It has now been one month since I decided to finally stop thinking about blogging and actually start a blog and when I finally did I decided I didn’t want to limit myself to just one topic, but quickly I realized how messy that could get and so I chose at least with this place to focus solely on the New York Rangers. First and foremost I want to thank all of you for your support on the site through your visits and comments and off the site for your support and encouragement as frankly we build this thing together. I have been humbled by that support and hope that in my work here I honor the faith and trust you show in me especially in a way that will make all of you keep coming back.
As with any venture there have been growing pains, luckily none like a Michael Del Zotto giveaway in front leading to an opposition goal, but kinks here and there as I find what I want to write about and what you want to read. I was lamenting the other day how sometimes it seems when you run a blog that the stories you spend the most time thinking about or writing seem to get lost in the breaking news and I understand that as part of our culture and know that it is not going to stop me from doing those while also covering the news I find as it breaks.
In that I want this to be a fan friendly environment what I need from you as the readers is your feedback both on what you do like and don’t like in terms of stories or features I do along with comments on the individual posts. Don’t be shy, I do not bite and the reason I do this is to spark and engage in conversation with other fans. If it was about me putting out my own thoughts and sort of talking to myself I could do that without having to use a computer or a blog and just go insane and talk to myself. To me the comments and conversation sparked are the main “reward” for doing this and I know for many there is a barrier to speaking your piece, but remember no opinion is wrong as it is yours and even opinions we disagree with give us a fuller understanding of a topic and our own thoughts. The one thing I do reserve the right on other than personal attacks and bad language is to point out if you come at me with bad facts.
Since it is now one month I want to take a look back at some of the stories I enjoyed the most over the last month outside of the games and breaking news as maybe some of them got lost at the time or some of you just weren’t here when they happened.
10-16: Ranger Fans: Boom Or Bust With Every Drop of the Puck - Discussing the all or nothing nature to which fans take every game as a make or break event
10-18: Development Happens At It’s Own Pace –Talking about the development of what was the new top line of Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
10-19: Rangers Must Get Back To Basics – How the Rangers must form an identity and get back to basic hockey to win games
10-24: The Search For Elusive Top Flight Center Is Over – A look back at the Rangers struggles to find a number 1 center over the years and how Anisimov is proving is the one of the future while Stepan can be a 2.
10-25: Memo To Ranger Fans: Judge The Play Not the Name or Number – A topic that built in me for a good deal of time but finally snapped with Rozsival while playing well got booed at home just because he was Rozsival. Too many guys get criticized and other’s given free passes because of what fans think of them and not their actual play. Funny even in this many focused on how brave it was for Callahan to stick up for Rozi and not the merits of what was said, which while showing leadership was not the point.
10-25: Spezza Trade Speculation and Ridiculous Trade Suggestions – This is one of those that I wrote about both because of the growth of Anisimov but also the hypocrisy of what the fan base can be sometimes. It is going on again right now in terms of trading for defense where scrubs we don’t even want in our own lineup apparently suddenly have trade value to others not only to move them but get huge talent for them. Gilroy, Christensen, White and 2.25 gets you a one way fare on the MTA not a top line player.
11-6: Growth of Young Leaders: Dubinsky Has Earned an ‘A’ – Simply discusses how he has grown on and off the ice this season to the point where his leadership and importance to this team deserves to be rewarded with the letter he has earned.
P.S. I am sure over the past few days there have been a few changes to the site in terms of advertising being add along with other new banners and widgets. Recently yardbarker.com in association with foxsports.com agreed to list this site on their site and I am thankful to them for taking that chance on me and for people like Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park pushing me to do it. Along with the increased visibility and traffic does come advertisements and I know many of you hate them and I am not fond of them in general, but hopefully the ads on here are where they can be seen and clicked on if they interest you but out of the way from inhibiting your experience here.
I also want to give a public thanks to Dave Shapiro over at Blue Seat Blogs for linking to multiple articles from this site as we got going, and Nick Montemagno at Rangers Tribune for the snazzy new follow icon you see to follow me on twitter, facebook or just the site feed and all the other blogs that have listed the site to this point, I appreciate it.
If anyone has any ideas or wants to take the time to make a banner or background for the site that would be phenomenal too, lol.
If anyone has any ideas or wants to take the time to make a banner or background for the site that would be phenomenal too, lol.
So here is to a great first month and hopefully many more to come, Lets go Rangers!
