Spacek is Eating Sandwiches While The Innocent Sabres Fans SUFFER

Published March 11, 2008 Jaroslav Spacek , Nonsense 24 Comments

My friend Robin saw Jaroslav Spacek at Panera today. She said his supposedly injured chest looked JUST FINE. I say if he’s healthy enough to eat a panini, he’s healthy enough to play professional hockey. Man up, Jaro! These are desperate times. Lindy is talking about putting POMMERDOODLE on defense tomorrow night. (Which is actually a situation so hilarious sounding that I might secretly want it to happen. Since it looks like the Sabres are going to go down, they might as well go down slapstick-style. If they can’t win, I want to see the Three Stooges out there.)

About these ads

24 Responses to “Spacek is Eating Sandwiches While The Innocent Sabres Fans SUFFER”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

1 Pookie March 11, 2008 at 10:51 pm

Since it looks like the Sabres are going to go down, they might as well go down slapstick-style.

What a great idea! Forget Pommers on D! Bring on the Keystone Kops!

Reply
2 Meg March 11, 2008 at 11:35 pm

On a certain level, I’ve been hoping to see Pommers on D since Lindy first mentioned the possibility his rookie year. I say bring it on. Not only will be it be funny, the opportunity to whine about a defense so banged up that the Sabres leading scorer has to move back to the blue line is irresistible. I suspect his defensive stylings would be the highlight of the end of the season.

Reply
3 Sam March 12, 2008 at 12:40 am

Trade you a couple of defensemen for a center! The Wild now have at least two guys playing out of position because our centers are all injured and our GM decided to spend draft day acquiring Chris Simon rather than addressing his team’s actual needs.

Eh, actually, forget about it. At the rate things are going, Minnesota will shortly have dropped all the way from #1 in their division to being out of a playoff spot in the three idle days between their last game and their next one. I effing hate our standings point system.

Reply
4 S.A.M. March 12, 2008 at 7:02 am

I *think* Pommers has played a little D this year already? I might be wrong, but I don’t think it’s the most absurd idea ever. He already plays the point on PPs all the time so.. I guess we’ll see.

Reply
5 Anne March 12, 2008 at 8:33 am

I love Pommer, but if he’s on defense, who in GOD’s name is he going to be paired with? Do you think its whoever draws the short straw? At least Tone and Hank will be reunited. I say if another Dman goes down and we need to switch another forward, we throw Thibault out there. Why? Because it would be totally ineffective, just like when Kalinin’s out there.

Reply
6 elise March 12, 2008 at 9:27 am

yes, if he truly is injured, he should only be drinking paninis from a straw.

btw, kate, i coached a flutist once whose name was Panini!

Reply
7 Meg March 12, 2008 at 10:11 am

Trade you a couple of defensemen for a center!

You sure you don’t need a right wing? Because the Sabres don’t actually have much in the way of extra centers. :)

I say if another Dman goes down and we need to switch another forward, we throw Thibault out there. Why? Because it would be totally ineffective, just like when Kalinin’s out there.

Well there have been what? Two or three games where Paetsch has arguably been better than Kalinin? Or because Pratt’s looked ever so good since being separated from Kalinin? Honestly, I know he had a few bad games after Campbell was traded and his responsibilities were increased but he’s been quite decent for the vast majority of the year and was playing well in the last couple games. He’s a mediocre defenseman, but using him as a scapegoat is just so tired.

Reply
8 Katebits March 12, 2008 at 12:03 pm

He’s a mediocre defenseman, but using him as a scapegoat is just so tired.

I agree Kalinin is often scapegoated unfairly, but he had a few BRUTAL games after Soupy left, which is exactly when we needed him to step up. I’m rather inclined to use him as a scapegoat myself these days. Let’s face it, this blog might as well be titled “The Willfully over-Scapegoating of Unsavory Defensemen Caboose”. (See: Campbell, Brian) :D

Reply
9 Meg March 12, 2008 at 12:31 pm

I agree Kalinin is often scapegoated unfairly, but he had a few BRUTAL games after Soupy left, which is exactly when we needed him to step up.

While I wouldn’t deny that, it’s also unrealistic to expect someone who has been playing decently on the third pairing to suddenly step up and play against significantly harder opposition with a brand new partner who plays a very different game than the guys he’s played with primarily for the last few years. There are players who can step in and succeed like that, it’s true, but it’s also not surprising when it requires a period of adjustment.

Kalinin has also played most of this season on the right after playing his whole career, as far as I can recall, on the left. That’s due to the Sabres being extremely short on right D with Teppo out and now with Campbell traded. It’s a switch that some players make pretty easily–see Lydman and, happily, Sekera–and some really struggle with. Paetsch has also seemed to have a rough time making the switch this year. While he struggled in his first game back after the benching he then proceeded to play much better for the next game and a half despite still being with yet another new partner and against tougher opposition. I think it probably helped that he was playing on the left and with a guy that’s more defensively oriented in Lydman.

So yeah, he had 3 awful games (Montreal, Detroit, Washington [I didn't love his game against Nashville but it wasn't brutal]) at a time when the Sabres could ill afford it. Several other defenseman joined him in that. Lydman was very bad against Washington too, and Pratt and Paetsch haven’t been good either, while Spacek has been largely mediocre. If Kalinin was a really good defenseman those bad games wouldn’t have happened but he’s not really good and it’s something that does happen with many, if not most, players. I get that it’s easy to have one player to blame but it gets taken to ridiculous extremes with certain Sabres players and Kalinin is one of them.

Reply
10 Katebits March 12, 2008 at 12:36 pm

Not only will be it be funny, the opportunity to whine about a defense so banged up that the Sabres leading scorer has to move back to the blue line is irresistible.

Exactly!

Reply
11 Katebits March 12, 2008 at 1:33 pm

I get that it’s easy to have one player to blame but it gets taken to ridiculous extremes with certain Sabres players and Kalinin is one of them..

Meg, I agree that Kalinin bares too much of the blame for the Sabres defensive woes. He is a scapegoat. I guess I just don’t think over-scapegoating is that big a crime (as evidenced by the way I gleefully reported Soupy’s every mistake). I think taking things to ridiculous extremes is part of the fun of fandom.

Reply
12 Meg March 12, 2008 at 2:14 pm

I guess I just don’t think over-scapegoating is that big a crime (as evidenced by the way I gleefully reported Soupy’s every mistake). I think taking things to ridiculous extremes is part of the fun of fandom.

I think for me the problem shakes out something like this: a) a lot of the Campbell bashing was intentional humorous exaggeration and done in a clever way, while most (though not all) of the people who trash Kalinin are totally serious and don’t get any more creative than saying Kalinin sucks, is useless, is the worst defenseman in the NHL, etc. and b) Hearing any player get bashed consistently for 3 years–sometimes deservedly, often not–gets really old. I would have gotten sick of that with Campbell as well.

But different things amuse different people and we might as well just agree to disagree. I’ll stop cluttering up your comments thread with this endless yammering about my own personal preferences. Sorry! :D

Reply
13 Katebits March 12, 2008 at 2:48 pm

…..while most (though not all) of the people who trash Kalinin are totally serious and don’t get any more creative than saying Kalinin sucks, is useless, is the worst defenseman in the NHL, etc.

….he also has an offensively square head. :P (Now I’m just taunting you, Meg! Sorry! :D)

Reply
14 danielleia March 12, 2008 at 3:01 pm

Well, ok then. Remember when Tallinder scored in the shootout against Brodeur? Yes, yes we do! Maybe Pommers on defense will have the same effect. We can only hope.

SIDNEY IS OUT!

Reply
15 Meg March 12, 2008 at 3:13 pm

….he also has an offensively square head. :P (Now I’m just taunting you, Meg! Sorry! :D)

Hee! No, make fun of his head all you want. It is extremely square.

Unfortunately Paetsch is in tonight so we are being robbed of the opportunity to see Pommers on D. It’s just not fair!

Reply
16 Heather B. March 12, 2008 at 3:31 pm

I actually think Pommers would be a nice little d-man. The problem would be not having him up front. Maybe we can clone him this summer so we don’t have this problem next year.

I adore Tri’s offensively square head! We can’t all be perfectly proportioned Gooses, you know? :P

Reply
17 mcguffers March 12, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Does anyone remember the Thrashers game where Eric Boulton got about 188 penalty minutes at one time with about 5 minutes left in the game? (ok, maybe it was only 29 minutes, but that still sounds pretty flipping absurd.) The team was already up 9-1, so Ruff threw out 5 offense men on the next face off. I’m pretty sure it was Hecht, Gaustad, Pomminville, and maybe Paille and Kotalik? Pomminville was definately playing point and I forgot who the other one was. Then the next line he put out Roy, Vanek, Stafford, one other offenseman and Campbell… soooo, four and a half offensemen. It was fun to watch and the Thrashers didn’t score. So not to sound negative, but at this point, rather than get knocked out in the first round, I’d rather be mathematically out of playoff contention now, and see what Lindy does when the games don’t matter. I am all for seeing a shoot out line up of Thibault, Kaleta and Sabretooth.

Reply
18 Meg March 12, 2008 at 3:50 pm

I adore Tri’s offensively square head!

Well I like it too, but I’m totally OK with people making fun of it. :P

I am all for seeing a shoot out line up of Thibault, Kaleta and Sabretooth.

I would love that on the condition that they had to attempt do tricks. No just skating up and shooting at the goalies pads.

Reply
19 mcguffers March 12, 2008 at 3:57 pm

I would love that on the condition that they had to attempt do tricks. No just skating up and shooting at the goalies pads.

Oh, don’t worry Meg. In my perfect scenario there would be a trampoline, a ring of fire, and a blindfold. Hmmm, which also sounds like my plans for Friday night.

And I did some investigating on the Sabres website. The aforementioned lines were Gaustad, Roy, Stafford, Vanek and Pomminville then Mair, Hecht, Kotalik, MacArther, and Campbell.

Reply
20 Shari March 12, 2008 at 4:35 pm

It’s a good thing we’re all anotomically correct!

Reply
21 Meg March 12, 2008 at 5:24 pm

In my perfect scenario there would be a trampoline, a ring of fire, and a blindfold.

They should let you run the NHL!

Reply
22 Katebits March 12, 2008 at 5:24 pm

I am all for seeing a shoot out line up of Thibault, Kaleta and Sabretooth.

Pleeeease, Lindy! Pleeeease!

I adore Tri’s offensively square head! We can’t all be perfectly proportioned Gooses, you know? :P

It’s true. Perfectly proportioned Geese are hard to find. I should just be grateful we have one. :D

Reply
23 Katebits March 12, 2008 at 5:25 pm

In my perfect scenario there would be a trampoline, a ring of fire, and a blindfold.

Holy COW, you are speaking my language, mcguffers! Where do I sign up?

Reply
24 Matt March 13, 2008 at 10:25 pm

Since it looks like the Sabres are going to go down, they might as well go down slapstick-style.

Every time I hear the Sabre Dance for the rest of the season I’m going to picture Pommers, Yo-Yo and Whompy skating around with billy clubs and little copper shields on their chests.

Reply