Neo

Pennysaver!

I wrote “I’ve always wished.” Wrong words ... I’ve LONG wished. Kelley and Johnston were heroes of mine, so many years ago. “Around the NHL.” I wonder if the shine of youth separates them from Vogl and Hoppe, in my mind, as much or more than insight and prose. Oh, and I, too, toted the BN bag. I was a CE kid, though.

oenophile and vapid in the same thread ... there’s much to be grateful for .. oh, and the contract. .... I’m not an expert, but I’ve always wished Buffalo had recognized top notch hockey journalists ... the criticism of the unskilled, admittedly..

Usually, I’d relish the thought of experienced veteran leadership on a team developing talent for the next level. However, I’m not convinced Gionta had the room’s ear in Buffalo. Didn’t we hear about rifts and division, especially around the coach and his game? Now, that’s not necessarily the leader’s fault. Can we call Gionta a veteran leader who had mixed results in that role while in Buffalo?

Stepped up ... over the middle

RE-tool secondary in off season - check.

Under center, under pressure ..

Last Thursday, my wife and I went out to a local casual dining restaurant. It’s about three miles from my house, but not “on the way” to anything. We’d never been there, before. Waiting to be seated, I saw the special was beef on weck. That appears on menus, here in Tampa, from to time. Walking to my seat, I saw a pizza. So much cheese, and grease! The pepperoni slices were small, and thick. They’d curled into little cups, with traces of grease settled inside. I’d seen that, before! Seated and opening the menu, I saw chicken wings on the left hand page. Wings are common, here. I’d call them decent, if unspectacular. My eyes moved to the menu’s right hand page. There it was. Fried bologna and onions. Weber’s mustard. I asked our server if the owner was in. Ten minutes later, a woman came over. Sure enough, Buffalo! We went to the same high school, although she was 12 years younger. Same families, teachers, taverns and hang outs. What a beautiful world. I’m at the restaurant, now. Soon, the Bills will be on the television. I will stand for the anthem, order a beef on weck and LaBatt, and enjoy the Bills.

Well, of course she’s pressing charges. A boy made a choice. The consequences were foreseeable and predictable. The consequences, however, were not those the boy desired. Someone is at fault, clearly. He is a victim, clearly. Press charges, seek remedy. We’ve trained mom to press charges. I’ve wept for years. #microcosm

I'm not sure if this is a direct response to the OP and the thread's theme. I'm also cognizant of the lack of insight associated with a reference to the obvious, when conjuring the GOAT .... Despite this, I'll mention Gretzky, because he comes to mind. My memory of him is one of a skater among ten. I see Gretzky as a point on a plane, with lines or vectors to 9 others. As he moved about, the other 9 moved, as well. I see him controlling, or influencing the other 9, each at the end of a line connected to him. He created his own space, without the brute force of mass or speed. In short, everyone else seemed to move, at the end of a vector originating at him, to the spot necessary for him to create an opportunity. It was as if he willed everyone to a spot, while he wheeled and dealed. Wayne Gretzky was a video game player. He was the focal point of a joy stick that moved him, directly, and 9 others, indirectly. The result was always Wayne, where he needed to be, with everyone else scrambling but unable to keep up.

Oh, yeah, man ...

Yoga ... Three kids are off and on their own. One remains home, but she's twenty and out with friends more often than not. Twenty five years of schools, sports teams, bands, churches, movies, mini vans and the zoo that is raising a handful of kids has slowed to a crawl. Oh, what to do? Well when you're 56 and looking to find interesting and new experiences you can explore with the Mrs., yoga's a great idea. We went to our first class, tonight. Awesome. Oh, sure, I had my moments. I felt the burn, while simply stretching, in muscles that used to send my flying around football, hockey and lacrosse fields and rinks with ease. Time's insidious. It's best mixed with grace. What a class we had. It ended with quiet relaxation. I fell asleep, started to snore, and awoke startled. The room was giggling. My gracious instructed said "THAT's the way to do it!" I can't wait until next Sunday. I am only beginning to explore my body and the philosophy. OooOOoooooOOOoommmmmm!

Ok, I am again at the mercy of bar tv and no sound. What made the side judge so grumpy and what was the flag for?

Who threw the Gilmore tackle toward Newton on third down? I'm in a bar with no sound! Note ... I am in favor of scrapping kick offs and starting drives at the twenty. Of course, I'd rather kick off from the thirty and see returns. These three minute line up, mill around, boot and touchback routines of Kabuki football annoy me. So do nine yard sideline patterns on 3 and 10.

I laughed at "Neo words." I've found that SabreSpace, because it is the haven Randall described, is a great place for ideas to collide among trusted friends. Acknowledging the occasional bumpy ride, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité .. Kane is a valuable piece on a team that contends. Extend or trade? Well, that'll come down to timing, value in return, cost and cap. My analysis is, disappointingly, what an old boss of mine referred to as an astute grasp of the obvious. I do not have locker room or behavioral concerns that would force my hand. Admittedly, I have given thought to both. Circumstance evaluated at the deadline, I believe, will guide the decision. Bloviatingly yours, Neo

I think Geezers are fine wearing jerseys. I mean, what grows old in terms of loving your team and its players? Oh, sure, players aren't heroes anymore, and that's different. However, I don't think players need to be heroes before you wear their jersey. Have fun. IKP said it best. Critics would seem to have issues, as I see things.

JJ .. the eye passed over me, but your coast took a harder hit than I did. My friends in Naples, well, that's another story. A teammate's mom lives in the Keys. Another teammate in Naples. I've heard nothing from neither, yet. You're right about rate of speed, water and quadrants. Memory - 70 to 80 mph sustained winds and watching property ... then the eye. Silence. Eerie silence. Then FROGS! Oh, the loud, confused, scared, frogs! A chorus of disoriented amphibeans at 1:15 am. I knew we were fine at that moment. Memory - 11:15 pm to 1:15 am. Wind and listening to an untrimmed tree scraping back and forth on my roof ... breath held. Wind, gust, scrape. Wind, Gust, scrape scrape. Wind GUST, BANG SCRAPE SCRAPE. Hurricane preparedness - trim trees. Memory - 11:15 pm to 1:15 am. Standing at the window, with a flashlight, watching the water pool on my lanai (back porch) and checking sandbags. I had markers on the outside wall. 1 inch, 2, 3 .... never higher, At 3 inches the water drained backwards, to the yard and street. Sandbags gave me 8". Water into the house through doors and sliding glass would've been bad. I'm not sure about P&C insurance, but think they do flood and wind. Water into the house that's not certified as officially flood may not be insured. Oddity - hurricane insurance (wind) and flood insurance (rising rivers or ocean) leaves a gap for all the pooled and wind driven rainwater. Hurricane preparedness - call my agent and clarify! Perspective - total rain for me: 4.85 inches. Total rain for Houston: 50 inches!

I'd postpone. With all the cost and effort associated with a trip, I'm sure you'd like as many things "open and vibrant" as possible. Fort Myers took a harder blow than I did. Think messy for weeks as opposed to devastated. Restaurants, putt putts, shopping, beach stores ... may not yet be open for business. We (Tampa) have some areas that may be without power for days. Fort Myers has more. Nothing starts to repair until there's power. Call your host. He or she will know better than me!

Life's funny. The eye of oneof history's most powerful Atlantic storms passed my house, 12 miles to the east, last night. I'm calling this a direct hit, category 2, hurricane event in terms of stories for grandkids. Irma proved to be a non-event. Oh, it was a loud and nasty night. I lost power for 90 minutes and had another half dozen on/off flickers. My pool was breached, so to speak, and is a muddy green. We are healthy. We are safe. Our home is intact. Wait for it ... I'm grateful to friends, family and God. Now, I have some noodling to do. My mind is a counter clockwise swirl of words and ideas; apprehension, trepidation, preparation, control, stoicism, media, neighbors, etc. I have dozens of impressions needing to find a theme! Now, my good fortune was not shared by all. People died and lost homes. Billions of dollars in property value is gone. People suffered. My roof intact, my attention turns to them. Well wishers - thank you!

Looking much better ... inland, eastern ... if all goes well, a scary night and then no power, but I'll have a roof and dry carpet! The likely scenario is now "annoying!" You all warm me ...

I surrender!

Thank you, thank you. I know more, but feel the same way. Two wrongs, and all that .... I know, I know, I'm a dinosaur. I shook the hands of my opponents. Progress, right!? What's for dinner, Harriet? Don't worry, we'll all be dead, soon. Thirty years, tops.

Bush league ..... after OU left the field ... (not that taunting is better when the taunted is present, by the way; waiting until the loser's showering just saps the moment of bravado or courage). Perhaps he was taunting the 74 year old alum, a retired CPA, still in the stands with his middle school grandson. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of college football, excitement, tradition, etc. But if you hang out on the sideline until the opponent hits the lockers, and then deliberately disrespect its "home", well .... I mean, who was he taunting? And, he was taunting, before someone suggests "celebration." Hey, Baker .... why not wait until three in the morning? You'd not have risked the OU band kickin' your a** ....

It does sound like much ....

LOL! My sister, still in Buffalo, texted me a reminder of Hizzoner's sage advice just yesterday. He was pilloried, if I recall, but there is, indeed, some wisdom in his sentiment. Here's to Marcus Aurelius, Jimmy Griffin, Stoicism, and, in today's vernacular, "it is what it is."