Iron Crotch

Shoot the puck. What a waste of a 4-on-3 power play.

Mardi Gras parade season down here in the Big Easy... I don't think my liver will ever be the same.

This makes some sense if Andrew Luck can ever get healthy. ...and that's a big "if."

I dislike the Patriots, but still "call 'em like I see 'em".... I thought the announcers were way off base in calling those non-catches. The first was closer IMHO. But, it was called a TD and I didn't see anything conclusive that showed he bobbled it (i.e., the ball was never not touching him). The second was clearly a TD and Collinsworth was way off base. Ertz caught it and took 3 steps or so then dove to the end zone. The ball popped out when he hit the ground. That's a catch. Not really controversial IMHO. Just poor color commentary.

We can fill some holes with strong pro personnel moves (e.g., bringing in two good new safeties last off-season). At worst we can get RB and O-Line depth via adept pro scouting.

I do find the relegation battles to be exciting. If you're a bad team you still have to fight for every possible point (i.e., no tanking a season for draft reasons). I think the North American counter to the European system is we try to keep leagues as competitive as possible top-to-bottom since this is better for TV ratings and overall fan interest (?)... it also caps costs for the richer clubs. But, I get your analogy of this being a bit more "socialist" of a system. Here it is more about the league (we have very powerful commissioners) and less about individual clubs.

P-E Aubameyang forced his way out of Dortmund and signed with Arsenal. Ousmane Dembele forced his way out last year (to Barcelona). As a Dortmund fan, it's clear they want to make money and not necessarily compete at the highest level. Christian Pulisic has to be watching this and thinking his future lies elsewhere - everyone figures he will land at Liverpool, but I still think Bayern Munich might come calling for him.

Seriously. His contract is terrible. He's made of glass (Glass Zach). And, in the rare instances when he's healthy, he's not even a good/effective player. Just get him the hell off the roster Mr. General Manager.

I think we're only 2 points back of Ottawa.

First time all year this team has won 3 games in a row. ...21.4% of this team's wins came in this 3 game road trip!

Even our guys are scoring! (with no goalie)

Yes! Our power play is on fire!

How much time did we kill on that delayed penalty? Gotta be close to a minute.

What's your vector, Victor?

Kane needs a goal.

This game is a homecoming for Samson. He is from Vancouver.

We're better when Bogo, Gorges, and Beaulieu are not playing.

I feel pretty confident that Phil wants to run a speed-based system. We just need more guys who can fit that style. ...that sounds dirty.

Like, we should call him John?

Sweet goal by the kid!

We're no longer playing gay porn hard.

I've watched the away feeds for the past three games. I've enjoyed not having to listen to Rayzer babble on about who knows what.

Samson is scoring regularly as of late... finally. He is a big reason the power play is finally scoring goals.

IMHO, it depends on your age and what you like to do. Bourbon Street is a younger crowd and filled with idiots these days. But, if you've never been then you sort of have to at least check it out (locals pretty much never go down there). Jackson Square is worth checking out. Royal Street has some interesting shops. If you like Jazz, the Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel has a good lineup. Also, they do jazz + burlesque on Fridays at 11pm. Unique to New Orleans. Frenchman Street in the Marigny (just east of the FQ) is where the better jazz is. But, every place will get crowded so you need to get there early and stake out real estate. Snug Harbor, Spotted Cat, Three Muses, Café Negril, etc. The Ritz Carlton has jazz on weekends. Very good house act. Hard to get a table. The Roosevelt Hotel has jazz as well (singer). I like the Sazerac Room at the Roosevelt. Old School classic joint where they invented the Sazarac. The restaurants are fantastic. So many good ones. Here is a fairly good list of some of the better ones: http://www.nola.com/dining-guide/index.ssf/page/best_new_orleans_restaurants.html

Three weeks until Mardi Gras! My first living in New Orleans. One thing I've learned from living here is that "locals" Mardi Gras bears little resemblance to "tourist" Mardi Gras. Am looking forward to the uptown parades. Laissez les bons temps rouler...