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Written by Chris Block
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Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:17 |
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Our first episode of TheThirdManIn ~ Radio is in the books and can now be heard here on the website both in this update and in the "Latest Podcast" module at the top right side of our home page.
The show streamed live today on BlogTalkRadio.com from 3:30 to 4:30. If you so choose, you can also listen to today's show in the archives at our Blog Talk Radio show page.
Our plan this summer is to do this show at least once a week. We'll set up a time for show number two in the next couple of days and let you know as soon as I do.
The live stream is pretty cool because I can also take listener phone calls, which I opted not to do today simply because there was too much to discuss and as soon as you hear the open you'll understand how my confidence in managing the switchboard was lost rather quickly.
My plan is to limit the shows to one hour of talk, take listener phone calls and include emails as well. The stream is set up for an hour but I can record longer if I so choose. During the season we'll be broadcasting a lot after major news breaks and before or after major games.
It's looking like we're going to be getting some pretty good guests once we get going and I figure out what the heck I'm doing. "Superstar" will be the regular co-host, though I may end up doing shows solo and with special guest-hosts depending on a variety of things, specifically my schedule.
Find and click the player after the jump.....
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Written by Chris Block
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Tuesday, 14 July 2009 23:45 |
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The first ever edition of TheThirdManIn ~ Radio happens Wednesday afternoon, today, 3:30 p.m. Chicago time, live and streaming on the web at BlogTalkRadio.com.
You can listen to the show live at our BlogTalkRadio page, or at Wednesday's direct show link here. We'll start at 3:30 sharp and stream for an hour. I don't know if we'll have time to take listener phone calls tomorrow as our "Pilot" episode was originally intended to focus almost entirely on the new site, everything surrounding it and plans for the future. Obviously we have much more to talk about than this silly web site.
Those of you who can't join us live will be able to hear the show shortly afterwards in the archive at BlogTalkRadio or on this site. |
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Written by Chris Block
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Tuesday, 14 July 2009 08:57 |
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Hey all,
Welcome to the brand new site, here on the Bloguin.com network. Re-designing and bringing the site into the modern world of "blogging" had been long overdue, but procastination lives with me eternally.
First things first. We're jumping the gun on the re-launch about 24 hours early due to the Dale Tallon firing.
As you'll notice, we now have comment sections at end of each blog post and yes, even a message forum. I will discuss the forum, how it came about and what I expect from it in great detail on our radio show Wednesday afternoon. Until then, register on the Bloguin network in the top-right hand corner of this page and try it out. And behave.
I'm keeping this brief since this was to be a day I was to be completing site setup. I'm working on getting the payroll and salary cap chart up on this site and rebuilding the archives is an on-going deal. At the very least, I'll get May and April up by the end of the day.
You can now email me directly from the "Contact" page located on the top menu bar. Those go directly to the email listed below.
We taped a 'rehearsal' radio show yesterday afternoon which you can listen to via the podcast player in the right-hand column on our front page, just below the twitter and scoreboard widgets. Our first 'real' radio show will take place tomorrow afternoon and I'll have more information on it tomorrow.
Chris Block
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Written by Chris Block
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Monday, 13 July 2009 18:53 |
An update on what’s going on around here. We’re inside 36 hours from the re-launch of this web site. It’s been a long time coming and I do believe the end result will pay off. The few who’ve seen a sneak preview have all had great things to say about it, so that’s good news.
On your end, there won’t be any changes. However you get here, via link on another site, a click in your favorites or typing in our URL, you’ll get to the new site same as you do here. This version of TheThirdManIn.com will cease to exist from the point of conversion. Everything will be brought over, if not in the beginning, eventually. I have a lot of work before me rebuilding archives since this blog hosted by Web.com is non-transferable. Because of that, I’m undecided just how far back, or how thorough I want to delve into the archives since how time consuming this will become.
The one thing I do suggest for those who email me on a regular basis or have me saved in their contacts is to check the address they use as from this point forward you should use this –
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or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. I don’t plan on keeping the old version running anywhere or mirroring it at the new place so I’m unsure how long the old email address will be available to me. Anyway, as most of you probably have noticed, I respond to everyone from my @sbcglobal address since all ThirdManIn correspondence is forwarded there so I can monitor everything on my Blackberry.
We’ll detail them when the time comes, but there are a lot of new features coming with the new site. Some I’m excited about, some readers have been suggesting and requesting for some time, and some components I, well, we’ll discuss this on Wednesday. For sure we’ll have a sharper look and the place will be infinitely user friendly. We’re growing up.
One of the brand new features accessible to us at the new site will be a regular audio show. Earlier today we did a dress rehearsal, more like a sound check, using TalkShoe which you can hear now by heading over to the FanView page. I’ve been promising “coming soon” for three years now and finally delivered. That's what she said. Our first real audio show will accompany the re-launch Wednesday and go up on the site sometime that afternoon. I’m undecided at this point what service to use but if listening live is an option, and it is likely, I will get that information to you on Wednesday.
** Because I got the re-launch word a little sooner than I expected last Friday, I’ve been inundated with work pertaining to it. So, the mailbag will be pushed back to Wednesday or Thursday.
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Very sad to hear of the death of former Blackhawk Reggie Fleming, who died at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights on Saturday. He was 73. Fleming had not been well for a long time. For those of you who’ve been with me for awhile, you’ll recall we were the first place to point out the videos Reggie’s son Chris was producing and posting on YouTube, chronicling his father’s ails and deterioration in the last years of his life. Those were tough to watch at the time, and even more so the past few days so I’m not going to re-post those links here, but if you must, they’re easy to find doing a simple search on YouTube.
I’ll be putting a feature together on Fleming for a future publication and will be looking to hear from anyone willing to share stories about him.
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Written by Chris Block
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Friday, 10 July 2009 23:00 |
-- Nothing announced yet, but it appears the Hawks have signed 30-year old Mark Cullen, to a one-year, two-way contract. Mark is the younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes’ center Matt Cullen, and Mark previously played for both the Blackhawks and Norfolk Admirals (the Hawks’ AHL affiliate at the time) during the 2005-06 season and as a Hawks appeared in 29 games, scoring 7 goals and 9 assists. Cullen’s contract calls for a rate of pay at $500,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 in the minors. Cullen played for the Manitoba Moose last season, scoring 14 goals and 39 points in 56 regular season games and another 4 goals and 13 points in 20 playoff games. The year before that, Cullen was a member of the Detroit Red Wings organization.
Coach Q ponders places for new faces Tim Sassone, Daily Herald
Quenneville excited about free agents, wants vet blue liner Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune
Brian Campbell at least throws this one over the plate Friday at Wrigley blackhawks.tv
Some Hawks’ prospects give their camp standouts blackhawks.nhl.com
Friday scoresheets
Thursday scoresheets
-- Not much to say about Friday’s scrimmages. The players were split up into four teams and thus skated four-on-four. Not the best way to evaluate players, but it did give some of the guys more room to move and create. As a result, Kyle Beach had what was probably his best day of camp, though that isn’t saying much. Brandon Pirri can dangle. That’s for sure, but he’s not strong on his skates at this point. Billy Sweatt has definitely improved in the last year. He slips through traffic very well and some body size gains have boosted his aggression and ability to win board battles. Yet, he’s still shows little confidence and a lack of calmness with the puck and there’s no finish to his game. Sweatt has a big senior season ahead of him at Colorado College.
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Written by Chris Block
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Wednesday, 08 July 2009 23:00 |
Blackhawks signed two more players today.
Pete MacArthur, 24, a winger who played in Rockford last season on a minor league contract, signed a one-year, two-way contract. He was in Rockford’s training camp last September, but did not make the team immediately and was sent to ECHL affiliate Fresno where he put up 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games before getting the recall. MacArthur was one of the more consistent IceHogs from the point he joined the team in late October, through the opening round playoff round sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals. There’s more to the story than his 14 goals and 11 assists in 64 games with Rockford. MacArthur’s a responsible defensive player who killed penalties and skated on the team’s second and third lines consistently despite not being an official Blackhawks’ prospect. I like MacArthur a lot as an AHL’er, and I could see him filling in a game here or there for the Hawks if injuries insist, but I see that as his ceiling. He’s an undersized (5-10 or 5-11) forward went undrafted but did star at Boston University for four seasons.
The Hawks also inked defenseman, and former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, Richard Petiot (PEH-tee-awt) to a one-year, two-way contract. The Hawks would know Petiot from scouting Colorado College, where Petiot matriculated from 2001-05. Petiot appeared in 11 games with Tampa last season, registering three assists. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 6th round (116th overall) of the 2001 Draft and made his NHL debut with the Kings during the 2005-06 season. Listed at 6-2 and 190 pounds, considering he’ll turn 27 next month, one wouldn’t think he’ll do too much more growing and if Tampa let him go (not saying the Lightning are great judges of talent, far from it) I’m thinking this is Tim Hambly’s replacement as the veteran d-man in Rockford, nothing more.
With the players under contract at the moment, Rockford’s depth chart is looking something like this:
Bryan Bickell – Colin Fraser – Jack Skille
Pete MacArthur – Evan Brophey – Akim Aliu
Rob Klinkhammer – Jake Dowell – Dan Bertram
Adam Hobson – Nathan Davis
Jordan Hendry – Mike Brennan
J.C. Sawyer – Jonathan Carlsson
Brian Connelly – Richard Petiot
Simon Danis-Pepin
Crawford/Niemi
Joe Fallon
Alec Richards
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Written by Chris Block
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Tuesday, 07 July 2009 22:00 |
The Chicago Tribune and Daily Herald are now reporting tonight the Hawks have come to terms with restricted-free agent Kris Versteeg on a new 3-year contract worth a reported $9.25 million dollars. Or, the same exact dollar and terms Cam Barker received yesterday.
So, Versteeg gets better than a 600 percent raise based off his 22 goal, 53 point (78 games) rookie campaign, plus another 4 goals and 8 assists in 17 playoff games. Seven of those points (2g, 5a) came in the final three games of the Calgary series.
This would put the Hawks well over the upper limit of the salary cap, something to the tune of $3.5M when you figure in bonuses Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews can possibly earn.
Chris Kuc report
Tim Sassone report
You can check out our salary page for the gory details. It’s important to note, unlike last season, the 2009-10 season will allow a 7.5% cushion over the cap for performance bonues. So as of this moment, the Hawks can participate in the 2009-10 season. However, any monies paid out to Toews, Kane, Skille or possibly Beach or Aliu forcing the Hawks over the cap will automatically be tacked on to the Hawks’ salary cap in 2010-11, multiplying the strife on that season’s cap. We expect moves forthcoming to keep the Hawks from such an unfortunate oversight.
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