Up front. I didn't go. I didn't really want to go, and then I thought, "OK, I'll go." Then I woke up, went to my 7am meeting, and when it was over, I completely forgot that I was supposed to go, and when I was pulling into my driveway from breakfast, I thought, "oops, I guess I didn't go."
No big deal. I heard first hand details from three friends who told the same story about 90% of the time, and I had the benefit of reading transcript, which was about 75% in line with what a couple of the people had told me.
Fact is, and it's not my ego, I knew the answers before the questions, and I knew the questions that would not get answered.
Dean Lombardi is a smart guy. He sizes up the crowd and plays to it accordingly. He has a job to do that requires a small portion of audience participation a couple of times a year, and he trots out his game face, flow charts, and some piping hot breakfast and expects you to go home nourished. Soon you will find out that you've barely scratched the surface of the minimum daily requirement, but by then Dean is safely back in his comfort zone, knowing that he's safe until draft day.
Steven Stamkos. It's ALL about Steven Stamkos and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Sure the Kings need defensemen. Sure the Kings need a goaltender. Sure the Kings need a better system on the PK. Sure the Kings need a coach that can roll four consistent lines, not fourteen a period. But, in reality, if the Kings draft first overall this year, put it all on the back burner and make way for a marquee player that will help overcome a myriad of deficiencies. No, he's not going to make a blocker save, or deliver a bonecrushing check in front of the Kings crease, but he is going to be a dynamic part of an offense that should wreak havoc on Western Conference defenders. Steven Stamkos is a player you dream about on your fantasy team, and you hope is on the team you've shelled out thousands for in season tickets, food, parking and merchandise.
And, finally, over on the Kings website there's some horrible bracket game where you get to choose your all time favorite Kings. Well we have a little March Madness too.
16 infuriating things about Dean Lombardi's Kings:
1. Dan Cloutier's contract extension before he stopped his first puck (which actually didn't come until he missed a couple.)
2. Alyn McCauley's 3 year contract, which was 3 more than the number of healthy limbs he had when he signed it. Oh wait. I think his writing hand was ok.
3. Flubomir Craptastic's 5 year, 28M dollar bonanza, which was then followed by one of the worst seasons a "good" Kings player has ever had.
4. Rob Blake... 'nuff said on that one!
5. Michal Handzus' 4 year deal
6. John Zeiler's 4 year deal (FOUR YEAR DEAL?????... LOL... photos of cats on the internet make more sense.)
7. Brian Willsie
8. Scott Thornton
9. Ladislav Nagy
10. Kyle Calder
11. Taking Thomas Hickey with the 4th pick in the '07 draft, when you bitch and moan about defensive size on the blueline.
12. Believing that Jack Johnson "filled a hole," when Tim Gleason was occupying it.
13. Yutaka Fukufuji, Barry Brust, Sean Burke, Erik Ersberg, Johnathan Quick, Jean-Sebastian Aubin, Dan Cloutier, Jason LaBarbera, Mathieu Garon, and any other option that has proven time and time again that the Kings haven't had a reliable goaltender for any length of time in the past 30 years.
14. Alledging that Ilya Bryzgalov is not a "character" guy
15. Not finding a guy that can help the center-ice men learn how to win a faceoff.
16. Allowing the team's mascot to be named after a dead scout.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Nice list, Marc. I don't agree with everything, but one thing that definitely doesn't belong, is the mascot thing. I think TL, Luc and their minions probably take "credit" for that one.
I'm going to be on the edge of my seat until the final ballots in the Larry Cahan vs Bob Murdoch "tilt" are counted
Goallum,
In all fairness, (and I threw it in there last), I called it "Dean Lombardi's Kings" meaning, the product we've been fed the last two seasons. Dean is President, in charge of all things Hockey... he should have piped up and said, "poor taste." I don't blame him for the actual name.
1) Okay Marc, who should the Kings HAVE signed instead of Cloutier who was coming off of 3 30 goal season?
2) McAuley was atrocious
3) Flubomir has admittedly had a bad year after being switched from the right to the left - Teams would kill for a player like Lubo and 5.25 mil will be a bargain in 2 years.
4) I find it funny that he has a problem with paying a 37 year old Drury 7.05 mil (not 7.3 as he claimed) at the end of his deal but has no problem paying a 36 year old Flake 12 million for 2
5) What I also didn't get to ask him was, "If Handzus was a 3rd line center, why pay him 4 million when you could have had Belanger back, who was BETTER, at HALF the price?
6) Zeiler's deal is for .5 .525 .575 and .6 - I have no problem with that.
7-8-9-10) no argument here
11) Hickey > Alzner (come on Marc, you watched the world juniors)
12) JMFJ >>>>>>>>>> Gleason. Bad arguement here, dude. REALLY bad.
13) Vachon wasn't "reliable?"
14) If Bryzgalov was all that, why did 30 teams PASS on a deal for him? I'm sure Tampa Bay would have loved to have him for a 5th round pick. But nobody DID. There's a REASON for that. Same reason Peter Greene is a fantastic actor, but do you really want to hire him?
15) Tell me Marc, which centermen were over .500 in faceoff wins their fist two years in the league?
16) Better than Kingston, or Dancing Boy :)
Long live Kingston!!!!
Post a Comment