WEEK 3 (thru Thursday)

Three weeks into the season the Boulder Flyers find themselves in unfamiliar territory, another lackluster effort dropping the defending champion into the dreary confines of the FHL basement.

Bluliners: 32.9
Boulder Flyers: 21.2
In search of their first H2H win of the season, the Bluliners deposited 6.5 on Thursday, increasing their lead over the last place Boulder Flyers. With only one day remaining in the week GM Hamilton's cushion is a still comfortable 11.7.

Between the Pipes: 26.7
Misconducts: 35.1
A 3.0 point effort was good enough to keep the Misconducts on top of the FHL heap, GM Smalley's bunch now leading the second place Bob's by 3.4. In this H2H chase the Misconducts are also looking good as they sit 8.4 rows in front of Between the Pipes.

Ice Cats: 37.0
Wild Ducks: 32.0
A 9.9 Thursday has brought the Wild Ducks to within pecking distance of the Ice Cats, GM Collard's squad, 1-1, now trailing the undefeated Cats by just 5.0.

SC Cobras: 39.8
Silicon Valley Slashers: 28.5
The hot-and-cold Semyon Varlamov was hot on Thursday (34 save win), the Cobra backstop guiding his team to a 9.8 outing and a bigger lead over the snakebitten Silicon Valley Slashers.

Ice Hogs: 37.4
Redliners: 24.6
The Ice Hogs, 1-1, appear en route to their second $2.00 payday of the season as they lead the Redliners, 1-1, by 12.8 with only a nine-game Friday yet to be contested.

Badger Bob: 32.8
Polar Bears: 26.7
Badger Bob took 7.0 points from Thursday, crawling closer to the first place Misconducts. The Bobs, 1-1, also increased their lead over their H2H opponent, GM Chester's team now 6.1 better than the undefeated Polar Bears.

LINK: Standings

Saw this outside Cobo this morning

FIRE MORGAN!!!

All things great and powerful take time to get up to speed. The 2015-16 Boulder Flyers are similar to one of those massive, triple-expansion steam engine passenger liners, you know, like the Titanic.

The old COBO HALL still stands??? Really???

In what part of Detroit is it located?

I remember watching Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knickbockers games on TV as a kid versus Pistons in Detroit at COBO HALL. Those Pistons teams of late 1960s had Dave Bing, former mayor of Detroit, Eddie Miles and Walt Bellamy a big center. (I CANNOT WATCH NBA BASKETBALL NOW. IT IS TERRIBLE.)

Whenever Bellamy scored, they used to RING A BELL (-: I think Bellamy just died.

If COBO still stands, what is it used for now?

Paul, are you an ocean liner fan?

If yes, we will have to talk. I am a fan and especially interested in Titanic. Saw about a year ago an interesting theory on Titanic theory I had not seen before on a Titanic Web page that makes a LOT of sense to me based on passenger comments re: crash and the time it took for Titanic to founder.

Are you aware that the SS United States is in Philadelphia on a pier along Delaware River rusting away? Very sad. FASTEST ocean liner ever built. With redundant EVERYTHING including engines in case it had to be used as a transport in case of World War III with the old USSR in Europe.

Just for the heck of it, Paul, you would NOT want the two of these to collide. But since each is from different NHL era, will not happen.

Pittsburgh Penguins' current mascot Iceburgh:



Former Buffalo Sabres' (early 1970s) player Morris Titanic:



In photo, Titanic is shown getting worst of collision with one of the Philadelphia thugs on skates, defenseman Andre "Moose" Dupont.

Titanic was a first round draft pick of the Sabres. But he had only a cup of coffee in the NHL. He is part of the players' lawsuit against the NHL over concussions.

Paul, the "Cobras was here" brings up a true story from a buddy who NEVER BSs or embellishes.

As a teenager, maybe 10 years ago, he is helping his father, a contractor, install a new water heater in the home of an elderly widow, in her 80s, in a town near the New Jersey shore.

Basement is dimly lit but not cluttered. Work is beginning to remove the old water heater when my buddy and his father hear "click, click, click..." from the other end of the basement, which is maybe 25 yards total. So my buddy starts to walk toward the noise to find out what is making it. After a few steps, he stops in his tracks and says, "OHHHH..." and then, "Hey dad, there's a rattlesnake over there..."

It was a timber rattlesnake, which are not plentiful, fortunately, but do exist in "Pine Barrens" of southern New Jersey.

Snake, about three feet long, was in coiled, strike position. Evidently, felt threatened by the noise of work and presence of unfamiliar people in the basement. Fortunately, snake was well out of strike range.

So the father says in response, "OK, son. We'll have to go tell the owner."

Up the stairs they go. "Ma'am, there's a rattlesnake in your basement."

Elderly woman: "Oh, that's Frankie. He keeps the mice away. He won't bother you."

Ma'am, how long have you had Frankie in the basement?

Elderly woman: "Oh, about two years. He was in the garden. So I PICKED HIM UP (yikes!!!) and put him in the basement."

(Not sure how the elderly woman determined that the snake was male. But then again, Frankie is a name that could be male for Francis or female for Frances.

Also, would have been NICE if the woman had mentioned presence of rattlesnake in basement!!!)

For the rest of the job, my buddy's sole responsibility was to shine flashlight toward Frankie and keep an eye on him or her.

# # #

I have my own snake story which occurred while playing golf in Milpitas, California near San Jose. Will save that for another time.

Let's Go Pens!!! wrote:

The old COBO HALL still stands??? Really???

Located on the riverfront, Cobo Hall (now part of Cobo Center) is still chugging along. Haven't been there in quite a while but with all the renovations - to both Cobo Hall/Center - I've heard it's quite nice.

Best Cobo Hall memory: 1979 - camping overnight (if you call sitting against the wall of Cobo Hall "camping") to buy Journey tickets with Ken (Bluliners). Bored (and arguably drunk) Ken decided to climb (shimmy up a pole) onto the roof of Cobo Hall to snatch the "J" (from "Journey") and the "Ken" (from "Kenny Rogers") from the huge Cobo Hall marquee.

Mission accomplished. I got the rather tall "J" and Ken kept the rather tall "Ken."

Megan, if you're reading this, none of it's true.

Let's Go Pens!!! wrote:

Paul, are you an ocean liner fan?

Ocean liners in general, no. Titanic, yes. Seen every documentary made, I'm sure. Even read a Titanic book or two (and I hate reading). Hell, even liked the James Cameron movie - as an admirer of Kate Winslet, I was defenseless.

The Joe is in the bottom left,  then Cobo Center.. Comerica Park and Ford Field Middle Rightish.. New Hockey Arena, will be kiddie corner from Comerica Park, toward the upper middle of the photo

Paul, I will send along over the weekend link to article I found very interesting on theory on Titanic collision Right now, priority is getting the Badger Bob lineup together.

And your reaction to the Iceburgh versus Morris Titanic? I give myself a pat on the back, figuratively, for that one.

# # #

There is a GREAT sandwich shop I like in Philadelphia (Yes, there are things I like in Philadelphia. But NOT MANY!) along Delaware River waterfront. I'll snap a photo of SS United States next time I am down at John's Roast Pork getting what I believe to be the BEST roast pork and sharp provolone sandwich that exists in the free world. Can see the ship from the restaurant. Going to John's is WORTH the 45-minute drive one way.

http://www.johnsroastpork.com/

I think if you read up a bit on the SS United States, you will realize what an engineering marvel it is. That is why it is so sad to see it rusting away. Top (max) speed NEVER divulged for reason of national security. But I believe I could do more than 40 knots EASY. Remember, SS United States had TWO sets of everything, including engines.

Let's Go Pens!!! wrote:

And your reaction to the Iceburgh versus Morris Titanic? I give myself a pat on the back, figuratively, for that one.

Clever, yes!

Thus I felt compelled to remove the 3,256,156 character URL you supplied and replaced it with a photograph.