Snowman On Fire

Kevin Shattenkirk, former New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey Club player, and sometime Boston University Terrier, was drafted 14th, in the first round, by the Colorado Avalanche. Way cool stuff. Perhaps Colorado has a quota on former Jersey boys: they picked up NJDYHC alum George Parros last year on waivers, but then made him just Ducky in a trade with Anaheim. To maintain their token Jersey limit, they started skating former Devils D-man Ken Klee. If Shattenkirk makes the big club, does someone else from Jersey have to ask “What exit?” on their way out of the locker room?

Perhaps it’s me, but I think having one round of the draft on Friday night is dumb. It’s not like they are going to get whopper TV ratings if it was broadcast in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, but it does crimp the style of some of the clubs (like the Devils) that would have draft day parties. Nobody is going to show up for 30 picks (especially when the Devils have none of them). Last year I ended up doing some shopping in the Devils surplus and locker room clean out extravaganza, and I got a cool poster that doubled as a rain hat when thunderstorms blew in.

Welcome to the newest arena for rants and raves: golf. It’s only appropriate in that it was one of my typically horrendous golf adventures that led to the “snowman” nickname (after carding a series of 8s and picking up my ball, often before even hitting the green). But I like the game; it’s challenging; it doesn’t require inordinate strength or dexterity; and it involves equipment (which requires shopping, comparisons and bragging rights) and swag (balls, towels and headcovers).

I love, just love, anything that involves a play on the socially accepted norm. It’s why R.Stevens’ Diesel Sweeties cracks me up on a daily basis and why I’ll wear his pixelated t-shirts to theme-appropriate events. So it was truly a nerd speed-shopping 4-point game when I stumbled upon this tiger’s butt at the local Dick’s Sporting Goods: it’s golf; it’s swag; it’s funny; it’s tiger-themed.

The tiger’s tail is delivered by Butt Head Covers, a family-run business started by (who else) golfers that has a social conscience. Their range of head-inverted golf club head coverings is astounding, and they donate a slice of the top line form their web sales (ooh! nerd angle!) to charity. Lots to like, and even more to laugh about.

And they even make a inverted snowman head cover, complete with the requisite reference to my favorite number and typical per-hole score (these guys get it).

Update as of site editing, April 2008: Not sure that these guys still exist, as email to their website goes unanswered and I haven’t seen their covers in the local sporting goods store for a year.

The Anaheim Ducks re-upped with Jersey boy George Parros for two more years, the first time the former Tiger and (little) Devil has had more than one year assured in the same spot. While I’m thrilled that he’s got some stability in OC, a bit more ice time and player development would be a valuable return on that investment. Otherwise why sign the guy?

Hockey and California are kind of antonyms anyway, but tonight’s Game 5 is just plain weird. Philips put one in his own net, off of Emery’s skate. After looking like they’d set up an endowed chair in the ScotiaBank penalty box, the Ducks are benefitting from more even-handed (and armed) officiating. Short-handed goal. Scott Niedermayer collects a goal, his de rigeur Stanley Cup Finals tally, to blow the game open. And then Ottawa gets a penalty shot on a short-handed breakaway, which Giguere stops.

It’s a little bit of everything except for George Parros. And that’s equal parts wrong and sad. Anaheim drove through the back nine of the season on tough defense and even tougher offense, playing the body as well as the puck frequently and hard. Parros was a big part of that rock-em-sock-em factor, despite appearing in only 34 games all season (a half-dozen of them with Colorado). Since he hasn’t played in any of the Finals games, and was scratched for more than half of the regular season, he’s not automatically eligible to have his name on the Stanley Cup should the Ducks continue their sonic dis-Sen-ance at home. Time to start petitioning the league now: Put the Tiger in Lord Stanley’s tank.