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njskaguy33

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About njskaguy33

  • Birthday 12/27/1980

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    http://www.thesurrealityproject.com
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    Austin, TX

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  1. Pavel Zacha : 10 Taylor Hall : 12 Nico Hischier: 17 Jack Hughes : 13 Kyle Palmieri : 11 Wayne Simmonds : 10 Jesper Bratt: 10 Miles Wood : 10  Travis Zajac : 12 (+1) Blake Coleman : 12 P.K. Subban : 12 Damon Severson : 12 Sami Vatanen : 10  Will Butcher : 10 Ty Smith : 12 Connor Carrick : 10 Mirco Mueller : 2 Cory Schneider : 10 (-1) Mackenzie Blackwood : 15 Jesper Boqvist : 11 Kevin Rooney : 5  Andy Greene: 4 ELIMINATED: John Hayden : 0
  2. Better question. Why does Taylor Ham / pork roll / unspecified meat stick even exist? Get bacon. Get ham. But meat stick? Kinda gross if you ask me. And putting ketchup on eggs is like spreading mayonnaise on a birthday cake covered in spiders. Skin crawling yuck that's relatively senseless. And yes, I'm aware migas and salsa on a breakfast taco is a thing in my current home of Austin. But it's still icky. But to be fair, I'm also the weirdo who doesn't put milk in cereal, so my culinary preferences can be suspect.
  3. Waiting for the thread lock in 3...2...1...
  4. What's next? Schneider - duel hip replacementHischier - eyeball contusion, day to week to monthSeverson - stroke, back whenevsBlackwood - foot growing out of the back of his head, out for seasonStafford - taken by aliens, return pending further space exploration.
  5. Back to Big Mike, I don't love him. I'm intrigued by him. Listening to him is like watching a dinosaur roam the streets of Manhattan: he doesn't belong in this modern world, but somehow, someway, he persists and to me, it's absolutely fascinating. It's also incredibly cringey, which I admittedly gravitate towards. He's a cantankerous old man who has zero self-awareness and ability to laugh at himself. The fact he takes himself so seriously is amazing, especially when people call him up just to mess with him. You have to give him credit for not dumping out whenever he gets a prank. He reacts like the caller is a genuine moron, not somebody messing with him, and the reaction always makes me shake my head and smile. He's an ass, but he's our ass if that makes any sense. Living in Austin, I don't get to listen for any length of time, so I keep up via YouTube clips, which may be the preferred way to listen. And on a serious note, it reminds me of home. The thick New York accent, the focus on local teams (even if it isn't hockey). It's one my few nostalgic indulgences, and I'll genuinely miss him when I'm gone. It's better than radio here where if there's any Texas football in the news, even a meaningless spring game, the rest of the sports world descends into oblivion. As for Devils podcasts, I listen to Devils Insider on occasion and they are fine. The audio quality is lacking, which is a huge pet peeve of mine as someone who's done a couple of podcasts (including my beloved, long dead DevsCast), but they have good chemistry and know their stuff. And for the record, I'm not sure why this board displays my awful 1999 sign on name, but my regular handle is Bulletproof. I rarely post anymore, but I wanted to say hey to those I haven't chatted with in a hot minute.
  6. Coming out of the ether to comment on this, but it all comes down to the "The Plan". We as fans want to to win now, but what if Shero and Co's plan is to build a winning franchise? Based on that mindset, they may want to pass unless they find a dancing partner and do an immediate sign and trade. Here's what I'm thinking: Lets say we sign Kovy, and he has 40 points heading to the deadline. He's made the team better, we climb up the standings a bit and go from basement dwellers to an "in the mix" team. Kinda sorta in the race come March, but fall short of the playoffs. Middle of the pack. Now we're picking in the middle of the draft, and we have a 35 year old winger with back issues declining in value by the minute. Remember, Kovy isn't Jagr. The best we could do is move him for a pick to a contender, but with that production, you'd probably get a second rounder. Same price you would have gotten now with a worse opportunity to obtain good, cheap talent in the draft. And while I'm never in favor of tanking or punting seasons, I am in favor of building a team organically. Stapling Kovy onto this roster would make the team better next year, but I think it would set us back from the ultimate goal: becoming a perennial contender.
  7. These conversations are brutal because there are two sides to the argument, both valid. On the one hand, if the team does their best to win every night and falls 4 points out of a playoff spot, then you pick 15th-ish. Mediocre picks lead to mediocre talent which creates a team languishing in mediocrity. An emotional flat line where a team either misses the playoffs or is an easy first round exit every year. If you tank, you have a higher chance of snagging that franchise saving player. But, in the end, I'm anti-tank. In my opinion, it creates a culture of losing and a sense of uncertainty about the franchise. People forget how close Pittsburgh was from relocating. If it wasn't for Sidney Crosby and a new arena, they might be elsewhere right now. And Crosby is a generational talent. Risking the creation of a failure cloud that turns a team into a laughing stock isn't worth a first round pick could conceivably flame out. Plus, what free agent will want to come to a team that's a dumpster fire? It's an honor thing for me. Try your best every night, and hope your scouting department is savvy enough to mine gold from the picks you have. And I don't think this is a negative thread, although the title "Race to the Bottom" certainly has a negative connotation. But I'm not saying change it, as I think we're all on the same page: we hope this team wins, but if they can't, then let's keep track of where they could be picking.
  8. Another ATX'er! While this post won't matter to 98% of the board, Mean Eyed Cat on West 5th has Center Ice (or whatever they call the package now) and if the owner is there, he's really good about putting hockey on. The owner is a hockey fan, and has no problem putting on what you want, especially on a slow Tuesday night.
  9. Haven't been this cautiously excited for a Devils season in quite some time, so much so, I'm firing up the old njdevs account. Tough matchup against a good opponent, but I'm feeling good about it! LGD!
  10. DevsMan, I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree on the variety issue. In your Baskin Robbins example, you're right in that they chose 31 flavors, but to arrive at those flavors, they needed the room and the marketplace to discover what works. In the beer world, that testing ground requires a community of people willing to try out new things and pay for it. I rarely go "whale hunting", but if my bottle shop has a $20 bomber of something new, I'll pull the trigger. I'd hate to see that go away. I think what we're really talking about is saturation, not variety. On that, I 100% agree. We don't need another brewery offering the standard pale/amber/IPA/porter selection. It's confusing to the customer and creates "beer shelf shock". And you're right, that will cause people to get frustrated by buying more of the same old, same old, and just stick with what they dig. But I don't think that'll cause a burst. I think the bubble is too big and too elastic for that to happen. Those ho hum breweries will just go away quicker and quicker. Quick note: I grew up in Jersey, but didn't get into beer until my last year in NYC and move to Austin. Are there opportunities to try before you buy? In Austin, there are about 20 craft beer bars in a 10 mile radius, all of which will give you samples. Each has about 20 taps, half has more. My local bottle shop does daily tastings, where reps come in from new and established breweries sampling their line. Most of the breweries have on site taprooms where for $10 you get six pour tickets (ala Carton in your neck of the woods). Supermarkets allow you to make your own six pack, that way you can try without the $10 investment. This allows the drinking public to try before they buy, reducing the rate of failures on their investments. And that liquor store law is so ridiculous, I can't fathom it. Texas has some bizarre laws, but if you had more distribution channels, maybe your market wouldn't be so crowded. But, I've been to the mega liquor stores in Jersey. Not sure on the name, but it's a giant place in Essex Green by the AMC in West Orange. That place has a monstrous selection organized pretty well and it's still overwhelming, so I get your point. My hope is the ever crowding market will force breweries to be distinctive rather than copycats. I'd hate to see the interesting little guys fail in favor of the tried and true Dogfish Head / Goose Island / Firestone Walkers of the world. They all make exceptional stuff, but having those funky outliers keeps the scene fresh and special.
  11. I know I rarely post here anymore, but I have to get into this conversation. Like anything, the culture will drive the demand which drives the industry. I can't speak for the East Coast, but here in Texas, craft beer is exploding and the beer drinking community is large enough to support it (for now). The greater Austin area alone has over 30 breweries with more popping up monthly. They're not all going to survive, and that's fine, but they all get a fair shake from the community. And if they are average brews people try and discard, then that brewery goes under. Sunrise, sunset, capitalism. If craft beer dies on the vine like the microbrewery craze, it'll be a damn shame. It'll be the triumph of mediocrity over innovation. If you don't want to chase beer whales, that's fine, but that doesn't mean the option shouldn't be there for those who want to. I rarely stand in line for beers, but I love going to my local bottle shop and seeing what new stuff they have. And yes, that includes strawberry infused saisons with coriander notes with a strong hop finish. It's fun! I feel variety is always better for everybody involved. I don't get why people are actively rooting for craft beer to die (not saying anybody here is). Much like our beloved Devils most likely not making the playoffs, I think people are preparing themselves for what they think is the inevitable. And I'm not sure it is. Again, Jersey is different due to the rules, but in Austin, every place sells craft beer these days. Supermarkets, gas stations, etc. Come to think of it, I've been in a proper liquor store maybe a handful of times since moving here. Maybe Texas just has more distribution channels than Jersey. Maybe the culture is more "hipster" in that we're willing to experiment, but I don't quite see the bubble bursting. It'll just shrink as average breweries die and fall out. Maybe it's a bad analogy, but if we can have thousands of boutique wineries in the marketplace, why can't we have thousands of craft breweries? There are twenty or so major wine players that dominate the market, and the rest find their niche. Perhaps I'm just a fan, but I truly hope craft beer is here to stay. I'd hate to walk into H.E.B. (our Shop Rite) and see nothing but Inbev and the rubble of an exciting scene blown to bits. And I think it can, so far as breweries continue to innovate, create great product, and find their spot in the marketplace.
  12. This is pretty much the right and most simple answer. With Gamecenter, if you live in Jersey or New York, you will never get a Devils game because it's always available on some cable network (MSG, MSG+, NBC Sports, NBC). Cable gets first dibs. I believe Center Ice works the same way, but since that's a cable platform, it's really only useful for watching out or market games. Same with Gamecenter. I live in Austin, TX, so Gamecenter works great for me. I get every Devils game except for Devils / Stars and if they're ever on NBC or NBC Sports. Just an FYI, Gamecenter stinks during the playoffs. You'll only get about half of the first two rounds and none of the finals, because NBC Sports and NBC has a good portion of the games. You'd think the NHL could work out a deal that would make the Stanley Cup Finals available on every platform, but that's not the case.
  13. You nailed it. That is a big part of it. I grew up with the FAN, so it's a nice reminder of "days gone by", Keeps me connected to the tri-state area.
  14. Call me crazy, but I'm a Francesa fan for all the reasons he wouldn't want me to be. His show is a wonderful train wreck. His rants, the pranking, Mongo nation. I live 1500 miles away and I still listen online. Love him or hate him. he illicts reactions. As for the interview, what would anybody expect? It's a New York station and he's New York fan, so of course, 60% of the questions are going to be about the "Ran-jhas". We hate it, but '95 will forever be linked to '94. It was the final act of a three part play. At least he acknowledged our long standing success. Oh wait. In the shadow of the Rangers. Dang. Ahh Francesa. He can't pronouce Marty's name right (Mar tin and opposed to Mar tan), he spent most of the interview talking as opposed to the interviewee and he stumbled and bumbled his way through every senence. Gotta love him.
  15. Has anyone seen the actual film? It's opening here in Austin next week (I think) and I know it's playing in limited release in NYC right now, That'll be a first week watch for me, for sure.
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