Category: Sport

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I like to call him Viggy

Alain VigneaultMeet the new man behind the bench[canucks]. The Vancouver Canucks did what most people thought would happen in the first place by bringing up Alain Vigneault[wiki] from the team’s AHL affiliate, Manitoba Moose. Coming off of that pretty good, first season with that team, his previous experience, in the NHL and junior hockey leagues, is respectable as well.

So what’s next? Can we all breathe a collective sigh of relief and look forward to the coming season? The draft is just days away, and I would like to think that this is a guy who is going to have a good idea of what’s going on through the majority of the Canuck’s system. I had a feeling that they would wait until the finals were over to make the announcement, so maybe with a new guy in place and free agents looking around for next season’s contender, it’ll be an interesting next couple of months.

Rebecca got us tickets for the 2006 draft coming up this weekend at GM Place. This is going to really try my knowledge about who is who in the up and coming world of hockey. And when I say world, I mean world. I barely know anyone that plays in the WHL in the immediate area, so when Europe comes into play, I’m beyond clueless. Who knows though. Maybe I’ll surprise myself at how much I do know. I’ll bring the recording gear along and see what I can capture.

And by the way, Hurricanes won the cup last night[nhl]. Good for them, great game, incredible series, and a shame the cup couldn’t belong to Canada. Have to give credit to the Carolina fans. Yes, hockey can work in Raleigh, but I hope it keeps up when their team ain’t doing so hot. With hope, these finals have brewed some lifelong hockey fans for years to come.

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Guardian Unlimited Podcast: World Cup 2006

Guardian UnlimitedI have been subscribed to the podcast from the Guardian Unlimited[wiki] for the FIFA World Cup 2006 for the last few days(all Guardian Unlimited podcasts can be found here). For some one like myself, this is the perfect companion to everything World Cup. The information about each of the teams is golden, but you also get insights into the world of futbol as well, finding out more about the players, coaches, and officials involved.

It’s highly entertaining as well. In addition to Guardian reporters checking in from nearly every single match to give their reports and opinions, everyone’s personality gets a chance to shine. For instance, Sean Ingle’s adventures as a vegetarian in the heart of German sausage country and surviving a dog attack to his hind quarters has me checking in to see what’s going to happen to him next. You can also post your comments to their blog and call them up on Skype to chime in with your opinions.

The World Cup is getting closer to the half way point, so there’s still plenty of time to check it out. I should also mention that this comes from folks in the U.K., where futbol is a way of life for some. If you’re in the states and craving more World Cup action, this might be worth your time.

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Wireless is a big deal to baseball, Cubs

A major milestone for baseball, the Chicago Cubs, and folks like me that dig it.

The Chicago Cubs and Motorola, Inc. will unveil the League’s first wireless bullpen communication system on June 13, 2006 at historic Wrigley Field, Major League Baseball’s second-oldest ballpark. Motorola developed the MOTOTALK(TM) system in cooperation with the Chicago Cubs, ushering in a new era for bullpen phone communication.  [tmcnet]

I’m all for new technology doing cool things, but this is a tad nutty for a new way to talk to the bullpen, not to mention that you could almost yell down to it from the dugout if you wanted to.

Installation of the new phone system is being treated as history-in-the-making. Major League Baseball and the Hall of Fame will be in attendance to witness the first wireless call to the bullpen by Cubs Manager Dusty Baker or Houston Astros’ Manager Phil Garner, according to the press release. And following the game, the Motorola i580 phone will be taken to Cooperstown, home of baseball’s Hall of Fame, and placed on display.  [cnet]

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Never knew I liked the futbol so much

I don’t like calling it soccer. I do it anyway, but there’s a big part of me that wants to call it football. When I say that, I see Nile Kinnick[wiki], black and gold, helmets, persistant pain in my hip during my sophomore year of high school, shoulder pads, getting the full-back’s knee in the head, the fifty-yard line, and a blur of other images associated with professional and college leagues of American football(Go Chiefs! and Go Hawks!). I’m not the biggest supporter of the pigskin, but the game does lure in my attention from time to time, much to Rebecca’s un-amusement.

With the World Cup in full swing, I’m digging it. So I’m trying to distinguish the two through my hispanic roots, but it’s not quite there yet. In spanish, it’s “futbol”. The football I grew up with is “futbol Americano”. I had Univision on my cable package back in Iowa, so every weekend they were showing a game with that word “futbol” plastered all over the graphics. Futbol on Univision! Play-by-play in spanish! You bet I’m up for watching, even though 90% of what is said kinda flies right by me.

I’m trying to condition myself to have that difference through simple stressing of syllables. Futbol is soccer. Football is American football. Canadian football[wiki] is a little out of the realm of my interests right now, but amusing none the less. It’s when Costa Rica scored a goal against Germany that I yelped and realized, “I’m kinda into this.”

And by the way, the U.S. is ranked #5 right now, so what happened today against the Czechs?  Maybe I have a lot to learn about this sport, but it pained me everytime we sent the ball back to the goalie, not to mention sending it back to midfield from the attacking zone, past players who were at a stand-still, watching the action around them.  Is it that they are playing their position, zone, or what?  It was like watching a hockey team pass the puck around twenty times, looking for that perfect play to open up for a goal when they should just be shooting at the goal every chance that they can.  It was not good.

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I’m thinking of a word right now, but it’s not kitty

World Cup Winners - rathergood.comI’m getting more and more excited for the World Cup[wiki]. I know next to nothing about anyone in the sport other than the fact that David Beckham[wiki] is married to Posh Spice. I also know that in America, we call it soccer, even though the sport has been around longer than American football.

This short from rathergood.com gets you even more in the mood, regardless of who you are pulling for. As to who I’m going for, I can’t really say. Like I said, I know very little. I do hear that the U.S. is an underdog favorite. There’s also that part of me that likes Mexico, and Brazil is always worth checking out.

Living in such an international city as Vancouver, it’ll be tough not paying attention to the festivities. I hear Commercial Drive is the place to be. I’ll have to check it out, maybe even bring some recording gear along with me.

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Fueling my constant concern

I’m not liking the news coming from the organizers for the 2010 Olympics.

Ice hockey will be played on the smaller North American-sized surface during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver in a bid to save money, organizers said on Wednesday.

Olympic hockey has traditionally been played on the larger ice surfaces used in European leagues, but officials said the change would save an estimated $10 million (Canadian) in construction costs and allow room for more seats. [espn]

For me, this goes further than being a hockey fan. I have this constant wonder about the planning and execution for the coming games. We are less than four years away now, and I am always looking around town for evidence that all will be in place for when the flame is lit. There is talk of not worrying about cost, then having to ask for more funding, that everything will be ready in time, and now cutting a few corners to allow for a lower cost. It makes me feel a little uneasy about it all.

Keeping the smaller rinks makes sense. It benefits Vancouver, and Canada for the matter, in the long run because there can be more done with the venues later once the games are over without having to de-renovate GM Place and so on. There’s also that slight feeling of taking the slow and steady inhale of air to hold your breath as 2010 approaches and more surprises pop up. I’m already crossing my fingers.

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Another season, another year

ZambranoNot everything has been dismal this season, but it hasn’t been that great either.  Wood and Prior are back on the mend, but I swear I’ve heard that story before.  Our big man, Lee, gets hurt just as the weight of the team tosses itself on his shoulders.  Pierre was the answer to our Patterson prayers only to have a weak start to the season.  And we bid farewell to a usually solid Harriston Jr., bringing in a bigger bat from Texas the hopes that the offense can be stronger.  I know for a fact that I’ve heard that story more than a few times.

All isn’t lost just yet.  The road to a respectable season is totally there, but the playoffs are turning into a crapshoot.  Sure, the all-star break hasn’t even gone by, but the way this year is panning out, it’s not looking very hopefull.  I’m not giving up, and you can bet that I am completely prepared to eat my words.

Lots of teams have risen to the challenge, battling their way back into contension.  How many times have we looked at this team only to think that there is no way we can’t have a great season this year?  And then, they start getting picked off one by one.  Injuries, slumps, and so on.  It’s the heartbreak of being a Cubs fan.  I wouldn’t want to be anything else.

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Ready for a good finish

Who do I want to win the Stanley Cup? I get so torn when I think about it, but you know that this is going to be a good battle as we head to the finish. The Oilers have fought with everything they have to make it to this point. Carolina is one of the few teams that have lived up to the talk and worked hard all season to be the success that they’ve been.

Putting all stats and history aside, I still go back and forth about who to really cheer for. The fact that the Hurricanes used to be the team once known as the Hartford Whalers[wiki] makes me want them to take it in a very Jason Lee from Mallrats[imdb] sort of way. The other part of me loves the fact that Ryan Smith of the Oilers wants the cup so bad that losing three teeth couldn’t keep him out of the same match he setup the game winning goal to against San Jose. There’s the idea of wanting a Canadian team to take the cup, and the fact that I’m drawn to goalies makes me very impressed with Ward’s perfomance in the net for the Canes.

I don’t know. I’m sure once things get underway tonight, I’ll start to dig in on one side. Rebecca tells me that as a Canucks fan, one shouldn’t cheer for Edmonton, but I don’t have that life long history of a grudge against them, or whatever reason it is that I’m missing that tells myself that I shouldn’t be pulling for the Oilers. I can say that about Calgary, but I digress. I think take my enjoyment of sports at too much of a leisure for some. Just give me a good series that can hold me over until this fall.

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2010 Riot

I caught wind of this from Daily Vancouver’s 2010 Coverage[post]. Is it evidence of people still having a grudge about the 2010 Winter Olympics coming to town? It’s not exactly clear, but you can find “2010 Riot” scribbled in various places around Vancouver. I snapped this picture at the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal[britishcolumbia.com].

Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal - 2010 Riot

A search[google] comes up with little in terms of any clues, and here’s another photo example.  It’s got me curious.

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It Might Be All Too True

The Onion posted a sports article recently that might actually be closer to the truth rather than the statirical humor we’ve all grown to love and enjoy. The headline reads, “Royals Hire Tom Emanski To Teach Them Fundamentals Of Baseball“.  Now we all know that The Onion runs news that is fake, but this one might just be pretty spot on.

I realize that being a Cubs fan, I don’t have a lot of room to talk right now.  However, the Royals haven’t had the best record for the last few seasons.  KC fans are some of the best fans out there, and I have family in the metro area that are a true example of this.  But if anyone sees my grandma, I never wrote this and I don’t know you.