Hellooooooo Out There!
As I have said, the blog will not be as active and not be as "probing" as it once was. My holiday season was wonderful and I've not even looked at or thought about the blog in a few weeks. I checked the site meter and, sure enough, many of you are still checking it regularly.
I truly appreciate that.
To show my appreciation, I'm putting up this post and will try to get back into the swing of at least semi-regular posts. I also want to encourage comments on my posts. Comments are open without restriction. You don't need a blogger account.
At this point in the season, if I had to give the Cyclones a grade, I would give them a qualified A-minus. By qualified, I mean that I'm giving them some lenience on the curve due to circumstances. They could definitely do better on the management/marketing end and of course more wins is always good. But overall I give them an A-minus.
I think it was important for them to come out this season and walk the walk, not just talk the talk. They need a strong winning season. People like winners and they can not hope to garner support unless they are winners. After 29 games they are 15-12-1-1 with a .552 win percentage. Only two overtime games means they have played to mostly decisive tallies. Fortunately, they are on the winning side of the percentage. There are two teams in the league that are over .700. That is an incredible state, and also a case of sharks preying on tuna.
There are 8 teams out of 25 that are over .600. That's damn good. It would be very commanding of respect if the Cyclones would get over .600; but that's also an unrealistic goal. The original ECHL Cyclones ended at .570. The IHL Cyclones ended at .530. The last ECHL Cyclones were .49 (over .500 the first two years and .375 the last).
Overall the entity known as the Cincinnati Cyclones stands at a .530 record. So, the current standing is above the historic average. I'll take that. Especially knowing that this team is still striving to improve and actively seeking to improve.
[NOTE: My numbers for previous seasons are pure win/loss not based on points, so the old numbers are actually a little higher if you figure points with OT and shootouts. I was too lazy to do it the long way]
Stability has been much better this year than I would have expected. Fortunately so far they have received players from the parent club and not lost any. They have a fairly deep bench so losing a guy or two may not be so painful. The healthy-scratch guys do contribute when they get the chance to play.
The only call-up of Grumet-Morris wasn't even from the parent affiliate. God bless him for getting the shot, and the 'Clones still have Desjardins. Hopefully they'll get "Dover" back soon to have the ultimate goalie depth chart.
Clearly the thing that has hurt them has been somewhat of a black hole from management and marketing. Or, I should say they have allowed that perception. They are diligently working in the background and they are making great strides. They just not standing out on a street corner telling everyone how good they are. Walking the walk. No trash talk.
The slack that I afford them, mentioned above, is the haste in which they had to put things together. From the time of announcement to the night of the first game was very short. They had their priorities straight by first concentrating on the product. They have delivered the product, more than promised.
That is a perfectly good strategy, as long as they know that it is not a formula for instant success and are prepared for a long-term commitment. I have confidence that they are indeed following that course. Now that they have established the product, they have to put a face on the entity and market themselves.
Again, I am confident that they are following a plan. I think we are already starting to see that plan unfold (for example, the yellow book ad and the embedded online ads with the Enquirer/Post).
I think that given the short notice and the volatility of minor league sports, the A-minus is about the best they could have scored, and they have earned that. Anything higher would have to be nearly god-like. They are doing well; they have room to improve; and they have shown that they intend to improve.
So far, so good. The team is doing its part and so are the base fans. Now both sides need to continue that trend. Tell a buddy, bring a friend to a hockey game!
Don't forget to leave comments!
I truly appreciate that.
To show my appreciation, I'm putting up this post and will try to get back into the swing of at least semi-regular posts. I also want to encourage comments on my posts. Comments are open without restriction. You don't need a blogger account.
At this point in the season, if I had to give the Cyclones a grade, I would give them a qualified A-minus. By qualified, I mean that I'm giving them some lenience on the curve due to circumstances. They could definitely do better on the management/marketing end and of course more wins is always good. But overall I give them an A-minus.
I think it was important for them to come out this season and walk the walk, not just talk the talk. They need a strong winning season. People like winners and they can not hope to garner support unless they are winners. After 29 games they are 15-12-1-1 with a .552 win percentage. Only two overtime games means they have played to mostly decisive tallies. Fortunately, they are on the winning side of the percentage. There are two teams in the league that are over .700. That is an incredible state, and also a case of sharks preying on tuna.
There are 8 teams out of 25 that are over .600. That's damn good. It would be very commanding of respect if the Cyclones would get over .600; but that's also an unrealistic goal. The original ECHL Cyclones ended at .570. The IHL Cyclones ended at .530. The last ECHL Cyclones were .49 (over .500 the first two years and .375 the last).
Overall the entity known as the Cincinnati Cyclones stands at a .530 record. So, the current standing is above the historic average. I'll take that. Especially knowing that this team is still striving to improve and actively seeking to improve.
[NOTE: My numbers for previous seasons are pure win/loss not based on points, so the old numbers are actually a little higher if you figure points with OT and shootouts. I was too lazy to do it the long way]
Stability has been much better this year than I would have expected. Fortunately so far they have received players from the parent club and not lost any. They have a fairly deep bench so losing a guy or two may not be so painful. The healthy-scratch guys do contribute when they get the chance to play.
The only call-up of Grumet-Morris wasn't even from the parent affiliate. God bless him for getting the shot, and the 'Clones still have Desjardins. Hopefully they'll get "Dover" back soon to have the ultimate goalie depth chart.
Clearly the thing that has hurt them has been somewhat of a black hole from management and marketing. Or, I should say they have allowed that perception. They are diligently working in the background and they are making great strides. They just not standing out on a street corner telling everyone how good they are. Walking the walk. No trash talk.
The slack that I afford them, mentioned above, is the haste in which they had to put things together. From the time of announcement to the night of the first game was very short. They had their priorities straight by first concentrating on the product. They have delivered the product, more than promised.
That is a perfectly good strategy, as long as they know that it is not a formula for instant success and are prepared for a long-term commitment. I have confidence that they are indeed following that course. Now that they have established the product, they have to put a face on the entity and market themselves.
Again, I am confident that they are following a plan. I think we are already starting to see that plan unfold (for example, the yellow book ad and the embedded online ads with the Enquirer/Post).
I think that given the short notice and the volatility of minor league sports, the A-minus is about the best they could have scored, and they have earned that. Anything higher would have to be nearly god-like. They are doing well; they have room to improve; and they have shown that they intend to improve.
So far, so good. The team is doing its part and so are the base fans. Now both sides need to continue that trend. Tell a buddy, bring a friend to a hockey game!
Don't forget to leave comments!
posted by Guido at 3:15 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks for the info. I have a link to this place and totally forgot about it...I'll be checking back though. Go Cyclones!
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