Giving up 3rd period leads...

This is really starting to chap my ass. While I won't complain about getting 4 out of 6 points on the backend of a gruelling road trip, I will sound off on our lack of ability to close out a game. On consecutive nights, Our 3rd period demons came out in full force and we couldn't capitalize and leave with wins, instead we let the opportunity go to waste and end up in overtime. We've signed guys to to the roster to help being shorthanded, we've proven we can score with the guys that we have on the current roster, so I don't understand why it is that we cannot close out a game. We are the worst team in the CHL in the third period, and it really shows on the ice. It's like we completely lose heart and quit playing. It is completely unacceptable. I don't know what needs to change to turn it around, but we eventually need to start taking advantage of all the opportunities presented us, especially in the third, if we want to make the playoffs, not to mention make any kind of run at a championship...We are at least showing signs of life recently which is a good thing. I will always take an OT loss or shootout loss over a regulation loss, but losses in general are really starting to get old.....

Fans who don't know how to win with class...

From the "A" minors all the way up to the bigs, in any sport, you can be assured there is a group of fans that are classless whether they win or lose. In the past month I have experienced two of those groups. Enter the Ft. Wayne Komets and St. Louis Blues.

The Komets fans, while extremely ugly during the game, are a bit more forgivable in this case. While a lot of their actions during the game were seriously ugly and over the line at times (like a grown woman cursing at a child for cheering on her team, or everyone in the arena flipping off the Icemen fans because we were louder and more energetic than they were), they at least knew after the game that we were all people and it was just a game. We had several people wish us safe travels home, and all was well. Don't get me wrong they still suck and I still don't agree with the way they handled themselves towards opposing fans, but they get credit for leaving it in the arena.

St. Louis Blues, you are the worst of the two sample groups in this post. We were heckled in game by many people sitting behind us, and were lucky to have Devils fans sitting right beside us and a pair of extremely nice young ladies in front of us who made the experience a bit more bearable. Every time I got out of my seat, someone had a smart ass comment of some sort. One man even went as far as to call me "Situation" and proceeded to tell me to go back to Jersey. Really? REALLY?! First off I am 5'10 and weigh close to 300 lbs. and look nothing like situation or any other Guido for that matter. Second, just because I am a Devils fan, does not mean I am from Jersey. The list goes on and on and on. There was an episode with a drunk man in the mens' room, and lots of comments as we walked through the arena. Again this was all during the game, so it is somewhat understandable. However the part that I cannot and will not forgive, is the shit that happened after the game.

I have an uncle who lives in St. Louis and who met up with us prior to the game and decided to go with us. Problem is our seats were on the glass and his seats were in the upper decks. So we decided when the game was over, we would meet up outside and walk back to the cars together. Me and Ashley got out pretty quickly since we were on ground level and didn't have to fight much of a crowd. The problem is that we had to face every one of the Blues fans exiting the arena while waiting for my uncle. All of the drunk guys walking by, swearing, and telling us we suck ( not the Devils suck...WE suck), people again telling us to go back to jersey, mocking our players, and making all sorts of obscene gestures.

I mean, you WON the game. What more do you want? Our evening was bad enough because our team lost, but to rub salt in the wounds? Real classy there. Seriously how hard is it to just celebrate with your family and friends and go on your merry way? People would do well to remember that it is JUST A GAME. All the heckling during the game is completely  understandable, but after the game to wish harm on people and heckle them even more? It is seriously uncalled for. As much as I love winning and supporting a winning team, I would never wish any ill-will on fans after a game, especially complete strangers who I will most likely never see again. I mean, you must have some serious issues to heckle a complete stranger that mercilessly. I can't imagine the guilt I would feel if I wished harm on someone then 5 minutes later saw them in a life altering accident or something like that.

People tend to lose sight of the fact that this is just a game. There will always be another game and another season. It boils down to the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. If I was the old me, I probably would've ended up in jail in St. Louis the other night because of the fans shit talking. There were a few moments I wanted to just jump on those drunken idiots and bash there heads against the Brett Hull statue standing in front of their arena. But I didn't act on those feelings. I recognized the fact that it was just a game, you survive to fight another day and life goes on. Others would do well to recognize that. Seriously people. GROW UP AND QUIT ACTING LIKE 2 YEAR OLDS....ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE ON THE WINNING SIDE OF THINGS...it makes no sense for you to be that ruthless after you just won a game....quit making things personal and just enjoy your team and your sport. It's really not that complicated....

Retarded people and their false sense of entitlement.

So for those that don't know I work as a Business Customer Service Representative for AT&T Mobility. I have worked in call center environments in the past, but have never talked to as many idiots as I have in my 14 months at AT&T. Never in my life have I ever seen someone who has had service for two days and calls in to request credits on their account, and for no reason whatsoever. They were happy with the phones, the service, and their plan. They just wanted something for free. And then there's the lady who has had service for 6 months with 1 line on her account who calls and demands a free phone. For no reason. She just wants a free phone. Again nothing wrong with her current phone or service. She just wants a free phone. I guess our customers think we are a freakin charity or non profit organization or something.

But the people who just want free stuff don't piss me off near as bad as the idiots who can't fucking read. I  understand a bill  layout can be confusing and you may not know where to find something on the bill. But that doesn't excuse you from being able to read on a single line what the feature is, what bill cycle it is for, and how much you are paying for it. HOW IS THAT SO FUCKING COMPLICATED? I mean seriously. You learn to read in elementary school for petes' sake. And the idiots who want to complain about the taxes on their bill; why are calling me? Call you fucking government officials and cry about that.

I know that being a call center representative for a mobility company, I was going to take some crap from customers. In any given call center, that's a guarantee. I figured I'd take calls about people complaining about their phones not working, dropped calls, wanting to make arrangements to pay their bills, and just to bitch in general. But I NEVER, and I mean NEVER expected the level of stupidity that I experience on a daily basis. The scary thing is that the majority of the people I deal with are business owners. Let me repeat that: BUSINESS OWNERS. How can you own your own business, but when I ask you to press your menu key you reply "You want me to smash that button right there?" Or when I ask them to verify their account # and they say "oh you want my SSN, ok here it is" (while they proceed to give me their entire SSN, even though its not even associated with their account) or "you want my tax id?" If I want your SSN or tax id, I will ask for your SSN or tax id. I would really like to know how these people ever figured out how to even START their own business, not to mention keep it afloat, with IQ's like that.

I swear I am slowly but surely losing faith in AT&T's customer base as well as humanity, one call at a time. Here's to hoping they all cancel and go to T-Mobile or something. At least then they wouldn't be my problem anymore...

Let's get to it...

So my first post...What ever shall I talk about? How 'bout Muskegon? More specifically fans of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. I mean these people are really delusional enough to think that the Evansville Icemen are STILL the Muskegon Lumberjacks. (and us Icemen fans are known as Maniacs?!) They want everyone to believe that the Icemen folded and their guys came to save the day and keep hockey alive in Evansville. When in reality hockey in Evansville was/is thriving while hockey in Muskegon is slowly dying.

The fact that they come to our arena in Swonder is great. We'll take your money, no problem. But don't think for one minute that you have my respect or admiration. Especially when you come down and flaunt your Muskegon Fury/Lumberjack paraphernalia, and acting like this is still your team. I'm sorry did I miss the game where the Evansville players skated onto the ice at Swonder with Lumberjacks jerseys on? This is not the Muskegon Icemen, the Muskegon Fury or Lumberjacks, and it most CERTAINLY is NOT the Evansville Lumberjacks. We are the Evansville Icemen. This is Evansville's team. We in fact saved you're players and staff from unemployment, not the other way around. When your city decided it wanted to play hockey with toddlers, your players and staff were instantly out of a job. We gave them an opportunity to continue their careers and to start a dynasty in Evansville. The fact that they accepted that offer makes them Evansville Icemen. Like it or not. The Icemen did not fold as you like to write on their wikipedia page seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evansville_IceMen. They did not cease operations as you claim. They in fact raised the standard for hockey in Evansville by jumping from the AAHL into the CHL and have begun making hockey a staple in the Evansville community.

So if you want to cheer the Icemen, bring it on. we will never turn away fans. But leave the Muskegon Lumberjacks shit, the "Holier than Thou" act, and piss poor attitude where it belongs. In Muskegon. If you want to love ya some Lumberjacks, there's a nice group of young lads playing hockey in the USHL that I'm sure could use some fans. Or maybe not support them at all, like you did with your FORMER Lumberjacks, and let that team fold too. I know I can speak for all of us Maniacs when I say we have too much pride to let our team fall into oblivion like you did with muskegon. It's a damn shame, but you have no one to blame but yourselves, and now you want to come to Evansville and act like you're some kind of savior in our community. PUH-LEASE. And that's all I have to say about that.