Return to the Game

Loyal readers,

I apologize for the radio silence over the past few days. I have been incredibly ill with a bug that pretty much left me unable to do anything, much less write coherently. I’m back up and feeling at least slightly human again, so that means you should keep an eye out for new articles next week, including a preview of the Mad Rollin’ Dolls bout on February 13. I’m also hoping to have an exclusive interview this next week…more on that if and when that comes through. Thanks for continuing to check out this blog and I’m happy on so many different levels to be getting back into the action.

MNRG/Dairyland Dolls Recap Posted @ Dane101.com

Loyal readers, a dispatch before what is being billed as the “Snopocalypse” rocks Madison…you know it’s bad when even Wisconsin is afraid.

As promised, my recap of Saturday’s bout between the Minnesota RollerGirls All-Stars and Mad Rollin’ Dolls all-star Dairyland Dolls has gone live today over on dane101.com. For another perspective, you can read Garrison Killer’s recap over at the official MNRG website. I’ll have more thoughts about the bout coming up this week…particularly if I find myself buried inside after 19 feet of snow.

Recap Tuesday for MNRG/Dairyland Dolls Bout

Because today was mainly a travel day, I will be submitting my bout recap for last night’s “Seeing Double” bout between the Minnesota RollerGirls All-Stars and Madison’s Dairyland Dolls tomorrow, which means that it will be on dane101.com Tuesday morning. If you didn’t see the bout, the first half was pretty close, but the final powerjam of the first half seemed to open the floodgates en route to a big 196-74 victory for MNRG. There are plenty of implications and issues raised by this bout that I won’t cover in the recap, so check out the blog throughout the week for more discussion of a bout that raises as many questions as it answered.

MNRG & Dairyland Dolls LIVE coverage

Tom Brokejaw and his reporting partner Addie Brawl Xr have enjoyed some famed Minnesota “nice” up here in St. Paul, Minnesota as a new derby attendance record* has been set at 8,911. You can watch what has been an intense North Central bout between the Minnesota Rollergirls and the Dairyland Dolls, ranked #2 & #3 respectively, live on tv.mnrollergirls.com or follow the bout on http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/. My official recap and analysis will be out on Tuesday over at Dane101.com.

*This number is the number of tickets scanned for the entire night, the first half was a lacrosse bout. More discussion of the new record in a post on this website soon.

Dairyland Dolls @ MNRG Preview

Welcome folks from Roller Derby Inside Track…thanks for checking out the blog. I love what they have going on over there.

Local Madison media outlet dane101.com has published my preview for this weekend’s Dairyland Dolls/Minnesota RollerGirls All-Stars bout. I am thrilled to be going to St. Paul this weekend to cover what should be an exciting event, including what could be a new roller derby attendance record. If you can’t be there, and I would be there if you are within a few hours of St. Paul because this will be a good one, you can watch the bout at tv.mnrollergirls.com. Also, might I recommend the excellent preview put out by MNRG for another perspective on this intriguing high-stakes bout? You’ll note we have different numbers of times the teams have met; I went with only WFTDA-sanctioned bouts, whereas MNRG went with all bouts, including two pre-WFTDA bouts. Either way, let it be known that MNRG has a two-game winning streak coming into this bout, which you have to think gives them some momentum on top of the home court advantage.

I’ll be making Twitter updates live from the bout tomorrow night. If you haven’t subscribed to the Tom Brokejaw Twitter feed, here’s the link. I’ll talk to you tomorrow night from the Twin Cities!

Late Night Update

Okay, by derby standards not that late…

Don’t have much to add tonight, except a hearty hello to people coming over from Rose City (thanks Speed Bump!)…North Central’s more of my beat than you all out competing in the “Besterns”, but I was planning on coming out to Portland in the spring or summer so hopefully I’ll be able to take in a Rose City bout soon enough. Also, I’ve been working all night on a piece for dane101.com about the upcoming MNRG/Dairyland Dolls in St. Paul this weekend. It should go live Friday morning, so I’ll post a link when it’s up.

Night, all!

First Impressions: Jam City Rollergirls

Last night I got the chance to play Jam City Rollergirls, the first WFTDA-licensed flat track derby video game. I’m not just a derby fan; I am also an avid video gamer. So I have been excited to play this game for many months, even in the face of numerous delays. Was the wait worthwhile? For the most part, yes.

Jam City Rollergirls Released

Tom’s been under the weather all weekend, so I’m glad to be back online and not completely under the influence of heavy amounts of cold medication. I’ve even felt well enough to play some of the much-anticipated Jam City Rollergirls downloadable game for the Nintendo Wii, created by Green Bay, WI-based Frozen Codebase. I’ll have a review for you sometime tomorrow with my thoughts on the first women’s flat track roller derby game !

Wisconsin Derby Trip: 1/22 & 1/23

Couple of bouts in and around and involving teams from America’s Dairyland this weekend, here we go:

Paper Valley @ Grand Raggidy (1/22): The Paper Valley All-Stars travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan to take on the Grand Raggidy All-Stars in a WFTDA-sactioned bout, while the teams’ non-sanctioned teams, the Paper Valley Flying Squirrels and the G-Rap Attack, open the doubleheader.

La Crosse @ Eastern Iowa (1/22): The Skating Sirens of La Crosse cross the Mississippi River over into Dubuque, Iowa to face off against the Outlaws.

Quad Squad @ Mississippi Valley (1/23): Madison‘s superhero-themed team, the Quad Squad, takes the trek up Interstate I-90 to face La Crosse’s other WFTDA apprentice team, the Mississippi Valley Mayhem.

If I’ve missed any Wisconsin Derby Action this weekend, let me know and I’ll add it up. Go out and have fun on four wheels, folks!

Minor Penalties: A Major Pace of Game Issue?

A recent article over at Roller Derby Inside Track called for the abolition of minor penalties, for any number of reasons. I encourage you to click on the link and read Tank’s take on why he thinks minor penalties should be eliminated. I won’t recap his argument, but I will expand upon it. One element of why I would be in favor of eliminating minor penalties that is implied, but not drawn out in the article, is the effect of minor penalties on official timeouts and the pace of the game.