...is in the below video clip, at about the 2:40 mark. It's the only video online I've seen thus far.
I do understand that this is all just for me.
">
The team announced today that they're holding on to Jordan Staal-- at least for the time being-- and not sending him back to his junior team. I suppose they could be simply extending the experiment from 8 to 39 games, but I think this is a huge move. Keeping Staal on the roster not is a matter of both time and money-- time in that he'll be an unrestricted free agent sooner, and money in that the first year of his rookie deal now kicks in. This move says a lot of things the Penguin fanbase hasn't been hearing over the past five years, when there were a succession of salary dumps leading to the competitive absurdity of a franchise goalie spending extra time in the minors just to keep salaries low, while third- and fourth-line forwards were being signed largely because they possessed two-way contracts, and not because they possessed observable skills.
Yeah, this is a big move.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
penguins 8, flyers 2
Aside, of course, from scoring the most points in an NHL season for an 18-year old in league history and selling tens of thousands of tickets, one great thing Sidney Crosby did for the Penguins in his rookie year was to resurrect the team's rivalry with the Flyers. It had languished for a couple of years while the Pens bottom-fed. Oh, sure, the local crowds still felt the same antipathy for the guys in orange and black, but it wasn't much of a fight. But last year Ken Hitchcock drove the Crosby's-a-diver bandwagon, and Derian Hatcher put his coach's taunts into composite form by repeatedly bludgeoning Crosby and truncating a tooth or two of the kid's. Sid responded by filling the net with the puck. Over and over.
Last night, he picked up from where he left off last year. The third goal of his hat trick was both poetry and irony. I'm still waiting for it to show up on Youtube (Internet Search-and-Retrieve Team: ACTIVATE!) and will post it here when it shows up. In brief, Hatcher gets control of the puck in front of his own net and starts to skate it out. He's looking to make a pass. In the blink of an eye, Crosby swoops in from behind, lifts his stick and backhands the puck into the net and past an unprepared Robert Esche in one motion. Hatcher never looked so old or leaden-footed.
Last night, he picked up from where he left off last year. The third goal of his hat trick was both poetry and irony. I'm still waiting for it to show up on Youtube (Internet Search-and-Retrieve Team: ACTIVATE!) and will post it here when it shows up. In brief, Hatcher gets control of the puck in front of his own net and starts to skate it out. He's looking to make a pass. In the blink of an eye, Crosby swoops in from behind, lifts his stick and backhands the puck into the net and past an unprepared Robert Esche in one motion. Hatcher never looked so old or leaden-footed.
BEST CROSS-PROMOTION OF THE WEEK
Seasons One and Two of BAYWATCH with the bonus subscription to Maxim: for the male in your life who requires absurdly-prodigious quantities of spank material.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Three Rivers Film Festival 2006
The organizers of the Three Rivers Film Festival have released their lineup. It's so-so. There are a couple of titles I'm quite excited to see, and a couple that I really wanted to see that didn't make it (last year the Fest booked Jia Zhangke's THE WORLD, and I'd hoped to see either or both DONG and STILL LIFE among this year's offerings).
This will be the third year I've bought a six-film pass and complimentary T-shirt. I hope the above didn't come across as a complaint; I'm glad to get the opportunity to see what they're showing.
Here's the schedule. I'm definitely going back for a second viewing of CLIMATES. It was the film of the eleven I saw in Toronto last month that has rattled around the loudest. Ali and I are going to see Apted's 49 UP, probably on Sunday, the 5th at 4:00. We really loved the series when we Netflix'd it last year, so much so that Ali surprised me with the set for Christmas. I'll catch THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT on either the 7th or the 9th. Otherwise, I'm open to suggestion. If anyone knows anything about any of the films featured, I'd love to hear what you know.
This will be the third year I've bought a six-film pass and complimentary T-shirt. I hope the above didn't come across as a complaint; I'm glad to get the opportunity to see what they're showing.
Here's the schedule. I'm definitely going back for a second viewing of CLIMATES. It was the film of the eleven I saw in Toronto last month that has rattled around the loudest. Ali and I are going to see Apted's 49 UP, probably on Sunday, the 5th at 4:00. We really loved the series when we Netflix'd it last year, so much so that Ali surprised me with the set for Christmas. I'll catch THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT on either the 7th or the 9th. Otherwise, I'm open to suggestion. If anyone knows anything about any of the films featured, I'd love to hear what you know.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Game #2/ Penguins 4 Devils 2
Yeah, I'm ditching writing about movies. This is going to become a Pittsburgh Penguins-only blog.
It was happiness built entirely on circumstance-- I freely acknowledge that-- but I was convinced on Tuesday afternoon that I was happier than I'd ever been or I'd ever be. To begin, I was nearing the end of Tom Perrotta's Little Children and I'm just insanely excited for the movie to come out. I really admire Field's In the Bedroom and I've spent some time the last few weeks conjuring a vision of what the novel (or, more precisely, the novel's themes) could look like on-screen.
A little after noon on Tuesday a co-worker stopped me in the hall and asked me if I like hockey. I said: yes. She offered me four tickets to that night's game, and I eagerly accepted. We'd never be able to take the kids to a game normally; it's too cost-prohibitive. The last time I'd taken Leah and Ruby to a hockey game was a couple of years ago when I'd gotten seats from my old firm. Gin had never been to a game, and she's just at the edge of being able to be carried in. So the five of us crammed into four seats in B15, right behind the net where the Pens shoot twice. It was a perfect night.
How perfect? Each of their first-round lottery picks from the past three years scored goals. Crosby and Malkin showed instant chemistry in being stuck together on the top line for the first extended time. Oh, I'll just repost what I wrote at the preeminent Pittsburgh sports blog, Mondesi's House:
Just how great was Malkin's goal? See for yourself.
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Today's Post-Gazette quotes Mark Cuban, who was in town a night early before the Cavs-Mavs preseason game, gushing over Malkin's handiwork:
Here's where I'm at with this. We moved into our present house in February of '05 and have been sans cable since then in the latest twist to our on-again, off-again relationship with the Devil's Wire. It's been easy to hold the line when the Penguins have been abysmal, but things have changed. Now it's down to this: if they go into Philly and beat a just-shaken-up Flyers team on Saturday night, I'm signing on the line that is dotted.
It was happiness built entirely on circumstance-- I freely acknowledge that-- but I was convinced on Tuesday afternoon that I was happier than I'd ever been or I'd ever be. To begin, I was nearing the end of Tom Perrotta's Little Children and I'm just insanely excited for the movie to come out. I really admire Field's In the Bedroom and I've spent some time the last few weeks conjuring a vision of what the novel (or, more precisely, the novel's themes) could look like on-screen.
A little after noon on Tuesday a co-worker stopped me in the hall and asked me if I like hockey. I said: yes. She offered me four tickets to that night's game, and I eagerly accepted. We'd never be able to take the kids to a game normally; it's too cost-prohibitive. The last time I'd taken Leah and Ruby to a hockey game was a couple of years ago when I'd gotten seats from my old firm. Gin had never been to a game, and she's just at the edge of being able to be carried in. So the five of us crammed into four seats in B15, right behind the net where the Pens shoot twice. It was a perfect night.
How perfect? Each of their first-round lottery picks from the past three years scored goals. Crosby and Malkin showed instant chemistry in being stuck together on the top line for the first extended time. Oh, I'll just repost what I wrote at the preeminent Pittsburgh sports blog, Mondesi's House:
...The crowd was smallish-- about 13,000-- but really into the game. The atmosphere is getting back to the 90s vibe, where every time you went to the Igloo there was the chance of something great happening.
We were in B15, so Malkin's goal was right in front of us. I just stood there gape-mouthed. Couldn't believe it. His deke and the backhand with his body twisted the other way is straight out of the 66 playbook. Mark Recchi made that comparison earlier, and while it's pretty heady, there are definite similarities. Plus, after seeing the way Aleksey Morozov (for his whole career) and even Markus Naslund (for the first year or so he played for the Pens) hung around on the periphery and waited for the puck to come to them, it's so different to see the way Malkin makes the play come to him, driving through the zone, seeking out contact, never giving up on a play. The guy's got all of four NHL games under his belt and plays with crazy poise.
Speaking of poise, I've seen Sid take penalties in both the games I've attended, and I think he's matured. He whines less, makes less of a huff and just goes to the box. It's still early, but that's a great sign that he's doing the things that a de facto captain has to do to get ice cred.
It's early, and there's no reason to get ahead of ourselves. It's probably more 88-89 than 90-91 or 91-92, but this team IS going to contend for a playoff spot. They work hard most of the time and are going to hover at least at .500...
Just how great was Malkin's goal? See for yourself.
">
Today's Post-Gazette quotes Mark Cuban, who was in town a night early before the Cavs-Mavs preseason game, gushing over Malkin's handiwork:
After watching Malkin and Crosby last night, oh my God!" he said about 90 minutes before tipoff. "No wonder the Russians are coming after that kid. He should have been a state secret. Even if you'd have scored that fourth goal with a basketball, people would still be talking about it. There aren't many times, aren't many things anymore that you're watching and your jaw just drops.
Here's where I'm at with this. We moved into our present house in February of '05 and have been sans cable since then in the latest twist to our on-again, off-again relationship with the Devil's Wire. It's been easy to hold the line when the Penguins have been abysmal, but things have changed. Now it's down to this: if they go into Philly and beat a just-shaken-up Flyers team on Saturday night, I'm signing on the line that is dotted.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Passion of the...oh, never mind
Yesterday I was still puzzling over how the Steelers could wallop the Chiefs last Sunday, then come out and play as sloppily as they did against the Falcons. Jason Whitlock has the answer. Turns out some of the Chiefs were...distracted.
It's probably going to take 11 wins to get to the playoffs again this year, and with this team's fondness for turning over the ball inside its 30 and awful special teams play, it's tough to imagine them going 9-1 down the stretch. To maximize that possibility, though, I'm now spending my free time finding out where the rest of the season's visiting teams are staying and cross-booking the dildo queens into the same hotel. Just doing my part.
">
I'm glad I went to the Penguins-Devils game last week. Despite the loss, it felt like the team has turned the corner. Evgeni Malkin's first NHL goal won't have the replay potential of Mario's first shift steal-from-Ray-Bourque-and-deke-goalie-out-of-his-jock-breakaway debut goal, but it's a fine goal nonetheless, all the more because he showed a healthy disregard for the game's unwritten pecking orders by poking forcefully around the nether regions of the estimable Martin Brodeur. Brodeur was miffed that the slow whistle cost him a goal-against and made him into the answer to a trivia question on the night when he'd rather bask in the glow of getting his 450th win.
It's such a sublime pleasure to watch Brodeur work, even when he's stoning your team. His goaltending is so fluid and measured. There's none of the wrenching or jerking that comes with being out of position or being surprised by a developing play. The best point of comparison I can come up with is a character in the Marvel Universe named Taskmaster. Taskmaster is a bit player of ambiguous loyalties who wears a white skeleton mask and cowl and possesses the odd physical and mental ability to automatically mimic any gymnastic of fighting movement he sees. Back in 1987 when Steve Rogers was replaced by John Walker as Captain America, Taskmaster was brought in to teach Walker some high-end moves.
Brodeur is like Taskmaster. It's as if he has memorized every possible permutation of (a) location of his guys, (b) location of their guys and (c) location of the puck. From any given set of circumstances, there are a limited set of possibilities for how the puck will end up coming to the net, and as that set is whittled down by further movements of men and puck, he chooses that one rote sequence of movements that has the highest probability of keeping the puck out of the net. Of course, he starts the series of movements well before the puck is at the net, and so the end result of a glove save isn't just an isolated physical reaction, but the last of a succession of related movements that, when strung together with ruthless discipline and form, are highly likely to keep the other team from scoring. On television, where sometimes only the shots on net are shown, the effect is blunted. From where I sat behind the net, it's stunning how, well, natural he can make goaltending seem.
It's probably going to take 11 wins to get to the playoffs again this year, and with this team's fondness for turning over the ball inside its 30 and awful special teams play, it's tough to imagine them going 9-1 down the stretch. To maximize that possibility, though, I'm now spending my free time finding out where the rest of the season's visiting teams are staying and cross-booking the dildo queens into the same hotel. Just doing my part.
">
I'm glad I went to the Penguins-Devils game last week. Despite the loss, it felt like the team has turned the corner. Evgeni Malkin's first NHL goal won't have the replay potential of Mario's first shift steal-from-Ray-Bourque-and-deke-goalie-out-of-his-jock-breakaway debut goal, but it's a fine goal nonetheless, all the more because he showed a healthy disregard for the game's unwritten pecking orders by poking forcefully around the nether regions of the estimable Martin Brodeur. Brodeur was miffed that the slow whistle cost him a goal-against and made him into the answer to a trivia question on the night when he'd rather bask in the glow of getting his 450th win.
It's such a sublime pleasure to watch Brodeur work, even when he's stoning your team. His goaltending is so fluid and measured. There's none of the wrenching or jerking that comes with being out of position or being surprised by a developing play. The best point of comparison I can come up with is a character in the Marvel Universe named Taskmaster. Taskmaster is a bit player of ambiguous loyalties who wears a white skeleton mask and cowl and possesses the odd physical and mental ability to automatically mimic any gymnastic of fighting movement he sees. Back in 1987 when Steve Rogers was replaced by John Walker as Captain America, Taskmaster was brought in to teach Walker some high-end moves.
Brodeur is like Taskmaster. It's as if he has memorized every possible permutation of (a) location of his guys, (b) location of their guys and (c) location of the puck. From any given set of circumstances, there are a limited set of possibilities for how the puck will end up coming to the net, and as that set is whittled down by further movements of men and puck, he chooses that one rote sequence of movements that has the highest probability of keeping the puck out of the net. Of course, he starts the series of movements well before the puck is at the net, and so the end result of a glove save isn't just an isolated physical reaction, but the last of a succession of related movements that, when strung together with ruthless discipline and form, are highly likely to keep the other team from scoring. On television, where sometimes only the shots on net are shown, the effect is blunted. From where I sat behind the net, it's stunning how, well, natural he can make goaltending seem.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
LOCAL NEWS
I. Oh, so that's how they're going to handle it.
Today's Post-Gazette carried this discussion with the director of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Rawson Marshall Thurber. The interview and Thurber's expressed affection for Pittsburgh provides a well-timed and welcome diversion from the recent local media feeding frenzy concerning one of his cast members. He also discusses acquiring the story and writing the screenplay, while mentioning that his screenplay eliminates Arthur Lecomte. Huh. Well, that changes things a bit.
Sure, it takes out the extra romantic angle, and rounds the story back into the familiar triangle (Thurber refers to the novel as a "[love] rhombus." Just last week I'd seen it referred to as a love trapezoid.) Apart from the additional relationship entanglement, though, the elimination of Lecomte seems to me to remove a really strong and influential (and hilarious) voice from the chorus of influences pushing in on Art. I haven't lost any faith in the project-- if Michael Chabon can be convinced the idea works, who cares what a meatball like me thinks?-- but I've got to think that subtracting Arthur Lecomte from the screenplay means that there's no guarantee the film couldn't, by some means, slide toward the mean of studio-indie coming-of-age films that arrive and depart quietly each season.
II. Yeah, Malkin.
If you're a huge Pittsburgh Penguin fan (as I am) and you went to five or so home games a year from the mid-nineties to the present (as I did), then chances are that you got to see at least two Mario Lemieux comeback games and at least two Mario farewell games. I know I did. I think I even got tickets a couple of times to coincide with comeback/farewell games. I went to the last home game in the '97 playoff loss to the Flyers where Mario said goodbye by scoring a last-minute breakaway on Islander-GM-in-the-making Garth Snow. These days, sadly, I seem to coincide my Penguin ticket-buying with the occasions where I'm most likely to be given a machine-painted resin figurine with an oversized skull. But sometimes I still get lucky. Like tomorrow, when I'll be able to see Evgeni Malkin's debut game. Yay, me. Of the four games they've played thus far, I've caught parts of three of them, and I like what I've seen. They're alternating great efforts with ungreat efforts, though, but are due for a positive showing tomorrow.
Today's Post-Gazette carried this discussion with the director of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Rawson Marshall Thurber. The interview and Thurber's expressed affection for Pittsburgh provides a well-timed and welcome diversion from the recent local media feeding frenzy concerning one of his cast members. He also discusses acquiring the story and writing the screenplay, while mentioning that his screenplay eliminates Arthur Lecomte. Huh. Well, that changes things a bit.
Sure, it takes out the extra romantic angle, and rounds the story back into the familiar triangle (Thurber refers to the novel as a "[love] rhombus." Just last week I'd seen it referred to as a love trapezoid.) Apart from the additional relationship entanglement, though, the elimination of Lecomte seems to me to remove a really strong and influential (and hilarious) voice from the chorus of influences pushing in on Art. I haven't lost any faith in the project-- if Michael Chabon can be convinced the idea works, who cares what a meatball like me thinks?-- but I've got to think that subtracting Arthur Lecomte from the screenplay means that there's no guarantee the film couldn't, by some means, slide toward the mean of studio-indie coming-of-age films that arrive and depart quietly each season.
II. Yeah, Malkin.
If you're a huge Pittsburgh Penguin fan (as I am) and you went to five or so home games a year from the mid-nineties to the present (as I did), then chances are that you got to see at least two Mario Lemieux comeback games and at least two Mario farewell games. I know I did. I think I even got tickets a couple of times to coincide with comeback/farewell games. I went to the last home game in the '97 playoff loss to the Flyers where Mario said goodbye by scoring a last-minute breakaway on Islander-GM-in-the-making Garth Snow. These days, sadly, I seem to coincide my Penguin ticket-buying with the occasions where I'm most likely to be given a machine-painted resin figurine with an oversized skull. But sometimes I still get lucky. Like tomorrow, when I'll be able to see Evgeni Malkin's debut game. Yay, me. Of the four games they've played thus far, I've caught parts of three of them, and I like what I've seen. They're alternating great efforts with ungreat efforts, though, but are due for a positive showing tomorrow.
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