A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama

Here it is, my twenty-fifth post on GameTime, TBD©! (trumpets, trumpets, trumpets....fanfare, fanfare, fanfare...applause, applause, applause...fireworks...you're all too kind.) It is truly a milestone. I would like to thank all of my dedicated readers who have been here from the beginning and who have continued to support this site. I would also like to thank those readers who jumped on the GameTime bandwagon mid-stream, liked what they read, and have continued to support my efforts (including a harassing email or two when they think I'm slacking off).

Most, if not all, members of the GameTime, TBD© "fan club" (just trying out a new name for my four or five most dedicated readers) have commented on the diminished number of posts over the past few months, and the random topics those few posts have covered. They are right. I definitely have not brought my "A" game to this site over the last couple of months, and for that I apologize. The truth of the matter is, I was unprepared. The end of the Los Angeles Kings season hit me like a ton of bricks, and I did not know where to go. If Rome was not built in a day, how could I possibly think I could create a blog without more planning? I should have looked to some of the great men of the past and present, followed their successes and failures, and worked out a thorough plan for GameTime, TBD©.

Take, for example, George Washington Goethals, the United States's Chief Engineer for construction of the Panama Canal. Under his guidance, the United States was able to build, perhaps, the most important man-made water route in the world (and also the only place you can see the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and set over the Atlantic). It took Goethals and his men seven years to build the canal, and that is after France had been trying to build an all-sea level canal for the previous twenty-seven years (not to beat a dead horse here, but is it really any surprise the French hate us so much? I mean seriously, they screw something up, we come in, fix it, and take all the credit. It's starting to get a little old, don't you think? Nah...). Here is the kicker, France's idea was not even original; Charles V, of Holy Roman Emperor fame, had recommended the building of a canal across the isthmus of Panama as early as 1534. It took Goethals, however, to realize that the key to the Canal was a system of locks and man-made lakes to complete the 48-mile route that makes up the Panama Canal. Plus, we ended up with the one of the most famous palindromes in the world: A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama. Pure genius (seriously, if the French had built the canal, there's no way we end up with that).

But, some plans are not always successful. Just look at my main-man Zach Morris. Try as he might, he could not get his friend Jessie into Stansbury University (everyone dreams of going to Stansbury...the west coast's most prestigious university...the, that's right, THE Harvard of the West). He even went so far as to set up an interview with someone pretending to be a Stansbury counselor. How that recommendation alone was not enough to get Jessie in I will never know. It turns out, however, that Stansbury was not interested in someone who could only manage a 1205 on their SATs. Poor Jessie was "forced" to attend Columbia University instead while Zach, with his blistering 1502, found himself headed for Ya-cough-hale and those hot ivy league ladies (call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure the SATs are scored in intervals of ten...1205? 1502? They must have just misread their scores). If only Zach had made a few more calls on his ridiculously large cell phone; that would have done the trick for sure.

And while some plans do not always work out as we hoped, some people are prepared for such a result and have contingency plans standing by. You may have noticed that I remained surprisingly quiet after the NHL draft and the first twenty-four hours of the free agency period. While anarchy had descended on most of the Los Angeles Kings message boards, I kept my mouth shut and waited. I wanted to let Dean Lombardi make his moves before I declared this offseason a failure, and DL did not disappoint.

One of my favorite things about DL is that he does not hide the ball. Back in the day, Dave Taylor and Tim Leiweke used to make vague statements about their plans for the Kings as they walked the AEG party line. DL, on the other hand, has run this team like an open book. When he took over as general manager prior to the 2006-2007, he stated that he had a plan that would take three years to develop the Kings into a Stanley Cup contender. He stated he was going to build the team around a core group of young talent, a few quality veterans, and several character guys. It worked in San Jose, and now DL is trying to make in Los Angeles.

Entering NHL draft weekend, DL had stated that the Kings were hoping to trade down, but would take the best available talent at whatever number they picked. So, when the Kings drafted defenseman Thomas Hickey with the forth pick, many Kings fans began calling for DL's head (hell, if it was still being practiced here in America, I bet many of them would have called for DL to be hanged, drawn, and quartered...what a pleasant way to go). When asked why the Kings would pick a player at number four that had been ranked between 14th and 40th on several draft boards, DL did not dodge the question as Taylor or Leiweke would have done in the past. He admitted that the Kings had attempted, but failed, to trade down out of the four spot. That being said, Hickey had been at the top of the Kings's draft list for the past several months; he was, in the opinion of DL and the Kings's scout staff, the best available talent on the board. DL had done exactly what he said he would, even though it was not necessarily the popular pick. [Speaking of drafts, I'll be the first to admit that I hate the NBA and, therefore, wanted nothing to do with the NBA draft. However, I was just as interested as everyone else in seeing who went number one overall. And so I watched, fully intending to only watch the first few picks. But then I caught a glimpse of my favorite retard's draft day look and I had to see where he ended up. I would like to congratulate the Chicago Bulls on the drafting of Joakim Noah...if I were in charge of marketing for the Bulls, I would do everything in my power to keep a microphone or camera away from that man. It's good to know that even though he has left college basketball, he'll still be providing me with plenty of entertainment...but I digress]

DL did not, however, have time to worry about what fans and the Los Angeles press were saying about the draft, he had to prepare for the free agency period. July 1st came, and July 1st went; all the marque free agents were signed, none by the Kings; Kings fans were now out for blood, DL had seamlessly shifted to Plan B. DL had made it perfectly clear that he was going after several of the big name free agents in hopes of landing one of them. Early on July 1st, however, DL realized he would not be able to match the offers being made by many of the Eastern Conference teams (and for good reason, the Eastern Conference teams were offering the GDPs of small countries to the players for a term of years that would last well past the player's prime...not worth it in my book). So, while most Kings fans were calling DL and this offseason a bust, DL had shifted plans and was working on making the biggest splash in the free agent market that the Kings have made in recent memory. The Kings announced the signing of four solid free agents (Michael Handzus, Tom Preissing, Ladislav Nagy, and Kyle Calder) on July 2nd and topped it off with the signing of Brad Stuart on July 3rd.

It is safe to say that DL's 3-year plan is progressing nicely. When you mix the new additions with the returning talent, and assuming the Kings can get some decent goaltending (a BIG assumption), the Kings may find themselves returning to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; there are still two more seasons left in DL's rebuilding plan. With the top rated prospect pool, twelve picks in the 2008 NHL draft, and at least $17 million in salary cap space available next offseason, the future looks bright for the Los Angeles Kings.

As for GameTime, TBD©, its future looks bright as well. With its one year anniversary right around the corner (has it really been almost a year already?), I am working on a new plan...a better plan...a plan that does not, unfortunately, include a palindrome. Sorry.