The Yellow Stripe

From the Slate article, Cold Reality, by a former ice skater who tried out for but did not make the U.S. team in the 1980s...

You may be wondering what I learned from my competitive experiences. I learned that Olympians are people, too: They're just better and stronger than the rest of us in almost every conceivable way. They do indeed "want it" more, and they don't care how much it hurts. They're muscular and fit as fiddles. They commit to the sport day after day, year after year, without any guarantee that all that hard work will pay off. On game day, they excel. They remain composed and even manage to smile. And maybe there's something even more, some elusive, magical X-factor … but I've obviously never figured it out.

That's what I watch for... to see athletes achieving the pinnacle of human performance. As someone who is just a touch undisciplined, unfocused, and not entirely ambitious, I really admire those qualities in our greatest athletes.

Also, I admire this: (hint, can somebody Icon this for me?)

Watching Alexander Ovechkin blast Jaromir Jagr cannot get old for me. It feels like justice...
(See video highlight, of the whole play, including Evgeni Malkin's goal.)

I am still really looking forward to that Canada-Russia game. It should be a blast. Seriously folks, if you're only going to watch one hockey game this year, or possibly even in your life, it's probably this one.

Unless you can get the Miracle on Ice on tape...

Do you believe in insignificant upsets! Yes!!!

Edited to Add (02/22): So it turns out, not entirely insignificant - the seeding of the medal rounds mean the US must only beat SUI and CZE/FIN to make the Gold Medal game. Canada will now have to beat GER, RUS and SWE/SVK.

Am weirdly torn - as a youth, I grew up hating the Soviet Hockey team. Mostly because they were Commie bastards and Our Enemies, and they had a roster loaded with soulless automatons - whereas USA and Canada's teams were filled with our fresh-faced good young boys. And also, in my family, we've generally head few good things about dealings with the Russians back in The Old County. Only now, the rosters have a bunch of NHL players on them - and my favorite player - the great Alex Ovechkin - stars for Team Russia.

Oh that I am torn, for if we see the predicted final between Canada and Russia, I will root for Russia because I cannot possibly side with Crosby in a battle of Sid vs. Ovie. Although, I don't expect Russia to win - I'm watching their game against Latvia tonight. And while Russia features a sickening array of offensive talent, their defensemen are very uninspiring. And while I understand that they have a system, Ovechkin should be qurterbacking the Power Play instead of Korneev - who kind of blows.

Also, I dislike them playing on the narrower NHL surface. The more open the ice, the better.

Am plagued by great sadness as my Washington Capitals saw the Franchise Record 14-game win streak come to an end with a 6-5 (OT) Loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Was bound to happen, but still sad.

Also, have completed yet more snow clearance. Yesterday's storm brought about 8 more inches, not itself too bad - but the high winds blew all the snow off the Row Houses across the street and deposited enormous snow drifts on my property. After much work, I'm dug out again. Also knocked a bunch of those deadly looking icicles off my roof - though sadly, the winds left my snow up there still.

In other news, in a fit of nostalgia... my neighbor from childhood was visiting his parents with his daughter - and built a slide on our lawn... as we once did as children, oh so many years ago. My parents took pictures out the window. It's nice to see (by proxy) another generation of children hurtling down those old slopes.

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(click on images to see larger versions)

Snowpocalypse Snowmaggeddon Snoverkill continues...

Just when I thought I'd finished digging out, it's snowing again. Projected 8-16" in my area, with high winds threatening power outages.

( Winter Weather Talk )

It's just really bizarre to discover that, this winter, I've apparently moved to Buffalo. Here's hoping we won't get any ice storms (1993, 1996) because the ice and power outages would take this to a whole new level of suck. Until then, happy shoveling...

Well, I got power back on. Let the record state:
21" (and counting) in my driveway.
33" (and counting) against the door on my deck.

Back. Not feeling good after all that work.

WHy must these massive snowstorms keep happening on my weekends? It's nice to retain my vacation hours, I suppose, but aargh!!!

Harold Ford Jr. is a reasonably handsome man, but Colbert is making him look very bad. Or, more accurately, Harold Ford is making himself look very bad and Colbert is just feeding him his own quotes on which to hang himself.

Yeah, perhaps the gotcha journalism is sometimes a bad thing, but when people make a habit of saying contradictory things to different audiences, it's nice to see them pushed to answer for it. In person.

Everyone is doing the following meme:

The first TEN people to comment in this post get to request that I write a drabble of any pairing/character of their choosing. In return, they have to post this in their journal, regardless of their ability level. (If you absolutely can't write, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to offer drawings or icons or something instead.)

Folks can give me a challenge.

Because I am lazy and devoid of ideas - and this sounds too much like homework - I will not actually write a drabble. But I can write about the drabble I would have written, if I would actually drabble. Yeah.

Give me a prompt. I'll give you a plot bunny.

EDITED TO ADD: I do not actually expect, or request, anyone to actually follow-up and volunteer themselves.

A brief break from what will mostly be sports talk if I continue to post this month.

Have obtained something truly awesome:



My new "Freehands" gloves.

These are truly a marvel. Convertible gloves, where the fingertips (thumb and index) flip back. Especially during this winter, I'm reminded of how useful gloves are, but how much I need fingertips.

Like when I want to answer my cell phone in the cold. Or when I have to change a tire in below freezing temperatures. (Winter '99 on Rt23 in Michigan...)

Maybe it's stupid to get really psyched about a pair of gloves, but I am loving these...

Today, MLB announced this year's Hall of Fame class:

1. Andre Dawson

Much like last year (Jim Rice) Dawson was a very good player with a great career, but a player who wouldn't have made my list. Both were sluggers who put up nice first order stats, didn't get on base nearly enough, were overrated because of Home Run totals and favorable park effects - and who were actually less valuable then their less splashy but more well rounded outfield teammates. (Dwight Evans and Tim Raines)

Well, what's done is done. It does show that the revolution in baseball analysis still hasn't quite made it through to the old men who vote on the hall. That said, here's my ballot:

1. Roberto Alomar
2. Bert Blyleven
3. Barry Larkin
4. Edgar Martinez
5. Tim Raines
6. Alan Trammel

Blyleven and Alomar are probably locks to get in next year. Jack Morris and Mark McGwire might have a shot next year. Raines and Trammel continue to be criminally underrated. Of course, if any of these gents really want in, they'd better get cracking for 2011 and 2012 balloting. Because starting with 2013, the really big stars come up (Biggio, Clemens, Piazza) and they all go to the back of the line...

• Thanks for all the birthday wishes. A happy new years and holiday season to all. I've never had any problem with my Birthday so close to the holidays - save for the sad fact that the latter half of December is one of the most relaxing times of the year for me as work gets very slack - and that my Birthday always coincides with getting slammed again with responsibility.


• David Letterman's Top Ten List for Washington Wizards' Explanations for Gilbert Arenas' bringing guns into the locker room was about as Funny as Dave's been in a long time.


• It's a shame Georgia Tech's option offense doesn't seem to work against any good defense that has time to prepare. And yet Missouri couldn't stop Navy?


• Redskins hire Mike Shanahan. But Dan Snyder is still the owner. It won't work.


• Saw three movies this winter: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and Up in the Air. Sherlock Holmes was only okay. Story was weak. But the characters were likeable and fun, and it never bored me. That's all I really need.


• Avatar is visually fantastic, but the characterization of the antagonists are awful. I don't mind Cameron making strip-mining, soulless, materialist and militaristic corporations the villains. But did they have to be so stupid about it? If I can't respect the intelligence of the antagonists, I'm not going to get myself wrapped up by any 'message' promoted, whether it's the 'dances with wolves in space' or 'evil corporations' angle. It's a nice action/adventure/romance in space with fantastic and immersive presentation - and beyond that merits little thought but much enjoyment.


• Up in the Air, OTOH, was truly excellent. Clooney's suited for the role, but I was really impressed by Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, who had good characters and did great work with them. Unlike Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, this movie did not go where I expected it to but did not leave me confused by how it got where it did. Big thumbs up.


• My three favorite movies of 2009, in order: "The Hurt Locker", "Up in the Air", and "Inglorious Basterds". All three are excellent in their own way, especially Hurt Locker. It is the best possible movie that could be made of that movie, if you follow. Not necessarily my favorite or the most fun, but possibly the best executed movie of the last five years. Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner derserve oscars.

Watch this space. I may yet have more thoughts and actual post this week. I haven't even gotten to TV.

No, not that George Michael.

This George Michael:

If you were from DC, or if you were a sports fan back before ESPN Sportscenter became ubiquitous, then the George Michael Sports Machine was your show. Where else were you going to get highlights from across the nation, including things like Bull-Riding?

You weren't. So here's to you George.

And a Happy X-Mas eve to all my friends who celebrate.

The generally hit or miss Bill Simmons has put forward some interesting (to me anyway) thoughts on Tiger, some of which I agree and disagree with.

Bill Simmons on Tiger: Part I, Part II

( More on Tiger )