I didn’t get enough submitted questions for the mailbag so I decided to write about whatever the heck I wanted. This may become a weekly thing or it could end up just being a one-off. Either way, you get to read my hot and spicy takes. What a win-win for the world.
1. Not Every Prospect is Wayne Gretzky
Browsing the internet (like I do from time to time), sometimes you come across an opinion you don’t agree with. Nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is born the same way with the same brain and the same moral compass. These are facts that I can handle. I cannot handle though some of the expectations people have for 17, 18, 19 year old people playing a children’s game. I write about the Columbus Blue Jackets because I live within the greater metropolitan area of this fine city. It may be a burden to some to be a fan of this team, but it allows me to have a sense of community among my peers. It is an invaluable feeling. You may get upset with the teams lack of winning, this may cause you to want more from this franchise. That is fine. I suggest when you say things like “Zach Werenski is going to be in the top four next year” or “Kerby Rychel is a bust”, you know exactly what you are saying.
You may expect every prospect to come onto the Blue Jackets with their guns blazing. That isn’t always going to be the case. It’s normal and fine if players are only “good” or “decent” in the first several years after their draft. Different players develop at different paces. Zach Werenski is having a very good year at Michigan and did very well at the WJC, but that doesn’t mean he can step onto a professional roster and succeed. Alexander Wennberg may not be a first line center at this very moment in time, but that doesn’t mean he can’t develop. I, like many of you, want to see this team succeed but you aren’t doing anyone any good when you call Sonny Milano “lazy,” when your opinion has no basis in fact.
We won’t see some of these players reach their potential for another 3-4 years. So for now, take a step back and realize what you are asking of players who are only now getting facial hair. It is not only an unfair expectation for the player but for you as a fan.
2. Not Everything Has to Have an Opinion
As the World Cup of Hockey rosters are being announced bit by bit, I see people getting upset about the idea of Jarmoir Jagr not being on the Czech Republic roster. This has multiple layers to it, so let me peel back the first one.
A certain unnamed writer said it was a shame that Jagr wasn’t named to the Finnish roster. The fact that he said that isn’t too big of a deal. Many decided to get on his case about it and make a non-issue, an issue.
Ouch.
So while others want to get on this writer’s case for being wrong about Jagr’s home country. Why don’t we all just take a step back and realize that we all make mistakes. None of us are infallible. The next time you try to catch someone making a mistake, instead of taking them down a peg, maybe just give a gentle reminder.
Kindness is a trait we can pick up at any point in our lives. Let’s all pick it up together.
3. The Witch is the Scariest Movie to Come Out in the Last Five Years.
This past weekend I saw “The Witch”, it is a film by first-time director Robert Eggers. This is the film’s synopsis:
A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.
The description of the film may seem innocuous enough but the film is anything but that. The entire film is presented in olde english, which is scary on its own. The film starts out with the family being excommunicated for their religious values which all center around normal Christian prinicples. As they begin to set up their new life in the woods, things begin to go awry.
I am not someone who gets easily frightened but this movie stuck with me for days and days. Immediately after the film, I had to catch my breath and realize that the suspense was finally over. It may be the realism of the The Witch that really grabs you from the start, but the part that really terrifies you is the idea of truly being alone and disconnected from everyone. It isn’t something we experience as humans in the modern world very often, and even the idea of it can scare the crap out of us.
The film employs simple concepts that prey on our deepest fears. That is why “The Witch” is so darn scary.
Here is the trailer for those interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-yD_smDu7Q
If you like this column, give us some feedback. Shoot us an email at [email protected] or just shoot us a tweet. Thanks for reading!
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