The Moment of Truth

The New York Islanders did it.  They were the worst team in hockey this season and finished dead last.  That was the easy part.

Now comes tonights drama, the draft lottery.  A I’ve been writing, it’ll be worth it if they can get the number one pick the draft the year and land potential superstar John Tavares.

However there’s this lottery business at hand.  So now after months of losing, the Islanders now have to win something.  As it stands they have a 48% chance of winning the lottery.  That’s a 52% chance of losing.

And somehow the Colorado Avalanche have snuck into the bottom as well.  They could actually win the lottery and wind up being first overall.  Now, Tampa Bay is second worst overall but I don’t think the NHL cares about them.  And I know they don’t care about the Islanders.  Can’t say I blame them much.  Being the number 3 team in a crowded marketplace makes them a prime candidate for relocation, forgetability and general indifference.

This is where John Tavares comes in.  If he’s as good as advertsied and and Islanders get him, then suddenly Nassau Colesium becomes relevent again.

Of course I will be on air when the lottery takes place.  I will try not to look at the results until 9pm.  I wouldn’t want to cry during a show.

Phone App Done, What Next?

The TalkRadioX G1 phone app was released about two weeks ago and so far it’s been well worth the effort.  The app has been downloaded over 1,000 times and still going.

I’ve been trying to find ways to promote it and while I have been able to hit some internet forums, I really don’t know if that has done any good.  Unfortunately for me, I don’t know anyone who owns a G1 phone (other than me).

I’m also not sure where to go next.  The iPhone would be a no brainer, but there are other opportunities worth exploring like BlackBerry for example.

Since I started twittering a couple of weeks back, my general ignoring of this blog has probably increased.  It’s really all twitters fault.  I tend to blame most things on twitter now.

And lastly, back to the Tavares Watch 2009.  Ten games left and while the Islanders have played surprisingly well the last few weeks, they are still in last place  by a nice six points.

Being last overall gives them a 48% chance at winning the NHL Draft lottery, in case anyone cared about the odds.

Now Let’s Get Back To Losing

The Islanders have done something quite shocking. They’ve won three games in a row. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of winning a game here and there, but people let’s not forget the objective here: First overall draft pick.

So after three wins where does this leave us?

Standings 2/1/09 GP W L OT Pts

28 Ottawa Senators 48 17 24 7 41

29 Atlanta Thrashers 51 17 29 5 39

30 New York Islanders 49 15 29 5 35

Sure a few wins are nice and the Isles are still entrenched by a nice four points, but let’s get back on track here. Atlanta and Ottawa are still losing on a pretty consistent basis. They’re not going to make this any easier. So sure some wins, especially at home, are good. Good for the fan base. Kyle Okposo scoring some goals is great. So instead I say let’s lose some 5-4 games. Score a few but still come up short. I know we can!

However what will really help this team is John Tavares and we only get to see him in blue and orange if those losses keep piling up.

Still seeing this goal by Bill Guerin on Saturday was pretty damn cool.

Hey Muvico, Get It Together!

I love the Muvico Theaters chain. They are big, pretty, and always clean. They have comfortable seats and even seasoning for the popcorn which is a nice luxury.

Me and Jessica probably attend a Muvico screening 90% of the time we go to the movies, easily. Either the Muvico Pompano, which has been my main movie going place since it opened in 1998, but lately we’ve been gravitating towards the extra fancy Muvico Palace in Boca Raton.

The theme of Palace is that of an grand old movie theater. The kind you would have attended back in 40’s and 50’s and seen a double feature, three cartoons, a newsreel, and endless trailers all for 1.5 cents. Or something like that.

However my latest experiences have been less than Palatial. Back in December me and Jessica shelled out extra bucks to sit in the fancy Premiere section of the theater. Here you are paying a premium price ($18!) for a premium experience. You sit high up in a balcony, above the noise of the regular crowd, and sit in a giant love seat. And this seat is really big.

The problem here is that on this night no one was minding the store. See, just because you sit above the regular loudmouths, that doesn’t mean they can’t buy a ticket and sit in the Premiere with you. So we had loud people there. Some guy snoring. And all in all a lousy experience. Where are the ushers? I realize it’s 1956 but if you’re asking me to pay the extra price I’m going to expect the extra attention. No one was up there and I felt as though I had wasted my money.

Recently I went back to the Palace to see The Wrestler. Once the movie got to its climactic ending the sound went out. Hey, these things happen, I understand. But instead of stopping the movie and fixing the problem, they let it play on. So the end scene goes on with silence and then we got really bizarre sounding digital bleeps. Truly awful and the end of the film was robbed of its emotional impact from me. Granted there were managers there to hand out passes to another film, but how am I going to replace what I was watching? Oh well, I guess now we can see Paul Blart: Mall Cop!

Not to mention there is always an abundance of texters and generally annoying people around. Don’t get me wrong, going to the theater is still my favorite thing to do. It is still the best way to experience a film. But Muvico needs to get it in gear and take care of these issues if they still want my business. And in case anyone was wondering me and Jess went to the theaters 60+ times in 2008.

Tavares Watch 2009

The Islanders have yet to win a game in 2009. And while I am obviously rooting to nail that first overall pick, it is okay to win a game here and there. Now a whopping ten point security for last place it may be time to score a few goals and play some solid D. Yeah, I know the goalie situation is a mess, with DiPietro getting shut down for the year and Wade Dubielewicz getting snagged by Columbus through waivers. But come on!

Standings 1/20/09 GP W L OT Pts

28 Ottawa Senators 47 16 21 7 39

29 Atlanta Thrashers 44 17 25 5 39

30 New York Islanders 46 12 29 5 29

Tavares Watch 2009

When you root for a sports team that stinks, you have to find other interesting ways to wade out the season.

So this year for fandom of the New York Islanders I determined early on that the one thing that would make the season worth something is if they get the first overall draft pick. So pretty much be the worst team in hockey.

Yeah, I know there is a lottery system in place. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this here is how it works.

“The first 14 picks of the 2008 Entry Draft are determined by the NHL’s annual Draft Drawing, a weighted lottery system that is used to determine the order of selection. The 14 teams that do not qualify for the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, or clubs that acquired those clubs’ 2008 first-round draft picks, participate in the drawing. The Club selected in the drawing may not move up more than four positions in the draft order, thus only the five Clubs with the fewest regular-season points have the opportunity to select first overall. No Club can move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Drawing.”

You got that? So if the Islanders finish last overall they will have the best chance of winning the lottery and won’t move down more than one spot.

So looking at the top two draftees available we have John Tavares (a super stud goal scorer) and Viktor Hedman (a super stud defensemen). Either one is a win, but Tavares has been talked about for the last couple of years and one thing the Islanders could use is someone who can score.

Which means that this NHL season has essentially become Tavares Watch 2009. And how are we doing in Tavares Watch 2009? Well let’s check the bottom of the standings.
Standings     1/7/09      GP W L OT Pts
27 Ottawa Senators           38 13 19 6     32
28 Tampa Bay Lightning 39 11 18 10   32
29 Atlanta Thrashers        41 13 23 5    31
30 New York Islanders    41 12 25 4    28

Right now looks like by being last in league by three points means we are first in Tavares Watch 2009! I have been told that rooting for my team to lose is a horrible thing and this may be true. However I find that I cannot actually watch a game and root against the Islanders. It’s only when I check the scores.

And with 41 games in the book this means we are halfway to our goal of last overall. Listen, the truth here is that I’m hoping Tavares can have an impact like Alex Ovechkin is having in Washington or Sydney Crosby in Pittsburgh. And really there’s nothing wrong with that.

Tavares Watch 2009 continues next when the Islanders visit the Calgary Flames. Go Flames!