I’m going to the Islanders game tomorrow night. Not only is it my first game of the year, but it’s the last home game the Islanders will play in this decade. It hasn’t been the best decade in terms of wins and on-ice success, but I’ve had a ball attending games over the past ten years. Here are the games I’ve attended that stand out in my mind. It’s crazy… the first of these games took place during my freshman year of college. Ten years later, I’m out of school, I’ve gotten a “real job”, I’ve gotten married and have fathered two kids. And through it all, the Islanders have been solidly mediocre. (Zing!)
Without further adieu, here’s the list, broken down by season.
1999-00 2.12.00 – Islanders 5, Penguins 1. This was the unquestioned highlight of yet another craptastic year by the Islanders. It drew an unusually large crowd because the game was the host of a protest against SMG, but I didn’t really care about that back then. Instead, I cared because it was a game and it was part of my Valentine’s Day date with my then-girlfriend Leslie. This was before I realized that you’re not supposed to take a girl to a hockey game for Valentine’s Day. Either way, it worked; she now has season tickets and her own Islanders blog. Anyway, this game came at a point in time where I was starting to get very interested in hockey again after a few years where the losing drove me away a little bit. That they blew out the dominant Penguins was huge and quite unexpected.
2000-01
- 1.2.01 – Canadiens 3, Islanders 0. There are three things I remember about this game. First, we went with some sort of church youth group and got really good seats. Second, the people we went with thought Zdeno Chara was hilarious and awful and mocked him constantly. Of course, he was hilarious and awful back then. Third, and most importantly, Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore sealed this one by shooting a puck into the empty net that was on our side of the ice. At the time, I was pretty distraught. Then, I realized that only like five goalies have ever scored goals, and I came to realize the significance of the achievement.
2001-02 – 10.13.01 – Red Wings 5, Islanders 4.The score sheet will show that the Islanders blew a lead with under ten seconds left, then lost the game in overtime. But this was the night when the culture at Nassau Coliseum really began to change. Charles Wang came out for the home opener ceremonies and referred to the “first-place Islanders” to a huge ovation. It was also the home debut for both Alexei Yashin and Chris Osgood (Michael Peca was injured). Yes, the Islanders lost the game, but it was a huge sign of things to come.
– 10.20.01 – Islanders 2, Sharks 2. I was named after Bryan Trottier, so when tickets went on sale for the retirement of #19, I was all over it. Not only was Trottier my namesake, but #19 was my number in soccer and hockey. I asked my dad to go, but he turned me down, so I took my (then-girlfriend, but future) wife. The Wednesday before this game, my dad died suddenly, and the funeral was scheduled for the morning of this game, which had a 1 PM start time. I wasn’t sure what was the norm for this situation, so I went straight from the funeral to the game. Within two or three hours of each other, I saw my dad laid to rest and then saw the name and number he gave me raised to the Coliseum rafters. It was only years later that I saw the symbolism in all this, and even now I don’t totally know what it’s supposed to represent, but it’s quite eerie.
- 4.28.02 – Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 3. It’s impossible to convey the emotion of this game, and this series in general, to someone who didn’t experience it. But I’ll put it this way. Zach, your Rangers blogger who HATES the Islanders, was at this game… and CHEERED for the Islanders. That’s how intense it got. It was the game after Gary Roberts and Darcy Tucker injured Kenny Jonsson and Michael Peca respectively, so the crowd was at a fever pitch. And everyone remembers the fights at the end of the game, but that wasn’t even the loudest moment of the night. Before the game, they played a highlight package to “Going the Distance” from the Rocky soundtrack. After the montage, the screen went black and displayed the following… “Let’s win this one… for Michael and Kenny.” The place went ballistic. I was at Shea Stadium for Endy Chavez’s catch in the 2006 playoffs, and the raucous scene after that catch didn’t even compare to the Coliseum at that moment. Sure, it’s a bit sad that the sporting highlight of my lifetime so far was a non-deciding game of a first-round series the Islanders didn’t even win. But there was something so special about that series. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
Honorable Mention: 10.28.02 – Islanders 3, Stars 2 (Peca scores on a breakaway in OT to win the game)
- 2.2.06 – Rangers 5, Islanders 2. This was the first game I attended after the lockout; it was also the first game I attended with Zach. More importantly than these events, though, it was the night I had my first ever pretzel twist. Clearly, it would not be the last. The other thing I remember about this night was being harassed and cursed at for wearing an Islanders jersey, even though the Islanders were the home team. 2006-07 Honorable Mention: 3.8.07 – Rangers 2, Islanders 1 (Simon-Hollweg incident, controversial no-goal call in final minute)
2007-08 – 10.6.07 – Islanders 3, Rangers 2. This game was our first experience with parking lot hockey. Unfortunately, we didn’t know enough to bring tennis ball instead of the hard plastic Mylec balls, so we dented a few cars. Sorry. Adding to the pre-game fun was Zach showing up with at least twenty 24-ounce beers for pre-game festivities. The game itself was great, as I attended the game with three Rangers fans and I was able to talk trash to them all night long. Lastly, after the game ended, we went back to our friend Lou’s house and played some midnight hockey. Despite being extremely hammered, I managed to score five goals, then threw up immediately after the fifth goal. Good times.
– 11.6.07 – Islanders 3, Rangers 2. The third period of this game was probably the best period of hockey I’ve ever seen live. The Isles were down 2-1 in the third, but tied it up and later scored to win the game. I still recall Miroslav Satan playing the point late in the third and just having a great feeling about what was coming next. Sure enough, it played out exactly the way my mind had scripted it. I yelled “NOW!”, and at that exact second, Satan pinched in from the point, got a pass in the slot and fired it past Henrik Lundqvist for the game-winning goal. This game was on Versus and I was furious that my DVR ran out of space before the amazing third period. I would have saved it forever.
– 12.13.07 – Islanders 3, Coyotes 2.I’d gone to games before with Zach, but this was the first (and, so far, only) time we’ve gone to a game by ourselves. As cheesy as it sounds, it was a great night of in-depth hockey talk between two people who are a little too into the game – as it turned out, we started this blog two months later. The Coliseum was empty that night due to a bad ice storm, so we had our run of the place and moved all over the arena. We both wore our Gretzky jerseys in the hopes of meeting The Great One after the game. The Coyotes bus didn’t stop for us, but he did give us a smile and a wave. That’s more than I can say for Jon Sim, who got out of his car to sign autographs… only nobody actually wanted him to sign anything. Ouch.
– 3.21.08 – Islanders 3, Devils 1. This was my first time seeing the Islanders on the road. Rooting for your team at a road game is a totally unique experience. It was a blast. It helped that there were tons of Islanders fans there that night, even though the Isles were nowhere near playoff contention. The trip was also a tremendous eye-opening opportunity to see what a state-of-the-art arena could be like. I couldn’t believe how gorgeous the Prudential Center was, and I couldn’t help but think about how great the Lighthouse would look. In the end, it was Kyle Okposo’s first career goal – the game winner on that night – that would be my best memory of this evening.
2008-09 – 11.26.08 – Penguins 5, Islanders 3. The Islanders blew this game in true 2008-09 fashion by choking away a three-goal lead, just like I knew they would. But this game is memorable because I got to watch it from the lofty perch of the Blog Box. As a result, not only did I get free admission and free parking, but I also got to rub noses with guys like Stan Fischler and Chris Botta. Best of all, I got to enter the Islanders locker room. For a kid who always dreamed of playing for the Islanders, this was beyond cool. I’m not sure if it could get any better than that.
The smartest decision that Rashad Evans ever made was not taking a fight. Instead, he chose to coach on The Ultimate Fighter 10 as a way to bounce back from being knocked out by reigning UFC lightweight champion Lyoto Machida. He came off as the smarter, better coach, as well as the all around better guy compared to Rampage Jackson. The two were supposed to fight, but instead, Rampage chose to do the A-Team movie, and Rashad is stuck fighting Thiago Silva.
At least he’s got a cool walkout shirt:
Another shirt centered around money. His last one had a huge picture of Ben Franklin on it. I’m just saying, maybe Rashad is trying to tell us something.
I’m actually beginning to like The Outlaw. He’s a little nuts, which I can respect because I’m a couple cans short of a six pack by nature. He’s got an absurd belief in himself, which I can appreciate because I am the Lex Luthor of my own little world. However, when you refer to yourself as “Georges St. Pierre’s Kryptonite” you’ve blown a gasket. Here’s the Q&A session from UFC 107 in Memphis, courtesy of AOL Fanhouse.
Sorry, Dan. Unless you are packing actual kryptonite in those gloves, you don’t stand a chance.
My self-imposed, sanity saving Christmas break ended at midnight, so I’m back to tending to everyone’s favorite website. For those who are curious, I had a great Christmas, thanks for asking. What did I get? A lot of money. Plus some clothes including some MMA gear, like my new Dethrone sweatshirt, which is now the most comfortable thing I own.
While I was gone, there were good feelings about the Giants. They were coming off a whooping of the Redskins where Eli had played out of his skull, the defense played well for the first time in weeks, and they looked like a playoff team. There was guarded optimism coming from my camp. I still thought they would miss the playoffs, but I was open to the idea of them making a run for the first time since the debacle against Denver. Alliteration Rules.
I sat down to watch the game today with some friends who haven’t seen me during a Giants game before. See, I’m not a normal fan. I’m not even the annoying guy who screams at the TV. Instead, I have a complete nervous breakdown 4-to-12 hours before every game. Knowing the game as I do, I think of every single way that the team could lose. Some thoughts are far fetched, like the time I imagined Eli getting shot in the leg by a sniper somewhere in the first half. Sometimes they are slightly more, I thought that Steve Spagnuolo would forsake his aggressive blitz scheme in favor of the Cover-2.
And that brings us to yesterday’s game against the Panthers. You could ask anyone who was in the room. I never once got angry. Okay, there was once where I called Sheridan a name which can’t be repeated here. However, for most of the game I wasn’t angry. Instead, I was comatose. I was a zombie. If you checked for a heartbeat, you probably wouldn’t have found one. It was like my crazy thoughts from my nervous breakdown had come true. Sheridan went back to the cover-2 on almost every 3rd down, and the Panthers picked up almost every single one of ‘em. Sure, the offense didn’t help, but let’s be honest. If you allow that many points to Matt Moore, you’ve got problems.
So, the Giants are eliminated, and things are kind of in flux. Let’s start at the top. There are a bunch of people on the Interweb that are suggesting that Tom Coughlin needs to be fired. My response? Stop it. Coughlin is two years separated from a Super Bowl and one year separated from a 13-3 season. He’s going to head coach of the team unless Daniel Snyder suddenly buys them in the offseason.
As for Sheridan, he does need to be replaced. I don’t have a list of coordinator replacements yet, because we have to see who gets fired and such in the off-season. However, there is no doubt that a change is necessary. It’s clear that the players don’t believe in the defense that he has installed, and it really doesn’t fit the personnel they currently have. Jerry Reese has spent so much money on pass rushers, only to use a conventional, conservative scheme? I don’t think so.
However, the damage Sheridan has done will not just be to the Giants’ playoff hopes. One of those star pass rushers, Osi Umeniyora, is officially annoyed with the team. He was benched a few weeks ago due to performance, and he was told it was his run defense that was the problem. Today, he estimated that he played just five snaps in the post-game press conference.
“What did I play, five snaps today?” said Umenyiora, who was demoted from a starter to a pass-rush specialist after the Thanksgiving loss to the Broncos. “I don’t know, I don’t know what happened. I thought I was the problem.
“It’s an unbelievable situation, man. Last game at Giants Stadium, probably as a Giant, just the way everything has unfolded has been unbelievable.”
Oy Vey. Let’s hope this isn’t Osi’s last game as a Giant. If firing Sheridan and giving him his starting job back is enough for him to come back to our side, I’m okay with that. If not, then let’s at least ship him to St. Louis where he could be reunited with Spags and make that defense a hell of a lot better. I just don’t want this to turn into another Jeremy Shockey situation where Jerry Reese is fighting him in the locker room.
So, Bill Sheridan destroyed a season. Sure, the decline and injuries along the offensive line didn’t help. Sure, Kenny Phillips got hurt and that completely screwed the defense. Things like that happen to every team. Bad defensive coaches don’t.
Fret not Giant fans; only 115 days, 13 hours, 21 minutes, 22 seconds until the draft.
Advocare v100 Independence Bowl- Georgia v Texas A&M-
Truth be told, I don’t love either of these teams. Georgia finished the season 7-5 and 4-4 in the SEC. Texas A&M finds themselves just barely bowl eligible at 6-6, no thanks to an atrocious 3-5 showing in the Big 12.
For a senior replacing a star, quarterback Joe Cox wasn’t terrible for Georgia. He was no Matt Stafford, but who really expected him to be. Cox threw for over 2400 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also threw 14 interceptions, which isn’t good. His decision making got better as the year went on. Only two of those 14 picks came in the final four games of the year. Aside from the Arkansas game, in which he threw five touchdowns, Cox never blew you away with his ability to take over a game. His completion percentage hovered around 50 % the entire year.
But the statement win for Georgia may have come at exactly the right time. They beat seventh ranked Georgia Tech 30-24 in the final game of the season. In the game, Cox was basically a non factor. He threw for one touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over. What won that game for Georgia was the running attack. Both Washaun Ealey and Caleb King had over 100 yards on the ground for the Bulldogs. The two split carries all season. Ealey ran for 639 yards and 3 touchdowns. King ran for 534 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Georgia’s defense struggled terribly at time this season. They gave up nearly 27 points per game, good for tenth in the SEC. 35 points or more were surrendered by Georgia 4 times this season. Tennessee, Florida, and Arkansas put up forty spots on them. The struggles were so bad that head coach Mark Richt fired his defensive coordinator and three of his assistants.
But while we’re on the subject of poor defense- lets talk about Texas A&M. They were the worst in the Big 12 in two major defensive categories- points (32.7/game) and total yards (431.3/game). Those are pretty telling stats.
Here are some more telling stats for you in regards to the Texas A&M defense. Forget Texas racking up almost 600 total yards of offense against them, Both Kansas State and Oklahoma scored over 60 points on this defense. Over 60 points! We know that, despite big losses, Oklahoma at least has some offensive talent. But Kansas State? They averaged 23 points per game. And that’s with the 62 point outburst against Texas A&M.
So if the Texas A&M defense doesn’t make a pee-wee team blink, why should Georgia even spend a day studying up on this team?
Easy answer to a perfectly legitimate question- Quarterback Jerrod Johnson. Johnson threw for over 3000 yards this season and 28 touchdowns. He also ran for 8. Running backs Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray both ran for over 750 yards and combined for 14 touchdowns.
This is a high scoring matchup, no doubt. It comes down to who’s defense you trust more. I can’t see how anyone can trust that Texas A&M squad. Georgia is hot after a huge win to end the year. Texas A&M was embarrassed defensively by interstate rival Texas in their season finale. As long as Joe Cox continues to play mistake-free football, Georgia will run the ball towards a win.
December 28, 2009, at 11:39 pm
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