The Dater Diary: Links, pithy observations about the Avalanche and whatever else pops into my gray matter

News: Avalanche TV schedule on Altitude announced today.

Views: OK so you’ll have to drive to Kansas to see any of them, but hey…

Just kidding, maybe. I don’t know where this pissing match between Altitude and the “Big Three” local cable companies is headed. I think Altitude is trying to trial-balloon a little leverage by saying they may consider having their games broadcast on YouTube or Amazon or some other cutting-edge thing. But I think, for this year at least, it’s a little too late in the day for that. Amazon doesn’t do anything in a hurry like that, and neither does Google/YouTube.

I tried to link to the full TV schedule, but there is no link on the Altitude website, which looks a bit like the Jukt Micronics site from the Stephen Glass days. Seventy of the 82 regular-season games will be on Altitude (12 others on NBC/Universal) and two in preseason (Sept. 17 and 19).

I talked today with someone who would definitely know what’s going on with this thing and was told “Things change every day.” I have no idea how this ends.

I think the Mikko Rantanen situation will be resolved by the start of the season. He’s going to miss the four hardcore days of training camp, almost certainly, though. You can already sense some fan frustration at Mikko over this. But let this be your lesson, you young people, who didn’t already know that it’s all about bucks in big-time pro sports. I think it’ll be a short-term deal.

Here, again, are dates and times for training camp:

Thursday, Sept. 12

Medicals/Physicals

Pepsi Center

Avalanche players available to media – approximately 9 a.m.

Jared Bednar available to media – approximately 10 a.m.

Friday, Sept. 13       

Training Camp at Family Sports

Group 1 on ice: 8:15 – 10:15 a.m. (media availability to follow)

Group 2 on ice: 10:25 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (media availability to follow)

Jared Bednar available following the second session

Saturday, Sept. 14

Training Camp at Family Sports

Group 2 on ice: 8:45 – 10:45 a.m. (media availability to follow)

Group 1 on ice: 10:55 a.m. – 1 p.m. (media availability to follow)

Jared Bednar available following the second session

Sunday, Sept. 15

Training Camp at Family Sports

Group 1 on ice: 8:15 – 10:15 a.m. (media availability to follow)

Group 2 on ice: 10:25 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (media availability to follow)

Jared Bednar available following the second session

Monday, Sept. 16

Training Camp at Family Sports

Group 2 on ice: 9:00 – 10:15 a.m. (media availability to follow)

Group 1 on ice: 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (media availability to follow)

Jared Bednar available following the second session

Tomorrow is Adrian Dater fun day at the Pepsi Center. Avalanche media day in the morning. Kiss concert at night.

Three things I like lately:

• A podcast called “The Portal.” Super brainiac type of dude who hosts it. Lots of interesting discussion with his guests, about the world/universe/things in general. I would call it kind of like a Joe Rogan podcast, only a bit more intellectual overall.
• Swedish pancakes, in a bag, at Ikea.
• The book “Spain in Our Hearts – Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39.

Some site stuff:

• 97% of the way there toward my one-year subscription goal, after a little more than 10 weeks. Thanks to all reading. If you feel like donating to the Avs Travel Tip Jar, you will get hearty thanks from me and a lot of good karma. The more you give to that thing, the more I can travel to, hopefully, most every road game and give that much better coverage.

Video of me from the last road trip, fruitlessly trying to get into my airbnb at 1 a.m.  last Friday night in Riverside, Calif. Thank you to airbnb for refunding me for this. I never made it into what was supposed to have been a two-night stay in an RV in the back of this house. I also got my subsequent hotel stay covered from airbnb.

• Eighteen years ago, 9-11. Man, seems a lot longer to me for some reason. A horrible day, nothing good at all to remember about it. I, along with the Avs, was in Sweden that day. Three days prior, I flew right over the top of the Twin Towers, on the way from Newark, N.J,  to Stockholm. I still remember looking at the top of the towers from my window seat. For me, I remember the feeling of how bad it felt to be an American, but not on
  American soil, when this happened. Definitely, a lot of patriotic anger/pride/longing feelings going on inside me when that happened.
• I’m a longtime Patriots fan. But I don’t think I’m obnoxious about it. I can’t help but think the Antonio Brown signing is bad karma. I don’t like being that much of a front-runner. I like the team that nobody thought could win last year, but still did.
• Podcast coming real soon. Should look like this (the title font will change):