tBBP

Easy there, Jimmy. First off: like maybe 82.65% of the "fans" down there—much like the residents—are from/grew up in some place other than Florida, so don't lump them in with us bonafide natives . Second, the Panthers haven't been 100% terrible recently, so its possible they picked up a few diehards the past several years...but I doubt very seriously there are more than maybe two in the whole lot of south Florida who were devout fans of the team prior Beezer and Bure arriving down there and especially ahead of '96 (and maybe only a handful since then). All of that is to say: consider who it is that's doing the bickering...probably a vocal bunch of new bandwagoners who still don't have a half-decent grasp on the actual rules of the game. (I'm sure somewhere down there are some trueblood knowledgeable fans of the sport who are far more reasonable—there always is in every base—but they're not the vocal majority, and again very rarely if ever are. All that said, you're 100% correct about those complaining about officiating...especially whilr their team is literally ungluing right in front od their TV screens. And that starts with their alternate captain Tkachuk. Dude right now seems to be in the graduate course of the Jamie Benn School of NHL Hockey Captaincy...and dragging the rest of that team right down with him. Side note: it's funny to read the official team social media posts after a bludgeoning brake-beating loss like that. Half the time it's barely one or two words, such as the last one on the flapanthers Instagram: "Get it back" or something to that effect. (Vegas' posts were no different after their two losses to the Stars.) If anyone wants.a quick chuckle, go check those out...and then juxtapose them with the posts written after a team win.

Also, the refs toward the Florida Panthers tonight:

The scary thing is that Vegas for some reason has played better on the road this postseason (as Dallas found out the hard way). This could get real ugly, real fast for Florida—well, even more than it already is. I highly doubt there's anything about the environment down in Sunrise that could even slightly intimidate them, or even make them chuckle. (I say this as a born-and-bred Florida native). BUT...Vegas better watch themselves, too...they absolutely cannot take their foot off the tiger's panther's neck down there. That's how they almost choked themselves out of the Conference Finals. Hopefully they remember that.

Make that six...Cousins just got assessed one. (What's the record for game misconduct by one team in one game?) And through two games, this has been complete and utter domination by Vegas. Vegas is definitely the stronger team. Florida at times skates faster, but right now, if the Panthers have any chance of salvaging anything, they got between now and Thursday night to figure something out. 2-0 lead for the Gold Guys.

Yeah this is getting ridiculous now. The Panthers are just undoing themselves with the aggression tactics...it's so obvious. Meanwhile Vegas done got Bobby booted off the ice after four goals and are doing their own fair share of pushing around. EDIT: and as I type that Jack Eichel just got checked right off the ice by Matthew Tkachuk—who for the second straight game got assessed a game misconduct (along with Barbachev on Vegas' side), although it didn't look like Tkachuck was being needlessly reckless. But then, reputation precedes some people, and Tkachuk's definitely precedes him.

Uhhh...let's pop the brakes there for a second. I'm sure the fine denizens of Vegas would/did welcome the pro sports teams but...it's the owners that wanted Vegas, not necessarily the other way around. (And judging from c couple chats I had with the locals/natives last time I was out there, very few cared about the Raiders and just about none of them care for the A's moving in.) But yes...sooner or later all that very well could end up backfiring on the town.

Interesting way he phrased that: "there are a lot of great cities we’re interested in having in the NBA," rather than "there are a lot of great cities interested in having an NBA team". Both are true, but one course seems a bit predestined, no? Either way, can I start my campaigning for Omaha now??

They've had that setup for all their home playoff games, as best as I can tell. And they're good (?) about hanging the opposing team's banner up there. That's also where their percussion section and ice dancers hang out during action on the ice.

I like that nickname...it flows rather well. I don't know whether the Toronto Raptors would (or could) fils some kind of suit against that ( @gosioux76???), but I think it'd fit well. Mind you, I type what I type next while knowing none of the specific language between Fanatics and the NHL regarding apparel, supply and/or provision, but that may not necessarily have to be the case. It really depends on the league and the team, but if the NFL and MLB prove any indication, the team could bring in an independent designer/firm to develop/work in tandem with Fanatics on it. Reference the Minnesota Twins; that identity was mostly crafted by Matthew Wolff; I don't know how much Nike had to do with the general look and feel. And on the topic of Quebec City, I did some cursory research on why Nordiques 1.0 ended up leaving the province in the first place and...with all of what happened having, well, happened, how viable a relocation market/option is QC really? Granted, the currency issue may not be as much of a factor these days (since the US dollar ain't even wor—you know what, lets not even go there right now ), but wasn't one of the biggest issues the Nordiques dealt with was how heavily francophone QC is and the whole language barrier thing? Would any that still be an issue in present day? (I genuinely don't know; that's why I ask.)

Either way you gon' be sitting in traffic...even just passing through. (Though I will say that somehow it seems to have gotten a little bit better over the past year or two.) All that said, yeah, getting up to Lake County is even worse...because one has to go either through or around to even get up there. I'm not the biggest fan of operating inside Cook or Chicago...but it's even worse further north.

That's how they be thinking...

If it helps you feel any better: in the sixteen years since I began my first pro design career (in the print world, mind you—publication, layout design, and prepress), I've had several shots to try to get my foot in the door at spots, but never really gutted up the courage to step through them because...*moment of transparency*...I never felt my skills or my stuff would measure up. Meanwhile, I've seen several former (and for all I know maybe still current) posters on these parts, some right from our Concepts section (as I once was, long ago) either go on to have successful careers in this field or take that step, got their foot in and are well on their way. In a way it's kinda one of my biggest regrets...but now at 41 (and still battling that feeling of my stuff not being up to snuff, even after going back to college and having finally finished up my bachelor's in graphic design and media arts), I take the stance of a/ celebrating and congratulating those that do and b/ trying to understand from the back room perspective how various design works turn/turned out the way they did, from an element and principle as well as creative perspective. I'm also fortunate to have connected with a good couple figured in the game whose minds I've picked, still pick at times, and who still contribute to if not outright create from concept to completion the stuff we see, rave/rant/post about and may even buy every day. All of which is a tl;dr way of saying: keep knocking on doors. Take whatever comes up, even if you don't feel like it's "you". It could open up even more doors down the line somewhere and at any rate, make contact and try to establish fruitful and professional connections with those who've walked thr path you want to walk. *I think* you're still young enough to make a good go at it...and if you get in there, I'll be here to celebrate you, too. (Especially since I've seen what you in particular are capable of.)

Wait—there's a London Series now? How long has this been a thing? And is Manfred trying to deebo the NFL now??

Wellp...that's one way to finish off a series. Nice of Vegas to show some legit offensive pressure off the jump for once. Seemed like they saved all their offensive energy for the first period of this game...that first period may as well have been the boxing equivalent of two first-round knockdowns...the TKO came early in the third. By the fifth goal Dallas was beyond done; the sixth one was just...sheesh. I don't know that even the Stars themselves thought they'd get goose-egged on their own ice tonight, though. On to the Finals!

It would also make just as much and even more sense for them to keep the nickname the guy who started up the program, Jack O'Leary, coined for them, along with the colors, and started them playing under back in 1979. I know "Citronauts" sounds cool and allows for some cool space-themed accoutrements and all, but that nickname wasn't even popular back when it originally rolled out way back then. And actually, if we're gonna talk about keeping something, how about this: the Knights were originally, after Citronauts, "Knights of the Pegasus". How many remember the Pegasus winged-horse logo they used to have? If one wanted to roll "space" into their identity, there's a nice baked-in way to do it. (And one more thing: the Knights haven't been "Golden" since 2007.)

Now that I've been there and seen that (supposed-to-be) potential site for myself—the plot on which The Tropicana currently sits—I can better orient myself in these photos. So, with that said...on the one hand, opening the stadium that way does ensure a good view of a chunk of the strip. On the other hand, though...that opening faces northwest, meaning the evening sun would be setting—and dropping—right in spectators' faces (and that's to say nothing of all that hot out there)...

For those not on Twitter, here are the shots: Former on left; new on right. Never heard of this institution before today, so I don't know how entrenched "Bedcheck Charlie" is...but purely from an aesthetic POV, that's one of the better updates of a brand I've seen.

Not for nothing, but—and I know it's a small sample size but—the couple Stars fans I talked with, chilled with, and stood with in the SRO at Game 2 in Vegas told me they didn't agree with what they heard about Vegas fans, but that in fact they (well they said "y'all"; I didn't have the heart to tell them I wasn't a local ) were actually some of the best fans they encountered. Just for what that's worth. And to wrap around to what someone said earlier: success breeds envy. Early success breeds even more envy. I think that'd have been true even if the Knights had been stood up in oh, say, Cleveland or something. But that all that's happening in Vegas, a place people on anyway even without the hockey team (and for good reason, just to be sure), and mostly by (judging by what I see and read up in here) folk living up and outside the sunbelt...I mean, come on. It is what it is at this point. Aaaannnnd speaking of things being what they are: teams wearing green facing elimination by way of sweep in conference finals in 2023 are now 2-0 in said games (and also 0-2 in in-game implosions in game 3s of said conference finals, as well). And now I ponder whether to commandeer a plane ticket back to Vegas this weekend...

Either or both would certainly be better than Bimbo...

Meanwhile, on the other end of the QB-helmet-fit spectrum: Dude's face always did look like Commander Krang squished up inside that helmet...

Meanwhile, I fond myself conflicted. On the one hand, it's hard to root against your home [state] team, but on the other ha—aw screw it, I'm pulling for Vegas. I know one thing: should VGK emerge victorious in this series, the final is gonna be a GOOD one. EDIT: Aaaannnd the Knights have already put one in the net.

And "Golden Hurricane".

Aaaannnnnd the rats have rained down in Miami Gardens. Ladies (if there's any in here) and gentlemen...I present the 2023 NHHL Eastern Conference Champion: YOUR...FLOORRRRRIIIIDDAAA...PAAAANTHERRRRSS!!! One sweep down, one to go (unless Dallas finds whatever juice the Celtics drank last before last night).

Yeah but...if Vancouver sports Johnny, what's Abbotsford gonna wear?? And speaking of wearing stuff, I'm guessing Carolina is gonna keep these white CANES roadies around for a while, yes? Well, I'm looming more closely at that chest script and...if they fashioned some (italicized) block numbers in the same style to match and then applied them to their other two jerseys, that might be a way to evoke the original NASCAR look in the present and going forward...