ThrashBuzz

2008-11-27T21:46:00.001-05:00

UNC Football Game 1

UNC basketball players

Posted via Pixelpipe.

2008-07-12T14:14:00.001-04:00

2008-07-12T14:10:00.001-04:00

Thrashers Lose Preseason Home Opener

2007-09-24T00:57:00.000-04:00

A very nice new addition to the Thrashers website is the "View From Upstairs". Where the Thrashers web staff highlights the game. It's pretty much the one place you want to goto after the game to get all of the info you want. Pretty much makes my job obsolete. Or maybe easier. Or Harder. Here is the link for the St. Louis game: View from Upstairs

Also, Kari is currently suffering from a minor groin injury. Hopefully it doesn't linger for too long.

I will be starting up a website to coordinate the push for an Atlanta Thrasher License Plate.

Update on EVERYTHING

2007-09-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

So to say I've been slow lately is an understatement. I apologize for that. It seems that I have such big plans and just relatively little time to act on them.

A quick update on me (for those who care):
-Taking my final year of classes at GT and trying to boost my gpa to get into MBA school.
-Oh yeah-I am studying for the GMAT...not fun
-This is my last year working football for GT...which has been awesome
-I am in the process of starting up my own company...which takes a bit of time

So yes, I fail at this blogging game....miserably. I am working on it though...Hopefully I will get my brother on here to add in some of his insight/do daily updates.

So about Tech, we are leaving tomorrow at about 2:30....it will be an early game (12:00 pm on ESPNU)...I am honestly scared about this game, since it appears that BC may have exposed some team flaws in our game last week. Good thing is that we can work to correct it. Tashard Choice has healed and will be ready to play. Can we beat the curse (Haven't won at UVA since 1990) and come away victorious? Everyone knows we have a better team...it's just we have to execute. I am not even going to try to guess a score for two reasons: 1. I have no freakin idea and 2. I don't wanna jinx.

* GT has just announced that Big Boi will be playing at the GT-VT Thursday night game. Some people will love it, some people will hate it...we won't get into that discussion here. Main thing for me is that it will be sure to help recruiting and will give us exposure. Can't argue with that.

About the Thrashers, they have played in 3 preseason games and are currently 2-1...which means nothing. If it's anything like the NFL, the teams who do well in the preseason cannot carry it into the post-season while the teams who seem to struggle seem to play well once the season starts. I have been a little busy to follow it game by game, which I should, but it sounds like Little and Sterling are making every second of ice time count. I'd love to see some rookies on the team, mainly because I think the best teams are a good mix of young prospects and veterans. We were WAY too veteran last year and it reminded me of a lot of Braves teams. We need those players with the fresh-20-year-old legs to provide that spark when the holik's and the kozlov's backs are hurting. I'll try to get a better grasp of the roster situation, but with a test coming up tomorrow, Im afraid by the time I do it, everything will be done.

So the thrashers are about to begin their training camp

2007-09-14T13:06:00.000-04:00

and although I was originally kinda disappointed in our preseason moves, I am now feeling a little better. We appeared to focus on one thing in the offseason: speed...and if sterling is as good as advertised and kovy, hossa, and kari develop and improve, and if we FINALLY have discreet, concrete lines for the top six, I think we will be better than last season. Waddell signed a ton of defensemen and its hard to tell who will be on the team and who wouldn't. The acquisitions make me wonder if we have little faith in enstrom and popovic or if we are signing all these players for depth.

In other news, they will be doing another video contest...and of course I will be entering. Wish me luck-Matt

Huge win

2007-09-05T08:25:00.000-04:00

So I have been to every practice the last 5 years and I knew that we have the best team since I've been here, but I was still unsure of how we'd play in a game, especially one as high profile as Notre Dame. Before the game, walking the tunnel where they have all their national championship banners and beyond that is Touchdown Jesus, you finally realize that you are in the mecca of college football. When I was on the field (which by the way was one of the worst kept fields I've ever been on) it finally hit me that the season was about to start...

So the food in the press box was alright...chicken was pretty good but the highlight was the tomato ravioletti...WOW. Once I got up to my booth to set up a camera, we realize the camera was broken and would not record to a tape...which is NOT good, by the way.

Once the opening kickoff started it was evidently clear that we had the better, more talented team, but I was still worried when it was 9-0 and we had not been able to put the ball in the end zone yet. After the Tashard Choice direct snap, I felt that this game could really turn into a blowout, which it did.

Some key notes:

* Worst opening loss by Notre Dame....EVER

* -9 Rushing yards....9 sacks= total defensive dominance.

* Notre Dame tried 3 quarterbacks ....it didn't matter

* First time Notre dame did not score a touchdown since Charlie Weis became coach.

Next up: Samford....should be easy

So 2 Practices down, 4,207 left to go.

2007-08-05T13:25:00.001-04:00

This being my senior year, I am totally pumped for the season to get going. Needless to say, our first 2 practices have done nothing but make my blood boil even more. We are GOOD...scary good....good enough to where I look at the schedule, go down the line and go 'yup we can beat them...and them... and them...' all the way down the schedule. Now I'm not calling for us to go undefeated by any means, BUT it sure does allow me to dream. I want a championship ring SOOOOOOOOO bad, and after coming so close last year, I cannot wait for another chance to get one this year.

Here is my position by position breakdown of players so far from the first 2 days of practice:

For now I will do Offensive backfield:

Quarterbacks
Taylor Bennett: Looks good in the pocket, will be a good leader...the question is still out there on his arm strength and his durability, but he will be smart enough to overcome it.

Calvin Booker: As a backup, is a very little dropoff from Taylor (more of a compliment to Calvin than an insult to Taylor...they are both just that good). Actually has a great pocket presence and increased athleticism. In one practice, pulled off a beautiful pump fake. The defense all blitzed on the left side, and the lone guy on the right side got through, and Calvin pumped faked and ran right by him for a 10-15 yard gain.

Josh Nesbitt: Has a cannon of a fastball, coach bond was saying 'wow! look at that fastball' during drills. Needs a lot of work on mechanics, especially footwork, but has a lot of potential.

Kyle Manley: Weak arm, but is smart....provides a good coach's mentality to the position.

Byron Ingram: Actually throws a beautiful ball, but still needs a lot of work before I feel comfortable with him playing.

Running Back

Tashard Choice: He doesn't have flashy speed, great moves, or is a cannonball to bring down, he's just good at all three. The one great thing he does, though, is just as important: his vision of the holes is second to none. And there will be plenty of holes for him to run through.

Rashaun Grant: Finally the coaches look like they will be getting him on the field apart from back-up running back duties. The guy is just an athlete and will be one of the quickest guys on the field. It is really fun to watch him run.

Jamaal Evans: A very solid backup option. I would be comfortable with the offense if he even had to carry the load.

Roddy Jones: Very quick, has some good moves...looks to actually be making a better impression than Dwyer at this point.

Jonathan Dwyer: The guy is big...maybe a little too big at this point...has a very awkward body, seems like he is very clumsy when jogging around, yet has an extra gear to get through the hole....something tells me that although he doesn't stand out in no contact practices, once the defense has to bring him down is when he excels.

Fullback

Mike Cox: Is a beast...Bond would prefer to run a single back set, but how can you with one of the country's best fullbacks in the backfield?

Only a couple weeks away until camp starts

2007-07-21T13:36:00.001-04:00

Man, I cannot WAIT for football practice to start. We have finished the recruiting camps and now its a matter of really focusing our efforts on the guys we have offered. Our DL recruiting looks to be SICK this year.

Just got back from vacation

2007-07-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

Saw that we signed Exelby to a multi year deal....which is VERY good. He is quickly turning into a fan favorite.

Cannot wait for camp to start!

Roster Almost finalized?

2007-07-12T14:25:00.000-04:00

So according to the AJC, we are no longer looking for free agents. Barring trades, the roster is finalized.

Our roster, in sort of a depth-chart format:


Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Left Defense	Right Defense	Goalie
Kovalchuk	White	Hossa	Havelid	Zhitnik	Lehtonen
Kozlov	Holik	Schultz	Exelby	Klee	Hedberg
Dupuis	Perrin	Crabb	McCarthy	Denny	Braithwaite
Sterling	Rucchin	Desbiens	Enstrom	Lewis	Pavelec
Larsen	Slater	Pospisil	Popovic		Turple
Boulton	Thorburn	Stoesz	Oystrick
Haydar	Krog		Lehman
LaVallee	Little		Valabik
Painchaud	Doell
	Stuart

Now it must be noted that some of the players can play multiple positions, for instance because Schultz is listed as the second right winger on the depth chart, it does not mean he will be on the second line. I have highlighted in yellow the players who are locks to make the NHL roster. This leaves us with 21 roster players (12 forwards, 7 defensemen, 2 goalies)...thus we need two more 'healthy scratches' to finish the roster, most likely forwards. Remember Boulton and Thorburn are both considered to be pretty similar players, so I see one of them sitting on the bench as a 'helthy scratch' to be used in certain situations. Also one of the AHL players could find a spot on the roster. Guys like Lavallee, Haydar, Krog, and Little do have spots they could earn. Rucchin is another possibility of making the roster if he ever passes his physical. For now tho, the players highlighted will be the ones I will use when assessing the possible lines. Now its time to play with some line combinations.

About the only thing we know for sure about the lines are that Kozlov and Hossa will be paired together and Kovy will be on a separate line than them. Also, I will assume that Larsen will be a winger on the checking line, and that Perrin will play on the checking line as well (per Waddell's comments). Those can be etched in stone pretty much, with everything else unknown. I will go through some possibilities.

Matching Holik with Hossa and Kozlov:


Line	LW	C	RW
1st	Kozlov	Holik	Hossa
2nd	Kovalchuk	White	Dupuis
Checking	Larsen	Perrin	Sterling
4th	Boulton	Slater	Thorburn

I have loved this setup ever since we signed White (and assuming we would get Kozlov back). The Falconer goes into a great explanation of how these lines would create two lines which play very different styles and compares them to basketball styles. The Holik line would be the complex, well developed, physical half court style, where as the White line would be the exact opposite: a fast paced full court press focusing on breakaways and exploiting other teams turnovers (yet potentially suffering a lot of turnovers as well). This could create some very interesting matchups and would allow us to exploit a team's weakness much more effectively. Some people claim that Sterling is going to be the winger counterpart to the Kovy line, but I'm a big fan of Dupuis and would love to see his speed here. Regardless, feel free to interchange them if you disagree with me that Dupuis should be on the Kovy line. Another idea that I haven't seen mentioned would be Slater getting another try on the Kovalchuk line. Everyone seems to write him off as being a checking or 4th line player (with good reason if he can't stay on his skates) but he is fast and could be an interesting counterpart to a speedy Kovalchuk line.

White centers Hossa-Kozlov, Perrin centering the Kovalchuk line.


Line	LW	C	RW
1st	Kozlov	White	Hossa
2nd	Kovalchuk	Perrin	Dupuis
Checking	Larsen	Holik	Sterling
4th	Boulton	Slater	Thorburn

Now don't laugh at this roster set up, since I think it is a very legit possibility that Holik cannot play top line minutes. White centering Kozlov and Hossa could work, and although it doesn't separate out the styles of the top lines as much, the Kovalchuk line could still be used as an aggressive counterpart to the conservative Hossa line. Again, Slater could replace Perrin as Kovalchuk's center and Dupuis and Sterling can be swapped if you wish.

So thats what I have with the possibilities and unless we offer a trade, I really see our lines shaping up one of these ways. Here's hoping Holik can stay healthy and play top line minutes because I really like the looks of the two different styles of play. Think fire and ice...lightning and thunder...shake and bake...ok I'm done.

Thrashers stuff

2007-07-12T11:37:00.001-04:00

Thrashers have re-signed Boulton, which was somewhat surprising. Something tells me he might be used as a healthy scratch and pulled up in situations where we might need him.

Also the schedule has been released, I will be putting it up shortly.

Goodbye Threet

2007-07-12T11:37:00.000-04:00

So freshman QB Steven Threet has decided to transfer....which is kinda surprising. Some people claim that he's homesick/misses girlfriend, while others are claiming that he saw Nesbitt and saw the writing on the wall that he was going to be a back up for his 4 years here. He really turned a corner in spring practice and I thought he had a chance to lead us somewhere special. Good luck to him and hopefully he fins somewhere he can be happy.

UPDATE: Threet has decided to transfer to Michigan...showing that he wanted to go back home

Richard Watson just Commited to GT

2007-07-09T16:37:00.000-04:00

This dude is flat out sick. 6-1, 225 with 4.5 speed...built like a truck. Like others have said...3rd down just got a LOT easier.

So now we have 2 RB's committed, 1 qb, 2 wr, 1 OL, 1 LB, 1 DB...this weekend has propelled tech into the top 20-25 range in recruiting so far. We will see how far this momentum continues.

Georgia Tech's Recruiting

2007-07-07T14:17:00.000-04:00

So Georgia Tech's Recruiting is really starting to fill up. I will be starting a feature which includes a bunch of information on each commitment. Stay tuned for details

Thank you SlavaDon

2007-07-05T02:05:00.000-04:00

For I now feel a whole lot better about this team. It was very scary having all of our eggs in the Kozlov basket (can that cliche be used when it's not Easter???), but now that he has signed, our team is finally starting to fill out. In case you haven't heard and you could not decipher from my beginning, the Thrashers have re-signed Slava Kozlov to a 3 year deal worth 11 million dollars, which averages about 3.7 million per season, which IMO is a steal with some of the other contracts being thrown out there for lesser players. The best news is that Slava actually took a paycut of 1 million to stay with the Thrashers, and hopes that his decision will help Marian Hossa do the same. Needless to say, I believe Kozzy will be the lucky one honored on the back of my jersey (it has been blank since my gf bought it for me last year).

In other news:

*Don Waddell has claimed that we will not be going after anymore UFA's this season, and that his main priority is working on a Hossa extension.

*Exelby filed for arbitration, but most believe it was standard procedure and the team and X will work out a contract before the court needs to get involved.

*Apparently new signee Perrin and his former head (case) coach John Tortarella will not be missing each other too much now that Perrin is gone. Apparently Torty is upset that the Tampa Bay Lightning took a chance on Perrin by giving him his shot when no other team would and Perrin treats TB by leaving for 'only' 150k more. Perrin's side is that he was guaranteed a 3rd line by the Thrash, while he would play 4th line minutes for Tampa Bay (oh and the fact that 150k is more than 3x what the normal person makes...thanks for making me feel poor Tort).

*There is an interesting story about how Perrin made the NHL. Apparently we will hear it enough, but to make it quick, he has been good friends with (former) teammate Martin St. Louis since childhood. They both play a similar game and while Marty was in the NHL becoming a star, Perrin was struggling in Europe until TB gave him his shot.

*Scouting report on Perrin is a speedy player who has a good scoring ability but is very tiny for the NHL. Current projections show him on the checking line, which seems to be ironic for such a tiny guy.

*Thrash still need a playmaking top 2 line center. Options are to move Holik up into the top two lines or trade for a top center.

*Rumors are that Holik is on the trading block. I hate to see any player go, but Holik's contract is eating up space. I think he either needs to move up or be traded...

Projected lines I thought were interesting:

Kovy- White- Sterling
Hossa-Holik-Kozlov
Dupuis-Perrin-Larsen
4th line=anyone

Yes, this is a stretch for both White and Sterling, BUT it's not like Kovy really played with anyone special last year.

It's late...more to come later

Roster starting to fill up now:

2007-07-02T09:39:00.001-04:00

Thrashers have signed C Todd White (played for the Wild the past 2 seasons) for a 4 year contract worth a little over 2 million/ year. In the past he has centered Hossa, so I seem him as a replacement for Belanger.

Thrashers have also signed Forward Eric Perrin. He's a little on the small side but has speed to burn. Word is that he is Sim's replacement (with speed). He may serve as another winger for Kovy (or be a checking forward so that Dupuis can move up)...in my opinion we don't need anyone special as another winger for Kovy, we just need someone who can keep up with him. As good as Mellanby and Tkachuk may have been, they were sorely behind every play for the line to work.

Kozlov talks are still going on and there's a bit of optimism that he may come back. If Kozlov does sign, that leaves us with the following roster:

Hossa-White-Kozlov

Kovy-__________-Perrin

Larsen-Holik-Dupuis

Sterling-Slater-(another young guy)

Wow...although we haven't really signed anyone big, if we can bring Kozy back and get a Yashin or similar to center Kovy's line, this looks like a pretty good team. The signing of Perrin, Dupuis, and White show that Waddell is trying to get speed to compete with the new NHL. I really like the Hossa-White-Kozlov line, as their games seem to complement each other. Puttin Perrin on the Kovy line is a stretch, I know, but like I said, we need SPEED at that other wing.

July 1st has arrived

2007-07-01T13:04:00.001-04:00

Cross Keith Tkachuk of your list...he's gone

Welcome back Pascal Dupuis (who I would really like to see with Kovy on first line.)

These are still my lines i would like to see:

Hossa-FA-Kozlov
Kovy-FA-Dupuis
Larsen-Holik-Lavallee
Sterling-Slater-anyone else

Thrashers Catch-up

2007-06-27T09:18:00.000-04:00

First another apology for the lack of posts....it's extremely hard to find time to make a post.

Here's an overview of what's been happening in the Thrasher organization.

We originally had 5 draft picks, but traded the late 3rd rounder (78 overall) for defensive forward Chris Thorburn. It may not appear to be much, but the Falconer does a very good analysis of the trade, saying that we are giving a pick which typically yields a bust for a player who may actually play.

With the rest of the picks, we focused on forwards (picked 3 forwards and one defenseman), resulting in a draft Waddell was very pleased in (which may be just talk and defending a crappy draft year).

Here is an overview of the players we drafted:

3rd Round (67 overall)-RW- Spencer Machacek - 6'1" 180lbs.

Spencer played in the WHL on a loaded team. His production and stats are not outstanding, but this may be due to him not being on the primary scoring or power play lines. Waddell claims that the organization ranked Spencer in the first round on their board, so they were very excited to pick them up.

4th Round (115 Overall)- C- Niklas Lucenius - 6' 189

Niklas has a pretty cool picture up on the Thrashers website. Considered by many to be the number one Finnish player this year (considered a weak year for Finland, though).

6th Round (175 Overall)- C-John Albert- 5'10" 180

John is the first player drafted by the Thrashers from the US developmental program. Will be playing at Ohio State for the next couple of years, which Waddell says is very important.

7th Round (205 Overall)- D- Paul Postma- 6'2" 173

Paul is a very raw, skinny Defensman with a decent frame. Apparently has a good hockey mindset but is not very athletic or skilled.

In other news, Waddell was attempting to sign Kozlov, but it appears Fla may be getting to him a little bit too much. So what is our plan B? Resigning Tkachuk. This is a lot closer now that we have made a trade with St. Louis. Basically we traded the rights of Tkachuk to St. Louis until July 1st in return for our 1st round pick we traded them. Then we still have a chance to get Tkachuck without having to give up our 1st rounder. Great move in my opinion.

It seems as if Waddell is doing his best to make manuevers given the huge constraints he has. This team may take 2 different directions by the time this offseason is over. Some of the question marks were solved when the restricted free agents were offered contracts. Slater, Doell, Exelby, Schultz (recently acquired in a trade), Stuart, and Thorburn were all extended contracts. Larsen and McCarthy were both signed new deals, solidifying the checking line and the defense ( I really like McCarthy and think he screams new NHL.)

Here is a good story on Sterling on Fox.com: Sterling's ready for the next step

A roster analysis will be coming shortly...but that's the scoop for now...

GT's camp

2007-06-11T08:44:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I attended the GT camp for high school students, and there were some pretty good standouts. Derek Winter was probably the one guy that opened my eyes the most, followed by Chris Jackson and Ahmed Shakoor. Chris Jackson has already committed to us, Shakoor committed to Louisville, and Derek Winter currently does not have an offer. Overall, though, the camp had quite a good talent level and I could see quite a few guys getting offers.

On an unrelated note, I saw the football poster for this year...and WOW...for once I actually like it...a lot.

Thrashers Updates

2007-06-01T11:07:00.001-04:00

First off, I want to apologize to everyone for the lack of updates the last few weeks. I have been EXTREMELY busy and have not had the time to sit on the computer and work on it. What an exciting, and interesting night it was last night. The Thrashers officially signed 4 prospects, and news was coming out of Sweden that Enstrom had been signed. Most importantly, we signed the 2 players that really shined in the Quebec Junior league, Chad Denny and Ondrej Pavelec. These boys are still years from being with the team, but its still good to get them signed. Enstrom, on the other hand, can be penciled in to play on the blueline. Two other players signed were Myles Stoesz and Tomas Pospisil. To me, with the influx of the AHL players to the Thrashers this year, these players should reload the Chicago Wolves team.

Also of note, Waddell mentioned that we will not extend an offer to Tkachuk prior to him being in the free agent market. I actually don't mind that since as much as I love Tkachuk during the regular season, during the playoffs, he seemed show limited effort at times.

Crit hires agent

2007-05-25T16:20:00.002-04:00

Well, surprise surprise. he wanted to be the next great point guard at GT and all he will be is another 1-and-done failure in the NBA. Good Riddance.

Congratulations GT Tennis

2007-05-25T16:20:00.001-04:00

GT Tennis has just won the first Georgia Tech National Championship in any sport (for some reason football doesn't count). We beat UCLA 4-2 on UGA's tennis courts (my parents who attended said it was surreal seeing UGA fans cheering for Tech players.

Now Kristi Miller is tearing it up in the singles tournament.

Thrashers prospects

2007-05-22T13:24:00.000-04:00

So we all know that there will be a ton of turnover next year and a lot of it will goto the young guys in the AHL being moved up. There has been extensive stories and press this past week on these players because they are playing for the AHL's version of the Stanley Cup, the Calder Cup.

So far Chicago is down in the series 2 games to zero, but both games have gone to overtime.

Here are some stories and profiles of players you might see next year.

AJC story on Boris Valabik

AJC story on Mark Popovic

NHL.com story on Joran LaVallee

Blueland Blog article on Bryan Little

So I gather that Popovic is a lock for the team next year, whereas the other three will have a battle to make the roster.

NBA pre-draft camp:

2007-05-22T09:51:00.000-04:00

Reports are coming out that Thaddeus Young is not going to attend the pre-draft camp while Crittenton will. Kinda strange but I have to think Thaddeus doesn't want to lower his stock any more. He is up there with Dion Glover for 'players I wish didn't come to Tech.' He really has some bad advice coming from 'Team Thad'. Crit on the other hand is most likely going to prove to everyone that he deserves to be a lottery pick.

In other news, The GT tennis team will be playing for the national championship tonight against UCLA. It will be on ESPNU @ 7PM tonight. Good Luck!

Did you know that no GT team has ever won an NCAA championship. Football has won multiple press championships, but not a single official NCAA championship. Let's change that tonight!

Tech Baseball and basketball

2007-05-19T17:32:00.000-04:00

So currently Tech baseball is struggling pretty bad...and an invite to the tournament seems questionable. It almost looks like its a chemistry issue this year and a few of our big bats aren't giving us clutch hitting. We lost ALL of our talent this year too, it seems, so I am kinda worried about our future there. Please someone help me out and bring my confidence back in the baseball program.

In basketball news, we start the season off against Charlotte in the Paradise Jam classic. The other big names are Winthrop and Notre Dame..so its a decent tournament and should provide us with some good experience at the beginning of the year. Any free tickets for a poor student available;) Oh and next year's schedule is loaded with some tough games. Now if only Hewitt doesn't schedule some of the worst teams in the country we might have a decent strength of schedule.

Commit # 2 for GT: Embry Peeples

2007-05-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

First off: What an awesome football name. I am a huge proponent that a players' success has a large correlation with how awesome his name is. With that in mind, this guy will automatically be a star.

The details: Sources peg him as short (5-7 to 5-9) and small (155-175) BUT he's fast. REALLY fast. 4.3 40 yard dash, 10.71 100m = FAST. And remember what Bond did with a very similar player, Garrett Wolfe. I am excited about this recruiting class so far, which appears will take on a much more national scope due to less than stellar academics.

Tidbits:

Embry Peeples, 5-10/185, Orlando Dr. Phillips ... May have best inside-outside running combo in Florida, has run equivalent of 10.6 100 meters and is one of fastest sprinters in Central Florida, can catch coming out of the backfield, could be receiver, kick returner, 909 yards in balanced attack; Eric Smith, 6-1/220, Seffner Armwood ... Injuries relegated him to 2nd team all-Hillsborough but he is believed to have big-time talent and great thickness; Carlton Thomas, 5-8/170, Frostproof ... Perhaps the best at his school since Travis Henry, has great quickness and speed, rushed for 2,200 plus yards, all-state pick; Aaron Winchester, 5-7/170, North Miami Beach ... 2nd team all-Dade, also KR, one of the quickest and most versatile athletes in Dade County

Video of him:

2006 Highlights

Preseason Rankings: Athlon Sports

2007-05-15T15:25:00.000-04:00

So Athlon is updating their website daily counting down the top 25, and honestly when they got past 20, I didn't think we were even going to be in their top 25, but today they have us at No. 14. Gotta love this quote:

The Yellow Jackets have finished with a winning percentage of .500 or better in ACC play for 12 consecutive years, the longest in the league by four years.

Check out the link: No. 14 Jackets Getting Hot in Atlanta

News is that GT-Boston College will be primetime National Television...which already puts us at 3 nationally televised games (ND, BC, VT), and we still have Clemson, Miami, UGA as very interesting games. Thank you, Calvin, for putting GT football back on the map.

Freshman Info

2007-05-14T13:35:00.000-04:00

As you can see- I am adding videos of the incoming freshmen to the right. Only 3 so far, but the list will get higher very soon.

So about the Frosh...The numbers have recently been released:

#1 Morgan Burnett..............DB
#2 Mario Butler................DB
#9 Josh Nesbitt................QB
#16 Steven Threet..............QB
#21 Jonathan Dwyer.............RB
#28 DJ Donley..................WR
#29 Roddy Jones................RB
#35 Michael Peterson...........DB
#48 Jerrard Tarrant............DB
#50 Albert Rocker..............LB
#51 Brad Jefferson.............LB
#59 Kyle Jackson...............LB (Inj.)
#70 Joseph Gilbert.............OL
#76 Nick Claytor...............OL
#78 Clyde Yandell..............OL
#88 Willie White...............WR
#91 Derrick Morgan.............DL
#92 Jason Peters...............DL
#96 Logan Walls................DL

We already knew about 91 and 16...but some things to note: Willie White was given a DEFINITE WR number, but Donley was given a number that is much more interchangable between WR and CB.

Note Tarrant's number...seems kinda weird to be a DB. Maybe a future move to LB?

Also, in the AJC, positions of the 4 'athletes' were released by Gailey:
Donley and White are WR's
Tarrant and Burnett are DB's.

The final breakdown, by position of the recruiting class:
QB=2
RB=2
WR=2
OL=3
DL=3
LB=3
DB=4

I really think some of these guys have potential to make a name for themselves come fall practice. Who stands out and where they fit will be very interesting. A name to keep an eye out, that NOBODY is mentioning is Brad Jefferson...He has the makeup of the typical Gailey recruit and I see big things for him in the future. I'll tell you one thing, you are starting to see some MAJOR depth being built at a few key positions, most notably OL and DL. With the influx of athletes, hopefully we can fill in the few spots where we have holes.

Where exactly do we have holes? I think DB is a glaring weakness of this team and some of the incoming freshmen can definately see immeadiate playing time. Here's where I wish Donley at least started on D, since I really think the best available players should be found, and then the others get moved to offense.

Wow, do we have a stable of running backs or what? I am the biggest Rashaun Grant fan out there: just look at what he did against the country's no. 1 rushing defense 2 years ago (NC State)...don't just look at the stats...WATCH him completely dominate them. I love what Tashard Choice brings to the table, but I can only imagine what Rashaun could do since he doesn't get enough carries. And with Dwyer coming...we have 4 legitimate running backs who could play for anyone this year and depth for 2 years after that. Now if only we would actually RUN the ball to use these RB's.....

Ilya Nikulin a Thrasher?!?!

2007-05-14T10:13:00.000-04:00

According to Russian news outlets, Nikulin has signed a contract with the Thrashers and will be here this summer. Whether its only for camp or a deal for the season has already been reached is unknown. Regardless, this could potentially finish up the signings for our defense, with promotions from within completing our blueline. Or we could sign one more D-man to complete the lineup.

Current blueline:
Zhitnik Havelid Exelby Nikulin Popovic and another promotion

When will Waddell start making moves on Offense...now THAT is what I am curious about.

Kari looks great, then falters

2007-05-14T09:04:00.000-04:00

Kari looked outstanding against Kovy and the Russians, sparking a 2-1 upset on 29 saves, but looked dismal in the gold medal game, giving up 4 goals on 18 shots.

When I first learned of the great game against the Russians, I wondered if Kari is one of those European players who gets more motivated in international competitions than the stanley cup playoffs. After looking miserable against Canada, I wonder if its more about EUROPEAN competition. That when he faces Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, etc. he is much more prepared and ready and focused. Of course he always wants to win, but he seems to be only 'IN THE ZONE' against international competition. Kari did bring home the IIHF best goalie award and was voted to the media's All-Star Team.

Kovy's Russian Squad won the bronze medal game over Sweden, 3-1.

Statistics for Thrashers players:
Ilya Kovalchuk (Russia)- 2G 5A 7P +4
Marian Hossa (Slovakia)- 2G 4A 6P +1
Kari Lehtonen (Finland)- 12GA 138SOG 91.3SV% 4-2

Prospects
Ilya Nikulin (Russia)- 2G 0A 2P +6
Tobias Enstrom (Sweden)- 0G 2A 2P 0

Kari Wins!!! :) USA Loses!!:(

2007-05-10T16:10:00.000-04:00

Kari stops the USA in the shootout for a 5-4 win Finland Win. Next Up: Russia...won't that be fun

Thrashers Withdrawal

2007-05-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

Ugh...so these next two months are going to be rough. No Thrashers. No Tech football. Work. Work. Work. All I got left are the Braves. I would post things on them, but honestly the Braves get enough exposure that I won't really provide anything special. If someone wants to read up on the Braves, they can goto the AJC, ESPN, etc.

So Thrashers news is coming a little slow, unless you want to get frustrated by watching Heatley and his Senators play Buffalo. Fantastic matchup by the way in both conference finals and if I had the time, oh and versus, I would be glued to the TV. Ilya and Kari are still playing in the world championship, and Kari gets the start tonight against the US team.

A poster on the Thrashers message board (Stefanfan1) brought up an intriguing idea about trading Hossa. With the Atlanta Spirit finances, I don't think we will max out on the salary cap, thus I truly think we will be around 45 million...which will give Waddell some room to trade come trade deadline again. To bring in a more balanced team, perhaps we trade one of the stars to free up some space. You know the arguement: trade one great guy for two or three good players. There are positives and negatives to the situation. The entire strategy of the team can also be debated. Can we succeed with 2 powerful lines, albeit while both lines are streaky and not dominant? The Thrashers would be amazing if they could get both lines hot at the right time, but that never seemed to happen. If Kovy's line was scoring, the Hossa line was cold, and vice versa. So we are presented with multiple options:

1. Keep both and have them on separate lines (like now)
2. Keep both, sign a quick,great passing center and put them on one dominant line
3. Trade One (either one...they both make an equal impact to the team, IMO).

If we are going to trade one, I think Hossa is more expendable. One year left, not as young, and I think Atlanta wants to build this team around Kovy. I think one investment we need to make is to get a good or great center. We are putting a lot of money into Kovy, and a lot of it is being wasted because we cannot find a center to maximize his skillset. Spending a couple million on a center that compliments Kovy may be just as effective as rolling out 2 scoring lines. Then focus on defense...Kari is at his best when he can depend on the defense. People can blame him all they want for his subpar play at the end of the year, but I think it was mostly due to him losing confidence in the defense. The shot against totals were horrendous. I am glad we have the dependable Zhitnik to center the defense around, as I really think he is a bargain even at 3.5 million.

Here are my grades for each line overall, and how they compare to other 1st, 2nd, checking, and 4th lines respectively. (Note: these are last years lines)

1st Line:
Hossa Belanger Kozlov B+ C+
Kovy Tkachuk Mellanby B+ A-
Holik checking line B B+
4th Line C- C

In other words, how would we do if we had a dominant first line (like Tampa Bay or Ottawa) with solid defense and good goaltending. I actually like last years team a lot if we can upgrade the defense a little and get Dupuis and a young, quick center for Kovy.

So many possibilities and directions for this team to go and I am getting anxious to hear about what Waddell does, and the strategy he employs.

So a new media player has been added

2007-05-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

Songs for both Thrashers and GT will be added to it. Please let me know if you hear a song that makes you think about the Thrashers/GT/gets you pumped up or if you encounter any problems with the player.

NOTE: Can anyone who uses IE hear it? Looks like I may have to tinker with it a little

World Championships update

2007-05-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

Kari's Finland just lost to Sweden 1-0 on a goal that Kari let in himself. A shot off net was redirected by Kari into the goal. It was his first loss ever in international play.

Ilya's Russian Squad is still undefeated as they trounced Switzerland 6-3. Ilya recorded one goal and one assist.

Hossa's Slovakia squad beat Belarus 4-3...hossa was +3 with 2 assists.

Sorry for the delay...

2007-05-06T11:20:00.000-04:00

But I just finished finals, got moved out, and worked a 12 hour day on saturday. I will get back to posting regularly NOW

Some Georgia Tech Tidbits

2007-05-04T04:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know, but I get the feeling that both Thad and Crit are gone. GT just isn't a place where a player wants to come back, for whatever reason. Name the last person who was a probable high round draft choice who came back....

though, they both did attend finals this week, which is encouraging.

Here is a good story about the choosing of Calvin and the experience while Detroit was on the clock. It almost sounds as if Detroit was looking for a trade, albeit a BIG one....since

Denver had offered two first-round picks, a second-rounder and two third-rounders, plus veteran linebacker Al Wilson, but when the Broncos wouldn't substitute another second-round pick for the injured Wilson, Millen turned them down

Check it out here

In other Tech news, my last final is in 4 hours...what a crappy week this has been with a final EVERY DAY.

Once this is all over, I promise I will put up some more stuff.

Also, I am still working on the sidebars (as you can tell, one side has Thrashers stuff, the other side, GT stuff)...let me know if you want certain things up. I am still working on all the html/script as it all gets kinda funky with the whole template coding and stuff.

Anyways, wish me luck on my last final

Canada beats Slovakia

2007-05-03T01:48:00.000-04:00

Hossa scored a goal on what sounds like a pretty nifty move on Roloson, but the Slovakia team lost 5-4 to Canada. They will still be in the qualifying round, though.

Canada beats Slovakia 5-4 in Thriller

In other news, prospect Enstrom's Swedish team beat Switzerland 6-0. He was credited with an assist.

Five goal Second Lifts Sweden Over Swiss

Russia beats Finland 5-4

2007-05-01T20:39:00.000-04:00

Kovy's Russia squad beat Kari's Finnish squad 5-4 in what apparently was a great hockey game. Kovy was credited with an assist and Kari didn't play.

Russia Survives Wild Finnish for 5-4 Win

Update: Hossa's Slovakia club will face 2-0 Canada on Wednesday...

Check out this slick Hossa assist...Gaborik is a pretty good player....

World Championships

2007-04-30T15:59:00.000-04:00

Ilya Kovalchuk and Kari Lehtonen are playing for their respective countries in the IIHF World Championships

Ilya's Russian Squad is currently 2-0 outscoring their opponents 17-2 but Ilya's line isn't doing so hot (he only has one assist so far)...Alexei Morozov is having a hell of a tournament so far.

Kari's Finland Squad is currently 2-0 as well outscoring their opponents 11-2. Kari saved 17 of 19 shots in one game.

Russia and Finland play each other Tuesday night so that will be interesting...

Ilya has been quoted as saying that he looks forward to playing against Kari because he knows his weaknesses...so let's see how that works out if Kari is put in goal.

Update: Marian Hossa is also playing for the Slovakia team...and his team is also 2-0. Currently he has only one assist in one game.

Two prospects Ilya Nikulin and Tobias Enstrom are also playing in the tournament. As I said before, these guys are probably good enough to play for us now, it's just a matter of signing them. It's a fluke that we still have a chance for Nikulin but the rumor is that a contract has been agreed upon so we'll see what happens with that. Apparently he and Kovalchuk are good friends so I assume our Ilya is doing his recruiting.

GT Draft analysis

2007-04-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

So only two players got drafted:

Calvin Johnson, 1st Round, 2nd Overall to Detroit
Mansfield Wrotto, 4th Round to Seattle

I must eat my crow because I thought Wrotto would be the odd one out when draft day ended, but Seattle must have seen a lot of potential in a player who has only played on the offensive line for 2 years...and who weighs in at 6-3, 317. I just thought he was a little soft for a trench position, but I was wrong.

Not a shock that Kenny Scott was not drafted, as I think his personality issues definitely turned teams away from him.

Joe Anoai and KaMichael Hall were both victims of the 'they don't fit the mold' mentality of the NFL. Both of them apparently took it pretty hard, especially KaMichael.

The players signed as free agents or invited as non-roster invitees:

Joe Anoai signed with Minnesota
KaMichael Hall signed with Indianapolis
George Cooper signed with Detroit
Michael Matthews signed with NY Giants
Reggie Ball invited to Detroit mini-camp
Kenny Scott invited to Tampa Bay mini-camp

Interesting that Tech played in the ACC championship, yet had such low draft numbers.

So, a new and improved blog is coming

2007-04-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

I am working out all the CSS and XML coding in the formatting of the website and have perhaps 20% of my planned changes completed. Look for a few more widgets added and a new header. The header sure would be a lot easier if I was using photoshop and not paint...but I gotta use what tools I do have.

Also, some people do not like my marketing ideas, and I am sure the Thrashers marketing will feel that they have better ways to market...so I am going to do the 'welcome to blueland' website myself. I will be working on it over the summer and look for it to roll out in August. Preliminary layout storyboards are up and it looks good!

Calvin Johnson drafted #2 Overall by Detroit

2007-04-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

Detroit held back all trade offers and drafted Calvin at No. 2...Now the question is, do they still trade him? Someone told me that Calvin's price may rise come August and Detroit may be able to get more out of him

Congrats Calvin on a great career at GT and I know that your presence will make other teams better.

Good luck!

Thrasher's future

2007-04-27T17:38:00.000-04:00

Over at Hockey Future, they list who they think will make it next year

Hockey's Future

Locks: Sterling and Popovic
Possibilities: Oystrick, Enstrom, Nikulin
Longshots: Little, Valabik, LaVallee, Stuart

Ok...my analysis of this is that he has waaay too many D-men as possibilities...I know that both Enstrom and Nikulin must be signed, but hell if Popovic and Oystrick are in, then that will most likely be all we need. What I assume he is saying is that both Enstrom and Nikulin are better players, and if signed, will play on the Thrashers, its just dependant on if the Thrashers can sign them.

Also, remember that these are only rookies, so a Krog or Haydar still may be possibilities as 4th line wingers. So I think it is safe to say that Sterling has a spot on next year's team...

I still think 2 defenseman and 4 wingers will be called up to fill up holes (including the healthy scratches)...I don't think Little will be called up at the beginning of the season only because they would rather him play full time in Chicago for development. Look for Haydar to definately be up next year.

Some Tech news...

2007-04-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

Well it's finals week next week at GT and I just wrapped up 4 presentations and major term projects this week and I have a final EVERY day next week. So one of two thing will happen: I feel very productive and actually study OR you will see long dragged out posts about anything and everything. My money is on the second.

Well a couple of days after Thad put his name in the draft, Crit followed suit. Not looking good for next years team. I hate college basketball offseason because you never know whats going to happen....and its hard to root for players because the best will be gone before you have any lasting memories. I wish the NBA had similar rules to MLB...where you can be drafted directly out of high school, but if you enroll in college, you have to stay for three years.

Even with both players gone next year, GT will have a pretty deep team except for one position:PG. Of course that's the most important position and is the difference between a horrible team and national championship.

In Calvin news, it is reported that Arthur Blank has told the Falcons GM to do whatever it takes to draft Calvin. A lot of people are loving the idea of Calvin playing in the ATL, which would be awesome, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I am thinking its most likely a bluff to make TB pay more to trade up to No. 2.

I did have information months ago that the Falcons were going to trade Schaub and picks for the no. 1 spot, but that deal fell through.

With the draft in a few days...I might as well predict where my boys will be drafted:

Calvin...No 2.
Scott...3rd Rd.
Hall...5th
Anoai...7th

Poker....

2007-04-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Game: Free Roll Tournament
Venue: Smith's Olde Bar
Number of people: 40
Place: 12

I hate this place...I still cannot breathe because of the cigarette smoke, and it was like being at a daycare where each deal took 5 minutes alone...once the blinds went up to 500-1000 and i only had 4000 chips....I had to move all in with a A-9...and went up against pocket Aces.....The was the night for me....very frustrating even though I still placed 12th

Ohhh a good ole debate

2007-04-24T15:11:00.000-04:00

So now I am debating how young/new the Thrashers will be next year. Basically we can sign back our entire team, minus Tkachuk, but I don't think that would be the best thing to do.

Guys I think would be a good start:
Dupuis
Belanger
Kozlov
Larsen
Exelby
Hnidy

So now we have 7 fowards (assuming rucchin is not back)...5 spots left
and 4 defensemen...2 spots left

Look for us to sign a big name for the Kovy line and perhaps another vet for the checking line (or a sim/vigier)...so that leaves us with 3 spots for forwards

Popovic is apparently a lock, along with Sterling...

That will leave us with 2 forward openings 1 defensive (plus 2 scratches assuming boulton is the healthy scratch)

This leaves us with 5 spots left to be filled with vets or rookies....and I think this will be the debate of the summer.

As much as I want the Sims, Vigiers, and McCarthy's all back...I think we may have to say goodbye to them to sign up some bigger names.

Mellanby Retires

2007-04-24T12:43:00.000-04:00

Goodbye, Captain Mel

He will surely be missed. Although he lost a step or two the last couple of years, his grit and determination and heart are more than you could ask for from a captain. I remember him making a statement against the Caps that NOBODY disrespects his team. If someone

So this reminds me of a great song....Grand Funk Railroad
"Closer to Home"...spoken from Mellanby's POV, and the difficult decision he most likely had to make.

Lyrics:

Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.
Im your captain, Im your captain,
Although Im feeling mighty sick.

Ive been lost now, days uncounted,
And its months since Ive seen home.
Can you hear me, can you hear me,
Or am I all alone.

If you return me, to my home port,
I will kiss you mother earth.
Take me back now, take me back now,
To the port of my birth.

Am I in my cabin dreaming, or are you really scheming,
To take my ship away from me?

Youd better think about it, I just cant live without it.
So, please dont take my ship from me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah ...

I can feel the hand, of a stranger,
And its tightening, around my throat.
Heaven help me, heaven help me,
Take this stranger from my boat.

Im your captain, Im your captain,
Although Im feeling mighty sick.
Everybody, listen to me,
And return me, my ship.

Im your captain, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Im getting closer to my home ...

Im getting closer to my home ...

GT Men's Golf, Women's Tennis Win ACC Championships

2007-04-23T18:26:00.000-04:00

Congrats to the Men's Golf Team who tied Virginia Tech for a share of the 2007 ACC golf championship!!

Men's Golf Champs

Also congrats to the Women's Tennis team as they defeated Miami to win the ACC championship!

Kristi Miller defeated previously unbeaten and #1 Audra Cohen

2007 Women's Tennis Champs!

Thaddeus Young declares for draft, does not hire agent

2007-04-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

For now, it looks like it may be the typical One and Done for Young

Thaddeus Young Declares for NBA Draft

Since he did not hire an agent, it means nothing for now, except that he wants to gauge where he will go a little more accurately. If he doesn't move up...look for him to be back...if he is a lottery pick...see you later, Thad.

Based on performance, I do not see him being a lottery pick, but based on potential, I assume he is gone (since the NBA is kinda known for drafting on potential)

I have some friends in his classes and will get updates to you when I can

More marketing discussion

2007-04-23T16:01:00.000-04:00

So in a previous post, I brought up two ideas that I think Thrashers management could use to increase fan awareness, fan attendance, and most important, MORE REVENUE

Ok, so currently the average Atlantan doesn't care about the Thrashers. Let's face it, this town is currently a football/Braves town. People aren't even willing to give hockey a chance unless they goto a game. Well free tickets aren't enough to get someone interested in a team...if they have free tickets...they likely won't come down since its a long drive, parking, downtown, etc. etc. But I think the people who would buy tickets are very similar to the people who already have season tickets, thus using season ticket holders (STH) is the most logical solution.

Okay here is my current plan, which could always change, of course

I. Atlanta Spirit offers STH a chance to bring X friends to X amount of games (let's say they get 10 tickets to start...which can be used 10 times with 10 different people , 5 couples, 2 families, etc.)...and these tickets are at a discounted price and preferably be in close proximity to the STH
-->A. When STH sign up to use tickets, they goto a special website where they enter the contact information of the people who want to go.
---->1. This contact info will be used for marketing purposes and to restrict over usage/cheating
---->2. Contact info is used to email the friend and notify them that they can sign up for a special website geared towards new fans ("welcome to blueland", etc.) which will contain a message board, explanation of hockey rules, thrashers highlights, philips arena highlights, and team information ( and other info that may be deemed important to attract new fans)
II. When STH and friend arrive, both STH and Atlanta Spirit work together to make the experience a good one for the friend.
-->A. A bag of goodies can be given to the new fan (includes a program geared toward teaching, other thrasher giveaway stuff)
-->B. Tour of Philips Arena can be given
-->C. Use new fans as contestants on certain game shows
-->D. Others that makes it a once in a lifetime experience
III. After game, present new fan with a discount to tickets for another game AND the ticket packages and have them contact someone on the 'Welcome to Blueland' Website for any questions
-->A. If a package/tickets are bought, give incentives/rewards to STH responsible for sale
---->1. Give STH more 'friends passes'
---->2. Based on how many new tickets STH is responsible for, give rewards (cash or merchandise based)
---->3. For STH with the most 'points', have a good prize (Thrashers can pay for their playoff tickets)

I think that plan would be great to attract more fans through the season ticket holders and be relatively cheap to operate

Okay for the college situation, the plan would be to generate, foster, and support student organizations supporting the Thrashers. Again, to create a situation in which a similar demographic attracts the same demographic. The college student discount is an amazing discount but not enough students know about it, and although a print/advertising campaign is established, it falls at marketing towards new fans.

I. Contact fans who are willing to create and coordinate organizations for their colleges
-->A. Each organization runs a website, which encourages discussion and provides info targeted for the college student
-->B. Responsible for 2 things
---->1. Generate more fan interest through talking with friends, viral advertising, holding 'Thrasher viewing parties' and 'Thrashers game nights' (going to the game), and other strategies
---->2. Increase attendance (especially on weeknights) by increasing awareness of the discount, providing transportation/carpools, Thrashers game nights, and incentives for attendance (either who goes the most or a goal/reward strategy)...which would be tracked on the website

Other ideas for this:
1.On certain slow nights (weeknights), if a booth/party box is available, offer it to the student organizations
2.Have a certain section for just college students (upper rows of 301-304...where it gets very empty)...nasty nest is on one side...make it be a catchy theme on the other side for college students
3.Have incentives/competition between colleges...colleges with the highest attendance gets a booth for a game...or the players come to the college...etc.
I think the best way to do this would be to have the organizations market to the college students...and have college students contact their respective organizations for tickets...
4. On the website, the attendance records are kept(it could be in the form of every member of the organization has a profile (myspace/facebook style) and within that profile, the attendance stats are shown.

I think this would create a group of students that become really diehard fans that attract other students to the game.

NOTE: THIS COULD ALSO WORK FOR CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS/CORPORATIONS!!

For the students...say with Georgia Tech, there are 30 students who are diehard Thrashers fans...20 find tickets on craigslist/ebay/scalp/use student discount/use blueland crew/get free tickets...and 10 don't go as much as they would like because they don't know about the discount or don't have friends who are as diehard as they are....This connects these 30 people in an organization that will goto games together, and attempt to attract more people to go (through friends who don't go as much or have never gone before.) The 15-20 people who go using multiple ways (some not even paying for tickets) turn into 50-60 people all buying straight from the Thrashers...which then turns into 100...and so forth.

The revenue generated from this would greatly exceed the expenses...here is a very low estimate based on GT students attendance:

currently: 20 people buy tickets every game for an average of 10 dollars a piece...spend 10 dollars at the game on food/merchandise/parking
20*20=400 dollars a game made on this market
400*41=16,400/year

Low projection: 60 students buy tickets for an average of 15 dollars...spend 15 dollars at the game on food/merchandise/parking (merchandise is increased due to the increase in new fans..which would buy more stuff)

60*30=1800/game
1800*41=73800/year

increase of 57400...just from an increase of 40 students/game/school!!!

This would be a continuing increase solely because of the chain reaction that would occur.

I really think these types of strategies would work perfectly in 1. Generate more fan interest which sells more tickets and gets more butts in the seats...and 2. Create a more dependable ticket sales on weeknights with the college students in close proximity to Philips Arena.

I could go on forever and ever but I think now would be a good stopping point

Okay so more roster discussion

2007-04-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

So here's a new look at it:

Here are the lines we have now:

__________-__________-Hossa

Kovy-__________-________

__________-Holik-____________

__________-_________-_________

Zhitnik-Havelid

________-________

________-________

Lehtonen
Hedberg

Rucchin being healthy is also a player we have signed

So priorities being:
Kozlov
Dupuis
Belanger

That will mostly fill out the top 2 lines...

From there we can fill up the 3rd and 4th line with a mix of veterans/prospects

Thrasher roster...update

2007-04-23T11:59:00.000-04:00

Okay...so I have some new ideas about the roster...what if Rucchin cannot play? Then I think we go after a Briere or maybe attempt to resign Tkachuk. Also, I went A LOT younger on defense...look for us to keep either Sutton or DeVries...Maybe Rucchin cannot play and that frees up the money for a start center on that first line.

Imagine Kovy-Briere-Dupuis

Wow...that is some speed with some good offensive firepower. Kovy would most likely turn Dupuis into a 20+ goal scorer.

I really want to see Valabik up next year and I think he might be viewed as a 'cheaper Sutton'. So I think DeVries will be the defenseman picked up, which I would like honestly...I would be a huge fan of Zhitnik/DeVries line...they might not have the best skills, but they would make very few mistakes and just play fundamentally sound defense.

My lines now:

Kozlov-Belanger-Hossa
Kovalchuk-Briere-Dupuis
Larsen-Holik-Boulton (or sim maybe...)
Little-Slater-Sterling

Zhitnik-DeVries
Havelid-Exelby
McCarthy-Hnidy

With Valabik or Popovic ready to play as well.

Okay I am going to use this blog to discuss one more thing: POKER!

2007-04-23T11:44:00.000-04:00

So when reading this blog, you can read my thoughts and analysis on GT, Thrashers, and now....POKER! I would like to consider myself a pretty competitive poker player. I play in a freeroll league around Atlanta, I have played on a casino boat and finished up around 700 dollars in 2 days. I have played cash games with friends and am up so far. I would like to think that my success isn't based on just luck, that it is now more skill than anything...but that is up to debate. Anyways I have played in 4 tournaments recently: came in 1st in one, 5th in the next, 9th, and then 4th in my last one, all of these tournaments with around 40-50 people at the beginning. I would like to play in some higher stakes stuff, but currently I am way too poor. From now on, you will see me make a journal in this blog after each tounament and cash game I play. It will all follow the same format:

Game:What type of game and what buy in
Venue: Where I played
Total people: Number of people in tournament
Finish: My place in tournament
Notes:My strategy and notable hands

Note: If you only want to read up on one of my poker, Thrashers, or GT blogs, and not the others, just click the category to the right that interests you. Thank you-Matt

TV Ratings...Ouch

2007-04-22T04:49:00.000-04:00

So needless to say, as much as I love the Thrashers, and for all the sleep I lost during our short playoff run, Atlanta doesn't care about the Thrashers....at all

This link is kinda scary

TV Ratings

Too lazy?? Need a recap?

Game 1: .7 rating (15,400 households) for our FIRST playoff game EVER...The city waited 8 years for this and not even 1 percent of the population cared?

Game 2: 1.9 on NBC....we were beaten out by a TAPED figure skating competition...FIGURE SKATING?!?!

Game 3: .4 rating (8,800)...on an away game??? So less people watched it when it was away?? This doesn't make sense

Game 4: .4 (8,800)...I guess the bandwagon fans already gave up by this point.

So what does all this mean? Can Hockey survive in Atlanta? Do these numbers even matter?

Well, let's face it, the Atlanta Spirit lost a lot of money this year...AGAIN...and these numbers paint a very bleak picture on Atlanta's opinion of the hometown hockey team. I think Atlanta can support a hockey team, but a few things must be done to ensure the financial stability.

The marketing group must do a better job of attracting fans, and they need to do this the right way, which isn't easy. Currently the Thrasher fanbase is very small, but consists of many DIEHARD fans. Somehow, they have to increase the general fanbase. They cannot do this by just handing out free tickets (Blueland crew)...since this plan was just abused by poor cheap college students like myself. They need to reach out in a different way...through the already established fans. I will admit for the first 5 years, I did not care all that much about the Thrashers, I just kinda followed the team through the small amount of coverage in the local newspaper. Then my girlfriend took me to my first game, which we lost, but I was HOOKED. The funny thing, though, is that if you listen to other people, who have recently become a Thrashers fan, every story is the same: "I didn't know much about hockey, but my friend took me to a game and it was awesome!!".

So here's my plan: Use season ticket holders as a way to sell the team by introducing their friends to the game. It is pretty simple yet makes sense:
1. Create a marketing/operations position that cordinates the plan
2. Give incentives to season ticket holders who bring friends who are new to hockey to the games
A. The season ticket holder contacts the cordinator and notifies them that they will bring a friend (or 2) to a game and gives the contact info of the friend (for marketing purposes and to ensure that people don't abuse the policy)
--The Thrashers then provide discounted tickets to the game (perhaps free tickets, trust me there's plenty) and also provide a giftbag of Thrashers stuff and give a behind the scenes tour of Philips Arena. Just go all out in attracting the new fans. Remember, the new fans should sit next to their friends once the game starts, so that the season ticket holder can spread the passion. At the end of the night, offer the new hockey fans discounted tickets (2 for 1) for another night or try to sell a package. IF the new fans buy a package, then the season ticket holder who hooked it all up gets some type of incentive (it can be a gradual thing...where the more people you sell, the more (and better) stuff you get...or a cash thing (get 50 dollars for every new fan you bring who buys a package)

I think this strategy would work best in bringing in more people, and by getting the fans involved in the marketing, I really think a chain reaction could occur, where current season ticket holders bring their friends, who may become season ticket holders, who then bring their friends, and so forth.

Also, the best, consistent, deal the Thrashers offer is the student discount...but they do not advertise it enough. They should do an attendence contest for college students... which would be easy to do. Have special days at local college campuses (campii...ugh...i never know) where a few players come out and it's a whole festival atmosphere and notify students of not only the discount, but of the attendance contest. Set up the attendence contest where the student who comes to the most games using the college student discount wins some awesome prize: like playoff tickets or something. Meanwhile, have rewards for certain attendence goals met: such as after 10 games, you get a shirt, 20 games a signed puck, 30 games a tour, 40 games a special seat upgrade, or something to that affect. I really think that would get a LOT of students going, and would create a pretty good atmosphere in the 300s where there are empty seats for most games (especially weeknights). Perhaps even offer a shuttle from GSU and GT to provide the students with transportation before and after the game.

Anyways, I love my Thrashers, and I love seeing people at their first game getting absolutely addicted to the game. I think the marketing department fails miserably in attracting new fans to the game. Let me know what your thoughts are on some of my ideas.

Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you, Calvin Johnson

2007-04-22T04:19:00.000-04:00

I have witnessed first hand the amazing abilities of a once in a lifetime player. I have been to every GT football game and practice for the past three years, and the one thing I will remember more than anything else are the numerous "WOW!! DID YOU SEE THAT!!!" feelings I had while watching him play. He first walked onto the practice field and there was a silence...this "Do we really have the best player in the country" moment...like he was supposed to go somewhere else. The Clemson game (forever known as the coming out party)...the NC State Catch...the Miami catches...45...The numerous fade routes in the endzone (aka. automatic)...the Virginia game...the VT game...West Virginia...Breaking almost every school receiving record (in 3 years)...4.35 when you are not even supposed to run...42 inches and being PISSED about it...oh and the fact that he was one of the hardest workers on the team speaks volumes that the guy, even after 3 years of domination, still isn't satisfied.

Here's a salute to you, Calvin, the best football player I will ever watch

A pretty good independant highlight video

Official GT highlight reel:

One of the best catches ever (he's got skills):

Thrashers Salary Cap Analysis

2007-04-21T19:18:00.000-04:00

The following two tables show the salary cap situation of 1. The players we have signed for next year and 2. The possibilities of who I think the Thrashers will attempt to sign (with estimated salary cap numbers). Comments are written out to the right of the tables.

-Will Rucchin play next year? What cap penalty will we have to pay if he doesn't?
- So with only 8 players signed, we have a salary of well over half of the salary cap Remaining salary cap uses an estimated salary cap of 48 million

<--So we have an estimated 5.86 million to fill up 3 spots (either the healthy scratches or we can upgrade a certain position)

Here are my proposed lines with this roster
(players signed)
Hossa-Belanger-Kozlov
Kovalchuk-Rucchin-Dupuis
Larsen-Holik-Boulton
Little-Slater-Sterling

Zhitnik-Havelid
Exelby-Hnidy
Popovic-McCarthy

Lehtonen
Hedberg

So how does that roster look? Don't expect a lot of scoring from our checking line with this roster. Some differences may be that one of the rookies will play on the Kovy line while Dupuis is back on the checking line.

I do feel that one of Sutton or DeVries will be resigned...which one, I do not know

Some questions?
How much younger does Waddell want to take the team...I think we can sign more big names by signing younger players
Which young guys do get to play? And which positions close?
Do we keep Sim while putting Dupuis back on the checking line?
I feel that Boulton would typically be a healthy scratch (unless an enforcer is needed)...so if Sim is signed or another partner for Kovy, Dupuis will be moved back to checking
Will Rucchin play?
I think this team is a complete Kovy line and 2 complete D lines away from being a VERY good team.

Here is my top 5 on players we should resign and a preferred price
1. Dupuis @ 1.5
2. Kozlov @ 3.5
3. Exelby @ 1.5
4. Belanger @ 2
5. McCarthy @ 1

This will be updated as players are signed and any other information is leaked

Welcome

2007-04-21T12:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog in which I will go in depth on both the Atlanta Thrashers and Georgia Tech

Some things I would like to do:
Statistical, roster, schedule, and game analysis for both teams
Contract situations for the Thrashers
Recruiting situations for the Yellow Jackets

I am also a big fan of lists...so you will most likely see a top 5 or 10 list weekly, and they may be related to the teams, they might not

To start, I will do my top 10 sports teams I cheer for:

1. Georgia Tech (hey...I go there so I have to have some pride
2. Atlanta Thrashers (thank you to my girlfriend for getting me addicted)
3. Atlanta Braves (All I have to say Mets fans: 14>1)
4. Atlanta Falcons (yea...home team)
5. Boston Red Sox (all because of my boy, Varitek)
6. Green Bay Packers (my dad grew up there...it's all in the family)
7. Whoever is playing Georgia (What's the good word???)
8. Atlanta Hawks (yea...home team)
9. Anyteam a former GT player is on
10. Harrison High School (hey...gotta give props to my alma mater)

Have a good day!