Tired as f**k (Quick Hits)

I don't really sleep anymore. I nap in 15 or 30 minute spurts about 4 times a day, which is what's keeping me lucid, and then wake up coughing. Problem is, when I lay down, I cough. So either I have to sleep sitting up or just not sleep or try to get through the coughing lying down (but then wake up coughing even worse).

I'm miserable though and that's just what I wanted to share. There's really nothing that can be done about it. Just have to wait it out. At least Mr.C is traveling and I'm only driving myself up the wall. Send pity!

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Bragging a bit on my goalies: Brusty and Jaegs both had excellent games on Sunday. The Blades looked like some other team entirely with Flick back in the line-up.

You know how students are when there's a substitute teacher vs when the real teacher shows back up? It was like that. So much better, which had to have made life in goal a lot nicer, too. And they left Kalamazoo with a 5-2 win. Snack on that, Kris Versteeg's brother!

Jaegs had his best game of the season and inches back toward a winning record stopping 32 of 33 shots in the win over Tulsa.

Cool thing: The CHL is doing a free night of video Friday, so maybe I'll get a little Jaeger action. Ha. Of course, the Aeros and Blades are playing at the same time so it may be a real clusterfuck of hockeymania in my living room Friday night.

But frankly, if there's anything I'll say an unequivocal YES to, it's a clusterfuck of hockeymania. Am I right?

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Meanwhile, I fucking hate my fantasy hockey teams and want them all to just get bent. So I renamed them all "Milbury's Kids." That'll teach 'em.

And I know we're only 8 games into the week but they're all winning their matchups this week. It won't last. They suck. I suck as a manager. If I were a real fan, I'd say we just blow the whole thing up and start over. Except for James Neal. I'm keeping his fine ass.

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Saw this in my reading for In Goal Mag: Dan Cloutier signed a PTO with Rockford. I don't even know what to say about that, other than, really?

For instance, Joe Palmer with the Brahmas is a Chicago prospect and playing very well in the CHL. I would have thought if they needed a guy, they'd give him a shot at it. I mean, isn't that kinda the point of having tiered leagues?

But WTF do I know? I can't even remember who Corey Crawford's backup is in Rockford. Too tired to look it up. Guess it's Dan Cloutier now, huh?

I dunno. Just seems like there are so many underemployed younger goalies out there in the minors. What's with the retreads?

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Hey, here's something I realized today (you realize a lot of shit when you're awake 22 hours a day): I realized why I play goal the way I do.

I learned to love the position, watching two big, tall goalies. It was the original, fantastical Schaefer/Brust season when I decided I had to be a goalie.

BTW, how 8-year-old-watching-Olympics-and-has-to-sign-up-for-gymnastics-or-figure-skating-ASAP is that, anyway? What can I say? I didn't have hockey as a kid.

Anyway, I watched the hell out of those guys, especially Brusty because well.. you just have to. Just never sure what exactly is going to happen down there in his paint.

So when I play, in my head, I'm 6'2".

Sadly, on the outside I'm a mere 5'7". I can't just drop into the fly, jam a leg out, and cover the bottom of the net. Trust me, I've tried umptybillion times and the bastards just poke it past my toe.

It's all kinda neither here nor there, but I was talking to Mr. Fred today about how differently I watch goalies even from a year ago, how much better I can "see" their game (assuming a certain level of objectivity).

I'm not very good at breaking it down and articulating it yet, but it's something I'm working on because it's the area of the game that makes the most sense to me inherently, and ultimately, I can present a more unique and, maybe someday, authoritative perspective on as a writer.

Lemme tell ya though, they don't get much better than my buddy Justin at The Goalie Guild. I compared him to a Goalie Detective... he sees nuances in a goalie's game that I'd never be able to draw out myself but as soon as he says it, you're like, "Yep, you nailed that."

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Okay, gonna see if I can get a few minutes of sleep while I'm full of every variety of cough medicine in the house. This is my best chance.