Sports Abound

Happy New Year to all of my readers! 2011 is now here, and today must be one of the best days ever because it is 1/1/11! How cool is that? Anyway, today would be resolution day for millions of people around the country and world. That leads me to wonder, what should my resolution be? I'm not sure somebody because I am not that much different than most other people. I have a great idea for a resolution, but it lasts about five days before I don't worry about it anymore. New Year's Day is also a big day in the sports world. Of course, football is huge today with probably the second most popular football game of the year, the Rose Bowl which is second only to the Super Bowl of course. Also, we have outdoor hockey in Boston. That seems pretty cool, but I might only enjoy it this year because it is warm outside. I really have little love of freezing or being cold in general, so watching people skate on ice while sitting outside would not be my ideal day. However, the weather is beautiful and pretty warm today in New England, so I hope everything goes off well!

Photo by dsearles on Flickr

Support a Friend

Okay, I know that you are used to me writing every day. However I have something that I would rather have you read today. One of my friends from high school got published on a nationally read hockey blog because he gave 10 great reasons why he was the one who would be best to make picks for this week. His name is Matt Desmarais, and I would love for you all to support him. Trust me, he is pretty hilarious. However, come back tomorrow for more writing from me.
Photo by garryknight on Flickr

Trophy Error

Ironically, the day after we are in Philadelphia, they manage to win. Well, what are you going to do?

However, I have a somewhat funnier story than that. Do you think that it would be possible for a major sports trophy to accidentally be engraved with the wrong team? I would have answered in the negative, but I would have been wrong. I don't know a lot about NHL trophies, but apparently the Prince of Wales Trophy is given to the winner of the Eastern conference every year. Those of you might remember, the Philadelphia Flyers won the Eastern conference last year. However, look at that photo I borrowed from Yahoo. That's right; the title was given to the Washington Capitals. However, the story gets better. Nobody would believe him, and the Hall of Fame said that the pictures were somehow contrived with Photoshop. It seemed like no other media outlets were picking up this story, but finally one blog picked it up and finally the Hall of Fame admitted that it had made a mistake. This is kind of a big mistake to make however, and as I have learned from the Phillies game, I doubt that Flyer fans will be any more forgiving. The trophy has been corrected though, so hopefully the Hall of Fame will move on.

Trophy Error

Ironically, the day after we are in Philadelphia, they manage to win. Well, what are you going to do?

However, I have a somewhat funnier story than that. Do you think that it would be possible for a major sports trophy to accidentally be engraved with the wrong team? I would have answered in the negative, but I would have been wrong. I don't know a lot about NHL trophies, but apparently the Prince of Wales Trophy is given to the winner of the Eastern conference every year. Those of you might remember, the Philadelphia Flyers won the Eastern conference last year. However, look at that photo here on Yahoo. That's right; the title was given to the Washington Capitals. However, the story gets better. Nobody would believe him, and the Hall of Fame said that the pictures were somehow contrived with Photoshop. It seemed like no other media outlets were picking up this story, but finally one blog picked it up and finally the Hall of Fame admitted that it had made a mistake. This is kind of a big mistake to make however, and as I have learned from the Phillies game, I doubt that Flyer fans will be any more forgiving. The trophy has been corrected though, so hopefully the Hall of Fame will move on.

Contract Interference

It is interesting to think about Ilya Kovalchuk and his rejected contract with the New Jersey Devils. The NHL said that his 17 year, $102,000,000 contract was illegal. I do understand the NHL in some sense because the last five years of his contract he makes under $1,000,000. However, at this point in his career, he would be in his 40s and probably not playing anyway. Therefore, it appears as if the end of the contract is just meant to reduce the average salary for each year. Why does this matter? It matters because the average is what is calculated for the salary cap. This means that the Devils would have a lot more room to operate while retaining Kovalchuk during his best years.

I see why this might be a problem, but I'm not sure if the NHL should interfere. The reason I am concerned about it is because there was an agreement made between the player and team. If it legally put them in violation, I understand interference. However, they did everything by the rules. I don't think that this would become a major problem in the NHL if they would have let this go so. I don't think very many guys would want to stay with the team forever anyway.
Photo  by Mykl Roventine on Flickr

Championship Drought Ended

When I heard this morning that the Blackhawks have ended a 49 year drought between Stanley Cup victories, I had to think about that. The reason being that 49 years is a long time for an organization to wait between major victories. As a Phillies fan, I had to wait since 1980 which was before I was born until we captured the World Series two years ago in 2008. I thought 28 years was bad, but I can't imagine another 13 years. I would have been 38 which is far too old to enjoy your team's first World Series victory. However, some people like Red Sox and Cubs fans went their whole lives without seeing a World Series victory which would also be depressing. I guess that tells something about the dedication these fans have, but I am sure that these fans would gladly give up the perception of being dedicated for a championship, but at least we can praise them for something while they wait. Now, I am waiting for October or possibly early November to see another title brought to Philadelphia. Of course, we have to start scoring some runs first, but if we can straighten that out, it will happen.
Photo by Jim Epler on Flickr

Youth Coaching

Think about all that you need to learn when you enter kindergarten. Everything is new, and everything is probably different than it was at your home. You need to learn how to do math, write basic letters and read them, and do it all within a schedule that you probably never had before; no one cares when you want to stop building with blocks and watch TV at home. In a somewhat similar way, this is similar to beginning to play any sport. There are now rules and different skills you need to learn in order to be successful. Also, like basic letterwriting or 1+1, the fundamentals are incredibly basic, but if you do not have them, you will not be able to succeed a higher level. Think about trying to do algebra without 1+1; it is the same as trying to play football without proper tackling form or hockey without any puck control. This is why youth coaching is so important; if the fundamentals are not in place at an early age, they will still need to be developed when other kids at the same age are advancing to much more technical and usually more effective skills. Youth coaches are usually parent volunteers, but they deserve so much more credit than they get; without them, our youth sports programs and consequently our higher-level programs would all fall apart.
Photo by Chase N on Flickr

Winning

Okay, I am changing up the story for this week. Don't worry, I will return to the business world in a while, but right now enjoy another new installment of Fiction Friday!

How to make it to the goal effectively, how to somehow deke their goalie, and how to put another point on the board. These questions rotated through my head at intervals that were so regular I felt like I was watching the stock report on Bloomberg. I had been in somewhat of a slump lately. Coming off of my fifth consecutive game without a point, I felt like my hockey mates were expecting more from me. Granted, I expected more from myself too. I'm not exactly what you might call "a good loser." I am out there to win; as Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." This may not sound at all healthy; I probably sound insane to most of you, but it seems like I have some unquenchable thirst for victory. Winning makes me feel good; it makes me feel like I have fulfilled the hopes of my teammates. I don't want to win just for myself. I have seen my teammates break down in the locker room following a tough loss and have seen the pain they have gone through. My teammates are my brothers, and I will not allow family to be in pain. We need to watch out for each other and each other's best interests. That is why I must save my teammates from this; you would save your family from sorrow and disappointment, so I save mine. If only I was able to start dominating once again.
Photo by Chase N on Flikr