The Weekly Dis
Blue Jackets get Jacketty, the Crew get Orlando City (SC), the Reign of Terror gets an airing and The Schlagfather weighs in ...
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What happened with the Blue Jackets?
Rick Bowness took over as interim-not-interim coach on Jan. 12. The Jackets ran up a 19-3-4 record over their next 26 games and clawed their way to second place in the Metropolitan Division. Then, poof, they disappeared.
Since March 24, the Jackets have won one of eight games; they posted a 1-6-1 record in this two-week span. As the playoff race got hot and the pressure mounted, they melted. Injuries didn't help. Heading into the weekend, they had three teams to jump to get into the No. 2 wild card and two to jump to get at third place in the Metropolitan Division. That's a hard go.
They've lost control of their own destiny. They have three games remaining, beginning with a back-to-back – at Montreal tonight and home against Boston Sunday. Wouldn't you know their 15th and final back-to-back of the season requires a back-and-forth border crossing. Customs!
It's too bad the Clippers are in Worcester, Mass., on Sunday night. Were they at home, it would present one of those rare nights when the stars align and the Jackets, Crew and Clippers all are playing at the same time, within a quarter mile of one another on Nationwide Blvd. At a moment when everything else sucks, there is something extremely cool about our city, its pro sports teams, the architectural quality of their stadiums and the energy that is generated in their boulevard alignment. But I digress.
The Jackets' home and season finale is against the Washington Capitals Tuesday night. It could be the last game Alexander Ovechkin ever plays.
Designated benchwarmer
At the new Crew stadium on Sunday night, two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, per the standings, will "clash" (a favorite Apple TV verb for Sunday night games). It's the Crew (1-3-2) versus Orlando City (1-5-0), a team one should respect for not tying an "FC" to their "City" in the official league standings, although, per the paperwork, "SC" is part of Orlando City's proper name. When will American soccer teams cease with this cosplaying? Our game needs a reglular dosage of psyllium fiber to wash every last vestige of Anthony Precourt from our lower GI. But I digress.
If you are a Crew fan, and everyone should be a Crew fan and hate the ownership, you should be encouraged that one of my two favorite technical analysts, Matthew Doyle of TacticsFreeZone.com, has in his latest power rankings the Crew at No. 23 and Orlando City at No. 30, and last, which is to say worse than Philadelphia. I'm prodding to get Doyle on "The Crewcible" podcast soon to talk about why he thinks Crew coach Henrik Rydström "relationist" theories are a croc. I think Doyle is off-base here, and so does my other favorite technical analyst, Patrick. But I digress.
Rydström covered a number of topics during his weekly presser this week and, per usual, he was compelling on most every topic. Columbus should feel blessed to get a Wilfried-Nancy-Ryström back-to-back, press-conference wise. 'Tis a bouty of thoughfulness.
What caught my ear was a final, throw-in question about Daniel Gazdag, a big-ticket designated player who can't get on the field. Remember, Nancy was integral to the decision to buy Gazdag from the Philadelphia Union for $4 million in cash, and Nancy in the end of his tenure had Gazdag playing a limited role. Rydström has followed suit.
We all wish Gazdag well. Good dude. He might wind up being crucial to what the Crew does going forward. Who knows. But right now, he can't get on the field. Rydström is in a transition phase, aligning his tactics to his personnel, and that's what I found interesting about what he offered re Gazdag.
Q: Where are you with Daniel Gazdag? A lot of fans are curious about that situation.
Rydström: Yeah. First, I can say that the way he handled the situation, because he started against Kansas (City) and then he hasn't been on the pitch, but he trains well and he performs well in training. Then it's more that now when we play this formation, we have Diego (Rossi) as a number 10, and I would say that Gazdag is (also), so it's like Gazdag or Diego if I'm gonna really be black or white in the reflection. And when I have done subs, changes, then I have prioritized Taha (Habroune), younger player, a player we believe a lot in.
When I've changed, like, central midfielders, it has been (Sekou) Bangura or Taha in there – Amar (Sejdic) also, for example, also hasn't been on the pitch. So it has been quite tough decisions and it's more due to that other players perform even better. But it's tough for him (Gazdag), but he has handled it in an amazing way, I must say. No complaining, trains well. ... Yeah, he's behaving very well. But right now, I approach this other place.
A bigger picture of how Ryström thinks of deploying his personnel is just beginning to come into view. The summer transfer window – during which the coach and the GM, Issa Tall, will bring more clarification. Crew fans are restless. Doyle doesn't like the aesthetics. I remain interested on how this will unfold. I still believe in this coach, and his process.
The Crew will get their second victory against Orlando at the new Crew stadium Sunday night. One suspects that Gazdag will get a full exercise against the Richmond Kickers in a U.S. Open Cup game in Virginia on Wednesday. The Crew are at New England next Saturday. We'll see how this evolves.
The Reign of Terror
I have a bunch of kids who've grown up with the Blue Jackets, more than a few of them are ardent in their fandom (and their fantasy hockey league). Last Sunday, I sat three of them down – Owen, Timothy and Matthew, collectively known as "The Reign of Terror" when they were younger – and solicited their views on the CBJ. You can find the pilot, "Cannon Balls: A Reign of Terror episode," at my YouTube channel.
The Reign of Terror long ago gave Brian Giesenschlag, studio host for Blue Jackets and Cincinnati Reds telecasts, a nickname: The Schlagfather. I had the Schlagfather as a guest for the latest episode of "Cannon Balls" and we talked about a host of subjects – including his in-house nickname. Instagram outtake is below. Full podcasts are available at Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms, including my YouTube page.
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I write M-W-F for paid subscribers and The Weekly Dis, free to all, on Saturday. This week was a little heavy on the Blue Jackets because the time is fast approaching when they won't have a next week.
Monday:
Michael Arace
The Jackets' winless streak stretched to six games (0-5-1) after a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in Nationwide Arena last Saturday. It was a no-show performance in a critical game. Afterwards, the players held a 24-minute team meeting.
But, man, there's no excuse for getting your ass forechecked to death in your own end, or for rarely posing a threat in your offensive zone. Over the Jackets' last nine periods played, they've managed double digits in shots just once (11 in the third period of a 5-2 meltdown home loss to N.C. State); they've had a two-shot period, a three-shot period and two four-shot periods. That's disgusting. That's like visiting the Saddledome in 2001.
“All our issues right now are just related to terrible puck management,” coach Rick Bowness said. “Terrible. Making very poor percentage plays. We create the most chances on the forecheck in the entire league, yet we want to be getting inside the blue line and making cute little plays against good teams that are not working, so I have to get after them. They’ve got to change their mindset.”
Wednesday:
Michael Arace
For a minute in Detroit, the Jackets' playoff hopes were rekindled. What a game. With the goaltender pulled, the Jackets scored with 17 seconds left in regulation (Adam Fantilli, on a one-timer from Zach Werenski) and then won it in a five-round shootout. Werenski had a goal and an assist during regulation, then decided the shootout.
What is most encouraging is that a few of the Jackets' best players, the ones they need to be elite, were equal to the moment in Motown.
Fantilli, who had just one goal in the previous nine games (Jackets lost seven of those), scored the kind of goal that put a muscle-memory tingle up Rick Nash's spine. It was one of those goals that maybe, just maybe, fans will never forget. Depends on what happens next.
Werenski, who'd scored just one goal in 18 appearances spanning from the end of the Olympic break until Tuesday night, had a power-play goal midway through the second period – another pure snipe – and then won the game with his first-ever, NHL shootout goal. He had that certain badass presence that he pulsed with from October through January. He pulled 33:26 of ice time, which is more than half the game, overtime included. Insane.
Friday:
Michael Arace
Well, that was a kick in the Union Blueberries, eh?
We should always leave room for something crazy to happen by the end of the regular season, which draws to a close six days hence. I've got a micrometer out to measure how much room I'm leaving after the Blue Jackets were beaten 5-0 by a Buffalo Sabres team playing on 21 hours rest.
A nod to Boone Jenner and something for the kids. Well done.
When I get press releases I think some folks will care about, I post them @michaelarace1.bsky.social. Like, just the other day, I posted the MLS release about Diego Rossi (simulation/embellishment) and the Crew and Atlanta United coaches ("Violation of Mass Confrontation Policy") getting fined by the league.
I set these next three aside to post here.
One of the best videos I saw this week:
Greatest Acting Monologues of All Time PART 1, from The Actors Academy.
We all miss The Actors Studio. I don't know what The Actors Academy is, but I'll punch it into a search engine. Where have you gone, James Lipton?
I can't identify every movie here. I found out later that PART 2 has some Shakespeare, which makes one think that PART 1, which includes a clip from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," might be missing a little something.
No, this is not a definitive representation of the greatest monologues in film history. I went down the rabbit hole and watched Mel Gibson playing Hamlet in PART 2, and then Keanu Reeves made an appearance, and I'm out of beer.
There is a PART 3, maybe more. Every attempt at art is noble. Some attempts resonate, and will resonate yet. I enjoyed this little jog. I hope you do, too.
Click "Watch on YouTube if your interested. It's the only way this embed works with my software, Patrick tells me.
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Michael Arace
