We were going to stay away from the Sean Avery press conference in Dallas because a) having spent as much time as we have on the other end of a microphone from him, we know we can expect him to say anything, and having heard him say anything on behalf of the Rangers, we're not about to take the moral high ground against him now that he's doing it for Dallas, and b) he may be right, Dallas may very well be a better team than the Rangers were last year, and what's so wrong with him saying so even if it proves to be incorrect?
But then there's this bit reported by the Sporting News, in response to reporter Craig Custance asking the super pest why he thought the Rangers didn't want him back. "I don't know," Avery responded. "I guess it probably came down to money, probably. It's an interesting situation because then they turn around and spend it on guys they shouldn't have spent it on. It's going to be an interesting situation, certainly I'll sit back and watch. New York is a tough place to play. Markus Naslund is going to have a tough time, so is Wade Redden. New York fans aren't going to put up with those guys. I don't think that they're going to live up to the expectations. I've gone to a better team."
Again, nothing really incendiary there -- Naslund and Redden will indeed have a tough time in New York if they don't live up to expectations, and they'll have a tough time regardless of how the fans react. And Avery saying it doesn't make it true, although everyone understands that with those two, that kind of downside is a possibility. In the end, the only conclusion we can come to is that it's refreshing that at least one player in this league has not taken Nuke Laloosh classes in Cliches 101, and we regret that he's not still doing so as a Ranger.
That last sentiment may be a selfish one, since we will no longer be able to run our monthly "Sean Avery Show" segment in Blueshirt Bulletin. We've posted PDFs of four of the more memorable installments from last season over at Blueshirt Bulletin+ mainly to start a new discussion thread and also to give recent subscribers a look at a page or two from the magazine. E-mail us at Blueshirt@mindspring.com to learn how to gain access to this and all other postings at BB+ (whether you are already a subscriber or would like to order a subscription).
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