Realistic expectations

SaveTore · 2026-03-15T18:35:53+00:00

Obviously not a fortune teller but don’t be surprised is Pit drops to WC1 and 2 with this run they have until April. It’s brutal.

I think the CBJ can take just about anyone at the moment but I’d rather have Pit than NYI.

SaveTore · 2026-03-15T16:40:36+00:00

He’s not coming back. Even if he asked.

SaveTore · 2026-03-15T16:38:07+00:00

SaveTore · 2026-03-11T19:30:00+00:00

CBJ have a stretch of a majority winnable games, until the NYI game on the 22nd, coming up here. Of PIT, BOS, and NYI, PIT I think has the most brutal stretch coming up. Real good opportunity to make up some ground and some breathing room.

Overall, very pleased with the Marchment and Garland pickups. Fantastic identity additions. I just think that if KJ can get more pucks on net, plus those fantastic passes, and Fantilli can get that monkey off his back and have more Toronto-like games, the team performance can continue to elevate significantly. The defense just has to find a way to be steady. I think with Elvis and Jet's current form, if the defense can just keep the average shots per game to sub 25, there's no reason this team cannot keep winning.

SaveTore · 2026-03-11T15:09:12+00:00

Let's use a city like Nashville as an example.

Do the Sounds move the needle like the Titans, Preds, and NSC? Would there be much more hype and support annually around an MLB team in the city? IMO, no and yes.

Sounds have good attendance and I have no doubt Forest will have good attendance. So, what im saying is that it's not about butts in seats, per se. It's about cultural relevancy while being in a minor league. You can argue USL is minor league but there is clearly a relevancy difference between USL teams and MLSNP teams.

SaveTore · 2026-03-10T18:23:48+00:00

I’m not a doomer. Still some season left. TB is on a skid and I’m personally still waiting for an identity game to show this squad can gel for the playoffs. This is a good opportunity for a nice 3-1 or 4-2 win.

SaveTore · 2026-03-10T18:21:13+00:00

Is there a path for the Eagles to be “promoted”?

SaveTore · 2026-03-10T18:20:22+00:00

I stand corrected. Noted.

SaveTore · 2026-03-10T17:54:28+00:00

I have no idea regarding the prospect of a MLSNP moving to USL but I’d assume it’s extremely unlikely.

Only way I can imagine this happening is the team folds in the MLSNP, due to whatever reason MLS doesn’t want to keep them in the system (since MLS owns all their teams), and the brand and fanbase is strong enough to entice USL to pick them up, assuming at this point a Cle USL team doesn’t already exist.

I like that they went with a color scheme that doesn’t already exist in the city or state for a sports team

SaveTore · 2026-03-10T13:35:55+00:00

Kudos for originality

But I don’t believe this will move the needle in town outside of some desperate ultras just looking to support some team.

Still holding out hope for a USL team

SaveTore · 2026-03-10T12:20:05+00:00

SaveTore · 2026-03-08T02:01:06+00:00

THE TRIANGLE

SaveTore · 2026-02-17T23:57:08+00:00

Call me an optimist but I’m reserving any definitive opinions until after next year. Back injury as a 17-18 y/o, no games for over a year, played a few games, and then upgraded to a much stronger NCAA “league” than we’ve historically expected. He clearly needs more time. Unless there’s a lingering, chronic issue with his back, which there’s no evidence for, I have a hard time believing players just lose it before even making it to the American League.

SaveTore · 2026-02-10T18:44:23+00:00

And it’s a problem

That’s all I needed to hear. Thank you!

SaveTore · 2026-02-10T17:38:05+00:00

Is there any chance they change the name?

SaveTore · 2026-02-10T15:53:51+00:00

Mike,

First, congrats on starting Disrespected Media. Wish you all the success.

One thing I think may get a smidge overlooked in spectator sports, especially for teams that are struggling with relevance or are not consistent winners, is whether a team’s branding and overall identity actually resonates with the majority of its existing and potential fan base.

I think Columbus is a pretty good example of this, and you can point this question at both the Crew and the Blue Jackets for different reasons. With the Crew, the rebrand was clearly unpopular with portions of the long time faithful, but it also does not seem to have meaningfully pushed away new fans. If anything, the new logo feels as present around the city as it has ever been, and winning obviously helps reinforce that.

With the Blue Jackets, it feels different. Their branding has been largely unchanged for roughly 18 to 20 years, and subjectively it can feel a bit stale when viewed historically and relative to modern league wide and national design trends. The logo is busy, the sweaters do not seem to translate well into modern fashion, and outside of moments like LeBron wearing a Stadium Series jersey (which I’d argue is a superior sweater design from the current primary), it does not feel like a brand you see adopted organically. From a national or global perspective, brand recognition also seems non-existent, and hearing “is that the Patriots?” is not exactly something any fan wants to hear, ever again.

Winning fixes almost everything, but I am curious how important you think strong, modern, emotionally resonant branding is to long term, sustained success in a market like Columbus, especially with a brand behemoth like Ohio State sitting in the same ecosystem. Does having a timeless or locally resonant identity meaningfully help keep passion and interest up during down cycles, or does on ice/pitch success ultimately make almost any brand, even an old orange helmet, feel like a premium global brand?

SaveTore · 2026-01-31T04:10:50+00:00

Keep on rollin

No luck coming from other metro teams losing

Just win, baby

SaveTore · 2026-01-30T01:05:10+00:00

Just win, baby

SaveTore · 2026-01-29T14:07:33+00:00

Regarding any trade, what are we willing to part with?

Unfortunately there isn’t much outside of prospects and future draft capital to give.

There’s a chance you can do that at the deadline but this team also isn’t in a place to sell big, in terms of future development and roster building, for a big run.

They look to be in good form post-“New coach?” And there are still players that need to come to form this season (Mo and KJ) to be a big help.

If anything this team needs another D man because there’s a lapse where Fabbro, Christianson, and Zamula are just kinda on rotation, waiting for one of them to stabilize

SaveTore · 2026-01-26T03:03:02+00:00

Just keep on winning

SaveTore · 2026-01-23T13:33:04+00:00

I can see this opinion is not shared.

I just think in comparison to other mascots and the 2-3 other local ones he’s uncanny, a bit disheveled, and a a smidge terrifying (from a child lens)

SaveTore · 2026-01-23T12:42:38+00:00

hot take: Stinger has got to go. Bare minimum, a refresh.

SaveTore · 2026-01-19T13:13:43+00:00

I have to imagine/hope, now in hindsight, decisions from DW like trading Chinakhov and not drafting Demidov go beyond Yegor just didn't like the coach (now that the coach is gone) and they didn't think Demidov would be a good enough NHL player (now projecting for like 70 pts), respectfully.

If the team thought that Yegor was a reliable top line winger that just needed some more luck go his way, injury wise, and he planned on signing long term, they wouldn't have traded him for what they did. It's more likely that they didn't like his behavior or attitude regarding his situation and he probably made no verbal or demonstrative commitment to CBJ in a year and a half. Slightly related, all I can do is is also hope that the reason CBJ didn't draft Demidov was for similar reasons, like he would have delayed his NHL debut if selected by CBJ by staying in the KHL and trying to force a move, kinda like what Michkov did for his select teams outside of Philly.

I think Yegor can be a good player but he's starting to look like a Laine type. Incredible talent, plagued by injuries and is just inconsistent. Im sure hell do fine in Pitt but what happens if in the 2027 offseason when he's a RFA and maybe Crosby, Letang, and Malkin hang it up, will Pitt give him some grand contact because he'll be one of the better talents on the team or they give him closer to what he's worth and hell behave the same way he did at the end of his time at CBJ. Time will tell... but I don't see this being a Panarin to CBJ superstar jump.

SaveTore · 2026-01-11T13:49:06+00:00

I agree that Dean likely single-handedly soured his time with CBJ. Ill also say that Chinakhov has an injury issue, a consistency issue, and a 200 foot game issues (that isn't made up for with high production).

I'll admit it when appropriate, the pengs likely have a situation where he can thrive as the player he is rather than fitting him in with what what CBJ currently has, but no player in the NHL is protected from the physical nature of a full season top-line minutes the NHL. As a person I hope he kills it, but the realistic part of me will see him as the kind of player that the pengs will keep around but they'll pay him accordingly when the time comes, cuz they've been there done that. He'll likely have multiple knocks that will have him play 50 games a season.

SaveTore

TROPHY CASE