NHL, Harry Potter, and Birthday Wishes
The National Hockey League, in its new incarnation, has proposed some rule changes. One of these rule changes is to decide overtime games using the one-on-one battle best described as the most exciting play in sports: the penalty shot. I haven't looked at the rule change, so I don't know how the penalty shot would work (although I'm assuming it would work the same way as it does in Olympic competition)... but I have to completely disagree with this proposed change. I think that this proposed change is something that a panicked league is trying to do to bring in the non-Hockey fan audience. Hockey fans, true hockey fans, know that a tie is okay in hockey. A tie is nothing to be feared. But, recently with the 4-on-4 overtime rule change and the everyone-gets-a-point for going into overtime regardless of who wins in the end rule change(which I actually think is a good idea), hockey fans have seen a panicked NHL trying to reel in the non-fan. Let's face it folks, people who don't watch hockey aren't going to watch hockey... there are too many other sports. You are not going to get the casual fan audience to watch the NHL... it's just not going to happen. So, instead of catering the league to the casual fan, let's try to focus the NHL's energy on making the game the best it can be for the actual, true fan. As such, putting a penalty shot element at the end of every overtime contest (so that there HAS to be a winner) will significantly cheapen the exhilaration of the penalty shot. One of the reasons it is SO DAMN EXCITING is that we hardly ever see it. We have no idea what's going to happen... and even the true, hardcore fans don't know if Datsyuk has a good enough move to take Giguere every time, or if Jean-Sebastien might guess correctly once or twice... we don't know. And I think what's worse is that, with a penalty shot situation potentially at the end of every overtime game, the teams with the five best players or the best one-on-one goalies will get more points and have better records than teams which might be better teams overall. I mean, having a goalie with good one-on-one skills doesn't mean you have a good goalie, because how rare is it to have a one-on-one situation during actual gameplay? (Hint: quite... and that makes that situation as exciting as a penalty shot) So, if you would, please join me in politely asking the NHL to reconsider using something like a penalty shoot-out to make the game "more exciting." To real hockey fans, just having the game back is exciting enough.
Harry Potter Book 6... in Braille. On CNN Headline news today they were talking about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince coming out in Braille. Apparently, the Braille versions of all the Harry Potter books have been released, but normally the Braille version comes out long after the text version is released. This time, for this book, the text version was released to a Braille publishing company early so that the Braille version of the book could come out almost at the same time as the text version. This is perhaps the feel-good story of the day... as they were interviewing blind school children who were talking about how alienated they felt when their friends were talking about the new Harry Potter book and they couldn't participate in the conversation. As far as the Half-Blood Prince is concerned, it looks like all children will be able to talk about it in class at the same time. Good for them.
So, Robot Chicken... that's a hilarious show. If you can ignore the annoying end credits song, or the fact that the show is only about thirteen minutes, you're in for the most ridiculous, random, and hilarious show ever. That's really all I have to say about that.
Hey... I wanna wish a Happy 21st Birthday to Miss Karen Rose. She's over in London, so it's not as if she hasn't been able to legally drink alcohol up until today... but 21 is still a fun birthday to have. It is, of course, unless you have food poisoning from mall Chinese food and you are laid up until and including your first New Year's Day as a 21-year-old. Hey, listen to me bitch as if you care.