Venus Trapped in Mars || Dallas: Hockey

Showing posts with label Hockey. Show all posts

22 April 2016

Before You Decide On Purchasing A Player's Jersey, Read This

Let me start by telling you a little story. It should come as no surprise that when I was deciding where to move, I had to have a city with every major sports team. I had narrowed my two choices down to Chicago or Dallas, and decided I'd go to whichever city I found a job first. I got incredibly lucky when my current company paid to fly me in for an interview, then hired me on the spot. It was amazing, and a few weeks later I was Dallas bound.

I was already a huge Cowboys fan, but it took all of 2 seconds for me to jump right on the Mavs, Rangers and Stars super mega fan bus. Some life-long fans might judge me for that, but I personally see nothing wrong with it. I was a Dallas resident and that's what you do, you root root root for the home team.

Just like any fan does, I began to develop a favorite player on each team. My choice for favorite player on the Mavs was a little different from most: Jae Crowder. Jae wasn't even a starter for the Mavs, but his attitude won me over immediately. When Jae was on the court, everyone played with more hustle and passion. His role was to amp everyone up, including the fans.

So Jae has instantly recognizable dreads...

image via

Well, last season, the Mavs released a new Jae Crowder shirt that had his dreads ON the back of the shirt. I thought it was SO cool and I had to have it. Plus, I was pretty sure that I would be the ONLY person to own that shirt. The problem? Well it was nearly $50 for a t-shirt (*Macklemore Voice). I thought about buying that shirt for weeks. I went to several Mavs and Stars games during that time (they share the same arena), and would go check on the shirt to make sure it was still there.

On my birthday, after deliberating on it for literally weeks, I broke down and treated myself to the shirt. It was my birthday after all, I deserved it. The sheer amount of glee on my face at the register was priceless, I was so excited it was finally mine.

I brightened this picture of me and Helene way up in hopes that you can see how cool this shirt is with his dreads printed on the back.

The next day... and I do mean THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER WEEKS OF DELIBERATING ABOUT BUYING THAT SHIRT ... Jae Crowder was traded to the Boston Celtics.

THE NEXT DAY, people. WTF.

That story is still one of CB's favorites to tell, and while I now do find it comical, I was PISSED. Needless to say, I'm now very gun-shy on buying a jersey with a player's name on it. Today (so you don't get burned like I did) I thought I'd share some tips that you should read before committing to a specific player's jersey.

1. Buy the superstar's jersey that everyone else has.

I realize this is not nearly as fun when that person, is not in fact, your favorite player, but at least you aren't potentially throwing $$$ in the trash.

Current Dallas Safe Superstar Picks: Tony Romo, Dirk Nowitzki

2. Buy a legend's jersey.

Pick the jersey of your favorite retired hall-of-famer. Clearly they aren't getting traded and you're making a solid investment that will never be out of style. Everyone loves a legend.

Current Dallas Safe Legend Picks: Emitt Smith, Nolan Ryan

3. Leave it blank.

This is probably what I will do for my next jersey purchase.

*Disclaimer: I DO NOT LIKE THE PERSONALIZED JERSEYS WITH YOUR NAME ON IT. You do not play for the team, no one knows who "Webb 22" is.

4. Check contracts.

If your heart is set on a specific player's jersey, check his contract first. This won't keep you safe from a freak trade incident, but at least you'll know if his contract is up next season. If you check and your boy will be a free agent next season, I wouldn't take the risk.

5. Tape it up.

Hey, screw it. If all else fails and your favorite player gets traded to the Celtics for a 48th round draft pick and a tub of vanilla ice cream... just find a creative way to tape over his name. You'll get some good laughs and probably a lot of people stopping you to take your picture. Be sure to get them to tag your brilliance on instagram.

15 April 2016

A Very Basic Guide to Hockey

What a time to be alive in Dallas.

What a time.

The MAVS and STARS are IN. THE. PLAYOFFFSSSSS! The Mavs start the playoffs this Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Stars began their playoff quest last night with a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Oh, and hey, look... a Fan Friday post for the first time in a long while!

I'm very sorry, I get the sports sads in the football offseason.

You guys know I'll never bullshit with you when it comes to sports. If I don't know it, I'll admit that. I am NOT a hockey expert. I have been to many hockey games though thanks to my friend Vanessa, who is as die hard about the Dallas Stars as they come. She holds Stars season tickets, and what do I love more than anything in this world? HOLDING TICKETS! Naturally, we hit it off immediately.

Vanessa has been kind enough to invite me along as her plus one to many games over the past two years. I still don't know the majority of what is going on, but I have picked up a few things to watch for here and there. Today I thought I'd share those things.

This post will be a VERY basic, beginner's guide to hockey. Enough info so you can watch the playoffs (and *ahem* root for the Stars *ahem*) and know what is going on.

Should a hockey expert be writing this post? Yes.

Am I still going to write it anyway? Yes.

If you are a giant hockey fan, I hope you will still get some enjoyment out of this post and leave a comment below with anything I've missed that you think a new fan needs to know!

1. There are a mind blowing amount of female hockey fans

Female hockey fans are the bomb. They know every single detail, stat, player, coach, rule... everything. Most of the female hockey fans I've met are die hard about one sport and one sport only, HOCKEY. They eat, sleep, live, breathe hockey. Go to a Dallas Stars game and you'll see just as many, if not more, female fans as male fans.

This sports loving female, totally digs that.
Oh, and did I mention that we all share a hatred for pink jerseys?

2. Number of players on the ice

Six players on the ice per team. 5 skaters, 1 goalie.

3. Offsides

Y'all know I travel for work to Canada each year. My first year, someone tried to explain hockey to me. This was before I'd ever been to a game or even met my friend, Vanessa. They all said you really need to start by understanding ONE rule.... Offsides.

I'm going to try and simplify this rule for you.

Have you ever heard of the term "cherry picking" in basketball? Cherry picking is when a player refuses to go down to the other side of the court to play defense, and instead just sits under his own basket waiting for someone to pass him the ball for an easy score. Like the red dot in this chart...

OFFSIDES in hockey prevents a scenario just like this from happening. You are not allowed to just stand by the opposing goal and wait for your teammate to feed you the puck.

Simply put, you are not allowed to cross that blue line on the ice, before the puck does.

Example:

There is also another scenario that plays a big part in the Offsides call in hockey.

Let's say the Stars are on offense trying to score, but someone from the other team hits the puck past all of the Stars players, and on to the other side of that blue line...

All of our Stars players have to cross BACK over that blue line, before the puck can cross back into the offensive territory again.

If you're trying to keep your offensive momentum, you really need to keep the puck on the right side of that blue line. Should it cross to the left, your whole team has to cross back over before you can pick up your offensive attack again.

4. Power Plays / Penalty Kill

If there's one thing I know, and I think you guys know... it's football. Let's talk football real fast. Pretend your team's defender gets a Pass Interference penalty called on him. Normally, that would result in an automatic first down at the spot of the foul for the offense.

Well in HOCKEY, a penalty results in what I like to call a time out for bad behavior. This is more commonly referred to as "the penalty box". If a player commits a penalty, he has to go sit in the penalty box for a set number of minutes based on the severity of the penalty.

Let's say this Minnesota Wild player just committed a penalty against the Dallas Stars....

That means the Dallas Stars are now ON A POWER PLAY! This is a huge deal, because the Minnesota Wild now have to play with one less player on the ice, so the Stars have a one man advantage.

In turn, the Minnesota Wild are now on what is called a PENALTY KILL, where they are trying to stop the Stars from easily scoring until that penalized player is allowed to return to the ice.

Fun fact, there can be more than one player in the penalty box at one time, making the Power Play a huge opportunity for the other team. It is important to note though, that the lowest number of men on the ice it can go is 5 vs 3.

On a minor penalty (2 minutes) a goal automatically ENDS the Power Play.

5. The Enforcer

This is not an actual hockey role, but more of an unofficial player that every team has. This is the guy who wants to fight. He's the tough guy who's going to address any dirty play by the opposing team.

That guy for the Dallas Stars is Antoine Roussel. For example, if someone has an uncalled for, violent play against our golden boy Jamie Benn, you're likely to see Roussel handling some business later in the game.

Just like when that little girl took my lunch money in 2nd grade and my mom decked her square in the mouth two days later and said, "BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY!"

JK LOL. That didn't happen or my mother would probably be in prison.
You get the point of the enforcer though, right?

----

Those are the 5 very simple things this newbie has learned so far about hockey.

Oh, and if you go to a Stars game be prepared to do the following:

- Do the Dallas Stars crowd chant after a goal:
Bum-bum! DALLAS! Bum-bum! STARS!
Bum-bum! DALLAS! Bum-bum! STARS!
- Yell "Who Cares?" after the announcer says who scored the opposing team's goal

- They'll show a clip of "PeeWee Herman's Big Adventure"
Pee Wee will sing: "The Stars at night are big and bright..."
You then scream and clap: "Deep In The Heart of Texas"

- During the National Anthem, the crowd yells STARS during the following lines:
"Whose broad stripes and bright STARS"
"O say, does that STARS-spangled banner"

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13 November 2015

MLB, NBA, NFL || Pro Sports Teams' Snapchat Handles

I'm aware that everyone knows this, but HOORAY it's Friday! It just feels good to say (type) that out loud right? I know I sound like a broken record, but I am truly just so thankful to have a life that makes me love the weekends so much. That's what this time of year is all about, giving thanks, right? It wasn't long ago when Friday at 5pm would tick on the clock and I'd still just sit at my desk, in no real rush to get home because I had absolutely nothing to do over the weekend. Friday, Sunday night, Monday morning... meh, it was all the same to me. It's really a special thing to see both sides of the spectrum, and as crazy as this, is I'm glad I went through the struggles here in Dallas that I did. I will never take happiness for granted.

Aaaaaaaaand cut.

I'm not sure where that came from, this post is (supposed to be) about snapchat and sports. You see, CB went hunting last night and I slept at the house by myself. I was a little nervous, which is silly I know. Keep in mind, although I lived on my own for so long, it was in an apartment that was more difficult to get into than the Chamber of Secrets. If a pizza man managed to find his way to my front door without me needing to come let him in downstairs, that man got a big fat extra 10 bucks from me. Impressive, sir. So although I of course feel safe in my own home, it's just a new experience sleeping alone in an actual house. Moral of the story here is that I surprised myself and SLEPT LIKE A LOG and now, one venti iced coffee deep, I'm in a fantastic mood!

Let's get to the point, Snapchat! I put it off and I put it off and I put it off. Helene tried to tell me that it was essential, but I was hesitant. I bit the bullet and now I'm addicted. My only complaint is how difficult it is to search for people to follow. How annoying is it that you have to know the person's exact username? Annoying AF (as fudge, of course, is what I meant there. Hi mom! Loves you!)

So today, I compiled a complete list of Pro Sports Teams' Snapchat Handles for you. We have enough first world problems to deal with on a daily basis, like the Starbucks lady spelling our name wrong on our highly offensive red cup, you shouldn't have to deal with the horrific woes of finding your favorite teams' snapchat handles too.

:: NFL Teams ::

Arizona Cardinals || SnapAZCardinals

Atlanta Falcons || Falcons

Baltimore Ravens || BltRavens

Buffalo Bills || BillsNFL

Carolina Panthers || NFLPanthers

Cincinnati Bengals || OfficialBengals

Chicago Bears || N/A

Cleveland Browns || OfficialBrowns

Dallas Cowboys || Cowboys

Denver Broncos || BroncosOfficial

Detroit Lions || Det-Lions

Green Bay Packers || Packers

Houston Texans || TexansOfficial

Indianapolis Colts || ColtsOfficial

Jacksonville Jaguars || Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs || OfficialChiefs

Miami Dolphins || MiamiDolphins

Minnesota Vikings || VikingsNFL

New England Patriots || Patriots

New Orleans Saints || Saints

New York Giants || N/A

New York Jets || OfficialNYJets

Oakland Raiders || RaidersOfficial

Philadelphia Eagles || Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers || Steelers

St. Louis Rams || SnapTheRams

San Diego Chargers || Chargers

San Francisco 49ers || OfficialSF49ers

Seattle Seahawks || Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers || BucsNFL

Tennessee Titans || NFLTitans

Washington Redskins || RedskinsSnap

:: NBA Teams ::

Atlanta Hawks || HawksSnaps

Boston Celtics || Celtics

Brooklyn Nets || NBANets

Charlotte Hornets || Hornets

Chicago Bulls || ChicagoBulls

Cleveland Cavaliers || Cavs

Dallas Mavericks || TheDallasMavs

Denver Nuggets || Nuggets

Detroit Pistons || NBAPistons

Golden State Warriors || Warriors

Houston Rockets || HoustonRockets

Indiana Pacers || IndianaPacers

Los Angeles Clippers || Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers || LakersSnaps

Memphis Grizzlies || GrizzliesNBA

Miami Heat || N/A

Milwaukee Bucks || BucksDotCom

Minnesota Timberwolves || TimberWolvesMN

New Orleans Pelicans || PelicansNBA

New York Knicks || NYKnicks

Oklahoma City Thunder || OKCThunder

Orlando Magic || N/A

Philadelphia 76ers || Sixers

Phoenix Suns || PhoenixSuns

Portland Trailblazers || TrailBlazers

Sacramento Kings || SacramentoProud

San Antonio Spurs || OfficialSpurs

Toronto Raptors || N/A

Utah Jazz || UtahJazzNBA

Washington Wizards || WashWizards

:: MLB Teams ::

Atlanta Braves || braves

Arizona Diamondbacks || Dbacks

Baltimore Orioles || Orioles

Boston Red Sox || Redsox

Chicago Cubs || Cubs

Chicago White Sox || WhiteSox

Cincinnati Reds || SnapReds

Cleveland Indians || Indians

Colorado Rockies || Rockies

Detroit Tigers || Tigers

Houston Astros || AstrosMLB

Kansas City Royals || Royals

Los Angeles Angels || AngelsMLB

Los Angeles Dodgers || DodgersMLB

Miami Marlins || MarlinsMLB

Milwaukee Brewers || Brewers

Minnesota Twins || Twins

New York Mets || MrMet

New York Yankees || Yankees

Oakland Athletics || Athletics

Philadelphia Phillies || Phillies

Pittsburgh Pirates || Pirates

St. Louis Cardinals || Cardinals

San Diego Padres || Padres

San Francisco Giants || SFGiantsMLB

Seattle Mariners || Mariners

Tampa Bay Rays || Rays

Texas Rangers || RangersMLB

Toronto Blue Jays || BlueJays

Washington Nationals || Nationals

:: NHL Teams ::

Arizona Coyotes || NHLCoyotes

Buffalo Sabres || BuffaloSabres

Carolina Hurricanes || NHLCanes

Chicago Blackhawks || NHLBlackhawks

Colorado Avalanche || Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets || BlueJacketsNHL

Dallas Stars || StarsNHL

Detroit Red Wings || OfficialDRW

Edmonton Oilers || EdmontonOilers

LA Kings || LAKingsNHL

Minnesota Wild || MinnesotaWild

Montreal Canadiens || CanadiensMTL

New Jersey Devils || DevilsNJ

New York Islanders || NYIsles

New York Rangers || NYRangers

Pittsburgh Penguins || Penguins

San Jose Sharks || SharksNHL

Tampa Bay Lightning || LightningNHL

Toronto Maple Leafs || TMLsnaps

Vancouver Canucks || VanCanucks

Washington Capitals || WashCapitals

Winnipeg Jets || NHLjetsWpg

I hope everyone has a BOMB FRIDAYYYYYY!!! PEACE OUT!
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21 February 2014

USA USA USA!

I'm finally back from Miami! I picked up the puppies and snugged hard with them last night. It felt so good. I'll do a trip recap, which is mostly food related seeing as it was a work trip, next week. Today though, I'm back in the office and will be spending the majority of the day catching up on emails! I wanted to pop in with a friendly reminder that the United States plays Canada in the Semi Finals for men's hockey today at noon est. It will be a revenge rematch for America, after losing to Canada for the gold medal in overtime in the the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Although I admittedly know very little about hockey, I'm going to be watching online doing my very best to learn quickly and cheer for my country.

Download for iphone here
Download for desktop here

Now I of course know that not everyone that reads this blog is from America, but during the olympics, you gotta show your pride for your home country! Normally, I'm pretty neutral on the blog, but today I gotta rep that USA! USA! USA!

Oh, and yesterday I found out that I made the top 3 nominated over at My So-Called Chaos in the authentic artist category, the favorite all time category and most beautiful blog category. There is some pretty steep competition, seeing as I adore every other blog in each of my categories, but if you go vote for me, you can count on a birthday party invitation in your mailbox come December 17th.

Linking up with Whitney
This is my new theme song for the next few months...

Write a post about anything listed here
Grab a button. (It's glittery, would you have expected anything less?)
Link up EVERY FRIDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
Follow me so we can be friends
Meet new friends who also like sports and being a fan
Hop, hop, hop.... hop around

07 February 2014

Fan Friday: Go Red!

The color red doesn't dominate my wardrobe by any means. I only have a handful of red items including a cardigan and a red dress. My t-shirts have a splash of red here and there, but for the most part my collection is dominated by Tennessee Orange, and different shades of blue for the Cowboys, Rangers, Braves and Mavs.

Like most women, I tend to think I have nothing to wear. As I went to my closet this morning I flipped through every last thing I owned and for some reason put on the one solid red dress that I rarely wear. As I was driving to work this morning, I heard on the radio that it was National Wear Red Day for Heart Disease Awareness in Women. I chuckled to myself and thought, hah! Funny I should pick this dress, that I never wear, today of all days.

Without red surrounding my day-to-day wardrobe, I forget about the color red. I forget that there is a red scarf rolled up in my scarf organizer, I forget that I have a plaid shirt that is equal parts red as it is black, I forget that I have red tights that I always wear on Christmas Day, I forget that red is as dominant of a color for the Braves and Rangers as blue is. You forget about red until it is right in front of your face and you're like, "Oh yeah, I do have red!"

Going forward, I want to do a better job of remembering red. Red in this scenario actually meaning heart disease. We do all these things to monitor breast cancer, but what are we (what am I?) doing to monitor heart disease, the number ONE killer in women. The best thing you can do is bring awareness through the color red. Because guess what, red is in your life, whether you realize it or not. And just when you aren't thinking about it is when it will pop up, just like it did for me today.

So my Fan Friday post today is dedicated to the color red! Do you realize just HOW MANY TEAMS have red in their logo? I think you'll be as surprised as I was.

Major League Baseball (MLB) - 15 out of 30 teams. Half of the teams wear red!

National Basketball Association (NBA) - 13 out of 30 teams

National Football League (NFL)- 12 out of 32 teams

National Hockey League (NHL) - 14 out of 30 teams

So out of all of the teams in the four major sports leagues, 54 teams wear red. That's 44% of all teams! Crazy how much red there is out there, isn't it?

Linking up with Whitney

Man, Taylor really does have a song for every occasion doesn't she?