Islanders Bits: In which fans would like something to happen
by Dominik on Aug 30, 2011 6:15 AM EDT
in Bits o' Islanders News
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PrintIn my real job I have to do end-of-the-month reporting, one of those administrative tasks that annoys you so you put it off and then suddenly it's here again and another month has flown by faster than Michael Grabner getting his morning paper*.
*It does not escape me that soon most players won't know what a "morning paper" is. To borrow from Matthew McConaughey's character in "Dazed and Confused" (NSFW, language) about high school girls: "That's what I love about NHL players. I get older, they stay the saaame age."
August, however, did not fly by. August makes me happy to see its end. August was the cruelest slowest month in hockey news. It's not over yet, but it's fading and I finally see training camp 'round the bend. Here are some actual Islanders hockey links. We'll have a new topic to chew on later today.
Islanders Links
Trading off Chris Botta's post from earlier in the week, THN's rumor roundup leads with the Islanders, speculating about attempts to acquire another defenseman. Nothing new there though. And as always, the chase is limited by what prey are available. Shaone Morrisonn is not a name I can spell nor think would help. Mike Komisarek neither. I don't expect anything here, but then again no one expected the Spanish Inquisition nor James Wisniewski.
Botta also went to four scouts for pr*j*ct*ns on the Islanders forwards this year. Reasonable estimates, I reckon. Though I'm not at all surprised to see them say the Islanders forwards are in the top half of the East -- they were such last year, too. It's the defense and goaltending that ... okay we've been over that.
Newsday's Katie Strang checks back in to share agent-approved progress on Josh Bailey's deal (it will get done) and Ryan Strome talking about his plans and not worried about his pending contract. [FanShot discussion here.] I suppose it's history lesson time, if any are worried: Josh Bailey didn't sign his ELC until training camp. Neither did Nino Niederreiter until Sept. 22 last year.
Do you have talent? Then you too could be a national anthem singer for the Islanders. [FanShot discussion here.]
How the [English bank of some sort] Center arena in Brooklyn is shaping up these days. Not that it's relevant or anything.
Hockey Links
The same THN rumor roundup linked above discusses Jarkko Ruutu, who insists at age 36 he has NHL "offers" but none to his liking. Don't know who's looking for an aging non-scorer who plays like, well, a weasel. I was really disappointed and ticked at Chris Simon when he stomped Ruutu because Simon was already on double-secret probation but, to steal from Chris Rock: I understand.
There was even news yesterday! Calgary trades Daymond Langkow to Phoenix for Lee Stempniak. Smells a lot like contract dump on Calgary's part, but Puck Daddy explores why. Hayley at Matchsticks and Gasoline gives Langkow the lyrical treatment.
A way to help a hockey Tweeter whose house was not spared by Irene.
Old but fun: The level of traitordom by various ex-Capitals. I'm trying to think which current players I view as traitors to the cause, and I'm drawing a blank. Who was the last compelling Isles free agent the Islanders tried hard to keep but flew away?
Fun measure from Raw Charge: If shorthanded goals allowed were factored into powerplay rankings. Part of me almost thinks they should count twice, for the double-whammy "are you KIDDING me?" effect.
Not really related, but aww hell why not: The best part about cricket news other than me not understanding the terminology whatsoever, is that sometimes a Google search for a hockey player turns up a cricket player instead. Thus you get:
Patterson was next man out when he was caught by Mark Parrish off the bowling of Nick Gaynor and more wickets were taken by Matthew Ellinor ... Mark Parrish and Terry Dunn got the team up and running, but frustratingly they were dismissed for 15 and 14 respectively.
I have no idea what any of that means, but one thing I love about this site is that I know some of you do and will be happy to teach me. My hope this season is to do at least one game recap in cricket style. "Michael Grabner got the team up and running, but frustratingly Frans was dismissed for 10 and the Isles were pipped. The contest resumes on the morrow, with Al Montoya bowling."
...after which I will return to soccer-style, "Blake Comeau looked to be out for a Sunday stroll as the whole squad simply lacked belief."
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Get Zeke Back!
…and have Frans and Grabs pay his salary.
As I was checking the link about relative SHGA I remembered that the Islanders led the league in SH goals. 15 on 310 times short handed. The difference between Zeke and Reasoner could be as many as 25 less times shorthanded which could cost Frans and Grabs a goal or two each.
I'm so depressed now.
Lighthouse Hockey: Home of the "STROME-BOLI"!
Thanks for voting "YES" on Aug 1st... just not enough of you!!!
One day we're going to realize Zeke had it all figured out
He’s like Orr in Catch-22. And we all thought he was crazy.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Please do the soccer recap
my favorite part of watching the premiership are the announcers. Can’t get enough of their bluntness.
"It don't make you a bad person" - Ron Bennington
The Spanish Inquisition? In August?
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition. It’s chief weapons are fear, surprise and really bad free agent defensemen.
I hate it when people take my Wickets. Sucks.
by The Danish Backhand of Judgement on Aug 30, 2011 7:51 AM EDT reply actions
What the french toast is a wicket??
Take em to the jabrone-zone
by IslesJabronie on Aug 30, 2011 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Isn't a wicket something from that game
where they wear white and drink tea? Cockroach or cricket or some insect sounding name.
All I have is ....
I’m real happy camps open in 2 weeks.
seriously
This August has been soooo boring. I’m fairly happy with the team as is, but no hockey/hockey news sucks. How many times can people have the same conversations?!?!
by Empire39 on Aug 30, 2011 8:40 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
conversations
I think we’re pushing 26 times and aiming for 30.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
McCabe as a camp invite
Definitely see that scenario playing out if he continues to go unsigned. I’m sure he’s holding out for a solid contract before he takes an invitation but there is only 2 weeks left. And really there is no better situation for the Isles. He has to earn a spot over the youngsters before they commit any money.
No Sleep 'til....
I would be shocked
I don’t think he has anything in the tank. I’d almost prefer Mottau
"Maybe (Frans) should concentrate more on FO rather than the thugging aspect of his game." - AP77
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
I get older, they stay the saaame age
Yes they do. Yes they do.
by SchneiderDiricov on Aug 30, 2011 9:05 AM EDT reply actions
Cricket.
You asked…
There are two basic types of matches. The original one can last as long as five days.
To use baseball analogies:
- there are 11 players per side
- there are only two innings
- ten outs per inning
- pitching is called bowling, and the ball must bounce once before it gets to the batter
- there are two “bases”. A batter stands at each base. The defending side will bowl towards one base for six bowls, and then the other base for six.
- when a batter hits the ball, BOTH batters must decide if they can advance to the other base. So they run back and forth, criss-crossing each other every time they strive for another run.
- like baseball, if the ball is caught in the air, or a runner is tagged with the ball, or they throw to a base before the runner gets there, that batsman is out and is replaced with another. Thus, the ten outs would leave only one batsman, and that’s when the inning is over.
- Baseball is a pitcher’s game. Cricket is a hitter’s. The scores will typically reach hundreds of runs for both sides.
What else would you like to know, guys?
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 9:30 AM EDT reply actions
The other type of game...
I forgot to mention that the other type of game is a one-day match, which has all the same rules, except that each side gets only one inning, and there’s a pitch count of 300, so it’s the most runs you can get on that many bowls, assuming you don’t rack up ten outs (known as wickets).
And i forgot to mention one other way to get a man out: by bowling the ball past him and hitting the “stumps”… Three pipes sticking out of the ground that form a rather small “strike zone”.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Well Played Sir
The game was always a mystery to me until I spent a few months working in London and watched some games in the pubs. Drawing analogies to baseball was the only way I could figure out what was happening, as when you think about it in baseball terms the game actually starts to makes sense.
One other key difference is that in baseball, a batter hits the ball within a 90 degree section of the field for it to be fair, while in cricket, you can hit the ball in 360 degrees (eg fouling a ball straight back could be a hit).
by SchneiderDiricov on Aug 30, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Ah yes thanks! I forgot to mention that. Other details include the fact that they can change bowlers whenever they wish (though this usually happens every six bowls) and that hitting a “home run” is an automatic six runs.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
The 360 degree field has always intrigued me
Seems to be a nice freedom in that. Forrest Gump would dig it.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Well, thanks to the shape of the bats...
… it’s not easy to intentionally foul it backwards for runs. More often than not, it’s done by accident.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions
One of my fondest fuzzy memories of University
was sitting in the TV lounge in my residence first year with two lovely girls from Trinidad, a TV schedule with Cricket matches and Baseball games and a huge bottle of Rum, with the deal being they’d teach me the rules of Cricket and I’d teach them the rules of Baseball. We all failed. Spectacularly. Lost interest in the sports after we finished most of the rum.
Nom Nom Nom
STOP effin' messin' with my FnGO!!
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Aug 30, 2011 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Then I'm pretty sure that was NOT a fail.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm thinking there were a lot of lessons that day
Involving a bat, balls, and what-not.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Closest I ever came to a cricket match was my roommate losing his front tooth.
I never laughed so hard at him knowing that I played hockey for 15 plus years at the time and still had all of my teeth. He went out to play cricket and immediately lost his tooth. He hadn’t played since his youth in the West Indies and never realized how quick someone could bowl as an adult
Nassau Coliseum lost a veteran and an original Islander fan. ACC 1918-2011
Ah, yes, which reminds me of another difference between cricket and baseball:
In baseball, you’re allowed to use a glove. Cricket? Not so much. Only the catcher. Everyone else has to bare-hand their catches.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 31, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't have a clue...
what the game was about when I used to hit golf balls into the games at Eisenhower Park. I still don’t… but I do have some memories of a bunch of people standing around wondering where the hell golf balls were coming from. They were behind the driving range, and I was practicing for the ReMaxx Long Drive championships.
Lighthouse Hockey: Home of the "STROME-BOLI"!
Thanks for voting "YES" on Aug 1st... just not enough of you!!!
This is the clearest explanation of cricket I've ever seen
And believe me, I’ve taken a stab or two (without watching beyond highlights).
Even read that book Netherland the quasi- 9/11 meets cricket meets thriller novel. (Thought it was just okay.)
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Cricket (especially international competition) more resembels Home Run Derbies than baseball to me.
I can sort of follow it, but not greatly.
Writer at Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times
Pitchf/x enthusiast.
Are there advanced stats for cricket...
Is there a relative wicked googly?
Lighthouse Hockey: Home of the "STROME-BOLI"!
Thanks for voting "YES" on Aug 1st... just not enough of you!!!
by JPinVA on Aug 30, 2011 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Cue the
Cricket “intangibles” crowd!
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Aug 30, 2011 12:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
That bowler won because he wanted it more.
His teammates got clutch wickets. That’s just what they do.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Aug 30, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Nice
I still don’t get it, but I get it more.
The one thing I had read about cricket was this guy’s Wikipedia page. He seems like the Babe Ruth of baseball, but even more dominant (although they don’t call anything Bradmanian as far as I know). Even with a minimal understanding these records seem absurd.
by afrosupreme on Aug 30, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That IS impressive.
I haven’t seen many matches, but I’ve noticed that it’s rare for someone to get 100 runs (yes, guys that would be like 100 RBIs) in a batting stint. I can’t call it one “at bat” as they will bat many times until they get out, but you get the idea. During the last World Cup which happened earlier this year, there were likely about 10 or 15 such scores over 60+ one-day matches.
Now if you look at this guy’s AVERAGE number of RBI’s per batting stint, it’s just under 100. Daaaaamn!
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
There are two drink breaks per day, i think
So once every three hours, i guess.
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I sang the National Anthem at several Islander games....
With my high school choir back in 2000. The team liked us so much they asked us back 3 more times. I was ecstatic!! Almost no one in my choir cared really, but I was so pumped. They made us wear all black for the first few times, but for the last game (which was the season finale), I asked if they could wear my Islander jersey.
They said yes, and so there I was standing 15 feet from Roberto Luongo in my retro white Islander jersey singing the national anthem. I remember finishing the song and shouting “LET’S GO ISLANDERS” at the end and getting a good cheer and a little stick wave from Luongo. To top it off, the Isles won 3-2, all three goals coming from a Mariusz Czerkawski!
It was a down year for the team, but that is still one of my favorite nights ever as a fan.
Actually, come to think of it, the team was 4-0 when we sang that year…I should sign up to sing again!
by rosey7 on Aug 30, 2011 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 8 recs
Start flexing those golden pipes!
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 30, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Haha, unfortunately, I live in LA now
I moved out to do the whole acting thing here, otherwise I would totally sign up for those auditions. One of the weirdest things about LA (and I realize that’s saying a lot) is the fact that most sports games start at 4 pm. It’s really weird to watch the Islanders play so early. If I have an afternoon gig, the game ends before I even get a chance to get home!
Awesome, rosey
Love tales like these.
When we have a LHH California meetup, will you sing us some Gordon Lightfoot to kick off festivities? (Reference here, if you missed that day.)
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
HAHA! Anything for you Dom!
He’ll be a fun challenge to imitate. And when they Islanders score goals I can do my Quagmire impression “Heh-heh…allll right!”
I would love to meet some of the gang in person, I’m all in favor of a LHH California meet up. I think they play in Anaheim this year, but the Kings (don’t they have a guy that’s related to one of the Islanders, or something?) only play on Long Island this year I think.
You are forgiven
I owe a sister in SoCal a visit. She doesn’t know that whenever it happens (probably not this season), it will coincide with an Islanders road swing.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Still not taking Mark Parrish for my Fantasy Cricket team
Isles play in Glendale as well on Jan 7th. Yes, I actually have 2 tickets on side Isles shoot twice through Ticket Shyster. Should I take the Fishsticks out of its frame for that one?
The roof the roof the roof is on fire
The roof the roof the roof is on fire
The roof the roof the roof is on fire
We don't need no water let Nassau County burn
Burn motherf******s burn
Anybody interested in a great cricket movie?
Lagaan: Once upon a time in India (2001)
Awesome movie!!! I knew nothing of cricket and by the end of the movie felt like I could actually play it (granted it was a long movie). My brother collects great sports movies and I recommended it to him and he loves it as well. Just try to hang in there through the first 5-10 minutes because a whole Indian village breaks into song while they pray for rain…I liked the music but if you come for the cricket you can probably skip the first hour or so.
A long movie....
…. for a long sport. I’ll see if I can find a copy somewhere. thanks!
Screw Nassau.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Aug 31, 2011 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks!
We never did do a summer movie recommendation thread.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
