tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886857905785719562024-03-14T14:16:12.562-04:00Hab it her wayEver notice that "la sainte flannelle" is feminine?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger565125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-38835256920260557222017-09-27T17:13:00.002-04:002017-09-27T17:13:56.081-04:00The unwanted White House visitThis week in "nobody asked you" (or maybe they did, but... it's Pittsburgh so I didn't notice), the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they would go forward with the traditional Stanley Cup winners' visit to the White House. I get it, they're trying to be different. They're trying not to get disinvited like Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors did, or find themselves the focus of a propaganda storm like many NFL players now are. I guess #PleaseLikeMySport has extended beyond Twitter and is now a reality of the American political spectrum.<br />
<br />
In a way, I get it. Some people want to be Taylor Swift: they want to control their image, keep focus on them, exclude themselves from the narrative. They don't want to risk losing profits just by making a statement. They're afraid to agree AND to disagree. They have made their choice to remain apolitical in an increasingly politically charged society. We as spectators are not obligated to agree with that choice.<br />
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I certainly don't agree with that choice. But I can see how being voluntold to visit the White House, at a time and in a climate so toxic and unfavourable, could work for someone who doesn't want to be there. Here's what I would do if I were a Pittsburgh Penguin right now:<br />
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I'd consider skipping the day altogether, regardless of whether or not I was allowed to. (I mean, I can just use the same excuse that Jonathan Drouin did that one time, right?)<br />
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If not, I'd go, but refuse to shake any hands, be photographed with, or speak to any of this government's major players unless I had an opportunity to truly take the time to say a few important things to them. The business of sports is held afloat by exactly the same kind of people that this regime has tried to silence, and it's time someone did something. Maybe my words would hold some value as a Stanley Cup winner, a fellow face of NBC, and one of the few athletes willing to even breathe the same air as an undeserving world leader. Then again, maybe they wouldn't.<br />
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I could also refuse to bring the Stanley Cup to the people who run the White House, and make the visit about the people who keep things running day-to-day. I'd meet the journalists who mill around the press room, waiting to be fed lies in the hope of exposing something important. I'd meet the housekeepers who probably don't get enough thanks for their work. I'd meet the chef who makes that famous chocolate cake. A Stanley Cup is not won by one goal. It's won by an entire team and the staff who supports them. It's high time someone acknowledges the White House's team, the people who get left behind when all the news out of Washington is bad news.<br />
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That, or I'd ask to be left in the Oval Office alone so I could shout some <i>Scandal</i> quotes at the Stanley Cup.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-53210924756765974882016-10-13T16:22:00.001-04:002016-10-13T16:28:42.090-04:00Plus/Minus: Doctor, Doctor, give me the news<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In case you missed the news, someone identifying himself only as Dr. CK took out a full-page ad in the Montreal Gazette today to publish a letter expressing how sad he was that P.K. Subban isn't a Canadien anymore. (We don't know Dr. CK’s gender, and I hate to make assumptions, but let's be real he's probably a dude. I don't know many women who'd part with that much money just to not be a fan of their favourite team. I do, however, know some male politicians who'd spend stacks of money on "investigative commissions" and gazebos and at least one male NHL GM who thought Scott Gomez was worth nine million American dollars. Sorry, gents, but I'm pinning this one on you.) If you haven't read it, here's a quick summary: "Dear P.K., you are an awesome player and a good dude and I miss you already. You deserved to wear the CH for your entire career like so many legends who came before you. Also, I'm assuming you are still a loyal reader of the Montreal Gazette. Dear people who traded P.K., I'm super mad at you and we're not friends anymore. Like, I'm not even going to open my envelope of season tickets. So I took out this full-page ad because I thought you'd want to know.”<br />
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Now, I'm still very upset about the trade. I haven't written here since it happened. I spent the summer contemplating backup NHL teams and/or a sleep schedule that would allow me to watch a full night's worth of NBA games and still wake up in time for work the next day. I did not, however, spend a ton of money to self-publish on the same medium that Lesley Chesterman uses to complain that she had to wait for a table at a popular restaurant.<br />
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According to a journalist at CBC, a full-page ad in the Gazette costs around $20 000. Season tickets for 2016-17 start at $1795. The money that Dr. CK is spending to not attend games would fund at least 27 round-trip flights to Nashville for a weekend, or 128 Preds jerseys with #76 on them, or multiples of every item tagged "PK Subban" on Etsy. Or nearly two thousand beers at the Bell Centre. Or 174 tickets to the Montreal Children's Hospital's <a href="http://montrealincognito.com/incognito_en/" target="_blank">next fundraiser</a>. Dr. CK spent more money on the Habs this fall than I earned – overall, pre-tax – the year that I started this blog. Was it worth it? Let's break it down.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">PLUS</span></b><br />
<b>+ </b>Dr. CK, You're injecting a lot of money into local journalism, and maybe single-handedly saving print media.<br />
<b>+ </b>You inspire hope in young Montrealers who thought they'd have to move to Toronto to make that kind of cash.<br />
<b>+ </b>I mean, at least you already have your tickets to the Habs-Preds game, right?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">MINUS</span></b><br />
<b>- </b>You could've just joined Instagram to tell P.K. you miss him.<br />
<b>- </b>By paying for your season tickets and letting them sit in an envelope, you're still giving money to the very team that you no longer want to support, but you aren't getting anything in return.<br />
<b>- </b>You'll just be the latest in an unfortunately long history of potentially embarrassing Habs fans that the rest of us have to answer for. Seriously, Dr. CK, if you've never been on the receiving end of endless insults from some loser Penguins/Leafs/Bruins/Flyers fan who can't let anything go... then maybe you've missed more games than you think.<br />
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The Golden State Warriors fanbase is full of people like this, isn’t it? There is truly no escape.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-57820386275867077372016-06-23T13:54:00.003-04:002016-06-23T13:54:49.625-04:00I didn't watch the NHL Awards this year. I doubt I needed to.I can't believe we're still talking about this.<br />
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Patrick Kane won the Hart Trophy because people voted for him, yes. Because he played hockey and was good at it, yes. He was able to play hockey because his criminal activities did not interfere with his schedule. They very rarely do when a criminal is also a successful athlete. We've seen this from so many athletes, in so many sports, that some people have come to accept it as normal. That a subset of the population exists solely to seek out men who are good at sports and falsely accuse them of crimes. We believe them only when there is video evidence, and even then, continue to question them.<br />
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I refuse to believe it is at all possible that so many pro athletes were tragically falsely accused of crimes (everything from shoplifting to battery to sexual assault) and received a mitzvah when the charges were miraculously dropped or they were found not guilty. I refuse to believe that someone with a history of violence and alcohol abuse is always going to be innocent.<br />
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If you're wondering why I didn't watch or write about hockey much this season, there's your answer. The sports world has shown me its dark side. And I don't like it. And I will choose how much or how little I want to support it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-27024443125367171562016-05-06T18:10:00.000-04:002016-05-06T18:10:19.361-04:00Living Legends2016 has been an especially rough year for celebrity deaths, and I'm not sure any of us really know what to do about losing so many artists whose work shaped our lives. One thing always crosses my mind when we lose a major player. Did I appreciate them enough while they were alive? The answer, unfortunately, is usually no. I didn't get to see the Beastie Boys before MCA passed, and I missed two opportunities to see Prince in the last 11 months. (And how dare I miss the legendary Queen concert at the Forum, before I was even born?)<br />
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I'm making it a point to appreciate the incredible musical artists that I get to listen to in my lifetime (and theirs), and I've enlisted a few friends to make their picks as well:<br />
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<b>Janelle Monae</b><br />
When you think about it, it makes perfect sense that Prince worked with Janelle Monae. She's one of the only artists of her generation qualified to pick up Prince's torch. Her sound is timeless and her look is unique - no one wears black and white like she does. (Seriously, I once saw a woman wearing tuxedo pants and heels, with her hair up and her makeup simple and flawless, and I almost cried because for a second I thought I was in the presence of Janelle Monae and was not prepared. It was not her. I eventually composed myself.) She's also unafraid to be herself, in her music and in real life: songs like "Q.U.E.E.N." prove not only her artistry but her desire to speak up, <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/janelle-monae-social-justice-matters/" target="_blank">as a feminist</a>, for what she thinks needs to be talked about:<br />
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Find me a protest song even half as funky as "Q.U.E.E.N." I dare you. I'm not even sure that we're worthy of her, but I kind of hope that Janelle Monae lives forever.<br />
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<b>Alicia Keys</b><br />
There are so many artists I could be writing about right now, but I only felt one emotion when I remembered that Alicia Keys would be on Saturday Night Live this week: pure glee. Alicia Keys is the rare artist that not only grows with her music and her listeners, but retains a sound that can be relevant to any age. Imagine hearing "Fallin'" for the first time, in 2016:<br />
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You'd think it sounded just as good as it did the day it was released. No wonder legions of American Idol auditioners sang it in the early 2000s. None of them can sing it like Alicia does, though. So much emotion, so much vocal power, just enough vocal power. She was 20 when it was released. TWENTY. That means that we've had the pleasure of seeing her grow through a decade and a half of what can be the most fast-paced years of a person's life. (Yes I know I sound like a Millennial when I say that, but you've probably watched or read your share of coming-of-age stories, so let it go.) She might be Clive Davis' greatest signing since Whitney Houston. There, I said it. Listen to the delicate, masterful vocals on "You Don't Know My Name," then follow it up with the pure honesty and emotion of "If I Ain't Got You" and tell me I'm wrong:<br />
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She's also tried to diversify as an artist, and it actually works for her better than it has for most: being married to a hip-hop producer has its perks, like the rhythm-heavy songs that made up her performance at the NBA All-Star Game a couple of years ago, and she may or may not have been the only good thing about the second season of Empire. I'll always love the original Alicia (you know, the one with the braids?) but I love seeing her grow, mature, and evolve, and I hope to get to see her do that for a few more decades.<br />
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<b>Bryan Adams: by Shannon Penfound, true Canadian</b><br />
I grew up listening to Bryan Adams and so his music makes me think back to a simpler time in my life. This song in particular reminds me of my grandparents and how if you find 'that' kind of love, to never, ever let it go.<br />
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<b>Britney Spears: by Heather Lynn, recovering hockey fan and lifelong champion of pop music</b><br />
I think death of the famous can strike in such powerful ways is when we realize they were just a quiet and pleasant hum there all along, and now it has gone quiet and you're left with your own thoughts to consider.<br />
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Have you heard the word of the Holy Spearit? For me, Britney has been a constant since she came to me in the formative years of nearly teen pop culture obsession. She emerged on the scene with the template debut album and everything else after that shattered the archetype. I've grown with her and she's grown with me. She's evolved from the vision of the pining and pure devoted love:<br />
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to over the nonsense of boys and just wanting to have her fun:<br />
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I measure a pop culture item by moreness. Britney has brought me light, happiness, perseverance and the idea of you better work bitch - more than anyone else. And always remember, if Britney survived 2007, then you can survive today.<br />
<img class="CToWUd a6T" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg-q118LYsZb4a0NXGT-q34yAQLt3OR8uslGa8-MhtHa94dzwtwpLmLaDLZ5uofuea3AwxQ10vsBQvHnpyDLn8x4A28UWQCD2GqeXi28-wcU-dnNguaT2gnluckzIJTTRfhUyJwqUndCtAPhigNVxJjdMd-dwWUMYz5qWCfxdHWfg85Qlt-PV5e5uIKhBfjNDt-qQooYsTxI66a1rXM8uk=s0-d-e1-ft" tabindex="0" width="500" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-61926924002836169222016-04-26T17:03:00.000-04:002016-04-26T17:03:34.430-04:00New to Hockey Guy is the hero we needI know a thing or two about being new to hockey. Or at least I did, a while ago, back when hockey was like a new TV show for me that hadn't jumped the shark and started recycling plotlines. (I mean, come on, NHL. I might as well start watching Grey's Anatomy again.)<br /><br />It kind of felt like my hockey fandom needed a boost; something even bigger than an average playoff game could give me. Enter New to Hockey Guy, who had never watched the sport before and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2016/4/26/11510078/twitter-user-falls-in-love-with-playoff-hockey">immediately took to it</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Yo deadass this the first time I've ever watched hockey and this shit has been LIT for these first 45 seconds</div>
— Tony X. (@soIoucity) <a href="https://twitter.com/soIoucity/status/724775615077834756">April 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
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I've been finding it easy lately to be jaded about the sport that I'm supposed to love, regardless of whether or not it loves me back. (My visual album, "I don't know who this dude kane is but we gotta stop him," drops next month.) Maybe I just need to tap into all those feelings I had when I was really a rookie: the excitement, the desire to watch every second of hockey I could, the idea that watching a game can make me feel like I'm part of something.<br /><br />Maybe we all need to get those feelings back, and let ourselves love the game for all the joy and excitement it brings.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-51487130741382793952016-03-15T18:06:00.003-04:002016-03-15T18:08:25.898-04:00I Solved The Habs' Coaching ProblemOkay, so at first I meant this as a joke on Twitter, but the more I think about it, the more I think it should happen.<br />
(Oh, crap, that’s what Donald Trump said about politics, isn’t it?)<br />
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The Canadiens already announced that they aren’t firing Michel Therrien this season. Not that they should now, anyway, because that would make as much sense as pulling a goalie at the very end of a game in an attempt to score two goals against a stronger team and force overtime – you know, like Therrien did on Saturday. But it looks like the Habs want to keep Therrien around for another year, and I’m probably not the only one who sees another potential team collapse or maybe another midseason coaching change. (Again, Randy Cunneyworth, I’m really sorry, dude.) I know that all of this is hard on Marc Bergevin – I can see it. A few more years of this and he’ll be aging faster than anyone should when they’re as rich as he is. No one wants to see their GM turn into that lemon you forgot you had in your fridge. But if he keeps getting stuck between the angry villagers (us) and whoever isn’t letting him fire Therrien (the Illuminati?), he may just turn into that lemon. (As a sidenote: throw that lemon in your compost pile. It’s not good anymore.)<br />
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What Bergevin should be doing is planning to spend the summer with Geoff Molson, luring prospective coaches by taking them golfing or fishing or sampling local beers and then not charging them twelve dollars for those beers. But he probably feels bad firing someone, as would I, because Millennials understand what it’s like to have a shitty job situation. (Though I do wonder how Therrien would fare working in a call center or washing dishes at a trendy restaurant.) And that’s exactly why I think Bergevin should be saved from having to fire Therrien.<br />
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<b>TVA Sports should offer Therrien a job and pay him so much money that he won’t be able to refuse.</b><br />
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Think about it. It would work out for everyone – TVA Sports will continue their tradition of overpaying for onscreen talent (with the priceless exception of Dave Morrisette), they’ll add another big name to their roster, and they can use him for insider info. It’ll be good for ratings, which they probably need now that there won’t be any playoff games to profit from. All the people whose love for hockey has waned slightly (hi) will start watching again with a renewed faith in their team. If TVA Sports saved my team from Michel Therrien, I would gladly watch their subpar game broadcasts and even try to pretend that I didn’t miss Pierre Houde. As for the people who don’t want Therrien gone (of which I assume there are still quite a few), they’ll tune in to see him talk about the team and how he would coach them differently. TVA Sports can paint him as a victim, a brilliant man who had no choice but to escape a bad situation. “He’s so wise!” they’ll say. “He should never have been fired,” even though he was never technically fired. Everyone will get what they want – including Michel Therrien, who can buy as many movie gangster suits as he wants with all his TV money.<br />
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Help us, TVA Sports. You’re our only hope.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-78769391414439788942015-12-29T16:22:00.000-05:002015-12-29T16:22:14.117-05:00"Tries hard, needs to produce more on the ice"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven’t written as much as I intended to this season. (That much should be obvious.) I could blame it on my schedule, my increased fatigue due to minor health stuff (which is the same thing that slowed me down a couple of years ago, eventually leading to the demise of my Plus Minus column), or the slow, inevitable decline of my Macbook. All of those are legit reasons (except for the Macbook, because I’m probably to blame for its decline. I was not kind to its battery. I should have done better. I’m a terrible laptop mother. Let’s move on.) But one of the reasons why I haven’t been writing about hockey is that in order to be writing about hockey regularly, I’d have to be watching hockey regularly, and I’ve been watching fewer and fewer games and SportsCentres.<br />
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The sport, and the culture surrounding it, have lost a bit of their luster. The newfangled major hockey broadcasts, with their oversized ice-blue sets and laughable analysts (#NotAllAnalysts), just don’t do it for me. It’s like watching a show long after it’s jumped the shark – I still watch, but sometimes it’s a little more painful than I’d like. Hockey culture, among fans, journalists, and players, has disappointed me this year. There were some incredible highs, but the lows just sucked. (If one more man tries to tell me how to feel about the charges brought against Patrick Kane, I’ll… maybe I shouldn’t finish that sentence, because I’m not an elite athlete and anything I do will most certainly have consequences.) It’s been hard to love a sport where the bad gets worse and the good rarely gets better. It’s kind of no fun to not really care that the Habs are on a losing streak even though everyone’s screaming about it as if the sky is falling, as if the team’s MVP is not on IR, as if the players themselves are not people. Sometimes I don’t know what to do or what to write about.<br />
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But I guess you can say that about anything, right? Every musical genre had at least one horrible hit song this year. (So many unnecessary throwbacks to the early-to-mid-2000s. So many.) Every TV network had hits and misses. Every stand-up comic had the kind of performance that made them wish they had stayed home. (Or maybe it was just me.)<br />
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So I will try to focus on the good that happened this year. On the female hockey players who are finally starting to get the respect, attention, and remuneration they deserve. Or on Spider-Mable, the little cancer patient in Edmonton who rescued some Oilers players from the clutches of an evil villain. Or Mike Condon doing his best to continue earning the NHL ice time he worked so hard for. Or the incredible progress that Max Pacioretty has made, that led him to become captain of the Montreal Canadiens. Or the rest of the world finally realizing that Carey Price is one of the best hockey players on Earth and don’t you deny it. Or the drive, on and off the ice, that makes PK Subban superhuman. Or the enduring legacy left by men like Dickie Moore.<br />
Hockey isn’t all bad. 2015 wasn’t all bad. Let’s focus on what’s good, and work on whatever needs improving, and maybe the hockey world will be a little better for it by this time next year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-12453308535872549002015-09-22T22:34:00.000-04:002015-09-22T22:34:15.813-04:00What I'd Name My Fantasy Hockey Team, If I Joined a Hockey Pool This YearNot Tone Deaf<br /><br />Bunch of Rape Apologists<br /><br />Voluntary Deportation<br /><br />Guys Who Need Better Mental Health Professionals<br /><br />How To Get Away With... okay well maybe a hockey player has never murdered anyone, but the way things are going, let's not count our chickens before they hatch<br /><br />But They're Nice Guys!<br /><br />What Happened to "Innocent Until Proven Guil... ajlhwkjhtiuergbkgcbuyrwtbeyu<br /><br />Listen, They're Really Good at Hockey Pucks, ok<br /><br />Why Can't My Team Just Be PK, Price, and Pacioretty? No, like, why?<br /><br />Better Than NFL Players*<br />(*not)<br /><br />Gary Bettman CaresUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-44866389545237783372015-02-15T18:28:00.001-05:002015-02-15T18:28:33.733-05:00Things I'm Too Polite To Tell You At Your Baby ShowerI hope you love your baby as much as I love "Uptown Funk": fully, shamelessly, even if it makes you uncool.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as I love Beyonce's cover of "Uptown Funk." She hasn't actually recorded one, but I imagined it, and that counts, right?<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as Beyonce loves Blue Ivy.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as I love Blue Ivy.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby more than I loved turning my concert ticket money into "piece of fuzzy cloth with a face on it" money.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as I love being able to drink wine right now. Seriously. This unoaked Chardonnay. You have no idea. I'm going to try pairing it with sushi. I don't know whether or not they'll pair nicely, but how great is sushi? So delicious.<br /><br />I love you love your baby as much as you love Pinterest.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as I love going to parties that serve no purpose other than to give you gifts. The baby industrial complex is REAL.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as I am going to love asking you to buy me things when I have a baby. Even if it's just a toy baby like in American Sniper. You'll throw me a toy baby shower, right?<br /><br />I hope you love your baby as much as I loved buying a dozen grey onesies for your baby, just like you asked.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby enough to eventually introduce it to colour, like it's living in The Wizard of Oz or something. I hope you consider synching your labour to some Pink Floyd songs. It'll totally line up.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby enough to never make it watch that Oz movie with James Franco, but that you also love it enough to teach it about patriarchy and that white men are liars who ruin stuff (just like the Wizard, or Sam Raimi.)<br /><br />I hope you love your baby so much that you forgive it for being the reason you pooped in front of doctors during childbirth.<br /><br />I hope you love your baby. Because I do, but not enough to change its diapers. Hope that's okay.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-40660476808607926952015-01-16T18:42:00.000-05:002015-01-16T18:42:15.241-05:00Oscar Nominations Are Part of a Bigger Problem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Academy Award nominations reminded me that I have a lot of films left to watch. They also reminded me that the Oscars can be pretty damn biased.<br /><br />There were some interesting snubs and surprises in multiple categories, but I think that one in particular is worth discussing. How come Ava DuVernay, generally considered a lock for a Best Director nomination, didn't get that call this morning? She was hand-picked to direct Selma, a film that is socially important (especially this year) and incredibly well-made, despite many struggles to bring it to the screen?<br /><br />It's not that there was a lack of directing talent this year. Morten Tyldum's work in The Imitation Game turned what could have been just a boring Oscar movie into a layered, engaging, well-acted drama. Alejandro González Iñárritu is an accomplished director and Birdman was highly inventive and just buzzy enough to garner the attention of the right people. Bennett Miller, quite simply, knows how to make a movie that will get noticed by Oscar. Wes Anderson's films have always been critically beloved, and this year The Grand Budapest Hotel is poised to have a hell of an Oscar night. (Or win nothing. There is no in-between.) And Richard Linklater's hard work on Boyhood resulted in a film that was not only original, but that captivated its audience.<br /><br />Here's the thing about Richard Linklater - he was one of the first directors I learned about when I started studying film. He is talented and has a distinct voice, and Boyhood is an amazing, unprecedented accomplishment. But there is a chance that Boyhood would never have been made if Linklater had not been an established director when he started making it. He certainly worked to become an established director. His breakout film project, Slacker, was a success at Sundance not only because he is a talented director, but because he worked hard enough and was lucky enough to have it screened there. The film industry is a boys' club. It's not entirely closed to women and people of colour, but there does seem to be a certain camaraderie between men and most of them are white. Part of being successful in film is who you know. I loved my experience studying film, but I was taught by a staff that was mostly composed of white men. (Not that they weren't brilliant or good at their jobs, but there was a certain homogeny among the people I learned from.) In fact, a lot of the people I learned from were either white or male. Many of the students who got a leg up from professors were white guys who worshipped white guy directors. (And Robert Rodriguez.) And that's who we learned about, too - in class, I watched so many brilliant films from different eras, but even the modern films I watched (and that were discussed) were mostly made by white guys. I remember watching one film by Wong Kar-Wai. And Lost In Translation, because it was gaining a lot of buzz at the time. That's about it. We discussed Richard Linklater and Jim Jarmusch, but I don't remember talking about Spike Lee. Slacker and Do The Right Thing are completely different films, but they're both fascinating films made by young, ambitious directors.<br /><br />I'm getting a little off topic. Film school made it very clear that filmmaking is about more than just hard work and creativity. It's about luck. It's about who you know. It's about who believes in you. If Richard Linklater didn't have the good fortune to screen Slacker at Sundance, his career could have been very different, and he might never have had the opportunity to make or release Boyhood on the scale that he did. Bennett Miller is beloved by Oscar voters - and he's talented enough to deserve that love, but there are plenty of talented people in Hollywood who get overlooked for Oscars. (And on the flip side, there are people who Oscar loves. Meryl Streep could probably get a nomination for a message she left on someone's voicemail. I bet she was excellent in that voicemail, though!)<br /><br />All this to say that the problem with the Oscar nominations isn't just the Oscars. It's symptomatic of the industry as a whole. If more minorities were afforded the opportunities and the approval that people like these Best Director nominees were fortunate enough to have on their way to the top, we'll see more perspectives in feature films and at the Oscars. It won't solve everything, but it would be a good start. Maybe this is a start. Maybe Selma is the career push that Ava DuVernay needed to become a big-name director. But is it? And how many more directors like her will be afforded similar opportunities?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-31465852364078192122015-01-04T22:33:00.000-05:002015-01-04T22:33:03.852-05:00I Solved The 2017 WJC DilemmaSo, Montreal is getting a bad rap because of poor attendance during World Juniors games. Obviously this isn't something that should happen, in a country that lives and breathes hockey and a city that can sell out an entire NHL season in an hour. But it did, and we all know why. Here's how to fix it for 2017 instead of just yanking the games from Montreal entirely:<br />
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<b>Make tickets more accessible. </b>I know that opening a ticket lottery right after the previous year's WJC was probably the best way to generate and maintain interest - but with so many empty seats, was it such a great idea to make fans feel special for winning a chance to commit to a 13-game ticket package? Even passionate hockey fans might not be able to make that kind of financial or time commitment. (As an aspiring homeowner, the cost of a 13-game package is what I call "house money." For the price of two ticket packages, I could probably plan a trip to a WJC in another country.) Hockey Canada gave no signs that fans could buy less than 13 games' worth of tickets until less than two months before the tournament. It seemed to be all or nothing, and that's a pretty big ultimatum to make.<br />
Ticket prices were pretty ridiculous, too. Why else would the cheap seats at the Bell Centre be so much fuller than the lower bowl? Canadiens fans are blinded by their love for the team - that's part of what drives the demand for, and high price of, Habs tickets. No one likes forking over that much money to see their team, even if they do, so it's an awfully big assumption to make that hockey fans would pay the same amount of money to see two teams they're not as attached to.<br />
I don't have any memory of this, but maybe I'm wrong. Lotteries and high ticket prices aren't conducive to group sales. It's near impossible for a youth hockey team to go to the Bell Centre for a Canadiens game, I know. But I've seen kids' soccer teams at Impact games and basketball teams watching the Harlem Globetrotters. Why not make seats more available to the children and teens who are basically the backbone of Hockey Canada?<br />
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<b>Advertise better.</b> This isn't really anyone's fault. I feel like the World Juniors had better buzz in previous seasons, when they were broadcast on the same network as NHL games. This year has just been awkward, with no lead-up to the World Juniors during Wednesday Night Hockey, no friendly reminders from James Duthie that the tournament starts soon. But there isn't really anything that the World Juniors can do about the feast of fools that is the NHL on Sportsnet. (It could have been <a href="http://hab-it-her-way.blogspot.ca/2014/03/pitching-new-hockey-night-in-canada.html" target="_blank">so much better</a>.)<br />
Still, there's got to be a better way to build up buzz. If the Olympics can do it on a very large scale, why can't the World Juniors do it on a small scale? If it's a big deal on TV (spurring endless editorials about the pressure on young players), why can't it be a big deal in real life? Where are the sponsors before the tournament starts? The tournament is sponsored by a bank and a gas station - all of their locations could have posters and countdowns going for weeks before Boxing Day. Sponsoring airlines and couriers can put Team Canada logo decals on their vehicles. All of the sponsors can have contests, giveaways, anything. If my bank sent me an email with a draw for gold-medal game tickets instead of another credit card offer, I'd be thrilled.<br />
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<b>Make a bigger deal out of training camp.</b> If training sessions and scrimmages are open to the public, shouldn't the public know about it? There's a market for offseason hockey, and Hockey Canada and the IIHF need to tap into it. Make training camp dates, times, and locations readily available to fans - don't keep the information exclusive or bury it somewhere in the depths of your website.<br />
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<b>Paint the town red.</b> It's times like this that I wish there wasn't so much construction and congestion around the Bell Centre. Fans need space! There's more space around the ACC. Time for the WJC to truly take over the city. I mean, where is Mayor Coderre in all this? I thought he was supposed to be our sports bro. I know there's a fan jam at Windsor Station, but to be honest, they made a bigger deal out of the Grey Cup festival in 2008. (And people say this is a hockey town.) How about launch parties at local bars or arenas a few days before the tournament? Why not appoint someplace in Montreal the local "hockey house", like Toronto has with RealSports? The beer sponsors can have a ball with this. We're Canadian. Let's do what we do best.<br />
Worried about promoting federalism in Quebec? Push the hometown heroes. I'm sure that Quebecois players love the idea of having home ice advantage in an international championship. Make them the local face of Team Canada. This province has embraced athletes like the Dufour-Lapointe sisters and Charles Hamelin, so there's no reason why they wouldn't do the same for any francophone member of Team Canada.<br />
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<b>Encourage the international fans.</b> It is, after all, a world championship. Why not encourage a little friendly rivalry? Make it easy for fans of Germany, Russia, and Slovakia to find whatever merchandise they want. Sell tickets to team-specific sections at the Bell Centre. Help fanbases to find locations for watch parties. I consider myself pretty fortunate to live in the country and NHL city that I root for. If ever I moved, I would love to find a place where I could surround myself with other Team Canada or Habs fans. It would be so much fun to see a Sweden section cheering on their team, or to hop around different hubs in the city meeting fans and trading flags.<br />
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It's unfair to think that Montreal somehow failed the WJC when this tournament was mis-managed. Contrary to popular belief, sports fans don't only exist to make money for people who already have it. If the IIHF and Hockey Canada do a little better next time, they'll reap the rewards of better attendance.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-10456782088823108242014-12-06T22:33:00.000-05:002015-06-21T21:08:03.168-04:00Remembering Jean BeliveauMonsieur Béliveau was 83 when he passed away. I knew that he was getting older, and that he wasn't getting any healthier. I still hoped that he would live forever, even though I knew that Habs fans were lucky to have him around for so long.<br />
I know that I'm a few days late with this tribute. I wanted to take the extra time to think about it, to avoid the clichés and platitudes that are so often thrown out there without sincere emotion to back them up. Like any good Habs fan, I loved Jean Béliveau. When I had to choose the greatest Canadian Habs player for <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/cstx" target="_blank">a certain big hockey site</a>, I almost immediately went with my gut. It was a no-brainer, one of the easiest decisions I've made as a hockey writer. I don't think I can ever say enough about everything he's done both on and off the ice.<br />
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Every time there's a jersey retirement, a montage, anything about the Habs dynasties of the 1950s and 60s, my mom tells me that my grandfather loved those players. <a href="http://hab-it-her-way.blogspot.ca/2012/02/farewell-to-long-arms-and-hello-to-name.html" target="_blank">(I've mentioned this already, I know.)</a> I don't really remember my grandfather talking about them, so all I have are my mother's memories. Seeing Jean Béliveau always made me think of that - my grandfather learning about hockey, living in this city when the Habs won Cups (18 of them, to be exact), and watching them in black and white on his very first television. Béliveau's work ethic, his kindness, his dedication to family - all of these things reminded me of my grandfather. That's why his passing was so difficult for me. I had to say goodbye to not only a great man, but a great man who reminded me of someone I loved very much.<br />
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Unfortunately there's nothing I can do now but offer my condolences to the Béliveau family, and hope that someday the hockey world will be lucky enough to see another player like him.<br />
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<i>Edited to add: </i>I found <a href="http://www.rds.ca/hockey/b%C3%A9liveau-je-pourrais-ne-plus-%C3%AAtre-l%C3%A0-1.319876" target="_blank">this piece from 2010</a>, after he suffered a stroke. I bookmarked it because I couldn't bring myself to read it then, and still can't.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-16335933666109585162014-11-08T10:44:00.003-05:002014-11-08T10:44:46.608-05:00I Don't Care If You Think It's Cool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By now, I'm used to the reactions I get when I express my enthusiasm for Movember. People think I'm funny and strange just because I encourage people to grow mustaches, and I wear mustache accessories, and I spend an entire month trying to raise money for a worthy cause: cancer, mental illness, and the overall health of men.<br />
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Things are different this year. Interest in Movember has been waning, and this is probably the weakest year I've seen so far. The movement isn't at its peak anymore; not everyone you know is growing a mustache, or explaining why he didn't grow one and offering to donate instead. Not as many businesses are using it as a marketing opportunity. It's like Movember "isn't cool anymore," and people don't want to participate in something that's not cool.<br />
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That's not an excuse. This isn't a band or a sports team whose bandwagon you can hop off of when it stops trending on Twitter. Which, by the way? People are still buying Maroon 5 albums, or watching Grey's Anatomy, or cheering for the Oakland Raiders. What's so passé about staying committed to an annual fundraiser? Given the choice, I'd definitely donate money to cancer research over lining the pockets of a judge on The Voice or paying some athlete to gas up his Lincoln. (Are Lincolns still cool, or...?)<br />
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"It's not cool anymore" isn't really a great excuse. Movember supports causes that matter. That hasn't changed since last year or the year before. Over 23, 000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. An estimated 1000 Canadian men, most of them young, will be diagnosed with testicular cancer this year. And discussions about mental health have finally really started to take their place in the public sphere. We can't stop now. It's too important.<br />
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"Cool" is for food trends and sneaker styles. Not for saving lives. Support your local Mo Bros, Mo Sistas, cancer patients, and the men in your life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-40347288800435559282014-10-08T12:57:00.000-04:002014-10-08T12:57:22.398-04:00Season premiere day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like I should be really excited about the season starting. The primary reason for that is because I just want to talk about hockey instead of all the drama surrounding its players, media and fans.<br /><br />Last month, Hab It Her Way quietly celebrated its fifth anniversary. For the last five years, I've had a public medium to express the pride and excitement I feel as a female hockey fan. (Or rather, a hockey fan.) Somehow, the hockey world always seems more enjoyable when we’re discussing mock drafts or highlights, rather than choosing to take sides during a debate and refusing to listen to each other, like angry children. Unfortunately, that’s what it often comes to, and the drama is only exacerbated by a lack of real hockey news to take its place. I saw it happen over the summer, at the beginning of the NFL season, and again just this past weekend. It's exhausting, and while I know that some problems and debates will never go away, it will at least help when we have hockey around to do what sports do best – give us something to cheer for, to pin our hopes on, to laugh about without any real-world consequence.<br /><br />It’s why I've been blogging for the last five years (sometimes more regularly than others.) And it's why I’ll keep watching sports, despite all the drama and bad blood. So let's just drop the puck and have some fun. Here’s to another season of big dreams, big surprises, and big changes.<br /><br />Now if you'll excuse me, I'll return to my pit of denial in which Josh Gorges is still a Montreal Canadien.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-62735371144526988342014-10-01T21:18:00.000-04:002014-10-01T21:18:07.545-04:00What happens after #IsItOctoberYetIs it October yet?<br /><br />Wait, are you sure?<br /><br />September doesn't have a 31st?<br /><br />Okay let me check my calendar<br /><br />Wow, I really never knew that<br /><br />But is it, like, OCTOBER October?<br /><br />Like, is there hockey?<br /><br />No, like, is there HOCKEY?<br /><br />No, that doesn't count. It doesn't! Stop looking at me like that!<br /><br />Next week? But it's October now!<br /><br />False advertising.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-50339876399493034182014-09-16T23:36:00.000-04:002014-09-16T23:36:40.510-04:00Summer Reading Project: The Smart Girl's Guide to Designated Hitters<i>The Hab It Her Way Summer Reading Project is my way of sharing the misery that is reading </i>The Smart Girl's Guide to Sports,<i> which cost $2. Let's laugh at this together.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDO55fcQFhhqPTnAa9KN_Ezu5zFqSSoQz_qUrbat0iTzyPbfYwvzQWBMzWKT1AXqcmsKwQzV9pwXwJx_Z12_0DqIxAQcJxZvnJU5syGSsb_26xrFYAOoe-dLf77SDCMBJ9yK3aEC9pL8/s1600/mone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDO55fcQFhhqPTnAa9KN_Ezu5zFqSSoQz_qUrbat0iTzyPbfYwvzQWBMzWKT1AXqcmsKwQzV9pwXwJx_Z12_0DqIxAQcJxZvnJU5syGSsb_26xrFYAOoe-dLf77SDCMBJ9yK3aEC9pL8/s1600/mone.jpg" height="320" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mo'Ne Davis would write an awesome chapter on baseball.</td></tr>
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The chapter on baseball is, appropriately, interminable. I could take this chapter to a baseball game and I would likely need some extra innings to finish it, and that's not even including the time it takes to roll my eyes at a lame joke, close the book, and wonder why I'm putting myself through this.<br />
(It should also be noted that I obviously didn't take this book to a baseball game, as evidenced by its pages, completely unstained by sauerkraut and ice cream.)</div>
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The chapter begins with a few paragraphs explaining why baseball is interesting. And yet I remain unconvinced. The author even tries to compare it to chess, which I have heard a hundred times before - wouldn't I just play chess on the regular if I really liked it as a game? If I'm not a fan of chess, will society at large give me a free pass for not being a fan of televised baseball? So many unanswered questions.<br />
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I did learn something from this chapter: That the tradition of the seventh-inning stretch originated with rotund American president William Howard Taft, who stood up during a game to stretch his legs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, Mr. President: Maybe remove that super-tall top hat? Someone paid for that seat behind you.</td></tr>
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The author could also afford to learn something: she doesn't seem to know what a designated hitter is. (I didn't know until a couple of years ago, but now I know, and feel as though I should teach her.) She seems to think that a designated hitter is the sporting equivalent of having someone who can go to work for you on a day that you're too grouchy to do your own job. As far as I know, that's not it at all. A designated hitter is more like the professional equivalent of my old job, where I managed Facebook and Twitter accounts for a boss who thought that a Twitter account didn't need to have more than five tweets on it at a time. Her job was to coordinate the stuff that we were promoting on social media. My job was to make sure our social media presence was... well, present. Pitchers pitch and designated hitters are designated to hit. How hard is that to understand?</div>
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This might just be a personal gripe, but the "Legends" section was the <b>worst thing in the whole chapter. </b>The section does not appear to put its legends in any particular order, but I'm going to get irrationally angry about one thing anyway. The author put Mark McGwire's bio before Jackie Robinson's. HOW AND WHY? This is Jackie Robinson we are talking about - an athlete who broke the colour barrier at a time when the colour barrier was awfully hard to break, a man whose resilient spirit was matched only by his talent, a man whose memory is honoured to this day in cities all over North America. You do not put anyone ahead of Jackie Robinson. I don't care how "American as apple pie" he is, or that he used steroids to break a record right before a "dark-skinned Dominican" did. (Sammy Sosa, by the way, is considered a "legend in the making.")<br />
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<b>If this book was written in 2014:</b> You already know that I'm going to say it should be all about Mo'Ne Davis. But it would probably be all about Derek Jeter's retirement and the not-a-joke hashtag #RE2PECT.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-64565008618857890952014-09-09T22:33:00.000-04:002014-09-09T22:34:10.962-04:00Thinking Beyond PR MovesAt this point, I'm not surprised when someone who's made lots of money from professional sports is in the news for all the wrong reasons. It's not just NFL players - after the "scandals" surrounding Donald Sterling, Stephen A. Smith, and Semyon Varlamov, we'd all be incredibly short-sighted to think that way. However, I'm always amazed at the way people react to such occurrences. Ray Rice's firing yesterday was another such event.<br />
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This isn't something that just happened recently - the incident occurred months ago, and a lot of people were upset about it, and wanted to see Rice punished more severely. It was talked about during the offseason when the NFL started to do damage control. This public anger really only hit critical mass when a tape was leaked, and then suddenly everyone knew just how wrong it was, and got up in arms about how badly the Baltimore Ravens needed to terminate his contract. Which they did, in what a lot of people called a PR move.<br />
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"They didn't fire him because it was the right thing to do," came the cry from all corners of the Internet. "They fired him because he was damaging their brand!" Thank you, Captain Obvious. Anyone who knows that the events caught on tape didn't happen last week knows that the Ravens took an awfully long time to fire someone who beat the woman he claimed to love. Ray Rice was fired because the general public - everyone, even people who don't want football - was shocked and offended.<br />
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Why did it take us so long to become so shocked? Why did we have to wait until TMZ released video evidence of Rice punching his fiancée to realize that he had done something wrong? If there had been no video evidence, there is at least a slim chance that Ray Rice would not have been fired at all. And that, to me, is the scariest part of all this.<br />
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It's time for us all to stop waiting until it's too late to speak up or make a real difference.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-32553471145224509632014-08-29T23:53:00.001-04:002014-09-16T23:37:07.935-04:00Summer Reading Project: The Smart Girl's Guide to Quarterbacks<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #545454; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>The Hab It Her Way Summer Reading Project is my way of sharing the misery that is reading </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #545454; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Smart Girl's Guide to Sports,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #545454; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i> which cost $2. Let's laugh at this together.</i></span></div>
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I think I might be a glutton for punishment. I could have just put down this book after the offensive intro and the questionable chapter about basketball. I'll admit that I learned a few things, but I'm not sure it was worth it. To put this in terms more familiar to the audience of The Smart Girl's Guide, it was like going all the way to another neighbourhood for a sample sale and only scoring one blouse.<br />
(I can't remember the last time I even wore a blouse. I'm more of a novelty T-shirt kind of Smart Girl.)<br />
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Anyway, I decided to press on and give the football chapter a read. I had read a few pages of it when I bought the book some years back, hoping to bring my football knowledge a little bit further than "ten yards in four downs." I learned a few things, but I never finished the chapter. Now I know why. Like the rest of the book, it's informative, but quite eyeroll-inducing. Now, it's worth mentioning that the author seems to have a particular fondness for football, if you can call it that. It was her gateway sport - she was surrounded by football fans and decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. You may remember that her <a href="http://hab-it-her-way.blogspot.ca/2014/08/summer-reading-smart-girls-guide-to.html" target="_blank">gushing about Jerry Rice</a> is what got her in the good graces of a man she knows!<br />
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There was quite a bit of information in this chapter. My first reading of it taught me about two-point conversions, because I didn't remember seeing one happen until that point. This reading revealed a lot more information about a few elements of the game, but of course it was all buried under pounds and pounds of mansplaining. One joke gave me hope that this chapter might be different from the rest: "Women tackle problems. Men tackle each other."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Yeah, let's tackle some problems like the smart girls we are!"</td></tr>
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But then the rest of the chapter had jokes about how a man buying a woman flowers and jewelry can facilitate "scoring." I thought that this book was supposed to be for women - did she write it specifically for women who are also characters on Entourage? Is that why there are entire paragraphs about whose butts you should look at and whose butts are not worth looking at?</div>
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There are some very useful bits in this chapter (like a guide to rivalries and explanations of a few key terms) but that didn't stop me from gasping in abject horror at <b>the worst things in the whole chapter. </b>Because there are two of them. <b>One:</b> If there are only two things you learn about Joe Montana, the second (and most important!) is that he has "the most gorgeous ice-blue eyes ever seen in the NFL." (The first thing you need to know is that he's good at football.) <b>Two:</b> The author literally gives readers a word-for-word quote of a sports-savvy thing they can say. Which... really? I'm not sure that putting words into someone's mouth is a good idea. Especially not if you're just spotting them one sentence. Who says one sentence and just walks away from a conversation? Smart Girls of the world: Don't say something because someone wrote it for you word-for-word, unless that person is your presidential speechwriter.<br />
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<b>If this book was written in 2014:</b> It would probably still be all about Tom Brady, because he's the most quarterbackiest handsomest of all the QBs in the NFL (because the other ones don't have pretty eyes like Brady has pretty eyes.)<br />
Any mention of the Redskins' name would go beyond some Cowboys fans (due to rivalry) "would say their logo is politically incorrect."<br />
I'm not sure what she would say about Peyton Manning's Broncos getting shellacked at the Super Bowl, but I sure as hell wish I could read it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-35432041400234583042014-08-16T16:55:00.000-04:002014-09-16T23:37:35.254-04:00Summer Reading Project: The Smart Girl's Guide to Space Jam<i>The Hab It Her Way Summer Reading Project is my way of sharing the misery that is reading </i>The Smart Girl's Guide to Sports,<i> which cost $2. Let's laugh at this together.</i><br />
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Got to admit, I'm pretty excited that the first chapter of this regrettable read is about basketball - a sport that I both enjoy greatly and want to learn more about. This chapter will either help me know a little more about the NBA or make me never want to watch it again. Let's dive right in, shall we?</div>
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I could've skipped the beginning of this chapter, because a lot of it is so incredibly obvious that anyone who's seen basketball in any form (like, even a scene in a movie where people are playing basketball.) Also, the <b>worst thing in the whole chapter</b> happens pretty early on: the author tries to wax poetic about the sport but just ends up sounding... not blatantly racist? I mean, she doesn't ever say anything outright, but she does admire basketball's <i>hip-hop style</i>, its <i>urban attitude,</i> and its <i>jazzy rhythm</i>. As if we don't know what she was implying.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fictional Suburban Mom's Guide To Sports</td></tr>
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But then she goes on to explain actual sports things. Like the many different shots. (Luckily, we're spared from a simplistic definition like "a shot is how the ball goes from being in the player's hand to not being in the player's hand anymore, on purpose.") Anyway, the author compared shots in basketball to black pants. (I don't think she meant that in a racist way. I mean, the basketball season starts after Labor Day, so no one can really wear white pants then anyway, right? LOL jokes about clothes are so funny when you're a girl.) Why does she compare shots to pants? Because there are so many of them! The author then goes on to list all of the types of black pants a girl should own, like Monica Geller categorizing her towels. Among these categories are "uptown chic," because your black pants belong in a Billy Joel song, and "downtown funky." Let me repeat that. "Downtown funky." I have no idea who this book was written for, because I know plenty of women, and none of them have ever described a piece of their clothing as "downtown funky." If anyone ever has, it was probably Prince. And I'm like 90% sure that Prince isn't a woman.</div>
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One of the shots, as you may know, is called a "slam dunk." Maybe you've heard of it. If you haven't then please let this book teach you that it is similar to dunking a cookie in a glass of milk, but it's done with more pizzazz! You know, just like how Prince is similar to a regular human, but with more pizzazz. Raise your hand if you've ever done this to an Oreo:</div>
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Me either. I am not an All-Star.<br />
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Throughout the chapter, the author reminds readers that Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time and such, but she doesn't even mention Space Jam. Now, if you want to learn about basketball but don't already know that Michael Jordan was very good at it, you might want to rethink the whole "Smart Girl" thing. Like, you have to at least have heard of Space Jam. I know the book doesn't mention it, but if you haven't heard of Michael Jordan or Bugs Bunny, there is something very, very wrong.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't even remember this movie that well, so, please clear my schedule for tomorrow evening.</td></tr>
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Anyway, when the time came for me to read Michael Jordan's profile in the Legends section, I was blown away. It actually made this book worth reading. Not only were there a few things about his life story that I didn't know, but the author presents them in a really fascinating way. These profiles are the best part of the book so far - and yes, that is a compliment. They make up for the questionable quality of just about everything else because they get right down to what being a sports fan is all about - being a part of history, and watching some incredibly talented athletes get to do what they do best. She makes readers want to know more about these players, to scour YouTube for highlights of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dr. J. </div>
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Now if only she had nicer things to say about Kobe. The edition of the book I have was written in 2004 or 2005, right in the wake of Kobe Bryant's sex scandal. Now, I do not blame her at all for deciding not to put Kobe Bryant on a pedestal. No one was at that time. It's just weird that the strong, feminist Smart Girl in her awoke at exactly that moment but remained dormant for everything else I've read so far. "Whoopee - he's only an adulterer, not a rapist." Her anger is justifiable, it just seems out of place. The author doesn't mention any other incidents where pro athletes did unsavory or illegal things. Tons of athletes cheated on their wives before 2004, and tons have done it since. Wouldn't they be worth talking about, too? I guess we'll see how she treats bad or illegal behaviour going forward. It just feels awkward that she singles out one athlete, rather than the entire culture of professional sports.<br />
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The chapter ends with a glossary, which contains 2 unfunny sex jokes, 1 unnecessary story about the author, 1 "women be shoppin'" joke, 1 reference to players as "hotties" and surprisingly, minimal racism!</div>
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<b>If this book was written in 2014:</b> It would probably be ripe with reminders that Kim Kardashian was married to a basketball player for 72 days. And LeBron James' writeup would be more than speculative. He betrayed an entire fanbase and ended up winning two rings because of it. And ladies love rings!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-28992578862567188852014-08-12T13:33:00.000-04:002014-08-12T13:33:35.240-04:00Remembering Robin WilliamsI know that to some people, it seems ridiculous to mourn a famous person that you knew only from their work onscreen, that you never met in person. I've never felt this way. I think it's okay to feel attached to someone you know and love just because of movies, television, sports, anything. Judging by what I've seen online in the last day or so, a lot of people agree with me. Every death is a tragedy, and it seems surreal to lose someone you thought you would always be able to see on your TV screen, someone who is alive every time you hit the "play" button.<br /><br />Robin Williams wasn't just a celebrity. He was even just alive onscreen - he was larger than life. He was beloved by audiences, by his contemporaries, and by anyone who saw him and was inspired to pursue whatever it is that they're best at. You've seen it in your news feeds and on the faces of your friends when they find out he passed away. My father was saddened when he heard the news - his English isn't that good, but he watched Mrs. Doubtfire with us when we were growing up and loved it as much as we did. Williams had an incredible impact on so many of us - the generation that grew up watching him wasn't the only one who loved him.<br /><br />I'm part of that generation, but now that I'm growing up and learning more about comedy, his death is affecting me even more than I thought it would. I've been trying to learn what makes a comedian great. Sometimes it's clear that comedy is hard work - so many people that are incredibly funny spend inordinate amounts of time practicing, rewriting, and performing in order to improve, and they never stop improving. They just keep working. Hard work and tenacity are what can make a good comic into a great comic, and a regular laugh into the kind of laughter that makes your face hurt, that makes you forget you even had anything else on your mind before the joke started. Others are just born great. Robin Williams was born great. I know he spent a lot of time observing, learning, thinking of ways he could be better, but it seems pretty obvious to anyone who's seen him that that's not the whole story. He was born with incredible talent. He was special. He had a gift, and we all were fortunate enough to see him use that gift and turn into something brilliant and unique.<br /><br />There will never be another comedian or performer quite like him, but there are legions of people who'll never forget him. He will be missed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-90188944808717026922014-08-08T23:55:00.000-04:002014-08-08T23:55:42.553-04:00It's About TimeUSA Today <a href="http://thebiglead.com/2014/08/08/cbs-sports-to-make-tv-history-with-all-female-sports-talk-show-this-fall/#sthash.mc8Mg78A.RkVchqvc.uxfs" target="_blank">broke a story</a> today about a new show set to premiere on CBS Sports. It's being sold as a "sports talk show" hosted, produced, and directed by women.<br />
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This is huge. And it's about damn time.<br />
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I may not know the title, who is hosting it, or when exactly it's slated to premiere, but I definitely plan on watching it. I don't even know if I can get CBS Sports in Canada, but I'll try. I'll plan a road trip across the border to watch the premiere if I have to. It's going to be an important moment for a lot of sports fans, and I want to be there when it happens.<br />
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Even the most seasoned female sports reporters don't always get the recognition they deserve. I'm very proud of TSN for hiring so many female anchors, but even that is proof that women have to work incredibly hard to be taken seriously. It's time that women got a big stage, one that doesn't have a glass-top desk. It's time that they're given a chance to truly shine, or to yell, or to fuck up, because male analysts get to do that all the time. I'm not saying that all male sports anchors or analysts are bad at what they do, but the culture of sports broadcasting is a certain way. It's a boys' club, and women have made great strides to change that, but there are still better opportunities for meatheaded former players, or guys who like to talk really loud, than there are for a lot of women regardless of their work ethic and their level of intelligence.<br />
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It's time that women are given these major roles - we've seen such great work from a lot of female sportscasters, and they deserve to get their due.<br />
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When the show premieres, I'm hoping to see lots of in-depth discussions, segments I can learn from, and a few good laughs. But, to be honest, I'll settle for seeing myself a little bit better-represented on television. I know that there's a chance that the show might disappoint me - television is just like that sometimes. And that's okay, because we've seen that happen before, and in some cases, we see it happen regularly. (ahem, Coach's Corner) But no matter what, it'll be nice knowing that there's something different out there, and that women will be working hard to produce it. It'll be nice to see a new perspective on the sports world. And it will most definitely be nice knowing that the show was produced in an environment that might be a little bit more welcoming than some other media outlets out there.<br />
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And if they want to hire me as an intern or a proofreader, that would be nice, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-12778849787453084672014-08-02T13:29:00.000-04:002014-08-02T13:29:40.868-04:00Summer Reading Project: The Smart Girl's Guide to Introductions<i>The Hab It Her Way Summer Reading Project is my way of sharing the misery that is reading </i>The Smart Girl's Guide to Sports<i>, which cost $2. Let's laugh at this together.</i><br />
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My introduction to the Summer Reading Project didn't include a summary of the book's introduction, because, well, I could probably write a series of posts on the introduction alone. The author has the best of intentions, but then again, so do grandmothers when they try to set you up with the nice young man who works at the grocery store. Or at the bank. Or at the pharmacy. Or... well, luckily those are the only places my grandmother goes.<br />
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The introduction starts with a story, wherein the author talks about how saying a random sentence about last night's football game immediately won over one of her male co-workers and suddenly they became the best of friends! You see, before she had mustered up the courage to say something about how good Jerry Rice was at sports tasks, he thought she was just another dame coming into his workplace and interrupting his scotch-drinking. But she's cooler than all those other women who didn't say a sentence about sports that day!<br />
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Now, I have a similar story, wherein someone from my office didn't like me very much when I started working with her - I was new and still learning the ropes, and this girl is insanely good at what she does, so she had no time for me to make beginners' mistakes. I thought she hated me. A few months later, our office had a karaoke night. I sang a Destiny's Child song and suddenly she was on my side! We've been getting along very well ever since. Maybe I should write a book called The Smart Person's Guide to Beyoncé.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you liked it then you should've put a championship ring on it</td></tr>
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Basically, the author implies that the only way to combat sexism, whether in the workplace or elsewhere, is to buy into it. You'll "instantly win respect" by knowing one thing about whatever sport the men are talking about, and then you can "drift out of conversation and go back to thinking about what you're going to wear tomorrow." Knowing about sports will make you better than other women and help you knock the ball out of the park and straight through the glass ceiling, apparently!<br />
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No, thanks. I choose my outfits in the morning, anyway. Now, I'm no scientist (because that's another thing that's for boys, right?), but apparently you "don't need scientific evidence to know that men have a sports gene." I think what I love most about this book so far is that it was written by a woman, but it rarely sounds like it. I didn't know that mansplaining could also be done by women! What a great accomplishment for us all. Who run the world? Girls! (But only the ones who are smart enough to talk to men about sports and then write a book about it.)<br />
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She ends her intro with some "Hip Tips To Enjoy Sports!" Her first piece of advice? Find a player who you find attractive. Because being a smart girl is nothing if not giving in to the biggest cliché that female sports fans find themselves fighting every day.<br />
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So, let's get ready to read the rest, and release the sports goddess within us!<br />
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(That's an actual thing she says in the intro, so something tells me this woman owns hardcover copies of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy because they're super well-written and romantic.)<br />
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Every time I finish a chapter, I'll summarize it and tell you about the legitimate advice, spelling mistakes, gender-based stereotypes, and everything else that a smart girl would need to know about sports.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-32035231931909091242014-07-14T08:44:00.001-04:002014-09-16T23:37:49.900-04:00The Hab It Her Way Summer Reading Project is underway......and I probably should have just picked up a copy of Gone Girl or some Bronte instead. But this will be fun, because sarcasm and eye-rolling are two of my favourite hobbies, outside of making hockey puns and watching 30 Rock.<br />
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Here's my unfortunate book selection for the inaugural (and maybe only) Hab It Her Way Summer Reading Project:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, really.</td></tr>
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Reading this book might be the best way to keep my snarking skills sharp during the offseason. It's my equivalent of flipping big-ass tires or breaking rocks on Travis Moen's farm.<br />
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A little background:<br />
I bought this book a few years ago, back when I was still very, very much a rookie. It cost two dollars. (No, it literally cost two dollars. Maybe three.) I bought it because it was cheap, because I had time on my hands, and because I thought it might help answer some burning questions like "Why are there rules in hockey that I still don't understand?", "What do all the positions in football mean?" and "Why on earth do people watch car racing for fun?" I read a few pages and gave up. It was not a book for smart girls. I kept the book, though, mostly as a handy tool <a href="http://hab-it-her-way.blogspot.ca/2013/05/an-open-letter-to-mindy-kaling.html" target="_blank">to squish spiders</a>. And now I'm going to try giving it another read.<br />
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Ironically, summer is traditionally my busiest season at work, and with Just for Laughs upon us, I might not get to write weekly posts as I'd like to. But I will try my hardest, because it'll be worth it.<br />
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The author has the best of intentions, but unfortunately, she seems all too ready to accept a gender binary and act like all women be shoppin'. Some women be shoppin' for a new Habs shirt after some unfortunate free agent moves, okay? Without even getting to the foreword, I can tell you that the author doesn't seem to know many women who watch sports, or many men who don't. She's written an entire book, but hasn't used those pages to go beyond the absolute basic stereotypes that my dad's generation believes to be true. I'm not sure how many women have read this book and turned from pink princesses into beer-drinking, stat-spewing die-hard fans, but my guess is that she might have missed her mark. (The book does not discuss archery.)<br />
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Anyway, it was written as a "helpful guide." Over the next few weeks, I'll find out just how helpful it is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-35845269694413386582014-06-12T22:51:00.001-04:002014-06-12T22:52:26.775-04:00Top 5: Things Hockey Should Borrow From Soccer<div>
I may not watch much soccer outside of international tournaments and the occasional Impact game, but it can be a great spectator sport. It has global appeal and a great culture, so it brings people together just the way that sports would in a perfect world. Unless, of course you're one of those people who believes that you can't cheer for any country other the one you live in. I skipped the World Cup opening ceremonies (why is it that Pitbull is so unappealing as a recording artist, and so adorable as a breed of puppy?) but I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the tournament.</div>
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Oh and by the way, yes, I call it "soccer" and not "football" or "futbol." Sorry, I guess.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Top 5 Things Hockey Should Borrow From Soccer</b></span></div>
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<b>Ultras.</b> Hockey has passionate fans. I know. There are the people who've had season tickets for decades, the people who go to the World Juniors and paint their faces, and the people who throw stuff on the ice when officials make terrible calls. But most hockey markets don't have the same kind of loud, insane fans who have an arsenal of pre-rehearsed chants and who turn fandom into its own sport. I mean, okay, some cities have those jerks who'll vandalize stuff or riot, so hockey has THAT in common with soccer, but you'll rarely hear the steady background vocals of a hockey crowd like you will at a professional soccer game.</div>
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<b>Commentators who yell a lot.</b> I mean, some of that yelling comes from obvious homerism, but the rest just comes from from passionate commentators who still appreciate the game and don't spend all their time trying to sound like the voice of authority. (Let's be honest: the occasional hockey broadcaster just sounds like they're asleep at the wheel.) Goals are exciting! I wish more commentators would acknowledge that.<br />
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<b>One-named athletes.</b> Why do soccer fans get to have all the fun, cheering for guys named Felipe or Chicharito? These guys are like the Beyonces of the sports world, and hockey fans are stuck cheering for dudes with names like "Mike Richards" and "Sidney Crosby." Why does the NHL get all of the Debbie Gibsons and none of the Beyonces?<br />
(Note: Yes, I am aware that hockey has some cool-ass names, like "Ryan Malone" and "Zemgus Girgensons", but they're still your regular old first name-last name combos, like any regular human has. They lack the magic, the punch, of a one-name wonder.)<br />
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<b>Jersey swaps.</b> The handshake line is good, it's great, okay? Don't hate me, hockey purists. Jersey swaps are great, though, because the players need to take a little more time to interact. Seriously, why doesn't hockey do this from time to time? ...other than "Because the hockey card companies want to buy up all those jerseys and chop them up."<br />
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<b>A Champions League.</b> The Olympics and other international tournaments are great in that fans get to see dream teams - players from the same country hand-picked from pro teams across the league. How cool would it be to see the teams we know playing against the best teams from across the world? It would make the Spengler Cup look like... um... the Spengler Cup.</div>
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Happy World Cup month, everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788685790578571956.post-68116302098893011522014-05-15T23:15:00.002-04:002014-05-15T23:15:35.770-04:00The Worst Thing About a Playoff Round Against the BruinsI couldn't be happier that the Habs beat the Bruins and are on their way to the conference final. (Okay, I could be, because I'm still in disbelief. When it sinks in, I'll be even happier.) There was so much in this series that I loved.<br />
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And lots of stuff that I didn't.<br />
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Some of it was the standard stuff you see every time the playoffs heat up, or anytime the Habs face the Bruins: players getting a little too angry at each other, fans engaging in inappopriate/racist/sexist/homophobic language, and hockey sticks hitting delicate areas. But the worst thing, by far, was having to face this reality:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/2014/05/051114IginlaBruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/2014/05/051114IginlaBruins.jpg" height="245" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OH, THE HUMANITY</td></tr>
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I've been in denial about Jarome Iginla ever since he signed with the Bruins. You know how people say they remember where they were when they found out Kennedy was shot, stuff like that? I remember exactly where I was on July 5th, 2013, when I found out Jarome Iginla signed with the Bruins. I was at the Bell Centre, which is supposed to be my happy place. And I've been trying to forget that moment ever since. Okay, actually, I've been denial about all this ever since he left Calgary:<br />
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I don't know what this Iginla business is that you're all talking about. Jarome Iginla is somewhere telling kids to follow their dreams<br />
— Rookie (@HabItHerWay) <a href="https://twitter.com/HabItHerWay/statuses/317134644879425537">March 28, 2013</a></blockquote>
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I made it through the entire regular season just by exercising the kind of denial that is probably rarely seen among healthy adults. I would pretend I didn't see him in that black-and-yellow jersey, that it was another #12. I couldn't get away with those denial tactics through seven playoff games. And that is how I found out that Jarome Iginla isn't the same player I used to love with all my heart.<br />
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The Jarome Iginla I saw during the playoffs wasn't just an amped-up version of the strong, all-around player that everyone knows he is. He was a Bruin, through and through. He put that jersey on, played with that team, and he turned, like a gremlin someone fed after midnight. He was aggressive, and not in a good way. He was angry. I no longer had any interest in seeing him make a run for a much-deserved Stanley Cup. I just wanted to see him go back to his old self. He wasn't the same guy whose T-shirt I wore, whose hockey card I bought. And it sucked to have to face that.<br />
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There are lots of reasons why I don't like the Bruins, but right now, ruining Jarome Iginla is the only one that matters.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0