Paul McMorrow - Snappy Title TK TK » Hockey

A week ago, he was begging the Black and Gold to drop the gloves more. The boys listened, and last night, Milan Lucic absolutely flattened Michael Komisarek.

And Dupont couldn’t be happier.

The hard-rock Lucic, without a fight all season, met up with Komisarek near center ice at 7:25 of the third period, the Bruins holding a fait accompli 5-1 lead over their hated rivals. The 6-foot-4-inch Komisarek, often the aggressor in last spring’s playoffs, traded a couple of shots in the early going and then crumbled like a stale, flaky croissant under a flurry of swift, heavy right hands from Lucic. A screaming, waving Lucic made his way to the penalty box, where he slammed both arms against the glass before taking a seat.

It might not be balanced journalism. But it’s something better: The voice of a city finally falling back in love with old time hockey.

Who’s Afraid of Web Video?

admin — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:58:29 +0000

It’s Friday afternoon, and instead of making journalism happen, I’m casting around the internet looking for highlights of last night’s Sox game to post on this here website. Imagine – Papi going yard underneath a snappy headline like, “LESS COWBELL.” Oooh. Yeah.

Problem is, besides these guys going crazy and some other talking heads talking about who knows what, I’m not finding anything. Baseball has a lock on its web video. They’re squeezing nickels out of Microsoft and mlb.com banner ads, so I’ve got to buy an iPhone or go to their website to get the goods from last night. And even then, I can’t see Coco Crisp and James Shields do their thing. Unless I’m watching these two. Which I’m not.

The point is, Baseball doesn’t gain anything – other than unhappy customers – by locking away its digital video highlights. Its big money-makers are broadcasting, merchandising and tickets. Compared to those three, everything else might as well be nothing. And web video doesn’t compete with them. It feeds all three.

So why continue spitting on top of the ocean? Free is the future of business, and it’s not just dollars we’re talking about. It’s code, too.

Hockey gets it. I can go to YouTube and watch hours of Milan Lucic absolutely destroying people’s faces. The Bruins and NESN don’t mind. The NHL has its own TV network now, but it’s still cool with them if I Google “Terry O’Reilly fighting a fan” and then watch a minute or so of whatever pops up. That’s because videos of old hockey fights aren’t taking any real money out of the Jacobs family‘s pockets.

To the contrary. I hit the internet and watch Milan do his thing. I watch O’Reilly and PJ Stock and Chris Nilan. Probably a whole lot of Chris Nilan, actually. And then I get all fired up and scoot over to Ticketmaster and pick myself up some tickets to see the B’s. And then I’ll grab a T-shirt and a bobblehead and some other garbage I don’t need. And hey look – Sam Adams is having a beer fest in the Garden parking lot!

See, Bud Selig? It’s that easy.

This Aggression Will Not Stand, Man

admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:56:26 +0000

Above is a photo of a billboard I saw today. It’s advertising the 2008-2009 incarnation of the Boston College national champion ice dancing team. The grave-robbing school up and plunked the thing down in Kenmore Square. Just blocks from my old South Campus hovel. I couldn’t feel more violated if I’d just come home to find my prized rug covered in pee. Seriously.

Tim Murray Shoots, Scores?

admin — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:53:40 +0000

Here’s a hot awesome gift shop item for you: The Tim Murray bobblehead.

Worcester’s dreadfully bad minor league hockey team will be honoring the city’s former Boy Mayor made good by handing these things later this month. The gesture is supposed to thank fans for, you know, caring about AHL hockey.

Irregardless of whether or not this stunning piece of desktop sculpture manages to put asses in Centrum seats, this promotion will surely lend some much-needed gravitas to an administration that is absolutely dying to be taken seriously. Three cheers to all involved.