roadhockey.net

Shrimp Ring shame

Ottoman saved the Shrimp Ring Bowl, but he couldn't save the game for his team.

With seven roadsters standing around Sunday morning wondering what to do, and the festive shrimp ring sitting ignored on the sidelines, only the last-minute arrival of the veteran goaltender ensured the traditional celebration of the schedule's midway point could actually be played. But a pall had been cast over the hilight of Sunday Morning Road Hockey's social calendar.

"I think this would be disappointing on any day," said Bird, who looks forward to the arrival of the seafood circle despite being allergic to the tasty pink crustaceans. "But to have this major event like the Shrimp Ring Bowl and nobody shows up, it's extremely disappointing."

"I think it's a shame guys didn't make a better effort," says Wink, a fellow founding father who's never missed a Shrimp Ring Bowl. "It's a new year and I thought that would symbolize a new commitment to the game, and apparently it's not there."

But perhaps no roadster was more disappointed than Unabomber, who was looking forward to playing his first Shrimp Ring Bowl after being forced to miss his previous opportunities to participate in the big game because of injury.

"It's really disheartening," says the bearded blaster. "This game has always been about commitment and, clearly, it's just not there anymore."

And that's got some veteran players worried.

"I think we've been seeing the attendance go down steadily this year, and it's so shocking and alarming to see how poor it is," says Bird.

"I was expecting much much more," says Unabomber.

But, says Wink, the game has been down before and always bounced back stronger than ever.

"We've survived this before and we'll survive this again. We'll get new guys and the guys who aren't here when they show up, they'll bitch about it, but they should just shut the hell up."

Ottoman's last-minute arrival saved the game, and set up a rematch of last Sunday's duel against upstart shotstopper, Nibs. And while the neophyte netminder was soundly drubbed last week, he was able to backstop his veteran team to a 9-8 shootout win on Sunday.

The shootout was necessitated when speedy winger Lak Attack aggravated a back injury that has hobbled him most of the season and limited his effectiveness through most of Sunday's game. With no subs available to step into his spot in the lineup, it was decided to end the game with the shootout.

The seeds for the woeful attendance of the past two games may have been planted about nine months ago, as a number of roadsters have recently, or are in the process, of increasing their familial rosters, including Wendel, Paul One and the Colonel.

Posted by jaysuburb at January 16, 2006 09:40 PM