June 14, 2006

The Enemy of the Caniac Nation

As I’ve told a few of you–or as anyone has learned by running a Technorati search on my name–I’ve become an enemy of the Caniac Nation. ‘Tis all based on this little piece, one that incensed people way more than I ever expected. I spent about a week being pelted with e-mails, drilled on message boards, and all that jazz. I could deal with it. That’s just part of this job.

I just never saw it coming. That was an account of my work on a story. Many people e-mailed me and let me know that I just didn’t go to the right places to find Canes fans. They may be right, but you can’t help but wonder how many people really care that much if I have to go to one of a handful of places to watch a game with Canes fans. That’s not to say people don’t care. I see the car flags all over this place (and a lot more now that a championship is pending, which raises a bunch of other questions). But I went out and didn’t find the people. I talked to the manager of a bar, and he said he didn’t experience a spike in turnout behind hockey…and I’ve seen that place packed for boxing, which no one’s cared about since the late-’80s.

People upset with that piece seemed to miss a couple of things. First, it seems that kids really love the Canes, something that bodes will for the long-term success of the team and something that proves that people around here are beginning to get into hockey. Those upset people also seemed to miss that I never said there aren’t Canes fans. I just said I don’t know any of them.

(And I know what a couple of you are thinking. You see my picture see an obvious reason I don’t know any hockey fans. I have but one response to that–I’ve got lots of white friends…)

Around the time I wrote this piece, Lacy Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote a similar piece about going around Miami looking for Sammy Sosa. He never found Sammy in that piece. People told him places to go to find Sammy, but Sammy was never where he went. Does that mean Sammy doesn’t exist? I don’t think so.

Now extend that example to my piece and I think you’ll understand why I’m confused about why people got so upset over this one.

But oh well. People were upset at the notion that I may have questioned their allegiance to their team. Really–I could care less if people like the Hurricanes or not. If the worst thing I can say about the Triangle is that people aren’t thrilled about hockey, then this place is pretty nice. Hell, nice enough for me to buy a house.

After a couple of weeks without being e-mailed about this, I figured the issue was dead.

Wrong.

I got this e-mail from Rick Ball in Vancouver. On Memorial Day, I appeared on his show on Team 1040 to discuss the piece, Steve Nash, Ricky Williams and a few other things.

Hey, Bomani-

Rick Ball from the TEAM 1040 in Vancouver. Had you on my show a couple weeks back re. your ESPN piece on Hurricane fans.

Anyway, our afternoon drive show was attempting to arrange and interview with Hurricane’s GM Jim Rutherford today, only to be told he would not appear on our radio station. The reason? Because you were on our station talking about your column.

Apparently, Rutherford has family in Vancouver who heard it and told him about it. The fact he made a note of it and used it as an excuse to boycott the station two weeks later tells me he was none to pleased (and has skin thinner than rice paper).

I find this hilarious. His team is a win away from a Stanley Cup, we want to give him free publicity, and he still has his knickers in a knot over an interview with a columnist! Nobody holds a grudge like a hockey old schooler.

Let me know the next time you piss off somebody, and we’ll get you on again.

Hope all is well…

Color me speechless. If you know Jim Rutherford, tell him to give me a call. I’d love to talk to him.

15 Comments »

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1. Go Oilers!

   Comment by Ben — June 14, 2006 #

2. Guess who’s on summer vacation! Catching up on my “reading”…. Anyhow, I visited the ‘Canes message board. Whooo buddy are those white folks mad at YOU!

   Comment by If all teachers were this hot... — June 14, 2006 #

3. Pretty soon, the Oilers fans will be pelting you with emails about how you incited rage and passion for the fans to will their Canes to victory.

   Edmonton, its the Curse of the Bomani…

   Comment by Mr Carter — June 14, 2006 #

4. I wonder if half the people mad at you have ever taken the time to read any other articles by you, to maybe get an insight as to where you are coming form based on past perspectives? No doubt one or two people took your initial article wrong, and pimped their angle on the message boards, and you know the rest… Snowballs roll downhill, geting bigger and bigger–even in the Carolinas during the summer, huh?

   Comment by Rex — June 14, 2006 #

5. You know for the first paragraph and a half, I thought the Caniac was some native American tribe I’ve never heard of…

   Comment by Cobb — June 14, 2006 #

6. At the very least, knowing that their GM acts like a spoiled little bitch helps me understand their fans a bit better.

   Comment by Kirk — June 14, 2006 #

7. where’s the correlation between fans and the GM’s personal attitudes? i don’t get it.

   Comment by Shot Clock — June 14, 2006 #

8. Somehow, that’s not terribly surprising Cock Shot.

   No matter, it probably just doesn’t translate terribly well to Hindu. Have it explained to you.

   Comment by Kirk — June 14, 2006 #

9. like usual, you still didn’t answer the question.

   and like usual, you’re a broke, immature, loser.

   am I Hindu? last time i checked, i didn’t speak Hindi (not Hindu you idiot) or practice the religion. but good try.

   you’re black right? so this probably doesn’t translate well to ebonics. have it explained to you.

   Comment by Shot Clock — June 15, 2006 #

10. how much do you make, $13 an hour?

    Comment by Shot Clock — June 15, 2006 #

11. go get a job at the post office.

    Comment by Shot Clock — June 15, 2006 #

12. airport maybe?

    you seem like a HUGE dousche bag. and you know what? you are. just look at the kind of crap you say.

    Comment by Shot Clock — June 15, 2006 #

13. OK, OK, knock it off guys. At least out of respect for Bo’s blog. Bo won’t tell you to, but I will! I guess it’s the crabby old man in me starting to come out.

    I invite you both to flame each other in your personal e-mails. Or, everybody just chill, and let it go…

    Comment by Rex — June 15, 2006 #

14. I love that you can’t tell when someone is mocking you.

    “you’re black right? so this probably doesn’t translate well to ebonics. have it explained to you.”

    Hmmm, you’re nothing if not observant…

    Comment by Kirk — June 15, 2006 #

15. If it’s any consolation, most hockey fans out of the Sun Belt really resent the fact that the Hartford Whalers won a Stanley Cup in Carolina of all places.

    I’d love to see the Canes stink as bad as the Whalers did for as long as they did and see how “supportive” they are then. The Whalers sold out their building just fine. Their owner just wanted a new arena and didn’t get it, so he left.

    So..let them get as upset as they want to. People who watched hockey before 1997 are just as disgusted at the fairweather pockets of fans. I tell you what, you wouldn’t have had a problem finding hockey fans in Hartford, Detroit, New York, Montreal, Edmonton or anywhere where the game actually BELONGS.

    Those “fans” can take their Cup “victory” and stick it. Happy for the players, but NOT those bandwagon fans.

    Comment by Ron — June 23, 2006 #

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