Good by Steve Solloway.  Just a few comments, which I'll include below.
 
Jacob Metzler writes:
>No one screamed for his head when he was introduced before the game
>with Yale at the Cumberland County Civic Center. No one even booed.
 
There were some hecklers around, that is for sure.  It wasn't over
powering but I heard several people making some negative comments about
Walsh.  I, too, wondered if Portland would cheer or boo or do nothing.
They did nothing, and overall did a great job supporting their state
university.
 
>''I personally took a lot of hits from the media in this city,'' said
>Walsh after the crowd cheered his team off the ice.
 
>''I deserved it. I made some errors. I did some wrong things. And I
>hate to bring up something negative when everything about this trip has
>been so positive.''
 
There is some considerable candor here.  Walsh has made many comments
on the NCAA troubles in the past, but I cannot recall such candor on
his part before reading this.  Sure there have been many mentions of
"humbling" and "embarassing", but here he clearly admits he was wrong
and that he was responsible for them.
 
I know few Maine fans want to talk about this, but this quote really
struck me as something different -- in a good way I think.
 
>Maine spotted Yale a quick goal, tied the score, and won over the
>crowd. Hey, this is a city that has been dying to watch good hockey.
>Fun hockey without the promotions or choreography.
 
A very true statement.  The Portland Pirates have 30+ losses already
this season and I heard plenty of positive sentiment at Maine's play
vs. the hockey Portland fans have been watching.  What is good is that
regular Pirates fans turned out for a college hockey game.
 
>But give Walsh credit. You may not want him for a child's godfather,
>but he served his time and that was enough.
 
I think this is an unfair comment.  No one has ever said Walsh is not a
good parent or not someone a person would want for a father.  NCAA
rules and hockey have very little to do with a person's ability to be a
good parent.
 
BTW, Walsh and his new wife are expecting their first child together I
believe.
 
RE: Final Four
>Whoa, said Walsh, smiling. There are too many more games to play, too
>many good teams to beat. But he thinks his team can do it.
 
:-)
 
Regardless, I think it is safe to say that minus a great collapse Maine
is going back to the NCAA Tournament.. which is a great success when
you consider everything and plus the fact Maine has only 16
scholarships!
 
>It's time to let him prove that what happened in the past will remain
>in the past.
 
.. and I think that is clear, regardless of what his dectractors might
say.  Amen.
 
-dt