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intoafandom · 3 years

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Why I like Kevan Miller, Steven Kampfer, Trent Frederic, Torey Krug, Tuukka Rask etc and why I will continue to like them.

(Sorry this is soooo long but it’s the only way I can explain)

So last night I got an anon ask and the person was asking why I like Kevan Miller when he’s a republican and I mentioned how I would make a separate post explaining my reasoning better and now that I have the time and its no longer 3 am, now seems like a good time lol.

So I’m gunna give a backstory about the players above that I mentioned and why a lot of bruinsblr doesn’t like them (so people that may not be aware know the context of why people are upset/dont like them). Most of bruinsblr doesn’t like Miller or Kampfer because they’re republicans. Everyone on bruinsblr is allowed to dislike them if they choose to. I recognize I’m in the minority on this app when I say I like and support Kevan Miller and Steven Kampfer. People on here also don’t like Torey Krug for the same reason and because he follows/followed Trump’s twitter account (since trumps account got deleted, torey now follows the “trump archives” account). People on here don’t like Tuukka anymore because over the summer, during all the blm stuff in the bubble, Tuukka went on tv in the bubble for an interview with a hat that said “Boston police” on it (the interview also aired right after the Bruins Organization posted about how they stand against racism, so people ended up calling Tuukka a racist hypocrite.) Last night, people on here found out that Trent Frederic follows Trump supporters and republicans on social media, which is why he’s losing some fans on this app. There are probably more stories about other players that I’m not aware of as well but these will be the ones I’m focusing on for now.

I am NOT going to start talking about my political opinions or my position on social issues. My account is called IntoAFandom for a REASON. So I can escape the real world and go “into a fandom” and have some peace. That’s why i never reblog or like or post about any real world events or issues. I want my blog to be solely about things, fandoms, and people that I love and care about. I don’t wanna come on my blog and see how a bombing happened or if someone got shot or this president signed this executive order etc etc. i wanna come on my blog and fangirl about Bucky Barnes being a sweetheart with kids or how amazing Matt Grzelcyk is at “tight turns” etc etc. Hence the name “IntoAFandom.”

I’m getting a lot of questions as to why I still support these players and I’ll definitely answer those questions in this post. Just so my mutuals know where I stand on this.

Now obviously it would be super easy for me to just go “well the player is super nice so i dont care about their political views.” And while that’s partially true for me, its not the only reason. For me, the reason is much deeper than that. I’ve never mentioned or talked about or even said it out loud. I touched upon what I’m about to say in that anon ask I got last night, but I’m going to go into detail now. It’s kind of hard to explain and the only way I can describe it is to tell you about my hockey journey up until this point, and specifically the 2018-19 season.

So one day in April in 2018, I was on school vacation and I was very bored. There was literally nothing on tv. However, as I was scrolling through the channels, I saw that a bruins game was on. I had never really watched hockey before in my life and the only experience I could remember having with it was when my mom was obsessed with them in like 2013 and how she set up this whole contraption to try and watch a game when a snowstorm made us lose connection. So with nothing else on the tv, crippling boredom, and being a Massachusetts native, I put the game on. It was literally just starting and the national anthem was about to start. We were playing the leafs lmao and it was game five or six of the series probably. I cant really remember because I didn’t think I would care this much about hockey at the time of watching it. But what I do remember was how CREEPY Tuukka looked😂 He was just standing there alone with a huge spotlight on him, head down, wearing these huge pads and looking straight up terrifying. I literally started laughing because of how creepy he looked. And then he put his cool ass mask on and right there I knew he was my favorite player. And to this day he is still my favorite. Tuukka was the first hockey player I EVER knew and could remember by name. I gotta admit, at first I thought his name was “Tuuk Arask” because that’s what it sounded like whenever the announcers would say it, specifically Jack Edwards lol. But then I was like “wait is it Arask or Rask” and after looking at his jersey like 3 games later I finally realized it was actually Rask lol. And I was like “Tuukka Rask. So freaking creepy lol. He’s my favorite.” I also have to mention that I’ve always been a sucker for people that play positions that no one else wants to play. Like for example, when I first started watching football in like 2014, my first ever favorite player was Stephen Gostkowski because he was the kicker. He was super good and he was instantly my fav. That’s what Tuukka was like for me. This huge, tall ass, creepy ass, goalie who was playing super well. How could i NOT like him. I didn’t really bother to learn any other players on the bruins team since they got eliminated in the second round. I remember saying to my mom “I don’t want them to be out. I wanna learn more.” I wanted to know more about the game and 6 games, or however many it was, wasn’t enough. So for some reason, I followed them throughout the offseason and in late September/early October I started watching a ton of their older games on YouTube. Not super old obviously, but games from like 2013-2017 ish. Just whatever I could find. And it was so interesting. I tried to only watch games where they actually won so I wasn’t wasting my time lol, but not having to worry about the score helped me start learning the game and some of the rules, like what an icing was for example. So then preseason games started and I got more into it. And then the beginning of the 2018-19 season started. I still didn’t really know any players besides Tuukka, even though I was watching YouTube games. The YouTube ones were more for me to learn the game and the rules rather than players (however, looking back, I did notice that Kevan Miller was a freaking beast, but I just didn’t acknowledge who he actually was. I just saw a player going absolute sicko mode and being like YEEEEAAAAH). The second player I could actually remember by name was Danton Heinen. I noticed he was playing really well and I was like omg who is that and I learned his name and he became one of my favorites with Tuukka. Next was Anders Bjork. I remember I was texting my friends and was trying to make it seem like I wasn’t a complete amateur at hockey knowledge, so I was like “hey guys, Bjork is back in the line up😃” and so I always remembered his name. Next was Ryan Donato because he was literally AWAYS smiling. Every time he was on camera he was SMILING. I loved it so much he was like a little bean. And so he was one of my favorites and i had a top three with him, heino and tuuks.

Now I was watching games and slowly learning important names like Chara, Bergeron, Marchand etc but it wasn’t really on my radar to actually learn all the players because I hadn’t even done that with the patriots who I had been watching and loving for yeeeears. But that was until I decided to watch a behind the b episode. And I was HOOKED. I instantly began to love and care about every single player on the roster. This was in like February of 2019. And that’s when I started trying to name everyone on the team, including their numbers. I made it a mission. I remember writing out lists in math class because I was so bored and would rather try to memorize hockey players. And that’s when I found bruinsblr. It was march by the time I started to post hockey stuff. And i made an instagram account so I could started editing them. I’ve had this blog since 2014 and its seen many phases, but march of 2019 was when I changed it into a mainly bruins blog. And I remember not knowing what “bruins lb” was and i never wanted to tag it because I thought it was like a club or something that I would be intruding on😂 So I started posting and reblogging bruins stuff and posting sucky bruins edits on here and on my insta account. And I started watching every single behind the b episode from every season and I was literally obsessed with the team. And then Donato got traded and i was heartbroken cuz I loved him and I was like Coyle is gunna have to wow me to get me to like him and he DID and i LOVE HIM. But then I decided to have a top five instead of a top three. And it was Tuukka, Krug, DeBrusk, Pasta, and Marchy. They were the players I noticed the most. And Marchy started LICKING people how could i not choose him😂 So then the playoffs come and we beat the leafs in game 7 AGAIN (and I literally missed the first two periods because I was at my confirmation) But I finally understood all the memes about the leafs and I finally understood hockey and hockey culture by this point. I knew the rules, the players, the memes, literally everything. And then we make it to the finals and get lil nas x singing old town road before game 1 and we get JD wearing that stupid hat😂 and the two people from The Office (one of them wanted the bruins to win and the other wanted the blues) and it was all just amazing for me. Then we lost and i was devastated. And we had to see pictures of CMac sobbing on the ice and JD sitting alone in his stall crying and all of them were so sad and after that journey we just went through i was fvcking crying too. We didn’t win, but that 2018-19 season is SO special for me.

The people on this roster (minus gemel smith and lee stempniak) are EXTREMELY special to me. They TAUGHT me hockey. They turned me on to an entirely new culture. I got to experience my first real bit of hockey. I got to experience EVERYTHING about hockey with them (besides the cup) in this ONE season of hockey. I saw the preseason games in china, the halloween visit to to the hospital, Chara bringing pies to the homeless, them buying toys for kids in the hospital at Christmas then visiting them, the new years game outside against the hawks, trade deadline crushing my heart, every round of the playoffs, players pushing through crazy injuries, loving players, despising other teams, all the memes, all the jokes, all the players. Everything. The 2018-19 season is SO incredibly special for me because it’s the first time I ever experienced real hockey and watched an entire season. The people on that roster mean so much to me because of that. Now take a look at the names on that roster. Rask. Krug. Miller. Kampfer. Frederic. They all helped me experience my first year of hockey. Freddy in his first freaking game, getting into a fight😂 Miller and Kampfer were BEASTS on the ice. Krug being a SPECTACULAR little defenseman, quarterbacking the pp and sticking up for himself and SLAMMING thomas. Tuukka Rask being the brick wall. There is no way that I could ever dislike the people on that roster unless the did something suuuuuper bad. I don’t know if you would call it hero worship or whatever, but those people on that roster are so fucking special to me. Even ones like JFK and Vaak and Colby that didn’t play that many games. They still made an impact for me as a hockey fan. THAT is the main reason why I will never stop liking and supporting tuuks, krugger, kampfs, millsy, or freddy. Everyone on that roster has a special place in my heart and I’m not going to let their political views change or tamper with the incredible experience they gave me during that 2018-19 season. I wont ever love another team as much as I loved that specific roster. And no one is going to change that for me. I dont care about their political views or whatever. For me, the experience and the feelings they gave me trump anything i may or may not disagree with. That roster is so special to me, I cant bring myself to dislike any of those people. I will always like those players, no matter how republican or democrat or whatever. Political views dont matter to me when it comes to those players.

Now besides all of that and the experience they gave me, I do believe that they’re still good people even tho they may be republican. I wanna start with Tuukka because it literally doesn’t make sense to me. Tuukka is not even AMERICAN. I dont think he cares that much about American politics since im pretty sure most his family lives in Finland. People got mad at him for wearing a Boston police hat. But I think those people are forgetting that Tuukka has been in boston for soooo long. There have probably been multiple occasions where the police had to help him or the team for some reason or another (they are technically famous after all). Tuukka wearing a hat that says Boston Police doesn’t make him a bad person. He was probably just showing support to the people that helped support HIM as well as his family and teammates. I follow Tuukka on insta and he literally NEVER posts anything political. Probably because NEVER actually posts ANYTHING at all lol. Tuukka had been my favorite from the start and theres almost nothing he could ever do that would make me dislike him.

As for the other 4, and any other players on the team that may be republican (honestly i bet most of them are because 1) most hockey players are and 2) a lot of the guys are christian/catholic and most christian/catholic people are republican as well) I choose to believe that political opinions dont make you a bad person. I like to believe that it depends on the circumstances for every individual. Now I’m not gay or black or anything. Im an 18 year old, straight white girl. So obviously i dont know what its really like for someone to hate or disagree with my race, sexuality, etc. I saw someone say (sorry I forget who it was) that they keep thinking “well what would that player say about me because im gay. What would they actually think about me. I cant support them.” And honestly that’s extremely valid. I never thought about it that way before. So if Kevan Miller for example was out here posting a bunch of homophobic stuff like “i hate gays” or “gays are all stupid” or anything like that, then yeah my opinions on him would probably change in some way. But I follow him on insta and i know the stuff he post about. I have NEVER seen him say anything like that. Ive never heard any bruin say anything like that. From what I’ve seen, they all seem like super nice, sweet, supportive people when they’re off the ice. (I think it’s also important to mention that I follow EVERYONE on the 2018-19 roster. I follow all of their instas. Most of them dont have twitter, but I follow all the ones that do. It’s part of the whole “that roster is incredibly special to me” thing). I choose to believe that following republicans or being one yourself doesn’t automatically make you a bad person, especially when you consider the different circumstances that every individual is under as humans. We all experience different things and that always plays a role in how you act or the opinions you have or the people you support. Someone’s political opinions have never stopped me from liking people. Ive clearly shown that I don’t mind republicans at all, but that doesn’t mean im going to dislike democrats either. Most of the actors/ singers that i like are democrats. And it just happens that most of the athletes i like are republicans. The political stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just dont want it being slapped in my face 24/7. I dont care if you’re a republican or democrat as long as you aren’t constantly talking to me about politics or social issues or trying to change my mind on stuff. Hopefully you can try to see my point of view on this and UNDERSTAND why I like them. Again, I’ve never told my hockey story to anyone so please don’t try and invalid my feelings about the season or the players.

Please, I beg, please don’t comment on this calling racist or something. Please dont try and change me mind. Please dont tell me i need to educate myself. I know WHY i like these players. I know where they stand politically and who they support. But these players are too special to ME for me to actually give a sht about if they like trump or not. Honestly tho, feel free to give your opinion (especially if you’re gay or black or anything) cuz i dont mind hearing other standpoints as long as you aren’t mean about it or try to change my mind. If i change my mind, which i probably wont, I want it to be on my own terms. Please remember that we ARE still a hockey family 💛🖤💛

(Also I’m NEVER talking about this again. If anyone ever asks or something like this comes up again im just gunna link/ reblog this post)

(Also, thank you to whoever made it this far and actually read all of that. ESPECIALLY if you’re someone that doesn’t agree with me. Its good to hear multiple standpoints on this stuff.)

#boston bruins #bruins #torey krug #brad marchand #tuukka rask #jake debrusk #charlie mcavoy #patrice bergeron #zdeno chara #matt grzelcyk #kevan miller #steven kampfer #trent frederic

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junker-town · 5 years

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A Halloween candy draft, because we are a sports website

Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Eight GMs. 24 picks. 1 ultimate candy haul.

Halloween is for everyone. Kids who want to trick-or-treat. Adults who want an excuse to wear costumes outside of Comic-Con. But especially for the candy lovers.

While children trade cuteness for the primary currency of their adolescent world, the childless among us must wait an extra 12 hours to profit. There’s no sweeter day in this world than November 1, where the racks and racks of sugary sweetness at grocery stores across the world become a distressed asset. All Saint’s Day is America’s gift to the gluttons, the beginning of a one week period where, if you play your cards right, you can purchase your body weight in Milky Ways for $15.

But which candy truly reigns supreme? That’s too big a question for just one person.

[Related: 17 last-minute Halloween costumes for sports fans in 2019]

About two weeks ago, a handful of SB Nation staffers threw down the gauntlet on breakfast cereals. A raging debate between honey vs. fruit vs. chocolate eventually exploded into a three-round draft where the world saw James Brady reign supreme with a lineup of Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Reese’s Puffs.

Brady, oat-loving coward that he is, decided to retire with his mantle intact. In his place, eight other SB Nation writers stepped into the void to create their three-candy roster. Now it’s time to dive back into that sugar mine for Halloween season. Here’s how it turned out.

Round 1

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups — Whitney Medworth

It’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Do I really have to explain it?

David (Fooch) Fucillo: How am I supposed to shit talk peanut butter cups? Who would NOT have this atop their big board?

Tom Ziller: Easiest No. 1 overall pick since Zion. Disks over novelty shapes.

2. Skittles — Matt Ellentuck

Best fruity candy. It’s obvious.

Fooch: Y’all will trash me for candy corn, but as Eric Stephen put it, taste the lame-bow. Skittles are a perfectly fine candy, but who the hell takes it No. 2 overall? I feel like this will turn into the Ryan Leaf of #2 picks. If you had to go with “fruit” candy, Mike & Ikes would have been my preferred choice, but even Starburst feels like a better choice.

James Dator: Skittles are so overrated it’s scary. They’re way too sweet and literally dissolve into sugar crystals.

Ziller: Jabari Parker went No. 2 over Joel Embiid and Skittles went No. 2 over Snickers. Wow.

3. Snickers — Caroline Darney

Look, I didn’t think Reese’s would fall to three, so I’m happy going with Snickers. Snickers is one of the few candy bars that doesn’t loose that...je ne sais quoi...when it’s fun sized, but it’s a grand slam if you get a full sized one of these bad boys in whatever plastic pumpkin/pillow case you’re carrying through the neighborhood. This is a classic, and sure, I’ll build a team around it.

Christian D’Andrea: Regular Snickers aren’t even the best candy in their own brand extension. Crispers. Almond. Peanut butter. ALL SUPERIOR

Ziller: Both a delicious candy and a workout for your jaw muscles. Win-win.

4. 100 Grand — Tom Ziller

100 Grand is a classic candy that is best served in fun size (hence why full-sized bars are split in half). A lot of different textures happening here. A lot of complexity.

D’Andrea: Ziller, in either an act of hubris or just not being on Slack for draft day, missed his picks in the first two rounds and played catchup later. His first pick was a brick of mud dipped in rice. Nestle Crunch and Milky Way were both still available. This was a terrible idea.

5. Kit Kat — Christian D’Andrea

The chocolate is pretty great, especially if you can get your hands on the European version. The wafers don’t taste like anything, they’re just there for wonderful texture and to provide something to break apart with your teeth if you’re a nervous weirdo like me. Bonus points if you can break the candy down to its basic components like a Hershey Park diagram before eating it.

Eric Stephen: Gimme a break!

D’Andrea: God dammit, Eric.

6. Candy corn — David Fucillo

I get dumped on for picking Candy Corn in the first round and you’d think I was the Jets drafting a fullback. Most of y’all will argue I reached in a big way, but it only takes one other person to ruin my Halloween. I don’t eat candy corn outside of October 1 to October 31, but for that one month, it is truly a delight. The only opinion that matters is that of my taste buds, and they demand candy corn every October.

Darney: This pick has big “took a kicker in the first round” energy.

Ellentuck: Candy corn is good and I’m here to stan it actually.

James Dator: Yeah, I thought Fooch was tanking the draft like @boring_as_heck used to ruin NFL mock drafts. I still think he might have. I refuse to believe that in the pantheon of candy any reasonable adult with their faculties would look at a list of confection delights and say “why yes, I would like this honey-flavored wax please.” While the overall abuse of candy corn has gone a little far and is the cool thing to do (like trashing pineapple on pizza) this is still an absolutely garbage pick that would have been a UDFA. This is a worthless, awful, horrible pick that absolutely nobody should applaud Fooch for. I still love you dude, and I’m not mad. I’m not even disappointed. I’m just bewildered.

Ziller: What are we doing here? Is Fooch taking edible vampire fangs in the second round? Is he actually going to pick something like raisins?

7. Twix — Eric Stephen

I was worried that with such a low pick that I would have to draft a lesser treat in the first round, but instead I was fortunate enough to have a Mount Rushmore candy fall into my lap. Twix provides a perfect crunch with the inner biscuit, coated with the best combination of caramel and chocolate in the candy universe. It usually gets dark earlier around Halloween, but houses that give out Twix are beacons of hope.

Darney: I’ll say it. Caramel Twix are trash. TEAM PB TWIX FOR LIFE.

Ziller: Good value pick.

8. Reese’s Pieces — James Dator

Thanks to someone picking Candy Corn in the first round I got a sleeper here. I’m not going to say something ludicrous like “Reece’s Pieces are better than Reece’s Cups,” but the drop off really isn’t that far. This is a No. 1 pick adjacent candy I’m thrilled to get with the 8th pick.

Fooch: I don’t hate Reese’s Pieces, but the peanut butter aspect of them is missing something. They’re the M&M version of the cups, but frankly it just doesn’t go together as well. M&M type candies are best as plain chocolate (down with peanut M&Ms!), and going PB with them, I just am not a fan.

Round 2

1. Starburst — James Dator

I was a little shook at this pick, to be honest. I was sure I was going to be able to go Twix-Reece’s Pieces with my back-to-back selections and walk away knowing I owned these noobs. Good pick by Eric, so I had to pivot.

Starburst was my top fruit candy on the board and paired nicely with my Pieces pickup. Every flavor of Starburst is good. They are the perfect size and have a good tail end for medium-length enjoyability.

D’Andrea: All the flavor of Fruit Stripe gum, only with an added 3 percent chance of pulling out a filling with each lemon piece you bite into.

Ziller: Half the flavors low-key suck. So in the fun-size two-candy edition, you have a decent chance of coming up empty. Decent overall candy, bad Halloween candy.

2. Peanut M&Ms — Eric Stephen

A tried and true classic, M&Ms in the fun-sized bag is the perfect amount. I chose the peanut variety over regular because I love the combo of peanuts and chocolate, and each M is a perfect bite. Though who are we kidding, I’m not putting just one of these in my mouth at a time.

Fooch: Outside of peanut butter, peanuts are just bad. Why ruin a good little piece of chocolate with them? Frankly, any candy with a peanut in it has just been ruined.

Ziller: Fooch’s comment here explains a lot about his draft.

D’Andrea: I think we all came away from this pick more worried about Fooch’s wellbeing than Eric’s actual selection.

3. Nestle Crunch — David Fucillo

I pondered a Hershey’s special dark bar here, but that ricey chocolate mix of the Crunch bar has been a favorite of mine all the way back to a childhood. A Hershey bar is great on its own, but the “crunch” of a Crunch bar is unmatched amongst chocolate bars. Outside of candy corn and Reese’s peanut butter cups, this was #3 on my big board.

Dator: I’m supposed to shit talk you, but I’m subverting our structure just to tell you that I’m proud you made a good choice here.

4. Crispy M&Ms— Christian D’Andrea

By far the superior breed of M&M. I don’t know why they don’t sell these in five gallon drums.

Ziller: M&Ms aren’t great, but at least they are versatile (add them to cookies, popcorn, ice cream sundae). You can’t really do that with Crispy M&Ms.

5. Hershey’s Special Dark — Tom Ziller

This was a panic pick after missing the live draft, but to justify it: these always go first in that variety bag with Hershey’s, Mr. Goodbar, and Krackel, right? There’s a reason: dark chocolate is delicious. Even Hershey’s dark chocolate.

D’Andrea: Were baking morsels unavailable? There’s a certain brand of old man strength here, picking a chocolate bar that also sounds like a six dollar bottle of rum.

6. Tootsie Roll Pops — Caroline Darney

There’s going to be some sass on this pick, but 1. don’t tell me you don’t still search to see if you got a wrapper with the star on it and 2. any song related to these slaps. Don’t @ me.

D’Andrea: The taste of going to the doctor to get shots as a child, wrapped around the 20-year-old sweets eternally stuck to the bottom of your grandmother’s candy jar. Truly a winning combination.

Dator: Take a trash candy and put a stick in it so it’s even less enjoyable. Sounds like a winning combo.

Ziller: I haven’t eaten one of these in 25 years and I can still taste the cotton swab that stays stuck to the Tootsie Roll in the middle. Bleh.

7. Mike & Ike — Matt Ellentuck

Second-best fruity candy. It’s obvious.

D’Andrea: The perfect “my stepdad let me buy candy at the Dollar Tree” selection.

Ziller: Hot Tamales without any flavor. What’s not to like?

8. Butterfinger— Whitney Medworth

I can’t believe Butterfingers were still available at this point in the draft. There is nothing better than a fun size butterfinger in your trick or treat bag. Crispety, Crunchety, peanut-buttery chocolate bar perfection.

Stephen: Butterfinger has a rich history as one of Earth’s greatest candy bars, but since the flavor change last year it tastes like rancid cockroaches.

Ziller: I got so mad I left Butterfinger on the table. First-round talent. This is why sports teams “prepare” and “do research” and “make big boards.”

D’Andrea: Butterfinger is great. Especially the way it adheres to every crevice in your teeth so you keep tasting it for hours afterward.

Round 3

1. Wild Berry Skittles— Whitney Medworth

First off, my prior two picks were Reese’s Cups and Butterfinger so this pick is to round out my team and add that extra kick of flavor necessary. The combo is too strong: Berry punch, Strawberry, Melon berry, Wild cherry, and Raspberry. No weak links. No green. No yellow. Just good.

D’Andrea: Congratulations on selecting the fifth-best version of Skittles. Each one is a tiny trip to Smoothie King, only without the smug satisfaction of babysitting a 40oz jug of “vitamins” the rest of the day.

2. Cookies and Cream Hershey’s — Matt Ellentuck

Regular chocolate is basic as hell, but the cookies and cream version is not basic as hell. It’s actually the perfect complement to fruity candies like umm... Skittles. Or Mike & Ikes.

Ziller: “Want a cookie? Too bad, here’s a piece of chocolate with fake cookie inside it.”

3. Nerds — Caroline Darney

Nerds are the perfect Halloween candy because it’s not one that you’d really ever buy for yourself. October 31 is like the only night you accumulate these little crunchy nubs of sugar, and eating them straight out of the tiny little box is truly one of life’s delights.

Ziller: Pop Rocks without fizz. Why not just drink corn syrup straight from the bottle?

4. Whoppers — Tom Ziller

Obviously, based on my draft, I like chocolate and chewy candy. Whoppers hits both marks! Also, my daughters hate them so this is free money for me on Halloween. I’ll be rich in Whoppers on Friday and I can’t wait.

D’Andrea: I can’t say anything bad about a candy they package in old milk cartons. Whoppers are ...fine. Better than 80 percent of the selections available? Nope.

5. Sour Patch Kids — Christian D’Andrea

Because some days my tongue can just go to hell. Midnight Milky Way and Baby Ruth were strongly under consideration here, but a strict sugary diet of only chocolate would be a wasted opportunity. Throw about 20 of these little guys into a cup, microwave it for about 10 seconds, and then to go work on the softened mess moments later. And then ignore the filmy coating of corn syrup that lasts on your teeth for days afterward.

Ziller: Make a meal of it with Cap’n Crunch and just completely destroy your mouth for a week. Sadist candy.

6. Sun Maid raisins — David Fucillo

Halloween may be about indulging, but why not have a sugary treat that offers excellent fiber?! I was that kid who loved a box of raisins and am perfectly comfortable with it. There was no way any of these heathens was taking raisins, and since we did not have a UDFA option, it made sense to ride it to the last round of the draft. It gives me a well-rounded Halloween bag of waxy, chocolate, and fruity — the perfect Halloween for me!

D’Andrea: I swear to god this pick was emailed to me in all caps from [email protected]. Which one of your grandchildren showed you how to use the internet, Fooch?

Dator: I take it back. I hate you so much, Fooch.

Ziller: Unbelievable. So like Werther’s Originals and peppermint candies were a little too adventurous for you? Love to eat a box full of the worst part of basic trail mix.

7. Krackel — Eric Stephen

Halloween is Krackel’s time to shine, since it’s just about the only time you can find the crispy deliciousness in regular stores. Don’t listen to the heathens: Krackel is wonderful, a Nestle Crunch with even more crunch. Krackel is the highlight of those Hershey variety packs.

D’Andrea: Exactly like Nestle Crunch, only worse! I’ve never seen this bar in non-mini form.

Ziller: Almost always the last chocolate candy remaining in any modern Halloween basket. It’s the mid-November desperation chocolate when all the good stuff is gone.

8. Baby Ruth — James Dator

I will get down on some Baby Ruth. You know what a Baby Ruth is? A Snickers for an adult. Instead of some pressed peanut sweepings you get whole-ass peanuts and its makeup is essentially identical. If someone says “I like Snickers, but I hate Baby Ruth” they’re either pedantic, a liar or a sleeper agent.

Also its wrapper is silver and I like shiny things because I am actually a bird.

Darney: It’s no surprise the candy bar that is used as a euphemism for a turd went last in the draft. Good pick, James.

Ziller: Good pick, though inferior to its close, more exotic cousin Almond Joy, which I can’t believe I didn’t pick in retrospect.

The final results?

So who had the best draft? Vote below so we can mercilessly mock the loser, who will almost certainly be Fooch.

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ryanellisphoto · 5 years

Photo

#154 — Saturday, March 26th, 2019 — Ryan Ellis Photography - Detroit Street Photography Session #154 — Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 (ca. 1971) - Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 (ca. 1971)

Roy R. Rowlands - Tattered Flags Hart Plaza - St. Patrick’s Day Weekend 2019 - Homeless Drug Mule Miss - Shadow Klan - Kiss Me I’m Irish - Donald “Sunn” Anderson - The Detroit Shoppe - Illegally Parked Electric Scooters - Greektown Liquor Store - Spirit of Detroit Silhouette - Unconditional Love

Arrived @ 9:20 AM

Departed @ 3:10 PM

423 photos (and also 8 photos) taken in 5⅚ hours with 46 “keepers” among them, rendering a very shipshape 11% “success” rate at a phlegmatic pace of 72.56 shots per hour

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PREFACE: I was not quite ready to make the M-1 Rail walk again so soon after doing it the week before (which exhausted me). This idea was cemented when I arrived later than I had desired (”life happens,” as they say), which left me no time to make the journey before making it on time to see my friend, Roy. It was the day before Saint Patrick’s Day, and I forgot to wear green! I am an eighth Irish after all, and this could have been my day to honor that bit of myself. Haha. It was fine, though, I reasoned. I am an American first. This is my country. Being in Detroit, I, likewise, wanted to show off “my” city. I really want to love Detroit. I say often I do not love Detroit, because I want to know through and through why I love it (and believe it) when or if the day comes that I can say that I do. There is undeniable care that lives in the time and effort that I put into street photography in this town. Maybe that effort today (and before and hence) is my showing of love for something I do not love-love (if that makes sense).

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PATH TAKEN:

Greektown - Before I could make it outside to shoot, I used a restroom near the parking garage. As I was walking by a window to the facility, I saw a rare phenomenon of snow flurries flitting about against sunny, mostly-blue skies. I was sad that it had passed by the time I was street-side and shooting. I joked to a security guard in the building that it was a truly Michigan thing for the weather to not quite seem to make up its mind from moment to moment between wintry snow and spring-like warmth. There was snow here and there on the ground that melted as the sun rose higher and higher throughout the morning and afternoon. It was the day before Saint Patrick’s Day, and it was also the day of a big Red Wings game, so half the folks were wearing green for the former, and the other half were wearing red for the latter. If you squinted your eyes at this scene, it looked like Christmas.

Campus Martius Park

The Esplanade on Woodward Avenue

Spirit of Detroit Plaza - I do not know how to photograph this plaza, and I am eager to defeat my weakness in this locale. Once Dan Gilbert bought the land it occupies and shut down the last stretch of the spoke that is Woodward Avenue that runs into the wheel that is Campus Martius Park, the place has just become less-special to me (it looks unremarkably like anyplace of its kind instead of like Detroit). Yet even so, I snapped a photo that landed on my “top ten” shots for the day. It was of the Spirit of Detroit monument in silhouette with the outline-effect-causing bright sun also illuminating the unlit lamps and bistro bulbs that lead toward Hart Plaza. This picture was a stubborn step towards righting my perspective to see the beauty of the spot (albeit while ignoring the additions to the plaza by Mr. Gilbert aside from the string of lights overhead [also, I rested the camera’s attached mini-tripod to a log that was near a plastic tent that very loosely resembled the Geodesic Domes built by the brother of the legendary Detroit rocker, Jack White, on the edge of Detroit’s Mexican Town behind the Michigan Central Station {”the train station” as we call it}]).

Hart Plaza - Two-weeks ago, I searched for the email address of the mayor of Detroit, so I might file a complaint that the American flags in Hart Plaza were torn and in dire (and increasing) need of replacement as they seemed to rip a little worse from week to week. I did walk up to see the flags last week, since I was preoccupied with making the M-1 Rail’s course before I had to meet up with my pal, Roy. I felt I had to make the effort to see them this week in order to check if they had been respectfully retired in favor of new flags. They were not. As sad as I was that they remained ripped up, I was happy to get some compelling shots (and video footage) of the shredded American standard as a poetic visual representation of the city of Detroit. There was no place in the complaint system for me to attach a file as proof of the problem, or else I would have already put up a picture of the issue. I will have to try again. :—:— Perhaps worst of all, I ran into a traveling photographer from Belgium, named something like Fabian (I had trouble saying it even when he repeated it to me [I think I said it differently every time I said it]). He was photographing underneath the vertical incomplete circle of the Michigan Labor Legacy Monument. I was sad a foreign visitor had to see our national flag so mishandled in its weathered disrepair.

Campus Martius Park

The Hudson Site

Woodward Avenue

Mack Avenue

Milano Bakery - I did not sit down to talk to Roy until ten after eleven, and he was fuming at my lateness. I reminded him he was six-minutes late last time and that either of us have been late (or really, really late) to see the other over the past nineteen or so months that we have been having our weekly meetups at Milano. He did not stay calm for long. We debated politics for a good while after that. Hahaha. The talking got fierce at times, but I think we both enjoyed the tussle of it all. It made us each pine to peer into our perspectives past our more well-polished points, and it got our noggins jogging to say something more original for a change. Hahaha.

168 Asian Market (in Sterling Heights) - Again yearning for oriental cuisine, Roy suggested we go to Sterling Heights (a place so far from Detroit that I live not far from it). I warily agreed, and we rode in his classic red Mercedes convertible to this well-regarded grocery (and more) store. They had whole animals on display and for sale (pigs, ducks, etc.). They had live fish and lobsters in tanks as well as several varieties of freshly-processed fish on ice. You could order any of these and eat them twenty feet away in a sitting area for diners. All the seats were filled, so Roy suggested we check out a nearby asian buffet in the same strip mall. He walked right past the “Your Server Will Seat You” sign at the front and back to the buffet to check out the quality and variety of their offerings. I stood with the polite hostess at the front as he came back and reported that they had excellent selections and that we should eat there. Being an acknowledged working-class bloke, I asked the hostess what the price for dining was, and she said it was “eighteen-dollars before tax per person.” I turned to Roy and replied that I am cash-poor and had not the funds to justify spending that much there, and he acquiesced, and we left the buffet and drove back to Greektown. I told him that tasty (as any) food is expelled from the body in short enough time and that the hefty (for me) price was not worth the pleasure.

Greektown

David Klein Gallery

Campus Martius Park

Greektown - As I crossed the service drive from the very end of Monroe Street to go over the bridge above I-75 to go home, I saw a troubling thing. There are often homeless folks begging on the side of the service drive that is next to the bridge. I saw a homeless woman that is a regular (for as long as I have shot in the city) counting a wad of cash totaling to more than I probably make in a week at work (why stay homeless if you have hundreds on hand?). I know this, because the bills were large (tens, twenties). Homeless folks do not get such large donations so often, so my only assumption was that something illegal had gotten her into such a stash of funds. I recalled seeing another familiar face at that same spot a couple months ago. I remembered it because of how odd it was at the time. A local, older man that fancies himself a rapper, who I have photographed a few times over the years (he is always dressed uniquely and finely), was at the same spot talking to this woman as I left the city. Putting those two events that happened weeks apart together, the two might have some sort of illegal operation afoot. Maybe she is a drug mule for him (and/or worse). I have no proof; only reasonable assumptions. I never photograph the homeless unless they ask me to and unless I can show them on the up and up. I do not want to show the city in a bad light. It is bad enough without photographic evidence. There is a reason I say I do not love Detroit. This is one of the facets of that conviction. This town is corrupt. It is not anywhere close to not being brimming with evil. I only appreciate this place slowly as I learn to cope with the imbalance of justice by seeing there are good people and good things in spite of all else. I hope to be a good person and to do good in this city. I wish the best for this city. I do not expect much, sadly (realism is needed with such high stakes as the suffering of many innocents that goes on day after day around these parts).

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WHAT WENT ON ON THIS DAY OUT IN DETROIT?

It was Saint Patrick’s Day Eve 2019. I forgot to wear green, though I am 12.5% Irish. My Irish-y, blueberry-blue eyes and towering height and gregarious social stance were maybe my biggest Gaelic displays this day. I think I said “top of the mornin’ to ya!” to a dozen folks as well (then again, I say that all the time, year-round regardless). I missed a neat opportunity for photos of snow lit by the bare sun before I could get on the street to shoot. This put me in a sad mood. It was a bad portent. I do not at all believe in luck, but that got me down for a bit. Having shot in Detroit nearly-weekly for over three-years has given me an eye for the unusual in this spot, which this phenomenon was. To have missed something I will not see for a long time (especially since the start of Spring was a few days away) was a downer that I tried to brush off by telling myself it was not meant to be. I am not fatalistic, because that perspective seems to breed pessimism (and worse) for some types of people and also for some types of scenarios, no matter the person. That said, I am, instead, one that believe in primary and secondary causality. I believe God set time while outside of it, and mankind, bound by time, can only do what God set, albeit with the Free Will to choose what for them was already chosen. I say all that to say that I did not let myself particularly worry about the missed opportunity, because it was not meant to be, and I am not to interpret the “bad” as bad, because it was so inconsequential to more important matters I should rather consider. Sometimes emotion overtakes reason, and I was down nonetheless. Hahahaha. I saw the humor in it then as I do now. Haha. What can one do when an immovable force meets an unstoppable object but laugh (well, cry, but that is neither my ability nor style)? The melancholic giddiness (if there can be such a thing) was turned wholly mirthful when I ran into my good, old friend, Devin. She was driving her car as a smartphone-service-beckoned chauffeur when she saw and recognized me walking up Woodward Avenue. We embraced via a bear hug, and I photographed her (as is my wont), and we went on our respective ways, verbally agreeing before parting to meet again when the weather warmed up to shoot as we have done before. I met with my hippie pal, Roy, at eleven at Milano Bakery. He told me stories I cannot tell publicly. That man is fascinating, and no one else will ever know the half of it (for better or worse). Roy and I went in his red Mercedes convertible to Sterling Heights to check out an oriental grocery store. It was fantastic. I am a degreed chef, and it was a blast to see the ingredients and dishes and overall culture all about the establishment. After Roy and I parted after he dropped me back at Greektown, I visited David Klein Gallery before heading back home. As I left, I saw a shady scene. It looked like a longtime homeless woman, who had hundreds of dollars (in bigger bills than almost any vagrant receives) in her hands, was illegally carrying on in some way. I have no proof, but that sight made me all the more angry about the bad that goes on in the city. It has taken years for me to warm up to the homeless in Detroit. I have started to give them socks in the winter time. This was a big step for me, and seeing that woman with loads of cash in her hands made me think twice about the gains my heart had made in actionable compassion for them. Just as I try to do good by the bad city of Detroit, maybe I need to do good by the bad homeless of Detroit. Unconditional love is what it is, and it is an inward struggle in me to pick up my calling of selfless-sacrifice and do it.

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⋰B⋰U⋰Z⋰Z⋰W⋰O⋰R⋰D⋰S⋰

“Inside baseball” concepts talked about in this Detroit Street Photography Session —

● Michigan Labor Legacy Monument - This is a monument that marks the path of labor from before and after unionization brought many freedoms and liberties to the working man in America (and particularly Detroit). There is a horizontal spiral that twists past friezes depicting the progress of workers’ rights being gained through time, ending with chains depicting the slavery of tyrannical working conditions ending as well as elements of the present and supposed future (from the time of the monument's completion), which signified what more could be done. There is also a vertical circle that does not connect, which is the convey the idea that the struggle to better conditions for workers is one that will never end. I agree with that heartily. Mankind is inherently bad (evil [sinful {damnably-wretched}]). The awfulness of us all will always hold back the perfection we naturally desire (at least by our own efforts).

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If you like what I do, consider supporting me on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/seedetroitlikeido

Check out my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmWGEXMZfJn5tutCOgK_dtg

I have a Twitter that has unique content from the rest of my social media accounts:

https://twitter.com/prayforryan

I have an Instagram that I am proud of. It has neat write-ups for my different works that also appear on my YT versions of the same videos. It also has photos and videos that appear nowhere else:

https://www.instagram.com/rellish3214/

✦ If you ever have any questions, feel free to email me. I am here for you. Email: [email protected]

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#Spirit of Detroit #Spirit of Detroit Plaza #Tattered American Flag #Old Glory #Hart Plaza #The Detroit Shoppe #Illegally Parked Electric Scooters #Afro #Kiss Me I'm Irish #Saint Patrick's Day #Shadow Klan #Rapper #Hip Hop #Donald Sunn Anderson #Sunn Anderson #Street Artist #Street Painter

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deborahdeshoftim5779 · 7 years

Text

The Marvel of Trelsi (Part III)

Because this image NEVER gets old. It also epitomizes the relationship between Troy and Kelsi as complete equals, quite unlike a certain other relationship.

In this instalment, I want to discuss the introduction to Trelsi, which will include scene analysis, comparative analysis, musings and headcanons. I love this scene primarily for what it says about Troy Bolton as a character, as well as for how radiant and confident Kelsi becomes throughout the rest of the canonical movie series. I will demonstrate the superior importance of this scene in establishing relationships thus far, particularly in comparison to Troy’s introduction to Gabriella, and how this scene represents everything the movie was supposed to support.

Now, first of all, I must start by noting the unrealistic spectacle of every other candidate being laughably inept at performing except for Sharpay/Ryan and later, Troy/Gabriella. I must presume that this is all in aid of plot-related reasons. In real life, although it is more believable that Sharpay still would have reigned as Queen of the Drama Department (with Ryan as her Page Boy), there would have been plenty of decent candidates for this role. After all, there is a Drama Club and I refuse to believe that this is populated by incompetents. Nonetheless, Kelsi’s patience throughout, playing whilst people mess up her song, is both hilarious and endearing.

As I write this analysis with the film playing, I often have to fast-forward or rewind to see which parts are visible to Troy throughout this to explain why he decides to reach out to Kelsi. Remember, he appears not to know who Kelsi is prior to this moment, as she is not shown in his homeroom class. (This begs the question of how Kelsi came to be there during HSM II and HSM III). After being denied the opportunity to rehearse, Troy would have had no choice other than to leave and return to his other lessons. Instead, he stands there in disappointment for a moment until distracted by Kelsi tripping over in an ironically dramatic fashion. So if we rewind and view the Auditions scene from Troy’s viewpoint, is there any reason to speculate that Troy might have intended to make friends with Kelsi? Personally, I don’t know. Obviously, I am biased and like to think this was the case, but it may well have been a spur of the moment decision. However, there is room, in my view, to speculate otherwise.

So, how much does Troy see prior to this grand introduction? (I say “grand”, because Trelsi :D). As we recall, he has performed an elaborate ninja routine in order to get to said auditions, which involves throwing Chad off his back, cutting through a D & T room, dashing downstairs, confusing his dad by doing a Houdini and hiding behind a mop once he reaches the Drama stage.

It is very important to note that Troy did this himself, as much later, in HSM III, Troy will make a grand speech in which he falsely claims that: “Problem is, East High changed when you got there. Now it’s changed again because you left.” As you can see here, the decision to check out the auditions was of Troy’s own making. Gabriella had even told him prior that she had no intention of signing up for anything, and just wanted to get to know the school first. This forward-thinking on Troy’s part explains his decisions much later on in the movie, not least his decision to make friends with Kelsi.

Obviously, Troy sees Kelsi introduced by Ms Darbus, but I don’t think he makes anything of it. He sees the slew of embarrassing performances throughout. It is interesting to note that, despite the glaring incompetence of many in East High, Troy is STILL nervous about trying out for the auditions. Having sung with Gabriella in karaoke over the holidays, it is clear that his confidence soars when performing, but in East High, it’s almost nonexistent. This is most likely due to Chad shooting him down earlier*, basically implying that Troy won’t make it as a top basketball player if he spends (wastes) time doing School Musicals. (“You ever think LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neill auditioned for their school musicals?”) It is also because Troy is scared of being sent off in disgrace by Ms Darbus and laughed at by everyone else. (“Ms Darbus is a little… harsh.”). After this, a thoroughly exasperated, but now somewhat hopeful Ms Darbus introduces Sharpay and Ryan who will “give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall”. Given that Troy reluctantly agreed to watch Sharpay in the musical earlier, I assume that he is not looking forward to this performance. His expression throughout is priceless. But he doesn’t appear aware of how much dismay is caused to Kelsi by this performance, at least not until afterwards.

I had to rewind this a lot to make sure, but Troy does see Sharpay’s mean and condescending jabs at Kelsi afterwards. During this scene, Sharpay belittles Kelsi for being a heretofore unknown composer who has no right to question someone as seasoned as Sharpay, even though Kelsi wrote the music. “And you should be glad that me and Ryan are here to lift your music out of its current obscurity! Are we clear?”/”Yes, Ma’am! I mean, Sharpay!” Dismayed and subdued, Kelsi is knocked back onto the piano stool and accepts Sharpay’s Reign of Terror without question. However, as I discussed yesterday, it surely is significant that Kelsi overcame her shyness for one short moment of resistance by telling Sharpay that she hadn’t captured the meaning of the song. Hence why Sharpay was so insulted: “IF we do the part?” Anyhow, because Troy is such a decent and fair guy, he would clearly object to Kelsi being pushed around like this. However, as I asked earlier, did Troy have any intent in reaching out to her just then? Not long afterwards, he tells Gabriella that they should leave, presumably before Ms Darbus discovers them peeking round the corner like spies. So I suppose not, and the ensuing meeting was probably by chance.

I criticize Gabriella regularly, but I think she displayed real initiative by conquering her stage fright to audition. So now we need to zoom out of Troy’s perspective and into Kelsi’s perspective for this scene, as she spends the entire time at the piano, probably despondent as she arranges her scores. But she is within earshot when Troy, quite commendably, puts himself forward as Gabriella’s singing partner. We are not given Kelsi’s reaction to this, which would have been very interesting. Troy Bolton, King of East High, agreeing to audition for a part? Stop the world! It would have been more effective if Kelsi had turned around at this point in astonishment, before getting up to leave and then tripping over. But that’s just my viewpoint. She definitely hears the ensuing exchange, as Ms Darbus makes no secret of her astonishment when Troy shows up from behind the corner. Had Kelsi shown some engagement with this scene, it would have made her tripping over seem a lot less contrived for the purposes of introducing her to Troy. Again, my opinion. But what the hell? My analysis, too. :D We can only speculate as to her reaction, which I believe would be of astonishment. I exclude Gabriella from this part, given that Kelsi does not know her name, presumably not until Ms Darbus gives the two a callback audition.

Kelsi’s trip is marvellous! Gasp of surprise, papers flung everywhere… Really well done! :D

And Troy’s first instinct is to run over and help her, even though he is a considerable distance from the stage. Now, if you watch this carefully, look at Gabriella’s reaction. Troy does not hesitate to rush over and help, but Gabriella actually hesitates. In fact, I see unwillingness in her expression for a moment, before she runs over after Troy. I may be wrong in this, but if you get the time, please look over that scene and tell me what you think. In any case, Troy reaches the stage before Gabriella does. It’s almost as though Gabriella is either a mixture of unwilling/exasperated and yet resigned before deciding to help Kelsi. I usually rewind minute by minute to be accurate, and that is what I see. It therefore seems to me that were Troy not present, Gabriella would either have hesitated to help Kelsi, or not done so at all. That may seem a harsh assumption, but at the very least, it does provide more proof as to why Gabriella is not in ANY WAY responsible for Kelsi’s character development. She’s friends with Kelsi because Troy is. That’s it, really.

You’ve got to love Kelsi’s stunned disbelief when Troy fricking Bolton comes and helps her pick up her manuscripts. Remember, Kelsi is limited by the status quo: cool guys don’t come within throwing distance of nerds like herself. You may see, by pausing at selected moments, that Troy catches her staring and smiles in a friendly manner, which makes me SQUEE! But again, if someone stares at you like you’re the Loch Ness Monster, some people might be pretty annoyed or self-conscious. I think this is Troy trying to break the ice, once again demonstrating that he sees Kelsi as a complete equal, and not some specimen from a different social class.

“So you’re a composer?”

Kelsi’s mute nods are cute. She cannot believe this moment is happening.

“You wrote the song Ryan and Sharpay just sang? [*nod*] And the entire show? [*nod] Well, that’s really cool. I uh-- [*holds out hand for her to shake*] I can’t wait to hear the rest of the show!”

I can’t get over the SWEETNESS here. Yet more evidence that Troy is nowhere near the arrogant and entitled jerk some “fans” allege him to be. Remember, Kelsi has just been put in her place by Sharpay, is despondent that two people who have ruined her song will most likely get the leads and has probably been discouraged from offering any suggestions in future, since Sharpay has made it clear that Kelsi would be nothing without her. After having had her musical ideas rejected time and time again by the Drama Department, this doesn’t feel like much of a reward, hence the resigned way in which Kelsi cleared her manuscripts from the piano earlier. So for Troy to tell her that what she does is “really cool”, and to express genuine admiration for her ability to write “the entire show” is everything. It is completely superficial to assume that Kelsi’s stunned disbelief is due to her having a massive crush on Troy. Whether this may or may not be true is besides the point; we don’t have any information about that. What is far more important, is the obvious fact that prior to now, very few, if any people, have ever spoken to Kelsi like this. With respect, admiration and friendly encouragement. We know this, because Kelsi is too astonished to respond. She must have felt like a complete idiot, just nodding instead of speaking, but Troy does not try and goad her into conversation. He just takes her as she is without judgement. It’s almost as though he understands her shyness and will let her speak when she’s ready. This is one of the first signs that Troy and Kelsi are attuned to each other on such an instinctive level that is impossible to ignore.

Furthermore, Troy tells her that he “can’t wait” to hear the rest of the show. Think carefully about this. Not long beforehand, Sharpay said “I hope you can watch me in the musical”, and made Troy promise to do so. He only nodded, clearly unable to bring himself to say anything. He nodded to get her off his back. His discomfort around Sharpay is self-evident. Now here he is, telling Kelsi, a girl with whom he has NEVER spoken before, that he is excited to hear the rest of her compositions. Up until now, he has only heard a few measures of ONE song. For all he knows, the rest might be mediocre or terrible. (I doubt it, but that’s always a possibility). Her compositions have never been selected before. There’s no discomfort here for Troy at all. He comes across as completely genuine in his interest and willingness to support Kelsi. So we can infer that Troy must like the little he has heard and thinks she has untapped potential. And prior to now, has Troy ever watched a musical? I tend to assume not, given his complete unfamiliarity with the Drama stage, and his lack of knowledge about Broadway: “Who’s Michael Crawford?” For heaven’s sake, he spent the entire audition hiding behind a mop! He has never seen the preparation it takes to write a musical, and I assume he has never been to one of the school productions, given how reluctant he was to watch Sharpay perform. Add to that his supreme status as East High’s Primo Boy, the significance of his offer is HUGE.

All of this underscores how accepting Troy is of everyone around him. He accepts Gabriella, who is extremely intelligent and always comes top of her class. He accepts Zeke’s interest in baking. He presumably accepts Martha’s love of hip hop, and the skater dude who likes the cello… All in all, Troy never expects anyone to change who they are for anyone. Troy never judges people, unlike Chad. He is always happy to extend the hand of friendship (quite literally in Kelsi’s case, and later in Ryan’s case), irrespective of the alleged social divides. Troy doesn’t think that anyone should be limited just because of who they are: “[Chad] You ever think LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neill auditioned for their school musicals?”/ [Troy] “MAYBE.” (Capital emphasis my own). And later on: “Look, I just did it! [auditioned for the musical] Who cares?” Furthermore, Troy always takes an interest in other people’s lives and admires their achievements, even if he knows nothing about what they do. We are not told whether Troy plays any musical instruments, but I assume not. We are not told whether he reads music, although I have to assume from his excellent, and sometimes unrealistically good sight-reading skills, he must have had availed himself of school music lessons. Either way, I wouldn’t call him an insider in the music profession. Yet he immediately takes an interest based on very little information other than a couple bars of Kelsi’s song.

I reiterate again: this is significant.

I love the hand-shake, as Troy helps her to stand again. The metaphorical significance of this is beautiful; he is raising her self-esteem, pulling her up, lifting her mood, making her feel like an accomplished young lady, instead of a nobody. The friendly smile remains even though Kelsi seems unable to detach her hand from his-- again, I think the reason for this is stunned disbelief first and foremost. Clearly, she is unused to such friendliness from anyone, let alone Troy Bolton. And remember, he’s just told her that he wants to hear her other compositions.

At this point, having helped Kelsi pick up her manuscripts, Troy could have left. After all, free period is now over. He should be getting back to class. Instead, he has something else to say, which fuelled my earlier query about whether he had intended to speak to her beforehand. And remember, Kelsi has not said a word thus far, so he might have concluded she was too shy and gone back to class. Yet he is still keen to engage with her, whether she might answer or not.

“So… why’re you so afraid of Ryan** and Sharpay? I mean, it is your show.”

I love Troy telling Kelsi, in effect, that she doesn’t have to be afraid of the Evans twins. He’s offering her a way out. He’s offering her options she had never previously considered. He’s reminding her that these are her songs and she is therefore a lot more than a Sideshow Bob.

“It is?”

The fact that Kelsi questions something that is so OBVIOUSLY true shows how little self-esteem she has up until this point.

“Isn’t the composer of a show kinda like the Playmaker in basketball?”

“Playmaker…?”

“You know, the one who makes everyone else look good. I mean without you, there is no show. You’re the Playmaker here, Kelsi.”

First of all, just look at the effect these words have on Kelsi:

For the first time since being introduced into the movie, she looks delighted. Given her crippling shyness and introverted nature, I feel fairly certain that she has probably rarely, if ever, been made to feel like this. Empowered, confident and worth something. The utter delight on her face, the way she completely lights up, shows her unfamiliarity with such praise. It further highlights that very few, if any people, have taken an interest in her music, or have given her the chance she craves to be heard and understood, as I explained yesterday. Compare this to her intimidation, disappointment and dismay when Sharpay belittled her earlier. THIS is the moment that the deal is sealed: she takes to Troy in an instant. Her excitement is brimming beneath the surface. And make no mistake, this is entirely directed towards Troy. Gabriella, up until now, has not said a word, and neither is she the recipient of this delighted expression.

The most important thing to note here is “the one who makes everyone else look good,” as the inimitable teamwork between Troy and Kelsi throughout all three shows in movie canon is a living demonstration of this. Again, I must reiterate that Troy has barely heard any of Kelsi’s music, and is saying that her compositional skills make everyone else look good. Ms Darbus, whom I presume had previously rejected many of Kelsi’s ideas and now selected these ones, is never shown to have given Kelsi such high praise, despite having considered these songs on their artistic merit to her play. (Correction from last post: Ms Darbus wrote the plays. Credit to BoltonEvans). And because Troy doesn’t treat sports like a religion (unlike a certain Mr. Danforth), he doesn’t judge her for being ignorant about sporting terminology, either, which is a small but once again noteworthy point.

This scene basically launches the term “Playmaker”. Let’s discuss this. Troy is not only giving Kelsi a nickname (something he hasn’t done for Gabriella or indeed anyone else), but it is the very same name that others in his team use to refer to him. More importantly, it is a term with which he has a love-hate relationship. We know this because later on, Troy’s father tells him, “but you’re Playmaker. Not a singer.” Troy’s reaction to this is one of rising frustration; in other words, he appears tired of hearing about his Playmaker/Basketball Guy status ALL the time. A lot of viewers seem to, in their haste to judge/belittle Troy for his mistakes, ignore the effect of constantly being praised and touted as the Top Gun for the team. He is, around this time, between 16 and 17 years old. Adolescence is a time of self-doubt and learning to figure yourself out. Coming of age. The pressure that Troy’s father and his team-mates put on his shoulders by such honorary titles must be immense and counter-productive.

So I feel it is very important to note that the term “Playmaker” does not necessarily have very positive connotations for Troy, as it reminds him of the pedestal upon which he is placed, and how much is expected of him by everyone else. In which case, it is somewhat unusual that Troy deems this nickname appropriate for a composer, let alone a girl he has only just met properly. But he chooses “Playmaker”, for several key reasons: 1)- he sees the value of Kelsi’s work, 2)- he believes she deserves it more, 3)- he senses that she needs it. Troy himself suffocates under all these honorary terms and wishes he could “just be a guy”. Like I said yesterday, Troy is running away from his pre-destined status and longing to be ordinary as well as try something new. Kelsi, on the other hand, thinks her path as a composer is predestined and is longing to be extraordinary. The title “Playmaker” and its special significance gives her precisely that. ALL of this is communicated from Troy to Kelsi with precious little dialogue. Troy just instinctively understands what she needs right then and can encapsulate all of this with the nickname “Playmaker”. This seals the deal, folks. It makes their bond esoteric, rather than transparent-- later on, when Troy calls her Playmaker in front of a cheering crowd, only he, Kelsi (and Gabriella) know what he means. Again, Kelsi’s delight here says it all. It underlines all their later scenes together and is the centrepiece of their friendship. They are both Playmakers in their own respective fields. So Troy demonstrates his ability to take something with difficult implications for himself and turn it into a positive for someone who would otherwise be unheard. This is a special moment in the movie, and definitely the most significant up until Troy revealing his love for performing later on.

The movie makes a great deal of hullabaloo about Troy meeting Gabriella, using twinkling lights, night skies and romantic music. We’re meant to believe that this is a once in a lifetime meeting, when in fact it is a fateful night that starts Troy on the path of self-destruction. This is supposed to be the centrepiece of the movie: boy meets girl. But I assert that this is NOWHERE NEAR as relevant, inspiring and special as when Troy meets Kelsi. There is barely any significance in Troy meeting Gabriella, other than the plot. He could have sang that karaoke with any other girl. There is no evidence that Troy would not have had chemistry with any other of the many girls standing there. But Troy meeting Kelsi is relevant, because this is how Troy is introduced to her music and how he gets to practice the musical. It’s inspiring, because it involves the hero at his very best, reaching out to make friends with an outcast, and showing that he values everyone based on their merits and not based on transient constructs like social hierarchies. It’s special because they forge a bond together near instantly that to me, is far more poignant and deeper than that between Troy and Gabriella. Their bond leads to a solid music partnership, but even more importantly, a strong friendship, UNFAILING loyalty and support for each other throughout the entire movie series. Troy and Gabriella’s meeting leads to a solid music partnership, but not a friendship, and definitely not unfailing loyalty or support, with Gabriella more than happy to abandon Troy when things aren’t going her way. We will discuss more of this in later instalments. But bear that in mind. Furthermore, Troy and Gabriella do not have an esoteric bond. There is nothing between them that only they can understand, except for the fact that they’re together! :D On the contrary, we see Troy and Kelsi totally attuned to each other when performing in ways that are not demonstrated with anyone else. That’s why Troy always looks to her for a boost/confidence. It might just be me, but I don’t see this with Gabriella at all.

All this does is just demonstrate how the screenwriters accidentally did with Troy and Kelsi what they should have done with Troy and Gabriella.

“You’re the Playmaker here, Kelsi.”

[*beaming*] “I am? Do you want to hear how the duet’s supposed to sound?”

So they’ve clicked instantly. Kelsi now decides to trust Troy, a complete stranger, with her music. She is definitely speaking to Troy directly here, even though Gabriella is the first to move towards the piano. She wants to prove herself to him, now that he has given her the confidence to believe in herself, her talent and her music. More importantly, she has decided, in just a few moments, that Troy is the one. Don’t assume I mean this in a romantic way. Sure, it has romantic potential, as I will discuss later. But what I mean is that she just knows-- instinctively-- that Troy is the one who can interpret her songs as she envisions them. He has proven that he gets her, understands her vision and thinks she has potential. Therefore, she sheds the shyness and excitedly offers to play her song, finally getting a chance to show someone what she can do. Please note that Kelsi is not shown to have done this with anyone else. This is why, like I said in the introduction, she only has to NOD at Troy to begin singing a song with which he is relatively unfamiliar. (He certainly hasn’t read the score before). That’s just a silent way of stating that she trusts him to take the music and roll with it. And Troy is surprised by this, as well as her offer to play her song, but notably NOT hesitant. Compare this with when Gabriella found him hiding behind a mop. His expression is wary, awkward and shamefaced, even though they are just spying on the auditions. But when confronted with Kelsi’s song, he gives it a go without thinking, and clearly gets it right, because Kelsi is smiling throughout. I don’t like to speculate, but it appears her smile at the end may be directed more towards Troy than Gabriella.

The fact that she barely needs to prompt Troy to begin also explains why, in HSM II, she felt confident enough to teach him a new song on the very night of the Talent Show at Lava Springs. Previous to that, she had written “You Are The Music In Me”, with the expectation that Troy would participate-- again, I emphasise Troy given her pleading expression is directed at him. In HSM III, she is so comfortable with his style of performing that she lets him incorporate her into his dance routine, which I think is just genius and the mark of a true performer, such as Troy is. I’m sure that Troy needed coaching practicing to sing (vocal runs etc), but their rapport is demonstrated in HSM I when Troy is energetic and riveting whilst PRACTICING the song; so much so that Kelsi feeds off his energy and is standing up, dancing/miming along. Given that Troy does appear more nervous about performing than Gabriella, it would perhaps seem likely that the scene where Kelsi is rehearsing with Gabriella, during which Kelsi shows Gabriella how to breathe properly when singing the chorus, would better apply to him. Maybe it’s just me. I’m making assumptions, but I wonder about these things.

At the end of the duet between Troy and Gabriella, the latter is pleased by the song and how well it went, even though she hasn’t received a chance to audition. Troy, as I have said before, is moved. “Wow… That’s nice.” I have to make this point: THIS is the point at which Troy discovers his love of performing. He did NOT react this way after singing karaoke with Gabriella-- sure, he was surprised, but here he seems stunned, as though he has just released a part of himself. I think this is due to the very emotional and personal nature of the song, and Kelsi’s undeniable talent in expression an emotion into words and music. This is when he realizes that he’s good at this singing thing, and that he can express himself in a totally new way. Remember, performing becomes a part of Troy’s identity, because it’s his method of projecting his true self, his therapy, his way of releasing pent-up frustration and anxiety. And if you think about it, the lyrics have some significance to Troy’s situation himself, but not in the way that the screenwriters want you to think. We’re told to believe that because Troy and Gabriella keep looking at each other throughout, that they are what they have been looking for. But actually, given how powerfully Troy reacts to the song, what he has been looking for is the ability to express this strong talent that he has. In other words, it’s hard for HIM to believe that he had this strong and natural ability to express himself in song: it was there the whole time (when he was singing in the shower!), but he never noticed it. This seems a better interpretation than the unrealistic spectacle of him falling in love with a girl he just met. Therefore, I argue that Kelsi is the reason that he discovers his love of performing, and this seems realistic to me, given their intense chemistry when performing. And taking into consideration how Troy not only takes to Kelsi’s songs in an instant throughout the film series, but makes them uniquely his, I feel certain in stating that Troy’s development is possible without Gabriella, but impossible without Kelsi, who understands him instinctively.

“Bolton! Montez! You have a callback. Kelsi, give them the duet from the second act. Work on it with them.”

How far did Ms Darbus get before hearing them sing? She either has VERY good hearing, or decided to stick around for some reason.

Kelsi excitedly rattles off a list of places where Troy and Gabriella can come and rehearse including her house. Now, there are several other roles available for this musical, meaning several other people auditioning. Kelsi must surely have time with other people on the show, and the natural question is, has she ever invited anyone else to her house for breakfast and rehearsal? It appears that her excitement and openness is entirely down to how Troy has liberated her, given her a chance to prove herself and raised her self-esteem to its highest. Of course, Troy is too bewildered by his sudden opportunity to sing to hear half of what she says, including her “basketball class” comment (it’s basketball practice!), but it remains relevant nonetheless. This sets the precedent for Kelsi’s endearing excitement about all her musical ideas from here on out.

In short, this AMAZING scene is vital for plot and character arc progression, and is therefore the most significant meeting in the movie. Some of the points here are relevant for upcoming instalments, particularly when I discuss the friendship potential and romance potential for Trelsi.

TO BE CONTINUED

(*FOOTNOTE-- Of course, Chad mocking show tunes in musicals is amusing, as later on, he tells Troy that his mother has seen Michael Crawford in “Phantom of the Opera” 27 times. How could Chad have come by this information, unless he too, had been either watching or counting the times his mother watched? I don’t believe a word he says, given that he arrogantly claims that he doesn’t dance, after having danced when school finished for the summer!)

(**FOOTNOTE-- (”So why’re you so afraid of Ryan and Sharpay?”) We can ignore the inclusion of Ryan here, as throughout this movie, he is just Sharpay’s unwilling accomplice. That being said, Kelsi was visibly timid when she asked him “What key?” and didn’t even question him when he told her that HIS rehearsal pianist had done a new arrangement-- a.k.a completely changed KELSI’S song without her prior approval at his and Sharpay’s behest, and chose to just randomly reveal this information to her at the audition. We know this because, Kelsi wanted to know whether they had a particular preferred key. This leads to Kelsi’s surprise and disappointment (she doesn’t even question him on this creative decision with her own intellectual property), making her look useless and unwanted throughout. So actually, I suppose it is fair that Ryan is included here, but I would place Sharpay’s name first, given that, despite Ryan’s complicity in the ruining of Kelsi’s song, his intentions are never malicious or even mean. He simply wants to win the role of Arnold and thinks Sharpay knows best. Later on, when Troy and Gabriella win the roles, he is good-natured about it and doesn’t question the decision.)

#Trelsi OTP #TroyBolton #KelsiNielsen #HSM1 #Playmakers #IFrickingLoveTheseTwo #Deb'sAnalysis #ThisSceneisSOImportant #ToBeContinued #WhatI'veBeenLookingFor #TwinkleTownMusical #MsDarbus

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Frozen Pool Forensics: Bounce-Back Candidates – Part 1

There’s plenty of fantasy heroes season after season but we also see disappointment from others to accompany the positives. It can’t always be cheery when discussing players who did not perform to expectations, though many of the following players have valid reasons for down campaigns in 2017-18. Indeed, some just plain and simply did not bring it and looking to their advanced statistics they stand reason to turn the tide in the coming year. A lot of variables outside player control also came into play with a couple of the following; hence they stand a good chance to turn things around. Capitalizing on drops in value is always a savvy way to go about building a well-rounded roster, so here’s a few guys who may very well see their market price dip thanks to their shortcomings in the prior campaign.

Wayne Simmonds

This coming draft will be the latest you’ll ever see Wayne Simmonds selected after his down season due to a laundry list of injuries. The definition of a trooper, the power forward played through a broken ankle, torn thumb ligaments, a pelvis tear, and a pulled groin. On top of this, he also just so happened to lose six teeth as a side note. As a Simmonds owner in a keeper setting, this past campaign was worrisome as he hurdles towards age 30 with decline on the mind. Power forwards of this mold tend to fade fast due to their style of play, case in point Corey Perry. Alas, when the injuries were reported the down statistics across the board are more than understandable. Now the fact he almost scored 25 goals with all these impairments seems astounding. More so than anything, Simmonds is a likely bounce back candidate for 2018-19 is a contract year for the Flyers gritty scorer. If you’ve followed my writing at all you know how vital I feel securing players in this scenario can be to fantasy success. Look for the lanky forward to re-establish himself as the elite multi-category cog he is next year on an offensively gifted Philadelphia squad.

Jeff Skinner

Though I did not foresee the likes of Noah Hanifin and Dougie Hamilton changing zip codes anytime soon, Jeff Skinner is still probably waiting on the phone call telling him he’s been dealt. If I’m him, I cannot wait to leave Raleigh, North Carolina, as he just may be the worst utilized forward in the game today. Why Skinner sees third line assignment dumbfounds me as does his second power play duty being the sniper he is. A down year yes but still only one short of 25 goals with a 2.1 PTS/60 seeing Derek Ryan as his center most frequently. You can forgive the 26-year old Toronto native somewhat for not matching last year’s 37 goals. Despite the lesser players he sees time with, Skinner drives play when on the ice as evident in his strong 55.01 CF%. I am basically begging for the Hurricanes to deal the former figure skater to a stronger contender that will actually utilize him in the correct fashion. By that I mean in the top six where his skills are best served. Skinner shot two percent below his career average 10.9% in 2017-18 while still putting a healthy dose of shots on net with 277. Look for positive regression towards the mean whether he stays with Carolina or changes uniform in 2018-19.

Jeff Carter

Jeff Carter does not find himself here because he is need of redemption but more so because his very lengthy injury with low offense overall may drop his draft rank. Only appearing in 27 games total, it was business as usual for the veteran center scoring 13 goals in that time while setting up nine. Carter is cemented into the second line pivot position and a role on the primary power play in Los Angeles. Now with the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk, this top six just became a lot more interesting. Though a fan of the That 70’s line Carter centers with wings Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, the thought of adding the KHL leading scorer to his side is tantalizing. He will surely see time with him on the top power play but if the Russian does not work out with Anze Kopitar, seemingly Carter would be next in line to try to ignite chemistry with Kovalchuk. Most important to note regarding Carter is that he essentially had a season off and will be incredibly fresh for the coming campaign. Though he has shown no age-related decline, a 33-year old being afforded this sort of break will do wonders for the swift skater. Look for Carter to get off to a quick start in 2018-19 and continue being a consistent source of goals as always.

Bryan Little

Bryan Little really got the short end of the stick when Paul Stastny was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. The 30-year old center was the second line center on this squad for some time and had the cushy role of feeding Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine yet never seemingly got it going as in seasons past. His first full campaign since 2013-14, Little only managed 43 points and the second-lowest points per game of his career. As someone who rostered him all season because of his face-offs won, it was a shame to see the generally consistent scorer not capitalize on a season that saw him play more than 60 games for the first time since 2014-15. There are no excuses to be made for his inability to produce at least assists centering two dangerous wingers, so when Stastny was brought into the fold he received the boot from the top six thus killing any shot to finish strong. With no guarantee Stastny returns, Little finds himself likely to be at the helm of the second line should he sign elsewhere. Before this season, Little was a consistent source of points from 2013-14 onward, with point per game marks of .78/.74/.74/.80 respectively. Very much still in his prime, bank on last year being a blip on the radar and capitalize on him proving he still has what it takes.

Cam Talbot

The fact I won my redraft league taking this man in the first round deserves a drink in itself. There’s no reason to dwell on what we all know was a nightmare campaign though he still managed a 30-plus win season. Sneakily, Talbot finished the fantasy season strong with 7 wins in the last 13 starts to go with a 2.81 GAA and .919 SV%. Most may be aware that Talbot also welcomed twins into the world during the previous campaign and that could easily have had negative effects on his performance. After the Jekyll and Hyde act of the Oilers in the two seasons past, one can foresee draft stock falling for those not named Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If there is one positive to Edmonton’s 2017-18, it’s that they can only go up from here. If having a 30-win season in a down year albeit with mediocre ratios is bad for the workhorse goaltender, then he’s worthy of number two consideration without question still. If the Oilers can just get some offense from young players such as Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Strome, and Jesse Puljujarvi, on top of their two star forwards, then things should turn around for Talbot. The Oilers defense is still spotty but the real killer for them last season was the inadequate forward depth at the NHL level. There is too much what if involved with Edmonton currently, so investing in Talbot as your number one isn’t advisable. Don’t be scared off entirely for he is surely a strong compliment to a more reliable number one.

Brandon Saad

Much like the team discussed above, the Chicago Blackhawks also served as example of the struggle to compete when you are inadequate overall at the forward position. No longer the championship juggernaut they once were, this team was awfully top heavy with a weak bottom six that did not generate offense. In what may one day go down as Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson trade larceny, the Artemi Panarin–Brandon Saad swap looks quite wretched on Stan Bowman’s resume. These are dark times in the windy city, with Jonathan Toews not touching the 60-point plateau in three years and Duncan Keith matching his rookie point output albeit with ten fewer goals this time. There’s promise in young Alex DeBrincat but for how long can this team sit on Patrick Kane’s back as he heads into his age-30 campaign. Saad absolutely must rebound in 2018-19 for the Blackhawks to have any hope of attaining a postseason berth. Matching a career best 233 shots on goal last year, he just could not bury the chances shooting 7.3% compared to 11.4% in 2016-17. Like Skinner expect positive regression towards the mean leading to Saad rediscovering the 20-goal plateau in 2018-19. Do not expect astounding offense from the American on this team though he should serve you well as solid goal scoring depth.

More from Frozen Pool: Rebuild in the Big Apple

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/frozen-pool-forensics/frozen-tool-forensics-bounce-back-candidates-part-1/

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zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

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Pyeongchang 2018 - 5 reasons Team USA was humbled at the Olympics

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/pyeongchang-2018-5-reasons-team-usa-was-humbled-at-the-olympics/

Pyeongchang 2018 - 5 reasons Team USA was humbled at the Olympics

9:16 AM ET

Greg WyshynskiESPN

It ended not with a miracle, but with a mewl: The United States men’s team, a hockey superpower, was sent packing one game before the medal round by the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

In Sochi, it was T.J. Oshie who saved the Americans’ collective bacon with a shootout performance for the ages. In Pyeongchang, it was five different U.S. skaters attempting to match the Czechs and win the game in the shootout.

The Americans went 0-for-5. And just like that, Team USA was eliminated, having gone 1-1-1 in Group B, then defeating Slovakia 5-1 in the qualifying round before getting humbled by the Czechs in the quarterfinals.

A shootout loss to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals has ended the United States’ run in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament.

While fans were left lamenting a cruel exit at the hands of the Czech Republic in the Olympic quarterfinals, the U.S. men’s hockey team reflected on an Olympic journey that has been “one of the best moments of our careers.”

The lack of NHL players for the men’s Olympic hockey tournament has generated much ire. But if the NHL is to take part in future Olympics, there’s a substantial change that could make it more palatable to the league — and more fun for fans.

2 Related

How did we get here? Why wasn’t Team USA … better than this?

Here are five reasons:

1. The blown power play

The worst part about that 3-2 shootout loss to the Czechs was that the game never should have reached a shootout. Vojtech Mozik took an ill-advised slashing penalty with 1:20 left in regulation and the game tied 2-2. The U.S. power play was clicking at over 20 percent for the tournament. The Americans not only finished the third period on the power play — they also started overtime with a 4-on-3 man advantage for 40 seconds.

They didn’t register a shot.

“We couldn’t put it together. We looked scrambled in that key moment,” captain Brian Gionta said in an understatement.

It’s hard to boil a game down to one moment, especially a game in which the Czechs had the better of the play. But with one goal separating them from the medal round, it’s hard not to view this as the biggest blown opportunity of the tournament for the Americans.

Yes, even more than their loss to Slovenia.

The Czech Republic’s Petr Koukal netted the quarterfinal-game-winning goal against Team USA’s Ryan Zapolski during a shootout. The game went to OT after the U.S. failed to capitalize on a late power play. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

2. The Slovenia loss

In the end, Team USA’s stunning 3-2 loss to Slovenia in the tournament opener didn’t dramatically alter its seeding — because of goal differential, it was likely headed to a first-round matchup with Slovakia anyway. But the nature of the loss was a humbling one for the Americans: after absolutely dominating play for about 30 minutes and expending all of their energy, they allowed Slovenia to hang around and then eventually gave up three unanswered goals to lose in overtime.

With a team assembled from disparate parts, getting off the blocks with a successful effort was paramount. This was the opposite.

3. Preparation

It turns out teams need more than Google Hangouts, WhatsApp chats and five practices to jell before the Olympic tournament.

Coach Tony Granato and his staff faced an unenviable task in getting Team USA on the same page in short order. This wasn’t a bunch of guys from the NHL; this was a collection of players from the KHL, Finland, Germany, the AHL, the NCAA, unemployment and other far-flung regions. Which is to say that getting them all in the same place for a few practices before the Games was near impossible.

Remember when Team USA and Canada would hold Olympic camps during the summer, before the Games? Good times. Unfortunately, the NHL’s waltz with the International Olympic Committee made that kind of long-term planning rather difficult for these games.

4. They needed more Ryan Donatos

One of the true silver linings for Team USA in the 2018 Winter Games was the play of its college players. Ryan Donato of Harvard led the team with five goals and an assist. Troy Terry of Denver had five assists. Jordan Greenway of Boston University had a goal — but more important, he was a dominating physical presence.

Ryan Donato, a forward from Harvard, led Team USA with five goals and an assist during the tournament. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

“They are fearless. They are just kids having fun. A lot of guys are 12-13 years older than them, and when you see the fun and the attitude they play with, it rubs off on a lot of us,” goalie Ryan Zapolski told ESPN.

So why weren’t there more of them?

It was a calculated decision by the late Jim Johannson, GM of Team USA, and his brain trust. They felt a team made up of veteran players — ex-NHLers and AHLers who played overseas and were familiar with the larger ice surface — would be the safest play. They trusted them more. Yet the kids were the only bright spot on this team offensively.

Find more stories about the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments in Pyeongchang here.

Imagine Team USA in this tournament with center Casey Mittelstadt, the Buffalo Sabres‘ blue-chip prospect currently with the Minnesota Gophers? Or Kieffer Bellows, a forward for the Portland Winterhawks? Or forward Brady Tkachuk of Boston University? Or defenseman Adam Fox of Harvard?

Yes, between world juniors and the Olympics, they would have missed a chunk of the school year, and two tournaments in two months is a lot of hockey. But why not bring some of the most talented players eligible for Team USA to South Korea?

“I look at it two ways,” Johannson told USA Today last month. “How much hockey is too much hockey for these guys? And secondly, there is a big difference from what the world juniors are and what the Olympics will be. The world juniors is energy hockey and the Olympics will be played by older, experienced guys who play heavy hockey. [Mittelstadt] is obviously a wonderful talent, but I don’t know that the Olympics are right for him at this time in his career.”

5. They were hamstrung from the start

I give Johansson, Ben Smith (director of player personnel), Granato and his staff an enormous amount of credit. The IOC and the NHL forced them to scramble and scrape together a team, figure out how they wanted to play and then populate the roster with random “where are they now?” players straight out of a 1990s sports comedy montage.

We all know the Team USA that should have been here. This should have been a team that included Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Johnny Gaudreau, as well as Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel and Joe Pavelski.

Oh, what could have been …

Team USA made a few mistakes, in construction of the roster and execution on the ice. But in the end, they were just cooking with the ingredients they were able to scrounge up in a pinch. Hence, the bitter aftertaste.

#2018 #5 #humbled #Olympics #PyeongChang #reasons #team #USA #Sports #Sports News

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