The Blue Jackets Are Out-CBJ'ing Themselves While Fans Look On In Shock - by Greg May

Wow. We're not even two weeks into the season and things are already looking bleak over on Nationwide Boulevard. The Blue Jackets, a team that knows a thing or ten about slow starts to the season, has managed to start the 2015-16 campaign in especially bad fashion. After losing in Chicago on Saturday night, the CBJ are now 0-6-0, the worst start in the team's history. I'm as surprised as anyone at that. My first thought was that there had to be a worse start to a CBJ season than this, but then I realized that's impossible, at least over the first 6 games.

On a positive note, the CBJ have one of the more passionate and loyal fan bases in all of sports. Immediately after the loss on Saturday night, diehard fans were doing their best to rally the troops with the hashtag #CBJNoMatterWhat.  

Blue Jacket fans have shown a lot of class as they wait for something to cheer about. So far the conversation about how and why the team has stumbled out of the gate has been civil and vitriol-free. For now, most fans appear to be trying to laugh it off.  A perfect example of that showed up Monday morning in the form of a parody song called Wake Me Up When This Season Ends. It was posted by a "fan super-group" going by the name Donald, Dale, Boomer and Ward. Listening to it isn't going to change the fact that the Blue Jackets now have only a 9% chance of making the playoffs (and there are still 76 games to be played!), but it might make the tears in your beer taste a little less bitter.

A Cannonfest Primer - by Greg May

What is Cannonfest? Now in it's sixth year, Cannonfest is a grass roots event organized by fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets for fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets. What began as a cookout for CBJ bloggers to gather, meet each other, drink beer and  talk hockey in anticipation of the coming season has grown each year and morphed into the ultimate fan-fueled hockey event of the year. More than 500 fans are expected to attend this year's edition of Cannonfest to kick off the 2015-16 CBJ season.   

When and where is it?  Sunday, August 23, from 1-4PM.  Cannonfest has moved to the spacious digs of the brand new Dick's Last Resort, located a mere 45 steps from the east entrance to Nationwide Arena, as well as the surrounding plaza outside of Dick's. 

Are there cannons at Cannonfest? No. That would be dangerous. And to be honest, most of the people that attend the event only care about one cannon, the one that goes BOOM every time the Jackets score. Speaking of which, have you ever wondered how many people who come to Nationwide for the first time (and even the second, third and fourth) have crapped themselves when that bad boy goes off? I'd bet it's in the thousands by now. 

What is there to do at Cannonfest? What do you normally do at festivals? You hang out, you eat, you drink some beers, you check out the booths and exhibits that the various fans and fan groups have set up and you meet a lot of really fun CBJ fans. Plus, there are fan-produced videos to watch, like this one from 2013 by Cannonfest legend Tom Larrow.  There will be a CBJ-themed game show and usually a surprise guest or two to be interviewed by emcees Dave Maetzold (Fox Sports Ohio Game Host) and Mike Todd (in-arena personality). Here's a great recap of what went down at last year's event held at Strongwater. 

You had me at beer.  The beer will be flowing both inside Dick's Last Resort and outside on the patio. This year, for the first time, a locally crafted beer has been brewed for the event. Pencil Storm favorite Four String Brewing Company will tap a special firkin of its Solo Series Troika Tripel conditioned with blueberries.  At 10% ABV, it'll hit you like a puck to the noggin. On top of that, a variety of Four String beers will be served in draft and in cans. 

So who benefits from this Blue Jackets love-in? Cannonfest has always been about raising money for various charities near and dear to the hearts of Blue Jackets fans. Each year the Jacket Backers conduct a raffle of some very cool CBJ swag, the proceeds of which go to The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation. This year, money will also be raised for Hartnell Down and Force Network Fund. For more info about the fundraising efforts of Cannonfest, click here. 

Will Dancing Kevin be there? You betcha. And if you ask him nicely he'll probably take his shirt off and pose for a selfie with you. 

BOOM! See you at #Cannonfest!

I Really Don't Care About the NBA, But Go Cavs! by Greg May

Honestly, I don't give a shit about the NBA. I like college basketball, mostly because of the NCAA tournament. which I believe to be one of the more compelling and pure sporting events each year. But the NBA bores me to tears. With that being said ... Go Cavs!  Call me a frontrunner, a bandwagoner or whatever you want. Just don't call me an NBA fan.

My reason for rooting for the Cavs is pretty simple. I have been a Browns fan all my life. I'm convinced that there is some kind of negative force field, hex, curse ... whatever you want to call it .. that is keeping the city down. And for some desperate reason I believe that if the Cavs win the NBA Championship the city karma will be equalized and all will be right again on the North Coast, allowing the Browns to stop sucking and Johnny Eightball to lead them to the playoffs this year. (What, no Super Bowl title, you ask? Even in a state of equalized karma the Browns just barely make the playoffs this year. Baby steps.)

So, go Cavs! And to be honest, I have actually enjoyed watching these games a lot more than I thought I would. LeBron has been clanking iron like a blacksmith, Kyrie's sitting on the bench, and yet the Cavs just keep rolling thanks to guys like Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and of course J.R. Smith, who made a team record eight 3-pointers in game 1 of the Easter Conference finals, then explained after the game how difficult it is for him to pass the ball. You have to admit, his honesty is refreshing.

Speaking of J.R., here's a video I found that made me laugh so hard I tinkled in my pants a little bit. Go Cavs! #BallinWithLeBron

The 5 Columbus Craft Beer Week Events You Should Do (If You Can Only Do 5)

Columbus is home to one of the most happening craft beer scenes in the US, so every week is a good week to be a beer drinker in the 614.  However, the next week promises to be an extra special time for local beer lovers. Columbus Craft Beer Week is upon us. Oh, the humanity!

Columbus Craft Beer Week (CCBW) is the brainchild of the Ohio Craft Beer Association, a not-for profit organization founded in 2008 to unify the Ohio brewing community, market Ohio manufactured beers throughout the state and beyond, and promote a strong beer industry in Ohio. The first ever CCBW showcases the talented breweries, beer bars, and restaurants of Columbus.  And with over 200 events going down around town, it's easy to see why it will take a week, or nine days actually, to happen. 

Let's face it, there is no way in hell anyone is going to be able to partake in all 200+ events without sacrificing his or her liver. But don't get all fussy about it, you fussy craft beer fussifist. Pencil Storm has you covered. Although our resident craft beer fussoligists did not carefully review all 200+ of the amazing CCBW events, we did browse through the entire list, which still took a helluva long time. Here are 5 CCBW events that caught our eye:

1. Collaboration Beer Growler Tap Takeover at The Ohio Taproom  Saturday, May 2, 11AM-9PM.  One of the coolest things about CCBW are the collaboration beers that the various Columbus breweries are doing with each other. Seventeen local breweries randomly selected teams to create beers exclusively for CCBW. You can read all about the beers here. One of the coolest things about Grandview is The Ohio Taproom, a growler shop serving only Ohio brewed beers. This event will be spread out over the day, so if you don't do big crowds you will enjoy the opportunity to sample all of the collaboration beers in the relaxed, charming surrounds of the The Ohio Taproom and take home growlers of your favorites.  

2. Hoof Hearted Hot Tub Hang at The Daily Growler - Powell - Saturday, May 2, 5-9PM. This is your chance to hang out with the zany folks from Hoof Hearted Brewing in an inflatable hot tub and sample their insanely popular brews. BYOS - bring your own Speedo. If you haven't yet heard about Hoof Hearted, you will very soon.  Brewer Trevor Williams has been called the "David Lee Roth of dry-hopping." Hoof Hearted favorites  Tub Life and Thud Staff will be featured, as well as their newest creation called Syzzurp and the long awaited re-release of Roller Blabe, an intensely hopped Double IPA collaboration between Hoof Hearted and event host The Daily Growler.

3.  Sour Beers of Ohio at World of Beer Brewery District - Monday, May 4, 3PM-2AM  Believe it or not, there is much more to craft beer than IPA's. Beers that are intentionally sour and tart are one of the fastest growing segments in craft beer. So pucker up and head over to the World of Beer in the Brewery District and try some of Ohio's finest sours from Columbus-based Actual Brewing, Rivertown (Cincinnati) and Thirsty Dog (Akron).  

4.  Four String Brewing Co. Tap Takeover, Food Pairing and Live Music at Woodlands Tavern - Thursday, May 7, 5PM-2AM  If you are a Pencil Storm regular then you know that we have serious man-love for Columbus brewer and bass player Dan Cochran and his brewery, Four String Brewing Co.   Seven different Four String brews will be on tap at this event including a new Solo Series, a "Secret Stash" saison and their CCBW collaboration beer, as well as a special cask of Suncaster Summer Wheat. There will also be food pairings from Woodlands' new kitchen. And if that's not enough, enjoy some locally brewed music from Pencil Storm favorite Erica Blinn & the Handsome Machine!

5.  Six One Pour at Brewmaster's Gate - May 9, 5-9PM  -  The culmination of CCBW happens with Six One Pour, the ultimate Ohio Craft Beerfest at the historic Brewmaster's Gate in The Brewery District. More than two dozen Ohio craft breweries will be on hand to sample their Ohio brewed beer. All seven of the collaboration beers will be available, along with live music and a special menu created by Chipotle for the occasion. Click the link above for all the details, including a list of attending Ohio breweries and the beers they will be serving.

To be quite honest, there are so many great events to choose from throughout CCBW you can't go wrong with any of them. The entire calendar of events is here. So have at it. Let's get fussy, Columbus!