tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12418662457293697032024-03-12T21:07:18.523-04:00The CheapseatsThe view from here...John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-59482933074415137622009-03-12T12:59:00.006-04:002009-03-12T14:55:08.503-04:00WBC - A work in progress<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SblaYYY6xUI/AAAAAAAAAT0/0ZHskolnHYY/s1600-h/XM-world-baseball-classic.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312376610370536770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 173px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SblaYYY6xUI/AAAAAAAAAT0/0ZHskolnHYY/s400/XM-world-baseball-classic.gif" border="0" /></a> Having attended all six World Baseball Classic games in Toronto, it's clear that there are three major issues that need addressing. <div><div></div><br /><div><strong>1. Better Pitching</strong> - There's an argument to be made for better players all together, but most teams in the WBC have been able to field reasonably good hitters. </div><div></div><br /><div>However, in 2009 every national team has been refused by at least one high profile pitcher. </div><div></div><br /><div>According to local radio broadcasts, Team USA had to make 60 phone calls to patch together their rotation. Fortunately, the United States has the largest population base of any country participating, and they were still able to turn up the likes of Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt and J.J. Putz.</div><div></div><br /><div>Other teams were not so fortunate.</div><br /><div></div><div>Venezuala would undoubtedly be stronger with Johan Sanatana as their anchor, and it was apparent to all that the absence of Jeff Francis, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden and Eric Bedard led to the early dismissal of Team Canada.</div><div></div><br /><div>The lack of high-calibre pitching hurt the quality of the games. Instead of seeing great hitters battle through at bats, most outs came from ground balls and pop flys. Not exactly gripping drama.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>2. Shorter Games -</strong> Major League Baseball is trying to sell baseball to the rest of the world. The targets aren't the United States, Cuba or Japan where baseball is already loved, but Australia, Canada, Italy, South Africa and the Netherlands. Bud Selig wants the sport to take off in countries that have disposable incomes but baseball is not popular.</div><div></div><br /><div>But a four hour game between Italy and Canada? Six, seven, eight pitching changes per team? Brutal.</div><br /><div></div><div>Long, boring games will not capture people's imaginations. Marathon games are no way to sell a sport to fans of fast-paced games like hockey, soccer and basketball.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>3. Better Umpires -</strong> In fairness, the officiating at the SkyDome wasn't biased.</div><br /><div></div><div>It was just bad in general.</div><br /><div></div><div>Phantom tags. Fluctuating strike zones. The calls were inconsistent for all four teams, that I can only assume the players were pulling their hair out.</div><br /><div></div><div>In particular, Marvin Hudson, the home plate umpire for the Italy/Canada game was troublesome. With him at the plate, pitches in the same location were called as both balls and strikes. </div><div></div><br /><div>Again, if the WBC is meant to be an introduction to baseball, shouldn't the officiating be at the highest level as well?</div><div></div><br /><div>The World Baseball Classic is a great concept and, with tweaking, should become a major global event. But before that can happen, these three issues need to be addressed.</div></div>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-72496950154722103862009-01-20T18:18:00.003-05:002009-01-20T18:23:22.227-05:00Okay, one last lacrosse video...Ryan Powell and Kyle Harrison put on a shooting clinic reminiscent of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan's classic McDonald's commercial.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Um4oeksGW54&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Um4oeksGW54&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I'll get back to some real content soon, I promise.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-70621559538170924942008-12-29T20:20:00.002-05:002008-12-29T20:25:50.944-05:00Cool lacrosse tricksThe National Lacrosse League season is just around the corner, so I thought I'd post a sweet video I found today of professional lacrosse players doing stick tricks. The music is kind of loud, so you might want to turn it down a bit before starting it up!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a66Ra4TCNDc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a66Ra4TCNDc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-79288392205586429802008-12-08T12:45:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:17:48.196-05:00Book Review: The Fix by Declan Hill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/ST6wFpS6zCI/AAAAAAAAAPU/j-9_gIN-0QY/s1600-h/the+fix.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/ST6wFpS6zCI/AAAAAAAAAPU/j-9_gIN-0QY/s320/the+fix.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277849424355839010" border="0" /></a>Sports fans like to see their favourite athletes giving it their all. Even in a lost cause, even against all odds, fans want to be inspired by all-out effort and exertion. That, I think, is one of the quiet appeals of March Madness; the players are going all out for an entire month, with (supposedly) no financial benefit. Fans want to see their heroes leave it all on the field.<br /><br />Anything less is anathema.<br /><br />Just ask <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Carter#New_Jersey_Nets">Vince Carter</a>. A team's supporters will turn on anyone who doesn't give 100% in a game. That is, after all, why the phrase "giving 110%" has become a sports cliche.<br /><br />Declan Hill's <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Fix-Soccer-And-Organized-Crime-Declan-Hill/9780771041389-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527the+fix+declan+hill%2527&sterm=the+fix+declan+hill+-+Books"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Fix</span></a> shows that that core value is under attack and proves that sometimes the heart, the effort that your favourite player is exhibiting on the soccer pitch is an illusion.<br /><br />It certainly is a bitter pill to swallow, but Hill conclusively proves that match fixing is reaching epidemic proportions in the world of soccer. His investigation reaped a shockingly large amount of circumstantial and conclusive evidence that soccer games at levels as high as the World Cup and Champions League have been fixed. By the end of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Fix</span> his message is crystal clear: no level of soccer is safe, except perhaps the most impromptu of pick-up games.<br /><br />The body of evidence he's compiled is impressive in its breadth and detail. Interviews with players, coaches, managers and owners as well as convicted and active match fixers. Statistical evidence. Memoirs and police reports. Photos of match fixers and confessions of guilt. It's an overwhelming deluge of information that will rock any fan of soccer, or of pure sport in general, to the core.<br /><br />This is the only real flaw in the book.<br /><br />It's hard to take. Hard to read. The first fifty pages left me so thoroughly disgusted that I wanted to fling the book down and never pick it up again.<br /><br />The stories Hill has uncovered left me uncomfortable at first, and then increasingly cynical. I began searching for a silver lining and, eventually, I found several. For starters, I was relieved to note that my favourite side, Glasgow Rangers, is never mentioned. (Although, in my now cynical mind, that does not place them above suspicion.) Hill also included several stories of brave men and women standing up to corruption. Reporters in Malaysia exposing far reaching corruption as well as the uplifting story of girls amateur soccer in Nairobi are just two examples of people standing up to corruption. There is still a lot of good in the world of soccer. Hill leaves his readers with the sincere hope that these bastions of honesty and character can hold out and continue to fight the good fight.<br /><br />The most important of all the good to come forward in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Fix</span> is the book itself. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Fix</span> gets the word out, putting Football Associations worldwide on notice that something is rotten in the state of soccer. <a href="http://www.howtofixasoccergame.com/blog/?p=31">As Hill points out in his blog</a>: "We can do something about the corruption in football. The first thing is to ensure that there are effective well-staffed and well-resourced security departments in not just UEFA, but also at FIFA and in every National Football Association around the world. "<br /><br />I've read a lot of books on soccer and sports, and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Fix</span> is the first book that does more then earn a recommendation. It makes me want to sit soccer managers and Football Association administrators down and read the entire book to them. It makes me want to get involved and help stop the moral decay of the Beautiful Game.<br /><br />I highly recommend this book to anyone, not just soccer fans or sports fans, but anyone with a passing interest in organized crime, corruption or globalization. It's a fascinating, ableit unsettling, read that is well written and incredibly informative.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-88887437113269328952008-12-05T13:10:00.006-05:002008-12-09T12:44:06.452-05:00The Sweet Science has Soured<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/STmFTMFDnsI/AAAAAAAAAPE/zw5z8Zsa_k4/s1600-h/pacquiao-oscar-de-la-hoya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 367px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/STmFTMFDnsI/AAAAAAAAAPE/zw5z8Zsa_k4/s400/pacquiao-oscar-de-la-hoya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276395003147689666" border="0" /></a><br />I know I am on the verge of being a curmudgeon, what with <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-canadian-football-league-just-does.html">my complaints about the Canadian Football League,</a> but being on the eve of the bout between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. <a href="http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2008/1206_delahoya_pacquiao/index.html">The Dream Match</a>, I feel I need to address boxing's downward spiral.<br /><br />As Yahoo! Sports' <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/box/expertsarchive;_ylt=AsDshE24sPWOrTzVKS80N.adCIh4?author=Kevin+Iole">Kevin Iole</a> points out in his article "<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=Au1gz8iWtjiEgs4L7LuDAjI5nYcB?slug=ki-delahoya120108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">Boxing needs best-of-the-best bouts</a>", there is definitely something wrong with the sport of boxing:<br /><br />"The [Mayweather Jr. v. De La Hoya] match sold nearly 20 percent more on pay-per-view than the previous record and generated more than $170 million in gross revenue, or a ballpark amount the Yankees are willing to pay CC Sabathia to pitch for them over the next few years. <p>Ticket revenue alone counted for $18.4 million, with an average ticket sold at $1,078.53."</p><p>Despite the marquee match-up, and the huge bank the fight did, boxing is still in a serious state of decline. In Iole's words: "If anything, U.S. boxing in 2008 is in worse shape than it was in 2007. There’s less television, there are more empty seats and even relatively big fights are going unnoticed."</p><p>Iole offers a few ideas as to why the sport is suffering. As the title of his article implies, he sees the lack of big cards as the biggest problem. He wants big names on big cards to draw more attention to the sport. One of the promoters he interviews, Bob Arum, points out that it's because there's not enough boxing on free television.</p><p>I think they are, in part, both right. As Cheapseats reader Maria pointed out in her comment on my CFL article: "My big complaint is that the Grey Cup is broadcast on <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/">TSN</a>, not on one of your basic cable channels. I only pay for basic cable. I was not able to watch the Grey Cup." Maria is right. Making events available to a wider audience is crucial to the success of the sport. Pay-per-view cards doesn't just limit your audience, it alienates them. I've never heard of Manny Pacquiao before, because he's rarely, if ever, mentioned on television.<br /></p><p>Why are boxers not well known? I think it's because there's no major league of boxing. The best football players in the world play in the National Football League. The best hockey players (except Jaromir Jagr) play in the National Hockey League. In boxing? I have no idea which league is the "major" league. Do you? Likely not.</p><p>Instead, the talent is spread around and thinned out. Iole can't get his "big name, big card" because there is not a single boxing federation that has all the top stars. A fan trying to familiarize themselves with the sport can't follow just one promotion - - they need to follow three or four.</p><p>This disorder spills over to television as well. No major network wants to pick up boxing events because none of them can truly lay claim to being the best. All of the heavyweight championships that are floating around have lost their value because there are three others like them.</p><p>For boxing to get back up on its feet, to beat the count out decision, they need to start unifying events, promotions, and most importantly, the belts. Only then will fans be able to figure out whether or not a match is actually a competitive contest, and then boxing will be able to make it on to prime time network television. Without unification, boxing will continue to decay.<br /></p>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-80444721108718235152008-11-24T16:46:00.008-05:002008-12-02T10:58:58.001-05:00Why the Canadian Football League just does not appeal<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SSwKFFlud5I/AAAAAAAAAOs/L38WSTYGLfI/s1600-h/grey+cup.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272600346260043666" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 300px; cursor: pointer; height: 366px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SSwKFFlud5I/AAAAAAAAAOs/L38WSTYGLfI/s400/grey+cup.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Yesterday <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/story/2008/11/23/grey-cup-game.html">the Calgary Stampeders won the 96th Grey Cup from the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal in front of 66,308 screaming fans</a>. It was the second largest Grey Cup crowd in the championship's historic existence.<br /></div><br /><div>I was having a nap.<br /></div><br /><div>The Stamps had something of a vendetta against the Als - - they had been slighted by the CFL when they received no awards, while the Als had been met with critical acclaim. Although the Stamps' QB Henry Burris had had a career season, the Als' Anthony Calvillo was given the nod for Most Valuable Player in the CFL's regular season. The Stamps played with a passion rarely seen in any sport.<br /></div><br /><div></div>Or so I'm told. I was watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Charlie Wilson's War</span></a>.<br /><div> </div><br /><div>As you can tell, the CFL just does not appeal to me. A shocking but true fact as I am their ideal target audience. After all, I'm a middle class male between the ages of 18 and 45. Everyone wants my attention. If I may be so bold: I am the perfect CFL demographic. I love sports. I love football. I love Canada. I'm an ardent fan of all things Torontonian, and would naturally become a hardline fan of the Argos.</div><div> </div><br /><div>But the CFL just doesn't stick with me.</div><div> </div><br />I absolutely love Canadian football, at least on paper. I think the game and rules of the CFL are far superior to the American game with higher scores. The three downs emphasize efficiency and speed, while the bigger field lets individual players shine. Unfortunately, most of the best football players in the world play in the NFL or NCAA. The cream of the crop in the CFL are always in danger of being scooped up by an NFL team for more money.<br /><div> </div><br /><div>What immediately ruins the CFL for me are the television broadcasts. The production values are so low, and in particular, the commentators are so bad, that it is almost impossible to watch. On TSN's SportsCentre, the CFL analysts were interviewing a jubilant Henry Burris who was holding the Grey Cup at the table. Former CFL Quarterback and <a href="http://www.foodtv.ca/ontv/hostdetails.aspx?hostid=41737">current grillmaster</a> Matt Dunigan asked him how he felt after winning the championship and the Grey Cup MVP trophy. Seriously. Do we expect anything other then happiness from Burris? Is he going to break down into tears and apologize for an interception earlier in the game? Come on. He's won the championship, the MVP, and has a huge grin plastered on his face. Ask a tougher question.<br /><br />The CFL has to operate on the assumption that there is little familiarity with the game, its players, and even its teams. At the same time, they have to make sure they do not condescend to the fans. I appreciate it's a fine line to walk, but it's a reality of sports today that all fans will become familiar with their product on television. If your television product isn't informative, entertaining and polished, people will flip the channel to something that is. The CFL is admittedly up against some tough competition in the form of America's National Football League which is as slick as it comes, but Chris Schultz meathead-esque explanations of plays can surely be refined.<br /></div></div>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-89258380595373582472008-11-18T12:32:00.009-05:002008-12-09T10:58:02.941-05:00Book Review: Everything They Had by David Halberstam<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SSMGgbuCHXI/AAAAAAAAAOc/0eUzdUMbBJM/s1600-h/pg2_halberstam_cover_200.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270063143220026738" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 300px;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SSMGgbuCHXI/AAAAAAAAAOc/0eUzdUMbBJM/s320/pg2_halberstam_cover_200.jpg" border="0" /></a>I am trying very hard to fill out my collection of sports writing books. I want to be able to get a feel for all the different kinds of writers out there. Old, new, and different. To that end, I've read Stephen Brunt's <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/03/book-review-searching-for-bobby-orr-by.html"><em>Searching for Bobby Orr</em></a>, John Feinstein's <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/06/book-review-living-on-black-by-john.html"><em>Living on the Black</em></a>, Sam Sheridan's <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-review-fighters-heart.html"><em>A Fighter's Heart </em></a>and the classic <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2007/12/book-review-friday-night-lights-by-hg.html"><em>Friday Night Lights</em> </a>by H.G. Bissinger amongst many others.<br /><div><div><div></div><br /><div>They've all been very different, but enjoyable reads. <em>Friday Night Lights</em> stands out amongst the rest for the sheer intensity of the narrative, but they all had something to offer. <em>A Fighter's Heart</em> was surprisingly philosophical and sophisticated. <em>Searching for Bobby Orr</em> had a dark sense of mystery as Brunt tries, and in some ways, fails to illuminate Bobby Orr's life. <em>Living on the Black</em> is educational but light fare, despite the bulk and thickness of the book.</div><div></div><br /><div><em>Everything They Had</em> is, again, very different from these other books. It's not one continuous narrative, but a collection of articles and essays by Halberstam through out his life. The text smells of cigar smoke and Old Spice. Many of the stories amount to "things aren't the way they used to be, and I'm not sure I like it." But there's also a real sense of nostalgia, particularly articles like "The Good Old Days - for Baseball Owners" and "Maybe I Remember DiMaggio's Kick". Many of his most recent articles address Halberstam's post-9/11 reality, and how for him sports no longer hold the power they once did. His work has been dated by the passage of time. For example, as he writes in praise of Pedro Martinez, he talks about the astonishing longevity of Roger Clemens. Obviously, Clemens has been discredited thanks to the Mitchell Report. Similarly, he writes in praise of Steve Belichick and how he instilled such an impressive work ethic in his son Bill, the coach of the New England Patriots whose name has been tarnished by accusations that he video taped other teams' practices. However, this is not a criticism of Halberstam. Hindsight is 20/20, and Halberstam was writing in what were less cynical times. </div><div> </div><br /><div>Halberstam's writing doesn't focus on the games themselves. Indeed, I can't think of a single statistic he cites. Rarely does he provide even a specific date for an event. The minutiae of the games are covered with broad brush strokes. The real focus of his narratives, his tales, are the people. The athletes lives, who they are and what they've experienced are Halberstam's preoccupation. Stories about Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and especially Jackie Robinson abound. In all honesty, he covers the three of them so much, his stories begin to repeat themselves and run together in my memory.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>It reads like a conversation with your grandfather.<br /><br />But that, is a good thing. A great thing, even. Halberstam is one of the great American journalists of the twentieth (and twenty-first) centuries, and to see him at work is excellent. His style is very different from anything I've read and really creates a sense of timelessness not just to his favourite sports, but to all his sports. As dated as some of his references may seem, they also ring true. As his father loved Christy Mathewson, he loved Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson and contemporary New Yorkers love ARod and Derek Jeter (okay, maybe not). Because his tone is so conversational, you can forgive the repetitive nature of the book, and enjoy the true love and craftsmanship in every article.<br /></div></div></div></div>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-21255355942451648402008-11-15T13:02:00.005-05:002008-11-17T15:06:43.153-05:00The Case for Roy Halladay to win the Cy Young<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SR9ANIdtj3I/AAAAAAAAAN8/O4vqFyhXgCM/s1600-h/halladay-large.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269000683401351026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 286px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SR9ANIdtj3I/AAAAAAAAAN8/O4vqFyhXgCM/s400/halladay-large.jpg" border="0" /></a> On Friday, left-hander <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7026/gamelog;_ylt=Aou4qy_vRhIAQiXu.8YICEiFCLcF">Cliff Lee</a> of the Cleveland Indians won the American League Cy Young Award, the annual award handed out to each league's best pitcher. While I don't doubt his 22 wins and only 3 losses were impressive, I think the Cy Young Electors made a mistake. They should have given it to <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6134/gamelog;_ylt=Aou4qy_vRhIAQiXu.8YICEiFCLcF">Roy Halladay</a> of the Toronto Blue Jays.<br /><br />In 2008 Halladay and Lee were actually quite similar statistically:<br /><br />Cliff Lee went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA, a 1.11 whip and had 170 strikeouts.<br />Roy Halladay went 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and had 206 strikeouts.<br /><br />Where Lee had a better won-loss record and ERA, Halladay is a strikeout artist and put fewer men on base.<br /><br />But the Cy Young isn't just about wins and losses - - after all, closers like Eric Gagne have won it - - and there is more to baseball then just statistics.<br /><br />Halladay led the league in complete games, with nine. That kind of consistency is crucial for a long season because it gives your bullpen an unscheduled day off. It also gives the entire team a sense of confidence, that they can rely on him to carry them through the game. Cliff Lee, who struggled mightily the previous season (5-8 record, 6.29 ERA) always had a sense of doom about him, even as he had a career season. Halladay's ability to finish a game is actually quite an accomplishment. In fact, Halladay had more complete games then the entire pitching staffs of any other team in the American League East. He had more complete games then the combined staffs of the Yankees and Red Sox.<br /><br />Halladay did not have run support from his team. He had four games where he lost by a run, and two no-decisions where the Jays lost by a run. One heartbreaking day in late April <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280429102">Halladay lost 1-0 to the Boston Red Sox </a>after pitching 8.2 innings. The key play was when Gold Glove-winning centre-fielder <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6327">Vernon Wells' </a>made a fielding error in the ninth inning. With the slow <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5909">David Ortiz </a>on second, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7049">Kevin Youkilis</a> hit a single to centre that Wells picked up and then dropped, giving the lumbering Ortiz enough time to round third and head for home. If you make half of these one-run games go Halladay's way, he has a 23-9 record and an even stronger case for the Cy Young.<br /><br />I know Woulda-Shoulda-Coulda is a dangerous game to play, but Halladay put in a career season that was only marred by Lee's impressive turnaround from the 2007 season. Granted, some sports writers did acknowledge Halladay's contributions to the Blue Jays, and he finished in second in the Cy Young balloting. However, if you put a premium on consistency and ability to raise a team up, Roy Halladay is your man for the 2008 American League Cy Young Award.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-13141929853238877582008-10-28T10:12:00.005-04:002008-10-28T12:02:19.067-04:00Is there some sort of terrible commissioner contest going on?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SQct2djLe1I/AAAAAAAAANk/xBtcaAjcYHE/s1600-h/3a73583f2119feec7fba7c7b69558e87-getty-.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SQct2djLe1I/AAAAAAAAANk/xBtcaAjcYHE/s400/3a73583f2119feec7fba7c7b69558e87-getty-.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262225103274081106" border="0" /></a><br />Some days I really get the idea that NHL commissioner Gary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bettman</span> and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig are in some sort of perverse contest to see who can ruin their respective league's the fastest. What's that? You put hockey franchises in Phoenix and Atlanta? I'll end the All Star Game in a tie and introduce <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">interleague</span> play!<br /><br />This week has been a classic example of this one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">downmanship</span>.<br /><br />It started with Bud Selig, or the office of the league commissioner deciding that the World Series games should all start at 8:30... sorry, 8:29 eastern standard time every night, even though both teams are in the eastern time zone. I am sure this was to make the World Series more accessible to the Midwest and West Coast fans. However, it means that young fans of the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Phillies</span> have to stay up until at least 11:30 at night to watch their home teams play. Any sensible parent would have to send their kids to bed around 10 on a school night. How does a sport, recovering from a major faith-shaking scandal, expect to grow young fans and get them interested in the sport if they can't even watch the championship series in its entirety?<br /><br />Apparently, Gary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bettman</span> saw this and felt he could do better. (Worse?) After a week of excited speculation that a Western conference hockey team, likely the Nashville Predators, would be bought by Research in Motion co-owner Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Balsille</span> and moved to Toronto, Gary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bettman</span> announced that it was a baseless rumour that would never happen. Why? He didn't say. One can only assume that he is against the idea of an unsuccessful and unpopular team being moved to a proven hockey hotbed that could easily support a second franchise because he dislikes the idea of people enjoying the National Hockey League.<br /><br />Not to be outdone, Bud Selig decided that Game 5 of the World Series should be played even though it was raining and there was no sign of abatement. The hometown <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Phillies</span> were starting ace Cole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Hamels</span>, and, if they won, would win the World Series. However, the rain was so bad that halfway through the sixth inning the game was suspended as a 2-2 tie. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Hamels</span> was still on the mound at the end of the game, can't possibly be expected to start the day after throwing six innings worth of pitches in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">pouring</span> rain and freezing temperatures. Essentially, his start last night has been wasted and has given the Rays another shot at winning the game.<br /><br />I shudder to think how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Bettman</span> will top this disaster...John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-14560732488837424232008-10-27T08:09:00.004-04:002008-10-27T11:32:40.412-04:00The UFC Drinking Game<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SQXd0LA1vWI/AAAAAAAAAM0/khgdpYoTeEs/s1600-h/monk_and_I.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SQXd0LA1vWI/AAAAAAAAAM0/khgdpYoTeEs/s320/monk_and_I.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261855628031540578" border="0" /></a>Watching Ultimate Fighting Championship cards is a popular pass time in my household. My girlfriend's brother-in-law fights professionally, and so we've all taken to watching fights. Obviously, UFC produces the best cards, but I'll also watch Bodog, and International Fight League. I even watched Elite XC one drunken night.<br /><br />Since we're well groomed, experienced UFC viewers we have developed a UFC drinking game.<br /><br />Here are the general rules:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ultimate Fighting Championship Drinking Game</span>:<br /><ol><li>Take a drink every time someone falls.</li><li>Take a drink every time someone gets back up. (Yes, even if they're helped up by their corner at the end of a round or match)</li><li>Take a drink every time you see <a href="http://www.joerogan.net">Joe </a><a href="http://www.joerogan.net">Rogan</a>'s gigantic watch.</li><li>Take a drink every time a fighter is described as being "a complete fighter" or "well rounded".</li><li>Take a drink every time Joe Rogan talks about "focusing on" a particular skill "at camp".</li><li>Take a drink every time Joe Rogan mentions his own fighting career.</li><li>If you're feeling bold, take a drink every time Joe Rogan states the obvious.</li><li>Finish your drink every time Joe Rogan refers to "Mission Control".</li><li>Finish your drink if <a href="http://www.mandymoore.com/">Mandy Moore</a> appears on camera.</li><li>Finish your drink every time a former member of <a href="http://www.that70sshow.com/">That 70's Show</a> appears on camera.</li></ol>As the night progresses, you can add on more rules, like taking a drink every time a fighter needs a translator. However, these are definitely a good guideline to add even more excitement to the next UFC PPV.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-51867042660054433752008-10-25T18:38:00.003-04:002008-10-25T19:26:44.270-04:00An ode to Jamie Moyer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SQOhQ_F-spI/AAAAAAAAAMs/n3InsuY3zeo/s1600-h/Example_Grip_CircleChange_JamieMoyer_002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 344px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SQOhQ_F-spI/AAAAAAAAAMs/n3InsuY3zeo/s400/Example_Grip_CircleChange_JamieMoyer_002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261226102885364370" border="0" /></a>Tonight is game three of the 2008 World Series, and the series is moving to Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia. <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/10/world-series-prediction.html">My prediction of a five game championship</a> for the Tampa Bay Rays is holding up so far, and both teams have played well, despite some fielding errors and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Phillies</span> avid interest in leaving their players on base.<br /><br />Frankly, the games have been pretty slow, but there is definitely one point of interest tonight: the ball is going to be put into forty-five year old <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/3932">Jamie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Moyer</span></a>'s hand. He had a good season with 16 wins, and 123 strikeouts, but he'll be sorely tested against twenty-five year old phenom <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7823">Matt Garza</a>. Insert joke about dusting off his best pitches here.<br /><br />To put it in perspective, B.J. Upton, the Rays slugging center fielder and presumptive World Series MVP should the Rays pull off their miracle season, was born in 1984. Two years later, a young James <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Moyer</span> took the mound for his first career start with the Chicago Cubs. <a href="www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com">And people say John McCain is old</a>.<br /><br />Be clear: This is not to mourn Jamie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Moyer's</span> life, but to celebrate it. He is, actually, one of the most dependable starters in baseball, and has been for, well, over two decades. Although he's only average just over 10 wins a season, he had a reduced workload when he was younger and had two injury shortened seasons. He was also, of course, affected by the shortened 1994 strike season. He's had a twenty win season and a twenty-one win season. He's likely not bound for the Hall of Fame, but he will be remembered as a hard working, conscientious player. In John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Feinstein's</span> <a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/06/book-review-living-on-black-by-john.html">Living on the Black</a>, he is often quoted and comes across as intelligent, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">likeable</span> and very respectful of the stars of the book, Tom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Glavine</span> and Mike <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Mussina</span>. In particular, his reverence for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Glavine's</span> style of play is enlightening. This is why <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Moyer</span> (who <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Feinstein</span> describes as "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Glavine</span>-lite") will be interesting to watch tonight.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Moyer</span>, like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Glavine</span>, will not overwhelm batters with speed. In fact, his fastball will likely top-out at an agonizing 89 kph. Instead, he'll use his perfect location and change-ups to keep the Rays off balance. He's mastered the circle change-up (you can see it in the above photo) and will work away at each one of the Rays batters. He will be is methodical and surgical. He'll have done his homework on each and every player on the Rays, and he'll take his time to throw the tough pitches. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Moyer</span> is going to be happy to have a ten pitch at bat, as long as it results in a strikeout.<br /><br />All that matters to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Moyer</span> is to get the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Phillies</span> a win.<br /><br />The ultimate plodding pitcher, old enough to be many players father, might actually be the most exciting story to unfold in tonight's World Series match-up.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-41747238215016448772008-10-20T13:11:00.007-04:002008-10-21T13:44:25.901-04:00World Series Prediction: Rays Your Expectations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SPy_Z29gpLI/AAAAAAAAALc/eCQIpFgzUUo/s1600-h/rays.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SPy_Z29gpLI/AAAAAAAAALc/eCQIpFgzUUo/s400/rays.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259288915833038002" border="0" /></a><br />Last night the Tampa Bay Rays completed the rags-to-riches turn around that they'd been on the verge of for the past week - - going from worst to first in the American League in the span of a single season. Their game seven victory in the American League Championship Series finalized the World Series match-up: the Rays versus the Philadelphia Phillies, the National League champions.<br /><br />A week ago, with both teams on the verge of winning their respective League's Championship Series, I would've picked the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series. They have a superb infield with <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7437">Ryan Howard</a> covering first, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6419">Jimmy Rollins</a> in the gap between second and third, and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7072">Chase Utley</a>, the best second baseman in Major League Baseball. They have the speedy <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7104">Shane Victorino</a> in the outfield and leading off their batting order, and consistent power hitter <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6375">Pat Burrell</a> also in the field. Coming off the bench they have known-Canadian Matt Stairs who can provide leadership and hitting when called upon. Their pitching is also impressive with <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7509">Cole Hamels</a> anchoring their rotation and the perfect <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6913">Brad Lidge</a> as their closer.<br /><br />However, unlike the Phillies, the Rays lost their fifth and then their sixth league championship games to the Red Sox. Only in the seventh and deciding game were they able to bear down and gut out a 4-2 win over the reigning World Series Champions.<br /><br />I think this is to Tampa Bay's advantage.<br /><br />While the Phillies have been resting on their laurels, maybe getting a little stiff jointed from sitting at home and certainly losing any momentum they had, the Rays have still been battling. The Rays have the confidence boost of winning a hard fought series from the reigning champions, and haven't had enough time to breathe, let alone let any neuroses or doubt gnaw away at them.<br /><br />Although the Phillies are definitely a strong team, they are in an odd place mentally. They can't claim to be underdogs, but they certainly aren't favourites. Although only a week has passed since their last game, it can seem like an eternity in the world of sports. Meanwhile, the Rays are riding a wave of good will and positive energy, one that goes far beyond any pun-based headlines. It's a positivity that comes from freshly won battles conquered by a team.<br /><br />I am sure that it will be an entertaining World Series, but I also think it will be a short one with the surging Rays winning in five games.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-89015539535891427912008-09-29T10:21:00.004-04:002008-09-29T15:36:39.380-04:00Yet another reason why the NFL is the best league on Earth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SOEt2Yr9iKI/AAAAAAAAAKk/JrZb79uVAd8/s1600-h/nfl_films_sampler_david_robidoux.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SOEt2Yr9iKI/AAAAAAAAAKk/JrZb79uVAd8/s400/nfl_films_sampler_david_robidoux.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251529052853733538" border="0" /></a>There are many reasons why the National Football League is one of the strongest sports product in the world. Its television deal, its marketing, the drawing power of the Super Bowl, and the parity of the league season-to-season all contribute to its stability and power as an entertainment tour de force. I think one of the most under-appreciated aspects of the NFL's business is its television production department, <a href="http://www.nflfilms.com/">NFL Films</a>.<br /><br />Although they're not apparent to the average television viewer, much of the content provided for NFL broadcasts, particularly the on-the-sidelines coverage and behind the scenes stuff is provided by NFL Films. All those DVDs covering ascending franchises on their climbs to the Super Bowl and the Vince Lombardi Trophy are done by the fine folks at NFL Films too.<br /><br />They are also the minds behind much of the NFL Networks programming including: NFL Total Access, Hard Knocks, Playbook, NFL Films Presents, Statefarm - NFL Matchup, NFL Replay, Film Session and my personal favourite, Hey Rookie! Welcome to the NFL!.<br /><br />I caught an episode of Hey Rookie! a couple of weeks ago, and it is an incredibly entertaining and informative show. The format is simple. Starting with the NFL draft in April, the cameras follow a group of four or five NFL rookies through the course of their first season in the NFL. This season, the focus has been on five players: <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8797">Aqib Talib</a>, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8782">Glenn Dorsey</a>, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8800">Rashard Mendenhall</a>, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8995">Caleb Campbell</a> and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8781">Darren McFadden</a>. It's interesting to see how the players prepare mentally and physically for the season, but it's amazing to see their different personalities and how they lead their lives.<br /><br />For instance, cornerback Aqib Talib is fast talking but family oriented, illustrated by his decision to stay at home during the draft and watch it unfold on television with his family. However, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft him, he breaks out into an over-the-top dance and assures his new coach Jon Gruden that he's going to single-handedly shut down star wide-receiver Steve Smith. This is a stark contrast to Caleb Campbell, a dour graduate from Army. Campbell doesn't even get to sign his first professional contract before the Army changes their official policy and re-calls him to continue his tour of duty.<br /><br />It's a fascinating show, and helps to flesh out what the National Football League is all about. They're such a strong feature of the NFL's production that it makes you wish that other leagues had such competent television and film producers. For instance, an NHL equivalent to Hey Rookie! would make for compelling television that could help fans new to the sport of hockey appreciate and understand the preparation and athleticism that goes into professional hockey.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-69623324305173944732008-09-22T14:51:00.004-04:002008-09-22T15:55:45.201-04:00A bitter Blue and White pill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SNfqEYMyXSI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/R2Iqhhl1DD8/s1600-h/Sundin-Bench.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SNfqEYMyXSI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/R2Iqhhl1DD8/s400/Sundin-Bench.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248921251660061986" border="0" /></a>I take this blog and the <a href="http://astonishingdodgeblog.blogspot.com/">Astonishing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Dodgeblog</span></a> pretty seriously. My goal is to hone my writing craft and develop the skills necessary to regularly write concise, informative articles that provide balanced viewpoints on the world of sports. Because of that, I try to avoid covering my local teams, or the teams I support as a fan.<br /><br />That said, I cannot resist temptation any longer.... I need to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs.<br /><br />The past two years have been tremendously disappointing as a fan of the Leafs. It is the hope and expectation of every member of the Leafs nation that the Leafs will contend for the Cup every year, but since the NHL lockout, they have not even made the playoffs. Of course, both years they've been well over .500 and have been very close to making the playoffs. Two years ago they missed out by a <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/standings?year=season_2006">half a game</a>, and last year <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/standings;_ylt=ApLjmOeUrK_P41UB_R3ETxZ7vLYF">the Blue and White were eleven points out</a>.<br /><br />However, with expectations so consistently high, being average or even mediocre just is not good enough. So the Leafs fired former general manager John Ferguson Jr. (<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=As3xrxIT6dF_8IttBZPOojV7vLYF?slug=cp-nhl_sharks_ferguson&prov=cp&type=lgns">now with the San Jose Sharks as head scout</a>) and hired former Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher and gave him the clear mandate of tearing apart the roster with a clear eye to re-building the Maple Leafs.<br /><br />In that respect, Fletcher has delivered.<br /><br /><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1400">Darcy Tucker</a>. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/3014">Kyle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wellwood</span></a>. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1334">Bryan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">McCabe</span></a>. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2150">Andrew <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Raycroft</span></a>. Possibly <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/34">Mats <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Sundin</span></a>. All gone.<br /><br />To replace them a bunch of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Whos</span>? have been brought in, such as <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/3223">Jeff Finger</a> and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/4188">Nikolai <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kulemin</span></a> to be the foundations of the team. More significantly, Fletcher hired former San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson to give the team a new defense-first work ethic.<br /><br />What Cliff Fletcher has not, will not, and can not deliver is a winning franchise.<br /><br />The Leafs are going to stink this season. They will be in the bottom five of the league. Oddly, I expect them to be more competitive then the previous two seasons. They'll lose, and they'll lose often, but I wholly expect their goals against to be much lower. They'll get beaten a lot, but not badly. They'll lose by ones and twos, not by sixes and sevens as they have in previous years.<br /><br />It's going to be a bitter pill to swallow, but this season will be the foundation of a much improved team.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-66318325802190174572008-09-17T09:00:00.002-04:002008-09-17T09:00:00.928-04:00Rugby and nationalism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SM_PtDkr2eI/AAAAAAAAAJU/QPvncmTN1-o/s1600-h/NelsonMandela5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SM_PtDkr2eI/AAAAAAAAAJU/QPvncmTN1-o/s320/NelsonMandela5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246640463870155234" border="0" /></a><br />My friend Matt recently recommended an article to me that he <a href="http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12202525&fsrc=rss">read at the Economist.com on how Nelson Mandela became a fan of rugby</a> so that he could relate to the stern warden of his prisoner, and that it later became a cultural touchstone for all South Africans to rally around as they began a new, more tolerant era in the early 1990s.<br /><br />The article is inspired by the writing of journalist John Carlin, who has written extensively on the relationship between South Africa, rugby, and Nelson Mandela. I'm not going to reiterate the entire article, but instead encourage you to read it yourself. It's an excellent read and touches on some crucial points.<br /><br />Sport is intertwined with almost all aspects of society. Ask a Glasgow Rangers fan about the relationship between religion and sport or a Pittsburgh Steelers fan about the relationship between the economy and sport.<br /><br />John Carlin's work is not groundbreaking or new, but it is interesting and worthwhile to provide sports fans, and students of cultural history, with another fine example of how sport reflects and effects the world around it.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-2065620886314523202008-09-15T09:00:00.000-04:002008-09-15T09:00:00.571-04:00The psyche of Vince Young<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SM19ZCv0oXI/AAAAAAAAAIs/kdkO5PehOvw/s1600-h/vinceyoung.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SM19ZCv0oXI/AAAAAAAAAIs/kdkO5PehOvw/s400/vinceyoung.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245987010144149874" border="0" /></a><br />The National Football League's season is now in its second week, and there has been no shortage of storylines: Favre with the New York Jets, Pennington with the Miami Dolphins and then a host of injuries like Tom Brady's knee, Peyton Manning's knee, and, in the NCAA, Charlie Weiss' knee.<br /><br />However, the story that interests me the most is the ongoing drama surrounding Vince Young. During their first week loss to their AFC South division rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars Young apparently repeatedly asked to be benched after being booed by the hometown crowd for throwing two interceptions.<br /><br />After the game, Young was despondent to the point that his coach, Jeff Fisher, called the police to have Young tracked down and brought back to the Titans office for a long heart-to-heart about the game and Young's place on the team. According to recent reports, <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AtrDkHEzdJzG_VPsYjhRG_Q5nYcB/SIG=12e9q19jq/**http%3A//cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/sports%3Fch=243724%26cl=9715251%26lang=en">Young was talking about committing suicide</a>. Young also had a sit-down with a team psychologist to discuss some of the problems he was facing. The media's coverage went in to overdrive as people asked themselves "What is the matter with Vince Young?!"<br /><br />My friend Ruben forwarded me an excellent piece by FOX Sports columnist Jason Whitlock titled "<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8550254/Sad-to-say,-but-Young%27s-problems-were-predictable">Sad to say, but Young's problems were predictable</a>". Whitlock's social commentary discusses how African Americans have to learn to look after each other. "Vince Young, like a lot of young African-American men, desperately needs to hear the truth from the people who love him." I'm not black, nor am I American, so I can't comment on the role race played in all this.<br /><br />What I do know is that as spectacular an athlete Vince Young is, it's the mental game that really counts not just in football, but in every sport. Although pure skill and athleticism can triumph on most levels of sport, it is mental toughness, dedication and discipline that wins on <span style="font-style: italic;">every </span>level of competition.<br /><br />Right now, Vince Young does not have that mental toughness and it's eroding his dedication and discipline.<br /><br />Vince Young needs his family and friends to rally around him and give him proper love and support, even if that means telling him to take time off from football, or even retire from the game altogether. NFL coaches are not a particularly touchy-feely group, so for Jeff Fisher to express such concern really is indicative of a problem with Young. He's clearly struggling on and off the field, so it's time for him to re-focus his energies, for the good of the Titans, and, more importantly, for his own good.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-56787840820332991312008-09-12T12:44:00.002-04:002008-09-12T12:50:13.846-04:00A blogging updateI have been a little, actually, very, lackadasical in updating this blog. For my loyal readers, I apologize. You guys and girls deserve better then that.<br /><br />This fall I am taking a semester off of school to focus on working and my writing. This is in preparation for beginning at Centennial College this January in their newest post-grad diploma: sports journalism. As you can imagine, I'm very excited.<br /><br />I will be getting back to blogging here regularly, as practice for my new school. Further, I've started a second blog called <a href="http://astonishingdodgeblog.blogspot.com/">the Astonishing Dodgeblog</a> which is about my exciting life as a semi-pro dodgeball player in Toronto. By all means, visit both blogs regularly, since they're going to be alot more active in the coming days, weeks, and months.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-38602842311318384522008-08-13T11:14:00.007-04:002008-08-13T15:37:19.474-04:00Brett Favre: Sportsman of the Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SKM30TU1WqI/AAAAAAAAAGw/UtRGmPQDd1c/s1600-h/brett-favre-si-cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SKM30TU1WqI/AAAAAAAAAGw/UtRGmPQDd1c/s400/brett-favre-si-cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234088563615029922" border="0" /></a><br />Last December, Sports Illustrated named Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Favre</span> their <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/magazine/specials/sportsman/2007/12/03/sportsman.2007/index.html">2007 Sportsman of the Year</a>. He was awarded this honor for his dedication to the people of Green Bay and for his leadership. When interviewed about the award, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Favre</span> described leadership as "somehow getting 52 other guys to raise their level of play. To get them to believe in what we're trying to do. You do that by setting an example, by doing things the right way. I've always shown up, I've always been prepared, I practice every day. I practice hard. I study. No matter what happens on the field, I never point blame at anybody else. Everything I do comes back to leadership, the example I want to set."<br /><blockquote><br />"No matter what happens on the field, I never point blame at anybody else. Everything I do comes back to leadership, the example I want to set."</blockquote><br /><br />Is it too late to get an asterisk on this award?<br /><br />As the Globe and Mail's Mark <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Healy</span> outlined in his <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080609.wsb-healycolumn0609/BNStory/incubator/home">most recent article</a>, the past six weeks has seen Brett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Favre</span> become the poster boy for classlessness.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Favre</span> announced his retirement from the NFL at the conclusion of the 2007/2008 season to much fanfare and publicity. The Green Bay Packers, in preparation for the 2008 entry draft, made a point of repeatedly asking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Favre</span> if he might change his mind and come back. They made it clear that this was a point of no return. He confirmed that he was staying retired, and so they drafted a quarterback in the draft and announced that they were making Aaron Rodgers, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Favre's</span> back-up for the past three years, their guy.<br /><br />Suddenly, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Favre</span> was asking to be the starter again, or for his unconditional release, likely to play for NFC North Division rivals the Minnesota Vikings or the Chicago Bears.<br /><br />After a prolonged soap opera of he-said-they-said, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Favre</span> was traded to the AFC East New York Jets for conditional draft picks.<br /><br />In my mind, this forever tarnishes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Favre's</span> legacy, starting with his Sportsman of the Year honors. His actions in the past six week totally negate what was said in the glowing ten page article about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Favre's</span> character and career.<br /><br />Donald Driver, a wide <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">receiver</span> with the Packers for the past nine seasons said of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Favre</span> ""He means everything to these people. He's not only our leader -- he's the symbol of the franchise, of the whole town. There's a generation of fans in Green Bay who don't know this team ever existed without Brett."<br /><br />Who'd have though that just nine months later the team would be without <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Favre</span>, and would be glad for it.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-75463579213922801532008-06-10T13:00:00.002-04:002008-12-09T07:37:50.320-05:00Book Review: Living on the Black by John Feinstein<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SE2M-CEhzkI/AAAAAAAAAGo/D4yfDOjTx8I/s1600-h/51u98phS5SL._SS500_"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209975341273173570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SE2M-CEhzkI/AAAAAAAAAGo/D4yfDOjTx8I/s320/51u98phS5SL._SS500_" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>Book Review</strong>: <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Living-Black-Two-Pitchers-Two-John-Feinstein/9780316113915-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527living+on+the+black%2527"><em>Living on the Black</em> </a>by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Feinstein">John Feinstein</a></div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>In a post-<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/mitchell/index.jsp">Mitchell Report</a> world, baseball has to place emphasis on the finesse and strategy of the sport. John Feinstein's <em>Living on the Black</em> does just that, focusing on control and location pitchers <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4122">Tom Glavine</a> and <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=4715">Mike Mussina</a> for the entirety of the 2007 season. Feinstein provides knowledge and insight to an aspect of the game that had long been ignored by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Selig">Bud Selig</a> and the powers that be in Major League Baseball, namely pitching.</div><div> </div><br /><div>In the 2007 season, veteran pitchers Mike Mussina and Tom Glavine were nearing important milestones in their careers. Mussina was seeking 250 wins, while Glavine was trying to achieve his 300th win, and an almost guaranteed place in <a href="http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/">Cooperstown</a>. However, neither pitcher has ever really been a power thrower, with Glavine in particular having to rely on breaking balls and careful ball location over the plate.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>The title of the book says it all: <em>Living on the Black</em> refers to home plate and the one inch of black rubber that serves as its border. A control pitcher wants his pitches to brush that inch of black so that umpires have to call the strike, but hitters are loathe to take a swing. The book details the intricate art of pitching and the amount of skill a pitcher must have to excel in the majors.</div><div> </div><br /><div>John Feinstein is considered one of the leading sports journalists in North America today. His articles are regularly published in the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/">Washington Post</a>'s impressively well written sports section, and he has written over twenty-three books. <em>Living on the Black</em> was my introduction to him and his writing, and it was an impressively solid read. </div><br /><div>More importantly, it is a well timed book. Although he'd been planning this project for nearly six years (originally with the Yankees' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cone">David Cone</a> as the subject), he could not have picked a better year then 2007. Mussina did make his 250 wins. Glavine did make his 300 wins, possibly the last man to ever accomplish the feat. Most importantly, it preceded the Mitchell Report and serves as a harbinger of the new style of baseball that is going to be championed by Major League Baseball: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Ball">small ball</a>.</div><br /><div>In fact, just this week <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mota">Jose Mota </a>had <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AlTsELDxvLM476kPlEAL1FYRvLYF?slug=ys-motaoffensivestyles060808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">an article</a> on what he calls "National League-style baseball" which emphasizes aggressive base-running, solid defense and generating runs. A rose by any other name is small ball. I expect that this is the tip of the iceberg. Soon many members of the baseball intelligentsia will be singing the praises of small ball and the importance of starting pitcher. Although I doubt this was Feinstein's intention, his well researched and interesting book <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Living on the Black</span> will likely be the first major piece in this new wave of baseball thought. I recommend you give it a read and beat the curve.</div></div>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-26745067345273298042008-06-05T11:56:00.009-04:002008-12-09T07:37:50.682-05:00New School Rivalry<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SEmCOA4No-I/AAAAAAAAAGY/ojwwmojZgBA/s1600-h/magic-bird.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208837621296243682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SEmCOA4No-I/AAAAAAAAAGY/ojwwmojZgBA/s400/magic-bird.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>My first encounter with the National Basketball Association was, unfortunately, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Johnson#HIV_announcement_and_Olympics_.281991.E2.80.9392.29">Magic Johnson revealed that he had tested positive for HIV</a>. My NBA world revolved around <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/michael_jordan.html">Michael Jordan</a> and the <a href="http://www.nba.com/bulls">Bulls</a>, <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/shaquille_oneal/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Shaquille</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">O'Neal</span></a>, and later the <a href="http://www.nba.com/raptors/">Toronto Raptors</a>. Although I'm aware of the historic rivalry between the <a href="http://www.nba.com/lakers/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lakers</span> </a>and the <a href="http://www.nba.com/celtics/">Celtics</a>, I've never seen one of their historic match-ups.</div><br /><div>But watching old games on ESPN Classic, seeing writers and journalists and other commentators talk about the match-up between East and West, white and black, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Johnson#Rivalry_with_Larry_Bird">Bird and Johnson</a>, has made me feel that tension. It's a rivalry that echoes beyond just a simple sports rivalry and reflects societal values and issues. Like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Rangers">Glasgow Rangers </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_F.C.">Celtic</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_madrid">Real Madrid </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_fc"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">FC</span> Barcelona</a>, <a href="http://canadiens.nhl.com/">Montreal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Canadiens</span> </a>and <a href="http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Lakers</span> have a rivalry that resonates with people on a deeper cultural frequency and reverberates with economic, political, and racial tensions that define America.</div><div> </div><div>The Celtics were white, with an old school game that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">focused</span> on fundamentals and had a large following not just in Boston, but in rural middle America, thanks largely to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">presence</span> of "The Hick from French Lick, Indiana's own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Bird">Larry Bird</a>. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Lakers</span> were flashy, urban, and black and under the leadership of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.magicjohnson.org">Earvin "Magic" Johnson </a>earned the nickname "The Showtime <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Lakers</span>". Their clash of styles and personalities played out as a microcosm of the politics of the United States.</div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But today, America and the NBA are both very different. Yahoo! Sports' <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/expertsarchive?author=Adrian+Wojnarowski">Adrian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Wojnarowski</span> </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)"><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/expertsarchive?author=Adrian+Wojnarowski">recently wrote</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that this is exactly what David Stern needed to revitalize the embattled NBA - - an old school, big market rivalry after the disastrous draft that saw the top picks go to small markets like Seattle, Portland and Memphis. "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Even a seething Stern <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">couldn</span>’t have conceived that a wayward lottery would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">ve</span> triggered the events that led to his sport’s wildest dream – the </span><a style="LINE-HEIGHT: 1.22em; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/lal/;_ylt=ApJNKCXzc_2S_S_Ei.X88lzTjdIF"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Los Angeles <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Lakers</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-Boston Celtics NBA Finals," <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Wojnarowski</span> correctly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">focuses</span> on the impact of big media markets getting the finals after the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.canada.com/topics/sports/story.html?id=922ef4d7-ad31-4926-be2f-f45b5fa0a5c1">Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Donaghy</span> </a>scandal, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2886927">Kobe Bryant's temper tantrums</a>, and the disaster of the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121100898.html">New Ball</a>.</span></span></div><br /><div></div><div>But there's more to it then that. Ignoring all the controversy surrounding the NBA, this is an opportunity for the new stars of the league like Kobe Bryant and Kevin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Garnett</span> to at last step out of the shadows of their predecessors like Michael Jordan and Bill Russell and make their own mark on the sport. Just like baseball's real turning point in the 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span> century was w<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SE15ZFfdcVI/AAAAAAAAAGg/CZgGbsiv8-k/s1600-h/pierce_lakers_layup400550.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209953815815352658" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SE15ZFfdcVI/AAAAAAAAAGg/CZgGbsiv8-k/s320/pierce_lakers_layup400550.jpg" border="0" /></a>hen Roger Maris surpassed Babe Ruth, basketball needs its stars to step up and surpass the legends of yesterday.</div><div> </div><div>Of course, with the Celtics jumping out to a two-nothing lead in the series, the surprise is who that superstar has turned out to be -- not reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, but quiet Eastern Conference all-star <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AkJ3cAGbM3.AHLmcqzU4Bs85nYcB?slug=aw-nbafinalsgametwo060908&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">Paul "The Truth" Pierce</a>. Although only three teams have come back from such a deficit in the NBA Finals, there are still <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">a lot</span> of games to be played in this series, and a whole new generation of fans to impress.</div><div> </div><div>Where the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Lakers</span> and Celtics of the 1970s and 1980s defined the NBA and served as a reflection of the social tensions of the time, this New School rivalry could not just serve as a reflection of new societal values, but a catalyst to help further change.</div></div>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-54711535736358214702008-05-30T11:40:00.004-04:002008-12-09T07:37:50.845-05:00Ken Griffey Jr.'s fading milestone<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SEBbTZF0nRI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/LziQp7hTvmc/s1600-h/griffey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206261557951241490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SEBbTZF0nRI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/LziQp7hTvmc/s320/griffey.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Growing up, I wasn't really into hockey, which is odd for a kid from a hockey obsessed town like Toronto. I was disinterested in it because I was (and am) a terrible skater. But baseball? Baseball I loved. After all, I was nine and ten years old when the Jays won their World Series, it was before the strike season, and dammit, I was good at baseball.</p><p>My favourite player was, easily, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4305">Ken Griffey Jr</a>. He was classy but competitive, and tall and thin just like me. I used to stand in my driveway and practice swinging my bat, trying to emulate his swing. I now realize that I could not have chosen a better role model for my swing. It's picture perfect: full of grace and power, efficiently slicing through the air. Griffey's swing can put the ball anywhere on the field, or, if he chooses, past the outfield fences. </p><p>That's why I was saddened to read Tim Brown's article on <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AoI09txOpyT82edS8SJSTI88R9MF?slug=ti-griffey052108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">Griffey and the Silent 600</a>, which highlights something that I had also noticed: although Ken Griffey Jr. is approaching the impressive milestone of 600 career home runs, there is little fanfare or media coverage. Even the hometown Reds fans aren't excited about this milestone.</p><p>Of all the home run hitters in the modern era, he, along with <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4527">Frank Thomas</a>, are some of the few to have escaped without getting caught up in the steroid madness. Griffey's body doesn't fit the stereotypical HGHers mold, and there is no doubt that a lot of his success comes from the sweetness of his swing, not of a syringe. </p><p>For me, the defining moment of Griffey's career wasn't on the field, but instead at the end of his tenure with the Mariners. His teammate <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5275">Alex Rodriguez</a> had signed on with the Texas Rangers for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Rodriguez#Texas_Rangers">largest baseball contract of all time</a>, and the New York Yankees were approaching Griffey with a similarly bloated offer. Instead, he chose to go to his hometown <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffey#Tenure_in_Cincinnati">Cincinnati Reds for considerably less</a>. Although this did nothing to stem the tide of outrageous contracts in the late 1990s, I still admired Griffey's priorities.</p><p>Similarly, Griffey is an iconoclast today. A man who's reached a milestone through all natural means, but gets no attention for it, unlike last years cavalcade of shame while <a href="http://www.barrybonds.com/">Barry Bonds </a>approached the all-time record. </p><p>Ultimately, I think this is going to be the aftermath of the post-strike steroid era. The public's trust has been broken, and the honest, hard working and clean ball players will suffer because they don't get the credit they deserve, while the puffed up home run heroes like <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5386">Jason Giambi </a>attract all the media coverage for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giambi#BALCO_Scandal">apologies where they do not actually say what they're apologizing </a>for.</p><p>But for me, I still have my Reds cap, and my Ken Griffey Jr. unauthorized biography comic book, and I can't wait for him to hit his 600th homerun and truly earn his way into Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, because he was, and is, one of my baseball heroes.</p>John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-13833943820116593322008-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:002008-12-09T07:37:51.162-05:00Book Review: A Fighter's Heart<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SB9zCojOCNI/AAAAAAAAAGA/YV1JmbJJmvw/s1600-h/fightersheart_hr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SB9zCojOCNI/AAAAAAAAAGA/YV1JmbJJmvw/s320/fightersheart_hr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196998984090912978" border="0" /></a><br />One of the fastest growing sub-genres in sports writing is that of Martial Arts, particularly, Mixed Martial Arts. Thanks to television shows like <a href="http://www.spike.com/show/22307"><span style="font-style: italic;">the </span><em>Ultimate Fighter</em></a> and feature films like <a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/redbelt/"><em>Redbelt</em>. </a>There are books on how to roll, how to train, the importance of a good striking game, and, of course, the biographies of fighters like <a href="http://www.icemanmma.com/">Chuck Liddell</a> and <a href="http://www.matt-hughes.com/">Matt Hughes</a>.<br /><br />However, the book that stands head and shoulders above the rest is <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Fighters-Heart-One-Mans-Journey-Sam-Sheridan/9780802143433-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527Sam+Sheridan%2527"><em>A Fighter's Heart</em></a> by <a href="http://http//profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=156527425">Sam Sheridan</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A Fighter's Heart</span> is a memoir that details Sheridan's involvement and growing understanding of professional fighting. His story begins in Australia, where he takes up Muay Thai kickboxing as a way of staying fit and spending his considerable savings earned from being a ship's mate aboard a private yacht. He moves from Australia to the fabled <a href="http://www.fairtex.com/">Fairtex </a>gym in Thailand, and then on to training with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Miletich">Pat Miletich</a> in the American Midwest, he practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsiu with <a href="http://www.braziliantopteam.com/">Brazilian Top Team</a> in Rio, trains with an Olympic boxer in Oakland, tries tai chi in New York City with a master and even goes to Myanmar to see dog and cock fighting; throughout the journey he reflects on fighting and why it fascinates us.<br /><br />It is these reflections that make the book. There are already countless books on how to train, how to fight, which strategies are the best, all of that. Sheridan's book covers some of that, but really, it explores <span style="font-style: italic;">why </span>we fight. Of particular interest is the concept of "gameness". Our fascination with the ability to keep fighting, past the thresholds of pain and logic. It's a fascinating concept, and Sheridan does a great job of exploring it.<br /><br />Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I began reading this book, but after skimming the first chapter while at the World's Biggest Bookstore, I was intrigued. Sheridan's writing is engaging, and definitely a page-turner, a rarity in the world of fighter's autobiographies that are too often ghost-written and/or uninspired. He drew me in with his story, and his reflections on the value of gameness have stuck with me.<br /><br />This is a book that would appeal to fight fans and novices alike. Highly recommended.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-19872231526717304112008-04-28T16:32:00.006-04:002008-12-09T07:37:51.309-05:00The Mysteries of Baseball Management<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SBY0-ojOCMI/AAAAAAAAAF4/yDzkp_iTTUY/s1600-h/thomas.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194397470860118210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SBY0-ojOCMI/AAAAAAAAAF4/yDzkp_iTTUY/s400/thomas.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I love the sport of baseball. Although it definitely takes athletic prowess and skill, it really is a game that hinges on tactics and strategies. It takes a keen mind to conceive and execute a successful plan of attack in baseball.<br /><br />With that in mind, I can see no method to the madness of <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Columnists/Simmons_Steve/2008/04/27/5401811-sun.html">JP Ricciardi, the brains behind the Toronto Blue Jays</a>.<br /><br />Two seasons ago, the Blue Jays finished in second place in the American League East. Their biggest gaps were at shortstop where <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6269">John McDonald</a> had played brilliant defense but struggled at the plate; middle relief that often put the game out of reach; and a dependable second or third starting pitcher, preferably a left-hander.<br /><br />Ricciardi responded by signing aging slugger <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4527">Frank Thomas</a> to be the team's new designated hitter, even though they'd been one of the more offensively gifted clubs the year before. He made some other additions, but the Thomas acquisition was Ricciardi's biggest move.<br /><br />In no way did this address any of the team's needs. Admittedly, Frank Thomas proved to be a considerable asset, leading the Jays last year in home runs and RBI. He also made the Jays a more difficult team to pitch against. Pitching around him only added to the bases for solid hitters <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7254">Alex Rios</a>, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4848">Matt Stairs</a> and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6327">Vernon Wells</a>. It also took alot of pressure of those hitters, and other players in the Jays' line-up.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the Big Hurt is a notoriously slow starter, and he was struggling at the start of this season. After some heated exchanges between John Gibbons and Thomas, Thomas was given his release. Shortly afterwards, he was picked up by the <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/oak">Oakland Athletics</a>, with the Blue Jays picking up his $7 million tab.<br /><br />Maybe Thomas was a problem in the locker room. Maybe, as speculated in much of the press, it was a cost cutting measure. Even if both of those issues contributed to his release, the move still doesn't make sense.<br /><br />In both cases, Ricciardi should have moved him in the offseason, either for some draft picks or, better yet, some farm hands. It would have reduced the media attention and also meant that the Jays would have gotten something in return for Thomas. Instead of getting some bench depth, the Jays are now paying Frank Thomas to jack home runs for the competition, with literally nothing in return.<br /><br />This is madness.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-10810892545416809802008-04-23T11:56:00.003-04:002008-12-09T07:37:51.556-05:00Alex the Great<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SA9k3IjOCLI/AAAAAAAAAFw/I0M1oa50mo4/s1600-h/ovechkin_celebrates_article.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/SA9k3IjOCLI/AAAAAAAAAFw/I0M1oa50mo4/s400/ovechkin_celebrates_article.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192479793732257970" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Flyers downed the Washington Captials 3-2 in overtime, winning game seven of their playoff series. The Capitals could not match the physicality and veteran experience of the Flyers who were able to push their way into the next round.<br /><br />But with the completion of Alexander Ovechkin's third season, we have seen the beginning of the new National Hockey League. We have seen him become the league's clear-cut MVP, with an electrifying brand of hockey that can excite even the most casual fan.<br /><br />What I like best about Ovechkin isn't just his incendiary offense but how solid his overall play is. He doesn't just lead the Caps in goals and assists, he leads them in hits and plus/minus, showing that he has a well-rounded game that includes defensive prowess as well.<br /><br />He has been the cornerstone of a revitalized Washington Capitals, and has helped carve out a niche for the Caps in the DC market. Really, a remarkable feat given that beyond the Redskins, the number one sport in Washington is in Congress.<br /><br />There is, of course, the comparisons to Canada's own, Sidney Crosby. Where Crosby is taciturn with the media, underscoring years of practice having been under the spotlight since being an adolescent in Nova Scotia, Ovechkin is exuberant and goofy in front of the camera. Where Ovechkin plays up his awkward mastery of English and fools around with his teammates, Crosby is careful to say all the right things about the right people.<br /><br />For years to come we're going to be treated to seeing Ovechkin grow, mature, and become an even more dominant force on the ice. What'll be interesting is if he can maintain his fun-loving zest for life. But if this post-season is any indication, he'll not only perform, he'll thrive under the increased spotlight.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241866245729369703.post-2818787413934460622008-03-14T15:13:00.007-04:002008-12-09T07:37:51.933-05:00Book Review: Searching for Bobby Orr by Stephen Brunt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/R9rPQnXMJmI/AAAAAAAAAFY/GtseJFNTq94/s1600-h/SearchingBobbyOrr300px_wi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/R9rPQnXMJmI/AAAAAAAAAFY/GtseJFNTq94/s400/SearchingBobbyOrr300px_wi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177678605966911074" border="0" /></a> I have read many sports biographies, "auto"biographies where the writing is undoubtedly done by a ghost writer, legit autobiographies and other non-fiction accounts of sports. I've read Leigh Montville's biography of <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Ted-Williams-Biography-American-Hero/dp/0767913205/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205530492&sr=1-1">Ted Williams</a></span>, Jim Bouton's memoir <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Ball-Four-Jim-Bouton/dp/0020306652/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205530456&sr=8-1">Ball Four</a></span>, H.G. Bissinger's <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2007/12/book-review-friday-night-lights-by-hg.html">Friday Night Lights</a></span> and more recent releases like <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://the-cheapseats.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-hate-to-dwell-but.html">:07 Seconds or Less</a></span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Fantasyland</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Bobby-Orr-Stephen-Brunt/dp/product-description/0676976514">Searching for Bobby Orr</a></span> is in a league of its own.<br /><br />Stephen Brunt, a regular columnist for the <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/">Globe and Mail</a></span>, truly does an excellent job detailing the life of Bobby Orr, a notoriously uncooperative interview subject. Because he was denied personal access, Brunt relies on tons of background research in magazines, newspapers, and interviews of the people around him. Although he knows his subject very well, Brunt never gets too close, too admiring of Orr, providing the reader with a fairly objective account of what Bobby Orr is like.<br /><br />More impressively, Brunt even makes notorious lawyer-cum-fraud artist Alan Eagleson seem sympathetic. This is no easy task, especially for an audience of hockey fans who are more likely to sympathize with their on-ice heroes who were taken gross advantage of by Mr. Eagleson. However, Brunt is able to present both sides of the argument fairly, even scoring some fair points on behalf of Eagleson.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/R9r2iXXMJnI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Iu9J8UgOhjQ/s1600-h/orr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fvGSxTOV4Bo/R9r2iXXMJnI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Iu9J8UgOhjQ/s320/orr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177721791863072370" border="0" /></a><br />This is one of Brunt's strengths: he really humanizes the story. He has an empathetic writing style that humanizes the subject matter. For my part, I'd always heard of Bobby Orr, but certainly never seen him play. I never understood how important he was to the sport of hockey on or off the ice. I'd always grown up idolizing <a href="http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10278">Paul Coffey</a>'s offensive-defensive style, and I now appreciate that Orr is Coffey's stylistic ancestor.<br /><br />I highly recommend this book to anyone who's got even a passing interest in hockey. It's a great read.John Chidley-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557793842528552453noreply@blogger.com0