SOME THINGS TO KNOW

November 19, 2012

I spent the last three days at the Barn or to those not in the know, the Cow Palace. There, that’s your first Bulls Fans Insider Info. Regulars call it The Barn or The Palace, either is acceptable.

Anyway, getting back to my last three awesome days filled with Bulls hockey, I went to Friday night’s game against the Idaho Steelheads. The Bulls easily dominated, as I wrote about in my last blog entry. Saturday night, the Bulls looked tired and couldn’t get into any kind of a rhythm going until late, by then they ran out of time, losing to the Utah Grizzlies.

Some awesome Bulls fans 

But the Sunday matinee game was one of those games I’ll remember for a very long time! The Guys played great hockey for the majority of the game. Utah’s a tough opponent; they don’t stop attacking, are really aggressive on offense and their goalie Grant Rollheiser made it extremely hard to get goals. The Bulls outshot the Grizzlies, but that didn’t matter to the huge goaltender, he was protecting the Utah net with every inch of his tall frame.

The Bulls Captain Justin Bowers got the tying goal at the very last possible second in the Third Period, leading the tense game into Overtime and eventual Bulls win after a great Shootout. And their very FIRST Shootout win!!!

If you want to go to a game and you’re thinking of where to sit, I don’t think there are many bad seats in the house. I don’t have a season pass this first year, I have a partial one, so I’ve purchased tickets to a few games not in my package. For those games, I tried to get seats in different areas to see what those are like. I’ve also walked around to get a feel of what a game would be like all around the house. Every location has its advantages and disadvantages of course. You decide what you like the best.

Keep in mind that the Barn is an old Beaut, however, and during the rains her roof may be a bit leaky. Yesterday afternoon, the seat next to me was empty, and there was a steady drip-drip of rain straight down from waaaay up above. If you feel a splat of water on your head and it’s been raining outside, it probably isn’t the drunk behind you accidentally spilling Bud Light on your head. Tell Guest Services at the Front Lobby and they’ll be happy to reseat you.

Dylan King #47

The Bulls have made the Barn as comfy as anyone could make the old Girl, and as soon as fans walk through the doors, they’re greeted by Rawhide, the Cow Belles and the Moo Crew. It’s all smiles and how could anyone not be in a good mood with that greeting? If there’s a promotion, this is where you’ll get your swag. Just before this, the security is pretty good. They’re doing better than when the team first started. Although I had a bit of a laugh Friday night when one over-anxious guard wanted to take my cough drops away from me. Cough drops, really? “I guess you can keep these,” she said. OK, uh, thanks.

They don’t allow you to bring food inside, and trust me, the selection of food sold sucks. It’s basic junk that one would have gotten at a baseball game in the 70s; popcorn, hotdogs, really horrific nachos, stale French fries, scary slices of pizza, and a myriad of sugared sodas and beverages. There’s not one place in the whole building where one can have even a salad. Not one! Lots of beer and a few bars though. So, eat out, treat yourself to something good. And have a snack while you’re at the game if you like. In a future entry, I’ll include my suggestions of places in the vicinity to enjoy before/after games.

Alex Tuckerman #18

Get to the game early. Lots of parking at the Barn and it’s fairly easy to get in and out. Besides, one of the most fun things I can think of is watching the teams warm up on the ice and take pictures. If you haven’t been to a game before or have never seen the Bulls, go down to the glass and get yourself some shots. Fans can get closer to hockey athletes than any other sport because the glass makes it possible.

If it’s your first time at a game, buy a program. It’s a great souvenir, and it also gives you some info about the players and about hockey, if you’re unfamiliar with the game.

Going early also makes it easier to check out the Bulls merchandise; they have a great selection, as well as the terrific encased shrine saluting the past hockey teams that played here in years past: the Shamrocks, the Seals and the Spiders.

Then make your way around to the opposite side and you can look at the pictures of all the rock bands, circus acts, wrestling matches and anyone else who performed here throughout its history. As you get to the opposite side, you’ll see the Mechanical Bull. Yep, they got one. It’s $5.00 a try and it’s pretty fun watching other people do it. No way I’m getting on it, but you should give it a try!

Mechanical Bull Rides

Also, a good thing to do is buy your orange pucks for Chuck A Puck. What the heck is “Chuck A Puck?” You ask. It’s a game the club has in the Second Intermission. The orange pucks are $1.00 each or 6 pucks for $5.00. They are thrown onto the ice and if your numbered puck lands on the target at the center, you win whatever the dollar amount that night is. It starts at $150 and goes up if no one hits the target. The winner also wins a shirt and I believe tickets to a future game. Quite a nice little deal, and it’s fun. But buy your picks early, the lines can get really long.

The beginning of Chuck A Puck toss

Every night has special deals or games. Friday Night Bingo is my personal favorite, although I have yet to see anyone win. LOL! It’s still fun to play. After Sunday matinee games the kids can try to hit the puck into the net. Check the Bulls website for every games promotion or special. And after every game, there will be two Players signing autographs. I highly suggest doing this. The line moves really fast and you never know if one of these guys will get very famous one day and you can say you met him when he used to play for San Francisco. No need to thank me.

Faithful Bulls Fans

As is true with the San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco Niners, the San Francisco Bulls have our share of characters. You may run into the Bull Guy, a man dressed in a bull outfit who runs around one  Side of the Barn. Or, take a look up at the Visitor’s net and you could spot the Body Painters, a group of young guys who sport orange GO BULLS on their chests. I love this stuff and hope I see more of it!

Once again I will reiterate as I have before: DO NOT POUND ON THE GLASS!!!! Only noobs do this. Real hockey fans look at the idiots pounding on the glass and shake their heads. If you insist on Glass Pounding, you will never be taken seriously by them. Parents, teach your children not to do this, please.

Another happening I saw that I was not too happy about, was the idea of hipsters showing up making fun of hockey. These three skinny, badly-dressed “I’m Much Cooler and Hipper That You Will Ever Be Ever” Types sat a row and a few seats over from me Saturday night. They were already loaded when the game started. In the Second Period when the Bulls weren’t playing their best and the crowd was a little cranky, they were shouting “The Bulls Suck!” and a few other things. What is that all about? Could it be that some crap piece in a rag only hipsters read brought on SF’s dbags to laugh at what they thought would be “Goon”-style entertainment? Who knows? But it wasn’t making me or a few others very happy. They left before we could call security to tell them to chill or escort them out.

If you want to watch hockey and have fun, by all means, come and enjoy the game. But if you think this is a place where you can be a jerk, stay the f**k away!!!! Stay in the Mission at you little trendy bar, slobbering in your drink about how much cooler you are then me. Whatever. I don’t care.

Excuse me for that mini-rant, but it needed to be said.  

One of the most important pointers I can pass along to you is get to know the people in the seats around you. Hockey fans are some of the most friendly sports fans there are. The ECHL is a small league and you will see your fellow fans repeatedly over the season. Why not make some new friends?

Hockey is one BIG Family; each division is a branch of the Hockey Family. The NHL is the biggest branch, but there are other branches and the ECHL is one of those. If you want, you too can be part of the ECHL branch. Just hop on and have fun!!! The Bulls extend a warm welcome and get ready for lots of great action!

I know I’ll see you at a game soon! Just ask the staff if they’re seen Martha around. They all know me. And if not, they will soon.

Remember The Bulls game Tomorrow, Tuesday from Bakersfield, listen online at www.knbr.com 7:00pm

Also coming up Wednesday, November 21st is the online LIVE Broadcast from Pedros Cantina 128 King Street, across the street from AT&T Park in San Francisco. Jason Lockhart and a Bulls player will be on from 6:00 to 7:00pm. I will see you there!!!

GO BULLS!

Awesome Friday Night Win at the Palace!

November 17th, 2012

Now THIS is hockey at its FINEST! Last night I had the time of my life at the old Palace. The Bulls played spectacular hockey, that all San Franciscans can be proud of! We beat the Idaho Steelheads 4 to 2. They're the affiliates of the Dallas Stars and there was one lowly Stars fan who cheered when the Fish scored their two goals. Other than that he was very quiet when Section 19 made a MASSIVE effort to cheer extra loud his way.

#25 Simon Denis-Pepin

It was a great night. My pal from last Monday's dinner, Alex Tuckerman made First Star! I was so happy for him! Let's hope this earns him a spot on the regular roster! Are you listening, Bulls?

It was also a very cool night because I was interviewed by Comcast about the Matador Club and what we do for the Bulls. I was nervous as all out, but I think it went well. Thank you so much to Jason for suggesting I do it, and thank you Gianna for being such a professional and gracious interviewer!

Face Off

If you haven't checked out the Bulls' merchandise yet when you go to the game (and why haven't you?), you really need to. Their choices are pretty awesome. They do need to make improvements on what they offer online, the choices are really limited, but when you go to a game, there's tons of great gear and collector's items to be had. I picked up what I've wanted for months: a black, zippered and LINED hoodie! I LOVE this sweatshirt!!!


I know many of you are new to hockey, so this is for you new fans. Or, if you're not new and you know people who are going to games for the first time, please, let's educate them to be GOOD fans. Here's a couple things for them to know:

DO NOT POUND ON THE GLASS!!!! I can't stress this enough. It's tacky and not what good hockey fans do!!!! So many people were doing this last night. It's annoying. I was sitting on the opposite side of the rink last night, so it might just be that side. I hadn't seen so many people doing it on Player's Bench side I usually sit on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lLCkAxCWSI

Check out this video of an annoying Glass Pounder!

And finally:

If the Bulls are ahead let's say 4 to 2: no one on the Bulls team is going to start a fight, so stop shouting for them to fight! Fights don't just start without a reason. Fights serve a purpose in hockey. If you just want to watch fighting, go see an MMA bout or something.


Now, the Bulls are in the middle of a busy weekend. They play two games against the Utah Grizzlies starting tonight at 7:15pm and then tomorrow at 2:00pm.

GO BULLS!

Bulls Live at Pedro's Cantina!

Each week, the Bulls will be broadcasting online from Pedro's Cantina live, right across from AT&T Park, home of World Series Champions San Francisco Giants!

It was a small but lively crowd last night Thursday, November 15th, enjoying Bulls Voice Jason Lockhart and his guest #43 Left Wing Kris Belan. The show starts at 6pm and runs until 7pm and will either be on Thursday or Wednesday, depending on the team's game schedule. There are plenty of drink and food specials, so there's no reason why you shouldn't get on down here. Lot's of public transportation options and public parking.

Kris Belan & Jason Lockhart

Raudel & Andrea of the Bulls 

Kris Belan and Yours Truly

In Bulls Trade News, forward Marek Viedensky is with the team from the Worcester Sharks in the AHL as well as defenseman Michael Tam is back from Worcester on loan. The Bulls also have Jesse Todd from the Reading Royals in exchange for Evan Barlow. Chris Lawrence was exchanged to the Orlando Solar Bears for future considerations.

This weekend, the Bulls take on The Idaho Steelheads tonight Friday at 7:15 pm at the Palace and then play two games against the Utah Grizzlies, Saturday night at 7:15 pm and Sunday afternoon on the 18th at 2:00 pm.

Don't forget that the Bulls Live Online Broadcast will happen next Wednesday at Pedro's starting at 6:00 pm! Jason will have another Bulls' player and I expect to see you there!

GO BULLS!

A Night Out at Joe's of Westlake

The Matador Club invited the Boys out to dinner this past Monday. It was a relaxed, casual affair, with lots of laughs and talk exchanged between the two groups.

Matadors & Bulls Players

Bulls Joe Sova & Matador Jim

Bulls Players with Kris Belan in the front

Bulls Players & Matadors

Coach Curcio with Matadors & Players

Players & Matadors

Alex Turckerman & Me 

Thanks first to Dante for suggesting it and helping put it all together. Thanks to Jason for reserving the room and for all the massively hard work he always does. Thanks to Rocky for rounding up the Matador gang and also the coordination of the dinner. Thanks to all of the Matadors who attended, you folks are incredible and dedicated and always impress me. Thanks for the ride to BART from Leanne and Valerie. Thanks to the Bulls players, you all Rock San Francisco hard and RULE the ice! And THANK YOU!!! to Coach Curcio who's heart is incredibly huge and who makes everything possible!

GO BULLS!

A TALE OF TWO GAMES

Two nights, two games, one landslide win one landslide loss. The games could not have been more opposite if they had been dreamt up. This is just further proof that there will be more growing pains for the new team.

Friday night the Bulls returned home to play the Stockton Thunder. This was one of the games I was looking forward to the most out of the whole season! It was Cap Night, and there are few things better than new gear. David and I headed to the Palace after work. There was a great crowd. And an added goodie was Sergio Romo, Ace San Francisco Giants Relief Pitcher, dropped the First Puck.

Sergio Romo of the SF Giants (picture courtesy of Rocky Barbanica)

The Thunder scored first, but that was the end of their offense, it was all Bulls the rest of the game. The team was in complete control of the game. Every player was moving in unison. Passes connected, hits smashed, Power Plays worked, as every cylinder fired on queue.

It will go down as one of the best hockey games I’ve ever attended. Everything was spot on. The music was excellent, the new intermission games the team now have for the fans are fun, (I LOVE Friday Night BINGO!), and a great sized crowd made for a victory of 4-1 Bulls over Thunder even sweeter.

Coach Curcio, Ryane Clowe & the Bulls Bench

I hadn’t planned on going Saturday night for the game versus the Ontario Reign. Money is hard at the moment and I shouldn’t have spent it, but it was so much fun Friday that I said, why not, to myself and headed out on my own. I bought a ticket in the Dress Circle. The seats are great there. For $26, you get a nice overview of the game and can follow the puck and action as it happens.

It was Poster Night with a cool calendar of this season’s games. The crowd was smaller and there were a lot of First Timers there. Many were there only to see Devin Setoguchi, one-time favorite Sharks player, who’s now with Minnesota Wild, temporarily playing for the Ontario Reign.

The game was the worst the Bulls have played so far. A complete mirror-opposite of Friday night’s. Going from the Best to the Worst overnight is remarkable and I’m not completely sure how it was done but I’ll give my thoughts in just a bit.

There was NO BULLS OFFENSE, it was missing the entire game. In the first few minutes of the Second Period, the shots were 17 Reign, 2 Bulls and it hardly improved. From faceoffs to passes, the Bulls didn’t show up for Saturday’s game. So many missed opportunities! At one point, the Reign net was completely open and the Bulls’ shot was so off the mark that the whole crowd groaned in unison. It was a painful night. Forward Evan Barlow slammed his stick into the tray angrily halfway through the Second Period. But the game didn’t get any better. It got uglier.

There were two power plays that gave the Bulls nothing. Please refer back to my prior post about power plays being one of the team’s weaknesses. This is a key area they will need to overcome to ensure success. The other area, penalties was also HUGE Saturday. There were many unnecessary ones. Too Many Men on the Ice? This one always gets to me. I know things move fast but please, use caution! And then at the end of the game, a couple players just lost their cool, which I have no respect for. I don’t care how badly the team is losing, there’s really no reason to throw fits. Sure, have a couple good fights, that shows you’re still in it, but to slam your stick down on the ice or get in an argument with the Ref does NOT solve anything!

Onto Saturday’s crowd. If you’re just there to see Setoguchi, then you’d better ONLY root for the Reign. Don’t you DARE cheer for the Bulls in one minute and cheer for Setoguchi when he scores for the Reign in the next! And yes, there were A LOT of Bulls first-timers who did that! Even if you like a member of another team, it’s in extremely bad taste to root for them when they score for the opposing team and then pretend you’re a fan of the home team! Pick one team or another! Be a Bulls fan or don’t be. I liked Setoguchi when he played for the Sharks too, but now he doesn’t, so I moved on, time for others to do the same.

I know the Lockout has been good for ECHL teams as far as attendance, but in some ways it’s been negative because many of the fans don’t “get” the ECHL. They don’t respect the league and aren’t trying to understand how it works. They don’t think the players are good or aren’t even paid! Those fools sitting in back of me were talking, they were drunk so it was quite loud. One of them said “So, which players are professional?” Another said “I don’t know the numbers of the two that are.” This went on for a while. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I said, “they’re all professional.” One replied back “No, I mean, which ones are ‘actual’ professionals.”

At that point, I just shook my head. Anything further would have been wasted energy on my part. I blame the movie “Goon” for losers like them. Even though it was an entertaining movie, it was highly inaccurate and really hurt minor hockey’s image. There’s no way in hell drunks like this could go to an NHL game and act like that.

They were screaming at the top of their lungs things like “USA! USA!” Huh? Most of the players are from Canada. Finally in the Third Period, they got up and tried to get into the Goal-Area bar that’s just open for Elevated, Glass & Box Seat Holders. I of course, watched their whole drunken escapade and eventual denial of entry. It was much more fun than the game at that point except for one fight at the end of the game by Jordan Clendenning, which was a pretty good one.

Don’t go to a Bulls game and think you can act like a complete drunken loser and scream whatever you want. You’re still at a PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY GAME, so think of the people around you. Try to show some respect. Also, The Bulls are an independent team. Sure, they’re affiliated with the Sharks but they are NOT owned by them. This is a different league with different players, so think of them in that light. I know this is new to all of us and new is hard sometimes, but new is also fun, isn’t it?  

The team is going through a learning curve now and it’s going to be hard to find consistency. They will find it, hopefully sooner rather than later, but they will find it.

Wednesday, November 14^th, they travel back to Ontario to take on the Reign once more. Hopefully this time we will be victorious and then this Friday, November 16^th, they begin a 3-game homestand with one game against the Idaho Steelheads and two games versus the Utah Grizzlies.

GO BULLS!

BULLS LOOK TO STOP DOWNWARD SLIDE

The Bulls first road trip was not an easy one. All in all, it reminded us all that the team is still gelling,

still learning to work together, so it’s not going to be smooth, it’s not going to always turn out in wins.

The last two series were sweeps against the Bulls. These were difficult losses. Out of these, only the third Alaska Aces game was close, the rest were pretty lopsided. The last match up of the road trip was probably the hardest loss to the Ontario Reign. At least it was the hardest for me. The Bulls started out strong and stumbled over themselves in a disappointing loss to the LA Kings affiliated team. In the end, the Bulls lost three to one, simply running out of time.

I’m not saying the team is not good; they’re a very good team. They have heart, have some great players and a great coach. And I know they can and will get better.

There are several areas the team could work on. I’ll focus on two areas of improvement. The first is Penalties. I don’t have any figures in front of me, but I’ve listened to nearly every game road game and the team gets itself into trouble every time they draw an unnecessary penalty. These can go from anything to Boarding to Unsportsmanlike Conduct to Slashing. There doesn’t seem to be enough discipline yet on the lines to hold their energy still and not get into trouble with the Refs. So much time is spent in Penalty Kills. I am not saying don’t get penalties. They’re a huge part of the game and should be there, but be smart about the ones you do incur. An Unsportsmanlike Conduct you receive after the whistle is blown because you’re angry is unacceptable.

The second areas are the Power Plays.  In one of the Alaska games the Bulls’ power play stat was zero out of six. This is if not yet alarming then perhaps they are surely noticeable.  Many times the team will pass the puck around, in much like San Jose Sharks fashion, not even making any play for the net. There should be more aggression towards shots at the net.

I also realize that yes, San Francisco is a new team and we fans must have patience. And I do. But, I will not hesitate to point out obvious weaknesses when I see them. Team Strengths? We have some great players! Peter Sivak, Justin Bowers & Jordan Morrison are only three of the team’s top players. I see good, fast skating, lots of heart, good shot-taking at times and even when the team is down by many goals, they don’t give up. And that means a lot. And no doubt much of the mistakes and miscues are because no one is used to working with each other. Patience, my friends. Keep repeating this often.

Tomorrow night, Friday, November 9^th, the Bulls will have two games at home, one with Stockton and one on Saturday with Ontario.  

Bulls have signed San Jose Sharks’ Ryane Clowe, who for now, will not be playing. He won’t be playing in either of the Bulls’ games at the Cow Palace this weekend. After reading CSN Bay Area writer Kevin Kurz, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to, but maybe I’m being pessimistic.

Edmundton Oiler’s Defenseman Theo Peckham is currently playing games for the Bulls. He skated for the team in his first game against the Reign Wednesday. I look forward to seeing him Friday at the Palace. He should add some strength to the Bulls’ D-line.

If you haven’t Bulls’ bought tickets yet, why not? Stop bitchin’ about the Lockout and come watch a game; it’s great hockey!

GO BULLS!!!

San Jose Sharks Ryane Clowe Practices with SF Bulls

Ryane Clowe

Nothing is official or signed or announced on the Bulls website, but Ryane Clowe was practicing with the Bulls at Yerba Buena Ice today. He may be signing with them for the extent of the Lockout. The Bulls fell three games straight to the Alaska Aces this past weekend and one of the reasons is the Aces have three NHL players with them on the team temporarily during the Lockout. 

I also heard on Twitter that Devin Setoguchi signed with the Ontario Reign today. 

I have mixed feelings about this. Of course like everyone I want the Lockout to end. If we do get Clowe to play games with the Bulls, it will be fun to watch him, and with players like Dubinski in Alaska and Setoguchi in Ontario, we need to compete. We were swept in that series to the Aces primarily because they have three NHL players in their lines. But with these players taking spots on the roster also means less space for up-and-comers who need their time in the minors. Let's hope the guys can get some good skills and few tips from Clowe while he's there, except for maybe that one about hitting the puck from the bench. 

I'll let you all know if Clowe signs.

Speaking of the Lockout, one of the few "pluses" was reading box scores in the San Francisco Examiner this morning. That was fun! So, enjoy it until the NHL starts back up and we're regulated back to a couple sentences every week or so. 

GO BULLS!

San Francisco Examiner Oct 30, 2012