The push is on, and the clock is winding down. Teams are either showing off their swanky new jerseys, or announcing dates for their debut. So far, the showings have been less than spectacular, and the blogosphere, in general, isn’t too impressed with what they’ve seen.

I, for one, have to agree. Perhaps it lies within the cut of the jerseys, perhaps it is the basic design aesthetics, but the new RBK jerseys are not particularly photogenic. Looking at the new Senators jersey (thanks to Kukla), you have to wonder if the new, updated, more robust looking soldier is happy with his location. The shoulders of the jersey on display shrug as if to say, “So, we didn’t win a Stanley Cup, but thems the breaks, eh?”

How about the new Islanders jersey? It will surely go down in history as the second ugliest jerseys to be seen in Long Island.

And, of course, I already showed you the Columbus Blue Jackets new duds. Not the most interesting design I have ever seen, nor the most sliming (you will have to wait for the Tapeleg Total Ab Workout for a while).

Marketing, money, and sponsorship are ruling the day in the NHL right now, and the new jerseys are proving it. The excitement created by these things is quickly snuffed when they are actually put on display. There is no quick fix for these jerseys, and what you see is what you get, for a long time to come. As with the pink jerseys, I implore you to vote with your wallet. If the NHL makes no money on it, they will be given the wake up call they need. No other method speaks to the league like your dollars. If you don’t like the new jerseys, for any reason, don’t buy one. Plenty of places will have the old style jerseys for a while, spend your money there. If you do like them, by all means, get two. Have a jersey party. I still am waiting for the Avs.

I just found out today that sidearm delivery has decided to close up shop. Someone recently declared this year the Year of the Sports Blog. There have been a ton of hockey blogs started over the past year. We should have a moment of silence for one of the best. If you have never been to sidearm delivery, you should go now. If you have a hockey blog, go read and learn.

I can’t wait to get back to Hartford. I have to see a game with this guy.

Dumb title, I know.

I was at the local Irish pub after work in hot, crowded Memphis, and noticed something odd (to me, that is) about the soccer game being shown.  At halftime, the refs (officials) were leaving the field at the same time, through the same exit, as the players.  Not only that, but they were exiting with both teams, and talking cordially with them.  Can you imagine something like that happening in hockey?  Even at the lowest levels of amateur hockey, even with kids games, there are precautions that refs take when leaving the ice, and also when leaving the rink to go home.  Remember, this is a sport where fan behavior is associated with rioting.

The other cool thing was, they were showing hurling a few nights ago. Holy crap, what a sport.  These guys are insane.  If you have never seen hurling, combine parts of rugby, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, and the movie Braveheart, and you start to see what it is.  The nice thing was, it didn’t take long to pick up on.  Hockey can be confusing to newcomers as to why there are stoppages in play, what was or wasn’t a penalty, and so on.  Hurling seemed pretty easy to pick up on.  I’m sure it isn’t a simple game, but it wasn’t exactly rocket science either. Oh, and the soccer sized stadium they were playing in was packed.

Sean over at Popjocks wrote to tell me about the new Islanders jerseys that were put on display.  You can read his post about it here.  Thanks, Sean.

The word on the net is pretty negative so far, but give it time.  Some may come around.

This is Jamie.  She likes hockey people.

Jamie is a rescue kitten.  That does not mean that she rescues people from mountains or burning buildings, it means that her mother passed away when Jamie was born.  Jamie needs a home.

A little background.  I work as a stagehand on tour.  I am currently on tour with a broadway musical, and in Charlotte, North Carolina.  One of our local crew people volunteers for a local animal shelter, and brings in kittens to take care of during the shows.  New born kittens, like Jamie who came to us at the ripe age of two weeks, need consistent attention, because they don’t know how to do anything.  When I mean anything, they don’t even know how to go to the bathroom (not just litter training, but how the whole concept works).  The kittens are good for the crew as well.  There is nothing like a kitten first learning how to bat a piece of string around to take your mind away from the troubles of the day.

Unfortunately, the kittens may be going away.  The building (or someone) has decided that, after three years of there not being any problem with rescued kittens being around, there is now an issue.  Soon, the kittens will be going away.  I spend most of my off time at work with Jamie, and have watched just how much a kitten can grow in four weeks.  She is playful, fun, and full of personality.  If there were a way to adopt her, you bet I would.  But being on tour, spending days at a time at work setting up the show, moving every month or so, none of it is fair to a newborn kitten.  It’s one thing when you can just call your home a home, but when home changes so often, and with most housing options are limited when it comes to having pets, it’s something I just can’t do.

I wish I could tell you how upset I am by all of this.  It’s one thing to puff your chest out and act like a Big Time Roadie, to be the big strong stagehand, but when it comes to something like this, it hits me a little.  Actually, it hits me a lot.  Back in the day, theaters had cats around as a deterrent to rodents.  You can imagine how much rats and mice love old theaters, and if you have ever seen an old film with the rats scampering around backstage, I can tell you, it isn’t an exaggeration.   Theater cats were a part of the crew, and usually a well respected one at that.  We are losing ours.

As much of a longshot as this may be, if there is anyone in the Charlotte area in need of a cat, I have the perfect one here.  She loves hockey jerseys, is a lot of fun, and cute as hell.  If you feel you fit the description, and need a friend to watch some hockey with, send me a note using the contact form above.  I can hook you up with the powers that be, and you can do what you need to do.  And you can make a really cool kitten – and me – very happy.

What a face, huh?