What Ever Happened To...

The Detroit Redwings

They used to be the most feared team in the NHL. Stock-piled with European talent such as the Russian Five who consisted of Igor Larionov, Sergei Federov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, and Vyacheslav Fetisov, the Red Wings dominated winning 4 Stanley Cups in 12 years. But now, they'd be lucky to make it past the first round in the playoffs (if they even make it). Their goaltenders are playing terrible, the defense is getting old, fast, and the forwards can't seem to stay healthy.

Physical Hockey

The playing style of Scott Stevens and the Broad Street Bully Flyers of the 70'S is dying. Everyone is into this 'speed and finesse' type of a game and it makes me sick. Yes, I like high-scoring game (I'm a goal scorer on my team), but I love games where two teams slug it out with clean hits and great goltending. Then when you do get teams that hit, it's always head-shots or hitting from behind.

Fighting For A Reason

When a team was down a couple goals, and they need a momentum shift, next thing you would see is a Bob Probert or Tie Domi going out on the ice and starting a fight. Now, after the always rare big CLEAN hit, you have these goons who play 3-4 minutes a game going out and beating the tar out of the guy that dished out the hit. I don't care if it's your teams best player, or if the guys hurt, if the hit was clean, leave it. Get a number, and next time you have the chance, lay him out with a clean hit.

Ya, That's Right, SPORTS!!

I don't waste my time watching things like reality TV or go to clubs or wear American Eagle or stuff like that. I waste my time watching, wearing, and doing something that really matters, sports. I live for it, play it, and basically, I'd die without it.

I'm that guy that knows pretty much everything that's going on when it comes to sports, and I'm not afraid to show it. I wear my team colours on my sleeves, head, and pretty much everywhere else, even my feet. I go home, check the sports, then watch some sports, eat dinner while watching SportsCentre, then, after all that sports, I either play sports or watch some more sports. Ya, that's right, SPORTS.

My favourite movies involve sports, and my favourite shows aren't really shows. But they could be considered show. They have season's just like a normal TV show and they also have the characters too. There are the main characters (Derek Jeter, Jarome Iginla, Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady), then there are the supporting cast (A-Rod, Dion Phaneuf, Ron Artest, Randy Moss), then there's the villains (the Boston Red-Sox, the Leafs, the Celtics, the NY Giants), and the occasional cinderella story (1980 US Olympic men's hockey team, made into my favourite movie). This is why sports is great. You can never know what's going to happen. The characters could be "killed off" (retirement or injury), or, the character(team) that you don't think could do it, does. It's the unpredictability that keeps me interested. As the great Herb Brooks said, "If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine", and it's that one time that keeps me a fan.

After reading this, you probably are thinking, "wow, he has no life". But your wrong, I do, it just involves sports.

Wha Happen?

Wha Happen? Pop culture used to be so simple. Back when my dad was a kid (1970's), he listened to good old fashioned (then it was new), rock 'n' roll such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Pink Floyd. Nowadays, rock 'n' roll is John Mayer, Marianas Trench or it's the band from back in the day that are trying to hold on for that one last hit. So once again, I ask, Wha Happen?

There is now all these new kinds of music such as rap, hip-hop, techno, pop rock, alternative hip-hop, screamo, the list goes on. Whatever happened to just plain old rock 'n' roll. Music, it seems, has gotten to complicated. There is these singers who all they do is scream and you can't understand a word they are saying, bands who instead of having the normal guitar and bass and drum, they've got keyboards and synthesizers, and some bands, they don't even have instruments, just 'beats'.

Another thing wrong with the pop culture these days is that everyone cares what a celebrity is doing. Like why do we need to know what Angelina Jolie is doing tomorrow? Or what some one's baby is wearing? Who cares? Do we follow around our neighbours to see what purse they carry there tiny little dog in? No. So why do we follow celebrities. Is it because they are rich, and since they have that much money, if we act like them, we will make that much?

Newsflash. It's not going to happen. So instead of caring more about them, start living your life the way you want. Not the way the celebrities are. Not the way the advertisements tell you to. Live it your way. It your life, not theirs.

So, at the rate were going, we are all going to be a bunch of little celebrities, acting the same, dressing the same, listening to John Mayer. And personally, I think that is a highway to hell.

Prejudice in the Playground

After reading To Kill A Mockingbird, I got to thinking of prejudice in my lifetime. Then, I got thinking of back in public school. In public school, there was loads of prejudice in the playground. Be it from age, gender, or athletic ability, it was there.

I remember when I was younger and me and my friends would try to play in a certain part of the feild, but the older kids wouldn't let us. I thought that it was the nastiest thing I had ever seen. Then when I would got older, I did the same thing, because they always seemed to be in the way.Is it wrong for me to have done it? I don't think so, because if I didn't do this, I think I might have kicked some of those little kids in the head.

I think sometimes prejudice can save people for either embarassment or physical pain. I know for a fact that if we would have let some of the kids who, not to put them down, sucked at playing soccer or football or whatever we were playing, they probably would have been laughed at, picked on, or even targeted. I remember one time, we let some one that wasn't very good to play, and some one hit him right where the sun don't shine.

I think that in this new school setting known as secondary school, the cafeteria and lunchtime have replaced recess. They're is still prejudice, it's obvious. Look where people sit, the cool kids on one side, losers on the other. Then there's the mennonites, jocks, preps, and lifelong classmates. And don't forget age. So, within the large cliques, there are smaller cliques. We keep getting more divided until we have witled it down to only the people we can tolerate before going berserk.

So, in the end, I believe that without prejudice, there would have been more recess-time boo-boo's from bullying, more feelings being hurt of total embarassment, and more Hulk-tastic explosions of anger.