My Thoughts From Elba

[deadhead]

Last season:
It was better than it looked, b/c goaltending was really bad.
Worse (GA - xGA)/60:
Ottawa +0.44
MIN +0.37
SJ +0.28
PHL +0.27
Chi +0.25
TB +0.20
NJ +0.17
DAL +0.16
CAL +0.15
5x5 (SVA): xGF% 52.30% (8), HDCF 53.32% (9), PP xGF/60 (29), PK xGA/60 (7)
PP needs fixing, otherwise they're on the right track.
5x5 GF/60 (26), xGF/60 (19), they need to learn how to finish

Off season:
Didn't add or subtract much, couple marginal roster adds (Eklind, Abols), Atkinson, Staal gone, Fedotov arrived.
Farabee - Couts - Michkov
Tippett - Frost - TK
Cates - Laughton - Foerster/Brink (Foerster moving back to LW?)
Lycksell - Poehling - Hathaway

York - Sanheim
Seeler - Drysdale
Zamula - Risto
Ginning - Attard - Johnson

Holding pattern, no one at LHV ready to push to start.
Laughton and TK are potential trades, but Briere is being patient.
Risto probably next summer (don't want to pay to move him).
Ginning/Attard probably trade throw-ins given their age (no upside left).

Draft:
Luchanko, gamble on upside, August birthday, great skill package but hasn't taken next step up, will he?
Berglund, feels like a reach
Gill, another upside gamble on an August birthday, size, skill, RHD was certainly not a "need"
Ruohonen, depth center, in 4th rd, organizational need (not just NHL, wings have to play with someone in LHV)
Powell, overage PF coming off breakout year, but so-so PO performance raises red flags for me

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[Kermit the Prog]

Nice to see you, Deady

 

[deadhead]

Nice to be back.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

Last season:
It was better than it looked, b/c goaltending was really bad.
Worse (GA - xGA)/60:
Ottawa +0.44
MIN +0.37
SJ +0.28
PHL +0.27
Chi +0.25
TB +0.20
NJ +0.17
DAL +0.16
CAL +0.15
5x5 (SVA): xGF% 52.30% (8), HDCF 53.32% (9), PP xGF/60 (29), PK xGA/60 (7)
PP needs fixing, otherwise they're on the right track.
5x5 GF/60 (26), xGF/60 (19), they need to learn how to finish

Off season:
Didn't add or subtract much, couple marginal roster adds (Eklind, Abols), Atkinson, Staal gone, Fedotov arrived.
Farabee - Couts - Michkov
Tippett - Frost - TK
Cates - Laughton - Foerster/Brink (Foerster moving back to LW?)
Lycksell - Poehling - Hathaway

York - Sanheim
Seeler - Drysdale
Zamula - Risto
Ginning - Attard - Johnson

Holding pattern, no one at LHV ready to push to start.
Laughton and TK are potential trades, but Briere is being patient.
Risto probably next summer (don't want to pay to move him).
Ginning/Attard probably trade throw-ins given their age (no upside left).

Draft:
Luchanko, gamble on upside, August birthday, great skill package but hasn't taken next step up, will he?
Berglund, feels like a reach
Gill, another upside gamble on an August birthday, size, skill, RHD was certainly not a "need"
Ruohonen, depth center, in 4th rd, organizational need (not just NHL, wings have to play with someone in LHV)
Powell, overage PF coming off breakout year, but so-so PO performance raises red flags for me

Ollie lol. He will be in LHV

 

[freakydallas13]

Does this mean you're about to escape exile on that island and take control of the league? I look forward to your 100 day rule.

 

[Magua]

Nice to be back.

But Napoleon only came back for 100 days, deady. Get your posts in before it's bon voyage to Saint Helena.

 

[deadhead]

Well, I never would have invaded Russian in the first place.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Well, I never would have invaded Russian in the first place.

How about Spain?

 

[ponder719]

Well, I never would have invaded Russian in the first place.

You do what you have to do to get Michkov stateside, is all I'm saying.

WB, Deady.

 

[IronMarshal]

Good to see you back. I was concerned something had happened to you. Glad that is not the case.

 

[deadhead]

How about Spain?

Well sure, great beaches and good food.
Much better than borscht and winter.

 

[prototypical4thliner]

Blink twice if you’re speaking under duress.

 

[Adtar02]

Dead you need to go see dead and company at the sphere.

 

[deadhead]

Dead you need to go see dead and company at the sphere.

I saw the real thing enough times, now I'm content to listen to my bootlegs.
My first concert was at the Felt Forum in December, 1971.

 

[FlyerNutter]

Thank you for killing medicare

 

[Jack Straw]

I saw the real thing enough times, now I'm content to listen to my bootlegs.
My first concert was at the Felt Forum in December, 1971.

Binghamton, 11.6.77.

 

[deadhead]

Binghamton, 11.6.77.

A good year, May is a great month for bootlegs from that year.

 

[FromOyVey2Matvei]

I saw the real thing enough times, now I'm content to listen to my bootlegs.
My first concert was at the Felt Forum in December, 1971.

You’re seriously missing out. So many heads I know were saying the same thing before the show and then walked out with their faces absolutely melted. 6 nights there spoiled me and left me thinking “I’m not sure a regular concert will ever be enough now”. It changes the game.

Also, John Mayer absolutely shreds and there’s certain songs he actually solos better than Garcia. But very few heads are ready for that discussion.

 

[deadhead]

You’re seriously missing out. So many heads I know were saying the same thing before the show and then walked out with their faces absolutely melted. 6 nights there spoiled me and left me thinking “I’m not sure a regular concert will ever be enough now”. It changes the game.

Also, John Mayer absolutely shreds and there’s certain songs he actually solos better than Garcia. But very few heads are ready for that discussion.

I can't afford tickets in this day and age.

Mayer is a good guitarist, but he's not prime time Garcia.
It's like saying Sidney is as good as Gretzky in his prime.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I can't afford tickets in this day and age.

Mayer is a good guitarist, but he's not prime time Garcia.
It's like saying Sidney is as good as Gretzky in his prime.

Well yeah, of course you can't afford tickets with that Spanish ulcer you walked into

 

[FromOyVey2Matvei]

Mayer is a good guitarist, but he's not prime time Garcia.
It's like saying Sidney is as good as Gretzky in his prime.

He’s beyond just a “good guitarist”. He’s a top 5 guitarist of his generation, as Jerry was in his.

And similar to how Crosby has certain traits (skating, speed, backhand) where he absolutely eclipses Gretzky, Mayer has certain traits as a guitarist where he’s “better” than Jerry. He’s a more technically proficient guitarist for example.

They each have songs where they eclipse each other’s best solos. For my money, Mayer solos better on Morning Dew, Sugaree, Brown Eyed Women. He’s also responsible for the best Black Muddy River I’ve heard. But he doesn’t even come close to Jerry on Scarlet > Fire, Help>Slip>Frank, St Stephen, and a myriad of others. To be fair to Mayer though, he has been handcuffed on a lot of those faster songs by Bobby wanting to keep the tempo down. He’s never had the opportunity to play those songs at prime Jerry speed.

 

[Jack Straw]

You’re seriously missing out. So many heads I know were saying the same thing before the show and then walked out with their faces absolutely melted. 6 nights there spoiled me and left me thinking “I’m not sure a regular concert will ever be enough now”. It changes the game.

Also, John Mayer absolutely shreds and there’s certain songs he actually solos better than Garcia. But very few heads are ready for that discussion.

Mayer is great. I would say he's better than a lot of post-70's Garcia. Garcia in his prime was more creative.

 

[FromOyVey2Matvei]

Mayer is great. I would say he's better than a lot of post-70's Garcia. Garcia in his prime was more creative.

I’m not sure how you judge creativity. In the 70s, there was one person soloing these songs (Jerry). A lot of uncovered ground. Everything was new. In the current era, there are like 20+ national touring bands focused on dead covers + various other offshoots, other jam bands that mix in dead songs, plus there’s an extra 20 years of history of jerry playing these songs.

It’s really, really difficult to do something original when so many people have already put their own spin on the material. And yet, Mayer still does it. He has delivered what I believe to be some of the best solos of these songs that have been played so many times by so many different people. To me, that’s just as impressive.

If I had one criticism of Mayer, it would be his writing / original songs. He’s never created an original guitar riff that can even touch Jerry’s 20th best riff. But that’s a totally different conversation.

 

[Jack Straw]

I’m not sure how you judge creativity. In the 70s, there was one person soloing these songs (Jerry). A lot of uncovered ground. Everything was new. In the current era, there are like 20+ national touring bands focused on dead covers + various other offshoots, other jam bands that mix in dead songs, plus there’s an extra 20 years of history of jerry playing these songs.

It’s really, really difficult to do something original when so many people have already put their own spin on the material. And yet, Mayer still does it. He has delivered what I believe to be some of the best solos of these songs that have been played so many times by so many different people. To me, that’s just as impressive.

If I had one criticism of Mayer, it would be his writing / original songs. He’s never created an original guitar riff that can even touch Jerry’s 20th best riff. But that’s a totally different conversation.

Well, I probably should have said improvisation rather than creativity. Garcia in his heyday took the music in amazing different directions. Of course the band was different then and they were all a part of that. Jerry in fact wasn’t the only one soloing, Weir and Lesh were too (in fact it would be more accurate to say that no one was really soloing, not in the way say a jazz musician solos) they were all improvising and creating together. Anyway, probably not a fair comparison. I like Mayer better than any of the other guitarists the Dead have had since Jerry, easily.

 

[blackjackmulligan]

Never got nor understood the Dean phenomenon. That music does nothing for me. Same with Fleetwood Mac or Pink Floyd. Hell throw the Beatles in there as well.