Moment of Truth

There’s a number of things that I should be blogging about, however tonight is the night of the NHL draft. And truth be told I’m only interested in what the New York Islanders do.

If you scroll down on this blog you’ll see I was hugely in support of finishing last in order to get that number one overall pick. Now they have it and the consensous is that they should use it on John Tavares, a guy I’ve been hoping for all year.

However these are the Islanders so while the choice may be obvious there is no guarantee they won’t do something completely bizarre.

So 7pm EST tonight I will be crossing my fingers.

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.

Oh Josh Bailey!

I’ve been attending sporting events since I was a teenager. But I’ve never gotten a baseball or a puck or anything in all those years. Not that I was ever really concerned about it. I do own a batting practice home run ball hit by Robin Ventura when he was with the Mets. Okay so my brother Eric is one who got it and then gave it to me a few months later. I still own it.

On Thursday the Tavares Watch came to my town as the New York Islanders came to play the Florida Panthers. The Isles had won four in a row. A big no-no in the Tavares Watch but it was fun to see those games.

So after four in a row I went there thinking that if they won in my presence, well that couldn’t be bad. But if the Isles did lose, that wouldn’t be bad either. It’s win-win.

So me and Jessica got there early and were able to catch the pre-game skate. Doug Weight and Bill Guerin both spent time lobbing some pucks over the glass for some kids that were there. I didn’t think much of it other than “oh that’s always nice to see.”

The pre-game skate is just about over except 19 year old rookie Josh Bailey is still out there. Just before he goes in he picks up a puck with his had and lobs it right over to guess who. Okay, not me. At least I don’t think so. But Jessica was standing next to me wearing my Islanders jersey and I’m pretty sure that’s who he tossed it to. I did have to use my natural athletic ability to catch it but none the less. Mission accomplished. I reach up, catch it, and give it to Jessica. This works out because it’s kind of like giving to myself.

And if that wasn’t enough Bailey then scored a goal (he’s second ever) and had an assist and to top it all off the Isles lost 3-2. All in all a perfect night at the hockey game.

It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

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

Jay Cronley on 1/14/09

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, Jan 14) Jay Cronley returns to The Radio Dan Show.  This will mark the third time that Jay has been on with me and Jessica. 

If nothing else having a very loose relationship with the man responsible for Let It Ride has made doing this dog and pony show worth it. 

Jay is a smart and funny guy andI’m looking forward to talking to him again.  Check it out if you can at TalkRadioX.

Tavares Watch 2009 Update

Last night the Islanders lost (again!) this time at the hands of the rival NY Rangers.  Now as you can see Tavares Watch is still very much in bloom and while I’m all in favor (obviously) it’s NEVER okay to lose to the Rangers.  I guess there is a silver lining since Ottawa won.

Standings     1/7/09      GP W L OT Pts

28 Ottawa Senators           41 14 21  6     34

29 Atlanta Thrashers        43 14 24  5    33

30 New York Islanders    43 12 27  4    28

Affiliation is not easy

Getting affiliates is no easy task, even when you’re a major radio star like me.

Late I’m feeling like the fuller brush man when it comes to lining up stations to play The Radio Dan Show and other TRX programming.   As it stands I’m very grateful for the five stations that are playing the show, however that is not nearly enough.

The holy grail still is to get a LPFM to pick me and Jess up.  The Part 15 stations we have are great.  But an LPFM is a step closer to legitimacy.  So go ahead and write your local station demanding they play some Radio Dan Show in your town.

Tavares Watch 2009 Update

Last night the Islanders lost (again!) in Calgary 5-2 to inch closer to finishing the season last over all.  Unfortunately so did Tampa Bay and Ottawa.  But the good news is that Atlanta won which puts them a big fat five points ahead of the Islanders.

Standings     1/7/09      GP W L OT Pts

27 Atlanta Thrashers        41 14 23 5    33
28 Ottawa Senators           39 13 20 6     32
29 Tampa Bay Lightning 40 11 19 10   32
30 New York Islanders    42 12 26 4    28

Hockey Season is Here

About five years ago Jessica was nice enough to buy me the NHL package on DirecTv.  Being a New York Islanders fan in Florida, it was a fantastic gift.  Now I could watch my team all the time.  But more than that I got watch pretty much any and every game I wanted to that year.  And that was the year that I finally got to see Hockey Night in Canada.

Hockey Night in Canada is like Monday Night Football (but it’s on Saturdays), in case you didn’t know, except it’s better not only because it’s hockey (hockey > football) but because it was more than just a game.  The conversations that would go on in the studio, wacky Don Cherry and his wackier suits, the whole show was everything a hockey fan could ask for.  Since that year I’ve not had the NHL package again.

However there is good news.  The NHL Network will be showing HNIC here in the good old US of A!  So while I’m still get over the Mets collapse and the Jets so-so start, I really find myself looking forward to hockey season.  All this despite knowing the Islanders will stink.