Pazdziernik Archive

Paris v. Rome

[Archive July 9,2006]

It looks like Europe is not quite dead yet: Portugal, Germany, Italy and France were the final four FIFA World Cup™ clubs. The Western Roman Empire may have indeed collapsed and transformed into the Middle Ages long ago. However, it seemed to re-emerge once again during the last month or so. Today in Berlin, Italy prevailaed over France 5-3 in penality kicks (after a 1-1 draw after regular time and two overtimes). I'm sure you already know this since like 1 billion people watched the match and I hope that at least some of these 1 billion would have an interest in an "edifying blog" to repeat these events.

I had been pulling for France going into the match. I have no ties to either country. New England has many of both French heritage and Italian heritage. More French in the north; Italian in the south is a good general estimate. My allegiance shifted to Italy after Zinedine Zidane, 34, the French captain, was red-carded and ejected in the first overtime for a vicious and classless head butt to the chest of an Italian player, Marco Materazzi. His ejection left the French squad down a man at a critical time. Zidane is also a good penality shooter but his services were not allowed after the ejection.

I always like to see good sportsmanship and this was an example of poor sportsmanship. It was especially shocking since it came from a veteran, popular, and well-regarded player like Zidane. (Zidane's poor sportsmanship certainly will overshadow the poor sportsmanship of Boston Red Sox's Manny Ramierz who is refusing to attend the annual All-Star Game in Pittsburgh this coming Tuesday although he was the top vote-getter by the fans.)

Congratulation to Italy! I'm sure that Boston's North End and elsewhere will be celebrating well into the night tonight and perhaps for the coming weeks.

Photo: Ben Radford/Getty Images
Tags: World Cup, FIFA, Italy, France, Soccer

Rock you like a hurricane?

[Archive June 18, 2006]

Before Game 5 on Wednesday (June 14th), I was getting ready to post about the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup for the first time. They had led the best-of-seven series 3-1, going into game 5. The series is now tied at 3-3. Game seven will be Monday night at 8pm ET in Raleigh, North Carolina. The last two games have been really good back and forth hockey.

My pre-season pick was the Vancouver Canucks. Now, I’m rooting for the Hurricanes since they used to be a local team. The Hurricanes were formerly known as the New England Whalers and Hartford Whalers from 1971 until 1997. The Whalers joined the NHL beginning with the 1979-1980 season. In 1997 they relocated to North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes.

The World Cup and the Red Sox are the focus of New England sports for the moment. Here’s a summary of the 2006 NHL Stanley Cup series to date:

Game 1 Carolina 5 Edmonton 4
Game 2 Carolina 5 Edmonton 0
Game 3 Edmonton 2 Carolina 1
Game 4 Carolina 2 Edmonton 1
Game 5 Carolina 3 Edmonton 4 (OT)
Game 6 Edmonton 4 Carolina 0
Game 7 Carolina 3 Edmonton 1

For a refresher, here’s a list of recent Stanley Cup Champions:

2006 Carolina Hurricanes
2004 Tampa Bay Lightning
2003 New Jersey Devils
2002 Detroit Red Wings
2001 Colorado Avalanche
2000 New Jersey Devils
1999 Dallas Stars
1998 Detroit Red Wings
1997 Detroit Red Wings

It might be difficult to get excited about hockey late in June. However a game seven of the Stanley Cup finals should be made an exception!

Update June 19, 2006: Congratulations to the former Hartford Whalers! Stanley Cup Champions.

Photo: Mike Commodore (22) and Ryan Smyth (94) in Game 6 Getty Images
Tags: Stanley Cup, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers

FIFA World Cup

[Archive June 4, 2006]

Only 4 days and 18hours until the FIFA World Cup™ begins in Germany! I’m sure that Brazil will be the favorites (again). A USA vs Iran would make quite an interesting match if both squads can both get past the first round. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed interest in traveling to Germany if his country’s team can get past Group D which includes Mexico, Angola and Portugal.

Here’s a quick re-cap of the last few World Cup final matches and host nations:

2006 Italy 1 (5-3) France 1 (Germany)
2002 Brazil 2 Germany 0 (Korea/Japan)
1998 France 3 Brazil 0 (France)
1994 Brazil 0 (3-2) Italy 0 (United States)
1990 Germany 1 Argentina 0 (Italy)
1986 Argentina 3 Germany 2 (Mexico)

The key first round matches are

June 9th Ecuador vs Poland (Final: Ecuador 2 Poland 0)
June 12th USA vs Czech Rep. (Final: USA 0 Czech Rep. 3)
June 14th Germany vs Poland (Final: Germany 1 Poland 0)
June 17th Italy vs USA (Final: Italy 1 USA 1)
June 20th Costa Rica vs Poland (Final: Costa Rica 1 Poland 2)
June 22nd Ghana vs USA (Final: Ghana 2 USA 1)

I predict USA and Ghana to rise out of Group E. Sorry Italy and Czech Republic. The champion, well, my prediction is for Brazil! My “dark horse” pick this year is England.

Photo: FIFA Word Cup™ ( WorldCup.com )

50/50/50

[Archive May 30, 2006]

Later this year, beginning on September 17th, ultra-marathoner, Dean Karnazes, 43, will attempt to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Not all states will have official marathons each of these 50 days, so he will follow the courses on his own where they do not coincide with actual races. You can follow his adventure on The Endurance 50.

Ultra-marathoners are not satisfied with running the typical 26.22 mile/42.195 km course of a marathon. Instead, they prefer to run longer distances, like 50 or 100 or 120 miles. It’s really amazing what the human body is capable of doing. The analogy as applying to the human spirit should be given some thought.

I suppose that Karnazes’ book, sponsorship by The North Face and media appearance fees allow him to both train and provide for his family. Karnazes has a blog if you are interested in his training, diet, nutrition, mental preparation, and so forth. I certainly have no interest in ultramarathons but I plan to follow his adventures to see if he can indeed achieve this feat.

Cigar

[Archive May 23, 2006]

It looks like many of our hearts, minds, and prayers are directed toward the fate of the sudden “celebrity” Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby Winner who fractured his ankle this past Saturday during the Preakness Stakes horse race in Maryland.

This is my first post about thoroughbred horse racing so I'll give it my best shot. I’m not a Big Fan™ but I do have Cigar as my all-time favorite. Remember him?

Cigar was born April 18,1990 but was not good enough as a three year-old to win a Triple Crown race. However, as a four and five year-old, he made a deep impact on horse racing. Cigar was undefeated in 1995 winning 10 of 10 starts! He also had a 16 win streak and was “Horse of the Year” both in 1995 and in 1996.

Cigar has a quite impressive family tree. He is the grandson of the 1977 Triple Crown Winner Seattle Slew. Overall, he won nearly $10 million in racing. From what I have read this is still the all-time record for a North American horse. In 2002 he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Cigar currently resides at the Kentucky Horse Park. Road trip anyone? Perhaps he has a son "Cigarillo"?

Photo: “Cigar” by Bob Coglianese
Tags: Barbaro, Cigar, Horse Racing

Iconic Sports Hairdos

[Archive May 15, 2006]

Tom Hanks’ hair in forthcoming The Da Vinci Code movie seems to be generating a lot of “buzz.” (Maybe this will distract from it corrosive message?) If it really “all about the hair”, Sports Illustrated may be “cashing in" on this trend by posting photos of the “Ten Most Iconic Hairdos in Sports History”. In the post-Johnny Damon Boston era I suppose we need to recall the “good old days.”

I have long given up on Sports Illustrated in favor of The Sporting News, partly because SI tends to run stories like “the vintage car collection of Mr. Super-athlete”, while TSN focuses on numbers and performance trends. Nevertheless, the list of their “Iconic Hairdos” is worth a look.

1. Don King
2. Pat Riley
3. Oscar Gamble
4. Troy Polamalu
5. Andre Agassi
6. Jimmy Johnson
7. Carlos Valderrama
8. Johnny Damon
9. Dorothy Hamill
10. Gene Keady

Don King as "number 1" is no contest.

On No 9, Dorothy Hamill…

The 1976 Olympic figure skating gold medalist launched one of the most copied female hairstyles of all time -- the Hamill Wedge. Hamill was even stopped by strangers who complimented her "Dorothy Hamill haircut" without realizing who she was. The only Olympic hair that rivals Hamill's is Mark Spitz's mustache.

I do vaguely remember the “Hamill Wedge”. I’m glad styles change…

Photo: Oscar Gamble

Four Inches

[Archive May 14, 2006]

American sprinter Justin Gatlin, 24, 6’1” 180 lbs, set a world record in the 100 meters Friday at a track meet in Doha, Qatar: 9.76 seconds! The previous record had been 9.77 seconds. Running 100m in 9.76 seconds is equivalent to running 100.1m in 9.77 seconds. This tenth of a meter distance is almost 4 inches.

100/9.76 m/s x 9.77s = 100.1m

0.1 m x 100 cm/m x 1/2.54 in/cm = 3.9 in

For an athlete of his caliber, all his training, sacrifice and hard work go toward approximately a 4 inch gain. The 9.77 second mark had been broken before but there are international rules such as windspeed for outdoor meets which allow a record to stand as official:

International rules do not allow records at this distance if the wind at the backs of sprinters exceeds 2.0 meters per second (about 4.473 miles an hour). The wind speed for the race was measured at 1.7 meters.

Here is a history of 100 meter records since 1983: 9.76 Justin Gatlin, USA (May 2006) 9.77 Asafa Powell, Jamaica (June 2005) 9.79 Maurice Green, USA (June 1999) 9.84 Donovan Bailey, Canada (July 1996) 9.85 Leroy Burrell, USA (July 1994) 9.86 Carl Lewis, USA (August 1991) 9.90 Leroy Burrell, USA (June 1991) 9.92 Carl Lewis, USA (September 1988) 9.93 Calvin Smith, USA (July 1983)

Justin Gatlin’s next goal is 9.74 or 9.73 seconds for nearly a full foot better! Although the United States may not have great long distance marathon runners like Kenya and Ethiopia, we are still is the best at short distances. Congratulations to Justin!

Track & Field like baseball is a sport of "drama" not "action." Those who like drama may like to give track & field a closer look.

Update May 17,2006: It looks like Gatlin's record-breaking time will not stand. His official time was 9.766 seconds for the 100 meter race. International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules round down the time to 9.77. I suppose he will not get the $100,000 bonus from the IAAF and $30,000 from Qatar. The "rounding differential" is effectively a mere 1.6 inches. His next big race will be in Gateshead, England on June 11th.

Update August 22,2006: Justin Gatlin will accept an eight-year ban from Track & Field because of a failed drug test. It was his second failed drug test. He will also forfeit his share of the world record in the 100 meters.

Photo: Justin Gatlin ©Fadi Alassaad/Reuter
Quote: Gatlin Is Really the Fastest Man By Frank Litsky (N.Y Times, May 13, 2006)
Tags: Justin Gatlin

Baseball 2006

[Archive March 19, 2006]

Opening Day, April 3rd, will soon be upon us. Opening Day at Fenway Park is April 11th. As I did last year, I will make my predictions for the 2006 MLB season. Sure, I came up a bit short in 2005, but 2006 will be different. Here they are…

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox’s pitching staff will be the big “question mark” for the 2006 season. Curt Schilling (R), Josh Beckett (R), David Wells (L), Tim Wakefield (R), and Matt Clement (R) may have big seasons. However, Boston still needs some quality lefties. Their offense with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz should continue to produce. A new infield is in place with Alex Gonzalez at shortstop and Mike Lowell at 3B. So, their defense should improve from last year as well.

The New York Yankees will be in the Wild Card chase. I suppose that Alex Rodriquez (3B) and Garry Sheffield (RF) will have big seasons. However, their starting pitching will continue to be a weak spot. The Toronto Blue Jays have some good pitching with Roy Halladay (R), A.J. Burnett (R), Ted Lilly (L) and B.J. Ryan (L) in the bullpen. They should be in Wild Card contention.

Central: Chicago White Sox
Okay, so last year I predicted that Chicago’s “small ball experiment” would fail. But who could have predicted that they would have such great pitching? Their starting rotation (Mark Buehrle (L), Jose Contreras (R), Freddy Garcia (R)) and bullpen with Bobby Jenks (R) will return for another run. The offense will be “the factor” this season. But with the addition of Jim Thome at DH you gotta’ like their chances.

The Detroit Tigers should continue to improve if they stay healthy. I would not be surprised if they earn the Wild Card this season with manager Jim Leyland at the helm. The Cleveland Indians also look pretty good with lefty pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee. They will certainly give the White Sox a good run.

West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
All around the Angels have a solid team even with the loss of Bengie Molina. Their infield is solid with Orlando Cabrera (SS) and Adam Kennedy (2B). OFs Vladmir Guerrero (.317 32 108) and Garret Anderson (.283 17 96) should have big years. In addition, Darrin Erstad (.273 7 66) should rebound from a disappointing 2005 season. Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon (R) will have another outstanding year. Their staff is in need of quality left-handed pitching.

The Oakland A’s future does not look bright. They may be a season away from contention once again. I suppose these “Moneyballers” need to rebuild like every other small-market team. The Seattle Mariners will be back in contention from a terrible 2005. Their outfield with Raul Ibanez (LF), Jeremy Reed (CF) and Ichiro Suzuki (RF) is solid. The addition of pitcher Jarrod Washburn (L) is a bonus.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East: New York Mets
The New York Mets are my out-on-a-limb™ pick for this season. The Atlanta Braves’ dominance of this division will come to an end this year. With Pedro (R) and Glavine (L) on the mound and Billy Wagner (L) in the pen the Mets’ pitching should stay consistent but it won’t be great; just good enough. The Mets will shine both in the field and at the plate with Jose Reyes (SS), David Wright (3B), Paul Lo Duca (C), Carlos Delgado (1B) and company.

The Philadelphia Phillies could possibly be the NL Wild Card winner this season. Jimmy Rollins (SS), Bobby Abreu (RF) and most of the rest of the Philly team are not recognizable names … but wait until September! The Washington Nationals with a .500 record last season should improve and be in Wild Card contention if their pitching holds up. Closer Chad Cordero (2-4 47 saves) will keep hope alive in the late innings for the Nationals.

Central: St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis is a “no brainer” and a safe bet. They had 100 wins last year and 105 in 2004. They will have solid pitching with Mark Mulder (L) and Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter (R) at the top of the rotation. Their offense will continue to be among the best of the National League led by M.V.P. Albert Pujols (1B). It will be interesting to see how Rick Ankiel does in the outfield and if he can remain on the major league squad.

The Chicago Cubs’ pitching is either too old or too injury prone for a successful season. I do expect Juan Pierre (OF) to have an all-star season. He may be in the M.V.P. race as well. (You read it here first!)

West: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers will surprise many. Nomar Garciaparra (1B) should return to top form because he seems to be motivated to “prove himself.” They have a team that could easily go from “okay” to “pretty good” if all stay healthy and if they can get some middle-relief support. In the NL West, a weak division, they are just as probable as anyone else to win.

The San Diego Padres looked promising last year but they failed to “improve” in the offseason. Nevertheless, they may still be in contention for a division win but certainly not for a Wild Card spot. The San Francisco Giants have a solid starting rotation with Matt Morris (R) and Jason Schmidt (R). However, besides Barry Bonds (LF), their offense is limited. I don’t expect them to score many runs to support their pitching.

Photo: Don Zimmer and Carlton Fisk ©1978 Richard Raphael

Green and Orange

[Archive March 17, 2006]

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Like Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry , I’m not Irish and “have never claimed Irish heritage.” However, I do attend St. Patrick’s parish in Nashua and today is our patron feast day. It’s interesting to note (or really insightful perhaps) that, as with other Catholic feast days, they are inclusive. People who are not Catholic enjoy Christmas, Easter, Halloween, groundhog day (Presentation), Mardi Gras, Saint Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and so forth. Although most of these feast days have been radically secularized, Catholics and other Christians have no problem including and encouraging others to “join the celebration” as well. In contrast, other groups tend to be set apart for “us alone” –type observances. Those who think "religion always divides" should consider the attitude that Christians actually have toward these celebrations.

I’m not sure if it is ignorance, political correctness, or “courtesy” to refer to St. Patrick’s Day as the “celebration of the color green” (yes, I heard it today). Celebrating Irish heritage whereby “everybody is Irish today” is a positive expression. Nevertheless, referring to Northern Ireland as “Orange” and “Southern” Ireland as “Green” (yes, I heard it today) seems to betray more ignorance and political correctness. In fact, a puzzled colleague researched this orange/green divide and found that orange was for Protestants; green for Catholics. duh!…

The “fruit” of this colleague’s —I think honest— research was to declare, in an all-too-typical cynical manner, that “Catholic and Protestants have been fighting for a thousand years!” The Protestant reformation was less than 500 years ago. Martin Luther did not post his 95 Theses until October 1517. Until then, Europe was united in the Catholic Faith. It is safe to say that the inclusiveness and Catholic outreach of St. Patrick’s Day is lost on many.

I’m not sure if this same colleague had any comprehension of the Unionist or Loyalist divide in Ireland. I suppose that those who reduce history to “religion is the cause of all wars” and “religion is evil” make little or no effort to understand historical realities. (Aside: I’m sure colleagues like this and others will be enraptured with the Ron Howard Da Vinci Code movie when it hits theaters on May 19th. I will try to avoid postings about Brown, Dan, that is.)

Now with our point of departure firmly established, let’s look at some other recent orange/green items:

Orange

Syracuse University's men’s basketball team (23-11) lost last night, 66-58, to Texas A&M (21-8) in Jacksonville, Florida in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament. I was disheartened to hear on local radio this morning the violent reaction of the Orange’s (Syracuse, until recently, used to be called the “Orangemen”) coach toward a reporter who asked him an intelligent (not “how do you feel”-type) question. In addition, Syracuse’s star player Gerry McNamara had a terrible game:

"I feel great about it," McNamara said in a postgame interview, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Because of me, we lost. Fantastic. Great feeling." (“McNamara and Orange Run Out of Gas” by Ray Glier (N.Y. Times, March 17, 2006))

I couldn’t find a transcript of the coach’s exact words, but hey it’s not the end of the world. A coach should help the players to understand that it’s not the end of the world after a disappointing loss. Because a team looses in the first round of a tournament, it doesn’t mean that their entire season was a wash. Because a player had a bad game doesn’t mean that they had a terrible season. This morning’s radio program reminded me that the lesson of sportsmanship always needs repeating. In fact, sportsmanship should be learned well-before one enters high school in my estimation. This is the purpose of little league and other activities. You win some, you loose some! Life goes on…

Green

And on the topic of “loosing some”… The Boston Celtics (27-38) blew a 25 point lead last night in Miami, loosing to Dwyane “never had a tattoo, never will?” Wade (30 points) and the Heat 107-104. Unlike the Orange, the Green’s season is a wash.

Image: www.celtics.com
Tags: Boston Celtics

Candlepins

[Archive March 6, 2006]

Boston’s WB network television station (channel 56) introduced a new candlepin bowling show this past Saturday, Candlepins for Dollars . When I was younger I thought that Candlepins for Cash on Boston television was a national phenomena! However, as I later discovered, the sport of candlepin bowling seems to be limited to New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Candlepin bowling began in 1880 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Maybe one day it will be an Olympic sport... no broom required! (Before you criticize the watching of bowling on television consider the Poker craze that is in full swing. These people are playing cards on television ... and people are interested in watching them play!)

I find it to be much more fun that its big ball cousin. It is also slightly more difficult in my estimation since both the pins and the balls are smaller. Ten pins are used, three balls are rolled and a game consists of ten frames. It is well-known that new out-of-the-box pins don’t drop. Seasoned pins are required. A perfect game is 300 although pretty good bowlers have averages near 110; really good bowlers, slightly higher. The single-string world record for a man is 245; for a woman is 207.

If you want to learn more about Candlepin bowling, its rules, history and alley locations, check out The International Candlepin Bowling Association’s homepage . It's really a great game and you don't have to be a super-athlete to participate and enjoy. Plus, smoke-filled alleys are a thing of the past.

Tags: candlepin bowling