Spitballin’ (or Super Pass It To Bulis: All In, if you love adventurous acronymizing) is a feature that allows us to touch on a multitude of things really fast, because in the world of hockey, there are always lots of things to find and colour. Here are a few quick topics.
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Now Luongo might stay or something, I don’t know
I had to chuckle at Jason Botchford’s Sunday article looking at the possibility, hinted at by Mike Gillis during a recent Team 1040 interview, that the Canucks might keep both their goalies. It was a bit of a backpedal, especially after the decision to start Cory Schneider for Game 3 versus the Kings was met with a flurry of articles that this definitely meant Luongo would be traded, some of which were by Botchford. Here’s a line with little wiggle room:
You can stop calling Cory Schneider the backup.
Two playoff starts in a row mean those days are behind him. Kind of like Roberto Luongo’s Canucks’ days.
Or maybe they aren’t. Did I say they were? Well, whatever.
Anyway. While I’m busting Botch’s balls a bit (holy alliteration, Batman!), I should take a moment to compliment him on this quality paragraph. From the Province:
At 26, Schneider, understandably, wants significantly more playing time, and battling Luongo for shifts in the crease isn’t the easiest, or smoothest way to go about getting that done. If you thought the goalie storyline was consuming and ubiquitous last season, that’s like an amuse-bouche compared to the meal people will be making of it this fall.
Amuse-bouche for the win.
As for what Gillis had to say, I’ll stick with what I’ve been saying all along: while Luongo is likely to move (especially since he’s got movers booked for June), I remain fully convinced that Gillis is planning to let the packages offered for both goaltenders determine who’s back in the fall. He’ll deal with the fallout of that decision after he makes it.
The Best Roberto Luongo Photo You’ll See Today
Speaking of Luongo, here’s a Luongo family photo from his draft year.
My absolute favourite part of this pic is that his brothers are wearing the exact same shirt in two different colours. Good to know my Mom wasn’t the only one who shopped that way.
Ryan Kesler had surgery again, so he’s tweeting a lot
If no one had reported Ryan Kesler’s shoulder surgery, I think I would have begun to suspect it on May 18, when the Canucks’ centre went on a tweeting spree, asking “What up everyone?!” before filling up his timeline with A) innocuous replies to people asking for replies, and B) retweets of people wishing him a speedy recovery, as though doing so would actually speed up the recovery.
But my favourite tweet was from the mother of a sick boy, because it seemed like a combination of the two Keslerian tweet-tropes. It featured both a bland greeting and the underlying suggestion that an interaction with Ryan Kesler has healing properties.
“@Philippina_mami: @Ryan_Kesler … My Son Is Sick… He’d be really happy if you say Hi to him… His name is Jemari
” Hi jemari!
— Ryan Kesler (@Ryan_Kesler) May 19, 2012
“Son, great news! Ryan Kesler said hi to you!”
“Did you get my medicine?”
“No, not yet.”
“THEN I DO NOT CARE, MOTHER.”
Anyway, you can always tell when Ryan Kesler is recovering from surgery because his Twitter activity skyrockets, and we’re clearly witnessing post-op Ryan Kesler now.
David Booth’s Twitter is much more engaging
Speaking of innocuous tweets, here’s one Kesler sent on May 18.
Good morning everyone not a cloud in the sky #boatday
— Ryan Kesler (@Ryan_Kesler) May 19, 2012
Clearly, David Booth found this very bland, because he fired a similar one early the next day, except he punched it up with a dash of controversy:
Good morning everyone. Not a cloud in the sky #huntday
— David Booth (@D_Booth7) May 20, 2012
It instantly reminded me of the time Kesler tweeted about some fancy hotel lounge sandwich he had eaten, and Booth followed it up by tweeting that he just ate a gas station sandwich. I remember people getting upset that Booth was eating poorly.
Say what you will about Booth’s exploits, but the man is committed to running a much more interesting Twitter account than Ryan Kesler.
Ted Nugent loves David Booth
While we’re talking Booth, this hunting controversy has just been picking up steam for weeks, and it finally hit the big-time over the weekend when hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent (the one true Nuge — sorry Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) tweeted his support for the Canucks’ winger.
David Booth the great NHL Warrior is a tru conservationist supporting the proven success of Canadian bear mgt. Godbless the wildlife hero
— Ted Nugent (@TedNugent) May 20, 2012
I suspect “The Wildlife Hero” is a nickname that won’t pick up much steam over the next few months. (Although that won’t stop us from using it.)
Nugent’s support likely won’t do anything to comfort the Canucks, who will allegedly be revisiting their social media strategy this summer with an eye towards limiting the twitpics and Youtube clips of their players destroying life.
Don’t think that Booth’s going to get himself run out of town over this, mind you. As Gillis said on the Team 1040, the team doesn’t want to muzzle their players. They would, however, far prefer the players’ timelines were more Kesleresque than Boothy. Athlete Twitter accounts toe a fine line in the marketing world, since they don’t just represent an individual, they represent an individual an organization is attempting to turn into a marketable commodity. The Canucks are committed to building the most fan-friendly, inclusive, inoffensive brand for their players as possible, and it’s a lot easier when the commodities cooperate.
Booth clearly has a different vision for his Twitter account, however, and it will be fun to see what comes of this. As long as he’s on Twitter, there are going to be more overblown controversies.
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Cam Charron
May 21, 2012Is David Booth’s Marketing Value over Replacement Player (MVORP) significantly lower than his actual VORP?
Harrison Mooney
May 21, 2012I would say so.
Kent from NucksMisconduct
May 21, 20121) I am making the personal commitment to incorporate ‘amuse-bouche’ into next year’s Canucks slogan ala ‘Embrace The Hate’.
2) If Ryan Kesler could really heal the sick I would not have been in the ER last week, so I will stop praying to him.
3) Please, in the name of all that is right and good help us make sure that psychotic, maniacal, treasonous, sociopathic wingnut does not get anymore publicity that ties him in any way, shape or form to the Canucks. I Embrace The Hate, but I also have limits.
Tom
May 21, 2012Who`s that, Botchford?
Tengeresz
May 21, 2012Harrison has not actually been CONVICTED of treason (yet).
JohnScott
May 21, 2012Tumblr eh?
peanutflower
May 21, 2012Well, there is precedent set for the Canucks “muzzling” in some way player’s Twitter accounts, viz Dale Weise and the suddent disappearance of his account. I actually think the Canucks are pretty much into perception management, and I’m wondering how fine a line Booth is walking here. Ted Nugent is pretty strange. It’s almost as bad as if Booth were to join the Tea Party.
Tom
May 21, 2012Well I guess that i had better hope he doesn`t say anything positive about me then.
John in Marpole
May 21, 2012It would be a surprise if Booth wasn’t a supporter of the Tea Party. He fits many of the common demographics of Tea Party supporters.
Colby
May 21, 2012Who thinks Gillis thought he was getting a quiet reserved Hamhuis type when he traded for Booth?
peanutflower
May 21, 2012walk softly/carry big stick.
big pointy stick.
Tamara B
May 21, 2012HE HAS MOVERS FOR JUNE?!?!?! Say it ain’t so!!
Tamara B
May 21, 2012Wait, if he has movers, then he has somewhere to move to… we haven’t heard anything official — can a trade be done already without it having leaked one way or another?
Rob
May 21, 2012I believe his dad delivers furniture, so I would think he always has a mover.
biznow
May 21, 2012I heard Luongo bought houses in Jamaica and Qatar. Both in need of starting goalies….. coincidence? I think not….. (keeping options open)
Mt
May 21, 2012Eww. Tet Nugent–not the first guy I’d want to have dub me a hero. If you don’t know of the guy, he’s better known for saying gross stuff than for music these days. Not Booth’s fault, though–just trying to do a little huntin’.
anna
May 21, 2012I’m much more disgusted by kesler’s nude-ness than any dead bear shots. (and I’m a girl) so if the canucks are worried about branding they should talking to kesler.
bobby c
May 21, 2012Clearly Ted Nugent has a mancrush on David Booth…
Jo poy
May 25, 2012Mancrush? Nah. Bromance!
Dan D
May 21, 2012Oh dear lord, it’s like the Luongo’s and my family are long lost relatives. 3 boys in cheesy outfits and bad haircuts? Yup, the shoe definitely fits!
Trevor
May 21, 2012Booth is slowly becoming my favourite Canuck. So cheeky for a Christian-kid.
Thursday
May 21, 2012These guys will have a long way to go to equal, or even rival, Bieksa for quotability.
Jayou
May 22, 2012Note the little Longos also have colour coordinated ringer tees under their matching shirts. Mama Longo is on the ball. Is it too much to hope they are actually one-piece combo items?
Max
May 22, 2012the fact that Nugent supports Booth makes me kinda sad. Ted Nugent disgusts me… Booth is still cool, I just don’t want to know his view on handguns or gay marriage…
Tamara B
May 23, 2012agreed — sometimes it’s better not to know as much. I want to like David Booth the hockey player, and I want to like David Booth as a Canuck, and I’m afraid his stance on Gay Marriage and guns etc. might just linger in my head.
Also, Kesler nude is a study in the body –seriously! He’s so fit (and attractive) but really.. KESLER NUDE lol how is that offensive? It’s not like you can see anything only his wife should see!