The Weekly Dis
Issue 3
Saved The Crew Day, an annual commemoration, low-key, is tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 12, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Endeavor Brewing on W. 5th Ave.
The date is significant. It was on Oct. 12, 2018 that #SaveTheCrew design director John Zidar tweeted that the team was saved and, later in the day, it was announced that the Haslam family had signed on to take a majority stake and the team wasn't moving to Austin. That night, an impromptu gathering of Crew fans (and a few players, and Dr. Pete Edwards) flash-mobbed Endeavor, and the champagne flew.
There is no official program for Sunday outside of the rumor that former #STC spokesman Morgan Hughes will be doing keg stands. Otherwise, it's just a laid-back gathering of old friends who once knew Camelot, and Crew fans in general. Come see some familiar faces and raise a glass. Salute.
Seven years ago Sunday.
Posts
- Monday column: Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, recently said something said that brought me back to a subject I've often visited. Klopp said there needs to be more free access to soccer in the United States. Amen, brother. We need less pay-to-play and more inclusion in youth sports.
Michael Arace
- Wednesday column: It's not a shock that most prognosticators have the Blue Jackets landing in the mushy middle and (once again) failing to make the playoffs in 2024-25. Behind the scenes, the Jackets have a confidence that belies the pundits' predictions.
Michael Arace
- Thursday column: I was lucky enough to get a short sit-down on Wednesday morning with Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who one day previously had officially announced he'd be retiring at the end of the season. Nagbe was strikingly candid in describing exactly when and why he decided to hang 'em up. He was the ultimate gentleman. No surprise there.
- Note: Paid subscribers, per usual, received the Nagbe column in their email inbox and had access to it at thedisrespected.com. I've taken the paywall off this piece this weekend so that all subscribers have access to it. Nagbe's grace is boundless.
Michael Arace
- The Blue Jackets lost their season opener 2-1 in Nashville Thursday night. A few thoughts: The Jackets played well; their forecheck has a Klopp-like re-press, if you will, that is much more aggressive than it was last season; the Predators are vastly improved and their power play is lethal (as it should be with Josi, Forsberg, O'Reilly, Marchessault and Stamkos); Predators' goaltender Juuse Saros has returned to peak form and stole this game.
- Jet Greaves started over Elvis Merzlikins in Nashville. Jet was sharp. Elvis is the likely starter in Minnesota Saturday night in what will be another stiff test on the road for the Jackets. If coach Dean Evason sticks with what he was talking about earlier this week, then Greaves will be the start in the home opener against the New Jersey Devils at Nationwide Arena Monday night. Put another way: Jet gets the season opener and (presumably) the home opener. Don't read too much into this – but don't read too little into it, either. The Jackets need a higher class of goaltending (and special teams) to do anything this season. Greaves has a lot of support among his teammates and coaches.
The Blue Jackets spent their final weekend of training camp in a "team building" exercise at Double Eagle, the McConnell family's lush and very private golf course in Delaware County. At the center of the "team building" was a competition between coaches/staff and the players.
Evason, when asked how the weekend went, said, "Well, it wasn't fun because we lost. We beat them last year, they beat us this year. Hopefully, they will compete as hard on the ice as they do on the golf course."
He continued, "The reason we play players-against-staff is we want them to compete against us. We've got some good golfers on the staff and so, yeah they knew they had to compete. It doesn't matter what you play – tiddlywinks or hockey or golf – you want them to battle and compete and try to win."
Evason is a scratch golfer, but one of his assistants, Scott Ford, might even be better than the boss. Asked if he considers golf handicaps when he's hiring assistants, Evason said, "Yeah, it's a prerequisite to coach with me."
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Michael Arace
