This "top 5" thing on FB must be a new thing or something; lots of people have it now.
But the one category I saw on someone's profile was just plain nonsense.
Ken picked their (5) for "Pick Your Five Favorite NHL Teams". What are yours?
Okay. Seriously?
Five favourite teams? For the record, this person selected Dallas, Anaheim, Philadelphia, Washington, and San Jose.
Okay, no offense, but that's really dumb. This would be something if it said "top 5 logos", but it doesn't.
How can one like five teams? (NO, this isn't a shot taken at Rick. As you can clearly see, the person in the example above is called "Ken.") Is it like, each weekday of the week you like a different team? Or is it like if one team loses, you disown them and claim support for the others?
What about the playoffs? Suddenly you have five shots at winning the Cup?
Even if you wanted, say, a team from each division, that's still pretty dumb. And I can't see how any Stars fan, for example, could also be a Ducks and Sharks fan.
Crazy.
The Hockey Farmer / Showing Their Scales
Friday, March 27, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Random Thoughts IX
CBC Marketplace aired this story two weeks ago about "Lawless Loan Companies", and my response to that is: Those awful banks are partly to blame too. If not for the fact those banks rejected their customers, those customers wouldn't have to resort to seeking out those scammer online companies. Thus, blame in on the CIBCs, the RBCs, and the TDs of the world. Of course, just a couple weeks prior to this particular story, CBC Marketplace had also reported about banks (namely, RBC) and credit card companies that scammed customers of their own by charging extra credit card fees! Shame on those big bad banks.
People are talking about Brodeur vs. Roy because of the fact the Devils goaltender has surpassed St. Patrick's wins record. But hold on a second; Bob McCown has said let's put an asterix beside Brodeur's record (for now), as his win total includes 27 shootout wins... something that Roy never had a chance to get. (Shootouts were introduced after Roy had retired; back then, once overtime was over, the game was a tie and that was it.) But all this talk of "who's the greatest of all-time" crap is just pointless. Fans who grew up in this generation had never seen Jacques Plante or Terry Sawchuk play. (And I've seen numerous articles which laughed at people who claim Sawchuk as No. 1 all-time as being old, etc.) With different eras, different rules, and so on, what's the point of comparing different goalies (or any other position, for that matter)? Goalies before the expansion era played against tougher teams and players (since there were only six teams in the leagues), played under tougher travel conditions, played fewer games in a season, and so on. To suggest goalies of this era was better than ones in the past would be silly. A pointless discussion.
Did you hear about Chipper Jones' comments about Toronto? Jones left the WBC (a joke of a tournament, by the way) to return to the Braves' spring facility at the start of the week because of an injury, and then blamed the tournament format because they didn't play on a regular basis. He then suggested the city was boring. "I don't know if you ever stayed in Toronto, but it's not exactly Las Vegas," he told an Atlanta newspaper. It's one thing to knock the WBC, but then to take shots at the city of Toronto at the same time?
Check out my fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. Check out my latest sports book too, on Lulu.com.**
People are talking about Brodeur vs. Roy because of the fact the Devils goaltender has surpassed St. Patrick's wins record. But hold on a second; Bob McCown has said let's put an asterix beside Brodeur's record (for now), as his win total includes 27 shootout wins... something that Roy never had a chance to get. (Shootouts were introduced after Roy had retired; back then, once overtime was over, the game was a tie and that was it.) But all this talk of "who's the greatest of all-time" crap is just pointless. Fans who grew up in this generation had never seen Jacques Plante or Terry Sawchuk play. (And I've seen numerous articles which laughed at people who claim Sawchuk as No. 1 all-time as being old, etc.) With different eras, different rules, and so on, what's the point of comparing different goalies (or any other position, for that matter)? Goalies before the expansion era played against tougher teams and players (since there were only six teams in the leagues), played under tougher travel conditions, played fewer games in a season, and so on. To suggest goalies of this era was better than ones in the past would be silly. A pointless discussion.
Did you hear about Chipper Jones' comments about Toronto? Jones left the WBC (a joke of a tournament, by the way) to return to the Braves' spring facility at the start of the week because of an injury, and then blamed the tournament format because they didn't play on a regular basis. He then suggested the city was boring. "I don't know if you ever stayed in Toronto, but it's not exactly Las Vegas," he told an Atlanta newspaper. It's one thing to knock the WBC, but then to take shots at the city of Toronto at the same time?
Check out my fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. Check out my latest sports book too, on Lulu.com.**
Sunday, March 15, 2009
What if...?
I like these "what-if" scenarios, and this book is all about that.
Only $19.95!
The cover might suggest it's all about baseball--and a whole chunk of it is indeed about the game on the diamond--but it's got info on teams like the 1993 and 2002 Maple Leafs, and the 2004 Flames and 2006 Oilers.
Oh yeah, a few stories about Kerry Fraser too.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Weird Slogans, Annoying Fans...
Last week, I was emphasizing "Slogans" in class, about how the right ones were needed to pitch products.
And then I googled and came across a, well, shall we say, weird, slogan.
The Florida Marlins were dead last in the National League in attendance last season, drawing just over 1.3 million fans. (Still, this was more than what the Marlins had in 2003, their last championship season. By contrast, in their heyday, the Blue Jays were getting over 4 million per season.)
Yes, the Marlins have won two World Series championships (1997, 2003) in their very brief existence in the majors. (They began play in 1993.) However, their low payroll, stadium issues, etcetera, are probably some of the reasons fans aren't filling Dolphin Stadium. In fact, since 1999, the Marlins have finished in the bottom three in attendance every single season!
So, guess what the Florida Marlins' official slogan is?
Get ready for this....
"IT'S WHERE YOU WANNA BE!"
Nice slogan... except not many in Miami actually agree with that...
You never want to wish ill will on someone, so I say hopefully they are able to draw more fans with that catchy slogan. After all, they did finish above .500 last year and are sort of an up-and-coming team.
****************
On to the topic of annoying fans:
Thanks to the Internet these days, anybody (such as myself and House) can have a blog (hahaha - no doubt one of Trout's pet peeves). I thought it'd be interesting to check out what other sports fans' blogs look like, so I took a random peek at some.
How about this one:
"The (name of football team) were better than your team in 1948, 1949, and 1960."
So???
This one:
Hogwash, I say.
Sometimes, fans are just annoying... or as Trout says, a lot of times, this blog is annoying...
Check out my fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
And then I googled and came across a, well, shall we say, weird, slogan.
The Florida Marlins were dead last in the National League in attendance last season, drawing just over 1.3 million fans. (Still, this was more than what the Marlins had in 2003, their last championship season. By contrast, in their heyday, the Blue Jays were getting over 4 million per season.)
Yes, the Marlins have won two World Series championships (1997, 2003) in their very brief existence in the majors. (They began play in 1993.) However, their low payroll, stadium issues, etcetera, are probably some of the reasons fans aren't filling Dolphin Stadium. In fact, since 1999, the Marlins have finished in the bottom three in attendance every single season!
So, guess what the Florida Marlins' official slogan is?
Get ready for this....
"IT'S WHERE YOU WANNA BE!"
Nice slogan... except not many in Miami actually agree with that...
You never want to wish ill will on someone, so I say hopefully they are able to draw more fans with that catchy slogan. After all, they did finish above .500 last year and are sort of an up-and-coming team.
****************
On to the topic of annoying fans:
Thanks to the Internet these days, anybody (such as myself and House) can have a blog (hahaha - no doubt one of Trout's pet peeves). I thought it'd be interesting to check out what other sports fans' blogs look like, so I took a random peek at some.
- "I can say without hesitation that I am the biggest (name of football team) and (name of baseball team) fan that has ever lived. I even worked for the (name of football team) in the 2007 season (as an usher)."
How about this one:
- "I will see (name of football team) win a Super Bowl because I refuse to die until they win one."
- "I could die a happy man if the (name of baseball team) could just once win the damn World Series. But I refuse to die until they do, which ensures a long life, come to think of it."
"The (name of football team) were better than your team in 1948, 1949, and 1960."
So???
This one:
- "I think that (name of city) fans have been given an unfair rap by just about everybody since one particular incident (example given). In reality, there is no city in the world that displays passion for its teams like we do. We are the most knowledgeable fans in the world. We want perfection, and if you don't give us perfection, we will let you know. We may boo our players, but do we ever stop going to the games? No. Those that criticize us are simply jealous of our unbelievable passion."
Hogwash, I say.
Sometimes, fans are just annoying... or as Trout says, a lot of times, this blog is annoying...
Check out my fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Candiott, Jerseys, and more...
A few weeks ago, CBC Marketplace aired an episode on how a certain well-known magazine company is sucking in seniors on the 'sweepstake scam.' The episode can be found here.
Over a decade ago, I'd subscribed to that magazine company too, and had once entered their dubious sweepstakes. I remember they said on the sweeptakes entry form to write down the name of a celebrity you'd like to hand you the grand prize cheque should you win the big one!
I wrote in "Tom Candiotti."
Of course, I never won the prize but I gave up soon enough.
Now, I still haven't gotten a chance to meet with the pitcher, unlike guys such as Rick, Rick, and House, who've all met their favourite athletes at some point. However, I did manage to get a Candiotti Dodger jersey. He was kind enough to send one to me this past week. Nice!
That brings me to the topic of jerseys...
It's obviously an expensive hobby, but this "anthentic, autographed" business sounds a bit over the top. Example?
Here's an autographed Andy Moog Bruins jersey, which, according to various sites, costs over $500.
The problem? Moog never wore this jersey before... Moog played for the Bruins from 1987-88 to 1992-93, and Boston never used this jersey until the mid-90s, well after he was gone.
So, it's like having a Gretzky jersey with the current Kings logo. Strange!!
How about this one, also listed at over $500?
Again, when Moog was in Dallas, the Stars had a different uniform. Moog was a Star until the end of the 1996-97 season, while this black and green jersey wasn't introduced until the 1999-2000 season.
When Moog was in Big D, this was what the team wore:
Too bad these things cost that much but aren't even the "real" thing.
(PS: I don't own these pictures; they are from Grandstand Sports and GameWorn Jerseys.)
Check out my fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Over a decade ago, I'd subscribed to that magazine company too, and had once entered their dubious sweepstakes. I remember they said on the sweeptakes entry form to write down the name of a celebrity you'd like to hand you the grand prize cheque should you win the big one!
I wrote in "Tom Candiotti."
Of course, I never won the prize but I gave up soon enough.
Now, I still haven't gotten a chance to meet with the pitcher, unlike guys such as Rick, Rick, and House, who've all met their favourite athletes at some point. However, I did manage to get a Candiotti Dodger jersey. He was kind enough to send one to me this past week. Nice!
That brings me to the topic of jerseys...
It's obviously an expensive hobby, but this "anthentic, autographed" business sounds a bit over the top. Example?
Here's an autographed Andy Moog Bruins jersey, which, according to various sites, costs over $500.
The problem? Moog never wore this jersey before... Moog played for the Bruins from 1987-88 to 1992-93, and Boston never used this jersey until the mid-90s, well after he was gone.
So, it's like having a Gretzky jersey with the current Kings logo. Strange!!
How about this one, also listed at over $500?
Again, when Moog was in Dallas, the Stars had a different uniform. Moog was a Star until the end of the 1996-97 season, while this black and green jersey wasn't introduced until the 1999-2000 season.
When Moog was in Big D, this was what the team wore:
Too bad these things cost that much but aren't even the "real" thing.
(PS: I don't own these pictures; they are from Grandstand Sports and GameWorn Jerseys.)
Check out my fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Easy work!
One month ago, I had the feeling that there were going to be fewer students registered at school, and I was proven right. At that time, I approached the head teacher (SL) and the counsellors and mentioned I wouldn't mind going part-time if necessary. For a while, it looked like that was what they were going with. (I'd explained to them that I was trying to 'help out' by volunteering to go part-time.)
However, now with fewer students and classes indeed, I was kept on as a full-timer (despite my generous offer; not that I'm complaining or anything...). I am teaching my career program in the morning, but am now doing mostly curriculum development in the afternoon. (The school chose to lay off one teacher and reduce the hours of another.) Doing curriculum prep stuff is okay, but I got a chance to hang out with my morning students when they came out to do Steve's in-class assignment on the computer. Good times.
Today I got to substitute conversation and writing classes in the afternoon, something I hadn't done for years. And it was a big contrast indeed. In the career programs, it's serious and academic. In the ESL programs with conversation and writing, it's more about having fun and being friendly with students, making jokes and laughing. Totally different.
What the normal writing teacher had taught the day before was how to write party invitations. Thus, my task was to follow up with that, and what I did was review the students' work, encourage them, and then teach them how to respond to an invitation, formal vs. informal responses, sample sentences, and then a 10-minute game to cap off the lesson. Easy. Anyone can do it. Sounds like a $10 an hour job, as opposed to what these teachers actually make.
My conclusion? Yup - ESL teachers are indeed paid too much. It didn't take me much time to prep for those classes and deliver good lessons. For my career programs, it's about being prepared with hardcore materials, marking papers, and evaluating presentations and offering constructive feedback--more work involved.
Well, we'll see how it goes next week...
However, now with fewer students and classes indeed, I was kept on as a full-timer (despite my generous offer; not that I'm complaining or anything...). I am teaching my career program in the morning, but am now doing mostly curriculum development in the afternoon. (The school chose to lay off one teacher and reduce the hours of another.) Doing curriculum prep stuff is okay, but I got a chance to hang out with my morning students when they came out to do Steve's in-class assignment on the computer. Good times.
Today I got to substitute conversation and writing classes in the afternoon, something I hadn't done for years. And it was a big contrast indeed. In the career programs, it's serious and academic. In the ESL programs with conversation and writing, it's more about having fun and being friendly with students, making jokes and laughing. Totally different.
What the normal writing teacher had taught the day before was how to write party invitations. Thus, my task was to follow up with that, and what I did was review the students' work, encourage them, and then teach them how to respond to an invitation, formal vs. informal responses, sample sentences, and then a 10-minute game to cap off the lesson. Easy. Anyone can do it. Sounds like a $10 an hour job, as opposed to what these teachers actually make.
My conclusion? Yup - ESL teachers are indeed paid too much. It didn't take me much time to prep for those classes and deliver good lessons. For my career programs, it's about being prepared with hardcore materials, marking papers, and evaluating presentations and offering constructive feedback--more work involved.
Well, we'll see how it goes next week...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Crazy, crazy last few weeks
No time to do much updating on here, because things have been HECTIC!
Two weekends ago (Jan 3-4), I was supposed to be off and could work on my writing. But alas, the Saturday (and Sunday) Team Leader (yes, I call her that to her face too, so it's not like I am talking behind her back) was sick, rendering my weekend meaningless. I had to go into the office both Saturday and Sunday and help out while she recovered. Oh well.
Monday (Jan 5th), a supervisor was laid off, so that meant as Team Leader, my role became worse (ie. I had more duties to do). Add to that, I had to train a newbie the last couple shifts, so that added to my list of responsibilities--yikes, tough to complete all my tasks with added stuff to do!
At school, I've had to train Marcel in teaching my business program (because the other teachers were shifted to another course) and have had to meet up with him every day and chat about things and how to handle the classes. Not a bad thing; I don't mind it, honestly, because I know what I'm doing--I designed the entire half of that curriculum from scratch, basically--and everything about the course.
And this afternoon, I had to be part of a meeting with the administrators and head teacher because students apparently were complaining about the class sizes. (Some were complaining they wanted ME to teach them instead--hehe--but of course I took the professional route in handling their comments.) There were 12 students in one (veteran) class and six in the other (which is a brand new class), so it was my idea to mix them up, with Marcel getting half and me getting the other.
I'd intentionally split them up in a while which gave Marcel the good and active students, while I kept some of the quieter students--mainly to help Marcel out. But alas, what can I do? I tried to help out the other teacher and actually make more work for myself, but the students don't like it... oh well. We'll see what happens.
Hmm - no time to write and continue my little projects. But we'll see what the next day or two brings.
Two weekends ago (Jan 3-4), I was supposed to be off and could work on my writing. But alas, the Saturday (and Sunday) Team Leader (yes, I call her that to her face too, so it's not like I am talking behind her back) was sick, rendering my weekend meaningless. I had to go into the office both Saturday and Sunday and help out while she recovered. Oh well.
Monday (Jan 5th), a supervisor was laid off, so that meant as Team Leader, my role became worse (ie. I had more duties to do). Add to that, I had to train a newbie the last couple shifts, so that added to my list of responsibilities--yikes, tough to complete all my tasks with added stuff to do!
At school, I've had to train Marcel in teaching my business program (because the other teachers were shifted to another course) and have had to meet up with him every day and chat about things and how to handle the classes. Not a bad thing; I don't mind it, honestly, because I know what I'm doing--I designed the entire half of that curriculum from scratch, basically--and everything about the course.
And this afternoon, I had to be part of a meeting with the administrators and head teacher because students apparently were complaining about the class sizes. (Some were complaining they wanted ME to teach them instead--hehe--but of course I took the professional route in handling their comments.) There were 12 students in one (veteran) class and six in the other (which is a brand new class), so it was my idea to mix them up, with Marcel getting half and me getting the other.
I'd intentionally split them up in a while which gave Marcel the good and active students, while I kept some of the quieter students--mainly to help Marcel out. But alas, what can I do? I tried to help out the other teacher and actually make more work for myself, but the students don't like it... oh well. We'll see what happens.
Hmm - no time to write and continue my little projects. But we'll see what the next day or two brings.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Simpson on Crack?
Some of the Baseball Hall of Fame votes have been made public.
Only one HoF voter hasn't selected Rickey Henderson for the Hall so far - and it's a retired writer named Simpson.
Simpson contradicts himself when he selected Tim Raines for the following reason:
Simpson contradicts himself when he selected Tim Raines for the following reason:
People like Simpson should have his voting previledges revoked....
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dee S Knight and KP Wee Talk Radio Show
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Jets lose again!
The New York Jets went out and acquired Brett Favre in the offseason, trying to rebound from a 4-12 season last year.
Of course, after the Jets knocked off the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans 34-13 in Nashville on November 23, New York was looking good at 8-3 despite a slow start to the season.
The Jets had just won their fifth straight, and had pulled off a bunch of shockers along the way: an upset win in Buffalo (tops in the AFC East at the time), an epic in New England (which of course, was 16-0 last year), and the big victory over the Tennessee.
Three huge wins on the road, to be sure.
There was talk the 8-3 Jets were the 'best' team in the AFC, as they had dominated the 10-1 Titans and other contenders like the Indianapolis Colts (7-4) and San Diego Chargers (4-7) either hadn't hit their stride yet or were just struggling. The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) weren't on many's radars at that point.
The Jets were proclaimed to be the team to beat in the conference.
Well, guess what?
Click here for more.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Of course, after the Jets knocked off the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans 34-13 in Nashville on November 23, New York was looking good at 8-3 despite a slow start to the season.
The Jets had just won their fifth straight, and had pulled off a bunch of shockers along the way: an upset win in Buffalo (tops in the AFC East at the time), an epic in New England (which of course, was 16-0 last year), and the big victory over the Tennessee.
Three huge wins on the road, to be sure.
There was talk the 8-3 Jets were the 'best' team in the AFC, as they had dominated the 10-1 Titans and other contenders like the Indianapolis Colts (7-4) and San Diego Chargers (4-7) either hadn't hit their stride yet or were just struggling. The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) weren't on many's radars at that point.
The Jets were proclaimed to be the team to beat in the conference.
Well, guess what?
Click here for more.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Blackhawks for Real?
Is there any stopping the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks?
Chicago's remarkable season continued on Saturday night as the Hawks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 at G.M. Place. The win marked the Blackhawks' seventh straight win, a feat last accomplished by the franchise 28 seasons ago, and they have not lost in regulation in December.
The streak included three victories in a three-game road trip through western Canada; the Blackhawks had beaten Edmonton (9-2) and Calgary (3-2 in OT) prior to ending Vancouver's modest two-game winning streak.
Against the Canucks, Chicago fell behind just 3:45 into the game when Daniel Sedin scored his team-leading 15th goal of the year for Vancouver. The Blackhawks, however, rallied with two goals less than four minutes apart early in the second, and goaltender Cristobal Huet took care of the rest with 30 saves.
To read more, click here.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Saturday, December 20, 2008
NFL's Two Key Week 16 Matchups
Originally posted Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008
Once again, credit the schedule makers for a pair of big games on the Week 16 NFL schedule.
On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) take their 6-1 road record into Tennessee (12-2) for a showdown for the AFC's No. 1 seed. After starting the season 10-0, the Titans have now split their last four, and now are in danger of losing the conference's top seed to the red-hot Steelers.
Pittsburgh, winners of five straight, clinched its second straight AFC North title with a 13-9 come-from-behind win in Baltimore. The win over the Ravens marked the second straight week the Steelers rallied late in the fourth quarter to pull one out, as this time Santonio Holmes caught a four-yard TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger with only 43 ticks remaining.
A week earlier, the Steelers had stunned the visiting Dallas Cowboys with 17 points in the fourth quarter for a 20-13 triumph.
Meanwhile, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher will be second-guessed for his decision in the fourth quarter of Tennessee's 13-12 defeat in Houston. Down by the same score with two minutes remaining, Fisher opted to go for it on 4th-and-3 at the Houston 32-yard line instead of trying for a go-ahead field goal. QB Kerry Collins' thrown down the field went just out of Justin McCareins' reach.
So this sets up a classic Steelers-Titans tilt at LP Field in Nashville on Sunday, where things get interesting.
Click here for more.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Once again, credit the schedule makers for a pair of big games on the Week 16 NFL schedule.
On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) take their 6-1 road record into Tennessee (12-2) for a showdown for the AFC's No. 1 seed. After starting the season 10-0, the Titans have now split their last four, and now are in danger of losing the conference's top seed to the red-hot Steelers.
Pittsburgh, winners of five straight, clinched its second straight AFC North title with a 13-9 come-from-behind win in Baltimore. The win over the Ravens marked the second straight week the Steelers rallied late in the fourth quarter to pull one out, as this time Santonio Holmes caught a four-yard TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger with only 43 ticks remaining.
A week earlier, the Steelers had stunned the visiting Dallas Cowboys with 17 points in the fourth quarter for a 20-13 triumph.
Meanwhile, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher will be second-guessed for his decision in the fourth quarter of Tennessee's 13-12 defeat in Houston. Down by the same score with two minutes remaining, Fisher opted to go for it on 4th-and-3 at the Houston 32-yard line instead of trying for a go-ahead field goal. QB Kerry Collins' thrown down the field went just out of Justin McCareins' reach.
So this sets up a classic Steelers-Titans tilt at LP Field in Nashville on Sunday, where things get interesting.
Click here for more.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
The "Idiot Kicker" in the NHL
People will rip me for this article, but that’s fine.
It may or may not garner me votes for "Controversial NHL Article" awards down the road, but whatever, I’m cool with that.
Yes, I am comparing NHL players to baseball and football players, which is like comparing apples to oranges; yes I know, totally different things. But I’m going to do it anyway.
Nope. I am no Sean Avery fan; I have no rooting interest in whether or not he plays again in the NHL. I don’t really care much for Dallas Stars netminder Marty Turco either.
Turco has been called "the smartest goalie in the NHL" by Don Cherry before, so perhaps that’s gone to his head or something.
But anyway, the Avery suspension by the NHL for comments about opposing players and ex-girlfriends has been well documented.
Of course, Stars forward Mike Modano was publicly critical of Avery, saying the team had been "tarnished" by the comments, which were "unacceptable."
Fine, I can live with that. Modano, of course, was a former captain and a Cup winner with the team. In fact, Modano has been with the Stars organization his entire NHL career, so his opinions can be respected. After all, captain or not, he is one of the leaders of the Stars.
Goaltender Turco, however?
Sure, Turco has been a Star (a Dallas Star, that is, not a superstar) since the 2000-01 season, but can he really be looked upon as one of the "leaders" on the team?
Click here for more.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tale of two NFL teams...
After Week 8 of the NFL season, two of the AFC’s perennial contenders were arguably the biggest disappointments of the entire league.
The Indianapolis Colts were coming off five straight AFC South titles and looked again to be the class of the division. In fact, the Super Bowl XLI champs had won at least 12 games in each of those last five campaigns, and were expected to continue that trend. Heck, didn’t they start off every year going 7-0 and challenging to go undefeated?
The San Diego Chargers had won three AFC West titles in the last four years—including a 14-2 season in 2006—and were one victory away from getting to the Super Bowl last season. Many were picking the Chargers as a Super Bowl team this season.
After Week 8 though, things were completely different from the way many had envisioned. (Let me now say that I am neither an Indy nor San Diego fan, before the Chargers fans email me to rip me for 'praising' the Colts.)
The Colts were 3-4 at the time, and were considered lucky to even have three wins.
The Chargers were 3-5 following two straight defeats heading into their bye week.
The Colts have managed to recover. The Bolts, however, couldn’t. But thanks to the sometimes-ineptness of the Denver Broncos, the Chargers are somehow still alive in the AFC West race despite a 6-8 record...
Click here for more.
The Indianapolis Colts were coming off five straight AFC South titles and looked again to be the class of the division. In fact, the Super Bowl XLI champs had won at least 12 games in each of those last five campaigns, and were expected to continue that trend. Heck, didn’t they start off every year going 7-0 and challenging to go undefeated?
The San Diego Chargers had won three AFC West titles in the last four years—including a 14-2 season in 2006—and were one victory away from getting to the Super Bowl last season. Many were picking the Chargers as a Super Bowl team this season.
After Week 8 though, things were completely different from the way many had envisioned. (Let me now say that I am neither an Indy nor San Diego fan, before the Chargers fans email me to rip me for 'praising' the Colts.)
The Colts were 3-4 at the time, and were considered lucky to even have three wins.
The Chargers were 3-5 following two straight defeats heading into their bye week.
The Colts have managed to recover. The Bolts, however, couldn’t. But thanks to the sometimes-ineptness of the Denver Broncos, the Chargers are somehow still alive in the AFC West race despite a 6-8 record...
Click here for more.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The worst employee ever?
A week ago, I had posted a link where someone wrote about the worst employees/co-workers of 2008.
I beg to differ on all of them.
As a co-worker of a certain NDP person, I think it's my responsibility to post about the antics of this particular individual....
More to come later.
But let's just say if he wants to sue me or something, go ahead, because I speak the truth and actually I'd love for all this to come out.
I beg to differ on all of them.
As a co-worker of a certain NDP person, I think it's my responsibility to post about the antics of this particular individual....
More to come later.
But let's just say if he wants to sue me or something, go ahead, because I speak the truth and actually I'd love for all this to come out.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Laughing at the Jets
It is certainly amusing to see the New York Jets lose...again! Hahaha. I think over the years the Jets have lost meaningful December games when they were in contention... other than the 1998 season. Anyway, a loss in San Francisco (4-8 going in) for Favre's troops, after a defeat at home to the Denver Broncos (6-5 at the time) last week. The Jets are now tied with New England (which had a late comeback in Seattle) and Miami (which beat Buffalo in the first regular season game held in Canada). All three teams are 8-5. Miami's story is certainly a great one, since the Dolphins were 1-15 last year and have the ex-Jet Chad Pennington (who was dumped in favor of Favre) leading the way. New England, of course, has been without MVP Tom Brady since Week One, and is doing just fine with Matt Cassel leading the way.
(Okay, okay, before anyone gets excited, New York currently holds the tie-breaker, so the Jets are No. 1, followed by the Pats and 'Fins.)
Looking at the remaining schedule for the three teams, it shapes up to be a fun way to end the season.
Jets: vs Buf, @ Sea, vs Mia
Pats: @ Oak, vs Arz, @ Buf
Dolphins: vs SF, @ KC, @ Jets
The Bills have been fading (1-6 since a 5-1 start) and have already lost to the Jets earlier in the year. The Seahawks are brutal (2-11) and have lost six in a row. Assume the Jets beat the both, setting up a showdown at the Meadowlands against the Dolphins to end the season.
Chad Pennington, dumped before the season because of Favre, going back to Giants Stadium and coming up with a big game against his ex-teammates, potentially knocking the Jets out of the playoffs? That'd be interesting to watch.
Miami, though, plays the equally inept 49ers (5-8) and Chiefs (2-11) prior to the finale against the Jets.
Meanwhile, the Patriots will face the Raiders (3-10), the Cardinals (8-5) in Foxborough, and then take on the Bills.
Interestingly, of Oakland's three wins this year, one came against the Jets. And now the Jets also fell in 'Frisco. Don't forget the San Diego Chargers, who have been snake-bitten all year long and are 5-8, have also beaten New York. Could the Seahawks, 1-6 at home this year, pull out an upset win over the Jets at Qwest Field in Week 16?
Arizona in New England in Week 16 is an interesting opponent. The Cards have wrapped up the NFC West and would be playing for one of the top two seeds in the conference, but have been brutal against teams with winning records, losing already to the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Jets, and Panthers. The Cards are 3-4 on the road, but those three wins came in San Fran, St. Louis, and Seattle. Hardly anything to brag about. They might well lose in the cold in New England.
Thus, if the Pats win out--don't forget, they are 21-2 in December since 2003, they would clinch the AFC East if Miami wins in New York. Could happen!
(Okay, okay, before anyone gets excited, New York currently holds the tie-breaker, so the Jets are No. 1, followed by the Pats and 'Fins.)
Looking at the remaining schedule for the three teams, it shapes up to be a fun way to end the season.
Jets: vs Buf, @ Sea, vs Mia
Pats: @ Oak, vs Arz, @ Buf
Dolphins: vs SF, @ KC, @ Jets
The Bills have been fading (1-6 since a 5-1 start) and have already lost to the Jets earlier in the year. The Seahawks are brutal (2-11) and have lost six in a row. Assume the Jets beat the both, setting up a showdown at the Meadowlands against the Dolphins to end the season.
Chad Pennington, dumped before the season because of Favre, going back to Giants Stadium and coming up with a big game against his ex-teammates, potentially knocking the Jets out of the playoffs? That'd be interesting to watch.
Miami, though, plays the equally inept 49ers (5-8) and Chiefs (2-11) prior to the finale against the Jets.
Meanwhile, the Patriots will face the Raiders (3-10), the Cardinals (8-5) in Foxborough, and then take on the Bills.
Interestingly, of Oakland's three wins this year, one came against the Jets. And now the Jets also fell in 'Frisco. Don't forget the San Diego Chargers, who have been snake-bitten all year long and are 5-8, have also beaten New York. Could the Seahawks, 1-6 at home this year, pull out an upset win over the Jets at Qwest Field in Week 16?
Arizona in New England in Week 16 is an interesting opponent. The Cards have wrapped up the NFC West and would be playing for one of the top two seeds in the conference, but have been brutal against teams with winning records, losing already to the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Jets, and Panthers. The Cards are 3-4 on the road, but those three wins came in San Fran, St. Louis, and Seattle. Hardly anything to brag about. They might well lose in the cold in New England.
Thus, if the Pats win out--don't forget, they are 21-2 in December since 2003, they would clinch the AFC East if Miami wins in New York. Could happen!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Random Thoughts VIII
Trout, here's my thoughts on Maddux and his retirement.
Random Links:
Woman dies during proposal
Holiday dating tips
10 Worst Employees of '08
Random Links:
Woman dies during proposal
Holiday dating tips
10 Worst Employees of '08
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Legends of the game...
Rick and Trout are true legends in my book. Trout with his wit and everything - despite his status as a fish, he'll always be a legend.
Cliff is one too! He's on TV so many times it's old hat, and check THIS out!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20081123&Category=SPORTS01&ArtNo=811230802&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=2
Way to go, Cliff!
Cliff is one too! He's on TV so many times it's old hat, and check THIS out!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=C4&Date=20081123&Category=SPORTS01&ArtNo=811230802&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=2
Way to go, Cliff!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Gala: Show Time! (Part 3)
Saturday was time for the Gala, and there were dance performances from the local kids - nope, I didn't take pictures of them... (kinda creepy, I think, for me to post pictures on here when I don't know them and I don't want to just post random people's pics on the Internet... who knows what psychos out there might get them?)Sandra K., one of the authors, got the big prize: a surprise song-and-dance performance dedicated to her title, "Numbers with Attitude." THAT was huge. However, I didn
't get any such stuff for "Rainbow Trout" but oh well. Would have been cool. In fact, I hadn't known Sandra K. would be in attendance, otherwise I would have brought my copy of "There are no Lighthouses in Kentucky" for her to autograph it.
Got a chance to chat with Donald Mills as well as a few others at our table, a little bit of dancing and mingling, so it was a fun event. Well planned and a good turnout!The book signing for Sunday had to be postponed because the Wal-Mart store - where I would be doing the signing - hadn't received their shipment of my books (there were 50 being ordered). Thus, the CPH CEO offered to pay for my transportation once they books are in so I could take part in the signing, which is fine. I ended u
p not leaving early on Sunday afternoon, taking the opportunity for picture-taking; I checked out the museum, glass museum, and the Tacoma Dome - but alas, my battery died before I got a decent picture of the Dome.All in all, a fun weekend and great hospitality from the CPH staff. Wasn't too bummed out about the missed signing - after all, as one wise man said recently (and you know who you are), "Don't get caught up in always striving for the next level of success, enjoy the success you're achieving now!"
Congratulations to Cliff! He got on a website talking about the Detroit Lions! Way to go!
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