Okay, it's a bit late for me to give you a breakdown of Thursday's win, so I'll just run with my recent thoughts from the last couple of days...
There's something oddly sweet about watching so many fans in the city go flying off the bandwagon, only to have the team shut everyone up for another 48 hours. When was the last time everyone threw in the towel before the series was even over? And don't say the most recent Leafs series, because fans produce enough vitriol to carry themselves through that particular situation. It was just so bloody bizarre -- the talk of firing Muckler, trading Alfredsson, breaking up the core...I'm not saying I don't agree with these ideas, but the series wasn't even done yet.
And it's one thing to have these discussions with your friends, in public, or even on the radio. The words get out there, they hang for a while, but they dissipate. Something as blatant as this piece by ESPN's Scott Burnside, referring to Alfredsson as "the face of Senators' futility", or "non-partisan" beat reporter Ian Mendes calling himself an "idiot" for believing are hysterical. The reason being? These pieces were both pumped out after Game 3, and before Game 4. And now they sit, for all to see, for all persons to go back and quote a very obvious demonstration of putting the cart before the horse.
I'm not saying Alfredsson wasn't worthy of the criticism. He absolutely was. His game for the most part has lacked passion, and more importantly, offensive firepower. But regardless of those facts, can't we wait to discuss his ultimate legacy and future in Ottawa? At least until the playoffs are over?
It may be over tonight. Maybe Monday. Maybe even later than that. But the point remains that it shouldn't be that much of a strain to stay on the bandwagon for four games. Casual comments of disappointment and pessimism, those are to be expected. But when you put yourself out there that far before the series is done, you're going to look rather silly when that so-called "expected" sweep doesn't occur.
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Ian Mendes is a clown.
Journalists are supposed to offer objective analysis of the team they're covering, unless their name is Bill Simmons - and it's okay that his soft spot is for Boston, because he reminds us every time he writes about the Sox or the Celtics. Also, Simmons is entertainment, not legitimate analysis, so he can't be compared to beat reporters.
Mendes though, has never made such an admission, but he nakedly exposed himself with his childish, "I am an idiot" blog entry. Which he then tried to paper over with the next day, with lines like:
"I find it fascinating that some of you think that I'm an Ottawa Senators "homer"...to be honest, I'm not an Ottawa Senators fan."
Oh yes, how fascinating, Ian. He beats himself up one day over foolishly believing in the Senators, and the next, wants the world to believe he doesn't care about the team. Nice try, Ex-Lax.
Wardo
3:59 p.m.