The 1941 and the Brooklyn Dodgers were one strike away from winning the World Series against the favourite New York Yankees. That is exactly what they got. Yet their Catcher Mickey Owens dropped the ball, and the Yankees ended up winning the deciding seventh game.
It was 1971, and the Toronto Argonauts were on the 4 yard line during the Grey Cup final against the Calgary Stampeders. Down by 3 in the last minute of the game, the Agonauts looked poised to come back and defeat the Calgary Stampeders in the 61st Grey Cup. Argo's running back Leon McQuay carried the ball, slipped and fumbled, and Calgary recovered winning the game 14-11. Not many people today remember who Leon McQuay was, determined by a once famous fumble.
In 1986, the California Angels were tied 2-2 in a best of five series against the Boston Red Sox. Winning by two runs going into the top of the ninth, they turned the ball over to their ever reliable closer Donnie Moore. With two on two out and two strikes on batter Dave Henderson, it looked like the Angels would reach the World Series for the first time in their organizations' history. Dave Henderson hit a game winning three run home-run and the Bosox ended up winning the game. A few years later, Donnie Moore (never recovered from this incident) took a gun and blew his head off. Today he is just a footnote in the anals of sport.
Later in the Fall Classic of '86, the Bosox were winning 3 games to two against the New York Mets. There were two outs and a runner on third base and Mookie Wilson was batting for the Mets. He hit a groundball to the right side and first baseman Bill Buckner looked poised to field the ball and end the Series. The ball went through his legs and the Red Sox never recovered, with the Mets coming back and winning the World Series in seven games. While most baseball fans will forever remember Bill Buckner for his mistake, an otherwise stellar career is sidestepped by most.
During the 2005/06 NFL Football Season, the Indianapolis Colts were perfect through 13 games. Trying to achieve the first perfect season since the Miami Dolphins of 1971, it looked like they could do it. It was completely unexpected when the Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy's son committed suicide. How much pressure he had in his life is telling, as his Father had tremendous success throughout his life. Later on, in the playoffs of that year Pittsburgh was winning the AFC Championship game against the Colts and it looked like an insurmountable lead in the dying seconds. The Steelers gave the ball to their reliable 'back Jerome Bettis, and he fumbled at the Colts two yard line. The Colts almost came back, if not for an heroic tackle by Quarterback Ben Roethisberger. How would Football have remembered Bettis had the Steelers not won the game (and later the Superbowl)?
This last year (to today) we saw our Canadian Junior Hockey Team try and win our sixth straight World Championship. We were undefeated through the preliminaries and beat a surprising Swiss team in the Semi's. Going up against the U.S.A in a New Year's Eve rematch, expectations were high. Our starting Goalie for the game was the consistent Jake Allen. As we were in a Classic battle and the game certainly within reach (down 3-2) in the third period, Allen let in a soft goal. Jake Allen was taken out of the game. Canada came back and tied the score late in the third, but couldn't stave off the Americans in Overtime. Most would say this miscue by Allen was an aboration towards his usual strong consistent Netminding. We'll only know the effects of one bad goal in his career by how he performs in his climb to the Pro Ranks. Still in the Junior ranks, thank G-d he's already been drafted by the St. Louis Blues.
Let's not forget about the overtime goal in 1988-89 when Steve Smith scored on his own net to give the Calgary Flames a surprising win over former Champion Edmonton Oilers. To this day, Steve Smith as the previously mentioned Mickey Owens, Leon McQuay, Donnie Moore, and Bill Buckner, have negative connotations towards their sports accomplishments. In fact it's a North American traditional perspective 'to the victor goes the spoils'. To what extent does second place determine failure. For the aforementioned athlete's who competed at the highest level for many years, failure was not an option. Are we too hard on our athlete's? How does Jake Allen feel about his miscue? Was U.S.A just plain and simply the better team, or do we need a fall guy? Last I remembered you win as a team and you lose as a team. This is sportsmanship.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
U.S.A Health Care Reform - by Moses
Funding into Health Care versus funding into Television sitcoms. Should the U.S Congress pass Health Care Reform across America, the Federal Communications Commission will essentially be broadcasting Health Issues with greater frequency, as opposed to Family sitcoms in such frequency (as we see today). What is to be said of people that are bi-Polar, Paranoid Szchizophrenic, Obsessive Compulsive, Depressive, Obese, or suffering from Cerebral Pulsy?
Today, in America, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, and Oprah Winfrey, are three legitimate sources of F.C.C therapy, as their shows are syndicated and broadcast to the masses. What would be said of another 10 shows, bringing to light the aforementioned Mental and Physical Health Care Issues. This funding would mean that the average American would have a form of Medical Education that could be used in practicality within the home. This would raise the standards as to how to deal with these issues that have become epidemic.
Should 40% of Health Care in the U.S.A be in the Public Sector/domain, the lower class income earners' would be left with viable treatments. Say you weigh 450lbs and have an income of $10,000/year, where are you supposed to go to treat this Health Issue? In Canada, these cases are treated by a 'Special Diet Allowance' and any Family Practitioner can lobby for this privelage. Would the U.S.A benefit from less stigmae towards people with Cerebral Pulsy?
What would a five year old boy think, if they saw a number of people that suffer from Cerebral Pulsy on a Medical Health Show? Wouldn't that end the stigmae that was there before? It wasn't even as far back as 1975 when Geraldo Rivera broke the story of Willowbrook. At that time, children with Cerebral Pulsy were called retards in the Home of Willowbrook Clinic, and also made to eat their own feces when the staff thought they were being 'bad'.
Wouldn't a show of obese clients of the Health Care System within the U.S.A be an excellent educator as to how to lose weight? Sometimes, bringing touchy subjects to air in a bold manner creates therapy that didn't exist before. For example, Robin Williams, Jane Paulie, and Quincy Carter are bi-Polar. A show dedicated to this Mental Health issue would break down barriers that otherwise would have remained, and manifested into greater incidence.
Say, for example, 40% of the U.S.A Health Care System became Public Health Care. How many people would benefit? Would publically funded Naturopathic Medicine benefit the physically obese? What about having a dedicated weekly one hour show of smokers' that quit, on a National spotlight, as opposed to 100 - 30second commercials that air for this purpose? Maybe less infommercials, sitcoms, and daily soaps would be a good thing. These forms of gentrification and commercialization are somewhat obtuse.
Today, in America, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, and Oprah Winfrey, are three legitimate sources of F.C.C therapy, as their shows are syndicated and broadcast to the masses. What would be said of another 10 shows, bringing to light the aforementioned Mental and Physical Health Care Issues. This funding would mean that the average American would have a form of Medical Education that could be used in practicality within the home. This would raise the standards as to how to deal with these issues that have become epidemic.
Should 40% of Health Care in the U.S.A be in the Public Sector/domain, the lower class income earners' would be left with viable treatments. Say you weigh 450lbs and have an income of $10,000/year, where are you supposed to go to treat this Health Issue? In Canada, these cases are treated by a 'Special Diet Allowance' and any Family Practitioner can lobby for this privelage. Would the U.S.A benefit from less stigmae towards people with Cerebral Pulsy?
What would a five year old boy think, if they saw a number of people that suffer from Cerebral Pulsy on a Medical Health Show? Wouldn't that end the stigmae that was there before? It wasn't even as far back as 1975 when Geraldo Rivera broke the story of Willowbrook. At that time, children with Cerebral Pulsy were called retards in the Home of Willowbrook Clinic, and also made to eat their own feces when the staff thought they were being 'bad'.
Wouldn't a show of obese clients of the Health Care System within the U.S.A be an excellent educator as to how to lose weight? Sometimes, bringing touchy subjects to air in a bold manner creates therapy that didn't exist before. For example, Robin Williams, Jane Paulie, and Quincy Carter are bi-Polar. A show dedicated to this Mental Health issue would break down barriers that otherwise would have remained, and manifested into greater incidence.
Say, for example, 40% of the U.S.A Health Care System became Public Health Care. How many people would benefit? Would publically funded Naturopathic Medicine benefit the physically obese? What about having a dedicated weekly one hour show of smokers' that quit, on a National spotlight, as opposed to 100 - 30second commercials that air for this purpose? Maybe less infommercials, sitcoms, and daily soaps would be a good thing. These forms of gentrification and commercialization are somewhat obtuse.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Hockey's Dilemma - By Moses (a.k.a Stacey Goldman)
Ever since the game of Hockey was organized into the original N.H.A (National Hockey Association) and W.C.H.L (Western Canadian Hockey League), Hockey flourished. In the N.H.A we saw teams such as; Montreal A.A.A (Amateur Athletic Association)-Shamrocks-Wanderers-Canadians, Ottawa Silver Sevens-Senators, Toronto St. Pats-Blueshirts-Arenas-Maple Leafs and the Quebec Bulldogs. In the W.C.H.L the teams included; Victoria Cougars, Vancouver Millionaires, Winnipeg A.A.A, and the Seattle Metropolitans. It was during these years 1897-1917 that we saw the winner of the N.H.A, playoff against the winner of the W.C.H.L for the prized Stanley Cup. The League became Professional in 1918 (becoming the National Hockey League), and so began, as a five team League - Montreal Canadians, Montreal Wanderers, Toronto Arenas, Quebec Bulldogs, and the Ottawa Senators. The League evolved, and in 1930/31the N.H.L had an Eastern Division and a Western Division. In the East the teams were; Montreal Canadians, Montreal Maroons, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Ottawa Senators. In the Western Division; Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks, New York Americans-Rangers, Detroit Falcons-Cougars-Red Wings (just prior to 1930 there was actually a team called the Hamilton Tigers - 1925). Eventually the Pirates became the Philadelphia Quakers, before folding. The New York Americans became the Rangers, while the Falcons became the Cougars and finally the Detroit Red Wings. The League dwindled and eventually by 1937 became known as the Original Six; Montreal Canadians, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks.
The Original Six Canadian organizations, the Canadians and the Maple Leafs won the prized Stanley Cup most years (1937-1967). The player base in the N.H.L was almost exclusively Canadaian. Radio broadcast the games on AM and Shortwave, and had an enormous fan base on both sides of the border. When television became a mainstay in 1947, Canada broadcast games on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation across Canada. The U.S.A broadcast networks abstained as the C.B.C used tape delay on their feeds (similar to the movie 'The Sting' that followed this premise, shown across America in 1972).
In 1967/68 the N.H.L went into expansion and added six new franchises (California Seals - later the Oakland Seals - and then the California Golden Seals, St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars, and the Los Angeles Kings). The League still flourished financially, although there was the question as to whether or not these new markets would be able to support an N.H.L franchise. John Ziegler, the N.H.L Commissioner at the time, entered into these new markets, hoping to sell the game of Hockey to the average American.
This began the dilemma. Sure enough, the Seals were short lived, and the North Stars ended up re-locating. This begged the question as to why there wasn't a U.S Television contract with the N.H.L.
In 1970/71, the N.H.L again decided to add new franchises in another expansion, to compete with the new rival League the W.H.A (World Hockey Association). Into the League came the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks.
The qustion as to why there wasn't a National U.S Television contract for the game was still being asked. In 1972, again Ziegler brought in expansion to the League, and we saw the Atlanta Flames and the New York Islanders. The problem of low fan base in these new markets became more obvious, and at this time the N.H.L entered into the quagmire of diseconomies of scale (probably due to the advent of a new rival League). Of the ten organizations that came into the League at this time, only seven survived (Buffalo, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and the Islanders) to our present day (albeit most are pretty good Hockey Towns to date).
The only solution, it would stand to reason, would be to reach the average American through a National U.S Television contract. Major League Baseball had one, as did the N.F.L, the N.B.A. Pro Wrestling and even Golf Tournaments were broadcast across the U.S.A.
The C.B.C dutifully broadcast games across Canada, and it was seemingly obvious that in the right markets a Television contract in the U.S would be highly profitable. Cities like Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, L.A and St. Louis among others are sports magnets, and friends to the game of Hockey. Still, the N.H.L was reserved in pushing for a U.S television contract, and its' passivity was noticeable. It was 1974 when two more teams were introduced into the League; the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts. The Scouts became the Colorado Rockies, and eventually they folded.
As the W.H.A folded in 1979, the N.H.L once again took in franchises in expansion. Former W.H.A franchises; the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and the Winnipeg Jets (the Flames organization re-located to Calgary the following year). At this point the N.H.L caught a huge break. Marquee players started to enter the N.H.L, in droves. Prior to this expansion there had been greats such as Bobby Orr, Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Terry Sawchuck, and Jacques Plante. In one year however (1979) Gordie Howe came back to the N.H.L, Wayne Gretzky entered the League, as did Peter Stasney, Mark Messier, and Kent Nilsson. With this influx of talent from the W.H.A pool, the time was right to broadcast the N.H.L across the States.
Gretzky and Messier led their Oilers to Cup after Cup just after the Montreal Canadians and New York Islanders dynasty's, and Americans coast to coast took notice. Then, as if to re-affirm the greatness of the game, Mario Lemieux (1983) joined the Leaugue as the next 'Great' one, and a souring market in Colorado as well as Hockey crazy New Jersey entered the N.H.L. At this time U.S and European players started to enter the League in great numbers, yet Ziegal still didn't capatalize. (The first Soviets to enter the N.H.L were Victor Krutov, Igor Larionov, and Vladimir Fetisov. Prior, Stan Makita (born in Czechoslovakia) and Borje Salming (from Sweden) were the first Europeans to join the N.H.L)
In this period of history, Gretzky was suddenly dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, and he took them to the Cup finals in 1993. At this point the U.S.A loved Hockey to the level they did in 1980 when they brought the 'Miracle on Ice' to Lake Placid in 1980, winning their first Gold Medal in Ice Hockey. Salaries soared, as attendance was up, and because there was no seconday income from a U.S Television contract, ticket prices went up enormously.
The sad thing about it is that it's the fans of Hockey that suffer.
As a Torontonian, I can't even afford the cheap seats of a Leaf game, as a ticket at bare minimum is around $70.
Over the past seventeen years the League has gone into expansion four times, and has added another seven teams (Anahein Mighty Ducks-Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, and the Columbus Blue Jackets). Many would say that the current Commissioner Gary Betteman has entered into some questionable markets. There have been four re-locations in the past fifteen years, and these misguided judgements from the Ziegler years have led to the rising cost of the average N.H.L game ticket. We now see teams in Carolina, Florida, Nashville, Columbus, Phoenix, San Jose, Dallas, Anaheim, and the re-emergence of Atlanta, markets that are currently struggling or adequate at best.
Should the owners think that it is wise inflating the cost of going to a Hockey game, they are dead wrong. Gary Betteman had better take a realistic look at the game today, and increase revenue to bring down the cost of tickets, otherwise he'll start losing real Hockey fans, fans that are paying $100+/ticket.
Words of advice to Gary Betteman;
1) Downsize the League - lose markets that don't have fan base to support their
franchise.
2) Get a television contract with a MAJOR U.S.A NETWORK.
3) Bring down the ticket prices.
The current crop of N.H.L'ers are pooled roughly 40-50% European. This means that the quality of Hockey overseas is at roughly the same level as here. A European N.H.L would probably flourish, and serve as an excellent example of globalization of sport. With roughly 50% North American Hockey players' playing overseas, and 50% European players' playing here, a summit of Leagues is encouraged. This, in its' own right is a fair measurement of trade between North America and Europe. Let's enter market places where the demand of that sport is high, and not try and create this parity of demand.
The Original Six Canadian organizations, the Canadians and the Maple Leafs won the prized Stanley Cup most years (1937-1967). The player base in the N.H.L was almost exclusively Canadaian. Radio broadcast the games on AM and Shortwave, and had an enormous fan base on both sides of the border. When television became a mainstay in 1947, Canada broadcast games on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation across Canada. The U.S.A broadcast networks abstained as the C.B.C used tape delay on their feeds (similar to the movie 'The Sting' that followed this premise, shown across America in 1972).
In 1967/68 the N.H.L went into expansion and added six new franchises (California Seals - later the Oakland Seals - and then the California Golden Seals, St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars, and the Los Angeles Kings). The League still flourished financially, although there was the question as to whether or not these new markets would be able to support an N.H.L franchise. John Ziegler, the N.H.L Commissioner at the time, entered into these new markets, hoping to sell the game of Hockey to the average American.
This began the dilemma. Sure enough, the Seals were short lived, and the North Stars ended up re-locating. This begged the question as to why there wasn't a U.S Television contract with the N.H.L.
In 1970/71, the N.H.L again decided to add new franchises in another expansion, to compete with the new rival League the W.H.A (World Hockey Association). Into the League came the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks.
The qustion as to why there wasn't a National U.S Television contract for the game was still being asked. In 1972, again Ziegler brought in expansion to the League, and we saw the Atlanta Flames and the New York Islanders. The problem of low fan base in these new markets became more obvious, and at this time the N.H.L entered into the quagmire of diseconomies of scale (probably due to the advent of a new rival League). Of the ten organizations that came into the League at this time, only seven survived (Buffalo, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and the Islanders) to our present day (albeit most are pretty good Hockey Towns to date).
The only solution, it would stand to reason, would be to reach the average American through a National U.S Television contract. Major League Baseball had one, as did the N.F.L, the N.B.A. Pro Wrestling and even Golf Tournaments were broadcast across the U.S.A.
The C.B.C dutifully broadcast games across Canada, and it was seemingly obvious that in the right markets a Television contract in the U.S would be highly profitable. Cities like Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, L.A and St. Louis among others are sports magnets, and friends to the game of Hockey. Still, the N.H.L was reserved in pushing for a U.S television contract, and its' passivity was noticeable. It was 1974 when two more teams were introduced into the League; the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts. The Scouts became the Colorado Rockies, and eventually they folded.
As the W.H.A folded in 1979, the N.H.L once again took in franchises in expansion. Former W.H.A franchises; the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and the Winnipeg Jets (the Flames organization re-located to Calgary the following year). At this point the N.H.L caught a huge break. Marquee players started to enter the N.H.L, in droves. Prior to this expansion there had been greats such as Bobby Orr, Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Terry Sawchuck, and Jacques Plante. In one year however (1979) Gordie Howe came back to the N.H.L, Wayne Gretzky entered the League, as did Peter Stasney, Mark Messier, and Kent Nilsson. With this influx of talent from the W.H.A pool, the time was right to broadcast the N.H.L across the States.
Gretzky and Messier led their Oilers to Cup after Cup just after the Montreal Canadians and New York Islanders dynasty's, and Americans coast to coast took notice. Then, as if to re-affirm the greatness of the game, Mario Lemieux (1983) joined the Leaugue as the next 'Great' one, and a souring market in Colorado as well as Hockey crazy New Jersey entered the N.H.L. At this time U.S and European players started to enter the League in great numbers, yet Ziegal still didn't capatalize. (The first Soviets to enter the N.H.L were Victor Krutov, Igor Larionov, and Vladimir Fetisov. Prior, Stan Makita (born in Czechoslovakia) and Borje Salming (from Sweden) were the first Europeans to join the N.H.L)
In this period of history, Gretzky was suddenly dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, and he took them to the Cup finals in 1993. At this point the U.S.A loved Hockey to the level they did in 1980 when they brought the 'Miracle on Ice' to Lake Placid in 1980, winning their first Gold Medal in Ice Hockey. Salaries soared, as attendance was up, and because there was no seconday income from a U.S Television contract, ticket prices went up enormously.
The sad thing about it is that it's the fans of Hockey that suffer.
As a Torontonian, I can't even afford the cheap seats of a Leaf game, as a ticket at bare minimum is around $70.
Over the past seventeen years the League has gone into expansion four times, and has added another seven teams (Anahein Mighty Ducks-Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, and the Columbus Blue Jackets). Many would say that the current Commissioner Gary Betteman has entered into some questionable markets. There have been four re-locations in the past fifteen years, and these misguided judgements from the Ziegler years have led to the rising cost of the average N.H.L game ticket. We now see teams in Carolina, Florida, Nashville, Columbus, Phoenix, San Jose, Dallas, Anaheim, and the re-emergence of Atlanta, markets that are currently struggling or adequate at best.
Should the owners think that it is wise inflating the cost of going to a Hockey game, they are dead wrong. Gary Betteman had better take a realistic look at the game today, and increase revenue to bring down the cost of tickets, otherwise he'll start losing real Hockey fans, fans that are paying $100+/ticket.
Words of advice to Gary Betteman;
1) Downsize the League - lose markets that don't have fan base to support their
franchise.
2) Get a television contract with a MAJOR U.S.A NETWORK.
3) Bring down the ticket prices.
The current crop of N.H.L'ers are pooled roughly 40-50% European. This means that the quality of Hockey overseas is at roughly the same level as here. A European N.H.L would probably flourish, and serve as an excellent example of globalization of sport. With roughly 50% North American Hockey players' playing overseas, and 50% European players' playing here, a summit of Leagues is encouraged. This, in its' own right is a fair measurement of trade between North America and Europe. Let's enter market places where the demand of that sport is high, and not try and create this parity of demand.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Trade - by Moses
Today's Roy Halladay trade was altered slightly to bring son of former Cy Young Award Winner Doug Drabek, Kyle Drabek, to Toronto in place of J.A Happ. I suppose with Lefty Ricky Romero in the Rotation, this will still lend for a strong up and coming Blue Jays rotation that includes Shaun Marcum and Scott Richmond.
All other pieces in the trade puzzle remain the same. With a possible resulting trade between the Jays and the Oakland A's.
All other pieces in the trade puzzle remain the same. With a possible resulting trade between the Jays and the Oakland A's.
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