Friday, June 01, 2012

A Couple o' Thangs...

First: last evening we checked the "healthy eating" box for about the next 90 days.



That's YrHmblScrb enjoying a double-order of grilled ahi tuna at Outback Steakhouse, along with a Big-Ass Patron Silver margarita.  The ahi at Outback is first cousin to sushi and I dearly love that stuff.  It was ALL I could do to finish the 20 pieces I ordered; SN1 provided assistance by eating two of the slices.  That's a LOT of semi-cooked fish!  Apropos o' nuthin... You may file "dinner at Outback" in the Big City Amenities category, along with all the other stuff I mentioned yesterday.

―:☺:―

SN1 dropped a bomb on me last night at dinner: Number Five retired yesterday.  I had NO idea; SN1 assumed I knew but I didn't, all because we kept our inner-nets experience yesterday to the bare minimum required to do the usual, customary, and reasonable bid'niz... and that did NOT include reading the hockey blogs.  So I was gobsmacked, and much hand-wringing and angst ensued, on both sides of the table.  This is a decision all Wings fans knew was coming in the future, but we were all hoping for that proverbial "one more season."  How important is Lidstrom?  Here's Mitch Albom, writing in The Freep:
To that end, here are a few. Professional. Exceptional. Graceful. Deft. Nimble. Clutch. Prepared. Admired. Disciplined. Determined. Courageous. Enduring. Humble.

And respected.

Hugely respected.

That's why so many former Wings and teammates were there for him, why Wings owner Mike Ilitch called him "our Rock of Gibraltar," why even hard-bitten media members gave him a thick round of applause.

We will not see his likes again. Twenty seasons with one team? A 12-time All-Star? A guy who missed just 44 regular season games his entire career -- some of which he was being rested? A guy who came in great and retired while still excellent?

His standard of play was so high, that in the end, only Nick Lidstrom was able to be critical of Nick Lidstrom.
"Sadly, this year it's painfully obvious to me that my strength and energy level are not rebounding enough for me to continue to play. My drive and motivation are not where it needs to be to play at this level. That's why I feel that it's time to retire."
I suppose I'll fall back on that ol' military sayin': No one is irreplaceable.  But Number Five comes as close as it gets in the hockey world.  We're ALL gonna miss him.

14 comments:

  1. We're ALL gonna miss him

    Some more than others.

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    1. Heh. Your Avs might be able to score on Dee-troit more frequently now. Or not.

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  2. I have ZERO idea who Lidstrom is. But, I'll trust y'all ice fairies on that one.

    Meredith, Staubach, and Aikman...yeah...I fell out of love for the NFL when the great ones threw in the towel.

    So, I feel your pain.

    Still, young folks keep showing up to keep our interest in the sports we love. God bless 'em!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Zero ideer or zero interest? I gave ya a Wiki link. ;-)

      SI named him "Athlete of the Decade" not long ago. Not "hockey player," but ATHLETE. (I'm citing from memory; I could be wrong.)

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  3. I love eating out in the big city, although Duncan has it's high points - not.

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    1. You and me both, when it comes to Big-City eatin', Lou. I'd have to learn restraint when and if I move...

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  4. That was a bitchin' post by Anonymous that the spam filter caught.

    "Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
    Look advanced to more added agreeable from you!
    However, how could we communicate?"

    It just don't get no better than that...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh. That DOES beat the UCR collection of dumb-ass links.

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  5. Hooray for the ahi (you and Pepper would dine well together!).

    Sympathies on the big hole left by Number Five.

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    1. I think we'd all dine well together, Moogie.

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  6. Sorry...that stuff never looks done to me! However, it would have been nice to sit and watch you wash it down!

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    Replies
    1. Well... "done" is relative, ain't it? ;-)

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  7. I think Ahi is the best fish ever. And I love seafood, period, so that's some high praise. I love that you did a double order. Looks about right for me, too.

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    Replies
    1. It was **slightly** too much... I was over-stuffed, even with SN1's assistance.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.