Tuesday, January 28, 2014
A Look at the Sochi Games
Russian Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014: 10 Amazing Facts About The Most Expensive Games Ever
The Winter Olympic Games set to unfold in the Russian beach resort town of Sochi was plagued by controversy right from the start.
When organizers struck down a request by NGO Pride House to set up shop in Sochi, Russia’s policies on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights came under close scrutiny. Then there are widespread allegations over corruption in the provisions of services and facilities. Critics accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of cronyism in awarding contracts and mismanagement of funds.
The facilities needed for games, from venues to cargo terminals, were heavily criticized for environmental and geological hazards they might pose. The skewing of real estate prices in and around the venue was also put in question. Meanwhile, political activists have not made it easier for the organizers to market the games. Safety and security are very real concerns in an area that has traditionally been a hotbed of political dissent and conflict.
Despite all these, sports enthusiasts the world over remain steadfast in their faith. The Olympic spirit represents all that is true, good, and beautiful in the human spirit and when the history of the Sochi games are remembered, the controversies will be documented, the interesting facts archived, but amazing tales such as these will be be remembered and talked about for a long time.
The infographic features a selection from the many tales of triumph, tragedy, pride and glory in the history of the Winter Olympics. There will always be enduring achievements that will be forever remembered, such as Bjorn Daehlie’s 12 Olympic medals, or the Eddie Eagan and his singular achievement of being the only athlete to win gold at both the Summer and Winter games. And there’s the fact that Russia, famous for its cold and cruel winters, chose to host the Winter Olympics in the subtropical resort town of Sochi, where palm trees sway amidst the new venues constructed at the beachfront Olympic park.
Super Bowl 48
In just a few days,
the football will be kicked off to start Super Bowl XLVIII at the Meadowlands in New Jersey,
across the Hudson from New York City. In its supposed wisdom, the National
Football League decided to try a game in the colder climate. That decision has
been called into question, especially considering the type of winter that has
been experienced thus far in North America. For the record, I have always
maintained that there must be a roof on every stadium north of the Mason-Dixon
Line. All games that are designed for fair weather should be played in fair
weather situations.
The Seattle Seahawks
and the Denver Broncos will simply have to deal with it. Naturally, the
quarterbacks will be the players most involved in the game. Both Peyton Manning
from the Broncos, and Russell Wilson from the Seahawks have experienced nasty
weather conditions in their careers. But this is the big game, on the big
stage, and the quality of football should not have to suffer at the hands of Mother
Nature. Rest assured, it will. Balls that should be caught will be dropped,
there may be some slipping and sliding on a frozen turf, punts will not behave
normally.
Peyton Manning
We are now in the
second week of anticipation before the Super Bowl. I am certain that most
players are chomping at the bit. Enough media coverage. Enough practice. Enough
of the inane questions often irrelevant to the game. Fans have their chip bowls
full, the fridge is packed with favourite bubbly, all of the squares on the
pool sheets are full. There is more anticipation for this championship game
than any other, considering the time lapse between the semi-finals, and the big
game.
The Seahawks are
highly touted as the best defensive team, the Broncos as an offensive threat.
That will make things interesting. In most similar circumstances, the opposite
occurs once the game gets under way. The Hawks defense will suffer lapses, and
the Broncos offence will stutter. It always happens that way. The teams are
drilled by a large number of coaches, and they are prepared for almost all
eventualities. The game will be won by the team that gets the most breaks, the
team that makes the fewest errors, the team that shows some ingenuity.
Russell Wilson
Ingenuity comes in
the form of quirky calls and unintended plays. Punters fumble snaps, look
downfield and find open receivers. Disaster is averted, resulting in first
downs. Receivers tip balls into the arms of other players, hopefully ones who
wear the same coloured jersey. Fumbles squirt along slippery fields into the
arms of friends and foes. Defensive backfielders appear out of nowhere, snatch errant
passes, and head to the end zone. Hopefully, the game will not become a comedy
of errors due to the playing conditions. But I would not rule that out.
Fumble!!
Both quarterbacks are brilliant, and will be responsible for the success or failure of their teams. But there are 10 other players with them on every play, and they are important as well. The Hawks are led in their ground game by Marshawn Lynch, and quarterback Wilson, always a threat to run. The Seahawks hope to have Percy Harvin in the lineup, recently plagued by injury. The Broncos are in the hands of Manning, tossing to the likes of Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, and Willis McGahee out of the backfield.
Both quarterbacks are brilliant, and will be responsible for the success or failure of their teams. But there are 10 other players with them on every play, and they are important as well. The Hawks are led in their ground game by Marshawn Lynch, and quarterback Wilson, always a threat to run. The Seahawks hope to have Percy Harvin in the lineup, recently plagued by injury. The Broncos are in the hands of Manning, tossing to the likes of Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, and Willis McGahee out of the backfield.
One last thing. I do
hope that Roger Goodell and his henchmen will look at the kickoff rules after
the game. The purpose of the kickoff is to start the game, usually with some
fanfare. More often than not, receivers down the ball in the end zone for a
touchback. Dead play. No fun. Fix that, Mr. Commissioner, when you have a
moment.
January 28, 2014
James Hurst
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
International Hockey-Juniors and the Big Boys
Last week I shared some information
with you about the Post Cereal Canadian Hockey League cards. Many of those
players spent the holidays in Malmo, Sweden, competing in the World Junior
Championships.
There was a fair amount of weeping
and gnashing of teeth after the dust had settled from that tournament. The
Canadian boys lost the Bronze Medal game to the Russians, for a second straight
year. The Russians had advanced to that game by way of a defeat to the Swedes.
The Swedish team was strong, and the stands were packed with fans supporting
the home squad.
The Russians had defeated the
Americans in the quarter finals, which was somewhat shocking, as the Americans
were the defending champs. The Canadians had also beaten the Americans, in the
preliminary round. The Canadians bested
the Swiss in the quarter finals to face the Finns in the semi-final game.
The Finns won the tournament, to
everyone’s surprise. They defeated the Canadians 5-1 in the semi-final, and the
Swedes in the final.
Canadian teams always fare better
when the tournament is held in North America. Certainly, there is always that
jetlag factor to consider. We fans never really know the extent of injuries to
the players. The kids are thrown together for the tournament. They are in the
middle of the hockey season with their own teams, trying to get to the Memorial
Cup. It is not the best time of year to showcase the best we have, as a
country.
And that is what is expected for the
Olympics. The team has been chosen, and they will depart for Sochi, Russia in a
couple of weeks. There was a good deal of speculation regarding the selection
of players. The chatter on sports television was almost endless. Personally, I
leave those choices in the hands of the people who know what they are doing in
their selections. Steve Yzerman chose to leave one of his own players from the
Tampa Bay Lightning off the team. Martin St. Louis is a very fine hockey
player, and he may be offended by Yzerman’s decision. What comes of that
decision is anybody’s guess.
Most local fans were pleased to see
that P. K. Subban was chosen to play on the Olympic team. The talking heads in
the sports world had Subban “on the bubble” as a member of the team. He did,
after all, win the Norris Trophy last year as the league’s best defenceman. He
scored a winning goal the other night in overtime to give the Habs a victory.
He certainly plays an unconventional style, sometimes throwing caution to the
wind; however, with a sensible choice of a defense partner, P. K. will provide
a spark to the Canadian game.
These Olympic Games have already been
controversial. They are the most expensive yet to date, and have serious
political undertones. The Russian government is not exactly in favour of
same-sex marriage. Well, what did you expect? The Americans boycotted the Games
in Moscow in 1980 because the Russians
had invaded Afghanistan! And the Russians boycotted the games in 1984 in
Los Angeles because the Americans had
boycotted their Games! Around and around we go…..
Here in Fort Myers, I will have to
adjust to American coverage of the games. It may be somewhat slanted. Perhaps a
little!
James Hurst
January 17, 2014
Sportslices.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Hunter and His Honeycombs
Our grandson Hunter really enjoys his
Honeycomb cereal. To add to his pleasure, and to his education, Post Cereal has
recently added a program to keep his interest at the breakfast table.
There are 24 hockey cards available
to collectors in the program; however, Hunter is more interested in the boxes. Six
players from the Canadian Hockey League are pictured on the boxes. He can spend
as long as it takes to devour a couple of bowls, studying the boxes intensely.
Therein lies the education factor.
Without a doubt, he has learned a lot
of language from cereal boxes in his seven years. Last year, Post introduced
its hockey program, and that was just fine for him. While he ate, he asked
about pronunciations, particularly about names uncommon to him. For example,
one of the players featured on the boxes this year is Connor McDavid. That is
no problem for him, especially since he has an uncle David; however on the
Shreddies box is Laurent Dauphin. That was arrived at with some difficulty, as
it contains one of those consonant blends, and the “au” vowel grouping pronounced
as an “o” in French.
2012-2013 Post Shreddies with Belleville Bull Malcolm Subban
It’s a “Hooked on Phonics” lesson in
the kitchen. The other players on the boxes, you ask? Sean Monahan, Josh Morrissey,
Frederik Gauthier, and a namesake for him, Hunter Shinkaruk. Helping him with
all of those names has been a good lesson to begin with. Add to that the other
18 players in the series, and there is a heap of learnin’ going on.
I can personally vouch for the
exercise. Cereal companies have been featuring sports cards in their
promotional programs for years. When my children were young, Wayne Gretzky was
featured in a program. The whole concept began in 1960 with the Post Company.
In 1961, they featured baseball players from the major leagues on the back of
the boxes, to be cut carefully from the box. The Mantle and Maris cards have
increased in value many time over, fetching more than a thousand dollars in
fine condition.
I checked on this year’s Post
Collection on one eBay site. The Connor McDavid card was advertised for $
14.95, plus shipping, taxes, and handling, of course. I found an easier way to
get McDavid’s card, and it does not cost a dime. Inside the box is a special
number. I got on the proper Post site, entered the number, and qualified to
receive Connor’s card, as well as three cards from other CHL stars. I was
informed that I would have to wait up to six weeks for my cards. Wrong! They arrived
in a little cellophane package in a fortnight! In a short period of time, I had
the cards for Hunter’s collection.
There are 24 cards in the program,
requiring six numbers from the boxes. They feature players from the three CHL leagues:
Ontario, Western, and Quebec.
You will find all of the pertinent
details on the boxes. There are also Sugar Crisp, Honey Shreddies, and
Alpha-Bits in the program. It is a very easy way to encourage a seven-year-old
to start his or her day!
Bon appétit!
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
January 14, 2014
Sunday, January 05, 2014
Helmer Begins His Coaching Career
I went into the Peterborough Petes dressing room area after their recent
game against the Belleville
I basically dragged
Helmer out of the room, and down the hall past the curtain which keeps the
public away from the players and management. At that point, he was overwhelmed
by the Wellington delegation waiting for him:
the Baitleys, and the Lavenders, the Hursts
Bryan Helmer, behind the Petes Bench
Bryan Helmer is in
his first year behind the bench as the assistant coach of the OHL Peterborough Bryan
I asked Hull Bryan
Helmer is really
enjoying the challenge. “I really wasn’t expecting this. But when I got the
call from Jody, I responded immediately. In my role as the person responsible
for the defense, I hope I can contribute. That’s the position I played my whole
life.”
Regarding the game
against the Belleville Bulls, both Helmer and Hull Niagara .
They lost one of their key players. So they were not really sharp against us.
And we played well.”
Helmer has played for
16 teams since turning pro in 1993. He had stints with the Capitals, Blues,
Coyotes, and Canucks, at the NHL level. He did contemplate retirement on a
couple of occasions over the past few years, but officially hung up the skates
last spring. He will be 42 in July.
If one were to scan
columns appearing in The Times over the years about Bryan Helmer, one would
realize that the same theme exists year after year: a man of heart, character,
dignity, and fierce determination. A hockey guy, through and through. Helmer spent
hours in his professional career, visiting hospitals and schools, perking up
the lives of the less fortunate.
There will be a
tribute to Bryan Helmer at the DukeDome on Friday, January 17th.
Thankfully, the Petes do not play that evening! Former teammate Tod Lavender
expects fourteen of “Hermie’s” former mates to be on hand. Dukes entertain Trenton
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
January 5, 2014
