.

Can't Buy Me Love

Photo by: AP Photos

As a sports fan, it's really easy to get disillusioned by the high value contracts that are bandied around every off season. We saw a lot of that in hockey this past summer with Ilya Kovalchuk's 15 year, $100 Million dollar deal. It's something that is especially rampant in baseball since MLB hasn't organized a salary cap yet. And I don't see that happening any time soon. What you do frequently see is well known , talented players who say they will never leave a team they supposedly love when the highest bidder places the biggest stash on the table. I'm looking at you, Johnny Damon.

The biggest shock with baseball free agency was when former Texas Rangers' ace Cliff Lee did just the opposite. Before the World Series had even ended, I was telling my friends that it really bothered me that Lee would probably be wearing the dreaded pinstripes when spring training rolled around. Pretty much everyone figured he'd end up in the Bronx because they were really the only ones with the financial clout to entice him in. Hank Steinbrenner and crew offered out a 7 year deal valued at $150 million. The longer everyone waited to hear about the signing, the more it seemed inevitable.

Until the news broke last night as I was heading to bed. Cliff Lee is returning to the Philadelphia Phillies for a $120 million, five year contract. To me, that says a lot about his character. He left $30 million on the table to go back to play in a place he liked and where his family was happy. Not that his baseball career is going to suffer because of the move. Hell, if nothing else Philly now has arguably the best rotation in the league. But for once, money wasn't everything to a professional athlete. Don't get me wrong, he is still going to be insanely rich. But probably a lot happier.

I'm sure it wasn't the final deciding factor in Lee's signing, but I can't help but think about some news stories I read that came out after the Rangers were playing the Yankees in the Bronx during this year's ALCS. Where Yankees fans were rude, cursed, and even spat at Rangers players' wives in the stands. Maybe thing about this next time, jerks. Be nice. You never know what you could gain or lose.