Follow @james_tanner123 I say this all the time, but there is nothing better than waking up to a brand new CD in your mailbox. It's exciting, cause you've been waiting for it, but it also lets me start the day nicely - crank the music, drink a coffee, read the paper etc.
I've loved getting music in the mail since I was 10 and I first signed up to Columbia House without my dad's permission. I think the reason I like such a variety of music is because (in the 10 to 20 times I cycled through the old 8 CD's for a penny deal) half the time I never knew what I was ordering. Since you got so many, it allowed you to just pick random ones you'd vaguely heard of or which had a cool cover.
Anyways, I'm getting nostalgic for the old Columbia House (and BMG, and CD Warehouse) which reminds me of something else cool I wonder if anyone else remembers: back when I was like 12 or something, around grade 8, which would have been mid-nineties, I remember you could call this number, something like (and I may not have it exactly right) 1-800-Music-Now and when you called, you could use your touch-tone phone to select artists and songs and hear samples of songs.
I remember this as the coolest thing of all time. (Though as the world's youngest Steely Dan fan back in 1995 I probably wasn't a good judge of what should be considered "cool"). It was pre-internet and I was still taping songs I liked off the radio since I could only buy cds after I cut the lawn enough times to get my dad to write a check to Columbia House.
I still remember the time this kid at school told me about it. I didn't believe him because it seemed too good to be true and when it turned out it wasn't I spent hours calling that stupid line.
Here's the disc that came in today's mail.
Speaking of the fall, It's pretty cool that while watching the Coyotes I'll get to see Domi and OEL all year, but honestly, I think it's a pretty frustrating time to be a Coyotes fan. The management has clearly passed it's best before date and despite one of the most exciting prospect pools in the league, the team does not have that new fresh feel to it that a rebuild should come with (note: obviously subjective; feel your own feelings).
New owners, new players, same old crap:
-Off ice issues (i.e arena, city, politics blah blah attendance) -Bringing back players who should have moved on and not moving on from players you maybe should move on from. (i.e Vermette, Hanzal, Smith, Boedker, Michalek, Doan......although I do really like some of these guys, it just seems you're never winning with them..I mean, keep a couple, but all of them? Sheesh, nice rebuild). -GM making moves you now are bad right away (Vermette, Loiselle, Scott etc.) - The team being run with no imagination or creativity. - Not signing any good free agents (Seriously, go sign Cody Franson). - All signs point to bringing the bumper crop of prospects way, way too slowly. -Relying on old-school ideas like Vermette is effective as a third liner centre on a good team because he has heart and wins faceoffs, or that defensive defenseman who hit and 'play the game the right way' should be pursued and added to the team while publicly insulting a prospect who's never even gotten a fair shake. - Rebuilding with a coach notorious for not really trusting young players. - Having a full roster and no first-line players and then saying basically that that's the team you get. - People actually referring to Maloney as "GMDM" - Shane Doan and the never ending sentimentality of.......losing?
Look, I'm sorry for complaining. But this team needs a new injection of something. Probably a new GM to be honest. But a whole new philosophy, identity, way of doing business.
I mean, I as much as I look forward to the season, this is a team who's sentimental beholdeness to the past is starting to threaten to waste the best years of the best player in the history of the franchise - OEL.
The team is stocked to the brim with prospects and personally, the thought of another last-place prospect-stuffing season does not do it for me. I think it's time to turn this bad boy over to a GM with some cahonas and the desire to make some bold moves for the upcoming season.
You want to sell some tickets? Make your team the most progressive, aggressive, interesting team in hockey. Go right off the charts and make an unknown obscure 33 year old blogger from Ontario your new GM - like the Devils hiring an unknown Lou Lamoriello all those years ago, like Ares comes the bridegroom.........
raise high the roof beam, carpenters.
-----
Wow. OK. Lost my mind there. For a second. Go Coyotes. We love you GMDC OMG.
Thanks for reading.