Quick Hits - Post Orlando Edition

So I go away for a couple of days and the Lightning fall apart? I think I might be glad I didn't have a chance to watch the game against the Senators 7-1? Even I couldn't put a positive spin on that one.

Speaking of dissapointment - how about that Liverpool squad? Four losses in the BPL already. Last season they only had two defeats all season long. I have a feeling the sacking of Rafa Benitez isn't far off.

The Bucs traded Gaines Adams to the Bears for a 2nd round pick. You usually don't see too much about the Bucs on this site, but for the team to admit defeat on their 2007 number one pick is noteworthy - if just for the fact that Adams will be replaced by the wonderfully named Stylez G. White.

Two biggest needs for the Rays in the off-season? Catcher and closer.

Memo to Champs Sports Stores. If you're going to run a promotion with the Lightning make sure your stores are aware of it.

Look Who Bought New Cards!

So I was working on getting out of the condo before 10.00am this morning when there was a knock at the door. It was my friendly neighborhood UPS guy. He had a box in his hand, woo-hoo! So much for going to see the Lightning practice in Brandon (didn’t really feel like driving that far anyway).

Inside the box was another box, the greatest kind of box of all. It was the kind that was filled with cards! As a present to myself for landing a new job (funemployment ends November 2nd) I bought a box of 2008-09 Upper Deck Black Diamond Hockey for about $50.00

A recently released, higher end product for less than $60.00 was right up my alley. So I commenced to ripping and here is what I received.




A mass of single diamond base cards. Nothing too fancy with these cards, basic photos with a little bit of etching on the top to make the cards feel pretty cool. Tactile cards are the best. The only major complaint I have with this set is the number of doubles. Out of 120 cards there were 22 doubles, all in the single diamond category. Boo!



The only cards with players pictured in a Lightning uniform - Vinny Prospal (cut in the off-season and now with the Rangers and Triple Diamond Rookie Vladimir Mihalik (a 6’7 defenseman manning the blue line in Norfolk for now).

There were 7 of the Double Diamonds



There were three Triple Diamond regular cards and 3 Triple Diamond Rookies. The Rookies (not pictured) were Mihalik, Brian Lee from Ottawa and Nikolai Kulemin from Toronto. Not quite Stamkos or Drew Daughtery, but some rookies are better than none.



I only received one Quad Diamond, I think one of other hits cancelled out my promised second Quad. Bobby Orr cards are always nice, look at the head of hair on that kid!



The Hits part 1:

Ruby Single of Andrei Markov 009/100
Premier Cut Single Jason Spezza (I’m a magnet for Spezza inserts)
Premier Cut Double Henrik Lundqvist

I really like the Premier Cuts, of course I get excited about any die cut cards, hey I’m easy like that.



The Hits part 2:

Gemography of Marc Antoine Pouliot
Quad Jersey of Olli Jokinen
Quad Jersey of Tim Thomas

I think the auto was the hit that replaced my extra quad diamond card. It’s a sticker auto, but the sticker doesn’t take away from the card.

The Jokinen card is nice, glad that a red swatch made it onto the card to break it up. As with a lot of Upper Deck cards of hockey players that move around he is pictured in a Panthers uniform but there is a Coyotes logo on the card. The uniform matches the photo which is nice.

The Thomas card is one of my favorite cards. Multiple color swatches, some striping, a goalie. It can’t get much better than that!

Overall, I like this set. I’m a little perturbed about the doubles, but hey it gives me some trade fodder for completing the rest of the set. For the price it’s a nice bargain, two relic cards and the chance to hit an auto as well for $50 bucks.

Of course I didn’t pull any Vincent Lecavalier cards, he is a quad diamond in this set. So if anyone out there has an extra one lying around let me know and I’m sure we can work something out. All of the hits are available for trade, or if you have nothing to offer I’m sure we can work out a nominal fee.

The Weekly Round Up - Week II

The Weekly Roundup


Weekly Record: (1-2)
Overall Record: 1-3 (In the Wasteland Shootout Losses count as regular losses)
Wasteland +/-: -1
Key Injuries: Kurtis Foster - back, David Hale - flu, Mike Smith - run over by a truck.
Highlight: I think I have to go with the Ryan Malone hat trick on Saturday night. Two things that you won’t see in the box score about Malone.

1. About 6 minutes into the game a group of about 6 fans sat down behind us. One of the ladies commented, “That Malone better get his ass in front of the net, ‘cause he’s crap anywhere else on the ice!” The words alone were great, but when spoken with a Plant City-esque accent it was priceless.

2. After the puck went in the net for Malone’s third goal the crowd wasn’t quite sure what to do. One hat made it onto the ice about 30 seconds later, but it sat out there all alone for another 30 seconds until the next hat came out.

I don’t know if the crowd:
(a) didn’t realize that Malone scored the goal. After all he was dumped on the play by a Carolina player and it could have been hard to see which Lightning player touched it last.
(b) tough economic times + $28.00 hats = lack of participation
( c ) lack of hockey fan knowledge

I’m going with a little (a) and a lot of ( c ).

Disappointed By: Paul Ranger. He did pick up a goal on Saturday night, but is still plagued by inconsistency. His bad clearing attempt that led to New Jersey’s tying goal on Thursday was just the most glaring turnover he’s made so far this season.

It’s hard to say if it’s a confidence issue or if he’s having trouble with the system. It seems that he is struggling to regain his pre-injury success. At best he is their 4th best d-man (Hedman, Ohlund and Meszaros would be the top three), and could be a scratch candidate when Kurtis Foster is back.

Surprised By: Marty St Louis. I’m not sure what’s gotten into him this season, but he’s definitely playing with a chip on his shoulder. Coach Tocchet has mixed him in with Lecavalier’s line during games, but it’s blatantly obvious that he is gelling with Stamkos and Malone best. With 7 points in 4 games St Louis is on pace for a career year.

Playoff Confidence: Still hanging at 65%. Even in their win they had a 10 minute malaise that left Carolina back in the game. Their struggling on the power play as well as the penalty kill. Without improved special teams they will struggle against higher echelon teams.

Pet Peeve of the Week: I share this one with my buddy Hamel. People who get on the elevator before you get off. Look folks, the elevator isn’t going to go faster just because you push your way on. It’s not the subway.

A Calmer Look at Last Night's Loss

Alright. It’s been twenty four hours since the latest Lightning loss. It’s been twenty four hours since Mike Smith was writhing around on the ice with blood streaming from his forehead. Twenty four hours since they failed to score a shootout goal, again.

Luckily for the Lightning Smith didn’t re-concuss himself in the collision, it was only his back that he thought he broke. Greeeeeaaaaat. The last thing the Bolts need is another number one goalie with a back issue a la Darren Puppa.

Smith finished the game and looked like his normal acrobatic self so it looks like he’s going to be fine. Young Victor Hedman appears to be fine as well. Two more assists were added to his season total. And they were assists that show the versatility of his game. Assist number one was a long lead pass to Steven Stamkos and the second was a nifty cross ice pass in the offense zone to Todd Fedoruk after a rush up ice.

I’m not going to focus on the fact that Fedoruk now has more goals than Captain Vincent, instead I’m going to enjoy the fact that Stamkos is picking up right where he left off last season. He now has four points (2 goals and 2 assists) in three games. One of the most impressive aspects of the young centerman’s game is his accuracy shooting. It seems that every time he fires a puck on net it is actually on net. Of course he’s been dinging a few posts as well, but at least they’re not missing by 6 feet.

There were some frustrating aspects of the game on Thursday. Chiefly the bad clearing attempts in the last three minutes of the game. Paul Ranger was the main culprit as it was his clearing attempt off the boards that was kept in by New Jersey and led to the game tying goal with less than a second to go. There were also moments in the game when the Bolts seemed to ease off going after pucks in the corners or in the neutral zone.

Both of those tendencies, the bad clearing and lazy attitudes toward loose pucks, were nauseatingly familiar to anyone who watched the team last year. The good news is that it was the exception rather than the rule. For most of the game the Bolts played with energy and passion, which as a fan is all I can ask for.

Well I could ask for a goal in a shootout every once in a while. The loss to New Jersey was the second shootout loss in a row. And for the second shootout the Lightning failed to put a puck in the net. Four different skaters have attempted shots this season (Lecavalier, Stamkos, Marty St Louis and Alex Tanguay) and all four have either missed or hit the post.

That continues a trend from last season. In that dismal season that is best forgotten they only found the back of the net 11 times out of 45 chances. There is a lot of criticism of Mike Smith in the blog-o-spheres, but it’s got to be hard for him knowing that he can only give up one shootout goal at best in hopes for the win. He does have to do better than one save in five chances, but it would be nice if his shooters spotted him one or two.

Why they’ve struggled is a mystery. They have players with a ton of individual talent so one would think that scoring one on one goals would come easy. Somehow, they haven’t been able to translate that talent into success. It seems to be a regular bit of practice and I remember Coach Tocchet saying last year that he wouldn’t have a set shootout lineup, rather going with players that had success in practice.

The good news for the Lightning is that after three games they are only three points behind the division leading Capitals. A win on Saturday would jump them right back in the race and everyone from the players, to the owners to the fans can relax a bit.

Grumble, grrrr, SERENITY NOW!!!! There will be peace in little yellow envelopes

I’m going to spare you another hockey column, especially since the Lightning just managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Who gives up goals with less than a second to go? The Lightning. Who can’t score in a shoot-out? The Lightning. Take a deep breath………ok it’s all good. Move on to the next game. They’re just saving their first win for a game I’ll be attending. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

So as I was saying, how about a non-hockey post. Let’s go over some recent acquisitions I’ve received through the mail. In return for some football cards (plenty of good teams still available!) some kind readers have sent cards in return. So let’s crack open a couple of wonderful yellow, padded envelopes!!!

Envelope number one traveled all the way from Norman, OK. Jeremy from the awesomely titled No one's going to read this blog sent some cards from random cards:



Some 2009 Topps to help complete the collection





Some assorted O’s and Ray’s cards including the awesome Kellog’s Jim Palmer Sportflics that has been appearing on quite a few blogs lately.


When I got involved in the online card swapping I didn’t realize how many O’s fans were already out there, and the fact that they are some of the most prolific traders out there. I appreciate anyone who can dig up some cards from Birdland. Thanks Jeremy!

Package number two came from even farther away. Everyone’s favorite Canadian - Captain Canuck!

I found some leftover Cowboys cards and a few hockey cards that I hope he needed and in return….





A sweet Carl Crawford Bowman parallel numbered 178/500.





As always with the Captain He also sent along some wax packs. Here are a couple of the highlights.



Thanks, Captain!

I’ll be back tomorrow with more Lightning news. I really need a night’s sleep before delving further into Thursday nights game. Believe it or not there are some positives to their third loss of the season!

A new Feature on the Wasteland! It's Weekly Round Up Time!!!1

There aren't many reoccuring themes on this webpage. Mostly, because I think of what I want to write about 3 minutes before I start writing it. Well, time to try something new.

For the hockey season I'm going to be posting a column every Monday tracking the Lightning's progress through the season. Why Monday? Because it gives me something to do during Monday Night Football. So without further wasting of time....


The Weekly Roundup Week One


Weekly Record: 0-1
Overall Record: 0-1
Wasteland +/- : -3

Key Injuries: Kurtis Forster. The point man on the second power play unit is out for 5-7 days with a lower back injury. It looks like David Hale will be the first choice to replace him for the upcoming games. Victor Hedman might see some time on the power play.

Highlight: Not many to choose from since they only suited up once and skated to a 6-3 loss. However, I think the honor should go to young Mr. Hedman’s first NHL point. In the second period against Atlanta he fired a nice low shot towards the net that was deflected in by Marty St Louis.

Despite being a minus 2 for the game Hedman looked comfortable on the ice all game long. He logged 26:27 in ice time (8th in the league already!) and used his size to shield off the defenders several times.

Disappointed By: Mike Smith. A couple of the goals were not his fault, but still in the end he gave up six. The two late goals killed the comeback. The Bolts will need him to step up to get to the promised land.

Surprised By: Vincent Lecavalier. He didn’t score a goal and had a couple of passes bounce off his stick. However, he played like he was healthy once again. He used his body to shield defenders from the puck, he danced through the neutral zone and he zipped passes around the ice.

What shocked me the most though was on a giveaway late in the first period. Skating out from behind his own net he lost control of the puck to an Atlanta player. Instead of giving up Vinny threw himself in front of the net to block the shot. It wasn’t necessary at Smith made the save in front of the crease, but to showing that kind of sacrifice might be an indication that he understands what the “C” on his chest means.

Playoff Confidence: 65% They outplayed Atlanta for large parts of the game. A couple of bounces their way and it might be a different story.

Pet Peeve of the Week: Announcers who use the word “a” before naming a player. As in, “If you have ‘a’ Brett Farve you know he likes to throw the ball deep”. C’mon, just say “if you have Brett Farve“, it’s not like there is more than one of him out there in the world.

The Slightly Less Than World Famous Wasteland NHL Preason Preview

So while I was gone it appeared the National Hockey League got under way. Due to a lack of a inexpensive internet connection while I was in Chicago I wasn’t able to post a preseason preview before the season actually began. So on the eve of the Lightning starting with a 6-3 loss to the Thrashers I give to you my Preseason Prognostication for the NHL.

Let’s start with the Lightning. After another off-season where there was more press about the front office instead of the team on the ice it’s nice that they’re finally on the ice. General Manager Brian Lawton addressed the biggest need by totally overhauling the defense.

Four of the six starting defenseman were not with the team last year. The even better news is that they’re actually NHL-caliber blue liners. Victor Hedman, who picked up his first point on a second period assist, appears destined to be a rock on the Lightning’s defensive line for a long time to come.

They Bolts should post better numbers this season with their strengthen defense. Of course, as I started this article they gave up six goals in their season debut. It’s cool though, they’ll be better. Trust me!

Offensively, they have a true 1a and 1b pairing. The Lecavalier, Tanguay and Downie (for now) line is on the same talent level as the Stamkos, Malone and St Louis line. When they can roll those lines out for two to three minutes in a row the opposition is going to be on their heels. Anything, they get from the third and fourth line will be a bonus.

It will be interesting to see if Zenon Konopka gets into a fight in every single game this season. I would imagine 81 fights would be a record. Hopefully, he manages to win at least one of them. The job of defending the stars with their fists seems to fall with Konopka and Todd Fedoruk. They’re both willing pugilists, but not ones that will strike fear into other teams cheap shot artists.

Goaltending will go as far as Mike Smith’s head will. I mean that both physically and mentally. If his concussion problems are in the best he is definitely on his way to being an elite net minder. As talented as he is, he does get himself in trouble with his tendency to roam after the puck. He needs also to control the rebounds a bit better. His style, a mix of butterfly and Hasek-like aerobics, tends to leave him vulnerable to rebounds.

Overall, I see them finishing anywhere from 8th-10th in the Eastern Conference. With a playoff push and the foul stench that emanates from Raymond James Stadium I believe they’ll be the darlings of Tampa Bay this winter. By the way I love saying “winter” in Florida. Winter means three days of 40 degree weather and the sun dipping behind the clouds for more than 6 minutes.

Since I only spent six paragraphs on my season preview I figure I owe you some other random predictions.. As always I’ll review this after the season to see how I did.

Number 1:

The Penguins will not repeat as Stanley Cup champions (sorry Link). I have a feeling that the winners will come out of the west this year. For fun let’s say the San Jose Sharks get over their playoff woes and ride the wave to the Cup.

Bonus prediction regarding the Pens. Serious talk will circulate about Crosby or Malkin getting traded. It will replace the “Vinny Traded to Montreal” headlines in Canada.

Number 2:

Dany Heatley equals success in San Jose while Marion Hossa equals angry Blackhawk fans in Chicago. Heatley will thrive with Joe Thornton setting him up and playing without the pressure that comes with suiting up for a Canadian team.

Hossa’s injury is going to get him off to a rough start in Chicago and they’ll struggle to find chemistry in the clubhouse. His name will be bandied about come trade deadline time.

Number 3:

The Phoenix Coyotes off ice troubles will extend to their performance on the ice. They will be drafting first next June. The best that they can hope for is to settle the ownership situation. Hey maybe once Oren Koules buys out Len Barrie, then Barrie can get his investors together to buy the ‘Yotes. After all, he’s been approved once as an owner, there’s no reason he can’t be approved again, right?

Number 4:

James Wright doesn’t get sent back to juniors. I must say that I didn’t follow him too closely in training camp, but based on his performance in Game 1 I think he’s here to stay. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Bolts put him on a plan similar to Stamkos’ last season where he gets the occasional game off to watch from the press box.

Number 5:

My plus/minus will be -15 this season. A little background:

When the Bolts won the Stanley Cup it seemed that every time I turned on the radio or TV the Lightning scored a goal. So after a couple of seasons I decided that maybe I should track the goals scored vs. goals given up. The rules are simple - any goal regardless of power play, penalty kill counts. Empty net goals count as well. The only goals that don’t count are shootout goals.

My record so far:

2007-08: -25
2008-09: -29
2009-10: -3 (not a great start)

There ya go. You’ve just seen what I’ve seen in my crystal ball.