Tuesday Links: Sandbaggin' Brewer Edition

by bradflick55 on May 17, 2011 6:00 AM CDT

Sure are a lot of stories in my Google news docket talkin' about some great defenseman named Eric Brewer. Did he ever play for the Blues? You'd think I'd remember somebody this great.

Blues News

The Blues' ECHL affiliate, the Alaska Aces, are up 2-0 in the Kelly Cup Finals. GO ACES! [Anchorage Daily News]
The Blues do what they're best at: playing golf in May. [Fox 2 STL]

NHL/Hockey News

Eric Brewer is super great now that he's no longer wearing the Note. That tends to happen with just about anybody who plays here. [Boston Herald]
Derek Boogaard died a few days ago, so enough time has passed for people to start soapboxing about head injuries even harder than they were before. [LA Times]
It's no secret that the NHL has been clumsy and unfair in regards to the Atlanta situation. Talks continue and disappointment mounts. Tell us, Cox. [Toronto Sun]
The Canucks believe that they're not choke artists anymore. Well, that's easy to say when you're playing against bigger choke artists. [The Canadian Press]
Since the Predators are a reputable franchise all of a sudden, they should be able to re-sign their star beard, Shea Weber, and land some pieces to spice up their offense. [USA Today]
There are rumors that the Winter Classic will take place between the Rangers and Flyers on January 2nd and the Montreal Gazette thinks that's super lame, bro. [Montreal Gazette]
Finland's goalie coach tumbled off the plane into his team's IIHF World Championship trophy. Why was the trophy in the fucking way in the first place? Finland is dumb. [Puck Daddy]
Wade Redden is one expensive minor leaguer. What is New York going to do? Tell him to ditch hockey and take up acting. That name is beach cop material. [Sports Haze]
Playoff viewership is down 8% from last year. I love watching the superior sport that nobody gives a shit about. [Examiner]

Other Stuff

The most badass tombstones ever. [Funny or Die]
Have some puns, dingus. [CIS]
Now I know why 3D is all the rage once again: it can kill Hitler. [BBC]

Tuesday Video

Okay, it's funny that this guy can get a children's toy to curse, but it's the jingle at the end that'll make you laugh the hardest. Tell me if I'm wrong.

Doo doo doodley doo bye bye!

gametimelinks AT gmail DOT com

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Comments

Sigh-I know the feeling

Eric Brewer is super great now that he’s no longer wearing the Note. That tends to happen with just about anybody who plays here.

Brewer, Roloson, Bergenheim, Luongo,Torres, Nate Thompson, MA Bergeron, Chara. This conference final is like an ex-islander all star clinic.

When the Isles make us drink, we curse Milbury through a monocle and with our pinkies out. Lighthouse Hockey & Chivas-All Class.
Website:Lighthouse Hockey Twitter: @KeithLHHockey

by Keith Quinn on May 17, 2011 6:46 AM CDT reply actions

Oh, good God.

I am so sorry your franchise ever had to suffer through Milbury and Snow. :(

Thrashing the Blues - The Official Site Of The Stewart Parents
SB Nation Atlanta - home of the Fairest and Weatheriest fans on the net.
Birdwatchers Anonymous - Hi, my name is Hildy, and I'm a Thrashers Fan.
St. Louis Game Time - We turn the F bomb into an art form.

Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?

Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.

by hildymac on May 17, 2011 8:08 AM CDT up reply actions

Some of the links

Are teh broken (CIS and BBC)

Baltimore Blast - 6-time MISL/NISL Champions
Let's go Blues!

by UIWWildthing on May 17, 2011 7:00 AM CDT reply actions

That the Aces are doing so well is very awesome.

Dear Blues management: move these guys to Springfield. I’m not saying we could fill the Prairie Capital Convention Center with 9000 people every game (there’s Junior Blues games to go to as well, and we get 800-2000 there per game depending on the time of the year) but you guys could really do with keeping your ECHL team as close to your AHL and NHL teams as possible.

It’s a thought.

Hugs, Kisses, and Potentially Unethical Behavior,

Paperwork Ninja

Let's Go Blues!
Support your local NAHL team. Seriously.

by Paperwork Ninja on May 17, 2011 11:59 AM CDT reply actions

Brewer

Since this horse is still twitching I’ll beat it again. Brewer was having a great season before he was traded. He was a good-to-adequate stay at home defenseman even in previous seasons with the Note (although a might injury-prone). The massive Brewer hate in St. Louis stemmed (as far as I know) from three things: 1) He wasn’t a Chris Pronger style defenseman, 2) He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve on the ice, and 3) He wasn’t good with the media.

The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. But that's the way to bet. - Damon Runyon

by baroose on May 17, 2011 12:49 PM CDT reply actions

agreed

he was made a scapegoat unfairly

by bleedblue942 on May 17, 2011 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions

"He was a good-to-adequate stay at home defenseman even in previous seasons with the Note"

Patently false. He was an awful to middling stay-at-home defenseman who would make at least one costly error per game in previous seasons with the Note. This past season, yes, he was good. I’ll even go as far as good! And people who razzed him at every game last season did so unfairly because he didn’t deserve much criticism at all.

But his prior seasons with the team were completely different. Eric Brewer was Awful, with a capital A. I never saw someone play as lazy on defense at some points. I never saw someone make so many mental errors. I never saw someone who i KNEW would flub the play completely and cost us a scoring chance or sometimes a goal. I am not one who disses on home-team players, but Brewer was a robot. He was an awful, awful robot, didn’t play with any measurable amount of skill or emotion.

His last season here, that changed. But don’t use the last season as a vault to say his entire time as a Blue, he was booed and criticized unfairly.

Next in the Nate the Great mystery series: Nate the Great searches for a free-agent forward who doesn't blow dicks.

by NateTheGreat. on May 17, 2011 11:00 PM CDT up reply actions

As it includes swearing . . .

today’s video gets the official Donut King Seal of Approval™.

Fight Club writer for the print edition of St. Louis Game Time . . . I need another beer.
The Throwdown Lowdown Report, only on The Bluenote Zone.
And I can also write things in 140 characters or fewer.

by Donut King on May 17, 2011 2:32 PM CDT reply actions

Like my first mentor told me "Don't work blue."

I told him to fuck off.

Let's Go Blues!
Support your local NAHL team. Seriously.

by Paperwork Ninja on May 17, 2011 7:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Well done, sir.

by Donut King on May 17, 2011 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions

West coast checking in

with pics of the Gropenator’s love child.

Just a chew toy for the hockey gods

by spectr17 on May 17, 2011 3:23 PM CDT reply actions

Correction

~~Gropenator~~

Just a chew toy for the hockey gods

by spectr17 on May 17, 2011 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Lies, damn lies, and statistics.

The claim that hockey ratings are “down 8%” comes from a blog report which specifically notes that (1) the comparison is solely between the first two games of the 2011 conference finals and the 2010 conference finals, and (b) the 2010 number consisted of two East Coast games which usually get higher ratings.

Of course, when you’re writing a half-assed article inspired by a local network choosing to ignore the NBA, you have to grasp at whatever ridiculous points you can find in order to grind that axe.

by BleedBlue42 on May 17, 2011 3:48 PM CDT reply actions

The BBC link...

… is fixed here. Really an interesting story, if you’re into WWII history. (The story has nothing to do with killing Hitler, though; rather, it’s about the defeat of Hitler’s V-1 and V-2 programs.)

by BleedBlue42 on May 17, 2011 7:48 PM CDT reply actions

Epic story, some brave azz pilots flying those missions unarmed

Speaking of doodlebugs, they had an Argus Pulse Jet at Chino’s Air Show this week.They are actually very simple. The only moving part on them is a reed valve at the front of the air intake. They were used by the Germans to power the V-1. They are a little tricky to start but once they get going they’re loud as hell and run very hot. Would love to build a small one some time. I know a few things I could strap a couple of these to to improve takeoff.

Just a chew toy for the hockey gods

by spectr17 on May 17, 2011 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions

Brewer was a good defenseman

He is basically everything we need in the offseason. A good veteran defenseman who can play offense or defense and eat up big minutes. STL was a fucking dick to Brewer quite undeservedly(but hes not Pronger!) and if he ends up saying “oh yeah fuck you” to us after its over I wont even blame him. If you disagree then compare him to Paul Kariya who went through similar troubles, had higher expectations, cost us more money, performed about the same and the fans never chanted how much they hated pauly wallnuts at games. Im displeased at how badly we treated him if you cant tell and I dont give a fuck what you try and tell me, the root of that hate comes from him not being Chris Pronger.

He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Jay McClement for Selke in 2011. Justice will be served. Penalties will be killed.

by Icion on May 17, 2011 9:05 PM CDT reply actions

Bollocks to Pronger.

Brewer’s biggest problem was that he was a defensive liability more often than not. His second biggest problem was that he had one of the largest contracts on the team, and didn’t perform up to the expectations engendered by the money he was making.

During Brewer’s tenure in St. Louis, he was the worst player on the team in plus-minus. His minus-75 is dead last among all players, forwards and defensemen, over that time period. Let’s break down his ranking among the defensive corps year-by-year:
2005-06: Minus-17 in 32 games played. Third-worst in defensive +/-, behind Dennis Wideman (-31) and Bryce Salvador (-24). Brewer’s -0.531 PMPG (plus-minus per game) is worst among defensemen, barely topping Bryce Salvador’s -0.522 PMPG.
2006-07: Minus-10 in 82 games played. Best full season in the Note. -10 is worst among defensemen, but only fourth-worst in PMPG, behind Jay McKee, Jamie Rivers, and Dennis Wideman. Signed a new 4-year, $17 million contract at the end of the season.
2007-08: Minus-18 in 77 games played. Worst +/- among defensemen, both in total and in PMPG.
2008-09: Minus-14 in 28 games played. Third-worst in defensive +/-, behind Roman Polak (-15 in 69 games) and Barret Jackman (-17 in 82 games); but PMPG of -0.500 is the worst by a wide margin. Team goes on a roll after Brewer is sidelined, making its only playoff berth of the Brewer Era.
2009-10: -17 in 57 games played. Brewer’s -17 and Darryl Sydor’s -6 are the only minuses among the regular defensemen; Brewer’s PMPG of -0.288 is only bettered by not-quite-rookies Jonas Junland (-3 in 3 GP) and Alex Pietrangelo (-9 in 9 GP).
2010-11: +1 in 31 games played, only the second ‘plus’ season in Brewer’s career (the first being 2000-01 with Edmonton). Also was +5 in 22 GP with Tampa.

Total Plus-Minus, Blues Defensemen, 2005-11 (bottom 5):
Erik Johnson, -16
Bryce Salvador, -17
Steve Poapst, -21
Dennis Wideman, -38
Eric Brewer, -75

Plus-Minus Per Game, Blues Defensemen, 2005-11 (minimum 50 GP, bottom 5):
Erik Johnson, -0.079
Bryce Salvador, -0.102
Eric Weinrich, -0.169
Eric Brewer, -0.226
Dennis Wideman, -0.311

Total Plus-Minus, All Blues Skaters, 2005-11 (bottom 5):
Scott Young, -32
Dennis Wideman, -38
Jamal Mayers, -60
Jay McClement, -60
Eric Brewer, -75

The 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons were the worst years of Brewer’s career. They were also the first two years of the contract that made him the highest-paid defenseman on the team. That’s when fans turned on Brewer; it looked like he got the fat contract and lost all motivation to perform on the ice. It didn’t help when the team’s record without Brewer in the lineup those two seasons was significantly better than its record with him in uniform.

There are probably some people who are mad at Brewer for not being Chris Pronger. Hell, I know a guy who’s still mad at Pronger for not being Brendan Shanahan. But Brewer’s play – and the money he made while putting up those stats – stands on its own as a reason to fondly wave goodbye.

by BleedBlue42 on May 18, 2011 3:55 AM CDT up reply actions