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Bloggers Unite Against Abuse
2007-09-26 19:21:00
In conjunction with Blog Catalog, today is the day when thousands of bloggers will post about some type of abuse in an attempt to raise awareness.I would like to raise the issue of potential abuse suffered by children involved in organized sports. As with all types of situations where a person in power takes advantage of someone more vulnerable, by far most situations do not involve such behaviour. In other words, the vast majority of the millions of sports leagues and activities organized for children worldwide result in positive and enjoyable experiences.This makes the instances where abuse does take place all the more horrible and loathsome.To come forward with allegations of abuse requires a real sort of bravery that is admirable and deserving of respect. Words such as "bravery" and "courage" are thrown around so easily these days that they have almost lost some of their meaning. But the actions of someone like Sheldon Kennedy are without doubt worthy of such designations. ...
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Hockey Narrative: New Blog about Hockey
2007-08-23 08:36:00
I haven't been posting here for a while as I've been writing articles for my new blog, Hockey Narrative. I'll still be posting here but all articles and opinions on hockey will now be at:http://www.hockeynarrative.comHockey Narrative is not a team specific blog. There you will find articles about happenings in the NHL, the occasional nostalgia piece...Game summaries from the upcoming season...And feature length articles about various issues surrounding the game.Please take a look at Hockey Narrative and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.
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Universiade Update: Day 8 Photo Gallery
2007-08-17 05:37:00
On day 8 I watched 2 basketball games, Germany versus Russia, and Japan against Serbia. Both were fairly lopsided yet still entertaining affairs.Germany making a layup2 for GermanyRussia making a 3 pointerPacino taking time out from his filming schedule to do some reffingPacino surveying the action"I'm asking you to defer to me on, well...everything. Or we'll have to chat after the game..."Russia won the game with relative ease, 94-76.Japanese fans before the gameThis was the story of the game between Japan and Serbia. Japan set foot over the centre court line and they were stapled to the floor by the Sebian defense. Serbia forced their opponents to the 24 second buzzer on many occasions, resulting in many poor shots and turnovers from Japan.Solid defense from SerbiaThis Serbian bruiser scooped up a boatload of rebounds"What? I'm not allowed to bury someone in the hardwood when they go up for a shot?"More stifling defense from SerbiaMaking it difficult for JapanJapan player s...
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Bell to be Banged up
2007-08-15 19:05:00
The acute sense of self-awareness weighing down on Mark Bell right now must be stifling. John Ferguson Jr. must me feeling claustrophobic as well. It can't get much worse for your reputation as a general manager of an NHL team than when it's announced a player you recently acquired in a trade is likely going to be sent away to jail for 6 months at the end of next season:"Bell pleaded guilty in a San Jose courtroom Tuesday to charges of drunk driving causing injury and hit and run. The Leaf forward, picked up in the Vesa Toskala trade with San Jose in June, will be sentenced to six months in a Santa Clara ,California county jail to be served at the end of this upcoming season. Official sentencing will be in October."articleThe worrisome thing for all concerned, including Leafs fans, is that Bell may not have hit rock bottom. You might think that such an announcement would jolt a person into clear-eyed and rational decision-making. But alcoholism (I'm not suggesting that Bell...

Universiade 2007: Day 7 Photo Gallery
2007-08-15 11:09:00
I took some photos of South Africa and the Czech Republic in women's softball today. The diamond and surrounding area had a kind of bland, disinterested atmosphere. Baseball/softball isn't big in Thailand and this was reflected in the lack of spectators and general feel of malaise. No one even asked for a ticket as I wandered into the grounds.More signage idiocySeating areaCzech Republic's pitcherSouth Africa started out quite well with a few base hits but they couldn't convert any of them into runs. The Czech Republic scored 3 runs in their half of the first inning though SA still showed some good defense to close out the inning before things got of hand.Safe at firstOut at firstThings got subsequently worse for South Africa as they started making errors. The Czechs started laying on the offense with 3 more runs in the second and 5 in the third.Stealing secondPop flyFixing up an injured South African playerSouth Africa got a base hit in the third and promptly put this sp...
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Universiade 2007 Update: Day 6 Photo Gallery: Women Fighting
2007-08-14 12:47:00
Today in the photo gallery, some shots of the men's 10 meter platform diving and women's judo.Even though this first picture was well out of focus, I like the surreal effect.10 meter platform divingForward somersaultTouch your toes in the air, it's good luck"Air myself out before I take the leap...""G Force yeaaaahhhhh!!!""Nice takeoffAnd here tooClean entryThis was my first real opportunity to see judo matches live. Not quite as aesthetically appealing as teakwondo, but still enjoyable to watch. I don't think I've ever witnessed a sport which so completely fatigues its participants as with judo.Evenly matched"Mmmmmmphhhhh!"Kazakhstan in blue, Mongolia in whiteHmmmm, took me a few minutes to figure out what was what in this one..."You say you've got an itch on your back?""Right there?""Ok enough, I've got to get back to laying a whuppin' on you...""One and a two and a.........."Canada faces KoreaCanada lays a thrummoxing on Korea"Don't even try it...""Yes, I will try...""...
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Sports Photography
2007-08-13 07:58:00
My brief experience in taking photos of the action at Universiade 2007 has given me a lot of respect for professional sports photographers and the images they capture.My first brazen and shameless excuse for the quality of photos I have taken is the equipment I am using. No doubt the pros use some top-end hardware with specifications designed to deal with the high speed motion of athletic competition. My point and shoot digital camera is fairly limited in this regard.I am certain there is still a high proportion of shots taken to shots published for those working in the main stream media. During the few days that I have been covering the World University Games in Bangkok and taking photos, I have perhaps taken 30-40 shots for every one that I have posted on my blog. As you can see, even many of those are borderline at best in terms of quality.Finding the right angle for a potential shot is a big part of attaining a worthwhile action shot. Again, I've been limited to a degree b...
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Bloggers Unite Against Abuse
2007-08-12 12:24:00
On September 27th, 2007, the blogosphere will join forces to raise awareness regarding abuse. This may seem like a general subject area, but it has been chosen with the intention of allowing the potentially millions of people who are going to be involved to focus on whichever cause appeals to their sentiments the most.The project has been spear-headed by Blog Catalog, a unique social networking site for bloggers from around the world. While initiated by those at Blog Catalog, the goal is to include as many bloggers as possible, regardless of whether they are already members of the site.I hope as many bloggers as possible join and are not discouraged by whatever sense of despair or futility is attached to the subject matter at hand. When trying to implement change and tackle big problems, it's easy to be overwhelmed and think that we can't make a difference. I'm going to paraphrase an anecdote that I read in a book a while back, one that has probably been read and heard by man...
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Universiade 2007 Update: Day 4 Photo Gallery
2007-08-11 13:15:00
Before I get to the photos, I wanted to touch on the organization of Univers iade 2007 so far. Some things are being done quite well while certain areas are very lacking.First, the timing and location of events. Up to this point, all scheduled events have started on time and in the correct venues as listed. I have seen no problem with that at all.However, signage at events has been quite poor in my opinion. Upon arriving at various gymnasiums it has been very unclear where spectators should proceed to gain entrance. Signs, if there are any, have been small, misplaced and full of spelling mistakes. For some, these mistakes are amusing and charming. After having lived in Thailand for a number of years, I consider them annoying and asinine.Millions upon millions of dollars have flowed in for the preparation of these games. At some point, someone was instructed to make various signs. This country is crawling with English speaking foreigners and yet, apparently in numerous cases, ...
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Out of the Shadows: Blogging in the Open or Anonymously?
2007-08-10 09:37:00
On the heels of the Eklund article I posted a few days ago, I have given a lot of thought to the pros and cons of blogging anonymously versus being open about exactly who you are. I feel that if he had known what he knows now, Dwayne Klessel would not have chosen to use a pseudonym when writing his blog. It has caused him untold hassle and forced him into some serious backpedaling and equivocation.I feel it is a wise move to use your real name when creating a website, maintaining a sports blog and most other things that involve writing for the internet.I have created a list with what I feel are the top reasons for choosing to identify yourself and attach a byline to your writing online.1. If you are not accountable to others, you will not even be accountable to yourself.Unburdened by any concern for what you say, you may start posting some of the worst notions lurking in the nether regions of your mind. The danger exists for writing gratuitous insults, libelous statements and oth...
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Universiade Bangkok 2007 Update: Photo Gallery
2007-08-09 17:59:00
Photos from day 2 of Univers iade 2007 from the Thammasat University campus in Rangsit. Taekwondo, swimming and track and field.The Canadian (in red) eventually won this bout"Nooooo!!! Not when he's down!!" (Egypt in red, Korea in blue)RevengeThough his dive off the starting platform wasn't the smoothest, the U.S. swimmer (third from left) won the men's 200 metre butterflyThe only concession stand for the swimming events (seriously)Dejected after losingThe Finnish women's 4 X 100 metre relay team victory lapGood night!
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Universiade 2007 Update: Renovations
2007-08-08 18:06:00
I posted this photo 3 weeks ago during the lead-up to the games. This was the state of affairs of the weight-room. About 10 days after this photo was taken, they actually got down to the real work of getting things in shape.Weight room, July 15, 2007And here are the final results as of today:Weight room, August 8, 2007It's good to see that they got the place completed in time. Once the games finish, I will be able to use the new equipment in an air-conditioned room. That will be a nice change after working out in the sweltering pit it was before.What steams me about this, is that it is just about the only place on the entire campus to work out, with the exception of a tiny room in a building near the nursing faculty. They closed the location pictured above 6 months ago, yet they didn't do the bulk of the work until 2 weeks ago.However, in the spirit of trying to look on the positive side and having worked in the construction industry years ago, there are always logistical issu...
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Something's not right with this Canadian flag...
2007-08-08 12:30:00
I usually don't attach too much significance to the paraphernalia of patriotism. I'm proud of the country where I was born and grew up but cautious of all the tribalistic oaths, platitudes and associated symbols that come with nationalism.Still, I guess I've always liked the Canadian flag and what it represents in terms of our generally unbiased role in the world and the social institutions and culture we've built in our country. I've never owned a flag. Never sewn one on my backpack (and always had a suspicion that tales of Americans doing this so as to avoid danger while abroad is a myth.) I suppose I like the way it looks.I probably underestimate the number of times I've seen it in my life. An accurate image of it is no doubt burned in my mind.That's why it was kind of jarring today when I saw the Canadian flag flying at the flag ceremony location at the Thammasat University campus near Bangkok, Thailand, where the Universiade 2007 (World University Games) is being ...
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Universiade 2007: Festival of Flags
2007-08-08 10:47:00
The World Univers ity Games (known officially as Universiade, which is, I finally discovered, a contraction of the words "university" and "Olympiad") kicked off today in Bangkok, Thailand.A good portion of the events are being held at the Thammasat University campus in Rangsit. I headed out today with my camera but didn't find too much in the way of games or events taking place.With the opening ceremony taking place in Bangkok, I believe most of today's high profile preliminary activities were at the sites located within the city.However, I went to the main stadium at Thammasat and took some photos of some of the 170 flags representing the nations taking part in these games. I took shots of those that were aesthetically pleasing in my opinion, and ones that many people might not necessarily be familiar with.Have a look and see if you know which countries are represented by each flag. The number corresponding to each flag appears under the picture.The answers are in the comments ...
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Universiade 2007 set to kick off
2007-08-07 10:24:00
Well, the games are set to kick off tomorrow. I have to admit that my enthusiasm has been dampened by the restrictions imposed due to security. Anyway, I will be up early tomorrow and will try to attend a few events and get some photos.I haven't really had a chance to talk directly to any of the athletes. However, I was walking behind a pair of Germans (or maybe they were Dutch) the other day, listening to an incomprehensible exchange in their guttural language. It was amusing to hear amongst their babbling the one word that did jump out at me: "incompetent." Wonder what kind of experience they've been having so far?Saw a group of Chinese athletes strolling around today. They were lean and fit looking which made the fact that a handful of them were smoking all the more jarring.I understand that awareness of the dangers of smoking isn't as widespread in China as in other parts of the world:In China Cigarettes are a Kind of Miracle Drug"Here's some exciting medical news from...
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The Hockey Blogger Known as Eklund
2007-08-04 20:55:00
This article has been relocated to:http://hockeynarrative.com
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Props to the Edmonton Oilers
2007-08-04 11:07:00
For having the most globally aware website.In the past few days I signed up to numerous NHL clubs' websites and the newsletters they send out via e-mail. On the online sign-up forms, a handful didn't even have space for any other country except for the U.S.(San Jose's site comes to mind.) Of course, many did have options for other countries.What set the Oilers apart is that when I selected Thailand as country of residence, they actually had a drop-down menu with provinces in Thailand to choose from.Not a big deal, but the kind of small touch that makes a person think the site is designed with users in mind.Most of the sites are designed with what is likely an NHL supplied template design so as to provide a relatively consistent look and feel. All are very slick and content-rich and worth checking out if you are a fan.All NHL teams' websites can be accessed here.
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Expect Traffic Jams and Stalled Buses...
2007-08-03 20:58:00
The World University Games 2007 being held in Thailand from August 8th-18th are expected to cause traffic jams. Commenting in an article in the The Nation (an English language daily newspaper in Thailand)a DJ from a local traffic radio station in Bangkok said that numerous buses transporting people to and from events are one of the reasons. She said that often these buses break down and this shocker:"She added some buses stop running because they run out of petrol."Expect Traffic Jams During Universiade: article
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Universiade Update
2007-08-03 18:54:00
Athletes and support staff have been arriving for the past few days. An air of excitement is building. And the place is crawling with police, soldiers and other types of security.I am fairly disappointed in one aspect of the security. An 8 foot high chain link fence has been erected around the perimeter of the dormitories where the athletes are staying. The only problem is that the handful of buildings where teachers and other staff at Thammasat live, have been left outside that perimeter. I don't know what I was really expecting. Since we are all employed at the university and they are hosting the event, I somehow thought that our movement wouldn't have been as restricted as it is. And man, is it ever restricted.What was a 2 minute walk to the nearest 7/11 (there are about 10 on this huge, sprawling campus) has become about a 40 minute round trip journey. I guess as we aren't athletes it makes some sense but still, there could have been gates built and guards posted with ...
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Security for Universiade 2007
2007-07-27 12:24:00
As I was heading out today I noticed a large crowd of people buzzing around in the courtyard of Interzone, which is a small plaza with administration offices and shops that service the Asiangames Dormitories at the Thammasat campus.There was a large gathering of police in riot gear doing drills in preparation for the upcoming World Univers ity Games. A few dozen civilian volunteers had gathered to stage a minor mock riot. They pelted the police with empty plastic bottles instead of rocks and emergency workers "rescued" a few injured onlookers.I missed most of the festivities but managed to get a few shots.Riot police training for Universiade 2007Medical staff helping "injured" womanThe security measures being taken for the games are thorough and are going to end up impeding my ability to move around easily in the next few weeks. 8 foot high chain link fences are going up everywhere and are going to force me to take circuitous routes to get to various places. Even leaving the cam...
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Sports Nightmare
2007-07-26 10:43:00
I had a bad dream last night. Barry Bonds was trying to club cyclists Michael Rasmussen and Alexandre Vinokourov with a corked bat. Michael Vick was siccing a pack of angry dogs on them as disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy simultaneously bet on the action while claiming he was the best choice to officiate the entire farce.Legions of disgraced, broad-shouldered, bearded female, former Olympian freaks from Eastern Europe cheered on the action. Similarly shamed Chinese swimmers and gymnasts and inhuman American track and field specimens joined in the nasty free-for-all. Gun-toting, sneering, tough-talking NBA and NFL criminal filth started swinging with abandon and firing shots into the air while the ghosts of the 1919 Chicago White Sox spat tobacco juice on them from above.I don’t buy the narrative that all sports are crooked and it’s gone beyond the tipping point.It’s part of the game, the drama that mixes in with the wins and losses. Rooting out the cheats, filth and crooks i...
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10 More Reasons Hockey is Better Than Other Sports
2007-07-25 21:14:00
This post can now be read at:http://hockeynarrative.com
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Universiade 2007 Update
2007-07-23 20:17:00
I now have little doubt that all renovations and preparations will be ready for the games which begin in just over 2 weeks. It's really quite simple. As the deadline approaches and various locations are lagging behind, dozens of human mules are brought in and put to work 14 hours a day for a pittance. Not sure how that fits in with the whole spirit of fairness and equity that universities are normally associated with but I'll leave that discussion for another day.As mentioned in a previous post, the bulk of the competitions are taking place at the Thammasat Univers ity campus which is located in Rangsit, about 30 minutes north of Bangkok (when traffic is good.) The facilities here are impressive and will have no problem housing the 10, 000 athletes and support staff that are expected to descend.The only problem of course, is that the thousands of students who attend Thammasat and normally live in the residences have had to clear out. The games are taking place during the middl...
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The Bettman/Basille Saga Continues
2007-07-21 19:54:00
No surprise regarding the revelations that NHL commissioner Gary Bettmann likely tried to dissuade the owner of the Nashville Predators from selling his team to Canadian billionaire Jim Basille.There has to be something fundamentally wrong with the core principles of a league that turns away from almost guaranteed success. A failed franchise that has been a drag on the league and its revenue sharing plan over the past few years and an individual owner losing tens of millions of dollars every season. The alternative? The most rabid, hockey-mad region in the world dying to spend their combined billions of disposable income on a new team in the Hamilton area.And what does the marketing genius in charge of the NHL feel is the best thing to do in such circumstances? Why, try to pressure all parties involved to remain in the place where financial failure has taken place or... sell to someone who will move the team to another relatively small market in the US where an NHL team already ...
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Drugs in golf!!??
2007-07-19 18:19:00
What a shocker! The faux outrage from Retief Goosen will certainly convince many that Gary Player's comments were way out of line...Any sport where there are millions of dollars at stake will have its fair share of drug cheats. The very fact that the top performers, earners and endorsement leaders in numerous sports (baseball, cycling and track and field, for example) eventually go on to be outed as brazen cheaters jacked up on steroid cocktails is motivation enough for many. That they may be one day caught is irrelevant. Their dreams will have been realized and their hundreds of millions stashed.That the athletes who end up as professional golfers somehow hold themselves to a higher standard is laughable. Where does this supposed iron-clad resistance to temptation come from? The pretension surrounding the game?There are always indignant outbursts from people like Goosen whenever subsequent sports come under the inevitable rumblings regarding drug cheats. It only makes thos...
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