So Long, 2008!

Well, updates have been slow as of late, but I'll comment on the latest standings after the Holiday Extravaganza once they've been posted on the main website. 2009 shows nothing but promise, so a Happy New Year to everyone, from the LRMHC to you.

LRMHC Holiday Extravaganza Preview

On Tuesday, some of the top contenders in the LRMHC will descend upon the Feiler household to take part in the first tournament of the winter break, the LRMHC Holiday Extravaganza. The first of two tournaments in the next 3 weeks, this will be the first which features the expanded league, and will pit many LRMHC rookies against each other as they vie for precious power points and victories, which will be key in determining the seeding for the playoffs come May.

Of the 14 LRMHC members invited, 12 have confirmed that they will be attending, while newcomers Zach Nastro and Brett Nicholas (Of MHS fame) have not yet responded. It should be noted that of those 12, Donald Applegate will be unable to participate, due to recent thumb surgery. However, he will take over most of the Head Officiating duties. Also, League Commissioner Bryan Feiler will be seeing limited action, due to complications regarding a dentist appointment earlier in the day.

When considering that the top two players in the LRMHC will be running on reserve for most of the tournament, it would appear that the odds-on favorite to win would be none other than Ryan King, who currently sits in the second place position. However, so as not to let this prediction get to his head, let's take a look at some of the other grizzled veterans and untested newcomers who will be playing on Tuesday.

Veterans

Tim McCann

(4-3, Third Place in Post Black-Friday Tournament)

Tim (I?) looks to improve upon his finish in the PBFT, especially with the two players who finished ahead of him, Feiler and Applegate, not in serious contention. He'll look to use the sizes of all his extremities to his advantage, and with one tournament under his belt, will be able to use that experience to propel himself to a strong finish in this Extravaganza.

Jon Zella

(3-2, DNF in Post Black-Friday Tournament)

Jon, who was unable to stay long enough to play through the playoffs at the PBFT, looks to make his presence known in this tournament. Quick off the draw and a staunch defender, Zella is sure to be in the running for the tournament championship.

Nikesh Patel

(3-3, Fourth Place in the Turkey Cup)

Patel, the VP of Foreign Affairs and one of the Original Four LRMHC members, looks to expand upon his promising rookie campaign with a strong showing on Tuesday. Though he is weak at handling pucks in the corners, he has proven to be a very streaky player, for better or for worse. How he fares in the upcoming tournament depends strongly upon which type of streak he is riding upon.

Sean Doherty

(1-6, Last Place in the Post Black-Friday Tournament)

Ginger, the only participant of the PBFT not to receive some type of congratulatory award, has to hope that he can turn things around this time. With a dismal 1-6 record, he has to take advantage of unexperienced opponents, since he has shown that he is not yet at the same level as those he squared off against in the PBFT.

Mike Poppito

(1-6, Fourth Place in the Post Black-Friday Tournament)

Poppito made great use of his size in all of his contests in the PBFT, but it wasn't enough to beat some of the faster, more skilled stickhandlers of the LRMHC. Nevertheless, with a new crop of rookies coming in, with most of them being considerably smaller than the man affably called "Papa", he can put himself in good position if he can capitalize on that advantage.

Rookies

Zach Nastro, Ryan McKenna, Ryan Fitzgerald, Christian Hart, Brett Nicholas, Rob Pappilo, and David Sanders will all be experiencing their first taste of LRMHC action this Tuesday. While most have some sort of Hockey background, it is uncertain how these talents will translate to the unforgiving wood and rug of the LRMHC. Expect good things from this crop of rookies.

That being said, anything can happen in the Living Room Mini-Hockey Conglomerate. We'll be back Tuesday night with the results and commentary from the Press Box at the Living Room. Feel free to put in your predictions in the comment section. But in the meantime, 

Nice Gallons.

Tim

Stay Tuned!

With Final Exams now over and Winter Break upon us, the powers that be will now allow me to focus on this blog and try to get you near-daily updates upon the status of the LRMHC. We've got a few different perspectives coming at you here, so hopefully you enjoy them, and please, feel free to voice your opinions in the comment section. It gives us some good feedback and lets us know that the page view count isn't being inflated by the three of us refreshing the page all the time.  So hang tight, some good things are upon the horizon, including two Tournaments within the next 3 weeks. We'll have a preview up for the first sometime this weekend.

Nice Gallons

Tim

Notes From the Commish

After weeks of rumors flying around the economic, political and judicial status of LRMHC I would like to put some things to rest. One we will do everything we can to keep big name players such as Ryan King in LRMHC. Next there must be a large sum of money handed to Ginger to do a dunk tank. Now as perfect as he is for role, I don’t think it is economically possible. Now three big topics have come to my attention and I would like to clear them up.

First, I will be stepping down as head referee. Ryan King will be taking my spot and will officiate more games. I will still fill the role of referee and/or linesman during some games. Also I would like to announce that I will be head of official evaluation and will keep a close eye on the all officials. I feel it is the best thing for the league right now for all parties.

Next, there seems to be a nice Christmas tree in the living room. This will take some proper planning but we will move it. It will take more than a tree to stop the LRMHC, especially with some of the lumberjacks we have in the league.

Finally, there will probably be two tournaments over break. The first being a holiday tournament a few days before Christmas. The second if all goes according to plan will take place the first week of January and this will be our Winter Classic. I doubt it will snow on Long Island but still we will play outside.

Bryan Feiler
Commissioner, Head of Official Evaluation

Salaries Not Satisfying???

It seems that the LRMHC could be losing one of its top players according to the Newsday. Steve Zipay of Newsday has told me that Ryan King, (number two ranked) could be leaving the LRMC. According to Newsday, the MCHC (Mexico City Hockey Conglomerante) is offering him a contract of a shocking Seven Million dollars for one season to play in their league. The Mexico City league has just been created along with the LRMHC but are having trouble competing with other sports such as futbol in the country. Having problems such as this, they're trying to bring in players from the United States for large sums of money to play there. As of now, King says he has not really thought about playing in the league.

"Look everyone, My agent has just notified me that the MCHC is offering me a very large amount of money to go and play there. There will not be a decision for quite some time because this is something I have to discuss with my family. I've lived on Long Island my whole life along with my family, we're not jsut going to pack up and move to Mexico City so I can play there. Disregard what newspapers are saying that I am leaving and what not. Honestly, I really haven't thought about because im trying to focus on this season and playing in the LRMHC."

King claims that the idea of playing there has crossed his mind, but after speaking to his agent he assured me that there is a strong possibility he may take the offer after his contract is up. Losing a premier player this early in the league could be devestating for the LRMHC. We will not know for sure if King will be leaving or not for quite some time. Later towards the end of the season and playoffs will we most likely hear of some type of decision made.

Economic woes hit LRMHC?

As a result of the recent economic crisis that has hit our fine country, many people and businesses are finding themselves having to cut back in order to stay within their means. Christmas expenditures are well below the averages, and many companies are laying off workers, or at the very least undergoing hiring freezes. With no end in sight and the Iceland Economy in ruins, some fans of the LRMHC are asking themselves if their favorite league/conglomerate will be cutting back ticket fares or concession prices in order to keep seats filled.

I recently spoke to LRMHC Commissioner Brian Feiler about this.

"We at the LRMHC understand that the recent economic troubles hit home for a lot of people, and that they may not have the extra cash on hand in order to take the family out for a nice night at the game. But people have to understand that this is more than just a game, this league is a business that is going through it's own problems too."

"We're doing everything we can in order to keep revenues in the black for all of our franchises. Take for example, the salary cap that was implemented after the Post-Black Friday Tournament. Or at the Living Room expansion plans that had to be scrapped last weekend. We had blueprints drawn up for two additional couches to be added to the living room, with an option for a tier love seat, but we couldn't justify the expenditure nor guarantee that those seats would be filled come game time."

VP of Foreign Affairs Nikesh "Brown Squad" Patel also commented on the bleak situation.

"We're still a young league, and now is when we have to establish and nurture our fanbase. I think what we need to do in this time of need is come up with better promotions in order to get the fans off the couch and into the Living Room. Some free giveaways, cheaper ticket packages, maybe even a Dunk Tank with Ginger, anything to ensure that we can get an audience."

Sean "Ginger" Doherty could not be reached for comment in regards to VP Patel's statements.

LRMHC: Cause of Concern

How well is the officiating and knowledge of the rules in the LRMHC? It seems to be the more popular of questions heading into the season. Not just players, but many fans are concerned with Head of Officiating Bryan Feiler, and whether or not he is qualified for the job. There seems to be an unclear interpretation to many of the rules of this brand new sport. Mr. Feiler expressed that the league is ready to operate and fans/players should not worry about anything. After his press conference earlier today I caught up with one of his spokesman to attain further information.

"We're just trying to get this league going in the right direction...There should not be any cause of concern by players or fans about the integrity of the league...The executives we have here are all well experienced individuals and want nothing less to see this league prosper...personally I'd like to see the league go up in flames, no but seriously, we're just trying to have some fun here."
--Ted Kennedy, LRMHC Executive

Fans still seemed to be displeased over the matter. One outraged fan brought up one of the more controversial topics about the whole ordeal

"How am I suppose to watch these games if the refs don't even know if someone actually scores!"
-- Random Douche

He does bring up a very significant point. In the first tourny alone, two goals that should have been ruled a goal were ruled however, no goal. Fairly obvious calls were blown and changed the game completely. With games only lasting several minutes to a score of Three, mistakes such as these need to be avoided. Goal review is something the league is seriously considering and would quell the sudden outcry of fans whom demand it.
These problems hopefully will be adressed in time for the December tournaments that are right around the corner. Check back daily to see if there are any updates on the matter.

The Ranting King

Breaking News: Injury Report

It seems there could be an end to Don Applegate's once bright future in the LRMHC. Several sources have notified the LRMHC blogspot that doctors have told Don Applegate he will be out untill early next year. With a few tourneys coming up this winter break he could see his power rankings drop dramatically. Hopefully he mends what seems to be a fractured thumb to 100% so he can make a huge comeback the second half of the season next year. He was unwilling to take any questions about his impending abscence from the league but seemed to be very optimistic in spirit.

Quick Note: If players lower in the ranking such as Sean Doherty or Mike Poppito, fail to take advantage of his time out of the league, Don may not have to make up too much ground to regain third. We will keep a close eye on the standings as tourneys start back up.

---The Ranting King

Tim's Thoughts

After seeing Don Applegate's Hat Trick performance in the Men's league game prior to the Post Black Friday Tournament and his thumb surgery, I don't see him missing much action as a result of this. He might have to ease up on the fighting that he has gained a reputation for, though.

Early Season Standings

Many fans of the LRMHC have been eagerly waiting to see the early season Power Rankings. Commisioner of the LRMHC Bryan Feiler, announced last week the standings for the week of December 1st. At the top of the list you will find Bryan Feiler who is one of the favored to win the League.
The very skilled player out of UB, Bryan Feiler already has an impressive record at 9-4 with a solid 5 points in two tourneys. He placed second in the first tourney but bounced back by winnning the Post Black Friday tournament. 

Second on the list is Ryan King, the Cortland State enforcer with a huge passion for the game and winner of the first ever tourney (Turkey Champions Cup). He looks to overpower Feiler and take command at the top of the standings. As a result of only laying in one tourney, he is currently with 3 points in the standings and a 4-2 record. 

Third is the very feisty and unpredictable Don Applegate. No one will ever know if he actually aims at the net to shoot but he will consistantly put out a strong effort. We may see him all season at the third in the standing pending how strong the competition will actually be below him. 

Coming in at fourth is Tim McCann with 1 point. He had a third place finish in his only tourney of the season so far with a very impressive effort. He may be the one that will compete for a top three finish in standings if he can put up some wins against players such as Applegate, King, or Feiler.

Jon Zella is fifth with a winning record at 3-2 but has no points to show for it. He could be the big shocker that comes out of the LRMHC this season. Follow him closely for he could be causing some major upsets. 

The only foreigner in the LRMHC is Nikesh Patel who has .500 record of 3-3 is sixth. Placing last in the Turkey Championships cup, he still raised some eyebrows starting the tourney at 3-0 however, he lost the rest of his games including being swept in the playoffs.

Tied for seventh is Mike Poppito and Sean Doherty. They both have a subpar record of 1-6 and barely showed any competition in their only tournament. Thankfully time is on their side so room for improvement is very possible before the Champions Cup. 

The only two members who have not seen any action take up the bottom of the standings. Christian Hart and Ryan Fitzgerald look to make up their deficit sometime in the coming weeks. 

With Winter Break just around the corner, we will witness a few tourneys during that time period. Both of them wish to make a good impression when the next tourney comes around.

Be sure to Comment and all the blogs published by myself and co-writer Tim McCann. We all are very eager for the tourneys to start up this break and many more posts will come from them. We will bring you rumors and any updates on the LRMHC so be prepared. Have Fun!!



----The Ranting King

Welcome!

Hello, Tim McCann here, Official Blogger extraordinaire of the Living Room Mini-Hockey Conglomerate, better known as the LRMHC. Here you'll find some awesome articles, bios, and other paraphernalia about the LRMHC that will let you, the fan, follow the action as closely as possible. We'll be at every single tournament (often participating) and will report to you all the insanity and even some behind-the-scenes scoops that you won't get anywhere else. So stay tooned! The action is just starting to heat up.