Faxes from Uncle Dale

Recent Posts

  • Inside Dr. Weird's Island

    Inside Dr. Weird's Island

    Now that we’re a little separated from last night, I want to try and be as even-handed about Q’s decisions (in this series and in the past) as I can be. It won’t be easy, but if we all work together I think we can get through it.

    While Q scratched Nick Leddy for Sheldon Brookbank last night, it didn’t end up working out as a straight swap. As you’ll see from last night’s Extra Skater, Brookbank hardly played with Leddy’s usual partner in Rozsival at all. Brookbank took most of his shifts with Duncan Keith, and like they were in the St. Louis series they were highly effective, at least in terms of possession. Brookbank and Keith were both over 70% in Corsi-percentage, a full 18% above the team-rate for the game. Brookbank didn’t see the highest level of competition either when on the ice, as he mostly saw Brodziak and Niederreiter but there wasn’t a specific matchup either coach was chasing.

    Rozsival spent most of his night skating with Johnny Oduya, and they weren’t so lucky. While Rozsvial was above water in overall Corsi, he was below the team-rate. Meanwhile Oduya was completely buried. As far as forwards these two saw it was basically spread out all over the map, as Q couldn’t chase matchups and Yeo didn’t seem too interested when they were on the ice.

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  • Beard Of The Day – May 7th – Common

    CommonPixBorn and raised on Chicago’s southside, Common has long been a fixture in the hip-hop world. Before Common, there wasn’t really much attention paid to Chicago as a city with it’s own identity in the scene. Common began to form an identity with his album Resurrection released in 1994. This album was produced by his longtime friend No I.D. who was also crucial to bringing Chicago to the world as a mentor for both Common and Kanye West.

    Common stayed away as much as he could from the trend of 90’s hip-hop trending more towards gangsta rap and used his music to focus on doing what he could to better the world around him. That doesn’t mean he shied away feuds though. He did have a brief battle with California group Westside Connection before both sides sat down with Louis Farrakhan to settle their dispute (which is a very 90’s hiphop kind of thing to do, isn’t it?).

    Nowadays, like so many other 90’s hip-hop stars, Common is probably best known as an actor. He still makes time to use his fame to promote his brand of political activism. He was a huge supporter of Obama during both presidential campaigns, a supporter of PETA (ugh) and continues to work to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. He’s done all of this while almost always rocking a really solid beard too.

     

  • Morning Links 5/7/14

    4-0: Blackhawks

    Crow doesn’t blow: CSN

    You always want to be slower and less talented: ESPN Chicago

    zzzz zzzz zzzz: PHT

    Habs win: SI

    Lavi to Smashville: Sportsnet

    Well glad that’s settled: PD

  • The Act We Act: Hawks 0 – Wild 4 (Hawks Lead 2-1)

    The Act We Act: Hawks 0 – Wild 4 (Hawks Lead 2-1)

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    Extra Skater

    The Hawks got shut out tonight by Ilya Bryzgalov. Let’s let that sink in for a minute. And once it soaks in… um, can you bathe from the inside out? I guess we’ll all have to turn ourselves inside out and soap up that way.

    Once again, the Hawks decided that a Game 3 wasn’t all that important. But honestly, I didn’t have too much of a problem with the first 40 minutes. In some ways it felt like a Floyd Mayweather fight. Work through the first few rounds, time your opponent’s punches, survive a couple hooks, and then slowly take away everything they do and move away in the later rounds when they’ve run out of ideas and tire.

    The Hawks forgot the last part, though they did the first part ok. And they forgot the second part because of a couple lazy/non-aware plays.

    The first goal sprung from a lazy and ill-advised shot from Michal Rozsival. Rozie got the puck on the point with no Hawks between him and the goal and three Wild players there. Both Kruger and Saad were waiting below the goal-line for the puck to be cycled again. Instead, he flipped a wrister so limp it might as well have been my dead grandfather’s member that was easily cut out.

    This started a rush the other way, which in truth the Hawks should have had covered. But Kane lost Haula for just enough time (not sure it would have mattered as Haula is a much faster skater than Kane but considering Kane’s head start…) to bat home a saucer pass from Justin Fontaine.

    The second resulted from more incompetent work after a center ice faceoff. I swear, the Hawks committed 87 icings in the St. Louis series right after center-ice faceoffs, and tonight they went the other way. Kruger lost Granlund in the middle, Seabrook was faked into a swim right along with Crawford. And that’s basically game.

    Let’s get to the points:

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  • Third Period Thread – Game 3 – Hawks vs Wild

    In the end, what you want is much different from what you choose. Yeah it’s bigger than me and you. It’s bigger than me and, than me and you.

  • Second Period Thread – Game 3 – Hawks at Wild

    When the seams start to come apart; in this frustration, we find our salvation.

  • First Period Thread – Game 3 – Hawks at Wild

    There were times when we raised our fists to the world, ready to crush opposition. And there were times when we lied like thieves in disguise, and I’m remembering those times too.

  • Cats Van Bags – Game 3 – Hawks at Wild Preview, Pregame Thread, Pedicure

    oldschool at wildthings

    Game Time: 8:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: CNBC, TSN (Anglo), RDS2 (Franco), 87.7FM The Game
    What You Want It To Be: Hockey Wilderness

    For the second time in as many playoff years, the Hawks will take the brief trek up to St. Paul and the Xcel Energy center with a two game series lead having successfully held serve on West Madison St. And for the second time in as many years, the Wild and their fans figure to treat tonight as a do-or-die proposition within the context of their season.

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  • Beard Of The Day – May 6th – Patrick Costello

    Patrick Costello

    Despite being frigid in climate, the Twin Cities have long been a hotbed of fantastic musical acts for going on nearly a couple generations. From The Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould, Soul Asylum, The Hold Steady, Atmosphere’s Rhymesayers hip hop collective, to even fucking Prince, it might have one of the higher batting averages for excellent acts of any city in the country. And no discussion of the MPLS music scene is complete without mention of local heroes Dillinger Four and their bearded (and often shirtless and pantsless) bassist and vocalist Patrick Costello.

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  • Morning Links 5/6/14

    Morning Links 5/6/14

    I’m back and no I didn’t get pushed into the Grand Canyon by my wife!

    3: ESPN

    Shaw out: Chicago Tribune

    Penguins Win: Sportsnet

    Fountain of Youth: TSN

    Kings win: LA Times

    I think this is awesome?? Puck Daddy

    Finalists for the players MVP: Globe and Mail