Stop It Right Here!

The #CBJFanProtest planned for tomorrow afternoon at Nationwide has caused a lot of debate. What will it accomplish? Will it embarrass the franchise and its fans? Is it disrespectful to the players? Lots of people have tried to answer these questions in the past few days. All the answers are good ones to me. The only bad answer is "I don't care."

A wise man once said, "Hatred is not the opposite of love; apathy is." No matter how things go down tomorrow afternoon, let's all keep that thought in mind. The only thing worse than how things are going right now for the Blue Jackets is if nobody cared. 

Whether you are for or against the protest, you have to admit it has at least been entertaining. Today, fans went to Twitter to suggest protest signs for the event under the hashtag #CBJFanProtestSigns. There are some real gems in there. I couldn't resist myself, so I offered a few of my own creations.

From Drop Box

What's the Difference?

[The following was originally posted on The Dark Blue Jacket.] 

A few months ago I found myself sitting at a Blue Jackets game next to a guy who said he was the brother-in-law of one of the players. For any of you who saw me on TV during the Bruins game when I was sitting in front of Derek Dorsett's mom and grandma, I am speaking of a different game. So, for the record, the guy sitting next to me, who I will hereafter refer to as Guy, was not related to Derek Dorsett. Other than that, I'm not going to reveal Guy's identity and it isn't important to the story.

Guy was a friendly . . . umm . . . guy, especially during the second period after he had "loosened up a bit," shall we say. From the outset the game wasn't going so well for the Jackets and I engaged Guy in a brief conversation about the state of the team. 

We discussed goaltending. We discussed the offseason acquisitions. We discussed specific players. But whenever Guy's comments would turn to the negative, he would pause and then add, "I really shouldn't say anything more." I didn't push him. I thought it would be uncool.

But to this day the one thing that sticks out in my mind about the exchange was when I mentioned Scott Arniel. It was at the very end of the conversation. I said something like, "I think Arniel will rally these guys. It's a long season." At first Guy didn't say a word, but the look he gave me read like a book. I did push him on this one. And this time he didn't hesitate.

"The players hate him," he said. "He treats them like minor leaguers. There's no respect."

It Depends On What the Definition of "It" Is

Over the years the Blue Jackets marketing team has certainly had their "ups and downs", shall we say. It's easy to take pot shots at them, as you are about to see. But we must try to remember that these people are marketing professionals, not magicians. They are trying to take dog poop and sell it as chocolate bars on a regular basis. So they are bound to get it wrong every now and then.

Every other year or so. the brave marketing folks for the Blue Jackets have come up with a slogan. The slogan is prominent in every TV, radio and print ad the Jackets use to promote ticket sales. This season, like last year, the slogan is "Gotta See It Live". This is one of those years where things didn't work out so well for the marketing folks.

Things looked so promising when they picked this slogan (again). The additions of The Wiz, Jeff Carter, Vinnie Prospal and exciting youngsters like Ryan Johansen, Cam Atkinson and John Moore had lots of people geeked for the start of this season. It certainly did look like you should want to go see it live.

What a difference 10 games can make. I'll bet the marketing folks wish they could have a mulligan right about now. Does anyone else think it sounds like Jeff Rimer is saying "Gotta run and hide!" or "Gotta see 'em dive"?

Speaking of Rims, he's getting so bad lately that I actually do gotta see it live. It's either that or sit at home listening to him and wanting to jam screwdrivers into my ears. 

A few months back, Light the Lamp had a great post called History of the Schedule Magnet. The title says it all. 

As noted in that post, here are the slogans the Blue Jackets have used in the past:

All Out All Season (2001-02)  Given the fact the Blue Jackets started out the campaign at 0-7-1, this slogan might have been a better fit for this year.

Ignite the Night (2002-04)  This one sounds like the name of a Lady Gaga song. I always hated this slogan, but could never put my finger on why. As it turns out, it's because I didn't know who Lady Gaga was back then. 

Jackets Time (2007-09) There was no slogan in 2004 due to the lockout. When hockey finally came back, it was Jackets Time! From a marketing standpoint, it was simple and effective. It's my personal favorite. It will always be Jackets Time to me.

Carry the Flag (2008-09)  Another winner. We carried that freaking flag all the way to the only playoff appearance in franchise history. Good times. 

Gotta See It Live (2010-12) This one has never won me over. If I might paraphrase William Jefferson Clinton, it depends on what the definition of "it" is. Moreover, this slogan doesn't inspire. It doesn't evoke. It doesn't excite. It begs. It might as well have the word "Please" on the end and a photo of John P. McConnell on his knees. The problem is, what comes after begging? I mean next year. What do you say to fans now to get them down to Nationwide after this debacle of a season? Besides "Free Bacon!"

Let's give the CBJ marketing folks a little help and come up with some suggestions for next year's slogan. Leave them in the comments below.

Happy New Year?

Happy New Year? Based on what? Many Blue Jacekts fans are probably asking that question this morning. Well, you never know. That isn't exactly a compelling answer, but that's all I got right now. And there is some comfort in knowing that if we haven't hit bottom yet, there isn't that far left to fall.

Thanks for the Dark Blue Jacket for coming up with a fun way for all of us to vent a little bit. Enjoy.

All kidding aside, I truly hope that your New Year is a happy, healthy and peaceful one.