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Soccer Season
 Posted 8/25/2010 12:15:00 PM
The English Premier League is officially underway and Chelsea is at the top of the table after the first two games. Champions League play has commenced and all seem right in the world. For me, this signals the start of an exciting fall season in sports.
Soccer season is also starting for me and most that play in the lower mainland. This was the inspiration for my latest podcast on Smacktalk Sports. It is our second edition of the ‘State of the Game’ series, which began with a focus on basketball in episode 5.
The State of the Game episodes examine the development and other aspects of a sport in our community. In this week’s edition I interviewed a couple very important members of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Captain Martin Nash talks about the transition into the MLS next year. Whitecaps FC president, Bob Lenarduzzi, touches on a number of topics ...
Fantasy Football Draft Helper
Posted 8/16/2010 11:51:00 AM
In anticipation for the greatest fantasy season in all sports, we held our annual fantasy football draft last Saturday, August 7th. Definitely earlier than most geeks but we’ve traditionally held our draft before the preseason starts. However, it was the first time our draft was held in the morning and I think this was to my benefit. Waking up at 4:30am most mornings meant a ten o’clock start was more like lunch time for me… and I ate it up. I don’t claim to be a fantasy expert or ‘guru’ by any means but I do have a championship ring (yes, most fantasy football geeks talk like this).
Though I’m confident in my abilities as a fantasy footballer, I also understand that it takes a great deal of luck. So instead of me just telling you what I think you should do and who you should pick, I’ve come up ...
This Team Needs Work
Posted 8/14/2010 10:44:00 AM
The recent demise of BC’s football team has forced me to refrain from calling them ‘Lions’. They are far from matching their moniker. A much needed bye week for BC is just one step toward avoiding another disappointing loss. The last one at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders may have been a blessing in disguise. I have never been a fan of the phrase or motto, ‘a good loss’. I just never really thought you could absolve a team for not winning. Because when you reach the pros, every game is so valuable. This is especially true in an eighteen game season.
The recent run of failure for this team has actually made me change my tune on this matter. Yes, I can admit when I’m wrong… sometimes. Just a week ago, I believed this team is just underachieving and they are just a couple adjustments away from turning ...
Summer Football: sum 'er here, sum 'er not
Posted 8/4/2010 12:43:00 PM
This is the time of year that makes me giddy. There’s little I prefer to the summer sun, beaches, bbq, and NFL training camp. My fantasy football draft is this Saturday and Madden 11 comes out next Tuesday. Are you kidding me right now?!? I’m getting geeked just writing about it. Aside from all of the fun and games, there is actually some news on the sports ticker.
With Favre stating that he will retire (… ya, I don’t believe it yet either), the attention shifts from Favre-watch to Haynes-watch. Washington Redskins defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, may be getting a little too comfortable with his new nickname, ‘fat Albert’.
The waiting game has now reached day 7, and Haynesworth missed his conditioning test for the second day in a row. His ailing knee has forced him to ‘rest’ until he feels he is able to attempt the test again. Now ...
Dez' No, may be a good thing
Posted 7/27/2010 12:22:00 PM
I know this is few days late, but a recent event really made me think about another double standard for amateur and professional sports. When Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver, Dez Bryant, refused to carry the pads of veteran Roy Williams as part of a rookie tradition, most people were thinking ‘here’s another cocky football player disrespecting the game’. I’ll admit, at first, I was thinking the exact same thing. And I still believe that there is some truth to that. But I also believe there is another side to this story.
There have been several cases of ‘hazing gone bad’ at the collegiate and even high school level; to the point where several schools have banned all types of initiation. Some traditional practices have even resulted in death. Now I’m not equating those specific acts to the mild tradition of carrying a teammate’s pads after practice. Clearly that is a ...
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