Okay, the second time around must have done the trick. I enjoyed the movie much more. I might have gone into it at first thinking it should be this amazing thing, because so many people talk the movie up. And not that it's not a good movie but I still don't think it's this amazing movie I'll watch again and again. To each his (or her) own, I guess. However, the characters were more endearing to me this time around. The goalie especially, and mostly because I'm a sucker for French-Canadian accents.
Just a few more weeks before it's hockey time in Nashville again. It's about time.
Happy Monday everyone!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Hockey Movie Sunday: Week 4
Technically, last week was Week 4 but that didn't happen so we will just pick up where we left off. I thought I'd go with the ultimate classic this week. I noticed it was available through Netflix Instant which made the choice easier.
Yes, it's the 1970's classic Slap Shot starring Paul Newman. This is probably the biggest go-to movie for anyone who is a fan of hockey. Personally, I've seen it once a couple of years ago and I didn't really find it to be all that great. I'm hoping another viewing of it will change my opinion. I guess we'll see on Sunday.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Summer Recap: Late April - May Edition
With training camp and pre-season fast approaching, I realized I needed to get my act together and get back into the swing of things. This summer has kicked my butt in so many ways, I lost count a long time ago. Amidst all the butt-kicking, there wasn't much time for hockey. I became a blogger I loathe...the one that starts a bunch of things but doesn't finish any of them. I have plenty of excuses but you don't need to hear any of them. This blog unfortunately suffered a good bit of neglect for the past few months, while other things took more precedence.
Summer is always difficult for us hockey fans but for once, there was no lack of news from the Nashville Predators this off-season. I looked at the roster late last week and knew I needed to spend some time going back over all that happened when I didn't recognize and/or remember half of the new names I saw.
To help me set everything straight in my head, I am going to do a review of all the moves on and off-ice that occurred since the Predators season ended in late April. I'll have to break it up in a few posts because taking on every last piece of news at once would probably overload my hockey sensibilities. So, let's start with late April through May, shall we?
Preds Re-Sign Wade Belak
David Poile Named a Finalist for NHL's Inaugural GM of the Year Award
Preds Sign Lani Lajunen to Entry-Level Contract
Preds Sign Kelsey Wilson to One Year Deal
Preds Sign 2008 Draftee Anders Lindback
Preds Sign 2008 Second Rounder Roman Josi
Preds Sign Finnish Goaltender Atte Engren
Well, if you guessed the most significant news in this batch of links was the Wade Belak re-signing, you should probably re-evaluate your decision making abilities. Just kidding! But seriously, not the most exciting news in any of these stories, right?
The two moves worth noting are the goaltender signings of Anders Lindback and Atte Engren. Since Pekka Rinne left Milwaukee and made his move to the big leagues, I haven't been particularly impressed with any of the netminders left in the system. Adding this pair to the mix could light the spark for some of the more seasoned guys, allowing them to jockey for the next starting position (or even a backup, with Ellis gone) once Pekka's time is through. Of the two goalies picked up, Lindback has a little more buzz surrounding him, strictly based on his size alone. He's the tallest player ever drafted by the organization, coming in at an impressive 6'6". And you thought Pekka was tall.
Well, I feel a little better now and maybe my attempt to get up-to-date helped a few other people in the process. I'll tackle the craziness that was June in the next few days.
Summer is always difficult for us hockey fans but for once, there was no lack of news from the Nashville Predators this off-season. I looked at the roster late last week and knew I needed to spend some time going back over all that happened when I didn't recognize and/or remember half of the new names I saw.
To help me set everything straight in my head, I am going to do a review of all the moves on and off-ice that occurred since the Predators season ended in late April. I'll have to break it up in a few posts because taking on every last piece of news at once would probably overload my hockey sensibilities. So, let's start with late April through May, shall we?
Preds Re-Sign Wade Belak
David Poile Named a Finalist for NHL's Inaugural GM of the Year Award
Preds Sign Lani Lajunen to Entry-Level Contract
Preds Sign Kelsey Wilson to One Year Deal
Preds Sign 2008 Draftee Anders Lindback
Preds Sign 2008 Second Rounder Roman Josi
Preds Sign Finnish Goaltender Atte Engren
Well, if you guessed the most significant news in this batch of links was the Wade Belak re-signing, you should probably re-evaluate your decision making abilities. Just kidding! But seriously, not the most exciting news in any of these stories, right?
The two moves worth noting are the goaltender signings of Anders Lindback and Atte Engren. Since Pekka Rinne left Milwaukee and made his move to the big leagues, I haven't been particularly impressed with any of the netminders left in the system. Adding this pair to the mix could light the spark for some of the more seasoned guys, allowing them to jockey for the next starting position (or even a backup, with Ellis gone) once Pekka's time is through. Of the two goalies picked up, Lindback has a little more buzz surrounding him, strictly based on his size alone. He's the tallest player ever drafted by the organization, coming in at an impressive 6'6". And you thought Pekka was tall.
Well, I feel a little better now and maybe my attempt to get up-to-date helped a few other people in the process. I'll tackle the craziness that was June in the next few days.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
In His Defense: A Cautionary Twitter Tale
Yesterday afternoon, Dan Ellis retweeted some things from Reggie Bush's twitter account. If only he knew the storm it would cause for the remainder of the day.
The tweets from Reggie Bush were innocent enough:
RT @reggie_bush: Lol! Clearly some of these people have never been through an NFL Training Camp! Hmmmm? Maybe that could make a good tv show
RT @reggie_bush: Let's put a fan through training camp, two-a-day practices for 2 weeks straight, 100+ heat everyday, full pads
That is nothing someone with a normal job wouldn't say on a regular basis, if met with scrutiny about their performance. In the Twitter world, a retweet typically serves as your agreement with someone else's sentiment as was the case with Ellis. However, he delved further into the issue with these tweets:
ppl say well that guy makes too much money...well he earned it. Just like a brain surgeon makes tons of $, it took 15 more yrs than u put in to get that kind of pay
Any job I can think of that makes lots of cash..that person is a specialist. Meaning other pl can not do the job as well. They train harder, are better educated or just plain blessed. They are not a dime a dozen unlike many other professions.
My brain surgeon comparison does not compare their importance to life but merely their years of training and perfecting their craft!
This did not go over very well. People were poking at him left and right about what they considered to be inaccuracies in his philosophy. To suggest that pro-athletes are specialists in their field and deserve the pay compensatory to their craft...oh, the horror! Then to compare brain surgery to athletism...preposterous!
But let's take a step back from the shoot from the hip, instant word vomit of Twitter for a second. How many people can honestly (HONESTLY) say they would do a better job than any pro-athlete under scrutiny in any given sport? As a fan, we pay good money to see these individuals do what they do best. Did it cost them a hefty price to get to where they are? Without a doubt. Their entire lives have built up to these moments in time. They have practiced countless hours, sacrificed plenty of life's little moments they'll never get back, and continue to hone their skills to achieve all that their sport can offer them. By comparison, brain surgeons, general practice physicians, and anyone else in a highly specialized field have sacrificed just as much and are under just as much scrutiny, if not infinitely more so.
Does it suck when people in these professions claim to "have it hard"? Does it seem ludicrous for people who play sports for a living to make millions of dollars a year? Of course. Especially when you compare your take home pay to theirs. But such is the society we live in. These are the norms by which we live. This is what has been deemed acceptable by most. Are these people extraordinary at what they do and deserve the compensation they receive? In a lot of cases, absolutely. In the case of doctors, from my own experience, I know firsthand that they are some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. They've worked hard to get where they are. From what I know of professional athletes, their version of hard work just looks a lot different than the average job. That doesn't mean they aren't amazing at what they do and don't deserve the pay appropriate for their skill level.
What you really have here is a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side". There are pros and cons to every job, no matter if you are a teacher, a mailman, an athlete or a neurosurgeon. Everyone has their own talents. My weaknesses could be someone else's strengths. We are all blessed with unique characteristics that make us stand out in one way or the other. Whether or not we all get paid the right amount of money for them or get the recognition from the world at large for our contribution to society is a whole other issue.
Besides, we can't all be professional athletes. The sporting world (and Twitter, for that matter) would be far less appealing if we were.
The tweets from Reggie Bush were innocent enough:
RT @reggie_bush: Lol! Clearly some of these people have never been through an NFL Training Camp! Hmmmm? Maybe that could make a good tv show
RT @reggie_bush: Let's put a fan through training camp, two-a-day practices for 2 weeks straight, 100+ heat everyday, full pads
That is nothing someone with a normal job wouldn't say on a regular basis, if met with scrutiny about their performance. In the Twitter world, a retweet typically serves as your agreement with someone else's sentiment as was the case with Ellis. However, he delved further into the issue with these tweets:
ppl say well that guy makes too much money...well he earned it. Just like a brain surgeon makes tons of $, it took 15 more yrs than u put in to get that kind of pay
Any job I can think of that makes lots of cash..that person is a specialist. Meaning other pl can not do the job as well. They train harder, are better educated or just plain blessed. They are not a dime a dozen unlike many other professions.
My brain surgeon comparison does not compare their importance to life but merely their years of training and perfecting their craft!
This did not go over very well. People were poking at him left and right about what they considered to be inaccuracies in his philosophy. To suggest that pro-athletes are specialists in their field and deserve the pay compensatory to their craft...oh, the horror! Then to compare brain surgery to athletism...preposterous!
But let's take a step back from the shoot from the hip, instant word vomit of Twitter for a second. How many people can honestly (HONESTLY) say they would do a better job than any pro-athlete under scrutiny in any given sport? As a fan, we pay good money to see these individuals do what they do best. Did it cost them a hefty price to get to where they are? Without a doubt. Their entire lives have built up to these moments in time. They have practiced countless hours, sacrificed plenty of life's little moments they'll never get back, and continue to hone their skills to achieve all that their sport can offer them. By comparison, brain surgeons, general practice physicians, and anyone else in a highly specialized field have sacrificed just as much and are under just as much scrutiny, if not infinitely more so.
Does it suck when people in these professions claim to "have it hard"? Does it seem ludicrous for people who play sports for a living to make millions of dollars a year? Of course. Especially when you compare your take home pay to theirs. But such is the society we live in. These are the norms by which we live. This is what has been deemed acceptable by most. Are these people extraordinary at what they do and deserve the compensation they receive? In a lot of cases, absolutely. In the case of doctors, from my own experience, I know firsthand that they are some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. They've worked hard to get where they are. From what I know of professional athletes, their version of hard work just looks a lot different than the average job. That doesn't mean they aren't amazing at what they do and don't deserve the pay appropriate for their skill level.
What you really have here is a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side". There are pros and cons to every job, no matter if you are a teacher, a mailman, an athlete or a neurosurgeon. Everyone has their own talents. My weaknesses could be someone else's strengths. We are all blessed with unique characteristics that make us stand out in one way or the other. Whether or not we all get paid the right amount of money for them or get the recognition from the world at large for our contribution to society is a whole other issue.
Besides, we can't all be professional athletes. The sporting world (and Twitter, for that matter) would be far less appealing if we were.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Hockey Movie Sunday: Week 3
Okay, last week was kind of a bust all around. My laptop was sent off to Sony Vaio land in California while I was forced to stay here and mourn its loss. I managed to get in my Netflix request for Mystery, Alaska before I was without a laptop but the disk they sent me was pretty much unplayable. Fortunately, I already knew how it ended, having watched it for the first time last summer so at least I wasn't completely frustrated about not finishing the movie. You probably noticed I didn't do a recap and the reason for that falls under the category of "I don't have a laptop for three weeks". And honestly, the only reason I am continuing Hockey Movie Sundays is because I am squeezing in these postings at the office.
So enough of the I-have-no-laptop-or-internet-access pity party. This week's selection comes from my own DVD collection again. Youngblood starring a young Rob Lowe and the late, great Patrick Swayze.
So enough of the I-have-no-laptop-or-internet-access pity party. This week's selection comes from my own DVD collection again. Youngblood starring a young Rob Lowe and the late, great Patrick Swayze.
If you can't already tell, it's most definitely a 1980s movie. And I'm pretty sure you will get your fill of cheesy synthesizer music watching this. Actually, I KNOW you will get more than your fair share of it. In any event, it's still a good hockey film and maybe one you haven't seen before.
Enjoy!
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