THOUGHTS ON THE FREE GAME MONDAY NIGHT

December 12, 2012

There was a flurry of activity at Bulls HQ this week. The announcement of a free game between the Bulls and the Stockton Thunder at the Shark Tank in San Jose on Monday, December 17^th was followed by a tidal wave of of crazed Bay Area hockey fans.

It was a huge undertaking for the young team. First, understand it was the San Jose Sharks’ idea. The logistics to make it happen were Herculean-size and considering how little time the All-Pro staff had, they did a great job.

I’m thinking that because it was the Sharks’ idea, the NHL team also felt that their customers, ie:  Sharks season ticket holders, should get first crack at the tickets. OK, fair enough, I can understand that. Your league is so messed up right now, you have to do SOMETHING to make your customers happy. But at this point, the Bulls didn’t even know how many tickets the Sharks would give them. They were at the bigger team's mercy. Fortunately, there were enough tickets so everyone on ticket plans could get two with the rest sold this morning on Ticket Master.

Yes, there were glitches and a few problems. There are bound to be some in an operation this large thrown together so quickly. This was a LAST MINUTE deal, and out of the control of the Bulls. Keep this in mind if you are blaming everything on them. Some understanding will go a long ways.

And then there were the Stockton fans who were upset they did not get the chance to reserve tickets before they went to Ticket Master. To these Thunder fans: this is an AWAY GAME through an NHL team not affiliated with them. Yes, The Sharks were a PARTIAL affiliate in the past, sharing the Thunder with the Edmonton Oilers. So, even when the Sharks were affiliates of the Thunder, they were not the only affiliated team. Back to the present day… Stockton fans were very vocal about their feelings of entitlements, and I think it’s misplaced. They will be visitors Monday night, in an opposing team’s house, and they’d better get used to it.

Another thing to understand is that many of the ECHL players will never get the chance to play in an NHL venue ever again. This is a BIG DEAL to them! Sure, some of them are going on to big careers, but a lot are not. Just having one night to play in the Shark Tank is like a dream and one that many never be able to repeat.

Oh, and one last thing I nearly forgot. This is the first ECHL game played at an NHL venue for a long time, so, it's going to be cool to be a part of history, don't you think?

So before you’re ready to tear up your Bulls tickets and curse them out to your friends, they worked really hard at making this as good of a night as they can. Let’s all have a great time and support our guys and team, OK?

Jordan Clendenning & Jason Lockhart

I just got back from SF Bulls Live at Pedro’s Cantina. Jordan Clendenning was Jason’s guest tonight. It was a great interview and a lot of fun to hang out with the fans, Jason and Jordan. Next week it will be back at Pedro’s. I believe it will be on Wednesday the 19^th. It’s directly across from AT&T Park and starts at 6pm, so join us, will ya?

Rocky (Bulls Matador Club) & Jordan Clendenning 

Tomorrow night, Thursday, December 13^th the Bulls host the Thunder for 2-for-1 beers. Let’s get another win against our arch-rivals! Hope to see you there!

GO BULLS!!!    

RIVALS – WHICH TEAMS DO YOU HATE?

The Bulls played two games against the Colorado Eagles this weekend. They lost both, the first 5-1 and the second 3-1. The second game was a much better effort. The Boys fought hard and the offense was highly improved over Friday night.

In fact, Saturday night’s game was really exciting. I knew the Bulls were serious when they had more Shots on Goal (10) in the first five minutes of the First Period than they had in the whole First Period of Friday night’s game (2). Both the offense and defense were skate to skate with Colorado throughout the whole game. The big difference was Colorado’s Goaltender Kyle Jones. And even though they lost the game, the effort didn’t go unnoticed.

What also was observed was the Eagles love of cheap shops, sniping and all around bad sportsmanship. During both games, I have rarely seen a team with an attitude as poor as Colorado. Even when a Bulls player got close to the Eagles bench because pushed into by an Eagles; player, one of the Eagles would push him away or start sniping at him. It’s funny because when I mentioned some of this on Twitter a friend of mine from Kansas confirmed this from the Eagles’ days in the CHL (Central Hockey League), so they have a history of bad attitude.

This got me to thinking… the Bulls are a brand new team. We’re still setting things down, figuring out who our rivalries will be. I’d say within our own division, the biggest ones are with the Stockton Thunder and the Ontario Reign. Time will tell who will be the biggest one of these. But a new one emerged this weekend.

Even though they’re not in the Pacific Division, (they’re in the Mountain), with the nasty disposition they’ve had towards the Bulls in the three games the teams have played so far, the Eagles are well on their way to being rivals.

In both home games, the two teams had three fights in the first game and two fights in the second. In Friday night’s game, the fights were in the First Period, with Colorado nearly begging to fight. Not sure why this team has such a snarky attitude, but they do.

The worst Eagles’ offense came when one of their players, I think it was Collin Bowman #10, but I’m not certain, tripped #55, Marek Viedensky and hit him in the private area, causing him to fall in intense pain on the ice. We fans were outraged. Not only that, the Eagles player then had the nerve to argue with the Ref about the penalty!  Lucky for him it was at the end of the game or the Bulls would have had a thing or two to “discuss” with him on the ice later.

Eagles #10 Collin Bowman

I can’t wait for the Bulls to play Colorado again because I know that the next round, we’re going to beat these pigeons!

Mark your calendars for SF Bulls Live this Wednesday when it’s back at Pedro’s Cantina across the street from AT&T Park. Be there! It’s loads of fun and you get to hang out with Jason Lockhart and one or two Bulls players.

Next game is Thursday against the Stockton Thunder. It’s two-for-one beer night so let’s turn out and show those Stockton fans who’s house it is! They seem to mistakenly think it’s theirs whenever they show up!

GO BULLS!

Dean Ouellet, Rob Kwiet & Me

TEDDY BEARS ON PARADE!

December 7, 2012

I don't know about you, but this time of year is usually of whirlwind of responsibilities with a full schedule and tons of things I have to attend or get done. And I'm not even including Bulls games or activities. It's very easy to forget that many of the littlest of us go without this time of year. It's not difficult to get caught up in all the fervor of errands, parties, shopping, and end of the year work and forget that lots of kids won't get presents this year.

There's a great tradition in minor league and junior league hockey called the Teddy Bear Toss. Fans bring teddy bears and when the home team gets a goal, the bears are tossed on the ice, gathered together and distributed to needy kids in the area.

Rich

Nick

The Bulls had their Teddy Bear Toss tonight. While the team lost to the Colorado Eagles 5-1 the toss was great. But first, let's get the bad news out of the way. San Francisco wasn't playing their best tonight. Their offense was lacking something. The entire First Period was void of shots, the Bulls made 3 shots I believe in 20 minutes and didn't start waking up until midway through the Second Period. So much attention has been given to defense and the special teams that perhaps this is the one area that needs the help now. Mediocre shooting is passable against a team playing as poorly as Bakersfield, but not when faced with someone who comes out strong against us.

The Bulls first and only goal was scored by Jordan Morrison in the Third Period. Finally! We all thought and then the Rain of Bears began!!!

Teddy Bears!

Lots and Lots of Teddy Bears!

It was pretty amazing and went on for only 10 minutes. So many stuffed animals from all over! What a great event. While it was happening, players on both teams talked to each other, gathered bears and reveled in the joy of the moment. Made us all feel like kids again.

Viedensky busy cleaning up

Gathering Bears 

Viedensky overseeing the gathering

Truck is all loaded with stuffed animals! 

Thanks SF Bulls for having this event! It was very special. I also want to thank Rich and Nick for inviting me to share their on-glass seats. They were great seats and an excellent spot to watch the game.

See you all Saturday night when we seek revenge against the Colorado Eagles. GO BULLS!

Me with Jordon Morrison & Justin Bowers

BULLS LIVE AT PETE'S TAVERN

December 7, 2012

Last night, Jason Lockhart broadcast SF Bulls Live from Pete's Tavern with Jamie Devane (pronounced De-Van) and Andrew Crescenzi (Cre-Shen-Zi).

















It was a great show despite a few sound problems at first. with lots of giveaways, including t-shirts, hats and tickets to the Teddy Bear Toss tonight! I hope many of you are going!

Next SF Bulls Live is at Pedro's next Wednesday, December 12th at 6pm.

See you tonight! GO BULLS!

Jamie Devane & Andrew Crescenzi

WEEKDAY WIN!

December 6, 2012

Jordan Morrison & Andrew Crescenzi

I wasn't planning on going to last night's game against the Bakersfield Condors, but I had nothing going on, so I got a cheapie ticket in the Goal end and I'm glad I did.

It was a sparse crowd on a rainy Wednesday. The Bulls don't have many weekday games, but the crowds who do show up are rowdy and enjoying themselves. If you're thinking of going to a game, you should think of going to a weekday one. I sat in Section 6 and had a great time! I even ran into a couple friends of mine who sat with me during the game. Tickets in the Goal section are only $14.50, just a couple bucks more than a movie and I'd rather go to a hockey game any day than the garbage Hollywood is making these days.

Daniil Tarasov 

The game was great; the Bulls dominated the Condors winning 4-1 and I had a lot more fun than I would have staying at home.

My Friends Cristina, Brian & Me 

Tonight is Bulls Live from Pete's Tavern in San Francisco across the street from AT&T Park. Jason Lockhart will be broadcasting live online with a player from the Bulls. There are drink and food specials, so be there! I will be.

Also, us Bulls ticket holders are still waiting to hear what's going on with the free tickets to the Bulls game at the Shark Tank. Shark ticket holders already have theirs. We're supposed to find out today, so we'll see....please take care of us, Bulls.

Will the Bulls fans get the same special treatment the Sharks fans did?

There are a couple of great games against the Colorado Eagles this weekend. Friday night is the Teddy Bear Toss. Bring a Teddy Bear and right after the first Bulls goal, toss it on the ice. All the bears will be collected and given to needy kids in the area by Seton Medical Center. Saturday night is Free Snow Globe Night. First 1,000 fans 17 years and under will get a snow globe with Rawhide in it. I want a snow globe!

So see you at the Barn soon! GO BULLS!

BULLS DROP THREE ROAD GAMES STRAIGHT

December 2, 2012

Bulls vs Utah Dec 1, 2012 (photo courtesy of the SF Bulls)

In a disappointing road trip, the Bulls lost the three games they played on the road. Thankfully, they come home to the Barn this Wednesday for a game against the Bakersfield Condors.

Thursday, November 29^th, the Bulls lost to the Las Vegas Wranglers in overtime 6-5. This was a crazy game with plenty of chances for the team to claim victory. Penalties were the big factor.

Friday, the team traveled to Utah to play two games against the Utah Grizzlies. Saturday’s match had Taylor Nelson in front of the goal. I’m never quite as comfortable with him there as I am with Thomas Heemskerk. I just think Heemskerk is a bit better, but Nelson does need time on the ice, so Friday it was. The Bulls lost to the Grizzlies 7-4, also ending their 5-game point streak.

Then for Saturday night’s game the team was ready for a comeback, but it was not meant to be. And yet again, penalties were the culprit. Heemskerk’s goaltending was good and not the problem. Even the fights were not. Much like Friday night, there was times when the team has to fight one 5-on-3 Penalty Kills and that’s when Utah swooped in. To their credit, the Bulls were able to hold off many PKs, but how many is too many? And how much more would the score be had their not had to overcome being so shorthanded for some much of the game?

Previously, I had written that one of the keys the Bulls must overcome are penalties. Namely, they must stop committing senseless penalties. In their four-game winning streak, they had done this. The Guys had kept to smart playing, focusing on the winning line, instead of getting lost in High Stick or Delay of Game penalties (for example) that seemed to plague their more recent away games.

I’m not adverse to penalties. Everyone’s going to commit them. But, our opponents are smart and they want to win. We must want to win more and to do this, we must play smarter.

On the positive note, coming home to play will be good for the team. Go see them Wednesday night versus Bakersfield and coming up next weekend Friday and Saturday, December 7^th and 8^th they play Colorado Eagles.

If you only go to one game, go to Friday night when the Bulls host the First Annual Teddy Bear Toss! Bring a Teddy Bear to the game (no battery bears please!) and then the Bulls score their first goal, toss your bear onto the ice. All the bears will be gathered and given to kids in need. It’s a great, great event very popular in minor league hockey.

So, see you this week!

GO BULLS!

CHANGING THE COURSE OF THE TIDE or:

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET DECENT FOOD AT THE COW PALACE?

I LOVE going to Bulls games. I anticipate the games days ahead of time, thinking about the sounds of metal skates on ice, the music, the crowds, the announcer. I love it all! Well, not all. There is one thing that could be greatly improved at the Cow Palace. And that is the food.

The Barn was built in a different era and has been home to rodeos, professional wrestling and circuses, but it hasn’t had a regular audience since it was the temporary home of the San Jose Sharks. And the food, unfortunately, hasn’t been updated or changed since I was a kid, or so it seems. And that was a long, long time ago.

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most diverse parts of the country. We have people here from all walks of life and the San Francisco Bulls fans reflect this. Just one scan through the crowd will show that we’re not all one type of person. I think the food selection should show this even a little bit. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the food is pretty much the standard 60s baseball fair: hotdogs, overly salty popcorn, cold French fries, pretzels, Churros, cotton candy, nachos with some weird gloopy cheese-stuff and the like. There are some meet sandwiches carved out per order in one area, but that’s about all for diversity.

I’m a vegetarian which isn’t that different for San Francisco. There are lots of us here. And a lot of people who are not vegetarian still don’t like to eat fatty, processed meat by-products. So, it would be great to be able to have a decent meal at the Barn instead of having to plan before I get there. Sometimes I’m rushing from work to a game so having to think about eating first is a hassle. No food is allowed in, or I’d bring in my own like I can at AT&T Park. But that’s not possible.

I’m not asking for the whole system to be changed, I’m a reasonable person, but couldn’t the concessioners provide fans with ONE booth where they could get maybe a salad or a veggie burger? Or how about this…why not open a Build Your Own Burrito Booth? Fans could ask for whatever they want in the burrito: chicken, beef or maybe just rice and beans. I would BET this booth would have a line all night!

Understand that the Bulls have no control of what the concessions company provides. In my effort to get to the source of how to change things, I got the name and information of the concessions company from the Bulls program. They are called Centerplate. I called their number, (which I will give shortly), and got a very nice young lady named Sophia who took my ideas and concerns and said she would pass them on.

I don’t know how much one person can do. I DO KNOW that if many of us call the number below, we can make a difference. So, if you want BETTER FOOD at the Cow Palace, if you want something not bursting with salt or sugar, if you would like to get even ONE CHOICE of something decent to eat, call them!!! You will get a Customer Service Rep. Give them your ideas, your name and phone number and if enough of us call and complain about the food, then they have to listen to us!

So here’s the info:

Centerplate Concessions

1-800-578-7378

Be nice, be constructive but CALL!!!!!

GO BULLS!!!