Alright, only like a month late, but here we go. Rather than going chronological like I did the Vancouver trip, I'll just focus on certain topics and try not to rant for too long. So, after a long red eye flight to Halifax, plus a delay due to fog, I finally met up with C Mac and CM in Hali. Took a much needed power nap in the early afternoon, and then hit the city for a meal and some casino action. What a way to start my vacation too; I sat down at the texas hold'em bonus table game with $100 and walked away with $170! It was a sign of things to come! A great first night in the city with some great people.
Next morning, C Mac and I headed up to Antigonish, my hometown. Back when I lived in Nova Scotia, driving to Halifax seemed to take forever, what a long two to two and a half hour drive it was. But after living in northern Alberta, I believe my perspective has changed. Driving the six to eight hours to Grande Prairie or Edmonton on a regular basis makes that Halifax drive look puny. Time flew by and before we knew it, we were in the Nish! The first day was pretty epic. We got into town around noon. I got to see family for a bit and then went to kick around the soccer ball with some old buddies; work out the rust before the big game that night.
That first night back, I was lucky enough to play a season game with my old soccer club. I was looking forward to this moment for months. I didn't realize how much I love competitive soccer until I moved up to northern Alberta where recreational soccer was a struggle. The game that night was great too because we were playing another Antigonish team, so I could catch up with some other individuals that I knew well from back home. I had to play the first half playing goalie (my old position from my youth. I didn't do too bad, no goals allowed!) but I finally got to play out during the second half. Thinking about it now is making me miss it yet again. I look forward to the day when I get to play on a competitive team again. A bonus, we ended up winning the game 2-1! Here's some pics from the game:
Little brother goes in on goal
Stuck in nets, taking a goal kick. Getting under that ball!
Second half, taking a corner kick, placing it in the box.
Trying to get a touch on a bouncing ball
Challenging for the ball
I know it's been a while since I've posted. I do have quite a few posts to write to update everything from the summer. Just hard to do when you're such a busy guy. Enjoy folks!
Hello all,
Yes, it has been a while. There is still lots I want to fill people in on. Life has been extremely busy though. As mentioned before, I went home for a couple weeks to Nova Scotia, E had joined me later on there. We then both went to Ontario to visit her family. I will fill everyone in on the details with each trip in time, I'm just getting everything on my laptop now. I got back to Fort Vermilion the day before work started; then a week later I was back in the classroom with the students! During the first week of prep, plan and train, E and I also moved to a new apartment. A little smaller, but much nicer! Right beside the school too, bonus! I'm now getting back into the swing of things with school, seeing old faces and new, coaching cross country, doing other school athletics responsible things. I'm excited to share a bunch of tales, videos and pictures, but like a doctor, you'll need 'patients'.
Two weeks in Nova Scotia down. E is now with me, and we're off to see her family in Ontario for a week. A hectic two weeks of adventure here in NS, time for a lil RnR at Lake Simcoe for a bit! I'll fill everyone in on everything once I make it back to the wild wild west. So long for now!
Once again, I'm travelling. I'm starting to like this whole summers off thing....y'know, not having to work a part time job forty hours a week. Complete freedom. I'm heading home to Antigonish, Nova Scotia. I'm hoping to travel home twice a year, once at Christmas, once during the summer. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to keep doing that, but I'll try.
I have lots of things planned for this trip and have lots of spare time to do other unexpected things. On the agenda is:
Family (obvi).
Play lots of soccer. Play on my old competitive team, go to their practices, play with the summer pickup soccer society through STFX university.
Watch lots of soccer. Can't wait to watch my younger sister play, as well as a couple other teams that have players I coached in the past.
Eat Wheel pizza....anyone familiar with Antigonish knows this spot.
Go to the Halifax casino with C Mac.
Eat Boyd's seafood.....mmm....fish and chips, best spot to get it!
Spend lots of time at 'The Rocks'. A spot cemented in my childhood. Located at Cribbons beach, I would spend my summer there with family and friends snorkeling, swimming and jumping off huge rock formations into the ocean (video below). Have a beach party/bonfire with some quality individuals in my life.
Play ultimate frisbee...can't wait to play some pickup ultimate frisbee with the STFX summer society
Do geocaching....and lots of it!
Make geocaches...in particular an underwater one at The Rocks.
Go to wing night at the Pub.
Watch lots of Olympics, go Canada go!
Stay in shape.
Do some canoeing/kayaking in the area. In particular, would love to do some out by The Rocks, as well as in Gasperaux Lake, which is my home out in the county.
Test out my brother's new four-wheeler.
Watch UFC 150, Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar II, preferably at a BP.
See some old staff at SuperStore.
Play some Settlers of Catan with folks.
Go for a round of golf with some family...would love to play one of the beautiful courses on Cape Breton Island.
Catch up with people I haven't seen in a while.
Have fun, enjoy myself, and live the two weeks to the fullest!
As mentioned before, here is a video of me and my cousins when we were younger fooling around on 'The Rocks'. Now you have an idea of why we spent our whole summers here and the kind of joy it brought us. This was back in early teens, hence the bad video quality. Enjoy!
I mentioned before that I randomly came across a situation where I was able to try kayaking up here in Fort Vermilion. GT also offered his kayaks to me any time in the future, which was great. So I took him up on his offer. I took SK, a first year teacher from High Level out with me. The first thing I noticed was how much the water level dropped in the past couple of weeks. This made the current much faster, whereas the previous time I was out, it felt more like kayaking on a lake. What a workout it was! Kayaking fifteen minutes upstream, we could still look back and see where we launched from.
We got to our first set of rapids. The last time was a cinch going through here. This time, there was no way we could get through. So we landed on the island and walked our kayaks through the rapids. We were on our way again! After a total of two hours of kayaking, we reached another set of rapids. Knowing better this time around, we went straight for the island. This was a nice little peaceful spot for us to turn around.
The kayak downstream was calm and very relaxing. It was great to lay back, have a drink and just enjoy being in the middle of nowhere surrounded by water, trees and wildlife. Going through the second set of rapids was fun, especially knowing how hard it was trying to get through them. As soon as we got through them, I was drawn to a certain side of the river, and I wasn't quite sure why. I just kept staring at the treeline, almost expecting something to happen. Then I saw it, a black bear! It was a young one, probably three years old give or take a year. I got SK's attention and we waited. The black bear then stood on its hind legs above the bush line, spotted us and then hightailed it. We could hear it crashing through the forest. What an experience coming close to a bear while kayaking.
It was a great kayak. I can't wait to get back on the water somewhere. Buying my own kayaks is now on my agenda. We'll see whether or not I'll get it by September or if I'll have to wait til next summer.
Thursday was the day we started our trip to Whistler. AD has
family on his other side who have a condo in Whistler. We were fortunate enough
to use it for the night. JB had always to climb Stawamus Mountain, also known
as ‘The Chief’ which is right on the edge of Squamish BC. JB heard it was a
decent climb, a couple hours. So, we packed up a bottle of water, gato and the
camera, then JB, AD and I were on our way. The first five minutes were nice,
like walking through some of the flat tree filled trails back home…and then the
stairs came. After those first five minutes, it was nothing but uphill, and
very steep! We had to take many breaks on the way up to make sure we didn’t get
too dehydrated; only two drinks for three people, how silly! Our first break
was along a small bridge overlooking a tiny waterfall. While we were resting
up, we decided to search for a geocache in the area, to which JB found, her
first one.
After that break, we continued up…..and up…..and up. There
were lots of stairs, rocks, trees and steep inclines. This is the kind of
hiking I LOVE to do. It was a workout the whole time. About 15-20 minutes from
the top is when the terrain changed from trails through a forest to climbing
mountainous rock face. We had to use the guidance of chains and ladders to help
us continue to ascend. The view from the top was everything I expected and
more. The drive from Vancouver to Whistler (Sea to Sky Highway) is gorgeous,
but nothing compared to the view from the second peak of The Chief. While we were at the top, we had a little
picnic, found another geocache (props to AD for finding) and then started our
descent down the mountain. Unbelievable hike; can’t wait to do something
similar next summer. Here are some videos and pics from the hike!
Used the helmet cam for this one. I think the YouTube editing made this a little wonky though. I was wanting to use the camera from this point until we got to the top (about ten minutes more), but I misread the camera's battery life and it was actually dead. :( I will be more prepared I'm doing more hiking in the area!
Here is the view from the top!
It started off nice and easy......
...but then the stairs came.
JB and AD taking a break by the waterfall
The terrain we hiked.
Found a nice lookout halfway up.
Nearing the top, time for some chains!
Me and AD at the top of second peak. What a view!
JB found a comfy spot.
After leaving Squamish, we continued to Whistler where we
got settled in the condo for the night. Went for a dip in the pool, watched a
little Jeopardy and Big Brother, and then headed out for supper. We ate at a
nice little restaurant in Whistler village, checked out some Olympic monuments,
picked up some ice cream from Cows, and hit up a pub for some drinks and darts
before our big event for the evening…the midnight showing of The Dark Knight
Rises! What a movie. It contends with The Dark Knight for best Batman. I don’t
want to really say too much on it and spoil the movie for anyone. I can’t wait
to see it again.
Friday morning we had planned on going kayaking on Lake Alta
in Whistler, but the rain put a damper on those plans L So, we headed back to Burnaby
a little earlier. AD, JB and I hit up the driving range for a while. I got a
few tips from AD to help get rid of my nasty slice I have, especially off the
tee with my driver. We quickly rushed back to the house after for me and my
aunt BD to head downtown for supper with another one of my cousins, ED. It was
actual nice and relaxing to be walking downtown (I know, hypocritical/oxymoron,
right?) and catching up with ED. After a nice supper of chicken fajitas at a
sports pub, we headed back to the house for a nice relaxing evening. We had the
whole family there along with JB, MD’s gf G and AD’s bud N (again, sorry for
the abbreviations). We played
Pictionary, Taboo and Scattergories. It was a fun night with lots of laughs and
good times. It is what I would consider quality time spent together; doesn’t
always have to be elaborate or expensive. When you’re around the right kind of
people, it doesn’t matter what you do, it’ll be well worth it. After board
games, AD, MD and I headed downstairs and wrapped up the night with some Tiger
Woods, MarioKart and Goldeneye. A great finish to a great trip.
So, in a nutshell, that was my very short trip to Vancouver.
I am already looking forward to my next trip out west next summer. That is one
good thing about moving to Alberta, I am able to connect more with these
quality individuals in my life who I love and adore.
We continue with Wednesday, July 18th. I do believe this was the day we went out to eat at Whitespot for lunch. According to AD, it's the most British Columbian restaurant you can eat at. Great food.
That afternoon, AD, JB, MB and I went to a local park to play some tennis. Me and AD played one game, not a set, but a game (to four points or whatever, y'know, after the whole 40-30 mark) for about twenty minutes. We must've had fifteen deuces. After that, we played a couple doubles matches with AD and myself taking on the B siblings. Very even play, very matched. After finishing up, JB, MB and myself played around with the soccer ball for a bit before we decided to go back to B's place to rest/watch the TFC game. That afternoon was wonderful and reminded me of home; getting together with a couple good folks and doing something active and fun. One of the things I miss most...
Thanks to one of AD's buddies, I was very fortunate to go to the Vancouver Whitecaps/LA Galaxy game that night. I was wanting to see if it matched up with the atmosphere of the TFC game I went to a couple years back. 21,000 fans were in that building that night (I had originally heard 35,000, but I guess those were teh tickets available?). It didn't feel as 'homey' as BMO field does, but that was one of the downfalls AD mentioned about moving the team to BC Place. The fans definitely seemed to be a bit rowdier at BMO as well, but maybe that was because I was near the supporter section.
Play wise, I was amazed at the level of these guys; in particular watching David Beckham play. I always knew the guy was good, but he was so fluid, so sure with his feet. He may not have the cardio like he used to, especially being around a bunch of young guys, but with his talent you don't have to work hard, just smart. It puts things in perspective too. If he isn't a star in the EPL (English Premier League)/not good enough to play on the top teams there, how good does that make those players? Imagine watching Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo in person. How scary good are they?
The game was great, Vancouver came out and dominated the first half. I don't know the team that well, but one player that jumped out at me was midfielder Barry Robson. He had one hell of a game, both his level of play and the quality of his chances he was getting. Even scored a goal too. Galaxy took control in the second half though, dominating possession, chances and then finally capitalizing on two goals in the final ten minutes. We were lucky, all four goals were scored on the same net that we were right behind.
Here's some pics and vids from the game. It was a great night out, and the one thing I had requested to AD we do on my trip.
David Beckham free kick:
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. LA Galaxy:
Great pressure and scoring opportunities by the Galaxy; David Beckham corners:
Team Entrances:
Dodging a tackle:
David Beckham Free Kick:
Barry Robson with a crack on net:
Beckham and Robbie Keane:
Me and AD:
Vancouver Trip Part III, the Finale coming soon! Check your local movie theater for listings!
Most of my family is in Nova Scotia, minus a couple cousins
scattered in other places. However, I have an aunt, uncle and three cousins who
have for my lifetime always lived in Burnaby, BC. I always wanted to go visit
them, but never had the opportunity. I finally did in 2010 when E and I went
out to go see the Winter Olympics. It was a fantastic trip! We saw five
sporting events as well as an Our Lady Peace concert in four days. However, I left
wishing I had done more things with my family. Now that I am a teacher, I am
fortunate to have lots of time on my hands now, as well as a little extra
pocket change. So, on July 16th, I made a trip out to Vancouver, BC.
I got in on Monday, July 16th to Vancouver. AD picked me up and we went over to watch his girlfriend, JB, play in a rec beach volleyball league. I enjoyed watching, but I'm one of those guys who watching sports makes me want to play that much more. Eventually got in with a few members between matches and rallied a bit. It was fun to stretch my legs after such a long trip. It was also nice to see sooo many people together playing something that is not really a dominant sport. One reason why I would love to be in a larger city; more people means more sports and more leagues. Made me miss all the different stuff I would do back in Nova Scotia that much more.
Tuesday morning, we went out to pick up a Go Pro Hero 2 helmet cam. Been looking at them for a while and I think it'd be cool to use for a multitude of different sports and E is wanting to use it for horseback riding.
Tuesday afternoon, AD, JB and I rented some bikes from downtown Vancouver and went for a nice casual bike through Stanley Park. It was great going from the hustle and bustle of downtown Vancouver to a trail surrounded by trees, water and views of the mountains in the background. It was nice to get out and about and be active in the city. I decided to test out the helmet cam on this bike ride too; here's the vids, enjoy the views!
Starting downtown and entering Stanley Park:
In and around Stanley Park
Along the Stanley Park seawall:
Me and AD along the Stanley park Seawall:
Lastly, we ended Tuesday night by entering in a free poker tournament at DD's bar (AD's buddy), called Oscar's. I haven't done poker in ages, so it was nice to get back at it without worrying about losing money. First place winner won a randomly drawn prize. I was kind of hanging in there for most of the night, but then started bleeding chips fast. I had to do some all-in moments eventually. The time came when I picked up pocket aces pre-flop. So I went all in. AD's bud, MB who is JB's sister (sorry for all the abbreviations) called me with a J-8. I was ecstatic when an ace came up on the flop; I had trip aces! But then MB picked up a club on the turn and the river which caused him to get a flush. I was so pissed off. It's easier to accept when you lose on a hand you shouldn't have played, or you made a stupid decision. It sucks when you lose a hand you shouldn't have. Oh well, there is definitely some luck in poker. I finished seventh out of 16 or so. MB went on to double up his chips thanks to my contribution and used that money to go all the way to winning the tournament, his third win in five tourneys (combined with two seconds). You definitely can't say there's no skill in poker because you can't just fluke your way into those kind of finishes. Other than the bad beat, it was a great night out!
Ended the night with a little Tiger Woods on the XBox with AD and MB. Was finally able to beat MB at something. After that, played a little late night MarioKart and GoldenEye on the N64 with AD. It was a very nice chill night altogether. Loved it.
I'll comment more on watching David Beckham play in my upcoming Vancouver Trip post, but here's a little clip of the type of individual he is. Loads of respect for the guy.
First off, a wonderful new experience for me last week. I had gone to a
local guy (GT) to get the radiator in our truck fixed. Just get it flushed out
so that it would run more smoothly. We were chatting it up for a while about
this and that. He got the radiator set up for flushing, but he had to leave it
be for about an hour to run. He asked if I was getting picked up (this is about
thirty minutes out in the county), and I said no, that I would take a walk down
the road or down by the river. He decided to come down with me to the river.
Within a minute, we were on the shores of the gorgeous Boyer river. GT had his
kayaks on the shore and had asked if I wanted to go for a paddle, or whatever
it is with kayaking. I’ve never gone before, had been wanting to try, and was
eager to go. So I took him up on his offer. My oh my, what an amazing
adventure. The river was calm, forest all around and enough wildlife to keep me
intrigued. We went for about 25 minutes upstream, then 20 down. I’m already
looking forward to the next time I get to go out. I had done my canoeing
instruction courses and was planning on investing in a canoe, but now I’m more
leaning towards the kayak’s ease. There
are tons of rivers up here to explore as well. All this because I went to go
get the truck fixed. Best experience I’ve had with mechanics! Forget about
southern hospitality, it’s all about northern hospitality!
The Canadian Olympic Committee recently announced the flag
bearer for Canada at the London Olympics. Triathlete Simon Whitfield will be
carrying the Maple Leaf during the Olympic ceremonies. Simon was the gold
medallist in Sydney, Australia in the first ever Olympic triathalon. Whitfield
was also the silver medallist at the Beijing Olympics in China. He is
definitely deserving of being the flag bearer for Canada, a position usually
held for an individual of high Olympic importance in Canada or a probable medal
winner. Could others have been the flag bearer? Most definitely. My choice, and
maybe I am biased because of my girlfriend E, but I would have picked Ian
Miller, a horseback rider competing in the equestrian event. This is his 10th,
yes TENTH Olympics. A feat not many can say they've done. Ian was the rider of the famous Big Ben back in the 80s/90s. Maybe he wasn't named flag bearer because many look down on equestrian events as athletics, thinking that it is not really a sport; that the horse does all the work. I know personally that it does require skills, both physical and mental. They may be different traits than what we typically think of when we think of athletics, but it is most certainly a sport. Clara Hughes is a big name in Canada, having one medals in both winter and summer Olympics (Speed Skating/Cycling). Christine Sinclair is the face of Canadian soccer right now. The Canadians had a disappointing World Cup, but the last year Canada has rebounded very well. She would be a great candidate for flag bearer. Other individuals who you could make an argument for being flag bearer, shot putter Dylan Armstrong, diver Alex Despatie, canoer Adam van Koeverden, cyclist Ryder Hesjedal, the men's eight rowing team are amazing, tennis playere Milos Raonic or Daniel Nestor. I know I'm probably missing many other possible candidates.
Sorry, I'm a little late on posts. I had wrote most of this before my trip to Vancouver, but didn't have the opportunity to post it. Most of this is from last week, I just added a couple things here and there. I have lots of other posts to talk about in the next couple of days including the Vancouver trip, new activities and testing out my new HD Go Pro Hero Helmet Cam.
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen had quite the fight on
Saturday, July 7th. Sonnen
dominated Silva once again in the first round, getting an excellent take down
on Silva. However, Sonnen couldn’t capitalize on the dominant positioning. In the second round, Sonnen tried to get fancy and do a spinning back
fist on Silva. Chael missed completely and lost his balance, allowing Silva to
send a barrage of fists towards the challenger. This was Chael’s downfall. Why
did he attempt a move he is not known for? Maybe he felt he was a one-trick
pony. Perhaps he thought in order to beat Silva in this second fight, he needed
to do something different; unexpected. Well, It failed for him this time. He
should’ve stuck with what he was doing all along, and what had worked so well
in the first fight. I’m still a strong believer that Sonnen is the only guy in
the Middleweight division who can provide a decent challenge for Anderson. It
doesn’t look like the champ is slowing down anytime soon.
Wimbledon finished up early in July. I’m not really a follower of tennis,
but I do appreciate the sport. A few headlines stood out to me. Kudos to Serena
Williams on not only winning the women’s Wimbledon title, but also the women’s
doubles title with her sister Venus. It’s an amazing athletic accomplishment to
win a top tennis tournament, but you have to be incredibly talented to win two
top tennis tournaments in the same weekend.
Congrats! A big congrats is also in order to Canadian youth tennis
players. We had a young man, Filip Peliwo, take home the Boys Wimbledon title as well as a
young woman, Eugenie Bouchard, take home the Girls Wimbledon title. I think this is a great sign
for Canadian tennis to see two young athletes compete and succeed at the
top level. Lastly, in the men’s final, there were two achievements the players
were going for. Roger Federer was going
for his 7th Wimbledon title, Andy Murray trying to be the first Brit
to win the Wimbledon title since 1936. Roger Federer went on to capture the
championship in a great match, but what I remembered most from that was the
post-match interview by Andy Murray. Every player wants to win, but the emotion
he conveyed in that interview was beyond measure. He was gracious and
complimentary of Federer, but you could tell he was devastated to make it that
far and still not capture that elusive Wimbledon title. Some say that real men
don’t cry, but I certainly have lots of respect for the emotion and devotion of
Andy Murray.
The MLS is starting to get interesting. There’s not a lot of teams playing
crappy right now, and there aren’t a lot of teams that are unbeatable. It’s
nice though to see my basement dwelling TFC starting to rack up some wins and
turn around this dismal season. However, starting striker Danny Koevermans had to
undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered in the last season game against
New England Revolution. Just when things are starting to look up for Toronto,
something always happens. Hoping for a speedy recovery! Good on the management and coaching staff though. In Koevermans absence, they have acquired Eric Hassli as well as Amarikwa from the Red Bulls. Hoping this guys step it up and keep TFC's winning ways going! And a side note for me,
I’m lucking out and going to an MLS game this week. I am visiting family in
Vancouver for this week and am going to see the Whitecaps play against David
Beckham and the LA Galaxy. I went to a TFC game against DC United a few years
back at BMO Field, and the atmosphere was ROCKING! It was the best sporting
experience I ever had. I always knew that soccer/football had the best fans,
but I was able to experience that personally. A 2-0 win for TFC helped the
cause as well! I’m curious if I’ll have a similar experience in Van City. (*Went to the game, unreal, post to come)
Tonight is the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Needless to say, I've been looking forward to this for years. Technically, yes, these are both really good fighters and from an athletic stand point, it will be good. Anderson Silva is viewed by most, and myself, as the pound for pound best UFC fighter. But there are more reasons why this fight will be great.
Two years ago in August of 2010, Sonnen and Silva met for the first time. Silva was destroying opponents. It was obvious that no one was on his level. Then Sonnen came in and pounded on Silva for four and a half rounds. Sonnen would have easily won the belt if it had gone to decision. However, credit to Silva, he caught Sonnen in a triangle armbar submission causing Sonnen to tap and Silva to retain the belt. This was the closest anyone has ever come to beating Silva.
There was talk that Silva was fighting with broken ribs. Regardless, it was an impressive fight on both parts. But now we come to UFC 148. Sonnen gets his rematch and it will be interesting to see how round two goes between these fighters. I think we will see a much different Anderson Silva this time around. He won't be worked the same way he did before. He won't be injured (hopefully), and he would have had time to actually study Chael Sonnen. Silva is definitely more of an martial artist where as Sonnen is more of a brawler. Though Sonnen is probably in better shape than he was two years ago, he probably isn't that much smarter. Silva knows now that he is human. He knows he can make mistakes. He will learn from them too. The only thing that could certainly secure a win for Sonnen is if Silva comes in fighting too emotionally and throwing off his game plan.
Some highlights from the pre-fight press conference:
...and the stare down. You don't think Anderson Silva wants to beat his face in?
The main reason why this fight is getting so much publicity as well, is because Sonnen is an idiot. A very entertaining one at that! He is a self-publicist (but denies it); he runs his mouth quite a bit. There doesn't seem to be a filter. He is the best smack talker in the UFC. His comments are usually laughable, either because he is quick witted or what he says is completely preposterous. But you know what, the man is doing a great job because now he will for the next couple years always be a headliner or top card fight because he's entertaining. People want to watch him fight, even though he hasn't won a belt yet. The guy's doing a great job at making sure he keeps his job, and gets paid well to do it. And honestly, he is a good fighter as well. Most of the time, he can back up his talk, when his talk is actually about fighting.
It's going to be a good fight either way. Both fighters have a chance to win, but I would say Silva is too good of an athlete. Anderson would win 3 out of every 4 fights with Sonnen. I'm predicting a third round submission victory for Anderson. First round to Sonnen because Silva will be fighting emotionally. Second round to Silva because he'll fight smart.
Here are some other videos for you to enjoy the antics of Chael Sonnen
From the mean streets of West Linn, Oregon. Pure Gold!!!
His pre-fight conference quotes before UFC 117, first time meeting Silva:
I'll start with Steve Nash. So, as a Canadian as well as a Raptors fan, I was pretty excited at the prospect of Steve Nash going to T.O. He would definitely turn Toronto into a playoff team...but not a championship contender. There is a lot of youth on the Raptors squad who could use an experienced vet on their team, not to mention some leadership on and off the court. As a fan of Steve, I want to see him win a championship. He's done a lot for the game, especially up in Canada. I want to see him have a successful career capped off with a championship ring. If he had already won with Dallas or Phoenix, then I would expect him to join the Raptors. To hear yesterday that he is going to join the Los Angeles Lakers, I'm not at all bitter. The Lakers and Steve will have their work cut out for them still, with such powerhouses as the Spurs and Mavericks along with OKC Thunder and LA Clippers stepping up into major players. Who knows, maybe if the Lakers win the championship next year, he'll ask for a trade to T.O.? One can hope. Good luck Steve Nash! All the best!
Now that Suter and Parise are taken, I think now's a good time to reflect on the NHL Free Agency so far. Most of the hockey world had been viewing these two as the ones to get this free agent frenzy. Kind of unexpectantly, they both sign the exact same contract, 13 year, $98 million and with the same team. Are we starting to see the same sort of super team formations in the NHL that we're seeing in the NBA? Congrats to Minnesota, who were able to sign this guys in free agency rather than trade away picks and prospects to obtain them. It may have cost them quite a bit more in the bank, but now they have these stars to help out their deep prospect pool develop. This could make Minnesota dangerous, but I still don't see the Wild as a Cup contender yet.
As for my Habs, new GM Marc Bergevin has done an excellent job, in my eyes, in his first summer in the position. He took his time hiring a coaching staff, made a solid pick with Galchenyuk at the NHL draft as well as great picks in latter rounds. Now he has added some size, physicality and character to a notoriously small Montreal team. Signing Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong as well as other minor players, Bergevin is addressing a key need in the Habs lineup. Not only that, but he signed a six year contract with Carey Price, keeping the star goaltender in Montreal for a long time. As a hardcore fan, I can rest a little easier knowing that Price will be our goaltender until June of 2019...let's hope.
Other thoughts: Did anyone actually think that Martin Brodeur was leaving New Jersey? He's near the end of his career, but unlike Steve Nash, he has won championships. Plus, I don't think Brodeur is all about money, so I wasn't surprised to hear that he stayed with the Devils. Sami Salo and Matt Carle goes to Tampa Bay. With Tampa's top stars, when do you think they will become a contender in the East? Maybe once they get some good goaltending. They still need depth. Jaromir Jagr goes to Dallas for over 4.5 million. Would you be okay with your team spending that much on a player like Jagr? I know he's good, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with paying more than $3 million for. Olli Jokinen just keeps getting bounced around. Will he make an impact in Winnipeg? I think Winnipeg is in need of a couple more stars, but is Jokinen a star any more?
So, now that the big players are off the free agent market, teams now have to look at the names circulating around the league who are still signed with teams. Rick Nash, Shane Doan, Roberto Luongo. Will these top players be on the move before the new season starts in October? Lots of time left to tell.
Came up with a list of goals I would like to do/am doing this summer. I know I won't be able to do all of it, but they are still goals. In no particular order...
Go home: Flights are booked. In Nova Scotia from August 4th until the 18th. Good times to be had. *Great time. Posts will come with all the details.
Visit Vancouver: Flights are booked. July 16th-21st. I have family in Burnaby, just outside Vancouver. They always came out to visit, but we could never pay it back in turn. My girlfriend and I visited during the Winter Olympics, but didn't spend as much time with them. Now that I'm only a province away, I wanted to actually visit them, not the city.
*July 21st. Unreal experience. Check out the upcoming posts for my experiences! All I expected and more.
Go to a Vancouver Whitecaps game: Since I'm in Vancouver, I would love to go to a Whitecaps game. Toronto FC is my team. I went to a TFC game a couple summers ago. The atmosphere and quality of soccer were UNREAL. I'm hoping to recreate that experience again
* July 18th. Great game. Amazing level of soccer. Ended in a 2-2 draw. All four goals were scored on the net we were behind. 35,000 people were in attendance. Maybe because it was in a larger stadium, it didn't feel as 'homey' as it did at BMO. Certainly seemed like the crowd was more pumping then, not to take anything away from Whitecaps fans. There were definitely those moments still.
Canoe on Lake Simcoe: Visiting the girlfriend's family in Ontario from August 19th-25th. We go to a cottage on Lake Simcoe. It's always warm and placid. I haven't been there since I took canoeing instructions, so I can't wait to get out and put my skills to use. *August 20th-24th. Got out a bunch of times during our trip. Got to put some new/old skills to use.
Make an underwater geocache: Along with do a bunch of geocaching in general/make some for up in Fort vermilion. In case you don't know what geocaching is, take a look at this video.
While I am home in Nova Scotia this summer, I want to make an unbelievably awesome geocache, one that is underwater. I would snorkel with family at The Rocks at Cribbons. I want to make a geocache you have to snorkel for.
Shoot under 110 at La Crete golf course: I am not a good golfer. I want to become a better one. I hope with my spare time now, that I can improve my swing; not have just a terrible slice. My goal is to shoot under 110 at La Crete golf course (or High level golf course).
*Completed July 5th, second time out on the course. Big improvement from 117 the first time around. new goal of breaking 100.
Beat CoD MW3 campaign (July 6th), Infamous (Sept.3rd), Final Fantasy XIII, Skyrim,
Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2 and the Metal Gear Collection: I like video games. A lot. Aside from sports, it's my main hobby. There is no way I will accomplish this goal. I have a problem of buying new games before I finish other ones. This is a prime example. I have not completed any of these games (don't even own the Metal Gear Collection yet). Thess are just the games I'll be aiming at finishing...combined with lots of MW3 multiplayer.
Play a soccer game with the Gunners: I would love to play with my old soccer team. I've missed competitive soccer since I've moved to northern Alberta and their lack of the beautiful game. I at least want to kick around with them and practice. Play some skilled soccer again. *It was great getting back on the field with the boys! I had a blast. Congrats to the Gunners for winning their first playoff game in history this season! I still miss competitive soccer so much...
Canoe down the Peace River: I live on the Peace River. It would be a shame to not canoe on it; if not this summer then in future ones.
*I have kayaked on the Boyer river so far, so it's kind of like half points for this goal, eh?
Deep sea fishing in NS: I always get a chance to do some mackerel fishing when I go home. It would be neat to try for something else out in the ocean!
Run 5km under 22 minutes: I'm out of shape. Need to get back in it. This is my goal, or if I start running longer distances anyways, to run 10km under 50 minutes. Working out 5 days a week too is also a goal. *Doesn't help that I was running distances that weren't exactly 5km. I think the best exact 5km was around 23:30
Have tons of planning/prepping done: Well, I survived my first year of teaching. At times, I definitely felt like I was just trying to survive the year. Now that I actually have a summer to prepare, I would like to utilize it to better prepare myself for next year; get more long term planning done. *Got some done, but far from tons
Learn some new songs/get better at guitar: I didn't have the opportunity to pursue music growing up. Last year though, I bought an acoustic guitar because I wanted to learn. The school year put a damper on practice time though. I would love to actually learn how to play, and to learn a few new songs to play other than the five or so basic ones I do know.
So, I'm sure more will come up as I go, but here's the few on my mind right now. What are some things YOU want to do this summer?
Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Where did that
Spanish attack come from? On paper, the Spaniards have always been a dangerous
team, with the likes of Iniesta, Fabregas, Xavi, Torres and basically any other
player on the field. However, their attack has been extremely poor this
tournament (other than the Ireland game). I thought against a great defensive
team like Italy, that that lack of offense trend from Spain this tournament.
Well, I s’pose they were just saving the best for last. The Spanish midfield
FINALLY found their form in this game, while the above average Italian midfield
were mediocre, to say the least. This translated to higher possession and
greater scoring chances for the Spaniards.
It was just a matter of time from then.
Obviously, injuries and substitutions were the story of this
final for Italy. Starting Chiellini was the first mistake. It’s always hard to
tell whether or not to start key players who are back from injuries. If they
are 100% for the entire game, great, but as we saw yesterday, sometimes the
injuries are just too much. There was Italy’s first wasted sub used at the 20th
minute. Italy used a second substitution at half. They took about Cassano for
DiNatale. I think Cassano and Balotelli were a great combo for each other in
this tourney, but Italian coach Prandelli must have thought DiNatale could
recreate his magic from the first group game against Spain. I think this was
wasted sub number two. The coach needs to be more cautious with his subs when
you’ve had to use one early in the game. At least give Cassano the first
fifteen minutes of the second half. Then, Thiago Motta subbed into the game
(#3) around the 55th-60th minute. Five minutes later, he is down,
injuried, out of the game. There are Italy’s three subs, and there is Italy
down a man, down two goals with thirty minutes left in the final. This is where
the game is over. Before this, being down 2-0, Italy could have been able to
score a goal, turn it into a 2-1 game, and then things would be interesting.
But there was no way Italy was winning once Motta went down.
Overall, a very entertaining Euro. One thing I hate about
televised international soccer events is seeing the diving and having that be
exposed to the non-soccer world who then complain about it. I was very happy
with the play in this tourney; didn’t
feel like there was much diving. A pleasant surprise for my Italians, but a
brutal finish. Congrats to Spain on their record third straight international
title in a row! Well deserved the way they played in the finale.
Well, come 12:45pm Sunday afternoon, I’ll be with some
friends watching the final match of this great tournament. Spain and Italy have
both come a long way since their opening match of Group C. Spain, one of the
two tournament favorites coming in, haven’t looked as good on the field as
they’re used to. Mind you, a bad Spanish showing in a game is on par with many
other teams having good games. Iniesta and Xavi haven’t looked like their
normal dominant selves in the midfield, and anyone who knows anything about
soccer understands that your midfield dictates your possession and flow in a
game. Their knockout games against
France and Portugal were sub par showings for a normally dominant team (save
perhaps the extra time portion of their Portugal semi). One positive for Spain
is that their defense have been doing quite a bit better than usual. Casillas
hasn’t really been tested much in this tournament; not conceding a goal since
the opening match against Italy. He is one of the top keepers in the world
though, so you have to assume that when he does get peppered with shots that he
will hold his ground.
Italy on the other hand had the opposite road of the
Spanish. They started off slow in the group stage, but have now established two
dominant games against England and Germany in the knockout. Buffon has looked
very impressive in this tournament so far allowing only three goals (one of
them a PK) in five games. The defense, which was the highlight of the Italians
coming in, has been their bread and butter this tournament. Pirlo has been probably
the player of the tournament thus far, resurrecting the amazing player we had
known from the ’06 World Cup. The
pleasant surprise of the tournament for the Italians has been their possession
and passing in the midfield. They have been controlling the ball so smoothly,
that they are able to generate countless scoring opportunities for their attack
(Balotelli, Cassano, DiNatale, Diamanti) which was shown off in their game
against England. The finishing hasn’t been the best for the Italians, but all it
takes is one or two good shots/chances to win a game. The more chances, the
better.
So, it seems like I’ve been bragging up the Italians. As
mentioned in previous posts, I am biased towards them, but their play has been
impeccable of recent. I certainly didn’t expect them to make it this far,
especially after getting Germany in the semis. On paper, Spain still looks like
the better of the two talent wise, especially since they had most of the possession in
their group match. However, I have to go with my gut, go with my heart and go
with the more dominating team of recent and say Italy is going to pull off
another “upset” and beat Spain. 1-0.
The shootout. Penalty kicks. The twelve yard free kicks.
They certainly are an exciting aspect of soccer/football, but should it be? I
think they’re great as a spectator, and for those spectators who actually don’t
enjoy watching footy, they probably love shootouts because of the goals. But as
a player and a coach, I’m not a fan of penalty kicks deciding who wins the
game. There is still a component of soccer skill and mental strength involved,
but I’ve always felt that the game should be won on the pitch playing with all
aspects of the game. I’ve loved the golden goal format for a while (play extra
time until the first goal is scored, to which that team wins the game). I
understand that time restraints can be hard for media, as well as playing
longer games could physically drain players for games that occur shortly after
in a tournament. I just know I would’ve been pissed if Italy had lost that game
to England in the shootout. I also feel Portugal should have had a fair shake
at winning the game. If teams are worried about players been drained for
upcoming games, maybe should we allow unlimited substitutions in extra time?
Soccer’s an old sport that doesn’t like rule changes (look at all the video
replay stuff happening in the news now), but it was just a thought.
My philosophy for penalty shots is whoever is most confident
should be taking the shots. Nerves are the biggest contributing factor towards
success in a shootout. When I coach younger players, I will usually pick the
strongest shooters, because at young ages, there is still a big gap between
your top players and your bottom players (this assuming it is competitive
youth, obviously I’m not that thinking of this kind of stuff with recreational
soccer). Once you get older though, shooting abilities tend to level off,
especially at the professional level. As well, everyone thinks pressure is on
the goalie to make the save, when in reality, all pressure is on the shooter.
Shooters have to assume that a goalie will guess the right way (quality keepers
are really good at reading body language and positioning before and during a
run-up). That doesn’t leave too much room for a shooter to aim for. Basically
they have to aim for a corner and hit it dead on. If players miss the net, then
they look even worse (cause in theory, most people think they just have to hit
the net. It is a ‘big’ net).
Another comment I have to make is why in the world was
Ronaldo kicking last for Portugal? Was he hoping to have all the glory of
sealing a Portugal win by kicking last? I understand that you could make an
argument for putting your best kickers at any place in the order. The
commentators I was listening to were arguing that Ronaldo should have kicked
first or second, since he was a top player.
The player with the most pressure though, would probably be near the
end. My thoughts are that your top players should be in the #4 slot, maybe #3.
These are the points in a shootout where the pressure actually starts to build.
If you’re behind, a top player can ensure you survive to see another kicker. If
you’re ahead, a top player can put the game out of reach. If it’s tied, there’s
that much more pressure to not screw up, which usually gets to players. Look at
the Italy-England game. They had two players who did not have an exceptional
game by any means take kicks #3 and #4, which were a miss and a save. Italy
went on to win. Ronaldo will now be spending his summer thinking about the
penalty kick he never took…
Well, those were certainly some interesting semifinals we had.
I guess my good predictions throughout the tournament were a build up for the
ones I’d miss now. That Portugal/Germany match-up sounded great in my head, but
instead we have a rematch of the Group C opener between Italy and Spain (and as
a fan of Italia, I have no complaints). We’ll start with a reflection of the
previous matches.
Portugal came out at the beginning of the game against Spain
dominating offensive chances. They were giving all the skeptics reasons why not
only they were able to compete with Spain, but could win the game as well. The
Spanish attack looked non-existent. I think the biggest problem for Spain was
the lack of their strength, which is a solid midfield that has a focus on
playing a beautiful, fluid passing game. The Spanish were having problem moving
the ball from the mid to their strikers and attacking mids on the wings. Portugal
won the first half. Spain came out much stronger in the second half and seemed
to finally (after about an hour of soccer) find their groove. I think second
half could have gone either way. Extra time was all Spain, who showed shades of
the champs we’ve come to know. Lucky for Portugal, they were able to hold off
the defending champs for the thirty minutes and set up a finals berth via
penalty kicks. I think if you asked Portugal if they would like to go to
penalty kicks against Spain, that they would have taken that opportunity.
We started the penalty kicks with a save by each keeper and
it looked as if there was never going to be a goal in this game. They traded a
couple more goals. But when Bruno Alves tried to take a shot for Nani, he
definitely didn’t look confident, and he still looked nervous going up. I’m not
sure if it’s allowed (maybe someone can write and let me know) but that’s when
Ronaldo as the captain should step up and pick someone else to kick for him.
Nonetheless, Bruno Alves stepped up, looked shaky, and missed the shot. It was
all on Fabregas to put Spain through to the final. As an Arsenal fan, I guess I
couldn’t wish ill on Cesc’s shot, but I certainly was hoping Portugal would
still have a shot (especially since I not only predicted Portugal to move on,
but have them in my Euro pool). Fabregas had a perfectly placed shot though (at
first I thought it was curving wide).
There was no way Patricio was getting to that shot. Spain to the finals.
In the other semi final, the favorite Germans had their hands full with Super Mario and the Italians. The normally tactical Germans couldn't seem to string their passes well together. Passes were often off target, or placed in an area where an Italian could easily fight for it and steal it off their German counterpart. It wasn't until some second half substitutions when the Germans finally started to find their rhythm. Unfortunately for them, it was too late. Thanks to Balotelli's gorgeous goals and a strong midfield, the Italians dominated the first hour of the game. Even with the Germans pressuring near the end, the Italians had a great counter attack developing with DiNatale and Diamanti creating some great scoring chances. The Germans showed up to this game far too late. It was nice though to see the Azzurri finally capitalize on quality chances on goal.
More posts/thoughts to come later today. Prediction for the final as well as my thoughts on shootouts. Stay tuned! Same Bat time, same Bat channel!
Big games coming up now! The quarterfinal matches were very entertaining. I love stroking my ego; we should make note that I went four for four last week, even calling the Italy penalty kick win, with Buffon coming up with a huge save to seal it for the Azzurri. It's nice to see four high quality teams in the final four spots; I don't think you can say any of the four teams don't deserve to win the title.
Spain vs. Portugal:
Ever have that over-achieving neighbor who has it all and has been show-boating their luxuries and achievements? I bet Portugal feels like they do. Spain's won the recent World Cup as well as the last Euro. They're getting a lot of attention and they deserve. Spain has dominated the world stage. Will this be the time Portugal gets to steal some of that spotlight from their neighbors to the east?
This will definitely be an interesting semifinal. Spain hasn't quite looked as dominated as they could have been, but maybe that's just due to hype. They are getting by without their top scorer in David Villa. Fabregas and Torres have done a decent job handling the attack. But Spain still looks a little shaky and not as comfortable in the attacking end. Spain's strength comes with their passing, especially in the midfield. If Portugal can slow down the midfield and provide an impressive counter attack at the hands (or feet) of Christiano Ronaldo like they've been doing thus far in the tourney, it's hard to count the Portugese out of this. There are way too many questions marks going into this game, but I'm going to take a chance and see the underdog Portugese pulling out an upset. 1-0.
Germany vs. Italy:
If people think Portugal are underdogs to Spain, what does that make Italy to Germany? Germany came in to the tournament as the favorites and they have supported that belief by executing perfectly in each game. Have they dominated? Other than the Greek game, I would say not; but they definitely haven't looked bad. In four games, Italy has only scored four goals. And they had a TON of chances against England. They will not have the same amount of quality chances against Germany like they did against the Three Lions, so if they even want to plan to compete with the Germans, they need to capitalize on their chances. I will throw my remote at the television if Mario Balotelli or DeRossi miss that many chances again. One thing the Italians do have though is a solid defense (especially with Chiellini returning from card accumulation) as well as Luigi Buffon who has only allowed two goals in four matches (as well as an impressive shootout win against the English). So do the Italians have a chance, ya, they sure do. Is it high? No, not really. But if things falls into place, they could win. And yes, I do want them to win. I am biased...but Germany wins 2-1
Well, this will be a relatively shorter post. The NHL 2012 Draft is starting shortly. I'm not going to give any in-depth analysis of picks or predictions because I simply don't know enough about the minor league players. I just have some general comments I would like to make.
First off, no matter who the Oilers pick with the number one (if they keep the #1), the Oilers are going to be a dangerous team in the future. Look at what happened with the Penguins. They were a pretty crappy team until they got Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal. Then in 2008 they are Stanley Cup runner ups and the year after that, they are Stanley Cup champs. Make note, the Edmonton Oilers will win the Stanley Cup in 2016! I think any of the top three could go #1, but based on what I've heard and read, it does seem like Yakupov has the most natural talent. However, the Oilers desperately need a defenseman, so Ryan Murray would also be a good fit.
After losing Jeff Carter and potentially losing Rick Nash this summer, I would think Columbus would be more desperate for a skilled forward, especially after adding Jack Johnson in the Jeff Carter trade.
As for my team, Les Habitants, it's nice seeing the excitement of having a high draft pick (only good thing about this dismal season). I think another young defenseman in Ryan Murray would be great, to mature alongside PK Subban for many years to come. Yakupov would also be a nice pick-up, but I think it may be doubtful those two would be available when Montreal picks, so I think they will likely grab Alex Galchenyuk. He's a great playmaker who would fit well on an opportunistic Montreal offense.
Enjoy the draft. I'm hoping to see a few trades while it's happening. How did your team do in the draft this year? Do you think they'll make an impact this summer in preparation for 2012/2013 season?
