Happy New (Hockey) Year! That's right, the first puck of the season has been dropped, there's teams playing in Europe (really?), and Islanders Opening Night is just a day away. First off, let me say that whoever thought it was a good idea to schedule the Islanders Opening Night on Columbus Day weekend AND Yom Kippur in one of the most densely populated Jewish areas in the country is an idiot. But, I digress.
Tomorrow's opening night will also feature a new goal song. With the departure of Zenon Konopka, that god awful Live is Life by Opus is going with him. So, the Islanders presented Matt Moulson with the task of picking some candidates for the song, which was then further narrowed down to four songs. These four, now being voted on over at the Islanders website are Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue, Hell Yeah by Rev Theory, Heaven Can Wait by Iron Maiden, and The Crowd Chant by Joe Satriani.
Now, here's the thing, the goal song isn't the be all, end all of a hockey team. What it is, however, is something to get the fans involved and enable them to celebrate in a way unique to each team upon the scoring of a goal. The Islanders had a pretty good one in the form of Rock and Roll Part I by Gary Glitter. Most people don't even realize a part of that song had lyrics, but most Islanders fans did as we were the only team to use that portion of the song. The story goes that the Islanders first stopped using the song because the team or parents at the game were not happy with the people chanting "You Suck!" after every "Hey!" Another reason later given, and more valid, was that Gary Glitter is a kid toucher and they didn't want to associate with him. I say this is more valid, but the song itself is associated with sports in general, not with Gary Glitter surfing for kiddy porn. If you don't want him to get royalties, you could always find a cover, of which there are some out there. Either way, since dropping R & R, the song has been in a state of yearly flux, some worse than others.
Let's talk about the current options though. Kickstart My Heart, I could see working, but doesn't provide for all that much crowd interaction or celebration. Hell Yeah by Rev Theory could also possibly work, but again, fans will be confused and mumbling when trying to get involved. Heaven Can Wait is just god awful, and I have no idea who even suggested it. Finally we come to the most plausible of the bunch, if edited right. Crowd Chant by Joe Satriani definitely works the best as far as what I feel a goal song should sound like. It's got some chanting, time for celebration and cheering, and a point where fans can even chant, "Hey!" if that's what they're looking for.
Ultimately though, they could play Bea Arthur and it would sound great if they got the chance to play it early and often. We'll find out what wins the poll tomorrow night and hopefully get this ridiculousness behind us.
There's something else I'd like to talk about though today before I let you go. Yesterday the Yankees lost in the first round of the playoffs. I'm not going to bash the Yankees or gloat about it. The Mets didn't even have a winning record this year (or the year before) so there's really no room for me to say much of anything. I do understand, however, that fans are upset. But I feel like there are a few here and there frothing at the mouth like the world is ending and the team hasn't already won 27 World Series Championships.
Step back from the ledges folks. You can't win the World Series every year, as much as every team would love to have that happen. What I don't get quite as much is the bashing of some of the team's players who didn't come through in the clutch in one game. ONE GAME! They did big things for your team all year and you loved them until the one moment they didn't come through. Remember, everyone was ready to bench Jeter in April. To be fair, I think the people who blame Beltran for the 2006 NLCS loss because of his strikeout to end it are silly as well. There were a ton of other factors that cost the Mets that series.
Anyway, just a message to the Yankee faithful. It's baseball. These things happen sometimes, even to teams with perennial all stars. Anything can happen. The season starts anew in April. Until then enjoy some hockey or football and quit being so angry.
In the meantime, enjoy Opening Night tomorrow, folks. Wish I could be there, but I'll be stuck in Albany (where MSG doesn't cover the Isles) for a sweet sixteen. Guess I'll have to have faith in my DVR.
No comments:
Post a Comment