Foo-tastic

Partook in the Foo Fighters concert at Nationwide Arena last night. I am not a music critic, so don't expect a breakdown of the melodies and Grohl's strenious vocals over interweaving whatevers. I will keep it short and sweet.

Awesome.

Okay, maybe a little more than that. Rise Against opened after some Mariachi band (Mariachi El Bronx?). RA was okay, not a huge fan of theirs but like a few of the songs. The show however was bad, mostly due to the sound mix. You could not hear the vocals at all, and the instrumentals were all over each other. Every song sounded the same because all I could hear was screaching guitar.

Grohl and the boys came on just after 9:00. They opened with a couple of favorites, including Pretender. I liked the way they mixed in the new songs (all of which rock by the way). They hopped around in the catalog quite a bit, but they covered a vast majority of the favorites. Awesome rendition of Let it Die and Monkey Wrench. They added a lot of solo and instrumentals in the breaks, but the vocals stayed, for the most part, as you would hear them on the record. Meaning you can still sing along, but you don't feel like you are just listening to the CD with 20,000 other people. And there was a lot of singing along. There was even a cover of Pink Floyd (complete with laser lights) and Tom Petty, both very well done. The encore started off with a 2-1/2 song acoustic rendition, including Best of You. He started acoustic on Times Like These, but then half way through the band started up again and rocked out the finish (hence the 2-1/2). Best part of the show for me. The night ended on Everlong after damn near three hours of great music.

You could tell from the start the Dave Grohl had the crowd in his hands. He controlled that show like no other. He started off right by saying how he lived down High street as a very young kid. And the crowd was with him all night. Hawkins on the drums is a beast. Thought his arms were going to fly off a few times, and he did appear to break a tom drum in the middle of a song. I will never know how somebody has the talent to play drums and sing lead vocals on a song or two. I can barely talk while playing guitar, let alone sing. Much respect.

The show itself was pretty simple. The most they had were multiple concave, three sided video screens hanging above the stage, and of course mutiple can lights that changed with the music. Grohl had a small lifted stage toward the back of the arena that he used a couple of times. No smoke, no fire, no real flashy light show. Just Foo Fighter blowing the roof off of Nationwide Arena. And I loved every minute of it. Easily top 3 show I have seen. Highly recommend.

Preseason thoughts

Just getting caught up on the updates here. I was at the game on Tuesday against 'Peg, and watched some of Wednesday's game on the streaming feed. Not going to do a game recap from Tuesday, but I will say we got to use the Bluejackets suite for that one, and...well...the suite is pretty sweet. Definitely not the cheep seats!

So, random preseason thoughts:

• Dekanich looked good in the limited time he was in Tuesday. It really sucks that he hurt his ankle, I would have liked to see him perform against true NHL talent. We might never know his true abilities this season. That "high ankle sprain" is a nasty injury to come back from. I imagine the position he plays makes it worse. They are saying 4 weeks, I bet he is out longer.
• On the bright side, the other goalie that played Tuesday at home (Dainton?) made some spectacular saves. He looked pretty shaky at first, but had a pretty good effort overall. I would like to see more of this kid in the preseason, see what he can do.
• Mayorov continues to impress. Not just the scoring either, he is all over the place and is solid all the way around. I think this will be the year he realizes some of that potential.
• Boone Jenner, once again, is going to be a player in this league. Obviously not this year since they already released him to his junior team, but in 13/14 I would bet he comes in and makes an impact.
• Wiz made some nice passes out of the zone, seemed very fluid with the puck movement. We need that, big time.
• The new music selection sucked, it was all over the place. Let me state this clearly: THERE IS NO PLACE FOR COUNTRY MUSIC IN HOCKEY, EVEN IN NASHVILLE. Did not care for the goal song, but I guess I could live with it. You may get more crown participation with it than the old one.
• I liked Chaput as well, he played a pretty good game. Nothing flashy, but I seemed to notice him a lot.

Going to the Buffalo game on Sunday. This might be the one time I can go to a Buffalo game and not get severely annoyed by their douche bag fans (generalizing, obviously they are not all bad). Will try to do a more timely recap of that game.

Till next time...

Owners Tournament

Arrived at the owners tournament right before game one was starting. Good crowd again today, standing room only again.

Game recap
Game 1 - McConnell vs. Pizzuti
Sanford in goal for McConnell, Dekanich for Pizzuti. The first period was all team Pizzuti. Lukas Sedlak started off the scoring off a nice pass from Nash. Dalton Smith made it 2-0 with a roofer from in close. Mayorov got a deflection from a Kris Russell shot from the right circle to make it 3-0. Most of the time was spent in the McConnell end, as they could get nothing going offensively. The second period started with a little more offensive game shown from team Mac. Kubalik fed Carter with a nice pass to the front of the net where he was all alone, and he finished with a backhander past Dexshow to make it 3-1. Lots of end to end action in this period. Boll made a couple of real nice moves and fed Dalton Smith for a wide open shot to make it 4-1 for Team Pizzuti. Dekanich made a beautiful toe save and stopped the follow up shot as well to keep the score the same. Game to Team Pizzuti.

Game 2 - Wolfe vs. Crane
Didn't make my way over to this game until about 2/3 of the way through the first period. Score was already 2-1 for Team Wolfe. Steven Delisle put a hard shot through from the point to make it 3-1. It very well could have deflected off of someone else, couldn't tell from where we were sitting. Nothing else special from this game, a couple of good chances on a power play for Team Crane but no goals. Vermette put in an EN goal on a feed from Calvert, and the game goes to Team Wolfe 4-1.

Championship game - Pizzuti vs. Wolfe
This was a chippy game from the start, everybody seemed to be going hard and wanted to win. Nash rang a shot of of both posts about a minute in, but Mase was able to cover the puck up. Russell did his signature skate the length of the ice to create an opportunity, however this time he made something happen. Dish off to Brass in the middle, and a nice return from Brass has Russell opening up the scoring for Pizzuti. Boll is taking the body on everyone! Mason lets a rebound out off a Russell shot and Mayorov puts it in to make it 2-0. Wolfe gets on the board shortly after on a Chaput goal off a nice centering pass from Vermette. They even it up with a nasty point shot  from Austin Madaisky deflects right to Aaron Bogosian who puts it into the wide open net. The second period saw some great back and forth action, and some nifty work by both goaltenders. Team Wolfe go the advantage when Michael Chaput scored on a breakaway, beating Dex on the blocker side. With time running out a Dekanich on the bench, Derrick Dorsett scored the empty netter to seal the victory for Team Wolfe. And just for the icing on the cake, Boone Jenner scored another EN goal as time expired to make the final score 5-2 for Team Wolfe, your 2011 Owners Tournament champions.

Observations

• I was impressed by how smooth and sound Dekanich was in goal. Seemed very fundamentally sound and not panicked at all. I can see why Howson liked him. Just solid.
• Boll was a wrecking ball out there, hitting anything in sight. He also showed some offensive prowess.
• Mayorov was impressive. Nice all around game from him, couple of goals, hard board play.
• Russell must be hearing the criticism, because he made himself very visible (in a good way). Goal and 3 or 4 assists, solid defensive play that I could see. Hope he keeps it up.
• I was really impressed with Steven Delisle. Big guy at 6'-6", but he skated well and seemed very mobile for someone his size. He had 2 excellent defensive plays on a two different breakaways in the championship game. Showed a decent shot from the point as well.
• Mason didn't look bad. He gave up the one rebound that I thought he should have had that resulted in Mayorov's goal, but other than that he made a few nice saves, even a high glove side save for the naysayers out there.
• Nothing special out of Carter, Wiz, Martinik, Prospal.
• Matty Calvert had several good attempts. As usual his motor was in overdrive the entire time.
• Didn't notice much from Atkinson.
• Boone Jenner is going to be a player in this league at some point. Solid all around game. The crowd couldn't wait to holler "Boooooone"!

This tournament was a lot of fun for the fans, and the players seemed to be into it as well. Team Wolfe went to center ice after the victory and were all smiles for the crowd. Wiz especially seemed to be wearing a big grin, raising his stick to the fans several times. Kudos to the Bluejackets for making this tournament a fun time for all the fans and the players as well.

Ugliness in South Beach

After tonights game, I am ready to say the Bucks are going to be a mediocre team this year. The offense was disgusting. We don't have a QB ready for the job. There are 0 targets to throw to outside of Stoneburner, and he can be double teamed and rendered ineffective. The defense was okay, but got torched several time on the run. A better QB would have chewed us up. Special teams were better, but nothing special. Jordan Hall was the highlight of the evening, and for some reason Fickel went away from him in the fourth quarter with plenty of time left. They are not going to be able to overcome the loss of so many starters from last year on both sides of the ball.

The coaching was a complete failure tonight. Fickle showed his inexperience. And to me, the lack of Tressel is highlighting just how bad Jim Bollman is. We need a new offensive coordinator, but that is nothing that hasn't been said for years. It is just worse now that Tressel isn't around to make up for some of it. Fickle better recover quick, because the last two games have not ben impressive. If he doesn't I would expect Urban Meyer to be getting some phone calls in the near future.

So let's summarize.

• QB is bad and inconsistent
• We have a severe lack of wide receivers right now. Posey will help but can't do it by himself.
• Our run defense is suspect.
• Our kicker is 2 for 4
• Our running game is sufficient right now
• Coaching decisions are suspect

This is not Buckeye teams of the recent past my friends. This is going to be a long year.

Now I know I shouldn't partake in jumping off the cliff so soon, but look at the schedule. I see two more almost guaranteed losses (Wisconsin and Nebraska), and at least two more probable losses in Michigan State and....this is difficult....Michigan. So that would put them at 7-5 and in a lower tier bowl, a.k.a., Detroit in December. If it was up to me, I would ask for a bowl ban this year and get it over with.

I guess I would consider this a lowering of expectations for this season rather than a full jump off the cliff. Be happy with 9-3.

CBJ Training Camp - Day 1

Went down for the first day of training camp this morning, and was joined by several hundred friends and fellow Bluejackets fans. The Ice Haus was packed, standing room only, by the time I walked in right at 9:00. As I was walking in, and the crowd gave a nice little roar/applause, so of course I waved and took a bow. Then I realized that the players were starting practice and the applause wasn't for me. Honest mistake, right?

Anyways, I was only able to stick around for the first session due to other commitments. The first group included Nash, Carter, Wiz, Calvert, Methot, Vermette, and Dex, among many others. Not too much stood out (it was the first practice after all), but here are some random thoughts.

• Oh the hair! Mike Thomas (83) had the power mullet going. Should make the first cut on the hair alone.
• Calvert had a couple of nice shots.
• Bloomqvist looks huge on the ice. However, I didn't see him out on the ice for very long. Looks like he was in for the first drill and I didn't see him afterwards. Anybody know if he got hurt?
• Carter and Nash were just average together. Figure they need a couple of weeks and some games to get it together, so no worries there.
• Methot got dumped a couple of times, but looked real good in the defensive drill when they had to push people out of the crease area.
• Dex took a shot right off the dome. Looks a little shook up at first but quickly recovered.
• Good on the fans for showing up this morning. I would estimate 600-700 people funneled in and out of the stands and around the glass while I was there. Expect the owners tourney to be packed tomorrow.

Really looking forward to the tournament on Sunday, should be a great time and I am really looking forward to seeing what Atkinson and Johannsen do. And no injuries.

CBJ lease proposal announced

By now several news outlets have put out the initial details of a proposal announced by the City, County, State, Nationwide and the Bluejackets today, but here are the highlights:

• Franklin County will own the arena, purchased from nationwide for $42 million
• The City of Columbus and Franklin County will kick in up to 1/3 of the tax revenue from the casino until 2039 or until the mortgage is paid off, whichever comes first. Roughly $4 million for the county and $6 million for the City
• The joint venture between OSU and the CBJ to manage the arena will continue for another 15 years
• Nationwide will invest another $52 million into the team and assume a 30% ownership stake
• Nationwide also will purchase the naming rights for 10 years for the Nat for an additional $28.5 million
• Penalties for the CBJ if they leave before 2039, and incentives to spend on payroll (not sure what these are yet).
• The State of Ohio is kicking in as well in the form of a $10 million loan, half of which could be forgiven.

Facts derived from the Dispatch article here.

To me this is a great deal for not only the team, but the entire area as well. Let look at some numbers. According to Forward Together, the Arena district generates $30 million annually in tax revenue, split between the State of Ohio, City of Columbus, Franklin County, and various local school districts. Columbus gets $7.5 million of that. The out of town spending was estimated at $160 million a year by the Glenn report as of 2006, money that doesn't come directly from Central Ohioans pockets. By my math, Columbus actually comes out ahead on this deal by at least $1.5 million, and definitely more when faced with loosing $7 million a year in tax revenue. Let's assume that if the team left and Nationwide Arena was shuttered, not all business would leave and head to the suburbs. So let's call this a break even for Columbus. I would say this is probably close to the same for Franklin County in terms of investment versus revenue, but to be conservative let's say they take a small loss (less than $1 million). For this year, Columbus will make $1.5 million from income tax just on the hockey players.

Now here is a wild card. With the new hotel the city is building right around the block, we suddenly have 2 major hotels within walking distance of our prime attraction to the city. Anybody care to guess what this means? More hotels, plus a large venue for big events, plus a thriving convention area equals more visitors and bigger events in Columbus. Conventions do huge business around the country, and Columbus has been outside looking in for years. Hotels have been the biggest deficit. This includes events like an NHL All Star game. Does anybody think for one second that without the Arena and surrounding district properties we would be getting this opportunity to bring in these larger (and more profitable) events? Hotel tax is huge, plus sales tax on spending, plus new business generation opportunities, it all equals up to a great opportunity for revenue for the area.

Last comment before a rant: the Arena District is a model for other cities in how to revitalize their downtown area. It is something for Columbus citizens to be very proud of, and we should not take for granted what we have here.

I have heard several comments from the local radio hacks about taking money away from schools. Several comments on the Dispatch's web site also mention this. Ohio has a gross gaming revenue tax of 33 percent, divided up as follows (per gamblingcompliance.com):

• 51 Percent, estimated at $306m per year, to the state's 88 counties.
• 34 Percent, estimated at $204m per year, to public school districts – funds would be distributed by county to all public school districts based on student population.
• 5 Percent, estimated at $30m per year, to the casino host cities.
• 3 Percent, estimated at $18m per year, to the Ohio State Racing Commission to revitalize the state's horse racing industry.
• 3 Percent, estimated at $18m per year, to fund the operations of the Ohio Casino Control Commission. 
• 2 Percent, estimated at $12m per year, to training opportunities for the Ohio law enforcement community.
• 2 Percent, estimated at $12m per year, toward treatment of problem gambling and substance abuse, as well as research related to problem gambling.

As you can see, school districts are still getting all of the money promised to them. The contributed amounts will come from the cuts the city and county are due, not money otherwise allocated. I cannot find anything on the net about any commitment from the City of Columbus or Franklin County to funnel more money to schools from their cut. I think these comments are a knee-jerk reaction from people that are dead set against public spending, not based on any fact I can find.

It should be pointed out that the arena is being sold to Franklin County at 28% of what it cost Nationwide to build. Yes, they have made their money off of other investments, but that is still a great deal for the county, no matter how you look at it. They will not even have to run it for the next 15 years. Compare that to $56 million spent on building Huntington Park, and it is an even bigger steal.

And the bottom line is, taxes are not being raised for this. Yes, the money could be spent on other things. Where would you like to spend it? Oh, by the way, before you allocate that money, make up the difference in losses that will occur when the team leaves. You might not be left with as much as you think.

Personal rant: I have lived in this city all my life and I cannot imagine living somewhere else. However, I get disgusted by the small town attitude of some, and the short-sighted outlook these people have. Let me type in all caps so maybe those people can understand: THIS IS NOT ABOUT HOCKEY OR THE BLUEJACKETS! THIS IS ABOUT COLUMBUS AND A THRIVING AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN THAT WAS AN ABANDONED LOT 15 YEARS AGO. People in this town are so afraid of growing past a college town that they take any stance to stop it. It can still be a great place to live and a big city. It already is a big city, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, 15th largest in the country. I can't understand people who won't admit that the Arena District and the CBJ have contributed to this town and our economy, it just doesn't make sense. They want to focus on the franchise and lack of winning, WTF does that have to do with anything?!? Take a lesson from Cleveland, they have lost for decades but the town supports them no matter what. With public money (direct tax increases I believe). I truly believe that if the Buckeyes had a difficult ten years some people would want them to move to Dayton because "they sux and we pay for them". You don't want public money going to the CBJ, fine. Come with a different solution, complain to your representative, but don't pretend that the franchise is worthless and should just leave. It would be a huge blow to this city and it's reputation if that happened, and the naysayers would be begging for them to come back within 10 years. /rant

I am extremely happy with the deal. Nationwide kicked in, the governments kicked in, and we have a team for the foreseeable future. What are your thoughts?

Ready for some football!

Great weekend coming up. Full of football, and tomorrow marks 2 weeks until the CBJ training camp starts!

Started the evening with the Canal Winchester vs. Grove City HS football game. Pretty exciting (although a little sloppy) game, with the Indians pulling it out 26-23 over Grove City. Tomorrow is the big one....my son's freshman team game! :) Unfortunately this is at the same time as the OSU-Akron game, so that gets the DVR treatment.

As far as OSU, I see no reason this won't be a blowout. The Bucks have a lot of questions all around, especially on offense. However, the Zips are not a good football team, and OSU should be able to overcome any first game jitters or errors the new players make. You never know, maybe we are in for a shocker. However, if OSU manages to lose this game, that would be a quick end for Luke Fickel's coaching career at Ohio State. Look for Carlos Hyde to have a big game, and Bauserman to be solid. It will be a pleasant surprise if Miller makes some waves in this game, but I will be happy if he just plays a mistake free game and is steady. The D should be solid, not spectacular.

My prediction: OSU 45-Zips 10