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CCS+MGLN: The Shard Card
--Plot Thought up by Yoshilord, found on Shoujoai website
Shortened Summary: Things go from weird to worst and back again as Tomoyo suddenly falls ill. Ignoring that her wedding to Shaoran is in less than a week, Sakura does her best to care for Tomoyo. But who are these new people who claim to know how to cure Tomoyo's incurable illness and what is this "Jewel Shard" that they speak of? CCS meets MGLN. Shoujo-ai centric.
Pairings: Sakura/Tomoyo, Nanoha/Fate, Hayate/Harem (as per requested)
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura anymore than I own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and the associated characters. I don't even pretend to claim credit for this plot prompt. I am merely a writer- a bored writer looking for something to pass the time with this summer.
Review as you will, tell me what you like, what you don't like, I'll probably write whatever I want anyway, but if you hit me when I hit peak boredom, you just might see me take an idea or three. Enjoy!
P.S. I hope to make this a long, on-going fic.
P.P.S. In this fic, Tomoyo, Sakura, and Shaoran look about the same as they did in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (TRC)- young adultish, albeit old enough to accept marriage proposals. Nanoha and Fate are only a little older than they were in StrikersS and Vivio is around the age they were when Nanoha's adventures first began. All others age proportionately to aforementioned lead characters.
P.P.P.S. Because suffixes help convey the tone that it would be spoken in English, yet computers are not high-tech enough to provide the necessary inflections (not for ffnet at least) I will be using –chan's and –san's and thus purposely leave them out at times for emphasis or neutrality.
Enough of that! Let's begin!
Chapter One
"Tomoyo-chan… This is really too much…"
"Oh my…" Tomoyo paused to look at her handiwork. It was a beautiful three-tiered fluffy angel cake with white icing and ornate decorations. She seemed troubled by something, and turned to face Sakura, inconspicuously shining her new concealed pocket digital camera to face her favorite 'movie star'. "Does this trouble you, Sakura-chan? But… this is only the preliminary practice cake. A miniature model, if you will. When I'm done with it, it'll look something like… this."
Tomoyo fished a neatly folded piece of sketch paper from her apron pocket and handed it to Sakura, who turned it in her hand, puzzled, before unfolding it. "HOOOOOEEEEEEEEEE!! This is… this is…"
"A lot of people will be eating, won't they?"
"Yes, but… but…"
Tomoyo walked over and hugged her, insisting in the way she did when she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. Even if it was her dear Sakura. "Sakura-chan… You'll be a bride soon. Please, the least you can let me do for you is your wedding cake." When she saw that Sakura was wavering, but still giving resistance, Tomoyo added, "The top most tier is reserved for Kero-chan, of course."
The stuffed-animal guardian took this as his cue to pop out of Sakura's purse, cheering and whooping with all his giddy might. Sakura hung her head. There was no way she was going to get away with saying no now. Sometimes she wondered who the guardian- her or Kero- really was.
Sakura sighed and looked up with a defeated smile. "All right, Tomoyo, but I still feel really bad. You booked the wedding site, made reservations for the honeymoon, sent out the invitations you designed, worked out the seating arrangements, talked my favorite band into playing for my wedding… even if you are my maid of honor, I can't help but think… you're practically planning my whole wedding yourself…"
Tomoyo waved off her concern although her eyes showed that she was taking her seriously. "Don't be silly. Mother's helping a lot, as are her associates and allies in the field of business. And this is your day, Sakura-chan. I couldn't be happier for you. I want to do everything I can to make sure your day is the best that it can possibly be, because you only deserve the very best."
Sakura chewed on her lip. It was hard to argue with that when your best friend that you grew up with is the one to say it. Eventually looking around, she asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Relieved that Sakura had given up on the subject, Tomoyo started talking about what types of decorations she wanted on her cake, and to spare no expense if there was something in particular she wanted on it. Sakura asked if it was possible to have a cherry blossom frosting design, in answer to which Tomoyo pulled out a shiny cherry blossom petal design frame. Tomoyo soon proved that she could make such a simple design to perfection by hand just as easily as with a ready made frame.
Kero helped with what he could, before he was banned from the kitchen for eating the ingredients before it was completely finished.
It wasn't long, however, before everything was done, the kitchen tidied up, and slices cut from the 'practice' cake.
Kero, impatient as ever, was the first to take a bite, and subsequently lost himself in a world of sparkles and hearts and rosy good feelings. As he ranted incoherently about why it was so delicious, Tomoyo's eyes remained trained on Sakura. It was her opinion that mattered most after all.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Sakura put a little piece of cake on her fork and brought it to her mouth, chewing with such tantalizing suspense that Tomoyo almost thought she would die from a nervous meltdown. But even in near-death, Tomoyo was careful to record every moment on her camera for later review.
She needn't have worried. Sakura smiled with unbridled happiness as she nodded vigorously and exclaimed, "It's delicious!"
"Really?" Tomoyo breathed a sigh of relief before sitting up and taking her own first bite.
A few hours later, Sakura and Kero decided to return home, leaving Tomoyo alone with her thoughts.
Walking out to her bedroom balcony, Tomoyo breathed in the sweet scent of spring and smiled. "Sakura-chan was so cute today as well…"
As her thoughts traveled through the most recent memories she had with Sakura, her smile started to fade. One more week… one more week and Sakura… her dearest Sakura… would tie the knot with Shaoran.
A part… no, most of her felt joyous, knowing that the person most important person had found someone she could live in happiness with for all of her days. But… but the other part… that small, usually insignificant little voice of intuition… had misgivings, to say the least.
On days like tonight, when the sky was clear and her heart was clouded, she would wonder if Shaoran was really 'the one' for Sakura. Sakura was one in a million, even without being the sole controller of her own set of Sakura Cards and their subsequent magic. Sakura was also Tomoyo's best friend, and she would sooner defy her bodyguards than let Sakura marry someone that couldn't appreciate how precious she was.
But Shaoran didn't have any problems with that. Sure, they argued now and again, as couples are apt to do, but nothing that was insurmountable. Still… Tomoyo sighed and looked down at the gardens. "I wish I had something more to connect me to them… more than just 'Sakura-chan's best friend'… like… like my own magic…"
As a tear she hadn't realized she had shed fell to the grass below, Tomoyo froze when she saw something glisten in the bushes. Something… that compelled her to walk downstairs, out her door, and towards it. Something that gave her the vaguest feeling that it would grant her wish.
When Tomoyo arrived at the targeted bush, she carefully, painstakingly parted the branches to see what was behind there. She could almost feel a presence… like an animal's heartbeat beside her own. In the light of the moon, she could only just barely see the shape of an object. But what was it…?
Tomoyo was fully aware that not everything that caught your attention was worth the trouble of humoring it. And yet she still inched her hand closer and closer to the object, an almost desperate pounding in her brain telling her that she could not stop short of at least touching it. She was compelled to…
As she turned her head to look at her approaching body guards, her hand moved forward the last stretch and made contact with the object. No sooner had she touched it, the object glowed a bright red, as if reacting to something.
And then, suddenly, Tomoyo knew nothing.
"Nanoha. Come look at this."
"Mm?" Nanoha walked upstairs to the loft and went over to the bed where Fate had several monitors open. "What is it?"
As she felt Nanoha slide up against her body, Fate shifted and pointed at one screen in particular. "There's a strange… magical signature coming from Earth."
"A Lost Logia?"
"That's what I thought at first, but its waves are a little different. See, here's a wavelength we received from a confirmed Lost Logia and here are the waves from this unidentified one. What do you think?"
Nanoha surveyed the details for a long moment. Eventually, she sighed and scooted out of bed.
"I'm going to go check on Vivio on my way to see Hayate."
"What are you going to do? About this?"
Nanoha sighed again as she looked up at Fate. "We, are going to ask to go to Earth to investigate. Because if I'm right, there is another magic source we've overlooked that is very close to this Lost Logia. That would be what's effecting the signal and making it look weird. And…"
"I really, really hope it hasn't simulated with a human… that will make things more complicated than we need them to be right now."
"Nanoha… are you sure you want to go? I can handle this my-"
"No." Nanoha smiled and shook her head, the door already opening. "Our anniversary is coming again next week. I refuse to let work get in the way of us at least being on the same planet when it comes. A girl can only take so many broken promises."
"Nanoha… I'm sorry… I-"
"Don't be sorry. Just get ready to move. If we're lucky, we can get the first transport out on an emergency pass and we'll be back before Vivio can even realize that we aren't at work preparing a big birthday surprise for her."
Fate was going to same something more, but Nanoha had already clicked the door shut behind her. Fate returned to her monitors with a downtrodden sigh. It wasn't that she had forgotten… but rather… she had been surveying Earth to see if it was safe for them to go for their anniversary… and she just had to find an actual potential problem. It could be weeks before the paperwork alone for it would be cleared.
On the other hand, if Nanoha could in fact wiggle an emergency pass from Hayate, it would save them from and at the same time create a bunch of complications.
Deciding Nanoha could use an extra voice of support, Fate decided to contact Hayate through their devices. "Bardiche."
"Yes, sir."
"Connect with Hayate-chan and Rein-chan."
"Yes, sir."
"Vita-chan! Come back and finish your bath!"
"Stop it! I'm not a kid! I can take a bath by myself!"
"But what fun would that be? Vita-chan, I order you to-"
"All right, all right! I- Hey, Fate-san! Uh, Hayate, it looks like you have some business to take care of so I'll just… um… yeah."
Fate smiled as Hayate sent a sour pout over her shoulder as Vita closed the bathroom door behind her. "Good evening, Hayate-chan."
"…others would be honored to be bathed by me…" Hayate grumbled before perking up in the blink of an eye. "G' Evenin' Fate-chan. How are you?"
"Personally, fine enough. But there is something I'd like to discuss with you…"
"Yes, yes, I could figure out that much. Go on. What is it?"
Fate explained about the power surges she had noticed on Earth and relayed the screens to Rein's monitors. "… Nanoha and I would like to go and check out the source in person. But merely a reconnaissance mission. And we'd like to go as soon as possible."
"Oh ho? But what reason would I have to send an instructor on a reconnaissance mission? And an Enforcer of your ranking? This one hardly seems malicious, Fate-chan. Is it really necessary…?"
"I have reason to believe that it might have bonded with a human as well."
"Oh? Now that's interesting. That, my friend, may warrant a few of our best. Coupled with that alternate magic source you mentioned… yes, I'll see what I can do."
"Really? Thank you, Hayate-chan."
"Not at all. Now then, let's get on to more important matters, now that I have you free for a moment."
"More important…?"
"Vivio's birthday, of course! Now I think we have most of it taken care of but…"
Fate smiled as she shifted her weight. "Actually, I was wondering if I could authorize taking Vivio with us. If it's a benign Logia, all the better. But… Vivio is the same age we were when… well, when I met Nanoha. Since our anniversary and her birthday fall so close together, I thought it would be an appropriate way to commemorate both… what do you think?"
"Oh ho… don't tell me you made up this Logia story just to have an excuse to bring Vivio to visit Nanoha's family? That's dangerous in its own way, Fate-chan. I didn't know you were that brave… well, I did, but not in this area…"
Fate frowned. "This area?"
"Don't you know?" Hayate paused for emphasis, even as she grinned. "Nanoha's family knows about you and her, but Nanoha hasn't told them anything about your living arrangements or about Vivio."
"What? That can't be!" Fate shook her head. "Nanoha and I recorded a video mail with Vivio when we decided to adopt her."
"Did you see Nanoha send it?"
"Did I- Hayate! How can you say that?"
Hayate laughed. "Well, whether or not they really understand the additions to their family, I'm sure it'll be a riot when you introduce Vivio to them in person. So if you promise to send me a video mail of the first face-to-face encounter, then I'll authorize Vivio's departure too. Have you discussed this with Nanoha yet?"
"Discussed what with me?"
Fate waved quickly, putting a finger of her free hand to her lips to signal that nothing has been discussed, and disconnected.
Fate hoped dearly that Nanoha had no secret qualms about her family meeting the not-so-new-anymore addition to Fate and Nanoha's lives.
And she dearly hoped Hayate didn't say any more than what was necessary.
"Oi, Sakura, you ready?"
"Mm? Yeah, just give me a few more minutes, Shaoran."
Shaoran sighed and looked at his watch for the nth time in the last hour. "We're going to be late…"
"I know, I'm sorry, my hair is just acting up… hold on, okay?"
The telephone rang beside Shaoran. He gave it a death glare. He was willing to bet that it was for Sakura and it would hold them up even longer. The reservation was very fragile at the moment. It had taken months to reserve a spot and many weeks paychecks to afford it. If they were late by more than five minutes… their spot would be given up.
"Sakura…" He drawled out her name as if doing so would get the phone to shut up and get them out the door at the same time.
"Shaoran, could you get the phone?"
With a hopeless sigh, Shaoran glanced at the Caller ID before picking up. It was Tomoyo. Or from her house at least. "Yeah?"
"Is that Shaoran-kun? Is Sakura-chan home?"
"Yeah." Unfortunately, Shaoran didn't add. He tried to remain remotely respectful since it was Tomoyo's mother calling. "Is it something important, Daidoji-san?"
"Would I call if it wasn't, boy? Give the phone to Sakura-chan."
"Uh, she's…" Shaoran glanced at the open bathroom door. "In the bathroom."
Sakura glanced around the door frame. "Is there something wrong with Tomoyo? Ask."
Shaoran rolled his eyes and asked. "Does it have to do with Tomoyo."
"Yes, yes it does. Well, tell Sakura-chan that Tomoyo is sick but I think she would benefit from seeing her. She's been calling for her for a while now, in her sleep."
Shaoran's eyes narrowed. "I'll be sure to pass on the message."
"See if you can get her to come tonight."
"All right."
After a short goodbye, Shaoran hung up the phone. Then, standing up, he walked over to the bathroom doorway.
"What happened?" Sakura looked at him expectantly.
"Nothing much. Tomoyo just caught a little cold. She can't meet up with you tomorrow."
"What? That's awful… I'll bring some chicken soup over tomorrow morning."
Shaoran rolled his eyes. "Sakura. This is Tomoyo we're talking about here."
"Exactly! She's rarely, if ever, sick! I'm worried."
"She probably has a team of the best doctors in the country at her immediate beck and call. She'll be fine. A little chicken soup isn't going to do much of anything."
Sakura stopped, her grip on her hair loosening. She turned on him, more indignant than she had ever felt with him. "It's the thought that counts!"
"It's just a cold! Come on, let's go to the restaurant. Tomoyo's fine, your hair's fine. Let's just get going."
Sakura stared as he silently held out her coat for her. She realized all at once that she was in no mood to eat dinner with this man. At least not tonight. With a determined look, Sakura grabbed the jacket out of his hands and started for the door, grabbing her purse off the end table as she passed it.
Shaoran had the sense to realize something was off. "Sakura?"
"If making that reservation means so much to you, more than Tomoyo's health or my peace of mind, then you can go by yourself! I'll be at Tomoyo's."
"Sakura, wai-"
He winced as the door was slammed shut. He hesitated only a moment, but soon ran after her. But by the time he reached the hall, she was gone. He cursed, remembering that his fiancée was a magician of high caliber.
Stupid Move card. He would fry it alive next time he got the chance. Going back in to turn off the lights in a very rushed fashion, Shaoran locked the door behind him before rushing off to the parking lot. As he did so he pulled out his cell phone and dialed his best friend's number.
"Hello? Shaoran-kun?"
"Takashi. What're you doing tonight?"
"Getting drunk?"
He heard Takashi (Yamazaki) get hit even through the phone, and Chiharu's voice. He raised his voice to be heard before Takashi was forced to hang up. "Whatever. Listen, if you and Chiharu are free, I've got a reservation at the Cheval that I can't make. It's already paid for, so if you can make it there in the next fifteen minutes, the reservation's yours."
"Ah, Chiharu… Shaoran-kun is offering us dinner at Le Cheval. You want to go? You don't have to cook and I don't have to get sick."
More bashing was heard before Shaoran heard rustling and then Chiharu talking to him. "We'll take it. Under the name 'Li'?"
"Yeah. You've got fifteen minutes."
The line disconnected as presumably Chiharu rushed to get ready. Shaoran hung up and called Le Cheval to tell them of the change of plans.
When he finally arrived at Tomoyo's house, his magical instincts tingled. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong. Hurriedly parking his car, he ran up to the front entrance.
A little earlier…
"Fate-chan… I feel like a burglar."
"Really? I feel like Romeo."
Fate sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just stop perching on the balcony railing and see what we have here."
"This house looks bigger than Suzuka-chan's…"
"Let's hope they're just as nice."
"You think we should have come through the front door? Dressed undercover?"
"We're in brown suits. It looks governmental enough."
"But government people don't come through the bedroom balcony."
"Vivio! You were supposed to wait on the ship!
"Nanoha! You can't honestly expect-"
And instantly the bedroom doors were flung open and the two TSAB representatives were met by a row of black-suited female bodyguards in sunglasses.
Vivio had the sense not to point out that sunglasses were pointless when there was no sun out.
Nanoha glanced at Fate and then took a step forward, raising her hands up to shoulder height. "We come in peace."
Fate saw Nanoha clump her fingers into two groups like a giant peace symbol. She sent telepathically while keeping her eyes on their opposers, "For the love of God, Nanoha! What kind of symbol is that? Are you trying to mock them?"
She quickly got a response. "I saw it in a movie! All foreigners do this as a sign of peace!"
"Nanoha, you're actually from here. Could you not act like you're from another planet?"
One of the bodyguards spoke up, unaware of this communication. "What is your business here?"
Nanoha cleared her throat, drew herself up to her full height, and answered, "My apologies for our rudeness. We have business with… Daidoji Tomoyo. Is she at home?"
"Visitors will be met at the front door. Balcony visitors are to be escorted out."
"Nyahahaha….Urk." Nanoha's nervous laugh was cut short when she was confronted by a taser.
"Please leave."
"Nanoha… we can't show them we can fly... these are non-magic-users…"
"I know that! Umm… umm… I know!"
Nanoha nudged Vivio forward. "Um, you see, the thing is, this girl… is Tomoyo's long lost… daughter."
"NANOHA! Tomoyo is said to be 20 years old! Vivio is 9! And Tomoyo isn't a guy- you can't fool a mother into thinking-"
Nanoha quickly amended, "I mean, she's a really big fan of Tomoyo. She always says she wishes she could be Tomoyo's daughter… yeah."
Vivio looked up at her mother and wondered if she was selling her off to the slave market.
Nanoha hurriedly mind-whispered to Vivio, "Sweetie, please, please, play along. Mommy will buy you a big double-scoop of ice cream when we get home if you do!"
At the promise that her Spartan mommy would treat her to ice cream if she did good, Vivio played her part as well as a 9 year old could be expected to, if not a bit better. She nodded at the bodyguards, giving them a double eyeful. But she still kept a hand clutching Nanoha's skirt for support. "Vivio… Can Vivio see Tomoyo-sama for a little bit? A little, little bit?"
"Guards. Stand down."
Nanoha and Fate craned their necks to see who the voice from within the room was. It sounded older than this Tomoyo person was supposed to be. But the guards obeyed and stepped aside. The lights were on, but Nanoha noticed that only one door beyond the balcony was closed. The target must be in there.
Fate focused on the woman before them. Their sources told them she was Tomoyo's mother.
"Guards, stay outside the room. I'll call if I require your services." They bowed and left. The woman asked simply, "Are you Sakura's friends?"
Nanoha glanced at Fate.
"You know magic, don't you?" Nanoha and Fate froze at her calm demeanor. What did she know? "That's how you came up here so easily, isn't it? It's all right. Sakura has been doing that since they were children, always sneaking around to spend time together. But I've never met you before. And trying to use the child was a nice touch. Who are you really?"
Fate bit her lip. "What could we stand to lose? She doesn't look like a blabber, and this Sakura girl is probably the source of the other magic."
"Just don't mention TSAB. We have to see what we have, but we have to be honest enough that we don't get booted out."
Fate elected herself to speak. "Before we answer that, may we see Tomoyo? We have reason to believe that… she might need our help. That is why we are here. Our names and our methods are negligible in comparison."
The woman raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You make yourself sound shady, but I can understand that people will have their secrets. Do you have any proof that you are not hostile?"
Nanoha sighed and placed a hand on Vivio's shoulder. "This… this girl is my daughter. I would never take her on a house visit if I was doing so with the intention of being hostile."
"Brave words coming from a stranger who just insisted that this girl was a fan of Tomoyo's."
"My apologies."
The woman sighed. "One last question. Are you doctors? Tomoyo's become ill with something, but nothing suggests that it is a common cold or flu. I've had doctors come by, but none can explain it. I'm not even sure if she's in pain so much as she feels she's lacking something…"
Nanoha and Fate shared a look. "This is our girl." Nanoha answered, "I believe we can help."
The woman merely nodded and turned her back on them, gesturing for them to come in. "One false move and I'll order the laser beam loaded to the security camera to fry you on the spot."
"Of course." Fate frowned in the momentary darkness of the inner bedroom. "We can't show her our magic, Nanoha. Even if she does seem to know something already."
"Let's just see the girl first."
As their presence triggered the motion sensitive lights, Tomoyo moaned and rolled over in bed. There was no mistaking the vibrant feeling of a Logia, locked inside a human.
"Yes, we can help, certainly." Fate hesitated, but plowed on, addressing the woman who had led them there. "You are Daidoji-san, correct?"
"I believe my partner can handle this on her own, but she requires a distinct lack of distractions in order to do what she needs to do to make your daughter healthy again. Could you show Vivio and I downstairs? Perhaps then we can start over as if we did not land on your daughter's balcony."
The woman chuckled, knowing she should be distrustful but intuition telling her that these girls meant to save her daughter. "Very well. Come along. Vivio, was it? I have cookies in the kitchen. Would you like some?"
Vivio hesitated and looked over at Nanoha-mama.
Without looking at her daughter, Nanoha told her, "Mama isn't going to spank you for accepting our hostess' kindness. Just remember to mind your manners, all right, Vivio?"
Perking up, Vivio smiled broadly. "Cookies sound very nice, thank you, ba- um, Nee-san?"
The woman chuckled and rest a hand on Vivio's head. "Auntie is fine, little one."
Fate glanced one last time at Nanoha before they left the room. "Go get 'em, White Devil."
"Don't call me that! Mou!" Nanoha pouted but shook her head and approached the bed.
Tomoyo chose that moment to open her eyes wearily. "Sa…kura…chan?"
Nanoha smiled. "You're going to be fine in a little bit, Tomoyo-san."
"Not… not my cute… cute Sakura-chan…"
"I'm a magical doctor that specializes in illnesses like yours."
Tomoyo smiled softly. "Sa…kura-chan can't cure illnesses… If I had that power…"
Nanoha's eyes widened as Tomoyo's body began to glow, noticeably from her chest. The Logia was activating… she had to stop it now.
"Raising Heart."
"Yes, Master. Stand by. Ready."
Nanoha raised the rod, ignoring the flashbacks from the days long since past. "Lyrical Magical. Lost Logia Seal!"
As she brought down her rod, ready to hear Raising Heart confirm, "Sealing," Nanoha's guard was down too low to expect any backfiring in the plan. Which is, of course, why there was room for it to backfire.
Raising Heart bounced off a solid transparent bubble and when Nanoha took a second look at it, a girl, about as old as any of them, was standing before her.
Nanoha recognized the fire in her eyes. The fierce protectiveness that came from defending a weakened partner. She glanced at Tomoyo, who was smiling more strongly as the glow intensified.
Sakura only glared at Nanoha. "Who are you?"
A/N: NOTICE: If you can read this message that means the chapter was not cut off prematurely. Please stand by while chapter 2 is made.


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ED Magedson – Founder
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(sort of) single mama to one 7/21/07. student, breastfeeding advocate, writer
i'll do my best i get the keys to my new place on the 23rd, so depending on how much i can get done that weekend (i should just request the whole weekend off!), ill be there!
I'll have to back out this time. I made a last minute decision to take the kids on a quick vacation and that is the day we come home. I will probably be exhausted after camping and the amusement park!
Not sure if I'll make it or not. I'm still on a really restricted diet, plus Sophie usually goes to bed between 8 and 9 PM. She loves her Kanoe hammock and doesn't seem to sleep as well when I wear her these days, so I don't know if I want to be out and about at that time.
I'll have to wait and see .
(sort of) single mama to one 7/21/07. student, breastfeeding advocate, writer
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There's a lot of discussion on the Web today about the horrifying story from Egypt involving CBS reporter Lara Logan, who was apparently sexually assaulted by a crowd of men in Tahrir Square in Cairo while covering the events there. That by itself is saddening enough, but as Echidne of the Snakes notes, the story immediately prompted torrents of the most vile comments in almost every venue, divided between overtly racist slurs on Egyptians or Muslims as a group and victim-blaming aimed at Logan and all women regarding her appearance, her working in a "man's field", why she should have stayed at home, and so on.
One of the most noted (I'm not sure why the most notable, except that it involves a liberal, therefore was of course singled out) incidents was yesterday's Twitter comment by (then) NYU Fellow Nir Rosen. He wrote dismissively about the assault while using it as an opportunity to call out Logan for her previously uncritical pro-war/pro-military reporting, and then walked his own comment back with a series of lame half-apologies. This has been jumped on all over the Web, and appropriately so. Rosen himself resigned from NYU today (no doubt with more than a bit of a push from above), finally issuing a real apology at the end (expanded on in a revealing interview).
That incident has been the focus of a lot of commentary, aside from the discussion of the original story itself. Rosen was condemned from the left and the right. Numerous feminist and mainstream media writers have said much of what should be said about his comments, as you can count on them to do, but the right wing too was shocked, shocked, at this display of insensitivity to women.
Jim Geraghty at National Review Online posted repeatedly on the issue ("Perhaps we can channel that frustration and anger towards righting a wrong closer to home. To some other outrage… say… the reaction to Logan's assault from [Rosen]"), calling vaguely on NYU to do something about it, snarkily predicting that nothing would happen, and later admitting he was wrong. Somebody named "Eyeblast" at one of the Breitbart sites claims that "Almost everyone was shocked, appalled, and deeply sympathetic for Logan, except for one man. . . . These are not the kinds of things anyone should say", and, predictably, encourages people to complain to Rosen's employer. Da Techguy declares Rosen's firing "A Smart Move by NYU" but attributes it to the fact that Logan wasn't with Fox News (he also declares that offensive statements from the "far left" are usually ignored, not bothering to note the dozens of liberal bloggers who have been on the Rosen story from the beginning, or the many more right-wingers who have treated it in the most repulsive ways).
Even Rosen's own former boss found it necessary not merely to accept his resignation but to then issue a public statement trashing him after he left:
Nir Rosen . . . crossed the line . . . deeply distressed . . . strongly denounce . . . cruel and insensitive and completely unacceptable. . . apologized, withdrawn his remarks, and submitted his resignation as a fellow, which I have accepted. However, this in no way compensates for the harm . . .
The consensus, then, from right-wingers and media magnates both, is that comments like R0sen's are not just reprehensible, but unacceptable – a firing offense for those who make them, and thus, obviously, inadmissible in reasonable discussion of the subject to which they refer. That's a good sign, I think, and in fact I concur. (I'm not sure about this business of hounding people out of their jobs, but the right wing seems to like punishing people in that way, so what the hell.)
Just to be clear, let's review exactly what Rosen did that was beyond the pale:
- He spoke dismissively of a misogynistic assault on a woman.
- He spoke disparagingly of the pain and harm she suffered through this assault.
- He implied that she deserved abuse because of what she believed or how she acted.
- He stated that physical assaults of this type are appropriate for people like her and should be inflicted on others.
- He stated that a certain abuse of women does not deserve sympathy because it is so common.
- He jokingly suggested she asked for it to draw attention to herself.
There was more, but that was most of it.
And apparently, now, it is agreed that these kinds of statements or beliefs – either individually or at least taken together – are unacceptable and unendurable: in fact, may not be permitted in anyone who enjoys a certain degree of prestige or influence. Both right and left are in agreement on this point (though it is useful to note again the vast disparity in the frequency or viciousness of such comments, being ubiquitous on right-wing blogs and apparently almost unique to Rosen among left-wingers, as well as Rosen's repeated and apparently sincere apologies as against the absolute lack of remorse by right-wingers; Jeffrey Goldberg draws an equivalency by comparing Rosen to the simply unhinged Debbie Schlussel ["How fitting that Lara Logan was 'liberated' by Muslims in Liberation Square while she was gushing over the other part of the 'liberation'. Hope you're enjoying the revolution, Lara!"], but notably nobody has whipped up a campaign of complaint against Schlussel, nor has she apparently been denounced by any of the mainstream right-wing media she writes for).
Very well. We have a standard, and a consensus. It is, of course, an explicitly feminist standard, built on the work so many pro-women's voices have done in claiming for women a space in the public square, the rights of autonomy and independence, the right to personal ambitions and careers of their own, and the right to be sacrosanct in their bodies, free from sexist notions of how they must look and act or how they deserve to be treated because of their bodies and what they look like or how they are used. That vision has now become universal, passionately embraced (though unacknowledged, of course) by the reactionary wing that fought every element of women's independence, and which publicly despised for centuries the narrative of women as active in and authoritative over their own bodies, their own freedom, and their own lives. As with so much of liberal progress, the feminist narrative has now been silently claimed by conservatives who pretend they were always down with the idea of strong and independent women demanding sexual autonomy and freedom from misogynist sexual oppression. The radical ideal has become the consensus standard – naturally, just when it defends a pretty white woman who adheres to the right-wing line, but better late than never.
So I hope that we'll see that consensus standard enacted by those who have called so loudly and with such heartwarming feminist sympathy for it to be applied in Rosen's case. Having successfully destroyed what is apparently 100% of the left-wing writers who reacted misogynistically (though apparently from geopolitical, not gender-political, motives) to the Logan story, will any of the wingers on this warpath spare a thought for even a single one of the conservatives who have done the same and worse? Have any of them got a single thing to say about Schlussel? About Robert McCain? About Jim Hoft? All of them explicitly blamed Logan for refusing to accede to misogynistic constraints on her behavior (while throwing nauseating amounts of racism and liberal-bashing into the mix – they can't seem to maintain a coherent bigotry narrative on a story with as many red-meat elements as this one). It goes without saying that none of the wingers are going to call out Michelle Malkin or Pam Geller or the rest for their racism and Muslim-bashing, but will any of them stand up to their cohort on its pro-patriarchal misogyny and oppressive victim-blaming? The standard they have adopted in this case demands that they do so. And it's unthinkable that they weren't entirely sincere in adopting that line, isn't it?
Finally, though, and more importantly, I hope we'll see that standard employed in the rest of the (many) contexts in which the partriarchy harms women by stripping them of their physical security, bodily integrity, and sexual autonomy.
- It's wrong for a patriarchal culture to subject women to rape when they venture "out of their place". The right wing agrees (today). It's at least as wrong to force women to bear a rapist's child against their will, by constraining their right to control their own bodies, or their access to safe, simple, and legal services allowing them to do so. The right wing agrees, of course . . . right?
- It's wrong for a patriarchal culture to restrict women's freedom through constant insecurity about their bodily safety and integrity. The right wing agrees (they say). It's just as wrong for women to be forced to live their lives in fear that their control of what happens to their bodies will be stripped from them any time they choose to use, or not use, them as the patriarchs dictate. The right wing agrees, of course . . . right?
- It's wrong for a patriarchal culture to respond to women's bodily appearance with threats of violence or abuse as a controlling measure. The right wing agrees (when the culture is brown and the woman is blond). It's just as wrong for women to be subject to constant judgment and criticism about how they use or display their bodies, in keeping with values they choose for themselves. The right wing agrees, of course . . . right?
- It's wrong for a patriarchal culture to dismiss women's fears, anxieties, depression, and insecurities, resulting from pervasive danger, abuse, and disparagement, as irrelevant or unimportant. The right wing agrees (when one of their own has been insulted, once). It's just as wrong for women to be forced to live in a world in which the patriarchy claims the right and the power to dictate women's lives to them, in every respect, regardless of harm or suffering caused, and on the basis of values hostile to those women as such, which the women have no power to reject. The right wing agrees, of course . . . right?
- It's wrong for a patriarchal culture to stifle women's sexual natures, and punish their sexual autonomy, through misogynistic ideology, primitive religion, legal oppression, and the constant threat of violence. The right wing agrees (when they get to pick the culture in question). It's just as wrong for women to be forced to live in a world in which exactly that is done every goddam day, to every woman, in every country, by every fucking jerk with a backwards point of view and a sense of entitlement. The right wing agrees, of course . . . right?
In these and so many other ways, our new consensus waits to be applied to the daily content of the lives not just of prominent pro-war talking heads but of every woman in this country, right here and now, and every woman elsewhere. And of course the right wing – with its new-found feminist sensibilities, its sympathies for independent women beset by patriarchy and misogynist religion, its shocked perception of rape as a crime of political violence and oppression, its eager desire for women's sexual autonomy – will live up to its newly-professed ideals. They will begin to recognize the ways in which exactly the kinds of sentiments which, in a matter of hours, they punished Rosen for hinting at are ubiquitous throughout our society's history and today. And they will extrapolate from the case of Logan to the uncountably more common everyday terrors, dangers, assaults, oppressions, and insecurities that make up daily life for every woman in America and the world, and they will adopt the same insistent demand for accountability in those cases, against those women's assailants, and their enablers, and those who mock.
Of course they will. Right?


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1968 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 - Well-Rounded WheelerPosted in Features on August 27, 2013 Comment (0)
If you could only have one vehicle, what would it be? For guys with a crowded yard, that is a scary question, but most people don't have that luxury. A rock buggy is cool when you are climbing ledges but not much fun when you are driving down the highway or trying to find a place to put all of your gear for a weeklong trip like the Ultimate Adventure.
A do-it-all vehicle needs horsepower, gearing, proper engineering, and enough space for all of your stuff without an abundance of sheetmetal to get smashed and dented.
Over the last 13 years Brian Gobin of Denver has built his version of the perfect 4x4 out of this '68 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40.
Instead of starting with an expensive and rare FJ45 pickup, Brian converted his FJ40 and fabricated his own bed. The FJ40 already had a V-8 and 1-ton axles, and the added wheelbase provided stability on the pavement and the dirt while making way for 43-inch Super Swamper SXs.
While the big meats suggest dedicated rockcrawler, Brian still drives his Land Cruiser on the street regularly and takes it on camping trips and multiple-day outings in Colorado. Although we still bristle at the idea of having only one vehicle, if we were forced to make a choice it would be hard to argue with Brian's formula for success.
Tech Specs
1968 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
Engine: 5.7L Chevy TPI V-8
Transmission: SM465 4-speed manual
Transfer case: Advance Adapters Atlas II with 5:1 ratio
Front Axle: Dana 60 with ARB Air Locker, 4.56 gears, Alloy USA chromoly axleshafts, Longfield U-joints, Yukon hubs
Rear Axle: Dana 70HD with ARB Air Locker, 4.56 gears, Moser chromoly axleshafts
Springs & Such: 3-link with King coilovers and air bumps (front); Skyjacker leaf springs and Rancho 5000 shocks (rear)
Tires & Wheels: 43x14.5-17LT Super Swamper TSL SXs on 17x9 Trailready HD beadlock rims
Steering: PSC steering box, hydraulic ram, and pump, Poison Spyder Customs steering arms
Other Stuff: Warn 8274 winch with Masterpull synthetic winch line and aluminum fairlead, custom Hillside 4x4 rollcage, enclosed cab and custom bed, titanium boatsides, stainless steel fuel tank, ARB freezer/fridge, ARB rooftop tent, Hillside 4x4 front tube fenders, onboard shower, York air compressor, Hillside 4x4 rollcage that doubles as air tank


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What's Up Tuesday, February 11
It may only be raining in Atlanta currently, but after Snow Jam 2014, I think it's safe to say that Georgia is on lock-down. For all you city dwellers who are eager to venture out tonight, we do have some awesome shows taking place! We'll keep you posted on any changes, but as of right now, these bands are taking the stage tonight!
Into it. Over it. @ The Drunken Unicorn – THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.
Also appearing:
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
A Great Big Pile Of Leaves
The Hotelier
Josh Schicker and Jon Troast @ Eddie's Attic
Schicker's sound is a graceful combination of folk and pop music. By merging these genres he has created his own unique sound which is both earnest and accessible while maintaining catchy hooks and unpredictable chord changes. Schicker's influences include Amos Lee, Simon & Garfunkel and Van Morrison.
Doors open at 6:30pm
GA tickets are $8 in advance, $12 at the door.
Table seats are $10 in advance, $14 at the door, and must be purchased in multiples of 4.
Online and phone sales close at 5:00 pm day of show.
Clan Destined, Dropout, deadCAT, Hosted by Dillon @ 529
Hey guys and gals! Two of your favorite bartenders got jacked and lost everything they had. This show is to help them get back on their feet.
We've got an awesome line up including deadCAT, Dropout, and a Clan Destined reunion! (Say what!) So please come support the cause and donate what you can. You won't be disappointed!
DJ Set and hosting by Dillon!
9PM | Donations | 21+
Category: Gigs


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Inmates prepare to battle rough wildfire season
MORONGO VALLEY, Calif. - The winds and heat may make this a rough fire season. Cal Fire wants all its crews well prepared to fight any wildfire.
Hand crews, each made up of 15 prison inmates, hit the terrain of the Morongo Valley Reservation Wednesday. They train all year at Cal Fire work camps to prove their skills in the Fire Preparedness Exercise and to ultimately safely battle wildfires.
Their mission includes a "tool up" evaluation, where they put their tools and firefighting knowledge to the test. They challenge their endurance with a 4-mile timed hike and must deploy a fire shelter and cut lines.
"They want to showcase they are prepared for what will be a tough fire season," said Cal Fire Capt. Douglas Cade.
The exercise takes about four hours. Each prisoner must qualify for the hand crew program. They're thoroughly screened and can only have small offenses and short prison sentences.
"It's a utilization of inmates for a great cause. They don't just come out of a prison. They're trained and do a fantastic job," said Cade.
Each inmate earns $1 for every hour he or she works on a fire. The steeper the terrain, the more valuable the crews become.
"We have engines and aircraft, all sorts of resources, but without hand crews these fires wouldn't be put out. They are a huge part of our response," said Cade.
These inmates are motivated to be out behind bars and put to work on the fire lines, said Cade. It's their way of giving back to society and keeping you safe.
"It's a life-and-death situation. We do not train to fail. Everyone will succeed," said Cade.


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It's your last day on Earth! Watch the reactions of your family and neighbors as they learn that the moon is falling toward your tiny town. In Moonkid, you will interact with the picturesque world and enjoy the stories that unfold. Prepare for your final moments in ultimate suspense!
Moonkid is one of our selected Adventure Games. Also very popular on this website right now are Transformice, Wheely 6, StrikeForce Kitty: Last Stand and Papa Louie 3.
Report game as broken
Cancel report of broken game


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This content has been marked as final. Show 2 replies
1. Re: Where can I get Endeca Design Pattern Librarysabdelhalim Oct 18, 2012 4:18 PM (in response to Terue-Oracle)Hi,
did you check this ? http://www.ixda.org/node/33161
maybe you can contact Joe Lamantia through the community ?
2. Re: Where can I get Endeca Design Pattern LibraryUltan O'Broin Oracle UX-Oracle Paas4SaaS-Oracle Jul 2, 2013 4:28 AM (in response to Terue-Oracle)
The Oracle Endeca UI Design Pattern Library is here: Endeca User Interface Design Pattern Library


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ED Magedson – Founder
Ripoff Report
Infosec InstituteElmwood Park, Illinois USA
Infosec Institute CEPT Course with false advertising and bad information. Elmwood Park Illinois
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Corporate Advocacy Program™
Review of InfoSec Institute's CEPT Course:
The course outline was clear in that you only needed to have the CEH certification prior to attending this course. It states that this is an expert penetration tester course. 3 days of the 5 day course was spent on buffer overflows and looking at assembly code. We didn't even scratch the surface of what it means to be a penetration tester.
This was very heavy with Assembly code which is good but the course should have been named "Breaking down the code: Debugging 101". This was not a course in penetration testing at all. No training was given about the OWASP top 10, reporting, common attacks/vulnerabilities or anything that a penetration tester should know. Everyone in the class was very disappointed by the curriculum of the course vs. the advertisement.
The instructor did not follow the curriculum. We did not go over ANY XSS or SQL Injection techniques, advanced or otherwise. We spent nearly the entire class going over assembly code. He spoke briefly about format string vulnerabilities about 2 hours before taking the exam (we only spent about an hour on it before taking lunch for an hour prior to the exam). He could not directly answer our questions and did not offer assistance during the labs without being explicitly asked and then he almost never knew the answer. He got very upset when people had to have him repeat information because they did not understand. No one in the class had anything nice to say throughout the course so it wasn't just me. He showed a great deal of contempt and frustration.
The course material (lab guide) has many misspellings and errors in the code that we were expected to use. Several of the scripts and code that was used needed modification to make it work. In some cases the code in the book was so poorly written that by the time we had rewritten it to make it work it wasn't the same code anymore. There were even referenced figures (images that the book references as an example) missing. It appears as if the book was not reviewed prior to printing and given to the students. The 'Shabang' (#!/usr/bin/perl or #!/usr/bin/python) was missing from several of the scripts. Code cannot be wrong in a teaching book. That is completely unacceptable since code must have the proper syntax and spelling or it will not work.
The computers in the lab were old and unstable and caused issues since they only had 4GB of Ram and we were trying to run 2 Windows VM's and a linux VM which the computer could not handle. Half of the time in the labs was spent troubleshooting the lab computers and why they kept crashing (not as intended). The exploits were old and were detected by outdated AV software even after the encoding was done and the lab said they would be undetectable. Even an old version of Windows Defender was able to detect the backdoor. The instructor made excuses about this and said that it demonstrated the concept - This is not acceptable as the course states that it would be teaching the latest methods. A good demonstration of the concept would have been showing us something that worked - not an exploit from a decade ago.
****The Windows 7 VM was not activated and kept showing a "This copy of Windows is not genuine" message. It made everyone in the class wonder if the software had been pirated which is very unprofessional for an ethical course.****
The ECSA exam was also scheduled with this course. Unfortunately, not everyone could participate even though the course outline was VERY specific that this course INCLUDED 2 certifications (ECSA and CEPT). Infosec charged extra for the ECSA. Apparently, according to one of the students, all you had to do was argue a little bit and they would give you what was advertised. Other than that, you would be charged extra (like I was) for the second exam. The ECSA exam was only reviewed with a few slides that did not cover the breadth of the course or the exam.
I was told there was no need for coding experience or programming knowledge. This is not the case as most of the class was struggling except for the one person with prior assembly experience. Much more than just a CEH should be required.
The hotel room was very nice and the staff was very polite. The meals, however, were pasta and chicken for almost every meal. It was good but not much variety. The hotel itself had its own issues. The internet took me back to the dial-up days with taking 25 minutes to download 2 Mb. Images loaded from the top down and we were unable to download some of the content required for the course (such as AVG for the backdoor encoding portion). All night long sirens went off and you could hear people racing up and down the street all night. Location was not the best. This, of course, was not Infosec Institute's fault but after some very quick research I found similar reviews that should have been considered prior to booking that hotel.
The person who booked the rooms had mangled the dates. My email for the room said from 22-29 Sept. I scheduled my flight around this and when I showed up to the hotel I was told that the last night was the 27th. I was able to get that fixed but I had a roommate on the 27th-28th because one of the students had to vacate his room an hour before the CEPT exam on the 27th since Infosec wouldn't extend his stay even by one night. This, too, is unacceptable. Everyone should be given the same opportunity and the dates should have been the same for everyone in the course unless specified by the student.
To top it all off, this certification (CEPT) has no verification mechanism. If I present this to someone, how do they verify that it's legitimate and that I didn't just print it out? This somewhat invalidates the certification since anyone can print one off or just say that they have it on a resume.
Overall, I would have to say that this course was disappointing to say the least. It seems that the instructor was inadequate, the course books were poorly written and/or had no review process for quality, the lab machines were not able to handle the labs properly, the hotel bookings were inconsistent and the hotel itself should have been researched prior to the course being scheduled there.
I have contacted Infosec Institute by phone and email the first Monday after the course. It took a couple of days to hear form them and when I did, the only thing they offered was for me to retake the course. That, of course, is not something most people can do since that requires yet another week off work.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/02/2013 07:36 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/infosec-institute/elmwood-park-illinois-60707/infosec-institute-cept-course-with-false-advertising-and-bad-information-elmwood-park-il-1088855. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Services Products - Services,
Proprietorship Firm Since 0
The Small Scale Industries sector has an indispensable role in the industrial development of India and has been its vibrant and growing component. This sector produces a wide range of more than 7500 products, accounting for almost 40 % of the total production and 35 % of the total exports of the country.
The small scale sector also acts as a nursery for promoting entrepreneurial talent and as a catalyst for industrial growth through a wide network of more than 3 million units in the country.
Besides this, this sector also addresses effectively the national problem of unemployment by providing direct employment to an estimated 17 million people.
This sector also maintains healthy linkages with the large scale sector through ancillarisation and subcontracting.
The other positive aspect of the Small Scale Industries sector is that it needs shorter gestation period and relatively smaller markets to make it economically viable.
Small scale industries need lower investments and offer a method of ensuring a more equitable distribution of national income which facilitates an effective mobilisation of capital and skill which might otherwise remain unutilized.
However with the competitive environment, the task will not get any easier unless proper supporting services are also provided. The prospective small entrepreneurs are disadvantaged by factors like lack of training, less accessibility to reliable and timely information, lack of proper guidance and counselling, limitations on adopting modern technologies, inadequacy of institutional finance etc.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) joined hands with the State level Industry Association - TamilNadu Small and Tiny Industries Association (TANSTIA) to establish a service Centre, to fill in these crucial gaps felt by the Small Scale Industries Sector.
Thus, this project TANSTIA-FNF Service Centre was set up with the objective of offering support services to small industries to enable them to attain all round capabilities.
The efforts taken by Dr. J.Axer, the then Regional Director of FNF, New Delhi and the initiatives taken by veteran small industrialists in TamilNadu like Sri.A.N.Srinivasa Rao, Sri A.V.Varadharajan, Sri. S.Rajagopal, Sri. T.S. Dhanapalan and Sri. M. Rabindranath and many others should be placed on record as their efforts and enthusiasm made this centre a reality.
We are Provided following Services - Facilitate :- The upgrading of knowledge and skills through seminars, workshops and training sessions. Maintain :- Constant contact with its members to identify and assess problems or needs by undertaking visits to units. Invite :- Groups and other appropriate institutions for discussions at the Centre. Develop :- A data base to cater to appropriate information needs. Provide :- Specific consultancy services through a roster of specialised consultants available with the Centre. Undertake :- Appropriate studies, for influencing policy measures for small enterprises. Facilitate :- Interaction between industry on one hand and Research Institutions/Governments on the other hand for a better cooperation between the two. Establish :- Contacts with German and overseas counterpart and maintain contacts with other German Institutions in trade and manufacturing sector. Offer :- Other peripheral service for the betterment of small scale industries. Facilities :- - Computer system to send Fax/Email for the benefit of entrepreneurs. - Internet connection for entrepreneurs. - Audio Visual/Photocopying facilities for entrepreneurs. - Conference Hall & Technical video presentation facility - E mail and fax - Library and Documentation centre - Audio visual aids and photocopying facilities - Conference hall facility - Technical video presentation etc.
Industrial Estate, Guindy
Chennai - 600 032 (Tamil Nadu) India
© Copyright 2000 - 2017 IndiaBizClub. All rights reserved.


text:
April 4, 2005
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
We'll start with an opening statement by the coach.
COACH Pat Summitt:
Well, obviously this is a really tough loss for our basketball team and for our coaching staff and all associated with our program.
While I want this team to understand how proud we are of them and how they represented us all year long, unfortunately, tonight's second half, we go up by 16 and we know we have to answer runs when you're ahead. I thought we lost our composure at times, they scored 19 points off our turnovers. Got to give them all the credit for doing so. But then I thought we two things happened. I just thought our defense didn't stand up to the test of disrupting their offensive flow and they got the looks they wanted. Their three point shooters were able to catch and shoot. Their post people were able to run their inside action. And at the other end, I thought we got the ball inside, but we mishandled it, we played in a bit of a rush. And we didn't have the composure and kick the ball out.
So you have to give Michigan State credit. They had the composure and we lacked it at times and they made the defensive plays and I thought again we were on our heels. I don't understand it, because it's not the way we have played to get here.
But I'm really proud of our team for the type of season they have had and I thought Loree Moore was terrific tonight in pushing tempo and playing the kind of defense she had to play.
Obviously this is a very, very disappointing loss. It will be a long time before I get this one out of my system. I'm sure the players probably feel the same way.
Q. Shyra, can you just talk about how you're feeling right now?
Shyra Ely: Obviously I'm disappointed and really upset with, I mean, myself and the outcome of the game.
Q. Loree, can you talk about what went on when they made that rush back at you in the second half?
Loree Moore: That was a run. The game of basketball is made of runs. And they got us on our heels and they were attacking us at every angle. And we just couldn't find a way to stop them when we needed to. At times we didn't make some key stops when we really needed them, we kind of turned the ball over on offense, and we didn't execute the way we needed to on defense. So you give them the credit, all the credit for what they did and the way that they did it.
Q. Shanna, did your team relax just a little bit when you went up 16, and when did you know this was going to be a fight to the finish?
Shanna Zolman: The first thing that went through my mind was the LSU/Baylor game. Because that was the same exact thing that happened. And I don't know if we relaxed, I don't know if we just we knew they were going to make a run. Like Loree said, the game of basketball is about runs and we knew they were ready to make a run back at us. And we realized that we have to be able to counterbalance that and be able to make a run back at them ourselves. But we were just never able to do that. Never able to get over the hump and buckle down and make defensive stops and be able to answer them back on the offensive end. But like she said we were well aware of it, we just couldn't do it.
Q. Shanna, is this any more disappointing because it happened in your home state or on your home ground so to speak?
Shanna Zolman: I don't care where it's at. It could be in Alaska and I wouldn't care, it's a loss. Obviously it's all the excitement and coming into it, yeah, there's all the hype coming in, playing in your home state, in front of home family and crowd but a loss is a loss. It doesn't matter if it's here or Nova Scotia, it's a loss. So it's not any more depressing.
Ladies, I'll let you go back to the locker room. We'll start with questions for the Head Coach. Go ahead.
Q. Normally when you're able to get a double digit lead on teams you're pretty much able to lock them down; why were you unable to discourage Michigan State tonight?
COACH Pat Summitt: Obviously they kept coming at us and I thought they were aggressive in transition and also they did an excellent job of executing their half court offense. They got good looks. It wasn't like they were forcing shots. I thought that they were very committed to setting and using screens, they read well off of their screens. They got a lot of open looks against us. I thought our defense, as I said, it kind of withered away at times. We didn't really stand up to the test. We had to be able to influence how they were running their sets and I didn't think that our defense really disrupted them like obviously theirs did against us.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about Shyra's play over the last four years in your program and her bright future that she has ahead of her?
COACH Pat Summitt: Well, obviously Shyra is a terrific athlete. She's certainly developed her game. I know if we look back over her career and think about four Final Fours, you got to really respect that. Not many classes get to do what Shyra, Loree, and Brittany have done. It just speaks to the impact that they have had on our program. And I know she struggled some tonight and usually it's when she's trying to do too much as opposed to not stepping up to make plays. So you got to respect the fact that she was trying to get the job done and had those turnovers late in the game because they really keyed on her on the inside. But she's not the only one, I just thought that we played a little bit more like "I've got to do it." Every player was like "I've got to do it" as opposed to continuing to run what we needed to run offensively, so we lost our composure as a team on a number of possessions.
Q. I think somebody asked you yesterday one of the keys to the game or something along those lanes and you said rebounding and you beat them by 10 and you hurt them on the offensive boards which I know you thought was important. Yet you still lost the game. I know it's disappointing no matter what, but does that make it even hurt a little more? You did the thing that you thought, hey, this is what we got to do, yet you still kind of lost your composure at key points.
COACH Pat Summitt: Well, what really bothers me is you got to make lay ups and free throws if you want to win. Obviously defense and board play are key. But those easy shots, you got make the free throws. And if you just look statistically at our free throw shooting then you think about how many lay ups we missed. I mean, we had three shots late in the game in one series. So I did not think that we did a good job of finishing around the basket and hitting our free throws. And then turning the ball over. We have a turnover on top of the floor late to give them the go ahead. That was such a momentum for them. I think probably it put a little bit of even more pressure on us. That's when we missed those three shots.
Q. You addressed it just a second ago a little bit, but that last offensive possession you were down by two and you had like three or four chances to get good shots and seemed like the players thought there was a little bit less time left than there was. You might have had three or four more seconds to do that. Would you talk about that.
COACH Pat Summitt: I think they were just overanxious. I think they were just trying to make a play. And I would rather have someone trying to make a play than avoiding that type of situation. And certainly we had all three shots, if I'm clear on this, came inside the paint. So obviously we had our chances. We had our chances. But it doesn't come down to just that one play. I think as you look throughout the game, I guess the things that stand out in my mind is we didn't deny the middle of the floor. We let them run their offense and get into a good rhythm. We didn't identify the three point shooters. We shot the ball, I think, well at times, well enough probably to win for a Tennessee team, if we buckled down and played great defense and had more impact with our defense. Our rebounding was good enough to win, our defense wasn't, and our turnovers were costly.
Q. What does it say about the growth of the women's game that tonight we had two teams that never had been this far before, came from a combined 31 down to get the right to play Tuesday?
COACH Pat Summitt: Well, I think it does speak to the parity. I think to have two teams here for the first time and the two teams here for the first time are the two teams that will play for a national championship. I think that we have talked about this for years, but now we're seeing it firsthand. And the women's game has changed tremendously in a good way when you talk about parity. And I don't think that this is any fluke and it happened one year and that's it. I think every year you're going to see teams really battle it out and probably going it see more upsets in first and second round play.
Thank you very much.
...Fastscripts by ASAP Sports
We'll start with some comments by the Coach.
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE:
That was a very exciting basketball game. I guess that's saying the obvious. Terrific basketball game. Tennessee is a great team. A very good team.
I think the second 20 minutes really reflected the greatness and the heart and soul of our team. To come back from the deficit and to finish the game in the manner in which our team did, and I am certainly very proud, but not the least bit surprised given what our team has done all year long. And how they have competed, gosh, in so many games. And I am so proud of Kelli and her composure, Lindsay and her leadership and guts and Kristin and her determination. That was one of the greatest steals I've ever seen in my life. It was about six feet, she was six feet ahead of the ball if that makes any sense and Lindsay was just competing like she always does and Kelli just refuses to do anything but attack.
So I'm very proud of all of our team members, Liz Shimek and everybody else also, and now we're excited to enjoy this until approximately midnight tonight and then it's on to the next adventure.
Q. Kristin, in your four years at Michigan State, can you recall a bigger or more important rally considering the circumstances tonight?
KRISTIN HAYNIE: I mean definitely not. This was a great game for us. We hung in there, we stuck together. We kept our composure down the stretch when it really counted and our team gave all our heart and effort down the stretch when it mattered.
Q. Kelli, you missed a pretty much point blank shot with a couple minutes to go that could have put you all up. I know you know what I'm talking about. How big was it for you to, like you say, keep your composure and how much did you want to hit that lay up there with like 35 seconds to go.
KELLI ROEHRIG: Oh, yeah, that lay up. Yeah, it was a pretty big lay up, but all I got to say is we won. And I got Kristin out here, I owe the world to her. Because she that steal was unbelievable. But I was too open maybe, I don't know. But, no, it's over. We won. That's all that matters.
Q. Kelli, I think there was a time you guys, it was like the 14 16th time Tennessee had gotten their biggest lead, there was a time out and Coach looks like she really blasted you guys. She got in your face and challenged you. Kind of give us an idea what that time out was like and do you remember what I'm talking about; was she really getting into you?
KELLI ROEHRIG: We there was a couple. Whatever time out it was, we deserved it. Because we were not playing Michigan State basketball at that point in time. A time out is a time to refocus, regroup, and that's basically what we had to do at every time out, regardless if she yelled or not. I mean, that pushes us forward, so.
Q. Kristin, will you talk about just your composure, y'all did make I think you tied for the biggest comeback in a Final Four game especially since Tennessee has been here and y'all haven't?
KRISTIN HAYNIE: Definitely. Our whole team stuck together. Everyone was hitting big shots, getting the rebounds, everyone contributed in their own way and that's what teams do and that's what got us the win is our hustle towards the end of the game.
Q. Kristin, again, you looked like you struggled in the first half; you got in foul trouble. How tough was it to keep your composure, especially when you come out in the second half and Tennessee is just pouring it on you.
KRISTIN HAYNIE: For any player it's all mental, you can either go down in the drain or you can come back, get back out of the drain. You know what was going on with you. You know, I mean anyone can go in a funk and you just got to it's Final Four game, it's do or die so you got to let that go and take it from there and then just keep your composure and keep attacking.
We're going to let the ladies go back to the locker room.
Q. Coach, it appeared with about four minutes left in the first half you decided to take Kristin out then and Tennessee made their move and took control of the game, did you begin to think to yourself, "Did I do this too soon" or, "Would I even put her back in, in the first half?"
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE: Without question I would not put her back in, I was very, very confident in Lindsay and the guards. And some mistakes were made. However, I wouldn't do it different simply because the game is too long. I knew that we were going to have a heck of a second half just the way everything's been going in second halves, the physicality of it, the way calls are made, everything about the second half is when it blows up and so I just felt we needed Kristin then.
Q. What does it say about the state of women's basketball that in Tuesday's final you're going to have two programs that are not used to being in this particular position?
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE: Well, first of all it's an all green national championship. We're very excited about that. But I think it just speaks to the fact that there's growth and exciting things happening in women's basketball. Baylor is a terrific team; so is LSU, so is Tennessee. But it's just very exciting I think for people to learn more about other teams and how people are trying to teams are just growing and the parity is growing. It's exciting.
Q. You got two teams that overcame huge deficits now to get to the championship game and pretty much left it all only the floor, do you got anything left for the championship?
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE: Oh, yes, I think we'll find a few things. It's just too exciting. It's the last game of the year. There's nothing we can do to change that. So I just feel both teams will be very ready and it will be quite a game.
Q. Could you talk about the Victoria Lucas Perry, her flurry there, she got seven points?
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE: Tremendous. What a lift. Her shooting, her three point shooting, just her confidence, the way she was attacking the basket to get to the free throw line. That was an absolutely huge lift because Lindsay had kind of gotten us going and other people need to pick up at different times. And Victoria was right there when her team needed her most. It was incredible to watch.
Q. Can you talk about what it means to get a win like this against a program like Tennessee and a coach like Pat Summitt?
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE: Terrific program, it's an outstanding victory, I mean it just is because it puts us in a position to play for a national championship. And we have played a lot of great programs in year. There's been a lot of neat things going on. So it's just really an opportunity for us now to play for a national championship and certainly Tennessee is a great program.
Q. What happened on the technical foul and what did Pat Summitt say to you at the end of the game?
COACH JOANNE P. McCALLIE: Well, the technical foul was from the bench. I did not get it, maybe I should have gotten it. It seemed to have worked out quite nicely but it was from the bench and so that was I don't really care about that technical. The way things were going, who cares? You just got to play on.
And then what did Pat say to me? Just good game. It was just, that's what just good game.
Thank you very much, Coach.
....FastScripts by ASAP Sports.


text:
Bristol Bay Follow Up
October 8, 2012
Follow Up: Bristol Bay Beluga Whale Health Assessment Research Project 2012
It has been three weeks since Eric Gaglione, Director of Zoological Operations/Mammals & Birds at Georgia Aquarium, and the field team left Dillingham, Alaska. Since that time Rodd Hobbs, the projects Principal Investigator, has been sending regular updates on the data transmitted from the nine whales that were tagged. Most of them remain in the Snake River where the team spent their final day. One is further out in Kvichak Bay where it has been since the day after it was tagged. Just one whale remains further up the estuary, and is in the Wood River.
Map of transmitted data from the nine whales tagged
To read Eric's previous field logs, please click here:
Field Notes 8/30-9/6
Field Notes 9/7-9/10
Field Notes 9/11-9/13


text:
|NHL Mock Draft: T-minus four days
|06.21.10 at 6:00 am ET
Four more days until the NHL draft and it's still looking like Taylor Hall will reign supreme in the Taylor/Tyler debate. This mock draft sees a few changes from last week, though I'd be crazy to switch as many picks as we do in the NFL mock drafts. This is because, unlike the NFL, these guys don't see their stocks bounce all over the place from day to day. If you think Tyler Toffoli should go to Anaheim one week, you'll probably think it the next week. There is a top 10 shakeup, however, as I think the Lightning will opt for Mikael Granlund at No. 6 and the Hurricanes will go for defense early.
1. Edmonton Oilers (62 points) Taylor Hall, LW, Windsor (OHL)
Nothing has changed in the last week, and though a team in need of help across the board may benefit more from a playmaking center, Hall's Memorial Cup performance narrowly gives him the edge over Seguin. Don't be surprised if the Oilers stay in this spot and still select Seguin, as they could prefer him or be talked into it by the Bruins and a nice compensation package.
2. Boston Bruins [from Toronto (74 points)] Tyler Seguin, C, Plymouth (OHL)
Peter Chiarelli said last week that if the Bruins are to make any deal with the Oilers, it is more likely that it isn't an actual swap of picks, but rather a trade that would include a promise from the Oilers to lay off their guy. Whomever they get, they'll be in great shape. Here's one to think about: If the Bruins end up with Seguin, who in Plymouth wanted to wear No. 19 in honor of Steve Yzerman, the player to whom he is often compared, does he take Joe Thornton's old number?
3. Florida Panthers (77 points) Cam Fowler, D, Windsor (OHL)
This is how we do it in the NFL mocks: If you think a team is going to trade up and take a certain player, you project the player in the slot so you can have half the pick right, and I'm bringing the theory with me to the NHL. I really believe (based on nothing — this is a total hunch) that the Bruins will move up from No. 15 and back into the top five. Why? Because they can. They have all the ammunition, and who's to say the talks for Nathan Horton don't include the Panthers' first-rounder coming to Boston?
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (79 points) Brett Connolly, LW, Prince George (WHL)
You know your team is in rough shape when a trade rumor is dismissed by the public because nobody believes a player would accept a trade to go there. If the Blue Jackets can't upgrade offensively with Marc Savard, they'll have to do so with Connolly, who should help them improve from their '09-'10 total of 214 goals.
5. New York Islanders (79 points) Erik Gudbranson, D, Kingston (OHL)
The idea of Gudbranson being around at No. 5 sounds pretty crazy, and if the Panthers keep their pick there is a good chance he'll be gone at No. 3, but I just don't have enough confidence that Florida will stay put. This allows the Islanders to get a big and tough defenseman at a steal.
|Orr doesn't think Hall will slip past Oilers
|06.15.10 at 1:06 pm ET
According to HockeyJournal.com's Douglas Flynn, Bruins legend Bobby Orr thinks the Bruins are going to get a "hell of a player" with the second overall pick in the NHL draft next Friday. Just not his client.
Orr, who along with Paul Krepelka and Rick Curran, represents Windsor Spitfires left wing Taylor Hall, thinks like many that the Edmonton Oilers will ignore NHL Central Scouting's assertion that Tyler Seguin is the top player and will instead pick Hall.
'Hall is the best player," Orr told Flynn. "Although I do represent him, I can guarantee he's a hell of a player. I don't know if I've seen a kid compete like this kid competes ' every night, every shift. To him, it doesn't matter the score, he competes. He's a heck of a player and I would obviously love to see him here in Boston, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.'
Orr feels the Bruins could move up for Hall, but that the Oilers likely want Hall and could command a hefty package to swap picks.
'I don't think anybody knows yet,' Orr said. 'But I think you've got to take the best player, unless a deal can be made to lay off that best player.
'And nobody knows for sure yet. Edmonton's not saying. But it would have to be a great deal I would think to make the trade for that, but I don't know.'
A big deal has been made of the numbers that Hall and Seguin, as Hall wears No. 4 as a tribute to Orr while it was Seguin's hope to wear No. 19 for the Plymouth Whalers in honor of Steve Yzerman, the Hall of Fame center to whom he is compared.
|NHL Mock Draft: Who's No. 3?
|06.14.10 at 5:01 pm ET
If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I live for draft projections. We had some moderate success mocking the NFL draft this season (the good: called Rob Gronkowski and Brandon Spikes to Patriots; the bad: had Ricky Sapp about 100 picks too high), so after years of doing NHL mocks elsewhere, it's time I bring my projections to the Big Bad Blog. There's been enough chatter about this draft (what the first two picks mean, whether the Bruins will move around with all their picks, etc.) that Bruins fans should be as prepared as possible before the 25th day of the month rolls around.
1. Edmonton Oilers (62 points) Taylor Hall, LW, Windsor (OHL)
The Oilers can't lose with this pick and quite frankly, neither can the Bruins in the No. 2 slot. Both guys are can't-miss prospects with no visible flaws in their game and measure/weigh in the . They both figure to be up their among the league leaders in goals by the time they hit their prime, and they'll at least be difference-makers at rookies. The fans in Edmonton prefer Hall, so it could be the difference in a remarkably close race.
2. Boston Bruins [from Toronto (74 points)] Tyler Seguin, C, Plymouth (OHL)
Boo hoo, the Bruins don't get the guy at the position at which they need the most help. Isn't their biggest need a goal-scorer? Just because they're loaded up the middle and don't have impact scorers on the wing, doesn't mean they won't gladly take the guy who scored eight more goals than Hall this past season (48 G). As for the talk of trading up, the difference between these two guys isn't big enough to warrant moving the 15th or 32nd pick.
3. Florida Panthers (77 points) Cam Fowler, D, Windsor (OHL)
Much like the top two forwards in this draft, there is a bit of uncertainty as to who the first defenseman off the board will be. Many feel that Erik Gudbranson will be the guy who goes third, but the Panthers might prefer the American-born goal-scoring blue-liner in Fowler.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (79 points) Brett Connolly, LW, Prince George (WHL)
The Blue Jackets are one of the teams rumored to be interested in trading for Senators center Jason Spezza, and unlike many of the other teams reportedly involved in talks, they actually make sense as a landing spot. As a result, don't be surprised if Columbus doesn't end up selecting with this pick. If they stay put, however, they'll try to add offense after recently signing 2009 first-round defenseman David Savard.
5. New York Islanders (79 points) Erik Gudbranson, D, Kingston (OHL)
Gudbranson would be a beyond solid pick for the Islanders because he, along with Blake Kessel once he signs, will help build a versatile stable of young defensemen. Gudbranson uses what size he has (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) and is your more hard-nosed defenseman, while Kessel is more offensive-minded and will help on the power play.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning (80 points) Brandon Gormley, D, Moncton (QMJHL)
The bad news for Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is that he won't be able to get Seguin, who has been compared to the Hall of Famer by many, with the sixth pick. The good news is that the Lightning can't get much worse than they were in '09-'10 and that adding Gormley to a good young nucleus can only help. Gormley, who is more like Fowler than Gudbranson, is a good puck-moving defenseman who figures to be a top-four defenseman for years to come.
7. Carolina Hurricanes (80 points) Nino Niederreiter, LW, Portland (WHL)
The team could very well be on the verge of losing left wing Ray Whitney to free agency, and while the NHL is different from the NBA and NFL in that teams generally can't plug in draft picks to replace lost talent, Niederreiter is the best left winger in this draft not named Hall or Connolly.
8. Atlanta Thrashers (83 points) Ryan Johansen, C, Portland (WHL)
Don't be surprised if four of the first eight picks are Windsor Spitfires and Portland Winterhawks, as is the case here. Windsor's Hall isn't the only one to boost his stock with an outstanding showing in the playoffs, as Johansen racked up 18 points in 13 games in the postseason for Portland.
|Oilers GM: Bruins haven't made offer for top pick
|06.10.10 at 4:31 pm ET
As rumors swirl regarding what the Bruins may or may not be offering Steve Tambellini in exchange for the first overall pick in this month's NHL draft, the Oilers general manager confirmed Thursday that he has spoken to his Boston counterpart in Peter Chiarelli — just not about the pick.
'Last time I talked to Peter was the general managers' meetings in Philly [between Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup finals]. Peter hasn't thrown any names at me. No proposals. But I'm all ears,' Tambellini told the Edmonton Journal.
'I don't know what it take to give up the first pick overall in this year's draft. I know there will be proposals and I'm looking forward to seeing what they might be, but I don't know if I would recommend to [Oilers president of hockey operations] Kevin (Lowe) or our ownership that we should move the first pick,' Tambellini told the paper.
Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson of the Journal writes in the report that Tembellini is "almost surely not giving up the first pick." The Oilers brought highly coveted Windsor Spitfires left wing and anticipated top pick Taylor Hall in on Wednesday and were set to make him available to the media shortly after. If a trade isn't made, the Bruins, who pick second, will take whomever is left between Hall and Plymouth Whalers center Tyler Seguin. Tambellini insists the team has yet to settle on who they will select.
'I don't think there's a wrong answer here … There's lots of reasons to go either way,' Tambellini told the paper. 'But it's getting clearer as to what may be separating the players. We're not making our final decision until the very end. We've told both kids we're going to do that.'
The Bruins have already met with both Hall and Seguin and have ammunition for a trade in the form of the 15th and 32nd overall picks, as well as two picks in each of the first two rounds of the 2011 draft.
|Spezza could doom Bruins in draft
|06.08.10 at 3:20 pm ET
With just over two weeks to go until the NHL Draft, it has become a logical line of thinking to believe the Bruins would be quite risky to assume Windsor Spitfires left wing Taylor Hall will be available with the second overall pick. While either Hall or Plymouth Whalers center Tyler Seguin would be a blessing to the offense, there is no doubt that the Bruins could use a well-rounded winger more than they could use a center. The Edmonton Oilers, who hold the top pick in the draft, have needs all over the ice and will ultimately do what what they feel upgrades their team the most.
Here's where the irony hits: This draft features the best offensive 1-2 punch since 2001, a class that starred left wing Ilya Kovalchuk and center Jason Spezza. Kovalchuk went first to the Atlanta Thrashers, Spezza went second to the Senators and each embarked upon their careers as NHL All-Stars. If the parallels aren't apparent yet, recent chatter suggests it could be one of the '01 stars that messes things up for the Bruins this month.
Spezza, whose contract will see a no-trade clause kick in on July 1, has reportedly grown frustrated with the Ottawa and may want out. While talk that he may have requested a trade could be nothing more than speculation, many have begun guessing where the center could call home next season. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, who Bruins fans should have bookmarked by now for a Hall of Fame Edmonton writer's take on this draft, sees a potential gameplan for the Oiler's offseason that "might solve the Taylor vs. Tyler debate."
"Draft winger Taylor Hall on June 25 with their No. 1 pick at the NHL entry draft, pass on centre Tyler Seguin and trade for Spezza later.
The Senators would almost assuredly take the same three players that were on the table for winger Dany Heatley last summer ' Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid ' in exchange for Spezza, who would become the Oilers' much-needed first-line centre."
There you have it. Both teams could afford to due that trade, as Matheson stacks the cap numbers against one another and calls the deal a "virtual wash." The Oilers would see offensive improvement and have a top line that would be among the best in the NHL, while the Bruins would be improved with Seguin, but would enter the 2010-2011 season without a 30-plus-goal-scoring winger — again.
So what should the Bruins do? If Oilers GM Steve Tambellini targets Spezza, an offer of Blake Wheeler and the second pick isn't exactly going to change his mind. In fact, if Edmonton can get both Spezza and Hall, the Oilers might even prefer that combo to a deal that included the second and 15th overall picks, which the Bruins likely wouldn't want to do anyway.
The Bruins may have their hands tied. There is no logic in a wing-deprived team trading a wing or a top pick to move up one spot and one can't assume the Oilers would even be interested in what the Bruins have to say. SensChirp is reporting the Bruins have interest in Spezza themselves and that the second pick "could be in play" but I would take that with an entire mound of salt. The reality is the team may just have to do two things: Hope Spezza is dealt elsewhere so the Oilers have a bigger shot of taking Seguin and convince themselves that potentially landing the Plymouth center is better than giving up a king's ransom to secure Hall. For now, all anyone else can do is wait.
|Chiarelli maintains Segiun and Hall are neck-and-neck
|06.04.10 at 3:38 pm ET
What you're about to read may come as earth-shattering news, so you might want to sit down as you read this: The Boston Bruins like both Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin a lot and claim to not prefer one by a large margin. Deep breaths.
"I've been quoted as saying they're really close and I'll contnue to say that because that's what they are for us," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Friday in a conference call with the media. "They were both very good interviews up in Toronto [at the NHL Scouting Combine] and I had a good meeting with the Seguins in Brampton and I certainly would anticipate the same with the Halls in Kingston."
Chiarelli is planning to visit Hall's parents in the next two weeks, but a source told WEEI.com this week that Hall will be with the Bruins this weekend meeting with Chiarelli and other front office members. Seguin will also visit Boston, a place he spoke highly of recently with WEEI.com, though it is unknown when he will make the trip.
The Bruins, who also choose 15th overall and have two selections in the second round, have been putting in more work than simply getting caught up in the Taylor/Tyler craze. There are plenty of players, whether they be Hall's Windsor teammates in defenseman Cam Fowler and forward Austin Watson or whomever, who could fill serious needs with Boston.
"The fact that we have four picks in the first round and a half, you know, we always pay attention to these things but you've really got to focus in on your target guys and the guys that you want and where they should be slotted," Chiarelli said.
"This is a deep draft, and I know you may hear that on a yearly basis but I'm more in touch with it this year because we have so many high picks. We'll continue to bring some kids in and we'll probably finish doing that halfway through next week."
As for the Big Bad Board (had to make it less football-sounding somehow), are the Bruins set in stone on who they want with the second, or even 15th or 32nd picks for that matter? In a word, no.
"You tweak a little bit," Chiarelli said. "You put the list up, you generate the list and then you reserve the right to change it based on testing interviews and then your smaller group gets together and you talk about the issues on certain players. It's not firm until the morning of."
|NHL execs say Hall goes No. 1
|06.03.10 at 2:31 pm ET
To those who voted overwhelmingly in favor of Taylor Hall in our recent poll regarding which OHL star would be best for the Bruins, NHL.com has bad news for you. Adam Kimelman asked personnel executives from both an Eastern Conference team and a Western Conference team and both said that the Windsor left wing will be selected first overall by the Oilers, with Plymouth center Tyler Seguin falling to the Bruins at pick No. 2.
Writes Kimelman:
"Our scout from the East said Hall in Edmonton would evoke memories of the 1980s dynasty teams, while our scout in the West said Hall was just too good to pass on.
With Hall going first, both pegged Seguin going No. 2 to Boston. Our Western scout said Seguin would make Bruins fans forget all about Phil Kessel, who the club had to sacrifice to get this pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs."
What is just as interesting for fans looking at the draft as more than the first two picks is the fact that both executives have Hall's teammate, offensive defenseman Cam Fowler going third overall. With the Bruins talking trade with teams, it's not outside the realm of possibility that they could be considering moving up with the 15th overall pick in order to get potentially their best scoring defenseman since Sergei Gonchar.
NHL Central Scouting ranks Fowler as the fifth best prospect in this draft class, but more projections see him as the third overall pick to the Panthers with each passing day. Fowler had 55 points in in 2009-2010, his first season with the Spitfires.