Time out! This blog is not going to degenerate into a forum where individual Wrangler players are bashed, scrutinized and faulted. In the hope of fairness, I have chosen to delete many comments and not publish subsequent comments because (I believe) some were too derogatory and/or inflammatory. It's time to take a time out. We all have to remember that Wrangler players are from age 15 to 20 and are working their hardest to make the grade to the next level of hockey. I personally want to wish them all the best in their efforts to succeed. These young men, many are far away from home, need to be supported not chastised. Junior hockey is a league where mistakes are made, young men learn from their mistakes, and they subsequently improve and develop. As I said when this blog was first started, it is a privately maintained and monitored blog that "supports" Rogue Valley Wranglers hockey. I do not see individual player bashing as supportive of Wrangler hockey. While some may view my various blog entries as sometimes borderline, I work hard to avoid any direct player bashing, but work hard to acknowledge player successes but at the same time note team shortcomings. Yes, I do blog my opinion on what I feel needs to be done - right or wrong. However, after these latest series of comments I will choose the words to my future blog entries as well as approving comments very cautiously and carefully.
Yes, the Wranglers are going through a tough and difficult time. Losing this many games is tough on players, coaches, management, player families, host families, and fans. Perhaps changes in players through acquisitions and trades, limiting player ice times, and coaching changes need to be made but it is not our call. I don't believe there is any one fix, but several that need to be made over time. I'll leave that up to Rogue Valley Wranglers management. We all have our opinions and this blog can act as a forum to express those opinions but it should be done tastefully, tactfully, and with some respect. To that end, I apologize to any player or individual who feels they were slighted or offended. I also apologize to those whose comments were moderated or deleted; this blog is not a forum for destructive free speech. I hope that you continue to follow this blog, be supportive of the Wrangler players, the Rogue Valley Wranglers hockey organization, and continue to provide your comments towards what can be done to improve Wranglers hockey. Or, you can simply avoid this blog and no longer participate.
Finally I will end by quoting something from Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. "Win/Win sees life as a cooperative, not a competitive arena. Most people tend to think in terms of dichotomies: strong or weak, hardball or softball, win or lose. But that kind of thinking is fundamentally flawed. It's based on power and position rather than on the paradigm that there is plenty for everyone, and that one person's success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others."
I look forward to your comments and suggestions. GO WRANGLERS!
