That Aud Smell

It's something, innit? Remember that weird self-induced high ankle sprain?

^ A broken thumb is significant, and, I think, helps explain his limited effectiveness. I'd imagine he'll be back to being a PPG+ player next season. Open question: Will he be able to stay healthy?

Briere was just a beast.

Ha. I had actually gone looking for the Quote Retweet that @draglikepull had, in which they were sort of scratching their chin in contemplation of the mystery presented by "ahh, you can't win with that guy" type takes. And then I found this:

This here caught my eye.

Ha! The idea of The Aud Club being comparable to some sh1t dive bar in a podunk town was one that worked well enough. I mean, sure. The metaphor fell apart once JW was serving in the role of a hunky fella from the big city.

THIS is the good sh1t, jw. Gimme gimme gimme! Especially good point right there.

Pete's a good TV personality. He's not very good at analysis.

I'm sure that's true. But it's malleable too. No one here really gives a hoot about his position and status as a Big J, until he starts condescendingly clowning on someone -- then his position and status somehow become relevant, even prominent, and resented.

i mean: he could have called it a "coveted opportunity" rather than one that was "long desired."

but it is susceptible to that interpretation. coming from someone who trades in words, that's not nothing. He always struck me as a diligent and competent reporter when he covered the Sabres. He never particularly wow'd me or anything. I don't subscribe to The Athletic, so I haven't read him in years.

Sometimes I think back to the HEATED debates that arose from the Pat Kane sex assault case -- in which I intensely participated! -- and wonder: What the f**k was that about? context matters. his status as a Journalist tends to colour what he posts.

This is good to know. Maybe we niche sport 'Spacers are too sensitive? Perhaps JW's vibe plays better in the hurly burly of The Stadium Wall board? Idk - he's left a bad taste in my mouth 'round here. It probably owes to his position as a paid sports writer. He gets into it with people here, and it often feels like he's punching down (or that he thinks he is, anyway).

Not a lot - but we do. My general recollection is that he occasionally drops in, flames someone, derides a Sabrespace iconoclast, and then peaces out. To me, there's an underlying vibe that he's benevolently amused by how dumb most of our content is and that he feels we should be grateful that he's posting. Me no likey that vibe.

Wawrow to PA:

It makes me a little sad that a paid sports writer would exhume a 5-year old message board take from a hobbyist hockey dreamer in order to generate internet clout. But mostly it makes me laugh.

I was aware of the general backstory, but certainly not the specific story/tour you're referencing. And I mean, at the time they were getting started, just about errrr-one was essentially a prog band of some stripe or variety of prog (unless you were true geniuses, say, like Devo). It's fashionable nowadays to say that "Album Oriented Rock" (or Adult Oriented Rock) is separate and distinct from progressive rock. I never really heard it that way, and still don't. IMO, the reason that a song like Don't Stop Believin' is an absolute banger and anthem is that Journey was able to call on, incorporate certain prog DNA (and other stuff - thinking like Black Sabbath's treatment of the blues) to create a song that, while it works as radio-friendly pop, is really a remarkable and unusual song from the standpoint of structure and composition.

@PASabreFanesque

This calls to mind an observation @X. Benedictwould make about Tim Connolly. People called the guy a soft finesse player… and yet.

I'll echo someone else's sentiment, and in answer to the OP: Gratitude. p.s. That voice of Rick's had a few era all its own. Listen to those calls from the 70s and early 80s. So high-pitched and nasal.

That is a core Granato tenet.

Colour me inspired. Same!

^ The stat heads seem to agree that his offensive contribution is good — and that his D is shaky.