As My Mom Would Say...

Dear Gentle Readers,

No, the blog is not dead. And in spite of recent events, neither is my fandom for the Flyers.

I'm just observing a little bit of home-training: If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Okay, who am I kidding?

The team sucks right now. There was that brief time where we had a nice little winning streak, but it feels like a long freakin' time ago.

Since my opinion of what it would take to right our seriously off-course ship of club doesn't count, I'm going to leave the G.M.-ing to the guy who's paid to do it. 'Cause if he doesn't do it well, he can be fired, too.

And while I'm tempted to boycott posting about the Flyers until things get better, I won't. I pouted for a bit and I feel better.

Instead, I'm going to try some negative reinforcement to convince the hockey gods to go smite the Pens.

Browsing for Cleveland team jerseys,
Flyers.Femme

Disaffected and Disenchanted

That's about how I'd characterize the Flyers fan feelings toward Coach Stevens lately.

Some days, I'm fine with Johnny standing behind the bench. Other days, not so much. But I've yet to call for his head on a pike.

Folks, this post is going to ramble something fierce. I'm processing as I write, while the game is tied-up at 2 all, which is a very dangerous thing to do when you have a sports blog. Here goes.

And I'm writing this to the big guy in a suit and glasses...

Dear Coach,
You haven't publicly balled out a player for a sucky performance since December 2007.

I get that you don't want anyone to accuse you of being emo. I even respect that. But there's a time and place to just let one decompression session roll. And I think now's as good a time as any; it might accomplish some good.

Lately, everything bad is just festering. The team-building may have had the after-school special bonding element needed for plane, train, etc. trips to be less heinous than they otherwise would be. I don't think it's helped in relationship to the on-ice performance.

On paper, just like in past seasons, there's no good reason for the team to be doing what it does...namely losing and taking mental vacations. There are 60 minutes in a hockey game, and all that other trite-but-true shite.

I think the jumping off point for your speech needs to be something like, "This crap cannot continue." Fill in with whatever ammo you (or Berube) can provide thereafter. Just remind the guys that we don't like losers in Philly...especially when they're slacker-losers in our uniforms.

Hope you have a totally b*tch*n' night!

Post-Game Edit

I take it back. Something has to change.

Annual Jersey Rant

No, Gentle Readers, I'm not PMSing about pink jerseys or wasting your time with the epic failure that is the silver ones.

I'd like to address another issue: size discrimination, petite edition. (My mom calls me Skinny Minnie for a reason, folks. And no, Teka, another burger or two isn't going to do anything...ask co-workers George, Justin, and Brandon.)


Could someone in the NHL merchandising end of things please tell me how I can land a women's XS Flyers jersey?

I checked on the Shop NHL site. According to the size chart, I need an XS. However, I can't order anything smaller than a medium.

Pardon me, but WTF gives?

That, hockey faithful, is my jersey dilemma this season. Not who to get on it - moi, of course - but how to order my size*.

So until hell freezes over or there's a new Miracle on Ice, because depending on your POV that's the same thing, it looks as though the NHL has once again discovered another way to keep from obtaining my money for their coffers...even when I'm more to give it to them.

With equal parts annoyance and plain-old ticked-off,
Nadine


*Note: I'm exerting some diplomacy here. I didn't spew about the whole sweater vs. jersey thing, or the screen-printed thing.

Totally Heinous

Blogger, I mean.

So, the new look is the old look.

I'll be weighing the +/- of moving the blog over to Wordpress as a result of this. In the mean time, if you're an HLOGger, another hockey blogger or a site for which I displayed a link here, shoot me an email with your blog/site name and address because I'll have to rebuild the list.

And I just love doing that.

Totally...

Dear Gentle Readers,

I know that new reads here have been very scarce recently. I would apologize but I find myself in a bit of a personal battle, one that started as soon as I returned home from vacation at the start of January.

Alas, here we are almost a month and a half later and I've got no resolution, a ton of stress, and the general yuckiness of the economy. (I sought some relief during the oh-so-pleasant-weather weekend by indulging in some retail therapy.)

In short, welcome to the post-holiday blues...I guess.

The positive side of things - as I see it today - is this:

• Screw it, hockey season is hitting its most interesting point. Time to quit bitching and watch some guys get hit, a few others score in impressive and not-so-impressive situations, and the special ones go crazy stopping the puck.
• Buck up and get creative. It's almost freakin' Valentine's Day and I haven't started my list for the Flyers...or the HLOG ladies.
• Start prepping for the upcoming Battle of Pennsylvania game. I finally get to use one of my Flyers-related Christmas presents and hang out with co-worker Justin. (As long as he doesn't say nice things about Cindy Crosby, I don't care what nasty crap he drops about the Flyers.)

It will still take about a week before I can start posting with any frequency...I do have a few more follow-up calls to make to keep things moving the way the need to do. But, this is me stating my intention to come back stronger, if not snarkier.

Feeling just a little refreshed just by writing that,
Flyers.Femme
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Um, I Don't Get It...

What Really Is Suspension-Worthy in the NHL?

Dude, after this, I've got no clue. Honestly.

I'm trying to find where Sean Avery dissing an ex and the newer flame is covered in the rule book or other agreements.

Or is that exes and new/old flames? It's not like he specifically mentioned Elisha Cuthbert and Dion Phaneuf, nor Mike Komisarek, Rachel Hunter, and Jarrett Stoll. And continuing with the devil's advocate train of thought, couldn't there be other, non-starlet examples, too? Quite possibly.

Look, I've busted a few times on Sean Avery. He's so much fun to not like, he provides really awesome fodder to spur that dislike, and he seems to positively revel in it. Avery is the current, undisputed Instigator Douche Trash-Talker Extraordinaire of the NHL.

Personally, I find this incident just a little funny because it's not like the same thought hasn't occurred to and been voiced by a few hockey fans already.

So would Bettman have hockey fans believe that the use of this one, not-as-vulgar-as-everyone-insists-it-is slang phrase is more deserving of a suspension than Avery's previous, more serious ones? Are we to believe that no league- or team-level management staff has never used "sloppy seconds" or more heinous terminology to refer to an ex in the past?

Besides, it sounds like the Stars organization was prepared to level some hefty punishment on Avery all by itself. Let them reign him in since they're paying his contract and have to deal with that limited no-trade clause.

I think the real issues are this:

• Sean Avery has punched enough buttons verbally this year that this comment - crude and classless as it was - just pushed everyone over the tipping point.
• Sean Avery is freakin' Sean Avery.
  

But that's not the tone of the explanation the league is giving. We'll wait and see what they say with the final decision.

Cat, I'm really tempted to request a "Free Avery" T-shirt if it becomes available and costs less than $10. I can totally PayPal you.

And in Other, Flyers-centric News

We beat the Lightning! Blondie, you are a hot b****. Richie, dear captain, you're a beast.

Mystified,
Flyers.Femme
-

Zzzzzzz

Wake me when the pre-season starts, 'kay?

Troll Alert Level: Red

Dear Gentle Readers,

I love every one of you. Thanks for tuning in here for a hockey blog dedicated to mild analysis and stats, reactions to our favorite sport, and posts filled with snark.

All that being said, a snake has entered the garden and it's come to this: I'm turning on comments moderation due to one hater troll. Absolutely no anonymous comments will be approved.

For more information on the truly annoying (and infantile) affliction being delivered upon the HLOGers, read more on HLOG's August 1 post from the desk of our GM, the ever-fearless Sherry.

All my male readers out there: I don't hold childish examples like this against you guys. Y'know, unless I find out you did it. Then, I'll advertise it like crazy here in really LARGE, really bold, really red letters.

Yoo-hoo, Blogger: Where's my blocked list?