Mike's Miscellany™ Vol. II

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 9:30 AM MST in News Comment 28 comments

It's everybody's favorite alliteration, Mike's Miscellany™! Here's some of the random thoughts that have flittered through my top 3% brain in recent solar cycles.

Happy Fat Tuesday! Here's what I'm currently scarfing...
As a fellow uni-nerd, like my brethren Joe and DD, one of my biggest pet peeves is logo creep. Like the giant RBK logo in the contrasting color block on the back of the Avs unis. RBK has a real problem with it, but nobody can match the sheer volume of logo creep churned out by Nike. That's why, when I saw this story, a small part of me smiled.
This Pittsburgh commercial makes me laugh for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to: Talbot's McLovin impression, Gonchar's 'acting', and Malkin staring at the keys like they would reveal the secrets of the world.
I can't stop watching this vid either. POKECHECK! Guaranteed to brighten your day. And no, these aren't the new equipment rules for next season...
The Forechecker says that Liles has the best Penalty +/- on the team after Son of Stastny. Too bad he might be wearing another sweater before the season is over.
Random Goaltending Equipment term (lifted from the GoalieBoard Wiki):

Ankle-to-knee (ATK) - the distance (usually measured in inches) between the outside ankle bone (some manufacturer's use inside ankle bone/medial malleolus) and the middle of the knee (patella). This is the most common measure used to determine the appropriate pad size for a particular goalie. Best measured with a flexible tape measure.

Speaking of goalie equipment, here's the backplate to MY lid:

Mike's Backplate
Bonus points for anybody that can name all the components to that image.

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Gosh

The only thing I can identify is the Mississippi State logo on the right.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 5, 2008 10:00 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Mississippi State

Starkville is a cool little town. I liked it there. Looked like a fun place to go to school for a few years, and the women were very nice as well.

by Thomas on Feb 5, 2008 12:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Stark Vegas

is a typical small southern town. Not much for night-life, but a nice place to pick a degree or two. Plus, pretty good bang for your buck tuition wise in my chosen field.

As for the women, I have to agree. Then again, college towns always have some nice ladeez.

Congrats to both you and Joe for recognizing/knowing the difference between MSU and Ole ~~Piss~~ Miss. Not many people do.

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 12:39 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Stark Vegas

Not many people can find the state of Mississippi on a map.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 5, 2008 12:43 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Not many people

can find the USA on a map...

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 12:48 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Not many people

No way d00d, it's easy to find. It's the fat, greasy country wedged between healthy Canada and starving Mexico.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 5, 2008 12:53 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

My family...

...is from Alabama, and they are all huge Tide fans. I grew up hearing about them and as a Lions fan, I knew all about Sly Croom. When Alabama was looking for a new coach several years ago, Croom and Shula were the two finalists for the job. Croom was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, played for Alabama and coaching Alabama was his dream job. The Tide hired Shula for no particular reason other than blatant racism.

Immediately made me a Bulldogs fan. I even have a 1969 Mississippi State mini-helmet on my desk.
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by Thomas on Feb 5, 2008 1:00 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

OMG!!!

The old Aerospace logo... I've only seen that on decomishioned facility plant trucks on campus.

Yeah, Croom's non-hiring at 'Bama was very old-southern-thinking. But then again, there is still alot of old-southern-thinking in large portions of the south.

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 1:05 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

EVERY

EVERY Tuesday is Fat Tuesday in Detroit!

by Thomas on Feb 5, 2008 12:21 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Fat Tuesday

Actually, I think every Tuesday is Fat Tuesday in AMERICA. Obesity isn't a disease, it's a lifestyle in the country...not that I couldn't lose a couple of pounds, but then my profile in net would diminish, and my already astronomical GAA would enter a new order of magnitude.

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 12:41 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

GAA

...Is a result of team defense. Tell your teammates that, and if they want better goaltending they will have to track your save %

by Jibblescribbits on Feb 5, 2008 12:56 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

however, I lose track of shots once they get over the 50+ range...

My team name isn't the Screamin' Pylons for nothing...

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 12:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Images

M-State is one, the one on the left side (which I don't expect anybody to know unless you're a member of the GSBB) is the patch that a bunch of goalies had made up as a fundraiser. It was to help a fellow netminder in Cali who discovered he had a brain tumor after a shot to the head resulted in concussion-like symptoms. Everybody that bought a patch got a ticket for a raffle filled with prizes donated by a bunch of equipment manufacturers and retailers. I managed to snag a sweet paintjob from the guy who did Garth Snow's snowman mask, along with other NHL lids.

As for the main image and the ghosted on symbol in the background, you'll have to keep guessing...

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 1:03 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Well...

The kanji behind the hinomaru is "samurai".

I never got into manga or anything like that, so if the little dude is a character, I wouldn't know.

The calligraphy is a little tough to read. I can read three of the five katakana, but the other two are a little tough with the width of the brush and the glare.

Especially for a gaijin like myself.

by Thomas on Feb 5, 2008 1:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Correct

I've got the Kanji for 'ronin' on the shell of my mask, and this one again on the chin.

Little dude isn't manga, and the katakana actually spell out who he is, but I see your point about the glare. Hell, it's hard in real life since the artist was working from a specific image that had the brush stroke at a certain scale.

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 1:26 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

And...

...if you aren't an experienced calligrapher, it's hard to get the katakana and kanji correct. You can get it to look "Asian" to the American eye, but not much more than that.

My wife is half-Japanese, and it wasn't until college that she took a Japanese calligraphy class. Before that, it was basically like a drawing to her to write kanji/katakana.

by Thomas on Feb 5, 2008 1:34 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: And...

This is the only kind of kanji I care about:

(Please disregard the fact that it's backwards. It's not my tattoo, obviously.)

by Joe Dunman on Feb 5, 2008 1:51 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Ahhhh

the tramp stamp (front version). A white-trash classic...

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 2:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Calligraphy...

The shadowed samurai kanji in the backround is actually a tracing on a vinyl resin that he then attached to the backplate. It gives a little 3D effect to the backplate, and probably saved an extra layer of paint. He didn't comment about trouble with calligraphy on the mask, but I know the source material for the katakana was a little suspect on my part.

Mike @ MHH

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 5, 2008 2:16 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Give up?

Ok, I'll tell you.

The bad-azz lookin' dude is none other than Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil bringin' the pain to some Yakuza punks in DD issue #57. The katakana (vertical symbols) spell out Daredevil.

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 6, 2008 3:30 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

NEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!

(Seriously though, Bendis did the best Daredevil.)

by Joe Dunman on Feb 6, 2008 4:41 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

OOOHH

I thought you were Manga nerdy, which is totally lame. But you're Comic Book nerdy, which is completely different and totally cool.

by Jibblescribbits on Feb 6, 2008 4:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Katakana

That's interesting. I am surprised that I don't remember that from my nerdy childhood. I can't even picture the cover of the comic, which is really surprising because I have a semi-photographic memory and had a complete run of Daredevil through ~1994.

The katakana you have on the mask reads "di-a-de-hi-ru". But it looks badass, and you know what it means, so that's all that matters.

On a sidenote, do you know who Madcap is? He's my all-time favorite character in the Marvel Universe. I'd be shocked if you knew who he was though.

by Thomas on Feb 6, 2008 10:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Huh

Nice outfit.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 7, 2008 4:10 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Lukas

I think it would make his brain explode

by Jibblescribbits on Feb 7, 2008 8:47 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

That's vol 2

for this cover. The one started by Kevin Smith, then BM Bendis and now Brubaker, with some help from Gary Mack.

I know the madcap name, but it wasn't until I saw Joe's pic below that it fell into place.

DD is my all-time favorite, followed closely by Maggott from the X-men.

I'm just kidding, though Maggott was pretty cool, IMO.

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 7, 2008 9:32 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I admit

I am a huge fan of the four-color world. I also agree with Joe that Bendis did some great work on DD, though I still like the classic Miller stuff, and Brubaker is hitting some home runs on the current title. He's good enough that I've picked up two other title's that he's revitalized with Captain America (horrible Alex Ross costume aside) and the "OMG this can't get any more awesome" Immortal Iron Fist.

However, the fact that Joe knows who Bendis is reveals his own deep-seeded nerdery.

by Mike @ MHH on Feb 7, 2008 9:29 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I admit

I haven't purchased (or even read) a comic book in about five years, but I've read a lot of Bendis' work from back in the day (especially his graphic novels like Torso) and loved most of it. He had just started writing Daredevil when I stopped reading comics back in 2003 or so.

I'm a recovering nerd.

Except for MMORPGs like Warcraft and regular RPGs like Final Fantasy---I'll never quit those.

by Joe Dunman on Feb 7, 2008 9:50 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs