ONTARIO REIGN POST-MORTEM QUOTES

There's only so much room in the newspaper for what was said in my season-ending interviews with the Reign staff. Here's what didn't make the final article:

FROM JASON CHRISTIE

On the season ending the way it did:

“It leaves that empty feeling in your stomach. It’s not what we wanted. It’s tough, even tougher this year with the movements we had, and we thought we had the horses this year. Obviously injuries down the stretch hurt us. Our goaltender sprained his ankle the first game. And we had Parker out. Overall, it was touch just losing Calla and Van de Moss, those guys are proven leaders.”

Injuries played a role, but...

"There’s no excuses. We lost. Give Stockton credit. They had some good players sent down from Bridgeport. And Hunt is probably one of the best leaders in the league. And you win with guys like that. And for us, we couldn’t sustain any pressure.”

On Mario Lamoureux leaving for Europe:

"You want them to play. He didn’t feel like he was getting the opportunity to move up. You’ve just got to move forward. In the ECHL you can’t sit here and dwell on it, you’ve got to move forward. I think we didn’t have a top line center. We were hoping to get DaSilva back, but he wasn’t going to come back. He would have helped. That number one center, we didn’t have that top center. We had good centers, but we just didn’t have that top-flight center to keep up with the Clark’s that they have on the other teams."

On whether we should expect much of the team back next year due to the number of contract players that played for the Reign this year: 

"They haven’t had that here in year’s past. It’s going to be tough for the fans. It’s something that we get affiliation with Winnipeg and L.A., just talking to Rob (Blake) there, it’s something that you will see guys – you want to see guys at the next level. You can’t stop a guy from making more money. You can’t stop a guy from his goal of making it to the NHL. There’s nobody happier in seeing that than myself. When I sit there and I can watch Darcy Kuemper, and obviously Cliffy was here during the lockout, and Hutchinson going up -- when you can see your players play at the NHL, it makes you pretty excited. And that’s everybody’s goal down here, is to be at the next level. And that’s why you have to have depth in your system."

Christie's thoughts on Derek Couture's status for next year:

"Couts is a guy, that’s for us, he’s a captain for a reason. He knows what we like here. It was tough for him to lose the DaSilvas and Callas, that older presence. That’s why we brough Jeremy Yablonski in, just for that older, wily veteran status -- mostly for the locker room. For Couts, we never know in the summer time, we haven’t had one-on-one meetings yet, so I’ll know more tomorrow. But he’s a guy, if I’m going to war, he’s a guy I want on my side."

FROM JUSTIN KEMP, PRESIDENT ONTARIO REIGN

On whether there were too many moves this season:

"I think there’s a lot of opinions out there about what was the reason. I think that may have something to do with it. We really haven’t sat down and evaluated what … what the reasonings were. I think there was more to it than that. But this was a year that we saw more change than we ‘ve ever seen before, which definitely makes it tough to establish a high level of continuity going into the postseason. I thought we went on that ten-game unbeaten streak near the end of the season, that we had sort of turned a corner, and we were playing as a team. And unfortunately, we didn’t see that once we got into the postseason."

I asked if the team's start gave a false sense of security: 

"It’s possible. The first half of the year, we had Hutchinson here in the goal, where he finished the year in the NHL. There were a lot of times at the start of the season, I think, that we felt that he was bailing us out quite a bit. Doing enough to give us the opportunity to win. And there’s a lot of things that happened at the same time mid-season, around the time that he left, we took on a lot new players with San Francisco and there were call-ups and injuries, just a lot of stuff that happened in a few week period that shook things up. I don’t think this first-round early exit was indicative of the team that won the division title this year. That’s tough. I fully support why we worked to get better midseason. We did feel like we were riding a hot goalie, and we didn’t want to feel like we had to rely on that. And unfortunately, all the pieces didn’t come together the way that we hoped."

On the coaching staff's future with the team:

"I still fully support the coaching staff. We have the best coaching staff in this league. Jason is still under contract, and he’s the guy that I want to lead this team. We’re definitely on board with that, and we’ll turn our focus here toward next year. Getting back to making progress, that’s what we set out to do when we hired him. It was get back to the playoffs. We got to the second round for the first time. Now we need to be looking to go beyond that. The goal is to still win a championship. We just need to figure out where maybe we could have done better this year and how we can make adjustments next year so we can get back to where we want to be."

On whether we'll see a core come back or not:

"We try to keep a core of guys. This year, unfortunately, we dealt with injuries as we do every year. But this year was worse by far, especially in the number of head injuries we had. I think we had 17 concussions this year – a lot for any team to deal with. Not to make excuses, that’s not what we’re doing, there was a lot of adversity that followed us throughout the year, despite a good regular season record and despite a lot of changes that were outside of our control."

On Mario Lamoureux leaving for Europe:

"He had an opportunity to play in Europe. Young players, when they get the opportunity to make more money and go abroad, it’s not uncommon. Obviously, we were disappointed, because he was the type of guy who could really help us. He’s an offensive spark out there, and it would have been great to have him in this series. But at the end of the day, it’s a business. A professional athlete has a finite amount of time that they can do what they do."

Missing that spark on offense:

"Some of those guys that we lost, they were spark plugs to this team. I know people are going to have their opinions on why we made it, or was it good for the team. But at the end of the day, every move that we made was an attempt to get better and get stronger. It unfortunately didn’t work out this year. The intent was always certainly there."

THANK YOU, AND REST IN PEACE, ULTIMATE WARRIOR

He knew.
He had to know.
There was no other reason that Jim Hellwig had to make his peace with Vince McMahon and the WWE after all these years.
The Ultimate Warrior was dying. For real this time.
How else do you explain it? In the last year, he came back into the fold and allowed his likeness in the WWE's popular video game series. He got the full DVD documentary treatment. He went into the WWE Hall of Fame. He signed the Legends Contract, which allows his likeness to continue to be used for more DVD's and T-shirts and more and more merchandise (including, but not limited to, that mask he wore in the ring in his now prophetic last promo on Monday Night Raw).
And why would he do all that now?
Plain and simple: Money.
Money for his family. He was dying, and he wanted to make sure they were taken care of.
And it breaks my heart that it came down to that.
This was someone I grew up watching. Playing as a video game character on the old WWF Superstars arcade game (remember when we left our house and paid at 25 cents just for the chance to play a video game). I'd team him and "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase to cause havoc in the ring. He was the guy whose intensity made him the guy who you knew was going to put on a show.
But as often occurs in an industry where egos run wilder than the Warrior's high octane entrance, Warrior's time in the limelight exploded. Over money, natch. This was still in the days that boys were the boys, before some of the guaranteed money that are built into the contracts of current WWE performers. Drinking, drugs, partying, sharing rooms and rental cars to save money and backstabbing were more the norm if you believe the stories from the era.
And with his physique, the cloud of steroid abuse followed him -- and likely played a role in his estrangement from the McMahon empire in the first place. And, when all is said and done, the abuse he put his body through (steroids or just the wrestling business in general) will have contributed to his premature death.
So while I remain just swimming through the emotions of his death, I'm happy he buried the hatchet and protected his legacy. He deserved it for all the moments of happiness he gave to his Warriors through the years.

Revisiting MySpace

A recent post from a friend made me want to go back and find something I had written six years ago on my MySpace blog. Well, it was gone. But, thankfully, I wasn't the only one, so it was a simple click and wait to get my blogs back -- not online, but downloaded for my own archives.

So, in honor of the friend who had an incident that inspired me to find my blogs -- the blog below -- I post an experience from six years ago that is the reason I will never have Verizon for my home service ever -- EVEEEEERRRR -- again.

I am tired of INCOMPETENT FUCKING PEOPLE.

When did customer service become an option?

When did job pride become obsolete?

OK, yeah, I'm in a bit of a foul mood. And all it took was one utility company.

The utility company in question, Verizon, has for months (years?) bombarded my apartment offering me their fantastic DSL service. Envelopes came in the mail - almost weekly - touting their wonderful service. When we got a new computer, it was finally time to take them up on their offer.

We signed up. And waited. Continued to receive offers in the mail touting the service.

Two weeks for the modem kit to be sent. Another week for the "Service Ready Date." Another week after the "Service Ready Date," with a second date assigned. And, yet another week after repeated calls to tech support to finally get them to send someone out to ACTUALLY PLUG THE THING IN TO THEIR SYSTEM IN THE APARTMENT COMPLEX BOX.

*DEEP BREATH*

So, last week, it came time to transfer the service. You see, we're picking up our little apartment and moving. Call the phone company, and no problem, here's your new phone number when you move in March. Oh, but wait, there's no DSL service available where you're going. All the available lines have been taken. Or, they're not taking more orders so we can sell you the upcoming fiber optic lines. Let me transfer you to the DSL folks so you can tell them to stop the service when you move out.

Talk to the next person. Explain that we're leaving in mid-March, so please cancel the service on March 13. OK, all set.

Fast-forward two hours. Time to check the e-mail.

"We're sorry, your DSL service has been cancelled, and you might want to take care of any address books, etc." (or something like that).

After a month of waiting for my service to start, it took two hours for them to figure out how to pull the plug.

Time for another phone call. First, I get useless tech support. They transfer me to the "retention" department, who in turns transfers me to another tech support person. I hang up. I call back, seething.

I now know how to talk straight to the retention folks. I get a pleasant person who is amazed at how idiotic they are, and tells me that she'll work on it. She talks with the tech supervisors and assures me all is well. They'll be able to fix it without any service interruption.

Wanna bet how that one turned out?

Woke up this morning. No DSL. One week after I had called to ask them to shut it down on March 13 (one day after we're actually out), they've got it turned off.

Livid, I called. Decided I'd try tech services, in case it wasn't the shut down. Was put through the paces of the call center checklist of NOTHING I HAD CHANGED WITH THE SYSTEM. Before I exploded, I asked to be transfered to the retention folks. (Oh, the beauty here is I have to introduce myself and give them my phone number each time). "What's going on with my account?" "Oh, well, let's see. Oh, you need to talk to tech support."

ARRRRGGGGHHHH!

Hang up. Try again.

Go straight to retention folks. "Oh, here it is. Yeah, the order was sent through to be cut off today. And once they send the order through, there's no changing it, no matter what a customer requests. And, there's another order for your service to be started back up. But that could take up to seven days."

Seven days. We're gone five days after that. What else can you do for me?

"Well, maybe the tech level three folks can work around it." Gee, that would be nice.

Somehow, I don't think I got the tech level three guy. I got more runaround. Told him (along with others along the way that I'm going back to AOL dialup).

Decided I needed to find someone higher up in the food chain and called the phone company itself. Of course, found another drone call center worker. She apologized again for her company's idiocy, TRIED TO SELL ME ON OTHER SERVICES ... and proceeded to transfer me to the DSL retention folks.

After another five minutes on hold, I finally let the poor woman who had to field the call have it. Told them thanks for nothing, cancel the second order to restart their precious little service (because, since you can't fix it TODAY, what good is going to do me?) and told her that since they've got us grabbing our ankles and SOL, you might as well take the service and shove it straight up my ass (well, I did say two of those things).

Her response? "Sorry. Yeah, that's kinda bad. I can't believe this is happening. I'll put a note on your account to not charge you the amount for the service. And I'll make sure to note it was a connection issue."

So, if there's anyone from Verizon who comes trolling along and finds this rant, I'll have you know, I'll be happy the next two weeks doing AOL dial-up, then hooking into a cable modem at my new address.

Thanks for nothing.

Bugs Bunny, Highway Sign Maker

OK, we all know that I'm a professional a-hole. It's part of being a copy editor. You have to go up to people and correct their mistakes (thereby making them feel like crap for making said mistake).

(I will also admit to not being perfect, and likely to make a mistake or two along the way. We all need copy editors, it's just how you handle it that defines a person.)

Anyway, in what may become the first of many posts like this, we present the Copy Editor Police on Patrol.

So, we were traveling around town, dealing with numerous detours and the like due to the extreme amount of construction going on around us — they're working on widening and changing exits for both the major freeways and putting in a bus lane through San Bernardino. Good times.

So, imagine our surprise when coming to the southbound end of Wier Road in what is the borders of Colton, San Bernardino and Loma Linda, detour signs.

As you can see, the one on Wier, before you get to the intersection with Washington/Barton Road tells you that to get to Interstate 10, you should head left, and for Interstate 215, you turn right. Seems simple enough. Except, there's another sign on Washington/Barton, where Wier T's at the Montecito Cemetery. You probably can't see it in the picture above, so we'll provide you with a closer look.

Yes, according to sign No. 2, the 10 is just a right turn away, and you should hang a left to get to the 215.

Thankfully, having lived in the area for quite a long time, I know which way is right. And, to be honest, Wier isn't much of a road. It's really just a crescent shaped road that takes people from Waterman to Washington/Barton (when you can keep going on Waterman and accomplish the same thing in less time (but it helps to get around if there's funeral traffic). Also, Wier is the outer edge of a homeowner association controlled area, so there's not much "visitor" traffic coming through.

But I pity to the poor visitor who stumbles upon that area and really doesn't know the right answer to "Which way do I go?" Having those two signs aren't going to be much help.

For the record, the first sign is correct. A right turn takes cars directly to the 215 on Washington and Mt. Vernon. A left turn (followed by a left turn at Waterman), will get you to the 10.

This is a test.


This is only a test.

A Myspace Flashback

This was originally posted on MySpace on June 11, 2007:

There's something that bothers me about the statement: "It's only a game."

Like the hurt, anger, shock, jubilation or happiness of playing in or watching a sporting event is lessened by that thought. And you know what makes it better, when a second person, then a third and a fourth tell you the same thing.

Sports are a way of life for many people. No longer able to play at a certain level (or at all), we latch on to our favorite teams to continue seeking the high we got from our athletic participation days. That is why there are so many fanatical people out there following "their" teams.

Of course, the fanaticism goes to extreme. Was it "just a game" for Andres Escobar? He was the Colombian defender who accidentally knocked the ball into his own goal during the 1994 World Cup allowing the Americans to win.

Is it only a game for the thousands, nay millions, of rabid followers of the Mexican National Soccer team? The ones who take to the streets to celebrate big victories, and voice their displeasure about losses.

Even beyond soccer, what about the fans of teams in L.A., Detroit and elsewhere who take to the streets in near-riot mode after a big victory?

So, yes, winning and losing really matter. No one goes through life trying to lose. You never took a test in school trying to get an F? You never asked out someone you really, REALLY liked hoping to get rejected? 

 But all that is nothing compared to the psychological effects winning can do for you.

In 2002, Gina's mom died the Friday before the beginning of the World Series. We, obviously, we're devastated by our loss, and wondering what it would be like watching the Angels' first series without her (an Angels' fan herself).

But it turned out that the World Series came at exactly the right moment for us. We took the opportunity to go and watch the games with Gina's dad. Growing up, baseball was one of the few ways that the two of them connected, so sitting down at a sports bar among people helped us talk and enjoy the moments.

We said our final goodbye to her mom a week later, the day of Game 6. I remember that it had been overcast and gloomy during the middle of the week, but it was sunny, but brisk that day. We had the service, and then a reception. I turned on the game in a side bedroom to keep tabs on what was going on -- and it wasn't pretty. Here we were still grieving over the loss and fuming about something that happened during the reception, and to make matter worse, the Angels were losing 5-0 and were going to lose the World Series.

We packed up to head home, and being the masochist I am, I went ahead and turned on the game -- just in time to hear Scott Spiezio's home run. I frantically called Gina (we were in separate cars) and told her we were coming back, and the crowd was going wild. The drive home flew by. I was back in Ontario when Darin Erstad hit his leadoff home run to make it 5-4, and I was practically in hysterics. I stopped for drinks at a Circle K, and we had the lead.

We sprinted into the apartment in time to see Troy Percival shut down the Giants for the 6-5 victory, hearing Joe Buck say "See you tomorrow night." I still get goose bumps just thinking about it.

We watched the highlights giddy. Seeing Spiezio's homer, I think both of us had the feeling that it got a little help from the newest Angel that night, because we know Gina's mom was looking out for her team and her kids at their time of need.

Tell me that "was just a game."

Where I think we've lost our way is that somehow being competitive and wanting to win means you can't be a good sportsman. That the lessons of fair play go out the window in the quest of winning. 

When I was in Little League (oh boy, here he goes again), playing in the lowest (non T-ball) division, we played. And we played to win. This was back before coach's pitched, walks were replaced by swings at a ball on the tee, safety baseballs and no one keeping score -- because we were all winners. No, the game was meant to be played to win.

I even remember one of those games. I was 9, and we were playing a team we hadn't beat all season. It was a late spring/early summer evening, and both teams were playing hard, jumping up and down in our dugouts and having a good time. If I remember correctly, we rallied, and then hung on for a 3-2 victory. 3-2, with a bunch of 8- and 9-year-olds.

Things started to change as I grew up. More and more parents were forgetting the lessons they were supposed to teach their kids, instead seeking absolute perfection. Yelling and screaming after every little mistake (like a 10-year-old is going to catch every ground ball hit their way). Berating volunteer officials to the point of physical violence. And then, to make sure no ones feelings were hurt at the end of the day, everyone started getting trophies (or medals) just for playing. Rules were changed to make the game safer and allow everyone the chance to hit (eliminating walks, for instance). Parents stopped keeping score and reinforcing the "everyone's a winner" motto.

I've since been a coach. The first thing I tell players and parents is that we will have fun during the season, but I do expect one thing: That while the players are on the field, that they are 100 percent on the field and trying to the best of their ability for the two hours we are there -- in other words "Go Hard or Go Home." As long as we do that, we'll never have any problems. And ya know what, we won more than we lost -- and nobody ever felt like we were doing their kids wrong.

So, now five days removed from the "just a game" that set me off on this rant, have my feelings mellowed on the subject of the Ducks winning the Stanley Cup. Ummm... how about no. But it doesn't mean I haven't looked at it objectively. Nor does it mean I can't give them credit (the cheating bast ... errr ... the superior team in the series got the win. Of course, Ottawa didn't help its cause by playing its worst game of the playoffs in Game 5).

In the end, the key to being a good player or fan, is the ability to move on. Forget ones losses. Learn from your mistakes. Look ahead to the next challenge without dwelling on the past. So taking that lesson into account, all I gotta say is:

Only 111 days until the Kings play the Ducks to open the season in London (Sept. 29 and 30). GO KINGS!

Exciting New Job Opportunity

I'm here to tell you how you can embark on a new career path. One that will influence millions of people and get your name out in front of the masses.
And you know what's the best part? You don't have to stop working at your current career!
You -- yes, you! -- too can become a part of the popular liberal media!
(And just like the bulk of the people actually working in the media, you won't get paid.)
In your job, you can become a reporter, photographer, blogger and -- if you're real ambitious -- videographer for your local news outlet.
And if you think I'm being a cynical journalist burnout -- well, you'd probably be right. But it's also the truth.
Many, many, MANY news outlets are turning their publications over to "citizen journalists." Every day people with a smart phone, camera and home computer and the desire to share their gifts with the masses.
And it's not just for, you know, actual news. Going to your child's Little League game? Post pictures. Spend the day at church? Write about the sermon. Going for a hike? Write a blog for us rating the trail.
Media companies are scrambling. They're trying anything and everything. Some even want to become the Facebook for a community.
But there's a problem ... there's already a Facebook. And on it, you don't have to share your pictures with everyone and anyone in your city -- or the world -- who happens to come to media website. Facebook allows you to limit your friends, and who gets to see all those things.
Become a writer? Sure, sounds sexy. Until you realize you can't always say what you want whenever you want. Or that there are things like deadlines. Or a regular schedule to keep. Or that you also have 100 other things you have to do for your real job, family and personal life.
Plus, look at your Facebook timeline. Eliminate all the social media game requests, and what do you find a lot of? News stories from legitimate media outlets. Written by real reporters. Edited by the remaining professional editors. All for your consumption.
No matter how much the bean counters try to push it, "citizen journalism" is a search for fool's gold. It looks pretty, but it's not worth the money you think it is. You're trading in ethics, standards and real community knowledge for a bottom line that will spell the end of your bottom line -- when people tune you out and go elsewhere for their news.
So, good luck trying to get the citizens to "journalist" themselves.