Wow, was this handled well.  Was the CIA responsible for information
security, or was it the person who watched over the Academy Award Oscar
statuettes?
 
We have all these Elvis (excuse me, Reinprecht) sightings, we have advance
positive rumors that are turning out to be true, and then we have the
official Hobey Baker website announcing the winner (if you haven't heard,
Mike Mottau) before the public ceremony.
 
It's time to retire this award.  Not only is the premise of giving an
individual award in a team sport highly debatable, but the theatrics and the
leading up to it are handled with all the finesse of a Three Stooges
episode.  Yeah, it's publicity for college hockey.  But IMO, it's not the
kind of pubicity that college hockey needs.  It casts light on the fact that
there is no fair way to compare defensemen, forwards, and goalies.  It
magnifies the East/West conspiracy thing, just like the  oxymoronic concepts
of "All-America" East and "All-America" West teams.  It subjects us to tacky
infomericals and media campaigns.
 
And FWIW, I love Mike Mottau.  It's the concept of the award that sets me
off.  The "suspense" at the formal presentation must have been a hoot.
 
Clay
 
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