Thursday, November 13, 2008
Of hearts and other things
THE SABRES WON LAST NIGHT! In a very average, even game that was totally not even exciting at all! But it would have been if the score was 8-3 as it would have been if they had scored every time they had a wide open net at which to shoot! Yeah!
Now that that is out of the way...
1. Tim Connolly is, apparently, "questionable" for tomorrow night's game. We all know that this really means he will be out for six months. Is anyone else sick and tired of hearing about him and putting up with his crap? I do like the suggestion that someone made (sorry for not remembering who!) that he sucked when he was one of the iron men of the NHL and is awesome now because he made a deal with the devil. It went like this:
Timmy Ho: "Dude, I am so sick of, like, sucking. I mean, what gives."
Devil: "How about this. I make you amazing, under one condition. You will have to put up with various maladies that will cut the number of games you play in ha--, no, in quarter. These maladies will include concussions, bone spurs, a tweaked groin, back pain, stress fractures, bruises, cold sores, scratches, bad lack-of-hair days, hangnails, and chapped lips."
Timmy Ho: "Deal."
I am so done with him. I don't even care anymore.
2. Jason Pominville does not know the difference between bubble hockey and air hockey.
3. Jochen Hecht wins the Most Random Award for his music choices. I really do believe that the players are given lists of songs from which to choose when they get to pick songs to play during games, because, I mean, come on... But, even so, his choices? U2, Nelly featuring Ashanti, Foo Fighters, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, and Norah Jones? Hilarious.
4. I do hope that the KHL makes public the results of the further testing they are ordering to be done on several of their players. As of now, they have tested forty-nine players, and of that sample, five of them have some sort of heart defect. That could be incredibly interesting/incriminating, or it could mean absolutely nothing at all.
They may all have mitral valve prolapse, which is a heart defect that affects 2-20% of the population, depending on who is asked. For what it's worth, autopsies have revealed that 7% of deceased people had it. Essentially, its symptoms, if any can be felt, are a low tolerance for physical exercise, palpitations, tachycardia at times, chest pain, shortness of breath on exertion, fatigue, dizziness, and, in a few, fainting/syncope, or near-fainting. Other than those things, though, it does not affect a person's life at all and is almost always completely harmless. I could have mitral valve prolapse. You could have it. It really does not matter, and the trouble one must go through to have it diagnosed is more than the trouble of the problem itself.
On the other hand, they could all have cardiomyopathy, which is what Cherepanov had regardless of what the Russian doctors say; his heart was nearly the twice the size it should have been. That's all anyone needs to know to diagnose that, because, uh, that's what cardiomyopathy is: an enlarged heart. Even if only two or three of them have it, that would still raise red flags and set off alarms in my mind. It is well-known that there is a suspected link between steroid use and cardiomyopathy (not enough studies have been performed to really establish a link, only to suggest one, though what I have read on the topic suggests that most physicians are in agreement that one exists; and it is proven that anabolic steroids cause, at the very least, hypertrophy of the heart). If several of those players have it, I would immediately suspect that the KHL has a significant doping problem on its hands. The prevalence of cardiomyopathy, by the way, is 0.02%, or one in 5,439 people.
I hope that, because the KHL has, so far, made public the results of the testing it has performed on all of its players aged twenty and younger, it makes public the final results as well. Steroid use is one thing that I personally cannot stand. If I were the commissioner of any sports league, I would impose severe penalties upon any player found to be using them, regardless of who it is. It is true that most athletes who use them are smart and do not use ones for which there are current tests; I would, like cycling has started to do, have samples frozen to re-test again each time it is made possible to test for another form of anabolic steroid.
...This really has no point to it. I have just suddenly become highly interested in the testing that the KHL is performing on its players and the implications that it will have if several of them are found to have cardiomyopathy. I, for one, am hoping that they all have mitral valve prolapse, or perhaps another more common heart defect (though, for the most part, they are all extremely rare; that's really the only common one), simply because I detest steroid use, and it would be a shame if questions were raised regarding the circumstances of Cherepanov's death. Some things are better left unquestioned.
Lastly. The Tampa Lightning are beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 right now. Remember this moment and cherish it forever.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Randomness, because the NHL does not know how to make a good schedule wherein the Sabres play every night
- On Saturday night, Jhonas Enroth made 16 saves in his third consecutive victory in the Pirates 5-3 win against the Philadelphia Phantoms.
Also...
- The Pirates are 5-0 on Saturday nights this season.
You've no idea how refreshing it is to me to see that Lindy Ruff has essentially gone postal (hyperbole, people) on the team not once but twice already, fourteen games into the season. It means that he cares, that he actually expects something from them this year. I didn't exactly get that vibe from him last season. Not at all. At any rate, I am enjoying these video sessions followed by extended practices that he is putting the team through after they play a crappy game or two. It is also encouraging to read regularly in the paper (well, the online version) that Rivet spends time after practices talking to the team.
Of course, if they do not respond well against the Blues (against whom they traditionally suck), I will have no idea what to think about this team. Well, take that back. I will know what to think. It will simply not be good.
Kostopoulos was suspended three games for his hit-from-behind on Van Ryn. I find that suspension to be absolutely fair... I just had to make mention of it here because, for the most part, I do not agree with the lengths of suspensions that the NHL/Colin Campbell make, but I do this time. Kostopoulos is not at all a dirty player, and, in the words of Colin Campbell:
"It wasn't a hit to the head. It resulted in a check from behind, which is not legal, and then his head hit the glass. It wasn't late. He (Van Ryn) wasn't unsuspecting. He knew there was a forechecker coming. He had the puck, he expected to be played. He started to reverse direction to evade the forechecker and that's when the hit happened. There was an injury to the player, and the player didn't leave his skates, he didn't jump into him."
I completely agree. Plus, I mean, ever since Downie hit McAmmond like he did in preseason last year, I sortof have been using that hit as the epitome of a dirty hit. Completely unsuspecting player, and Downie went for his head along with leaving his feet to the extent that he hit the ice after hitting McAmmond, who, I have heard, is an extremely classy guy (not that that means anything when determining suspension length; I just hate when guys who are actually decent people are hit like that... Fisher and McAmmond are perhaps the only class on the Senators hahaha jk, I hope... oh, and Phillips). That was one of the worst hits I've ever seen... And the hit Kostopoulos laid on Van Ryn was nothing compared to it. That hit received a twenty-game suspension; three games is certainly fair.
Continuing the classy players discussion (because I'm bored)... I hope to one day meet one of the more respected players in the league. That would be... cool? I don't know. But, you know. Steve Yzerman (I don't care that he's retired), Joe Sakic, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Markus Naslund, etc. I've never heard a bad thing about any of them (beyond the Shane Doan ridiculousness that was entirely untrue, as evidenced by the fact that the head of Hockey Canada and a lot of current and former teammates came out of the woodwork to say, "Uhhhhhh, he doesn't ever even swear, soooo that couldn't have been him" ahahaha oops.... I just remember laughing about that whole thing), and in every "classiest player in the NHL" discussion, their names are always thrown around. It would be nice to say... "Yeah, Yzerman's really classy. I was in an elevator with him once. We made small talk. He's really nice. And I've met Iginla, too. He offered to give me an autograph as soon as I let him know that I recognized him. I mean, how ridiculous is that?!" Yeah. I'm bored.
Penguins got revenge on the Red Wings today (if beating them in one regular-season game = revenge for losing the Cup ahaha)... 7-6. What a bastion of defensive play that game must have been.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Um, guys? Wake up.
How.... do the Sabres... go from great... to terrible... when usually in games... if there's going to be a progression like that... it goes the opposite way...
I'm going to not say anything else about this game other than that the second goal was weeeeaaaak and that I am pissed at them not only for allowing forty SOG but for... everything, basically.
What happened to the team of two games ago?
This is ridiculous.
I can't say more.... Everyone else is going to cover it pretty fully, I'm sure, and honestly, I just don't feel like writing anything about an effort that was that poor.
Oh, and the decision to bench Paille was a stupid one at best. And the decision to not play Lalime was, although expected and not stupid, still not the one I would have liked to see. Miller's head was not in the game at all tonight, for whatever reason. He made some nice saves and only let in one terrible goal, but... he just wasn't focused.
The defense was terrible... The offense was non-existent...
I honestly would not care if they had not already shown us perfectly how to play excellent, Cup-worthy hockey. If they had come into the season playing inconsistently and still stuck in last year, then I would have fun with the wins and not mind the losses. Having what you know is a great team before you really makes the bad efforts much harder to take. I just hope that the inconsistency is not here to stay, because my goodness, have they ever been that lately. Sometimes, expectations are not fun.
Apparently Matt (NOT Dan) Ellis was never claimed by the Kings... and is now in Portland... I have no idea how it was reported that he was claimed. ...I just know that everybody was reporting it.
Friday, November 7, 2008
FAIL
I am not even going to say anything about that HORRIBLE game...
OK, just kidding.
There is one word to describe their play: DISGUSTING.
Maybe that doesn't even cover it.
Where was the team defense? Where? OK, three bad games out of thirteen... OK, I will take that without complaining... but they're just so ridiculously hard to endure while they're happening.
Goal #1: TIM CONNOLLY. WHAT IN THE WORLD. Nowhere to be found. That was YOUR assignment, Tim. Yours. And you blew it. That goal was purely your fault. I'm so happy you're back on the roster, Tim. You have no idea.
Goal #2: Fluke and bizarre. Moving on.
Goal #3: Nothing anybody could do.
Goal #4: Thank you, Ryan Miller, for sucking.
Goal #5: Thank you, again, Ryan Miller, for sucking.
Not to say that Ryan Miller sucks... because he doesn't, not at all. In fact, here is some statistical goodness I decided to look up because it took about two minutes and proves my point for the eightieth time that all goalies, even the best, have bad games on a fairly consistent basis... If you think you've seen this elsewhere, that's because you probably have, because, yes, I do indeed post on sabres.com, much to my own chagrin at times (lulz).
Under the premise that a game with a save percentage below .900 is a bad one for a goaltender... Here are some of the goalies who are in the top half of the league so far this year in save percentage.
Ryan Miller has had two bad games in ten starts.
Henrik Lundqvist: 3 in 13
Marc-Andre Fleury: 5 in 11
Martin Brodeur: 4 in 10
Tim Thomas: 2 in 9
Alex Auld: 1 in 8 (he wins hahaha)
Niklas Backstrom: 2 in 11
Mike Smith: 1 in 9 (no, HE wins)
Cam Ward: 2 in 9
JS Giguere: 4 in 12
Brent Johnson: 1 in 5
And the Vezina Trophy winner last season, Mr. Marty Brodeur? He had nineteen bad games, out of seventy-seven played. That's 25%, or one in four.
So, you know. Having one bad game out of every five is actually quite stellar. Still, as poorly as the team played, were it not for Miller on the last two goals tonight, they would have won.
Not that I wanted them to. I said with about seven minutes left in the third that the Sabres would allow a PP goal early in OT... (I take full responsibility for that loss, just as I take full responsibility for the 5-0 game against the Capitals.) I predicted the loss because I wanted it to happen (and because I genuinely believed it would occur, but... I really wanted it to happen). They cannot allow themselves to again, this season, fall into the habit of playing down to their competition, as they did tonight and as they have on two other occasions so far this year. It is pathetic... I think that all teams are guilty of it to some degree, but when the no-regulation-wins Atlanta Thrashers outplay you...... No. Playing down to the competition should only include playing slightly above their level, when you're capable of much more.
If I were Lindy Ruff, and if the Sabres did not have a game tomorrow, they would skate until they throw up the next practice. If they don't want to show any effort in an actual game, fine. They can just show all of that effort, plus what they'd normally show, in practice the next day. I have no problem with that whatsoever.
When all is said and done, I cannot really complain... As of now, this kind of game is still a fluke with this team. If it happens again tomorrow night, though... I will personally... um... complain. Yes.
At least Vanek got another goal. Twelve in thirteen isn't bad at all. Really, it is thirteen in thirteen, because we all know he scored twice tonight... Not only is he NEVER wrong when he thinks he scored, but, I mean, we all saw the puck go up Hedberg's jersey, definitely over the line. Oh well. If you can't see the puck over the line, it's not a goal... Going by the rules, it was a good call. It just... sucked.
The positive of this game: Jaroslav Spacek was given an interview.
I think it would be really funny if the person who updates sabres.com said on the story on the main page about the game, instead of "FINAL: ATLANTA 5, BUFFALO 4 (OT)".... "FAIL: ATLANTA 5, BUFFALO 4 (OT)."
Also.
Ellis has been claimed off waivers by the LA Kings. Yes, that's right. The same team that put him on waivers for us to claim him.
Excuse me while I go laugh hysterically.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Why the Sabres should play every night
Consider this entry to be sort of my list of one hundred things about me that everyone was doing about a month ago.
First, pictures that are not of the Sabres, and I'm... kinda glad they aren't. But only kinda. You just know that MJ at My Safety Is Harvard would have something epic to say about them if they were.
Jordan Staal. What. In. The world. And Malkin... You actually look decent in this picture, and I don't know how to feel about that. But seriously, guys? Seriously. And that woman... looks like she's had some plastic surgery. Sure she hasn't, but her face... resembles... those who have. Yeah. Overall, I think that one of the Sabres should bring this up to Staal the next time they play the Penguins. Yes.
But, another picture that should be brought up the next time we get to beat the Penguins.
Here is a little story that my nine-year-old brother wrote for a school assignment. The assignment was to write two pages about
-WAIT BREAK. My twenty-two-year-old cousin who also doubles as one of my lifelong best friends just called to tell me she's now engaged. WOOOOO! Now back to regularly scheduled blogging.-
how the Sabres come back from a 5-0 deficit in Game 7 of the Cup finals to win Lord Stanley's Cup. I've totally posted this on the internet before, and Caroline at Hockey Night in Buffalo has definitely already seen it, but oh well.
"The Canucks are winning 5-0. Sabres are behind. All of a sudden, Vanek gets a pass from Derek Roy. He shoots and scores! Now the ref drops the puck. Pominville wins. He passes the puck to Drew Stafford. Stafford passes the puck to Roy. Roy does a wraparound and scores! Canucks win the faceoff. He passes it, and then Teppo Numminen steals it. He passes it to Andrew Peters, and Peters scores! Now the score is 5-3. Sabres win the faceoff. Drew passes it to Roy, and Roy scores three seconds after the faceoff. It is 5-4 with 20 seconds on the clock. Canucks win the faceoff. The Canucks shoot. Miller makes an amazing save. Miller shoots and scores! Now it's 5-5.
They start overtime. The ref drops the puck. The goalie gets the puck and he shoots it and he hits Ryan Miller really hard. Now it's a goalie fight. Ryan Miller and Roberto Luongo are fighting. Ryan Miller comes really hard and wins. And then the ref drops the puck. The Canucks win the faceoff and passes it to the other Canucks player. And then Andrew Peters steals it and shoots. Willie Mitchell is in the way. He gets hit and then they fight. Both of them have their helmets fall off and then Peters gives a hard whack and wins. The ref drops the puck. Afinogenov wins and passes it to Spacek. Spacek passes it to Rivet. Rivet shoots and scores! Let's see the next game if they can win the Atlanta Thrashers."
Seriously, how amazing is this. Obviously he wrote it during the Canucks game. Roberto Luongo, Willie Mitchell, and they for some reason are playing the Thrashers immediately after winning the Cup? ...That makes sense. But seriously my brother is amazing, and this just proves it.
My college makes all the freshmen every year take two tests: the MBTI (I already knew mine; ISTJ FTW! we are 10% of the population, so we're everywhere) and the StrengthsQuest, whatever that is. So, my top five strengths are harmony (which is hilarious because I adore intellectual debates one-on-one), responsibility, consistency (I like to see everybody treated the same, basically), relator (I deliberately encourage deepening of relationships once the initial connection is made, and I'm comfortable with intimacy and strive for it and am willing to take the risk that I might get stabbed in the back for it), and intellection. Intellection I would say is actually my top strength, because essentially I think about absolutely everything all the time, and my choice in books is rather... most people don't like the books I read, because they're over their heads. Let's just put it that way. And harmony? LOL, right. As if I ever use that. To me, my strengths are in the opposite order. But whatevs.
My ISTJ profile, on the other hand, is ridiculously accurate in every single way. Hooollyyyyy crap.
ISTJs are quiet, serious, and realistic observers of their environment, who naturally attend to and remember concrete facts. ISTJs give great weight to hands-on life experiences; they use their Sensing to internally process and file away data for later use. ISTJs usually have a massive amount of information stored inside and an impressive command of the facts. In recalling a past event, ISTJs often have a good memory for what was literally said or done. Their orientation to detail can also show as a concern for precision in action and in speech. It was an ISTJ who originally said, "Say what you mean."
ISTJs bring a detached pragmatism to all that they do, and they have a great deal of common sense; ISTJs are typically down-to-earth folk. They learn by doing, and want to know how an idea can be used or applied. As a result, they are often quite skeptical people. "Seeing is believing" to an ISTJ. They respect the facts and their experience, and they expect things to be logical. Period.
Thinking gives order and structure to ISTJs' experiences and puts their pragmatism in a logical context. ISTJs tend to be analytical and tough-minded, and they make decisions with an eye to impersonal consequences; they really want their decisions to be objective and fair. Thinking in conjunction with Sensing also gives ISTJs an eye to the efficient manipulation of realworld phenomena. That is, they like to bring logical order to facts and things in their environment. ISTJs are usually more oriented to the tasks on which they are working than to the people with whom they work, and they may sometimes unrealistically expect all people to behave "logically."
ISTJs do like a structured and organized outer world, and find comfort in developing and adhering to a routine in their work. They like to know what their job is, and generally do not appreciate settings where the rules constantly change; in this sense, ISTJs are conservative. They guard what works, and they want to see evidence that a new way will work before they adopt it. "If it works, why change it?" This attitude gives ISTJs an atmosphere of patience and stability, and others often feel settled and calm in the ISTJ's presence.
Above all else, ISTJs are responsible. They do things just because they need to be done; ISTJs have a powerful work ethic. "Work hard, then play." ITSJs like getting things done, and they are thorough as they carry a task through to completion. Once an ISTJ commits to complete a task, he or she will do so; ISTJs are exceptionally dependable. In fact, they can be difficult to distract once they have begun to systematically work on a project. "Plan your work, and work your plan." ISTJs honor their commitments, and they expect others to do the same; they hold themselves and others accountable for getting things done.
Tradition, stability, and preparedness are usually valued by ISTJs. They respect the fine-tuned performance that characterizes established organizations, and ISTJs are often found working in such settings. Through their conscientiousness as well as by quietly building community, ISTJs form much of the backbone of society. They also provide stability through their often clear sense of what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behavior, and through the keeping of traditions. Ceremonies and anniversaries, such as weddings, birthdays, and holidays, are valued and celebrated.
With their memory for facts and with their attention to getting things done, ISTJs often have great academic success, particularly in subjects that have applications and where results can be seen. Though they tend to have less interest in highly theoretical subjects, they can certainly succeed there as well.
ISTJs are often found in business, production, banking, law, auditing, engineering, and other areas where a mastery of factual data and tough-minded concern for organization is needed. In their domain, ISTJs work toward efficiency and conservation of resources; they are naturals for quality control. ISTJs are often found in management or supervisory positions, overseeing the practical realization of institutional goals. Though they often like to work alone, ISTJs are willing and able to delegate work to ensure the business of the day gets done.
In relationships, ISTJs look for fair play and dependability. They themselves tend to be quiet and serious; they are people of few words. They are inclined to be straightforward in their communications and controlled in the outward expression of their emotions. ISTJs do often have a hidden but quirky sense of humor that arises from their highly individual reactions to events. In the extreme, ISTJs may be insensitive and miss the "people part of the equation." At times, they may appear intolerant, and at worst, they may run over others who do not communicate their assertions in a logical and succinct manner.
Development of their extraverted Thinking will help ISTJs become more action-oriented and effective in the outer world. Otherwise, they may end up immersed and trapped in their inner world of impressions and memories. Development of Thinking will help bring order to their lives by helping them decide which are the most appropriate actions for them to take, and development of flexibility will help them avoid becoming too focused on details. ISTJs may need to work especially hard to understand others' needs for appreciation and emotional support; after all, they are inclined to overlook even their own contributions. Development of Feeling will ultimately help them attend more to the people impact of their words and actions. Further, development of Intuition will give them a greater respect for the big picture consequences of some of their actions and a greater appreciation for theory.
Under stress ISTJs may withdraw, focus only on their work, and burn out through pushing themselves to get to many things done. They may also become rigid about following rules and become excessively critical of others. Under extreme stress, they can become intensely pessimistic, seeing only negative possiblities in the future, for themselves, for others, and for the world at large."
Look, it's me! On a computer screen! Statistically, two Sabres are also ISTJs. WHO ARE THEY?! WHO FITS TIHS PROFILE?! I must know. Hahahahaha.
Also, I am a Type 9 personality on the Enneagram.
"
You want to be agreeable, peaceful, natural and comfortable. More importantly, you want to be calm and, if at all possible, to avoid conflict. You see yourself as accepting, unassuming and laid-back. You would like others to see you as humble, easygoing and approachable. Your idealized image is that you are content and harmonious.
Desiring union, harmony and unconditional love, you get along with most people that you meet. Considerate and gentle, you have an innate ability to make people feel comfortable and at ease. You are very accepting and readily empathize with others. Focused on the well being of others, you may at times lose sight of your own agenda. More intellectual than you let on, you have a natural gift for seeing many different points of view. You are able to see all the shades of gray in any given situation and have a way of diffusing conflict and being calm and steady in a crisis. Focusing on similarities rather than differences, you make an excellent mediator and peacemaker.
You don’t want to be drawn into conflict and avoid being pressured to react. Self-forgetting by nature, you repress your anger and neglect your needs in order to avoid the discomfort that comes with conflict. Because you may lose yourself in life’s simple pleasures, the needs of others, or the basic task of living, you may never go after what you truly want. You may struggle to find your one true passion. At times, you may be complacent and minimize anything that is upsetting.
Often the strong silent type, you have the power of patience, persistence and resistance. You see yourself as having stamina and take pride in your ability to endure. You tend to procrastinate and take longer than others to make up your mind. When you do make a decision, you are like an unstoppable elephant pursuing its goals. Not one to self-promote, you would rather be discovered than announce yourself. Others may underestimate you due to your casual and nonchalant attitude. This is nearly always a mistake–one that you are happy to let others make because you prefer not to flaunt your talents or appear egotistical.
Need
You need simplicity, peace, harmony and to be appreciated. Because you are highly empathetic, you need to know that the people around you are relaxed in order for you to be able to relax. To truly be at ease, you need to have your creature comforts and are unwilling go without them. Publicly, you may go along to get along, but when in private you make sure that you have what makes you feel happy and comfortable.
Avoid
You avoid conflict, complications and judgmental people. Being shut down, overlooked and not included by others are among your greatest fears. You are afraid of being loveless and of not receiving or being able to give love. Paradoxically, your avoidance of anger and conflict can lead to more conflict. You don't want to deal with anything until you are good and ready. It is hard for you to say no, so yes means maybe and maybe means absolutely not!
Virtue
Your virtues are your acceptance, peacefulness and ability to see universal truths. Open and receptive, you easily relate to others. When you are at your best, you can be both personally and universally connected. Whether you prefer simple pleasures or intellectual pursuits, you are always seeking what is harmonious. You often show your love by working hard, and you can make great contributions to others. Down to earth, steady, patient and easygoing, you bring a sense of calm to any given situation. Steadfast and persistent, you are able to endure even the most tedious and difficult circumstances.
Your vices are indolence, inaction or sloth. This can lead to self-forgetting and neglecting your needs and/or the needs of others. Your inattention and forgetfulness can manifest as “crimes of omission”. You may also be stubborn or turn a blind eye to someone in need. Everyone thinks that you are on his or her side and can interpret your understanding as agreement. Overly avoiding conflict, you are most likely to hurt the people around you by not keeping promises due to your lack of follow through. This can make for a passive-aggressive stance in life where you don't see the impact of your inaction and can appear callous or indifferent.
Attention
Your attention goes to identifying with and merging with others. Your soft, pillowy energy tends to spread outwards and become diffuse. Because you sense and champion the needs and feelings of whatever group you are in, you are a natural group anchor. To avoid feeling tension and conflict, you may reach for substitutes for love by eating, focusing on the minutia or getting lost in unimportant tasks.
Spiritual Path
Your spiritual journey is to reclaim your sense of right action and awaken from the coma of self-forgetting. Spiritual growth will come to you as you reclaim, define and assert your sense of self in the world.
Mantra
True love is action and not passive acceptance. To be truly loving requires that you define your values and take a stand for what you believe is important– regardless of the conflict it may cause. Indecisiveness and a fear of upsetting people can prevent you from taking appropriate action. Remember that no decision is a decision, and a “stitch in time saves nine”."
I'M AN UNSTOPPABLE ELEPHANT! YAYAYAYAYAY!
And also this profile is pretty decent:
"People of this personality type essentially feel a need for peace and harmony. They tend to avoid conflict at all costs, whether it be internal or interpersonal. As the potential for conflict in life is virtually ubiquitous, the Nine's desire to avoid it generally results in some degree of withdrawal from life, and many Nines are, in fact, introverted. Other Nines lead more active, social lives, but nevertheless remain to some to degree "checked out," or not fully involved, as if to insulate themselves from threats to their peace of mind. Most Nines are fairly easy going; they adopt a strategy of "going with the flow." They are generally reliable, sturdy, self-effacing, tolerant and likable individuals.
Nines tend to adopt an optimistic approach to life; they are, for the most part, trusting people who see the best in others; they frequently have a deep seated faith that things will somehow work out. They desire to feel connected, both to other people and to the world at large. They frequently feel most at home in nature and generally make warm and attentive parents.
The Nine's inability to tolerate conflict sometimes translates into an overall conservative approach to change. Change can provoke unpleasant feelings and disrupt the Nine's desire for comfort. Less healthy Nines seem incapable of motivating themselves to move into action and bring about effective change. When change does come however, as it generally will, Nines find that they are usually well able to adapt. They tend to be more resilient than they give themselves credit for. In fact, Nines tend not to give themselves enough credit in general, and their self-effacing attitude often seems to invite others to take them for granted or to overlook their often significant contributions. This can cause a subterranean anger to build inside the Nine's psyche, which can erupt into consciousness in occasional fits of temper which quickly blow over, but which more often manifests itself in passive agressive footdragging. Being overlooked is often a source of a deep sadness in Nines, a sadness that they scarcely ever give voice to.
Nines frequently mistype themselves as they have a rather diffuse sense of their own identities. This is exacerbated by the fact that Nines often merge with their loved ones and through a process of identification take on the characteristics of those closest to them. Female Nines frequently mistype as Twos, especially if they are the mothers are small children. Nines, however, are self-effacing whereas Twos are quite aware of their own self worth. Nines also mistake themselves for Fours, but Nines tend to avoid negative emotions whereas Fours often exacerbate them. Intellectual Nines, especially males, frequently mistype as Fives, but Fives are intellectually contentious whereas Nines are conciliatory and conflict avoidant."
I think it's funny how all of these different things tie into each other and how similar they all are... I AM EASY TO PINPOINT. Sigh. So much for being mysterious.Hmm. What other things can I write about to help me further procrastinate studying for a bio quiz I have tomorrow (it's just over mitosis, which I still remember from high school; I'm slowly realizing that my memory is incredible).
Recently I've thought about what really attracts me to people. I have to say that I tend to fall head-over-heels in crush with guys who seem to have something intellectual to say every time I am around them. There is one guy with whom I've had intense conversations lately... and, in fact, the first time I met him I spent two hours talking with him about pretty much everything. Let's just say I like him a little bit. The same holds true for friendships... I love nothing better than a good old deep conversation. So, the dominant quality that causes me to really respect a person is being able to think... Oh, and loyalty. If I perceive any disloyalty in you, I will hunt you down and make you hurt. Yeah, not really, but I at the very least will dislike you. I'm loyal to a fault... It really is to a fault. I'll admit that.
And, um, yeah.
This is what happens when A) I am bored, B) the Sabres do not play tonight, and C) I have a biology quiz in the morning.
If this post is not an incredible cry to the NHL to schedule the Sabres to have hundreds of games and play every night and also to God to make fatigue not exist so that's possible in the first place... I don't know what in the world is.
Plus... nothing ridiculous is even happening in the NHL lately. What am I supposed to write about. The Senators? Ahahaha, I'll pass.
Next time this happens, I promise I will just post about all the reasons that hockey is amazing, even though that post would be HUGE if I allowed it to be.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I was right
Excuse me while I go laugh at his patheticness. No, I don't care that that is not a word.
However, mad props to Lindy Ruff for this:
WHY DO WE NOT PLAY UNTIL FRIDAY???
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P... and other things

Brodeur is out for 3-4 months, apparently. Boo hoo... NOT. Oh, how I love being juvenile and '90s. Does this mean that NHL.com will take down their Brodeur watch thing?
With the return of Rivet, one would have to be absolutely stupid, high, or dead to not expect the team to play better.
I have been thinking about this a lot today. Carrying on the entire theme of "the team sucked last year because they had no leadership"... I don't believe it was, or is, exactly that simple. It is, but isn't.
Leadership. Last year we all saw that there was not one speck of that anywhere in the locker room. When things went wrong, everyone blamed everybody else on the team, and that was that. The only player that continually held himself accountable was Vanek; I gained a ton of respect for him last year despite his poor play the first half, and that has continued this season. All the others were always ready with excuses and cliches excusing their poor play. The bounces never went their way, their feet were never moving, and the defense had a breakdown on every goal against. Sound familiar? There was never any sense of accountability or responsibility in any player on the team (sans Vanek, of course).
Take Lindy Ruff as an example of how last year's little problems were (so far) all solved with the addition of one Craig Rivet. He is an excellent coach, when it comes to motivating individual players. I am certainly never in the locker room or privy to anything that is said, but I can say with confidence that last year, he was not able to focus on that one bit. Instead, he was too busy with trying to motivate the entire team to play well, and they were simply not responding. They were, and probably still are, a little too pigheaded for consistent straight-up positive response to what he tells them as a team, as a whole.
Enter captain(s). This team obviously responds extremely well to permanent on-ice leadership. Not only that, but Rivet has, according to the media, spent time after nearly every practice talking to the team and reiterating everything that Ruff said, as well as, I'm sure, putting his own two cents in; there is off-ice leadership as well. This takes pressure off Lindy Ruff and enables him to focus on what he is best at: motivating individual players to do well, while coaching a defensive system.
His weakness is capturing and keeping the attention of the entire team as a whole and getting them to respond on a consistent basis when there is no captain in place to reinforce what he says and keep the kids in line... if that could be called a weakness. Every other coach in the league, with the exception of Ron Wilson this year, has the benefit of a permanent captain to help him. It is highly unusual, and even bizarre, for a team to have a rotating captaincy. In fact, in my opinion it is completely stupid. I am sure that every other team in the NHL would struggle without a captain just as the Sabres did last year. When people said they were lacking an identity, what they really meant, I think, was that they were lacking leadership... Again, same thing, really, just semantics, but what a world of difference one person can make. When Ruff allows himself to function under the same circumstances as other coaches, he shows that he is without a doubt one of the best in the league at what he does.
I am just grateful that, as Heather said, the team at least recognizes that it is immature and stubborn and desperately needs an actual leader. They are reaping the benefits of that ability right now, and man, does it feel great.
HEY! Vanek, Roy, Miller, and Numminen have been named to the fan ballot for the All-Star Game. I just got the text... Voting begins November 12. I'd advise voting for Vanek and Miller multiple times a day, maybe for Roy if you're into getting as many Sabres to play in the ASG as possible, and not for Numminen at all because not only is his nomination incredibly random, but I am sure that he will need and greatly enjoy the rest.
Personally, I will be voting for Vanek and Miller every day, for Roy if he picks his game up and genuinely deserves it, and not at all for Numminen.
