May Day 10

Your 'feeling' (and mine) is correct IMO. I do think they have had appropriate talent. Maybe not full-depth like a Tampa or San Jose.... but this team, laden with high first round picks all over, should have been much, much better than their performance over the past 4 seasons. Its some kind of interpersonal cloud in that lockerroom. Not sure exactly what it is, or who is responsible (I have my suspicions)... but creating a culture about winning and playing for each other is paramount. There is almost no leadership, and when there is (Gionta/Okposo/OReilly/Gorges) it seems to get ignored. The team has tangibly quit the past 3 seasons.

If he can actuate a sense of leadership and accountability within that lockerroom, then he is worth it.

I have read the books and there is little to no indication at this point Any example people give at this point is acts of survival, justice, or holding her rule as nearly any other ruler in this story is required to do. It is like arguing that Jon is going mad because he beheaded Janos Slynt. There has been nothing to indicate she would start murdering children and women. She spent most of the last book with her dragons chained up because one allegedly burned a child. She was absolutely devastated with the news. People were counseling her to take some pretty brutal measures against the great masters of Meereen and she refuses every time. To the point that she is making a political marriage with a dufus (and probably a homosexual) in an attempt to politically bring peace to Meereen with no bloodshed.

In the NHL, coaches have a short shelf-life if results don't come. I don't think a case could be made that any of those coaches (save maybe Nolan) should have been retained past time where they were turfed. If anything, Housley was gifted too much time. It isn't the NFL where they need to build a staff, get specialized personnel to fit specific schemes, etc. Edmonton has gone through 6 coaches in the time since the Pegulas bought the Sabres I dont think this type of thing scares coaches away. Lou Lamoriello has fired a 1st place head coach within a month of the playoffs, yet Barry Trotz happily assumed the head coach role under him. The problem with the Pegulas' changes, were, most often they were half-measures. They needed to move on decisively from Ruff and Regier prior to the 2013 lockout. Move forward into the major rebuild overhaul with a tried and true organizational manager. Ownership bungled around through the process and the results speak for themselves.

Almost none of that has to do with a descent into madness. Most of those examples are her showing signs of being tough/just, which is a virtue every leader in this world must possess. Much of those taken out of context. She opened the fighting pits.... but only after closing them, and resisting for year(s), she needed to open them politically and to end bloodshed. And its clear she strongly disliked the custom.

I dont mind the fact that dany went all nuts there... but i think they blew the opportunity to show a real descent into that. This just seems like a random act of mass murder. This is/was the major happening of the series, and it was set up over 1.5 episodes. Could have been building that for multiple seasons, but leave the viewer hoping beyond hope her good side wins out and she doesnt break bad. (And i dont consider executing the tarlys or crucifying the yunkish masters "mad" acts). Im looking forward to see how grrm develops this.

I think there is a difference from making a sick kid's day and allowing him to experience 'a day in the life'. IMO, the Bills have done a great job honoring and bringing joy to pancho and his family. If and when he leaves this earth, maybe the Bills can decide to honor him with a large photo/mural in the concourse or something along those lines.

You hire a guy, and trust him to build the program however he thinks is best. Especially effective when you are new to sports, and have little to no knowledge or experience. Build the program from the top down. They did this for like 3 months with (an inexperienced) LaFontaine.... but apparently changed their minds. Lou Lamoriello, for example, has been available twice during the Pegulas' term. Frankly, I just don't think the Pegulas like the idea of them ceding control and influence to a strong figure.

I see this point made whenever people get critical of the Pegulas.... Stability and willingness to spend are great. So is the investment in the facilities and the city of Buffalo. The family is likable. I root for them. The value of having deep pocketed owners who are committed to the area and want to win isnt lost on me (but it makes the failures frustrating because there is so much potential). On the other hand, their handling of the on-ice Sabres has been nothing short of a complete failure. They have taken a once proud franchise and made it completely irrelevant on their watch. The wrong decision has been made at nearly every juncture. They have rejected bringing in experienced help at the top of the organization and it has been a dysfunctional and disjointed mess. I was against Botterill as GM, as I felt (and still feel), they didn't need to roll the dice on a 1st time GM. The Pegulas have needed help from day 1. That kind of goes for the Bills now too. Everyone is cautiously optimistic at this point, but this thing could just as easily fall through the floor if they start out like 2018. They have rejected experienced organizational managers and have bungled various decisions, with some embarrassing events (such as Whaley's "Im not privy" PC). I like McDermott and Beane. Hope they do well and they show signs of being legit... but they also show signs of being behind the current NFL trends at the same time. Time will tell. I think McDermott is a great motivator for NFL players. He will get the most out of them, but schematically, will they be able to score enough points in today's NFL? So in short, you can like the Pegulas, be thankful.... but also, at the same time, be frustrated at the results or lack thereof.

I thought it was awesome... but Dany's 2-episode character 180 wasnt well executed. She went well beyond any previous "Mad King" for small reason (considering she was being actively provoked throughout Meereen/Slavers Bay). Maybe if they had a councilor poisoning her mind for awhile it, always being right, and earning her trust would make more sense. Aerys was going to light up King's Landing, but only to spoil the prize from an inevitable sacking by Robert and Eddard (and maybe Tywin). Dany was just killing people street by street for the hell of it after the war was already won. I also thought Jaime's trip to King's Landing was an unnecessary waste to give Cersei a disappointing dignified end. Jaime/Brienne would have been better off dying gallantly at the Battle with the Night King in an embrace and maybe sharing a kiss. Hound versus Mountain was as good as can be, especially since it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. But great that the Hound thrust them both into the fire. Will Varys' letters amount to anything? Like I mentioned. I see this almost certainly turning into a Dany/Jon/Dragon all dying, with Sansa/Tyrion/Davos emerging as the 'voice' and declaring that the realm will be restored to 7 Kingdoms again. A possible soft ending of Dragon's eggs hatching across the sea.

Im expecting jon/dany to die, and sansa and tyrion restoring the 7 kingdoms again/abolishing the targaryen throne and legacy. North-Sansa Vale-Robin Stormlands-Gendry Riverlands-Bronn (with a cheesy line about tyrion always pats his debts) West-Tyrion Iron Islands-Yara/Asha Dorne-Dunno. Maybe they find Ellaria

I was worried that the ringing the bells thing was a lame and predictable "red wedding" trap set by tyrion. Was very glad it was just a straight up righteous hail mary to save the city and his siblings

I still think the iron throne/king will be abolished. 7 kingdoms will prevail

Was being sarcastic. All of kings landing was burnt. Amazing!

That was the greatest hour of television of all time And i have been a fair critic of this show

Lame Figured there would be more deaths in the second last episode

And leadership has been anything resembling good?

I just dont know what it is. There is a cloud over the lockerroom there. We can say they have "no talent", but how many 1st round and high first round picks started the season in 2017 and then 2018? I think murray made a critical error plaguing the young nucleus with kane and bogosian. I truly believe they were the poison in the pudding and had a bad effect on eichel and reinhart, among other young players. They had the right idea bringing in gionta and gorges for leadership, but by some accounts, the team fissured into factions, and gionta/oreilly/bylsma were on the side of the "losing" faction. There is no on ice leadership.... and i fear any leadership presented will be rejected like a foreign organ transplant. Im not sure eichel has the right attitude. Great player... but the team has quit each of the last 3 seasons. You see eichel often throwing his head back and showing up his teammates, which has resulted directly in opposing rushes. I do think tippett could be the guy to get through to eichel and show him how to lead and establish order and accountability within the lockerroom.

I wasnt a big fan of the first one. Special effects were kind of cartoonish, and the story was not well adapted from the book. They just made the clown scarier, which people like

That would be fine. As I said, I'm waiting to see the results of this... but if things break in a way I do not like, my mind will definitely go to this Euro Trip as a source of displeasure.

I do realize this is a world of connectivity, cell phones, etc... but I don't know. If nothing else, it is really bad optics. Seeing the condition his NHL team was in, he really should have declined the Canada job. What if Tippett is waivering between Holland/Edmonton and Botterill/Buffalo, and a face to face meeting or bringing him into town to show him the facilities, introduce him to some people/staff and such could win him over? I am very close to tossing my season tickets. Waiting to see the results of this coaching search and this isn't helping.

I have not read that yet. I am currently reading A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (another prequel tale). Its formatted a bit differently, but I like it. Lots of illustrations, and quick tales which is nice after the long-game of the Song of Ice and Fire series. After that, I plan on reading Fire and Blood.

Since I recall (1987 through now, but more vividly perhaps 1990 on), the blood was to detect a double-minor

It has always been based on flagrancy/amount of 'carelessness'. 2 minutes for HS, double minor for blood, 5 minute major if severe violation. I always loved how hockey has a penalty tangibly based on if there is bleeding or not.

I really liked the 4th book and consider it on-par with the first 3. The 5th book has some great chapters, especially in the first half (a few even made me exclaim "yeah!")... but as I said, they bogged it down with the Meereen/Slavers Bay logjam, introduced a few new and worthless characters connected to that logjam that wasted time, lots more travel and too much world-building in Essos, which I really didnt care about.... and also spent too much time with Jon/Castle Black... which for the most part was a stalemate (until the last Jon POV of the book). The 5th book IS worth it for the "Reek" POV chapters. The best chapter IMO was a Davos one (one that made me exclaim)... it was about halfway through the book, then nothing really great (until the last Jon POV as well as the epilogue). With that said, Im super-duper looking forward to Winds of Winter. Meereen is almost through, and its going to cut into the nitty gritty.