DBJ's 2011-12 Season In Review, Games 31-40

GAMES 31-40   (2-7-1, 11-24-5)

31		32		33
34		35		36
37		38		39
40

2-7-1.  The bottom began to drop out.

Guy Boucher brought his crappy Tampa team to town, but the Blue Jackets couldn't beat him. Though to be fair, I'm not sure if the CBJ players and coaching staff felt the same as the fans about getting spurned by Boucher.  I would presume that Scott Arniel probably felt like he had something to prove, but he was busy trying to salvage his job at the time.

Gallos got to the Craig Patrick Q&A session.  I think that if you compared my Howson Q&A against Gallos' Patrick Q&A, Gallos won.

The wheels of progress on the arena bailout restructuring front moved ever so slowly, but the Franklin County Commissioners voted to approve the deal during this stretch.  This also brought Nationwide Insurance into the ownership picture.  I feel compelled to remind the world that it's still John P. McConnell's team, though, as he has more than 50 percent control of the team.

Greg called for everyone to share their CBJ sins and repent for this hellacious season.  Alison, bless her soul, found five legitimately good things about the franchise's recent performance.  A glass-half-full woman, she is.

The CBC's Elliotte Friedman quoted a somewhat disgruntled NHL player who, through his sentiment and his context, sure sounded like a Blue Jackets player to me.  At least, a Blue Jackets player as of the moment that I type these words.

Once Scott Arniel observed that everyone was Piling On, we were relieved to see the end of 2011 - a year I declared an Annus Horribilis.  And the new year saw the trade winds start blowing in earnest.

In the midst of this "glory," I bailed out of town...but not without a list of real tough questions to ponder while away.  Not surprisingly, none of them have yet been answered to my satisfaction.

The proposed realignment plan fell apart when the NHL Players Association exercised their veto.  I can't blame the NHLPA as the NHL pretty much left their business partner out in the cold, but the CBJ fan in me wishes it would have gone forward so we could get more games on at times that didn't require multiple pots of coffee.

Something must've happened for me to bark about not wanting people to feel sorry for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but I don't recall what it was.  Still, the point remains.  This is pro sports.  Don't feel sorry for my team -- kick my team's butt and challenge them to be better.  That's the only way they will.