Thrashers Game Report - 11/22/08

Blue Jackets 2 - Thrashers 0

Dull as a butterknife

Come to think of it, that butter knife is more exciting than the Thrashers contest. Who would have thought I'd have more fun blowing, raking and bagging leaves for 4.5 hours than I had for 2.5 hours in Philips Arena.

Boxscore

Dull-lights

Columbus is the type of team that generally gives the Thrashers fits. Even though the rest of the league can take take advantage of their relatively thin offensive talent, the Thrashers have trouble moving against a team that plays defense first and can put up a wall at the blueline forcing a team to dump and chance. With little forecheck and out of sync passing, the Thrashers were doomed from the outset. In the end, the Thrashers made more mistakes than the Blue Jackets and the Jackets converted the Thrashers' mistake into the winning goal. An empty net goal with less than 90 seconds finally wrapped it up.

Thrashers simply couldn't generate many scoring chances. Whenever they reach the Jackets zone, there were too many bodies for the offense to deal with. When they tried to dump the puck, rarely would the Thrashers get their first and hardly ever won the battles for the puck in the offensive zone. In the end the Thrashers had only 14 shots and that simply isn't going to win many NHL games.

Things could have been worse for the Thrashers but Pavelec had another strong game in goal. Nothing spectacular but very solid. Columbus's only goal was the result of a Thrasher turnover that turned into a close shot attempt with wide rebound that Nash easily buried in the net.

Passing and shooting looked particular out of sync for the Thrashers on this night. I stopped counting the number of times the Thrashers wound up for a shot only to miss the puck, shoot wide or worse. Kovy had a horrible game offensively, missing on most his shot attempts and looking frustrated by the sufficating Columbus defense. Only a brief stretch of the third period featured any significant Thrasher opportunities.

A 5 game winning streak was ended a week ago and now the Thrashers have a 3 game losing streak. The frustrating inconsistencies continue. This team cannot afford to play at any less than 100% and expect to win. Last nights effort was far less than 100%.

Sitting up top is an adventure every time. I never really know what I'm going to get. This particular night featured a loud-month drunk girl who would put most sailors to shame. The worst of it came when she tried for nearly half a period to get a wave going. Fortunately, most of the fans were with me in denying her this particular pleasure.

The season is almost a quarter over but I'm waiting for the 25 game mark for a progress report. Here's hoping they get another winning streak going soon.

Broncos Game Report - 11/16/08

Broncos 24 - Falcons 20

What a treat it is to finally see the Broncos in person once again. I hadn't see them in person since the opening game in St. Louis a few seasons ago and they hadn't played in my home town since 1997. It is a hell of lot more fun to yell at the stadium than from the comfort of my home. This was also the first time I was able to bring my daughter to a Bronco game and she certainly got to see a good one.

I ponied up some big bucks for some nice tickets at the 45 yard 21 rows behind the Bronco bench. While the crowd was slow to arrive, I got there early enough to watch warmups and make certain I was in my seat for kickoff. Last time I went to the Dome for a Bronco game, Sharpe caught a long bomb before I could get to my seat and I was only a couple minutes late.

There were plenty of Bronco fans in attendance but it was nice to see the Dome filled with Falcon fans. I've always said if they can create a winning tradition, Atlantans WILL support it. Football is huge in these parts but the populace won't tolerate a loser. Call it bandwagon if you like. Personally, I think they are lot of smart ticket buyers. Why pay for crap.

Falcon fans were very gracious and friendly. Plenty of nice discussion and only an occassional good natured barb. They were congradulatory in defeat and recognized the Broncos good play. I always try to handle this sort of situation with class. If one does I think one can have a good time in any stadium, with possible exception to raiderland.

I quickly noticed no Champ Bailey at warmups. Not too shocking. Also noticed several players go over and talk to Elam including Cutler, Shanahan and Prater. Bly had a talk with Foxworth as well.

Nice to see the Broncos come out strong and force a quick punt by the Falcons. Set the tone for the day.

On the Broncos first possession it was obvious they were going to attack things a little different. Without an experienced, in-shape, tailback they needed to find other ways to the move the ball. Short passes, end arounds and reverses took the place of a running game and setup the rest of the game. Finishing off with a TD on the first drive was huge.

I was a bit disappointed to see the Falcons have continued success converting on 3rd down. 95% of the time the DBs were giving 12 yard cushions on 3 & 5. Far too easy to pickup first downs and I could see the completion ahead of time on every single one. When they did play press coverage (most often on 1st and 2nd down) they had better coverage.

Falcons kept trying to run outside and defense did a great job of stringing it out. Why the Falcons didn't run up the middle more was a mystery. That the 2nd string linebackers contained one of the best rushing offenses should be applauded. I was VERY fearful of MichaelTurner coming into the contest.

I was very surprised that the Falcons worked on Bly more than Paymah. Thank goodness for that.

It hurt seeing Elam lining up for the other side. Hard to root against the guy but I did my best. He may not have the strongest leg anymore but he is still as reliable as ever. It doesn't matter if you can pound them from 50+ if you can't hit inside the uprights from49. :-)

I was disappointed the Broncos couldn't turn the Ryan interception into 7 after marching down the field. Touchdowns are going to be tough down close until they can find a back to pound it inside. Surprised they went with Pope over Hillis on this drive.

Royal's contribution cannot be understated. The field position he got on kickoff returns was huge. So close to busting a couple. I'm pretty sure Shanahan would rather someone else return kicks but with Royal's performance it is going to be hard to take him out of that role.

Great to see Cutler be a little smarter with the ball. He took a lot of heat the last couple weeks, much of it earned. On this day he made only one poor decision. Plus he had a nice block to help gain an extra 5 yards.

I'm still looking for more pressure from the DL. A lot of vanilla defense in this game but Ryan faced pressure on only limited occassions. Much better job of tackling by the team as whole.

A couple other interesting observations:

- Marshall spent all his sideline time seated on the Gatorade table, not the bench. I don't see this as a negative but maybe a touch of "look at me, I'm different".

- For all those that need passion from the coaches, Rick Dennison has plenty. I honestly think it is time he gets some credit for bringing the young OL around so quick.

Two road wins in come from behind fashion are great. Seeing San Diego sputter and lose again is fine. However, there is a long way to go. Broncos cannot overlook the Raiders who still can play good defense. Chances of getting a wildcard look remote although a win against the Jets in two weeks would improve those chances. San Diego's home tilt against Indy Sunday night is huge. A 3 game lead will probably be too much to overcome. I still don't expect a Super Bowl out of this team and really don't expect any playoff success. However, I think it would be nice to get this group TO the playoffs and be able to build on that experience in the future. Its a tough road to hoe but if the defense can solidify a bit and some players can get healthy it is still possible.

Brasstown Bald / Wagon Trail Hike

Off to the mountains again, this time to climb to the highest point in Georgia, Brasstown Bald. While I'd been to this particular area of North Georgia on numerous occassions, I'd never been to the top of the mountain.

This particular hike was two distinct hikes. First, the hike to the top of Brasstown Bald was moderately steep climb .6 miles up a tar path. Numerous people were sharing the trail and many others took the shuttle bus to the top. At the top was a nice tower presenting expansive views of the surrounding mountains, valleys and waterways. Not too exciting of a hike but worth the trip for the nice view which was highlighted by the bright fall colors.

The wagon trail was the second part of the hike and very easy overall. Much less travelled, I saw only 3 other people during my 2 hours on it. It does have some nice ambience due to the variety of the trees, nice granite walls and one really nice vista.

Thrashers Game Report - 10/28/08

Philadelphia Flyers 7 - Atlanta Thrashers 0
(aka "Creamed Corn")



Use it in a phrase : "The Thrashers play was about as inspirational as a plate of creamed corn".

Perhaps I should use this advice.

Boxscore

Lowlights

This was easily the worst game I've seen by the Thrashers this season. In each prior contest they were at least competitive. In each prior contest they at least had significant stretches where they played hard and out fought the other team. None of that happened this night.

I don't want to feed the negativity surrounding the team so I'm going to keep this to the point. Although writing these entries can be therapuetic at times, nothing I can do today will rid the images of the horrible performance last night.

It started with a less than packed house. I estimated less than 8000 in attendance for a middle of the week game. I so wish I was one of those that didn't buy a ticket or stayed home.

There were a number of Flyer fans in attendance but none more annoying than the guy sitting at top of section 409. He apparently got an early start at the bar proudly delaring he was already drunk and was yelling the praise of his Flyers with such witty remarks as "how many playoff games has your team won" and "how many times have they sipped champagne from The Cup". Good thing I got my barb in early, "how many times have the Flyers sipped in your lifetime - bitch". This fan and a Thrasher's fan in section 412 were yelling across at each other all night long. Unfortunately, there was no fight to entertain me. At least then the night wouldn't have been a waste. DAMNIT!

Things started poorly for the Thrashers. Less than two minutes in, Enstrom made another bad turnover at the top of the Flyers zone. This turned into a scoring opportunity for the Flyers that Lupol easily turned into a 1-0 lead.

All game long the Thrashers were outhustled to the puck. All game long the Thrashers passes hit their intended target in the feet or missed their intended target all together. They had serious problems handling the puck and failed several easy clearing attempts. They looked like a pee wee hockey team. At one point all I could do was laugh.

Whenever the Thrashers made a mistake the Flyers were ready to capitalize. Somehow they managed to stay in the game being down only 2-0 with less than 25 seconds to go in the 2nd period. With the Thrashers on the power play, Kovy received a pass at the left point. Without a clear shooting lane, he looked to the right point to pass. I screamed "CAREFUL!" but apparently he didn't he me from up in the rafters and didn't see Gagne waiting up top for that exact pass. No sooner did the puck leave Kovy's stick than Gagne stepped up, brokeaway and burried the puck behind Kari. Thrashers now down 3-0 and Kovy's digust got him 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. When he continued arguing when the period was over he got an additional 2 minutes.

I'll take a sidebar here. I am officially ending my campaign for Kovy for captain. It is acceptable for a captain to make mistakes. However, it is not acceptable for a captain to magnify that mistake by taking an additional 4 minutes. Although he may have been the best Thrasher on the ice for most of the game, his play and reaction at the end of 2nd period also made him the worst Thrasher for this game. Although it's highly unlikely, I'm throwing my support behind Hainsey for captain. Now where is my polling place.

If the shorthanded goal didn't do it the ensuing 4 minute penalty sealed the game. Two more powerplay goals stretched the margin to 5-0.

I never leave games early, maybe once in over 100 games. On this night I thought about leaving when it was 4-0. I considered again when it was 5-0. At 6-0, I finally walked out. I really wanted to find customer service and ask for my money back but I'd wasted enough of my time. I heard the final 7-0 tally on the ride home.

I wanted to say they neither team played all that great but it is hard to condemn a team that wins 7-0. The Flyers took advantage of every mistake the Thrashers made and they made plenty.

Lehtonen cannot be blamed for this loss. Sure, he could have made a spectacular save to make it 5-0 instead of 7-0 but on every goal he was pretty much hung out to dry. No goalie could have won it behind the Thrashers on this night.

I know it is customary to award a goalie that gets a shutout with one of the stars of the game but Nittymaki didn't deserve that honor tonight. I counted only 2 really good scoring chances by the Thrashers and only one really good save. This isn't a knock against the Finn more against the Thrashers pitiful performance.

Time to move on. The game against the Rangers now becomes a very important game. The Thrashers must show they can bounce back from a horrid performance. A win would be ideal, a hard played performance is mandatory. If not, we can start the "we want Tavarres" chants now. I had to bite my tongue to keep from starting them last night.

A final note. It is my opinion that coach Anderson needs to sit Enstrom down for a game. Let him view it from above and lets see if there are some other defensive combinations that might work. Enstrom is pressing a bit much and it is leading to too many mistakes. Put him back in there after a night off and move on. Hopefully it'll be the last time this kind of move is necessary.

Thrashers Game Report - 10/18/08

Atlanta Thrashers 3 - Buffalo Sabres 2 (SO)
(aka "Salting the Slugs")

Box Score

Highlights


What is it about Buffalo fans. I can't figure out if a ton of them follow the team to Atlanta or there is just a very large local following. Either way they are some of the most obnoxious fans in the NHL. Only the original six bring more enemy fans into Philips Arena. The Sabre fans get started early. On this occasion they filled the arena concourse, walking in large packs, beating drums and shouting "Let's Go Sabres". Atlanta fans, myself included, got an early start on our corresponding "Go Home Buffalo" chants. There is weird hatred between these two groups.

The Buffalo fans didn't have much to cheer about early as the Thrashers had their best performance of the season during the first period. They out shot the Sabres 19-6 and controlled play throughout. The Thrashers got on the scoreboard first when White delivered a nice outlet pass to Kovy who settled the puck and broke away. A nice chip shot top shelf and the score was 1-0 "Go Home Buffalo".

The Thrashers should have had a few more goals in the first. Numerous power plays resulted in nothing and Lalime came up big in net. I was greatly relieved when they got a second goal on more nice work by White that resulted in a pretty Bryan Little goal. 2-0 "Go Home Buffalo" as the period came to a close.

I knew the Thrashers couldn't keep up the pace in the 2nd and I knew Buffalo would come out stronger after undoubtedly being chewed out by coach Lindy Ruff. However, the Thrashers continued to play strong hockey and did what was necessary to keep the Sabres off the board. Only when the Thrashers were down two men late in the period did the Sabres finally put one past Lehtonen to make it 2-1.

The third period played much like the second. Thrashers did what they had to do to keep Buffalo in check but couldn't mount much pressure. Another power play opportunity was squandered but the penalty killing was strong. A nearly mistake free game was ruined late though as Boulton mishandled a puck near the blueline. Instead of simply chipping the puck out of the zone, he broke inside only to have the puck stolen and quickly put on net. Kari didn't handle the rebound well and Pominville easily tapped the puck into the net for the tying goal with less than 4 minutes left.

The rest of the game and OT played out much like the second and third periods. Both teams had opportunities but neither could finish. As much as I hate the shootout it was probably a good thing for the Thrashers as I got the feeling the longer it went the more likely the Slugs would have come out on top.

The first successful shootout attempt was made by Kovalchuk but was answered by Stafford. Kozlov, shooting in an unfamiliar 3rd position did his usual anyway, converting on the shootout and getting the game winning goal as Vanek's shot went wide of the net. "Go Home Buffalo".

Overall I think this was one of the Thrashers' best games ever. There wasn't a lot of scoring but there were plenty of opportunities. Their defense was extremely sound with Hainsey having a great performance, Bogosian sound and Schneider his best outing yet. Lehtonen continued his strong start and Little is looking like he could be the offensive threat the Thrashers desperately need. They went toe to toe against one of the better teams in the league, who got very good goaltending from their backup and still came out on top.

Thrashers Game Report - 10/10/08

Atlanta Thrashers 7 - Washington Capitals 4
Box Score
Game Highlights

The Capitals control play early while the Thrashers have difficulty clearing the defensive zone. In the end this results in Zach Bogosian (ZeBo) taking a penalty. Capitals have several good scoring chances but Kari makes some great stops. Only one that gets by is played with a high stick and waved off. Video review confirms it.

Zebo also gets the first shot on goal for the Thrashers. But its the other new defenseman, Hainsey who scores the first goal of the season, on the power play, for the Thrashers off a rebound chance created by White, Williams also gets an assist. Hainsey stepped up on the play, something the Thrashers defensemen did with regularity this night.

Next up it is Reasoner who gets a rebound off a Bryan Little shot, Perrin with the second assist.

Thrashers make it 3-0 when Havelid makes a nice outlet pass to Bryan Little who breaks away and scores a goal through Theodore's 5 hole.

Unfortunately on the next shift the Thrashers give it right back on a soft shot from the point. The first period ends with the Thrashers up 3-1.

Eight minutes into the second period, Washington commits a penalty giving the Thrashers a great opportunity to build on their lead. Instead a breakdown leads to any easy Capitals shorthanded goal off a rebound.

Fortunately, the Thrashers answer quick with another nice outlet pass by Havelid. This time Kozlov is the recipient. He fakes a pass to Little and scores chasing Theodore from net.

With seven minutes left in the second period and the Thrashers up by two, Reasoner inadvertently gets a high stick up on a Capital, cutting him. The resulting 4 minute penalty results in two almost identical cross-ice passing goals, both by Green. Things are all tied up as Thrasher fans think "here we go again". Period ends in 4-4 tie.

Less the 4 minutes into the period, Washington creates pressure on the Thrashers net. A rebound finds its way behind Kari. With no choice, Enstrom flops on it but a non-goalie covering the puck in the crease is a penalty shot and the ref is quick to reward it. Its reigning Hart Trophy (MVP), Art Ross Trophy (goals scored) winner Alexander Ovechkin taking the penalty shot. He makes a nice move on Lehtonen but can't get the puck over Kari's glove hand. CHICKEN DENIED! Crowd goes ballistic.

The stop appears to be the catalyst for the Thrashers as they score 3 goals in less than two and half minutes. First it Little again. Then its Armstrong with the tally. Finally Kovalchuk finally gets on the scoring sheet with a nice pass across the crease to a wide open Todd White who taps it in. Suddenly it is 7-4 Thrashers and the building is pumping the loudest it has been since game two of playoff series in 2007.

All that left is for Washington to goon it up. The last five minutes is filled by 3 fights which for some reason don't show up in the box score. None of these fights are very significant in duration although king of the goons, Donald Brashear goes at it again the rookie, Bogosian who was a bit outmatched.

Quite an opening night for the Thrashers and their fans. A less than capacity house sees a very entertaining game. Amazing to see the Thrashers score 7 goals without Kovalchuk scoring one of them.

It was absolutely great to see so many contributions from relatively new Thrashers. Little, Reasoner, Hainsey, In addition to Little, Reasoner and Armstrong all showed up on the scoring sheet.

Little, Havelid and Lehtonen were the three stars and all deserved it. Lehtonen kept them in it early, faced 43 shots and most importantly shutdown Ovechkin on the penalty shot when the score was tied.

Bogosian had an up and down night. He has some nice defensive plays and got off a nice shot or two. However, he also took a couple of penalties and was beaten on a couple of occasions. He's the youngest Thrasher ever playing in his first NHL contest. I'll cut him some slack.

The Thrashers still have a lot of room for improvement. They allowed way too many shots, 43 and had trouble clearing the defensive zone on multiple occasions. Still dumping the puck too many times. But any time you keep Ovechkin off the scoresheet, you are doing something right.

However, it certainly was a great way to start the season and here's hoping there are many more like it.

NHL Predictions

It seems like only yesterday that Lidstrom was raising The Cup to celebrate the Detroit Red Wings' victory in game 6 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In reality, it was 4 months ago. Here we are again on the cusp of yet another NHL season. Sorry folks, I don't consider a couple of games overseas as the start of the season. Instead, it'll happen when the Red Wings raise the banner in Joe Louis Arena before playing their long-time rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.


I'll start by looking at my two favorite teams at opposite ends of the spectrum, the Atlanta Thrashers and the Detroit Red Wings. But before I do, there is one significant change in the NHL that I think will have a huge bearing on playoff seatings. This year there will be more interconference games (East vs West) and less division games. This is long overdue. It was silly that over the course of an 82 game season that each team was not playing each other at least once. Plus it allows all the original six to get together once again.



Detroit Red Wings


It's awful hard to see a reason why this team can't win the championship once again. Their only significant losses were Hasek (retirement) and Drake (retirement). Hasek was certainly past his prime and he didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs before being replaced by the more consistent Osgood. Drake, while a significant piece, was only a 4th line forward. The Wings have many players who can fill his role.


How did they improve? Somehow they managed to get the best free-agent forward available in Marian Hossa. He fits their system perfectly as Hossa is equally adept scoring goals and playing defense. No team in the league had better two-way forwards last year and the Wings just added another one. With Datsyuk centering Hossa, Hossa will get plenty of scoring chances. The overall talent level on the Wings second line is better than the top line of at least 75% of the NHL teams. Teams are going to have a very hard time shutting down the Wings offense.


The Franzen factor. No player in the league was hotter than Franzen heading into the playoffs last year. He scored a sick 29 goals in 26 games and wasn't slowed down until a concussion hit him in the second round. Despite that, he became a factor again in the finals and nearly won the Conn Smyth trophy. It doesn't look like he intends on slowing down either. He had a strong preseason and will likely get even more playing time on the first line and powerplay. It's a contract year for Franzen and he could easily catapult himself into a huge payday.


At this time last year, I was trumpting Zetterberg for league MVP. Some early and late season injuries derailed that but he came out on top as playoff MVP. I think he can be in the mix once again. Although not quite the goal scorer Ovechkin or Crosby are, his defensive game is much better than those two. Datsyuk is just as good although he plays a craftier role. His work with puck is just incredible and he led the league in steals.


There are a series of young forwards who've gained valuable experience and are also ready to take on bigger roles. I think this may be a breakout year for Filppula. They've got so much depth at forward that two NHL ready players, Leino & Helm couldn't fit and were sent to Grand Rapids.


The defense was the best in the league last year and appears to be stronger. The solid corp of Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart and Kronwall are back and a lot of quality players are ready to make the leap to the next level. Chelios seems content to take a minor role and he'll have to as the young guys are ready to take on bigger roles. Ericsson, another late round steal, looks ready for the NHL but gets caught up in the numbers game and sent to Grand Rapids. He won't be there long.


The other big offseason acquisition was in goal where Ty Conklin was added as a backup. He more than proved his value when he almost single handedly kept the Penguins afloat when Crosby and Fluery were out for and extended period. He is comfortable in the backup role and will likely play in 20-25 games. Osgood is better at this point in his career than ever before. More sound technically and more sound mentally, his calmness saved the Wings during the playoffs last year. Face it, a Wings goalie doesn't have to win games by himself. Rather, he just has work with the defense in front off him and bounce back from poor outings.


All that being said, repeating as champs is a difficult process. A lot of things have to fall into place. Teams already raise their level of play against the Wings and I expect it to kick up a notch. Playing more games against the East should actually boost the Red Wings record as that means less travel for them since they are an Easterly West Conference team. I think they parlay that into the best record in the regular season. The playoffs are different beast. In reality usually 12 of the 16 teams that make it in have a shot at winning. As much as I want to pick the Wings to win the cup again, I'm thinking they come up just a bit short.


Atlanta Thrashers


Here we go again. Almost 10 years into the Thrashers existence and we've got only one playoff series to show for it. That one resulted in an embarassing 4 game sweep. Now, 18 months later, the team is back at the bottom.


Last year at this time I was disturbed the Thrashers didn't see the light and make the major changes necessary to retool for the future instead of clinging to minor success of winning the division and MAKING the playoffs. In some ways I understood that, they really had no young players ready to play at the NHL level and fill the spots. Fortunately, it looks like this offseason was handled differently and I believe it is for the better. Unforunately, the process is going to take some time. It's like we're back at year 3 once again.


A lot of what should make the Thrashers better are some subtractions. First, Hartley is gone for good and actually has a replacement in Anderson. Holik and Zhitnik are gone and with it goes the two of worst work ethics in the organization.


The nucleus to the makeover and my hope for the future lies with the youth in the organization. The started when Hossa and Dupois were traded to Pittsburgh for Christensen, Armstrong, Esposito and 1st round pick. It continued with the drafting of Zach Bogosian third overall in the June draft. Other young players like Enstrom, Little and Thorburn will take on larger roles while still young players like Kovalchuk (25) and Lehtonen (24) are the backbones for the team.


It didn't stop there. Instead of the usual process of bringing in aging veterans to fill holes, the Thrashers looked to younger players on the rise. In comes winger Jason Williams and defenseman Ron Hainsey. There is some risk involved with these acquisitions but I think it is a lot better approach.


The Thrashers didn't stand pat with its veterans either. Reasoner was brought as a improvement over Holik and Schneider was acquired as an improvement over Klee when Anaheim was forced to deal him due to salary cap issues.


Overall, I can't see how this won't be a better team. The question is really how long will it take to see that as Ws in the standings. For it to turn around quickly, all the new players are going to have to make an impact, Kozlov and Exelby must rebound from poor seasons, Kari must improve his consistency and rebound control, Enstrom cannot take a step back, the young players have to contribute and coach Anderson must build an identiy for this team with a strong system. That's a lot of IFs.


If nothing else they should be better on the defensive end (can they get much worse?). More playmakers and puck movers abound. No more slow footed defensemen. This should help the offense and especially the powerplay. They've got some holes up front and no significant scoring threat outside Kovalchuk. Hope is that they get a surprise out of Christensen, Williams, Armstrong or White/Kozlov can regain a their form.


Realistically, I'm hoping for a team that is more competitive and one that grows stronger as the season progresses. I think it is too much to ask for anything more than fighting for the 8th playoff spot. Once again it is all about baby steps and doing what they can to gain some respectability in the league. I think they can do it but it may be painful, at times, to watch the process.


NHL Predictions


EASTERN CONFRENCE

1. Canadiens - 100th season a charm. Nice well rounded team that should get better. Dangerous on the powerplay and adept at defense. Goaltending still the biggest question mark.

2. Penguins - Really tough battle in the Atlantic is won out by team with the offensive weapons. Gonchar's injury hurts.

3. Capitals - Not ready to put them into the upper class just yet but the team is certainly capable of dominating the Southeast Division. Team on the major upswing. Choosing Theodore as a goalie may come back to bite them.

4. Senators - People are way too quick to count this team out. Still a ton of talent up front and enough growing young talent. Coaching change should get the team back on track.

5. Flyers - Last season was a huge success but with it comes lofty expectations. They are built well for the future but need another year for defense to come around.


6. Rangers - Lundqvist better be able to carry the load because I think there are some questions with scoring up front. Jagr's loss will be felt but it'll be better for the team in the long run. Sundin could win them the division IF they can do it without losing talent and do it early in the season.


7. Sabres - Recovery process after losing Briere and Drury should be over. Ruff will bring the this team back.


8. Hurricanes - Getting healthy and improvements on defense will get this team back to the playoffs but the trip won't last long as an infusion of youth is desperately needed.

------

9. Bruins - They'll come up short as they probably should have last season. Secondary scoring is desperately needed to improve.


10. Lightning - A lot of nice pieces in place but simply too many changes to turn it around in one season. Struggles scoring in first two contests not a good sign. Good thing they get to play in the Southeast.


11. Devils - Every year I think this team will take a tumble and this one is no different. This team got old awful fast and their solution was to add Holik and Rolston? Broduer will have to carry the team again.


12. Thrashers - Not where I want to see them but I have a hard time seeing them much higher. They'll need to take full advantage of games against the Southeast to do any better.


13. Panthers - How long this team can stay competitive depends on how long they can keep Bouwmeester in the fold. Once he's traded (and I think it'll come sooner rather than later), the team is sunk.


14. Leafs - For years Toronto management ignored the need for this team to get younger and instead clung onto the misguided notion that they were only a player or two away from The Cup. Now, they're paying the price. It'll probably get worse before it gets better.


15. Islanders - Similar to the Thrashers, the Islanders are going with youth. Unfortunately, they don't have a player as dynamic as Kovalchuk or a sound defense. If DiPietro's hips continue to be a problem, this team could be a doormat for years.


WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Red Wings - The team won't have a letdown because Babcock won't allow it. Too much talent up front and on the back end to not overpower most teams. They'll continue to face a stiffer challenge from the likes of Chicago but take advange of the weak sisters.

2. Stars - Success in the playoffs will form a nice building block to this season. Fiesty physical club will be tough to beat in close games.

3. Flames - Appear to be gooning it up for even more physical play. That'll be enough to take the relatively weak Northwest division but'll be their downfall in the playoffs. Watch Keenan unfold before your eyes.

4. Sharks - Wilson out and former Wings assistant McClellan in at coach will bring a more disciplined approach to a team deseperatly in need of it. They may struggle to find the identity early but it is all about playoffs for this underachieving bunch.


5. Ducks - Issues are with scoring but they make up for it with a strong defense, good goaltending and coaching. Good thing for them Selanne decided to return. They desperately need secondary scoring to emerge.


6. Blackhawks - Ready to get back into the playoffs in a big way. Improvements on defense are a key. Finally getting a lot of fans back in the seats will help make Chicago a difficult place to play once again.

7. Oilers - Hard work and a youth movement last season will pay off as the Oilers get back in the playoffs again. Goaltending is a key to getting there.

8. Coyotes - Gretzky finally returns to the playoffs after sticking with a good rebuilding plan. They won't get far but getting there will be a major achievement for this young team.

9. Predators - I don't know how they do it year in and year out so I probably shouldn't count them out. Goaltending could carry them further and if they can take advantage of some Eastern Conference games they could easily jump to #6.


10. Wild - Shouldn't really count out this team so quickly but eventually that defensive system will be their downfall. They've been desperately trying to sign Gaborik long-term and they better because without him their offense will be almost non-existent.


11. Blue Jackets - Hitchcock is on the verge of getting this team to the playoffs but he needs a couple more players to do it. Hainsey's loss will hurt but some younger players should be ready for bigger roles.


12. Canucks - If they get Sundin this pick changes a bit as would any team that adds him. Without him they'll have a hard time scoring goals and Luongo can't do it alone. Will they shop the Sedin twins at the deadline?


13. Kings - Their tide is beginning to turn but it is probably a year or two from fruition. A bunch of young stars are itching to make an impact. The question is how many of their free agents will be around to see this team finally make it back to the playoffs. Goaltending must get more consistent.


14. Avalanche - The team tried to relive the past one too many times. Now they are recycling old coaches and digging at scraps trying to fill numerous holes. Goaltending is weak and even Sakic can't save the offense. A weak division won't be enough to grab the #8 seed. I hear Claude Lemieux wants to make a comeback. Avs management is stupid enough to grant that wish.


15. Blues - Loss of Jackman is huge. This young team cannot afford to lose one of its stars. They are doing it right in St. Louis its just that they did it wrong, much like the Leafs, for years.

PLAYOFFS

Predicting the playoffs this far out is a bit of crapshoot. Things like matchups, injuries and momentum can play a big role in determining outcome. That be said, it wouldn't be a complete prediction without it.

Eastern Conference Champion : Montreal Canadiens
Western Conference Champion : Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup Champion : Montreal Canadiens

This certainly would make for a great series. Maybe not quite as well in the U.S. markets as Detroit-Pittsburgh but getting a Canada team back envolved would be huge up there. A original six matchup with a bunch of history would certainly be a great way to highlight the Canadiens' hundreth season.

Bear Moutain New York Hike

This hike was more than a little outside my normal stomping grounds of North Georgia. It was an hour outside New York City, done as part of trip to see my brother in the big city.


Bear Mountain State Park is pretty nice and fairly crowded. On this particular Saturday it was being used as the host of a high school cross country meet and an Oktoberfest gathering. We came for the hiking but I can certainly see why others come to relax and getaway from the hustle and bustle of New York City.


The hike was close to 4 miles long and is essentially and up and down hike to the top of Bear Mountain. The first half of the hike was quite challenging as it is basically straight up a rocky slope. The following picture isn't exactly flattering to myself but does a good job of showing a sample of this path.




Upon reaching the top hikers are greeted with a nice vista of the Hudson river, a bridge crossing it and several smaller tree covered hills in the area.







The hike back down follows a small chunk of the Appalachian Trail. Apparently this section was the first part of the trail that was created. An easy descent, I found it to be unimpressive. Simply too much foot traffic in the area and sparse trees. This prevents it from delivering the feeling of isolation that my prior experiences with the AT have given me.


Despite taking a lot out of me, I really enjoyed the hike up the mountain. The vistas up top are worthy of a climb. Only the walk back down and the overuse of the trail leaves something to be desired.

Sigur Ros Concert Review

The third of my gift concerts. This one had me headed to New York City to see Sigur Ros at the United Palace Theater, September 18 2008.

Sigur Ros is a hard band to explain to those who haven't heard them. They are an Icelandic group that has created loyal and passionate following without the advantage of much U.S. radio play outside their homeland or small college radio. I believe that most people hear about them through word of mouth or read about them in various online music forums.

Some people try to compare them to Radiohead or Coldplay but in reality, the bands are very different. The Icelandic people are very quiet and reserved and music the band produces very much reflects that. Iceland itself is a land of striking beauty but is also very harsh and unforgiving. The color palette of the land is rich with browns, blacks, grays and whites. There is a lingering darkness in winter and endless light in the summer. Frequently called "the land of fire and ice", it is a country of contrasts. Sigur Ros's music reflects the landscape as much as the people. It is a music with and ebb and flow that cannot be experienced with just a quick sample. Is is music that must be felt as well as heard.

Did I forget to mention that some of the vocals are done in a nonsense language the lead singer calls "Hopelandic". This is an "invented language in which Jónsi sings before lyrics are written to the vocals. It's, of course, not an actual language by definition (no vocabulary, grammar, etc.), it's rather a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music and acts as another instrument." Nobody can really sing these songs unless they memorize these chants. Frankly, I'm not even certain they are the same from show to show. A big put-off to some, it really doesn't affect my enjoyment. In fact, I actually am more interested in the voice as an instrument so it works on that level. The rest of the songs are sung in Icelandic as are the song titles.

All this preface is written because it may help explain why I enjoy the band yet have a hard time naming the songs that were performed on this particular night, It certainly doesn't help that Icelandic is an incredibly hard language to spell, speak and pronounce.

What I generally like about the band is how each song conveys one or more sonic textures. Each texture elicits an emotional response that is undoubtedly unique to listener. It is the combination of the textures within a song or set of songs that I find so captivating.

The United Palace Theater was built in 1930. Long used for movies and Vaudeville, the theater was rebuild in 1969 and has been used since as a church and music hall. Although the place is obviously a nice piece of craftsmanship, I found the interior a little gaudy for my taste. In form and function it reminded me a lot of Atlanta's Fox Theater but I'd give the nod to the Fox hands done when it comes to overall look.

The theater was filled on this particular night. Sigur Ros hasn't played much in the states but they have played in NYC a few times before. Each show has sold out quick and this was no exception.

We got to the theater early enough to see the opening act, Parachute. This act was extremely odd because the music they played was so much like Sigur Ros, only much weaker. Perhaps that is explained because the lead singer of Parachute is the boyfriend of Sigur Ros's lead singer. On top of this oddity, many of the members of the band chose to perform sitting down on the stage. Not sitting in chairs, but actually on the stage. Just strange.

After that was over the main act took the stage and didn't disappoint. There was some fear going in that they might play a lot of material from their latest album which I find much more poppy and less textural in nature. Fortunately, that was not the case. About 2/3 of the act was devoted to older music. Each song was performed with a good deal of energy and went off with barely a hitch. Although they generally stuck to performing the songs without ad-lib there were a couple of nice additions thrown in. The crowd was very receptive and sound quality was excellent. They played close to a two-hour set including their encores and finished it off as strongly as they started.

All in all a great night and a great experience overall.

New York City

I recently completed a trip to New York City to visit my brother, see a concert and take in the big city. We didn't take in all the usual tourist sites because I intend to travel back again with my daughter. However, we did keep very busy and walked about 15 miles in the process.

Here's just a few of the sites I saw:

- Walked a good chunk of lower and central Manahattan including Battery Park, the financial district, Wall Street, Times Square, Grand Central Station, World Trade Center construction site and Central Park. I absolutely loved the big city buzz and being able to take the trains everywhere is great.

- Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and ate pizza at Grimaldi's. Although VERY good pizza, still a notch below my all time favorite. I'm a picky pizza patron.

- Went to the United Palace Theater to see Sigur Ros in concert. Review here.

- Went to the Museum of Modern Art and the Natural History Museum. I was especially impressed with the size and content of the Natural History Museum. We probably spent way too much time in the geology area but the collection was too impressive to shorten. The stibnite alone is worth the trip. If some lady asks you what makes a certain bedrock red, the answer is iron and oxygen. Say it quick and run away! You'll thank me later.

- Took a bus ride out to Bear Mountain and did hike up and down. The weather was perfect every day of the trip. More details and pictures here.

- We went down to the East Village for food and drinks.

Here's the best of the photos:

Thrashers Game Report - 10/01/08

Detroit Red Wings 4 - Atlanta Thrashers 1

a.k.a. Detroit Love Fest in the ATL (preseason version)

It didn't take take long to realize that there were more Detroit fans in attendance than Thrasher fans. The concourse was covered in red and white from the moment I entered the doors just slightly after 6PM. While the Detroit fans were still pretty giddy from their Stanley Cup victory, most of the Thrasher fans were just glad hockey was back but more than a bit fearful they'd be a league laughingstock once again. Although an aura of optimism filled some Thrasher fans, myself included, it was always tempered with the realism that the Thrashers are a young team with a young coach and there are going to be some serious growing pains.

It didn't take long for those pains to be felt by every Thrasher fan in attendance. Less than 2 minutes into the contest, Colin Stuart, took a penalty for tripping. The Red Wings won the faceoff, moved the puck to Lidstrom, to Zetterberg and out to Samuelsson who slapped a long range shot past a screened Lehtonen. Wings 1-0.

The Wings controlled play for a majority of the game. At times it looked the Wings and especially Zetterberg were toying with the less skilled and less experienced Thrashers. There were at least a dozen times where the Wings would cycle the puck causing the Thrashers to overload to one side. Then, the Wings we send a player down low in the open ice, make a pretty cross-ice pass and get an uncontested shot on goal. Fortunately for the Thrashers, these "ooh" and "aah" moments didn't get converted. However, it clearly showed the Thrashers have a long way to go.

Even with the poor positioning the Thrashers were in the right place at the right time for one of the Wings biggest miscues. Wings defenseman, Brad Stuart, misplayed the puck in his own end resulting in an easy steal for the Thrasher's Christensen. He got to use his breakaway/shootout skills to twist Osgood around and easily put the puck in the Detroit net tying the score at 1-1.

Next up our first fight of the night. More frequent in preseason as young players or players on the roster fence try to make an impact. This time it was Atlanta's Jim Slater vs Detroit's Andreas Lilja. Not much of a fight as Lilja swung wildly at Slater and missed getting himself off-balance. Then Slater grabbed him and took him down to the ice. The result was some blood on the ice that appeared to come from Lilja. He didn't returned to the game.

Next, it was time for Lehtonen to screw up. While Kari played a pretty solid game overall, his one goof up was just awful. Leaving the net to go after a loose puck in the corner (no Kari no!), Kari is confronted with a speedy Zetterberg working his way deep into the offensive zone. Trapped in the corner, Kari didn't have any "safe" option. Instead of sucking it up and taking the slight push he get from Zetterberg, Kari does the worst thing and pushes the puck 45 degrees out and towards the center of the ice. Zetterberg grabs it quickly and guides it right into the net. Laughing and UGHs! poor forth from the stands. It's official, the Thrashers are laughingstocks for this night.

Second period is pretty similar to the first. The Thrashers show a little more intensity but are still clearly outclassed by the Wings. Wings just find ways to get to loose pucks and do a much better job at having a second player in position to make up for whenever one makes a mistake. A majority of the Wings scoring chances come as a result of good teamwork (crisp passes, positioning) whereas most of the Thrashers chances are individual efforts.

8 minutes into the second period we get a much better fight involving two players better equipped to handle a tussle. This time its Atlanta's Thorburn vs Detroit's McCarty. A good opportunity for Thorburn to learn how to scrap from one of Detroit's best scrapers. Unfortunately, Thorburn waits too long to make his move and Darren hits him with several quick punches. From there the two exchange a couple weaker blows before McCarty comes down on top on Thorburn to close the fight.

Now it is time for a flashback to the first two minutes of the game. This time it is Atlanta's rookie, Bogosian, who takes the penalty. 2 minutes for interference when he gets caught out of position. A couple quick passes involving Lidstrom and Zetterberg end with Samuelsson sending the slapshot past Kari for his second PP goal of the night.

Some of the Thrashers' best scoring opportunities come in the third period but they don't amount to much as Osgood has some strong saves and gives up few rebounds. Down 3-1 with 90 seconds to play, the Thrashers pull the goalie in what is only a fruitless effort at this point. It takes Detroit only seconds to gain the puck, make a couple passes so that Franzen can get on the board and ice the 4-1 victory.

All in all a pretty grim contest for the Thrashers. Thank goodness it was a preseason tilt. Sure the Thrashers weren't playing with Kozlov, Perrin, White (is that really a loss), Valabik and Schneider. But the Wings didn't have Hossa, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Kronwall, Maltby or Draper dressed.

I thought the only Thrasher that stood out positively was Christensen. Not only did he have the pretty breakaway goal but he also made some nice passes in the offensive zone and got to some loose pucks down low. As a team, the Thrashers showed more speed on defense but need serious work on their positioning and outlet passes. Seeing more players in front of the opponent's net was a welcome change.

As for the recent additions, none stood out. While Bogosian looked pretty good in the offensive zone, he had troubles on the defensive side. If this is any indication of his overall play, it is my opinion he'd be best served returning to the minors for another season assuming they've got a better option. Kulda looks just as good as Bogosian at this point. Hainsey was a disappointment as I don't think he played well on either end of the ice. Williams was part of the most effective line (Kovy, Christensen, Williams) but was relatively quiet.

I've rambled on for far too long. It's only a preseason game! Now that I've completed this entry I'm going to try to erase my mind of remembrance of the Thrashers' performance on this early October night. I hope to form better memories opening night.

Denver Broncos Prediction

Here's brief and somewhat late view of my favorite team as they embark on a new season.

I'm not used to seeing a Denver team with so much youth, especially on the offensive line. In 30 years of being a fan, I can't rememer such a young group. At left tackle, a rookie, Ryan Clady gets the nod. At left tackle, a second year player is starting. A third year player is manning one of the guard positions. Between them they have less than a dozen starts. I actually believe it is a great thing but may take awhile for this line to gel and reach the high level of play it takes for the Broncos to succeed.


The defensive line is in almost the same position. Three were draft last year (Thomas, Moss, Crowder) and one was drafted the year before (Dumervil). Thomas and Dumervil are starters already and hopefully the other two aren't far behind. However, I'm more comfortable with the offensive line's potential. This unit must see improvement or the defense doesn't have a chance. They must find way to create pressure with only 4 and do a better job stopping the run.


I am very comfortable with the QB and WR position. Cutler and Marshall could both be Pro Bowlers this season provided they can both stay healthy and someone emerges to take some pressure of Marshall. Cutler is an extremely poised and intelligent QB and is among the best when forced to make throws on the run. With his diabetes now under control, I think he's ready for a breakout year. Marshall looked like a man among boys last season and despite some legal issues, including a one game suspension, he looks ready to take over where he left off last year. He may have to share some balls with Eddie Royal who looks like a great addition as a second round pick. It'll be great to see two young receivers develop with Cutler.


The linebacking corp has been retooled and should be better than last season but will they be good enough? Last year depth at safety had me concerned. Now I'm concerned about the depth a cornerback. Bailey is great and Bly is adequate but beyond them are some major question marks. I sure hope the younguns can contribute because Paymah doesn't fill me with confidence.


The running back situation has me scared. Still not sure they've got someone who can last a full season and gain the tough yardage. I'm high on the new fullback but I didn't think he'd be ready to start this soon. It'll interesting to see how they use Pittman. If Selvin can handle 20 carries a game, they'll be alright. I'll be looking forward to seeing 5th round draft pick Torian healthy by mid-season.


It is really odd seeing a kicker other than Elam take the field. I hope they've found another long time player and a punter but going with rookies at those positions makes me nervous. Lastly, they need to find a consistent threat at kick returner. I want teams to fear kicking the ball. We've gone far too long without one. Eddie Royal was actually drafted to fill this need.

Looking at the line up and the schedule I seeing the Broncos going 9-7 and missing the playoffs. Just too many young players and too much competition in the AFC West (San Diego) and AFC. They'll be in the fight for a wildcard until the end but come up a little bit short. If they can manage to start the season well, the could be a surprise contender with a weak schedule down the stretch. However, I not sold on the defense enough to think it'll happen. The offense has some dangerous weapons but until a defensive line is built to stop the run and rush the passer wins will be tough to come by.

It sounds odd to say this but I think week 1 is a must win game to have playoff hopes. Oakland games are usually tough and they have a defense that could cause the Broncos some trouble. Add their couple of hard-nose running backs and it wouldn't shock me if the Raiders win. For this initial contest, I'm picking the Broncos 23 - Raiders 16.

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Addendum

Although this was posted after the Raiders contest, all the content was created before that matchup. After seeing the team in action, I'd like to add the following:

Eddie Royal is the real deal. There is no wonder why this kid quickly climbed the charts in training camp. He made DeAngelo hall look like the rookie.

The offensive line did a fantastic job. This young group may be ready quicker than expected.

Cutler sure looked like a Pro Bowler. Extremely good job of finding receivers and putting the ball where no one but his receiver could catch it.

Defense had problems. Although a shutout through 3 quarters, I didn't like what I saw. More talented teams are going to be a problem.

The running game was good but not great. We expect great in Denver.

Shanahan is still a mastermind. His play calling for this game was imaginative and well thought out.

There's nothing better than seeing Greasy Al and a bunch of meth-head-prison-inmate Raider fans with a look of disgust.

I'm not changing any predictions based on a single game, especially against the Raiders, but this result coupled with a couple other AFC losses (San Diego, Indy, Brady, Jacksonville) certainly raised my hopes a bit.

NFL Predictions

I'm a couple days late but only one game has been played at time of posting and it doesn't affect my picks in the slightest.

When picking NFL seasons, I have two approaches. One is to analyze it to death looking at each teams additions and subtractions, their injury issues and predicting each individual game of the league's 5 month season. This approach takes a ton of time. Until this blog generates me cash flow or I'm retired, I don't see me doing it this way again any time soon. Instead you get my second approach. This one relies on gut instinct I've developed watching the NFL for 35 years.

Without further ado, here's the picks:

AFC West : San Diego Chargers - Simply too much talent for the rest of the division. Even if Merriman can't play the whole season there is still a ton of players on both sides of the ball. There are still question marks at WR and I'm not sold on Rivers as top-notch QB. But with two matchups each against KC and OAK and games against the relatively weak NFC South, they should coast. I think they'll get homefield throughout.

AFC Central : Pittsburgh Steelers - Lot of people picking Cleveland to finally rise to the top but I think that is still a year or two away. Steelers are much more consistent and have the hard nose defense it takes to win late in the year.

AFC South : Indianapolis Colts - Nope, this isn't the year Jacksonville overtakes Indy unless Manning is out for an extended period. Addai is just coming into his own and Peyton still has a bunch of weapons. Their defense is underrated and should be healthier / stronger than in the past.

AFC East : New England Patriots - Can we stop talking about Favre for one minute please. The Jets will be better but not good enough. Experience and team cohesion mean a lot in the NFL and the Patriots have a ton of it. Brady is key but the defense has bigger questions. Teams are going to try to send the house after Brady so they better be prepared. If the Pats had more competition in the division, I think we'd see a tumble.

AFC Wildcards : Cleveland, Tennessee - Biggest shocker may be that I'm leaving Jacksonville out of the mix. I have a ton of respect for Jeff Fischer and he's doing a good job retooling after a salary cap mess. Cleveland has the talent on offense but lacks punch on D.

NFC West : Seattle Seahawks - I wanted to pick Arizona but I got to see their first string offensive line get eaten alive by Bronco second stringers. Warner won't last the season at that rate and Leinhart isn't ready. The Seahawks win by default because the rest of the division is dreadful. Holmgren will go out with a division win but not much more.

NFC Central : Detroit Lions - My biggest surprise pick. The Packers take a step back with Rodgers under center and it is enough to lose the division. Minnesota doesn't have a bonafide QB or WRs capable of being a serious threat. They'll live and die by Adrian Peterson. Detroit has a ton of offensive weapons and just got better with Rudi Johnson in the backfield. Calvin Johnson is set to explode on the scene. Detroit's defense may be one of the best "unknown" groups.

NFC South : New Orlean Saints - I seem to pick the Panthers to win this division just about every year and I almost did it again. Then I remembered the Saints added yet another weapon to the offense, TE Shockey. That's enough to put them over the top despite a somewhat weak defense.

NFC East : Dallas Cowboys - Most talent in the NFC from top to bottom. Solid coaching and plenty of playmakers. The cream rises to the top in tough division. The Giants will be in the hunt but their loses on the DL will be felt. Philly, as always, is the big question mark. The need more contribution from the WRs before taking the next step.

NFC Wildcards : Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers - This is going to be a dogfight for these two spots. Give it to these two because they play in relatively weak divisions.

Playoffs

AFC Wildcard
Pittsburgh beats Cleveland
New England beats Tennessee

NFC Wildcard
Carolina beats Seattle
Detroit beats Arizona

AFC Divisional
Indianapolis beats New England
San Diego beats Pittsburgh

NFC Divisional
Dallas beats Carolina
Detroit beats New Orleans

AFC Championship
Indianapolis beats San Diego - once again Chargers fall short

NFC Championship
Dallas beats Detroit - homefield too much for Detroit to overcome

Super Bowl
Dallas beats Indianapolis - Manning has an off game and good guy Wade Philips finally gets his championship. Marion Barber is MVP.

Notice I left out any mention of the Denver Broncos. I'm saving that for the next post.

Appalacian Trail - Woody Gap to Gooch Gap Hike

Yesterday I set out on my longest hike yet. This one didn't come from a book but rather from crossing the trailhead multiple times during recent adventures. I did enough background research to make certain it was something I could handle and set out mid-morning to tackle it.

This particular hike was about 7.5 miles long there and back taking me close to 4 hours with a couple breaks. I started from a major intersection of the Appalachian Trail with Hwy 60 (Woody Gap) and headed West towards Gooch Gap. The trail started by following the ridgeline with only a couple gentle rises and falls. From there, the rises and falls got more significant but were mostly short so it wasn't overly difficult. A couple nice vistas along the way opened up to wide views of mountains to the South.

I saw close to a dozen hikers along the route, many of whom were doing multi day journeys. After 4 hours I was glad to be heading home. This afternoon I'm a little sore from the journey but prepared for more. In the future I hope to make more significant hikes as time permits.

Stone Temple Pilots - Concert Review

08/23/08

This is actually a two part review as it was my first journey to Atlanta's new Verizon Wireless Amphitheater @Encore Park. This particular venue is close to my house and is drawing some pretty big acts so I was interested to see/hear it in person.

The venue is comparable in size and structure to Lakewood Amphitheater (or whatever they are calling this week) on Atlanta's South side but any comparisons stop there. Verizon is so much better in almost every way.

To start with, traffic control and parking is handled very well on entrance. Even though we didn't arrive until about a half hour before show time and a half hour after the gates opened, we faced no more than a 5 minute wait getting in. Parking was organized with an over abundance of staff.

Ticket taking and concessions were just as organized. While I was more than a little disappointed that they insisted on making a huge "X" through my ticket at least there were plenty of people, concessions and bathrooms to take care of my needs. Waits were minimal throughout and there were multiple options for drinks around the grounds.

Since we had general admission in the orchestra pit, we were given armbands for ID. Unfortunately, these bands had ZERO purpose as we were always asked for our tickets at each checkpoint. It got to be a little ridiculous as the checkpoints were often just feet apart. But I prefer the extra checkpoints over having people who don't have the right tickets barging into my area.

The sound great and the setting quite good. All the seats are covered and some nice landscaping makes the grounds much more appealing than Lakewood. Two large video screens provide some extra viewing for people out on the spacious but organized general admission lawn.

The only other drawback to the site was the disorganization on exit. A little more traffic control would have gone a long way. Apparently all the staff was sent home fairly early. But because of location and road access, we still got out of there in a decent amount of time.

In the future I'll definitely return to this venue. For an outdoor setting only Chastain Park has it beat but not by much. It'll be interesting to see if as years go by whether they can maintain the high level and quality of staffing that make it an enjoyable experience.

On to the concert. Early on there was some concern the band might not show. The night before Stone Temple Pilots had failed to show in Tampa. The band blamed the weather but there was some who thought it was tension within the band.

Well, after two decent opening bands, STP did show but it was pretty obvious there was some tension on stage. While the performance was really good, some words and actions were exchanged between Scott Weiland and other members of the band.

Their set list included almost exclusively hits. I guess this was somewhat expected considering the band is soliciting requests for songs via the web site. All the songs sounded great but I would have preferred at least a sprinkling of less popular songs. I really don't like crowd participation as I'm there to hear the band, not the fans. But I took the good with the bad and there was plenty of good to go around. Sound was great and energy was good. Only the light show was pretty bland.

I don't think I'd put this up there with the last time I saw the band at the Tabernacle during their tour for the album "4" but it was certainly a concert well worth attending. Props must go out to friend, Matt who bought me the tickets as a birthday present!

Next up is a trip to New York to see Icelandic band, Sigor Ros.

Bottoms Loop of Unicoi State Park Hike

Another brief hike fairly close to home. The trail is located in very popular state park just outside Helen, Georgia. Although a good chunk of the trail was highly traveled and not as isolated as I like, it did have a nice back section with a few short elevation gains and nice scenery. Since this path is located close to a creek there were numerous bridge crossings. Had I felt the need for some food, I could have walked the extra couple miles to the quaint town of Helen. But seeing as I had other plans for the day I cut it short. I'm planning my next hike to be a much longer and more challenging excursion.

Ohio Vacation

Ohio? Why Ohio?




I wanted to do another vacation with Crimson this summer and wanted to make sure it would be something she'd enjoy. Since she's such a big fan of roller coasters, I figured I take her to one of the best coaster parks in the world, Cedar Point, in Sandusky Ohio. The park contains 17 roller coasters in addition to other thrill rides and we were going to spend two days riding them all.



We flew into Cleveland and rented a car. Since we were in the area we decided to spend the afternoon at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I was interested in looking at the memorabilia and hoped Crimson would learn a thing or two about the music I really like. While there were a lot of interesting items, I thought the organization of the place was a bit weak. It made it hard to find a particular band/artist of interest as well as pick a path to see it all. But there was plenty to see and I was most impressed with some of the Jimi Hendrix items and The Doors showcase. Although Crimson wasn't as interested as I was she did soak up a fact or two.

Here's a shot of her out in front of the Hall of Fame

Some large guitars inspired by some of the enshrinees.

We managed to see the entire place before it closed at 5:30 and then walked around the outside of the building a bit since it is located right on Lake Erie. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside so I took more outside.

From Cleveland we headed the hour drive west to Sandusky. We spent the next couple nights at a hotel located about 15 minutes from the park. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and we only ended up using the hotel for the free breakfast and the beds.


We spent the entire day at the park the first day (10AM - 9:15PM) and most of the day the second day (10AM - 5:30PM). We rode all the roller coasters except 2 kiddie ones and gave a few a second run. The park was quite busy so a lot of lines were an hour plus. We encountered a few mechanical breakdowns but we enjoyed it a lot and got to do everything we set out to do.


We both liked Top Thrill Dragster a lot. This particular coaster pushes you up to 120MPH in 3.4 seconds and then sends you straight up in the sky 420 feet. A couple of twists and then it sends you right back down at 120MPH. The whole thing is over in less than 20 seconds but it was great fun.




Second favorite was probably Wicked Twister. This one speeds passengers in one direction and then straight up into a series of twists. Then, you head down backwards and up into another series of twists. This back and forth continues through a couple cycles. Hard to explain but an adreline rush and so smooth.




Other highlights included Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200 and Maverick (best new coaster of 2007 featuring a quick launch up a big hill and 95 degree drop!). We even took in some pinball at the old arcade where Crimson beat her Dad badly on South Park. Now she wants one added to her Christmas list.





I wasn't about to haul a camera around on rides all day so a park photographer will have to do. Terrible picture of me (nice smile?) but a good picture of Crimson.

Amicalola Falls Hike

This hike was quite a bit different from recent hikes. Instead of being isolated in the woods, I was at a location with lots of people. Instead of working my way through overgrown brush and switchbacks, I climbed a bunch of stairs.

Although the site was quite nice and the exercise was good, I doubt I would do this hike again. It simply lacks a lot of what I'm looking for when I set out to hike. The impact of a large number of visitors was clearly visible with litter, graffiti, and short cuts aplenty. A staircase is obviously needed when there are so many visitors but I'd much prefer a rougher setting.

This particular hike was relatively short at less than 2 hours with plenty of stops for photos. However, it was definitely challenging because of the huge number of stairs. The route up follows closely along the left (West) edge of the falls and offers some great views. There was an alternate route back down which didn't offer a view of the falls but did offer a few nice vistas and much more peace and quiet since most people take the same way down as up.

When you first start the climb you are greeted by the following sign. No big deal 175 steps doesn't sound too bad.


But by the top of those 175 I was feeling it. I was hot and bit winded. From this stop a nice view of the falls appears.
I was stopping here. My halfway point was at the top of the falls. The following sign is a LOT scarier after climbing the first 175 steps.


The next 425 weren't easy at all. About 2/3s up I thought I was going to puke my guts out. A brief rest did a world of good and I continued to the top. There isn't much of a view of the falls from the top because they drop really quick. The following shot is from the start of the trail heading back down the other side.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Concert Review

I've seen tons of concerts in my life but as time goes by the number I attend from year to year drops off a bit. During the spring I thought this might be the first year since I was 16 that I didn't attend a concert.

Things changed due to the generosity of few friends/family. Last night was the first of my gifts. I was given seats to attend the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss concert at Chastain Park in Atlanta. This is one of my favorite venues in the area because the sound is generally good, its relatively small and intimate, the atmosphere is terrific and its outside. I figured it was about my 8th time seeing Robert Plant.

Each and every Plant concert is a little bit different. I've seen ones where he did only solo material. I seen ones where he played only Zeppelin material (with Jimmy Page) and I seen ones where he played a bit of both. In all these cases he's sounded great and been the undisputed front man.

This concert was a little different. With Allison Kraus a legend in the bluegrass genre they both had a significant impact in drawing fans to the venue. But this wasn't two greats trading the stage. Instead, it was two greats working together and sharing the limelight. I have to admit it was odd seeing Plant singing backup but I think that added to the charm.

As I wrote in my review of Raising Sand, their music and especially the combination of their two voices has a haunting quality. A unique blend of blues, bluegrass, rock and swing that is very entertaining as is mesmerizes. Kraus has an unbelievably strong voice and it comes forth with almost no effort. While her solo material doesn't really appeal to me, there is no denying she's very talented.

The concert consisted primarily of the two performing all their tracks from their Grammy winning album. Each track was performed exceptionally well with just enough ad-libs and rearrangements to surprise the crowd. The two took their turns on lead vocals leaving the other to sing backup, play maracas or simply dance around. Both artists look like they were enjoying themselves and they had great chemistry.

Both artists did have a chance to perform some songs from their solo/past careers. Krauss played about 3 songs while Plant mostly rested. Even T-Bone Burnett had a chance to play a tune of his own. Both singers sung together doing a great rearrangement of Zeppelin's "Black Dog", a spot on version of Zeppelin's "Black Country Woman" and Plant's "In The Mood". My personal highlight was their duet performance for Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore". Although there were a few high notes Plant wisely adjusted, his and her voice were superb.

In the end it was a marvelous night. I know many in attendance would have like more Zeppelin tunes but that wasn't Plant's intention. He obviously enjoys working with Krauss and had no intentions of overshadowing her. I have a ton of respect for what Plant has done professionally post Zeppelin and I'll continue to support his efforts since I've enjoyed each and every one of them.

Next up is Stone Temple Pilots in mid-August. Here's hoping the band members can tolerate each other long enough to put on that show.