Doohickie

Shocked. Not really shocked.

Yeah, that jumped right out at me. I had one internal interview for a promotion at my current company (on a different team) during the pandemic. It was Skype with cameras. One of the senior managers was basically wearing a housecoat and had her hair up in rollers! I had professional attire including tie for the interview. (I didn't get the offer but did get promoted a few months later on my current team which I preferred anyway. My boss's organization is growing and so is the support I provide to him so he was able to justify a rare promotion in place for a senior position.) I'm getting more aware of the age thing, having turned 60 last year. Things look good for me to hang out here for another 5 years. I would hate to have to look for another job at my age. Yeah, I've been through that training too.

Listening to Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger. The star of the album to me isn't Willie's lyrics, nor is it his voice. It's his guitar. He plays in a way that is uniquely his, and it utterly touches my soul.

I don't open threads with fancy-pants words in the title that I've never heard. Just sayin'.

I remember seeing Dallas Mavericks player Shawn Bradley in a restaurant with his family. It's hard for basketball players to hide in public. I just googled him to make sure I spelled his name right and learned that two years ago he was riding his bike and was hit by a car and is now a quadriplegic. 😞

I've told the story on Sabrespace several times, but in June, 2000, I was flying back from business from LAX to DFW and Brett Hull was on the plane. I was in coach, he was in first class so I didn't want to bother him, but then I noticed he was waiting for his bag in baggage claim. I walked up and started talking to him about hockey generalities, the recently completed season, etc... then I finally asked him about "the goal." He rolled his eyes a bit and said the puck was there, he put it in the net, it just happened. He said the following season, he'd be lining up for faceoffs and the player from he other team usually greeted him with, "That wasn't a goal, Hull!" He would have preferred a "highlight reel" goal but it is what it is and once it was in he couldn't take it back. I asked him if he could sign his boarding pass; I had him address it to my nephew who played youth hockey. He wrote, "To Matt, Good luck in hockey" and signed his name. I told Hull I would give it to my nephew when I went up to Buffalo to visit him that summer and he was all like, "OH! A Buffalo fan!" But it was all good. He seemed like a pretty decent guy.

I once went to play racquetball with my brother at some club on Transit Road. Afterward we went into the sauna and Gil Perreault was in there. HUGE.... calf muscles.

It's kind of like eating wings with ranch. It's frowned upon but some people do it anyway.

Here's you chance to find out.

Maybe I'm remembering it wrong I but seem to think our family's go-to when I was a kid was a Santora's takeout on George Urban in what is now the Tops Plaza at Geo Urban and Union. Back then it wasn't Tops Plaza though; there used to be a Kings Dept Store where Tops is now. When we got to be teens we used to walk/ride bikes to Roma's Restaurant on Genesee (now 33 Speakeasy) and get pizza. Small pepperoni was $2.50; large was $3.50. My first job was working in the kitchen at Roma's where I learned how to make the magic pie.

100+ again today. I saw a forecast that it would only be 95 on Saturday so yeah, major cold front.

Perhaps.

He had Buffalo at 77 points last season. I wouldn't pay attention.

I disagree. When asked about what he needs to do he mentioned higher compete and better consistency. He never mentioned anything about defense which is, in my opinion, what he needed to say.

I didn't use real cup & char pepperoni.

Eh, no better than what I can make at home.

I can. I can see an scenario where he's contributing goals but still platooning in as a 13F because Quinn and Rousek are both above him on the depth chart.

I think it's likely that by the end of the season not only will Quinn be back but other prospects will be pushing for spots on the NHL roster. If Ollie is playing well and he's not in the long term plans, he definitely could be sold at the deadline for a draft pick or depth player in an area of need.

He was 56th in the league in goal scoring last year with 28 goals, same as Marchessault, Richard Rakell, Anders Lee, Anze Kopitar, Joe Pavelski and Martin Necas, and only one behind Artemi Panarin... only three behind Reinhardt. He can put in the puck in the net better then most forwards in the league. Granato has said several times that it's harder to develop offensive touch in the NHL than it is to learn defense. If that's generally accepted around the league I could see several GMs wanting to increase their scoring on a budget and figuring they can coach Ollie to play a bit better defensively.

No matter how this works out, he's had an excellent NHL career for 7th rounder. How many players drafted that late get contracts worth $17,450,000 (in total)? He's done well for himself. I expect he'll get another contract to play in the NHL after this season.

I went to find his exit interview so I could prove you wrong but after rewatching it, you're right. He's totally checked out at this point.

Was that Donny Meatballs I saw at Valu Home Center, buying some charcoal lighter?