Wednesday April 25 8:30 PM
Round two playoff predictions:
Buffalo over NY Rangers in 7
Ottawa over NJ Devils in 6
Anaheim over Vancouver in 4
San Jose over Detroit in 7
Record in Round One : 8-0 (Thank goodness there's no spread)
So Rejean Tremblay and Bert Raymond are on the warpath again. They'd like to see a new general manager for the Canadiens. Must be difficult for them to realize they have zero influence these days, compared to the way it was when Ron Corey worried about what they thought. Gainey's record as Habs GM? I'd say mixed, with this off season looming as his most important. I also see a track record, something neither Rejean or Bert own. While Gainey built a Stanley Cup winner in Dallas, Tremblay and Raymond, as a two headed de facto GM here, helped ruin the franchise. When they sneezed Corey replied "Bless You".
Canadiens fans got Denis Savard for Chris Chelios, Rejean Houle as GM & Mario Tremblay as coach(some piles of crap leftover from that era are still visible), Pierre Turgeon as captain, Stephane Richer for Lyle Odelein and an oh so tiring demand every season for Lafleur II.
I hope Bob Gainey finishes his job here. I think it's safe to say that whenever that time comes he'll leave the organization in a lot better shape than how he found it. In the meantime, think again of the grace and dignity in which he has handled himself this year. Contrast that with the behavior of his harshest critics. Touche.
www.gaineyfoundation.com
Speaking of zero influence. Can Jack Todd sink any lower on the sports relevancy scale? Why doesn't The Gazette do the right thing and put Jack out of his misery and the sports section and move Mike Boone in? There are still an awful lot of readers who can't connect to Boone online.
http://www.habsinsideout.com/boone/
Predictably sad news about Mark Prior missing the rest of the 2007 season with a shoulder problem. Prior and Kerry Wood, as any scout would have told you, were two of the most electric arms to come along in years, but because of poor mechanics were arm/elbow/shoulder injuries waiting to happen. Brings to mind three hot prospects the Mets once had who were being compared to Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack.
Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson were going to, at the every least, dominate National League hitters for a decade and surely one of them would end the long Mets no-hitter drought. (Hard to believe, with all the great arms they've had, no Met has pitched a no-hitter since the franchise began play in 1962.). All three were slowed by serious arm problems.
Isringhausen has had success but only after he was reborn as a closer. Pulsipher was hanging around as a lefty specialist. And Wilson, supposedly the best of the trio, could no longer throw the ball by hitters and was regularly mashed around while pitching for Tampa Bay and Cincinnati.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2806884
http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/pulsibi01.shtml
Kerry Wood is trying to come back out of the bullpen, but only if his right arm lets him. Right now it doesn't look good. When he was healthy the Texas native was the closest we've seen to Nolan Ryan at his peak.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2813179
Must see tv tonight-in addition to the playoffs-is the return of original PBS star Bill Moyers. The former press secretary for LBJ apparently delivers a scathing attack on the U.S. media for its lapdog approach to coverage of the Iraq war.
Here's a brief exchange from a lengthy interview in The Christian Century:
If the Bush administration were to ask you for your advice, what would you say to them?
Well, I did give President Bush advice once: on a broadcast I urged him to make Al Gore head of homeland security—in other words, turn our response to the terrorist attacks into a bipartisan effort, make the fight against terroism an American cause, not a partisan battle cry.
What would I say now? Fire the ideologues and assign them to scrub the floors at Guantánamo for penitence. Stop confusing neocon pundits with Old Testament prophets. Read the Bible for humility's sake, but for policy's sake commit to memory the report of the Iraq Study Group. Don't sacrifice any more soldiers to prove you're in charge; get the soldiers out of the line of fire between Sunnis and Shi'ites. And remind your hirelings of Winston Churchill's definition of democracy as the occasional necessity of deferring to the opinions of other people.
http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=3196
I spoke to Leonard Cohen's lady today. Anjani (Thomas) will sing from her cd "Blue Alert" Friday night at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire. Turns out the couple live in LA and Montreal. No big scoop? Los Angeles in the summer, Montreal in the winter.
"Montreal is too crazy in the summer with festivals all over the place", Anjani told me in her smoky, seductive voice over the phone from Toronto. "It's much more laid back in the winter. We chill in the winter, live just off the Main".
Asked to describe what it's like to hang out with the legendary poet-songwriter, Anjani couldn't hide her affection. "Oh, he's just so cool...he's a keeper".
She looks as great as she sounds. Don't miss the show. At a cheap ticket price.
www.anjani-music.com
"Leonard Cohen's backup singer (as well as his lover) ransacked the great bard's notebooks to unearth stray, leftover lyrics, which, it turns out, tower over most other writers' finest lines. Thomas then matched Cohen's words to her own melodies of woe. The combination of her blue-hued voice and jazzy tunes with Cohen's impeccable verse created literature you can hum...” Jim Farber NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Red Sox-Yankees & David Halberstam
Monday April 23 7:40 PM
Is a picture still worth a thousand words? I don't have an iPod but I'd listen to this one:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2007_swimsuit/models/marisa_miller/07_marisa_miller_7.html
Soon to be 66 year old Bob Dylan is playing the Montreal Jazz Festival July 4 at Place Des Arts.. The last time Dylan played the venue he was 25:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO0gSJGJ7Fs
(He used to look like that...now he looks like this...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPHwm3JSEXs
Still with music, legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale offers aspiring musicians (with talent) some sound advice (Thanks to Dave Kaufman):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AJxc3Lxn4o
Sunday Night's Red Sox-Yankees game was the most emotionally involved I've been to an MLB game since the Sox magical world series win in 2004. It's still difficult to watch baseball (but not difficult to see the Nationals flounder) at this time of the year. But sunday's game had a bit of everything. Dice- K starting against the Yankees for the first time... hitting 97 on the radar gun but also A-Rod and Jeter... the four consecutive home runs. (I figured the Sox would get to rookie lefty Chase Wright his second time through the order, but four straight bombs without a brushback? No wonder Joe Torre looked disgusted.)...Andy Petitte out of the bullpen for nine pitches (starters used to do this all the time, another case of over-protecting arms that will, in many cases, break down anyway)...One of my favorite players, Mike Lowell, hitting two home runs including a game winning three run shot...Josh Phelps, way too good a hitter to be in Triple A, getting robbed in a pinch hit appearance, then forced to catch for the first time in six years...Jonathan Papelbon, best closer stuff-wise since John Wetteland circa 1993, getting A-Rod to ground out to end game....Sox completing first sweep of Yanks at Fenway since first days of Reagan Presidency...
Just found out horrible news...acclaimed author and historian David Halberstam has been killed in a car accident in San Fransisco. Halberstam wrote one of the earliest in depth critical accounts of the U.S. involvement in Viet Nam, "The Best And the Brightest". It won a Pulitzer Prize. He also wrote, among many other important works, "The Powers That Be", a history of the media in the U.S.; an absolute must for anybody interested in, or for that matter, working in journalism. Like many great reporters, Halberstam was a big sports fan. Thankfully he parlayed that passion into several outstanding sports books including The Breaks of the Game (Halberstam hung out with the 1979 Portland Trail Blazers), Summer of '49 (Yankees-Red Sox; DiMaggio-Williams), October 1964 (pivotal moment in sports in the 60's as the mostly white establishment, the NY Yankees and American League, were outpaced by the younger, more integrated "Junior" circuit, St. Louis Cardinals and National League) ,The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship (Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio travel to Florida to say goodbye to Ted Williams), and most recently, Bill Belichik: The Education of a Coach. I had the opportunity to interview Halberstam following the publication of The Teammates. We'll air that conversation tomorrow.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writer.asp?cid=193781
Is a picture still worth a thousand words? I don't have an iPod but I'd listen to this one:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2007_swimsuit/models/marisa_miller/07_marisa_miller_7.html
Soon to be 66 year old Bob Dylan is playing the Montreal Jazz Festival July 4 at Place Des Arts.. The last time Dylan played the venue he was 25:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO0gSJGJ7Fs
(He used to look like that...now he looks like this...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPHwm3JSEXs
Still with music, legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale offers aspiring musicians (with talent) some sound advice (Thanks to Dave Kaufman):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AJxc3Lxn4o
Sunday Night's Red Sox-Yankees game was the most emotionally involved I've been to an MLB game since the Sox magical world series win in 2004. It's still difficult to watch baseball (but not difficult to see the Nationals flounder) at this time of the year. But sunday's game had a bit of everything. Dice- K starting against the Yankees for the first time... hitting 97 on the radar gun but also A-Rod and Jeter... the four consecutive home runs. (I figured the Sox would get to rookie lefty Chase Wright his second time through the order, but four straight bombs without a brushback? No wonder Joe Torre looked disgusted.)...Andy Petitte out of the bullpen for nine pitches (starters used to do this all the time, another case of over-protecting arms that will, in many cases, break down anyway)...One of my favorite players, Mike Lowell, hitting two home runs including a game winning three run shot...Josh Phelps, way too good a hitter to be in Triple A, getting robbed in a pinch hit appearance, then forced to catch for the first time in six years...Jonathan Papelbon, best closer stuff-wise since John Wetteland circa 1993, getting A-Rod to ground out to end game....Sox completing first sweep of Yanks at Fenway since first days of Reagan Presidency...
Just found out horrible news...acclaimed author and historian David Halberstam has been killed in a car accident in San Fransisco. Halberstam wrote one of the earliest in depth critical accounts of the U.S. involvement in Viet Nam, "The Best And the Brightest". It won a Pulitzer Prize. He also wrote, among many other important works, "The Powers That Be", a history of the media in the U.S.; an absolute must for anybody interested in, or for that matter, working in journalism. Like many great reporters, Halberstam was a big sports fan. Thankfully he parlayed that passion into several outstanding sports books including The Breaks of the Game (Halberstam hung out with the 1979 Portland Trail Blazers), Summer of '49 (Yankees-Red Sox; DiMaggio-Williams), October 1964 (pivotal moment in sports in the 60's as the mostly white establishment, the NY Yankees and American League, were outpaced by the younger, more integrated "Junior" circuit, St. Louis Cardinals and National League) ,The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship (Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio travel to Florida to say goodbye to Ted Williams), and most recently, Bill Belichik: The Education of a Coach. I had the opportunity to interview Halberstam following the publication of The Teammates. We'll air that conversation tomorrow.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writer.asp?cid=193781
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron.....
Monday April 23 8 PM
I Love Ron Fournier. I think he's a great showman. I 've never asked him but I wonder if he really believes half of what he says. If not, I give him credit, able to fake outrage to the point of foaming at the mouth.
He's also part of a very small group of media types in this city who literally went to bat for Terry Haig and myself at a time when the Montreal Expos were trying their best to get rid us. I'll tell the whole story in my next post but this much I'll share right now. The Expos were doing their best to bully Haig & I when we were on the air at CIQC and Rejean Tremblay (whom I barely knew at the time) wrote a scathing column in La Presse revealing the Expos at their paranoid worst. Fournier followed up that night by interviewing Haig. Blackman and Farber spent a few minutes discussing our plight the next morning on the Balcan show. Jeff Blair wrote a piece in The Gazette the next day. And that was it. Nobody else in the city, as far as we knew, found it important enough to back a couple of guys who were simply doing their jobs. And who's livelihood was now being threatened.
So I'll always have a soft spot for both Fournier and Tremblay no matter how outrageous their commentary might get. (Their lack of humanity in attacking Koivu & Gainey is most disturbing. They're not alone.)
But when I suggest, based on their public comments since the elimination of the Canadiens, that Fournier and Company ought to be hauled away in a straitjacket, I'm reminded of a not-so-old clip that aired during the on-going Jose Theodore saga:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4EhYrt_zjM
Check out Ron about fifty seconds into the clip and tell me the man in the white suit isn't getting ready....
...And so it goes...
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/kurt_vonnegut/index.html?inline=nyt-per
I Love Ron Fournier. I think he's a great showman. I 've never asked him but I wonder if he really believes half of what he says. If not, I give him credit, able to fake outrage to the point of foaming at the mouth.
He's also part of a very small group of media types in this city who literally went to bat for Terry Haig and myself at a time when the Montreal Expos were trying their best to get rid us. I'll tell the whole story in my next post but this much I'll share right now. The Expos were doing their best to bully Haig & I when we were on the air at CIQC and Rejean Tremblay (whom I barely knew at the time) wrote a scathing column in La Presse revealing the Expos at their paranoid worst. Fournier followed up that night by interviewing Haig. Blackman and Farber spent a few minutes discussing our plight the next morning on the Balcan show. Jeff Blair wrote a piece in The Gazette the next day. And that was it. Nobody else in the city, as far as we knew, found it important enough to back a couple of guys who were simply doing their jobs. And who's livelihood was now being threatened.
So I'll always have a soft spot for both Fournier and Tremblay no matter how outrageous their commentary might get. (Their lack of humanity in attacking Koivu & Gainey is most disturbing. They're not alone.)
But when I suggest, based on their public comments since the elimination of the Canadiens, that Fournier and Company ought to be hauled away in a straitjacket, I'm reminded of a not-so-old clip that aired during the on-going Jose Theodore saga:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4EhYrt_zjM
Check out Ron about fifty seconds into the clip and tell me the man in the white suit isn't getting ready....
...And so it goes...
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/kurt_vonnegut/index.html?inline=nyt-per
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Here Come the Playoffs...
Wednesday April 11th 8 PM
Playoff Predictions (But why bother?):
East
Buffalo over NY Islanders in 4
Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 6
New Jersey over Tampa Bay in 5
NY Rangers over Atlanta in 6
West
Detroit over Calgary in 5
Anaheim over Minnesota in 7
Vancouver over Dallas in 7
San Jose over Nashville in 7
Habs get knocked out of the playoffs, Saku Koivu gets ripped apart. As normal a part of a Montreal spring as piles of dog shit and cigarette butts. Oh, what I wouldn't give for the opportunity to rub some faces in that dog poo. Bravo to Bob Gainey for his strong public defense
of Koivu. Who knows what makes a champion more than a champion himself?
Instead of a dozen questions about Samsanov and Kovalev I wish somebody had asked Gainey about the availability of Belfour or CuJo at the trading deadline. Most encouraging comments I heard were Gainey suggesting that virtually every move in the off season will be about improving The Habs-at the NHL level. Enough with the prospects. Teams that need draft picks and young players (Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Florida, Phoenix, Columbus, St Louis, Los Angeles and maybe Edmonton) can look at Gainey's two first round picks and impressive stable of young talent and play "Let's Make A Deal".
Pierre Boivin calling for a superstar? We hear Boivin is pissed at Le Journal de Montreal for making the front page story appear as an exclusive when it was in fact, Boivin speaking in the stands, in what he thought was an off-the-cuff conversation. Anyway, who doesn't want to see a superstar here? Like trading Kovalev. Easier said than done.
Bottom line on Koivu & Gainey: They have earned and deserve more respect than anybody else active in hockey in this town. Not immunity from criticism. But RESPECT.
Pronunciation: ri-'spekt
Function: nounEtymology: Middle English, from Latin respectus, literally, act of looking back, from respicere to look back, regard, from re- + specere to look -- more at SPY1 : a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation2 : an act of giving particular attention : CONSIDERATION3 a : high or special regard : ESTEEM
More questions to ponder while we wait for Ron Fournier and Michel Villeneuve, among others, to be hauled away in straitjackets:
How can Wayne Gretzky look in the mirror and like what he sees after the firing of his long time agent/advisor Mike Barnett as GM in Phoenix?
How happy is Michel Therrien knowing Kerry Fraser didn't make it into the playoffs?
Can the NY Yankees win every game 8-7?
If Dave Winfield was "Mr. May" does that make A-Rod "Mr. April"?
What's the over/under on losses by the Washington Nationals this season? 110?
Now that two major sponsors have pulled out of his radio show (Staples, Proctor & Gamble) how many days does Don Imus have left in commercial radio?
George Bush instead of Al Gore???
How much longer before Sydney Crosby, like Gretzky and Mario, becomes ineligible for playoff pools?
Philip Roth or Saul Bellow?
Favorite Montreal Playoff moments:
1. Jacques Lemaire beats Tony Esposito from center ice in 1971
2. Ken Dryden save on Jim Pappin 1971
3. Henri Richard tying and winning goals 1971
4. Jean Beliveau winning Cup in his last game 1971
5. Dryden and Habs upsetting Boston Bruins (399 goals) in 1st round 1971
(yeah, '71 was THAT special)
6. Bruins too many men penalty followed by Lafleur goal 1979
7. Lambert game winner in OT (assisted by Tremblay & Houle) to win '79 semifinal
8. Patrick Roy 10 overtime wins 1993
9. Patrick Roy overtime win in New York 1986
10.Canadiens dethrone Flyers 1976
Some of Saku Koivu's teammates in previous non-playoff seasons:
Shayne Corson, Craig Rivet
Martin Rucinsky, Vladimir Malakhov, Benoit Brunet, Turner Stevenson, Brian Savage, Stephane Quintal, Eric Weinrich, Patrice Brisebois, Richard Zednick, Jan Bulis,
Sergei Zholtok, Jonas Hoglund, Igor Ulanov, Scott Thornton, Dainius Zubrus, Trevor Linden
Patrick Poulin, Jason Dawe, Scott Lachance, Matt Higgins, Dave Morissette, Oleg Petrov, Karl Dykhuis, Craig Darby, Jesse Belanger, Jim Cummins, Aaron Asham, Jason Ward, Juha Lind, Christian Laflamme, Barry Richter, Miroslav Guren, Trent McCLeary, Chad Kilger, Jim Campbell, Eric Landry, Xavier Delisle, Patrick Traverse, Johan Witehall, Andrei Bashkirov, Francis Belanger, Eric Chouinard, Andreas Dackell, Donald Audette, Joe Juneau, Randy McKay, Nicklas Sundstrom, Mariusz Czerkawski, Marcel Hossa, Bill Lindsey, Sylvain Blouin, Gord Dwyer, PJ STOCK
Just like those Habs teams of the 70's, huh?
Playoff Predictions (But why bother?):
East
Buffalo over NY Islanders in 4
Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 6
New Jersey over Tampa Bay in 5
NY Rangers over Atlanta in 6
West
Detroit over Calgary in 5
Anaheim over Minnesota in 7
Vancouver over Dallas in 7
San Jose over Nashville in 7
Habs get knocked out of the playoffs, Saku Koivu gets ripped apart. As normal a part of a Montreal spring as piles of dog shit and cigarette butts. Oh, what I wouldn't give for the opportunity to rub some faces in that dog poo. Bravo to Bob Gainey for his strong public defense
of Koivu. Who knows what makes a champion more than a champion himself?
Instead of a dozen questions about Samsanov and Kovalev I wish somebody had asked Gainey about the availability of Belfour or CuJo at the trading deadline. Most encouraging comments I heard were Gainey suggesting that virtually every move in the off season will be about improving The Habs-at the NHL level. Enough with the prospects. Teams that need draft picks and young players (Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Florida, Phoenix, Columbus, St Louis, Los Angeles and maybe Edmonton) can look at Gainey's two first round picks and impressive stable of young talent and play "Let's Make A Deal".
Pierre Boivin calling for a superstar? We hear Boivin is pissed at Le Journal de Montreal for making the front page story appear as an exclusive when it was in fact, Boivin speaking in the stands, in what he thought was an off-the-cuff conversation. Anyway, who doesn't want to see a superstar here? Like trading Kovalev. Easier said than done.
Bottom line on Koivu & Gainey: They have earned and deserve more respect than anybody else active in hockey in this town. Not immunity from criticism. But RESPECT.
Pronunciation: ri-'spekt
Function: nounEtymology: Middle English, from Latin respectus, literally, act of looking back, from respicere to look back, regard, from re- + specere to look -- more at SPY1 : a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation
More questions to ponder while we wait for Ron Fournier and Michel Villeneuve, among others, to be hauled away in straitjackets:
How can Wayne Gretzky look in the mirror and like what he sees after the firing of his long time agent/advisor Mike Barnett as GM in Phoenix?
How happy is Michel Therrien knowing Kerry Fraser didn't make it into the playoffs?
Can the NY Yankees win every game 8-7?
If Dave Winfield was "Mr. May" does that make A-Rod "Mr. April"?
What's the over/under on losses by the Washington Nationals this season? 110?
Now that two major sponsors have pulled out of his radio show (Staples, Proctor & Gamble) how many days does Don Imus have left in commercial radio?
George Bush instead of Al Gore???
How much longer before Sydney Crosby, like Gretzky and Mario, becomes ineligible for playoff pools?
Philip Roth or Saul Bellow?
Favorite Montreal Playoff moments:
1. Jacques Lemaire beats Tony Esposito from center ice in 1971
2. Ken Dryden save on Jim Pappin 1971
3. Henri Richard tying and winning goals 1971
4. Jean Beliveau winning Cup in his last game 1971
5. Dryden and Habs upsetting Boston Bruins (399 goals) in 1st round 1971
(yeah, '71 was THAT special)
6. Bruins too many men penalty followed by Lafleur goal 1979
7. Lambert game winner in OT (assisted by Tremblay & Houle) to win '79 semifinal
8. Patrick Roy 10 overtime wins 1993
9. Patrick Roy overtime win in New York 1986
10.Canadiens dethrone Flyers 1976
Some of Saku Koivu's teammates in previous non-playoff seasons:
Shayne Corson, Craig Rivet
Martin Rucinsky, Vladimir Malakhov, Benoit Brunet, Turner Stevenson, Brian Savage, Stephane Quintal, Eric Weinrich, Patrice Brisebois, Richard Zednick, Jan Bulis,
Sergei Zholtok, Jonas Hoglund, Igor Ulanov, Scott Thornton, Dainius Zubrus, Trevor Linden
Patrick Poulin, Jason Dawe, Scott Lachance, Matt Higgins, Dave Morissette, Oleg Petrov, Karl Dykhuis, Craig Darby, Jesse Belanger, Jim Cummins, Aaron Asham, Jason Ward, Juha Lind, Christian Laflamme, Barry Richter, Miroslav Guren, Trent McCLeary, Chad Kilger, Jim Campbell, Eric Landry, Xavier Delisle, Patrick Traverse, Johan Witehall, Andrei Bashkirov, Francis Belanger, Eric Chouinard, Andreas Dackell, Donald Audette, Joe Juneau, Randy McKay, Nicklas Sundstrom, Mariusz Czerkawski, Marcel Hossa, Bill Lindsey, Sylvain Blouin, Gord Dwyer, PJ STOCK
Just like those Habs teams of the 70's, huh?
Sunday, April 8, 2007
The Predictable End
Sunday April 8, 7:30 PM
Justice prevails. The NY Islanders are in the playoffs. The Habs and Leafs are out. Ted Nolan returns to Buffalo. Andrew Raycroft returns to no man's land. Bob Gainey goes back to the drawing board.
I don't think I'll get much argument that the Islanders deserve a playoff spot ahead of Montreal and Toronto but what about Tampa Bay? Yes I know they have the Rocket Richard winner and MVP candidate (If I had a vote it would go to Sydney Crosby #1) in Vinny Lecavalier and another 100 point scorer in Martin St Louis but other than them plus Brad Richards and Dan Boyle what else have they got? Not to mention being saddled with embarrasingly bad goaltending, again. One day after being told that he's going to be "their guy the rest of the year", Johan Holmqvist lasted 16 minutes against the Florida Panthers. The Lightning are the worst team in the playoffs. Both the Habs and Leafs would do a better job against the Devils than what we're about to see from Tampa.
What to make of The Habs Jekyl & Hyde season?
I don't mind embarassing myself so let's go back to opening night:
Thursday October 5, 8 PM
Has it really been six months since The Canadiens were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes? Six months since Bob Gainey said one goal losses are tough but in playoff hockey one goal is a lot? Six months since Saku Koivu, worried about his future, was ambushed by a TVA reporter who demanded to know why he didn’t speak French? Six months since Michel Bergeron put his foot in his mouth? Six months since Gainey said if players are looking for some “spice” in their life they’d consider Montreal as a a hockey home not an NHL outpost? Six months since Hurricanes President Jim Rutherford said the Habs were his teams toughest opponent during their run to the cup?
Rutherford wasn’t simply being diplomatic. Justin Williams, Dan Marouelli and Dennis LaRue made sure Rutherford could spend the summer celebrating rather than rebuilding.
Gainey? He discovered an ongoing problem as GM and no-longer-coach. While Montreal may in fact be the “spiciest” city in North America, NHLers would rather work elsewhere.
High taxes and character assassination just don’t make it onto the radar screen of agents and their clients. Sergei Samsanov? May the force, and 3.5 million a year, be with him (I love the signing, even at an overblown price. The Habs are getting him at just the right time. He’s 27).
So which comes first-a long playoff run or the signing/acquisition of a true marquee player? Hopefully Gainey can find out as soon as this season. If not, you have to wonder how much patience he’ll have in trying to fill out a championship roster while striking out more often than a 40 year old virgin. All the Tom Hicks money he spent/wasted in Dallas is no doubt beginning to look more and more appealing.
Count me among those who believe the Canadiens can improve from a season ago. Even if Cristobal Huet is not a Roger Crozier trophy winner this season, he’ll have to morph into an AHL goalie not to improve on the Jose Theodore performance of a year ago.
The addition of Janne Niinimmaa gives the team six solid defensemen. In fact, you can argue that even at 2.5 million per year Niinimmaa IS the sixth defenseman. Markov, Souray, Rivet and Dandenault are all players most general managers would love to have. And in Mike Komisarek the Canadiens finally have the combination of size, strength, toughness and mobility that was most recently disguised as Zarley Zalapski. Mark Streit, a fine skater and power play asset, is now a more reassuring number seven (#8 with Francis Boullion) while Patrick Traverse finds himself- more appropriately-back in the minors.
I like the forwards, save for a glaring hole down the middle. But if the talented, speedy crop of made-for-the-new-NHL skaters continue to draw penalties, the Canadiens will rely on a power play unit that was among the best in the NHL a year ago(#5 overall). The “loss” of Ribeiro may hurt the second unit, but should be offset by more ice time for Perezhogen and Latendresse.
Ryder, Higgins, Plekanic, Perezhogen, Samsanov, and yes, Radek Bonk should all improve on their offensive numbers of a year ago.
The penalty killing wasn’t very good a year ago but neither was the goaltending until Huet wrestled the job away from Theodore. And it’s hard to believe that a hockey staff that features Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, Doug Jarvis and Kirk Muller can’t turn the PK unit into
something a lot more formidable.
Which brings us to ? & The Mysterians….
http://96tears.net/
Can Saku Koivu play 70 + games? Can he see properly for all 70 games or does he become the most effective disabled player since “One Eyed” Frank McGee?(You mean you haven’t watched Hockey: A People’s History?).
Will Latendresse actually contribute beyond the odd power play/4th line shift? And if he doesn’t, will he get enough work to avoid turning into, in the words of Mike Farber, Ginette Reno?
Can Andre Markov finally put it all together? Or will he pack it in and head home to Russia?
Will Sheldon Souray break a years’ supply of composite sticks on opening night? And if he does, will that give him time to ghostwrite “The Dave Stubbs Story”?
Will Herb Zurkowsky get kicked off the Als beat only to resurface at the Bell Center to torment Guy Carbonneau?
Can Bonk and Mike Johnson click often enough to make headline writers drool? (Johnson, Bonk…c’mon, use your imagination…)
And the 6.4 million dollar question: Is Cristobal Huet for real?
Habs finish 6th. Meet and beat Carolina in first round of playoffs.
Melnick’s Eastern Finish:
Buffalo-speed, coaching, came so close a yr ago & Ryan Miller
NYR-goaltending, speed & a bionic shoulder for Jagr
Carolina-grit, experience, Erics & Cam Ward
NJ-Brodeur, Lamierello & Julien (where’s Larry?)
Ottawa-solid core of 5-6, will look for a G by X-mas
Montreal-will win it for Don Matthews (oops, sorry)
Boston-Toivenen wins Calder, Chara wins nothing
Philadelphia-Bobby Clarke & Ed Snider walk into a bar….
Tampa Bay-Will reacquire Buhlin Wall
Atlanta- Hartley 1st coach in east to be fired after trade request by Kovalchuk
Pittsburgh-Crosby, Staal, Malkin and…Thibeault???
NYI-Nolan sends Garth Snow to Muckler on X-Mas morning
Toronto-Fergy Jr 1st Gm to be fired, replaced by Tie Domi
Florida-Ed Belfour punches out Jacques Martin, or Alex Auld, or Denis Potvin…
Washington-Gainey offers McPhee a 15 for 1 deal for Ovechkin; Alex prefers DC
Hit & Miss, huh? I figure my batting average is at least as good as Thomas Plekanic's face-off percentage (48.3). I thought in "My New NHL" Samsanov and Kovalev would score 55-60 goals between them. They totalled 27. Samsanov needs a new mirror in the off season. And a new stationary bike. Love handles and a nine goal season at 3.5 million a year is not a good combination. Kovalev? I'm very disappointed. I believe he was playing hurt for much of the season but that certainly does not explain his disappearing act the final week. Unless there's something else in play that we're not aware of Kovalev will not likely be given the chance to spar with Carbonneau, a la Samsanov this year.
The coach made mistakes. Forget about the choice of goaltenders saturday night in Toronto. (But please don't tell me that Cristobal Huet played well. ) The Habs horrid five on five play all season is at least a measure of coaching, not getting the right people on the ice at the right time. Saku Koivu spends too much time on the penalty killing unit, where he was again in the 3rd period saturday night when he took his final bad penalty of the season. (Anyone blaming saturday's loss -or the season-on Koivu is an idiot or a racist. Maybe both. In the last eight games of the season he scored 15 points.) Carbonneau's ref-baiting didn't help as the Habs swooned at Christmas time but he did eventually learn to bite his lip more often. All in all a bumpy rookie ride but let's remember that he heads an entire staff that prior to this season combined for zero days of NHL head coaching experience.
The General Manager? Nobody should ever have to go through what Bob Gainey had to endure this season. It's hard to tell if the death of his daughter Laura hampered his GM duties in any way. Bert Raymond of Le Journal De Montreal believes it did and devoted an entire column to the subject following the trade deadline. I was fortunate to run into Gainey a couple of months back as his family was celebrating the engagement of his daughter Anna. It was heartwarming to see the family (including son Steve whos own brief NHL carer is now over) enjoy themselves. Raymond, and others, point to Gainey's lack of movement at the trade deadline as proof that he was paralyzed by grief. I don't see it that way. But it's difficult to read Gainey at the best of times. His refusal to speak publicly following the deadline was unfortunate. I'm going to assume he'll have something to say early this week as once again management and coaches will try to explain what went wrong. The trade of Craig Rivet to San Jose made this edition of the team worse. No follow up move and not dressing Josh Gorges on deadline day in New York had a predictable result. Sheldon Souray admitted the team was "distracted". Ganey's refusal to add a goaltender, especially with free agents-to-be Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph available for draft picks, cost his team. Not until Jaroslav Halak went back in goal did the Canadiens start to take off again. But there were points to be won that David Aebischer couldn't. (For Murray Wilson to go on Satellite Hot Stove on Hockey Night In Canada and explain away the non-move by saying hindsight is 20-20 and Aebsicher had been playing well was beyond disingenuous.) Ribeiro for Niinimaa worked out horribly. Watching a once key NHL defenseman struggle as Niinimaa did reminded me of Rob Ramage here in Montreal at the end of his career in 1993. As poorly as he played Ramage at least got to see his team win a Cup. With Gainey and Carbonneau both behind the bench for the second half of last season, somebody had to tell them what Pierre McGuire told us on the air. That for all his experience and popularity with teammates, and as good a career as he's had, Niinimaa's best days were way behind him.
Let's cut to (cue Ennio Morricone) The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:
Good: Koivu, Chris Higgins, Thomas Plekanic, Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek, Halak, Andrei Kostitsyn, Mark Streit, and, well, okay with a strong finish...Ryder
Bad: Mathieu Dandenault, Francis Boullion
Ugly: Samsanov, Kovalev, Aebischer
That leaves a few others who fit somewhere in between:
Radek Bonk-Mike Johnson-Alex Perzhogen was one of the best lines in the league...for a month.
Bonk had a good year. Johnson was terrific in the first half, faded badly in the second. Perezhogen is a mystery. Created almost zero offense.
Guillaume Latendresse proved he is going to be a factor in the NHL. But not today. Can the Canadiens afford to have both Steve Begin and Maxim Lapierre down the middle? Who are Josh Gorges and Michael Leighton? Will we find out?
Cristobal Huet will be next season's Jose Theodore. At half the salary.
Sheldon Souray just had one of the most mind-boggling black and white seasons in NHL history.
I'd take him back but not at five million per season.
Gainey's to do list:
Dump Samsanov (to Chicago) and Kovalev(easier said than done); Re-sign Markov and maybe even Bonk but only at less than half his current salary. Add size up front and on the blueline. Boullion and Dandenault are useful players, but they play way too many minutes. Trade Huet and perhaps Ryder if, as usual, the free agent market dries up.
Should be a hot week on the air, or a week full of hot air,so let me get this out of the way. Blame it all on Jeffrey Loria and David Samson.
Melnick MVP Voting:
1. Sydney Crosby
2. Roberto Luongo
3. Martin Brodeur/Vincent Lecavalier
5. Joe Thornton
6. Nicklas Lidstrom
7. Scott Neidermayer
8. Rick DiPietro
9. Danny Heatley
10.Thomas Vanek
Justice prevails. The NY Islanders are in the playoffs. The Habs and Leafs are out. Ted Nolan returns to Buffalo. Andrew Raycroft returns to no man's land. Bob Gainey goes back to the drawing board.
I don't think I'll get much argument that the Islanders deserve a playoff spot ahead of Montreal and Toronto but what about Tampa Bay? Yes I know they have the Rocket Richard winner and MVP candidate (If I had a vote it would go to Sydney Crosby #1) in Vinny Lecavalier and another 100 point scorer in Martin St Louis but other than them plus Brad Richards and Dan Boyle what else have they got? Not to mention being saddled with embarrasingly bad goaltending, again. One day after being told that he's going to be "their guy the rest of the year", Johan Holmqvist lasted 16 minutes against the Florida Panthers. The Lightning are the worst team in the playoffs. Both the Habs and Leafs would do a better job against the Devils than what we're about to see from Tampa.
What to make of The Habs Jekyl & Hyde season?
I don't mind embarassing myself so let's go back to opening night:
Thursday October 5, 8 PM
Has it really been six months since The Canadiens were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes? Six months since Bob Gainey said one goal losses are tough but in playoff hockey one goal is a lot? Six months since Saku Koivu, worried about his future, was ambushed by a TVA reporter who demanded to know why he didn’t speak French? Six months since Michel Bergeron put his foot in his mouth? Six months since Gainey said if players are looking for some “spice” in their life they’d consider Montreal as a a hockey home not an NHL outpost? Six months since Hurricanes President Jim Rutherford said the Habs were his teams toughest opponent during their run to the cup?
Rutherford wasn’t simply being diplomatic. Justin Williams, Dan Marouelli and Dennis LaRue made sure Rutherford could spend the summer celebrating rather than rebuilding.
Gainey? He discovered an ongoing problem as GM and no-longer-coach. While Montreal may in fact be the “spiciest” city in North America, NHLers would rather work elsewhere.
High taxes and character assassination just don’t make it onto the radar screen of agents and their clients. Sergei Samsanov? May the force, and 3.5 million a year, be with him (I love the signing, even at an overblown price. The Habs are getting him at just the right time. He’s 27).
So which comes first-a long playoff run or the signing/acquisition of a true marquee player? Hopefully Gainey can find out as soon as this season. If not, you have to wonder how much patience he’ll have in trying to fill out a championship roster while striking out more often than a 40 year old virgin. All the Tom Hicks money he spent/wasted in Dallas is no doubt beginning to look more and more appealing.
Count me among those who believe the Canadiens can improve from a season ago. Even if Cristobal Huet is not a Roger Crozier trophy winner this season, he’ll have to morph into an AHL goalie not to improve on the Jose Theodore performance of a year ago.
The addition of Janne Niinimmaa gives the team six solid defensemen. In fact, you can argue that even at 2.5 million per year Niinimmaa IS the sixth defenseman. Markov, Souray, Rivet and Dandenault are all players most general managers would love to have. And in Mike Komisarek the Canadiens finally have the combination of size, strength, toughness and mobility that was most recently disguised as Zarley Zalapski. Mark Streit, a fine skater and power play asset, is now a more reassuring number seven (#8 with Francis Boullion) while Patrick Traverse finds himself- more appropriately-back in the minors.
I like the forwards, save for a glaring hole down the middle. But if the talented, speedy crop of made-for-the-new-NHL skaters continue to draw penalties, the Canadiens will rely on a power play unit that was among the best in the NHL a year ago(#5 overall). The “loss” of Ribeiro may hurt the second unit, but should be offset by more ice time for Perezhogen and Latendresse.
Ryder, Higgins, Plekanic, Perezhogen, Samsanov, and yes, Radek Bonk should all improve on their offensive numbers of a year ago.
The penalty killing wasn’t very good a year ago but neither was the goaltending until Huet wrestled the job away from Theodore. And it’s hard to believe that a hockey staff that features Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, Doug Jarvis and Kirk Muller can’t turn the PK unit into
something a lot more formidable.
Which brings us to ? & The Mysterians….
http://96tears.net/
Can Saku Koivu play 70 + games? Can he see properly for all 70 games or does he become the most effective disabled player since “One Eyed” Frank McGee?(You mean you haven’t watched Hockey: A People’s History?).
Will Latendresse actually contribute beyond the odd power play/4th line shift? And if he doesn’t, will he get enough work to avoid turning into, in the words of Mike Farber, Ginette Reno?
Can Andre Markov finally put it all together? Or will he pack it in and head home to Russia?
Will Sheldon Souray break a years’ supply of composite sticks on opening night? And if he does, will that give him time to ghostwrite “The Dave Stubbs Story”?
Will Herb Zurkowsky get kicked off the Als beat only to resurface at the Bell Center to torment Guy Carbonneau?
Can Bonk and Mike Johnson click often enough to make headline writers drool? (Johnson, Bonk…c’mon, use your imagination…)
And the 6.4 million dollar question: Is Cristobal Huet for real?
Habs finish 6th. Meet and beat Carolina in first round of playoffs.
Melnick’s Eastern Finish:
Buffalo-speed, coaching, came so close a yr ago & Ryan Miller
NYR-goaltending, speed & a bionic shoulder for Jagr
Carolina-grit, experience, Erics & Cam Ward
NJ-Brodeur, Lamierello & Julien (where’s Larry?)
Ottawa-solid core of 5-6, will look for a G by X-mas
Montreal-will win it for Don Matthews (oops, sorry)
Boston-Toivenen wins Calder, Chara wins nothing
Philadelphia-Bobby Clarke & Ed Snider walk into a bar….
Tampa Bay-Will reacquire Buhlin Wall
Atlanta- Hartley 1st coach in east to be fired after trade request by Kovalchuk
Pittsburgh-Crosby, Staal, Malkin and…Thibeault???
NYI-Nolan sends Garth Snow to Muckler on X-Mas morning
Toronto-Fergy Jr 1st Gm to be fired, replaced by Tie Domi
Florida-Ed Belfour punches out Jacques Martin, or Alex Auld, or Denis Potvin…
Washington-Gainey offers McPhee a 15 for 1 deal for Ovechkin; Alex prefers DC
Hit & Miss, huh? I figure my batting average is at least as good as Thomas Plekanic's face-off percentage (48.3). I thought in "My New NHL" Samsanov and Kovalev would score 55-60 goals between them. They totalled 27. Samsanov needs a new mirror in the off season. And a new stationary bike. Love handles and a nine goal season at 3.5 million a year is not a good combination. Kovalev? I'm very disappointed. I believe he was playing hurt for much of the season but that certainly does not explain his disappearing act the final week. Unless there's something else in play that we're not aware of Kovalev will not likely be given the chance to spar with Carbonneau, a la Samsanov this year.
The coach made mistakes. Forget about the choice of goaltenders saturday night in Toronto. (But please don't tell me that Cristobal Huet played well. ) The Habs horrid five on five play all season is at least a measure of coaching, not getting the right people on the ice at the right time. Saku Koivu spends too much time on the penalty killing unit, where he was again in the 3rd period saturday night when he took his final bad penalty of the season. (Anyone blaming saturday's loss -or the season-on Koivu is an idiot or a racist. Maybe both. In the last eight games of the season he scored 15 points.) Carbonneau's ref-baiting didn't help as the Habs swooned at Christmas time but he did eventually learn to bite his lip more often. All in all a bumpy rookie ride but let's remember that he heads an entire staff that prior to this season combined for zero days of NHL head coaching experience.
The General Manager? Nobody should ever have to go through what Bob Gainey had to endure this season. It's hard to tell if the death of his daughter Laura hampered his GM duties in any way. Bert Raymond of Le Journal De Montreal believes it did and devoted an entire column to the subject following the trade deadline. I was fortunate to run into Gainey a couple of months back as his family was celebrating the engagement of his daughter Anna. It was heartwarming to see the family (including son Steve whos own brief NHL carer is now over) enjoy themselves. Raymond, and others, point to Gainey's lack of movement at the trade deadline as proof that he was paralyzed by grief. I don't see it that way. But it's difficult to read Gainey at the best of times. His refusal to speak publicly following the deadline was unfortunate. I'm going to assume he'll have something to say early this week as once again management and coaches will try to explain what went wrong. The trade of Craig Rivet to San Jose made this edition of the team worse. No follow up move and not dressing Josh Gorges on deadline day in New York had a predictable result. Sheldon Souray admitted the team was "distracted". Ganey's refusal to add a goaltender, especially with free agents-to-be Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph available for draft picks, cost his team. Not until Jaroslav Halak went back in goal did the Canadiens start to take off again. But there were points to be won that David Aebischer couldn't. (For Murray Wilson to go on Satellite Hot Stove on Hockey Night In Canada and explain away the non-move by saying hindsight is 20-20 and Aebsicher had been playing well was beyond disingenuous.) Ribeiro for Niinimaa worked out horribly. Watching a once key NHL defenseman struggle as Niinimaa did reminded me of Rob Ramage here in Montreal at the end of his career in 1993. As poorly as he played Ramage at least got to see his team win a Cup. With Gainey and Carbonneau both behind the bench for the second half of last season, somebody had to tell them what Pierre McGuire told us on the air. That for all his experience and popularity with teammates, and as good a career as he's had, Niinimaa's best days were way behind him.
Let's cut to (cue Ennio Morricone) The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:
Good: Koivu, Chris Higgins, Thomas Plekanic, Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek, Halak, Andrei Kostitsyn, Mark Streit, and, well, okay with a strong finish...Ryder
Bad: Mathieu Dandenault, Francis Boullion
Ugly: Samsanov, Kovalev, Aebischer
That leaves a few others who fit somewhere in between:
Radek Bonk-Mike Johnson-Alex Perzhogen was one of the best lines in the league...for a month.
Bonk had a good year. Johnson was terrific in the first half, faded badly in the second. Perezhogen is a mystery. Created almost zero offense.
Guillaume Latendresse proved he is going to be a factor in the NHL. But not today. Can the Canadiens afford to have both Steve Begin and Maxim Lapierre down the middle? Who are Josh Gorges and Michael Leighton? Will we find out?
Cristobal Huet will be next season's Jose Theodore. At half the salary.
Sheldon Souray just had one of the most mind-boggling black and white seasons in NHL history.
I'd take him back but not at five million per season.
Gainey's to do list:
Dump Samsanov (to Chicago) and Kovalev(easier said than done); Re-sign Markov and maybe even Bonk but only at less than half his current salary. Add size up front and on the blueline. Boullion and Dandenault are useful players, but they play way too many minutes. Trade Huet and perhaps Ryder if, as usual, the free agent market dries up.
Should be a hot week on the air, or a week full of hot air,so let me get this out of the way. Blame it all on Jeffrey Loria and David Samson.
Melnick MVP Voting:
1. Sydney Crosby
2. Roberto Luongo
3. Martin Brodeur/Vincent Lecavalier
5. Joe Thornton
6. Nicklas Lidstrom
7. Scott Neidermayer
8. Rick DiPietro
9. Danny Heatley
10.Thomas Vanek
Thursday, April 5, 2007
How To Lay An Egg In New York
Thursday April 5 10:30 PM
I forgot to add something to my mini-guide to a good time in New York City. While there are any number of terrific spots for an omelette, not just the Empire Diner; where does one go to see the actual process of laying an egg? Back up to the Catskills? Across the Hudson River to New Jersey? Staten Island? Nah, just head to 33rd & 7th Avenue, whenever the Montreal Canadiens are in town.
Rotten eggs don't smell as bad as The Habs' performance at Madison Square Garden tonight. For the umpteenth time this season the Canadiens began a game as if they were protecting a four goal lead. No forecheck, no body slams, no speed, no passion. Jaroslav Halak did his part to keep them in the game, far longer than they should have been. This was the same kind of mis-match that had resulted in a 7-2 Rangers victory over the Maple Leafs last sunday night. Which might say a lot more about Halak vs Andrew Raycroft than anything else at this point. Which is one reason I stay with the kid saturday night.
There were a lot of villians with white sweaters tonight. But Halak was not among them. Perhaps if Cristobal Huet had stood on his head and faced a barrage of shots you'd think more seriously of starting him in Toronto but the Rangers had a total of eight shots on goal and really tested him just once, a good shot but from well out by Sean Avery. I didn't like what I saw from Huet before he got hurt. I like a lot of what I've seen from Halak, even with the poor road record.
As for the real villians? As an Alex Kovalev fan let me state the obvious. I thought he'd be a big factor tonight, maybe even the difference. Instead it looked like Alex was thinking about his next flight log. Seems to me he lost interest after Michael Ryder failed to get him the puck, when that was clearly the play, after Kovalev had established position in front of Henrik Lundqvist, only to watch Ryder hang onto the puck (turning into Richard Zednick before our eyes, huh?), circle the net, but once again fail to get a shot while losing possession and watching the puck slide towards his own net.
Saku Koivu created plays. Chris Higgins worked hard but again with no result. Thomas Plekanic and Andrei Kostitsyn, so strong down the stretch, were barely visible. Guillaume Latendresse might soon find himself on a milk carton. Francis Bouillion handed the Rangers their second goal. And you can't be caught in a Boullion-Jagr match up, which the Habs were, twice. Credit to Tom Renney.
So here we go. Canadiens-Leafs on a Saturday night in Toronto. The most playoff-like non-playoff game since, well, what St. Patrick's Day night here in Montreal? Last March when the Habs swept the Leafs in back to back games and Darcy Tucker was forced to eat Kovalev's forearm? Or do we have to go all the way back to the last legit playoff match up in April 1979 when the Canadiens defeated Toronto en route to their fourth straight Stanley Cup.
Koivu always plays well against Toronto. I don't worry about him. Kovalev has to bounce back. If not, he's bounced himself right out of town. Higgins is overdue. The kids (Plekanic, Kostitsyn, Lapierre) will once again be a factor. Mike Johnson is going home. Latendresse must wake up, especially against a bigger, more physical team. Carbonneau has to play match ups, as difficult as that is on the road. Keep Bouillion away from the Sundin line.
Even though the Leafs are still the more desperate of the teams, the Habs have to play just as desperate. Not wait around to see how Toronto starts. I think Montreal will be fine. They've laid their egg. Only thing worse is to follow up by playing like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. Hopefully Ryder will be the only Hab to go that route.
There is another possibility of course. And it might be the most just at this stage. Leafs beat the Habs in regulation. Toronto reacts as if they've won the Cup. The Islanders follow up tonight by winning their final two games against Philadelphia and an -already- clinched New Jersey Devils. They get in. Leafs and Habs wind up together afterall. On the outside looking in.
Favorite Leafs from 1979 Montreal-Toronto playoff series:
1. Dan Maloney
2. Mike Palmateer
3. Tiger Williams
4. Lanny McDonald
5. Darryl Sittler
I forgot to add something to my mini-guide to a good time in New York City. While there are any number of terrific spots for an omelette, not just the Empire Diner; where does one go to see the actual process of laying an egg? Back up to the Catskills? Across the Hudson River to New Jersey? Staten Island? Nah, just head to 33rd & 7th Avenue, whenever the Montreal Canadiens are in town.
Rotten eggs don't smell as bad as The Habs' performance at Madison Square Garden tonight. For the umpteenth time this season the Canadiens began a game as if they were protecting a four goal lead. No forecheck, no body slams, no speed, no passion. Jaroslav Halak did his part to keep them in the game, far longer than they should have been. This was the same kind of mis-match that had resulted in a 7-2 Rangers victory over the Maple Leafs last sunday night. Which might say a lot more about Halak vs Andrew Raycroft than anything else at this point. Which is one reason I stay with the kid saturday night.
There were a lot of villians with white sweaters tonight. But Halak was not among them. Perhaps if Cristobal Huet had stood on his head and faced a barrage of shots you'd think more seriously of starting him in Toronto but the Rangers had a total of eight shots on goal and really tested him just once, a good shot but from well out by Sean Avery. I didn't like what I saw from Huet before he got hurt. I like a lot of what I've seen from Halak, even with the poor road record.
As for the real villians? As an Alex Kovalev fan let me state the obvious. I thought he'd be a big factor tonight, maybe even the difference. Instead it looked like Alex was thinking about his next flight log. Seems to me he lost interest after Michael Ryder failed to get him the puck, when that was clearly the play, after Kovalev had established position in front of Henrik Lundqvist, only to watch Ryder hang onto the puck (turning into Richard Zednick before our eyes, huh?), circle the net, but once again fail to get a shot while losing possession and watching the puck slide towards his own net.
Saku Koivu created plays. Chris Higgins worked hard but again with no result. Thomas Plekanic and Andrei Kostitsyn, so strong down the stretch, were barely visible. Guillaume Latendresse might soon find himself on a milk carton. Francis Bouillion handed the Rangers their second goal. And you can't be caught in a Boullion-Jagr match up, which the Habs were, twice. Credit to Tom Renney.
So here we go. Canadiens-Leafs on a Saturday night in Toronto. The most playoff-like non-playoff game since, well, what St. Patrick's Day night here in Montreal? Last March when the Habs swept the Leafs in back to back games and Darcy Tucker was forced to eat Kovalev's forearm? Or do we have to go all the way back to the last legit playoff match up in April 1979 when the Canadiens defeated Toronto en route to their fourth straight Stanley Cup.
Koivu always plays well against Toronto. I don't worry about him. Kovalev has to bounce back. If not, he's bounced himself right out of town. Higgins is overdue. The kids (Plekanic, Kostitsyn, Lapierre) will once again be a factor. Mike Johnson is going home. Latendresse must wake up, especially against a bigger, more physical team. Carbonneau has to play match ups, as difficult as that is on the road. Keep Bouillion away from the Sundin line.
Even though the Leafs are still the more desperate of the teams, the Habs have to play just as desperate. Not wait around to see how Toronto starts. I think Montreal will be fine. They've laid their egg. Only thing worse is to follow up by playing like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. Hopefully Ryder will be the only Hab to go that route.
There is another possibility of course. And it might be the most just at this stage. Leafs beat the Habs in regulation. Toronto reacts as if they've won the Cup. The Islanders follow up tonight by winning their final two games against Philadelphia and an -already- clinched New Jersey Devils. They get in. Leafs and Habs wind up together afterall. On the outside looking in.
Favorite Leafs from 1979 Montreal-Toronto playoff series:
1. Dan Maloney
2. Mike Palmateer
3. Tiger Williams
4. Lanny McDonald
5. Darryl Sittler
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Weekend in New York
Wednesday April 4, 7:30 PM
Very tempted to head back to New York for tomorrow nights' Habs-Rangers showdown. On somebody else's dime of course, so it's not happening. Will definately look at organizing some kind of Team 990 excursion, perhaps later in the baseball season when Pedro Martinez returns to the Mets rotation.
A decade ago, CIQC radio organized a contest/trip to New York to watch the Expos take on the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. I hosted my show from the pressbox but at 7 PM I left The Bronx to head to Manhattan. Six years ago I drove down with Shaun Starr for the Expos-Mets series that had been pushed back because of 9/11. Instead of attending all four games at Shea, I took the opportunity to spend thursdsay through saturday drinking/dining and experiencing so much of what the city has to offer. Starr, a big baseball fan himself, had never been to New York and quickly realized that Manhattan was more interesting than whatever the Expos or Mets were doing in Queens and decided to hang with me. We watched the friday night game from an Irish bar while finally making it to Shea for the series finale on sunday afternoon. Jeffrey Loria joined us for a moment, waving a copy of that nasty cartoon in Le Journal de Montreal.
Like the old slogan, I Love New York. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I actually lived there but I really don't think so. There's a rhythym and an energy to the city that I absolutely feed off. It's almost chemical. Maybe I lived a previous life in Greenwich Village but I believe I am more of myself when I'm there than anywhere else, except perhaps in a radio studio. It feels like home.
I have great respect and admiration for my late sister who was an aritist and aspiring actress. Not content to remain in Montreal she decided to move to New York while in her 30's and lived there, not without some difficulty, until the day she died in July of 1998. She too adored the city. Maybe it's in our blood.
I'm often asked how I can afford to head down as often as I do. It's not easy. But there are ways, especially with a small group of people, where you can enjoy the scene for less than you think. Here's a bit of a guide:
When I'm alone I stay in a small (closet sized) but very clean room in the Union Square area. I don't need space in a hotel room where I am only going to sleep and shower. It's a short walk to The Village and SoHo and so many of the places I like to hang out at including the Strand bookstore where I once ran into Willem Dafoe loading a crateful of used books into the back of a friends pick up truck. www.strandbooks.com
The Virgin Megastore is located in the heart of Union Square. Why wait weeks for a CD in Montreal when it's already on display at Virgin? And like The Strand you could spend hours browsing through cd's, dvd's, boxsets and books that you can't possibly find here at home.
http://www.virginmegamagazine.com/default.asp?vms=7
If it's import, hardcore, punk or "special" recordings you're looking for than head a few blocks south to Thompson. I've spent way too much money in there over the years on many recordings that are becoming obsolete as Dylan and Neil Young are now releasing their own bootleg series.
Among the food places to hit in The Village are John's Pizza and Arturo's. The pizza at both joints are made in coal ovens, which no longer exist anywhere else in the city. It's the best pizza I've ever had. John's is on Bleeker Street (and in midtown) and is strictly about the pies (no slices). Arturo's is much more of a hang out with a variety of fabulous Italian food.
http://www.johnsofbleeckerstreet.com/
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/arturos/
If it's a burger you want head to another legendary joint, The Corner Bistro on West 4th. If you're still thirsty head to Hudson and 11th where The White Horse Tavern awaits as it has since 1880, with a wall-sized image of Dylan Thomas who drank himself to death at the establishment in 1953.
If you're a music fan a stroll down to Prince Street in SoHo is a must. The Morrison Hotel Gallery features astonishing portraits of some of the greatest names in music history shot by some of the greatest photographers in music history.
http://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/
Last weekend, before I headed to Woodstock, I attended a couple of small shows. Rocky Votolato is an interesting singer-songwriter who can remind you of early Springsteen or perhaps Jakob Dylan. I have a couple of his cd's but had never seen him. So I headed to The Knitting Factory in the TriBeca section of Manhattan. Jam packed and over heated I was hoping it was worth the trek. It wasn't. He sang in barely a whisper, played in virtually the same key the entire set and accompanied himself with a recorded rythym section. The place went nuts. I went up to the Rodeo Bar at 3rd and 27th to catch Elana James and The Continental Two. This was old time country music at its best with no cover.
www.rockyvotolalo.com
www.knittingfactory.com
www.rodeobar.com
www.elanajames.com
Last friday in New York was a fabulous day. Sunny and 68 degrees. I decided to take the opportunity to do something I had never done before. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
It's a mile walk each way but there is a subway stop on site if your feet give out. Even without the World Trade Center the views on the bridge are breathtaking. I don't know why I waited so long.
http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridge.html
Later that night I attended The Allman Brothers show at the Beacon Theatre. I'm a big fan of both guitarists, Warren Haynes and Dereck Trucks, but on this night my seats were too far off to the side to fully appreciate their work. Besides I had been terribly distracted prior to the show at Yogi's, another legendary spot, a block north of the Beacon. So prior to the end of the first set I headed back. And stayed until my empty stomach forced me a couple of blocks north to Big Nick's. After sampling everything in their kitchen I headed back to Yogi's and waited for the post show crush while dancing the night away to umpteen renditions of "Whipping Post" that poured out of the jukebox while Knob Creek was poured into me. A great night.
www.allmanbrothersband.com
www.beacontheater.net
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/36628417/new_york_ny/yogi_s.html
http://bignicksnyc.com/
Closing time meant a 50 block cab ride to the Chelsea Hotel, made famous by the aformentioned Thomas, who collapsed in his room after his drinking binge at The White Horse; Thomas Wolfe, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin and countless other artists/writers and bohemians. The place is huge, filled with valuable and not so valuable artwork on every available wallspace with some surprisingly affordable rooms. The lobby itself is a show of eccentrics by eccentrics. And dogs are constantly being walked in and out. The staff is very friendly. And the room? By Manhattan standards it was almost earily quiet.
http://www.hotelchelsea.com/
Woke up Saturday morning to a breakfast at The Empire Diner. Don't remember walking in. But I do remember sitting at the counter, waiting for an omelette while coming to the rescue of a waiter who couldn't figure out the name of a former Met who's picture he had taken the night before. It was Ed Kranepool. The Met, not the waiter.
http://www.nyc-architecture.com/CHE/CHE004-EmpireDiner.htm
Then it was up to Woodstock. The rest, as Red Fisher would say, you know.
Other NYC locations worth checking out:
Music: Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge, Red Lion (live music till 4 AM), Joe's Pub, The Living Room, Bowery Ballroom, Town Hall, Supper Club, Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club (Les Paul every monday night), BB King Blues Club
Comedy: Comedy Cellar, Gotham, Caroline's
Always be observant in New York. Among the famous I've seen and met:
Bruce Sprinsgteen
Vinnie "Mad Dog" Lopez (original E Street drummer)
Patti Smith
Harvey Keitel
Jesse Malin
Rufus Wainwright
Steve Van Zandt
Amos Lee
Conan O'Brien
Jerry Seinfeld
Barry Shenk (Simpson DNA lawyer)
Bill Walton
George Recile (Dylan's drummer)
John Riggins
George Steinbrenner
Charlie Rangel (Congressman)
David Dinkins (Former mayor)
Favorite NY Rangers:
1. Eddie Giacomin
2. Glen Sather
3. Bobby Rousseau
4. Steve Vickers
5. Dave Maloney
6. James Patrick
7. Nick Fotiu
8. John Davidson
9. Adam Graves
10 PJ Stock
Very tempted to head back to New York for tomorrow nights' Habs-Rangers showdown. On somebody else's dime of course, so it's not happening. Will definately look at organizing some kind of Team 990 excursion, perhaps later in the baseball season when Pedro Martinez returns to the Mets rotation.
A decade ago, CIQC radio organized a contest/trip to New York to watch the Expos take on the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. I hosted my show from the pressbox but at 7 PM I left The Bronx to head to Manhattan. Six years ago I drove down with Shaun Starr for the Expos-Mets series that had been pushed back because of 9/11. Instead of attending all four games at Shea, I took the opportunity to spend thursdsay through saturday drinking/dining and experiencing so much of what the city has to offer. Starr, a big baseball fan himself, had never been to New York and quickly realized that Manhattan was more interesting than whatever the Expos or Mets were doing in Queens and decided to hang with me. We watched the friday night game from an Irish bar while finally making it to Shea for the series finale on sunday afternoon. Jeffrey Loria joined us for a moment, waving a copy of that nasty cartoon in Le Journal de Montreal.
Like the old slogan, I Love New York. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I actually lived there but I really don't think so. There's a rhythym and an energy to the city that I absolutely feed off. It's almost chemical. Maybe I lived a previous life in Greenwich Village but I believe I am more of myself when I'm there than anywhere else, except perhaps in a radio studio. It feels like home.
I have great respect and admiration for my late sister who was an aritist and aspiring actress. Not content to remain in Montreal she decided to move to New York while in her 30's and lived there, not without some difficulty, until the day she died in July of 1998. She too adored the city. Maybe it's in our blood.
I'm often asked how I can afford to head down as often as I do. It's not easy. But there are ways, especially with a small group of people, where you can enjoy the scene for less than you think. Here's a bit of a guide:
When I'm alone I stay in a small (closet sized) but very clean room in the Union Square area. I don't need space in a hotel room where I am only going to sleep and shower. It's a short walk to The Village and SoHo and so many of the places I like to hang out at including the Strand bookstore where I once ran into Willem Dafoe loading a crateful of used books into the back of a friends pick up truck. www.strandbooks.com
The Virgin Megastore is located in the heart of Union Square. Why wait weeks for a CD in Montreal when it's already on display at Virgin? And like The Strand you could spend hours browsing through cd's, dvd's, boxsets and books that you can't possibly find here at home.
http://www.virginmegamagazine.com/default.asp?vms=7
If it's import, hardcore, punk or "special" recordings you're looking for than head a few blocks south to Thompson. I've spent way too much money in there over the years on many recordings that are becoming obsolete as Dylan and Neil Young are now releasing their own bootleg series.
Among the food places to hit in The Village are John's Pizza and Arturo's. The pizza at both joints are made in coal ovens, which no longer exist anywhere else in the city. It's the best pizza I've ever had. John's is on Bleeker Street (and in midtown) and is strictly about the pies (no slices). Arturo's is much more of a hang out with a variety of fabulous Italian food.
http://www.johnsofbleeckerstreet.com/
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/arturos/
If it's a burger you want head to another legendary joint, The Corner Bistro on West 4th. If you're still thirsty head to Hudson and 11th where The White Horse Tavern awaits as it has since 1880, with a wall-sized image of Dylan Thomas who drank himself to death at the establishment in 1953.
If you're a music fan a stroll down to Prince Street in SoHo is a must. The Morrison Hotel Gallery features astonishing portraits of some of the greatest names in music history shot by some of the greatest photographers in music history.
http://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/
Last weekend, before I headed to Woodstock, I attended a couple of small shows. Rocky Votolato is an interesting singer-songwriter who can remind you of early Springsteen or perhaps Jakob Dylan. I have a couple of his cd's but had never seen him. So I headed to The Knitting Factory in the TriBeca section of Manhattan. Jam packed and over heated I was hoping it was worth the trek. It wasn't. He sang in barely a whisper, played in virtually the same key the entire set and accompanied himself with a recorded rythym section. The place went nuts. I went up to the Rodeo Bar at 3rd and 27th to catch Elana James and The Continental Two. This was old time country music at its best with no cover.
www.rockyvotolalo.com
www.knittingfactory.com
www.rodeobar.com
www.elanajames.com
Last friday in New York was a fabulous day. Sunny and 68 degrees. I decided to take the opportunity to do something I had never done before. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
It's a mile walk each way but there is a subway stop on site if your feet give out. Even without the World Trade Center the views on the bridge are breathtaking. I don't know why I waited so long.
http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridge.html
Later that night I attended The Allman Brothers show at the Beacon Theatre. I'm a big fan of both guitarists, Warren Haynes and Dereck Trucks, but on this night my seats were too far off to the side to fully appreciate their work. Besides I had been terribly distracted prior to the show at Yogi's, another legendary spot, a block north of the Beacon. So prior to the end of the first set I headed back. And stayed until my empty stomach forced me a couple of blocks north to Big Nick's. After sampling everything in their kitchen I headed back to Yogi's and waited for the post show crush while dancing the night away to umpteen renditions of "Whipping Post" that poured out of the jukebox while Knob Creek was poured into me. A great night.
www.allmanbrothersband.com
www.beacontheater.net
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/36628417/new_york_ny/yogi_s.html
http://bignicksnyc.com/
Closing time meant a 50 block cab ride to the Chelsea Hotel, made famous by the aformentioned Thomas, who collapsed in his room after his drinking binge at The White Horse; Thomas Wolfe, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin and countless other artists/writers and bohemians. The place is huge, filled with valuable and not so valuable artwork on every available wallspace with some surprisingly affordable rooms. The lobby itself is a show of eccentrics by eccentrics. And dogs are constantly being walked in and out. The staff is very friendly. And the room? By Manhattan standards it was almost earily quiet.
http://www.hotelchelsea.com/
Woke up Saturday morning to a breakfast at The Empire Diner. Don't remember walking in. But I do remember sitting at the counter, waiting for an omelette while coming to the rescue of a waiter who couldn't figure out the name of a former Met who's picture he had taken the night before. It was Ed Kranepool. The Met, not the waiter.
http://www.nyc-architecture.com/CHE/CHE004-EmpireDiner.htm
Then it was up to Woodstock. The rest, as Red Fisher would say, you know.
Other NYC locations worth checking out:
Music: Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge, Red Lion (live music till 4 AM), Joe's Pub, The Living Room, Bowery Ballroom, Town Hall, Supper Club, Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club (Les Paul every monday night), BB King Blues Club
Comedy: Comedy Cellar, Gotham, Caroline's
Always be observant in New York. Among the famous I've seen and met:
Bruce Sprinsgteen
Vinnie "Mad Dog" Lopez (original E Street drummer)
Patti Smith
Harvey Keitel
Jesse Malin
Rufus Wainwright
Steve Van Zandt
Amos Lee
Conan O'Brien
Jerry Seinfeld
Barry Shenk (Simpson DNA lawyer)
Bill Walton
George Recile (Dylan's drummer)
John Riggins
George Steinbrenner
Charlie Rangel (Congressman)
David Dinkins (Former mayor)
Favorite NY Rangers:
1. Eddie Giacomin
2. Glen Sather
3. Bobby Rousseau
4. Steve Vickers
5. Dave Maloney
6. James Patrick
7. Nick Fotiu
8. John Davidson
9. Adam Graves
10 PJ Stock
Monday, April 2, 2007
Saturday Night at Levon's
Monday April 2 7:30 PM
As most of you know I'm a big music fan. Always have some tune in my head. Right now I'm hearing Positively Fourth Street by Dylan, thinking about Claude Julien and Lou Lamoriello. I take vacation time around the Jazz Fest and try to book time off whenever I see an artist I admire booked into a small club in New York or Boston. Live music is an addiction of mine (along with caffeine and potato chips) that can be costly but healthy. It often provides me the same spiritual lift that many people get through organized religion. This past weekend I visited the church of Levon.
Levon Helm is one of the founding members of The Band. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who still lives close to where the group created such great music in the late 60's and early 70s. Music From Big Pink is one of the seminal albums of the 60s ("It changed my life" said Eric Clapton), and it actually still exists. The house where The Band lived is located in Saugerties near Woodstock, New York. It was painted pink. Apparently still is. Most people hear Woodstock and think of the music festival in 1969. But the festival was actually held about 35 miles away in Bethel. Woodstock already had a long history of attracting artists, musicians and writers long before Bob Dylan and The Band moved in. While Robbie Robertson and the late Richard Manuel eventually moved away, Garth Hudson, the late Rick Danko and Helm all stayed.
Today Levon lives about a five minute drive from the center of town. I was among a group of about 150 music fans who got to hang out in his home on saturday night as part of his continuing Midnight Ramble sessions. I'd call it heaven. Once you arrive on his property in the woods, friends and neighboors outfitted with "Helmland Security" t-shirts hand you your tickets and direct you to a parking spot. And it's nothing but good vibes for the rest of the night.
I first read about the Midnight Ramble in the Sunday New York Times about a year ago. It sounded almost too good to be true. Levon Helm is creating a lasting impression of the power of live music (in an era that relies so heavily on packaging and all that is phony) similar to what he grew up experiencing in sheds and open fields and front porches in his home state of Arkansas; not to mention the old medicine shows that used to roll into his and other southern towns. Throw in fans from across the world who show up for this event, many bringing food and drinks for all to share, and you have an evening that is simply unforgettable.
I urge you to make a pilgrimmage.
http://www.levonhelm.com/midnight_ramble.htm
Got a chance to walk around the town for a couple of hours prior to the show. There's certainly no shortage of "Woodstock Nation" memorabilia (almost expected to find some of the bad brown acid from the festival freeze dried and on sale, along with a Jimi Hendrix plastic cast) but what struck me was how many burned out casualties seemed to be walking around, most looking just like the Dennis Hopper character in Apocalypse Now. Bill Lee suggested that they've all been pickled.
That's not to say it's not a neat spot. It's located in the Catskill Mountains. Beautiful and peaceful. A refreshing way to wind up a weekend after spending a couple of enjoyable but frenzied nights in Manhatten including a night at The Chelsea Hotel following a concert by The Allman Brothers.
More details to follow. Enjoy the matzoh.
Favorite Jewish musicians:
1. Bob Dylan (Zimmerman)
2. Elvis Presley (Original family name was Pressler): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley
3. Lou Reed
4. Warren Zevon (father was Jewish gangster)
5. Leonard Cohen
6. Joey Ramone
7. Dan Bern
8. Paul Simon
9. Steve Wynn
10. Kinky Friedman
11. Ramblin' Jack Elliott (Adnopoz)
12. Mike Bloomfield
13. Al Jolson
14. Lucy Kaplansky
15. Jackie Wilson (converted)
As most of you know I'm a big music fan. Always have some tune in my head. Right now I'm hearing Positively Fourth Street by Dylan, thinking about Claude Julien and Lou Lamoriello. I take vacation time around the Jazz Fest and try to book time off whenever I see an artist I admire booked into a small club in New York or Boston. Live music is an addiction of mine (along with caffeine and potato chips) that can be costly but healthy. It often provides me the same spiritual lift that many people get through organized religion. This past weekend I visited the church of Levon.
Levon Helm is one of the founding members of The Band. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who still lives close to where the group created such great music in the late 60's and early 70s. Music From Big Pink is one of the seminal albums of the 60s ("It changed my life" said Eric Clapton), and it actually still exists. The house where The Band lived is located in Saugerties near Woodstock, New York. It was painted pink. Apparently still is. Most people hear Woodstock and think of the music festival in 1969. But the festival was actually held about 35 miles away in Bethel. Woodstock already had a long history of attracting artists, musicians and writers long before Bob Dylan and The Band moved in. While Robbie Robertson and the late Richard Manuel eventually moved away, Garth Hudson, the late Rick Danko and Helm all stayed.
Today Levon lives about a five minute drive from the center of town. I was among a group of about 150 music fans who got to hang out in his home on saturday night as part of his continuing Midnight Ramble sessions. I'd call it heaven. Once you arrive on his property in the woods, friends and neighboors outfitted with "Helmland Security" t-shirts hand you your tickets and direct you to a parking spot. And it's nothing but good vibes for the rest of the night.
I first read about the Midnight Ramble in the Sunday New York Times about a year ago. It sounded almost too good to be true. Levon Helm is creating a lasting impression of the power of live music (in an era that relies so heavily on packaging and all that is phony) similar to what he grew up experiencing in sheds and open fields and front porches in his home state of Arkansas; not to mention the old medicine shows that used to roll into his and other southern towns. Throw in fans from across the world who show up for this event, many bringing food and drinks for all to share, and you have an evening that is simply unforgettable.
I urge you to make a pilgrimmage.
http://www.levonhelm.com/midnight_ramble.htm
Got a chance to walk around the town for a couple of hours prior to the show. There's certainly no shortage of "Woodstock Nation" memorabilia (almost expected to find some of the bad brown acid from the festival freeze dried and on sale, along with a Jimi Hendrix plastic cast) but what struck me was how many burned out casualties seemed to be walking around, most looking just like the Dennis Hopper character in Apocalypse Now. Bill Lee suggested that they've all been pickled.
That's not to say it's not a neat spot. It's located in the Catskill Mountains. Beautiful and peaceful. A refreshing way to wind up a weekend after spending a couple of enjoyable but frenzied nights in Manhatten including a night at The Chelsea Hotel following a concert by The Allman Brothers.
More details to follow. Enjoy the matzoh.
Favorite Jewish musicians:
1. Bob Dylan (Zimmerman)
2. Elvis Presley (Original family name was Pressler): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley
3. Lou Reed
4. Warren Zevon (father was Jewish gangster)
5. Leonard Cohen
6. Joey Ramone
7. Dan Bern
8. Paul Simon
9. Steve Wynn
10. Kinky Friedman
11. Ramblin' Jack Elliott (Adnopoz)
12. Mike Bloomfield
13. Al Jolson
14. Lucy Kaplansky
15. Jackie Wilson (converted)
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