Sport Report

I don’t understand the criticism Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt received from president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge. Claiming Bolt showed a lack of respect to his competitors by the way he celebrated his record-breaking runs in the 100 and 200 metre track events at the Beijing Games, Rogge held a press conference to condemn the sprinter’s actions.
C’mon.
A little flare and personality are what makes watching the Olympics exciting. Simple handshakes and emotionless robots aren’t what people tune in to see.

Ah, rivalries.
There have been some good ones in sports lore dating back nearly 100 years. Red Sox versus Yankees. Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs (OK, the flame has flickered a bit in recent years). Celtics vs. Lakers. Canada vs. Russia. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer. Tiger Woods vs. knee surgery.
Eagles vs. Muskies?
The rivalry between these latter two isn’t considered such on a global scale, but there’s no mistaking the animosity between these two Northwestern Ontario towns (Dryden actually is classified as a city . . . go figure) has existed for decades.

What is it with athletes retiring—only to un-retire a matter of months later?
The latest, of course, is the saga involving Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre.
The last month has involved tampering allegations against the Minnesota Vikings for allegedly talking to Favre, to Favre asking for his outright release, to the Packers apparently offering him a $20-million marketing buyout.
Then came Favre’s reinstatement to the NFL and his arrival at the Packers’ training camp over the weekend. Just what the future may hold, however, remains to be seen.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be an NHL free agent at this time of year? No matter how good or bad your performance was the previous year, you are inevitably due for a raise.
Just ask Michael Ryder and Wade Redden.
After dropping down to a career-low 14 goals last season and being reduced to a fourth line player for the Canadiens, Ryder was “rewarded” with $12M over three years from the Boston Bruins. If he equals his goal total from a season ago, Boston will be paying him $285,714 for every one he scores.

Well, another NHL season and subsequent draft are in the books.
All that’s left now is the impending free agency frenzy beginning July 1, which is sure to see more big names change addresses in the new NHL salary cap world.
As expected, Steven Stamkos went first overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but this year’s entry draft will be most known for being the year of the defenceman.
Among first-round picks, 12 defenders were selected, including four of the top five picks.

What’s with all the knee-clutching theatrics in professional sports as of late?
Back track to Paul Pierce during Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Boston. Sprawled on the court grabbing his knee late in the third quarter—Boston’s title hopes laying in the balance—Pierce seemingly looked done for the series.
His dramatic return after being carried from the court and wheeled down the hallway in a wheelchair will go down as historic among all the other memorable Celtics-Lakers games in their rich histories, but should it?

What’s this I hear about CBC seemingly prepared to give the “Hockey Night in Canada theme”—a beloved musical rendering that is as synonymous as beer and hockey among Canadians—the boot after 40 years of use?
On the surface, that seems about as comparable to the Philadelphia Flyers dropping their pre-game “God Bless America” with Kate Smith singing along on the video screen.
However, it seems as though Copyright Music & Visuals—the company which controls the song—made the CBC’s decision to end their relationship public knowledge to back the broadcaster into a corner.

Soccer fans are nuts.
I came to this conclusion recently when searching “soccer hooligans” on YouTube.
In my search, I stumbled across an eye-opening video of a few Inter Milan (Italian Premier League) fans dropping a motorized scooter from the upper deck with what appeared to be the intentions of having it hit some opposing team’s fans down below.
It took a number of people just to hoist it over the railing.
Yes, a motorized scooter, folks.

Think back to your innocent days as a young child. What sort of career path did you dream about taking?
For me, it was the usual tall expectations of becoming a professional hockey player or settling for a prosperous career as an astronaut if the hockey thing didn’t work out.
However, if I was a real dreamer, I would have wished to become an NHL coach because in today’s hockey business world, the prospect of acquiring and maintaining a coaching job is about as likely as landing on the moon.

The most dominant golfer in the world is off to another stellar start in 2008, having absolutely dominated the first few events of the season.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods finished in second place at the Masters.
Even if you consider yourself nothing more than a casual golf fan, there is a good chance you’ve never heard of Lorena Ochoa, winner of four of seven events on the LPGA tour this year.