Takes and trash talk from both ALL sides of the NHL's most obscure PATHETIC* rivalry

* Thanks, Kevin Lowe!

Monday, January 22, 2007

Pre-Announcement: Huge (Last Annual?) BoC Contest Coming!

I haven’t really thought through all the details yet, but I’ve got something to get you all excited. But first, any thought to what you (the reader) might be doing on Wednesday, April 4th, this year? Any chance you might be in Orange County, CA (or could schedule it in)?

Well, let me take a step back. Wednesday, April 4th, also happens to be the last home game of the season for the Anaheim Ducks—‘fan appreciation’ night, with a team photo giveaway and other prizes awarded throughout the evening. It is the last matchup of the season against the San Jose Sharks—who knows how these teams will finish up but it is pretty good odds that this game could still have Pacific seeding implications.

And I’ve got four Row B seats.

My good blog-buddy PJ (whom I’ve never met, but I love his photowork) has arranged to come to Anaheim for this game and will be sitting in one of the seats. And I, humble mystery blogger that I am, will be in another. And the other two? Could it be you? You, Lieutenant Weinberg?!

These are not the official rules (wait for the official Contest post, which I’ll put together when I’ve got a better idea of how this should run), but just so you have an idea, here’s some of the rules I’m considering:

1. The contest itself looks to be a hockey-themed cartoon contest (in fact, I doubt I’ll put much more guidelines than that; I like to keep it open-ended) with two winners chosen. Cartoons do NOT need to be about the Ducks or Sharks (though bear in mind who your judges are), and fret not, non-artists! It will be judged more on concept than on execution. Photoshopping is allowed, but each entry must contain at least one portion that is (clearly) hand-drawn. Multiple entries are allowed.

2. Being able to be here on the actual date is NOT a prerequisite to enter the contest. I’ll probably have you indicate on any submission whether you can attend the actual event or not, but (this part is still fuzzy) I will also have a prize for the best non-attending entry.

3. Winners must be at least 21 years old and have a valid Blogger account and an email address. There is no requirement that you will need to root for either the Sharks or the Ducks, but it is required that you are looking forward to the hockey and the experience. You must have a tolerant attitude towards (my) drinking, and please, no creeps (you know who you are).

4. For the out-of-towners: The prize really is only the game ticket itself—getting to Anaheim will be on your own money. Logistical things (getting picked up at the airport or at a hotel) can be arranged, but are not guaranteed. In fact, the only guarantees are the ticket and my cell phone number, but I’ll do my best to minimize any unnecessary travel costs (within reason). Winners will be announced at least one month before the event, so you can plan travel ahead of time.

5. Perhaps most importantly, there is to be absolutely no resale of these tickets. If you would like to enter the contest yourself on behalf of another person to attend, you need to convince me of that at the time of entry! However, nothing will piss me off more to run this contest and then to find out I’m sitting next to some stranger who’s never even heard of Battle of California.

6. Please, no entries from Vote-For-Rory votebots.

Heh, I haven’t even run this idea by PJ yet, but regardless, I’m always excited to bring hockey fans to enjoy these seats, and once I got the idea for a BoC Contest, I had to do it. It’s either the best or worst idea this blog has ever had, but there’s only one real way to find out which it really is.

If you have any questions, ideas, or complaints, go ahead and leave them in the comments. Again, remember these are NOT yet the official rules, but I thought I’d give a heads-up so readers outside the immediate area (red circles below) might think about coming to SoCal is realistic or not, and all readers can start thinking about their cartoons.

Red circle readers, start planning now!

Good luck, and hope to meet some of you soon!

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hiya Earl -

What is that yellow dot doing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Someone out there read BoC? How did they get Internet access?

Oh wait...that's probably Bermuda...

Never mind...

:-)

Anonymous said...

If I win, can I squirt water at the penalty box inhabitants, hoping to incite a Tie-Domi-like incident? I'm afraid I'm not nearly fat enough to have the glass give way if I lean on it, however.

And it's good that I have a backup Sharks jersey for such occasions, because I have a feeling my favorite jersey would not exit the Pond unscathed.

Earl Sleek said...

pb--I am always intrigued by the google map, even though a lot of those dots are one-time viewers. It is a pretty crazy scene, this internet.

mike--you can do whatever the HC staff will allow. I don't think the usher is a big fan of mine, but the officials and scorers in the box love me. They are regularly chastising me if I am spotted without a beer-in-hand (sometimes I get joshed for having only one beer). Bear in mind that you will only have up-front opportunity with penalized Ducks, but I'm not going to be policing any shenanigans.

Anonymous said...

Running away to Anaheim in the middle of exam time? I am SO there :D

Age limit of 21? Such discrimination :P

Earl Sleek said...

Age limit of 21? Such discrimination :P

Actually, maybe all that's required is an ID that indicates you're 21--it has nothing to do with Honda Center, but rather the bar I like to hang out at before / after the game. Failing that, younger winners that like to ignore age requirements can wait outside the bar while the rest of us "pre-game".

Anonymous said...

define "cartoon".

Anonymous said...

kudos for the obscure "A Few Good Men" reference.

Earl Sleek said...

define "cartoon".

Hmm, that’s a little tough, and I might have to wait until the “official contest announcement” post to have the official definition, but here’s some guidelines:

a) It must be an electronic (e-mailable) image that is created specifically for this contest (don’t just email me a cute picture you found on the web).
b) There must be an element of hand/mouse drawing in it (not just a collage of images that were copied and pasted together)—some of it must genuinely be “your” work.
c) There is no requirement or restriction when it comes to how many panels it should be or how much text there should be (either included in the cartoon or as a caption).
d) It should be hockey-themed, but there is a lot of leeway there. You can submit a “Fan’s Portrait of Gary Bettman” or a “Mascot v. Mascot--Maple Leaf vs. Hurricane” or “My favorite moment in hockey”. Entries need not be team- or player-specific, though.

For some examples: This would not qualify, as it is only an image I found elsewhere on the web (I didn’t draw any of it). This would not qualify, as it is only me copying and layering pictures of players together. This would not qualify, as even though it involves picture manipulation it still has no “hand-drawing”.

This would qualify; even though some of it is photographic, I did draw the duck itself. These would qualify, as nearly everything was hand-drawn. Heck, even this would qualify, as it is something I drew on my garage wall and then took a picture of.

Now I know we’re not all artists or anything, so again, I do want to stress that most of the judging will be on concept (humor is good, btw) rather than on how “professional” the end-product looks.

But yeah, I’ll put together some real guidelines when I do the official announcement post (maybe in a week or so?).

Anonymous said...

*sigh* If only the hockeygirl helicopter was real... Maybe I start a donation meter on my blog to pay for my airfare, then I can see Finny too!

I better brush up on my cartoon skillz or maybe I'm a shoo-in since my grade 8 art teacher asked if I had Alzheimer's because I couldn't paint inside the lines of my colour wheel. Bastard... He was the shop teacher, what was he doing teaching art? And maybe I wanted to buck the trend and be a young 13 yr. old bad ass... Grrr

Doogie2K said...

I find it hilarious that the dot over Edmonton is almost as big as the dot over LA.

Earl Sleek said...

Yeah, doogie, although this map was from this past week's hits, which featured 2 games in Alberta.

Not to say that I don't have a lot of Alberta regulars, but I think it peaks in those ol' ANA-EDM matchups.

Not that I really mind that, btw. I think my next drinky post I'll have to bare my real feelings on most Duck fans. The results may shock you. :)

PJ Swenson said...

Do I have to draw a cartoon too? I have the worlds worst artistic talent, but that may actually work in my favor.

Anonymous said...

Must I have a Blogger account? If it's for identification purposes("You don't need to see my identification" *hand motion*), I could get someone to vouch for me.

Anonymous said...

*sigh* If only the hockeygirl helicopter was real... Maybe I start a donation meter on my blog to pay for my airfare, then I can see Finny too!

NO I WANT A DONATION METER. I WANNA GO. I DONT WANT TO STUDY IN COLLEGE ANYMORE. GIMME YOUR BASEMENT, THE HGCOPTER AND THE MAGIC BAG. NOW.

I'm about 3-4 years of the age minimum but a drivers license under my sister's name that looks exactly like me (HG can confirm this) can claim I am 22.

Earl Sleek said...

Must I have a Blogger account?

Hmm, maybe I got that messed up. I just meant no "anonymous" entries.

Anonymous said...

I'm about 3-4 years of the age minimum but a drivers license under my sister's name that looks exactly like me (HG can confirm this) can claim I am 22.

It's true, I've seen it. It's eerie.

(btw, Jordi, don't you love how Sleek just ignores us? We'll show him when we DO get a donation meter and make the BEST CARTOON EVER!)

Earl Sleek said...

(btw, Jordi, don't you love how Sleek just ignores us? We'll show him when we DO get a donation meter and make the BEST CARTOON EVER!)

Aw, I ain't ignorin', I'm just tongue-tied, is all.

Jordi, so long as the ID flies we're good. Incidentally, my baby brother (8 years younger) used my expired driver's license until he turned 21 with great success, so I'm sure there are plenty of work-arounds.

See above for tips on cartooning :)

Anonymous said...

Sleek, I think the fact that you can do this stuff with MS Paint and Powerpoint makes you the best cartoonist on the Internet.

I don't have a fake ID I could swipe. Somehow, I don't think I could convincingly pass as my brother. One year! So close!

Anonymous said...

Aw, I ain't ignorin', I'm just tongue-tied, is all.

With us or all the ladies? :P

Earl Sleek said...

Hmmm, I guess I'm a generally tongue-tied kinda guy until the liquor kicks in.

One year! So close!

Enjoy it. It's a precious night, followed by a horrific morning.

Anonymous said...

Since I'm the only one amongst Sherry, Jordi and I who is over 21 maybe the three of us should band together and do a super cartoon and then I can represent for us. Hmmm...

Anonymous said...

Enjoy it. It's a precious night, followed by a horrific morning.
Well, given that the legal drinking age in Canada is 19 [18 in Quebec!] I think my 21st will be generally anti-climactic.

Since I'm the only one amongst Sherry, Jordi and I who is over 21 maybe the three of us should band together and do a super cartoon and then I can represent for us. Hmmm...
If that's not against the rules then I'm all for it as long as you sneak me in your luggage. Or bring me back a nice souvenieur.

Earl Sleek said...

Well, given that the legal drinking age in Canada is 19 [18 in Quebec!]

Wow. Ignorant me; I should have known that (although it's been a while since I cared about drinking ages).

If that's not against the rules...

Rules will be undergoing some changes, I think. See the top of the 'cartoon' post to see some thoughts (TWO contests?!)

Anonymous said...

I'm all for it as long as you sneak me in your luggage.
Sure, I need new luggage anyways, you might as well come along and see which ones you fit in.

Rules will be undergoing some changes, I think.

WHAT? BUT MY PLANS! NOOOOOOoooo!

Okay, I'll go see some thoughts and then I'll see if panic will set in.

Anonymous said...

Dude Sherry you better start losing a boatload of weight if you're planning to stay within the luggage limits.

Ahaha our feminine wiles scare Sleek!

To be fair, what if we all entered and donated our present to HG if one of us won? Triple the chance!

I've never gotten my sister's license much of a workout. Maybe my friends are all squares and I don't know.