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Moore News |
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February 02, 2008 Well... so much for this being a WEEKLY column! Once we get into November and December things get awfully busy for me, but I got a little time this afternoon and wanted to try to get back into the swing of this "writing thing". First I want to mention how great the crowd at Munn Arena was last Saturday against Michigan! Our crowd takes it on the chin a lot for being quiet, but I contend that it's one of the smartest crowds in college hockey. Our fans don't make "noise for noise's sake". They cheer when there's something to cheer about, and they boo when there's something to boo about. (insert non-calls on cross checking penalties here) When Tim Crowder scored just 46 seconds after Daniel Vukovic to give MSU a 2-1 lead on Saturday, I thought the roof might blow off of the arena! Keep up the good work, Spartans! Next I want to congratulate Jeff Lerg on his stellar play through January. Four weekends of conference action, four CCHA Player of the Week Awards. And each week, there was no dispute&ldots; he earned each and every award. Now that the month has drawn to a close, Jeff has been named the CCHA Player of the Month, and the Hockey Commissioner's Association National player of the Month! The "Little Guy" is on a big roll. One thing I find as impressive as his ability on the ice, is the way he handles himself off the ice. When you talk with Jeff, you feel like you've known him forever. He's articulate, intelligent and polite. In my book those are the best three attributes a person can have. People keep asking me if Jeff can have a professional career some day. My answer, why not? He may be smaller than the average goalie, but that's why it's called an average&ldots; some are taller and some are shorter. Jeff's been proving people wrong for years, and his smarts and work ethic are second to none. He's starting to show up on some Hobey Baker Award watch lists. If anybody can become the third goaltender to win it, why not him? The Spartans are on a roll, bring on the Mavericks! Let's keep it going! Until the next time, Have fun everybody! Scott Moore
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Friday November 9, 2007 And, no, we didn't bring the cold and snow with us from Fairbanks. I think we were all pretty happy to leave all of that behind. We were also happy to come back with a pair of wins. Right now everybody in the CCHA is trying to keep up with Miami. The RedHawks are off to a torrid 8-0 start on the season. Michigan's playing well too at 7-1 and then there's the Green and White at 6-1. Those three teams are ranked in the top four in the nation this week. Hats off to the CCHA! And hats off to the Spartans as well. 6-1 to start the season is the best seven game start for MSU since the 99-2000 season. That year the Green and White lost their opener, 4-1 at Colorado College, then swept the next 5 weekends! That team featured future NHLers like Shawn Horcoff, Adam Hall, John-Michael Liles, Mike Weaver and Andrew Hutchinson! Talk about talent! The trip was a great bonding experience for the players, but to be honest it's hard to see where they need any more bonding. This group obviously enjoys being together. Whether they're clowning around on the bus, at the rink, or at dinner, this is a fun group to be around. The thing that I'll always remember from this trip to Fairbanks is the outdoor practice. When we arrived in Alaska on Wednesday, we couldn't get ice time at the Carlson Center because the ice was just being put in! (In fact, we skated on the new ice before Alaska got a shot at it!) Knowing this in advance, Rick scheduled a practice for the Big Dipper Arena, the home of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, Joey Shean's former team. When we pulled up to the arena, we noticed that there were three outdoor rinks, two of which were open and had lights on. Coach got permission to use one of the outdoor rinks, and had intended to just let the guys skate around for a few minutes. That few minutes, however, turned into a 40 minute, full blown practice. Getting to the rink was a bit hazardous. The driveway between the building and the rink was frozen over, but the ice was anything but level. Some of the guys crawled, but most just skated carefully to the door. It seemed like every single one of them was smiling while they were skating, and they drew more than a few interested onlookers. It was fun to watch the local kids watching the boys practice. It seemed to get the weekend off on the right foot. That's all for now, bring on Mercyhurst! Until the next time, Have fun everybody! Scott Moore
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Tuesday
October 29,2007 I flew from Detroit to Seattle, then on to Anchorage. I knew that I had a pretty lengthy lay-over in Anchorage, but didn't realize that, because the flight arrived after midnight, it was quite literally the "end of the line". I had to get my suitcase and two cases worth of radio equipment from the baggage carousel, and find a place to sit until the ticket counters would open at 6am. I found a seat in the Anchorage terminal, gathered all of my belongings around me, and watched it snow through the windows. I didn't want to fall asleep, because I didn't want to miss my flight! Finally the ticket counters opened, and I could continue my journey. I arrived in Fairbanks early on New Years Day, and called for a shuttle from our hotel, the Captain Bartlett Inn. As we drove past a bank just outside of the airport, I noticed that the digital temperature read -9 degrees (Fahrenheit!) Little did I know, that would be the warmest temperature I would experience on that trip. It got steadily colder as the weekend went on. I remember venturing out for lunch on Saturday in temperatures that were around -25. I was bundled pretty well in my parka, but had just a pair of jeans on. By the time I arrived at the restaurant (about a block and a half away) My legs were so cold they felt like they were burning! I stayed a little longer than normal at lunch just to regain the feeling in my legs! After that, I stayed pretty much with the hotel restaurant. After losing the first game 6-4, the team came back to win the second 6-2, then they took the red-eye out of town. I didn't leave until the next day. That morning I experienced the famous Fairbanks "Ice Fog". The temperature was -35, so cold that the water molecules in the air were frozen! Imagine being in fog so think you can barely see your hand in front of your face, yet it's as dry as a piece of toast! As the plane lifted off, it climbed through the fog quickly, and I was amazed to find there wasn't a cloud in the sky&ldots; just a blanket of fog stretching the length of the Tanana River Valley. The weather forecast for this year calls for downright balmy temperatures in the 20's in the daytime and the teens at night. Not too bad! Until the next time, Have fun everybody! Scott Moore
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Tuesday October 16,2007 I just flew in from Grand Forks (and boy are my arms tired!) The trip to Grand Forks North Dakota was amazing! Of course, everybody wanted to know what I thought of the rink. I liked Daniel Vukovic's assessment, "Eh, it's no Munn Arena!" No, it's not Munn. From the moment you walk inside you find yourself thinking, "There's no way this is in North Dakota." The Ralph Englestad Arena is as opulent as advertised. Over 11 thousand seats, (the football stadium seats just over 12 thousand!) every one of them covered in green leather (no naugahyde here) with cherry armrests. Italian marble floors on the concourses AND in the elevators. The Marble is offset by brass accents&ldots; 3 and a half miles of it! And everywhere you look is a Fighting Sioux Indian head logo. I found two inlaid in the Italian marble floors! There is also a bar made of cherry at each end of the arena, 300 television sets in the building, a split level press box and so much more. But still I came out of my experience there feeling a bit odd. For some reason, it just didn't feel like a college hockey game to me. Maybe it was the size and opulence of the building. Maybe it was the fact that I was up so high, just like at Joe Louis Arena, VanAndel Arena and The Scottrade Center. It just seemed too slick! I'll be happy to get back to Munn Arena this weekend! Until the next time, Have fun everybody! Scott Moore
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Sunday, October 7, 2007 They've asked me to write a weekly column for this web site, so here goes... First, let me say how honored I am to be the new host of The Rick Comley Show. I've been involved with the show since Rick's first season, and have always enjoyed coming to Renos' East when my schedule allowed. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you every week. Also, let me pay homage to the man who started this whole thing so many years ago. Jerry Marshall is a fixture in local radio. He may not like to hear this, but I remember listening to him when I first came to East Lansing to go to school in the late 70's! (yeah, that just dates both of us, Jer!) As far as MSU is concerned, Jerry invented the weekly coach's radio show! You're leaving me with some pretty big shoes to fill, but I'll enjoy every moment of it, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at Renos' on Wednesday nights. I'm both proud and happy to call you a friend. Now, for those of you who don't know me and my journey to this stage in life, let me give you the quick story. I was born in Grand Rapids and raised by "a family of friendly wolverines". Both my Dad and my older brother have degrees from that school in Ann Arbor, but I still associate with them. I graduated from East Grand Rapids High School and chose MSU because the Telecommunications program was the best in the state. While I was at MSU, I met the girl I'd end up marrying, my wife Kim. Her parents were hockey fans and had held season tickets since Munn Arena was built. Kim informed me that if I wanted the relationship to go anywhere, I had to learn the game of hockey! (I'd never been a fan and had only been to one game in my life!) I started going to games When Mark Hamway, and Ken Leiter were team leaders, and learned the game from Section U (across the isle and two rows up from Greg Bria&ldots; remember the sieve?) After a year off from college (it's a long story) I enrolled at LCC and graduated with an Associates Degree in 1982. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! That fall a new radio station (WDTB-AM) and a new television station (WFSL-TV 47) both signed on in Lansing, and I got hired to work at both. At WDTB (now WLXA 1180) I covered the hockey team, and learned more about the game from listening to and asking questions of Coach Mason after games. In the spring of 83 I turned to television full time and stayed there for 13 years. While I was working at the television station, I got to know Paulette Martis who now works in the Sports Information Department at MSU. In June of 1982, she gave my name to Will Tieman, who was setting up the new "Spartan Radio Network". He needed a broadcast host for football and basketball, and I had been doing that type of work for WELM on their hockey cablecasts. Will liked my tape, and I've been working with him ever since. After five seasons with the network, Will offered me the hockey play by play position, and with more than a bit of nervousness I accepted. That was 11 years ago now. After 3 summers of broadcasting Lugnut Baseball, Will offered me the chance to serve as the Manager of Production and Continuity for the network, a position I've enjoyed since 2003. I've been married to Kim for 24 wonderful years. We have two fantastic daughters. Courtney is 22 and studying to be an athletic trainer at CMU, and Jessica is a 17 year old senior at East Lansing High who's discovering a love for "New Media" (audio, video and print production). That's it for now. I have no idea what form this column will take because I'm a talker, not a writer. We'll just have to find out together. Until the next time, Have fun everybody! Scott Moore
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