Sports writer - Grant writer
The TD Garden lit up with Bruins spirit. (Photo by me and my iPhone.)
The Boston Bruins are going to lose tonight because I am wearing pants.
Preposterous, you say. What does making a choice between a black skirt and black pants have to do with if the Bruins will tie up their Stanley Cup Finals series against the Vancouver Canucks this evening? Continue reading
I was researching some stats for my Merrimack College-Boston College Hockey East Championship Preview on SBNation Boston (gratuitous plug!) on the Boston College Athletics website when the following item popped up in the sidebar.
It's a hockey gnome. (Photo: BC Athletics)
It’s a $29.00 Boston College hockey gnome.
I’m perplexed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hockey gnome for sale. Where are you to put this 10 inch tall gnome? Is it supposed to be a good luck charm? And $29 for a gnome? Is it just me, or does it seem a bit…pricey?
A quick Google search turns up a similar Cornell (who plays Yale in the ECAC championship game Saturday night) one, which is only $24.95, and half an inch shorter.
The Cornell hockey gnome
The BC gnome appears to be rolling his eyes at the silliness of it all, while the Cornell gnome looks at you head on, shaming you for purchasing a hockey gnome.
Have I been missing a whole line of college hockey paraphernalia all this time, or is this unique to BC and Cornell?
This morning, my husband took his annual mission to the mall’s calendar kiosk to pick up his “Star Trek: Ships of the Line” calendar for 50% off. While there, he found a Buffalo Bills calendar located in the depths of the “random team” pile, left lonely with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Panthers and Toronto Raptors calendars.
“Look what I found,” he said eagerly, handing me the calendar.
“The Buffalo Bills, a year in futility,” I smirked. “Sure, let’s get it.”
I didn’t look closely at the calendar until I got back to our apartment. I hold onto my mother’s old superstition that you are not to open a calendar until New Year’s Day, so I wasn’t about to tear off the plastic. Instead, I took a more careful look at the back, which previews every month’s cover athlete.
Hey, it’s Marshawn Lynch! And Bill Belichick’s favorite, Josh Reed! (In case you missed it, check out that link for Belichick’s Reed gaffe from last week.) There’s Shawn Nelson and Roscoe Parrish! Continue reading
Many of you have never had the pleasure of experiencing my football clad home. I have football plates, glasses, bowls, spreaders, toothpicks, platters, crock pots…it’s a little obsessive. I don’t think my husband necessarily likes it, because when we moved into our new apartment after we got married, he asked me if I was “really going to hang onto this stuff.” I told him that I collected these items in the event I ever get to hold a Buffalo Bills Super Bowl party, and I think he felt so much pity for me that he relented. (He did make me get rid of the football themed sofa throw pillows, but I agreed with him that their time had come.)
So when the folks at GameDay Rugs approached me last week and asked for a plug, of course I said yes. GameDay Rugs is a new online retailer selling team related rugs for both indoor and outdoor use. While they have started with some of the larger college football and basketball teams, they are working on expanding the line to include additional college teams and professional teams.
Clemson Football Rug
I interviewed GameDay Rugs Account Manager and die-hard Clemson football fan Joey Westmoreland about the company, his products, and Bills rookie CJ Spiller (yes, I had to go there.)
Kat: Why did you decide to get into the sports rug business?
Joey: Sports are my life, so I was very fortunate to have been brought into the business by a friend while GameDay Rugs was still in the concept stage. I had seen what the parent company had accomplished with Astroturf and knew, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, that I wanted to be part of this.
Kat: What is the most creative way you’ve seen one of your rugs used?
Joey: Actually, I was at the NC State v Boston College game this past weekend and walked right passed two little boys, they were maybe 3 or so, and were perched on one of our football field area rugs playing their own game right there on the concrete, moving small helmets around as if they were players. Also, I’ve seen a circle Alabama rug used as wall art, but the tailgating child’s play takes the cake as most creative use.
Kat: I have it on good authority that you are a Clemson fan. I’m a Buffalo Bills fan, and we’re hanging a lot of hope on Clemson grad CJ Spiller. Do you have any thoughts on him?
Joey: I think he’s a super guy who will represent the Bills with the integrity that he’s demonstrated to date. The fact that he came back as a Senior speaks volumes of who he is, how he represented Clemson and how he will represent the Bills organization. His record, being chosen Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, and the fact that his jersey is being retired are testaments of what he’s meant to Clemson football. In my opinion, your hopes are well placed, and you have nothing to worry about.
Kat: Your company has a good selection of football schools. Any plans to expand to other schools and or other sports teams?
Joey: Absolutely! We take daily steps toward expanding our line, and offer a way on our site to collect fan suggestions for additional teams, although it takes time to get new designs approved by the universities and the CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company). Keep checking back often as new designs are constantly being added and we have some great plans for future product lines.
GameDay Rugs has a free shipping promotion ongoing through October 31, 2010. Visit their site at GameDayRugs.com.
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Legal Note: I did not receive any compensation from GameDay Rugs or any affiliated party in exchange for this blog post.
Matt Gilroy had been named the best rookie in training camp by the Rangers staff just 3 months ago. (Photo: SNY.com)
Wednesday evening, former Boston University captain and rookie New York Rangers defenseman Matt Gilroy was outskated by Chicago Blackhawks right wing Dustin Byfuglien (a last name more difficult than my own) to allow the game-winning goal in overtime.
Thursday morning, Gilroy was summarily dismissed by the Rangers and assigned to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
And Saturday evening, I got a Facebook notification inviting me to the group, “Put Matt Gilroy Back on the Rangers.”
“We want to send a message to the Rangers front office that they need to move Matt back up to the NHL!” exclaims the description for the group. Created Saturday afternoon, the group already has 377 members with a wide variety of loyalties. (It grew from 324- 377 while I was writing this blog post.) A few BU teammates belong to the group, quite a few BU hockey fans, some New York Ranger fans, and a large contingent of members with the last name of Gilroy. (Not surprising, seeing that the Gilroy family is rumored to rival the population of Syracuse, New York in numbers.)
As the news of Gilroy’s demotion hit Twitter on Thursday, I learned that Rangers fans are quite opinionated, and were blaming general manager Glen Sather for the move right and left. They were calling for other defensemen, such as Michal Rozsival, to suffer a benching or demotion. Even ESPN anchor Linda Cohn got into the action, tweeting, “Can somebody explain to me why in the world the Rangers would mess with the head of Matt Gilroy and send him down to Hartford?”
In comparison, the Facebook group is pretty mild. A group member actually spoke up to explain why moving Gilroy is easier than demoting a more seasoned player and possibly exposing that player to waivers. Others continue to express anger at Sather, and still others are writing “keep the faith” messages to Gilroy.
Whether Gilroy’s demotion was warranted after his Chicago gaff, or this was a move to get him more playing time, the progression of this Facebook group will be quite interesting to watch. Will Matt Gilroy himself join? Will it catch on further among the Rangers faithful? Or will it go the way of those ubiquitous “I lost my phone – can I have your numbers?” groups?
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