Outdoor Hockey

For hockey fans in the upper midwest...

[www.nhl.com]

Lets push for cornell/harv on schoellkopf

Haha, stupid cheddarheads, they will be lucky if they see 20,000 for that game. The temp will be either somewhere in the area of 0 degrees, or if they are really lucky, it will be in the middle of the "February Thaw" that this region gets each year (good luck keeping the ice frozen in 40-50 degree temps). Of course, the best part are those $45 indoor seats that are so far away from the ice that it will be impossible to see the puck. The whole "hey let's turn a football field into a hockey rink as a way to get national attention and perhaps some more money for our coffers (even though the Kohl Center is not always sold out)" is a terrible idea. That being said, if Ford Field in Detroit is chosen for a Frozen Four, I may just snap (In the words of Joe Morgan on an episode of Arli$$, "The only sure thing in Detroit is that someone will get shot".

Yeah, but tell us what you really think.

[Q]ajec1 Wrote:
(In the words of Joe Morgan on an episode of Arli$$, "The only sure thing in Detroit is that someone will get shot".[/q]Wow, that managed to simultaneously be the most intelligent thing Joe Morgan has ever said and the most worthwhile thing to come out of Arli$$.

Oh come on. While I agree that Morgan is nothing better than a pathetic National League mouthpiece who simply likes the sound of his own voice, Arli$$ was alright for what it was. It was a fun, little entertaining show that was often pretty funny and casted many top athletes in a very entertaining way. While it certainly was no Sopranos, HBO could have done a lot worse. I was entertained, and that's good enough for me, most of the time, when watching TV.

Wisconsin versus Ohio State? Interesting choice of opponent. Can a Big Ten Hockey Conference be far behind?

Joe Morgan is the least intelligent baseball announcer I've ever heard, and I listened to Ralph Kiner for 30 years.

[q]good luck keeping the ice frozen in 40-50 degree temps[/q]Somehow I think a good compressor can keep the ice frozen even if the air temperature is 50 degrees. How often is it below freezing inside Lynah?

I agree this is a dumb stunt. But I suspect this will be done repeatedly by big schools until the fad wears off. Unless it does start to consistently draw 30,000+...

Makes a lot of sense to pick OSU for the game. If you're trying to fill a football stadium you need a name opponent. OSU is a good hockey opponent and has the football/Big Televen name cache. A Lambeau game against Western Michigan or St. Lawrence (also on the Badgers slate) wouldn't have a prayer of selling out.

[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:

Wisconsin versus Ohio State? Interesting choice of opponent. Can a Big Ten Hockey Conference be far behind? [/q]

no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

[Q]Trotsky Wrote:
Joe Morgan is the least intelligent baseball announcer I've ever heard, and I listened to Ralph Kiner for 30 years.[/q]Bite your tongue!

[Q]Trotsky Wrote:

Joe Morgan is the least intelligent baseball announcer I've ever heard, and I listened to Ralph Kiner for 30 years.[/q]

You need to watch a few more White Sox games. Hawk Harrelson is not only the biggest homer ever, he also has the most annoying home run call:
"YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOOOOAAAARRRDDD---YEAH!"

Those guys are a disgrace. The fact that they let them on the air is mind-boggling, and it must mean they're popular, which says very little to me about White Sox fans. Seriously everyone, if you get a chance, watch a White Sox broadcast for an inning and you will gain a whole new appreciation for your hometown announcer. I disagree with the styles and substance of many baseball announcers, including many for my hometown Yankees, but these guys are rediculous. "Do it Aaron (Rowand). Do it. Come on Aaron. Get up, get up! Get up! Put in on the booooooaarrd! YES!"

NY is one of the few places where the announcers are not homers. In one-team towns, an announcer who doesn't actively pull for the hometeam doesn't keep his job for long.

It's even worse in cities with just 1 or 2 major sport teams. Try listening to a Traiblazers or an Orioles broadcast sometime.

I don't disagree, but I expect more out of Chicago's announcers. Maybe it's just a different sports mindset, who knows. I get embarrased for my fellow New York fans when John Sterling is "THHEEEEE YANKEES WIN"-ing himself stupid. Eh, what ya gonna do?

[Q]Trotsky Wrote: NY is one of the few places where the announcers are not homers. In one-team towns, an announcer who doesn't actively pull for the hometeam doesn't keep his job for long. It's even worse in cities with just 1 or 2 major sport teams. Try listening to a Traiblazers or an Orioles broadcast sometime.[/q]Unless there's been a change in the past decade toward *more* independence, local broadcasters at all levels are part of the greater promotitonal & marketing efforts of the team and they're chosen with the advice & consent of the team, even if they're working for a radio station or TV station.

[Q]Trotsky Wrote:
NY is one of the few places where the announcers are not homers. In one-team towns, an announcer who doesn't actively pull for the hometeam doesn't keep his job for long.[/q]Let's be honest here. Tim McCarver lost his job with the Mets because he wasn't enough of a homer.

I thought McCarver got into a pissing contest over perks and his "national profile"? (c.f. Olbermann)

The guys in the booth know who pays them, but, dependng on the team, there are varying degrees of independence when it comes to actually calling the game. On one pole you've got organizations like Boston where it's sacrilege to ever call into question the paranoid homer view of reality: the other team/fans/player/manager are always The Villain. On the other pole are the organizations which allow criticism. The Mets' radio crew delights in finding fault with home players and management, and the Atlanta TV crew, although infantile when they're pitching to the good ol' boy Hooters crowd, can also be even-handed when they're actually talking baseball.