Hello! Today Grading Dater will take a look at a recent game review from Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
Colorado Avalanche loses 4-1 to Edmonton after giving up four power-play goals
This article is a bit of a hybrid: one-half basic and decent recap of the game, and one-half commentary on the Ryan O'Reilly situation. The recap part of the article is fine: quotes from players and Sacco, critical of the Avs as a team where they were soft (special teams), mention of how Landeskog's absence isn't helping, and an acknowledgement that the Oilers are a very tough team right now. The only real beef with the recap side of this article is that Dater calls out Stastny in particular, only later mentioning that his linemates have also been ineffective. Yeah, Stastny being the highest-paid player makes him a target for such criticism, but Stastny has always been a guy who looks great when his line is clicking but never really carries anybody on his back. Calling out "the Stastny line" is probably more constructive and accurate than singling out Stastny simply because he's paid a lot of money, but it's a minor quibble.
The other half of the article is Dater's way of making this game relevant to the Ryan O'Reilly saga, and to a point I do get it: the PK was awful (two straight games with three or more PP goals allowed), and O'Reilly is a very good penalty killer. The pieces do fit. AD writes that the more the Avs lose, the better "O'Reilly's leverage" against the Avs becomes... whether that logic tracks or not I'm not sure, but Dater makes a decent enough case for it. The part that really doesn't work, though, is this:
Wherever he was Monday night, Ryan O'Reilly
might have sat back with a smug grin and thought to himself, "That's why
I'm worth the money."
Showing posts with label lousy intro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lousy intro. Show all posts
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, March 18, 2011
All Things Avs blog: postgame Avs/Ducks
http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2011/03/12/postgame-avs-ducks-17-out-of-18/6656/
In this blog entry, Dater expresses some frustration with the way the Avalanche season has gone. Another loss, more injuries... I suppose that even a great reporter would have a difficult time telling the same story twenty times in a row.
Dater starts with an intro comparing the Avalanche to Old Yeller. I suppose the idea behind this metaphor is that the Avs should be put down, and that they make Dater cry, so I guess it works. I'd point out, however, that Old Yeller was not "bitten by rabies," unless the wolf's name was "Rabies." Which come to think of it, would be a kind of funny name for a dog.
Dater then refers to the Avalanche fans as "ye faithful followers of these metal-footed men." Another weird phrase. Some of the Avs appear to have stone hands and shit for brains, but not metal feet. Do I know what he meant? Sure I do... but he's a professional writer, and his audience shouldn't have to decode what he wrote to get to what he meant. Dater should avoid the flourish-laced language when he's been bawling his eyes out over Old Yeller, apparently.
Dater moves on to compare the current Avs to the Nordiques, and makes an attempt to comfort Avs fans by bringing up "karma," remarking that the Nordiques fans had to endure years of bad hockey in order to build a team that would be taken away immediately before becoming a powerhouse and winning the Stanley Cup. I guess the point is that Avs fans didn't have to go through the growing pains then, so they have to now... but trying to tie "karma" into it doesn't really add up for me. Karma would see to it that Avs fans suffer through another few years of this crap, and then see their team move back to Quebec and win a couple Cups there. With Budaj in goal. So let's not bring up "karma" again, shall we?
Once Dater finally gets to talking about the game itself, he actually has some decent comments. Pointing out that Duchene has not been good, noting that O'Reilley's wide miss that turned into a chance (and goal) the other way was a biggie, and some recognition that Erik Johnson was (and has been) very good. Dater closes with a couple links and another word or two on the Chara hit.
Overall, a very odd start leads to some good, blog-worthy comments about the Ducks game. If the intro had been less awkward, this may have been a solid A.
B
In this blog entry, Dater expresses some frustration with the way the Avalanche season has gone. Another loss, more injuries... I suppose that even a great reporter would have a difficult time telling the same story twenty times in a row.
Dater starts with an intro comparing the Avalanche to Old Yeller. I suppose the idea behind this metaphor is that the Avs should be put down, and that they make Dater cry, so I guess it works. I'd point out, however, that Old Yeller was not "bitten by rabies," unless the wolf's name was "Rabies." Which come to think of it, would be a kind of funny name for a dog.
Dater then refers to the Avalanche fans as "ye faithful followers of these metal-footed men." Another weird phrase. Some of the Avs appear to have stone hands and shit for brains, but not metal feet. Do I know what he meant? Sure I do... but he's a professional writer, and his audience shouldn't have to decode what he wrote to get to what he meant. Dater should avoid the flourish-laced language when he's been bawling his eyes out over Old Yeller, apparently.
Dater moves on to compare the current Avs to the Nordiques, and makes an attempt to comfort Avs fans by bringing up "karma," remarking that the Nordiques fans had to endure years of bad hockey in order to build a team that would be taken away immediately before becoming a powerhouse and winning the Stanley Cup. I guess the point is that Avs fans didn't have to go through the growing pains then, so they have to now... but trying to tie "karma" into it doesn't really add up for me. Karma would see to it that Avs fans suffer through another few years of this crap, and then see their team move back to Quebec and win a couple Cups there. With Budaj in goal. So let's not bring up "karma" again, shall we?
Once Dater finally gets to talking about the game itself, he actually has some decent comments. Pointing out that Duchene has not been good, noting that O'Reilley's wide miss that turned into a chance (and goal) the other way was a biggie, and some recognition that Erik Johnson was (and has been) very good. Dater closes with a couple links and another word or two on the Chara hit.
Overall, a very odd start leads to some good, blog-worthy comments about the Ducks game. If the intro had been less awkward, this may have been a solid A.
B
Sunday, March 6, 2011
All Things Avs blog: tree falls in forest. film at eleven
http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2011/03/06/postgame-avs-oilers-15-out-of-16/6632/
In this blog entry we are treated to Dater's thoughts about the game featuring the Western Conference's two worst teams, the Oilers and the Avalanche. It would seem that the team with the worst record is not the worst team, as the Oilers had a disturbingly easy time with the Avalanche, winning 5-1.
Dater makes an attempt at an interesting introduction, and fares better than usual... if you can call a combination of Dater's late-night habits, Vince Lombardi, the Colorado Avalanche, and Charlie Sheen "better than usual." Unfortunately for his readers, we can.
Dater follows with some basic thoughts about the team having no confidence, being young, etc. Pretty standard, boring comments without any real insight, but that's S.O.P. for this blog. Dater picks on Erik Johnson a bit... apparently, Dater thinks that a 22-year-old kid in his first couple weeks with his new team should be a "leader type" and help turn the team around immediately, and so he plans to make a note of every time he fails to do so. I think Johnson will be just fine, but since Dater has already stated he is 'against' the trade that brought him here, he's apparently going to go out of his way to point out every time Johnson fails to excel (and, of course, every time Shatty and Stewart have great games). That's just the way Dater is... some people would call it a grotesque lack of objectivity, but around All Things Avs, it's par for the hole.
He also kind of throws Elliot under the bus, when really I can only remember one goal that was remotely his fault. As ignorant as Dater is of the finer points of hockey, he is especially ignorant about goaltending. It's not like the Oilers, even missing their best players, are the Colorado Eagles or something... they wouldn't be in the league, Dater, if they couldn't score. Also absent is any mention of Peter Budaj, who stepped in after the Oilers' fourth goal and played fairly well, giving up only a single goal on a shorthanded odd-man rush. This is notable not because Dater failed to say something positive about Budaj, but because Dater usually finds a way to blame Budaj for goals scored on shorthanded odd-man rushes.
He closes by explaining that "people's job security" will be in doubt if the Avs don't start winning. Well, yeah... Hannan, Stewart, Anderson, & Shattenkirk have already lost their jobs, and there will be more to come, I'm sure. But he quickly moves on to let us know he's talking specifically about Sacco here. As usual, Adrian hedges his bets... he says that "Sacco is definitely coming back" next season, but then he immediately says that if they keep losing, he may be fired. Dater really sticks his neck out with those predictions, doesn't he?
Nothing terribly interesting or informative in this blog entry, but other than Dater's typical lack of objectivity mixed with his lack of extensive hockey knowledge, there's nothing really notable worth complaining about, either.
C+
 |
| The Avs-Oilers game, as seen from space. |
Dater makes an attempt at an interesting introduction, and fares better than usual... if you can call a combination of Dater's late-night habits, Vince Lombardi, the Colorado Avalanche, and Charlie Sheen "better than usual." Unfortunately for his readers, we can.
Dater follows with some basic thoughts about the team having no confidence, being young, etc. Pretty standard, boring comments without any real insight, but that's S.O.P. for this blog. Dater picks on Erik Johnson a bit... apparently, Dater thinks that a 22-year-old kid in his first couple weeks with his new team should be a "leader type" and help turn the team around immediately, and so he plans to make a note of every time he fails to do so. I think Johnson will be just fine, but since Dater has already stated he is 'against' the trade that brought him here, he's apparently going to go out of his way to point out every time Johnson fails to excel (and, of course, every time Shatty and Stewart have great games). That's just the way Dater is... some people would call it a grotesque lack of objectivity, but around All Things Avs, it's par for the hole.
He also kind of throws Elliot under the bus, when really I can only remember one goal that was remotely his fault. As ignorant as Dater is of the finer points of hockey, he is especially ignorant about goaltending. It's not like the Oilers, even missing their best players, are the Colorado Eagles or something... they wouldn't be in the league, Dater, if they couldn't score. Also absent is any mention of Peter Budaj, who stepped in after the Oilers' fourth goal and played fairly well, giving up only a single goal on a shorthanded odd-man rush. This is notable not because Dater failed to say something positive about Budaj, but because Dater usually finds a way to blame Budaj for goals scored on shorthanded odd-man rushes.
He closes by explaining that "people's job security" will be in doubt if the Avs don't start winning. Well, yeah... Hannan, Stewart, Anderson, & Shattenkirk have already lost their jobs, and there will be more to come, I'm sure. But he quickly moves on to let us know he's talking specifically about Sacco here. As usual, Adrian hedges his bets... he says that "Sacco is definitely coming back" next season, but then he immediately says that if they keep losing, he may be fired. Dater really sticks his neck out with those predictions, doesn't he?
Nothing terribly interesting or informative in this blog entry, but other than Dater's typical lack of objectivity mixed with his lack of extensive hockey knowledge, there's nothing really notable worth complaining about, either.
C+
Friday, March 4, 2011
All Things Avs blog: things get uncomfortable
http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2011/02/27/postgame-avs-ducks-a-time-for-reflection/6603/
Not really sure where to go with this blog entry. In it, AD starts with a personal story (which in itself is not so unusual) that gets very personal, divulging to his audience some severe depression and suicidal thoughts he went through a number of years ago. It's tough to criticize a person for opening up like this, but then again, I question its appropriateness in a blog that's supposed to be about the Avalanche. I really don't mind some personality coming through in a blog, but this is such a personal story that it threatens to (and ultimately, does) overwhelm the subject. As I've said before, it's "All Things Avs," not "Some Things Avs, and Some Things Adrian."
I did really like the bit about Keith Jones noticing something was up that night and talking to AD about it... I think it's a good insight into the relationship an athlete and a reporter can have, and I enjoyed both that section and the idea AD was going for with it. But, if that's the sort of thing AD wanted to relay, it could have been done while still keeping that story as the focus, rather than the focus turning towards Dater himself.
Things really take a turn for the worse, however, when Dater tries to relate his feeling depressed and suicidal in the Avs' locker room to how Lilies might feel at the possibility of being traded. Really? A guy considering ending it all is in the same ballpark as a guy who might get traded within the next couple days? That's really a stretch, and frankly, I worry it's a bit insulting to those who have suffered true depression. If Dater hoped there would be any weight to the initial, personal parts of the story, he really sabotages it here, essentially trivializing his own struggles by suggesting that Liles' emotions at maybe being traded are somehow similar. Unless it turns out that Lilies was suicidal about the possibility of leaving the Avs, this ends up being really rather far off-key.
Things like this really make me question Dater's ability as a writer... when writing something like this, there should be a common thread that runs throughout it, from beginning to end. Dater tries to find one, but the thing he settles on ends up kind of wrecking the feel for both his personal story and what he was trying to say about Liles. So while I am glad to hear that AD's apparently worked through his issues, I do think that he could have done better with this entry.
The remainder is fairly standard, "will he or won't he be traded" stuff, primarily about Liles. Nothing new, nothing informative, but I guess it's OK. He closes with a very oddly-worded phrase
Again, while I can figure out what he was probably trying to say here, it's written so oddly that I find myself shaking my head in confusion rather than nodding it in agreement.
Overall, I give props to Dater on this one, actually. He made an attempt to do what I think should be done with a blog like this: to combine his personal thoughts about the Avs with some insider information and present it to the reader. If he can find a better balance between those "personal" and "insider" sides and create a more cohesive, flowing story, I think he'd have been on to something. The result was spotty at best, but I feel the effort deserves some recognition, so this entry gets a
B-
Not really sure where to go with this blog entry. In it, AD starts with a personal story (which in itself is not so unusual) that gets very personal, divulging to his audience some severe depression and suicidal thoughts he went through a number of years ago. It's tough to criticize a person for opening up like this, but then again, I question its appropriateness in a blog that's supposed to be about the Avalanche. I really don't mind some personality coming through in a blog, but this is such a personal story that it threatens to (and ultimately, does) overwhelm the subject. As I've said before, it's "All Things Avs," not "Some Things Avs, and Some Things Adrian."
I did really like the bit about Keith Jones noticing something was up that night and talking to AD about it... I think it's a good insight into the relationship an athlete and a reporter can have, and I enjoyed both that section and the idea AD was going for with it. But, if that's the sort of thing AD wanted to relay, it could have been done while still keeping that story as the focus, rather than the focus turning towards Dater himself.
Things really take a turn for the worse, however, when Dater tries to relate his feeling depressed and suicidal in the Avs' locker room to how Lilies might feel at the possibility of being traded. Really? A guy considering ending it all is in the same ballpark as a guy who might get traded within the next couple days? That's really a stretch, and frankly, I worry it's a bit insulting to those who have suffered true depression. If Dater hoped there would be any weight to the initial, personal parts of the story, he really sabotages it here, essentially trivializing his own struggles by suggesting that Liles' emotions at maybe being traded are somehow similar. Unless it turns out that Lilies was suicidal about the possibility of leaving the Avs, this ends up being really rather far off-key.
Things like this really make me question Dater's ability as a writer... when writing something like this, there should be a common thread that runs throughout it, from beginning to end. Dater tries to find one, but the thing he settles on ends up kind of wrecking the feel for both his personal story and what he was trying to say about Liles. So while I am glad to hear that AD's apparently worked through his issues, I do think that he could have done better with this entry.
The remainder is fairly standard, "will he or won't he be traded" stuff, primarily about Liles. Nothing new, nothing informative, but I guess it's OK. He closes with a very oddly-worded phrase
"You’ll all have a better memory in that room some night."
Again, while I can figure out what he was probably trying to say here, it's written so oddly that I find myself shaking my head in confusion rather than nodding it in agreement.
Overall, I give props to Dater on this one, actually. He made an attempt to do what I think should be done with a blog like this: to combine his personal thoughts about the Avs with some insider information and present it to the reader. If he can find a better balance between those "personal" and "insider" sides and create a more cohesive, flowing story, I think he'd have been on to something. The result was spotty at best, but I feel the effort deserves some recognition, so this entry gets a
B-
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