Thunderbolts

After a week’s absence, the semi-regular Sitdown with Steve “The Rooster” Schuster makes its dramatic return. Schuster has been the Voice of the Thunder for the past two seasons. Here we go.

KL: Sorry to miss you last week, Rooster, but we took a little trip to Las Vegas. (Since no mention of Vegas is complete without an obvious “Swingers” reference, we’ll add the detail that, unfortunately, they didn’t give Daddy the Rain Man suite.) First question, you always double down on 11, right?

Schuster: Personally, I would have referenced Dr. Gonzo and Raoul Duke. I hear they were nice fellas. We watched 21 on the way back from Tulsa on Friday, but sadly I’m no more qualified to give you black jack advice than I was before the movie.

KL: We love the nickname “Rooster.” How’d you pick it up?

Schuster: I’m pretty sure you picked it for me. Haven’t we been down this road before?

KL: What’s the latest on all the injured players?

Schuster: It might be easier to count the guys who are not injured.  Injuries are part of the game, and they are something every team has to overcome throughout the season.  That being said, the amount of nagging injuries that have felled this team is remarkable.  The team started with just 14 skaters each of the last three games, and on Saturday, as you saw, Shudo and Yanchishyn went down early in the game, leaving just 12.  Byrnes and MacDonald are eligible to come off the 14-day IR this week.  Cassista and Bernier are still day-to-day.  Luke Hunter suffered a pretty serious eye injury, and he might be out for a while.  Shudo left the arena on Saturday pretty banged up, so his status is uncertain for the immediate future.  If there’s any positive to take away from the injuries, it’s that a couple of the new defensemen have been given a chance to shine.  I think Curtiss Patrick and Andrew Davis have looked very strong offensively and defensively over the last week.

KL: If you’re a Thunder fan, do you cheer or boo Travis Clayton on Saturday night?

Schuster: Well, I think deep down, fans want to cheer, and someday when his number is retired, the fans will.  But for Saturday, I’m predicting mostly boos.  Sebastien Laplante was a terrific goaltender in Wichita for three years, and when he came back to the Coliseum after being traded last season, I expected at least 50/50 cheers and boos.  It turned out to be all boos, and since there’s a perception that Clayton and the Thunder had a less than cordial split, I think a lot of fans feel some resentment.  When Roger Clemens first went to the Yankees, he was crucified every time he went back to Boston.  Red Sox fans viewed him as some kind of traitor.  But when Clemens announced his retirement (the first time, not the second, third, fourth, and fifth times), he got a standing ovation in Boston that season for all of the great memories he had given.  I think Clayton will experience something similar to this.

KL: What injured player do you think the Thunder misses the most?

Schuster: I think the team misses Mike Batovanja’s presence and all-out style of play.  There’s a reason why he was named team captain in just his second professional season, and with the team seemingly close to putting it all together, I think his leadership and presence could help get them over the top.

KL: What has been the key to Scott Rozendal’s recent emergence as a scoring option?

Schuster: He’s really been the most consistent point scorer all season.  If you look at his game-by-game numbers, he’s on the stat sheet almost every night.  What’s helped is that he and Jason Duda have found a really nice rhythm.  They’ve collected a point on the same goal six times in the last three games.  Coach Bilodeau also wanted him to shoot a little more, and that adjustment seems to have paid off.

KL: Not trying to brag, but we killed on The Price is Right nickel slot machine while in Vegas. It was like every other spin we were doing the Showdown Showcase. Impressed?

Schuster. “The Price is Right.”  Isn’t that the one with the whammies?

KL: You’ve seen newcomer Tim Boron in net a few times now. Your thoughts?

Schuster: Very athletic.  Scouts use the term “shiftiness” to describe good running backs in football, and I think Boron possesses that trait.  His lateral movement is outstanding.  No matter what side of the net he’s on, he always manages to get something to the backdoor, whether it’s his whole body, or just a piece of his equipment to make the save.  I haven’t seen this first hand, and perhaps never will, but I’m willing to bet he’s a very fast skater and could learn to play up front due to his athleticism.

KL: The Thunder played Tulsa three straight times last week. Be honest, you’re sick of the Oilers, right?

Schuster: Honestly, with all of the difficult pronunciations in hockey, by the time we got to the third game, I actually sounded like I knew what I was talking about.  For the sake of a soundbyte though, yes, I’m sick of Tulsa.

KL: Prediction time. Who gets more points on Saturday. Blaznek-Clayton, or Duda-Rozendal?

Schuster: Right now Duda and Rozendal are on a hot streak.  They also have more points for the season than Blaznek and Clayton.  I’ll go with Duda and Rozendal.

Injured forward Chris Greene is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow against Texas. Coach Brent Bilodeau is unsure about injured Stan Yanchishyn.

Defenseman Andrew Davis will make his Thunder debut tomorrow.

Bilodeau is uncertain how he will use his goalies this weekend, but he said that newly added Tim Baron will play at least one game.

We start a new, semi-regular feature today that, for the lack of a good name, we’ll call The Sitdown with Steve. It’s a Q and A with with Steve “The Rooster” Schuster, who has been the Voice of the Thunder for two seasons. A native of Levittown, NY, he came to Wichita with degrees in Political Science and Psychology from Michigan. Schuster travels with the team, so he has some interesting insights to share. Here we go.

Q:  You don’t mind if we call you “Rooster” do you?

Schuster: I guess I’ve been called worse, and there aren’t many things that rhyme with Schuster.

Q: How tempted have you been to yell, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!!!” at the end of a Thunder win?

Schuster: I mean, that’s the most famous hockey call of all-time, so it’s always in your head.  But out of respect for Al Michaels, I don’t think I could ever actually say it.

Q: Most broadcasters have a signature line/trademark they enjoy using. Like Hawk Harrelson’s annoying “You can put it on the board!” What’s yours?

Schuster: I hate catchphrases like that.  I think they marginalize broadcasters to those one or two specific phrases, so I try to stay away from them.  I think I call similar plays in a similar manner, but I’d rather have the best moments of each game be fresh and not scripted/predictable.

With that being said, I have two things that I will always say if they happen.  If Wichita scores seven goals, I’ll say “seven goals you got it.”  It makes no sense because seven is such an arbitrary number (why not eight, nine, or 10, etc.), but everyone at our college radio station has said it for about 10 years, so I wanted to drag the ridiculous tradition into the professional ranks.

I also say the same thing after every Thunder win (you’ll have to listen to find out what that is).  I like it because it’s so out of left field, and anyone who hears it for the first time usually says something like, “What the hell did he just say?”

Q: Spill some inside info. What Thunder employee tries most often to get someone else to buy their lunch?

Schuster: Obviously, that’s me.

Q: OK, on to serious matters. What is the headline of the most-recent road trip?

Schuster: Intensity.  Coach Bilodeau has talked a lot about playing for a full 60 minutes and I think Wichita did that this weekend.  The loss on Friday was unfortunate, because the team definitely deserved to win.  Sometimes when that happens, a team can get down, so it was good to see them rebound like they did on Saturday.  Rio is built very similar to the Thunder in that they are young and hard working, so it was not surprising to see that game literally come down to the wire.  I think fans have to be satisfied with what they saw this weekend.  Laredo and Rio are atop their division and are a combined 14-5-2.  Add the fact that it was longest trip in terms of distance the Thunder will make this year (778 miles to Laredo), I think it was a good weekend.

Q: What rookie has impressed you the most this season and why?

Schuster: There are so many rookies this year, it’s tough to say.  I would say my favorites to watch have been Jordan Hack, Matt Byrnes, and Luke Hunter.  None of them have a ton of size, but I think they really embody the hard working style that Coach Bilodeau wants.  They all have great speed, and can do a lot of different things with the puck.  Greg Cassista has also been a lot fun to watch.  He hadn’t played in two years, but it really seems like he has improved a little every game, and has been very open to learning from the team’s veteran players.

Q: Which Thunder player would the team have the toughest time replacing and why?        

Schuster: After 13 years I think you still have to go with Jason Duda.  He is off to a great start and is healthy for the first time in a long time.  He’s the first person to tell you he’s not as fast as he used to be, but he’s still one of the most intelligent players in the league, and that’s something you can’t replace.

Q: You can be honest because we’re not fishing for compliments here, who’s the best writer on the Thunder beat and why?

Schuster: Well, Jeff Lutz did a pretty good job the night you were out trick or treating, so I’ll say Jeff first, and Kollen a close second.

Q: Finish this sentence. For the Thunder to make the playoffs, the team …

Schuster: Just needs to play consistent.  The talent is there.  The desire is definitely there.  I think it’s just a matter of putting together strong efforts every night, which can be tough for a young team.  To give you an example, Terry Ruskowski (Laredo’s coach who has won two cups) was very impressed with how Wichita played on Friday night, and even went as far to say that the Laredo players were getting frustrated with how hard Wichita was defending them.  I think if the team can stay around .500 (I know they are not quite there right now) through Christmas, they will have enough experience and be close enough in the race to make a big run in the second half.

Q: What do you like most about Brent Bilodeau’s coaching style?

Schuster: His expectations.  He’s not going to sugar coat things, and demands only the best from his players.  But he’s also fair, which I think his huge for a coach with a tough, hard working style.  An example is after Friday’s loss, where he was satisfied with the effort the team gave and felt if they played that way every night, wins would start to come.  The team did play the same way on Saturday and was rewarded with a victory.

I made a “Mr. Mom” reference (220, 221, whatever it takes) in my CHL notebook on Tuesday, which prompted Eagle sports editor Kirk Seminoff to engage me in a debate about the top five Michael Keaton movies ever. (Keaton made a hockey movie, “Touch and Go.” There. Now this is a hockey entry.)

My list:

1. Pacific Heights (Using those villainous eyebrows like never before, Keaton plays the tenant from hell. I think my fondness for this one might have more to do with the presence of Matthew Modine, who has been one of my favorite actors since starring in the underappreciated sports classic “Vision Quest.” And, yes, I said classic.)

2. Mr. Mom (“How about a little trim on that mustache, Ron?”)

3. The Paper (Watch to find out where a clipboard can get you.)

4. Night Shift (“I’m an idea man, Chuck.”)

5. Out of Sight (Keaton is uncredited in this one.)

Seminoff’s list:

1. My Life

2. Multiplicity

3. Mr. Mom

4. The Paper

5. Touch and Go

Proud papa: Longtime Thunder official Dennis Mercer, who lives in Wichita, will miss tomorrow night’s game. His son, Jake, is a member of the Southeast soccer team, which qualified for the Class 6A state tournament. Self-serving plug here: My brother in law, Thomas, coaches the SE team and my nephew, Merrick, is the starting goalie. He doesn’t get to use his hands.

Batty update: I was surprised to see Mike Batovanja walking – albeit gingerly – without crutches after Sunday night’s game. I’ll get into his status more next week, but the headline is this: The fiery team captain recently got better-than-expected news from doctors, and he is holding out hope he could play this season.

Roster move: According to the CHL transactions, the Thunder has waived Barry Horman. It’s not listed yet, but the Thunder has added defenseman Andrew Davis (see blog entry below.)

It’s a go: The Thunder says the CHL Network should be up and running for Friday’s game. High time.

Enough already: No matter your politics, can we reach across the aisle and agree on this: We’ll all be happier if we never again have to hear John McCain use the words “My friends.”