Ranting about the Rants

Some of you may know that I am a sometimes contributer to Russo's Rants, Michael Russo's blog over on startribune.com. I used to be a regular over when it started (my moniker = "ballgame"). Russo would post and a few of us, Bandgeek, toivu, smuggla, kj, Greenstar, and the mayor of Russoville, Nick in New York, to name a few, would open shop. We would go back and forth with strong opinions, witty banter, and the occasional beer or Star Wars reference (for a week, Pierre-Marc Bouchard was called "Leia"). However, like most things I become part of, the blog became kinda a big deal.



Nowadays the blog will host hundreds of comments on a single post. There have been posts during games that collect five or six hundred comments. Having a voice on the Russoville blog has become diminished. Add to that, the Strib's crack IT staff can't keep up with all of the posts and have had significant technical problems throughout the explosion. Posters would double post, lose their post or worse yet, be called a "Cowboy". Making a solid contribution to the blog is pretty much resigned to some one who is willing to sit next to their computer all day - not something I'd rather do. I mean, its not like I have a job right now, but I'd rather be shooting wristers at beer cans with my kids.

I always read Russo's stuff and once in a while, when I've got some strong feelings about something, I'll post. Yesterday, during the Mark Parrish aftermath, there was a thread bemoaning the lack of Minnesota boys on the team. Most of the Russoville townies love all hockey and would like Minnesota fellas to play for the Wild, but they understand that that in this day and age, that may not always be possible. However there is a significant minority that believe that Minnesota Hockey trumps all things which, I believe by reading the voracity of their posts, includes their jobs, their mothers, and Minnesota girls.

Many posts on the thread explained their feelings of why they didn't need a Minnesota hockey player on the Wild in order to like the team. There was also a strong contingent that strongly disagreed. They were passionate about their Minnesota hockey and needed a Minnesota hockey player on the Wild. I, for the life of me, cannot understand that line of thinking, but I thought I had an original thought that I would express.

Good topic today (and yesterday) - I’ll chime in…

Does anyone else agree with me that a lot of our boys are Minnesotans, albeit transplants? I’m from Wisconsin, myself, which may color my view, but I feel I am more a Minnesotan every day. I’m a transplant.

Burnsy, Koivu, Gabby, Boogey, Shultzy, Shep. They’re all local guys. They’re part of Minnesota hockey, whether they were born here or not & whether they played in the high school tourney or for the Gophs, or not.

Now don’t get me wrong - I’m counting down the days when Zach Parise’s RFA status is up, but because he’s a stud who happens to be from Bloomington, not because he’s from Bloomington.

There were some replies to the post - mainly positive until some guy named "Good Old Wally" called me out.

BALLGAME

You being a transplant is not the same thing. I am speaking of the stregth of the hockey program locally. I think it is safe to assume that we Minnesotans have pride in our home grown talent ? no doubt… A father takes his son to a game, and with out a doubt will mention to his son that the Wild have a homegrown player on the roster

I dont think it is wise to have no homegrown talent on a pro team in Minnesota, in Nashville sure !

Yes the Wild have players who live here during the season and leave to go back home during the summer, but that is not the same thing. THOSE PLAYERS ARE NOT PRODUCTS OF MINNESOTA HOCKEY. SO IF THE MINNESOTA PRO TEAM DOES NOT HAVE ANY PRO PLAYERS FROM MINNESOTA, THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE ? no doubt. I cant see how anybody cant see the point

Minnesota hockey = Passion and Passion is not wise for the Wilds front office to mess with…. Is it a pain in the ass ? Maybe… So live with it and do something about I say. Leopold bought the team in Minnesota and should know that Minnesotans have a passion for the hockey products here

I am sure that the Wilds brass will say they dont care about where the players are from and they will likely take a hard ass response, but I say that they are full of bull and in denial. If your in Nashville then you dont care.

DR in the back of his mind tried to meet the needs of the local fans by..

Mark Parrish
AJ Thelen
Maybe Sean Hill

Great move
Darby Hendrickson

All of those moves turned sour. If I look at the make up of this team, Jason Blake looks to be a no brainer for this roster

Bottom line DR … YOU HAVE A PR PROBLEM !! This in not Nashville

Is it me or does this guy think he's Jacque Lemaire? It reads like he's from Quebec and the "no doubt" is a dead givaway. Perhaps he's a big listener of KFAN.

A guy named "Beaver" (cripes I hope its not a gal) piggybacked...

Good Post Good Old Wally ! I agree its not wise to run with no Minnesotans. The Minnesota Hockey passion has much more history then the Wild do…. Were happy for the Wild for letting youth hockey sell the cute little programs before the games.. What does that make $ 200 bucks per association

Finally, a third member of the "Good Ole' Minnesota Boys Network", Mister Know it All, had his say...

Gentleman,

I must applaud GOW and the Beaver. I as Mister Know it all agree 100%. The Wild have failed miserably since Darby Hendrickson. AJ Thelen is an example of the DR mindset…. oh it must be the pressure of the local kid making it… please no excuses anymore DR. How can you use the local kid pressure with AJ ? The kid got kicked off of the Michigan state hockey program for cripes sake

DR- I think it would be foolish do blame you for your effort with getting Mark Parrish in Minnesota. Who could have seen that coming

How about a great big HRRUMMPHH!!! One of those guys had to be either Pat Reusse or Sid Hartman.

Since I was called out by GOW, I figured I'd respond. Being the well thought out blogger that I am, I soon began to craft a response. After a few paragraphs and fifteen minutes later, the IT folks at startribune.com failed me again by refreshing the post and losing my Polk worthy response.

My first thought was to start over, but the whole time I was wishing that there was a place for me to sound off where I wouldn't lose my post half the time and have more of an impact than a fart in a windstorm. Then I thought... why not use the World Famous, DiabloHockey Platform. This is the place where I will shout it from the mountaintop. I'm not sure if the world is ready for me to teach them about hockey, but they did handle Ninja Parades and a rant about Tiger Wood's vagina.

So Look Out, North American Hockey Purists. You're about to get some DiabloHockey knowledge cracked over your head. And if it doesn't work out, I can always delete this post and act as if nothing happened.