A Message to UNH Hockey Fans

This is my TNH column for the week. It basically expands on what I said last week, but I wanted it to get a bigger audience.

Despite what you may think, I do not always write about partying, barhopping, and being generally awkward. This is college and college life is so much more than those things, especially here at UNH.

For example, there is also hockey. If you are an ill-advised freshman or an upperclassmen who has been living in a box during your time in Durham, hockey is a major part of UNH culture. Our fans live, breathe and die Wildcat hockey.

Friday and Saturday afternoon activities in the fall and winter consist of body painting and sign making. I grew up about a half hour drive from campus, and ever since I attended my first game as a 9-year-old, I looked forward to the day I could stand in the student section.

For the past three seasons, I have only missed a handful of home games and some of my favorite memories of my time at UNH relate to hockey games. If you do not get that excited feeling in your stomach this time of year or irresistibly smile every Monday morning when you pick up your student ticket, you are not a true UNH hockey fan.

UNH hockey fans are our own breed. We are proud of our school, our team and our classmates who make up the team. We may not know the players on a personal level, but you would never know that by the way we support them through good times and bad.

While every student has the right to get tickets and stand in the student section, UNH games are for the most dedicated students. There is a reason why the student section sells out, usually as well as the rest of the arena, for every game. UNH hockey games are for those true UNH hockey fans, not just the students who show up to games just because it is the thing to do.

The season is underway and so far things have been shaky for the team on the ice. They lost a lot last year, but they also return many key players and will be looking for younger players to step up. For the dedicated fans, the slow start has not been too much of a surprise, but we fully expect the team to improve throughout the season and transform into a true contender.

Have faith, because we have Wildcat blood running through out veins and the season is still very young.

Those of you who attended Saturday night's game against Boston College probably noticed a few changes among the crowd.

Namely, the super-fans who have led the student section for years have moved on and passed the cowbell down to current students. This has given us a great opportunity to create new traditions as well as carrying on the old classic ones that make the Whittemore Center one of the best college hockey arenas in the country.

The Wildcat Army, the name the new student leaders have taken up, has brainstormed new cheers, chants and songs. They can be found on Facebook and Twitter by searching their name if you want to learn more. Flyers and cheer sheets are in the process of being made.

Nothing annoys me more, apart from terrible refereeing (cough Hanson brothers), than students who show up to games and don't participate in the cheers. Or even worse, they mock their fellow students who work hard to make the Whitt the intimidating arena that it is. The irony of a kid wearing a "we are the 6th man" t-shirt leaving the game halfway through the third period kills me.

It may take a few more home games for the crowd to return to its normal rowdiness because of the transition, but we believe that this is for the better and will help current students create a better bond with the team. While hockey is, always has been and probably always will be UNH's top sport, we shouldn't forget about our other student athletes who wear Wildcat colors.

While schoolwork may take priority over some games, it is important to try and show your Wildcat pride for all the different sports. Football, both soccer teams, volleyball and field hockey all have a handful of home games left and the basketball and winter sports season is just around the corner. Try to make it to a few of those games to show your Wildcat pride, because college is the last chance you have to really have a connection with the athletes you cheer for.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Black Betty is not Racist

For many seasons up until 2006 the UNH men's hockey team used to skate onto this ice during the playing of Ram Jam's version of the classic song "Black Betty." But during that year the NCAA banned the song, ruling that it was "theoretically racist" since it was originally a traditional African-American work song and therefore unfit for a college sports environment.

You decide: Is this song too inappropriate  to play at college areas?

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Black betty had a child (bam-A-lam)

The damn thing gone wild (bam-A-lam)

She said it weren't in er mind (bam-A-lam)

The damn thing gone blind (bam-A-lam)

Said whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

She really gets me high (bam-A-lam)

You know that's no lie (bam-A-lam)

She's so rock steady (bam-A-lam)

And she's always ready (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

She's from birmingham (bam-A-lam)

Way down in alabam' (bam-A-la)

Well she's shakin' that thing (bam-A-lam)

Boy she makes me think (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

Whoa, black betty (bam-A-lam)

For a little while UNH would play an instrumental version of the song, but it was later scratched completely. Now we get Dave Matthews' "Two Step." I mean what type of hockey team (or any sports team for that matter) uses Dave Matthews as entrance song?

Black Betty has been recorded by dozens of artist dating back to the 1930s. Some students have called that UNH losing Black Betty has cursed our hockey team. Combined that with the possible new curse of the Maine Lobster and I'm not too sure about our teams future. The song was banned in 2006 and UNH has not reached the Frozen Four since 2003. But for now, I stand by my claim: Black Betty is not racist.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

PS: Check out this new music blog started by a few blog readers. They read my blog so I figured I'd link them up. 

Sometimes the Truth Hurts

I love UNH hockey with all my heart, mind and soul. For the past three seasons I have attended nearly every home game and I've made trips to Manchester and Boston to watch others. I still remember the first game I attended as a nine-year-old, when Jason Krog netted a few points in a 9-4 win over Providence. I remember the pain of the 1999 loss to Maine in the National Championship and again in 2003 to Minnesota. I remember screaming and running up and down the halls of Williamson when they tied North Dakota with less than a second left. I will always remember those games, just as I will remember the games this past weekend. The win over Miami-Ohio was as exhilarating as they come and the loss to Notre Dame hurt as bad as any other since I first watched the blue and white take the ice in the late 1990s.

Sunday night's performance against Notre Dame is a tough one to swallow. After UNH looked so good against arguably the hottest team in the country in Miami-Ohio, the team just did not seem to have the same fire in the second game. Every year it has been the same story. Early season promise, breakout players, great regular seasons followed by an early playoff exit. I love UNH hockey, but the truth hurts. I know I am not alone.

Following Sunday night's collapse, my Facebook, Twitter and text message inbox was full of similar reactions. Here are just a select few: "I hate reruns;" "Such is the life of a UNH hockey fan;" "UNH loses in disappointing fashion in March? Haven't we watched this episode before?" "They looked unmotivated until it was too late. Where was the team that shut down Miami?" "Can't believe UNH couldn't win a big game ... oh wait, yes I can." "Damn. UNH, can we win an important game for once?" "And the post season Umiliation of UNH hockey continues." "Still the University of No Hardware." "Now can we fire Umile? Please?" "$380,000 for what? Another early exit?"

Just like when every season ends, fans instantly brought up coach Umile's playoff history. I'll be the first to admit it is obviously not pretty. Let's face it, he has done a fantastic job, always fielding a highly competitive team. We rarely hear of UNH players having off-the-ice issues, and players develop extremely well during their UNH career. Recently, Bobby Butler and Paul Thompson are perfect examples of student athletes who have improved on and off the ice under Umile's watchful eye. But the truth hurts. UNH still has yet to win a national championship and like former Jets' coach Herm Edwards famously ranted, "You play to win the game." I mean no disrespect to coach Umile or the players, but facts are facts. For UNH to truly be considered a college hockey powerhouse, we need a national title.

Fans looked for other things to blame following the game. Many pointed out the fact that a lobster was thrown and not a fish. As soon as I saw the lobster I thought it might have been a bad omen. The fish is tradition; you cannot change tradition, especially with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line! At times the team looked flat, unmotivated and deflated up until the late goal. What else is there to say? That was a hell of a season that provided hours of entertainment for UNH fans, and although it ended with a sour taste in our mouths, I cannot help but still feel proud for this team and especially the senior class. Entering the season no one really knew what to expect. We had lost our leading scorer and had a virtually untested goalie. For most of the season, the team came up big and up and down the lineup, with different players of each class stepping up when the team needed them. It didn't end the way we wanted because "most of the time" is not the same as "always."

Looking back on the entire season, I think we can all say it was one of the most entertaining seasons in a long time. Maybe that's why this loss hurt so badly. I cannot end this without thanking our senior class. For the last four years Greg Manz, Mike Beck, Phil DeSimone, Paul Thompson, Matt Campanale, and Mike Sislo represented UNH extremely professionally on and off the ice. Thank you for the memories and best of luck with your future careers. I don't know any of them personally, but I'm proud to call them my fellow students.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

There will be Inglorious Baseballs

If you want to read about drugs and alcohol you'll have to wait a few days, I'm trying to be a bit more unpredictable and less cliche. This is a is a random rant on two movies and baseball. I don't really cover sports or movies too much on here even though I am a huge fan of both. As a sports fan I take pride that I am not what people refer to as a "pink-hatter" meaning I was a Red Sox fan pre-2004, a Patriots fan pre-2001, and a Celtics fan pre-2007 (I even went to a Celtics game when the lost like 22 games in a row)... and I still like the Bruins. As a movie fan, I love a good comedy or shoot 'em up film like most college students, but I also love the "classics." I also like a good satire. (But I despise those Wayens brother "________ Movie" movies.)


 While a lot of people claim baseball is boring, when you're on the field with the game on the line the intensity is insane. Since the game is slower, it allows time for the tension to build. A baseball game is like  Quentin Tarantino's  "Inglorious Basterds" or Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will be Blood" because they are long and drawn out, but they are also amazingly intense... and 3 hours long. Since baseball is slower paced then most sports it allows for intensity to build. A great game climaxes with a walk-off home run or a 95 mile per hour fastball up and in that a hitter chases for strike three. (Like  Basterds climax: SPOILER). There is so much strategy leading up to the final innings that a casual sports fan doesn't pick up on, like an a well timed hit-and-run or steal. Almost the same thing can be said about a movie like Inglorious Basterds, or There Will be Blood. A certain wording or delivery to a line, an angle of a shot, or lighting that a casual movie goer doesn't pick up on can add so much more to a scene. For a movie to have an awesome climax it has to have perfect timing and proper scenes prior to build the tension. (Plus any movie about killin' Nazis is awesome in my book.)

As one of my brothers put it, M. Night Shyamalan could not have pulled off an ending like Tarantino in Basterds. Much like a championship baseball team needs the right type of manager. Or any sports team in general, that's why Herm Edwards never won a Super Bowl and Shyamalan never won an Oscar, although he got two nominations for The Sixth Sense. When Edwards coached you always knew he would screw it up when his team was playing well... do I really need to make that connection with Shyamalan?

 Those two movies also have two of my all-time favorite bad-ass villains in Christoph Waltz's (if he doesn't win an Oscar for best supporting actor I will flip out the fuck out) Hans Landa, and in Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview. No, those characters aren't serial killers setting up bloody traps, but they are greed-filled geniuses who do their job better than anyone else. They aren't out for blood lust, but they perfectly deliver some of the most badass lines ever written. When Day-Lewis gives his monologue you learn that he is one bad dude. Although, possibly his best line in the movie is "I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people." It's simple, straight forward, but perfectly written and delivered.


Okay, I have no idea what I am talking about anymore. I think I might still be drunk from last night.  If I may borrow a line from Billy Madison "what you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."


Stay classy, not UMassy.

Prepare To Have Your Faces Rocked

Hello everyone. For the purposes of this blog, my name is Rusty, and I am the self-proclaimed Party/Sports Correspondent. The New Hampshirite will cover these fields as well, but I'm specifically focused on those topics, because that's what college (besides academics but fuck that) is all about to a guy, right? Sorry ladies. For you, I guess you'd need a Party/Sweatpants Correspondent. That's not me.

Like The New Hampshirite, I share a hatred for Ke$ha, which is a really fucking stupid name. Your song is dumb, half of your references are from before you were born, and I hope your 15 minutes of fame ends incredibly soon. It's painful.

To cleanse my ears from that song Tik Tok, I have to listen to this so I feel better. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest bands to walk the Earth, KISS.



If you have any suggestions for what you want to hear or if you already hate me and want to tell me to fuck off because you think sweatpants are a comfortable substitute, send something to unhblog@yahoo.com and it'll get to me eventually.

Me? The life of a party?

This past weekend I went to a party down in Salem Mass with a few people from home. I was a little nervous because I’m from a small New Hampshire cow town and I’ve heard stories of the city of Salem having problems with witches. All day I practiced dropping my “R’s” to make my Boston accent as good as possible because I didn’t want to be seen as an outsider. I kept repeating “Hey, Nomah hit-a-homa ova tha wall” and “I pak my cah in Hahvad yad.” When we got there I was told to be myself because I was trying too hard.

I walked into the house party and I was impressed with the selection of music playing in the background, it wasn’t the normal crap you always hear at campus. I started out by shaking a few hands and talking with some people older than me to show I was sophisticated. We had a good conversation about college, sports and music; but I didn’t want to seem all book smart so I moved into another room to hang with a younger (mostly female) crowd. I sat down on a couch and for the first time in a while some girls approached me at a party. It was sweet; I was just chilling with a few ladies to either side. The other guys at the party didn’t seem to mind. It was weird because usually guys try to punch me if I’ve managed to stay at a party for this long. It was crazy, I mean the girls actually seemed to take an interest in what I was saying. We had the Celtics game on in one room and the Red Sox game on in another. There were plenty of drinks and food and I was hitting it off with everyone.

Later on some of the other guys invited me outside to have a cigar. It was pretty awesome; these people actually enjoyed my presence.  I was talking to this one dude’s girlfriend for a while and he didn’t seem to mind at all. Everyone at the party was really chill and treated everyone really well. I was having a really great time and when I informed everyone I had to leave early they all seemed genuinely upset; but they understood that I needed to get back to campus.

I think the best part of the party was when I was asked to sit at the adult table during dinner. My family’s Easter Parties are always really fun.

Remember, 

Stay classy, not UMassy.

What Now?

Over the past week my life has felt meaningless. The UNH hockey season has ended and I feel like I have a lot less to look forward to now that I will no longer be getting drunk and yelling belligerent things at the student athletes of different schools. 

Ahem:

 M-A-I-N-E Maaiiiiiiiinnnnee sucks! Fuck ‘em up, fuck ‘em up BC sucks! Screw BU! Dirty Hippies! Harvard Rejects! Amherst Rejects! Warm up ya cah! Thanks for practice! Da da da daaanana sieve! But always remember: We’re classy not Umassy! 

Thanks; I really had to get that out.

What am I supposed to do now that I can’t get away with screaming these things as loud as I want on a regular basis? As a member of a student body who really supports our beloved Wildcats I realize that there are many people who feel as lost as I do now that the season has ended. Because of this, I have compiled a list of things to do while you are drunk to fill the void left by the hockey games.

• Go to a party.
• Pro: Meet a cute chick.
• Con: Get in a fight.
• Go to DHop.
• Pro: Eat delicious pizza, watch other drunk people.
• Con: Puke up delicious pizza.
• Listen to the Uhh Yeah Dude Podcast:  
  • Pro: They are hilarious, hour long episodes. On itunes for free.
  • Con: Only one episode a week, usually published on Mondays. 

• Study
• Pro: You’re drunk. Nothing good will happen.
• Con: You realize you have nothing better to do then to get drunk and study. You won't learn.
• Drink to the holidays.
• Pro: There are many holidays in the spring!
• Con: Still not enough…
• Play a sport.
• Pro: Lots of fun.
• Con: You get hustled by people who really aren’t drunk. Puke factor.
• Watch Pro Sports.
• Pro: Red Sox games are beginning, NBA and NHL playoffs!
• Con: Get tricked into making ridiculous bets by fake drunk people.
• Dorm Party.
• Pro: Meet other people just like you.
• Con: RA’s suck.
• On Thursday nights attend theatre sports in the MUB.
• Pro: Actually really funny, a lot like a dirty "Who’s Line Is It Anyways?"
• Con: Can’t drink there. Only on Thursdays @9. 
• Start a blog about UNH.
• Pro: Takes up time.
• Con: Doesn’t make you any cooler. I will murder you.

There you a go, a nice list of things to do when you’re drunk and bored.